How women in technology can build confidence in career-defining moments

In the third EY Women in Technology webcast, leaders share how adversity led to insights and new opportunities.

In brief

• Women in technology can build confidence during periods of adversity.
• Leaders share how they make connections and make their voice heard.
• Leaders urge women to take on strategic roles no matter what stage they are at in their career. 

In the technology sector, there is a well-publicized and very real confidence gap between men and women. A Harvard study found that women in their first year as computer programmers scored their skills at 2.6 out of five. Men, on the other hand, scored their skills at 3.3 out of five. Women only rated themselves highly after eight years of experience.

Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, published in 2013, and subsequent media campaigns showed women’s confidence as the key to being promoted — as opposed to waiting for an organization to change its policies and processes. There are pivotal moments in anyone’s career where confidence is needed to make tough decisions, to lead or to take a career in a new direction. This confidence can be a driver for women to have the experience they want. So how can women build their confidence and take advantage of the opportunities presented?  

In the third EY Women in Technology webinar of our “In the Spotlight” series, Sonia Sande, EY Americas Consulting Talent Leader, brought together Janet Scott, Chief Information Security Officer at Organon, and Elizabeth Butwin Mann (Liz), EY Americas Technology Consulting Strategy and Execution Leader, to discuss how building confidence in career-defining moments is critical to helping women thrive in the world of technology. They emphasize the importance of connecting with peers, silencing the inner critic and using adversity to advantage.

Janet’s story: From computer science to a career with purpose and passion

Janet’s story is particularly intriguing. She was initially set on a medical career, but it was too expensive. Instead, she studied psychology, found her aptitude for computing and graduated with a computer science degree. Still passionate about medicine, she applied for a role at a medical systems company.

Although her interview wasn’t successful, she asked them to reconsider. They did, and her IT career working for pharmaceutical company Merck and its new spin-out Organon has allowed her to follow her passion. She uses technology to enable medical research and make clinical trials more successful. Her career is filled with purpose and passion — all because she had the confidence not to take “no” for an answer.

It was a terrible moment. Everyone pitched in where they could; even senior leaders were bringing food and snacks to people working around the clock.  Everyone was focused on one thing — getting lifesaving cancer treatments and other therapeutics to patients. This was happening to an organization with world-leading security programs. It would take a few years to rebuild after an experience like this.

Although such moments can be hugely stressful, taking responsibility is an opportunity to show real leadership. “What matters most is what is best for the company and your customers — or in this case the patients,” Janet said. “That mindset will give you the confidence to make even the toughest decision because, if nothing else, you know you did your best.” 

Surrounding yourself with the right support network

When faced with a challenging problem, quiet confidence inspires leadership. When confidence is lacking, it’s important to recognize how you are feeling and why, and whether you can look at the challenge from a different angle.

Janet, for example, isn’t comfortable speaking to an audience on stage. She has therefore taught herself to focus on the content rather than listening to her inner critic: “When I talk about Merck, I’m passionate about that, so it stops the voice talking about me. I know that if I force myself to do things I am uncomfortable with, my skills and comfort levels improve over time.”

Connecting with peers

Another way to silence the inner critic is to find safe relationships to discuss concerns with your peers. Liz recalls learning about the “Stiletto network” — women of similar age and experience with whom she can safely discuss practical issues, such as preparing for difficult meetings: “Part of what helped me through the years was having those few, very trusted relationships that allowed me the safety to have a very transparent conversation about my vulnerability,” she said.

Sponsorship and mentorship can also provide a positive voice with different influences: a mentor volunteers to help, whereas a sponsor is invariably someone you seek out and build a relationship with. For someone to actively sponsor your growth and work on your behalf, you have to earn it through determination, the quality of your work and by demonstrating that you’re a person in whom someone wants to invest their personal and political capital.

Strategic balance

Wherever you are in your career, even on a career break, which can be career-defining, Liz and Janet both advise to keep developing your soft and hard skills.

 “There was a period in my career where I decided the kids come first, so I took a part-time job for a few years. And I loved it,” Janet said “To make the workload manageable, my boss suggested a job share; it worked really well with [a co-worker] and myself handling the work between us. During that time, I was pretty strategic because I wasn't going to do that job forever, so we took on different responsibilities and roles to keep learning and growing. I was promoted within a year of returning full-time.”

By contrast, Liz didn’t ever stop working: “The team used to tease me that I was texting during labor — but that’s not a good thing for everyone!”

Interestingly, she learned an important lesson from her children. In kindergarten, they were taught that making mistakes is a part of life and should be celebrated. And raising children means you will make mistakes, and you must live with them.

“I forgot stuff, like my children's lunches for trips away, and occasionally missed a school pick up,” Liz said. “But then you realize that the people around you recognize you're trying to balance things, and it's not always going to be perfect. That balance is actually a dance, and we do it all through every stage of our children’s lives.”

At any stage in a career, even if taking on temporary work, take on roles that are strategic and offer new opportunities. Be determined. Be open-minded. And be kind to yourself. Above all, remember it’s the desire to keep learning that helps propel a career forward because, in doing so, you are preparing for those career-defining moments.