Greater Milwaukee Jobs

Just got another call from a job hunter who has been out of work for a long while, a really long while. No, this isn't a person who is counted in the long-term unemployed statistics. This is a woman who chose to be a stay-at-home mom and now wants to return to the workplace. She's like many who spent five, 10, maybe 20 or more years focused on their fami- lies. But circumstances - divorce, disability or death of a spouse, or being at loose ends in an empty nest - push them toward a pay- check. The most recent caller had been an accountant before her long career break but fears that her profession, and especially the technolo- gy involved, has changed so much that her former expe- rience isn't relevant. And she was afraid of her ability to study for and take certifi- cation tests. Other job market returnees tell me they simply don't know who would want them. They don't know what they have to offer. They might be surprised. Employers consistently tell me they're searching for mature, stable workers who aren't interested in moving on to the next thing in a year or two. The difficulty, of course, is making a match between the hirer who wants such help and the person who is looking. After just a brief conversa- tion, it was clear that my caller was selling herself short. Maybe she won't become a certified public accountant again, but she has abilities to bring to any job. Start, perhaps, with dependability, emotional maturity, ability to juggle tasks without falling apart and communication skills. The sticking point for re- enterers like her is that they're missing a workplace network of contacts. I told her she needs to start think- ing about her friends, family, neighbors and fellow members of any club or reli- gious organization she has belonged to as her network. What do those people do for a living? What do their partners do? If any of their Tips for re-entering the workforce for stay-at-home moms and others By Diane Stafford The Kansas City Star (TNS) and research is showing the out- comes of these tweaks can be significant. People who review resumes for job candidates show less bias when they don't know the race or gender of the applicant. Removing terms often perceived as masculine – competitive, assertive, ambitious – from job advertisements can increase the number of women who apply. In a Harvard Business Review article about what Williams calls "bias interrupters," the professor wrote of companies: "One thing I hope they'll break with is the 'diversity industrial complex': the stan- dard approach of making token hires, offering sensitivity train- ing, setting up mentoring net- works and introducing other incremental changes that focus on altering women's behavior to, say, make them better nego- tiators. When an organization lacks diversity, it's not the employees who need fixing. It's the business systems." A form of bias interruption at accounting firm Ernst & Young is having a person who under- stands gender bias read over per- formance reviews to look for subtle signs of unfair treatment. If potential biases are found – maybe some people are getting higher raises than others despite similar evaluations – the discrep- ancies are looked into and, if necessary, addressed. Williams doesn't encourage heavy-handed tactics, just rea- sonable approaches that say, "Hey, we might be overlooking some things here, so let's find a way to avoid it in the future." The goal of a bias interrupter, Williams wrote, is to "identify how bias is playing out in real time. And then they short-circuit it." She has been working with several companies to implement this concept. Diana Cruz Solash, director of global and Americas diversity and inclusiveness at Ernst & Young, sees the concept as more sensible than just talking about diversity: "That's why I think we 2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • June 23, 2016 workplace biases ... from page 1 see WORKPLACE BIASES . . . page 6 Managing the stresses that come with summer & A Q Summer is great – warm weath- er, sunny skies, vacations.Yet there are many stresses that go with the season. For example, if you have kids, you are faced with finding summer care for younger ones, and perhaps worries about unsupervised teens. If you are taking time off, you have the challenge of covering your work and making sure co-workers and customers get what they need. Then there's the nice problem of so many fun things to do and not enough time. Serious to minor, these all can cause stress to increase. There are practical steps to manage your life. And they will help. Yet, having an adaptive per- spective that helps roll with the punches underlies all of it. For me, this comes from cultivating a day- to-day sense of presence and grati- tude. Before going any further, take a moment to experience the contri- bution that noticing your blessings can provide.You can do this wher- ever you are – no one else will see. First, take a few deep, calm breaths, feeling the air moving in and out, appreciating the oxygen flooding your cells. Now, think about people in your life you appreciate, picturing their faces and remembering good things about them. Finally, look around you, noticing something beautiful in your environment, no matter how simple. A few more breaths, and you are done. Use this as a strategy to calm yourself down any time stress starts to mount. It won't make your problems go away, but it will free up mental and emotional energy that you can direct toward problem solving. Then think preventively.You can develop more resilience by sup- porting yourself internally through presence and gratitude. Here are some approaches to try. During your commute, have a nature moment, looking at the weather or the leaves on the trees. Look carefully, making a point of really noticing what you see. Even if you are in a car or on a bus, this connection with the natural world will refresh you. Notice other things, too. If you are into architecture or cars, for example, use your time to savor the variation and actively enjoy what the world has to offer. Give yourself a gratitude binge. How many things that you are grateful for can you list in one minute? If this is difficult, remem- ber that even the smallest things count, like a good cup of coffee or an unexpectedly cheerful encounter. Be silly with it, or chal- lenge yourself to find a reason to be grateful for the less pleasant situations you face. Build in real nature time. As humans, it's important to our well- being, and being outside, regardless of your activity, will help keep you grounded. Let others know you appreciate them. It's good for you and good for them. These steps won't make all the chaos go away.You may still be too busy, juggling too many things. But you will be able to do them with a lighter heart, more energy, and more success. By Liz Reyer Tribune News Service (TNS) Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. A publication of Conley Media Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dan Muckelbauer 262-513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 18 • Number 40 June 23, 2016 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5016 or fax us at 262-338-5271 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2016 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Call 262-306-5016 for information. see RE-ENTERING . . . page 6

• Cover