At Search + Gather we just finished celebrating International Women’s Week (see our insta at @SearchGather for some pictures of the amazing women on our team)! The S+G team is 55% women, a stat that includes the leadership team, which is 50% women. So quite literally, without the talented women on our team we (like the rest of the world) couldn’t do what we do!
We wanted to wrap up the week by speaking with members of our leadership team (the wonderful Amanda Nguyen, Natalie Gaskin, Amy Deschamps) in order to give you some of the mentorship and guidance that we benefit from as a team daily.
Nat: I’ve been incredibly lucky to have female mentors growing up, but I’ve still faced gender bias, particularly early on in my career. It was mainly micro-aggressions, such as having my ideas ignored or sidelined and receiving inappropriate comments about my age or appearance. While addressing the issue calmly and explaining the harm caused by such actions was important to address, also reminding myself of my worth and inner strength as a woman proved to be a powerful tool.
Amy: I definitely have, but I felt it more as a young woman earlier on my career. There were instances where I got talked over as if my opinion didn’t matter, or my knowledge was overlooked by others that were in a more senior position even if I was the expert. As much as I don’t like conflict, these were instances where it wasn’t intentional on their side and more so how they communicated. Therefore, there was value in having direct one-on-one conversations with how I received their actions and ways that they should be more mindful going forward.
Amanda: Gender bias and discrimination against women in the workplace are pervasive issues that are absolutely challenging to handle – and I unfortunately have experienced many earlier in my career. However, I’m grateful that I grew up in an era and with a support system that has instilled in me a deep awareness of these issues at a very young age, and because of that, I have been able to fearlessly advocate for women by continuing to embrace my identity with unapologetic conviction.
Nat: Having gender parity within our team shows that we value everyone’s contribution and believe that balanced representation leads to better decision-making and output. We’re committed to creating a fair and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and help us succeed, and that includes diversity across all aspects.
Amy: To me, I think gender parity is about representation, but also embodied in the culture of thinking in an organization. Everyone has their own unique experiences which dictate how they interact and operate as a person, and I think we work really hard to cultivate an environment where everyone, regardless of their gender, feels that they have a place to voice their opinions.
Amanda: Our team has always embraced diversity in all its dimensions – gender, culture, beliefs, experiences, and ways of thinking. We recognize that equity, representation, and parity among our leadership is essential to fostering an environment that allows for boundless creativity, innovation, and problem-solving potential. I take great pride in the fact that our leadership team embodies this practice very organically.
Nat: Having a mentor or a supportive network who understands your personal and professional goals is invaluable when it comes to advocating for yourself in your career. Beyond external support, your own willingness to be challenged, learn, and grow is crucial to succeeding in digital marketing or any other industry you choose to go into.
Amy: I find this a tough question because I think it depends on who they have to advocate to. A strong manager that believes in you is completely different from interacting with someone that doesn’t already understand and acknowledge your value. If they’re a strong direct report and care about you, then I think you should advocate for the areas that you find to be the most interesting and fun to work on, that you want to learn and grow into, and really make it clear what brings you the most enjoyment from your role. If they’re on the other end and don’t value you, then it comes down to tracking your value and sharing that with them in a way that they can’t negate.
Holistically though, I personally think that regardless of the industry, people can differentiate themselves by being proactive with finding business gaps and areas of need, and finding ways to either use their skills to fill those gaps, or learn how to. From a Digital Marketing perspective, there are so many different aspects of digital marketing that as a first step I’d recommend you find the aspect that aligns the most with your interests and pursue that as much as you can. Whether it’s analytics, creative, content, digital marketing is an industry where you can find your place.
Amanda: Our team has always embraced diversity in all its dimensions – gender, culture, beliefs, experiences, and ways of thinking. We recognize that equity, representation, and parity among our leadership is essential to fostering an environment that allows for boundless creativity, innovation, and problem-solving potential. I take great pride in the fact that our leadership team embodies this practice very organically.
Amanda: Believe that your ambition can still be limitless, even in the face of adversity. And recognize that any discrimination you are challenged by is not a reflection of you and your value, but rather a problem of those who perpetrate it.
From speaking to the women in our leadership team, it’s clear they all experienced bias, especially at the beginning of their careers. However, they leaned on mentors as well as their own convictions and belief in themselves to grow and become successful in their career. As a career, Digital Marketing is dynamic, challenging, constantly innovating, and results are data-centric measurable. If you believe in yourself and focus on growing your skills to be the best at what you do, the results will speak for themselves.
Search + Gather is a digital marketing agency that specializes in PPC. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you are looking for affordable help with Paid Search, Paid Social, or Online Conversion.
