Thinking of making a career transition? Our co-founder Jenny Galluzzo outlines 3 essential steps to set yourself up for success and #makeworkworforyou!
1. Be Open
2. Be Confident
3. Break the Rules
Read the article here!
Category: Uncategorized
SF Member Drive @ The Wing!
Featured Member– YOU!
YOU can be a FEATURED MEMBER on our blog and social media!!
Interested? If you have an UPDATED PROFILE you should:
1. fill out this survey–https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/featuredmemberquestionnaire
2. upload a picture
3. we will get in touch if you are chosen.
#makeworkworkforyou #thesecondshift #ondemandtalent#womenentrepreneur #womensupportingwomen#superchargeyourwork
Featured Member: Marisa Lonic
No doubt about it, making peace with “the Juggle” is critical to being able to balance motherhood and work. But for this month’s featured member, Marisa Lonic, making peace is just the point of departure; embracing and enjoying “the Juggle” is the journey. We love her positivity, her amazing can-do anything spirit, and her commitment to supporting and uplifting working mothers in a multitude of ways. Here she is, in her own words!
Tell us your work story : Who are you and what do you do? I’m Marisa. I’m the Senior Director of Operations for AuPairCare, a global organization that promotes cultural exchange by matching au pairs from over 40 countries with American host families. I also have a blog called Mama Work It, where I write about juggling mom life, work life, wife life, and fill-in-the-blank life.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
I recently read an article that said women don’t boast about their accomplishments nearly as much as men do, yet as I sit here, knowing I’ve had so many proud moments, this question is taking me the longest to answer! As women and moms—as I know many members of the Second Shift are—I think we should take a moment every day to feel proud of ourselves. We’re doing so much more than often seems humanly possible, and yet we still don’t feel a sense off accomplishment that isn’t followed immediately by the pressure of completing the next thing on our to-do list. I’m proud of all I’ve created: a career, a family, a home, a life—and you should be, too!
What is the hardest challenge you’ve faced, work wise?
In 2016, I received a job promotion and moved with my husband and twin toddlers across the country. It was a huge shift that demanded a major adjustment for us as a family, and for me in my career, but I’m a big proponent of being outside your comfort zone to grow and this change ignited a lot of that for me, my career, and my family.
What continues to draw you to your chosen field and what do you hope to accomplish in the years ahead?
My blog gives me a voice to speak to a so-deserving community of women who need to hear, time and again, that they are entitled to, and worth, making themselves a priority in their lives. As moms, it’s so easy to get stuck in the day-to-day of serving others and forgetting about ourselves. I’m on a mission to help this community figure out how to feel empowered and strategize ways to re-prioritize themselves.
What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?
It will all work out the way it should. If you’ve truly given it all you’ve got, you have to know when to let go and let things fall into place. That’s not always easy to follow when you’re a total planner like me!
Who is your biggest cheerleader / supporter / mentor? (We love to spread the love here at the Second Shift!)
There are so many and I wouldn’t be able to do half of what I do without their constant support. My mom is a big one. I have a lot of crazy ideas and she’s never once said, no, don’t do it. I think she knows that even if it doesn’t work out, it’s going to teach me something, so it’s worth trying.
How do you make work work for you?
First and foremost, I’m organized. This is key. Second, there are things I can change and things I can’t. I accept that and work with what I’ve got. Mindset is everything. You can make any situation a good one if you look at it from a different perspective. Finally, any work situation is going to be stressful sometimes. I remind myself it’s temporary. The deadline will pass, the issue will resolve, you will figure this out and get back to normalcy soon enough!
If you would like to be considered for our Featured Member Profile please fill out this questionnaire and upload your photo!!
The Mat Leave Backlash??
As more and more companies offer longer parental leave there is new #HarvardBusinessReview research around the benefit vs. penalty for women who take long leaves.
“Evidence from a variety of countries reveals that the longer new mothers are away from paid work, the less likely they are to be promoted, move into management, or receive a pay raise once their leave is over.”
Luckily there is a solution –stay in touch programs! While not popular in the US yet, research shows that if a company has a program in place to keep touchpoints and communication open with employees on leave the bias against their leave is erased.
“…our results also point to some ways in which managers, organizations, and women themselves can combat the unintentional negative consequences of longer legislated maternity leaves. For example, managers can provide additional information about women’s agency and career aspirations to counteract negative perceptions among decision-makers and co-workers.”
https://hbr.org/2018/09/do-longer-maternity-leaves-hurt-womens-careers
#makeworkforyoufor #thesecondshift #superchargeyourwork #ondemandtalent
Tips on re-entry!
“My children are in school full-time and don’t need me at home anymore.”
“I miss being creative, being part of a team.”
“My husband and I are getting divorced and I have to be able to support myself.”
These are just a few of the scenarios we hear every day from women looking to re-rejoin the workforce after an extended hiatus. These are talented women with truly impressive resumes, once-professional women who we easily can imagine will go on to exciting next chapters in their careers. And, yet, when these women apply to join The Second Shift, we cannot accept them if they’ve been out of the workforce for more than two years. Put simply, ours is not the re-engagement business; and when it comes to competing for a coveted job post, desire and dedication are only part of the calculus. A bitter pill to swallow? It needn’t be. Small steps can quickly beget big changes; time and again, we’ve seen women do far more than pick up where they left off. We’ve seen them reinvent themselves. While the journey looks different for everyone, the most successful passages share certain signposts. Our advice? Chart your course accordingly — and come back to us. We’ll be waiting!
1. Take an inventory: You know you want to return to work, but do you know why? Are you looking for creative fulfillment? Do you need an income again? How much work do you want and how much do you want to work? Have your interests changed in the intervening time away? Get very clear on what you are striving towards, not just in terms of a professional goal, but on a personal level as well. Figure out what is feasible, exciting, and makes sense based on your experience and availability. If need be, hire a career coach to lead you through this process. (We’re happy to make referrals at info@thesecondshift.com)
2. Hit the refresh button: Spruce up your resume. Update your Linked In profile. Take courses that apply to your field. Learn everything you can about your industry — as it now exists. Practice your pitch and craft a coherent and compelling narrative to account for your career gap. There are experts who can help you with telling your story, like Second Shift member Katie Fogarty. http://www.katiefogartyreboot.com/
3. Network: Put out your desire to work to everyone you can: friends, ex-colleagues, alumni networks. Take on any relevant projects, even if they’re unpaid at first. No one need know that you did them for free and it puts present-day experience on your C.V.
4. Set up your life: New opportunities also create new demands so make sure you have the necessary infrastructure in place to accept work as it comes to you. The ability to dive in immediately is critical. Ask yourself: Do you have adequate childcare in place? A proper environment to work in? Focus requires time and space — set up your life accordingly.
Remember, working takes practice, but it’s muscle memory. Stepping away from the game is not the same as stepping out of the game. Be confident in your abilities — including whatever newfound perspectives and strengths the time off has afforded you. And look toward the future with optimism.
Girlfriends with Benefits by Jenny Galluzzo
A recent article in Fortune sparked interesting conversation among women I know about whether or not female friends are helpful to each other when it comes to professional favors, hookups and connections. The premise is that women are fantastic when it comes to creating deep personal relationships and go out of their way to help each other but this support network falls apart when it comes to asking, and being asked, for anything in the professional realm.
“…despite the cultural moment female friendship is currently enjoying, the same strength, intensity, and deep connections being celebrated was also setting up a false dichotomy between personal relationships and the transactionality of business. Women told me that when they asked a friend for business, they feared it would damage their personal relationships, took rejection personally, and became gun-shy about making another pitch. Even well-qualified women who had no qualms about asking (and were quite adept at it) were often met with avoidance, a brush-off, or no reply at all. Women who received an ask from a friend said they didn’t expect their friends to hit them up for business and when they did, it sometimes caused an unspoken tension that dampened their enthusiasm for the relationship. Some even began to doubt the true motives behind the friendship in the first place. Others went so far as avoiding those who might ask for business later.“
In my own experience, I’ve been disappointed by friends who I felt were in positions to help me out with an intro or a freelance opportunity and did not deliver. However, with hindsight, I see that I was asking wrong—I put out a “soft ask” and waited for them to offer their help; When it didn’t appear I was hurt. I realize now that people are not mind-readers nor are they thinking about ways they can help you. The “hard ask” comes from a place of confidence and politeness but with ambition and determination. People respect and respond to that and are willing to focus and deliver.
While I hate to put a generalized gendered lens on things, it is a fact that men are comfortable asking unequivocally for a favor, a connection, a raise, a promotion— they don’t float a “soft ask”, they ask for what they want and get it. This behavior is simply understood as a type of currency and respected as such.
“ Doing deals with your buddies is a time-honored way to build your book of business. But women tend to struggle when it comes to mixing money and friendship, cutting themselves off from one of the most effective tactics in the constant struggle to get ahead. So why is it that we’re so hesitant to do deals with our friends—the very people we know have our backs?”
The good news is that I see women breaking this habit more and more in my interactions with professional women, and I love it! Women are good at building community and with record numbers of women founding and funding businesses there is a vibrant ecosystem of amazing women supporting each other. We all know the deck is stacked against us– we know that it’s harder for us to get our businesses funded, to get paid equally, to take on the lion’s share of family responsibilities while working, so we are creating a support structure outside of the male-dominated business world. We are creating businesses like The Second Shift whose mission is to help women remain engaged in the workforce by providing a tool for businesses to retain and attract critical female talent. No longer do I hesitate to ask anyone, male or female, for a “hard ask” because I know the stakes are too high and being soft is not an option. It’s time to #makeworkworkforyou!
Jenny Galluzzo
Co-Founder/ The Second Shift
July Featured Member– Jamie Crystal
With 25 years of experience working as a marketer, Jamie Crystal has partnered with sales, client and product teams across digital media (Yahoo! and Federated Media), television (FX Networks and Hallmark Channel, and print media (LA Times) to drive revenue opportunities and partnership, meet market trends and develop competitive marketing solutions for large successful brands.
Jamie took a leap 8 years ago into the world of consulting and it has paid off personally and professionally. Thus far, Jamie has had over 12 clients and frequently wins projects through The Second Shift. Here she tells us about why she left the corporate world and her #pitchtowin tips.
You worked in traditional media companies until going off on your own in 2010. what was the turning point when you decided to leave the corporate world and start your own consultancy.
There were turning points personally and professionally that motivated me to start my own consultancy. I returned from maternity leave from my 1st daughter to my 8th boss – I had to prove myself all over again. Typical office hours were 9-10 hours per day and I was missing out on so many things professionally waiting for a promotion that might never happen and personally at home missing my daughter’s milestones, etc. As a consultant, I just focus on work that is meaningful and stretches my skills without the corporate bureaucracy of promotions, etc. If I do good work, clients are happy, I expand my network and get more work. I also pick the type of work I want to do, rather than taking on many projects I didn’t really have a passion for just for a promotion.
How did you find out about The Second Shift and what would you tell other women thinking about joining?
A peer of mine, who was also a contractor/freelancer recommended The Second Shift to me, so I checked it out. It was that simple. She mentioned that she heard a lot of companies were starting to use Second Shift more.
When I first applied, I didn’t realize Second Shift was a female-focused model, but when I realized that, I was even more excited! I am open to whatever organization can help me get good clients and expand my experience. When you are a Freelancer/consultant it is challenging to find work, and it’s always nice to have reliable resources to help. I am very thankful for Second Shift!
Since going off on your own what has been the biggest benefit to you personally and professionally?
The biggest benefit of consulting has been having flexibility in my schedule to be available for my family. I have been able to show my daughters that you can stay in the workforce and still be available as a parent. I am able to work during school hours but still pick my daughters up from school, hear about their day, help them with homework and take them to all their activities without having to completely give up having a career. Consulting allows you to focus on the work at hand and doing a good job and getting it done when it works with your schedule, not just clocking hours in an office.
The biggest benefit of consulting professionally is the ability to take on many different types of marketing projects and stretch my skill set beyond my initial networking circle. In the traditional corporate model you have a primary skill set and just move up the corporate ladder and take on a larger team but mainly keeping the same skills and field. With consulting, I am able to grow and learn new skills, new industries, new clients and grow professionally in areas I would have never been exposed to. It also allows me to work with companies I wouldn’t necessarily be interested in working with on a full-time basis but now I get to take on exiting projects and get exposure outside of full-time employment
You’ve landed some highly competitive jobs through the second shift– How do you think about pitching and what are the secrets to your success?
I try to jump on the pitches as soon as I receive an email alert. I find the good ones go very fast, and I want to be in the mix. I immediately reach out that I am interested and show them to my experience. I am fortunate that I have some good larger brand names on my resume and I send my own company overview with client and project experience to help them see the level of companies I work with. After getting the initial conversation, I do think a lot is just chemistry with the clients and if it’s a good fit for them personally to work with a Second Shifter.
We love that consulting allows for women to show up for their families and become role models for their daughters–thank you Jamie and keep up the good work!
If you know of any amazing women, like Jamie, who should be part of our talent pool please email us at members@thesecondshift.com.
