Readers, In Our Shoes introduces a 5 week blog seminar series on How to Master Gender Dynamics in the workplace delivered by renowned success speaker, entrepreneur and our personal guest here at IOS, Laura L. Brown! Pssst, and the best part is we want readers like you to drive the content!

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Please post your questions, concerns, real-life situations of working with the opposite sex in the workplace (anonymity is respected) in the “Comments” section below or e-mail me directly at Marisa@InRShoes.com. Laura will weave the solutions to your specific concerns into this weekly blog series beginning on Monday February 27. Be sure to share this post with your friends and colleagues as well for their input!

‘My purpose in life is to guide women on how to rise through the ranks of organizations and change the way the world does business.’

These were Laura L. Brown’s first words when we initially spoke of having her guest blog here at In Our Shoes to deliver the seminar that pulled me in cold:

How Women Sabotage Themselves in Business.

Laura has over 25 years of business experience where she has rapidly progressed through the ranks of every kind of organization from family businesses, to international multi-billion dollar corporations, to startup organizations. She has worked with companies such as Apple, HP, Microsoft, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics, Lotus, Compaq, Infiniti division of Nissan, and Marriott Hotels and Resorts. She has consistently built, developed and trained multi-national teams with zero turnover, and has been a much sought after career coach. Today she is running with great success with her own company: LotusLifeWork.

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Laura is the go-to expert on coaching women to understand the differences between how men and women are ‘wired’ given her deep research on neuroscience and seasoned experience on how gender dynamics impacts how we interact at all levels of an organization. Whether you are navigating the executive arena, managing a team, working towards a promotion at any level or just starting out in your career -

knowing how you are perceived by men, understanding how they think and what drives their actions will give you the ability to succeed.

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Stay tuned and don’t forget to post your questions for Laura to address in this seminar into the Comments area below or e-mail me directly at: Marisa@InRShoes.com.

 

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I’m a big believer that the positive energy between people is intentional and something which we attract precisely when we need that extra umppphh in our lives. I immediately felt a connection towards Jeanne Peterson when we met in her London office last November. She emitted that hit-the-ground-running energy which any working woman recognizes only too well. You know the kind where we’re buzzing about our business with a killer smile that speaks: “Small talk over, let’s get to work!”  I had found a little bit of Manhattan in this woman and I was lovin’ it.  

 

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Jeanne Peterson has broken all barriers when it comes to realizing the personal and professional life she wanted. Read on for her powerful interview where she dishes on how

hitting the glass ceiling early on in her career ignited her to “throw away the paradigm“

and start living by her own rules. You’ll learn how she hopped a flight twice from her home in Denmark to London to interview for a position at global IT consulting firm Project Brokers that didn’t exist, reversed roles with her husband and morphed into the sole breadwinner for her family.  On a mission, Jeanne wanted to move from Europe and live in Toronto near her parents. One year later, she’s now opening up her new office in Canada.  Her career should be a case study highlighting that not just academics can get us to where we want to be, but also an

unyielding dogged faith in yourself when the voices in your head scream self-doubt.

My favorite quote from our interview: “Women can and do achieve much more than men. They are always more open to ideas”. Without further ado here’s the

inspiring interview with working mum of two, Jeanne Peterson.

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Subscribe here to In Our Shoes.

 

 

If you’ve been out of the job hunt for a while, you should know that the rules have changed in this competitive climate – on both sides of the Atlantic.  What follows doesn’t just apply to landing that next job. It’s also a wake up call that should scream: “this is the next move which will make me h-a-p-p-y“.

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Working in the financial services industry, I’ve given out lots of goodbye hugs in the last few years to close friends and colleagues. I learned what leading recruitment firms swear by, in order for you to stand out in this rocky job market. Here’s the inside scoop.

The questions you need to ask yourself are: Who am I? and What am I selling? 

You are your own brand. You need to manage yourself  like a company who sells a product because that’s exactly why a hiring manager is gracing you with their presence – to find out just how valuable a package you are. The only questions taped to their forehead are “Why should I hire you?” and “What makes you unique?”  

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Here comes the tough part. Write down all of the things that you do well – not just related to your specific job skills. Do you speak another language or play the guitar? Are you a good networker? Are you super organized? These talents are what you throw in as chit chat during the pregnant pauses of an interview which can turn it around if you feel it’s going south.

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I was told a priceless story from someone who knew he wasn’t hitting it off  with the person interviewing him. As he was getting ready to leave, he threw down his last card and mentioned he loved to cook. Turns out so did the hiring manager. They hit it off, the guy was hired and he shares that story with everyone to prove that it’s about your whole story and not just what’s on a piece of paper. Go back to my post on  Soft Sexy Skills for a read on how your magnetic personality can really turn the tables when landing a position. 

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You can also cheat by getting the skinny on anyone beforehand. Have a peek at their very public profile on Linked in. Here’s mine: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marisa-santoro/6/a19/186  – all above board dear readers and arms you with what makes for great conversation.

 

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Create your banner ad

Think of this as your name blinking in bright lights. What makes you the star? Your banner ad is the first thing they should see at the top of your Resume / CV. Here’s what mine would look like:

Distinctive mix of Creative, Technical and Online Media Writing skills

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My career is rooted in technology but I’m also very creative and I’ve always been a writer. Much like branding a product to market, you emphasize why your story is different because in these times you can’t be perceived to be the same as everyone else. .

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Branding can mean a variety of things. It could be an online presence, a blog, you can be a subject matter expert in a certain area. Write down all of the things you did in your career and it will flow; just make sure it lands with a splash!

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Your 30 second elevator pitch

The  top one third of your resume is the most valuable piece of real estate – it’s your bio in a few sentences and it needs to back up your banner ad above. It should answer the question: “So, tell me your story?“  This brief summary of  Fabulous You, is your 30 second elevator pitch. It’s what you would throw out at cocktails when you’re getting warmed up in the name of good networking. 

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 Your 2 minute Commerical

Your 2 minute commercial is in the interview, your one shot to expand on all of this. Yep, you heard me. Two minutes is the golden rule; go on longer than that and they’ve hit the snooze button. Of most importance before your curtain closes and you’re about to exit the interview, you turn around and remind them (while humming the Rocky theme song)

why you can repeat your successes again, in your sleep. 

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Readers, I leave you with more Job Search Tips here.  

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 Questions? Open it up here as a conversation that everyone can benefit from in the just released In Our Shoes Forums.  No login required and you don’t need to leave your real name or email.  Just click Reply.

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There are three things that stop time for me in this life: passing a red door, music from the strings of a solo guitar and wandering pure ocean country. The first two I don’t have much control over, they appear randomly in unexpected moments. 

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The last one however was very much in reach.

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Find your fix as you welcome the New Year.

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Coming up in 2012, we meet more inspiring working moms and mums.

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Here’s the lineup. 

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Subscribe here. Comment below.

 

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