Lauren Russell

Tell me about yourself and your journey into big tech.

I launched my career in e-commerce fraud prevention for luxury goods retailers and built The RealReal's fraud department from scratch, after spending 6 years working in fraud departments at companies such as Blue Nile and Bag Borrow or Steal. On day one of the RealReal, you could find me rolling up my sleeves in the stockroom tracking down Louis Vuitton and Hermès handbags to keep them safe from fraudsters!

On a whim, I visited Meta’s Menlo Park campus affectionately called “Disneyland” and that visit opened my eyes to the possibilities of big tech after years working in scrappy start-ups. After some persistence (and a LinkedIn referral), I landed a role at Meta. 

Since then, I’ve worn many hats: Risk & Payments Manager leveraging my fraud prevention skills, a Program Manager role in Trust and Safety, and a few years ago I made a career pivot and became a Privacy Program Manager after learning more about Privacy and having a desire to do work that was a company priority.

In your current role, what does a typical day look like and what are your main job responsibilities?

I’m a Privacy Program Manager supporting Meta's comprehensive Privacy Program. My responsibilities have included leading a large scale communications program supporting org level goals and objectives for a major privacy initiative, I’ve developed privacy onboarding programs to equip new and existing team members and stakeholders with fundamental information to do their jobs better, and I’ve participated in roadmapping, creating visual representations of goals, timelines, and milestones, enabling teams to work smarter and faster by tracking privacy and compliance projects from start to finish. On a typical day, I collaborate with colleagues on privacy, risk, and compliance projects, and have 1:1s with other ERG members to build an internal community, ensuring Meta remains a great place to work.

What advice do you have for others who want to break into big tech or do what you do?

If you want to break into tech, I’d recommend you build your support network by partnering with a coach or mentor. A coach can help you set goals, create outcomes, and manage personal change. A mentor provides guidance and support based on their own experiences. I’d also recommend you conduct a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat (SWOT) Analysis, which is a key component of creating a strategic plan for advancing your career. Lastly, be resilient and don’t give up. When you get knocked down, dust yourself off and keep moving forward. If you’re ever wondering if you can land a role in tech, I’m here to tell you that you can. I believe in you.

I had zero experience in tech when I was hired at Meta, and this month I celebrated my 7th work anniversary. What I did have was determination, a positive attitude, and many years of professional experience but that experience didn’t land me an interview after countless applications. After sharing this experience with a friend, she suggested I reach out to a current employee on LinkedIn to express my interest in joining the company. The employee responded with a kind message and a recruiter contacted me shortly thereafter. The recruiter told me she would remain in contact with me until I landed a role and the rest is history. I am forever grateful to the two women who helped me get to where I am today. I could not have gotten here without them.

What’s your favorite thing about working at Meta?

My favorite thing about Meta is the ability to build an internal community in a meaningful and impactful way, with open minded, kind, and caring people. This is especially important as we work across a distributed workforce, with many colleagues working remotely as I do and across the globe. By leading and participating in Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), I’ve contributed to creating an inclusive environment where employees feel a greater sense of belonging. I’ve found my people in these spaces, and work colleagues have become dear friends.

Finish this sentence. Outside of the office, you can find me:

Providing personal development coaching via my coaching business (www.upwardmind.com), designing updates and renovations for my ancient house built in 1898, and shopping at the farmer’s market, which is the highlight of my Saturday mornings. I’m also a “girls’ girl”; and enjoy connecting women across my friend group and professional network for career opportunities, knowledge sharing, and thought partnership.

Brenna’s key takeaway from this week’s coffee chat

A LinkedIn referral helped Lauren land her first role at Meta.

If you’re interested in finding your own referrals, try using Boolean search on LinkedIn.

Boolean search is a technique many recruiters use when searching for potential candidates but the cool part is that anyone can use it.

Here’s how👇

In the LinkedIn search bar, try typing:

“job title” AND company name
“job title” AND company name AND location

Or, one of my personal favorites?

Add a potential commonality such as your college to the search string. If you’re reaching out cold, sharing something in common is an easy way to break the ice. For example:

“program manager” AND microsoft AND harvard

All of the program managers who work for Microsoft and attended Harvard will come up.

The combinations are truly endless!

A few things to note:

- Boolean search strings can be as long and specific as you’d like so play around with keywords.
- Remember to capitalize the AND in between words. You can also use the words OR and NOT.

Utilizing Boolean search strings can be a game changer for your job search!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read today’s newsletter! If you have any feedback, please let me know down below. Have a great rest of the week and see you in the next one! Cheers, Brenna

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Other ways I can help you

Download my personal resume template: It has helped me land interviews at companies like Meta, Google, TikTok, Salesforce, and Uber.

Book a 1:1 coaching call with me: I’ve helped jobseekers land interviews and offers at companies like Meta, Amazon, Salesforce, and Pinterest.