The women’s 5-step guide to get noticed at work

Women working together on a business project. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

We’ve all heard the old chestnut: Part of the reason why women don’t earn as much as men is that they simply don’t ask for raises as often. As it turns out, that’s just not true. New research by nonprofit business group Catalyst has found that women ask for raises just as much as men. Continue Reading

STEM Careers: Women in the Workforce

You have probably heard about the need for more workers in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, especially women.  Because of the demand in these areas, women have a chance to close the gender gap that exists, as well as be part of the closing wage gap with their male counterparts.  However, in order to see more women enter STEM careers, there need to be opportunities for them to succeed.  The following infographic has more information. Continue Reading

What women really want in the workplace (and why men matter)

Female dressmaker working on clothes with a mannequin. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

If you want to start a fight at the next big family gathering, you could bring up the issue of gender and employment. Since long before the feminist movement hit center stage in the 1960s, social and academic commentators have been arguing over the role of women in the workplace.

The discussion has moved beyond simply should women work to how and why they want to. While it is now a given women can work in virtually any role currently occupied by a man, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are motivated by the same factors as their male counterparts. Continue Reading

Five Career Predictions for 2013

In the following post, Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti offers five career predictions for 2013 that identify workplace trends and job opportunities.

1.     Six sectors will offer on-ramps to career growth

Six career areas provide a snapshot of the new economy: business services, education, healthcare, IT, nonprofits, and manufacturing. Healthcare, the fastest-growing sector in the nation, offers obvious opportunities, but less intuitive choices such as nonprofits—which will need a projected 80,000 senior managers a year by 2016—also offer attractive prospects. Continue Reading

10 Good Reasons for Women to Work in Business

For women in business or who want to be in business, the following post shares 10 good reasons to take advantage of the opportunity.

The legend goes that prior to becoming the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina (now former CEO of HP) stuffed her pants with socks for a male-dominated meeting. Her message was clear: “I have everything it takes to compete.” Although Fiorina might be alone in literally stuffing her slacks, it’s a sure thing that plenty of other women have gone to great lengths—pulling longer-than-necessary hours, cutting maternity leaves short, and so on—to prove that they can keep up with the men. But the times they are a-changin’.

Today, says Vickie Milazzo, the need to play down femininity is a thing of the past. The almost constant changes to the way we communicate, interact, innovate, and do business are setting up an opportunity-filled future for women—no socks required! Continue Reading

How to Make Sure “Binders Full of Women” Get Equal Pay

Jim Hopkinson, Salary.com contributing writer

Politics. Women. Money.

When you’re talking about those three subjects, you’re either watching a Presidential debate or sitting at a very interesting dinner party.

One of the hot topics coming out of the October 16 town hall presidential debate was the subject of fair hiring practices for women. As Mitt Romney told a story about his push to hire more women in his cabinet, he uttered the phrase “Binders full of women” in reference to the stacks of resumes of qualified candidates that were brought to him. Continue Reading

B-School Applicants Decline: Damn Shame or About Time?

By Mark Mehler and Gerry Crispin of CareerXroads

The B-school numbers are in and they aren’t pretty according to this recent WSJ article by Melissa Korn. 69% of the F/T, two-year MBA degree programs in the US experienced significant declines in 2012 while 79-80% of the schools in Asia (Pacific Rim and Central Asia respectively) experienced gains. Globally the drop-off is 22% after a decline of 10% last year.

While some of this can be attributed to a return to normalcy after significant gains by B-schools during the financial crisis, you also have to wonder about the continuing value of the product exiting the many hundreds of schools granting these degrees. Continue Reading

On the Day the iPhone 5 is Announced, Remember Those Who Make Them

In the ongoing debate about globalization, what’s been missing is the voices of workers — the millions of people who migrate to factories in China and other emerging countries to make goods sold all over the world. Reporter Leslie T. Chang sought out women who work in one of China’s booming megacities, and tells their stories.

In her reporting and writing, Leslie T. Chang explores the lives of workers in China, focusing on the experience of women. Some of those experiences are horrible and some are positive. In the words of Esther Hartwig, “I read her book ‘Factory Girls‘ a couple of years ago and thought it was great, definitely an eye-opener. You can’t compare our view on factory work to their view; they come from a different place, they have a different background and a different mentality. From what I understood, they are brave, hard-working and independent people, and they have a plan. I hadn’t thought of Chinese factory workers as much more than people who work under horrible conditions, but after reading the book and being introduced to different aspects of their lives and what they have to say about it, I think I have a better understanding now and surely a lot of respect.” Continue Reading

$400,000 Awarded to College Fund for Internships for Women/Minorities in STEM Fields

College students who are interested in the STEM fields have a chance to gain experience this summer that may potentially lead to job opportunities.

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is encouraging employers across the country to recruit minority students for job opportunities related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). “Many students start out pursuing STEM degrees, but they often end up discouraged, and change their major,” states Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., TMCF’s President & CEO. “We want to help ensure these students get the attention and guidance they need to not only graduate, but to find good jobs in their chosen STEM fields.” Continue Reading

Women Prefer Online Meetings

Employers may want to take note about a preference that women have in the workplace: online meetings.

TeamViewer®, one of the world’s most popular providers of remote control and online meetings software, today announced the findings of its survey of over 2,500 American adults age 18 and older, conducted online by Harris Interactive in January.  The survey highlights that women are at the forefront of technology in the American workplace.

The results showed that, in general, women were more likely than men to see the benefits of taking their meetings online, with a majority of U.S. adults (77%) saying that online meetings are on the rise. Continue Reading