Statement of Purpose
Dear Admissions Team,
I am writing to express my interest in the MBA program at the American University of
Armenia and my enthusiasm to gain more profound academic knowledge. My
professional background is in Software Engineering, and I hold a Master's degree in
Maths and Mechanics, Yerevan State University. I have worked in different software
development companies and have been involved in various projects since I graduated
in 2011.
During my experiences as a software engineer, I realized that I was interested in
different aspects of the projects, such as design and business perspectives, in addition
to coding and solving technical objectives. This realization was the trigger for me to
switch my professional role to that of a Product Manager, as this role stands at the
crossroads of these three aspects - technology, business and design. Therefore, I took
up a training course of product management as the initial step to the management path
and got my chance to work as a Product Manager.
In my management practice, I have gained experience in managing product
development cycles from ideation to execution, building and leading cross-functional
teams, conducting market research and analysis, and continuously improving the
products with customer-centric approaches. I have also been in charge of
communicating product vision and strategy to stakeholders, including not only the
shareholders, customers, and engineers.
While I have participated in lots of professional training and events related to Product
Management, I understand that to achieve my professional goals and remain
competitive in the market, I still need to strengthen my skills through foundational
academic knowledge. Pursuing a MBA study at AUA will provide me with that very
academic foundation to attain the confidence and professional skills necessary to make
the best of my performance.
As for my choice on the MBA program at AUA, I would like to highlight its strength in the
provision of top-notch knowledge in the fields of management, entrepreneurship and
innovation. Thanks to the courses offered at the MBA program, I have a strong desire to
learn about the state-of-the-art business strategies and approaches that can help
companies and startups to grow, get more efficient and succeed in their endeavors.
Being given the chance to study at the MBA program, I am confident that, on the one
hand, I will get equipped with the management, finance, marketing, and leadership
skills. On the other hand, I will feel honored to be able to make my contribution to the
university both directly and indirectly. In other words, I will be delighted not only to share
my experiences within university context while and after studying but also to make all
the knowledge attained serve the development of my community and country.
In summary, I hope to be granted the chance to be a part of AUA and make my
contributions not only to the university but also to the field of my choice and my country.
Thank you for considering my application.
Sincerely,
Nune Dadoyan
Essay 1
Describe a situation where you were asked to lead outside of your comfort zone. What
leadership characteristics would you exemplify in this situation that will allow you to
succeed? (1500 character limit)
As a product manager at my company, I used to work together with my team in person
before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, though, due to the pandemic, my team had to
transition to remote work-mode. This was challenging for me because I had never
experienced working with a team remotely before and was not comfortable with it.
This is because leading a team through a transition to remote work requires certain
qualities to ensure success. To be an effective manager in this situation, I focused on
staying up-to-date with the latest remote work tools and practices, on the one hand. On
the other hand, since clear and frequent communication was also vital, I made lots of
effort to communicate with my team regularly through video calls and instant
messaging. Additionally, I showed understanding and support for my team members as
they adapted to remote work. By demonstrating these characteristics, we were able to
maintain productivity and achieve our goals despite the challenges of the pandemic.
Overall, this experience taught me the importance of stepping myself outside of my
comfort zone to take on new challenges and demonstrate effective leadership in times
of crisis.
I recognized that this was a difficult time for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic created
many unexpected challenges, from technical issues to personal struggles, but I was
able to somehow adjust our approaches to overcome these obstacles.
Product: E-commerce Platform (B2C Marketplace and B2B White Label)
Conducted extensive market research to identify customer needs and preferences, and
to evaluate the competitive landscape
Created wireframes and prototypes to test product concepts and features
Worked closely with design teams to ensure product design and branding were aligned
with customer needs and preferences
Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams, including mobile and web engineers,
to ensure the product was developed and launched on time and within budget
Managed product vision, user story mapping, backlog, roadmap, sprint planning and
review, iterative releases, product acceptance criteria, and ensuring associated
business benefit value for both B2C and B2B products
Developed pricing strategies and go-to-market plans for both B2C and B2B products
Conducted regular user research and gathered feedback to inform product design and
development decisions
Monitored product performance and conducted regular analysis to identify areas for
improvement and optimization for both B2C and B2B products
Essay 2
Tell us about a change of initiative you have demonstrated and your contribution/resourcefulness
to execute/implement it. (1500 character limit)
In the scope of this essay, I am going to introduce a change of initiative I made in my
professional experiences. As a member of an IT company building an e-commerce
platform, at some point, I identified the need to improve the user experience for our
customers. One change initiative I implemented was to improve the user experience on
our platform by adding a feature that allowed customers to easily track their orders.
Previously, users had to rely on emails and notifications to check the status of their
orders, which was inconvenient and time-consuming.
To execute this initiative, I collaborated with the design and development team to create
a prototype of the tracking feature. We tested it thoroughly and made sure it was
user-friendly and easy to navigate. Once the tracking feature was ready, I coordinated
with the marketing team to launch it to our end-users in Ireland. We created an email
campaign and social media posts to announce the launch of the new feature. The
results of this initiative were significant in that positive customer feedback and a
decrease in abandoned carts indicated improved customer satisfaction.
In conclusion, I would like to point out that my initiative to implement a tracking feature
on our e-commerce platform was a success. This is because the feature led to
improved user experience, made our users happier and increased customer
satisfaction. Moreover, it made a fundamental contribution in the certain business
metrics of our company.