Do you have to love sports to do great work at FanDuel?
It’s an exciting time at FanDuel right now — our business is growing and with that our teams are growing too. We’re hiring across every team within the UX & Design department, and to date, we’ve spoken to loads of promising and exciting candidates. One of the things we often get asked — and no surprises here — is whether you need to know about (or love) sports to work at FanDuel. We sat down with one of our UX writers to get her take.
Although I grew up playing soccer, loving women’s gymnastics, and running basketball stats after school, I haven’t been as strongly tied to sports as an adult. I also definitely didn’t know anything about fantasy football or sports betting! You may be as surprised as I was that I ended up working at a sports tech company.
When I interviewed at FanDuel, I was impressed by the calibre of work the team did and the maturity of the design system. My biggest concern was that I didn’t have direct experience working in sports, and I’d have a lot of work to do to catch up and understand a new company and all of its offerings — plus figure out what exactly a centre does.
During my “on-site” Zoom interview, I asked everyone what their favorite team or sport was, and the answer from one design director surprised me: he didn’t have a go-to team, but what motivated him was wanting to create the best possible experience for people who loved something so much.
“How could I not do everything I can for people who live and breathe this stuff?” he asked.
It was a great and unexpected answer and one that framed the way I approached my own onboarding at FanDuel.
While it’s not a hard and fast requirement to love sports before you join the team, I think it’s important to be open to learning about how they work, who key players are, and critical vocabulary and positions. More importantly, you should work on behalf of the people who love sports and strive to understand what they want and need.
Since starting at FanDuel, I’ve gotten to work with experts in sports, verticals, and statistics — from power users to the people who know fantasy sports inside and out — and it’s been humbling! I’ve gained a new appreciation for the thought and research that goes into a draft and the adrenaline rush from seeing your name at the top of a 500-person contest. I’ve also asked a lot of questions from die-hard sports fans — what should I be considering when I draft MLB instead of NFL games? When’s the best time to place a bet on Sportsbook? Whose performance has surprised you in the past few games you’ve watched?
Companies like FanDuel make it possible for every game to be a little more exciting. I’m thrilled to be a tiny part of it.
The UX and Desgin Team are hiring. Check out our latest vacancies, including our brand new Atlanta Office