
The Grace Hopper 2019 Conference Guide: Get The Most Out Of The Celebration
From what to pack for the Grace Hopper Conference to how to network, pitch yourself to employers, and of course, get to the best parties.
Going to a technical conference like the Grace Hopper Celebration offers huge rewards. By attending you can learn the latest techniques, make professional contacts, and maybe even find a new job. Even better, you'll meet mentors, and friends for life if you optimize your time while at Grace Hopper. But you know all that... that's why you're going!
What you need is a guide for how to navigate the massive conference - and I'm not talking about the schedule they provide. I went to the Grace Hopper 2017 Conference in Orlando and was overwhelmed by the number of amazing candidates who came to our booth and our event one evening. The best part was that I got to meet a few women who PowerToFly has placed in positions over the years. After all that, I still left feeling like I could have planned my time better... hence why I made a guide for Grace Hopper 2019 (also in Orlando) where I break down the basics from packing to how to share your conference experience with your boss so they send you again.
Ok... on to the guide...
1. Optimize Your Time - Plan Ahead!
Many conferences require you to pick a particular track or the sessions you want to go to ahead of time so they have an idea of attendance for their presentations. Some sessions will fill up early, so make sure you work out your schedule as quickly as possible (well before Oct. 1st).
The team at the Anita Borg Institute put together a great video last year on how to prep for the conference - it's very applicable for the 2019 Grace Hopper Conference so I recommend watching it.
Dates
The conference runs in Orlando, Florida from Tuesday, October 1st to Friday, October 4th, but you should make sure you stay until at least October 5th so you can take advantage of any closing events/parties on Friday night!
If it's your first time at the Conference, don't forget to attend The First Timer's Orientation at 3:30 on Tuesday, October 1st (Pro Tip: pick up your badge there and skip the line on Wednesday morning)!
2019 Locations & Expo Map
Grace Hopper 2019 is being held in the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, Florida. It's a pretty big space, so for the directionally challenged among us, it's good to download the map of the expo floor in advance. Use it to figure out where things are and what companies you want to pitch yourself to!
There will also be events at the Hyatt Regency Orlando as well as the Rosen Centre Hotel.
Pro Tip: Download the OCCC's Wayfinding App to get step-by-step walking directions, a building directory, parking locations, and more!
Picking Sessions
Before the conference, look over the sessions that the Grace Hopper team has provided here. Decide which ones are going to be most useful to you. Don't depend on the title of the session to tell you what it's about! Make sure you read the descriptions so you avoid ending up in sessions that aren't of interest to you.
You may be overwhelmed with the choices available to you, and tempted to juggle lots of different ideas. For your first time out, you might be wiser with a single strategy. Perhaps this time, you look for sessions tackling specific issues you are grappling with at work. Or maybe you focus on particular new skills you've wanted to learn.
This might seem obvious, but you should try to avoid sessions that cover a topic you're already an expert at. While it might be comforting to know the subject, you will most likely find yourself bored.
Schedule Down Time
You don't have to attend every session. If you can't find anything that really interests you and you feel indifferent towards what is available, take that time to visit the expo, sit and meet people, or even take a short power nap.
And lots of conferences are held in interesting locations. If you can build in a little time to get out and enjoy the surrounding area, you should!
2. Getting Ready Before You Go (What To Pack And More For Grace Hopper)
The last thing you want to do is think about where to find toothpaste when you're at Grace Hopper 2019. So focus on what you're taking now so you don't waste any time when you have a full day of sessions and networking ahead of you.
What to Pack
As you decide what to take, keep in mind that you'll be lugging this stuff around with you all day. Try to pack as lightly as you reasonably can. Pro Tip: Make sure to leave extra room in your bag for expo swag and books you may want to bring home.
Lay out everything you want to take on your bed. Take a close look. Are you sure you need that second pair of headphones and a third lightning charger cable (you'll get free ones at Grace Hopper at the career fair - trust me, the swag is amazing)? Do you really need your laptop, or can you manage everything with your tablet and phone?
Business Cards + LinkedIn + PowerToFly
If you don't have business cards from your job, have some made up for the conference. Make sure one side is not glossy and a light color that can be written on. You'll be leaving cards with recruiters at the career fair (although Grace Hopper does have a way of giving your info to recruiters via your badge).
Moo.com offers great designs and a quick turnaround.
You'll also want to make sure you're LinkedIn is totally refreshed. When you meet a contact, connect with them immediately, and with a note reminding them where and when you met! Then follow up by sending them an email if you have their business card.
Pro Tip: most companies representing at the Grace Hopper Conference are on PowerToFly to engage and recruit more women. Make sure you have an updated PowerToFly profile too.
Clothing
When in doubt, business casual is a safe bet. But most importantly, wear clothes that make you feel confident.
A Note About Shoes (Important!)
Maybe you've already thought about it, but you'll be on your feet for hours. Grace Hopper 2019 is in a massive expo center and you'll have to walk from one end to the other multiple times to get to your sessions or any conference-related events outside of the building. Make sure your shoes are comfortable!
Your Packing List
Here's a list of things you should think about bringing:
Must-Bring Items
- Comfortable bag to carry your conference gear
- Weather-appropriate clothing - check Google!
- Comfortable shoes
- Toiletries
- Necessary technology (laptop, tablet, phone)
- Charging cords
- Any conference paperwork
- Cash, credit cards
- Business cards - for recruiters at booths
- Resumes if you're job hunting - again, for recruiters at booths
- Breath mints - yup
- Notebook and pen - your phone could die
- External cell battery
- Lip balm - the air is dry in the Grace Hopper expo hall!
- Travel-size medicines
Should-bring items
- Business cards
- Resumes if you're job hunting
- Breath mints
- Notebook and pen
- External cell battery
- Lip balm
- Travel-size medicine
- Band-aids
And even more items to consider
- Good quality coffee to make in your room
- Energy bars - onsite food is expensive!!!
- Water bottle
- Earplugs
- Eye mask
- Tissues
- Hand sanitizer
3. Devise Networking Strategies
Practice your networking skills ahead of time by reviewing who you want to talk to.
Pro tip: study the Grace Hopper 2019 schedule and who will be at the career fair. Rehearse what you'll say to start conversations (I like to practice using a mirror!). P.S. If you're overwhelmed by all the companies, be sure to attend the Career Fair Hall Crawl on Tuesday after your First Timer's Orientation!
Elevator Pitch
Come up with a sentence or two that tells the listener who you are and what you hope to get out of the conference. Your pitch should be to the point, shorter than 30 seconds, and include:
- Your name
- What you do
- Why you are at this particular conference
Having this pitch will make networking so much easier. It's an ice-breaker that gives the listener something to grab onto and discuss with you.
And stand in your circle of power - need a refresher? Watch Amy Cuddy's video above!
Pre-Networking + Research
- Twitter is also great for finding other people who are going to your conference ahead of time. Follow @gracehopper and #GHC19 for this year's Grace Hopper Conference tweets.
- Check and see the other social accounts the Grace Hopper Conference Organizers are using here. FaceBook pages are good for longer discussions.
- Consider connecting with Meetup.com groups around you that are focused on the conference topic before you go.
- Use the Anita Borg platform to find official dinners and parties outside the conference that companies like PowerToFly are holding (we're partnering with Audible this year - scroll down for the invite).
- Pro Tip: most companies at the Grace Hopper Conference have pages on PowerToFly. Follow them via PowerToFly and we can send you invites to their events and alerts directly to your inbox!
Other Strategies
- Before you go, practice asking people around you questions that are open-ended rather than ones that allow for a yes/no answer.
- Monitor and engage with the #GHC19 Twitter hashtag.
- Look up other people you know, even slightly, who may be going. While it's not good to cling to the people you already know, it may help break the ice early on at the conference.
4. Getting The Most Out Of The Grace Hopper 2019 Sessions
It seems obvious, but try to sit in the front so that you can clearly see and hear the presentations at Grace Hopper. Being up front will also give you a better chance to be noticed if you want to ask the speaker a question.
Pro Tip: try to make eye contact with speakers. As a speaker at conferences myself, I love it when people are nodding along with me. I remember them!
Make sure you have some way of taking notes, but don't take so many that you forget to listen!
The Hallway Track
Everyone at Grace Hopper 2019 is interested in the same OS, platform, or language you are, so lots of the side conversations around you will be interesting. Even though the scheduled sessions are important, some of the best conversations happen in the hallways between the conference rooms.
In hallways you can talk one-on-one with other people who care about the same things you do, or are working on the same problems.
All you have to do is pull out your elevator pitch you should have prepared and use it. End with a friendly question about their goals in being at Grace Hopper, or what kind of things they're working on.
Networking Tips 
Between hallway and random mealtime conversations, parties, social media meetups, and various vendor events, you'll have many chances to connect with fellow conference-goers.
Talk to The Presenters
After most presentations, a small crowd of people will gather around the presenters at Grace Hopper. It can be intimidating to stand around, especially if you are wondering what to say. If you're not sure how to start a conversation, you can say hello and make a quick comment on what you especially enjoyed about the presentation. Grace Hopper presenters are there to meet you too - they didn't travel all the way to Houston to speak into the void!
Tips for Parties At Grace Hopper
There's not much time during Grace Hopper to have full conversations with people. At the very least you'll be able to trade contact information so you can follow up after the conference.
Pro tip: Keep in mind that you don't have to stay and talk with anyone who is wasting your time or making you feel uncomfortable. Your time is too precious. And scroll down to see register for PowerToFly's part with Audible (we'll let you know if you're a match after your register).
Take a break
Grace Hopper can be exhausting! Don't feel that you have to constantly network. Realize when you've had enough and be willing to give yourself a break. Don't feel you have to make new connections. If you've had enough, give yourself permission to leave and enjoy some peace and quiet.
5. What To Do After The Grace Hopper Conference Ends (Pro-Tip: Share What You Learned)
Once you're home again, it's time to take advantage of the new skills, inspiration, and connections you've gotten from the Grace Hopper Conference.
Create a Grace Hopper Conference Report
Use the notes you took during sessions and write up a report about what you learned at the conference, new ideas, and the names of your new contacts and where you met.
Pro Tip: Your boss will especially appreciate if you present it to her or him.
It's a good practice for several reasons. First, if you know ahead of time that you'll be creating this report, you'll take better notes and pay more attention to what's going on around you. Creating this report will also reinforce the what you've learned. And the report can also help you remember your new contacts.
Stay in Touch
No doubt you made lots of great connections! Don't forget to stay in touch. Connected on LinkedIn and social media outlets. Drop them a message about how nice it was to meet and reminding them of the context. You'll stand out from all those other new connections. A little politeness can go a long way.
Share Your Knowledge
Make a point of sharing your new skills with your coworkers. Consider giving a presentation at work. This will be great practice for you to get ready to present at a real conference.
Ok, Really Finally... Watch This Video Intuit Did Around The Grace Hopper Conference.
It cracked us up - you should tell them you saw it at Grace Hopper! They're also a PowerToFly hiring partner. So follow Intuit!
See you at Grace Hopper 2019!
- A Guide to Virtual Conferences & Networking - PowerToFly Blog ›
- A Guide to Virtual Conferences & Networking - PowerToFly Blog ›
What Are You Passionate About? Answer Interview Questions Effectively And Succeed!
💎 “What are you passionate about?” In an interview, you may have to answer this and other personal questions. Watch the video to the end to succeed in your job interview at Ribbon.
📼If asked “what are you passionate about?” in an interview you need to show how your passion can make you a good candidate for a job position. Ryan Key, Talent Partner at Ribbon, shares some tips and tricks for you to stand out!
📼Answering what are you passionate about in an interview is not the only thing you need to know how to do to succeed. You should try to make sure that you express your experience in a way that shows your interest in Ribbon’s mission. Also, prove that you did your research and demonstrate to the recruiter that you understand exactly how your role affects Ribbon’s purposes. Don’t forget to share some ideas on how you intend to fulfill the company’s mission!
📼 You are asked what are you passionate about in an interview, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t ask as well. You should feel empowered to ask any question you want during your interview process. It may be helpful to save certain questions for certain people. If you're in an interview with your potential manager, you should take that time to ask about their assessment metrics for the role and their management style. If you're speaking with a potential peer, this would be a great time to ask about their experience during training and to learn a little more about the team and culture.
What Are You Passionate About? Show In Your Interview That You Are Aligned With Ribbon's Values
The mission at Ribbon is to make homeownership achievable for everyone, especially communities traditionally left out of the homeownership story. One way Ribbon addresses diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace is through its support of employee resource groups. Remember to show that your passion is aligned with these core values!
🧑💼 Are you interested in joining Ribbon? They have open positions! To learn more, click here.
Get to Know Ryan Key
If you are interested in a career at Ribbon, you can connect with Ryan Key on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to mention this video!
More About Ribbon
Ribbon is a first-of-its-kind real estate technology company transforming the real estate transaction by delivering certainty, transparency, and joy to the home buying process. Consumers and realtors deserve a better experience, and they have designed an open platform that welcomes everyone in the ecosystem to participate.
Careers in Web Development: Which One's For You?
We all have our favorite websites– the ones we frequent, bookmark, and recommend to others. You might even enjoy some website features so much that you’ve found yourself wondering why they aren’t more popular. Or maybe you’ve experienced times where you were frustrated with a website and wished you could add features or even design your own!
If you’ve ever found yourself intrigued at the prospect of designing and developing your own websites, then a career as a web developer might be just for you!
As a web developer you would be responsible for coding, designing, optimizing, and maintaining websites. Today, there are over 1.7 billion websites in the world and, in turn, the demand for web developers is on the rise. In order to figure out what kind of web development work best suits you let’s start with an introduction to the three main roles in web development that you can choose from.
The Three Types of Web Development Jobs
Front-End Web Development: The Creative Side
Think of front-end development as the décor of a house. The color scheme, furniture, manicured lawns, and overall aesthetic. In terms of a website, front-end development is laser-focused on the appearance of a website and its presentation on different devices. If you’re considering a role in front-end development, it’s important to learn programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These three languages go hand-in-hand. HTML allows you to create user interface elements, CSS helps you with stylistic elements, and JavaScript allows you to incorporate online tools and connect your website to back-end functions.
In addition to programming skills, front-end developers need to be detail oriented, creative, willing to keep up with the latest trends in web development, cyber security conscious, and geared toward user-friendly designs. The median salary for a front-end developer can reach well into the $90,000 to $100,000 range.
Back-End Web Development: The Logical Counterpart
While a house can be beautifully decorated, it’s incomplete without a solid foundation and efficient infrastructure. Similarly, a well-designed website depends on logical and functional code to power the features of that website. Back-end web development is code-heavy and focused on the specifics of how a website works. If you enjoy the analytical challenge of creating the behind-the-scenes code that powers a website, then back-end development is for you.
Since this role is more code-heavy, it’s important that you learn numerous programming languages and understand algorithms and data structures. Some languages that are essential to back-end development are Ruby, Python, SQL, and JavaScript. Back-end developers also ensure that users can successfully retrieve and access data. This requires creating and using APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) which act as messengers that relay data related requests. Additionally, developing the code for the inner workings of a website also requires back-end developers to be conscious of the user interface features designed by front-end developers and to internally mitigate potential security risks. Due to the increased technical aspect of this position, back-end developers normally earn higher salaries than front-end developers. The average median salary for this role is around $118,000 per year.
Full-Stack Web Development: A Little Bit of Everything
A full-stack developer is essentially the Jack (or Jill)-of-all-trades in web development. Full-stack developers need to be knowledgeable about both front-end and back-end roles. This does not necessarily imply that you would need to be an expert in both roles, but you should fully understand the different applications and synergies they each imply. In order to work in this position, you will need to know the programming languages used by front-end and back-end developers. In addition to these languages, full-stack developers also specialize in databases, storage, HTTP, REST, and web architecture.
Full-stack developers are often required to act as liaisons between front-end and back-end developers. Full-stack developers need to be both problem solvers and great communicators. The end goal for a full-stack developer is to ensure that the user’s experience is seamless, both on the front-end and on the back-end. In return, you can expect to earn a median salary of $100,000 – $115,000 a year for this role.
Taking the Next Step
Web development is both in-demand and lucrative! All three roles described above contribute to specific aspects of web development and the scope of each one can be customized to the industries and positions you feel best suit you. Regardless of which role you choose, all of them need a foundation in programming.
To gain the programming skills needed in each role, you can enroll in courses or learn independently. Coding bootcamps are a great way to boost your skillset quickly and efficiently.
Click here for some of our highly rated programming bootcamp options! Make sure to check out the discounts available to PowerToFly members.
Want To Build Partnerships In Remote Environments? Follow These Tips!
💎 Partnerships in remote environments is one of the most important aspects to construct in a company. Watch the video to the end to get good tips on how to do it successfully.
📼Wondering how to create partnerships in remote environments? Play this video to get three top tips that will help you to achieve it. You'll hear from Olga Shvets, HR Business Partner, and Viktoriia Litvinchuk, People Team Operations at Unstoppable Domains, who will explain the essentials of this process.
📼How to build partnerships in remote environments? Tip #1: Communicate Effectively. Communication is the key to enabling your remote team to be successful. Choose the channel that works best. For this, chat with your employees and see what they use to communicate, that's how you find the best solution. Also, make sure your team is on board with your internal tools and they know what, how, and where they need to use them.
📼A requisite for building partnerships in remote environments is Tip #2: Show appreciation. Appreciation is shown through your actions. Let your employees know that you value everything they do for the company. Create a special gratitude channel where everyone can share their appreciation for their colleagues for some contribution. Celebrate some wins, promotions, and everything that is important for the company. If you appreciate the employees, employees do the same for the company.
Create Partnerships In Remote Environments Using Trust - Tip #3: Give Honest Feedback
Use engagement surveys! They are a quick and effective way to receive honest feedback from your team and you can see what's working well and what needs to be improved. Your main priority is to create spaces where managers and employees can share honest, relevant feedback.
📨 Are you interested in joining Unstoppable Domains? They have open positions! To learn more, click here.
Get to Know Olga Shvets
If you are interested in a career at Unstoppable Domains, you can connect with Olga on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to mention this video!
More About Unstoppable Domains
Unstoppable Domains is bringing user-controlled identity to 3 billion+ internet users by issuing domain names on the blockchain. These domains allow users to replace cryptocurrency addresses with human-readable names, host decentralized websites, and much more.
By selling these domains direct to consumers for a one-time fee, the company is making a product that will change cryptocurrency and shape the future of the decentralized web by providing users control over their identity and data.
Want to join the engineering teams at Workiva? Learn more about them!
💎Want to know what engineering teams are like at Workiva? Watch the video to the end to find out!
📼 Engineering teams at Workiva are constantly hiring. Marie Yue, Senior Engineering Manager at the company, tells you what they look for in a candidate and what the dynamics of teamwork are like.
📼 The typical path in the engineering teams at Workiva is that you grow into a senior, and then you move into a lead role. From there, there are a few different tracks that you can take depending on your interest. You can become a staff engineer, an architect, or even an engineering manager. What are you waiting for to apply?
📼In the engineering teams at Workiva every member should feel empowered to do their job effectively. For this, each has to understand how the work they do day to day solves customers’ problems. Managers will always seek to be aware of members’ career path aspirations so that they can look for opportunities and projects to help each person reach the next step in their career.
Engineering Teams At Workiva: A Safe Space
Marie Yue’s team is a safe space for people to make mistakes and ask for help, and each member feels a sense of belonging and inclusion. She wants to make sure that everyone is individually empowered to lead and make decisions. For this, the team has regular meetings where they do fun things like play virtual games or eat lunch together, and they also like to re-review and add to their team working agreement once a quarter.
🧑💼 Are you interested in joining Workiva? They have open positions! To learn more, click here.
Get to Know Marie Yue
If you are interested in a career at Workiva, you can connect with Marie Yue on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to mention this video!
More About Workiva
Workiva was founded to transform the way people manage and report business data with various collaborators, data sources, documents, and spreadsheets. Today, people all over the world use their platform to seamlessly orchestrate data among their systems and applications for transparent and trusted connected reporting and compliance. At Workiva, they are innovative in everything they do—from how they build their software, to how they serve their customers, to how they treat their employees.