With a goal of empowering women and allies through insight and experience sharing, and the philosophy that everyone has something to both learn and teach, CapTech’s Women@CapTech Employee Resource Group (ERG) hosted “Womentorship” to celebrate March as Women’s History Month. In its second year, the five-week program brought together over 80 participants, as “Womentors” and “Womentees,” with mentor-led meetings to foster relationships, share advice, and build a supportive network of empowered CapTechers.
Womentorship offered a well-rounded theme of navigating life as a professional woman. In a safe space to discuss challenges, personal and professional experiences and, sometimes, the uncertainty that creeps in, mentors and mentees weren’t afraid to “get real” about their own hurdles and how they’re working to be their best, give themselves some grace, and find their tribe of encouraging women. Each week in March, mentors presented sessions on advocating for yourself by being your own biggest cheerleader, leaning in to working mom life, staying true to yourself, and discovering your own core values. With women often facing bias, discrimination, and inequality in the workplace, self-doubt and imposter syndrome are challenges many professional women experience. Talking openly and honestly about these obstacles is one way women can start to overcome them.
As a newer hire with less than six months under my belt in my role, I was excited to join as a mentee to meet more women colleagues; what I got out of the program, however, was so much more valuable. It was refreshing to hear from women leaders as they shared stories of difficulties they’ve faced and, equally important, their successes and accomplishments. As a recruitment marketer, I know the stats around women feeling the need to check every job ad qualification box before they’ll apply for a role, the numbers around the gender pay gap, and the sharp void of women in leadership roles. As a new hire and a woman, I was encouraged to know I’m not alone in my experiences, and there is a powerful community of women who take steps big and small every day to change the workplace for the better for us all.
At CapTech, we’re fortunate to have an ERG dedicated to the interest of women and company core values driving everything we do. After the opportunity to be a part of Womentorship, I’m surer than ever that I’m working with an incredible group of women who will help me flourish here. Thank you to the women that created the program, and to all the women who gladly signed up for the vulnerability that came with each session. I’m personally looking forward to learning more from my new tribe of CapTech allies!