The Kid-Ceiling: Women Feel It Long Before Seeing the Glass Ceiling

sn_webphoto_03.jpgContributed by Susan Newman, Ph.D.

For most women who work having a family alters their income, their ability to advance, and their well-being. All is not right in the world of women’s work and the glaring deficiencies force more women to move in the direction of the smaller or “new traditional family” as I call the single-child family in my book, Parenting An Only Child. The more children you have, the more likely you’ll feel the impact of the kid-ceiling long before you see the glass ceiling.

Call it what you will

The “kid-ceiling,” “maternal wall,” “mommy gap,” “baby gap,” “motherhood penalty” or “mommy track”—it boils down to the same thing: barriers and obstacles for women who work and want to move up AND raise a family. The kid-ceiling confronts women in both obvious and subtle ways. Employers’ attitudes, the lack of on-the-job flexibility and support for mothers in the workplace, and salary gaps between male and female workers further underscore the strong bias that exists against women.

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Ask-A-Recruiter: Choose and Use References Proactively

istock_000005168521xsmall1.jpgContributed by Caroline Ceniza-Levine of SixFigureStart

Many jobseekers think about their references only when they are in the offer stage. But the proactive jobseeker uses references as a marketing tool. The right references can push an average finalist to frontrunner. Furthermore, even the content employee should be proactive and have ready a list of references for three purposes:

  • In this market you might unexpectedly become a jobseeker;
  • You can use references as testimonials to argue for that bonus or promotion, not just a new job; and
  • What your references say and your ability to compile good references serve as an audit of your career to date. If you don’t have a ready list of references, it is a signal to more closely manage your career.

Some tips as you compile your reference list:

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Corporate Performance Management Conference

Predictive Analytics in Perilous Times

Corporate Performance Management will focus on the latest developments in corporate performance management and analytics — topics core to the finance department and to the CFO role.

What are the latest best practices in corporate performance management? How can analytics help in a volatile economy? How can a CFO push the use of analytics throughout the organization? What impact will the current credit crunch have on performance management? CPM is designed to provide answers through best practices and thought leadership for attendees interested in getting the most out of internal and external data.

Topics will cover:

• Brand analytics

• Customer analytics

• Human capital analytics

• Chief performance officer

• Budgeting and forecasting

• Metrics

• Benchmarking

• Portfolio management

Through case studies and advice from thought leaders, attendees learn best practices. Through peer networking, they learn what their peers are doing to gain better predictive measures and how they are rolling out analytics throughout their organizations. Through the exhibit hall, they learn new techniques, products, and solutions to bring back to their companies.

To Register

Full Payment must be received 14 days prior to the event.

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Tips for landing that Board room Post: An insider’s view

WECNY

This breakfast event will be hosted by WECNY with keynote speakers from the global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles and Vice Chairman of their CEO and Board Practice, Ted Jadick. Joining Ted will be two dynamic board members of Fortune 500 companies, Nancy Newcomb and Yvonne Jackson.

Please Click here to register

We hope you’ll be able to join us and look forwardto seeing you there.If you have any questions about registration please email: info@wecny.com

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Career Teleseminar: SixFigureStart Career Check-up

Is Your Job Search Where You Want It To Be?

Take the 60-question SixFigureStart Career Assessment and see exactly what you are doing well and what you need to do better;

Learn the six job search steps that really matter in the hiring process, developed by former Fortune 500 recruiters who have hired thousands of candidates just like you; Hear strategies and tips that you can use specifically in this challenging market.

This workshop will be led

by Connie Thanasoulis and Caroline Ceniza-Levine, co-founders of SixFigureStart and former recruiter for Accenture, Booz

Allen & Hamilton, Citigroup, Disney ABC, Merrill Lynch, Pfizer, Time Inc

and others.

Workshop is presented via

teleconference line. You call in from the comfort of your own home/ office. The assessment will be emailed prior so you can complete in advance. The call will be a combination of lecture on specific topics, interactive discussion and small group coaching and Q&A.

Space is limited. Advance registration is required.

Email caroline@sixfigurestart.com or call 212-372-0277 with questions or to register.

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The Value of Work Life Balance: The CFO Perspective

wroklifebalancescale.JPGby Liz O’Donnell (Boston)

Even though many of today’s Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) recognize that work life flexibility can positively impact their company, few of them report working in organizations that offer formal programs to take advantage of the benefits.

According to the 2008 CFO Perspectives on Work Life Flexibility, 90 percent of CFOs say work life flexibility is a talent management strategy, and 88 percent say it has a high or moderate impact on improving retention and recruitment, respectively. The CFO Perspectives study was co-sponsored by professional services firm BDO Seidman, LLP, and Work+Life Fit, Inc., a national work life flexibility consulting firm. One hundred CFOs from companies across the country with 5,000 or more employees were surveyed. The survey defined work life flexibility as “having adequate time for what is important to you both personally and professionally, as well as flexibility in how you allocate that time.”

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Execs Drinking to Excess

iStock_000007443548XSmall_1_.jpgby Elizabeth Harrin (London)

You wouldn’t say no to a pay rise, would you? Well, be warned. Once your salary rises above £52,000 (about US$75,000) your alcohol consumption is likely to go up too, according to figures from the UK government released in January.

Women earning more than £52,000 a year drink more heavily than women who earn less. It’s not only the frequency of consuming alcohol – high-earning women also drink more units than lower earners. A lot of this is wine: half the weekly maximum recommended units of alcohol drunk by managerial and professional women comes from sloshing back the Chardonnay, Bordeaux or Zinfandel. And we’re not very sociable when we do it: women in managerial roles drink more wine than other women, but we are also more likely to drink at home.

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Voice of Experience: Tay C. Via, Partner, Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP

Tay__Via_1_.jpgby Anna T. Collins, Esquire (Portland, Maine)

Tay C. Via, partner at Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP in San Francisco, entered the legal profession in part due to advice from one of her professors at the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Economics in 1987. Peter T. Jones, a lawyer who specialized in international trade, encouraged her to pursue graduate education “in anything,” regardless of whether she was clear on her ultimate career path. Professor Jones was not the first mentor to emphasize the importance of higher education to Via. Her grandfather, a blue collar worker, also believed that higher education was vital to success. He taught her to not be “in awe of anyone,” since anyone can succeed with education and hard work.

Via followed the advice of these two mentors, gaining not only a higher education, but an impressive work ethic. After receiving her law degree from University of California, Boalt Hall School of Law in 1991, Via got her start at Morrison & Foerster, where she gained expertise in real estate development and land use law while working on the San Francisco International Airport Expansion Project. Over time, Via aimed to focus on large public/private projects in and around San Francisco, which led her to Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP in 1994.

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In Case You Missed It: News Round-Up

martin.jpgContributed by Martin Mitchell of the Corporate Training Group

In case you were too busy to have kept up with all the news, contributor Martin Mitchell has gathered some important market events from last week to help you start this week well informed:

Mergers and Acquisitions

  • In light of Pfizer’s $68bn takeover of Wyeth, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis has expressed its interest in acquisitions to expand and diversify its range of businesses. UBS estimates that Sanofi-Aventis could raise $17bn to $20bn and potential targets include Bristol Myers Squibb.
  • A consortium of investment banks and inter-dealer broker Icap are in discussions about a possible purchase of LCH.Clearnet, Europe’s largest clearing house. If it goes ahead, the move will break up the deal that would see LCH.Clearnet sold to the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) of the US. LCH.Clearnet signed a non-binding agreement to merge with the DTCC in October 2008, and due diligence on that deal is still ongoing. The DTCC deal would see LCH.Clearnet’s shareholders receive up to €739m, and the Icap deal is working on offering a premium to that price.
  • The shares of the minority in Swedish truckmaker Scania could end up being acquired by Porsche as its share price is now below Porsche’s offer price. Porsche was required by the Swedish regulator to make a bid for the remaining shares in Scania after it took control of Scania by increasing its stake in Volkswagen in January. Porsche stated that it had no strategic interest in Scania, and so launched a lowball bid of SKr67.10 per share. Scania shares have now fallen to SKr66.75.
  • Warren Buffet and his company, Berkshire Hathaway were active in the markets. First, by pouring $300m into iconic motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson, buying bonds paying a15% coupon and maturing in 2014. Second, by providing $3bn in funds to Swiss Re in the form of perpetual notes paying 12% with an option to increase his equity stake at an attractive price. The capital injection enabled Swiss Re to retain its AA credit rating.

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Parent’s Guide To Internship and Entry-Level Recruiting

Free SixFigureStart Teleseminar

Learn surprising trends in the recruiting of students for internships and entry-level jobs. Find out what your child needs to know about the job search process and what parents can do to help.

SixFigureStart co-founders Connie Thanasoulis and Caroline Ceniza-Levine have a combined 40 years of HR and business experience. Connie led campus recruiting and new hire training for Citigroup, Pfizer and Merrill Lynch. Caroline led campus recruiting and new hire programming for Time Inc. and has also recruited for Accenture, Booz Allen, Oliver Wyman, Disney ABC, TV Guide, and others. Caroline and Connie write career columns for CNBC.com, Conde Nast’s Portfolio.com, Vault.com, TheGlassHammer.com and Wetfeet.com and are adjunct assistant professors of Professional Development at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.

*The teleseminar is free but callers are responsible for any long-distance charges incurred to access the conference line. Conference call spots are limited. To receive dial-in instructions for the event, please RSVP to caroline@sixfigurestart.com.

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