How to pivot into tech with Alexis MacDonald

Testing, uh, yep, the A and thankfully everyone can hear me. No more, no more repeats of the previous performance, yeah.

Um, so I am a people leader with about 15 years of progressive HR experience. I started my career back when we called it HR. I look after the full scope of the candidate experience, from the time you think to apply for a job all the way through getting the job and the full employee experience. I'm VP of People at a company called Klue, on week three, so new job vibes. I've done this role in a few different environments, including a tech company called Lupio for almost six years. I got a psych degree in undergrad, graduated not knowing what to do, found a job at a tech company in sales at Intuit Canada on the QuickBooks team. It was so people-first and culture-focused that I was wowed. From there, I learned about their people and culture team, navigated through my early mid-20s, did some HR-adjacent jobs, then found a role as a junior HR person at a travel company in 2008, through the economic downturn. That was incredible experience seeing boom and bust. Then I worked at CBC for about six years, briefly in transportation as a VP of People, and then found the role at Lupio. So that's kind of how I got here.

Yeah, I prepare for the unpredictability of economic change and changing roles by keeping my resume up to date and my network current. It's always about who, not how. Your network and making connections with people is so important. Don't forget the power of your existing network. Reach out to people you worked with who have seen the value you bring. Ask them, 'What are three things I was good at? What's a story about me that you remember?' That helps you see yourself through their eyes. Also, informational interviews with no strings attached are great. So leverage your past network.

That's such a good question. First, ask about the full interview process at the beginning of the candidate experience. When they ask if you have questions, ask, 'What are the next steps and what does the full interview process look like?' That gives you a sense of whether they have a baked-out process. Write it down. Then when extra asks come up, say, 'Hey, early on we talked about this process, and now there are added steps. Help me understand the value.' Always pose it as 'help me understand.' In the meantime, you might see red flags. Also, track your interviews. I created a 61-page interview summary document for my current role at Klue. It was so helpful to refer back to. One question that's helpful is, 'Who makes the hiring decision? How is it made?' That gives you perspective.

Yeah, I think that's a great question. A 10 out of 10 interview for me has someone with solid technical expertise, clear communication, and one or two memorable stories. For example, a recruiter who worked for me at Lupio was laid off during COVID, couldn't find a role in tech, so she pivoted to healthcare and started hiring nurses. That story stuck with me. It showed she was a problem solver. So it's technical expertise, communication, and real stories that connect.

Yes, it absolutely should be part of your toolkit, with an asterisk. Use it for interview prep: throw a job description into ChatGPT and ask for 10 interview questions, then make them harder. It gives you a sense of what they'll ask. For resumes, use it to draft updates or better bullet points, but don't use it as the final draft. Reread every word to make sure it sounds human and is infused with real stories and numbers. It's a tool, not a solution, but definitely a tool for prep.

Yeah, absolutely. I've seen plenty of boomerangs in my last role, and already in three weeks at Klue I've learned about some. There's nothing wrong with going back and saying, 'I learned all these skills and now I'm going to apply them again.' You might come back to a different job or team. Maintain those relationships. Sometimes the grass wasn't greener, and it can help sharpen your skills. No shame in a boomerang.

Yeah, totally. That's such a good question. You'll probably get a canned response first. But always ask for feedback, ideally a 10-15 minute call with someone from the process. Say, 'What could I have done to be 10% better?' That's not accusatory. Also ask, 'What's a question I should have asked that I didn't?' or 'When you left the interview, what were you thinking about?' Brainstorm open-ended questions ahead of time. People will appreciate that and be happy to dive in.