Pure Storage Return-to-Work Highlights

The WBW | Pure Storage Return-to-Work event was this year’s last virtual job event before the holidays kicked in and was an event that received significant engagement. With every Returnship, the WBW team tries to add something unique to the event to help engage the attendees, and this time we did exactly that.

We started with a formal kick-off where Sonu Ratra, the co-founder of Akraya and founder of WBW, started by welcoming all the returners to the event and in her words – “If you think you’re not ready to return to work yet, let me tell you that showing up is the first step towards returning and you have taken that first step.”

About Pure

Pure Storage is an award-winning, Bay Area employer that has an equally inclusive and nurturing work culture. Their goal is to extend this experience to our returner community through their inaugural Returnship Program in partnership with Woman Back to Work.

Meet the Pure team that is driving this change for a better and a more inclusive workplace:

Alessandra Yockelson, Chief HR Officer
Bill Cerreta, General Manager-Platform Business
Monica Bankston, Head of DEI
Angela Miller, Sr. Director for Global TA and Ops
Anne Cesa Klein, Infrastructure Engineering Lead
Biswajit Mishra, Director of Product Marketing
Huong Lam, Chief of Staff-Platform Business
Aaron Dailey, Engineering Manager
Sindhuja Sundarraman, Engineering Manager
Brian Lancaster, Principal Recruiter

Alessandra Yockelson

Alessandra said that bringing women with career gaps back into the workforce is a cause close to her heart. She shared that she has been involved in empowering women early in her career, such as working for companies that foster similar causes. For her, it’s the right thing to do for the business. To Alessandra, it is transformational professionally and personally. She continued by adding, “Being able to attract and retain diversity in the workforce is beneficial to all. It helps the business attract more customers and it enables people to advance in their own life journey.”

She continued by insisting that companies should view returners based on the skills they have instead of what they might lack. Alessandra believes that every individual has so much to accomplish given the right opportunity. Employers simply need to see beyond the career gap and create opportunities for them.

Alessandra ended her segment with a poll –

The Fireside Chat

In the next segment, Pure’s Sr. Director, Head of Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Monica Bankston, and Bill Cerreta, General Manager-Platform Business took the floor during the Fireside Chat session. Monica asked Bill to share his background and why diversity and inclusion are personally important to him.

As an 8-year veteran of Pure Storage, Bill shared a story when he first joined. He talked about the lack of diversity in the beginning, especially the lack of female hardware engineers in his team. And then he discussed how he searched for ways to diversify the team by introducing more female engineers whom they’d been acquainted with during engineering conferences or recruited from returnship programs.

Monica delightfully shared that she’s just about to celebrate her first anniversary at Pure Storage. With her 25 years of experience in HR and 8 years in DEI, she said she chose this journey with Pure Storage because, as a woman of color, she wanted to make sure that she has a personal hand in advocating for more diverse talents in organizations, one hire at a time. She expressed how individuals at Pure Storage are being developed to become leaders of the future of the organization. Monica herself has been out of the workforce three times due to reasons similar to most returners, and that she understands the community and wants to help.

During the Fireside Chat, Monica expressed how Pure Storage stood out among the companies she was considering when looking for a job last year. She appreciated their transparency and genuineness. She then handed the discussion over to Bill to share some exciting announcements at Pure Storage for those who will be joining their team.

Pure Storage is growing, even during the pandemic.
Pure Storage is shifting to a hybrid work culture (office + WFH).
Pure Storage has great managers who will help you learn the job, connect with people, and become more familiar with the organization.

Your Future @ Pure

The Hiring Manager Panel came next for the “Your Future @ Pure” session. This session was moderated by Brian Lancaster together with Biswajit Mishra, Sindhuja Sundarraman, Huong Lam, and Aaron Dailey.

The entire panel talked about the roles and what their departments are looking for in applicants. They discussed the requirements and specifications, as well as who fit the roles best and their expectations from applicants. They also shared what applicants can expect during the application and interview process.

Brian shared that he always feels that he “has a seat and feels valued” at Pure Storage.
Huong shared that she has two active boys and that Pure Storage perfectly fits into her life as a working mother. She even named Pure as “the best company I’ve ever worked for.”
Aaron told the attendees that Pure Storage is one of the best places he’s ever worked and shared how he strives to create a working environment where women engineers feel welcome.
Sindhuja shared her experience when she interviewed for her role at Pure. She was apologetic about the gap in her work history only to have the manager explain that she should be ashamed of taking time off from her career.
Biswajit shared how grateful he was that his manager took him under her wing when he was just starting out. And that coincidentally, she was a returner herself.
“Fear is just false evidence appearing real. If anybody is feeling that, move past it. Pure Storage is a very safe place.” – Brian Lancaster

As the panel ended, Brian asked the panelists what other values and non-technical things they are looking for in a candidate. Aaron said, “The Pure values. Persistence, owning a problem, creativity, always improving our processes and teamwork.” Sindhuja said, “We do value curiosity and asking questions.”

Finding Your Inner Confidence

Moving forward, Anne Cesa Klein led the “Find Your Inner Confidence” session. She started off by sharing her own elevator pitch. Her pitch was positive and inspiring. It was only after she finished that she shared that her work history was just as non-linear as that of the attendees on the call. The takeaway for the returners was that with a little work, everyone can create a powerful elevator pitch.

“You know more than what you think you can do,” Anne expressed. “Trust in yourself, trust in all of your skills. Believe in yourself and give yourself credit for your transferrable skills.” She continued by saying:

Don’t apologize. Own your mistakes because you’ve learned something from them.
Anne also said applicants should do their research and listen to what hiring managers and executives at Pure Storage were advising.
Anne also advised against sending a generic resume. Applicants should look into what Pure Storage does and tailor their resumes.
Anne advised to never do this alone. “There’s a lot of great resources with Women Back to Work,” Anne said, and then continued, “Make sure you have a mentor and make sure you have a trusted network of friends. This journey is so much easier if you are surrounded by a network of people who care about your success.”

Application, Winner Announcement, and Virtual Coffee Session

Linnet Kwok of Women Back to Work discussed the details of the application and recruitment process for all the returners who are interested in the open roles at Pure Storage. Sonu then announced the three winners of the 30-minute one-on-one resume review with WBW Recruiting Manager Shabana Yasmin.

Then, to close the event, the Pure Storage team conducted an “Ask Me Anything Virtual Coffee Session” which was an extension of the Q&A segment but with LIVE dialogue between returners and the Pure staff.

Other quotes

“Have courage. Fear is natural. But have courage.” – Alessandra Yockelson
“Never forget that you have competence. That you can do things. You are talented already and you have experience. You don’t need to compromise on anything. You have a lot to offer.” – Alessandra Yockelson
“Ask more questions. Curiosity will increase your competence as well.” – Alessandra Yockelson

“3Cs: Courage. Competence (never forget the value you bring). Be curious.” – Alessandra Yockelson
“Most of those who can run a household can certainly do the TPM role.” – Huong Lam on Technical Program Manager
“Be yourself because honestly what we’re looking for is a match and we want to know what you can bring into the table and what we can bring into the table for you.” – Huong Lam
“Don’t hold back. Don’t be afraid. Feel free to express yourself. If you have a good idea, feel free to bring it up both during the application process and once you are part of the team.” – Biswajit Mishra
“Do practice. If you practice, you’ll do well.” – Aaron Dailey
“Gather your concrete data and be clear with what you want. No question is too trivial. Don’t be passive. Show that enthusiasm.” – Sindhuja Sundarraman
“It’s about thinking. We want to figure out how you think, how you show up, and how you communicate. Show up. Be you. You have a voice. Use it.” – Brian Lancaster