I recently had the opportunity to attend the Women in Tech Summit, an event held in Denver to celebrate and provide support to women of all ages within the tech industry.
The event exposed over 100 women on a wide range of ideas on how to be more successful in the industry. Speakers discussed how to be assertive and confident in a male dominated workplace, how to bring other talented women up the ladder with you while progressing throughout your career, and other important skills that could be an asset to anyone in the tech field – even a marketing intern like me.
Here’s a few key points from the summit that I’d like to share:
1) “It’s not about who you know or what you know, but who knows what about you.”
This was from Kelly Hoey, author of the networking how-to Build Your Dream Network. This stood out to me because it goes a step beyond the cliched: “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”
Knowing people is important, but providing a lasting impression through the work you accomplish and the professional online persona you portray is critical to your success. Spend your time doing things with meaning, and people will start to notice.
2) “Who is the senior female voice in your company? And when she retires or steps away, who will take over?”
This question came from Morgana Carter, Data Scientist for Intel. This is an important factor for any woman in any industry to be cognizant of. Having a respected woman as a source of inspiration and mentorship in your company drives overall success. It also can make it easier for other women’s voices to be heard. One takeaway was to start developing a network of driven women at your workplace that can serve as a source for those future voices. And maybe that future senior female will even be you.
3) You don’t have to be a female to attend women in tech event, and males can benefit from participating.
When hearing the name Women in Tech Summit, how many men look at that and think, “That’s how I’m going to spend my Saturday?” Answer: three.
So my question was, what drew these three men to the event, and what did they hope to gain from it? One of the big points was that the men wanted a way to better understand women in their workplace. By attending this event, these men had the chance to gain insight into the hurdles women face throughout their careers. This gave them an opportunity to reflect on how they can provide more substantial support. Plus, a benefit of attending the event was having an opportunity to network with a large group of driven and inspiring women.
Learn More
If you missed the event and would like to know more about how you can get involved next year, whether through speaking, attending or sponsoring, check out their website.
Rebecca Jackson also contributed to this post