Career vs. love. Love vs. career.  For many women out there, this is a common struggle, and one that we deal with (and become distracted by) at several points throughout our lives.  But according to a new study, when women are primed to think about their love lives, they become less interested in STEM- (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) related fields and coursework. Really?? Could this actually be a reason why more women don’t work in science and technology?

Researchers at the University of Buffalo (NY) have published a study finding that:

When women are “pursuing romantic goals” they tend to shy away from academic work in [STEM]. In two experiments, subjects were exposed to images and conversations that primed them to think about dating, and then completed questionnaires regarding their interest in pursuing STEM versus other majors. Women who thought about dating and not intelligence or friendship reported less interest in STEM fields. A third component of the study asked women to keep track of their feelings of romance and their interest in math, and found that the two were at odds.

But why is this the case?

Continue Reading “Could Dating Be A Reason Why More Women Don’t Work in Technology?”

I am always looking for tools and technology that can help make me faster, save time, and improve my productivity and as a busy professional those are critical. My iPhone is a great tool (and one of my favorite purchases) and there are so many productivity applications available for it that there is almost no possible way that I can’t be more productive.

I want to highlight my one, two punch mobile apps strategy that keeps me on my feet, keeps me connected, and allows me to keep pace with the industry bobbing and weaving (the conversation). Also, how the combination of the two helps me stay productive while traveling. Seesmic & Evernote – these are my jab and cross for Social Media effectiveness.  Both of these apps are amazing on their own, but when combined together, they are a knock out!

Continue Reading “My Mobile Apps Strategy to Help Me Stay Productive: Evernote & Seesmic”

We’ve come a long way. Power dressing now is designed to let the woman inside us come through.
Donna Karan

Recently I was at a business meeting with professional women, all at the top of their respective fields. We where working on some reinvention ideas, everyone was excited to be there. Many of us did not know each other, but we where all equally committed to accomplish our goal for the meeting. I always enjoy these situations and hope to learn from my peers. At the very beginning of the meeting, however, there was one woman, who was really throwing me off…. so I stepped back in order to figure it out, WHY was I tuning her out ????

I’m sorry but the old adage doesn’t work – people still “judge a book by it’s cover”

Then….. I had THE AHA moment….. The woman in question looked liked she had been rolling around in dirt and her clothes where ill fitting (so we got a good view of her undergarments (if you are gonna show them – make sure they look good… and by all means CLEAN!). She was a mess! The reality was, I couldn’t get past her appearance to hear what she had to contribute – shame on me, I know.

Continue Reading “YOUR personal image is part of YOUR personal brand”

Everyone has long suspected that the purse strings are held by women. How many times have we heard that its women that make 85% of the buying decisions in their households?

But the thing we are seeing emerge now is that women are not just the chief purchasing officers, they are also the earners – a reality that has enormous consequences across global economies.

The emergence of a global “She-conomy” will have a major impact on everything from education to marketing and branding to fertility levels. While it’s true that most women still earn less than men, are far less likely to be in the highest-salaried executive positions, there are numerous positive indicators on the horizon in the U.S.:

Continue Reading “Women in Power: The Emerging Global “She-conomy””

From birth to age 18, a girl needs good parents. From 18 to 35, she needs good looks. From 35 to 55, she needs a good personality. From 55 on, she needs good cash.
~ Sophie Tucker

How do you handle ageism during career reinvention? I say NO!

As part of my career reinvention I went to Grad school and am now, like many other grads, on the job hunt. 

Recently, I was told by a respected recruiter that I was too “experienced” to present to her clients. While she was very clever and PC, I know that meant code for “too old”. Generally, I would say hey I AM NOT OLD, AND I only need one great opportunity – there is one out there just for me. But I have to admit this time it got to me …….and I am re-thinking….

Ageism is making me re-think my job strategy

Continue Reading “Re-thinking your job search strategy – because of ageism”