Tech Workshops: Professionalism Panel

We were fortunate to have five stellar representatives from local tech businesses appear on our Professionalism Panel on Friday, May 22, 2015. Mike Stadnisky, CEO of FlowJo, and Jim Teece, CEO of Project A, appeared along with Kathleen Marrs, Product Analyst at MAG Retail and Media, Jason DeShazer, local independent consultant, and Valerie Wilson, Human Resources Manager at BBSI in Grants Pass.

Graduating students were present to hear about a variety of issues that will help them orchestrate a high-tech career.

Comment of the Day: “You don’t learn from your successes!” ~ Kathleen Marrs

Mike Stadnisky shared the top three traits he looks for in a candidate for positions at FlowJo:
1) Technical Excellence
2) Great Communication Skills; both scientific and interpersonal.
3) Be there for the right reason!

Jim Teece encouraged people to: “Fit in (with the company) or do your own thing!”

Valerie Wilson shared that her clients are looking for candidates with core competencies and who have good interpersonal skills and can properly-interact with customers.

Jason DeShazer encouraged individuals to select a company that is aligned with their passion.

One of the more interesting challenges Jim had to deal with was: finding a job for the candidate’s spouse.

Mike stated, and others agreed, that a new hire takes about 90 days to prove themselves and about a year to fit-in, culturally.

Most of the companies represented by the panelists offered educational benefits in the form of paying subscription fees for online training. In addition, most working environments were either informal enough to provide some sort of mentoring during regular hours, and a couple of them had regular gatherings for the dual purposes of getting to know what everyone is doing and helping to solve problems that co-workers have encountered.

All agreed that networking is the primary way to meet or get the attention of individuals who are hiring. BTW, three companies represented at this workshop had positions available.

Volunteering was hailed as an excellent way to meet people who might be able to make a connection with a company that has positions available. Not only is volunteering an opportunity to learn new technical skills, but also provides a setting in which to work with individuals who may not be technically-oriented and learn more about interpersonal communications with teams.

Thanks to all the participants in this excellent forum on Professionalism!