Splunk Returnship Event Highlights

Recently, during the Women Back to Work/Splunk Returnship Event, members of the Splunk team joined us to share why Splunk is creating pathways for returners to re-enter to the workforce after a career gap.

Women Back to Work Founder, Sonu Ratra, opened the event by introducing Grant Bassett, Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition at Splunk. Grant shared the story of his parents. His father was a passionate educator whose life-long mission was to create and provide equal access to learning, especially to those who had limited access to an education. And also his mother, who left the workforce for 10 years to raise and educate her two children.

According to Grant, his father’s “anytime access” to learning helped many people who needed it while his mother’s successful return to the workforce after a 10-year career break was made possible through the availability of programs that helped returners.

“So, I got to see these two really critical components,” Grant emphasized, “access and program support.” He then commended the entire team’s efforts to match opportunities with people, thus creating access, with the help of partners like WBW and managed service provider PRO Unlimited, who offer programs and partnerships to push boundaries and challenge the status quo.

The event proceeded next with the introduction of Kevin Akeroyd, CEO at PRO Unlimited. Sonu made a special acknowledgment that Kevin committed to attending the event within 45 seconds of receiving the invite. “This is the kind of commitment that helps move mountains,” stated Sonu.

Kevin, who grew up in a very rural Midwest environment, shared his childhood experience with racial prejudice and injustice. His mother raised a family of five after being widowed early in life. And his sister was a returner herself after being unemployed for 5 years. Kevin then explained how helping to alleviate ethnic, gender, and career gap issues has been interwoven into the fabric of his family. He told the attendees how, as the CEO of PRO Unlimited, he is proud to be partnering with Splunk to create a significant impact by promoting cultural inclusion and helping women get back into the workforce in the sectors of technology and data analytics.

The Hiring Leadership Panel moderated by Drew Raybuck, Program Manager for PRO Unlimited at Splunk, had Priyanka Mazagaonkar (Engineering Leader), Janet Yu (Engineering Manager), Marc Chipouras (Director of Engineering), Park Kittipatkul (Senior Engineering Manager) as panelists for the session.

The Splunk panelists shared the importance of offering their employees the flexibility they need to do their jobs well. Janet discussed the fun Slack groups and other initiatives that keep teams connected for a better work-life balance.

Priyanka explained how technical assessments are conducted during remote interviewing, what the key technical and non-technical skills are required from returners, and talked about mentorship opportunities for returners.

Park shared what a typical day is like at Splunk and Marc described how data is shaping and evolving many different sectors and how their company envisions using data to create an impact.

Next came the Talent Acquisition panel moderated by Jubal Ince, Sr. Manager, Talent Community and Brand at Splunk. The panel talked about the process that happens once a returner applies for a role. This panel consisted of Karen Miller, Sr. Director, Talent Acquisition, for the product and technology side of Splunk, and Heidi Smith, Principal Recruiter.

Karen shared her personal story on how she took 3 years off from work to live on an island as a single mother, as well as how it made her develop empathy. While Heidi discussed how returners should prepare for their interview and shared some resume tips and best practices.

Advice for Returners from the Event

“Taking a break gives you time to refocus and recalibrate. It teaches you how to be great at something, like being a mother. And when you start managing as a parent, you start having so much respect for people who are going through difficult times. You respect their time and their personal needs. It makes you a great co-worker and a great manager.”

“If you’ve been through a hardship and now you’re going back to work, the empathy you bring is going to be a huge differentiator and even propel you to be a great leader.”

“Once you go up to the highest ranks, what’s the key differentiator? It’s the human element.”

“When returning, think ‘transferable skills’. What did you learn when you took that time off from work that you can transfer and use in your new role?”

“Life is stressful. And after a stressful period or event, people often need to take time off to reset. It’s normal to take some time off for your family or for yourself. It’s becoming more and more acceptable and understood.”

“You don’t have to be a software engineer or techy to get into Splunk. We have finance, HR, program administration, and other fields of expertise.”

“Men will apply for a job only if they meet 60% of the criteria for a role while women typically apply only if they meet close to 100%. You’ll never know on the receiving end if there’s another opportunity or the team’s growing and they see your skills and have a role for you. When in doubt, just apply.”

“That gap is an asset. It’s nothing to be afraid of. A gap in a resume isn’t as big of a deal as it once was.”

How to prepare for interviews:

“Make sure your resume has bullet points and is easy to read.”

“Make sure your cover letter is intentional. Make it clear you’re applying for a certain position and why.”

“Look up the people who’ll interview you if possible. Research Splunk, check out our website, check out our earnings call last August 25, all that stuff is public information. Google Splunk and see what’s going on through some useful information.”

“Really dig in and see how you can bring in value.”

“After the interview, follow up within 24 hours recapping what you’ve learned and anything else you want to add.”

“Speaking on the tech side of the house: Download Splunk. Try our product out. Or talk to someone that has used the product and ask them what their feedback is. It will be a great discussion point during the interview.”

“Make sure your LinkedIn is up to date and that you’re connecting afterward with your interviewer and sending them a thank-you note. That goes a long way. It’s interesting to see it’s a little bit of a lost art now. We just move so fast; we forget to send a little thank you note.”