Hi Becca thanks for chatting to us today! So as a self-described untechnical woman in tech, what do you do and what does a typical working day look like for you?

I’m a PR manager at a global AI company that has a tech hub in Birmingham, so even though I’m London based I get plenty of opportunities to get up to Brum for work and to catch up with my fellow WITB members!

As a woman in tech with a VERY untechnical role, I’ve had to really get to grips with all the lingo and terminology that flies around in an AI company…

A typical working day for me doesn’t exist. In the world of PR every day is totally different and it’s normal to be pulled in a hundred different directions. One day I could be working on the company’s financial announcements, and the next I could be editing an article on anomaly detection!

Outside of my day to day, I’m also a co-organiser for the Women in Tech Birmingham team, a role that I adore and has done wonders for my day job too!

Pleased to hear it! Can you tell us about any obstacles or challenges you’ve faced in your career in tech?

Without a doubt and like most of our members that I’ve had the chance to chat with… it’s that horrid, inconvenient, debilitating imposter syndrome.

In my experience, the biggest flare ups I’ve had (and I call them flare ups because, let’s face it, they’re always going to be there) are when I’ve compared myself to how my colleagues go about certain tasks.

It’s bitter sweet because I’m a big believer in learning from others, and emulating qualities that I admire in them, but at the end of the day, everyone does things differently. You can take a totally different approach to someone else and still get the same (sometimes better!) results or outcomes.

That’s interesting - so how do you overcome this in your day to day?

For me, I’ve found the best solution is to really get to grips with what my strengths and weaknesses are.

For example, I now realise I’m not great at coming up with ideas on the spot in a team meeting, unlike some of my peers who seem to come up with award-winning ideas at the drop of a hat!

I’ve learnt that I need time and headspace to think about ideas on my own.

So now rather than beat myself up about it, I make sure to always do a bit of prep or reading ahead of a creative planning session so that I can come with ideas too, or at least be in a better position to bounce off other people in the meeting.

Everyone has weaknesses - the key is to not get too caught up on them and to focus on building up and celebrating your strengths instead.

Love that and it’s so true. What would be your tips to someone else who wants to focus on their strengths and their own career development?

I’ve been really lucky in the past that the companies I’ve worked for have offered mentorship programmes - so I’ve been mentored and also mentored a little bit myself before.

I’ve recently just been accepted on to a formal mentorship programme as a mentee as well. I’ve only had one session so far but already I’ve gotten SO much out of it.

And I also benefited hugely from being a mentor too - you can learn a lot from your own mentees!

I cannot recommend getting a mentor enough.

And if a mentor isn’t available to you immediately, then figure out who your career role models are. Ask yourself: Why do you admire them? How did they get to where they are? Is there anything they’ve done or studied that you could have a go at?

Whilst this isn’t a direct replacement for a mentor - and is hopefully just a short term solution - it’s a great way of getting some inspiration for how you want to shape your own career path.

Speaking of role models… who is a woman (in tech) that inspires you, and why?

That’s a tough one because there are SO many!

At WITB, we try to shine a light regularly on amazing women in tech, so I’ve had the chance to do a fair bit of research into some inspirational individuals.

I’ve loved learning about the journeys of the likes of Susan Wojcicki, Annie Easley, Mary Jackson and loads more. Make sure to go and check them out on our blog and sign up to our newsletter for the future ones (sign up form below)!