We spoke to Natasha Keith, Senior Manager - Tech in Wellington about what International Women's Day means to her and how this is embraced at Robert Walters. Here's what she had to say:

Tell us about your background and  journey at Robert Walters. 

Before starting my first role at Robert Walters, I was working within the admin and tech space, but had always been passionate  about the concept of creating a positive  experience of individuals hunting for jobs, as well as helping them find their dream roles. I was able to pursue this passion when joined Robert Walters eight years ago as a Candidate Manager, from there I’ve had six promotions and I’m currently the Senior Manager of Technology in Wellington. During my progression at Robert Walters, I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to be a part of three incentive trips where I travelled to Vegas, Cambodia and Cancun. In 2018, I won the RSCA ‘Rising Star of The Year Award’.  Additionally, one of my proudest achievements was in 2017 where I ran a hackathon to help young women and men in tech with no commercial experience to support them getting into the industry – with seven of the participants going on to be offered  roles at a large bank. 

What do you enjoy most about your role at Robert Walters? 

I love having the opportunity to work with a variety of different people from all walks of life and knowing at the end of the day we are helping someone reach their full potential and in a lot of instances securing their dream job.

Working for Robert Walters has enabled me to be the master of my own success through the autonomy and trust we are given. I’m proud of working with such talented people who are motivated and passionate about recruitment and helping the people we work with. 

What does #breakthebias mean to you? 

In both my personal and professional opinion, , it means giving everyone an equal chance, being open-minded and not hiring someone based on your own bias. 

How can we #breakthebias in the workplace?

Be consciously openminded when making hiring decisions. Different voices can lead to greatness.  Giving someone a chance, you may not normally, will pay off. In my role, I have been asked to find candidates 10 + years of experience and have found and put forward candidates who have had less experience but are technically able and motivated to learn, and this has been invaluable.

Any advice to other women? 

I have heard from various women in leadership positions that  they feel they were held back or spoken down to due their gender, often feeling they had continuously plead their case more than their male counterparts. My advice to women in leadership inthe tech industry is to stand up for yourself, be heard and know you are equal and . I believe the tech industry is changing and we are working towards removing the stigma of tech being a male dominated industry where womenare underrepresented. As we continue to advocate in this space, women should be proud to speak up and continue to support each other.