WEST is a mentorship community for women and nonbinary software engineers. Founded by a woman engineer, for women engineers, WEST is an independent platform that connects women with a knowledgeable mentor based on their development goals. Find your mentor today.
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Introducing our March Cohort!
Meet the incredible mentees from our March cohort! Interested in learning more about WEST? Check out joinwest.org.
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I Think I Want to Change Careers? (How Do I Figure That Out?) [Video]
Do you ever feel like your job just isn't working out or you might want to try something else? John Cline , Co-Founder & CTO of ShelfLife and WEST mentor, shares a process he uses to diagnose work pain points and how you can take action on them. This talk was given during a WEST community event on career planning. Learn more about our women in tech mentoring program at joinwest.org.
![Know Thyself: 3 Ways to Identify Your Strengths [Video]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58180e88f7e0ab31b49cb69f/1628184683739-CUBHFFXISCKYZ4YI7KEN/Banner_Anagha.png)
A Structured Approach to Business Writing
Have you ever felt reluctant to do something because you didn’t know how to start? How often do you get this feeling when you have to write an important document or email?
Writer’s block is no joke when you are staring at a blank page trying to imagine a complete piece, and it makes the challenge in front of you feel overwhelming. I’ve been there myself, and I have great news for you—overcoming writer’s block is a skill that you can learn, and there are many resources to help you in this process. You just need to find the right tool: one that’s easy to remember and apply in any situation.
Impact your Career through Mentorship
On June 22, WEST partnered with ChickTech to present a virtual panel discussing how women in tech can best leverage mentorship to impact their careers. Our panelists, all former WEST mentees, discussed their mentorship experiences. They shared how their mentor helped them grow their careers in technical roles by developing horizontal skills such as communication, strategic thinking, personal brand, and leadership. The panel discussed the active role they played as mentees in driving the relationship with their mentors as well as tips for how to get the most out of mentorship. The full video of the panel is available on the ChickTech YouTube channel, but here are a few highlights.
WEST Mentorship makes a difference
…and we have the numbers to prove it
WEST completed another successful year of fostering & promoting mentorship for our wonderful community of women in technology in 2018. Read about what our mentees and mentors had to say about the WEST impact on their careers.
WEST’s Impact on Women in Tech in 2017
The results are in! WEST closed out 2017 with 146 mentoring partnerships, coming from over 70 tech companies. Our participants told us at the beginning that although they consider themselves ambitious and want to stay in tech, 15% didn’t believe they would advance in tech, and only 60% felt informed about career options in tech. By the end, 100% feel more prepared to navigate their career in tech!
The Art of Communicating Effectively
Effective Communication is a key skill to becoming a good leader. It is not what you say but how you say it. It is more than just exchanging information. It is about understanding the intentions behind the information and being able to clearly convey a message that makes the other person feel heard and understood.
Building Your Personal Brand: Own your Superpower!
Personal Brand is the new buzzword in career development. It is an ongoing process of establishing an image or impression of yourself in the minds of others. It is what people think about you when you are not in the room. In simple words, it is like establishing a trademark of your personality based on the traits you have developed as a part of creating your vision.
Job Searching? Don't Forget to Assess Team Fit
Recently, I was talking to an engineer who was questioning whether she had made the right choice in a recent job change. She was only a few weeks in, but things weren't quite settling in as she had pictured. Here are the three key questions to keep in mind as you determine your fit for a potential team or role.