Hello VOX Readers, how are you all? We are now in the run-up to the festive season; it’s almost the end of 2020. I hope everyone is staying well during this extended pandemic period; there is almost light at the end of the tunnel with the announcements of the successful vaccine trials taking place. Fingers crossed!
So, last week, I caught up with Sanjay Mathur. Did you see his #LifeAtVeritas interview? Today I’d like to introduce my latest employee interview with Anuradha Joshi, Manager, Software Quality Assurance Engineering based in our Pune, India office. During this interview, Anuradha shares insights into why she chose a career in IT, advice for those starting their careers, and why it’s important to encourage women into the technology sector. She also shares insights into her leadership style and solid reasoning to work for Veritas. Read Anuradha’s interview below.
Anuradha: As a child, I was good at my studies, and during the state board secondary school examination, I secured a position in the merit list of the top 100 students. For a small city girl, that was a big thing, which led to wider education choices for me.
Whilst growing up, my favorite subjects were biology, mathematics, and physics. Yet my career choice was not tough for me. As a first preferred career option, I wanted to become a doctor. However, when I couldn’t secure a seat in medical college, I chose my second favourite field, computer science engineering. Computer networks and operating systems have remained my favourite subjects since then. During my engineering course, I enjoyed working on Windows Server 2000 Active Directory seminars and projects related to this subject.
Throughout my career, I have remained associated with networking and operation systems, where I’ve held various roles as a Network Administrator, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer and now I’m a people manager, and in addition to that, I lead Release Quality Assurance here at Veritas.
Zoe: What career advice would you give to those trying to secure their first IT role?
Anuradha: Passion is an integral part of success. So, if you are passionate about IT, go for it. Learning by doing is important because sheer theoretical learning will not work in the long run. Start an internship, enjoy working with corporates or startups, and understand what it takes to have a successful IT career.
Zoe: What do you think the next years hold for women in IT?
Anuradha: There are so many opportunities out there for women in IT. Today’s women in IT have set the tone, and companies are beginning to wake up to the value of women in IT. I see there are endless possibilities to explore. As a company and a woman in IT, we all need to continue to inspire young women to study Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and pursue opportunities in these sectors. This will help both the industry at large and young women.
Zoe: Anuradha, in your opinion, what leadership traits make a good leader? And what’s your leadership style?
Anuradha: People are an important part of your career when you are a people manager. So, actively listening to your team with empathy is important. That’s the first step to building a great team. The more you listen and understand, the more the bond becomes stronger in the team.
Being passionate about your job and the people you work for is another important aspect. Passion reflects your enthusiasm and gives you the energy to push further and achieve your best.
Empowering the team is an integral part of my leadership. It gives the team the power to use their expertise and judgment to come up with innovative solutions.
I would say decision-making skills are by far the most important trait. Every decision we make changes the course for product development, as well as the team to a certain extent. Having the necessary information and evaluating current circumstances multiple times before concluding is the crux of good decision making.
I think my leadership style is a combination of democratic and affiliative - I enjoy connecting with people and with highly-skilled experienced teams, there are many creative ways to do the same thing.
Anuradha: I am a person who tries to find inspiration from everyone around me, and I’ve been influenced by all the great traits they reflect. My family, team, colleagues, and of course, my managers are my influencers. My dad for his perseverance, my mom for her people connection, my husband for his innovative thought process, and my current manager, Abhijeet Chitriv for his drive to do things to the level best. My list of influencers is endless. :smiling_face_with_smiling_eyes:
I am lucky to have had great managers who have helped me shape my career and pushed me out of my comfort zone to achieve greater heights.
Zoe: Why should people choose to work at Veritas?
Anuradha: Oh, for many reasons! First and foremost, for the culture. Have you seen the Veritas Backup Exec team? The team believes in trust and “what is the right thing to do?” which is in the team’s DNA. Openly taking responsibility, striving to do better and a willingness to learn brings out the best in this team.
Secondly, Veritas has been a leader in data protection and storage technologies for many decades. And there is continued investment in new technologies. With the combination of new technology and a great position in the market, Veritas is the best place to work with work-life balance and approachable management as an added advantage.
Last but not least, Veritas gives you many avenues where you can do good for society. I’d like to share my personal experience here. In October 2019, I attended first aid training to join the Emergency Response Team (ETR) in the Pune office, where I learned how to bandage with scarves and perform CPR. While I was vacationing during the Diwali break, I was able to put these new skills into practice and save two lives, who were injured in a road traffic accident. Both men had deep skull injuries and were losing blood profusely. Thanks to the Veritas ERT training I received, I was able to bandage the wounds with one of the men regained consciousness immediately after that. The local police took the accident victims to a nearby hospital, where they recovered from their injuries.
In a near repeat of the above incident, I was again able to help two more accident victims in June 2020, and this time, I wasn’t shaking at the sight of bloodshed and was far more confident than that of the first incident. This has been a life-changing experience for me, I couldn’t thank Veritas more for providing me with these first aid skills.
Anuradha: That’s easy! Backup Exec is my favorite product, it is simple, secure, and unified. You can trial it for free here.
Zoe: Finally, what do you like to do in your free time?
Anuradha: I love to do so many things; travelling, painting, reading, writing, and cooking. :smiling_face_with_smiling_eyes:
Pre COVID-19, I used to take three family trips a year to somewhere in India. So far, I have covered 75% of the states and union territories of India. Internationally, I have travelled to the USA and Australia. Now I am helping my daughter with cooking and her YouTube channel.
Zoe: Finally, what technology can’t you live without?
Anuradha: My cellphone contains everything that’s important to me; office email, Google maps for travelling, it has the best camera for my travel photos and is a communication mechanism wherein I can connect with people whether that’s via audio or video. It’s the best invention ever!
If you enjoyed this Life at Veritas blog post with Anuradha Joshi, then stay tuned as there will be more interview-style posts from other people at Veritas. And if this has inspired you to join our team, check out our job vacancies on LinkedIn, and apply here.
