An Interview with, DMO, Julia Doronina: The Value of Assertiveness in the Workplace.
HackerNoon editorial team has launched this interview series with women in tech to celebrate their achievements and share their struggles. We need more women in technology, and by sharing stories, we can encourage many girls to follow their dreams. Share your story today!
Tell us about yourself!
Hello! My name is Julia, and I am the Director of Marketing and Growth at the IT startup G-71, operating in the complex field of information security. I ended up here quite by chance - my career path started with advertising agencies (such as Grey and Ogilvy), and then I switched to the client side.
In my personal professional portfolio, I have experience working with the Marriott hotel chain and a travel-tech startup called Localie. After that, I decided to shift my focus and delve deeper into IT. I worked for a startup that specialized in mobile games, and then entered the world of information security, where I am currently working on my second project.
Why did you choose this field in the first place?
Early in my career, when I was doing an internship at an advertising agency, my client was IBM. At that time, I was responsible for the entire spectrum of SMM, ranging from simply preparing content for the company's social media accounts to preparing long articles and analytics on the company's presence in the online space. It was then that I first delved into the IT world. New words and concepts opened up to me, such as artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, IoT, and others. These topics have always attracted me. And when I saw a job posting for a marketer at an IT startup a few years ago, I decided to give it a try. Moreover, the field of information security is developing very rapidly, and I was interested in getting to know this market better.
What tech are you most excited/passionate about right now and why?
I am currently very interested in the development of AI and various solutions based on artificial intelligence. We are even considering how we could integrate it into our startup as well. Recently, I even wrote and published an article on Hackernoon about using ChatGPT for marketing.
In addition, I am certainly interested in the development of MarTech (marketing technologies), which I am constantly trying to integrate into my work.
What tech are you most worried about right now and why?
I am concerned about the rapid development of technology related to social media, as there is a huge amount of information that arises there, causing people to become oversaturated. Moreover, it is a difficult channel to control, with limited opportunities for filtering.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of tech?
I love snowboarding, traveling, and coming up with new activities that would help me learn something new for myself and share it with others. For example, recently I became a mentor for the Women's Global Mentoring Program.
Let's talk about breaking the glass ceiling. What were the biggest challenges you faced as a woman in tech, and how did you deal with them?
As a woman in technology, it's important to strike a balance so that the people around you perceive you as a professional rather than just a woman. Sometimes during meetings, there are instances where I realize that the person I'm speaking with becomes more inclined to communicate upon seeing that they will be interacting with me rather than a man. On one hand, this allows for better communication, but on the other hand, it's difficult to assess whether they are listening to you as a professional or just listening. Therefore, I believe it's necessary to assert yourself as a professional and an expert. For example, through expert materials, events, presentations, podcasts, etc.
Any questionable misogynistic story/situation you faced/handled, and you want to share with the HackerNoon Fam?
I probably don't have a story like that, I've been lucky to work in companies where women are actually motivated for growth and development.
What was the biggest setback/failure that you faced, and how did you manage it?
Recently, I applied to be a judge in an international marketing competition, but I was rejected because they were looking for people with more experience and impressive case studies. I have decided to work on gaining enough experience over the next couple of years and prove that I can meet the selection criteria.
What's your biggest achievement that you're really proud of?
I am proud of myself for deciding to leave my ordinary job and join startups over 4 years ago. It's a place with many challenges, problems, and difficulties, but also a lot of freedom for creativity and growth.
In your opinion, why do we see this huge gender gap in the tech industry, and how can we reduce it?
Provide more opportunities for women to develop, motivate them, and offer working conditions that are proportional to those offered to men. Offer them conditions for a normal work-life balance.
Who is your tech idol? Why?
It's difficult to single out anyone. In general, I admire women who achieve high success in their careers while also managing to create a family and grow as individuals.
Do you have any advice for aspiring girls who want to join the field?
Never be afraid to try. Technology may seem complicated, but everything can be understood. If someone had told me four years ago that I would be working in a cybersecurity startup, I probably would have been surprised, as I had no experience in this field and hadn't even thought in that direction. But now I'm here - and I'm glad. So just take action, even if you think you can't do it and your experience doesn't fit, even if someone tells you it won't work, take action!