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 We'd like to pass on our thanks to everyone who attended the "The
(Not-So-Secret) Secrets of Success: How to Take Control of your Career" event
that we co-hosted with Bank of America Merrill
Lynch on Wednesday 16th June 2010. The topic was a popular one and the event
attracted a lot of sign-ups so the venue was full with a very buzzy
atmosphere.
The evening's keynote speaker was Diana Hogbin-Mills, founder of TalentMax and she presented
'The (Not-So-Secret) Secrets of Success: How to Take Control of your Career'
which looked at how technology professionals can manage their careers. In the
45-minute session, she worked through the six Rs - responsibility, reason,
reliability, reputation, relationships and resilience and what impact these
areas have on our careers. Diana's secrets of success with regards to taking
control and managing your career include: regularly review your career; get to
know the business you are working for; don't settle for an average manager; seek
out a mentor; practise and showcase your strengths; work with a coach and enlist
supporters. A copy of Diana's handout can be found here.
The
presentation was followed by an interactive Q&A session with Diana as well
as Jane Phillips, COO of Global Rates & Currencies Technology in the Global
Markets & Research Technology at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Sarah
Mullen, Global Markets Operations and Middle Office at Bank of America Merrill
Lynch, Natasha Davydova whose most recent role is Group Head of Strategy for
Technology and Operations at Standard Chartered Bank and Ian Alderton,
previously European CIO, Corporate & Investment Banking Technology at
Wachovia Bank. The panel answered a number of different questions about
technology careers and this is some of the advice they shared:
If you are
looking to make a move but don't have 100% skills for the new job, the onus is
on you as a candidate to persuade the hiring manager that you could do the job.
Demonstrate adaptability and try to tailor your skill set so that it's more
relevant to the role. Be honest from the start about your experience but believe
in yourself - men often talk up their experience and get a job over a more
suitably qualified lady. If you are making an internal move, remember to prepare
well for the interview and to act as if the manager doesn't know anything about
your role.
When balancing work and home life, be honest; say what you
need and when. Establish a routine so that everyone knows when you are available
and be as efficient as possible to make the most of your time at work - know
what you want to achieve each day.
Managing expectations in a new job -
rather than going in with a problem, come up with solutions, options and ideas
that you think might work and ask them if this is what they're expecting.
Understand what your manager needs and how they wan you to deliver
it.
You may want it all but we have to accept that we can't have it all
at the same time.
Within financial markets IT, the power base rests with
the business so if you're a technical expert looking to get ahead bridge the gap
between business and IT.
The grass isn't always greener - people join a
firm and leave a manager - so if you're thinking about making a move, really
consider why you're leaving and ensure that you have explored all internal
opportunities before looking externally. List your top achievements, think about
what would enhance your current role, discuss this with your manager, consider
your support network - how successful would you be without them in a new
role?
If you're interviewing for a new job you need to be able to
demonstrate examples and achievements against the role requirements. The
questions the hiring manager will be looking to answer are: can you do the job?
will you do the job? and do you fit in?
This was the fifth networking
event that we have co-hosted with Bank of America Merrill Lynch so we'd like to
say thank you to them for the ongoing support of women in technology. Thanks
also goes to Anzela Huq from Bank of America Merrill Lynch for her help in
bringing the event together and if you are interested in finding out about
opportunities at Bank of America you can search
for open roles here.
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