Yulia moved to the US with her family almost 3 years ago. She thought that she had everything necessary to find a job: a Master’s Degree in Computer Science and 12 years of relevant experience with international and American companies.
She was born in Azerbaijan, but also lived and worked in Russia and Poland. In each of those countries, Yulia was a minority: a woman working in the male-dominated tech industry. The same holds true in the U.S.: women make up to 47% of the workforce here but hold just 25% of computing jobs.
Yulia never bought into the idea that her gender should hold her back. But when she arrived in the U.S., there was an unlucky coincidence: she had a gap in her work experience due to extended maternity leave, plus the recent immigration. For months, she sent out resume after resume but never heard back. After breaking barriers in other countries, Yulia felt like she’d hit a huge hurdle in the U.S.
Connecting with Upwardly Global was a game-changer. Yulia’s coach helped her rebuild her network and re-format her resume, and after several rounds of interviews, she found herself with not one but THREE job offers!
Yulia has been thankful to have a steady job during the pandemic, and she’s proud to be a woman in tech.