Women in Tech Week - Elaine Batchelor on why soft skills matter and building quality teams from scratch

For Women in Tech Week, we are taking the time to celebrate some of the amazing women working here at Rapita. In this interview series, we will discuss why they love working in technology, what drives them, and the challenges they have faced along the way.

In this blog we will be talking to Elaine Batchelor, Head of Software Quality Assurance (SQA), about  why soft skills matter more than you might expect in a technical role, building and developing a successful SQA team and her advice for women starting out.

What first sparked your interest in technology?
Being able to use the Acorn Archimedes computer that my family had when I was a child.

Was there a person who influenced your path?
There was no single person who influenced my path. Friends, family and colleagues have all played their part over the years by encouraging me to take on each new challenge and support me through them as they came along.

How long have you worked in the Technology industry?
27 years in the Technology Industry and 8 years at Rapita Systems

How has your role grown or changed since you started in the industry? 
I started out working in the Core Systems team for an ISP (essentially DevOps although it wasn’t called that back then). I then moved to a role in 2nd line support / software testing at a company that designed Business Modelling Software. I was then asked to form a dedicated SQA team at the same company. Then I moved to Rapita as a Senior Quality Engineer before my promotion to Head of SQA this year.

"Soft skills are more important than you might expect for a technical role."

What's your favourite part of working in tech?
Figuring out what a problem actually is and then solving it.

How would you describe your job in three words?
Communication, organisation, quantifying.

Which project are you most proud of and why?
Building a dedicated SQA team starting from a single person.

"Learn everything you can, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and remember that you can often learn more from getting things wrong..."

What skills do you use most in your role, and are there any that have surprised you?
Communication, soft skills, problem solving, Programming and organisation. There are no skills that surprised me.

What's something about your job that people might not expect?
Soft skills are more important than you might expect for a technical role.

What advice would you give to a young woman considering a career in tech?
Learn everything you can, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and remember that you can often learn more from getting things wrong and correcting them than you would have done if you got the answer right first time. Persevere and don’t be put off when other people are negative.

Is there a book, podcast or other resource you would recommend for women entering the tech industry?
Joining groups like Women in Tech or York Tech as a way to broaden your horizons and network as much as you can.

What do you think would encourage more women into tech roles?
Having a workplace culture that values diversity and inclusion, using gender neutral language in job postings.

Thank you to Elaine for sharing her story. If you enjoyed this, why not check out the rest of our Women in Tech Week interviews: