http://blog.womenforhire.com/ en Copyright 2008 Mon, 12 May 2008 15:59:20 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Much has been written and said by pundits, columnists, and bloggers on-air, in print and online in the last two weeks about Hillary Clinton's failure to nab her party's nomination and Katie Couric's failure to stop the drop in ratings for her evening news broadcast. Some say these two were doomed from the start because Americans simply refuse to accept women in powerful positions that have always been held by men. Others say the Clinton and Couric defeats mean the road will be much tougher for other women; since these two were rejected, others won't even bother trying or support for future attempts will be lukewarm (at best) since backers will fear similar fates. Then there's a whole other school of thought. Many people -- and they're by no means limited to those who've taken a dislike to either Clinton or Couric -- don't believe these two carry the torch for all women. They don't buy into the idea that our country is rejecting women. Rather, they believe Hillary and Katie haven't been as successful as each had hoped because of their own mistakes and shortcomings. Not because of a rebuke of their gender. No matter how you slice it, both women have gone where no others had been before. They plowed through uncharted territory and for that they ought to be commended. We believe their challenges and triumphs will make it easier for more women to move ahead in areas that have long been dominated by men. We want to know your take. Tell us where you stand in the dialogue on the advancement of women in light of the experiences of these two. ]]> http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/-much-has-been-written.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/-much-has-been-written.html Mon, 12 May 2008 15:59:20 -0500 With the present economy and high gas prices, I’m grateful that my office is located a short walk from my bedroom. Yes, my workplace is in my home. In the past I’ve weighed in on some of the drawbacks of being a fulltime freelancer, but due to the situation where gas is becoming the cost of a luxury item, those drawbacks are lessening. http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/grateful-for-a-short-commute.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/grateful-for-a-short-commute.html Mon, 12 May 2008 10:56:37 -0500 Last week, I went to the funeral of a 49-year-old man named Jon. He waged a valiant fight against lung cancer for 14 months. (By the way, he never smoked.) When he was diagnosed, he was already in Stage 4 of the disease. But, he was determined to fight it and to beat it, for the sake of his three children and his wife. http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/life-lessons.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/life-lessons.html Fri, 09 May 2008 10:08:03 -0500 You know that co-worker that always looks fabulous, even on “casual Friday”? Do you catch yourself saying “if only I had her figure, I’d look great every day too!”? Chances are she has just as many issues with her figure as you do. The difference? She has learned somewhere in her life how to flatter and flaunt her figure rather than making it worse in an attempt to hide it. http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/dress-well-for-any-body-type-1.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/dress-well-for-any-body-type-1.html Thu, 08 May 2008 14:28:21 -0500 Why do we stay in bad situations? If you’re in a job where you are disgusted, angry or frustrated, then you know what I’m saying. Or maybe it hasn’t gotten that far yet. Perhaps you’re just tired, bored and feeling like you could be doing something else with your life. Yes, I’ve been there plenty of times. There’s a point where you know you’re not happy, but you keep going through the motions because it’s easier than calling it quits. http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/knowing-when-to-leave.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/knowing-when-to-leave.html Wed, 07 May 2008 09:35:27 -0500 Ladies Home Journal needed a makeup artist for a photo shoot in suburban Pennsylvania. I was very excited to get the call and readily said, “Yes”. I was so excited to get a job for a major magazine. When I asked her what the shoot was going to be about, she told me it was for three widows of men who died in the 9/11 attacks. ]]> http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/in-october-2003-i-got.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/in-october-2003-i-got.html Tue, 06 May 2008 12:10:31 -0500 I used to love watching Steffi Graf play tennis. She had an impeccable shot, a winner every time. The inside-out-forehand is hard to describe but essentially it's a fantastic shot in tennis. The opponent doesn't really see it coming and if you play your cards and positioning right to deliver the angled shot, well, you may just end up with a cross-court winner. As I interviewed sources for a piece last week on outsource-proofing your career I came upon an inside-out shot, a secret power play if you will, and simply have to share. http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/the-inside-out-forehand.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/the-inside-out-forehand.html Fri, 02 May 2008 10:26:49 -0500 Here they come. Faster than you can say Pomp and Circumstance they will be teeming out of the hallowed academic halls of our nation's colleges and universities. It’s the class of 2008! They are fresh from commencement services, capped, gowned, and tasseled, diplomas in hand and ready to face the real world. Unfortunately the real world seems to have a higher quotient of real as of late. As in REALLY scary economic forecast. As in “What am I REALLY supposed to do with my concentration in Medieval and Renaissance Literature?” As in “I guess I don’t REALLY mind moving back home with my parents.”]]> http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/what-do-you-do-with-a-ba-in-en.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/05/what-do-you-do-with-a-ba-in-en.html Thu, 01 May 2008 10:56:46 -0500 Recently, my business partner and I were invited to be part of a women's conference at our alma mater. We were on the panel for the discussion called "Discover your Inner Entrepreneur." It was a nice surprise to discover that 1. I haven't completely lost my memory, as I recognized a lot of alumni in the audience and 2. that there are many women out there who are thinking about starting their own businesses. http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/discover-your-inner-entreprene.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/discover-your-inner-entreprene.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:52:47 -0500 Smoke Screening In 21 states, not hiring people who smoke is perfectly legal. At Whirlpool Corp. in Evansville, Ind., 39 factory workers, all who had claimed they were non-smokers to get a $500 discount on their company health insurance, were suspended without pay after they were seen smoking outside their factory. Corporations say this is all about stopping the bleeding, since health care costs are soaring at twice the rate of inflation. But this kind of corporate interference in personal lives is raising all kinds of questions about how much information your employer has the right to know. Critics say this kind of personal interference has gone too far. They question what’s next: If you skip the sunscreen, should you be held responsible for paying the bills if you develop skin cancer? If you eat gooey candy, should you be held responsible for the dental bill when your teeth need work? On the contrary, supporters say everyone must pay the price for rising health care costs. Those with habits or lifestyles that contribute to poor health should be required to pay more. We want you to weigh in. Well, not literally. (Though don’t be surprised if your employer requires you to hop on the scale.) Tell us your thoughts on an employer’s right to know what happens outside of work. IS IT PAYBACK TIME FOR EMPLOYERS? Lilly Ledbetter was a supervisor at a Goodyear Tire plant in Gadsden, Ala., for almost 20 years. When she neared retirement, she got an anonymous letters listing the salaries of men with the same job. While she was making $3,727 a month, the lowest paid man was getting $4,286. Goodyear declined Ledbetter’s offer to settle for the difference between her earnings and that lowest-paid man’s — about $60,000. A jury awarded her $223,776 in back pay and more than $3 million in punitive damages. Goodyear appealed and the Supreme Court ruled 5-to-4 against Ledbetter, saying that she should have filed her suit within 180 days of receiving her first paycheck in which Goodyear discriminated against her. Problem was she didn’t know the information at that time. A bill before the Senate last week stipulated that every time a woman like Ledbetter got a check that was lower than those of the men doing the same job, it would trigger a new 180-day deadline. Sponsors needed 60 votes to get it passed, but they only got 56. “I would never have believed this in the United States of America,” said Ledbetter, 70, who watched from the Senate gallery. Opponents claim such a law would bring too many claims against employers, which would flood the courts. Some supporters wonder if the fear of such suits would prompt equal pay for equal work regardless of gender. Share your take. ]]> http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/tell-us-your-thoughts-1.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/tell-us-your-thoughts-1.html Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:33:04 -0500 Today guest blogger Amanda Donikowski weighs in on Dainica Patrick's recent landmark racing victory: Sunday, April 20th marked a huge success for women in sports. Danica Patrick, Indy-car's competitive racing front woman, made history when she became the first woman to win an Indy-car race. Patrick has been fighting the male-dominated world of racing for over three years now. She's been taking the heat for not being victorious after coming so close to winning many races. Her "fellow" racers feel that auto racing is a man's sport. Dealing with these kinds of sexist remarks has become part of her every day life, but she doesn't let it affect her. Instead she uses the comments to fuel her desire to win and challenge her to make it happen. http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/who-says-women-cant-drive.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/who-says-women-cant-drive.html Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:39:36 -0500 Sometimes we continue to dress from habit and never realize that we have moved on and become a far more sophisticated or successful person. Unfortunately, we are judged by the way we look, and many women continue to wear the staid blazer jackets and white shirts they wore at university. This collegiate look shouts that you are an inexperienced greenhorn, and you are likely to be treated as if you are not very high-placed nor informed in the working environment. http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/invest-in-yourself.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/invest-in-yourself.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:43:21 -0500 In this recession you may read the headlines and not be shocked to learn the housing market's in a slump. Recession this, layoffs that. What really needs to be underscored in these blight times is the ability to up your own game. Instead of the negative, let's talk positive shall we? How about getting your game on? Rising your own personal stock. If an employer isn't going to, well then you take the bull by the horns and run, baby run. I'm talking about your brain power, your mojo, your moxie. http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/the-write-stuff.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/the-write-stuff.html Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:32:30 -0500 At what point are we stretched too thin professionally and personally? I’ve always been one to have my hands in a few different projects at one time. Some people see it as someone who is talented and able to juggle many different talents. Others see it as someone who is not focused and jumps from one project to another. So how do I know if I am really unfocused or actually capable of multi-tasking? http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/stretched-too-thin-and-not-in.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/stretched-too-thin-and-not-in.html Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:48:06 -0500 Recently I had the opportunity to be on a panel of alumni entrepreneurs sponsored by my university’s career services office. There were five of us, three men and two women. As we all introduced ourselves, I realized that the oldest man on the panel had been born the year I graduated from college http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/how-old-is-too-old.html http://blog.womenforhire.com/2008/04/how-old-is-too-old.html Sat, 12 Apr 2008 18:28:46 -0500