How Did You Get That Job?

Joining us on the How Did You Get That Job? podcast this time is Emily Cornock. Based in Australia, Emily works at financial services company Suncorp, where she’s the Executive Manager for Core Data Platforms.

In this insightful conversation with host Shaun Cheatham, Emily shares how sticking to her career plan didn’t always work out, and what she did to pivot and keep her journey going. A proponent of authenticity with little time for stereotypes in tech, Emily is passionate about not only her work, but also the importance of being a role model as a leader.

Listen to Emily and Shaun’s discussion to discover:

• Guidance on starting a career in engineering
• Why bringing your authentic self to the workplace can help you – and your career
• Thoughts on encouraging and nurturing the next generation of coders

If you’re interested in more information on a career in tech, check out the content on our blog. Whether you’re writing a CV, preparing for an interview or developing your skills, our Hays experts have you covered.

In this special episode of 'How Did You Get That Job?', host Shaun Cheatham looks at data from recruitment specialists Hays that reveals which tech roles are most in demand among employers in 2024.

During the show, he talks to Hays experts to uncover why these organisations need people in these roles, and which skills you need to get the job and succeed. Guests include Joshua Tang, Jason Barr, Giulia Bonvissuto and Breanna Mahan.

If you want to know more about the jobs mentions in Shaun's conversations, check out the full top 10 list here on the Hays website. Alternatively, if you want to take the next step in your tech career, head straight to our Job Search section.

Paul Smith, CIO at Amnesty International, joins host Shaun Cheatham for another episode of the How Did You Get That Job? podcast. Based in the UK, Paul took a non-traditional path into tech and credits his passion for learning with his success today.

During his conversation with Shaun, Paul discusses his early career, his transition into working in tech and how building relationships with other leaders landed him his current role. He also shares what it’s like working for an organisation like Amnesty and how it helps to motivate him every day.

Listen to this episode for Paul’s thoughts on:

• Learning the skills you need for career success
• The importance of “finding your tribe”
• Why diversity matters more than ever in tech

Looking for more advice in your tech career? You’ll find great resources on the Jobseeker tab in our Insights section, such as tips on finding the right role for you, writing a CV and preparing for an interview. For more on learning the right skills, make sure to listen to our episode: ‘Revealed: how to develop the skills you need for a career in tech’.

In the latest episode of How Did You Get That Job?, host Shaun Cheatham meets Kumar Parakala. Currently based in the US as President of GHD Digital, Kumar saw his career really take off when he moved to Australia, where he worked in a public sector role before spending 14 years at KPMG.

Kumar came on the podcast to discuss his career and how he got to where he is today. He is a huge advocate of taking risks, and speaks candidly about the benefits of this, as well as the negative impact this has had at times. He also shares his insights into what it takes to become a leader in tech today, as well as why he has championed diversity throughout his time in the workforce.

Listen to Shaun’s interview with Kumar for:

• Advice on how to impress senior stakeholders
• Tips on how to be an effective leader in tech
• Reasons for embracing diversity

Interested in making the next step in your tech career? Head over to the Insights section on the Hays website for advice on writing a CV, passing an interview and other ways to equip yourself with the skills you need.

How Did You Get That Job? is back and we’re starting by recognising Cyber Security Awareness Month this October. Shaun’s guest is Neil Khatod, who recently left the US Army after 30 years of service. Neil most recently served as COO of US Army Cyber Command, where he was responsible for defending a network with over 1.4m endpoints.

In a fascinating conversation, Neil tells us about his experiences of working on the army’s offensive and defensive cyber and the difficult decisions he had to make as part of the role. He shares his thoughts on leadership and the humility required to be an effective and professional head of a team. We also ask him for any advice on working in cyber security, and the steps he took to reach his esteemed position.

Listen to this episode to:

• Hear about Neil’s career journey in the US Army
• Discover three key tips on ways to succeed in a cyber security role
• Find out what cyber security leaders are seeking in a new recruit
• Learn the rules by which he lives as a leader

Interested in working in cyber security? Visit the Insights section on the Hays website for blogs on choosing the right tech role for you, writing a resumé and preparing for a technical interview.

The pace of change in the tech industry is very high, meaning you always need to be open to enhancing your skills. At Hays, we call this skills development, but in the wider industry you may hear it called “upskilling”. 

 In this special episode, Shaun Cheatham is joined by Harry Gooding - Solutions Director at Hays and presenter of the Tech Founders series from Hays. Together, they discuss what is happening in the industry at the moment, how best to determine which skills you need to learn for success and, more importantly, how to find the correct course for you! Harry also shares how to show off your newly found skills on your resume, while we look back on past episodes from this series to hear guests mention how they’ve had to develop their skills. 

If you are interested in learning more about Hays’ skills development advice, visit www.expertsintechnology.hays.com.

In this episode we meet Evangelina Avendano, Location Leader at EY GDS. We speak to her about her career and discover more about her path from the technology industry to finance, only to come back to tech in her present role. She shares her reasons for makingthe transition, the differences between industries and what advice she has for others who are looking to make the change. 

We also speak to her about being a woman in the industry and how she was told to be bold and raise her hand, advice she feels has helped her to get to where she is today. We also speak to her about the use of meditation and mindfulness in the workplace and the advantages of this. 

By listening to this episode, you will:

• Learn the differences between the technology and finance industry and get ideas on how to migrate sectors seamlessly.
• Discover more about the Mexican tech market and the unique attributes it has over other countries in the world.
• The use of applying meditation in the corporate setting and how it can help you see more clearly when making decisions. 

If you are interested in learning more about the tech industry, visit the Insights section atwww.expertsintechnology.hays.com where you will find information on choosing the right tech role for you, resume advice and also preparing for an interview in the tech space. 

In this special episode, originally released in 2022, we celebrate International Women’s Day by looking back at key moments from ‘How Did You Get That Job?’. We pick outcomments around gender imbalance within tech teams and challenges like imposter syndrome which have played as a key disabler in career progression.

We’re also joined by Hay’s very own Caroline Wilson, the Director of Workday Practice. Caroline will give us a wider industry glance at what is happening within tech, the trends and then discuss how bias can be tackled, raising some very interesting thoughts around the new ways of working since the pandemic.

To read more content from Hays around International Women’s Day, visit our blog where we have content relating to key topic areas.

In this episode, Shaun Cheatham sits down with Barbara Skerritt, IT Director (EMEA) at ICON Plc. She shares insights from across her 30-year career, starting in data management and fast forwarding to now, where she is IT Director (a role which she asked for!) to lead a whole new product at ICON. 

 Barbara talks about how she loves working in teams and is a natural people leader. This has led her on to creating a Women in Technology group, where she can help see through a diversity and inclusive vision, and encourage women to speak up and challenge HR with their processes. She also talks about embracing imposter syndrome, her focus towards dyslexia and how in life, you should feel confident to ask for things. 

 By listening to this episode, you will:

Discover why Barbara chose diversity as the one thing she would look to change about the technology industry as we move forward.

Find out why, when recruiting, she looks more at the individual's attitude above all else.

Hear Barbara talk about her experiences with imposter syndrome and tips on how to embrace it and use it to your advantage.

If you would like to learn more about life in the tech industry, we encourage you to check our blog which shares real world insight, expert comments and tips for success.

The LinkedIn group for dyslexia which Barbara mentions, can be found here.

In this special episode of How Did You Get That Job?, presenter Shaun Cheatham meets James Milligan, Global Head of Technology Solutions at Hays. They talk about how the tech industry is open to all backgrounds and career paths, plus look back at key moments in the series so far where guests have shared their experiences.

Last year, research firm McKinsey reported that 44% of professionals within the tech industry had started in a non-tech career before migrating. Rebecca Keenan, Global Head of Process Automation at Expleo and a guest on this series, mentioned how this is key in bringing new ways of thinking and experiences to the conversation to break the pattern on repeated activities.

The second half of the podcast sees Shaun and James discuss James’ recent article in which he lists the top in-demand tech jobs in 2023. They look at what these jobs tell us about the industry over the next year and which trends you should be looking at if you want to join the industry too. They also share what they would look for in resumes and applications, plus other advice for a successful career in technology.

To read the article for the top jobs in tech for 2023, click here. If you want more information about the technology industry, with some practical advice and real world accounts then visit www.expertsintechnology.hays.com.