“Since I was a teenager I heard a whole range of stereotypes regarding the tech industry, like it's boring or it's for men. None of that is true and passion has no gender.” says Alicja, Product Owner at EcoVadis.
The whole month of March at EcoVadis is dedicated to empowering women in our team and in our external networks. One of the initiatives focuses specifically on women who work or would like to work in tech.
Why?
- Global statistics show that a significant gender gap exists in the tech industry, compared to other fields.
- Tech is one of the key pillars of EcoVadis products and solutions and employees in our tech teams play an essential part in the company’s success.
- We believe that EcoVadis is a great place to work for all genders. The team is committed to gender equality in recruitment, training, remuneration and promotion processes. We aim for a balanced representation of genders on all levels of the organization and in all departments. Last but not least, we believe in a career that adapts to life.
- We would love to meet more female candidates applying for tech jobs at EcoVadis, and we would love to welcome more female employees in our tech teams.
We asked women who work in various tech departments at EcoVadis to share their stories, reflections, tips and empowering messages.
(shared in alphabetical order)
Alicja Hryszko-Zawislanska, Product Owner, Poland
"Breaking stereotypes is one of the reasons why I work in IT. Surely it is a men-dominated-industry, and I did face unfairness in my previous workplaces. Throughout the years I learnt to stand up for myself and to speak up. I know that by doing so I stood for all women in tech. It’s undeniable that in an industry like IT company's support is essential for women to have equal opportunities. Shifting the work culture from men-oriented to equality-oriented is the only way to go forward for all the tech companies. EcoVadis culture happily is one that offers equal opportunities.”
Aliris Escobar, Talent Acquisition Senior Associate, Spain
“As someone who speaks with women-in-tech-candidates on a daily basis, I’ve found that they often feel underappreciated and underpaid compared to male coworkers or candidates. They are pleasantly surprised to learn about the efforts that we at EcoVadis have been putting in action in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion commitment and knowledge sharing, as well as ensuring that there is no unjustified gender pay gap among EcoVadians.”
Anna Malenko, Governance, Risk and Compliance Engineer, IT Security, Poland
“It might sound funny, but when I was at high school I really thought I couldn’t study technology since it was already too late – I simply assumed that you have to be a young genius who started learning coding when they were 10 years old to be successful in this field. I was also not aware of the variety of roles in IT and the fact that programming is not the only path. I’m very happy that the world is changing and we have started to raise young people in a different way. Let’s empower them to find their potential and make them aware of various career opportunities awaiting them regardless of their gender!”
Christine MacDonald, Director of Digital Transformation, Canada
“If you are a woman in tech or a woman looking to get into tech, don’t let it hold you back - go after the positions you want even if you’re the only woman in the room because in reality being a woman provides you and your colleagues with a unique and valuable perspective.”
Eya Ben Halima, Engineering Manager, Tunisia
“Ironically and early in my developer career, I was the only woman in the R&D department, despite the fact that the first computer program was written by a woman in 1833. Things have changed a lot since then and I'm excited to see more women with solid footprint empowering and involved in the tech industry. This progress is a testament to the hard work and determination of women who have refused to be bound by gender stereotypes.”
Kasia Zackiewicz, UX Designer, Poland
“I have been working in the tech industry since the beginning of my career. While I have always felt proud to be one of the few women in this field, I didn't feel truly empowered until I came across a book that changed my perspective - “Invisible Women: data bias in a world designed for men". Reading this book made me realize how important it is to have more women involved in designing the world we live in. I feel honored to be part of this change, and I believe that together we will make a real impact. To all the future female designers out there: join us in creating a world that is designed for everyone, regardless of gender.”
Magdalena Zeleznik, Engineering HR Business Partner, Poland
“The IT industry needs women. Diversity in the workplace is essential, the diversity of employees in an organization brings a number of benefits, including driving innovation and often guaranteeing higher creativity. A woman in IT has the same career opportunity as her male colleagues. It is not gender that determines success in the position, but determination, knowledge and qualifications.”
Monika Murawska, Mid-Level Backend Engineer, Poland
“Before I learned to code I thought it would be boring and too complicated. I changed my opinion while I was studying mathematics and I had to learn the basics of programming. I discovered that it gives me a lot of fun and satisfaction, and that it's a pretty great thing to do for a living, too. I'm also glad that I have a possibility to successfully combine working with being a mom, and show my daughters that they can do whatever they want.”
Natalia Bartnicka, UX Writer, Poland
“Did you know that allegedly most women apply for jobs only when they meet 100% of the requirements? As a young professional, I was stunned... that you can actually hear back from a recruiter even if you don't check every single box on the list. So I ran a little test and started applying for jobs where I met about 70% of the future employer's expectations. That's how I landed my first job out of university, and later this one, too! If in doubt, remember: it's better to get rejected than not give yourself a chance.”
Nikola Beblik, Cloud Platform Engineer, Poland
“I've always been into computers since I was a child and I've always known that I want to work with them. Because of that, my parents didn't even know that there is a gender gap in this profession - my dream is to make it natural and unsurprising that a woman works in IT. ”
Rafaela Pestana, Product Manager, Spain
"I could write quite a tale about my career starting in Biology, passing through Environmental Engineering, and landing in Product Management. That story would have a few essential characters: the important and empowering women who supported my passions, opened my eyes to new possibilities, and inspired me to pursue a career in tech. 15 years ago I wouldn't even imagine this possibility, and now I'm passionate about my job. I am lucky and grateful to have found female role models in the tech industry and can only hope to offer my hand in the same way to reduce the gender gap."
Zenobia Gawlikowska, Senior Frontend Engineer, Poland
“As a transwoman who transitioned quite late in life, I did not myself experience negative gender bias in my own career. However, I consider gender diversity in IT to be essential in creating a space that simply gives me air to breathe.”
We hope that these messages from some of our teammates will give a positive nudge and a friendly boost of confidence to everyone who needs it. And let’s be honest, everyone needs it from time to time.
To find out more about life at EcoVadis, our values, perks that we offer, and current job opportunities visit ecovadis.com/careers.
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