Gabriela de Queiroz @ Microsoft | Data Science Hangout

Transcript#

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Happy Thursday, everybody. Welcome back to the Data Science Hangout this week. If it's your first time joining us today, it's so nice to meet you. Thank you all for spending your Thursday with us. If we haven't met, I'm Rachel Dempsey. I lead customer marketing at Posit and the host of the Data Science Hangout. This is our open space to chat about data science leadership, questions you're facing, and getting to hear about what's going on in the world of data across different industries. And so we're here every Thursday at the same time, same place.

I'll say except the week of September 18th, we will be at the Posit conference in Chicago. And I'm excited to meet so many of you there in person. The conference will also have a virtual experience as well. But anyways, if you are watching this recording on YouTube later, sometime in the future, the link to add the live events to your calendar will be in the details below on YouTube as well. But at the Data Science Hangout, we are all dedicated to making this a welcoming environment for everyone. We love to hear from everyone, no matter your years of experience, titles, industry, or the languages that you work in.

And every week, I'm joined by a different leader from the community who joins us to share their experience and answer questions from you all. It's totally okay if you just want to listen in here, maybe are doing some other work in the background as well. But if you want to ask questions or provide your own perspective, you can jump in by raising your hand on Zoom. You can put questions in the Zoom chat. And always feel free to put a little star next to it if it's something you want me to ask instead of me calling on you to ask it live. And then we also have a Slido link, which I see Curtis just shared in the chat, where you can ask questions anonymously too.

With all that, thank you again for joining us here this Thursday. I am so excited to be joined by my co-host, Gabriela de Quiroz, Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft. I'd love to have you introduce yourself and maybe share a little bit about your role and also something you like to do outside of work too.

Awesome. I'm so happy to be here. I miss this community so much and the interaction. And I'm sad that I will not be at the conference. So yeah, so Gabriela de Quiroz. I've been with Microsoft for a little bit less than a year. I just actually moved teams. It's going to be official September 1st. But my work now, it's going to be towards startups. So I'll be working on startups, helping them leveraging the power of Microsoft Cloud and the products that we have. Also help them navigate this whole AI landscape, making sure that they have a lot of questions around, should I buy or should I build? So we are going to be advising the mostly AI startups to see where they can leverage AI successfully, sharing our knowledge and so on.

But before that, I worked for IBM and other small companies, always doing like data science, some advocacy. Sometimes I was as an advocate, as a role I had, like right now, I had advocacy in my title, but I was always an advocate in any role that I was performing. And I also founded two communities. One, it's Our Ladies, which I'm pretty sure almost everybody here should know or have heard about, which I'm so grateful for the community. The other one is AI Inclusive.

And what I like to do when I'm on my free time, so I love water. So if I can be in the water, in the pool or in the ocean, anything related to water is my happy place. So I'm back to doing some kind of like, you know, going with my kids to the pool and enjoying summertime.

So leveraging people is the best way that I found to be up-to-date on what is happening.

Diverse backgrounds in data science teams

Yeah, that's a great question. And when I'm hiring, I'm looking for a broad set of skills. Like I try to make it, I say that it's kind of like a puzzle. It's like bringing together teams, like building this puzzle where I need people with different backgrounds, different set of skills, different set of ideas, different ways of working and thinking. And I feel like the academic, if you have an academic background, no matter which one, it's also like very helpful and you bring a lot of like expertise and deep knowledge that maybe other professionals don't have as much or vice versa.

One thing that I think, and you don't have to have like the traditional like statistical background, the computer science, it's well proven that doesn't, what do you say, that the diverse, the better team, the best teams are the most diverse ones, right? So, and I do believe that a lot. And I've been building several teams for the past few years and I saw through my teams. So there are a lot of like opportunities.

And the other thing that I think about is like, if there is an area that you are an expert, that you feel like you are an expert, try to find a job that you can relate. So I was in academia for several years before moving to the industry. And it was hard for me to make the bridge between the academic world and the industry world. So once I was talking to people to try to understand, one of the things that I realized is we all have the same kind of like a similar knowledge, but the name, the way that we name things, the terminology, they are so different, but they mean the same thing. Once I was able to have that clicked, I was like, okay, so you are talking about this. Oh yeah, I know what this thing is. Oh, the model that you are using in the industry is called this other thing. Oh yeah, I know what it means. So once I was able to make this connection, it became much easier.

AI startups and the Microsoft for Startups ecosystem

There is a lot of noise right now in the AI space. A lot of startups being created every day. One of the things that I see happening very often is like, they haven't done the kind of like research side of like knowing that, is there any other company that is doing the same thing that I'm trying to build? So there is like the same thing being built over and over and over again with just a little, a different kind of like look and feel. And so there is this market research that they haven't done. So I would call like the homework, making sure that what you are doing, there is a value behind and that you have a value proposition.

So I usually go to some events and they say, oh, give me your pitch. Tell me about your company. And they were like, oh yeah, we have this wrapper around the OpenAI API and you get a model. And I'm like, okay, but what is the new single year? Oh, not much. And I'm like, okay, who are your customers? Who are you targeting? Oh, I haven't thought about this. So there is a lot of things that I feel like it's missing on the startup. And the startups that I'm talking to, they are in the very, very, very, very early stages. Usually they don't have any funding. They are not backed by any VC or anyone. They are just starting. It could be like a one person startup, or it can be like a five people startup. It can be an idea as well.

So a few ways. One is we going to events and talking to them. But also we have a platform. So we have something called Founders Hub, which is a platform that any startup, anyone with an idea can come and sign up. And there is a lot of benefits that you can get. Like you get OpenAI credits, Azure, which is the Microsoft Cloud credits. You get access to one-on-one conversations with experts, you have technical advisors and so on. So I see kind of like these two ways, like one is through events and us connecting with them. And the other one is through our platform.

Responsible AI and data privacy

And Microsoft has a whole organization around this particular theme around responsible AI. They have like several, not only like well-known researchers doing research, but people working with customers to make sure that they have this responsible AI principles imbibed into the system. When we talk about startups, we also emphasize the responsibility that they have and the way that they can mitigate bias, that they can be more knowledgeable about this topic. And in the product itself, we have it imbibed. So startups, some of them, they like, oh, I don't want to know about this, but it's our role as being part of Microsoft, educate them about this as well. Even if they don't want to hear or listen about this, but it's in our responsibility to be that person that's like, oh, yeah, you have to listen to this. It's important.

And the whole company, we had to go through several trainings as well. And there is a lot of like resources for us on like how to learn, where to learn, how to talk about it, what are some resources that could be helpful for you and so on.

Making the most of conferences

Conferences. Well, in my opinion, the best thing at conferences is the talk, like the whole conversation. More than talks is the conversation and reconnecting with people. So usually when I go to conferences, I pick some talks that I'm like, oh, I can't miss those. But like the whole conversation, the connections that I make, every time I go to conferences, it's priceless. And that's where I go to conferences. It's not about the talks. It's about the people.

And that's where I go to conferences. It's not about the talks. It's about the people.

Networking for the socially anxious

Let me share something interesting. So I was not, and I don't consider myself being an extrovert person. I think if in a place where I feel comfortable, then I can be that person. But like, if I go to a place, an event where I don't know anyone, it's so hard to break the ice. But it's been an exercise that I've been doing for, well, let's say, probably 20 years. And because one of the things that I wanted to change in myself was to be that person that would talk to others.

And it always started and I'm going back in time just to share that I was very anxious about being surrounded by people and being the center of attention. But for several years, I worked with some like music bands and singers. And I was doing the production side. So I would have to go and hand flyers and go and talk to the press about the upcoming concerts. And then I remember talking to someone and I'm like, this is so hard for me. And then someone told me, is there anyone that you admire, that is that person that you would like to be in terms of like that specific skills? And I'm like, yes, there is. So I would see that person and I would try to see how they behave, how they interact. And I would try to mimic and my hands would be sweating. And I would be like not being able to talk very much. And my ideas would all blank.

But anyway, all that to say that I don't think it's like some of us are extroverts. By the end of a conference, like midday of a conference, I go back to my room and I'd be quiet because I can't talk to people anymore. And then I recharge and then I can go back. But try maybe the one-on-one, like instead of like talking to a lot of people, I prefer usually to do one-on-ones than to have like a group of people. One, because it's a lot of noise and I can't project my voice in that way to people to listen to me. So I really like the one-on-one like in the corner. And I feel like I take more out of this one-on-ones than a group conversation.

And I have a huge, I'm very self-conscious. And no matter how many people told me otherwise with my English, like I've been in the U.S. for 11, 12 years. And I still struggle with English. And everybody says, no, I can understand you perfectly. But like every day, it's a struggle. And I'm like, OK, I'm going to fight this. I'm going to get on the phone. I'm going to make disappointments. I'm going to like try to. So it's not natural. Again, it can be in other forms as well, especially if you don't speak that language or if you are very conscious about how the way that you speak and you cannot express yourself the way that you would like to. It can be frustrated, frustrating as well.

Career advice and early career journey

I would say is the one about applying for a job, even if you feel like you are not qualified, because that's the kind of like the starting point. If you don't apply, there is no way that you can get that role. So that would be the first one is like apply, apply as much as you can, even if you feel like you don't qualify.

When I was, that was back in Brazil. So I didn't know exactly what I want to do or what major I wanted to do. So I did a lot of back and forth and trying other things and not doing anything, but working with music because it was something that I was passionate about. So there was a lot of back and forth in my career. And I say that it's never too late for you to apply and work in a place that you want to work for.

So I finished my bachelor. I always say that I was almost 30. And I think in the past, like even my family, they were like, oh, I don't know what's going to happen to Gabriella because, you know, she's trying all these other things and she's not finishing school. But then I found my way. Then I found something that I really fell in love, which was statistics. But even then it took me forever to finish my course and to, you know, to, so anyway, all that to say that, you know, it's never too late.

All the experience that you have done in the past is going to be helpful in some ways. Like I think that starting a community and being an advocate, those two things, when I was working with music, if I haven't worked with music, I'm not sure if I was able to do those two things because a lot of skills that I developed when I was doing the music production helped me with these two pieces and being able to talk and communicate, right? So nothing that you do is lose, like don't loss. I don't believe that it's like there is this run that you have to finish and you have to start programming at the age of five to be someone successful by 30. Maybe sure, yeah, but I don't regret any loops that I did.

So that was when I saw that things were, even like the news on TV, they were talking about data, statistics, data, statistics. And I'm like, huh, so statistics is much more than math because everybody was like, Gabriella, are you crazy to do statistics? What are you going to do? There was one unique, one only place in Brazil where they hired statisticians, right? It was a governmental thing. But once I saw the other side, that people were talking in the news and the newspapers about data and statistics and how that influenced the decision makers and all of that. And I'm like, oh, there is much more than what people are telling me. And that it's interesting that it's only like the math, but there is the other piece about communication and decision making and being a decision maker that kind of like shift my mindset as well. So that was the turning point for me.

Being a hiring manager in a competitive market

So I had a few opening roles a few months ago at Microsoft to work with AI. So like two, I think, hot things, like working for Microsoft and AI, especially because Microsoft is doing well right now. So it was a little chaotic because, one, people would reach out to me every day to learn more about the role. And I think the reason why also a lot of people were reaching out to me, not only because Microsoft and AI, it's because we went through massive layoffs for several months. So people inside Microsoft and outside Microsoft, they were desperate to find a new job. And of course, they wanted to be in the cool thing that it's AI.

So I shared with Rachel and I shared on LinkedIn that I was so overwhelmed by the messages. And I tried to reply to every message, every person that messages me, I try to reply. And I was like, I can't scale myself of like replying. And I'm not going to do informational interviews because I don't think it's fair for the other candidates. And they all should go through the same process. So my response was always like, you know, please apply, the team will review your resume, and then we can talk. I also build FAQ, like some questions that people would ask me. So I took some time to do this as well. But it was very, very, very overwhelming, because I couldn't reply to everybody. And people would get mad and send me messages over and over and over again, trying to push for like, some informational or to be on the interview. And it was it was very stressful, I would say, being a hiring manager in that situation.

What advocacy really looks like

You don't have to be that person, you don't have to go like, there are some advocates that they don't even have social media. So there are other things that we that we do. I'll give an example. And Microsoft, the advocacy in general, the advocacy role, we have like three pillars. One, it's content. So it's writing content, for example. So we don't have to be in front of the camera, or you don't have to be on social media. The other one is about community. Like, you can be in your, it doesn't need to be like an external community, but it could be like a community that we have internally. And the third pillar, it's around product feedback. So it's very different, right? So I talked about three things that people usually don't think about when they think about advocacy. They think that you are going to be on stage 24 seven, talking to people, and going to conferences all the time, which is not true. Yes, there is a space for that. And if you are that person, you can be that person. But also like, there are other things that you can do as well that you don't have to be an influencer, or you don't have to be putting your face out there.

I have some, I can't remember, it popped off my head. Some of the, because I read a variety of books, like from like, very like, kind of like management. But I read everything from like health. I started reading last night, which I'm, it's about, well, one is like living beautifully, when there are uncertainty and changes, that one I finished. But the one that I'm reading now is when the body says no, understanding the stress, the disconnection. There was another book, kind of like cheesy, but it's a book by Mel Robbins. And it's something about the five minutes, something. So, I listened to that one. So, it's like, I don't have one thing that I read. I read like everything that I can think of.

Yeah. No, thank you very much. I hope we can do this again anytime soon. And I'm sorry that I will miss you all. But maybe next year, I'll be there. We will miss you. If anybody is going to be at Posit Conference and maybe is thinking, how do we go and talk to people, or feeling nervous about it, please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn. I would love to meet with you there, grab coffee, or just have someone to walk around with. So, great to see everybody today. Have a great rest of the day. Thank you all for coming and for the questions. And feel free to connect.

Gabriela de Queiroz @ Microsoft | Data Science Hangout

Transcript#

About Our Ladies and AI Inclusive

Building relationships in a new organization

Keeping up with a fast-moving field

Diverse backgrounds in data science teams

AI startups and the Microsoft for Startups ecosystem

Responsible AI and data privacy

Making the most of conferences

Networking for the socially anxious

Career advice and early career journey

Being a hiring manager in a competitive market

What advocacy really looks like