My Path to Data: Chloe Reynolds
A blog series featuring women from Slalom — both current and alumni — on their path into data and analytics.
Last year we launched the “My Path to Data” blog series to learn more from women in data at Slalom, discussing their roles, tips for how to prepare for a career in data, and more. Leading up to the You & Data panel discussion hosted by Slalom’s Women in Data community on September 22, we’re re-introducing the series to to share stories about how Slalom women — both current and alumni — got into data.
Today, we spoke with Chloe Reynolds, a principal of data and analytics (D&A) at Slalom Silicon Valley.
What’s the biggest thing you learned so far on your Slalom journey?
I learned that Slalom people are my kind of people. They’re passionate about one of our core values: Do what is right, always. Slalomers embody this in individual acts — like correcting an unintended error that would benefit Slalom in a customer-drafted contract, or simply listening and connecting during day-to-day meetings. And Slalom does it with corporate practices and policies. For example, Slalom has installed all-gender bathrooms, protected our employees’ jobs and livelihoods during the pandemic, hired a chief ID&E officer, performed annual pay equity studies, joined the Amazon Climate Pledge … the list goes on and on.
What is your most memorable moment at Slalom?
I have two that are related. When COVID happened, we didn’t know how that would affect Slalom financially. Some people worried that client companies might become more frugal, if so, would that lead to layoffs in Slalom? After all, other companies do operate that way — employing the “last in, first out” principle at the first hint of economic downturn. Slalom leaders, by contrast, assured us that Slalom would do everything possible to not lay off a single person. Instead, we reduced expenses, froze hiring, and delivered well remotely to keep up business referrals.
The second instance was around a year later in March 2021. It was time for annual bonuses based on company and individual performance, which can be a significant dollar amount. An announcement was made. Slalom leadership opted to forego their own bonuses that year in order to be able to give bonuses to everyone else. This has never happened at any other company I worked for, and I’ve have worked at over a dozen companies in 22 years. Slalom puts its people first.
How did you get into the data field?
I have a communication studies (non-STEM) undergraduate degree. My first job out of college was a generic office job. My boss asked me to build a FileMaker database, knowing that I had worked with FileMaker in an earlier student job. I read a book on the technical steps and business process steps. In the end, I built a sales order system that saved tens of thousands of dollars a year for my small firm. This was a great deal for them because my salary was almost minimum wage.
Serendipitously, my next few office jobs kept bringing me back into data architecture, engineering and analytics roles. I eventually realized I liked data (data was now “a thing”), and it apparently liked me. I went back to school for a graduate degree in a relevant field so that I would be a competitive job applicant for data roles moving forward. I had to take prerequisite classes at night for two years to be qualified to even apply for graduate data/information programs. But it paid off. I got into a Master of Information Management and Systems program at Berkeley. After that, I worked another decade in analytics. My career in data started by chance but at the same time, it feels like it was always meant to be.
Me + data = ❤
What is one thing you wish you could go back and tell yourself before starting a career in data?
I wish I could have told my younger self to get a data analytics undergraduate degree. But when I was an undergraduate student, data analytics degrees didn’t exist. Data science wasn’t a thing. Big data wasn’t a thing. For people today, I recommend getting a relevant college degree. If you’re already out of college, take up a master’s program in analytics.
Secondly, employers care about experience solving real-world problems for organizations. Navigating a corporate data landscape, translating customer needs into a data product, and testing the result in a business setting are important skills in addition to technical abilities. Try to get real-world experience by offering to do analytics projects for your current employer, whether that’s your main job function or not. If you’re in school, do internships. You can also volunteer with organizations like DataKind, Solve for Good, the Taproot Foundation, or KD Nuggets.
Gaining real-world experience is how I was able to scooch into this field sideways despite an indirect initial path.
What is your role at Slalom?
As a principal in the data and analytics (D&A) team, I help our Silicon Valley tech clients use data to achieve better business outcomes. During the proposal phase, I architect solutions. Afterwards, I lead delivery teams to execute data engineering and data visualization projects. I’m also active in increasing diversity in the technology field inside of and outside of Slalom.
What made you choose Slalom?
I liked all the people I met during the interview process, and I was impressed by Slalom’s speed in providing feedback and making an offer after my last interview. The interview experience felt good; the interviewers were professional and warm. Since joining, I’ve continued to be impressed by the level of sophistication that my colleagues bring to the table, and how well they treat each other and our clients in the process. I had two other offers at that time, but I said yes Slalom.
What are some tips for those interested in a career in data or applying to Slalom?
I’ll give one tip on technical skills, a tip for the interview process, and a tip about workday life after hire.
Tech skills: As of today, learn SQL and — depending on your specialty area — either Python, Tableau or AWS. Keep in mind that the in-demand tools change over time.
Interviewing: Look for gender equity clues during the interview process. See if the company posts this information online. If not, ask your interviewers …
- How many women are in leadership overall, and in technical roles?
- What is the retention rate by gender in technical roles? (For example, on my team, retention is significantly longer for women than men. This is very uncommon in the tech sector and a tellingly pleasant data point.)
Additionally, look at best places to work lists and sites like Glassdoor for a summary of the employee experience. After an offer, dig into compensation and benefits details, such as …
- Does the company do regular pay equity studies?
- How does the offer compare to the average industry salary? Research typical salary ranges for your experience and education level and fit for the job. Use free online tools like the job search intelligence salary calculator or ones that are available on websites like salary.com.
- Consider the benefits and professional opportunities. Think about factors besides salary that would help you grow your career, such as having access to a mentor, being able to flex into a new area, and having ongoing training opportunities.
- Ask about the benefits package. What are the company’s policies on topics you may care about — work-life balance, vacation, parental-leave, adoption support, time off for care of loved ones, fertility-related healthcare coverage, etc.?
- Use all these factors to ask for a figure. Then ask for a bit more than that so there is room to negotiate down.
Work life: Depending on the organization, data project team members often need soft skills such as stakeholder interaction, requirements gathering, technical writing, and subject matter knowledge of the domain you’re analyzing. Moreover, these activities and data preparation may take a significant portion of your day — more than pure analytics activities that new joiners sometimes daydream about.
What is the most important Slalom core value to you now as a woman in data?
Focus on outcomes.
What is your superpower?
Digesting complexity. I’m great at turning vagueness and chaos into order.
Want to hear more from Chloe?
Register now for Slalom’s Women in Data community panel discussion — You & Data — on September 22nd from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ET. Whether you have 10 years of experience or are just starting your career, we hope you’ll join us to listen in on this conversation with other women in the industry.
Chloe Reynolds is a principal at Slalom, helping technology clients in the Silicon Valley make better business decisions with data. Prior to joining Slalom, she managed data architecture for UCLA’s central analytics office. She has two decades of experience in data roles, peer-reviewed publications on analytics, and a Master’s Degree in Information Management & Systems from UC Berkeley. With a passion for increasing diversity in technology, she has organized women in tech conferences and programs for the last seven years.
Slalom is a global consulting firm that helps people and organizations dream bigger, move faster, and build better tomorrows for all. Learn more and reach out today.
