"Four growth strategies for individual contributors"
Below is an article originally written by Patrick Shields, Principal Software Engineer at PowerToFly Partner CircleCI, and published on March 3, 2020. Go to CircleCI's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.
There's not a right or wrong career path for software engineers. Some find a natural niche as leaders and work into management positions where they end up leading teams and designing career paths for others. Conversely, some thrive and become leaders by developing their own paths as an individual contributor (IC). Pat Shields, CircleCI's chief architect, recently wrote about his experience growing as an individual contributor, including advice about how engineers on the IC route can succeed in their careers. We're reposting it here.
My first real job in programming started on July 5th, 2007, which means I have just over twelve years of experience as I write this. It's a lot more than nothing, but probably not much more than something. Ten years seems to be about the right amount of time to get good at something, though some amount of natural talent or sheer drive can make it go faster. But growth is not as simple as waiting it out and talent does not supersede the need for experience.
"Players get to that intermediate level where they can already play pretty good, and that's kind of a dangerous period because they tend to start playing only the things that they can play, rather than the things they can't." - Pat Metheny
In fifth grade, I went to a school where I was required to take a French class. I showed no particular aptitude or interest in the language, but was happy to pass through the lessons. After two years, my family moved and I started at a new school where I was able to choose Introductory French or Spanish. I chose French, effectively repeating the previous two years. I have little to no memory of these classes, but I believe I passed through them with ease. After those two years, we moved again and I started at a High School. I was offered a choice of languages to study and I elected for … a year of Introductory French. I was the star pupil of the class, having repeated "Je m'appelle Pat" and "Où est la discothèque" as required for the previous four years.
The following year I entered Intermediate French and the skill gap between myself and my peers immediately dwindled. Despite my five years of experience, I didn't advance much beyond a few simple phrases and a halfway decent accent. I muddled my way through the next two years, but squandered my experience and gave up learning the language after high school. Many of us make this same mistake in our careers. We optimize for a skillset that is easy to gain or stay within the confines of limited expertise. Quite a few folks just don't get the opportunities they need to grow. I have found a few strategies that have helped me grow, and I'd like to share them along with some ideas about how you might apply them.
Assume you are smart enough to understand
In my first job out of school, I worked with some of the most brilliant folks I've ever met. Most were affiliated with Yale via either its computer science department or its high performance computing lab. During my job interview, Nick Carriero asked me if I was familiar with Junit and I tried to pretend I knew what it was beyond a window in Eclipse. I was surrounded by very experienced, very educated, and very accomplished folks. The one benefit of this was learning that in those walls I would never, ever, be the smartest person in the room. To follow along alone was an accomplishment.
Those folks were much more than smart. They were mostly twice my age or more, had studied rigorously in academia or cut their teeth on hard industry problems, and all had a tremendous work ethic. I didn't have their innate talents or that experience, and I was in no danger of being able to do what they did. But that didn't mean I couldn't follow along and learn. So I tried to ask dumb questions and to restate things until I got them right. Being wrong or not knowing something hurt still, but it hurt a little less every time the light bulb finally went off.
Most of what you need to follow the work of those around you is just patience and curiosity. When you encounter things in your work that you don't understand, ask someone to help you figure it out. It could be a piece of code, a system design, or even a business concept like margin. You won't become a quick expert but you will gain a breadth of knowledge. More importantly, you'll learn how to ask questions and learn from those around you. Give yourself space to do good work
Real talk: everywhere you go there will be haunted forests, tech debt, and organizational challenges. Every opportunity comes with constraints. Often, those constraints lead us to choose the lesser of two evils or the best of a bad set of options. In my experience, it's easy to over-dramatize the evil or inherent bad-ness, but the point is that it feels bad. When you consistently do work that you don't take pride in, it's challenging to invest yourself in growth. Engineers in this situation often begin to imagine some panacea that would fix things. If only things were functionally pure or fully asynchronous or crash-only or written in Idris or Rust or actually Go would be preferable, then we could do things the right way. Or so the thinking goes. We convince ourselves that we are talented and great, if only we weren't limited by the things we cannot change.
Don't get stuck thinking that you can't do good work unless something you can't control changes. Find opportunities large or small to try to do something in a way that you are proud of. This can be as small as writing a few methods or functions that you think are great or running a larger project in an exemplary way. When I've done this, I've found that some of my great ideas were great and some were pretty sketchy. If I hadn't put them into action, I'd have missed the opportunity to figure out which ideas had merit.
Focus on the outcomes
As programmers, we spend most of our time living deep in the "how?" Programming is quite literally the process of filling in all the details. Many of us experience frustration in our jobs because we are forced to reckon with ambiguity that our coworkers and peers can shrug off. Earlier in my career, I used to say that there was nothing more terrifying than a meeting that ended in agreement because that just meant you hadn't figured out the details yet. That's a pessimistic extreme, but it's also a fear born out of experience.
By and large, the conferences we go to, the blog posts we read, and the conversations we have focus on the "how?" We talk about programming languages, databases, agile methodology, distributed systems papers, or GraphQL. But for most of us, those are tools to help us do something else. Our stakeholders don't care about the tools, they care about the outcomes. The earlier you are able to focus on outcomes, the more you'll be able to connect with your stakeholders, learn from them, and then help them succeed.
This is a huge topic and a never-ending quest, but you can start by always knowing the answer to the following three questions:
- What problems am I trying to solve for my stakeholders?
- How do I know when I'm done?
- How do I know if it solved the problem?
No matter what process you use, or don't, and no matter who your stakeholders are or how big your organization is, if you know the answers to those questions, they will guide towards a path that is focused on generating outcomes rather than just generating more details.
Do whatever you want, but do it loudly
I was a year or two out of school when I first heard the phrase "It is better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission." It's an old phrase, sometimes attributed to Grace Hopper, but variations have circulated for many years. There are some organizations where creative thinking and empowerment are still frowned upon, but I think this quote misses the mark nowadays. It's still true that asking for permission will likely get you stuck in the mud. The receiver of your request will likely feel the need to do due diligence on the request before passing judgement and, well, it's not likely their top priority or they would've been asking you for the ideas. It's the request that slows things down, not the knowledge of the approach.
I've taken to using a variation of this phrase: "do whatever you want, but do it loudly." If you feel confident that you have a great idea and know how to complete it, go ahead, but first announce it to anyone who will listen. You want to avoid surprise and rumor. By keeping everyone abreast of your actions, you are giving them the knowledge they need to provide you with feedback and a mechanism to do it. I often provide a little space for feedback even, by saying "Unless I hear from you by the end of your day tomorrow, I'll be proceeding." I'm not asking you to vet the approach for me, but if you know I'm headed towards dragons, let me know.
Stay focused on growth
No matter what strategy you choose, as soon as you have the security to do so you should start thinking about your growth. "Where do you want to be in 5 years" is a great question, but sometimes it's impossibly difficult to answer. These strategies won't help you pick a direction, but they'll help you get the most out of wherever you are right now. If you find you can't use these strategies, either because you don't have enough support from your peers and management chain, or because the work model is so inherently broken, it's probably time to look for another opportunity when you are able. Along the way, be proud of your growth and what you've achieved, but don't give up on challenging yourself.
How Zapier Director of Compensation Jocelyne Wright-McLemore Is Tackling Imposter Syndrome as a Black Woman in HR
Jocelyne Wright-McLemore has a sticky note that she looks at every day: "I'm overqualified and I can do this."
Zapier's Director of Compensation put that sticky note up shortly after she rolled out a big new project at the online automation company and received some critical feedback on it. Though the criticism came from a tiny portion of her audience and the project was a success overall, hearing it brought back some of the self-doubt and imposter syndrome that she faced earlier in her career.
Meet PowerToFly's 2021 Diversity & Inclusion Award Honorees
This past February, PowerToFly was very proud to wrap up the panel portion of our recent Diversity Reboot 2021: The 100 Day Kickoff virtual summit by presenting our very first Diversity & Inclusion Award Show, honoring some true D&I champions across multiple industries
Back in 2020, we launched a submission process to honor select individuals who just don't talk the talk but truly walk the walk when it comes to making their companies and the world a more diverse and inclusive place. From the many submissions that we received, we chose six champions to honor.
You can watch the acceptance speeches for our honorees below or click here to watch the 45-minute awards show which included a roundtable discussion with our six DEI champions.
Want to nominated a friend or colleague for a future D&I Award? Submit their info here.
How These 30 Companies are Celebrating Women's History Month in 2021
Women have always had a lot on their plates, juggling their professional goals with societal expectations and responsibilities to their families, partners, and communities.
But women have never had a year like 2020.
Hosting a Leadership Day — Facebook
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwNjE3NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTQ2NDIzMn0.BZZ6U0QdV-WBVPiaD90z2JiqnK5ITVfT5PBCvEWnwME/img.jpg?width=980" id="fb10d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="329cb46191a61060f2319f9a42c7b026" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2500" data-height="1668" /><p>"Our Women@ employee resource group is hosting Women@ Leadership Day on Monday, March 8 to bring together women from across the company to celebrate, empower and develop leadership at all levels. This year's theme is 'Lead with Me — Uniquely You, Uniquely Powerful.'</p><p>At Facebook, women tap into their unique background and lived experiences to define how they lead. We fearlessly live our mission inside and outside of our company, giving others the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Each woman is uniquely powerful, and together we're an unstoppable force."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/facebook-inc" target="_blank">Learn more about Facebook and their open positions.</a></p>Launching a Gender and Finance Hub — Moody’s
<p>"In honor of International Women's Day, Moody's will launch a designated Gender and Finance hub featuring a range of our business offerings, leadership programs and community partnerships that center on promoting gender equality.</p><p>In addition, our employee-led Women's Business Resource Group will hold a range of virtual events and activities around the world to celebrate the accomplishments of women and address the barriers women still face in the workplace and greater society. Throughout March, we will profile leading women at Moody's to recognize their contributions and give them a platform for guiding the next generation of leaders."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/moody-s-corporation" target="_blank">Learn more about Moody's and their open positions.</a></p>Spotlight Sessions, Workshops, and a Kudos Board — MongoDB
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMjY3OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTIzMDcwN30.IvaYzhAgZ7tvLyIhDlyBL7-N97CNQD0yBc5X7HXCX_s/img.png?width=980" id="f78f1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c622af0db602ba4f3b625a48b13fa879" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Women at MongoDB\u2019s watching a panel discussion" data-width="948" data-height="714" />MongoDB's 2019 International Women's Day event in NYC
<p>"We're actively working to increase representation at every level. This is done through the investment in programs to mentor and accelerate the development of high potential talent to grow into leadership roles, enabling managers to become inclusive leaders, constantly reviewing our processes for effectiveness and fairness, and diversifying our candidate pool through internal initiatives and external partnerships like PowerToFly.</p> <p>MongoDB is celebrating Women's History Month with a variety of events:</p><ul><li>Spotlight sessions with various internal MongoDB Women's Group speakers who will share their strengths and skills with other members</li><li>A workshop session with four MongoDB women leaders titled 'Being a Woman Leader and Growing Your Career'</li><li>A Women in Engineering panel with two external speakers, highlighting women with successful careers in engineering </li><li>An internal kudos board where women and allies can give shoutouts to their women peers</li><li>Global purple shirt day on International Women's Day</li><li>A women and allies Yoga and Meditation session"</li></ul>Celebrating the Year of the Woman 2.0 — Freddie Mac
<p>"Freddie Mac supports the development of our community of women by providing opportunities for networking, leadership and career development using internal programming and external organizations that enable us to retain and attract talent. Our Women's Interactive Network (WIN) Business Resource Group is hosting activities throughout Women's History Month that celebrate the resilience and power of women.</p><ul><li>'Get Out of Your Own Way' workshop featuring author and executive coach, Regan Walsh</li><li>'Women Surviving and Thriving Covid-19' roundtable with Freddie Mac leaders</li><li>Kick-off series on refining and developing leadership skills with Jacqueline M. Baker, Principal Consultant and Founder of Scarlet Communications"</li></ul><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/freddie-mac" target="_blank">Learn more about Freddie Mac and their open positions.</a></p>Challenging Hiring Practices — Elastic
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMjY5MC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNjYwMDg5M30.xEDobloLFbxEOK-hbCwTDjkyuQCZ8lvLEm_zs8nJGtQ/img.png?width=980" id="6e1c6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cc9a04edbce0fa7a6d25dedf012d7865" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Photos of employees in Elastic\u2019s Singapore office celebrating the #EachForEqual theme of IWD last year, making the equal sign with their arms" data-width="998" data-height="752" />Elastic's Singapore office celebrating the #EachForEqual theme of IWD last year
<p><br>"We've been working towards wider female representation in leadership positions at Elastic. We recently doubled down on our commitment towards challenging a male-dominated field with<a href="https://www.elastic.co/blog/equal-pay-at-elastic-going-beyond-just-good-enough?ultron=eb&blade=powertofly&hulk=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> our equal pay policy</a>,<a href="https://www.elastic.co/blog/international-womens-day-2020-each-for-equal-at-elastic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> these internal initiatives</a>, and by filling several senior-level positions with top female professionals. </p><p><br>Elastic is celebrating Women's History Month (WHM) and International Women's Day (IWD) by amplifying female voices throughout the organization. First, we're releasing a variety of content on our culture blog this month including a statement from Leah Sutton, our senior vice president of global human resources at Elastic, on how we're meeting the #ChooseToChallenge in our hiring practices. We'll also release a roundup of recent blog posts featuring our female leadership. Finally, our Elastic Cares team will hold sessions throughout the month to encourage volunteering with organizations that empower women both in the workplace and in day-to-day life."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/facebook-inc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about Elastic and their open positions.</a></p>A Day of Reflection — Chainalysis
<p>"International Women's Day is one of Chainalysis's Days of Reflection (Company Holidays focused on DE&I). To celebrate, the Diversity Committee has planned several events including a panel discussing 'Can crypto help solve gender inequality?', a Linkedin campaign featuring some amazing women at Chainalysis, 'Wear Purple' day, and a Linkedin Power Hour inspired by PowerToFly to name just a few!"</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/chainalysis" target="_blank">Learn more about Chainalysis and their open positions.</a></p>A Holistic Program to Educate and Engage — ServiceNow
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="307168f9a10f2aa1710777cbfc3543f0"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TiXCFrifk54?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>"At ServiceNow, we've increased women in leadership (director-plus) by nearly 8% in just three years. We've also been intentional about diversifying our board of directors, which is now 30% women. One of our most effective programs has been our annual Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Leadership Summit). It has brought together new and established female leaders, along with male allies, to learn to combat bias and microaggressions, as well as how to combine caring with candor for powerful conversations.</p><p>ServiceNow is proud to be celebrating International Women's Day with our employees globally. We've worked closely with our Women at Now Belonging Group (ERG) to develop a holistic program that will inspire, educate, and engage employees globally, including:</p><ul><li>A series of events focused on dialogue around allyship and intersectionality</li><li>Employee voices from around the world sharing what they will personally 'choose to challenge' </li><li>Featured article in <a href="https://fairygodboss.com/company-overview/servicenow" target="_blank">FairyGodBoss </a>on why ServiceNow is a top company for women </li><li>Thought leadership content and blogs shared on our social media channels focused on amplifying ServiceNow's support for gender equity and belonging."</li></ul><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/servicenow" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about ServiceNow and their open positions.</a></p>Investing in Talent — Datadog
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMjcxMS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIzMTExM30.Za3_diMyNoBZCjC0QmnoinzECi6gsuvIPCptUuRNyC8/img.png?width=980" id="09a15" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="937412fa1026217a4af966381b859fae" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="\u200bPicture of female leaders and employees at Datadog's IPO in 2019" data-width="992" data-height="556" />Female leaders and employees at Datadog's IPO in 2019
<p>Per Armelle de Madre, Datadog's Chief HR Officer:</p><p>"In 2020, Datadog was able to increase our representation of women in leadership by 220%. And we're excited to continue building on that momentum in 2021 and beyond. While we place emphasis on better diversifying our candidate pipeline by partnering with organizations such as PowerToFly, we also aim to create an environment of education and empowerment internally at Datadog to encourage female employees to grow into positions of leadership. </p><p>At Datadog we are incredibly excited to be co-hosting an International Women's Day <a href="https://datadog.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8BBP77fkQ06vyi-cIbD3xw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">webinar event</a> for both employees and external attendees featuring a panel of prominent female Sales leaders from Datadog, Microsoft and OpenView. </p><p>Internally, we wanted to promote the intersectionality of gender and ethnic diversity in line with both Black History Month and Women's History Month, and in February we were honored to welcome Margot Lee Shetterly, the author of <em>Hidden Figures</em>, for a Q&A with Datadog employees to learn what drove Margot to tell this story that forever changed the course of computer science at NASA, and inspired the movie of the same name. </p><p>In addition, we're excited to be partnering with Bravely for an internal presentation for employees on 'Women at Work,' a fireside chat with Sarah Sheehan and Ericka Spradley, which will be followed by career coaching sessions for Datadog's female employees."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/datadog" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about DataDog and their open positions.</a></p>Leading by Design — Deloitte
<p>"We are committed to investing in our women. In November 2020, as part of this commitment, we introduced Leadership by Design, a program aimed at helping professionals shape and advance their career paths at Deloitte. Since its launch, more than 1,200 women across all levels have enrolled in Leadership by Design.</p><p>On March 8th, Deloitte will hold a conversation with champions and thought leaders in gender equity around how they each have harnessed their own power to challenge orthodoxies in their respective fields, and the world."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/deloitte1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about Deloitte and their open positions.</a></p>Celebrating with Songs, Speakers, and Support — New Relic
<p>"To celebrate Womxn's History Month, New Relic will be celebrating through various events, social media spotlights, and non-profit donations. The list of events includes:</p><ul><li>Guided meditations</li><li>Movie nights</li><li>Womxn's History trivia games</li><li>Guest speaker events</li><li>Distant disco nights featuring strong womxn songstresses</li><li>Career development in partnership with Dress For Success</li></ul> <p>We'll also be highlighting our Womxn ERG in the #ChooseToChallenge campaign, supporting Womxn entrepreneurs through Kiva, and donating to Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation."</p> <p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/new-relic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about New Relic and their open positions.</a></p>Global, Local, and Inclusive — Smartsheet
<p>"We're focused on encouraging our employees to stretch and grow within Smartsheet. We're working to launch an internal job board that will provide employees the opportunity to apply for roles before the role is posted externally. We're pairing this work with diverse candidate slate goals for our most senior roles to ensure we have considered diversity of talent. By giving our current employees the first opportunity at our open roles and holding ourselves accountable with representation goals throughout each stage of the hiring process, we're working to grow our talent and ensure that we're reflecting the diversity of our workforce.</p><p>Our Women's History Month and International Women's Day celebrations will be global with local tailoring:</p><ul><li>Global:<ul><li>Sharing: Creating a montage of responses from employees on "women who inspire"</li><li>Creating community via creating groups of women and gender minorities (3-5 people) to build bridges and support</li><li>Creating opportunity for our employees to share an area of expertise via a TED-style internal talk</li><li>Bringing in external perspectives: Hosting speakers on gender-equality topics</li></ul></li><li>Local (Australia): Panel of women (internal and external) across levels and experiences to share their journey"</li></ul><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/smartsheet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about Smartsheet and their open positions.<br></a>Pushing Toward Equal Representation — Relativity
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMjcyNy9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzE1MDE4M30.oHbT1Kq09-hbmw6AmsZMT4d6sxYcqLvCcZoIbL6AZxA/img.png?width=980" id="2eea7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f107b29a89950c09e70832de5677d11f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Relativity employees sitting for a group photo for International Women\u2019s Day celebrations in 2020" data-width="994" data-height="400" />From Relativity's International Women's Day celebrations in 2020
<p>From Relativity's CHRO, Beth Clutterbuck:</p><p>"Relativity is intentional about recruiting women in tech, particularly leadership. In 2020, we added two women to our Executive Team, one to our Board and one as the Managing Director of APAC, one of our fastest growing customer regions. We've continuously made a conscious effort to hire more women, especially in Europe where tech skews heavily to men. We increased our women headcount in Poland by 10%, and in EMEA broadly, we now have nearly equal gender representation at 49% women (22% increase YoY). Relativity aspires to reach its global goal of 50/50 gender representation in all roles by 2024."</p><p>From Relativity's Tricia Johnson, Program Manager, Field Marketing:</p><p>"Workplace (RelWoW) Community Resource Group will celebrate International Women's Day and Women's History Month with a full slate of programs during March. We offer various programming to engage employees in the ways they respond best. This year's programs include:<br><br></p><ul> <li>An internal panel highlighting diverse career paths within Relativity</li><li>An external recruiting panel on mentorship</li><li>Multiple channels to discuss what International Women's Day 'Choose to Challenge' means to individuals</li><li>A book club featuring a <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/253047/we-are-never-meeting-in-real-life-by-samantha-irby/" target="_blank">book</a> by Samantha Kirby</li><li>A blog highlighting key milestones for women in the legal industry</li><li>A BadAss Women of History <a href="https://chicagodetours.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">virtual tour</a>"</li></ul><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/relativity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about Relativity and their open positions.</a></p><div></div>Developing Early- and Middle-Career Women — CSL Behring
<p>"A core component of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives includes a focus on the recruitment and development of gender diverse talent. Not only do we have female representation goals established for our Board, Executive and People Manager roles, but we also have multiple programs or initiatives focused on developing our female entry-level and middle management talent through formal leadership development and mentoring programs to increase women's representation in leadership.</p><p>At CSL Behring we are encouraging, developing and showcasing our female talent around the globe through various panel discussions, seminars and messages. Notable events include:</p><ul><li>Women in Leadership Panel discussions where senior female leaders will share their career experiences including lessons learned and advice for others who are looking to advance their careers.</li><li>Video of leaders sharing messages on the advancement of women and recognizing IWD.</li><li>Sponsorship of multiple IWD partner events providing networking and development opportunities for females in leadership and STEM, as well as programs directed towards engaging men to advance women in leadership through allyship."</li></ul><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/csl" target="_blank">Learn more about CSL Behring and their open positions.</a></p>Launching an ERG for Women’s Success — OfferUp
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMjc0Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTQwMDY2MX0.7wzrOORBT174naMJezsDNn47_cO60liaI3yhGkHV6oM/img.png?width=980" id="6ed84" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b1db50fd5f81f3afd95186417562d48f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="980" data-height="624" /><p>"Female leadership is important at OfferUp. As part of our DEI plan, we track several metrics including our promotion activity and our goal is to increase the amount of women promoted every year. Our plan also includes the launch of our first employee resource group, Women In Tech, which will educate, enable and empower women at the company through learning opportunities, mentoring experiences and employee support.</p><p>For Women's History Month, we are promoting the success of our women employees and hosting education and recognition events for our full staff, including: </p><ul><li>On International Women's Day, a Women in Leadership speaker panel featuring women leaders from the Puget Sound who will talk about their leadership journeys</li><li>A launch event for the Women in Tech employee resource group</li><li>Weekly education on prominent women in history in our all-company newsletter</li><li>Women in History themed all-company trivia competition"</li></ul><div><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/offerup-inc" target="_blank">Learn more about OfferUp and their open positions.</a></div>Looking at a Post-COVID World for Women — Raytheon Intelligence & Space
<p>"Raytheon Intelligence & Space believes we are stronger together. We are focused on critical areas to increase women's representation in leadership by removing barriers to advancement, delivering purposeful development and targeted retention. We deploy conscious inclusion programs and practices to drive outcomes and attract talent. We also mitigate bias in job postings and interview questions.</p><p>In celebration of Women's History Month, Raytheon Intelligence & Space will be sponsoring and participating in the California Conference for Women, and sharing career advice from our executive team with employees. We will also be hosting a webinar focused on women in STEM, the challenges facing women in the COVID environment and the changing workplace in a post-COVID world. In addition, our Raytheon Women's Network Employee Resource Group is hosting a series of employee-focused events to commemorate the month."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/raytheon-technologies" target="_blank">Learn more about Raytheon and their open positions.</a></p>Listening to Women's Stories — CallRail
<p>"In honor of Women's History Month and International Women's Day, CallRail is accepting this year's challenge through their ERG, the Women's Circle. With a full week dedicated to celebrating the progress women have made in tech and challenging the road ahead, The Women's Circle is looking inward to celebrate the success of women at CallRail and the unexpected paths that led them here.</p> <p>Through a virtual, company-wide Q&A panel, we'll listen to the stories of women in all positions of leadership about how they made it to these roles - from the hurdles to the triumphs and everything in between."</p> <p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/5613" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about CallRail and their open positions.</a></p>RiseUp and Mentor — Dassault Systemes
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMjc1MS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MzU2OTg4N30.wxYzLnCLLzGyRTvC1OJYyuhvva5XwpYE_VPgb0mWuJ0/img.png?width=980" id="07aca" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7122839f5ca46777d3856de33b0daaea" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="830" data-height="468" /><p>"Dassault Systemes has made a public statement promising to reach 30% Women People Managers by 2025. To reach this goal, a new program called RiseUp has been launched in order to accelerate women's leadership and empowerment. Currently, a high-performing group of women have been identified and are being coached and mentored in preparation of becoming people managers.</p><ul><li>This year the UN Women's theme is 'Choose to Challenge.' We are challenging our employees to take action for equality and have launched a social media campaign internally and externally.</li><li>We are hosting a series of webinars highlighting our internal Women Leaders. We had a fireside chat with Michelle Ash, CEO of our GEOVIA Brand. We learned about her views on the mining industry, women leadership, and inclusion.</li><li>In our EURONORTH Geo, a Diversity Week is being held and will include Unconscious Bias training."</li></ul><div><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/dassault-systemes" target="_blank">Learn more about Dassault and their open positions.</a></div>Hosting Employee Panels and Breakout Groups — VTS
<p>"VTS has made a consistent and conscious effort to increase women in leadership roles by having a promote-from-within culture, and ensuring that the company has access to coaching opportunities to get them to the next step in their career. Currently, women in leadership positions at the company make up almost 40% of that group—and it's on the rise! </p> <p>VTS is hosting a panel of our employees on March 10, moderated by our Interim Head of People Margaretta Noonan, who is a member of the advisory board for the Global Summit of Women. Going along with this year's International Women's Day theme of 'Choose to Challenge,' we are hosting different breakout groups after the panel. These sessions aim to have our employees learn how to challenge themselves in order to invest in their personal brand, unlearn bias, and support women in work and life."</p> <p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/vts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about VTS and their open positions.</a></p>Cheersing to Women’s Success at Afternoon Tea — dv01
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMjc2Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0OTk0MzkwNX0.VX346LXOv-BHWmrqgGSU0fCkWg0Nzyneum6Fb9bq5eI/img.png?width=980" id="a9f7d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ec3274b485344f31cb220f5da4d8479e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="994" data-height="556" /><p>"At dv01 we have several women in leadership positions, including COO and VP of Sales, and have continued to promote women to management positions. We provide our team members with increasing responsibility and give them space to take ownership of their projects. Additionally, we pride ourselves in offering a flexible work schedule, which allows our team members to work around life's many challenges. We continue to acknowledge the hard work of women and motivate them to grow within the company.</p> <p>For International Women's Day at dv01 we'll be hosting a Women's Day Party starting with a morning yoga session and a virtual afternoon tea! Throughout the month we will have several events geared toward women and female empowerment, including women's history month trivia, virtual viewings of films either directed by women or with strong female leads, and other events which highlight accomplished female writers and artists."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/dv01" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about dv01 and their open positions.</a></p>"Following the Sun” with Events Around the World — Ciena
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMzA3Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNjkxMzk5Nn0.FtnfeEFRP2w5hs-ng5P02YCLavrgo7vRD9bTVJxJxWs/img.png?width=980" id="b9082" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bc27dd296ff4e0868eee285c705f0bca" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1000" data-height="466" /><p>"<a href="https://cienacorp.sharepoint.com/sites/Inclusivity/SitePages/Women-@-Ciena.aspx?web=1" target="_blank">Women@Ciena</a> is hosting a global event to celebrate International Women's Day on one continuous Zoom. Kicking off in Singapore, this year's global event will 'follow the sun' to each region, from APJ to India to EMEA and to the Americas, with unique events being hosted in all regions and live handoffs taking place in between – All in Together!</p><p>We will have exciting surprise guests including a four-star Navy Admiral to hear her thoughts on diversity and experience a live cooking demo to inspire heart healthy lunches amid our Zoom-filled days.</p><p>Also, we will offer breakout sessions like: Your Career Path is a Journey – Are You Navigating?, Choose to Challenge, Taking Grit to a New Level, Owning your Personal Brand, among others.</p><p>The day will close with an all-star Ciena panel with members from our Leadership team, highlighting the importance of allyship."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/ciena" target="_blank">Learn more about Ciena and their open positions.</a></p>Celebrating a Culture Where Everyone Can Thrive — Autodesk
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMzA4Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzQyMTI4OX0.ew9U-sj1lnxctDEwjoi7kZGKcKp4pX8W8VFYBR_YMNU/img.png?width=980" id="dbd14" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="525d508db47e86799e7cb8edceaa4ef0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="998" data-height="658" /><p>"Autodesk is proud to celebrate Women History Month by hosting a series of events. Autodesk Women Network (AWN), one of the company's many ERGs, is pleased to kick-off the month with a fireside chat featuring Herminia Ibarra to discuss diversity, authentic leadership, belonging, and the important role we all play in making Autodesk a place where people of all gender identifies can thrive. Furthermore, we have coordinated a series of talks, workshops, and a belonging circle on Belonging and Authentic Leadership. We are excited to kick-off March events and celebrate women globally! #Autodesklife"</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/autodesk-inc" target="_blank">Learn more about Autodesk and their open positions.</a></p>Honest Discussions on Supporting Women — LogMeIn
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMzE0MC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODgwNzI3NX0.fE3aAeBuqeVfBde2I4sjSBy5unVdIdzSjW7pfjzaKVs/img.png?width=980" id="75cf1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6c81fa8ef1d75391bfe092c90195afc2" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="992" data-height="556" /><div>"As the leader of a modern remote workforce, we leverage our own products and technology to retain and attract women in leadership. Through roundtables, surveys, and panels, we look to identify any barriers for women's advancement within LogMeIn. Through honest discussion, we will uncover what issues we need to address to allow women to grow within our inclusive, engaging, and equitable organization. We want to attract new women in all roles and levels, but working on the internal experience of women at LogMeIn is the beginning of our journey and where we will focus much of our efforts.<br></div><br>Women around the world continue to be dramatically impacted by the shift in how we work. At LogMeIn, we believe we each have a responsibility to challenge gender bias and inequity in the modern workforce and find creative ways to seek out and celebrate women's achievements, especially in a remote environment. Join us on March 24th at 11:00 a.m. EST for a discussion about this year's WHM theme: explore why women need our support now more than ever, and what you can do to support women in this new flexible working era. Register <a href="https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5848145530944444944" target="_blank">here</a>."<p><br></p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/logmein-inc" target="_blank">Learn more about LogMeIn and their open positions.</a><br></p>Coaching Circles and Leadership Forums — NBA
<p>"The NBA's Women's Network conducts a series of year-long coaching circles. Circles are small groups of 10-12 women who want to connect, learn and grow together. This is a safe space for women to connect and share experiences and also build new skills together. This year's theme is Finding Personal & Professional Success in 2021 and each circle will meet virtually 6 times during the year.</p><p>The NBA is also hosting the 3rd Annual Women's Leadership Forum, a gathering of women from the league office and NBA, WNBA, G League, 2K League and Basketball Africa League teams. At this year's forum, we will celebrate champions and changemakers who will lead discussions that empower us to inspire one another, break down barriers and learn from our collective experience to achieve our full potential."<br><br></p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/nba" target="_blank">Learn more about the NBA and their open positions.</a></p>Leading by Example — Bumble
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcxMzE0OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTgxMDk2Mn0.s-NgnnAUU4_PiOZs5SZWd43Bb89UPEy6zXFQycF4jgU/img.jpg?width=980" id="ffbaf" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3f46f9f1d296904cf25f5ebcad2ae6ec" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="3 women at Bumble sitting in chairs for a panel discussion" data-width="3600" data-height="2400" /><p>"Bumble is a women-led company that has an equitable gender representation within our C-suite with 54% comprising of women. Furthermore, 73% of Bumble's board is made up of women. At Bumble, we truly value cultivating a culture that's rooted in kindness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion, and growth. This means that from the very beginning of the hiring process, we actively seek diverse candidates and our careers page strongly encourages people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and non-binary people, as well as individuals with disabilities to apply.</p><p>Bumble is excited to celebrate Women's History Month this year through the following lineup of programming for our global team: </p><ul><li>International Women's Day Kickoff: Team members will be invited to participate in their<a href="https://www.internationalwomensday.com/theme" target="_blank"> #ChooseToChallenge</a> social campaign by sharing their commitment to gender equality throughout their social channels. </li><li>Throughout the month, we will host interactive events that will foster community by inviting amazing guest speakers from organizations such as PowerToFly to share why fast-tracking gender equality is essential to prosperity for all, to a panel event featuring women in leadership at Bumble about the importance of community connections and women lifting up other women."</li></ul><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/bumble" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about Bumble and their open positions.</a></p>Building a “Foundation for Progress” — Procore
<p>"Procore is a people-first company, and we remain committed to our vision of improving the lives of everyone in construction––regardless of race, gender, background, or otherwise. At its core, our vision is founded on inclusion, with a focus on enabling every person at Procore, and in the industry, to do their best work. We have revisited our employee calibration practices and focused on hiring a workforce with more women and people of color. We've also taken steps to educate our leaders by offering mentorship and training opportunities.</p><p>As part of International Women's Day and Women's History Month in March, Procore is organizing several activities to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women in the construction industry and beyond. We recently hosted an external webinar on the future of Women in Construction as part of our series 'Foundations for Progress.' Our employees and industry professionals were invited to join construction leaders as they took stock of the progress women in construction have made and the work that still has to be done. This month, we're publishing a number of thought leadership articles to provide guidelines, stories, and anecdotes that inspire action.<a href="https://www.procore.com/wic" target="_blank"> Read more</a> about the impact of Procore's Women in Construction efforts."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/procore-technologies-inc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about Procore and their open positions.</a></p>Leveling Up Skillsets — uShip
<div>"Over the past year we have connected some of our women in engineering with an outside mentor through PowerToFly's mentor program. Our employees have been matched with leaders who have helped them gain or enhance skillsets such as conflict resolution, working cross-functionally, and how to manage a team. All very important traits to have when working towards a leadership career track!<br></div><p>In our weekly company newsletter, we highlight different events going on in our local community as it relates to Women's History Month, that employees can attend, watch online, or read about."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/uship-inc" target="_blank">Learn more about uShip and their open positions.</a></p>Sourcing Talent from Within — Primer
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMzE1Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMDM2NDA0Nn0.cD2uNwQldtXaQEQfp0VWNwkl4f-2_iYZbU-73neVvRw/img.png?width=980" id="27be1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="988af0c1cdd1d794e2bf961311b54b83" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="986" data-height="546" /><p>"When we have an open leadership role, we intentionally source women candidates either internally or externally. We know we'll be growing and women in management positions now will be in senior leadership positions in the future. We are also building relationships between our employees, and women leaders on our Advisory board. We know mentorship is important for women as they take on leadership roles.</p><p>We are engaging with the women of Primer to understand what would be most meaningful for them. Some of the ideas we are considering are swag celebrating women at the company, events with women leadership mentors, and virtual luncheons."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/primer" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about Primer and their open positions.</a></p>Intersectional Empowerment — S&P Global
<p>"In celebration of Women's History Month and International Women's Day, S&P Global will highlight employee testimonials internally and externally in addition to feature programming with women thought leaders. Our Employee Resource Groups play an integral role in our employee engagement. This month we are partnering with WINS: Women's Initiative for Networking and Success and BOLD: Black Organization for Leadership & Development to welcome esteemed speakers Lola Akinmade Akerstrom and Baroness Floella Benjamin to speak to our employees on the theme #ChooseToChallenge."</p><p>Video to include: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmJgm4AxmeA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmJgm4AxmeA</a></p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/sp-global" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about S&P Global and their open positions.</a></p>Honoring a History of Women — T. Rowe Price
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMzE2MS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NjkzOTk4M30.3ZaF2pjXZbdlcVI7oSbVnKlGq8inEUfaFE6PDliR6l8/img.png?width=980" id="e4589" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="16b0367c7722a2d703cf1729ec994baf" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="976" data-height="616" /><div>"From T. Rowe Price's first day in 1937, women have had a significant role in the firm's success. Contributing as writers, accountants, portfolio managers, and sales representatives, to name a few, the value of women's achievements is important to celebrate. Of the four associates who joined Mr. Price, two were women: Isabella Craig and Marie Walper.<br></div><p>These pioneers brought invaluable skill sets and unwavering commitment to the firm.</p><p>Isabella Craig handled statistical calculations and accounting before becoming the Secretary of the corporation and a client counselor. Early associates credited her talents as a major influence on the quality of the firm.<br></p><p>Marie Walper managed administrative duties during the firm's formative years. As the firm grew, she remained Mr. Price's personal assistant and sounding board. She also helped codify the firm's ethics and served as treasurer.</p><p>We pay homage to our history as we honor women at the firm today."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/t-rowe-price-group-inc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more about T. Rowe Price and their open positions.</a></p>Intentional Hiring & Promotion in Leadership — VideoAmp
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwNjY5OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NjkzNDU4Mn0.YnDLPyWPVSCwEzt9j5U3GHb-9_KJkYEIfvuyvLc4V_4/img.jpg?width=980" id="2f444" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="323845b3e8c7555f149cc42db50f9855" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="women at videoamp flexing" data-width="4753" data-height="3169" /><p>"As a People First organization, we believe in promoting from within as our default to accelerate career growth. This philosophy has resulted in several promotions to leadership and executive roles for the women in our workforce, most recently in the Engineering department, Client Success, and on the Revenue team.</p> <p>Our diversity partnership with PowerToFly has been beneficial in bringing more interest, attention, and active applications for roles at VideoAmp by women interested in the adtech space from around the country. Most recently, we welcomed a highly talented woman in a leadership role on our Engineering team, a department that historically has lacked a strong female presence, and we expect to continue this effort as a priority. We celebrate and seek out those with unique experiences to further a culture of belonging and innovation. Our business is growing and this means we expect the opportunity for women to grow at VideoAmp. Together we rise!</p><ul><li>Embrace wellness is a core value at VideoAmp, and to honor and celebrate the women in our workforce, this year we're hosting a wellness practitioner to take us through a guided mindfulness practice focused on self-compassion and self-care, from the unique perspective of women in the workplace. Our goal is to give back to the women who contribute everyday as a means to celebrate and give thanks."</li></ul><div><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/videoamp" target="_blank">Learn more about VideoAmp and their open positions.</a></div>How Hopin’s CCO Knew a Startup Environment Was Right For Her—and Two Questions to See If It’s Right for You
If there's a thread that connects all the different facets of Rosie Roca's life, it's the power of bringing people together.
From how she was raised, to how she got her first job, to the decision to leave enterprise software to take on her current role as the Chief Customer Officer at fast-growing events technology platform Hopin, a focus on community has helped to guide Rosie's decisions.