How did you get that job?

How did you get that job? - Series 2

How Did You Get That Job? - Series 2 is the Hays podcast which explores the secrets of career success through insightful conversations with tech leaders at the top of their game.

Join Shaun Cheatham, Chief Sales Officer at Hays, as he speaks to those who have the coolest tech jobs making a difference to the way we live our lives.

Latest Episode

S2 E10: Pursuing a career in security with Julie Pearl Matira (CyberQ)

To celebrate Cyber Security Awareness Month we meet Julie Pearl Matira, who is the SOC Manager for the CyberQ Group. Based in the Philippines, Julie is someone who has dedicated her life to the security industry to succeed in a difficult environment. She joins Shaun on the podcast to tell us about the tech environment in the Philippines, the certifications she gained (and the advantages which these have given her) and gives a checkered account of her successful career to date. We also touch upon experiences as a woman in the tech industry, what being a leader has taught her about herself and we gaze into the future to understand how the SOC role is going to change and develop.

S2 E9: Changing career path to “Tech for Good” with Seun Akindele (CALM)

Campaign Against Living Miserably (aka CALM) is a UK charity helping those struggling with their mental health, ultimately in order to prevent suicides. Their Head of Data & Innovation is Seun Akindele, and she joins Shaun as the guest in this episode. She talks about her background outside of tech, and how she brings the skills and experience from her early career to tech in the charity sector. We also look at regulations, innovation in tech and its implications, and ultimately what is needed to join a team like Seun’s.

S2 E8: Embedding sustainability into technology with Ellen Wu (Manulife)

In this episode we spend time with Ellen Wu, the CIO of Manulife China (or Manulife- SInochem), the JV in China. She shares how working on a UN think tank opened her eyes to the opportunity and responsibility which the technology industry has around sustainability. Ever since it has become a passion project of hers to learn and help influence those around her into more sustainable practice.

Other guests we’ve had in the series have mostly come to technology via a non-traditional career path. Ellen, however, studied for a Data Science degree and in this episode she talks about how she felt that it gave her that immediate connection with the colleagues around her and enabled her to accelerate her career. We discuss other popular topics, like recruiting for roles within her team and why people should choose a career in tech, and also delve into her experiences of being a woman in technology in China, about which she shares a very funny story.

Bonus Episode: Mentorship – the foundations for a successful career in tech

This is a special episode dedicated to mentorship and how it can help your career. Since starting this podcast and talking to successful tech leaders, mentorship has always been a topic which has been spoken about glowingly. This episode looks back on these moments and we also chat with Thea Watson, Global Customer Experience Manager at Hays. She talks about what to look for in a mentor, what can consist in a mentorship programme and tips on how to measure success.

We have recently released the Learning Mindset Report 2022, where we have surveyed 20,000 workers and employers to discover their Attitude, Aptitude and Availability to learning new skills. This touches upon mentorship too and some analysis on the results found are in this podcast. You can read the report in full here.

S2 E7: Defining and delivering success for clients with John deCraen (Kroll)

In this episode we meet John deCraen. He is the Associate Managing Director for Cyber at Kroll, a consultancy organisation who, among their services, offer digital investigations and incident response. John speaks about the daily challenges he faces, how he helps clients to protect themselves against attacks and his career experiences with digital forensics.

Presenter, Shaun Cheatham, speaks in more depth with John about his career and how he had a later start than those around him, and how hard work was the one thing which helped accelerate his career. In this episode he shares with us what he looks for in potential team members, with plenty of tips for you.

S2 E6: Growing a tech company from local to global with Dave Messenger (LianLian)

The guest in this episode is Dave Messenger. He’s the Executive Chairman of LianLian, a Chinese-born FinTech company he’s helping to go global. Dave discusses starting his career as an apprentice chef, before training to become an engineer and later venturing into leadership positions at Virgin Mobile and American Express.

Shaun asks Dave about mentorship and its influence on his career, as well as his observations around diversity. We also land upon the topic of failure, which is something Dave looks for when recruiting as a sign the individual has put themselves out there and ultimately had to bounce back.

S2 E5: Tech in the Public sector with Tariq Khan (Camden Council)

Shaun is joined in this episode by Tariq Khan, the Chief Digital & Information Officer at Camden Council, who started his career working for big multinational organisations before he decided to take up a role with Camden Council to help implement social change.

He shares his thoughts on why being a team leader is more like being a head gardener, how to gain trust when collecting data that can help others and the differences in approach between the private and public sectors.

S2 E4: The journey to CIO with Ivan Woo (Qi Group)

In this episode Shaun is joined by Ivan Woo, who is the Chief Information Officer at the Qi Group. Ivan started his tech career as a programmer and he talks about his passion for working hard and facing challenges which has helped unlock doors for him along the way. Ivan also shares that one of his biggest inspirations is the book ‘What Got You Here Won’t Get You There’ by Marshall Goldsmith.

S2 E3: Speaking to Techies and Investors with Angie Zhu (Microsoft)

In this episode we meet Angie Zhu who is the General Manager of AI & IoT Innovation Labs at Microsoft. In her career she has led over 100 innovation projects which have included autonomous cars, healthcare and retail.

Learn more about her non-traditional career path from the finance industry to technology, and hear advice on how to communicate with different stakeholders, including techies, investors and management.