International Women’s Day 2018

Our marketing partner, Copywriter and Brand Strategist, Katie Quaite went to check out the great work being done by She’s Back, an organisation helping businesses tap into the potential of women at all levels.

After all, anyone who helps companies to question their attitudes towards presenteeism, championing the benefits of flexible working gets a big thumbs up from us.

Here’s what she found out…

“She’s Back is just one of the organisations who have caught my eye on Twitter and LinkedIn in the past year or so. They’ve been featured on London Live saying that the way we work was designed for the Industrial Revolution, not the Digital Revolution. And that needs to change. So, I was inspired to go and find out a bit more at their special networking event to promote International Women’s Day 2018.

It was great to meet likeminded individuals on a week when all of our minds are on women and business – particularly as the gender pay gap data deadline looms.

Networking has real value

Lisa Unwin gave an excellent talk around networking, focusing on ‘karma not kickbacks’. She says, that if you approach networking in this way, you’ll only gain from it. Plus, you never know who the person you’re talking to knows.

Lisa’s amusing anecdote about being presented a mug at a networking event she hosted free of charge left us all bemused. She only had herself to blame by not asking if there was any budget at the outset. I’m sure there will be lots of other amusing anecdotes like this in her and Deb Khan’s new book, but this certainly taps into the idea that as women, we don’t always know our worth.

We don’t feel good enough and imposter syndrome takes over. It happens to the best of us. But for Lisa, after that experience, the next free event she did paid off dividends. The point is, you can always learn from every situation, it’s just a case of putting yourself out there in the first place.

Self-promotion – not easy but essential

The next workshop was about Making Impact with Deb Khan. This covered useful presentation skills and ways to sell yourself when seeking a new role.

Interestingly, many of the women in the room all had different stories and reasons for being there. Career breaks ranged from none to twenty years and the experience in the room was palpable.

We had TV execs, lawyers, HR managers and personal coaches, photographers and advertising creatives, but one thing every woman had in common was ambition. They each had a desire to succeed – although many were finding it an uphill battle to be taken seriously by employers.

This baffles me, I have to say.

Take advantage of untapped talent

Why wouldn’t you want talent like this in your business? Each and every person I heard from had a go-getting attitude and an energy that would only be an asset to an appropriate organisation. But flexibility is the key to helping these women to put that ambition to good use.

All in all, it was a very inspiring day. I think events like this can really help to bring focus to your career, even if you’re perfectly happy in your day-to-day role. They can help you to view what you’re doing with fresh eyes, and that’s got to be a good thing for anyone, male or female. I’m looking forward to linking in with the people I met and getting to know some of them better with any luck. Happy International Women’s Day!”

Deborah O’Sullivan, Managing Director, Ten2Two says, “As a flexible and part-time recruiter, we play host to networking events like this, all designed to help and inspire our Members to take the next step in their careers. From our point of view, this helps us get to know the people who are registered with us. But it also plays an important part in helping people to refine their CVs and gain valuable interview skills and confidence tips. And that all helps towards boosting chances of success at finding that next big flexible role.”

To find out where your next local Ten2Two networking event is, please visit your local page on our website. If you’re registered, you’ll receive details by email so you can book your FREE place.

Ten2Two is also working with employers to design returnships that are flexible – something that many businesses are yet to offer. If you’d like to see how we could help your organisation fill a talent gap, please contact us today.