Editor's Corner

Welcome to the first issue of Tips, tricks and Trade Tidbits!"

 

Now that Spring is upon us I encourage you to promote "out with the old and in with the new"; a cleaning of our thoughts and embracing new ideas. Over the next several months I will present materials that can enhance our abilities and environment in the workplace. Although we are bonded by Technology we are diverse in our subjects of expertise. Although different, one thing bonds us all! On a daily basis we have to interact with others in the business world. Our success depends on how well we interface with the diverse array of individuals that cross our path. It is essential then that we learn to succeed as a business person. It is a sad fact that we are often measured by other people's perception of us. To this end we as women (particularly in the technology fields) must concentrate on increasing our personal power. I had the pleasure of attending Comdex in Chicago and the Women.Future symposium in Evanston and am going to share with you what powerful women around the country have to say to today's women. This month's issue will be a report from Comdex and Women's Rights in the workplace. Next month "How to develop personal power and become in tune with how we project ourselves to others". If we are going to succeed we must learn the secrets to projecting a strong image. I wish you all a great Holiday season and continued success in your fields!

From the Comdex convention floor!

 

On Monday April 2nd, Comdex held a special forum titled, "Women  in IT: succeeding in Tech". This was the second year that the conference celebrated women in Technology. It was sponsored by HP and Intel and presented by GirlGeeks and Comdex. Kristine Hanna, CEO and co-founder of GirlGeeks was quoted as saying, "It is inspiring to have this successful program and to have such a need for it. The need is clear because in the next 3-4 years, half of the U.S. workforce will be in IT and of those 56 million people, there's no reason why women shouldn't be a good half. Also, next year it is projected that 500,000 IT jobs will go unfilled. As, Michele Goins, CIO of image imprinting systems at HP stated, "There's a golden opportunity for women to make an even greater contribution in a unique way". She went on to relate that the "4 most important skills required for the new IT are: flexibility, intuition, communication and focus, and all are instinctive traits of women". Even though these are encouraging thoughts....women still hold only 29% of the jobs and women graduating with technology degrees has been decreasing. What this states is that we as women in computing need to reach out to the younger generation. Our women leaders need to reach out and mentor others. we should increase our networking skills and develop contacts in the industry. GirlGeeks has started a program that awards local organizations who promote girl's interests in math, science and technology (much as our own chapter do.... such as the Houston Chapter). This year's recipient was the Girl Scouts of Chicago who offered almost 40 workshops in science and computing this year. Later....i-Street awarded 26 women (who serve as founder, senior technical person, or high-ranking member engaged in Chicago's new economy) the 2nd annual Women In Black award. We are making advances. Before last year women's achievements and voices were not even heard in the mostly male dominated Comdex convention. I urge you to either continue your efforts to promote women in IT or start thinking about ways you can encourage even one woman to find rewarding work in our industry. Below are two issues that were covered in the presentations.

• Are you having a baby or caring for a new baby?
• Are you adopting a child or getting a foster child?
• Are you very sick and unable to work?
• Is your child, spouse or parent very sick?

• Have worked for the same company for a least 12 months: and
• Have worked at least 1,250 hours in the past year; and
• Work for a company with at least 50 employees, and there are 50 employees who work within 75 miles of your work site:

   

• Take a total of 12 weeks off work without pay (your company may provide some pay)
• Keep any health insurance (you already had) during the the time you are off
• Get your old job back, or a job with equal pay, status and benefits, when you return

Pay Discrimination

    Have any of these things happened to you?

    Under the equal pay act of 1963, all employers must pay equal wages to women and men for substantially equal work. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act states that for         employers with 15 or more workers, they cannot:

Sobering thoughts on issues of women in the work place. I encourage you to visit the web-site and act if you feel there has been a justifiable problem. Next month we will focus on how we can increase our Personal Power. Until then I leave you with a powerful tip and a powerful quip.

 

Powerful Tip:

In regards to finding a mentor....many times these busy people's first reaction to such a request is fear that they haven't the time. Instead of asking will you be my mentor....try this approach. Ask, "I really enjoyed meeting you/really admire your knowledge. I would like to talk to you once in a while when things occur in my career. Here is my card, may I have yours? Then follow through.

 

Powerful Quip:

(This is actually a real tip too!) If you know that you will be in the company of male colleagues use this piece of advice.....Find someone to tell you 2 important facts about sports, know what teams are playing, and get 2 sports questions to ask. Carefully place a few of these tidbits into the conversation...gently stir and let them talk....nod appreciatively and you will be the life of the party, and not an outcast. 

  

See you next month.....

Carla Cheuvront