Career

When it comes to women in the workforce, society and the media traditionally place them in nurturing or social fields such as nursing, teaching, or administration positions. With time and a savvy business acumen, that stereotype is changing as we are seeing a shift in women joining fields that are traditionally held by men. In the United States, only twenty percent of jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are held by women. As technology begins to take over every aspect of our personal and business lives, it only seems natural that more women would, in one way or another,… Read more...

Beverly Wall left her rural roots to move to Grand Rapids in 1976 and pursue her dream of becoming a successful woman business owner. Today, she is the owner of several companies—including Languages International Inc. a once-struggling company that she was able to turn around with a two hundred percent sales increase in less than two years.   She has been recognized by the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce with an ATHENA award and is counted in the 50 Most Outstanding Business Owners in West Michigan and 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan. Now that she has realized many of… Read more...

Many women aren’t comfortable dealing with negotiations, even when something they really want (and deserve!) is on the line. Vickie Milazzo shares nine tips to help you stop underpricing yourself and start getting paid what you’re worth. If you’re ready to stop sitting back and start negotiating like you mean it, read on for nine of Milazzo’s tried-and-true tips.  Never let them see you as a commodity. After all, commodities are easy to obtain and easy to replace. And that’s certainly not how you want to be perceived at your job—whether you’re an employee, a leader, or an entrepreneur. If the… Read more...

ManpowerGroup's 2012 Talent Shortage Survey found that, globally, management, and executive roles are among the most difficult to fill. Despite this, Grant Thornton's 2012 International Business Report revealed that barely one in five senior management positions globally is held by women. In her opening plenary remarks at the WEF Annual Meeting, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde urged the business world to focus on inclusive growth. She said: "The evidence is clear; when women do better, economies do better. Seventy percent of all consumption decisions in the world are made by women." "The world simply cannot afford such a poor representation of half the… Read more...