Salesforce’s Bring Women Back to Work program was launched in March 2020 to help women in Switzerland get back to work after a career break. Since then, the program has helped to tackle the underrepresentation of women in the technology industry.
Since the program began, K2 University has been working with Salesforce to select and train its participants. Our flexible teaching gives them the skills they need to become Salesforce certified so that they have the chance to restart their career with some of the world’s leading consulting firms.
One of these women is Yolanda Ramiro. Since completing the Bring Women Back to Work program, she has been employed by a leading technology-enabled, customer experience management organization as a CRM Campaign Manager/Project Management Consultant.
We spoke to her about her experience with the Bring Women Back to Work program and her new career:
1. Tell us about your background
I’m originally from Madrid. Instead of starting my career in the technology industry, I worked in Business and Finance in the corporate world for a number of years. I also had the chance to work in the venture capital industry and set up a venture capital business unit in one of the top corporate law firms in Spain and Latin America.
I was always very attracted to the world of technology because the ventures I helped launch in the business unit were related to this industry. So I always found these projects so interesting.
I moved to Switzerland six years ago to work as a strategic marketing and right-hand project manager for the CEO of a listed industrial company. During this time, I worked on several strategic projects; three were on a global scale, relating to the digital transformation, portfolio reorganization, and brand turnaround sphere. I spent two years working on these projects, traveling all over the world.
At this point, I independently joined Salesforce’s Trailhead community to learn important new skills. The company I was working for used Salesforce for some activity, but features such as Marketing Cloud were not yet being used. Then the Covid-19 came, my company went through a restructuring, and I decided to switch to the consultancy world.
2. Why did you choose the Salesforce Bring Women Back to Work program?
When I first heard about the Bring Women Back to Work program I thought it would be a wonderful idea to develop a technology career as a project management consultant and build upon what I had learned in my previous roles.
The Bring Women Back to Work program is a great concept because it unites professional women who have backgrounds in all different kinds of industries. This means we’re able to learn from each other, giving us all the right tools to develop a technology career. I think this is crucial, and hopefully, more women will forge roles in the tech industry and create more and much needed diverse teams. In turn, this will result in more innovation.
3. Describe your experience with K2 University during your time with the Bring Women Back to Work program
The K2 University training was great and very comprehensive. It’s focused on the Salesforce Administration certification so it offers a very good basis for learning.
I was really able to get up to speed with the latest Salesforce skills and knowledge. Gaining a good understanding of one element of Salesforce can be vital when it comes to learning a new concept.
K2 University’s program is compact with 10 days of intensive training, so it’s very well designed for people that have other commitments. This amount of time is perfect for people new to Salesforce, looking to fully grasp the skills and knowledge to get certified.
I successfully finished my training with K2 University in April 2021 and only had one month to digest everything I had learned before I was hired in late May!
4. What skills did you gain and how do you think these will impact your future career?
The work I’m doing with my new company centers a lot around global project management campaigns for our clients. A key component of which is the use of Salesforce Marketing Cloud. The Bring Women Back to Work program was vital in giving me the basis to start using Marketing Cloud effectively.
I think the branding and project management experience I have developed over the last 15 years of my career, coupled with Salesforce skills and knowledge, is a perfect combination. They will help me provide new services to clients.
I still have a lot to learn but every day is a learning curve. I see myself continuing to work in project management and making a difference with global campaigns. The Bring Women Back to Work program has really offered me a lot of opportunities to grow my career in the future.
5. How are you finding your new placement?
The hiring process for my new placement was very straightforward. I had a couple of interviews, and I think that the decision-making process was agile. I was delighted to hear that I had been hired and could start work straight away with a client project as a CRM Campaign Manager/Project Manager Consultant.
It’s been great so far and a pleasure to work in tandem with a new team. It feels good to be managing client projects again, especially in a new industry. I’m really happy at my new company, which gives everyone the space to grow through their learning and development opportunities. It’s a really open culture where everyone is very approachable. I’m in the right place!
6. What are your hopes for the future?
I hope to grow within the organization and continue to work on our clients’ projects. I want to get more certifications and increase my knowledge of Salesforce even further.
I’m really excited to bring my expertise and add more diversity to the team. It’s a great company to work for with exciting projects, as well as impressive clients and brands.
Are you a professional woman in Switzerland on a career break and looking to get back into business? Find out more about the Salesforce Bring Women Back to Work program.