Related Posts
Can I get 11 likes😋
Additional Posts in Tech
Pro
Meta technical solutions consultant interview prep - can someone let me know if they have gone through the technical rounds for Technical Solutions Consultant role? Can you share what to prepare for since it’s not a data science type of role so most likely not hard level MySQL questions. Any specific types of queries that I should learn? Thanks!
Facebook (Meta)
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
It could be anything. His assistant is out today or he doesn’t like his/her, assistant is bad her his/her job… whatever the reason, just make an impression. Do an amazing job. He may use you for other much bigger jobs
Also wondering if OP is the only female on the team and selected for sexist reasons or just if because they are the most junior.
As someone who has done exactly this, I'd suggest wholeheartedly taking this and any other similar opportunities particularly ones that offer exposure beyond your current circle. Don't worry about whether the work appears "admin" - in the current instance.
Experience has taught me that often such things are little dots that come together in unexpected ways in the big picture of your professional life 🙂
Go for it.
Wow...after reading the question, some advice my mother gave me as a teen came flooding back to remembrance. She said "Son, everything we do has a way of preparing us for something later in life." This sounds like one of those moments. Good luck!
Imagine being asked by a VP at 25 years old to take notes in a monthly meeting with other VPs and wondering if this was an insult and bringing gender into it…. SMH
It’s very well possible you were asked because you were a young female and they are sexist. It’s very possible you were asked because you are the most junior person. It’s very possible they seem potential and want to allow you exposure. We can’t know their thought process without more information. As others have said, use this as an opportunity to learn. If everyone agrees, see if you can use an app like Otto to take a transcription depending on the nature of the meeting and the policies of your organization. Good luck.
This is an opportunity for visibility. Take notes, ensure action items ownership and followups are crisp/clear, and publish the meeting minutes within 24 hours. If there is an opportunity to ask questions during the meeting then do so (don’t be a wallflower)
Thanks for the insights! Very helpful. Do you think I should also be responsible for project managing the action items from the meetings? Or should I strictly stick to capturing clear notes?
Maybe he wants a project management approach. Has he seen previous meeting notes? Have you? What does he want from the notes, decision record, homebound actions, verbatim, grouped by subject even if things said in different parts of the meeting? Will the notes be submitted to him or participants for comment, how distributed? Perhaps there is something he wants to see done or recorded differently? You need to know what he has in mind for this so do it and also ask him
*timebound* actions not homebound, hmmm, predictive text. :-(
If they are letting you in the room, you 've achieved some level of trust and political capital. Just do your best, and remember, behind closed doors completely different people, keep the secrets. They might bait you.
Ohh gotchu. Glad you brought this up and I’ll be sure to keep everything within that meeting room!
Almost 20 years ago, I was hired at a small tech consulting firm. One of the first responsibilities they gave me was PC laptop support. Frankly, I was insulted. I had been working in tech for a decade at that point and was a lead at my previous company working on complex SaaS projects. This was also never mentioned during the interview process. But, I swallowed my pride and took care of it for about 9 months until I convinced them to hire someone more junior to handle those responsibilities.
What I didn't realize at the time was that managing laptop inventory gave me face time that I never would have had otherwise with our CFO. We developed a good working relationship and that ended up saving my job when the company had significant layoffs a few years later.
We record our meetings and let AI turn them into notes. Light editing and you’ll look like a pro and get to listen to the meeting. Make sure the AI you use is private.
There are lots of free online softwares available. Just use them "unofficially". No need to mention it.
Unless you are going to be working for him, I wouldn't expect you to ensure all action items are followed through.
However, if you want to go above and beyond, make sure that each action item has an owner (and that they know they are the owner). Then communicate to the VP that you've handed off.
If he wants you to manage the follow through more, he will ask.
This definitely a worth while opportunity. This can open the door for mentorship, sponsorship, other projects, and promotions. Please take advantage of the opportunity. If there are action items you can help in ask to he included. Listen as you will see what skip level management discuss. Volunteer to assist.
Maybe they want more than notes…and your perspective. Go for it. And my grandmother always told me, Power of the P…who cares. Women often see the forest through the trees much differently because of the way we are wired and others can benefit from diverse feedback. Just think of yourself as a fly on the wall. Show up and enjoy! In modern orgs, power structures seen as archaic and old school. That business model fails in any fast paced environment. If you cant share your voice or opinion, why get out of bed in the first place.
Hope this doesn't sound too cynical, or demeaning to you, but it's quite likely he's a (probably married) sleazebag who fancies you and simply wants an excuse to get to know you better. But that's not to say you can't take professional advantage of the situation, and do a good job on the note taking so it becomes a regular occurrence with him and other managers, and a feather in your cap to add to your resume.
Yes he’s married 😬
Definitely an opportunity. You're early in your career and so to develop trust, he is exposing you to what the job is like at a higher level. This is how you learn and if you can be a good student, then you are so much more valuable, whereas a bad student is just a time sink for senior team members where we have to put in more time to check you get it than the value we get back in return. Anyone worth their salt has had to cut their teeth with things like this- don't ever project that you think such things are 'beneath you'.
To Technician 1: Are you 80 then? 50 years? Someone sounds like a buit-hurt Trumper. :) As a WOMAN who was once 25 and worked in male-dominated fields for 25 years, I soooo do appreciate your Jurassic opinion. :)
Rising Star
Every now and then, a person looks around, from a position of authority and privilege, and says, "something's wrong with this picture." He or she might think it's all too one-sided; let's mix things up. Let's bring in a younger viewpoint, a woman's touch, a person of color to see what we're missing.
In my 65+ years, I've been fortunate to be in-the-room when that opinion was expressed or simply acted on and twice when it was laughed at. From banking, manufacturing, computer operations, trucking and telecommunications. I would never keep a woman from exceeding to do her best on shirk to stop her from doing her worst. The OP said she was 25 and just starting her career. She isn't a VP. So taking notes for the VP at a monthly professional meeting did not raise any alarms for my Jurassic arse. 40,000 employees and she just got a boost to the C-Suite? Hecky yeah! I didn't ask if she was attractive. That's TrumpWorld stuff. I immediately assumed competent; didn't have to ask that either. I don't qualify people on basis of age, race, gender, religion or size-simply on ability. I take each case as they come. I even celebrated the end of a male-dominated job when I was the one on the street because of it. OP asked a question and I answered her question. You're coming after the wrong one Ma'am.
The more you are in the circle the more you will learn. Take every opportunity to learn.
Make sure to speak up randomly and say, "Hmmm... interesting!" and randomly chime in "great idea!"
When I got out of pneumonia hospital my professor asked me three times to come back to physics and work with him. I took it on the third request cause I was sure there wouldn't be a fourth. But I sd have accepted the first time. I'm lucky he asked a second even a third time.So I worked with him for ten years publishing our six journal articles.To take notes in a meeting is an awesome step forward in a career. Take it!!!
Oh my god, please turn it down. Say “Oh, I‘m a <insert role>. I don’t take notes for executives.” I can’t believe so many people are telling you to agree.
Go for it and do your best!
Thanks for the encouragement! Will do :)
On whether you should fllow through. I wouldnt do it without asking. And dont offer unless you want this additional work. let him tell you before mtg #2 he wanted you to follow up, then say sure, and that you didnt realize he wanted that too when he/she first asked.
Do it and find out. Either way, you could make some good connections. Opportunities are what you make of them.