What Do Culture And Cupcakes Have In Common? Ask Dropbox’s Technical Sourcer
A Q&A with Shannon Toomey
It's hard to imagine life without Dropbox (how would we store and share files?!) but for their employees, it's harder to imagine life without working at Dropbox! From their amazing benefits to their holistic approach to wellness, to their intentional ways to make your life as a Dropbox employee easier, they pride themselves on making sure all people feel supported and connected at work no matter what.
Cue Shannon Toomey. Shannon has been working at Dropbox for over a year and a half as a Technical Sourcer, and she's looking for people with the creative energy needed to skyrocket their technology to the next level. Interested in joining? Click here to see all open opportunities at Dropbox, and don't forget to press 'Follow'!
What are some of your responsibilities as a Technical Sourcer?
Shannon Toomey: I sit on the Engineering Sourcing team with a passion for candidates from diverse and non-traditional backgrounds. I split my time between sourcing/engaging candidates, moving them through our interview process and advocating for them, as well as working on cross-functional projects to ensure our hiring practices are fair and inclusive.
What do you love most about working at Dropbox?
ST: The people! I was immediately drawn to the communities at Dropbox in my first interview. There's such an energizing quality to working with such intelligent, kind, and curious people.
If you could describe the culture at Dropbox in one word, what would it be?
ST: Delightful :) Our fifth company value is a cupcake, which to me embodies the spirit of the company. Dropbox is continuously building a culture around personal autonomy and empowerment, while never sacrificing warmth and friendliness.
What traits are you looking for in your next team member?
ST: I'm always excited to work with individuals who are unafraid to challenge the status quo, committed to building a strong culture on their team or workplace, excited to share their new favorite musicians/podcasts, and can hopefully all up-level each other by sharing experiences and ideas!
Why did you decide to partner with PowerToFly?
ST: I love the mission and realness of the platform and people behind it. I think the best thing humans can do for each other is show up, and this gives everyone a chance to do so.
Do you have any advice for someone interested in working at Dropbox?
ST: Absolutely! You don't have to be a lifelong user of Dropbox, but ask engaging questions about where we've been and where we're going. Our recruiting team is very friendly and open to conversations, as are most other Dropboxers - so don't hesitate to reach out/apply!
A Quick Recap of Our Recent Event in San Francisco
On September 13th, PowerToFly co-hosted an exclusive evening for software engineers, web engineers, data engineers and other women in tech featuring women tech leaders from some of San Francisco's most exciting companies: collaboration platform Dropbox, online marketplace LendingClub, personal genetics company Helix, and sleep and wellness innovator Thrive Global.
Held at ConnectionsSF, who helped sponsor the event, the night kicked off with a chance to network with both the tech women leaders and hiring teams from each of our featured companies before transitioning into a panel discussion and audience Q&A, moderated by PowerToFly's Cristina Duke. Our panelists included:
- Aisha Ferrazares, Software Engineer/Tech Lead at Dropbox
- Rani Powers, Computational Biologist at Helix
- Samantha Berg, Senior Manager, Design at LendingClub
- Yardley Pohl, Chief Product Officer at Thrive Global
All four of our featured companies are hiring so check out their pages on PowerToFly to learn more about their open roles.
PowerToFly's Cristina Duke greets our attendees.
A packed house!
Yardley Pohl, Rani Powers, Samantha Berg and Aisha Ferrazares with Cristina Duke
Our panel took questions from the audience.
Meet Kari Yen, a Program Manager at Dropbox
Kari shares a little about herself and what feminist energy means to her
Below is an article originally written by PowerToFly Partner Dropbox. Go to Dropbox's Page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.
Our mission at Dropbox is to unleash the world's creative energy by designing a more enlightened way of working. Creative energy is the force inside everyone that drives them to be inventive, imaginative and solve big problems — it's not about being a "creative person" so much as approaching work with possibility and optimism. Our Women's employee resource group took the idea one step further and created an internal campaign, "This is Feminist Energy" and asked Dropboxers what feminist energy means to them. In celebration of Women's History Month, we'll be featuring Dropboxers and sharing their thoughts on feminist energy.
Q: What is your name, what office do you work out of and how long have you been at Dropbox?
A: My name is Kari Yen and I'm based out of our SF/HQ office. I've been a Dropboxer since August 2017.
Q: What is your current role at Dropbox?
A: I'm a Program Manager under the Trust and Privacy team under Legal. I work on projects that protect our company from those who want to cause us trouble.
Q: What are your hobbies? Or what can we find you doing on the weekends?
A: I'm an ultra marathoner and competed in the Empire State Building run and I'm currently training to qualify for the Boston Marathon.


Q: What does feminist energy mean to you?
A: To me, feminist energy means realizing you're not alone with your viewpoints and thought process and there's a supportive community of other females here to listen and support you.
Q: Are there any present-day inspirational Women figures in your life?
A: My grandmother inspires me everyday, both personally and professionally to push myself outside my comfort zone and to believe in myself when no one else does.

Q: Do you have any thoughts/suggestions on how we can better celebrate Women throughout the year?
A: Give women more opportunities to speak and present so they can be seen and heard. We should be encouraging women to speak up in meetings and ensure the mix of speakers on panels and on stages are evenly split.
Q: Anything else, you'd like to share?
A: I'm grateful to be working with such empowering and inspiring women here at Dropbox. I can't wait to see what the rest of 2018 brings for all #womenintech!
Check back soon to meet more Dropboxers. In the meantime visit us our jobs on PowerToFly. Dropbox is growing, grow with us!
Exclusive Evening with Women Leading San Francisco’s Top Startups
This event is a great fit for mid to senior software engineers, fullstack engineers, and product managers. If you are interested in attending, please email hi@powertofly for an invite.
PowerToFly is excited to introduce you to women tech leaders at some of San Francisco's most exciting companies including Dropbox, Helix, LendingClub and Thrive Global. The evening will also include an opportunity for you to network with your fellow women in tech over cocktails and light food.
The event takes place on Thursday, September 13th from 6pm to 8pm at ConnectionsSF, located at 424 Clay Street, San Francisco, CA 94111.
Dropbox is a leading global collaboration platform that's transforming the way people work together, from the smallest business to the largest enterprise. With more than 500 million registered users across more than 180 countries, our mission is to unleash the world's creative energy by designing a more enlightened way of working.
LendingClub is America's largest online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors, facilitating personal loans, business loans, and financing for elective medical procedures and K-12 education and tutoring. Borrowers access lower interest rate loans through a fast and easy online or mobile interface. Investors provide the capital to enable many of the loans in exchange for earning interest.
Helix is a personal genomics company with the mission to empower every person to improve their life through DNA. Helix's products can help you map your ancestry, inform you how your genetic makeup is affected by sleep and caffeine, suggest your optimal diet and exercise plan and even recommend wine that's tailored to your DNA. With total funding of over $300 million, Helix has offices in San Carlos, San Diego, San Francisco, and Denver.
Thrive Global's mission is to end the stress and burnout epidemic by offering companies and individuals sustainable, science-based solutions to enhance both well-being and performance. Founded by CEO Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global relies on science and tech to help individuals prioritize well-being as well as increase their capacity for decision-making, creativity and productivity.
Agenda (Subject to Change)
- 6:00pm - Check-In & Networking over Drinks and Light Food
- 6:30pm - Event Kickoff with ConnectionsSF
- 6:35pm - Introductory Remarks by PowerToFly
- 6:40pm - Panel Discussion featuring
- Rani Powers, Computational Biologist at Helix
- Yardley Pohl, Chief Product Officer at Thrive
- Aisha Ferrazares, Software Engineer/Tech Lead at Dropbox
- TBD Speaker from LendingClub
- 6:55pm - Audience Q&A
- 7:10pm - Networking over Drinks and Light Food
About the Venue: ConnectionsSF is a modern, full-service flex work space for mobile professionals, start-ups, small businesses and independent consultants. Offerings include permanent and shared desks, private offices, and meeting and event spaces, all including fantastic amenities, free coffee and free snacks.
About PowerToFly Events: All RSVP'd attendees are welcome, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, or age. If you require accommodation to fully participate in this event, please email hi@powertofly.com, and we will contact you to discuss your specific needs.
Unfortunately, PowerToFly and the company it is holding an event on behalf of cannot admit outside recruiters to that particular event. Please email hi@powertofly.com if you have any questions about this policy.