I grew up in a household where my dad would always say: never hesitate to invest in your brain. He’d encourage me to attend as many talks and conferences as possible — even if it meant spending money to be part of them.
I definitely took the first part to heart. As for the second part… not quite there yet. I usually try to find student discounts or volunteer at events to skip the “spending money” part of that sentence.
Over the years, I’ve been to several talks and workshops. Instead of listing each one, I want to share a few that had the deepest impact on me — and one thing I took away from each.
Microsoft Student Accelerator 2023
I’ve attended this bi-yearly meetup several times. Over time, I became friends with some of the Microsoft Canberra employees (shoutout to Tracey and Aimn!) and looked forward to seeing them every time I went back.
But one particular talk — by Aaron Dinnage (for my reference) — really stood out. Two things he said have stuck with me ever since:
(And for all the recruiters reading this — these are strictly his words, not mine, in case you don’t like the approach!)
1. Take charge of the interview
“Take charge of the interview — switch the roles. Ask the interviewer how their day was. Just like they’re trying to get to know you, you need to understand them too. And by the end, the interviewer will be left wondering at what point the roles reversed.
And don’t be nervous — most interviewers are just as nervous as you.”
He shared how, in training team members to conduct interviews for the first time, many of them were visibly nervous and unsure of themselves. That gave me a completely new perspective — interviewers are also human, also figuring things out, also trying to do a good job.
Thinking from their side of the table helped change how I walk into interviews. I carry that confidence with me now, and I always want to remember this before going into any interview.
2. Be a multi-dimensional person
“Don’t be a 1-D person. Be a multi-dimensional person. Try to explore different fields, learn as much as you can, and have an opinion on everything.”
The line “have an opinion on everything” really stuck with me. I loved it.
Since then, I’ve tried to live by it. If someone brings up something I don’t know much about, I make it a point to look into it later. I try to understand the different perspectives around it — what I conclude tells me something about my values and who I am.
There were a lot of great takeaways from the event, but these two resonated with me the most — and stayed with me.
Cicada Innovations
1. Follow the 80-20 rule
“If you’re talking to a customer and getting feedback, you should only be talking 20% of the time. The other 80% should be the person you’re trying to get insights from. Otherwise, you take over the meeting — and you’ll leave without learning much.”
I liked this rule because it applies to way more than just customer feedback. It’s about listening. In any conversation, you’ll always get more out of it when you actually listen and give your full attention.
It reminded me that listening is a skill — not just about staying quiet, but about being present.