Women in Tech: Hazel's Story

When she first started working at 16-years-old, ComputerWorld’s credit controller, Hazel Jones did not even have a computer at home and “didn’t like computers”. Now, 25 years later, she is working in the technology sector doing something she loves.

Being a sociable person, Hazel knew she wanted to work in an office environment as she has always enjoyed building relationships with people. This is why she enjoys her role as a credit controller.

Building relationships with customers, it is not just for the money side of it, but understanding the person on the other end of the call. Even now with remote working, Hazel has still got a strong drive for communicating with both her team and clients. Also, Hazel explains that with her role there is a lot of variation and satisfaction: from liaising with SOT[HB1]  teams with queries, investigative work and getting the result at the end of the process.

“I like the challenge of it, you know, every month it’s like, you got all the money to get in, go through accounts and talk to people. I find the process rewarding.”

Yet, as mentioned, Hazel “didn’t like computers” when she first started working. Love of technology has not grown with Hazel’s career, but she has now found confidence in using certain programs and applications, and is happy to learn about them.

“I was passionate about chasing the debt, rather than being passionate about what was being sold.”

Being a “technophobe” in tech can be difficult, but the IT industry and particularly Hazel’s manager and the team in ComputerWorld are there to help her build confidence. If she is not sure how to use a piece of technology, she knows she can ask anyone to help her understand and use it, with no judgement - just support.

“When I would ring someone to help me I’d usually start the conversation like ‘This may seem like a silly question...’ but I was always met back with ‘There is no such thing as a silly question, everything is fine.’ You know when you feel you can open up and ask something it really helps you gain confidence, and makes you happy in the company you are in.”

Even the shift to remote working, which in practice meant using applications like Microsoft Teams, made Hazel anxious as she hadn’t used the application before the UK lockdowns. Now with the support of our team making it easy for her to learn, she has a respect for the technology and embraces it to do her daily duties.

“I think it is brilliant that I could just get onto Teams now and have conversations and easy interactions with people.”

So going into an industry where you may not be passionate about the products, Hazel has shown you can still enjoy your role. Not admiring the technology doesn’t mean that you can’t thrive and enjoy working in the tech sector. But Hazel says if you are in the industry and are overwhelmed by any of it, reach out and speak to someone. There is always someone there wanting to help.

“A key thing I've learned is that you can pick up the phone and have that support, keep going rather than keeping it to yourself.”