Hi First name / Toasters,

 

You’ve spent countless hours fine-tuning that resume, rehearsed your achievements, and even nailed the part about turning your weakness into an opportunity (I am a perfectionist, but I have learned to balance my meticulous attention to detail with efficiency and set realistic goals for my projects). You've been low-key stalking the company on LinkedIn, visualizing yourself killing it in those team meetings and slaying those projects.

 

But then, that email hits your inbox. You hold your breath, count to ten, click, and…BAM 💥

 

We’ve all been there. Rejection sucks no matter who you are, but don't let it get you down, bestie. You're a badass tech goddess, and you don’t give up that easily.

 

So, how do you bounce back from this soul-crushing blow? Let's get into it: 

 

😭 Don't take it personally. Rejection says more about your fit for a role than your skills and abilities. Keep your head high and your heels higher, and don't let it drag you down.

 

📝 Ask for feedback. Reach out to the company and ask them to give you feedback on your interview. This is your chance to level up and prepare for your next opportunity!

 

💆🏼‍♀️ Reframe your mindset. Instead of seeing rejection as a failure, flip it and use it to accelerate your growth. You’ll be even more prepared for your next chance to shine.

 

🪞 Learn from the experience. Reflect on what you could have done differently in that interview and make note of your wins. Then, use that intel to crush it in your next interview.

 

🔗 Leverage your connections. Reach out to your network and mentors for advice. Join online communities (like our Toast membership community), and learn from other women in tech who are in hiring positions, seasoned pros at the interview process and job hunting just like you!

 

👩🏿‍💻 Keep applying! Don't let rejection stop you from reaching your goals. Keep putting yourself in front of opportunities until you find the perfect fit. You’ve got this!

Toast partners are actively searching for candidates just like you! Join our talent pool, and we’ll match you with roles that fit your skills—without all the BS of traditional hiring processes 🙅🏻‍♀️. Creating a profile is always free, even if you’re not a member!

Looking for something a little extra? Toast members are always on the VIP list to all of our IRL and virtual events, and they get exclusive access to our Slack community—where they can connect with tech baddies across Canada, in channels like #interview-prep, #coffee-chat, #job-hunt-resources, or #salary-talks, to help prepare them for their job search. Membership is $29/month, and you can cancel anytime (but we’re pretty sure you won’t want to leave this supportive, juicy group chat! 🍒).

Oh, and ICYMI—confidence superstar Alyssa McMasters, founder of Let Me Introduce Yourself, hosted a workshop last week, where she gave us her secret to turning a “NO,” into a confidence boost (we know, she's basically magic). Members can watch the replay in our Slack community. 

Let rejection be your fuel. Keep going, keep applying, and keep showing the world what a badass woman in tech you are. We're cheering you on every step of the way. 🎉

Hey, Ottawa and Calgary! Listen up, we've got some exciting news for you! Our partners are on the hunt for multiple hybrid roles, and we believe that YOU could be the perfect fit!

 

Know someone who would absolutely love these jobs? Toast offers a $500 referral bonus for each successful candidate you send our way. It's a win-win-win-win (you win, your friend wins, we win, our partner's win—you get the idea!) 💰!

 

Senior Product Manager: Key player in driving the development and success of our company's product offerings, working closely with cross-functional teams to identify opportunities, solve complex challenges, and deliver world-class products that exceed customer expectations.
📍: Ottawa, hybrid (two days per week in office)
💰: $110-150k

 

Web Software Developer: Designing, developing, and maintaining web applications that solve complex problems and deliver seamless user experiences.
📍: Ottawa, hybrid (two days per week in office)
💰: $90-120k

 

Data Analyst: Work on marketing projects, collaborate with different teams, and use your skills in SQL, Python, data visualization, and marketing-related tools like Google Analytics and AdWords to answer business questions and find opportunities. Requirements include a degree in engineering or computer science and experience in related fields.
📍: Calgary, hybrid.
💰: TBD

 

Data Platform Developer: Design and implement data pipelines, develop tools to monitor health, analyze existing data pipelines, and provide mentorship to junior talent. Requirements include experience with SQL, Python, and data orchestration, transformation, and containerization technologies, as well as familiarity with Apache Kafka and Apache Spark.
📍: Calgary, hybrid.
💰: TBD

 

Jr. DevOps Developer: Must be passionate about cloud computing, infrastructure automation, and continuous learning. Responsibilities include building and maintaining Infrastructure as Code (IaC), designing and implementing CI/CD workflows, monitoring system performance and security, and deploying and maintaining projects through cloud infrastructure like AWS or GCP. Technical degree in computer science or a related field, plus familiarity with Linux operating systems, cloud computing platforms, and knowledge of scripting languages, containerization technologies, networking, and security principles.
📍: Calgary, hybrid.
💰: TBD

 

My career journey is a testament to the fact that career paths are not always linear. I always knew I wanted to work in tech, but I didn't know exactly what career path to pursue. I received my undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and landed a job with an electrical utility company. During my time there, I found myself trying to automate manual tasks and processes using excel macros, and I soon realized that I probably wasn’t in the right job field. My interest in coding grew, and I decided to take online classes for front-end development. This led to my next switch to software development, which I enjoyed for four years.

 

However, I started wanting something different from my career, something that didn’t have me sitting behind a computer coding all day long. I wanted exposure to different groups and cross-functional teams and to work in more strategic roles which led to making yet another career switch. I noticed that one of the products I was working on integrating as a developer had an opening in their customer success division. Since I had in-depth knowledge of the product, I decided to give it a shot and was able to crack the interview.

 

When I joined the new role, I had a really challenging time. I was onboarding as a new employee in a completely remote setting during the COVID-19 pandemic and I had zero experience working in a client-facing role. Nevertheless, I utilized all the resources I had at my disposal. I asked questions when I didn't know the answers, I booked 1:1 meetings with leads and managers to get clarity on concepts I didn’t understand and I read all the available documentation to get educated on product details that I didn’t know.

 

BUT, I still struggled with imposter syndrome at my job. I was working in an all-male team, all of whom had at least 6-10  years of incremental work experience and it would make me doubt myself and my ideas every now and then. However, I took it upon myself to improve within areas where I felt my skills lacked. I reached out to people within and outside of my organization to get their advice and guidance. I had open conversations with my manager and he recommended that I enroll in a power speaking course that he knew some of his other colleagues had signed up for before. My coach worked with me to understand where the lack of confidence was stemming from and practiced techniques such as Fake it, Till I make it. I started preparing my customer material in advance and worked on questions that I would anticipate from them and then prepare my talk track accordingly. Practice truly made perfect, and soon my fake confidence turned into a real one which has helped me excel in my customer-facing role since then.

 

I hope my career journey serves as a reminder that it's okay to switch career paths until you find the right fit. It's also important to challenge yourself and work on improving your skills, even if it's outside of your comfort zone. One piece of advice that I want to share is that every time you find yourself stopping from doing something, whether that is sharing your opinion in a team meeting because you fear you are not well versed on the subject or you are holding yourself back from a salary negotiation discussion because you fear that you are overreaching, ask yourself, “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?”. And then go do it! It's important to remember that you are just as qualified and capable as your male counterparts and don’t let anyone else determine your worth. ✨