Do You Use Yours?

No, not your network. Do you use the internal women’s network at your company?

Yesterday I conducted a workshop titled Being Ready When You Get “The Call”… no, not the “you’re being laid off” call… the “we’d like to offer you this new position” call. The workshop was sponsored by the internal women’s network at this F500 company.

Corporate women’s networks can be an incredibly powerful resource for your success. For example, the women attending yesterday got:

1. Feedback from peers about their preparedness to handle “the call.”

2. Executive tips on what works (and doesn’t) on resumes and CVs.

3. Executive perspectives on whether to call to express interest in a position (the answer was, yes.)

4. Examples from senior women about how they negotiated aspects of their new positions (like not having to relocate.)

5. Tips on when and when not to negotiate salary.

This is invaluable information! It wouldn’t have been so widely available if the company didn’t have a women’s network… and it wouldn’t have been shared if senior women weren’t actively supporting the initiative.

If your company has an internal women’s network, affinity group or initiative, get involved. If it seems too fru-fru for you, step up to a leadership opportunity and reshape it. If you hold an executive position, you can strengthen the impact of your network and more strategically align it with the business by getting involved.

Lead ON!
By Susan Colantuono