Women In IT Interchange Notes
March 11, 2008

Focus: The Interchange focused on helping participants gain valuable insight on how to overcome the challenges women face when fostering careers in IT.

Issues:
How to Excel
Strategies for Moving Between Companies
Working with Offshore Teams
Maintain Balance Between Home & Office
Preparing Women for Leadership
Pay Raises
Affinity Groups

Asking for a Pay Raise:
Know you facts - Do research
What is fair compensation
Do it professionally - not hostile
Be non-emotional - Don’t take it personally
Don’t shy away from discussing – Just be aware of your approach

How to Excel in IT:
Be responsible for your career
Gossip will kill a career
Pay attention to the environment – What is the direction?
Use that to decide on what you need to do
Helps if you have mentors both male and female
Don’t develop an attitude that someone owes you something

Preparing Women for Leadership:
You need to be ready for opportunity
Network
Keep yourself informed in all aspects of the business
Be in touch with what you are good at and what you aren’t good at. Ask for their suggestions on how to improve areas where you don’t excel.
Your goal is not whether you are liked, but are you respected.
Need to have well rounded work experience
Values you have to have: 1)trustworthy; 2)legal and ethical

Moving to a Different Department or to Another Company:
Do homework about what questions you are going to ask the company you are interviewing with
Never say you know something you don’t
Check out different groups in companies so you know what other departments are doing
Make sure you let your boss know that you are interested in a new position – They may not realize it.
Take time to step back to see what drives you

Balance Between Family and Work:
Not just an issue for women
It’s not how much time you spend with family, but the quality of that time
Kids want parents to be happy
Stop feeling guilty

Cultural Teams / Dealing with Egos:
Can’t change people - You can only change how you deal with them
How are you adapting and reacting
End of day – how do you get the work done

Affinity Groups:
Don’t make it a social event
You need men and women to mentor you
You will get benefit from different people in your organization

Books:
“ What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” by Marshall Goldsmith
“ Make a Name for Yourself” by Robin Fisher Roffer
“ Monday Morning Mentoring” by David Cottrell

Groups to Join:
TAG - Women in IT
SIM
Help Desk Institute
Leadership Forum - RLF
Charity Organizations
Women On Board - Do training for women to sit on charity boards

Comments/Benefits:
Executive perspective/Makes you think about more
Insight about myself/Makes me come out of my box
Guiding principles/Guidance in my adventure
Books to read/Self help
List to make/Define what you want
You are responsible/Take control and make changes
Being rounded/Because my career path may not be in IT
Position to excel/Good dialogue
Moving Strategies
Real life examples/Hearing their stories
Hearing what issues women are struggling with
Mentor relationships
Various backgrounds of experts/Accomplished presenters
Work & Life Balance/Hearing the various experiences, good vs. bad
Dealing with egos/Great interaction outside the panel