Spotlight on Hannah Maguire, Business Development Representative at FireHydrant

Spotlight on the Women of FireHydrant

To celebrate Women's History Month in March and International Women's Day on March 8, 2021, we will be spotlighting our fabulous women of FireHydrant and some of our amazing customers too!

Name: Hannah Maguire When did you join FireHydrant? September 2020 What do you do at FireHydrant? Business Development Representative

What do you most enjoy about your job?

My role is to facilitate conversations and demos with the sales team and prospects. I’m responsible for reaching out (calling, emailing, or sending a carrier pigeon) to folks who I think would benefit from FireHydrant's platform. In most organizations, BDRs set up conversations but don’t get the opportunity to observe the next steps. At FireHydrant, I get to sit in on demos, which is by far my favorite part of my role. Watching someone I’ve chatted with about FireHydrant light up the second they see the platform... that's a great feeling.

What are some ways working at FireHydrant challenged you and enabled you to grow?

There are too many to count! I know it’s a hackneyed sentiment, but every day is a challenge. I came into the role with no background in software engineering; part of what excited me about joining FireHydrant was having the chance to jump into an entirely new experience. Each day I’m presented with a new question--whether it arises during a conversation about our product, a discussion about hatching a new plan for engaging prospects, or a deep dive into process improvements with a team member. I've learned more about sales, engineering, and myself in the past six months than I think most people learn in two years in the same role. 

What women inspire you and why?

I draw a lot of my inspiration from my mom. She taught me the value of working hard, asking a lot of questions, and being curious. And since entering the professional world, I’ve been particularly inspired by the women around me. Sheila Moghadam has been a huge force in my time at FireHydrant thus far, helping me hone my skills and providing a lot of advice on what’s worked for her in her career.

What advice would you give to other women interested in finding a role like yours?

The best advice I was given when I started looking for roles during my senior year of college is to find someone in the role you’re considering or interested in and reach out to them. Ask if they’d be open to grabbing coffee or chatting on the phone about their work. It can seem a little awkward at first, but you’d be surprised how open people are to providing advice and insight into their own professional experiences. For women in tech, the same advice applies: reach out to female leaders and professionals within the space. 

What are your favorite websites that you can be found browsing during your spare time?

I’m constantly looking for new art and decor for my apartment. It’s my guilty pleasure, and I’m dangerously close to running out of space. One of my favorites that's always center stage in my bedroom is a piece of repurposed vinyl spine wall art from a local artist, Wrecords by Monkey.

I also love apartmenttherapy.com and the aptdeco.com marketplace. And society6.com is great! They carry a lot of beautiful work by independent artists.

If your life were made into a movie, who would direct the film and why?

David Lynch, because I'd want people to walk away from the film with absolutely no idea what just happened. Also, selfishly, because I’d get to meet him. I have a lot of questions to ask.

What's the one thing you're looking forward to doing once the pandemic is behind us?

I’m looking forward to traveling again. I try to visit my family in Ireland around twice a year during normal times and haven’t been there since before the pandemic started. I’m itching to get back!