Designing Leaders: From Intern to Industry Influencer

Overview

At ServiceNow, I built a sustainable pipeline of design talent, from early-in-career hires to emerging leaders, while championing an inclusive approach to mentorship. Over four years, I guided interns, recent graduates, and team members toward promotions and leadership roles — all while embedding structured development opportunities into the business. This extended a career-long passion for cultivating design leaders, proven in my six years at Events.com, where I hired and developed eight designers (most as interns or new graduates), several of whom now work at companies such as Google, Netflix, and Drata.

Context

• Distributed design teams across 5+ time zones with direct reports including managers and individual contributors

• Rapidly growing product scope with increasing need for scalable leadership

• Lack of early-career hiring structure at the outset

• Desire to increase representation and opportunity in design

Goal

Create a repeatable framework for identifying, hiring, and developing design talent — with a focus on early-career designers — that resulted in long-term success for both the individuals and the business.

Initiatives & Impact

1. Early-in-Career Hiring & Development

• Built the case for early-career hiring and secured budget approval.

• Defined hiring levels, job descriptions, and onboarding processes.

• Hired 2 interns and 1 recent graduate in the first year.

• Converted 1 intern into a permanent role — now promoted within the company.

• Hired a temporary early-career designer as a permanent employee.

2. Coaching for Career Advancement

• Coached multiple team members to secure promotions into senior and managerial roles.

• Provided personalized mentorship, performance feedback, and growth plans.

• Supported team members through personal challenges while maintaining performance — one designer credited my guidance as instrumental during their first child’s birth.

3. Cristo Rey Student Program

• Managed 5 high school students from Cristo Rey San José High School over 2 years, a program serving underrepresented communities.

• Provided mentorship, work experience, and inclusion in team activities.

• Coordinated with my designers to supervise and guide their projects, culminating in final presentations.

4. Embedding Leadership Development in Day-to-Day Work

• Integrated mentorship and coaching into weekly 1:1s and design reviews.

• Encouraged team members to take ownership of projects and present to senior leadership.

• Created opportunities for designers to lead initiatives, fostering confidence and leadership skills.

Outcomes

• Multiple interns and early-career hires converted to permanent employees and promoted.

• Multiple team members promoted into senior and leadership roles.

• Increased retention and engagement through visible career progression.

• Elevated ServiceNow’s commitment to diversity and inclusion through Cristo Rey partnership.

• Career-long proof of success in nurturing talent into industry leaders.

Program Timeline

Year 1 (2021–2022)

• Built business case for early-career hiring and secured budget.

• Hired 2 interns and 1 recent graduate.

Years 2–4 (2022–2025)

• Continued early-career recruitment.

• Coached multiple designers to senior and management promotions.

• Early-career hires converted to permanent employees.

Years 3–4 (2023–2025)

• Launched Cristo Rey Student Program involvement.

• Managed and mentored 5 high school students over 2 years.

• Integrated Cristo Rey students into team activities and project work.

Career Context – Events.com (6 years prior)

• Hired 8 designers, with 4 starting as interns and 3 as recent graduates.

• Mentored and coached them into impactful roles at leading companies including Google, Netflix, and Drata.

• Established a culture of growth where early-career talent was given high-visibility work, building the skills and confidence to excel in competitive markets.