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International Women’s Day 2022

What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced being a woman in tech?
People assume I’m not in the position I’m in. Some years ago I was interviewing someone for a Senior AE role to join our company, and he questioned my role upon shaking my hand. I was a regional sales manager, he’d been told everyone by the recruiter that talking to him would be a sales manager.

What’s your proudest career experience?
When I was reached out to for a Head of Sales position, not zeroheight, and was told that the CEO and founder only wanted a woman for this role.

How did you get into the tech industry?
I got into tech from being referred by a wonderful gal and friend who was a Senior AE at a start-up so I could transition out of the automotive industry. At that time, the company wanted SaaS sales experience. However, given the glowing referral and some great interviews, I was able to prove I could do the job! That company was where I really found my passion for leadership and prepped me for future roles and was ultimately able to join the most amazing company I’ve been with to date, zeroheight!

How do you maintain a work-life balance?
I will defer to this: https://balancethegrind.co/interviews/lindsay-rios-head-of-sales-cs-at-zeroheight/

What do you find the most exciting part of the future of design systems?
That we are paving the way and to see the joy and feedback from our customers on how we’re able to help.

What would you like to see change in the tech industry for women?
I’d love to see more often that when companies are building out their leadership team or releasing new roles, they start their search for women to ensure that they have diversity in their departments and leaderships.

How do you maintain a work-life balance?
I am super lucky to work for a company that is truly employee first and enables me to work out what I want my own balance to look like. I have a boss that has even been published in articles, talking about maintaining work-life balance and how crucial it is. One of my favorite quotes is about there being “no need to take a tally.” Life happens and some days work will take over and others, it needs to take a back seat.. and that is okay.

What’s your proudest career achievement?
Deciding to quit my job as an auditor and enroll in a data science bootcamp to pursue a career I was really passionate about – all during a global pandemic! It was intense and really hard work but I’m so proud of myself for being brave and could not be happier that I made the decision to change my career!

How do you maintain a work-life balance?
I’m a big believer in going for a walk every lunchtime to clear my mind and get some exercise. A few times a week I like to sit in a cafe and have a cake and coffee while working, it makes my home feel less like an office!

What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced being a woman in tech?
There are a lot of behavioral expectations thrust upon women simply because of their gender. Be nice but not a pushover. Be assertive but not rude. An article I read called this the “razor’s edge of likability.” Many of these expectations have been engrained even before girls start elementary school. Every day we must strive to break free of these expectations, but unfortunately, a woman’s compensation and treatment at work can hinge on this razor’s edge depending on their company’s culture and leadership.

What’s your proudest career achievement?
Getting internally promoted from Outbound SDR to Account Executive. I really had to fight to earn a spot on that team. The interview process was pretty intense. I had to meet with many of our sales executives for pointed interviews and I gave several demos of our product to show that I really knew my stuff. The process took a few months, but I finally got the offer!

How did you get into the tech industry?
I joined a company called LaunchSource placing college graduates into tech sales roles. I was just looking for any job at that point and decided to apply to LaunchSource after a friend recommended them to me. After the big interview day to see if I’d be accepted into the program, I realized I had natural interpersonal skills that translated well into a sales role. LaunchSource helped me get an offer from InVision in 2015 to join as an SDR and things took off from there!

How do you maintain a work-life balance?
Most days, I shut off my computer at 5pm. I don’t have any work notifications that go off after hours. When I’m on PTO, I don’t check my email or Slack messages. When I’m on, I’m on! And when I’m off

What do you think is the most exciting part of the future of design systems?
zeroheight is the most exciting thing about the future of design systems! We’re constantly innovating our product and building community with our customers. It’s so exciting to see trusted brands in all industries signing up for zeroheight Enterprise to be more efficient in their design system management. Shameless plug

What would you like to see change in the tech industry for women?
I want to see more of us. Not just in individual contributor roles, but in leadership. I want young girls who aspire to work in tech and design to see more people that look like them. For young girls, having role models that they can relate to shows them that their dreams really are possible!

What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced being a woman in tech?
I’ve been on teams where there wasn’t enough diversity, especially in situations when there were more men than women. At times it would make it difficult to connect to the team and get things moving in the right direction. I realized then, that some gender dynamics have not evolved fully, even in the 21st century, and some projects felt like a boys’ club. If I did not speak to those teams the right way then sometimes I felt that my voice wasn’t being heard. There’s a lot to be understood about gender dynamics, and working on teams that have more men than women has a lot to do with how you connect (inside and outside of work) and communicate.

What do you think is the most exciting part of the future of design systems?
It’s exciting that the design industry is seeing the rapid evolution of design systems happening before our eyes. This shift is propelled by an exponential increase in the creation of digital products across multiple platforms. It means that right now, by acting with intention, we can play a role in shaping the future of digital design as it unfolds.

What would you like to see change in the tech industry for women?
I want to see us grow and be celebrated! It’s wonderful to see women in the zeroheight team who are so talented and incredible, and there is such a great sense of community and support.

What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced being a woman in tech?
For me, it’s been getting accustomed to often being the only woman in a meeting of designers and developers. Or being one of the few women at tech industry events, so you have to be extra confident in terms of speaking up and putting yourself out there as it can sometimes be intimidating.

What’s your proudest career experience?
I’ve only been in tech for a year, but for me, the best experiences so far have been getting to work with top tech companies such as Adobe as clients. Also, I won’t lie – a definite highlight for me was when I got sent on a business trip to our US headquarters in San Franciso and the Bay Area, that was a blast!

How did you get into the tech industry?
I did a full-stack web development bootcamp at Le Wagon in London which gave me an in into the tech industry. I combined that with previous experience in account management to become a customer success manager.

How do you maintain a work-life balance?
I have a fantastic work-life balance at zeroheight. I think everyone here works smart. You very much have to own your role and deliver, but how you do that is up to you. For me, that means working hard and long hours some days and then having more relaxed days on other days. When I’m in London I always love joining all the team events eg. team lunches, nights out, industry events such as Design Club, etc. Then, when I’m working remotely eg. in Mexico I try to work early and finish early so that I can hit the beach after work 🙂

What would you like to see change in the tech industry for women?
Just to see more women in the industry. It’s such a fantastic industry in terms of pay and benefits, career opportunities, interesting and fulfilling work.