Attendees: Antoinette Werrell – Talent Manager / Shelley Keen – Producer / Charlotte Shore -Sales Director / Lydia Blackley – Data Engineer / Sandy Kahrod – Portfolio Manager / Madalina Vranceanu – Head of Service Delivery • Delivery / Maria Dobos – IT Recruiter
Introduction
At Appsbroker, we believe in the power of stories to inspire change. That’s why we hosted a roundtable event for International Women’s Day where members from across #TeamPurple shared their experiences and tips on how to navigate career paths, challenges, and opportunities for everyone to Embrace Equity. This year’s roundtable was hosted by Shelley Keen and included women from a variety of roles and levels of experience, from Internal Recruiters and a Major Accounts Sales Director to a Portfolio Manager.
Talking Points
The discussion ranged from overcoming imposter syndrome to collaborating with other women in the workforce. We also discussed the importance of highlighting and celebrating female role models in the workplace and not just the difference between equality and equity but the benefits too. It was an amazing opportunity to hear first-hand perspectives on how women can thrive in technology and how everyone, regardless of gender, job title or attitude, can foster more inclusive workplaces.
Imposter Syndrome
One notable moment from the podcast included a discussion about imposter syndrome. Antoinette Werrell, our Talent Manager, pointed out that women are more likely than men to feel inferior for a role, with men typically feeling qualified for a role when they meet 50% of job requirements, and women typically apply when they feel they meet around 90% of requirements. Charlotte Shore acknowledged that she experienced imposter syndrome most when working at Google and Amazon AWS, noting that “I definitely had it there but so did everybody else. You have to accept that everyone suffers with imposter syndrome at least once in their career, and just get on and do your best.” Lydia Blackley was quick to point out that talking about imposter syndrome, especially with a mentor, helps because “You know that you’re not alone and people have gone through this before.” Overall, the general consensus was that talking about your doubts with mentors, peers, and friends is the best remedy for overcoming that pesky self-doubt.
Diversity of Thought
Another insightful moment from the roundtable included a discussion about the benefits of diversity of thought and collaboration. Madalina Vranceanu spoke about how in Romania it is much less common to have women working in tech fields than in the UK. She added to this, by expressing a need to “reach out to the younger population, or even in high schools,” to expand their knowledge of tech and to encourage more women to follow STEM career paths. Sandy Kahrod added that a large part of including people of more diverse genders, ethnicities and backgrounds is being open to listening to new ideas and challenging the status quo, and a side effect of this can be being (unjustly) perceived as ‘pushy’.
Collaboration and Encouragement
Charlotte agreed with Sandy that “I think it’s really important to ensure everybody’s opinion is on the table, whether they’re outspoken or not because everyone has the potential for a good idea”. Charlotte went on to offer some practical advice – stating that in order to incorporate everyone into your conversations, it is essential to grasp the personalities of peers, including understanding how they communicate. Maria Dobos then summarised the sentiment of mutual encouragement and support in the room by saying she wants to encourage people to “Be open, to not be shy, and to say exactly what they’re thinking – because they probably have amazing ideas.” Overall, this discussion highlighted the crucial role of collaboration and mentorship in the modern workplace, particularly between women.
Final thoughts
International Women’s Day is a day to recognise and celebrate the achievements, contributions, and rights of women worldwide. It’s also a time to promote gender equality and advocate for the rights of women. We hope that by allowing women a platform to voice their issues, we come one step closer to gender equality in the tech industry.
Appsbroker is proud to have shared some of the remarkable stories of women who have excelled in their field and paved the way for others to follow.
Take a look at our recruitment page to find out more about what it’s like to work at Appsbroker.
