Women in Tech

[MaryQueenofSocks]

As promised, a new women in Tech thread!

This is a space to talk about our industry, celebrate our successes without apology and moan about anything we want to!

We can swap stories, ideas or just shoot the breeze.

Guidelines for this thread:

We are supportive
We encourage each other
We celebrate each other
No judgement on what we earn or what we want to earn/achieve.
If we are working mothers, then no judgement.
If we are child free, no judgement.
Ignore any derailing or goady posts

If anyone wants to add to the above list then feel free.

Come on in, grab a virtual coffee and park yourself on a comfy sofa 😊

@xkcd1883 thanks. Yes that's what I'm thinking - regardless of whether I get it or not hopefully it will start the process of getting some sort of progression.

Principal Engineer here, I work in digital accessibility and have started working on cross-functional and strategic initiatives as well as still having a hand in technology, design, engineering and process. Bloody love my job, it's so rewarding to ultimately make the digital word a more inclusive place.

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky confidence is very much a muscle that the more you flex it and use it it gets stronger but part of that process is bouncing back when you get things wrong, that’s the only way we learn. Good luck and Go for it!
Does you company or outside your company but within your industry have coaching? I found just a few sessions with a senior female mgr who was a trained coach in a different dept really helped my mindset. She used to ask me lots of open questions to get me to find my own solutions but it was very powerful and would get me to do small tasks in between our sessions. Like I was scared to chair a meeting so she got me to do it then we’d talk it through and how I could handle different characters in that meeting, to tweak things next time I had to chair it. Wed talk through scenarios of situations at work and agree ways I could handle them. It helped me get a promotion & taught me techniques to coach myself. I’d really recommend trying it.

I took part in a women's mentoring programme a few years ago but with covid it fizzled out. We do have a lot of women's leadership programmes in our company so I'm thinking of having an informal chat before I apply. I have no problems chairing meetings, presenting to board level etc. when I know my stuff I am confident. it's purely the confidence of believing that people should listen to me in that leadership role!

See even typing this is making me think well I do stand up for stuff.......recently I was running the testing for something and I had no problem turning round and saying no it can't go in because I knew it had tested it and was confident in my decisions. maybe I also need to reframe my perception of the role as not a big scary unknown but actually just one step up a ladder.

I'm the sort of person that reads my own job description and thinks I cannot do the job yet I get excellent appraisals every year so obviously people think I can!

I'm the sort of person that reads my own job description and thinks I cannot do the job yet I get excellent appraisals every year so obviously people think I can!

sorry if it sounds like I'm "stating the bleedin' obvious" but it's often because job descriptions rarely match the real world reality of the person's duties. I have to remind myself when I do an annual review of my skills profile that HR heap loads of extra stuff in there to cover all the bases.

If I'd 100% gone by the letter of my 'next level up' skills profile, when I went for my promotion, I'd have scared myself to death, and got a massive dose of imposter syndrome ! In fact in my real world job, I add important extra skills like strategic programme management thinking, programming/coding and business analysis problem solving, which aren't in my current profile, but they're an absolute must-have. I have come to believe that a person comes as a complete package of benefits even if HR / talent management try to dehumanise us and put us into little boxes.

the best person to listen to instinctively, is yourself. Keep believing in your inner voice and you won't go far wrong 😊

I too don’t think I could do my job spec but get glowing reviews and regularly think I could do the jobs above mine. I’m definitely my own worst enemy. However I’m also super aware of managing my energy buckets juggling a child with additional needs and another with big sporting commitments I intentionally haven’t climbed up to a bigger job to preserve the overall quality of my life.

I've been in this situation before but the difference is I didn't choose it - I was forced to step up!
As cliche as it sounds it's far easier to get the job and do it, leaning on others for advice. If you wait and wait until you're ready you'll never get there.

Also, as much as I still question myself some days I look at all the shit decisions made by those higher up the chain daily and I think... if they can mess up like this. Why am I holding myself to such high standards??

Then I get more confident 😂

@Summerswimmer998

Yes, I am single parent and it does feel like the time is right for me to be able to do it. The youngest is y8 so I don't have to worry about rushing out the door to be home etc quite so much anymore.

Hey wonderful Women in Tech! Am I mad to be considering an internal move to a blockchain projects team? It's a downgrade from my current role but a chance to be involved in something genuinely new for the first time in a long time, and as a woman heading fast to the far side of 50 there may not be many more chances like that coming my way.

What did you decide @xkcd1883? I do feel jealous sometimes when new stuff comes in and you think ooh I would love to work on that?

I finally have my interview coming up for the role I applied for. So nervous it has been many many years since I have had an interview and I'm not great at thinking on the spot.

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky

I went for it - accepted last week and now planning transition with my current manager. Equal parts excited and terrified!!

Good luck with your interview!

Good luck with it @xkcd1883 (ace user name, by the way!)

Good luck, exciting times @xkcd1883 !

I am so done with work right now, desperately need my Xmas holidays.

Hi All!

My recent career move is not going well. Does anyone recommend any good sites or recruitment agencies for software PM roles?

So sorry to hear that, I use Otta and it's great.

@Muhwanda by PM do you mean Product Manager or project manager?

Excellent point @AutumnNymph - Project Manager roles, is what I’m looking for. Ideally senior ones.

Will look at Otta - thanks @byronicheroine

@Muhwanda. If you are up for contract roles I can recommend a few networks. :) I will DM you.

Hello All, I’m still having the worst time in my new role, I can’t believe I’ve done this to myself.

What are your opinions on applying to direct competitors? My contract is grey on it.

@Muhwanda What are the issues with the role if you don’t mind me asking? Are they fixable?

The market is highly competitive at the moment so depends on what your skill set is I guess.

Feel your pain though, I had two roles, one after the other where I hated it and needed to move ASAP. Luckily I found a really good digital agency and been there over two years , just trying to work up the courage to ask for a pay rise now 😵‍💫

Hi @RK800 one is that I feel absolutely out of my depth (big step up in title although I’d been doing the role previously at another company) with no support and I’m failing. Dramatic as it sounds, I’ve never failed before and I can’t cope with it or see away out.

Secondly the company is very full on. Billabillity pressure is intense, as are the constantly changing goal posts and inevitable customer escalations from the first two points. I can’t solve anything. I gave up a safe, well paid role to come here and I could absolutely kick myself for being such a fool.

Yeah that sounds tough @Muhwanda

I’m probably going to tell you what other people have already said or you already know.

You said you feel out of your depth, that’s perfectly normal in a new role. They wouldn’t have hired you if they didn’t think you could do the role. Plus, you said you were doing the role before at your last company so they too thought you were capable. So my guess is that you are 🙂

Don’t see this as a failure. You’ve pushed yourself out of your comfort zone. That takes a lot of balls. Even if this role doesn’t work it, it’s not a failure, you’ll learn from it and move on and at least it lets you know what to look for or avoid in your next role.

In regards to the company, if there isn’t much you can do to actually change things, just make sure you document everything - any decisions, blockers, risks etc. and share with the appropriate stakeholders. Set firm boundaries with your team and push back on the goal post changing. Lastly, ask for support and if you don’t understand something, ask for help before it becomes an issue.

Anyway, like I said, you already know this stuff. Stay strong 💪

@BlinkyTheFish - thanks for that article on AI. Yesterday, we have had the 'we must do something AI' - we look stupid because we aren't doing anything, but we can't ask anyone else what they are doing because we need to look more advanced than we actually are...

Thanks @RK800 great advice, and you are right I do know it, it’s good to hear it though if that makes sense.

part of my issue is that all of my previous standards have slipped, I’m not documenting anything fully as I have no time. It’s a vicious circle. My doctor has offered to sign me off but of course, I’d have to go back! 😫

I came across an article recently which I wish all senior managers would read and understand.

fs.blog/slack/