After I graduated from the university, I joined Equinix in 2016 as the first data center field engineer hired for the launch of the fourth Sydney data center (SY4). Over the past five years, a wide range of customers, from clouds, subsea cable to networks, enterprises moved into SY4, creating a rich ecosystem. I see the first rack on day 1 to full capacity today. In November 2019, we opened a new facility, SY5, to meet the growing demand for interconnection and colocation services. 

Working in Equinix has been an incredible experience for me, both personally and professionally. I have been promoted numerous times throughout my career at Equinix, from Field Engineer, Sales Transaction Coordinator to Sales Engineer. It allows me to explore the business from different perspectives and move outside my comfort zone to better myself and those around me. 

Enabling what matters

I am currently working on cage design to provide the right cage and server cabinet solutions to meet customer requirements for physical security and power usage, allowing quickly deployable interconnections.

Our data center platform is a neutral place where competing networks could connect and share data traffic, which makes us play a key enabler for digital businesses. My time at the company has helped me align with our customers' needs, and I appreciate that our role is to deliver exceptional services to our customers, which all starts by understanding their needs.

Whenever I walk around IBXs and see the team transfer my design to reality, I feel accomplished. It's a place where I improve my skill set, contribute to the greater good, and collaborate with other awesome people. 

Growing through mentoring and work

Over the past 5 years, I've been lucky enough to get hands-on experience with many aspects of our business, from physically running connections in the form of cross connects, creating paper orders, and proposing appealing solutions to customers.

I joined Equinix Women Leadership Network (EWLN) mentoring program which is indeed a fantastic learning experience. This is a great opportunity to connect with a colleague in the our EWLN community who can offer support and guidance within my current role and with future career aspirations. Mentoring is a learning journey for both the mentor and the mentee, and I would encourage each of you to consider signing up to share your experiences and become a mentor.

Community and belonging

Our leaders are working hard to increase diversity. Closing the gender gap for women is essential because technology is not just about selling a solution - it’s about connecting to enterprises and end-users. Having a diverse team enables you better to understand a range of perspectives and connect with the customers.

As the only one from Asia in my team and leveraging my Chinese background, I can give our team insights into the business and cultural environment to equip my peers with exploitation opportunities for Australia in the growing Chinese market.

Inclusion - We act on it

My team members always question if our status quo is good enough or an opportunity to improve. We ask questions, challenge the current mindset to reinvent and streamline further. 

• Let people "own" their ideas 

Everyone is encouraged to contribute during meetings. Attendees are assigned to specific duties for the meeting to ensure we are involved. Feedback and questions are sought to make meetings interactive. We also dedicate time to share what we are working on and what we have learned during our weekly team meeting.

• Foster workplace friendships 

Give people a chance to discuss non-work things, like weekend plans or something they're excited about. Bringing good feelings into the office can foster more good feelings within four walls.

• Become culturally competent. 

There are many opportunities that allow us to learn about different cultures, races, religions, and backgrounds represented by our colleagues. We ask our coworkers to share some of the customs and practices associated with their cultures. We also hosted Equinix's World Food Day, where we celebrated cultural diversity by making or bringing in something yummy from our backgrounds.

Are you looking to join Equinix? Here are my top interview tips

• Answer questions with examples.

Instead of saying how you'd bring improvements and ideas to the team and company, show how you'd do it. It is not only an unexpected way to display your skills, but it shows your ability to think on the spot. Using examples is one of the best ways to craft a story that will resonate with people.

• Research the company.

Researching your prospective company helps you answer questions about the company you're interviewing with. Review the organization's mission statement, history, and target audience to give yourself more confidence to provide a clear and concise response. Pull information from the company's website or published articles in trade publications.

The original article was published here.

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