It’s no secret that women are underrepresented in the tech industry, which means that advice from women who have found success in the tech world can be a valuable asset. Built In NYC asked three successful women in the NYC tech field to share their best tips for women looking to level up their own careers.
A common theme emerged: be ready and willing to be your own best advocate. Tiffany Roese, vice president and head of UI/UX at Reorg said that self-advocacy is the advice she shares most often.
“When I’m interviewing men, they are not shy about showcasing their skills and saying why they are great. I find women to be more uncomfortable with that,” she said.
In addition, these leaders also recommend taking advantage of as many opportunities for growth as possible. Margi Dubal, director of software engineering for FreeWheel at Comcast Advertising, emphasized the importance of growing by trying out new things.
“Perfection is not a prerequisite; allow yourself room to learn, grow, and make mistakes,” she said.
These women have found success in the tech industry, and their advice is invaluable to other women looking to level up their own careers.
Reorg is a provider of news, commentary and analytics on the distressed debt market.
Tell me how you’ve grown during your time in the tech industry. Where did you start, and where are you now?
I started my career out of college in Blackstone’s Innovation & Technology group as a business analyst. Throughout my time there, I gained experience across the entire product life cycle from designing requirements, building mockups, testing and project management. I went on to develop the first standalone User Experience team at BX, which was responsible for all of the investor-facing and internal-facing tools.
After that, I became the lead of product design at a startup in the Wealth Management and Life Optimization space for ultra-high-net-worth individuals focusing on building out an extensive platform with offerings ranging from in-home physical security to complex wealth management. The product showcased not only traditional investments but investments in the crypto space as well, something not traditionally done throughout other wealth management platforms.
Currently, I lead User Experience, Product Design, and Business Intelligence for Reorg, a global provider of data analytics and credit intelligence for 30,000 leveraged finance and restructuring professionals.
I've worked in established companies as well as startups (from the beginning; I was employee #9), excelling in both.
What resources (a women-focused ERG, mentorship opportunities, etc.) are available at your company and/or within your community to help women grow their skills and learn from others?
Reorg does not have an official mentorship program, but I am dedicated to mentoring younger female professionals in their career. Some of the key ways that I’ve mentored include design mentoring, career path mentoring, switching career mentoring,and graduate school mentoring. I’ve written recommendations for multiple of my direct reports for graduate school and am a huge advocate for them.
I would like to build a mentorship program similar to what we had at Blackstone. In our Women's Network, we paired younger mentees up with mentors from different teams. We would have bi-weekly mentor/mentee meetings that would cover a variety of topics. This is a more formalized process to what I am already doing at Reorg with my direct reports.
What advice would you give to other women interested in leveling up their career? What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned?
One of the key pieces of advice I give my mentees is to always advocate for yourself in your career. This is especially true when it comes to negotiating a new salary, sign on bonus, etc.
One of the key pieces of advice I give my mentees is to always advocate for yourself in your career.”
When I'm interviewing men, they are not shy about showcasing their skills and saying why they are great. I find women to be more uncomfortable with that. They will often sell themselves short, which reflects in salary negotiations. It is important to emphasize your qualities, demonstrate your skills and put yourself out there.
It is also important to not take setbacks as a reflection of yourself or your skills. Projects have setbacks and people have disagreements, but those things are not what define us. What defines us is how we navigate through those challenges and problem-solve our way out of them. Writing down the “wins” along the way is a good way to keep your head out of the bad days, reflecting on the good and what is working is helpful.
Trustpilot is a leading independent review platform - free and open to all.
Tell me how you’ve grown during your time in the tech industry. Where did you start, and where are you now?
When I first started working in tech, I didn’t have a ton of experience in this industry. I had studied healthcare and psychology during undergrad, but came into this role because I was interested in consumer behavior around reputation management.
I started as an account development representative, where through speaking to lots of different businesses I learned so much about business development and digital strategy. Since then, I’ve been able to move up into an account executive role.
In this role, I take a more consultative sales approach to help businesses solve problems, and use the Trustpilot platform to build trust, grow and improve. It encourages me to learn new things every day and be open to different perspectives. The emphasis on professional development, collaboration and ongoing education at Trustpilot has made that possible and opened up a ton of doors for me to evolve in my career.
What resources (a women-focused ERG, mentorship opportunities, etc.) are available at your company any/or within your community to help women grow their skills and learn from others?
The Trustpilot Women In Leadership (TWIL) ERG has been a huge resource for me and helped me to grow my skills and network with like-minded women in the industry. Being part of this ERG has enabled me to get to know women from all sides of the business, discuss challenges we encounter and learn from others.
We meet regularly for a book club and a monthly Lunch & Learn. One of the most helpful things I’ve been able to get involved with is the TWIL Mentorship program. Through this program, I was paired with my mentor, Lauren, who has been an incredible resource for me both personally and professionally.
What advice would you give to other women interested in leveling up their career? What are some of the biggest lessons you´ve learned?
I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to trust my gut. Moving into a different industry was scary at first, but pushing myself outside of my comfort zone helped me grow and learn things I never would’ve been able to do otherwise.
I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to trust my gut.”
Another piece of advice I’d give to women interested in leveling up their careers is to take advantage of the resources at your disposal. If you’re unsure of what those are, ask. Finally, the most exciting and rewarding opportunities often come from advocating for yourself, so make sure to be your own biggest advocate.
Comcast Advertising helps brands connect with their audiences using advanced data.
Tell me how you’ve grown during your time in the tech industry. Where did you start, and where are you now?
I began my professional journey as a machine learning analyst with a small ad tech company before transitioning to a statistical developer at an education technology firm where I honed my skills in interpreting real-world data.
Upon joining a small tech company as a data engineer, I found myself in a leadership role as the only senior member of the team. Despite assuming increased responsibilities in people and product management without formal training, I persevered, fueling my natural inclination toward becoming a people leader.
I joined FreeWheel, a global technology platform for the TV advertising industry, a division of Comcast Advertising, as a manager working with a small team of data engineers in 2017. In 2021, I became director of software engineering, leading 30 data engineers across four teams to construct advanced and robust data platforms, including one that handles the real-time processing of billions of bids and impressions to help advertisers make informed, data-driven decisions to achieve optimal results.
What resources (a women-focused ERG, mentorship opportunities, etc.) are available at your company any/or within your community to help women grow their skills and learn from others?
We are fortunate to have extensive mentorship and networking opportunities for women globally within Comcast Advertising. I am a part of our women in technology group, where I actively mentor other women interested in advancing their careers in tech. Our group organizes diverse events such as art classes, yoga, dance, book club meetings and a mentorship program, fostering connections among women engineers.
Comcast Advertising also offers dedicated women in leadership programs, supporting the networking and development of leadership skills for women leaders. The company-wide mentorship program allows participants to be paired with senior women leaders from departments across the company, offering valuable insights and guidance.
Another employee-led ERG called Women in Advertising and Media also brings employees together through regular programming and mentorship opportunities across the company. In addition to formal programs, I personally seek out regular one-on-one meetings with women leaders within the company and encourage other female engineers to do the same.
What advice would you give to other women interested in leveling up their career? What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned?
For women aspiring to advance their careers, my advice is to seek out and embrace opportunities for growth. Step out of your comfort zone, tackle new challenges and stay vigilant for new projects, opportunities, or skills to develop.
Step out of your comfort zone, tackle new challenges and stay vigilant for new projects, opportunities, or skills to develop.”
Perfection is not a prerequisite; allow yourself room to learn, grow, and make mistakes. Begin with small steps and progressively expand your horizon. Cultivate a strong professional network, and don't hesitate to seek guidance from seasoned professionals when needed.
