Inside the manager’s mind : Gaurav Bansal

Welcome to inside the manager’s mind — a space where leadership meets reality. Explore the highs, lows, and everyday decisions that shape teams and drive success. From strategic thinking to people management, this blog offers raw insights and practical wisdom for those leading or aspiring to lead. In this feature we’d like you to meet Gaurav Bansal! Gaurav Bansal: As a manager, my constant focus is on solving challenges that my team faces. The key is staying aware of these challenges, acknowledging them, and taking decisive action. Let me share how I approach some common management challenges. Building Cross-Functional Collaboration When my team expanded from client-only developers to include Backend developers, I noticed collaboration gaps emerging. While client developers had strong relationships from working together for a year, the integration with Backend developers needed attention. To address this, we focused on creating a collaborative environment through regular team activities, including recent bowling and dinner events that helped break down barriers and foster natural connections. We’ve made significant strides in fostering technical understanding between teams. Our backend team now regularly shares insights about API performance, which has led to client teams implementing more effective loading states. Similarly, when client teams demonstrate user interactions, it helps backend developers design more intuitive API endpoints. These exchanges have transformed our team’s mindset from “That’s not my job” to “How can I help?” Maintaining Team Motivation Recognition plays a crucial role in keeping the team motivated throughout the development lifecycle. We celebrate joint wins and team contributions, making sure everyone feels valued for their unique contributions. Mercari’s employee-centric culture and various club activities provide additional avenues for engagement and motivation.Work-life balance is another cornerstone of our approach. We’ve implemented flexible working hours, understanding that some team members are early birds while others peak later in… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/inside-the-managers-mind-gaurav-bansal/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Inside the manager’s mind : Gaurav Bansal</span></a>

Building Bridges: Introducing Our Dynamic Cross Border Team

Welcome to our hiring series- Building Bridges. At Mercari we pride ourselves on building a talented and dynamic team. In this series, you’ll get to know the faces behind the teams that run our organisation.Let’s dive in and get to know them better with the Engineering Manager – Atif Shaik Mercari India: Can you tell us a bit about  what a typical day looks like for the Cross Border team? Atif:  We’re one of the teams building the next big thing at Mercari, so our days are packed with energy and purpose. We start with a quick sync to catch up on where everyone is with their tasks and anything exciting (or challenging) from the day before. After that, we often have discussions with our product manager and maybe a few other team members to make sure everyone is aligned. Once we’re on the same page, we dive deep into focused work—building the core pieces of our new app. It’s pretty intense, but knowing we’re building something global makes it super rewarding. Mercari India: Tell us more about the engineers you are currently hiring for, and what qualities do you look for in potential candidates? Atif: We’re looking for a passionate folks to join us—a true enthusiast who’s excited by the idea of building for a global audience. It’s fast-paced here, but if you love learning quickly and tackling fresh challenges, you’ll fit right in. We’re after someone who doesn’t just think about the tech; we want someone who has a real appreciation for the product and the experience we’re delivering to people. It’s not just about code; it’s about crafting something people will love using.  Mercari India: How does your team collaborate and what tools or methods do you use to stay connected and productive? Atif: Slack is our… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/building-bridges-introducing-our-dynamic-cross-border-team/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Building Bridges: Introducing Our Dynamic Cross Border Team</span></a>

Mercari India’s First CSR Activity: A Heartwarming Visit to Saanthvana Seva

Our visit to Saanthvana Seva was not just another CSR initiative; it was a powerful reminder of the importance of empathy and human connection. The day was filled with joy, introspection, and a profound sense of fulfillment. As we departed, we carried with us the heartfelt stories we heard, along with a strengthened commitment to continue making a positive difference in the lives of those who need it most. Understanding CSR: More Than Just a Mandate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is more than just a legal obligation for companies; it’s a philosophy that embodies the essence of ethical business practices and the commitment to contributing positively to society. Through CSR initiatives, companies can address societal challenges, promote sustainable development, and uplift communities. At Mercari India, we view CSR as a vital aspect of our mission to create a meaningful impact beyond our business goals. The Story Behind Saanthvana Seva Saanthvana Seva Old Age Home and Rehabilitation Centre is an extraordinary place, founded by Dr. Kumada GC and Sridhar V, a compassionate Doctor and Engineer couple. Over the past seven years, they have dedicated their lives to running this old age home, which now operates across three buildings. Their mission is simple yet profound: to provide not just shelter and food but also love and care to the elderly residents who call this place home. What makes Saanthvana Seva truly special is the involvement of the entire family in this noble cause. Dr. Kumada and Sridhar’s two children, along with their mother-in-law and father-in-law, all contribute to the daily lives of the residents. Together, they create an environment where the elderly are not just cared for but cherished. A Day of Joy and Connection On August 29th, 14 of our employees visited Saanthvana Seva, marking the first time in seven years… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/events/mercari-indias-first-csr-activity-a-heartwarming-visit-to-saanthvana-seva/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Mercari India’s First CSR Activity: A Heartwarming Visit to Saanthvana Seva</span></a>

Two Sides of the Desk: An Intern-Mentor Journey ft. Prajwal and Minal at Mercari India

Welcome to Two Sides of the Desk, a blog series where we share the unique experiences, challenges, and triumphs of interns and their mentors. This blog explores the dynamic relationship between mentor and mentee, offering insights from both sides of the desk. Whether you’re a seasoned mentor, a budding intern, or simply curious about the mentorship journey, our stories and reflections aim to inspire, educate, and foster a deeper understanding of this transformative partnership. Mercari India: How do you approach balancing guidance and autonomy for your interns to ensure they’re both learning and contributing meaningfully to projects? Prajwal: Balancing guidance and autonomy involves setting a solid foundation with clear expectations, equipping interns with the right set of tools and resources, providing structured support, and gradually increasing autonomy as interns grow more confident and capable. Regular communication and feedback are key to ensuring they are both learning and contributing meaningfully to projects. Mercari India: Can you provide an example of a particularly challenging situation you’ve encountered while mentoring an intern, and how you navigated it to ensure their growth and success? Prajwal: Introducing the codebase was challenging given its size, structure, and complexity. To avoid overwhelming the intern with technical jargon, I decided to present an eagle’s eye view of the codebase instead of navigating file by file. I sliced the codebase into blocks of predefined functionalities. To reinforce her understanding, I recommended she explore a recently built feature that was a fresh implementation and less entangled with the rest of the codebase. This approach set her perspective on the outline of the end-to-end logical structure of a given screen. This atomic exploration enabled her to understand the composition of the rest of the app by inference and led her to successfully complete her first business KR with minimal supervision. Mercari… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/intern-series/two-sides-of-the-desk-an-intern-mentor-journey-ft-prajwal-and-minal-at-mercari-india/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Two Sides of the Desk: An Intern-Mentor Journey ft. Prajwal and Minal at Mercari India</span></a>

Building Bridges: Introducing Our Dynamic Platform Team

Welcome to our hiring series- Building Bridges. At Mercari we pride ourselves on building a talented and dynamic team. In this series, you’ll get to know the faces behind the teams that run our organisation. Let’s dive in and get to know them better! Team Introduction Mercari comprises four main divisions: Marketplace, Merpay, Mercoin, and Souzoh. Within these divisions, there are hundreds of microservices. The Platform group serves as the foundation for all services across the entire organization. Our Platform Engineering teams play a crucial role in assisting engineers at Mercari and its subsidiaries in building and delivering superior products to our customers. We provide the necessary infrastructure and DevOps toolchains to enhance the reliability, security, and observability of our services, making engineers’ work more efficient. At Mercari, our mission is to empower the business to take and scale risks, enabling the discovery of new opportunities and driving growth. Mercari India: Can you tell us a bit about what a typical day looks like for the Platform team? Rajesh: As platform engineers, we take end-to-end responsibility for the entire platform. A typical day involves a mix of various activities, including working on new initiatives, enhancing existing components, aligning with stakeholders, and providing support to our customers—primarily developers. You can expect to spend: Mercari India: Tell us more about the role you are currently hiring for, and what qualities do you look for in potential candidates? Rajesh: The Platform group at Mercari consists of multiple teams working together, each focusing on dedicated areas. These teams include Infrastructure/Observability, Network, CI/CD, Developer Experience (DX), MLOps, Experimentation Platform, and Data Platform. Each team has specific ownership and responsibilities.In Mercari India, we have extended Infrastructure/Observability and Network teams. Despite being in different geographical locations, these teams function as a single cohesive unit. We are looking… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/building-bridges-introducing-our-dynamic-platform-team/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Building Bridges: Introducing Our Dynamic Platform Team</span></a>

Mercari Spotlight: Celebrating One Year at Mercari – Sanu Satyadarshi, Lead Software Engineer-Platform Engineering

It’s incredible to reflect on my first year at Mercari as a Lead Software Engineer. This journey has been filled with remarkable achievements and personal growth, shaping both my career and our team’s success. A core aspect of my role has been enhancing our team’s capabilities through strategic hiring and development. Over the past year, I’ve streamlined our hiring process, reviewed countless resumes, conducted interviews, and successfully onboarded new talent. By standardizing interview formats and employing innovative onboarding techniques, we’ve accelerated team expansion and significantly increased our offer acceptance rates. On the technical front, I’ve led critical projects aimed at optimizing our infrastructure and improving operational efficiency. This includes spearheading multi-regional initiatives and enhancing service reliability through structured service tiers and clear SLAs. These efforts have not only strengthened our technical capabilities but also positioned us for future scalability and innovation. Beyond technical achievements, I’ve enjoyed mentoring and guiding team members, helping them navigate challenges and grow professionally. Participating in initiatives like Build@Mercari and engaging with top talent from premier institutions has been particularly rewarding, reflecting Mercari’s commitment to nurturing talent and fostering a vibrant community. Traveling to Japan for team-building activities has been invaluable, fostering stronger bonds and enhancing collaboration across our global teams. These experiences have enriched my understanding of our company culture and reinforced the importance of cross-functional teamwork. As I reflect on this milestone, I’m grateful for the opportunities and support I’ve received at Mercari. The past year has been a testament to our collective dedication to excellence and innovation. I look forward to continuing this journey with my exceptional colleagues as we strive to make meaningful contributions to Mercari’s mission and vision. Here’s to many more milestones and successes ahead! If our stories resonate with you and you are inspired to be part of an… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/mercari-spotlight-celebrating-one-year-at-mercari-sanu-satyadarshi-senior-software-engineer-platform-engineering/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Mercari Spotlight: Celebrating One Year at Mercari – Sanu Satyadarshi, Lead Software Engineer-Platform Engineering</span></a>

Two Sides of the Desk: An Intern-Mentor Journey ft. Paras and Nikita at Mercari India

Welcome to Two Sides of the Desk, a blog series where we share the unique experiences, challenges, and triumphs of interns and their mentors. This blog explores the dynamic relationship between mentor and mentee, offering insights from both sides of the desk. Whether you’re a seasoned mentor, a budding intern, or simply curious about the mentorship journey, our stories and reflections aim to inspire, educate, and foster a deeper understanding of this transformative partnership. Mercari India:  How do you approach balancing guidance and autonomy for your interns to ensure they’re both learning and contributing meaningfully to projects? Paras: As a mentor, I prioritize a balanced blend of guidance and autonomy to effectively nurture interns’ growth. Thorough onboarding is crucial, introducing them to our systems and pairing them with experienced team members for initial tasks, ensuring seamless integration into our workflow. Early establishment of clear and achievable goals aligns their learning objectives with meaningful contributions to our projects. Beginning with structured assignments, I gradually foster their autonomy as their skills develop.Regular check-ins and constructive feedback sessions are crucial in assisting interns to tackle challenges independently while refining their problem-solving abilities. Collaborative projects play a vital role in providing insights into system interactions and leveraging the collective knowledge of the team. An open-door policy is maintained to encourage questions, facilitate idea sharing, and cultivate a supportive environment where interns can thrive and effectively prepare for future responsibilities. Mercari India:  Can you provide an example of a particularly challenging situation you’ve encountered while mentoring an intern, and how you navigated it to ensure their growth and success? Paras: In mentoring Nikita through her journey into backend development, we embarked on a project exploring server-side logic and API development. Initially, Nikita felt a mix of excitement and uncertainty, but I reassured her that growth… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/two-sides-of-the-desk-an-intern-mentor-journey-ft-paras-and-nikita-at-mercari-india/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Two Sides of the Desk: An Intern-Mentor Journey ft. Paras and Nikita at Mercari India</span></a>