I was first introduced to Allstate after registering for the 2017 Grace Hopper Celebration as a senior at Georgia College & State University majoring in Management Information Systems. Grace Hopper is the world’s largest annual gathering of women technologist that host guest speakers, networking forums and booths for companies across the country to recruit for their technology roles. After reviewing my resume in the Grace Hopper database, Allstate contacted me prior to the event and scheduled multiple interviews about their Technology Leadership Development Program, a three-year rotational program in the technology organization.

When I met them in person, they reinforced what I initially thought about the team over the phone. They had a welcoming culture that distinguished them from other companies; which gave me even more confidence to be myself and I decided to join the team in 2018. The drone that attendees could play with at their booth was another attraction that hooked me in to go speak with them. I had no idea that Allstate even had technology like this at their company!

As part of the Technology Leadership Development Program, I have held roles as a Cyber Security Analyst, Change Management Practitioner and currently as a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Product Manager for the Agency Solutions Team. The RPA team trains bots to automate mundane tasks and makes processes more efficient for employees. For example, instead of teams having to manually transfer data from one platform to another, the bots can have this data transferred within a matter of seconds where it would previously have taken teams minutes or even hours to complete. My job is to collaborate with our business partners to understand their needs and manage one of the RPA teams to address them.

Working with different teams throughout my rotations has been my favorite part about working at Allstate because I get to see the amount of motivation in each group and their unique contribution on how the business runs. From drone utilization in claims to our automation bots, Allstate is all about innovation and it is demonstrated by the creativity of its employees as they adapt to the changing needs of customers.

The emphasis Allstate places on meeting customers’ needs and developing its employees really separates us from other companies. Even though each team has their own specific resources, development is something that is consistent across the company. In addition to the numerous free resources such as classes and workshops for employees to utilize at will, managers continually prioritize support to their teams to ensure they are reaching their personal and professional goals.

One of my biggest motivators at work is the fact that I am a woman in a field that has been traditionally dominated by men. This is what led me to get involved with the Charlotte chapter of Women in Technology Allstate (WITA). The organization is filled with women who are passionate about helping each other excel in their technology careers.  I coordinate monthly networking and knowledge sharing events for members of the chapter; which I’m proud to say have grown more than 40% since I’ve joined in 2018.  I appreciate that the Allstate encourages employees to join organizations such as WITA that enable each other to be active community members, enhance their career development and boost their confidence.

I’m excited to be part of the Grace Hopper Celebration planning committee this year and to be back where my career at Allstate started. My goal is to steer someone to start their exciting career where they get to experience the amazing culture coded at Allstate that initially caught my attention in 2017.

Interested in joining Allstate’s technology team? Look for open positions today by clicking here