For nearly three years, Mirela Lane (Senior Manager, Onboarding Consulting) has been a vital part of the SmartRecruiters team, bringing a unique perspective that bridges the gap between technical innovation and real-world business needs. But before she became a technology expert, she spent over 15 years on the other side of the table, as an HR leader managing global teams and budgets. In this edition of our Women in Tech series, Mirela shares how she leveraged that deep domain expertise to build a successful second career in SaaS. She discusses the challenges of learning 'tech language,' the importance of vulnerability in leadership, and why she believes the future of the industry lies in combining AI advancements with human synergy.
Journey & Inspiration
What sparked your interest in moving from a traditional HR leadership role into the world of HR Technology/SaaS?
Mirela: Prior to joining the tech space, I worked as an HR leader for close to 20 years, working across many different industry verticals and geographies. I managed large teams and was a generalist, looking after everything from employment through to learning and development, performance, and recruitment.
During that time, I was the budget owner for HR technology and was always involved in vendor selection. One of the things that stood out was that when technology vendors came on-site to share the value of their technology, I noticed a couple of things. First of all, it was quite a male-dominated industry. There was a lot of tech jargon spoken, and when presenting to HR talent acquisition teams, a lot of it gets lost. So many times during vendor presentations, I lost track of what we were actually looking at, and I realized it was because they weren't focusing on showing us what that technology could do to actively solve our problems.
I had a unique opportunity when I worked for Hilton Hotels as a Director of HR to be part of a global talent management system rollout. I agreed to lead the APAC region, which meant implementing recruitment and onboarding across 22 countries, 500+ properties, and covering 7 languages. It was no mean feat; I was thrown into the deep end and had to quickly pivot and learn everything related to implementing technology—from mapping out the current state to designing the future state.
How did you successfully leverage your deep expertise from a specialized domain to make a significant transition into a technology-focused consulting role?
Mirela: That project gave me a strong interest in this space. I realized that for an HR leader, having the skills to manage HR transformational projects and technology implementations was quite a niche skillset.
During the course of my career, I pivoted between working as an HR leader on the client side—always focused on HR transformation—and working on the technology side. I realized there was so much learning happening in this space. My interest was piqued a number of years ago when I worked for a technology vendor focused on leveraging AI in assessments. I saw this as a game-changer. I had to understand machine learning, natural language processing, and algorithmic bias to share the value of this technology with customers.
Today, I have stayed in technology because I realized that with my experience on the client side, I can meet clients where they are. I can ensure that our implementation partners pivot to work with the customer to get them to where they need to be. It allows us to truly optimize and maximize the technology to get that ROI and make a real difference for these organizations.
Challenges & Growth
How do you continue to learn and grow in such a rapidly evolving industry?
Mirela: The pace of change is constant, and it is a lot to keep up with. I always dedicate time during my day to read different subscriptions to stay informed on where the industry is at. I use daily briefs and updates, and through curiosity, I do further discovery to ensure I’m up to speed.
Within SmartRecruiters, we have amazing information and communication channels to keep us up to date on product advancements, specifically regarding AI and Agentic AI. That combination of leveraging what's available externally and leaning into internal resources definitely supports keeping up to date.
What is your approach to solving complex problems in your role?
Mirela: I’m a firm believer that there is always a solution available. We may not always know what that is at the time, so I focus on digging in, doing the research, and getting all the information needed to move forward.
I focus heavily on collaborating with my team members and other networks to learn from other people's experiences. It’s about understanding the problem, thinking out loud, and being creative in how we approach things. Not every problem can be approached in the same way, so it is important to be able to pivot, learn, and be vulnerable. If we are trialing something for the first time, I believe in calling that out and being accepting of feedback to make things better.
Personal Reflection & Advice
For someone looking to make a similar career pivot, what is one piece of advice you wish you had received?
Mirela: I understood early on that I had to be vulnerable. I was very well-versed as an HR leader running very large teams, and yet there I was learning something new very quickly.
Being vulnerable is part of the journey for all of us today with the pace of change within technology. We need to open ourselves to being vulnerable because that is a learning opportunity. We are learning every day with the advancements of Agentic AI and new tech coming into the market—understanding what problems we are solving and where we are creating synergy between the use of AI and humans.
I would recommend for women looking to come into the tech industry: the world is your oyster. There's nothing we can't do, but it does take being vulnerable. It takes having a level of agility, being able to pivot quickly, and absorbing as much as you can. There are lots of great opportunities within this industry that I've really appreciated, allowing me to set up a whole new career pathway for myself.
