Rachel started her professional life as a classical clarinetist before accidentally stumbling into software development to keep the UK National Grid safe from the Y2K bug. After 18 years of shipping code mainly in the finance and energy sectors, she transitioned into leadership roles at iconic NZ companies like Powershop and Xero. A relentless advocate for healthy team culture, she is famously liable to remind her colleagues that "if we’re not winning, we’re learning." When she isn’t leading tech teams, Rachel is still making noise playing in the professional saxophone quartet Saxcess and social clarinet quartet Imbibe. Otherwise, you can find her hiking Wellington’s trails with her husband Henry and rescue dog Jasper.
Technologists change jobs often, even more so over the last 12-18 turbulent months. How might you put your best foot forward confidently in a new role, whether you're a leader or individual contributor?Spoiler #1: what you're doing has got you this far, no need to start again!Spoiler #2: these tips can be applied in your current gig too 😉
I’ll explore what Imposter syndrome is and talk about my personal experiences of not feeling good enough. Mostly, I’ll focus on describing a variety of tools, tips and tricks to help the audience build their self-confidence and self-compassion toolkit.
Humans are constantly working in teams, whether consciously or not. It's pretty obvious that your sports team is a team! But have you thought of your family like that? Your rock band, clarinet quartet or choir? A committee that you sit on? The people you work with? I'll theorise about what makes a team great with the aim of getting you to think about your own interactions and contributions, and what changes you might make for better outcomes in any group.
A talk about how hiring managers approach recruiting technical employees with lots of 'do's and a few 'dont's. Questions welcome!
