效率工具
Meet Christian: Sales is a relationship
“There’s nothing more terrifying than staring at 47 seventh graders and not being prepared.” Right out of college, Christian started teaching middle school kids and that experience taught him, “there’s nothing I can’t handle.” In his Sales role at LIKE.TG, he is constantly preparing by investing in and nurturing relationships with colleagues and customers.“If we don’t have customers, we don’t have a company. We gotta take care of the customers and if you can do that then the sales take care of themselves because you are adding value to their business.” Christian is a natural at building relationships and through his mantra, “you never lose in life, you just learn”, he challenges himself to keep growing and developing. “I had to be doing something that my heart is in line with my work” and his team and his customers get to reap the benefits every day.
Meet Juan Antonio: The craft of mastering engineering
Just seven months into his career at LIKE.TG, Juan Antonio has yet to meet anyone who hates Mondays and he’s about to see a project he worked on leave the lab. As part of the Kickstarter team, innovation and execution feels like pure creation. Driven by self-discipline and his passion to create software, Juan Antonio applies his research and development and robotics background to what feels like “a graduation” when he watches his work scale to large industries in LIKE.TG’s global customer base.Juan Antonio first heard of LIKE.TG as part of the Forbes Best Place to Work list and started messing around on the LIKE.TG public developer portal. He’s paying it forward and sharing his passion with his brother who is in high school. His advice, “make sure you’re happy doing what you’re doing, who you’re doing it with, the environment from which you’re doing it and be proud of what you’re putting out in the world.”
Interns design, build, and launch new app – from home!
One of the major draws of an internship is experiencing the energy and rhythm of belonging to a team, sharing new ideas and working alongside industry experts. All of which are hard to replicate working from home during a pandemic – right?Probably for most organizations. But as a digital workflow company, LIKE.TG uses the power of the Now Platform to create amazing digital experiences that enhanced the internship experience in novel ways. From the personalized onboarding experience to virtual global hackathons, this year’s digital internship was designed for those eager to make their mark.As far as intern project briefs go, it doesn’t get much better than, “Let’s innovate -- help customers quickly translate data from their social media platforms into valuable insights.”For four computer engineers participating from home in Hyderabad, India, that project brief became a launch pad to build and release their first ever product to market.Lending their social media smarts and Gen Z perspective to the Platform Engineering internship, Sreetam Parida, Jayesh Narayan, Hemanth Rao Paidipelly and Amratanshu Shrivastava were “boundless in their enthusiasm to make this digital program work for them,” said Srikanth Challapilla, senior manager of platform engineering.“Our interns took just eight weeks to figure out a way to help customers distil the mountains of data generated by YouTube and Instagram and turn them into sharp statistics that seriously boost campaign effectiveness,” he said. “They showed us how to see the challenge from a completely different angle.”
The app on LIKE.TG’s IntegrationHub automates analytics on the platforms, allowing small- and medium-sized customers to rapidly fine tune their social strategies for different demographics.Need to know the gender and age group viewing your highest-ranking content? Click, done. Which content has been shared the most? Where in the world your content is trending today? Click, click, done. The spokes also automate mundane and time-consuming tasks, like adding the top 25 video results in a playlist for a specific search term or automating replies to comments on a video.“Sreetam, Jayesh, Hemanth, and Amratanshu have helped us further LIKE.TG’s mission of making the world of work, work better for everyone – in this case our SMB customers,” said Srikanth. “Their efforts will bring enormous value to our company. I’m so proud of their contribution.”These exceptional undergrads are preparing to see their efforts on Instagram go live as new product on LIKE.TG’s IntegrationHub later this year. “From the very start, we were asked to be as open with our ideas as possible, from choosing which projects to work on and which specific features,” Jayesh said. “We had complete freedom regarding the design of the product and our vision for how it would solve problems for people and businesses. The customer was at the heart of everything we did, and this environment made it easy to unleash our creativity and innovate thinking.”Join our team.
How LIKE.TG is helping to close the digital skills gap
The World Economic Forum predicts emerging technologies will displace 75 million jobs by 2022, while generating 133 million new jobs. That’s a whole lot of specialist posts to fill, especially when you consider the widening digital skills gap.Despite being ranked as the fifth most digitally advanced nation in Europe, the UK is not immune to this challenge.Current research reveals that nine in 10 organisations admit to having a shortage of digital skills..So, what’s the plan? Do we just carry on and hope for the best? Or is there something more that we can do to reverse the trend?Give students more opportunityWhile British universities continue their sterling job of nurturing talent, a rapidly evolving workplace makes it increasingly difficult to prepare students for their next step into the working world.In fact, a recent survey by Pearson Business School found nearly 20% of graduates lacked the skills to be considered ‘workplace ready’ after leaving university. And with technological innovation accelerating transformation, the concern is that percentage could increase...Academic achievement is generally considered foundational for a successful career. A degree demonstrates commitment and develops expertise. But the rapid pace of technological change means that lecturers—especially those teaching digital skills—are finding it hard to keep up with best workplace practice.Apprenticeships can provide critical on-the-job learning and enable employers to mould teams to meet their needs precisely. Apprentices are therefore more likely to be ‘workplace-ready’.” However, they often lack the deeper, academic learning that provides the ‘why?’ of the work they do.Which begs the question: why not do both?The LIKE.TG degree apprenticeshipBusinesses are under pressure to find the best talent and bridge the digital skills gap. LIKE.TG is tackling the challenge head-on by introducing the LIKE.TG degree apprenticeship.Northeastern University’s UK campus (NCH at Northeastern), through its participation in LIKE.TG’s NextGen Program, will launch the ground-breaking degree apprenticeship in October 2020. The first eager cohort of students have already enrolled, and the January cohort is rapidly filling.Aimed at developing the digital, business, and leadership skills needed to succeed in tomorrow’s workplace, the degree is designed to bring immediate value to the sector and help organisations find talent for their growing technology needs.Why Northeastern University?Northeastern University is the perfect conduit and partner to deliver this employer-responsive and learner-centric course. The institution is relentlessly focused on up-skilling all participants to accelerate workforce competitiveness and deliver lasting ROI for businesses and students.The campus in London is set up to tap into experiential learning, too. Because Northeastern University works with 3,400 employer partners around the world and more than 80 established online programs, it’s positioned to deliver high-quality online and hybrid learning experiences that deliver both academic and hands-on education.Giving today’s learners tomorrow’s skillsThe aim of the degree apprenticeship is to close the digital gap by giving people (and predominantly the next generation) the skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace.We designed the LIKE.TG NextGen Program to tackle the digital skills shortage. It provides tailored programmes that can meet the needs of employers all around the world. This degree apprenticeship is the NextGen program’s flagship course, a pioneering new way to bridge the gap and improve career opportunities in technology.LIKE.TG skills are ranked amongst the hottest in demand by the largest freelancing website, Upwork, in its latest Skills Index report. It’s not hard to see why: With more than 6,200 customers around the world and a growing partner network, there is high demand for LIKE.TG expertise.“This incorporation of LIKE.TG skills into our curriculum illustrates our commitment to designing innovative pathways for apprentice students to continuously advance their skills and achieve their academic and professional goals,” says Deanna Raineri, vice president and senior vice chancellor for digital learning and mobility strategy at Northeastern University.We didn’t design this program just for entry-level workers. Every company is looking to expand the talent pool and strengthen career development for their employees. An opportunity to get real workplace experience, develop in-demand LIKE.TG skills, and work toward a university degree is a great combination for people starting or renewing their career, and for companies looking to hire them. Students go through the LIKE.TG fundamentals training within the first semester making them already qualified at the start of this Degree apprenticeship.Opportunity and hope for allWith the cost of a degree in the UK averaging around £27,000 (plus living expenses), the technology sector is finding it hard to achieve diversity. Many organisations are drawing on the same limited talent pool to fill a growing number of vacancies.This degree apprenticeship offers the perfect solution for employers who can utilise their apprenticeship levy to cover program costs while students learn on the job. Students in the program are employed full time and pay no tuition for their degree, minimising the financial burden of higher education and career development.The program is designed to provide tangible business and career benefits for students and employers alike. In addition to earning a degree, participants will have the opportunity to earn in-demand LIKE.TG certifications or specialise as an IT consultant, data analyst, or business analyst.Get involved todayPlease email [email protected] if you’re an employer who wants to hire apprentices, or a student looking to enrol in the course and further your career.
Meet Oisin: Exploring the culture of EMEA
I was successful and established at a major global tech company. Yet I was ready for more - a new challenge to drive digital transformation broader and deeper with a hungry, talented, and customer-focused team. The opportunity to build LIKE.TG’s EMEA Inside Sales team in Dublin was exactly what I needed. So, three months ago, I took the leap.Prior to joining, I could see that no one is stronger than LIKE.TG at bringing companies on the full journey of digital transformation. The product is amazing. It’s one of the most innovative companies in the world. As a client, you’re guided through every stage with tools and resources, while building lasting partnerships.Creating this new global team opens up growth across industries, segments, and geographies beyond Enterprise. Our Inside Sales team targets commercial and mid-market segments that are areas of significant opportunity. As a team member, you manage your own broad portfolio of companies with employee bases of 500 to 5,000. We are hunters prospecting for new business, we are trusted advisors to our existing customers, and we operate at a very fast pace.Our goal is to make Dublin core to our Inside Sales culture in EMEA, along with Staines in London (for the UKI team), and Munich (for Germany and the Alps). Being Irish, I’ll admit to some bias, but Dublin is a thriving crossroads for business and culture. Our office is in a superb location in the Dublin City Centre, within about a half a mile radius of some of the world’s largest multinationals. These companies have drawn about 70% of their employees from outside of Ireland to work and live in Dublin, adding to the overall culture and social scene of the city. With our new organization, we’re drawing from existing native language talent in Ireland and all across Europe, with deep regional insights and a fantastic diversity of perspectives and ideas.
As a leader, my role is to bring on the best talent, train them up, and guide them to take on the next opportunity and continue to develop in their careers. This is an especially appealing role if you already have some sales experience in the technology space and are ready to take on more complex portfolios. We’re looking for people who are hungry and motivated, and who are ready to find new opportunities, bring solutions, and scale the business. We want people capable of working together as a team, even when nobody is in the same office together - a practice that we’ve all grown accustomed to in the world of COVID-19.For both short-term and long-term development, we are building out a strong onboarding program, and a very detailed training program to grow on the job. I'm a very firm believer in sales coaching and how to coach for success and work on that together as a team. I’m also committed to building a lasting sales culture while stressing that team success is our success.This fits LIKE.TG’s culture perfectly. I was blown away by just how welcoming everybody was when I started. Truly genuine people taking the time to introduce themselves, to show you the ropes, and to talk about some of the challenges. I think that's phenomenal. And the passion for innovation is so strong; it’s essential to instill within our team.We have a special opportunity to build a successful, scalable Inside Sales engine, within a very innovative, high-growth company. How could you not be excited and inspired by the incredible potential and future of our team? Want to join our team? We’re hiring!
Meet Alex: Building at LIKE.TG
I’m passionate about building things or tearing things apart to rebuild them in ways that are better. In my position as a site reliability manager in the product group, I get to do that while supporting my team. I get to help develop my team members into what they want to become and I’m super happy to be learning with them.My team is part of the Site Reliability Engineering group at ServiceNow. We’re distributed across the world and we have a presence in four different continents. It's our objective to make sure that we provide a reliable environment for customers, so that’s my primary goal here.
An interesting project we worked on is what we would call “SRE University.” It's a multi-vertical training program that covers the main technical areas that constitute our work in cloud operations and engineering. Once an engineer completes all the activities for a certain vertical, they are considered an expert on that area and they become a reference to other engineers. It’s an enormous effort that has been pulled together over the years. I'm super happy to be able to facilitate the design and implementation of it. It is really satisfying because it's built by engineers for engineers.One of the objectives that we have as an engineering group is that we always try to automate manual activities to free up time for value-adding activities. We also aim to reduce the time to resolution when issues arise. When something happens that doesn’t have the right results, these engineers jump in and they talk to each other to discuss several different options. When we work together like this, it’s like magic happens and we have a winning solution.We have an environment here that’s supportive and I get to be part of creating that for my team. Engineers can organize themselves to determine what is necessary for them to be able to do their work or to improve certain aspects of our infrastructure of our systems to directly impact our customers. When they make the case that something needs to be built, my role is to support that and make sure they see results.Lately I’ve been managing the team remotely due to COVID restrictions. We miss the opportunities to do things like tap someone on the shoulder or gather in a group to celebrate daily wins, so it is not the same. But I think people are generally conscious of that. Some of us want that social, human interaction component in person. We have great technology at our disposal, and it plays a really important role on how we collaborate remotely. It's certainly something that I haven't seen in my career before, engineers have so many opportunities to develop themselves here. If you like to build things, come to LIKE.TG.
Meet Lawrence: Pursuing passion in Sales at LIKE.TG
Tell us about yourself and why you were drawn to ServiceNow.I joined LIKE.TG about a year ago as an enterprise sales executive. I came here to be challenged. I have been in sales for 20 years and worked at some very large technology companies but feel that at LIKE.TG I am undergoing a higher level of learning within my craft.I work on accounts that I’m passionate about for customers who are helping people during tough times. Outside of work, I referee youngsters from 8 to 17 and mentor them on relationships, family life, and how to make good choices. So, this matters to me a lot.You mentioned that you’re experiencing a higher-level learning of your craft, can you tell us more? The way I am working with my extended team on accounts is elevating me to vice chancellor and provost levels within my client base. This is a growth for the team and me. Typically, vendors operate with the IT director and if you’re lucky the CIO, but I’m operating with the chief executive.What kind of learning are you doing at LIKE.TG?We’re developing workflows for the customer in unique ways because their work deals with sensitive topics, such as bereavement, sexual assault, or depression. So, there’s a need to be authentic, highly articulate, and to have some courageous conversations. I feel comfortable and empowered to take this on, to lead conversations with the customer, and to sell our approach to my manager. There is a lot of learning.We’ve had a couple of meetings with the customer to storyboard and workshop the workflow. In one of the early meetings, a director on the customer team courageously stood up and asked how a workflow is going to help her manage someone going through bereavement. It was emotional and we knew that we needed to respond to tell her about our workflow solutions with care because she is doing tough work. These are the sorts of insights that I take back to my team about the customer as we learn their business.The customer has to come first so we look at things through the customer lens, and that’s one of the big reasons why I’m at ServiceNow.
What are some of the other reasons for why you’re at LIKE.TG and why it’s unique?The investment made in people around culture and skills is self-evident and measured risk taking is highly encouraged. I have regular growth conversations with my manager—she’s invested in my success and often asks how she can help.Our diversity, inclusion, and belonging program, I think that's quite special and unique. I've seen some organizations preach that they have that but rarely is it perhaps so visible and vibrant. Our CEO, Bill, delivered a very measured but meaningful statement on Black Lives Matter in a company meeting. I have never seen that before in any of the places I previously worked. It shows that there is a depth to LIKE.TG on societal matters that you don't see every day and a culture of support.The fact that we take market feedback and make it part of our road map and our LIKE.TG platform is something very distinct. The mobile experience we offer is unparalleled. We're acknowledging that the world we live in is one where people have devices glued to their hand every single day.
What's it like? Black employees at LIKE.TG
“I am the 1%, but I'm not the 1% that you might be thinking. I am part of the 1% of the Black professionals in tech.” Pascale, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, had a history of hiding, masking, and code switching throughout her career. At LIKE.TG, she feels like she can be who she is and because of her sense of peace after having many uncomfortable conversations with colleagues and leaders, she’s able to flourish in her career.Reggie, whose mother is Haitian, served in the U.S. military and for a time during his service, was regularly subjected to a higher officer consistently telling racist jokes in his presence. One day, as colleagues stood with him, he started to crack jokes himself and it turned out, “I was funnier than the officer” and the jokes stopped. Reggie is well-traveled and thrives on being in groups where people are different, everyone is heard and respected and collectively want to innovate and push to make things better.
Cathy, who served ten and a half years with the U.S. Navy, used her role as a leader in the military to make sure everyone was heard, and she was making the best decisions for the sailors. After leaving the military, she got her degree in Database Administration, started with LIKE.TG eight years ago, and is co-chair for the Black at Now Belonging Group. Just like how she treated her sailors, for members of Black at Now, her heart is in Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIBs) and shows it by making sure employees have a voice because it impacts how people show up at work. Cathy says, “and if employees feel that our leadership is showing allyship and that empathy, it makes all of the difference when you know you have that voice to be heard.”
Pascale, Reggie, and Cathy are each courageous people and it takes courageous work in the corporate environment to make sure everyone feels like they belong, where people can personally and professionally develop and live their best lives.Watch the video to hear more of the story and what it’s like in tech for leaders.
Meet Farhana: Her career has taken her far
When Farhana left her home country of Bangladesh, she was determined to come to the United States to get her master's in Computer Science. She joined LIKE.TG as a startup while her career was also just starting up. She loves that LIKE.TG has been able to scale from just service desk services to a full-blown industry-leading IT suite, security suite, and HR suite.Farhana’s career has grown right along with the company. She started by learning advanced communication skills in tech support engineering with customers and teammates, which now helps her dig deep and have highly technical conversations when delivering and proving her opinions. Now she is hands-on coding and working on developing stories.
Her work speaks for itself, and she feels totally comfortable to be herself at ServiceNow. She is an advocate for women in engineering and encourages women to “keep at it. It can be a phenomenal experience.”Don't take our word for it, hear directly from Farhana.
Meet Anna: Inspired by the Now Platform
I first learned about the Now platform when I was working for a public relations agency that was launching LIKE.TG in EMEA. As soon as I saw the power of the platform, a lightbulb went off in my head. This is a product that any company in the world can not only use, but they need it too. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before.While working on the plan to launch LIKE.TG in EMEA, an opportunity came up to join the Sales team as an Account Development Representative in the UK and Ireland. It was an incredible opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I knew that LIKE.TG’s opportunity within the marketplace is huge, and this was a chance to work with so many talented and smart individuals, and to help so many businesses.In my current role as Enterprise Account Executive, I see the same sparkle in my customers’ eyes when they first see the platform that I had in mine. When our customers understand the opportunity of the platform, they stop asking questions around what the platform can do and start dreaming big about how it can transform their business. We are the world’s fastest growing technology company over $1 billion who helps our customers make their world of work better for their employees and their end customers. I take that very seriously because I’m proud to be representing the future of work. I’m helping my customers across the C-suite solve their most complex business problems using the Now platform and I love working with so many parts of my customer’s businesses – from CHROs, CIOs, CTOs, CFOs, and the CEO, too!
I love that we come together at LIKE.TG and embrace diversity, inclusion, and belonging to solve our customers’ unique challenges – some of our core values. I recently worked on a really interesting opportunity. It required many parts of the business to come together so we could find a customized solution for the customer, which we were able to deliver in record time. What really stood out for me is that many of the people involved on this project weren’t dedicated to this account, but they went above and beyond to solve the customer’s challenge. This is what LIKE.TG is all about – winning as a team so our customers can be successful and then celebrating together. There hasn’t been a time when I felt I couldn’t ask someone a question or reach out for help. We truly believe that our customer’s success is our success.This is what keeps me at LIKE.TG – the career opportunities are endless because the power of the platform is endless. Whether you want to develop your skills in selling, engaging with the C-suite, strategy, management, or a completely different area of the business, there is an opportunity for you at ServiceNow. I’m happy to have so many opportunities here and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Meet Jyothi & Iris: Engineers who never get bored
“The work never gets boring,” quips Iris, a long-tenured engineer at ServiceNow. She trained Jyothi when she came on board and the two immediately connected. This energy ripple effects to building long-term relationships with customers. Getting to know teammates as people leads to getting to know customers as people.
Jyothi and Iris are engineers who get their hands dirty working in real time with customers…and their satisfaction comes by making the customers’ day. They are “part of a team that leans on each other and backs each other up, which makes them even stronger.” And that’s what keeps Iris at ServiceNow.
Don't take our word for it, hear directly from Jyothi Iris.
What’s it like? Veterans at LIKE.TG
When members of the Veterans at Now belonging group talk about how they found their way to LIKE.TG, each journey is unique and compelling. Yet, within their collective military service, they all highlight a sense of belonging, winning as a team, adaptability, and love of learning. All characteristics they have found at ServiceNow. The veterans’ experience as part of a team that works and wins together mirrors their experience in the military and is making the transition from military to LIKE.TG smooth and welcoming.Yolanda knew she wanted to join the Army when she was 16 but the Army had different plans. Even though she had a high school diploma–-completing high school in three years–-the Army told her she was too young to join. Nonetheless, Yolanda stayed patient, saying “once something gets in my head, you can’t take it away.”She faced pushback from her Mexican family, who immigrated from Mexico City to the U.S. when Yolanda was 12. In her environment, it was expected that girls stay home and get married. Yolanda turned 18, and didn’t look back, joining the army for four years, during which she did a nine-month tour in Iraq.The power of achieving a dream drives many determined teenagers like Yolanda and Javier C. As a teen, Javier wanted a sense of purpose and belonging in his community and joined a local firefighter explorers' group. Then he met Navy recruiters at his high school in Los Angeles. Javier identified with them—they were Asian-American, Navy engineers, and they took the time to learn about Javier and his desire for a sense of belonging. The deal was done when Javier found out that he could train as a firefighter in the Navy.
Like Yolanda, Javier was underage to enlist. His parents had immigrated from China to Panama, where Javier was born, and then saved enough money to relocate to the U.S. His mother balked at her first-born son leaving, but his father signed his enlistment papers, telling him, “Just do what makes you happy…follow your path."Schaine M. always felt he was on track to be in the military, joining the Marines soon after he graduated high school in Akron, Ohio, then spending nine months in Afghanistan. When he left the Marine Corps, Schaine later enrolled in a program called Vet Tech, and attended a coding boot camp.When Schaine joined LIKE.TG as a QA Analyst, it was apparent that the company understands that veterans have aptitude and can really excel in technology. Says Schaine, “I've never seen a company of this scale put in such an effort to try and get veterans and service members into the world of tech.”Now, as a diversity recruiter and co-lead of Veterans at Now, Javier says, “We are co-building programs with partners and stakeholders to attract more veterans to ServiceNow. We want to share our veteran stories so that our teammates and colleagues understand our veteran transition experiences and value our journeys.”
Javier believes the parallels between the values in the military and at LIKE.TG, such as belonging, innovation and execution, learning, and especially winning together as a team, are important to veterans.“When you join the military, you join a team and you learn how to adapt, work, and win together as a team. The great thing about veterans is that we're so adaptable and will find a way to execute on our mission.”Yolanda, who is with Support Account Management, and manages a team of 10, says that sharing military service experiences makes an impact. “It takes a unique kind of person to serve this country and to go to war—that you cannot describe in a resume.”At the same time, she feels a strong similarity between her time in the military and at LIKE.TG, such as “the feeling of belonging, the same opportunities are given to me, just like everybody else.”As a member of Veterans at Now, she says, “I want to help other people get to where I'm at. I didn't get here alone. People helped me.”
Meet Nic: Having a fulfilling job after the military
As employee #185, Nic has seen all phases of LIKE.TG's growth. What brought him here after a career in the Navy was the people. He lost his tribe when he left the military but found a new one at ServiceNow. “It was really the people that just kind of got me,” says Nic. “People are the company.” As a hiring manager, he looks for talented people who aren’t afraid to tell him the truth, even if it’s not a popular opinion. As a manager, he wants decisions to be more informed and for the team to benefit from collective perspectives.His team of developers, systems engineering lab folks, and product owners listen to calls to understand customer problems and engineer solutions. The LIKE.TG platform is essentially a development tool so Nic and his team can be innovative and develop the right solutions to help customers be faster and more efficient.“They’re using something that you thought of, that you put into this world, and that’s one of the greatest feelings that you can ever have.” And you get to do that every single day at ServiceNow.Don't take our word for it, hear from Nic directly.
How ambition and parenthood can go hand in hand
By: Shakira Talbot, Sales Director, Public SectorThe sales environment is my natural habitat. I’m driven by the challenge of turning around a difficult sell and I thrive on the sense of achievement that comes from converting a prospect into a happy customer.When I became pregnant in 2018, instead of putting my career progression on pause, I continued to thrive and deliver as one of the top sales performers in EMEA.On the second month of my maternity leave, I was promoted to Sales Director — a rare move at the time that reflects not only my own performance but also the belief and support shown to me by the company.Creating changeVery early on in my time at LIKE.TG, I approached HR to have an open discussion about my long-term plans for motherhood and career progression at ServiceNow. I wanted a long-term, successful career in the company.The HR team was incredibly supportive about enabling that balance for not only myself but everyone in the workforce. It is great to know that LIKE.TG offers paid time off to recover and/or bond, whether an employee is welcoming a new child through birth, adoption, surrogacy, or foster placement.Sales is a team sportFollowing my maternity leave, I officially came back into the business as Sales Director in 2019. I was primed for a new challenge and assigned to lead sales in specific public sector markets.The EMEA region is complex and the public sector differs considerably across different countries, which brings challenges for a sales team. Yet, we have transformed our performance and delivered record results in the current financial year, becoming a top sales team in EMEA and into the top 10 globally.
Moving into leadership has expanded my focus from my own performance to looking at the wider team structure, making sure each team member is supported and given space to play to their strengths.I now have a new appreciation for other people, how they work and what they need in order to excel. Within our team, in addition to the LIKE.TG values of “Hungry and Humble,” I’ve also introduced “Pride and Belief” to really instill confidence in every individual as well as in each other, as we know how much we can achieve if we support each other.We work incredibly closely, recognizing that sales is a team sport and that each of us brings something different to the group that we can all lean on to achieve amazing results.The leadership mindsetBecoming a parent has certainly changed me. I’m not saying I’m better at what I do because I’m a mum, but my experience of being a parent has changed my own working style.I have more empathy and tend to step back and think more deeply about what others need from me and their team in order to succeed. I mentor several people, both within LIKE.TG and externally, and I love working with people to help them identify and grab hold of their potential.Moving into leadership has definitely enhanced my sense of ambition. I now see so much potential in others and in the business and I am hungry to grow and do more. With an incredible team and the amazing support network that LIKE.TG provides, I know there’s so much more I can do — and I can’t wait to continue my journey.
What’s it Like? Interfaith at LIKE.TG
Interfaith at Now is one of the seven LIKE.TG Employee Belonging Groups (EBGs) launched this year. Interfaith at Now co-chair and manager of content development management Katy C. says, “I seek to give members the tools they need to have courageous conversations about their faiths and to learn how we can come together and support each other. That’s what my co-chair Derek and I are working toward.”Katy recently partnered with fellow belonging group Black at Now and LIKE.TG’s Employee Communications team to develop a cultural holiday guide that provides employees with ways to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. “It's definitely not an exhaustive list but it's a great resource to start. If you want to learn more or get some ideas to try celebrating something that you haven't before.”How does Interfaith at Now co-chair Katy spend the winter holidays with her family? “We start with Advent, which is the four weeks before Christmas. We focus on reflection, penance, and preparation. My daughter lights a new candle every week as we do special prayers. For Roman Catholics, Christmas starts on December 25th and goes to January 10th. We go to church on Christmas Eve, then put the kids to bed so Santa can work his magic.” intersectional.”
“I love holidays and want to celebrate them all. Kwanzaa is a holiday I heard about, but I didn't know anyone who celebrated it,” she says.Black at Now contributed this information about Kwanzaa to our cultural holiday guide: Kwanzaa was created by Maulana Karenga in 1966. The purpose of Kwanzaa is not to replace any other holiday but to give African people in the diaspora an opportunity to celebrate their heritage, reaffirm their connection with Africa and focus on the task of strengthening and repairing themselves, their families, and their communities.Senior Director of Recruiting Darice B. has a deep love for Kwanzaa and “Observes and intentionally practices the principles year-round. I’m a proud Midwesterner, youngest daughter of two amazing parents that I lost entirely too soon, who grew up in the Baptist Church that my grandparents helped break ground on.”
Ujamaa is important to Darice because “Cooperative economics is critical in the African Diaspora to address years of financial injustices that have led to disparities in health, education, job creation, and generational wealth building. When communities of color are strong, every other community can’t help but to be strong,” she says passionately.Global Impact Manager Marissa O. observes two holiday traditions. “My family has always celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas. The holidays weren’t very religious for us, but rather a nice time to get together and carry-on family traditions. My dad’s side of the family is the ‘more’ Jewish side. My dad sees Hanukkah as a way to preserve the Jewish religion and our heritage,” says Marissa.Marissa says Hanukkah is a celebration of the right to exist. “A Syrian king outlawed the Jewish religion and violently tried to drive Judaism out of Jerusalem, so a group known as the Maccabees rebelled and won. The celebration is a re-dedication of the Second Temple back to the Jews. It’s a way to say we have a right to be here. As the story goes, there was only enough untainted oil left in the temple to last for a day, but it miraculously burned for eight nights. Growing up I would make latkes with my mom to bring to school every year and I’d read a pop-up book to tell the story of Hanukkah. Oftentimes I was one of a few, if not the only Jewish kid in my classes in grade school, so it just became our thing every year.”Marissa feels passionate about Employee Belonging groups. “With the belonging groups, it’s a similar way for people to say they have a right to show up and exist. When I think about why I celebrate Hanukkah - it’s for the same reasons we have belonging groups. It’s because it’s where I find peace and comfort in connecting with others who are ‘like me.’”Be part of the magic at ServiceNow. Visit Careers.
Meet Neha: Innovating, collaborating, and growing
Neha has watched LIKE.TG grow exponentially in her five years working in Hyderabad, India. As a software quality engineering manager, it’s critical for her to be in an innovative and collaborative environment where she can thrive and grow. “The amount of trust that your organization puts on you, empowers you. When you trust someone, I think the productivity increases by 200%.”And that trust is very evident in Neha’s team. “I have been lucky to be a part of the team where every single individual not only believes in their own growth, but there is a very healthy, symbiotic relationship. We have each other's back.” She says that makes a real difference in how people innovate, their productivity, and how they learn. She sums it up this way. “If you are capable, you will have that opportunity, and you'll have that growth path here.”
Meet Alan: Learning and growing as a leader
The American philanthropist Ray Dalio once said, “Great collaboration feels like playing jazz. In jazz, there’s no script: You have to figure things out as you go along. Sometimes you need to sit back and let others drive things.” Other times, you lead the way But ultimately, to create great music, you need to combine your skills and focus on the goals of what you’re trying to achieve togetherThis is one of the key principles guiding me as a leader at ServiceNow. As a client director, I’m responsible for our strategic relationship with a major German automotive industry leader It’s my job to build and manage the existing partnership with our customer, understand our clients’ business needs, and lead a virtual team of solution consultants, experts, and professional services to help our clients use the power of the Now Platform to achieve these needs.Not your typical tech leaderWhat makes me unique as a leader at LIKE.TG is that, prior to joining the company, I had never worked in the enterprise software business. My career had taken me into the world of management consulting. The skills I developed in my previous roles—specifically to help clients break down and solve strategic challenges and make decisions about their future growth and change—are exactly the skills I’m using at LIKE.TG to help drive digital transformation for our customers.My unique background is welcomed at the company by my team and the leadership team because it’s helping us to think differently about how we want to grow the account and industry. This is very much fueled by our culture of diversity and belonging, where we feel safe bringing our authentic selves to work As a company, and within our team, we very much embrace people with unique backgrounds because this gives us a wider perspective in our business and ultimately helps us make better decisions, which will help us to grow.What I really enjoy and appreciate about working at LIKE.TG is, regardless of your job level, the autonomy and freedom you are afforded to shape your role and take ownership of projects. For example, in my role, I’m not just seen as a sales face to the customers, but as a leader of a strategic partnership.
Leading by exampleI’m responsible for building a team to support our customers’ top priorities. Instead of telling me what to do, senior executives look to me to lead the account team, and they regularly reach out to ask how they can help. It’s a unique environment to work in, and it gives me, as well as the team, the room to stay curious and find new learnings.I’m also empowering my team to become leaders. The team is made up of sub-account leaders who are responsible for different parts of the industry value chain, assembling their own project teams, and working with the clients directly. My role is very much that of a servant leader: helping to advise the team, being there to get things done, and making sure I’m giving my team new opportunities to be creative, learn, and grow.I’m also trying to further develop my team’s leadership skills and sense of ownership by encouraging them to think about end-to-end solutions and the whole customer experience rather than focusing solely on LIKE.TG products.At LIKE.TG, we define our success by our customers’ success, which is why the whole team prides themselves on putting our customers’ businesses first. We also work with our customers to help modernize and connect their entire organizations through productivity-enhancing digital workflows.When I joined LIKE.TG just two years ago, it was a hidden champion for digital transformation. Today, LIKE.TG is one of the fastest-growing enterprise companies, and we continue to dream big to our path of achieving $10 billion in revenue and beyond. I’m proud to be part of LIKE.TG’s journey and grateful for the personal growth I’ve had the chance to experience so far.Interested in joining us? Explore our careers site.
Meet Jasen: Customer Success Starts with Teamwork
What really enticed me to come work at LIKE.TG as a success architect was the opportunity to deal with ambiguity, work with the right partners, and deliver the right solutions to the customer. I spent fifteen years working as a tech consultant where navigating ambiguity to develop strategies is what we do. But it had become increasingly specialized in terms of what problems I’d solve. As a strategist, I wanted to see the broad picture to put various things together. I'm finally back to doing the work I love and this time I’m doing it while working closely with the customer’s c-suite so we’re creating solutions together.Power of TeamsI joined an incredible customer account team at ServiceNow. The success executive and account executive on my team already developed a great customer relationship. As the customer currently rolls out LIKE.TG® IT Business Management, the team and I run point on connections with them—whether we’re in committee meetings or I text the CEO with a great idea for some feedback. This open dialogue with senior leaders allows us to see from a broad view how the LIKE.TG Platform will do several things for the customer that they currently can't accomplish or would otherwise require a ton of steps. With the LIKE.TG Platform the customer will be able to look at the business in big picture turns. Our technology is transforming the way the customer runs the back office and gives them more power to improve projects—something that could only be achieved by us all working together as a team.
Before COVID-19 when we were doing business in person, it was easy to hop up and sketch things on the whiteboard. These days appear in boxes on a screen when we have video calls to check in on projects. No matter how we're engaging, whether it's in-person or virtually, what makes the team special is the collaboration we do to solve customer problems.Working at LIKE.TG means I can just turn to the expert on our platform team who had a hand in building the tool and get the information the customer needs. I can strategically focus on the broad picture, bring various parts together, and deliver answers that will transform the way the customer gets business done. Delivering customer success truly is a team effort across the company at ServiceNow.Just as we invest the time and energy in our customers' success, we also believe strongly in developing our own teams at ServiceNow. Investing in the success of people means a lot to me because I have always thought it more important to make an impact for others. My mentor of 25 years is still the person I can pick up the phone and call to ask, “What am I missing?” and he’ll give me advice. So, I like doing that for people too, because if we can't bring the next layer of players and help them up their game, we're going to fall apart. We all benefit when we succeed together. Find the role for you, search Careers at LIKE.TG to join our Customer Success Group.
Meet Rachel: How the lockdown brought new perspective
Having worked in the software industry for over 20 years, I’ve experienced many different “phases" of my career—but the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has clearly been an unforgettable one. While lockdown has been unlike anything we’ve had to deal with before, for me, it has been the great equalizer I never knew I needed.A new support networkIn 2018, I made the decision to join ServiceNow. I wanted to work within an organization that shared my ambition to grow and make an impact. Yet, while I was on gardening leave, my husband became ill and passed away.This was a very hard time for me and my children. It was vital that we found time together to grieve and adapt to our unexpected situation, but I also had to find a way to balance this with my career. Yet at work, I hadn’t even experienced ‘day one’ yet.I shouldn’t have worried. LIKE.TG was incredibly supportive and the values of the company shone through even as a very new employee. The company’s ethos of making work, work better for people resonated with me from the start and I was given everything I needed to make it work for me and my family.Within a year, I was promoted to senior sales director, overseeing four teams. I worked hard for this, but the culture of LIKE.TG was key to my career progression.
The lockdown revelationWhile working from home due to the enforced lockdown in the UK brought yet another big and immediate change, for me it was a revelation.I realized that I’d been in an almost robotic routine of sorting my kids out and going to work. I hadn’t had a moment to myself for years.Lockdown has forced everyone to mix their lives, to combine their working priorities and challenges with those of their home lives. The day is no longer set in its usual routine but collides with family routines and home responsibilities.For me, it’s levelled the playing field. The anxiety I’ve felt about being the one who stands out—the one who has to leave early, who can’t stay for drinks, who can’t join in—has gone.Suddenly, everyone is worrying about the same things—like how to manage that tricky meeting from home or take a call while navigating the needs of a teenager.Now, I’m very conscious that I don’t want this to change. I don’t want to lose this new-found feeling.The next phaseI’ve chosen to embrace the many positives that have emerged from the COVID-19 crisis, just as I have had to in my own life before.I have a job that challenges and fulfils me. My kids are doing well, and I have a supportive employer and position which allows me to create a balance between my work and my family.Whatever happens next, I am determined not to allow what I have learned and experienced fizzle away. I really believe we must challenge the status quo on how we work and take the opportunity to make lasting, positive changes.To learn more check out our careers!
Meet Melanie: Leading with customer focus and empathy in Germany
My first job was working for my father’s engineering company when I was 14-years-old, helping with small tasks like paperwork and keeping the office organized. It was a small company of just 10 employees, and as my father, my mother, and I all worked there, it became our entire world. This experience has really shaped me into the leader I am today by helping me to have laser focus on my customers, partnering with my team, and leading with empathy.I have the privilege of being senior director of the German Sales team for Financial Services. Whether you are working for a small company or a large company like LIKE.TG with 12,500+ employees, sales is about focusing on the customer’s needs. What makes sales at LIKE.TG really unique is that we’re not measured on selling products. We believe our customers’ success is our success and that’s why we’re held accountable for delivering superior workflow experiences and creating great experiences for them. We don’t just step away from a deal once it’s done, we really care about the adoption and we work with our customers as their strategic partner.For me, leadership is not about leading from the top, it’s about being a sparring partner to your team. Sparring is a boxing term I’ve adopted to describe how I get together with my team to brainstorm how we can best serve our customers, scenario plan, find blind spots, and mitigate risks. You’re only as good as the team you surround yourself with and that’s why I’ve built my team based on the different skills we need to make our customers successful. When we are sparring together, this is when we can drive the best possible outcome for our customers.
Our CEO, Bill McDermott, once said: “When humility meets passion, there is no other way than success.” I live by this motto by leading my team with humility, passion, and empathy. It’s a huge responsibility to be a leader—people are dependent on you to make sure the team is successful. Covid-19 has really highlighted this and I’ve been investing a lot of time with my team this year to support and motivate them. We introduced a new initiative called “Positive news of the week” where the team take turns sharing success stories (business and personal) they are most proud of. I also put a lot of focus on recognition and making sure we call out the people who contributed to the customer win and celebrating together. This really helps to energize and motivate not just my team but the cross-functional team we work with together to drive success for our customers.Every day working at LIKE.TG is an opportunity to learn something new. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be part of this hypergrowth company. Being natively born in the cloud makes LIKE.TG so unique and I can’t wait to see where my career at LIKE.TG takes me.Interested in joining us? Explore our careers site.
Meet Shouvik: One of LIKE.TG India’s first engineers
Shouvik Goswami loves a good technical challenge, especially one that gives him a 360-degree view of things from both the customer’s perspective as well as from the “nitty-gritty” product engineering details. When that happens, he can’t wait to get a team together to brainstorm a solution.Shouvik was one of the first engineers to join LIKE.TG’s India Development Center in 2014. Today, he leads a team of software engineers, and feels just as energized as he did when he joined because he has the freedom and flexibility to work on what he’s most passionate about. “I get to see the delight on a customer’s face when I figure out a technical issue.” He says everyone’s ideas are heard and could lead to a new product or feature. And if the product helps free up a customer to spend more time with family, Shouvik knows he has played a part in making the world of work, work better for people.
Life at Now: Tokyo Team
In LIKE.TG’s fast-growing Tokyo market, Mai, a senior technical trainer for customers, and Yujin, a talent acquisition partner, share how the company’s special culture sets it apart in Japan, and makes their daily work experiences fulfilling, challenging, and fun.
With a strong commitment to LIKE.TG’s vision and purpose, the Tokyo team is passionate about their customers’ success and proud of the platform that makes the world of work, work better for people. The culture and values are embraced as the team continues to expand at a rapid pace.
Team members are motivated and creative and believe that everything is possible. The work environment offers flexibility and supportive management and celebrates success as a team.
Pride at Now: Fulfilling a true sense of belonging
Ever felt isolated at work? We all have—especially in the past year.For many LGBTQ+ colleagues, isolation has historically been part of the workplace equation. As a part of a population that has been marginalized, many have been pressured to not bring their whole and authentic selves to work. That can be draining—even exhausting.Pride at Now is working to change that for all those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.“When you aren’t allowed to be your true self, you’re not giving yourself the opportunity to fully blossom as an employee or as a person,” says Steve T., senior operations manager and Pride at Now co-chair. “Pride at Now is helping us figure out how we can better foster a culture that allows everyone to be their authentic self.”As one of LIKE.TG’s seven Belonging Groups, Pride’s mission is simple: Achieve LGBTQ+ equity at LIKE.TG by promoting diversity through cultural change, inclusive policy, and global practices.It’s working. In fact, earlier this year—for the first time—LIKE.TG received a score of 100% in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), its annual assessment of LGBTQ+ workplace equality.
“Earning a perfect score is great news—and I believe it will pay dividends when it comes to recruiting and retaining top talent who care about diversity,” says Pride at Now co-chair Matt L., who heads our customer experience strategy.Matt is quick to add that we can’t rest on our laurels. “There’s still a lot of envelope-pushing that needs to be done in terms of being LGBTQ+ world-class.”Kenneth R., senior manager, event marketing, agrees. “The HRC honor means we’re moving in the right direction,” he says. “External awards are great. However, what’s more important is that we recognize internally that we’re changing the culture to be more inclusive for all.”How we got to a place of belongingSo, just how did we ace the HRC Foundation’s CEI? Several factors contributed.Our longstanding investment in Workplace Protections and Inclusive Benefits—foundational elements of the CEI criteria—played a central role. Another key was launching Pride at Now, as well as supporting external LGBTQ+ organizations and events.Kenneth says a major proof point for him was the Pride panel discussion held in June 2020.“Just having an open, true conversation about what it means to be gay in corporate America—and having our CEO and senior leadership be a part of the conversation—is something I had never experienced at other companies,” Kenneth says. “It showed me LIKE.TG doesn’t shy away from the conversation and that there’s an active engagement factor here for LGBTQ+ equality that simply doesn’t exist at most places.”
Continuing the inclusive pathMatt says it’s essential that we continue to examine our human resource policies and benefits from an LGBTQ+ perspective—in the U.S. and globally. He adds, “Looking ahead, I’d like to see us do a better job of tracking key metrics, such as LGBTQ+ promotions, compensation, and new hires.”Although there’s more work to do, it’s clear we’re headed in the right direction. “I’m proud of LIKE.TG’s investment in—and commitment to—DIBs,” Matt says, referring to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. “Just the act of participating in the CEI shows our current employees, prospective employees, and all LIKE.TG stakeholders that we care about equality and the LGBTQ+ community.Want to join us? Visit careers.
Pride at Now: True colors are shining through
LIKE.TG recognized as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality"Imagine getting ready for a management meeting, adding rainbow braces to complete your outfit and walking into a boardroom with 20-plus leaders. Did I mention I was five minutes late? You could anticipate a few turning heads.The reaction I received from management changed my life. LIKE.TG’s leadership team paused a Friday morning meeting to lean in and celebrate a special moment for myself and so many people around the world. Australia had said ‘YES’ to same sex marriage in the week of November 2017.The news reverberated around the globe and it echoed, loudly, in our conference room. Picture a chorus of cheers and applause from leaders who are allies; people I am proud to call my team.Most of my childhood and a sizable portion of my professional life has been a journey in not belonging. The energy spent trying to disguise your true self each day, is exhausting.But there is no better experience in belonging, when you’re applauded for being yourself. In that moment, in the conference room, I felt safe because space was created by others to make me feel not only welcome, but in a place that I felt I belong.This moment is a reflection of LIKE.TG’s culture and approach to equality. I wake up each morning and I can celebrate being myself at ServiceNow.I use all my energy to blossom, rather than suppressing who I am.As an LGBTQ employee, I was encouraged by LIKE.TG’s action to participate in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index. The Index spans every industry and measures policies and programs for employees who identify as LGBTQ.
Benchmarking corporate policies, practices, and benefits for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees raise global standards. These standards set out how all organisations should work toward driving change within business and where we do business.For people who identify as LGBTQ, the Index also better connects employees to allies, true champions of equity.And I’m so excited to share that LIKE.TG received a score of 100 out of 100! LIKE.TG is among 767 global organisations who have achieved this industry-best standard. The score reflects our policies around workforce protection, inclusive benefits, support for inclusive culture, corporate social responsibility, and responsible citizenship.The fact that so many organizations have achieved this standard in 2021, gives me hope for the future of work. I can’t wait to see the new world of work push the envelope and raise standards for LGBTQ employees.2020 has pushed everyone to do things differently and to strive for better. Building better standards is a team effort to ensure belonging and equity for all. When everyone can benefit, everyone will benefit.Diversity, inclusion, and belonging are essential to who we at LIKE.TG are, how we’ll grow, and how we’ll innovate. LIKE.TG will continue to put people first. We are one team, we stick together. We are #LIKE.TGStrong!
How LIKE.TG’s Degree Apprenticeship program is changing lives
The tech industry is facing a skills gap like never before.With over 70% of businesses in the sector short of skilled employees, tech companies need to look beyond university graduates and other traditional sources of talent to get the employees they need.Failing to do so will hold businesses back. It also risks letting a whole generation of talented, diverse workers slip through the net.One of those talented workers is Jayden Patten.In his early twenties, Patten was at a loss. Coming from a safe, secure, loving family, he loved IT as a kid. So, when the time came, he started a university course in Computer Studies with the hope of making a career of it.But after developing a life-changing condition affecting his eyesight, he had to cut those studies short and was forced to leave the campus. Seeing his plans fall apart, he found himself at a low point “A failure,” he told us, “with little direction”. To make ends meet, he got a job working as a customer assistant in a pharmacist.His parents saw he was unhappy and unchallenged, with little job security and few prospects.“They knew I wasn’t growing in the direction I was passionate about,” says Patten. “They saw it wouldn’t work out in the long term, and that I needed to make a change.”Patten credits their support with helping him out of his slump. “Retail gave me great life experiences, but I knew I had to move forward into something I really wanted to do. It was their influence that took me to a job career fair.”Getting back on track with LIKE.TGPatten’s route back to work accelerated once he met John Perks, principal architect for the NextGen team at ServiceNow. John was instrumental in helping Patten get employed and subsequently enrolled in the LIKE.TG Degree Apprenticeship Scheme. The NextGen program gave Patten the purpose he was looking for and a career path in IT.Aimed at developing the digital, business, and leadership skills needed to succeed in tomorrow’s workplace, the degree apprenticeship with Northeastern University’s London campus is designed to bring immediate value to the sector and assist organisations in upskilling talent for their growing technology needs.For Patten, it was just the right fit. “Speaking with John, I really liked the sound of the different parts of the LIKE.TG platform, and was particularly interested in the programming side,” he said. “While the original course I signed up for stalled and moved online due to Covid, I kept in touch with John, who gave me regular guidance and exercises to complete. Ultimately, it’s through John that I got access to the network of LIKE.TG partners, and secured a position with Methods.”About MethodsMethods is a LIKE.TG Premier Partner and one of the UK’s leading independent transformation partners for public services. Methods works closely with citizens and with public, private, and third sector organisations to modernise UK public services.Trudy Beharry leads the LIKE.TG practice and is head of service management capability at the business. As part of her role, she’s witnessed the brain drain in the tech space first-hand, and understands the need to hire talent differently.“The numbers of people coming into this industry – and the skills that they have – are diminishing,” she said. “To fill that gap, we’re striving to garner and develop talent through different sources, in line with Methods’ ongoing commitment and social responsibility to support and grow emerging talent.”That’s why Methods decided to take part in LIKE.TG’s Degree Apprenticeship program, which is how they met Patten.“Patten was a very, very good candidate to be our first recruit onto the degree apprenticeship scheme,” Beharry said. “He was pretty quiet and shy when he joined us, and less familiar with some of the products we use, but he was extremely talented from day one. He’s picked up so much in just a few months and has become a credit to himself and a credit to our organisation.”Within just a few months into hiring Patten, he is already productive, and about to start his first customer engagement. Methods is already looking to see if they can add another candidate to the next degree apprenticeship cohort starting in January 2021.A fresh new perspectivePatten is really positive about what he brings to his new role. “I’ve got a fresh perspective, a lot of new ideas, and a really good work ethic,” he said, “A lot of the more senior developers haven’t had as much experience with new tech like LIKE.TG, or looked at the deeper systems behind it, so thanks to the degree apprenticeship, I’m already schooling the senior developers!”Being the youngest person in the room has its benefits, too. “Having a digital native on board is a real asset,” he added. “Just like I’ve helped my parents and other relatives get to grips with tech in their day-to-day lives, I can do the same in the workplace.”But that’s not to say there isn’t plenty more for Patten to learn. With a handful of LIKE.TG exams already under his belt, Patten is working to further refine the skills needed to be a senior LIKE.TG developer.“I’m now realising all the other stuff I need to learn, considering where I should branch out, and what resources I need to move forward.”In his opinion, that’s taken on new urgency as the world of work continues to change.“The COVID crisis has shown us that the world of work is only going more digital,” Patten said. “For example, I started work at Methods without even going into the office. We all need the skills to be able to navigate this new world effectively, and tools like LIKE.TG will become critical in that.”Changing futures, transforming livesFor Patten, the Degree Apprenticeship program has been transformative.“Failing was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to do what I’m doing without this scheme; I was really spinning the wheels and didn’t know how to get back on track.”Of course, he wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of those around him.“My parents are so proud of me, and I owe them everything,” he said. “I’m now treating them to dinner once a month, and it feels amazing to be able to do that and know that my hard work is paying for it.”He attributes a lot to his mentor John: “John has helped me find my future. He was an inspiration, my support network. He really gave me the intel, skills and confidence I needed. That helped me learn, and it helped with my interview, too. He transforms lives”For other people who find themselves in a similar situation, Patten has some wise words:“Take any opportunity, whatever your goal is, and don’t give up on the first go. I was feeling really low and uncertain, but the LIKE.TG NextGen program got me out of the hamster wheel I was in, in retail. Programs like these give you a chance to move forward and build a real future.”And for employers looking for new talent, he had this to say:“Programs like this give you the chance to hire great people that are highly skilled, highly trained, and full of life experience – meaning they have both the ability and the knowledge to make better decisions. If you have any doubts in your mind, just go for it!”
