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August 05, 2016
Women at Work
Love For Tech Took Her From Side Hustles To A Full Time Design Job At Hearst
Ayana Palisuc is a motivated UI/UX designer that lives and works in the Philippines. She kicked off her career as a freelance designer during her second year in college. Six years later she says that she’s still passionate about her craft. Last year PowerToFly helped Ayana land her dream job as a full time UI/UX designer for Hearst. She now works for the New York based media powerhouse from the comfort of her home office in the Philippines.
<p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--h3">In celebration of her first year anniversary with Hearst, we spoke with Ayana about her typical work day, her secret to crossing everything off of her to-do list, and how <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.powertofly.com/" target="_blank">PowerToFly</a> helped her secure a salary that’s 80% higher than her previous freelance pay.</p><p><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--p" id="2032"></figure></p><p></p><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked"><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="1026"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">How would you describe a typical work day?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="7fb2">Since Hearst is New York based, I work on east coast time, starting at 9:00 a.m. The first thing I do is to check my email and messages on <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://slack.com/" target="_blank">Slack</a>. Most of the time I talk to Theo, Hearst’s Digital Studios VP of Engineering. He assigns me tasks. I also communicate with Romina, the Project Manager and Nazat, the QA Engineer. I try to finish my tasks on the same day that they’re assigned, so that I don’t cause delays with development or testing.</p><p><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--p" id="27a4"></figure></p><p></p><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked"><p></p><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill"></div><p></p><div class="progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85OTM1Njg0L29yaWdpbi5qcGciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjM0ODIxMTk2fQ.jHnBH7GbwxpIhakL_aQ5IAQ8-CwJ_GhRNjLY_901tVY/img.jpg?width=980" id="b43b8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ffa1d14be447c5374cfef9226766ba9c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /></div><p></p></div><p><figcaption class="imageCaption">Ayana Palisuc sitting at her desk in her home office. Courtesy of Ayana Palisuc</figcaption></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--figure" id="8148"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What advice would you give other women interested in working remotely?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="88e0">Don’t be afraid to work remotely. It gives you more time to spend with your family, and there’s lot of other benefits. For example, you can take 5–10 minute breaks or naps whenever you want, to relieve stress or to refresh your mind. You can wear whatever your want, as long as it’s comfortable enough and not distracting to your work. You save money on transportation and food.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="a477">I don’t have someone checking my monitor every other minute for updates on tasks. As long as I submit the deliverables on time and don’t delay the team, it’s fantastic. I experienced constant monitoring when I worked for a local software development company and it was stressful.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="f3dc"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Do you have any strategies for staying efficient outside of an office?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="61ed">I always write down my daily to-dos. I believe it’s more efficient than adding it to an Excel file, because when I write it down, it stays on my mind. For communicating with my colleagues who work remotely all over the world, we use Slack. It has great features that gives other tools a run for their money. Our team uses <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira" target="_blank">Jira </a>so we aren’t lost whenever we have tasks.</p><p><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--p" id="aa36"></figure></p><p></p><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked"><p></p><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill"></div><p></p><div class="progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85OTM1Njg1L29yaWdpbi5qcGciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjIyMzkyMDk5fQ.ul_E5MIo3zHSv96P_bqDxYcI07gsr6Xy81ehMGLKd8A/img.jpg?width=980" id="6b36e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1fa35b828030d3f431bb1a9436f1fa52" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /></div><p></p></div><p><figcaption class="imageCaption">Ayana Palisuc captures her incredible meal at a restaurant in the Philippines. Courtesy of Ayana Palisuc.</figcaption></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--figure" id="1885"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What are the biggest challenges about working remotely? How have you overcome them?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="6af2">Some of the biggest challenges with working remotely in my area is having unexpected power or WiFi interruptions. It can affect our communication and cause delays with time-sensitive tasks and deliverables. There are also times that I and other members of the team misunderstand each other. I’m thankful for <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.skype.com/en/" target="_blank">Skype</a> calls that help create better communication channels.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="2ab8"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">How do you spend your free time, when you’re not working remotely for Hearst?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="7510">It’s my first time working for a huge New York based company, remotely. Most of my previous freelance assignments were short term or project based. During the weekends, I work on small design projects. I love learning design stuff, specifically UX from my fellow UI/UX designers. I always make time to watch webinars related to my niche; as well as working on personal projects (like my own website). During my spare time I try to spend it with my family — that’s always been my favorite past time. We usually visit malls or eat out at restaurants in our area. We try to enjoy each other as much as we can.</p><p><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--p" id="d4b3"></figure></p><p></p><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked"><p></p><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill"></div><p></p><div class="progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85OTM1Njg2L29yaWdpbi5qcGciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjU0NTA5MjY3fQ.viZkDBwh8PGVZAtPRSdsHDpMc2r0z1aSJ1714c-BH-A/img.jpg?width=980" id="52878" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="87ed9861f46bed234fb71eec290fa7d6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /></div><p></p></div><p><figcaption class="imageCaption">Ayana Palisuc and her family. Courtesy of Ayana Palisuc.</figcaption></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--figure" id="87ff"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What did you like best about working with </strong><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.powertofly.com/" target="_blank"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">PowerToFly </strong></a><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">to find a remote job?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="d87f">From the first day that I registered with <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.powertofly.com/" target="_blank">PowerToFly</a>, I was never let down. I was always emailed potential job offers until I was hired by Hearst. Whenever I have questions, the team, especially Deveshe, are always there to assist me.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="a3b9">I’m thankful that <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.powertofly.com/" target="_blank">PowerToFly</a> introduced me to a great opportunity at Hearst. It’s been a year now, hopefully more years to come! PowerToFly made my dreams a reality. You helped me secure a salary that was 80% more than my previous freelance jobs. They also gave me the opportunity to work for a huge and respected company.</p><p></p></div><p></p>
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August 05, 2016
Talent Sourcing Trends
Hearst VP Of Engineering: “I’ve Had A Lot Of Success Adding More Women” In Tech
Theo Burry is the VP of Engineering at Hearst Digital Studios. After managing distributed teams at the Huffington Post and NowThis News, he is an enthusiastic advocate of remote work. Theo took time out of his busy day to speak with PowerToFly about how he sold the Hearst CEO on remote, why he conducts job interviews via instant message, and more.
<p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="f1df"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">You work for a large, traditional publishing organization. What inspired you to start hiring remote employees?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="23a0">It’s an approach I’ve used in the past on a number of jobs. I’m in Hearst Digital Studios, which is a new initiative, so they’re open to this type of experimentation. I joined in April, and I brought on some people I had been working with on a freelance basis from past projects, then continued to hire remotely so my team was remote from the start.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="f8d9"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">How did you convince your organization that this would work?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="d8f1">I made a presentation to the Hearst CEO early in the process. I introduced <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.powertofly.com/" target="_blank">PowerToFly</a> and the idea of having a remote team. I was pleasantly surprised that they were open to experimenting. It’s something I believe in strongly. It’s not about saving money. I believe this is a better model overall, and it’s more efficient. They gave me their full support.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="23db"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Did you have to make any changes to your organization or process to facilitate remote workers?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="3682">From the beginning, I tried to create a new process that was based on the idea that people don’t have to be in the building to get things done. For example, we use <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira" target="_blank">JIRA</a>, which is a cloud-based service. It’s not behind a firewall, and you don’t have to be here in the building. Similarly, we use <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.dropbox.com/" target="_blank">Dropbox</a> for file storage and <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://slack.com/" target="_blank">Slack</a> for communication. These are all accessible from anywhere in the world.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="b56d"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What do you look for in a remote hire?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="c36d">I’m looking for people who are independently interested in the work and engaged without me having to constantly ping them. It’s hard to know what everyone’s working on at a given time. My goal is to find the people who will be more actively involved from the start.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="a442"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What’s your interview process like?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="1268">I don’t ask a bunch of tech questions that I know the answers to already just to quiz people. I’ve had great success with <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.powertofly.com/" target="_blank">PowerToFly </a>recommending people to me. I start with that recommendation, then I see if the person is independently interested. The traditional tech interview process is heavily quiz driven, and maybe some people are concerned with remote hiring because they can’t bring someone in the office to quiz them. But, it’s better to avoid that approach entirely. It’s better to find people who are engaged. What’s really important is when something new comes up, are the people on your team interested in jumping in and figuring it out?</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="8b6a">I conduct the first interview on IM (instant message), which I know is not a traditional approach. But, the fact is, we’re communicating all day on IM, so if they can’t communicate with me on IM from the start, it’s not going to work. If I find people who can communicate on IM, then they join the team on Slack and complete a task. If they do well, it’s a good sign it will work out.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="715b"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">How do you keep your remote team motivated and connected to your team in the office?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="a29f">Since we’re a new division, we haven’t done any hiring in the office. The team <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">is</em> the remote team. I try to be responsive to the people on the team in the same way I would if they were in the office. We’re all working together, and I try to be online at all hours of the day and be responsive in that way to keep things moving. I don’t try to get everyone to work 9–5 EST to match my schedule in New York. Instead, I try to extend my time online.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="3202"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What are some remote worker red flags?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="88da">It’s a warning sign if I’m not hearing from someone regularly, or if there’s some task that’s taking longer than expected. I try to start off with trial tasks that are well defined; that way I can gauge if this new trial-er is meeting my expectations.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="b982"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What do you appreciate most in a remote employee?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="8a14">It’s not just about completing tasks, but thinking through the problem and asking questions to make it better. I’m looking for people who are asking questions even during the interview. With remote work, we can’t all bond as a team in the office, so there has to be that particular interest there from the beginning.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="1c17"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What are some unexpected perks of working with a remote team?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="e7f4">The big thing is that you can bring on people who work in different time zones pretty easily. Once you have the process setup, you can capture more productivity in each day — that’s the longer term goal. Ideally, if I’m finding people who are working on the opposite time zone as New York, we can get more work done on the off hours.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="f0e6">I’ve had a lot of success adding more women. I know <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.powertofly.com/talents/68" target="_blank">Katharine</a> and <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.powertofly.com/talents/70" target="_blank">Milena</a>started <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.powertofly.com/" target="_blank">PowerToFly</a> because there isn’t enough representation of women in tech. But, it’s not just a political thing. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of people they’ve found. There are a lot of talented developers that companies are missing out on if they don’t add women to the team.</p>
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June 24, 2016
Women at Work
She Codes For Hearst — From Bogota
Please introduce yourself to the PowerToFly community.
<p>My name is Stella Miranda. I am Software Engineer from Barranquilla (a city famous for its Carnival), based in Bogota, Colombia. I feel bothered when I’m not creating something. I love to dance, watch movies, read a good book, and exercise. I am also a passionate traveler. I have visited some countries, but I dream of going around the world.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="4a4d"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">How would you describe a typical work day?</strong></p><p>I wake up and start checking my notifications on my cell phone to check how everything is going, and then maybe read some news also. After that, I get up to make breakfast and get myself ready. Then, I start working on my tasks. I do have my own separate space to work. When I finish a task or I am waiting for something, I get up and take a break. I benefit from that by drinking water, coffee or snack.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="59dd"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What advice would you give other women interested in working remotely?</strong></p><p>I can say it has a lot of benefits. In my case, I wanted to start cooking healthy food, and staying at home allows me to eat better. And instead of being stuck in public transportation to go to an office, I use that time for exercising. I get breaks with a good coffee — better if it’s Colombian.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="167f"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Do you have any strategies for staying efficient outside of an office? What tools do you use?</strong></p><p>Make sure you’re planning your tasks, establishing hours for your personal things and your work tasks. I have a very comfortable desktop, a high Internet connection (one primary and another one for backup). I have invested in a top-of-the-line Mac. Also, I like to have all work accounts on my phone, so I do not miss anything urgent. I use <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.any.do/" href="http://www.any.do/" target="_blank">Any.do</a> for taking notes about all things I need to get done in my day. I use it to create a checklist of the things to do before deploying to production or for preparing a launch.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="a86f"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What are the biggest challenges about working remotely? How have you overcome them?</strong></p><p>Communication — this is my first remote job, and I was used to offices. I am lucky to work with an incredible team that is very communicative even though we have different time zones and different cultures. What I have learned the most with this team is how to work truly as a team.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="f4d4"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What did you like best about working with PowerToFly? </strong></p><p>I am thankful to PowerToFly for all the help and patience at the beginning of my process. I wanted to go to U.S. and work for a company there, but getting a visa to work in the U.S. is difficult. But now I work there, in a way. Besides that, if I want to be with my family on holidays and birthdays, or be in Germany, I can do it as long as I get my duties done.</p>
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March 21, 2016
Women at Work
Coding For Hearst And Firefighting (Literally) At Home
What’s your experience been like working remotely for a year?
<p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="3117">I worked remotely for a few years before coming to Hearst. It’s always very different depending on the project. I worked in small groups where everyone telecommuted, so being the only remote developer in a big on-site team has required adjusting my communication strategies.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="cc7b"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Describe your typical work day.</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="eef1">There’s a two hour time difference between my co-workers and I, so I have time to go swimming every morning before logging in. My ideal daily structure is communication-development-communication, so I always try to begin my day answering questions and requests. I finish with an end-of-day report to the team. I’m more effective if I take a couple of brief exercise breaks during the day, so I generally stay logged in longer than eight hours. I go for a walk or run when I need clarity about something.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="390a"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">When did you develop an interest in coding and learn how to code?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="af72">My teenage cousin taught himself how to code when I was a child, and he introduced me to <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASIC" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASIC" target="_blank">BASIC</a>. I still remember my determination after he told me that alphabetizing things programmatically was for bigger kids, and I shouldn’t even try.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="0145"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Did you know other female developers when you started?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="7398">No, but growing up I always had great female math and physics teachers. There was also <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/22/gillian-anderson-i-was-offered-half-duchovny-s-pay-for-the-x-files-revival.html" href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/22/gillian-anderson-i-was-offered-half-duchovny-s-pay-for-the-x-files-revival.html" target="_blank">Scully from The X Files</a>, and my nerdy big sister. It felt like all of the cool girls were into science! I assumed that there would be lots of them. I was pretty surprised that women were only about 5% of my first algorithms class in college. Luckily, the number of female coders has picked up since then.</p><p><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--p" id="375c"></figure></p><p></p><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked"><p></p><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill"></div><p></p><div class="progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded" data-height="410" data-image-id="0*M6JEy-IF-0vmCyOc.jpg" data-scroll="native" data-width="604"><canvas class="progressiveMedia-canvas js-progressiveMedia-canvas" height="50" width="75"></canvas><p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85OTM1NjYxL29yaWdpbi5qcGciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjMwMDU5NTAwfQ.6CuInVb4B8umfqm1kHOMOm0Qi6OLmUhsPOJSl986g2A/img.jpg?width=980" id="bd981" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6ebb2a7679bbe0b09f56d12b7741313a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /> Lara in Cordoba, Argentina</p><p></p></div><p></p></div><p><figcaption class="imageCaption"></figcaption></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--figure" id="860a"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Do you have any strategies for staying efficient outside of an office? What tools do you use?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="0d26">I use a big old cork board and sticky notes. I like tangible representations of the work to be done.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="6cdd"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Biggest challenges and biggest rewards when it comes to working remotely? How did you overcome your challenges?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="fab0">It’s easy to get lost in the abstract notion of a feature or ticket and lose perspective of what and who you’re working for in the end. It helped tremendously to visit Hearst’s New York headquarters, meet the team and get to know what everyone was working on. It gave me a much clearer picture of the team and project as a living, breathing unit with a simple objective to keep in mind when making decisions.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="0fe9"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What is the biggest thing you’ve learned from others while working in a remote environment that is also global?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="82fa">Effective remote functioning requires all parties to be proactive about communication. Your needs are much less visible to your teammates when you’re not sitting next to them, so if you need assignments or answers in order to continue, you have to be very explicit and even insistent about that.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="53ad"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Favorite song, book or article that you’ve read lately that got you excited about work?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="a0a2">I’m a big fan of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://us.battle.net/shop/en/product/diablo-ii-lord-of-destruction" href="https://us.battle.net/shop/en/product/diablo-ii-lord-of-destruction" target="_blank">Diablo II. </a>The first act of the game introduces you to a sisterhood of rogue sorceresses that act as a base camp and source of knowledge and weapons for you, while you take over a map. Being part of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.powertofly.com/" href="https://www.powertofly.com/" target="_blank">PowerToFly </a>feels a bit like that.</p><p><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--p" id="ee26"></figure></p><p></p><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked"><p></p><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill"></div><p></p><div class="progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded" data-height="333" data-image-id="0*YiXQDHAiFpzzAEoD.jpg" data-scroll="native" data-width="500"><canvas class="progressiveMedia-canvas js-progressiveMedia-canvas" height="48" width="75"></canvas><p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85OTM1NjYyL29yaWdpbi5qcGciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjUyNzM3NTY0fQ.fC_-4FqkbY3sxmULge8tCMCrS6SMBC9q9l_DTDCaw2s/img.jpg?width=980" id="e1697" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="49c836b8bf9f9385abe969d714c7d4b5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /> Courtesy of Lara Tais</p><p></p></div><p></p></div><p><figcaption class="imageCaption"></figcaption></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--figure" id="be84"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What’s one thing that people don’t know about developers or women who like to code?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="f00c">The creative nature of coding doesn’t always come across to people outside of our sphere. It’s seen as more of a structured, boring process than it actually is. It’s always a surprise when someone that seems more suited to creative disciplines, or anyone who is the slightest bit of a rebel, chooses tech. I took some filmmaking classes in college, in parallel to computer science, and it surprised me tremendously to find that I actually had more encouragement to experiment in my programming classes than in film school.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="805b"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Please share one interesting observation about where you currently live and work that most people don’t know.</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="e48b">Recently, lots of very cool dinosaur fossils have been found in Argentina.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="ef89"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What’s your favorite way to spend your time after work or on the weekends?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="ffd8">I study religious anthropology. I also like to garden, roller skate and go out dancing.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="e809"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What advice would you give other women interested in working remotely?</strong></p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="a613">Structure the beginning and end of your work day routine with clear markers that can toggle a production mindset, like going in and out of an office building would. This helps because you don’t spend all your waking hours in working mode, which could make the quality of your work suffer. Stay physically active, call your inspiring friends, get some sun every day and ask all the questions you need — as many times as it takes.</p>
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September 02, 2015
Women at Work
She Works For Hearst From Chile And Gets 15 Extra Minutes Of Sleep Each Day
Please introduce yourself to the PowerToFly community.
<p>My name is Romina and I am 31-years-old. I am a very proactive person and always trying to do new things so I don’t get bored. I love to dance, that’s my passion, so I go two times a week to take classes. I also love going to the gym, and I’m always experimenting with new classes, like TRX, boxing, functional training, cross fit, etc. I am also a passionate traveler. I love to travel everywhere — even if it’s just a weekend outside the city!</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="bebd"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What is your current position? </strong></p><p>I am a Product Manager at Hearst.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="1f02"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">How would you describe a typical work day? </strong></p><p>I wake up and start replying to emails on bed with my cell phone — that way I get 15 extra minutes of sleep. :) Then I get up and turn on my computer while I prepare my breakfast, and then my working day fully starts. I usually get up out of my chair about 20 times a day. I am a really restless person, so when I finish a task, I get up and take a break. It could be a coffee, watching some news on TV, doing the laundry, stretching my legs, whatever. I usually have lunch while I keep working.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="2f52"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What advice would you give other women interested in working remotely?</strong></p><p>Many of the people (not just women), I’ve talked to who are remote workers, all agreed that we will never (go) to an office, if at all possible. This is a one-way-road. You will never know how good it is until you do it. I would say: “Go for it, you won’t regret it!”</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="768f"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Do you have any strategies for staying efficient outside of an office? What tools do you use? </strong></p><p>I am a really dedicated person, so it’s not really hard for me to concentrate at home. I do have my own space to work, so I can go there and have meetings, or if visitors come over, I can go there and be quiet and calm.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="cd03"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What are the biggest challenges about working remotely? How have you overcome them? </strong></p><p>I think that the hardest thing I’ve been through in this job is communicating with people in such different cultures. It is not an easy task (and more if you are a manager), to manage a team which is so distributed, and consists of so many cultures. I am still working on this.</p><p></p><p class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" id="90bd"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What did you like best about working with PowerToFly?</strong></p><p>What I like most of working here, is that I have the freedom that I want. I can handle my schedule as I wish, like start working really early and leave early, or starting at noon if I need the morning for personal things. Also, (there is) the freedom to work from whatever place I want. I live in Chile, but I am from Argentina, so I can go there as many times as I want and be with my family, getting to spend holidays and birthdays with my loved ones, or be in China if I want, as long as I get my eight hours of work in! It’s so amazing!</p>
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