Creating A Mentoring Community For Women

Shevaun Voisin spoke so eloquently of the need to grasp your dreams and make them reality in her keynote talk, “Dream It, Do It: You Only Have Today” at the “Imagine…then do it” seminar sponsored by Act Three that I attended last week.  I have been thinking a lot about this over the last several days, and if you know me, then you know that I am a deep, analytical thinker.

Imagine... then do it Seminar by Act Three

I am at a place where by virtue of my age, experiences, collected wisdom and station in life, I am able to view the world through a different set of lenses.   I have experienced a career working for a global consumer giant; participated in national product launches for revolutionary new products; have held the hand of a woman in crisis as I listened to the story that birthed her pain through my work with a local non-profit.  I have taught classes for elementary aged kids and presented seminars and workshops for high school students and local universities. I have raised two incredible children who are using their gifts and leadership to make a difference on the world as teens. Lastly, I have stepped into the moccasins of the entrepreneur and created a company in a field that is rapidly evolving and taking the planet by storm, all while never having grown up in the world of texting and MySpace like today’s Gen Ys.

P&G Gold Award for Outstanding Customer Business Development

If Not Today, Then When? Passion & Career Co-existing

Remember the dream you had long ago; the one that was set aside because life got in the way? Perhaps it has remained a spark burning within the deep recesses of your soul. Every once in a while you may capture a glimpse of it before the light returns to a flicker.  Why not expose that spark and fan it into reality? Why not put your feet onto the path that is your life purpose? If not today, then when?

News headlines blatantly tell us that tomorrow is not guaranteed.  There is only now, this very minute. What have you got to lose?

I attended the “Imagine…then do it!” event put on by my friend and business collaborator, Julie Shiffman of Act Three today.  Julie brought together nearly 250 women to hear the stories of successful women who followed their dreams and passions to make a difference in the world.  Listening to the amazing speakers:

• Shevaun Voisin, publisher of the international business magazine, Motivated
• Patty Brisben, CEO and Founder of Pure Romance & The Patty Brisben Foundation
• Heather Ingle, Mother of 14 children, 11 adopted with special needs
• Arna Poupko Fisher, Internationally noted lecturer and educator

I was struck by the singular voice that emanated from these women with diverse stories admonishing us to say YES to the opportunities that unfold along our path. Sometimes the tiny voice in our head becomes our worst opponent; the voice that says: ‘not now’, ‘too old’, ‘too young’ ‘too difficult’.

LinkedIn 101 Hands-On Lab Training For Women

LinkedIn 101 For Women

Looking to make a career change in 2011? In today’s competitive market, it is important to have a professional online presence in addition to a resume. Today the most successful professional social networking site is LinkedIn.com.  LinkedIn has over 80 million members in over 200 countries and executives from all the Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.

LinkedIn allows members to create a profile that includes information that goes beyond what is on a typical resume. Members can access company and job information as well as join industry groups to network with group members, professional contacts and hiring managers.  LinkedIn is one of the top places that recruiters and companies go for talent acquisition.

Can they find you there?

C3: Creating Connections Consulting, LLC offers LinkedIn group training classes and individual coaching for individuals who are: in transition; who want to make a career change and tap into professional networks; and for business owners who desire to increase their warm contacts.

C3  offers a specialized hands-on training class that is for women only. This class focuses on women who are looking to make a career change or re-enter the workforce. It is limited to four participants to maximize individual learning. The class covers the following topics:

• Account Set Up
• Creating a Winning Summary Statement (key marketing piece)
• Optimizing profiles for Search Engines (i.e. Google, Bing)
• Finding Contacts
• Sending Introductions
• Importance of the Status Update
• Working with LinkedIn Groups
• Importance of obtaining recommendations
• How to search the LinkedIn Database for Contacts, Companies, Jobs, Corporate Data, Hiring Managers

Fall LinkedIn 101 For Women

Dates:

• Thursday, 10/28 from 10:00 a.m.-11:30
• Monday, 11/8 from 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
• Thursday, 11/11 from 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m.

Cost is $49 for early registration/$59 post deadline

Laptops are available for use at a nominal fee.

Participants receive a LinkedIn 101 Training Guide

Please see the following link for details and to register: http://c3linkedin101women.eventbrite.com/

More information can be found on the C3 Web-site: http://bit.ly/a2iEFo

C3 is a member of the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce and was nominated for a 2010 Business of the Year Award. Owner Michelle Beckham-Corbin is on the Board of the Anderson IHM Job Search Ministry and presents training on LinkedIn for the group and has been a LinkedIn presenter for NKU, UC-Clermont College and the Job Search Learning Lab.

LinkedIn: The Professional Place to Be Online

Can the right people find you?

Whether you are returning to work, changing careers or building your existing business, it is imperative today to establish a professional online brand. The best way to do this is by becoming a member of the #1 ranked professional networking site in the world: LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is a social networking site that helps you make better use of your professional network. There are currently over 75 million members in over 200 countries using LinkedIn.  Executives from all of the Fortune 500 companies are members and LI is one of the first places that hiring managers and recruiters search for job candidates.

LinkedIn is not just for job search; in fact it is the premier place to network with the right professionals for your industry. You can establish business relationships, find clients or customers, discover breaking industry news in discussion Groups and share your own expertise with others around the globe. Want some tips on maximizing groups? Check this post out by Dave Taylor of Intuitive Systems.

No matter your path to a professional networking site, it is imperative to highlight your personal brand and share your experience, talents and strengths in the best possible light. There are many free tutorials on the LinkedIn site to help you learn. The IHM Job Search Ministry Group in Cincinnati offers a free monthly “One Stop Job Search” Workshop that covers everything from writing resumes and cover letters to networking and on-line job search strategies including LinkedIn. (Disclosure: I teach the LinkedIn portion of the free workshop for IHM JSM.) Better yet, find a LinkedIn consultant or small group lab class for individualized attention and knowledge on tips & tricks to maximize this great tool.

My company, C3: Creating Connections Consulting, LLC, offers LinkedIn Lab classes for Women only.  This program is limited to just four women per class for maximum individual attention, but at group pricing. You can find more information here. Classes are offered on several dates in October.

I also provide LinkedIn  programming for clients of Act Three in Blue Ash.  Act Three focuses on assisting women in charting their next phase of life and offers many great seminars and workshops for women. My next class at Act Three is on October 6th and includes a detailed analysis of your completed LinkedIn profile in addition to the lab training class: a great combination offer!

Spotlight on Half the Sky

There tugging at my heart strings is an ever present need to take the gifts that I have been given and make a difference in the world. I have tried my best to give back where I can in my own community over time from volunteering as an in-take counselor for the Lighthouse Youth Services Teen run-away shelter in my early 20s to my current work with leadership, job transition and online safety/reputation management for parents. I enjoy helping people in each of these areas and I hope that I have made some small difference in their lives. Their individual stories stay with me as each one of them has uniquely touched my life.

Yet, in the quiet of the night or the oppressive heat of these late summer days, the voice whispers into my consciousness calling me away from my work. If I close my eyes, the voice takes form in the simplest of motions like the rustle of the curtains or the sighing of a breeze.

I know I am being called to make a greater impact; I can literally feel the tangible nature of it all. I truly believe in destiny and pre-determined path and find it fascinating that life can drop little clues like bread crumbs to nudge you along in keeping the idea alive.  I have been reading Nicholas Krostof and Sheryl WuDunn’s book, “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.” The book centers on the three major abuse areas affecting women today:

• sex trafficking and forced prostitution
• gender-based violence including honor killings and mass  rapes
• maternal mortality

Not even half-way into this book and it is having a huge impact on me. “Half the Sky” gives some concrete examples of how an individual or small group can make a difference to affect the lives of these women who are seen as mere objects:  slaves. Have witnessed some great awareness-raising of the sex trafficking issue via the Cincinnati Freedom Center on Twitter. The Freedom Center released a report on the extent of human trafficking in the Greater Cincinnati area encompassing southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana. You can access the report here.

There is a group in Cincinnati that focuses on affecting how young girls in Cincinnati objectify their bodies and themselves. The True Body Project

“proposes to empower girls to identify and stay in their true bodies and maintain and grow their authentic voices and to advocate for the health and safety of girls and women everywhere.”

This group’s mission seems to fall in line with the mission of Half the Sky which is now a movement.

The best way to fight poverty and extremism is to empower women and girls.

Note: this video on human trafficking was made by a ninth grade student…..

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin ~2010 ~ All Rights Reserved