Hey everyone!
I'm back this week with a topic that I only started thinking of this past weekend. I originally wanted to talk about how to be offline (away from social media) without hurting your efforts to build visibility for your career & personal brand (we'll connect on this next week). However, I got into a conversation with myself this week when I saw a list of some "women in tech", and I knew that most of them aren't in technical roles or have technical backgrounds. So, yes, I agree, a lot of it is about how you brand yourself and the visibility your thought leadership can get you, as well as the circles you play in or associate yourself with. But have you ever felt hesitant to brand yourself as a person "in tech" because you don't feel like it's authentic? Let me help you understand that you can work on the part that doesn't feel authentic.
Before I list some things you can do to feel genuinely invested in the world of tech regardless of your job function, it's important to note that tech is becoming more inclusive and now thrives in almost all job fields. There's HR-tech, FinTech, EdTech, MarTech, AdTech, eCommerce (for retail), Fashion-tech, supply-chain technology, and so on. You don't have to switch fields to be in tech. You also don't really have to switch job roles to become more technical if that's not your cup of tea (or coffee) ☕️
I already listed these in an Instagram post, but we'll go into more details here:
Work for a tech company: Seek out and work for companies with tech products and leading in their industries. Understand their products & their impact on globalization. Many companies now leverage tech to reach more customers markets and enhance their globalisation efforts. It is crucial to be on that moving train - it's safer and smarter to work for a company that won't die out in the next decade due to redundancy. You want to be with the innovators and market leaders to help you thrive in tech. I work for Booking.com, one of the global leaders in the travel-tech industry, a Fortune500 company worth $100B - this was a criterion in deciding whether to take the job or not. I also freelance for Springboard, an EdTech company helping individuals transition into tech careers. The lesson here is that where you work says a lot about positioning yourself as a person "in tech".
Personal branding & visibility: Brand yourself as knowledgeable in your field and highlight your role’s impact on your company’s tech product’s success. Although this letter is not focused on how to improve your personal brand, I won't underplay the importance of branding in helping you achieve your visibility goals in tech. The goal is for the public or your target audience to begin to associate you with a tech product you represent or advocate for. It doesn't matter if you're a marketing manager, a project manager or a copywriter for the product (or company). You can highlight how important your role is for your product's success. Quick wins include publicly sharing your company's social media content and advocating for them online. Speak about their product with confidence, and speak about your role too.
Stay learning and upskilling: Understand how your role can evolve and quick technical skills you can pick up, e.g. data visualization & storytelling, research, analysis, flow charts & wireframes, Gantt chart & project tracking. As your industry is changing, and the companies that refuse to evolve are being displaced, so will you if you stay redundant in your role. Your skills need to get with the times - invest in short-term and long-term learning & development plans. Take advantage of company learning budgets and complete a few courses here and there that are relevant to your growth. Don't forget to schedule time quarterly with your manager to discuss newly gained skills and how you can put them to use through stretch projects. Important agnostic basic tech skills you need regardless of your job role - slide deck design, creative ideation and project tracking, business analytics (metrics tracking & case studies), finance tracking (forecasts & PL), database organisation (manage databases of clients, stakeholders, subscribers data), manage a website hosting and analytics. Advanced skills can include data visualisation, pivot tables, basic statistics, research & survey analytics, Gantt charts, Power BI, etc.
Tools are your best friend: Learn how to survive digitally & stay on top of new tools, e.g. Miro, Notion, Airtable, Trello, Workplace by Facebook. Tools are important in adapting to a remote world. Most of these tools are more complex than we think. For example, Airtable can be a large CRM if needed and require no-code operations to move things around. Notion can be used to track sprints and projects. Workplace can be used to stream live events and offers in-app calls. Miro is a great whiteboard app for collaborations and brainstorming if you lead a project and need to get past the ideation phase with your stakeholders. Canva is your pal for quick designs and slide decks to deliver your idea and strategy visually. These are some of my most used tools, and there are lots more out there. Be a hero and propose new tools to your team or department. Remember to be diligent in completing a cost/benefit analysis before you propose a tool to increase your chances of approval.
Celebrate other parts of your work identity, too: You can be a "woman in tech" and also become a "woman in finance". You can work in tech and proudly associate as a legal practitioner or medical doctor. I work in tech and proudly associate with the British Psychological Society as an Organisational Psychologist, and sometimes, I attach to the HR field hoping that they accept me 😄. Trust me, a few months into practising these tips above, and you'd start feeling like you actually work "in tech", and it'll all flow naturally. It definitely needs work, but that's what 2022 is about, right? We're putting in the work and looking to celebrate the results in the end.
As promised, you can now book a time to speak with me on anything career-related using this exclusive calendar link. This opportunity extends until December 2022, but only eight slots are available throughout the year. Good luck!
Remember to respond if you have any questions, if this letter was helpful or join our Whatsapp group.
Talk soon.
xoxo
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