Gabrielle Cortez

I attribute my success to two main things. First, people - and I know that's a cliché answer, but I've found it to ring true. The people in your educational life, like professors and advisors, and the people in your professional life — managers, mentors, connections that you make throughout your various roles — are so important in helping to shape you and guide you along the way. I would not be the professional I am without several key people that have played important roles in my career trajectory, and I'm forever grateful for everything that these people have done for me.

The second thing is leveraging opportunities, which comes from your own intrinsic motivation. Rather than relying on other people or doing only exactly what you're expected to do, I've found that finding new ways to contribute naturally forges a path for skill development and career success. Finding new opportunities within my role and jumping into them headfirst has helped me accelerate my career and create new positions for myself by simply identifying a need and running with it.

I had some great early career advice during my graduate program and have acquired a wealth of professional advice since, but there’s a one-liner I heard as a graduate student that has stuck with me throughout the years: it's your network's job to get you your next job.

I love this phrasing, because it represents the unity and camaraderie among professionals. I’ve experienced the giving end of this, where I’ve personally helped a lot of people with career advice, interview guidance, and referrals. I've also been on the receiving end of this sentiment, where my mentors helped me prepare for job applications/interviews and my professional colleagues submitted referrals or sent my resume directly to hiring managers. These experiences reinforce that one-liner and the value of making genuine connections at work; it’s something I reflect on often.

I would say make connections. It may feel forced and daunting at first, but you can start with the familiar and expand as you get comfortable. For example, I made my first professional connections through my dad. He works at Microsoft, and I would conduct informational interviews with people he works with to understand what they do, their career path, choices they made to get there, and any advice they may have for me.

Whether it's someone your parents know, someone in your college program, or someone you're cold calling on LinkedIn, getting glimpses into professional roles and receiving career-hardened advice is incredibly insightful. I think making genuine connections (and maintaining them!) is one of the best things you can do for your career, especially as a female in tech.

The biggest challenges right now are unsurprisingly regarding AI, specifically the push for professional AI adoption as well as the arms race for creating AI products. First, when using AI in the workplace to take care of mundane tasks or offload repetitive work, it's crucial to find uniquely human ways to contribute and provide human-in-the-loop support. AI-assisted work is a competitive advantage when implemented properly.

Second, the race among tech and AI companies who are all competing to have the best AI products can feel like a pressure cooker. Some competition is good because it forces creative solutions and best-in-class execution, but too much focus on competition can result in quickly shipping risky products.

I think integrity is a big one. I literally work in integrity, so establishing and maintaining products that have integrity would be contradictory if I didn't value integrity myself. That definition of integrity we all grew up hearing — doing the right thing when no one's looking — is so important in staying true to yourself whether at work or otherwise. It’s also a great way to maintain your sanity and feel emotionally grounded during times of stress and change.

I would also say execute with excellence. I pride myself on this and look for it in job candidates. Do tasks to your fullest ability, whether someone is watching you or not (see integrity above). Your fullest ability might be less than 100% some days, and that’s fine too! Pushing yourself too hard for too long is a fast way to burnout.

Approach your work in these ways, and it will naturally build your reputation, facilitate more connections, and lead to long-term success.