GET EMAIL UPDATES FROM POWERTOFLY
BROWSE CATEGORIES
GET EMAIL UPDATES FROM POWERTOFLY
October 19, 2018
T Rowe Price Group Inc
Meet Danni Davis, Digital Platform Manager At T. Rowe Price
Below is an article originally written by PowerToFly Partner T. Rowe Price, and published on April 20, 2018. Go to T. Rowe Price's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.
"What helped me come out at work was the people I'm surrounded by. From my friends to my manager to coworkers, everyone has been so supportive and loving. It made me feel like I wasn't just another number, but I'm a full person and a good employee who happens to be married to a woman—and that everything in that sentence is fine."
- Danni Davis, Digital Platform Manager
When Danni Davis, corporate digital platform manager, experienced a life-threatening medical emergency three months into her career at T. Rowe Price, she got an early glimpse of the support she could expect at the firm. Although she was a contractor, out of the office for eight weeks, and her work was piling up, her manager held the job for her return. "[She] even asked her coworkers to give me work I could do at home to earn money," Davis recalls.
Fast-forward 13 years and Davis is now launching a publishing arm for corporate marketing efforts. "We've partnered with content creators, built a content strategy, and are ready to bring the model to life," she says. "One of my passions is storytelling," says Davis, who enjoys blogging and recently embarked on writing a book. "Being able to incorporate my passion into my gig has brought new excitement to my role."
As Davis collaborates to launch the new site, she's consistently impressed by T. Rowe Price's collaborative work culture. "At another consulting firm, the environment was cutthroat," she explains. "All of the analysts wanted to be promoted, so collaboration was nonexistent, and we were encouraged to be individual performers instead of a team." Believing there was a better way to work, she and a coworker decided to work on a project together after hours. "It was clear that our collective output was of a higher quality than any one person's work," says Davis. "T. Rowe Price's culture is based on that very premise, that additional perspectives lead to more learning, which equals a higher chance of success."
Also, when you value perspective, that means you recognize the richness inherent in diversity. Three years ago, Davis experienced just that when she attended the kick-off for PRIDE @ T. Rowe Price at the Owings Mills campus in Maryland. "I had recently come out as a lesbian to friends, but I was still not 100% comfortable being 'out' at work," she says. During a panel presentation, Davis stood to ask a question but didn't realize she was also announcing she was a lesbian. "All of a sudden, the packed room erupted in cheers. I never felt so welcomed and free as I felt that day," Davis says. "Now I come to work every day as my confident, authentic self. The environment and the people at T. Rowe Price helped me get there."
August 13, 2020
Career Advice
How to Grow Your Career Without Leaving Your Company: A Conversation with Greenhouse's Lauren Allanson
Lauren Allanson has had three jobs in five years and hasn't had to move offices once.
That's because all of her recent career changes have been at Greenhouse, the hiring software company, headquartered in New York. Lauren began working there as a recruiter, then moved into product management before becoming a project manager.
<p>We sat down with Lauren, who's now working remotely from her home state of California to discuss her career path, how Greenhouse supports her growth and what insights others can learn from her experience.</p><h3>Finding her own path</h3><p>Lauren first joined Greenhouse as a technical recruiter. While hiring for these roles, she interviewed hundreds of engineers, collaborated with engineering leaders and grew a deep understanding of the Greenhouse mission of helping companies become great at hiring.</p><p>After two years in recruiting, her firsthand experience with the Greenhouse product and deep understanding of recruiters and other individuals who use it made her a great candidate for a newly-opened role on the product team. Lauren had spoken to her manager about her goal to become more aligned with the technical side of the products at Greenhouse. Soon after, her manager and some of the engineering leaders she worked with recommended that Lauren consider the role. "It's so important to let your managers and other potential mentors know about your interests and skills," says Lauren. "They saw that role and thought that I would be good at it – and I might not have made that connection myself."</p><p>The learning curve in her new role wasn't always easy, but Lauren was up for the challenge. "It meant being really curious, asking lots of questions and accepting that I was not going to be an expert right off the bat," says Lauren. "It was OK that I needed to lean on other people for support while I learned the role." </p><p>Lauren soon hit her stride. As a product manager, she enjoyed partnering with a variety of internal teams and stakeholders to evolve the Greenhouse line of products. "You have to be a generalist—you're working with engineers and designers, talking with salespeople and customer success and support, as well as interfacing with your legal team to determine what impact regulations have on product build-out and interacting with customers to understand their goals and feedback," she says. </p>
<p>After three years in the role, Lauren realized that while she loved improving products and working with different teams, she was ready to develop skills outside of product management.</p><p>"I really enjoy organizing, planning, and executing processes, so some of the more ambiguous parts of the product role – like prioritizing feedback and turning it into a product strategy – while they were challenging and rewarding, ultimately weren't for me," says Lauren. "I was ready to dive deeper into project management and become closer to the end result."</p><p>Lauren began to take on more internal projects, serving as a project manager with the support and encouragement of some of the engineering leaders who got her into product initially. "I really loved it. I knew from that point on that I wanted to do more formal project management in the next step of my career.". Following her passion, Lauren worked to create connections internally and network with other teams to find a role that would fit what she was looking for. In the spring of 2020, Lauren found her current role as a project manager, helping Greenhouse enterprise customers implement their software and services.</p><p>"Greenhouse is very supportive of their employees' career development," says Lauren. "Both managers and employees are encouraged to discuss our goals openly and feel empowered by our culture of growth."</p><h3>How to develop your career within your organization</h3><p>We asked Lauren her top five tips when charting an internal growth path at your own company. Here's what she shared:</p><p><strong>1. Network internally</strong></p><p>"Internal connections are absolutely crucial," says Lauren. "They help you position yourself for open roles or projects, as well as help you gain the confidence to raise your hand when you see new opportunities arise." Start by volunteering for side projects in different departments and reaching out to people whose job titles interest you for a coffee chat. </p>
<p>She also recommends joining any groups you feel identified with where you can contribute. For example, Lauren is on the leadership team of Greenhouse's employee resource group (ERG) focused on women at work, the Greenhouse onboarding "buddy" program and the culture add interviewer team. </p><p><strong>2. Learn how to be a good mentor and mentee</strong></p><p>Lauren works with two organizations focused on mentorship: <a href="https://www.mindsmatter.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow" target="_blank">Minds Matter</a>, an education nonprofit that works with low-income high school students to prepare them for college success and <a href="https://www.builtbygirls.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow" target="_blank">Built by Girls</a>, an organization that provides female identifying and non-binary students with the support they need to make their first career move into the tech industry. </p>
<p>Being a mentor has taught Lauren how to be a better mentee – and helped her realize these relationships can evolve over time. "I mentored a woman three years ago when she was a senior in college and now she's a project manager who has more experience in the role than I do. She's been a huge help to me in my new role!" says Lauren. "Find those people at your organization who you can partner with as a mentor or mentee, because these relationships are also an investment in your future."</p><p><strong>3. Invest in self-reflection</strong></p><p>"I often check in with myself to acknowledge what I like doing within my role, what parts of the role don't resonate with me and recognize when I feel the most happy and successful," says Lauren. She recommends reflecting each month or quarter to evaluate your wins and accomplishments, areas for improvement and goals or skills you'd like to develop. </p>
<p>By deeply understanding her own motivations and what felt right for her, she was able to pivot towards a role that fulfilled more of her interests and strengths.</p><p><strong>4. Create your own career ladder</strong></p><p>"Ideally, your manager has thought about a career ladder for your position. But it's always a good idea to do your own research and think about your career path for your role as well," says Lauren. She recommends researching online to find career ladders, or developing a plan to progress into a role to ever-increasing responsibilities and salaries, for jobs you're interested in. "I identify the most important skills and then self-evaluate against them to understand where I need to gain more experience," she says. She also looks at job descriptions at other companies to gain a deeper understanding of requirements to succeed in that same role or at her own company.</p><p><strong>5. Above all, be your own best advocate</strong></p><p>Great managers play a big role in supporting your career development, but no one will play a bigger role in your own success and growth than you do. As you discover what you're interested in, make sure your mentors, managers and peers know what those interests are – and always advocate for yourself.</p><p>"Learn more about the team you're interested in within your company," says Lauren. "What kinds of events or programming do they do? Do they write blog posts? Do they have Slack channels? Get more ingrained in their culture in order to understand what those teams do and how you could add value," says Lauren, who has attended engineering lunch-and-learns even when they were "way over her head" in order to show that she's interested in wanting to partner with them. </p><h3>When it comes to growing within your company, always follow your passion</h3><p>It might seem daunting to follow a new career path within your company when so much of the groundwork is now remote, but that doesn't mean you should give up.</p><p>"All of these things can be done virtually," says Lauren. "Continue to raise your hand, show up, make yourself heard and help wherever possible to create new opportunities for yourself."</p><p><em>If you're interested in learning more about working at Greenhouse, </em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/greenhouse-software" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow" target="_blank"><em>view all open roles</em></a><em> on the PowerToFly hub.</em></p>
READ MORE AND DISCUSS
Show less
August 12, 2020
Intuit
Building a Design Career: Insights on How to Stand Out and Step Up from Intuit's Caitlin Flint
This edition of our career spotlight series features Caitlin Flint, Group Design Manager at Intuit.
Caitlin's career began at the Advancement Project, a civil rights nonprofit focused on large-scale systemic change to remedy inequity. There, she had the opportunity to work on mapping software for California's first-ever open redistricting process, which ignited her passion for improving people's lives at scale. This made her a natural fit for a role on Intuit's design team, where she has worked for the past six years. Caitlin earned her B.A. in Design from the University of California in Davis, where she specialized in Visual Communications.
<p>At Intuit, she leads design work for TurboTax Live, a product that connects tax experts to millions of customers who need tax filing assistance throughout the year. She leads a team of diverse craft experts who specialize in everything from research, interaction and service design, to artfully curated assets (visuals, motion, voice, and tone) that bring the product to life. As part of Intuit's design leadership team, her top priority is solving customer problems and creating an environment where her world-class team can do the best work of their lives.</p><p>We sat down with Caitlin to discuss what the day-to-day life of a Design Manager looks like, what advice she regularly gives early-stage designers, and what she looks for in applicants' portfolios when she's hiring for Intuit (which she is—so take notes!).</p><p><strong>Before we dive in, can you tell us a little bit about yourself outside of work?</strong></p><p>I live in San Diego, where I was born and raised, and where my husband and I are lucky enough to enjoy the beach and sunshine on a regular basis. I love backpacking and rock climbing, but when I'm unable to get away, anything outdoors (like attempting to keep the plants in my garden alive) will do.</p><p><strong>Let's talk about your role as a design manager at Intuit. What sorts of things do you do on a daily basis?</strong></p><p>I lead the amazing design team behind our <a href="https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/online/live/?cid=dis_ptfc_click_us_active-fy20_cn_text_blog_intuit-talent&iis=dis&iisn=ptfc" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow" target="_blank">TurboTax Live</a> assisted tax offerings. Every day the team connects customers to our virtual <a href="https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-expert-network/?cid=dis_ptfc_click_us_active-fy20_cn_text_blog_intuit-talent&iis=dis&iisn=ptfc" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow" target="_blank">Tax Expert Network</a> to help solve their most pressing financial problems. This requires curating a cohesive end-to-end experience across our consumer tax portfolio to make sure the new features we deliver work together seamlessly for access to experts wherever and whenever our customers need it. I provide creative leadership to ensure research, interaction, visual, and content design all work together to deliver on a common strategy. </p><p>A critical part of my role is driving innovation through what we call <a href="http://www.intuitlabs.com/design-for-delight?cid=dis_ptfc_click_us_active-fy20_cn_text_blog_intuit-talent&iis=dis&iisn=ptfc" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow" target="_blank">Design for Delight (D4D)</a> and Customer Driven Innovation (CDI) processes. This involves developing deep empathy to understand customer problems, going broad to narrow with potential ideas, then conducting rapid iteration to arrive at the best possible solution. At Intuit, everyone is customer-obsessed, but our design team goes the extra mile to ensure we bring empathy and qualitative behavioral insights to the table when we're discussing how our products are performing and how we can better serve customers. Human-centered practices are ingrained in our craft.</p><p><strong>What do you think is the most challenging aspect of being a design leader? The most rewarding?</strong></p><p>Being part of an insanely talented team is incredibly humbling. My goal as a designer has always been to have a positive impact in the lives of the customers I serve—leading a team exponentially increases that potential for impact. It's most rewarding when you can see how every individual's efforts amplify the collective results of our team. Great research insights lead to crisp, focused interactions, which are then bolstered by beautiful content, motion, and a visual language that supports ease of use, confidence and delight for our customers.</p><p>That said, this is also the most challenging part—creating an environment optimized for collaboration, with a common vision and shared pace, so the individual parts come together like a symphony. Without that, even with great individuals, the output is just noise.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU1NDE5Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDg2Nzc3M30.c_EYfnv1p72YO2SRZo0T-5HOXeHarwt5Yy0BJjvLKt4/img.jpg?width=980" id="c8aa3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="97ba7db00e56e6a8dbb7dbaa95662c3f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Caitlin collaborating with members of her Design team</small></p><p><strong>You joined Intuit as a designer six years ago. What drew you to the role and the company?</strong><br/></p><p>I was drawn to the triple threat of an inspiring vision, an established yet evolving design culture, and a clear path for individual career growth. The financial decisions individuals make on a daily basis are numerous, complex, and carry emotional implications with real consequences. Eliminating that burden, by providing better tools for financial freedom, inspires and challenges me daily.</p><p>And being at a company that actively invests in great design makes me confident we can make an impact. It also means that, as I grow and learn, I can keep taking on new challenges. There are designers at every level, all the way up to Intuit's C Suite, that I can learn from. It's inspiring and really amazing to be free of a looming ceiling over what's possible.</p><p><strong>How have the people and culture at Intuit supported your growth into a management role?</strong> </p><p>I started at Intuit as an individual contributor, and from day one I would hear people say, "We want to provide the resources for people to do the best work of their lives." In my experience, this has been spot on. It's one of the many reasons Intuit has been recognized on <a href="https://www.greatplacetowork.com/certified-company/1000127" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow" target="_blank">Fortune's Great Places to Work </a>list year after year. </p><p>The culture is such that I've had many great mentors and coaches—formal and informal—over the years. Taking courses and attending conferences is the norm, as is having the opportunity to learn from external guest speakers and internal experts on a weekly basis. Before I became a manager, I was supported and encouraged to enroll in leadership courses (where I mostly gained data and a vocabulary to support what I saw modeled around me by design leaders every day). Once I became a leader, opportunities for continued learning, such as unconscious bias training, have also been the norm.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU1NDIwNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzODI1MzU1MH0.HdDAZiKPTKLhfZWiHgH_JYEG6XDxs3C4m_7Y2I7Gm8w/img.jpg?width=980" id="b097d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="431e835fd31e49ed73087c57acde6d59" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The Design team celebrating Halloween</small></p><p><strong>Now that you are a manager, what's one lesson you try to impart to more junior designers? And one way you try to set them up for success?</strong><br/></p><p>I'm really grateful to have had great mentors to help me learn that it's important to do less, better. This is as critical for delivering great products as it is to career growth. I'd equate the early career phase to the "go broad" part of our design process—rapidly iterating, trying new things, seeing what works, and savoring the surprises. Eventually, though, you hit the narrowing phase. At that point, there's a lot of power in choosing a few areas where you really want to excel. That way you can focus your efforts and put your native genius to work, rather than be so-so at everything.</p><p>As the go-broad phase of your career winds down, don't be afraid to ask for help from peers and leaders if you need help narrowing and deciding where to focus for the next phase of your journey. Always give yourself permission to try new things, but know where your core strengths lie. </p><p><strong>Let's shift gears and chat a bit about getting started in design and landing an entry-level role. When you're evaluating candidates, what sorts of things do you look for in a portfolio? What are your assessment criteria?</strong></p><p>Your portfolio is a tool to showcase how you think—not just what you delivered. This means I'm on the lookout for candidates who use engaging case studies that tell the story of a project.</p><p>What problems are your customers facing? What's the ideal outcome for them? How will you measure success? I'm interested in how a candidate sets the stage with a clear from/to journey. Then, I look for how you put the design process and methods to work to identify an effective solution to the problem. Last, I'll assess the execution of the solution—how you use interactive elements and visual elements like color and type to make using the product simple and intuitive. A talented designer may be stronger in some areas than others, but they'll understand how the pieces fit together and how to bring their audience along on the journey. </p><p><strong>What would you recommend someone do when they're just starting to build their portfolio? Are there specific types of work they should ensure they include?</strong></p><p>Overall, it's best to tailor the work in your portfolio to the types of roles you'd like to take on. If the body of work in your portfolio demonstrates your skill as an illustrator but you're hoping to land a role as a product designer, you might want to re-evaluate the projects you've included. The exception would be if there are transferable skills you want to highlight. For example, maybe you did a ton of customer research and trend audits to inform the style of the illustrations you'd use for an app, and that ignited your passion for product design. A project like that demonstrates skills applicable to product design and tells the story of your career journey. Including it would demonstrate breadth of knowledge and an ability to learn and adapt.</p><p>If you don't have a ton of work to show yet, don't worry. The best designers I've worked with have an entrepreneurial spirit and don't mind being scrappy. Even without formal experience, you can put your creative problem-solving skills to work just about anywhere and document the process and outcome for your portfolio. For example, seek out pro bono or nonprofit work, where you can make an impact in the communities you care about and add the work to your portfolio. Or, do a<a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow" target="_blank"> heuristic evaluation</a> and guerilla user tests on a product that solves a critical need for you, but is painful to use—then provide your recommendations to improve the experience and prototype a new approach. </p><p><strong>What's one thing you've seen recently in a portfolio that pleasantly surprised you?</strong></p><p>Recently, a designer I interviewed (and hired) showed solutions they explored that included augmented reality (AR) & chatbot. It was great to see them consider current tech trends in their go-broad explorations. Even better, they showed how they backed away from these solutions because they didn't adequately address the customer need. In this case, the AR approach required two hands on the phone, which took away the hand that was needed to complete the task in real life.</p><p>This demonstrated their knowledge of trends, while shining a spotlight on their customer-centric rationale. It also showcased a love for the problem (rather than a specific solution). Plus, I personally got to learn something new in their portfolio review, which is always great. </p><p><strong>What's the number one thing you love to see in a portfolio?</strong></p><p>The real world is messy, and designers weather the storm by savoring unexpected surprises along the journey. I love when candidates are transparent about what went wrong, what they learned, and how they recovered. It shows grit and creativity, the ability to persevere when real challenges arise. It also shows depth—if they didn't uncover challenges along the way, I'd question how well they tested the solution. What weak spots are we going to uncover later, when it's too late to address them properly? Embrace the messiness of it all!</p><p><strong>And one thing that really bugs you?</strong></p><p>A portfolio that only shows screenshots of the products a candidate has worked on, without any context or insight on the process, is a real letdown. It also bugs me when the success of the work isn't evaluated from a customer perspective. It's great that your client was happy—but I want to know what benefit the end user received from the product.</p><p><strong>Last, but not least, what piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to apply for a design role at Intuit? </strong></p><p>Take time to learn what Intuit does—explore our products and get a sense of where they fit into our customers' lives. Second, learn about who we are. Our values (how we work) are as critical as what we deliver. We have an amazing, customer-centric culture at Intuit, especially in design. Beyond that, we care that our employees also love working here. Consider how you will add to that culture—the diverse point of view you'll bring to the table, and how you'll live out our values within a team. </p><p><em>To learn more about Intuit's open roles in their design teams and beyond, check out their PowerToFly profile</em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/intuit-inc" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow" target="_blank"> <em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p>
READ MORE AND DISCUSS
Show less
June 25, 2020
For Employers
How Leaders Can Support Their Black Employees
A five-step framework for addressing systematic racism at work
The world has changed in the past few weeks.
We're watching corporations and organizations across the world come out in support of Black lives in droves. Many of those organizations are doing so for the first time in their history.
<p>But supporting Black people goes beyond sharing a mission statement or putting out a press release. It requires dedicated, ongoing work and resources.</p><p>As leaders in the Diversity and Inclusion space, PowerToFly has been getting questions from business leaders on what else they can do. How can they make Black employees feel supported at work? What kind of analysis should they be doing on their own processes and policies to root out systematic racism they may be perpetuating? And how can they keep these conversations about race and racism going even after the media coverage has died down? </p><p>A few weeks ago, in my role as PowerToFly's Director of Global Diversity and Inclusion, I held a chat-and-learn two weeks ago focused on how individuals could be better allies to their Black colleagues and friends. (You can watch a recording of our conversation <a href="https://powertofly.com/career/live-chats/276535-being-an-ally-to-black-colleagues-and-peers" target="_blank">here</a> and read my summary of takeaways <a href="https://powertofly.com/career/webinars/277594-how-leaders-can-support-their-black-employees" target="_blank">here</a>.) Two weeks ago, I held another webinar, this time focused specifically on what leaders—whether CEOs, executives, HR managers, or frontline team leads—can do to support their Black employees. You can<a href="https://powertofly.com/career/webinars/277594-how-leaders-can-support-their-black-employees" target="_blank"> watch a replay</a> or read on for my summary of key points and advice on the subject. </p><p>A reminder: none of what's going on right now is a Black problem. This is an American problem and even a global problem. Black people cannot end systematic racism or white supremacy, and we need white Americans and other allies to work together to end it. We need everyone in the boat with us, rowing together, if we're to see any real change. I know that fighting for that change isn't always comfortable or easy, but it's vital that we do it. It's especially important that all of you leaders, who have seats at the table to change policy and be actively anti-racist in your organizations, do it. </p><p>Thank you for joining the fight.</p><h2>A five-step framework for addressing systematic racism at work</h2><p>Most of us were taught not to discuss race, politics, or religion at work. But times are different now, and ignoring how race and racism impact work is the wrong thing to do. It's vital to address racism in the workplace not just for your employees, but also for the general public, who are noticing which companies are speaking up for what's right and which companies aren't. It'll be increasingly important in the future for leaders to commit to this change as workers and consumers alike seek to align themselves with organizations that share their values. </p><p>To aid you as you start doing that work, here are five steps you can take to start addressing racism at the workplace.</p><h3>1. Get comfortable with having candid conversations about race.</h3><p>There's no such thing as being colorblind. Saying so is problematic. We can't address the things that need to be fixed if we don't see color. Start by acknowledging that there are certain groups of people who are treated differently or haven't had the same opportunities. Start by accepting that you don't have all (or even any) of the answers, but that you're committed to working towards them.</p><h3>2. Do regular, mandatory training on inclusivity, sensitivity, and other race-related topics.</h3><p>Most workplaces have certain courses that are required, at least for managers and leaders, like sexual harassment courses or compliance training. If you want to make it clear that race is important and that racism won't be tolerated at your workplace, you need to invest in mandatory inclusivity training.</p><p>It has to be more than just a check-the-box activity. Your approach can't be, "Oh, everybody took unconscious bias training, we're good to go."</p><p>Just like anything else in your business that you really care about, you'll need to devote money and time to actively dismantling systematic oppression. That looks like monthly or quarterly workshops, having a speaker series where you invite SMEs to take on diversity topics, and investing in a D&I leader or in a resource group and partnering with them to regularly train and educate your workforce.</p><h3>3. Address systemic issues in how you hire, pay, and promote employees.</h3><p>A Black Lives Matter press statement is necessary but not sufficient when it comes to addressing racism at your company. It's a great first step, but if you don't start addressing and making changes beyond the company values section of your website, it's all for naught.</p><p>Start by looking at your salaries. Is there equity in what you're paying Black employees compared to white employees? Don't assume that there is without taking the time to analyze the situation.</p><p>Do the same for employee promotion rates. Who is moving up into bigger management jobs—and who isn't?</p><p>Look at project allocation, too. Are the same people getting the same chances to appear and present in front of executives? Are your Black employees getting opportunities to work on stretch projects?</p><p>Once you understand where the inequities are in your business, address them. These issues have deep-rooted causes and won't go away overnight. You'll need to come up with an action plan and start working against it.</p><h3>4. Review your employee referral program.</h3><p>While employee referral programs can be great, they are often not the best way to attract diverse candidates. If you have a mostly male white workforce, then your employee referrals are going to reflect that. The majority of companies don't have diverse workforces, which warrants a closer look at how these programs are implemented.</p><p>Consider running specialized referral programs through employee resource groups for underrepresented minorities. If you have a Black or Latinx group, for instance, work with your HR or Recruiting teams to source referrals from those pools.</p><h3>5. Create executive sponsorship opportunities for Black employees.</h3><p>Sponsors can make or break a career path. They can fast-track someone to a leadership role, create opportunities, and give an employee cover to try something new. But if Black employees haven't had a chance to get in front of executives—if they aren't playing golf with them, going out to dinners and lunches with them, or working with them on high-priority projects—they won't get those benefits. Add an explicit diversity focus to current sponsorship initiatives, and if none exist, create them in partnership with ERGs.</p><h3>Tips and guidance to inform your approach</h3><p>In implementing the above five steps, you may find yourself feeling unsure or uncomfortable. That's natural, especially if discussing race is something you haven't done before. Remember that to do this work well, you need to be willing to listen and to learn. Below, I've provided answers to some community-sourced questions on how exactly to do that.</p><p><strong>How can I navigate a conversation with Black employees in a way that makes them feel supported?</strong></p><p>As business and HR leaders, you might be wired to be very solution-oriented and to want to fix things for your employees. But you can't immediately fix racism or fix an employee's experience with it at work.</p><p>When talking about race with employees, do not make it about you. If an employee is talking to you about what they're feeling or going through, you can say things like, "I'm so sorry you're going through that" or "I hate that you're feeling that way" or "I care about you." Do not say "I know what you're going through" if you don't. Do not apologize on behalf of the white race or in any other way make it about what you're feeling, whether that's guilt or frustration or anything else. Just listen.</p><p><strong>How can I—or should I—check on Black employees without disrupting their privacy?</strong></p><p>Keep in mind that Black people have been taught to assimilate and blend in as much as possible, especially at work. Being called out at work specifically for being Black is not going to be a comfortable thing for many people. Do not zero in on the one Black person on your team in a meeting, for instance, and ask them how they're doing with everything that's going on.</p><p>If you are going to do a check-in, do it in a one-on-one setting. Give your employee an opportunity to give you cues. Are they bringing up what's happening in the news? Are they sharing that they went to a protest? If not, maybe they don't want to talk about it.</p><p>If you decide to check in anyway, don't direct the conversation. Tell them that you're there to help if they want to talk and that you want to know how they're feeling. But if they don't want to engage, let it go. Remember, this is not about you and what you think you need to do to be a good or inclusive leader. This is about your Black employees and what they are feeling.</p><p><strong>How can I address colleagues who have implied or explicitly stated that they are not allies?</strong></p><p>Be conscious of your energy. There are policies to create at work. There are protests to attend in your neighborhood. There are kids to raise and jobs to do. Investing time in someone who does not care or opposes who you are or what you believe in is not good for you, so minimize those debates and focus on what you can change.</p><p>That being said, don't change your message to make people comfortable. Now is a time to take a stance. If your colleagues aren't willing to do that, it might be time to leave them behind. </p><p><strong>How can a primarily white team or organization support the Black community right now, especially if financial levers like expanding hiring aren't available?</strong></p><p>It's important to move towards creating a more equitable workplace and culture even if you don't have a Black employee on your team. It's the right thing to do. Remember that allyship is essential, and that white allies can have huge influence within organizations and communities. So start with the five steps above. If you have a budget beyond that, invest it in additional D&I training. Provide resources for doing anti-racist work in-house. Dedicate time every week in your team meeting to talk on topics relevant to the Black Lives Matter movement, whether that's defining what being an ally is, learning about systemic oppression, or brainstorming ways to get involved in your local community.</p><p><strong>How can I use levers to make sure my internal and external recruiting is as diverse as possible without being discriminatory?</strong></p><p>First of all, there's nothing discriminatory about asking for a diverse slate of candidates, whether you're asking an external recruiter or an internal team. You're not promising anyone a job based on their identity; you just want to make an effort to see a range of candidates. Hiring diversely doesn't happen by chance. You don't post a job and then just see a flood of resumes that perfectly represent all races and identities. That's called the "post and pray" approach and it's destined to fail.</p><p>If you're hiring internally, start by going to employee groups and encouraging group members to apply. Ask if they have anyone they'd recommend for the position. Make an effort to ensure that people know about open opportunities and what you're looking for.</p><p>If you have a recruiter or sourcer working with you, tell them that you want to look at a diverse pool of candidates.</p><h3>Going forward</h3><p>These are tough subjects to tackle and doing so will require sustained focus and resources. Thank you for doing this work. If there's anything we at PowerToFly can do to help as you continue down the path towards becoming an actively anti-racist organization, please feel free to reach out to me and my team at answers@powertofly.com!</p>
READ MORE AND DISCUSS
Show less
August 11, 2020
DigitalOcean
Applying & Interviewing at Digital Ocean — Recruiter Netta Bob Shares Her Tips
Netta Bob, Recruiter at DigitalOcean, shares a few tips to keep in mind when applying to DigitalOcean.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at DigitalOcean's culture and values, and learn how you can make your application stand out!
To learn more about DigitalOcean and their open roles, click here.
August 11, 2020
Surescripts, LLC
What Intrinsic Motivation at Work Looks Like and How to Foster It:
A Conversation with Surescripts' Terri Policy
If evening is rolling around and Terri Policy hasn't yet met her step goal, her Apple Watch dings at her. "I get this little cheering on at the end of the day saying to me, 'You can still do it!' And I think, of course I can still do it. I don't need those little pats on the back to meet my goals, particularly when it is something that is important to me," says Terri.
<p>Terri is intrinsically motivated, as you may have figured out, which means she does the things she does without needing or expecting external rewards or validation—not even from Siri.</p><p>Terri is a Senior Principal Software Engineer at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/surescripts-llc" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow" target="_blank">Surescripts</a>, an organization that has been building a health information network designed to increase safety, lower costs, and improve quality since 2001. She has worked there for the last ten years. And while Terri likes the fact that she gets paid to work there, her salary isn't the thing that gets her out of bed in the morning. It's her passion for software development and diving into code that does that.</p><p>We sat down with Terri to talk about how to identify your passion, what intrinsic motivation at work looks like over time, and how Surescripts has fostered an environment of constant learning and curiosity that enables employees to have long careers full of personal and professional evolution.</p><h3>First, work to identify your passion</h3><p>In high school, Terri was fortunate that her math teacher acquired a hard to come by and cutting-edge Digital Equipment Corporation computer. Her teacher offered a computer science course which was also unique to that time in technology advancement. She jumped at the chance to sign up for the course. And there has been no looking back for her since. </p><p>"It was like a light bulb. I never wanted to do anything else," says Terri, who majored in computer science in college. "I've been incredibly fortunate to have found jobs throughout my career where I get to do heads down software development."</p><p>While Terri figured out what kind of work she loved pretty early on, that doesn't mean that every job she ever did was perfect for her. When she had jobs that didn't quite click with her interests, Terri went out and found something that did, and she thinks her approach may work for people struggling to connect with their work. "At one organization, when I realized that [my job] wasn't in my wheelhouse, I looked around and found a group of people that were doing something way more interesting," says Terri, "and I contacted the tech lead directly and let them know that I was really interested in the work that they were doing and inquired about their job openings. I made the connection and was hired to join the team. Sometimes going directly to the hiring manager works, sometimes it doesn't but I was lucky that it worked in this case. </p><p>She encourages other women looking for their passion to be equally relentless in seeking it out. "Nobody's going to come and yank you out of your seat and say, 'This is really where you should be' because nobody else really knows what you want to do – only you do. You have to do it yourself. You have to find your own path," she says.</p><h3>Understand that intrinsic motivation at work is what leads to a long, meaningful career</h3><p>Terri's passion for software development and opportunities to do the kind of work she is interested in is what has kept her excited to keep showing up to work for the last ten years at Surescripts.</p><p>Not everyone has that intrinsic motivation, she notes. This can lead to lots of jumping around over the course of a career, seeking a perfect set of external rewards, like salary and recognition, that may not exist or be fulfilling long term. "There can be a perception that if you want to rise, you can't stay anywhere more than maybe two or three years. And I do not hold that view. For me I find it to be a shortsighted view of a long-term career," says Terri. "There's value in getting experiences at multiple places, but there's also a great deal of value in staying put."</p><p>"If all that motivates you is something outside of you, you may always be chasing the next thing because it is generally a fleeting moment, that sense of reward," she adds. She encourages others to find an employer that has a purpose that speaks to you and people that you can relate with. Ask questions when interviewing about internal job movement. Money and title can be important, but it isn't everything. </p><h3>Make sure you're in an environment that celebrates continuous learning</h3><p>Terri and her wife have two daughters, and their neighbors have a daughter who is the same age as their eldest and is often at their house. One day, the neighbor's daughter asked Terri what she did for work.</p><p>"I didn't try to explain what I do. What I said was that I get to learn something new every day, and that keeps me going," remembers Terri. "I get to do that because Surescripts encourages me to do that." This point is what I value and wanted to convey to this child.</p><p>Surescripts gives employees the freedom and resources to identify new areas of study and to dive into them, including by sponsoring employees to go to tech conferences every other year and giving every staff member a Pluralsight license to pursue training programs of interest to them.</p><p>"We build large-scale software, and it's complex," says Terri. "It keeps you thinking, it keeps you sharp, and gives you the ability to continue to do deep dives into the technology. That, combined with the ability to learn something new every day and the encouragement I get from the company to constantly learn, those are the things that have kept me at Surescripts."</p><p>She encourages junior engineers to find their own intrinsic motivation at work by fostering their sense of curiosity and always being willing to learn. "If you're new, either to a company or your profession, you don't even know what you don't know," she says. Take notes as you are learning, show initiative, go above and beyond. You may end up excelling in your new role or finding that you have passion for another. Another important piece of advice to remember while going through your career, is that "it isn't all about being right. It's about cooperating and being respectful and realizing that other people come at their thought processes from different experiences, origins and perspectives." These perspectives are what brings about awesome ideas and the best products.</p>
<p>It may take some time to find what you love but listen to your inner voice and follow it. Don't be afraid to go after what you want. Ask questions. Show your interest. Provide value to your employer and continually learn no matter what stage of your career you are in. Do your best to take personal ownership for your career but also build relationships along the way so you can find mentors and people who will help advocate for you. This approach has served me well.</p><p><em>If you're interested in working at Surescripts, check out their open roles</em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/surescripts-llc" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow" target="_blank"> <em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p><em></em>
READ MORE AND DISCUSS
Show less
Loading...
