SystemsAccountants recently hosted “Women In NetSuite” in Chicago, Illinois, home to our USA headquarters. This engaging and inspiring networking event successfully brought together over forty NetSuite professionals from the Chicago metro area and five surrounding states to share industry insights and discuss the triumphs and challenges faced by women in the NetSuite ecosystem today.

In the spirit of sharing stories and illuminating common ground, the focal point of the event was an intriguing Q&A with Director of NetSuite Recruitment Isabella Romanazzi and NetSuite Professional Elise Telechan. We’ve gathered and summarized three key takeaways from their dialogue on “How NetSuite Changes Your Career:”

TAKEAWAY #1: NETSUITE OPENS DOORS YOU DIDN’T KNOW WERE THERE

The old saying goes that there is no elevator to success, but developing a NetSuite skillset may be the closest thing to it. Elise shared her first encounter with NetSuite and subsequent career evolution:

Explain how you first gained exposure to NetSuite, and how it was a catalyst in terms of transforming your career path.

I was a user working at a services company. I worked with estimates, sales orders, purchase orders, and bills. It was a great role to have held because there isn’t really a school you can attend to get to know NetSuite – I was just an Office Assistant who after being exposed to NetSuite strived to learn more about the system.

When did you first realize that your career could revolve around NetSuite, and how did you transition your responsibilities to fully support NetSuite Administration?

After realizing I wanted to learn more about the system, I started to research certifications. It was then I realized that beyond becoming certified, there were a wide array of roles advertised on job sites that focused solely on NetSuite. That was when I realized how large the network was.

Let’s dive a little deeper into your career path. Walk us through – what prompted you to transition from Office Assistant (NetSuite User) to NetSuite Administrator and onward? 

The female CIO at my company, who initially enabled and encouraged my knowledge and education of the system, had moved to a different organization. I reached out to her to ask for advice, and her team happened to be hiring – I interviewed, and got the job! I started as the help desk analyst to get to know the system further, but in three months I moved into an administrator position.

TAKEAWAY #2: KNOW YOUR RESOURCES, AND ALLOW THEM TO EMPOWER YOU

While NetSuite has the power to transform your career path, it is still up to the individual to maximize their potential with the system. Elise encouraged attendees to be curious, and take active steps to continue furthering their knowledge of NetSuite:

What advice would you give to a user aspiring to transition to a full career in NetSuite?

Don’t be afraid to learn the system more. Ask to learn or tinker on your own (with appropriate permission) with dashboards, searches, navigation, etc.

Also, know your resources!  There are many free resources at your fingertips:

• SuiteAnswers: NetSuite’s webpage for support and training-related inquiries, including a searchable database.
• LinkedIn User Groups: General, or city-specific.
• User Groups by Geography: Do a web search for a NetSuite User Group meeting near you.
• Slack for NetSuite Professionals: A Slack workspace to allow NetSuite Professionals a platform to collaborate, ask questions, and network.
• NetSuiteProfessionals.com: Host site of Slack for NetSuite Professionals.

TAKEAWAY #3: THE IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKING CANNOT BE UNDERSTIMATED

In keeping with the nature of the event, Elise stressed the importance of maintaining and growing an active network of fellow NetSuite professionals, particularly other female NetSuite Professionals:

A recent IBM survey showed that gender equality is still not a top priority for 70% of global businesses. How has your NetSuite skillset given you a platform to challenge this?

I think both the NetSuite world and the tech world at large are growing considerably when it comes to the inclusion of women. I was lucky to know a female leader who could mentor me in furthering my career in NetSuite, and I am happy to see more and more women in leadership roles at companies in the NetSuite space. In fact, the majority of directors at my last company were women!

When I attended SuiteWorld in 2018 I was excited to see women represented, and felt so empowered standing alongside other women in an industry predominantly made up of men. The following year in 2019, there were even MORE women! In a full-circle moment, I ran into a woman in a line at Starbucks, and we started chatting NetSuite. A few years later she reached out to me for advice on starting a career in NetSuite, as I once had to my former CIO – and she ended up on my team! It’s important for women to uplift other women in the professional world, and the NetSuite space is no exception.

We are incredibly grateful for the turnout and support of our first Women in NetSuite event. Follow us on LinkedIn to be kept updated on the next opportunity to meet and network with other professionals in your area. Have an open NetSuite role, or looking for a new job opportunity yourself? Visit our jobseekers page, or submit a vacancy.