by Elizabeth Harrin (London)
This afternoon, Tina Hallett is going to the culmination event of one of her coaching sets. Hallett is a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers UK and she knows how to make connections.
Hallett works in PwC’s Change Consulting business, specialising in government departments. She started her career as a chartered accountant, then moved into tax, before joining the People & Change practice.
Now her day job focuses on getting the best out of people, not numbers. She set up Coaching Squared, an initiative that brings together top middle managers from public and private sector organisations and places them in co-coaching partnerships for nine months.
“I met with the Ministry of Justice [formerly the Department of Constitutional Affairs],” Hallett explains. “They were setting up a women’s network.” At the time, Hallett chaired PwCWomen, and the government department wanted to learn how it was done. “Gus O’Donnell, the then Cabinet Secretary, was very keen on cross-private/public sector initiatives.” As the discussion progressed, it became clear that it was in both organisations’ interest to do something together. Twelve women from each organisation met at a half-day event on co-coaching and paired up.
Since then, Coaching Squared has “grown and grown from those early roots,” Hallett says. “There were six organisations involved the first time; now we have about 30 and cover four strands: women, the disabled, minorities and gay and lesbians.”
Partly, the organizations self-select and, in the private sector it’s often word of mouth that leads to the first approach. The actual coaching programme doesn’t take up a lot of time, as the women taking part manage it themselves. “I go to the first event to kick it off, see them again half way through, and at the end, to stay engaged,” she says. The women then take responsibility for their own development and set their own activities. One, for example, work-shadowed a human rights expert in the Ministry of Justice. “It’s a new buddy in a work context,” Hallet says. “Often at work you only meet people from your own organisation.” The Coaching Squared programme allows participants to broaden their horizons in a way that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
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Ask-A-Recruiter: Three Musts of Winning Resumes
Ask A RecruiterAs a recruiter I have seen thousands of resumes over my career. For each career level, from student intern to rainmaking partner, there are specific nuances that make winning resumes stick out. However, at all levels, winning resumes demonstrate three criteria:
No mistakes. This means no typos, no spelling errors, and no grammatical mistakes. Watch out for homonyms that won’t get caught by a simple spell-check. You don’t “meat” clients (hopefully!). Check proper names for exact spelling (e.g., PowerPoint, not Powerpoint or Power Point).
Quantitative results. If you sold business, how much in revenues exactly? If you cut costs, by how much in dollars or %? If you managed a division, how large by number of staff or budget or both? Even non-profits or public sector jobs have tangible metrics. If you solicited grants, how much did you raise? If you organized a conference, how big was the audience, budget, participant list?
Compelling career progression. The resume should tell your story, and the ideal career story has a successful ending. Your most recent job should be the peak of your career to date. Your past jobs should show an upward trajectory, in terms of responsibility and/or expertise. Of course, those starting out may have only junior jobs on the resume, but each successive job should show growth in some area.
Caroline Ceniza-Levine is co-founder of SixFigureStart (www.sixfigurestart.com), a career coaching firm comprised exclusively of former Fortune 500 recruiters. Prior to launching SixFigureStart, Caroline recruited for Accenture, Time Inc, TV Guide and others. Email me at caroline@sixfigurestart.com and ask how you can attend a free SixFigureStart group coaching teleclass.
The Opportunity Now Awards and Dinner 2009
NewsDemonstrate your commitment to gender equality, diversity and inclusion. Join over 500 other business and public sector leaders at one of the most prestigious diversity events of the year.
The Opportunity Now Awards and Dinner 2009 are generously sponsored by Santander
Celebrate, Entertain, Network
As well as recognising the commitment and progress which has been made in this arena, this glittering occasion also provides an excellent opportunity to network and exchange best practice.
Hosting a table gives you the perfect opportunity to reward your people or demonstrate your commitment to clients.
Guests will be addressed by inspiring and high profile speakers who will share their personal stories and achievements.
We will be delighted to hear from:
This is one of the most prestigious occasions in the diversity calendar so make sure your organisation doesn’t miss out.
For more information contact: Michelle O’Brien 020 7566 8715
Book Now
2009 ATHENA International Leadership Summit
NewsStrategies, Insights & Solutions: Where are we now? What needs remain?
Collaboration as a key strategy for progress.
~ ATHENA International will host an inaugural Leadership Summit to collectively develop and enhance leadership strategies for women in the 21st century.
~ Held since 1994, ATHENA International Conferences provide a forum for experienced and emerging leaders to network, share ideas, and examine leadership perspectives in an ever-changing world.
~ The 2009 Leadership Summit will provide opportunities for peer interaction amongst organizations and individuals, along with the potential for expanding global connections.
~ Women from around the world will attend, including many ATHENA Award recipients.
~ Outstanding women leaders will be featured keynote speakers
~ The International ATHENA Award and the International ATHENA Young Professional Award will be presented at a Gala Dinner.
For more information, contact Deb Medema, ATHENA International Leadership Summit Director at 312-580-0111.
CEO Mom: Talbott Roche, Co-founder and Senior Vice President of Blackhawk Network
Work-LifeAs a busy working executive mom partnered with a technology entrepreneur Talbott Roche finds creating quality of time and time is the key to success for her career and family.
“I actually enjoy it thoroughly,” says Roche, 42, and the oldest child of a single successful working mother. “It makes for a partnership where we understand each other’s pressures and we understand each other’s excitement about our business opportunities.”
Roche, co-founder and senior vice president of Blackhawk Network, the largest provider of third-party prepaid cards, doesn’t mind the busy schedule raising two children who are 8 and 6 years old. For Roche there is a “common thread” between family life and working life being a working mother that is “enjoying seeing and developing the successes of other people,” she says.
“My greatest success and greatest sense of fulfillment come from building a really high performing team,” Roche says. “When I think about being a mother it’s the same flavor of success, it’s seeing your children succeed and be happy and joyful.”
“It’s exciting and I don’t think that we could do it any other way,” Roche says.
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Boston Women in Finance – Building a Brand: Personal & Professional Tips
NewsYour brand – it’s how you get noticed, get that dream job, earn a higher salary and convince your boss that you are indispensable. While the corporate giants have mastered the art (think Golden Arches, Nike swoosh, Coca-Cola Red), few professionals have perfected their own version in the office. No matter your age or company role, defining your differentiators is critical for professional success.
Boston Women in Finance is pleased to have Geri Denterlein, founder of Denterlein Worldwide Public Affairs and author of “The Power Chicks Guide to Boston”, lead an afternoon discussion, titled “Building a Brand: Personal & Professional Tips.”
This turbulent economy requires that you maintain and showcase a constant competitive edge and Geri can help you uncover the secrets of gaining visibility through everyday interaction.
Lunch will be provided!
To register, click here.
The Cost of Face Time
Money TalksU.S. companies could save upwards of $260 billion dollars a year by implementing a telework (also known as “telecommuting”) policy. So says Undress for Success, an online resource site for people who work from home. Using recently released U.S. Census figures and data from several different studies, as well as their Telework Savings Calculator, they also determined that U.S. consumers could save around $228 billion dollars a year and that the U.S. government could see $14 billion dollars in savings.
Currently, there are less than 6 million people in the U.S. who currently work from home, half of whom are not self employed. But, according to Kate Lister and Tom Harnish, publishers of the Undress for Success site, there are another 33 million people working in the U.S. whose jobs are suitable for teleworking. They say that if these people worked from home for half of the time, “businesses could improve their bottom line by over $7,900 per new telecommuter per year—the result of lower real estate, electricity, absenteeism, and turnover costs together with increased employee productivity.”
Undress for Success found that, thanks to teleworking:
• Sun Microsystems saves $70 million a year in real estate alone;
• McKesson saves $2 million a year in real estate and other expenses;
• Dow Chemical saved a third of its non-real estate costs through telework;
• Best Buy, British Telecom, JD Edwards, and American Express show home-based employees to be 20-40% more productive than their office counterparts.
Read more
The Summit on Leading Diversity
NewsThe Summit on Leading Diversity is the nation’s premiere diversity event and plays an integral role in creating and sustaining inclusive work environments that enable organizations to operate more effectively in a global marketplace. Linkage prides itself on the quality and depth of the program and remains committed to showcasing a collection of the most vital tools, strategies, and best-practices available in the diversity field.
Register here
Investing in Energy: Charting a Course in a Changing Landscape
NewsGlobal demand and supply pressures have combined to create a new pricing paradigm for both crude oil and natural gas, leading to unprecedented volatility in prices, significant developments in nonconventional crude and natural gas supply, and a political realignment based on energy politics, the likes of which has not been seen for decades. Join us in the home of one of the world’s largest nonconventional energy reserves to hear industry experts, investors, analysts, and peers offer their insights into new developments and the future direction of one of the most significant industries in the world today
Who Should Attend
Register here
In collaboration with the Calgary CFA Society
Voices of Experience: Tina Hallett, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers UK
Voices of ExperienceThis afternoon, Tina Hallett is going to the culmination event of one of her coaching sets. Hallett is a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers UK and she knows how to make connections.
Hallett works in PwC’s Change Consulting business, specialising in government departments. She started her career as a chartered accountant, then moved into tax, before joining the People & Change practice.
Now her day job focuses on getting the best out of people, not numbers. She set up Coaching Squared, an initiative that brings together top middle managers from public and private sector organisations and places them in co-coaching partnerships for nine months.
“I met with the Ministry of Justice [formerly the Department of Constitutional Affairs],” Hallett explains. “They were setting up a women’s network.” At the time, Hallett chaired PwCWomen, and the government department wanted to learn how it was done. “Gus O’Donnell, the then Cabinet Secretary, was very keen on cross-private/public sector initiatives.” As the discussion progressed, it became clear that it was in both organisations’ interest to do something together. Twelve women from each organisation met at a half-day event on co-coaching and paired up.
Since then, Coaching Squared has “grown and grown from those early roots,” Hallett says. “There were six organisations involved the first time; now we have about 30 and cover four strands: women, the disabled, minorities and gay and lesbians.”
Partly, the organizations self-select and, in the private sector it’s often word of mouth that leads to the first approach. The actual coaching programme doesn’t take up a lot of time, as the women taking part manage it themselves. “I go to the first event to kick it off, see them again half way through, and at the end, to stay engaged,” she says. The women then take responsibility for their own development and set their own activities. One, for example, work-shadowed a human rights expert in the Ministry of Justice. “It’s a new buddy in a work context,” Hallet says. “Often at work you only meet people from your own organisation.” The Coaching Squared programme allows participants to broaden their horizons in a way that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
Read more
How Women Are Changing Philanthropy
NewsWomen are increasingly involved in philanthropy – both as individuals and as employees and board members of foundations and not-for-profit organizations. Compared to men, we have a different approach to philanthropy, which is having a significant impact on the field. In this panel discussion we’ll focus on how women are changing philanthropy through their:
-Careers – Are women working in philanthropy concentrated in any specific area or function?
-Causes – Do women and men give to different causes?-Caution – How do women and men differ in their overall approach to giving - dollar amounts; other types of donations and involvement?
Panelist:
Ana Oliveira is President & CEO of The New York Women’s Foundation.
Holly Isdale built Lehman Brother's Private Investment Management Division, offering comprehensive wealth advisory services combining investments with a variety of tax and estate planning techniques.
Sandra A. Lamb, President and CEO of Lamb Advisors, has over 35 years of Wall Street, corporate and nonprofit experience addressing financially complex and critical strategic issues.
To Register or for more information.
-Bring Photo ID, No Walk-Ins