July 25, 2024 • 12 mins
Get ready to uncover the secrets to building a successful tech career with our special guest Kanika Tolber, a powerhouse in the ServiceNow space and the visionary behind Career Rehab. Learn how an early passion for web development during the age of AOL instant messenger led Kanika to defy expectations and pursue computer science at Bowie State University, despite her mother's dreams of her becoming a pharmacist. Her journey didn't stop there; what started as a side hustle helping friends with job interviews and resumes blossomed into Career Rehab, a mission-driven organization dedicated to helping individuals redefine their personal brands and navigate career transitions in tech.
We dive deep into the hurdles faced by underrepresented groups in the tech industry and discuss actionable strategies to overcome them. From Kanika's own evolution from SaaS and NET development to project management and technologies like Drupal and WordPress, you'll hear firsthand accounts of the triumphs and setbacks that shaped her path. Discover how continuous learning, showcasing projects, and effective interview communication can set you apart. Plus, hear about Kanika’s exciting vision for Career Rehab's future, including plans for a podcast and academy. Don't miss her insightful advice and be sure to check out her transformative book "Career Rehab: Rebuild Your Personal Brand and Rethink the Way You Work" for even more wisdom.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I started to do that as like a side hustle and people
started getting jobs.
So I would always help peoplewith their resume and then they
would get hits back for jobinterviews and then they would
start asking me the hardquestions about salary
negotiation.
So then I was like maybe I needto turn this into an official
business.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hey everyone, this is Mike Roberts, creator of the
Apprenticeship Playbook, andyou're tuned in to the Skills
First podcast.
In today's world, Skills First,hiring is revolutionizing the
job market and on this show, Isit down with trailblazers who
are rethinking hiring practicesand embracing experiential
learning, as well as the peopleimpacted.
(00:43):
Follow along as we dive intotips, innovative ideas and
proven strategies to help younavigate and thrive in the
evolving landscape of modernapprenticeships.
Okay, can you tell us who youare and what is it that you do?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
So my name is Kanika Tolber.
I'm from the Washington DC area.
I do a lot of things actually,but I serve as a project manager
in the ServiceNow space, so Iwork for a federal government
agency.
I also have my own company,career Rehab, where I am the
founder and CEO and author of anorganization where we help
(01:20):
people rehab their careers.
We help people transition intonew careers, we help people
level up in their existingcareer and we also help people
that are looking to do a careerchange, whether they retired or
whether they're just switchingindustries.
I, primarily, have been workinga lot with the technology
industry, for the most partbecause that's what my
background is in.
(01:40):
But, yeah, that's what I do andthat's who I am.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Nice and what got you into tech.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
I've been in tech since 2005.
So it's been a long journey.
I went into tech because I wasreally, really fascinated with
web development at the time andthis is back when we had
Dreamweaver Frontpage.
Back in the day I'm telling myage now, but I just when the
internet became really popularand we had AOL instant messenger
(02:08):
, I was like, wow, this isreally cool getting on the
internet with dial-up.
And I was like, mom, I want togo into being a computer, I'm
going to go into computerscience.
At the time my mom really wantedme to go into being a
pharmacist, because she wouldalways tell me that we will go
to the store and the pharmacistwas sometimes a black woman and
(02:28):
we heard that pharmacists make alot of money.
So we'd go to the drug storeand she was like, maybe you
should talk to the pharmacistand maybe you should think about
being a pharmacist, becausethey make a lot of money and
it's a really good industry toget in.
I said, no, I want to go intocomputers.
So that's what I went tocollege for.
I went to Bowie StateUniversity here in Bowie,
(02:49):
Maryland, and it's the HBCU, andI just never looked back Nice.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Shout out to Bowie State and parents, because my
folks were the same way.
When I told them I wanted to bea programmer, they were like no
one goes to school for that,you pick something else.
And then I picked accountingand I was not set out to be an
accountant.
So I had a little bit of thatsame sort of twists and turns in
the journey.
So tell us a little bit moreabout the organization Career
(03:17):
Rehab.
You said Rehab.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So I started this company a couple of years ago
when I first got my book deal.
I have a book titled CareerRehab Rebuild your Personal
Brand and Rethink the Way thatyou Work.
So I had already been doingcareer coaching prior to
establishing the actual company.
I had been doing resume writing, career coaching, working a lot
in my local community in the DC, maryland, virginia area.
So I always was really helpingpeople with their careers,
(03:49):
whether it's job interviewskills so I started to do that
as like a side hustle and peoplestarted getting jobs.
So I would always help peoplewith their resume and then they
would get hits back for jobinterviews and then they would
start asking me the hardquestions about salary
negotiation.
So then I was like maybe I needto turn this into an official
(04:09):
business and then that's whatI've been pretty much doing
those types of activities for 10years.
But when I officially launchedmy book I said it's time to
really solidify this and makethis a sustainable business, and
that's what I did back prior tothe pandemic.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Nice.
So what do you feel is like thebiggest challenge for people
that look like us to break intotech, like how do we and then
how do we overcome that?
Speaker 1 (04:37):
I think the biggest challenge is really being able
to show the impact that you canmake within an organization.
I think getting certifications,watching Udemy video, udemy
videos or taking a boot camp Ithink all those things are great
.
I think the thing that westruggle with the most is
showing our impact, meaning wedon't always know how to go
(05:01):
above and beyond to do that in ajob interview process.
Show projects, show a portfolio.
Also, being able to reallybreak down a solution by
creating a mindset of being I'mgoing to analyze the problem,
I'm going to troubleshoot, I'mgoing to configure and really
come up with the solution, andbeing able to explain that
(05:23):
solution in the interviewprocess and just when we get in
the job, we sometimes get in ourhead that we're not going to be
able to be successful becausewe look at our peers or we look
at other people coming in withmore experience or more
education than us.
So I think we really need totake a back seat to just making
ourselves feel more comfortablewith explaining, instead of just
(05:47):
trying to memorize information,being able to really implement
it and explain it.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Nice?
Yeah, absolutely.
I think when you get those coreissues that I think a lot of
people deal with impostersyndrome it's only exacerbated
when you don't see a lot ofpeople that look like you, and
then you don't have a lot ofpeople that you can lean on.
And so I'm just amazed at thework you've done so far to
publish a book and be out theretrying to get people jobs, and
so I'm wondering what makes youso passionate about tech?
(06:15):
What's your why?
Speaker 1 (06:17):
I just believe that tech is an industry where
there's a lot of endlessopportunities.
There's a lot of possibilities.
I started my career focusing onbeing a SaaS and NET developer
and then I leveled up and movedinto being a project manager.
Then I started to focus in onother technologies like Drupal
(06:38):
and WordPress and focused ondoing a lot of website migration
projects for big organizations.
I think there's noone-size-fits-all to this
industry.
You can do so many things andyou constantly can be learning,
and I always say the more thatyou learn, the more that you
earn.
And that's what inspires me toinspire others to say years ago
(07:03):
it was a different technologythat was hot and popping.
Now it's cloud, Now it's AI,Now it's Internet of Things, Now
it's cybersecurity.
There's so many ways tocontinue to learn.
And now I'm focusing on service.
Now I wasn't.
Four years ago I wasn't evenhad, not even I was not even
(07:24):
introduced to service now.
So every time I go to a newrole or new opportunity, it
gives me an opportunity to learnsomething new.
So that's what I love moreabout tech.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Yeah, absolutely, and to me that helps to make the
barrier a little bit lower.
It's still a big challenge forpeople to rewire their brain, to
be in tech and to think likeproblem solvers, but the fact
that it changes so quickly meansthat it's almost like always, a
horse race.
You got to constantly belearning and so you can almost
always jump in and you can bepretty proficient pretty quickly
(07:57):
if you put the effort in.
It's not like you have to takeyears of experience in order for
you to get in and actuallystart moving up the ladder, so
to speak.
So I hundred percent agree.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yeah, I agree too.
Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
What do you most look ?
Speaker 1 (08:15):
My next big goal is to really focus in on making
career rehab its own ecosystem,if that means anything.
I met you through Arlen's groupand being a part of a lot of
different masterminds and beinga part of a lot of different
groups where there are peoplethat are trying to change the
(08:35):
world, just like me, being ableto continue to develop my piece
in that big change right.
So I have been doing twitterspaces for two years.
Twitter spaces has beensomething that I really enjoy
doing.
I didn't even know audiotechnology or audio production
(08:55):
would be something that would besomething that I enjoy doing.
I want to launch the careerrehab podcast show.
I want to make sure that I havea career rehab academy,
specifically for the people thathave been following me that
really need more additional help.
I want to also make sure that Istay intentional about creating
(09:18):
really good content online thatis free and disposable, the way
that I have been doing it thusfar and some things always won't
be free, right but there's alot of opportunity for me to
spread my wings as a contentcreator and as a CEO of the
company.
I foresee myself really workingwith more organizations to help
(09:40):
more people that look like meget into these roles.
That's been like my, my, that'swhere my heart is the most,
because I've been in Fortune 500companies, I've been in federal
government organizations and Isee that there's not a lot of
people that look like me and youand I know how to tell them
what the blueprint is, and Ithink showing them that roadmap
(10:05):
and letting them know that theycould do it it brings me a lot
of joy to my heart.
So that's the goal is tocontinue the work that I've been
doing, but take it to a wholenother level nice, I like it.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
So who's somebody that you'd like to give a shout
out to, or any shameless plugs?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Shameless plug.
Go buy Career Rehab the book onamazoncom.
It's a very short read but it'sa very good read.
If you are in the process oftransitioning at any level
within your career, I thinkCareer Rehab will definitely
help you build your personalbrand and it will definitely
help you understand how to getthe money, power, respect within
(10:46):
any organization or even withinyour business.
So check out Career Rehab Ithink it's a very great book and
just stay tuned to my monthlyTwitter spaces that are going to
take place all 2023.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
And just stay tuned to my monthly Twitter spaces
that are going to take place all2023.
Nice, all right.
So last and most importantquestion what's your favorite
snack?
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Favorite snack Popcorn.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Nice, that's mine right now.
I've had many in the past, butyeah, popcorn's lit.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Yeah, popcorn's lit.
I love kettle corn butterpopcorn.
Yeah, popcorn's lit.
So I love kettle corn butterpopcorn.
I'm not really big into thecaramel type popcorn, but I feel
like the popcorn is goodbecause it's healthier, so I
like to get the smart popcorn.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
There you go, love it .
Thanks so much, kanika, forcoming on the program.
Appreciate it.
Thank you.
You've been listening to SkillsFirst, the Apprenticeship
Playbook podcast.
(11:50):
By the way, if this is valuableto you, don't be lame.
Share the game.
This is how we know you love it.
If you're a company thinkingabout changing how you hire,
please share it so we know thistype of stuff is what you want.
I started to do that as like a side hustle and people
started getting jobs.
So I would always help peoplewith their resume and then they
would get hits back for jobinterviews and then they would
start asking me the hardquestions about salary
negotiation.
So then I was like maybe I needto turn this into an official
business.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hey everyone, this is Mike Roberts, creator of the
Apprenticeship Playbook, andyou're tuned in to the Skills
First podcast.
In today's world, Skills First,hiring is revolutionizing the
job market and on this show, Isit down with trailblazers who
are rethinking hiring practicesand embracing experiential
learning, as well as the peopleimpacted.
(00:43):
Follow along as we dive intotips, innovative ideas and
proven strategies to help younavigate and thrive in the
evolving landscape of modernapprenticeships.
Okay, can you tell us who youare and what is it that you do?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
So my name is Kanika Tolber.
I'm from the Washington DC area.
I do a lot of things actually,but I serve as a project manager
in the ServiceNow space, so Iwork for a federal government
agency.
I also have my own company,career Rehab, where I am the
founder and CEO and author of anorganization where we help
(01:20):
people rehab their careers.
We help people transition intonew careers, we help people
level up in their existingcareer and we also help people
that are looking to do a careerchange, whether they retired or
whether they're just switchingindustries.
I, primarily, have been workinga lot with the technology
industry, for the most partbecause that's what my
background is in.
(01:40):
But, yeah, that's what I do andthat's who I am.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Nice and what got you into tech.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
I've been in tech since 2005.
So it's been a long journey.
I went into tech because I wasreally, really fascinated with
web development at the time andthis is back when we had
Dreamweaver Frontpage.
Back in the day I'm telling myage now, but I just when the
internet became really popularand we had AOL instant messenger
(02:08):
, I was like, wow, this isreally cool getting on the
internet with dial-up.
And I was like, mom, I want togo into being a computer, I'm
going to go into computerscience.
At the time my mom really wantedme to go into being a
pharmacist, because she wouldalways tell me that we will go
to the store and the pharmacistwas sometimes a black woman and
(02:28):
we heard that pharmacists make alot of money.
So we'd go to the drug storeand she was like, maybe you
should talk to the pharmacistand maybe you should think about
being a pharmacist, becausethey make a lot of money and
it's a really good industry toget in.
I said, no, I want to go intocomputers.
So that's what I went tocollege for.
I went to Bowie StateUniversity here in Bowie,
(02:49):
Maryland, and it's the HBCU, andI just never looked back Nice.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Shout out to Bowie State and parents, because my
folks were the same way.
When I told them I wanted to bea programmer, they were like no
one goes to school for that,you pick something else.
And then I picked accountingand I was not set out to be an
accountant.
So I had a little bit of thatsame sort of twists and turns in
the journey.
So tell us a little bit moreabout the organization Career
(03:17):
Rehab.
You said Rehab.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So I started this company a couple of years ago
when I first got my book deal.
I have a book titled CareerRehab Rebuild your Personal
Brand and Rethink the Way thatyou Work.
So I had already been doingcareer coaching prior to
establishing the actual company.
I had been doing resume writing, career coaching, working a lot
in my local community in the DC, maryland, virginia area.
So I always was really helpingpeople with their careers,
(03:49):
whether it's job interviewskills so I started to do that
as like a side hustle and peoplestarted getting jobs.
So I would always help peoplewith their resume and then they
would get hits back for jobinterviews and then they would
start asking me the hardquestions about salary
negotiation.
So then I was like maybe I needto turn this into an official
(04:09):
business and then that's whatI've been pretty much doing
those types of activities for 10years.
But when I officially launchedmy book I said it's time to
really solidify this and makethis a sustainable business, and
that's what I did back prior tothe pandemic.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Nice.
So what do you feel is like thebiggest challenge for people
that look like us to break intotech, like how do we and then
how do we overcome that?
Speaker 1 (04:37):
I think the biggest challenge is really being able
to show the impact that you canmake within an organization.
I think getting certifications,watching Udemy video, udemy
videos or taking a boot camp Ithink all those things are great
.
I think the thing that westruggle with the most is
showing our impact, meaning wedon't always know how to go
(05:01):
above and beyond to do that in ajob interview process.
Show projects, show a portfolio.
Also, being able to reallybreak down a solution by
creating a mindset of being I'mgoing to analyze the problem,
I'm going to troubleshoot, I'mgoing to configure and really
come up with the solution, andbeing able to explain that
(05:23):
solution in the interviewprocess and just when we get in
the job, we sometimes get in ourhead that we're not going to be
able to be successful becausewe look at our peers or we look
at other people coming in withmore experience or more
education than us.
So I think we really need totake a back seat to just making
ourselves feel more comfortablewith explaining, instead of just
(05:47):
trying to memorize information,being able to really implement
it and explain it.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Nice?
Yeah, absolutely.
I think when you get those coreissues that I think a lot of
people deal with impostersyndrome it's only exacerbated
when you don't see a lot ofpeople that look like you, and
then you don't have a lot ofpeople that you can lean on.
And so I'm just amazed at thework you've done so far to
publish a book and be out theretrying to get people jobs, and
so I'm wondering what makes youso passionate about tech?
(06:15):
What's your why?
Speaker 1 (06:17):
I just believe that tech is an industry where
there's a lot of endlessopportunities.
There's a lot of possibilities.
I started my career focusing onbeing a SaaS and NET developer
and then I leveled up and movedinto being a project manager.
Then I started to focus in onother technologies like Drupal
(06:38):
and WordPress and focused ondoing a lot of website migration
projects for big organizations.
I think there's noone-size-fits-all to this
industry.
You can do so many things andyou constantly can be learning,
and I always say the more thatyou learn, the more that you
earn.
And that's what inspires me toinspire others to say years ago
(07:03):
it was a different technologythat was hot and popping.
Now it's cloud, Now it's AI,Now it's Internet of Things, Now
it's cybersecurity.
There's so many ways tocontinue to learn.
And now I'm focusing on service.
Now I wasn't.
Four years ago I wasn't evenhad, not even I was not even
(07:24):
introduced to service now.
So every time I go to a newrole or new opportunity, it
gives me an opportunity to learnsomething new.
So that's what I love moreabout tech.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Yeah, absolutely, and to me that helps to make the
barrier a little bit lower.
It's still a big challenge forpeople to rewire their brain, to
be in tech and to think likeproblem solvers, but the fact
that it changes so quickly meansthat it's almost like always, a
horse race.
You got to constantly belearning and so you can almost
always jump in and you can bepretty proficient pretty quickly
(07:57):
if you put the effort in.
It's not like you have to takeyears of experience in order for
you to get in and actuallystart moving up the ladder, so
to speak.
So I hundred percent agree.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yeah, I agree too.
Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
What do you most look ?
Speaker 1 (08:15):
My next big goal is to really focus in on making
career rehab its own ecosystem,if that means anything.
I met you through Arlen's groupand being a part of a lot of
different masterminds and beinga part of a lot of different
groups where there are peoplethat are trying to change the
(08:35):
world, just like me, being ableto continue to develop my piece
in that big change right.
So I have been doing twitterspaces for two years.
Twitter spaces has beensomething that I really enjoy
doing.
I didn't even know audiotechnology or audio production
(08:55):
would be something that would besomething that I enjoy doing.
I want to launch the careerrehab podcast show.
I want to make sure that I havea career rehab academy,
specifically for the people thathave been following me that
really need more additional help.
I want to also make sure that Istay intentional about creating
(09:18):
really good content online thatis free and disposable, the way
that I have been doing it thusfar and some things always won't
be free, right but there's alot of opportunity for me to
spread my wings as a contentcreator and as a CEO of the
company.
I foresee myself really workingwith more organizations to help
(09:40):
more people that look like meget into these roles.
That's been like my, my, that'swhere my heart is the most,
because I've been in Fortune 500companies, I've been in federal
government organizations and Isee that there's not a lot of
people that look like me and youand I know how to tell them
what the blueprint is, and Ithink showing them that roadmap
(10:05):
and letting them know that theycould do it it brings me a lot
of joy to my heart.
So that's the goal is tocontinue the work that I've been
doing, but take it to a wholenother level nice, I like it.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
So who's somebody that you'd like to give a shout
out to, or any shameless plugs?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Shameless plug.
Go buy Career Rehab the book onamazoncom.
It's a very short read but it'sa very good read.
If you are in the process oftransitioning at any level
within your career, I thinkCareer Rehab will definitely
help you build your personalbrand and it will definitely
help you understand how to getthe money, power, respect within
(10:46):
any organization or even withinyour business.
So check out Career Rehab Ithink it's a very great book and
just stay tuned to my monthlyTwitter spaces that are going to
take place all 2023.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
And just stay tuned to my monthly Twitter spaces
that are going to take place all2023.
Nice, all right.
So last and most importantquestion what's your favorite
snack?
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Favorite snack Popcorn.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Nice, that's mine right now.
I've had many in the past, butyeah, popcorn's lit.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Yeah, popcorn's lit.
I love kettle corn butterpopcorn.
Yeah, popcorn's lit.
So I love kettle corn butterpopcorn.
I'm not really big into thecaramel type popcorn, but I feel
like the popcorn is goodbecause it's healthier, so I
like to get the smart popcorn.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
There you go, love it .
Thanks so much, kanika, forcoming on the program.
Appreciate it.
Thank you.
You've been listening to SkillsFirst, the Apprenticeship
Playbook podcast.
(11:50):
By the way, if this is valuableto you, don't be lame.
Share the game.
This is how we know you love it.
If you're a company thinkingabout changing how you hire,
please share it so we know thistype of stuff is what you want.
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