Transitioning from the Private Sector to the Non-Profit World

businesswomen.jpgAfter a long (or short) career in finance or law, working long hours, earning the big bucks, and gaining recognition in their field, many women come to a cross roads in their career path. While there is nothing at all wrong with working in the private sector and helping companies merge, do major deals, structure financing for important transactions or litigate big securities lawsuits, after spending years doing this type of work, some people find themselves yearning to have a job where they can give back to society.

Additionally, the long hours that are the hallmark of work in finance and law have long had a reputation for being less than family friendly, as The Glass Hammer has documented in many an article. Women, who often have greater child-care and family responsibilities than their male counterparts, bear the brunt of this. So its totally understandable that many female corporate stars dream of escaping Wall Street for a better lifestyle and a more rewarding career.

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Downtown Spring Luncheon

Enjoy the company of FWA members and other professionals in finance over lunch. Seize this great opportunity to invite a friend or colleague to sample the FWA in a convenient downtown location. You will have the chance to hear about FWA programs, including its award-winning mentoring program helping students at nearby Murry Bergtraum High School on Pearl Street.

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Ask-A-Recruiter: Talking to the HR Department

Contributed by Caroline Ceniza-Levine

I dread calling up HR to ask about my resume or my search status or even just to clarify a job posting. I find recruiters to be very short and difficult to deal with. But I know I need to network. What can I do?

Many people need to deal with recruiters for something — information, advice, help. However, asking something of a recruiter is not the same as asking anyone else. Because recruiters get approached so often, they know it is impossible to help everybody, so they become choosy. Therefore, a good ask of a recruiter has to be better than just a typical ask.

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New York State Bar Association on Leading a Balanced Life in the Law

Last week, the New York State Bar Association’s Special Committee on Balanced Lives in the Law released their long awaited report.

According to an April 9, 2008 article in the New York Law Journal, the Committee’s report, which was adopted unanimously by the State Bar’s House of Delegates last week found what many attorneys already know to be true: the law is an increasingly demanding profession, where attorneys find less and less time to spend with families and fulfill civic obligations which have traditionally been a hallmark of their profession. The report notes that young attorneys who are eager to engage in pro bono activities and serve on the boards of charitable organizations or bar committees lack the time to do so.

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Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo CEO on Mentors, Meritocracy and Maternity

2296516641_3b8aa5ce33_m.jpgIndra Nooyi is one woman who has broken the glass ceiling. Named CFO of PepsiCo in 2001, she went on to become the company’s fifth CEO in July 2006. During her keynote speech at the Catalyst Awards last week in New York City, a rapt audience of mostly women from over 100 companies laughed and nodded at her advice on various topics. Here are a few highlights from this gracious and accomplished woman: Indra Nooyi opened her remarks by saying that she suspected that everyone in the room knew the huge difference that a welcoming environment can make. Indra explained that PepsiCo embraced who she was and so she never had to waste energy trying to be something other than who she is. Her keyword for the audience was “authenticity.” Read more

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Transition Tuesday

Why is it that successful women don’t always buy in to their own success and bask in it and feel it is deserved? This session will look at the phenomenon that can be the result of self limiting beliefs and patterns that shape how we look at success and ourselves. We will also explore why creating a brand that clearly lets people know who you are and what you stand for is important along with creating and controlling your reputation will get you where you want to go and give you the confidence to believe in you.

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Reviews: Top Restaurants for a Business Dinner in Midtown

2135418029_be84fd517a_m.jpgThe Glass Hammer returns to one of its favorite hobbies, writing restaurant reviews, this time, for top eateries in Midtown Manhattan. (Alright, our hobby isn’t writing the reviews exactly, but we do love the research!) Below, find three recommendations to wow clients and celebrate with co-workers for a job well done. Our reviews of Jean Georges, Picholine and Sushi Yasuda after the jump ….

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Catalyst Awards 2008 Highlights

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Nissan Motor Co. Ltd and ING US Financial Services were big winners at Catalyst’s annual awards yesterday in New York City at the Waldorf -Astoria. This award celebrates innovative initiatives that advance women and business and has had progressive companies (at least according to our opinion here at the Glass Hammer) win the award in 2007- Goldman Sachs, PWC, Scotiabank and PepsiCo Inc.

Speaking of PepsiCo, their fabulous CEO Indra Nooyi was the speaker at the luncheon, and she was engaging and entertaining in her keynote address, entitled “One Woman’ s Journey to the Top.”

Ms. Nooyi covered a range of topics that we will be discussing in a full article on Monday called “Mentors, Meritocracy and Maternity,” about the challenges and tradeoffs needed to get to the corner office.

There is clear message emerging from leading corporations- try to reflect your client base in your workforce make-up and try to create a flexible environment that works for everyone.

Catalyst is a non-profit corporation and for more information on them and how they rank employers check out www.catalyst.org.

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Top Financial Technologies Women Should Know About (part 2)

Contributed by Sophie Fletcher

The financial technology landscape is evolving from a trading floor-based industry to one that relies on algorithms, electronic trading platforms and wireless handhelds. In this second installment of “Top Financial Technologies Women Should Know About,” we examine the impact of the FAST Protocol trading technology on financial markets. This computer software language is gaining recognition because of its ability to reduce traffic and speed up data flow within our network bandwidths. Women, as savvy investors and market participants, should be familiar with this technology as it becomes an industry standard in today’s capital markets as well as a solution for growing Internet capacity.
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Managing Your Leadership Brand

Every leader has a brand–an operative reputation at work. This dynamic workshop provides new and established leaders with the framework and tools they need to create a truly powerful personal brand–one that drives business performance and career success. You will come away with a much clearer understanding of how closely your intention as a leader matches the perceptions (realities) of your stakeholders, and what you can do to more closely align the two. You will also explore key developmental issues and strategies on how to address them as a woman leader.

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