With International Women’s Day just around the corner, I felt like paying tribute to a few of the inspiring women I’m lucky enough to work with at Coveo. It was no small feat narrowing the list down to just 6 people – I felt like I could have written pages about each of them!
Here are some of the highlights from the personalized conversations we had with each of these women. We had the opportunity to touch on topics like their personal journeys towards self-actualization, personal and professional development, the requirements and challenges of working in a universe that’s constantly innovating, and the benefits of operating in an environment that’s both collaborative and human.
Daily growth
It goes without saying that finding one’s work fulfilling is often what drives us to go the extra mile and surpass our goals. I asked them the question: does this reflect your reality? Do you feel fulfilled professionally at Coveo?
“Definitely! I genuinely love thinking about how we’re bridging the gap between the needs of a client and finding the proper solution to help them. Given that I’m fairly young, I was already very curious about electronic games so it’s been very gratifying to learn more about new technologies every day. I was lucky enough to be able to drive these passions forward at Coveo and turn them into a job!” explains Stéphanie Bédard, Program Manager, Marketing.
Karine Paré
“For me, I feel that sense of fulfillment when I know my work has helped my client. Being in the Technical Support team requires me to communicate effectively, acquire a thorough understanding of my client needs, and help them to the best of my ability. I also get the chance to develop my technical skills, which is right up my alley!” exclaimed Fathima Osman, Product Specialist, Technical Support.
“We really believe that every employee brings their unique added value, and that’s made clear as early as your first few days at Coveo, where you’re encouraged to take initiative and communicate your ideas, all with the common goal of becoming better as a company. We are given the opportunity to contribute to the resolution of problems as key stakeholders from the get go. It’s something I’d never seen before in my professional career, and I find it extremely gratifying!” finished Karine Paré, Team Lead, Finance.
Passion and our Unquenchable Thirst for Learning
I had also noticed a real thirst for learning in these women. I asked them, what kind of technical challenges do you find yourself overcoming at Coveo?
Ezmie Bouchard, Product Manager, R&D, explained that meeting these challenges head on requires real curiosity and a ton of effort. “The people who are building our product and writing the code, they’re all super passionate! They love finding solutions to the tricky technical problems they come across, and you want to be able to collaborate with them and meet their needs. So you need to work extra hard to understand their work. You need to be curious about their reality and their work to be able to collaborate effectively. There’s so much going on, constant newness, you have to stay curious, otherwise you’ll become obsolete. And it also helps to have the right contacts who can let you in on the scoop before it breaks.”
Ezmie Bouchard, presenting at Dreamforce
“It’s all a learning opportunity for me! I had never pictured myself working for a technology company prior to joining Coveo. My team itself is a source of fulfillment for me. We’re a young department at Coveo with wide-ranging projects. It’s super enriching and I feel like I’m surpassing myself every day. Deepening my knowledge and understanding of our product also makes me feel very accomplished. But at the end of the day, the most fulfilling aspect of my job is building productive relationships with our internal teams,” finished Laura Nunes, Specialist, Education Services.
“Every day is filled with learning! We often have to approach problems step by step to make sure we fully understand the complexity of our product. What’s actually the most striking is how much internal collaboration there is. Within a matter of weeks on the job, you find yourself actively communicating with many different internal teams. This is so beneficial because it allows us to unite multiple different perspectives, to prioritize effectively, and to ultimately opt for THE best decision,” answered Zoe Prowse, Product Specialist, Technical Support.
Personal and Professional Development at Coveo
In my opinion, there’s really nothing better than being able to drive both one’s personal and professional development goals at once. At Coveo, we want our employees to identify new avenues for growth within the company, and we work with them to build custom development plans to help them reach these goals. You’ll hear us say this time and time again in the HR team, “we establish the tools and support structure, but it’s the employees that tell us how they want to grow.”
Stéphanie Bédard
Karine Paré, Team Lead, Finance describes her own journey. “When I started at Coveo 1 year ago, I had never done this particular brand of accounting before. Having to collaborate closely with Sales, R&D, and the legal team provides constant opportunities for growth. I love my job, and I know Coveo will bring me even further than where I am now. I can already see the possibilities and opportunities, and I’m excited to see it all unfold over the next few years. Moreover, in this kind of environment, I know I’ll keep developing no matter what, as much on a personal level as on a professional one.”
Stéphanie Bédard, Program Manager, Marketing started with what she liked about Coveo: “What’s great about Coveo is that they prioritize inclusion. It’s an extremely important value for our culture! Everyone brings to the table their own baggage, expertise, life experiences, etc. The company sets objectives, and it’s up to you to meet them. That’s it! As simple as that. Take gender out of the equation, may the best person win! In my opinion, THAT’S a significant win for future generations working in the technology industry.
Balancing Performance and Wellness!
Coveo is growing very rapidly and sustaining this growth requires a special level of engagement from every single team member. However, it’s vital to maintain a balance between high performance and wellness! How would you describe the human element of Coveo’s culture?
Laura, Zoe and Fathima
Fathima Osman, Product Specialist, Technical Support described Coveo as “one big family. Everyone is smiley, we say “hi” when we walk by each other, it’s really nice! It’s all these small gestures that make a difference for me when I’m having a bad day. I started at Coveo just a few months ago, in the fall, and already I can see how much Coveo’s culture is contributing to my personal development.
Zoe Prowse, Product Specialist, Technical Support, focused on the healing power of collaboration. “Whenever you’re unsure about how to tackle a client’s problem, your colleagues rapidly bring you advice and a variety of points of vues. The collaboration and team spirit is really emphasized and that’s super useful!”
“If it were easy, someone else would have done it”
What are your thoughts when you hear these words, spoken by Coveo’s founder Laurent Simoneau?
“It really inspires me! I really love that quote, and I find it somehow reassuring whenever I hear it,” says Ezmie Bouchard, Associate Product Manager, R&D.
“It helps me put things into perspective. We know our daily work is complex and difficult. But it gives us incredible power and a sense of accomplishment when we’re able to overcome these challenges,” explains Laura Nunes, Specialist, Education Services.
I am very lucky to find such inspiring women throughout our teams. They are devoted and they thrive on contributing in the kind of environment we find here at Coveo – one of high performance and unceasing innovation.
You’d like to work alongside these inspiring women? Check out www.coveolife.com/en