by Heather Cassell (San Francisco)
As a little girl, Carmen Taran, Ph.D. was already on her way to being an in demand global keynote speaker and teaching corporate executives how to communicate on multiple platforms. Taran’s first audience was 12 dolls, which were very hard to come by in communist Romania, where she grew up.
“I had these 12 participants daily,” said Taran, a former AT&T research and development manager. “They were very punctual and, unlike today’s groups, they didn’t talk back,” she laughed.
Taran is the co-founder of Rexi Media and author of Better Beginnings: How to Capture Your Audience in 30 Seconds, the first book out of the Rexify series released in October. She, along with her business partner, Danielle Daly, a former Adobe Systems Incorporated technology sales and business developer, recently sat down with The Glass Hammer in a coffee shop in San Francisco’s Ferry Building.
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Ask-A-Recruiter: Interview Performance Technique/ Substitution
Ask A RecruiterWith the tight market every interview seems to have higher stakes. I practice and then I invariably forget one of my key points during the interview. Or I get a question and can’t think of what I had prepared. How do I relax in these interviews?
Several years ago, I auditioned for a commercial. (For an actor, the audition is the job interview.) Although I’d never used the product, I needed to convey that the product was great. How did I do it? Whenever I needed to say the product name, I substituted my baby’s name in my mind, so I cracked a smile, my body relaxed, and I got a twinkle in my eye at just the right moment. Behold the power of substitution.
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Women Lawyers Still Struggling to the Top
Breaking the Glass CeilingAlthough nearly half of all law school graduates in the United States are women, women only make up 15% of the partners at law firms nationwide. To rectify this imbalance, bar associations and professional groups across the country have, in recent years, been implementing initiatives to challenge law firms to reorganize employment goals to allow for the advancement of women. Read more
Men and Women In Teams: A Report by Lehman Brothers Center for Women in Business
Work-LifeBalanced gender representation on teams means a proportionate increase in innovation, and a company’s commitment to work/life balance is the key to ensuring such balanced gender representation. So says a report entitled Innovative Potential: Men and Women in Teams by the Lehman Brothers Center for Women in Business. The report was based on the research of Professor Lynda Gratton, Dr Elisabeth Kelan, Andreas Voigt, Lamia Walker and Dr Hans-Joachim Wolfram.
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Movers and Shakers: Food and Drug Stores
Movers and ShakersAccording to Progressive Grocer, the grocery industry – retail, wholesale and manufacturers – has traditionally had few, if any, females in the C-suites. The article, focusing on the Top Women in Grocery, published earlier this year, celebrated the progress women have made in recent years, “introducing a much-needed female perspective into the upper echelons of food industry management by taking the reins themselves.” To check out their complete list of top women from large and small grocery stores, industry alliances and manufacturers, please go here.
Here is another list–an express line, 10 items only, please—of the movers and shakers in the Fortune 1000 companies in this sector:
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In Case You Missed It: Weekend Round-up
NewsIn case you were too busy enjoying your weekend to have kept up with the news, contributor Martin Mitchell has again been kind enough to gather some important market events from this past weekend (and week) so that you can start this week well informed:
Sunday, November 9th
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Hedge Funds Care: Fighting for Children
Women and PhilanthropyBy Jessica Titlebaum (Chicago)
“Hedge Funds Care has been funding programs for the intervention and prevention of child abuse for ten years,” said Executive Director of the non- profit organization, Katherine Conroy. “In the future, I would like to see our portfolio expanded to help policy and advocacy as well as research programs.”
Conroy explained that she has been with Hedge Funds Care “since day 2” of the organization’s inception. Rob Davis, Hedge Funds Care founder, was looking for someone knowledgeable in child welfare to assist in the launch of an organization that would help combat child abuse. He found Conroy when she was working at Columbia University as an Assistant Dean. Her experiences at Good Shepherd Services, Community Service Society and as Deputy Coordinator for Youth Services for the Mayor.
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35 Under 35: Erika Serow, Partner, Bain & Company, Global Retail Services
35 Under 35Erika Serow joined Bain out of college, looking to consulting to help her figure out what she really wanted to do with her life. Bain sent her to work in London, Sydney, and then Milan, which ultimately allowed her to put her Italian major to good use.
After several years, she left to get her MBA from Stanford Business School, fully expecting to do something other than consulting when she came out; however, it was during school that she realized that she could advance faster in consulting than in any other industry and thus decided to return to Bain after graduation.
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Goldman Sachs Thinks Globally and Acts Locally
Industry Leaders, Leadership46 offices. 25,000 people. 146,800 hours. 780 nonprofit community partners. 1,761 projects. In 2008, Goldman Sachs Community TeamWorks program marked its 11th year of doing well by doing good work.
Established in 1997, Goldman Sachs signature volunteer program, Community TeamWorks (CTW), follows in this mold. CTW is a global initiative that allows top Goldman Sachs employees to take one day off each year to volunteer for a local charity as a member of the company’s team. “Our people bring to their volunteer service the same qualities that they bring to their work at the firm: excellence, dedication, teamwork and an appreciation of both the big picture and the importance of the individual.”
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Rexify Me: The Art of the Unforgettable Presentation
Expert AnswersAs a little girl, Carmen Taran, Ph.D. was already on her way to being an in demand global keynote speaker and teaching corporate executives how to communicate on multiple platforms. Taran’s first audience was 12 dolls, which were very hard to come by in communist Romania, where she grew up.
“I had these 12 participants daily,” said Taran, a former AT&T research and development manager. “They were very punctual and, unlike today’s groups, they didn’t talk back,” she laughed.
Taran is the co-founder of Rexi Media and author of Better Beginnings: How to Capture Your Audience in 30 Seconds, the first book out of the Rexify series released in October. She, along with her business partner, Danielle Daly, a former Adobe Systems Incorporated technology sales and business developer, recently sat down with The Glass Hammer in a coffee shop in San Francisco’s Ferry Building.
Read more
Ask-A-Recruiter: Career Transition Tips
Ask A RecruiterI know I want a career change but I’m afraid to leave a job in this economy to try something new. How can I move towards a transition without quitting?
If you are unhappy in your current job, check first if you really need a career change or just a job change. If you like what you do in general, then you might just need a different work environment or employer. However, if you don’t like what you do or aren’t interested in your industry, then you may need a different career. Here are some career transition tips that don’t require a massive upheaval right now:
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