As companies around the world navigate new challenges such as remote teams and tele-commuting, IE Business School’s Women in Tech Mentoring Program finished its second edition this spring to much applause from students. Fifteen female IMBA students were paired with executive mentors from Amazon, Telefonica, VmWare, Mastercard, Microsoft, Google, CISCO, SAP, BBVA, IBM, and the Fundación Colección Thyssen-Bornemisza.
The program focuses on helping women who want to work in tech develop clear business goals and practice interviewing techniques, as well as providing a perfect opportunity to expand their professional network.
“Women in tech can particularly benefit from mentoring as a source of inspiration, encouragement, and as a means to build confidence and set achievable career goals,” said IMBA Associate Dean José Esteves, who launched the program last year.
“Establishing a mentoring relation with a successful female leader helps students navigate career options in tech companies and build confidence in their career decisions. On the other side, there are also tangible benefits for companies when they increase the percentage of women at their executive level,” states Alessandra Aloisio, Director of Recruiter Relations and Partnerships.
The four-month program allowed this batch of students to learn from the real-time professional challenges their mentors faced during the switch to remote work caused by confinement measures adopted worldwide. Some mentees extended their engagement with their mentors beyond the once-a-month online mentoring sessions. Students report that these sessions and relationships inspired them to become self-advocates and were valuable sources of practical business acumen.
The next edition of the Women in Tech Mentoring Program is set to launch in June. For income female IMBA students planning to join IE in September 2020 or January 2021, keep this program in mind if you would like to kickstart your career journey in tech!
Click here to read the full article and see comments from the female students who have participated in the program.
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