Tech Women @ Intuit

Tech Women Intuit Below is a post originally written by PowerToFly Partner Intuit, and published on December 14, 2018. Go to Intuits page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.Since 2015, Tech Women Intuit is a multidimensional program that empowers women of all ages and experience levels to share their expertise, advance their skills, and grow their networks. Tracy Stone, Global Lead for TWI, shares insights into the program and how it continues to inspire the next generation of female technologists.+++Intuit Tech Women Intuit strives to support women at every stage of their STEM career. Can you tell us how yur own experience led you to TWI?TS Ive been a technologist at tech companies for 18 years, including roles leading software development teams and technical program management at Adobe, HP, and Intel.I left the corporate workforce and paused my tech career to be at home with my kids for five years. During that time, I founded and directed a STEM nonprofit o rganization dedicated to increasing the number of girls exposed to STEM at the elementary and middle school levels.As I was looking to return to the tech workforces, I came across this role of leading the Tech Women Intuit initiative. It is a dream job for me an amazing opportunity for me to combine my passion for advancing women in technology with my previous high-tech experience.My role as the in aller herren lnder leader for TWI is to develop the strategy and impactful programs to attract and recruit, retain, and advance female technologists. Our team is growing and we now have employees devoted full-time to this initiative.Intuit TWI supports Intuit employees and also partners with organizations like Girls Who Code, can you tell us more about what drives your team?TS We want Intuit to be the 1 choice for women technologists and a place where women are empowered and diversity is embraced. Our initiative, Tech Women Intuit, focuses on attracting, recruiting, retaining, and adva ncing women. We partner with our talent acquisition team, our Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Scott Beth, and product development leaders across the company to set goals and review our investments.We have a portfolio of impactful programs targeting technologists in various stages of their careers early career and mid-career through executive level, and have outreach programs for middle school- and high school-aged students.For female technologists, TWI provides opportunities to build community and grow their careers. TWI programs include sponsorship by leaders, formal mentorship programs, professional development workshops like negotiation skills, executive presence and speaking skills, peer mentoring based on Lean In Circles, and on-site events to build our tech women community.Externally, we support organizations who are helping increase and advance girls and women in technical roles, like Girls Who Code, AnitaB.org and the National Center for Women and Information Tech (N CWIT).Intuit Often these initiatives are built from the ground up, but TWI is unique can you tell us how?TS What makes the initiative unique is the fact that it is funded and sponsored by our Chief Technology Officer (currently Tayloe Stansbury but soon to be Marianna Tessel).We have a TWI Executive Board comprised of all the development leaders across Intuit. Our Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and our head of Talent Acquisition, who in addition to being role models for diversity in tech regularly meet and review our progress against our goals, and set the strategy and direction for the initiative.Intuit As Intuit continues increasing their investment in TWI, what are you most looking forward to in 2019?TS We are looking forward to continuing the growth of our sponsorship, mentorship and Intuit Again programs.Next year, we will be focusing on career development programs and ensuring they are meaningful and customized for our technologists. This includes building on our exi sting mentorship and sponsorship programs, adding a mid-career coaching program, offering new development workshops, facilitating opportunities for technical presentations and information sharing sessions and piloting other initiatives.We are also excited about expanding our innovative return to work program, Intuit Again. After launching the program in the US this year, we are excited to build on its success and are planning on expanding the roles and opportunities in 2019.+++Learn more about Intuits Diversity and Inclusion initiatives and how we partner with organizations like Girls Who Code. One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someo ne says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard gesc hftsleben Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (a ny project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive neuschpfung and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,52 3 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construc tion industry.