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This is how you will become a senior in high-tech: the guide for the young issuer - Walla! Sheee

2022-03-03T22:55:40.953Z


Three senior women in the high-tech world explain how they got where they are, Step by Step: The Complete Guide to the Young Issuer


Image processing (Photo: courtesy of the photographers)

This is how you will become a senior in high-tech: the guide for the young issuer

The high-tech industry is known as an industry that is mostly male, and today this is more true than ever.

In anticipation of the upcoming Women's Day, we met three women who hold senior management positions in high-tech, and discovered how to create true equality of opportunity,

Anat Nissani

04/03/2022

04/03/2022

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16 years ago, more or less at this time of year, I graduated in information systems engineering at the Technion.

The track was a combination of a degree in industry and management and a degree in computer science and allowed me to clearly see the distribution of male and female students.

Guess which of the faculties had a male majority?

In the time since then I can only hope that the balance has improved a little, but even today there is a clear male majority in engineering subjects in academia, and even in high school girls study more biology and chemistry, while boys go more in the direction of physics and computer science.



It could be argued, like my elementary literature teacher, that girls are more attracted to the humanities and boys to the realities.

I dont agree.

The absence of women from the technological fields has external and internal explanations but the result is one - high-tech, the industry with the highest salaries in the economy, which can change the balance of power in hundreds of thousands of homes, is still a mostly male industry.

And if the routine situation is not enough, the proportion of women in the field has dropped this year to a low of 33.6%, probably as a side effect of the corona.



Have you seen our Facebook and Instagram?



I, in the end, did not work in the field for even a minute, and may have contributed to data indicating that the dropout rates of women from technological professions are also higher than those of men.

But unlike me, there are quite a few women who have managed to beat the statistics (and many more challenges along the way), build a successful career in high-tech and get as far as possible.

Could it be that in high-tech, the demanding and masculine industry, women have more opportunities to fulfill themselves and advance?

I spoke with three impressive and successful women to understand how they do it, and what any woman who wants to succeed in the field - or at all - can learn from their path.

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Sivan Moore: "An Equal Opportunity Experience"

Sivan Moore (Photo: Courtesy of the photographers)

Sivan Moore, 44, married +3, Global Director of Customer Success at Hibob did not plan at all on high-tech, where she studied music in high school and dreamed of engaging in music therapy.

But when her friend left a secretary job at a high-tech company, Sivan accepted the offer to replace her.

Within a few months, she was snatched from the secretary's desk for the training department, from there she progressed to more senior positions and other companies, and today she is responsible for the entire customer service system of Hibob, which recently joined the Israeli Unicorn Club (start-ups worth more than $ 1 billion).



Being a woman, she says, never dictated her conduct.

"I think gender has never been personal to me, and that may be what helped me succeed. I was the only woman in the room in a large proportion of cases, but I never looked at my challenges as different from those of my colleagues who are men."



And from the outside?

Did you feel that you were treated differently from others because you were a woman?


"I do not remember anything specific. If so then I really did not see it. But I started my career as a software instructor, and in this role I think do not necessarily look at your gender, compared to more technological roles. I probably had from the beginning a more equal opportunity." .



Is treating gender as non-personal something that also characterizes you in your personal life?


"Yes, absolutely, and I think that in order to be able to release the gender conversation at work, it must also be released in private life. I am married to a freelance bag designer, who works at home, and let's say this: with us when there is a sick child, this task usually falls on him. I do not want to say "We have an exchange of roles at home because it is also gender, but there is in fact equal opportunities and a lack of gender perspective, which allow both of our careers to take off."

Tal Agam: "At the beginning of my journey there were comments here and there" (Photo: Courtesy of the photographers, Florin Kalin)

Tal Agam, 40, married + 3, VP of sales at NSO is currently celebrating ten years with the successful company (yes, the same company from the same affair that is not relevant to our case in any way), heard about the job completely by chance and already in the job interview she fell in love. Of Priscilla, a technological role that includes the presentation of the technology that the company develops to customers abroad, continued to establish the company's training system and from there progressed to its current position, in which it manages the company's sales department.



Compared to Sivan, who did not experience any special reference to her gender, in the cyber field in which Tal deals, the female presence was rarer than in other areas of the industry, and this was certainly noticeable.

“In the beginning, especially abroad, it was a bit strange for a woman to come into a room with lots of suits and ties.

It was very noticeable and there were situations that were sometimes less comfortable. "



Like what?


"At the beginning of my journey there were comments here and there, I do not remember what exactly was said but I remember it had a very clear end because I knew how to interrupt it properly, so it did not bother me for a long time. In situations like this I am very sharp and direct, I clarify exactly what Relevant and what is less relevant, and ultimately an unequivocal message closes all the questions.It is not always trivial to be the only woman in front of 15 men in ties, but I am very clear with my messages both inside and outside the organization, and once it is clear what the role of each One in the room and what he came to do, very quickly the other side appreciates it as well. "

Dror Barnea: "No one will tell me I can not"

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A post shared by Dror Barnea (@dror_barnea)

Dror Barnea, 29, single + 2 dogs, product manager at Twik also did not dream of a career in high-tech and started her career in a completely different direction.

From childhood, she dreamed of working in the kitchen, but when she actually did, she realized that she enjoyed the field as a hobby and not as a profession, studied web development and started working for the start-up company Twik.

Today she serves as a product manager at the company.



Outside of work hours, Dror trains and competes in CrossFit, and it turns out that there are many similarities between the two.

"Exercise and especially challenging, competitive activity, which pushes you to the edge, also leads you in professional life to face challenges and succeed in surpassing yourself. You just understand that no matter what - it's small on you, you can do it."



In both cases you are a woman in an environment that is mostly male, also in this respect there is a similarity?


"Yes, CrossFit taught me that no one should tell me I can not, because I can. Both in sports and at work. I came across comments or situations where I felt I was less equal at the table and had to fight it and prove to myself and others that I do a good job and know what I do. So I went and worked hard and proved that I am equal to everyone and no less than anyone else, even if I am younger and even if I am a woman. "

It requires juggling, but possible (Photo: ShutterStock)

How do you combine high-tech with a family?

In a 2020 high-tech women survey conducted about a year ago by the organization #WifeHigh-Tech and Scale-Up Velocity, 42% of women claimed that it is difficult to combine a high-tech career with family life.

How do you do that?



"First of all, as a mother, I think that from the moment you have children, the pangs of conscience are also born with them, no matter what you do and how you do," Tal admits, "and in my role, which requires multiple trips abroad, it is always difficult to combine.

I believe that if I manage to fulfill myself, move forward and do what I love, the whole house is happy with me, but of course it also has prices.

There are trips that are more difficult for me and it requires a lot of juggling, but it is an ability that is eventually adapted over the years. "



"It's a matter of taking joint responsibility for the home. A successful woman gets the place to develop herself out, but this place comes first and foremost from the partnership and equality she has at home. In addition, I think we, along with our spouses, need to find creative solutions to everyday distortions. Produces for us. "

Sivan recalls "Prior to my third birth, for example, I kept unused vacation days and distributed them over the first four months of returning to the job after maternity leave. It to kindergarten when we feel it is not the time yet, and at the same time allow each of us to continue his career. "



"I know I will not be willing to give up the professional place and not out of a desire to get a higher salary or a more senior position but out of a desire to learn and grow on a personal level."

Dror states "Today I still do not see myself in a situation of starting a family, if it happens and works out it will be amazing, but as something that will accompany my life and suit them."



"Here in society, we really sanctify family life," says Tal.



"One of the biggest challenges is the workplace," Sivan adds. We will be chosen to work in places that allow us to combine parenting with careers and we will give up places that will not, they will go and train the conditions for this equality of opportunity so as not to miss good candidates. "

You will learn to request a salary increase (Photo: ShutterStock)

And the money, worth it?

Another advantage of the high-tech field is of course the salary.

Although the pay gap between men and women still exists in the industry as well, the three women do not feel them in the flesh.

From the conversation with them, it can be understood that it very much depends on the workplace and its nature, with the proportion of women among the decision-makers in society being a significant factor in the matter.



"Women are no longer an unusual sight in high-tech, we have a lot of women in senior positions and key positions and their salaries are the same as similar positions for men in the company," says Tal. We are proactively examining this issue. "



But even when the workplace provides equal pay conditions, many women still have difficulty seeking promotion or pay raises.

The solution to this, according to Sivan, lies in information.

"If you know how to back up your request with information - to show that you meet your goals, to prove your results and achievements - with data you can not argue. Of course you have to know how to translate it and say that as a result you deserve a raise, but it's a learning process. "Paid at the beginning. 20 years ago, Sivan did not know how to ask for what she deserved or to prove her performance."



In fact, quite a few successful women find that some of the professional challenges they face are challenges that come from within.

"I think women are often afraid to bring themselves forward out of fear. Sometimes we do not perceive ourselves properly and a little lower our value and it should not be like that. We are equal and we are good, very good even, and we just have to give it a place," says Dror , "I unequivocally think that not appreciating myself enough in the beginning made me work harder. On the other hand, it also made me look at myself in the right proportion and not take too much of myself, and made me a better manager. In addition, on a personal level, I "Sometimes I can feel too soft or uncomfortable if I was rigid, and that's also part of the job I do with myself."

It is possible to move forward.

Women in senior positions (Photo: ShutterStock)

Women in senior positions

Is there such a thing as a feminine management style?


"Yes. I think when a woman is a manager there is more emotional value in her whole decision-making process."

Dror says "Whether it is true or not is another question, not all of them are good managers as not everyone is a good manager but I think the female power adds a different shade to the form of management".



"I think it's something very strong in our society."

Sivan adds "We are all very empowering managers, we make decisions together, delegate powers, are very prone to this managerial style, which might be argued to be more feminine, but personally I do not feel a very big difference between men and women."



In the same survey I mentioned earlier, about a third of women claimed that there were not enough options to advance to senior positions in high-tech.

Do you also feel that way?


"I feel that there is a significant improvement and that the options today are super relevant to women. I can say out loud that this is the situation with us in society, and also from what I see in the industry around me, I feel it is no longer something that characterizes the field. Sex and gender no longer play a role. "Who you are and what you bring to the table. If there is a woman who wants to advance and has the relevant abilities both professionally and managerially - she will unequivocally advance."



"There is a lot of room for development in the industry," Dror agrees. "Companies are really looking for women for senior positions and I think the industry today is very uplifting for women. "They say: 'Come on, let's try, what's the worst that can happen. But women see one line as inappropriate in the resume submission and that's it, everything is no longer appropriate."



One of the important things on the road to success, and all three agree, is the presence of a successful woman in the workplace itself or outside it, as a role model and inspiration or as an actual mentor.

Tal and Sivan both serve as mentors themselves, and say that the presence of successful women throughout their own careers has greatly helped them in providing inspiration, personal example, guidance and advice.

Dror, who entered the company right as part of her initial staff, did not have such a female figure in the workplace or a mentor to consult with, and she admits that she was very lacking and his was such a figure for her, maybe her path was a little easier.

Fight, it's worth it (Photo: ShutterStock)

So how do you get into high tech?

What would you advise women who are starting their careers in the field?


"Fight." Dror says "it's worth it and we can do a lot more than we think. We need to stop underestimating it because it's entirely ours, we are fighters. Just go for it with all our might and prove to everyone that we can be there."



Tal agrees: "The most important thing is to believe in yourself, not to be afraid and to see the goal before your eyes. In the end, to be successful in this world, you need a lot of courage, courage and personal abilities. You need to be very clear in your messages, not go around and use emotional intelligence. "- which of course is not an exclusive ability for women but does characterize them - to identify situations and opportunities and know what to do how and when.



"I think the most important message I would give women is that they will be able to take the gender issue out of the way they run their careers and their families."

Sivan adds "Choose the workplace and partner that allows you to create the career you want, and create equal opportunities themselves, so that all the systems around them start working accordingly. Change can start from any of us, from any woman who wants to take care of her life and get as far as possible" .

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  • Hi-Tech

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  • International Women's Day

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Source: walla

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