Employee Spotlight: Jim Yaria

Position: SEO Specialist

How long have you been at LogicMonitor?

I have been working at LogicMonitor since August 2019.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? 

SEO is not something that offers overnight success, so seeing work and efforts gradually build over time until they culminate in exceptional results is extremely rewarding. 

What do you find most challenging about your job?

The entire SEO landscape is frequently changing so adapting and rolling with the punches is a constant challenge. 

What are some of the new challenges you’ve seen since the shift to remote working?

Honestly, I’ve mostly loved the shift to remote work. The biggest challenge I’ve found since moving to full-time work from home is turning off work time. Since I’m always by my computer, I can always be working, which sometimes means I’ll run a report or make some late-night changes, when I should be cultivating a better work-life balance.

If you could learn one new professional skill, what would it be?

I’d like to get better at general web development, especially surrounding performance improvements. Finding new ways to increase site speed can make a world of difference for someone’s web experience. 

What advice would you give to other people in your field of work? 

Bring data. Having the numbers to justify initiatives is absolutely critical to long term success. Good marketing doesn’t work off of feelings, and being able to offer solutions based on historical data is paramount. 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Most weekends I spend kayak fishing around Austin or fly fishing in creeks around the Hill Country. When I’m not in the water I’m normally thinking about the next time I can be. I’m picking up fly tying as well. 

What are your top 3 places in Austin to go for food and drinks?

ABGB: Pre-covid I was a regular at Skull Mechanix Brewery, but it has unfortunately closed its doors. ABGB has picked up the slack, I’m particularly partial of their Hell Yes Helles.

Thai Fresh: When it’s time to order takeout, this is almost always the first place I mention. 

Salt + Time: Special occasions always seem to be celebrated with a trip to pick up some steaks from Salt + Time. They’re also one of the few places in town I’ve found that I can get ham hocks for soups and soppressata periodically. 

You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what is it?

Polaroid film. I take a bunch of candid Polaroids already, but film is expensive and each pack is only 8 shots. An unlimited supply would let me take a lot more pictures without worrying so much about how many I have left at any time. 

 What book would you recommend that you have read recently?

Redneck by Donny Cates. It’s a comic book series by an Austin-based author about redneck vampires in Texas. The perfect horror Halloween read for the nerdy and comic-loving. Cates’ Venom run has also been a thoroughly enjoyable read as well.