Empower Me! The Empowered Black Women’s Network

Today’s remote workers have many advantages to making a case for working (or continuing to work) from home.  Technology has leveled the playing field for many of us.  Before the Internet boom, all we had were a telephone, phone books, a rolodex, directories and various newspapers and magazines to find leads if we were in sales.  For me, the internet has increased productivity and efficiency of the recruiting process. Above all else, the economy and rising gas prices usually help to seal the deal.  If you’re in Atlanta, having NO GAS usually makes the case for you.

If you have a position where you could reasonably work from home, you need to talk with your boss to see what the policies for telecommuting are.  But you have to be someone who is disciplined and able to work effectively from home.  To be a successful at working from home, if you are lucky enough to get your boss to agree.  you need to have a few essentials to make your job easier and more efficient:

·         A dedicated office- This is the most important element.  You will be on the phone a lot. A private area free of distractions is best. If you can, try to have a separate room for your office.  When I was looking for my house, I wanted to make sure there was an extra room available for an office. In my apartment, my office was my sunroom.  So I made sure to pick a house with a room that would function well as my office.  I can close the door at the end of the day and be Mom.

·         A dedicated cell phone line- I would recommend two.  A Blackberry or other smart phone to manage your data and unlimited plan with no roaming, and a regular cell phone with an unlimited plan similar to MetroPCS.  They are practical for at home use and while on the road.  Plus you can keep your finger on the pulse of the operations. You still may need a separate land line. But I think you could get away with using a Magic Jack or Skype.  You’ll save on your phone bills and only pay an annual fee way less than a monthly phone bill. I use both Skype and Magic Jack and have had no problems.

·         Efax or other web based fax service- Not many people really fax any more. But it’s helpful for receiving contracts. Everything is housed on your computer.  I believe in a paperless office.

·         Bamboo Pen Tablet- Speaking of a paperless office. I invested in this wonderful little device earlier this year. It allows me to switch to a writing tool in any MS Office program and sign documents. It has the same function as the terminals at the department stores only with a bigger writing area.  I absolutely LOVE this product.

·         PDF Maker- There are times when I need to sign a document and send it to a client but don’t want to mail or fax.  So I scan my document and then convert it to PDF to send via email.  A lot of people aren’t sitting by a fax all day and are on the move.  PDF allows them to view documents even on their Blackberry. Plus PDF allows me to secure my documents so that nobody can make changes to them. There are a few free and paid subscriptions out there.  But if you have the money, invest in Adobe Professional (PDF).

·         An Intranet for your staff and/or clients- If your company doesn’t have a full fledged intranet designed for your company, sign up for a system like HyperOffice.  You can share documents, maintain group calendars, post messages and email and store information for your team or clients. On a smaller scale you can use Google Apps and Yahoo Groups, but they aren’t as functional. Having an intranet is important because not only can your team keep in touch and review the same documents, it is the safe haven for your documents should a disaster occur.  Everyone will have access to the documents you store on it to keep the business running. Check with your IT administrator to see what you are allowed to use and within what parameters.

·         Access to company email and website- Even if you are just a contractor, you still need a professional presence.  Many companies allow staff to access the email server via webmail. As long as you have some security measures in place, I don’t see there being a problem.

·         Internet resources- I detest job boards.  But I will say that depending on what type of staff you need for your business, they can come in handy for quick pipelines. Monster, Careerbuiler and Dice are the big 3 and the most expensive. Instead of investing all of that money in one of these, try alternative sites such as Craig’s List and Linked In.  Also look into niche specialty sites to increase your odds of finding the types of people you need.  If you’re in sales, try sites like ZoomInfo, Spoke, Konnects, Jigsaw, Pipl, Hoovers and Naymez to find sales leads.

·         Standard office tools- A multifunctional printer/fax/scanner/copier is strongly suggested.  You’ll need the right office furniture because you’ll spend a lot of time in there each day.  A headset to give you hands-free conversations with staff and clients.  A stand alone microphone may be useful if you can’t get a wireless headset or don’t want to be chained to your desk.

·         A webcam- This is a tool I introduced into my business and recruiting repertoire a few years ago.  It helps me to do “face to face” interviews with candidates, meet with clients and hiring managers, and conduct staff meetings.  Skype is a service you can use in place of a phone and to conduct web conferences.  Netmeeting from Microsoft is another option for those on Windows 2000 or XP. I love video conferencing because it saves me time, gas, and travel expenses. Again, ask your IT Administrator about usage policies.

·         A dedicated conference number- Some companies have conference calling plans.  But for those who don’t, Freeconference.com allows you to have a dedicated number you can use to conduct conference calls.

·         High speed internet- Dial up doesn’t cut it any more.  We can spend a lot of time on the internet doing research and other work.  Invest in high speed broadband.  You can get it in just about any area now.

·         Security- A virtual private network is usually provided by the company you are working with.  If you are on your own, there are options out there.  OpenVPN, LogMeIn and Cisco Remote Access are examples for free to high end services.  Keeping your data safe and secure should be your main priority. And showing your boss that you value security can be a big gold star for you.

·         Wireless access- Most new laptops come with automatic wireless configuration.  But when you need to take your laptop on the road, it’s best to buy a mobile computing solution.  AT&T, Sprint and Verizon are all vying for the number one spot in this area.  They each have a small drive you can plug and go anywhere.

·         Webmeeting capability- LiveMeeting, Webex, Adobe Live and Skype are the front runners in this space.  Depending on your need, any of these solutions would be ideal. DimDim is another site that is fast becoming popular. I often conduct web conferences, classes and webinars via web. So these tools come in very handy for me.  I can use video and upload a presentation or I can set it to let others see me navigating my own computer.

·         Flash drive or other back up- A flash drive is vital to backing up your data.  I would recommend keeping your candidate data and client records on a flash drive as a BACK UP.  Of course you should still back up your information offsite.  We never know when a hurricane or other natural disaster will hit.  Be prepared. I keep several flash drives- 1 for my candidate database, 1 for my business documents, 1 for client information, and 1 general drive for the rest of my documents. In case of a disaster, it won’t take much time to get me back up and running.

As a Recruiter, being able to function offsite and while I travel is crucial.  It allows me to work anywhere, anytime and I love the freedom. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Til Next Time,

Adrienne Graham

So 18 million people, excuse me, women, shattered the glass ceiling and Sarah Palin is going to be the first woman through this broken ceiling huh.  OK I don’t generally mix politics with career issues but this has been sticking in my butt since I heard it.  This post is not to promote my personal political views nor an endorsement of any candidate.  Today, I speak purely as an insulted woman.

While I have not been a Hillary Clinton fan, I was very proud of her success in getting a far as she did and fighting as hard as she did to run for the highest office in our country.  I would have been equally as proud of Sarah Palin clinching the nomination for VP had it not been some lame orchestrated attempt to woo Hillary supporters.  This race has turned very ugly and has become a gender war.  I feel this is detrimental to our country, our gender, and this election.  Women are angry that Hillary lost but you know what, it happens and the losing team just has to deal with it.  Instead of being vindictively angry that she lost to *gasp* a man, we need to be focusing on the big picture.  Like Hillary herself said, if you supported her for her ISSUES then you need to keep those ISSUES in mind this election.  Had Hillary won, I would have voted for her even though I do not care for her because I see the bigger picture.

The fact that some women are going gaga over Palin is proof that we, women, inhibit our own progress.  The fact that every time someone opens their mouth to question her or talk about her, women scream sexism.  Come on ladies.  I’m a woman and the most pro-woman person out there I know.  But I don’t give anyone a pass simply because they are a woman (or black, or hispanic, and so on).  I look at the person and what they bring to the table.  As a recruiter, I need to be objective and logical.

What about Condolezza Rice, Elaine Chao, Indra Nooyi, Ann Mulcahy, Meg Whitman, Sheila Johnson, Margaret Thatcher, Micki Siebert, Sandra Day O’Connor and the hundreds of other women who really smashed that glass ceiling to make it possible for Hillary and Sarah to have gotten as far as they have?  What about the women who have triumphantly secured senate seats, CEO spots, and other high level positions?  Are you telling me these women don’t count?  Are you telling me that their accomplishments are now null and void and that because Hillary didn’t win or if the McCain ticket doesn’t win, we women will be set back a hundred years?  Please, spare me.  There is no amount of over explaining anyone can do to convince me that we should mourn as women.  The outrage and blind loyalty to Palin is sickening and scary at best.  I believe that the McCain camp strategically chose her to pacify women and it is scary how many women have flocked to this thought and have moved her to sainthood.  I need you to stop and stop it now.

I am personally insulted for the above named women and true groundbreakers everywhere that “women’s issues” has now been reduced to Hillary and Palin.  I don’t know about you, but I am confident there will one day be a woman president.  The world isn’t as stringently sexist as it used to be.  I didn’t say sexism is completely gone.  I’m saying that we have as a gender come so far.  There are a string of successful women in power positions who can and do make things happen.  I’m saying let’s not “think like girls” and want to cry every time someone does or says something that is construed as sexist.  So what, are we now reduced to being “girls’ and crying every time the big bad world knocks us down?  No.  We keep fighting and swing back harder than the opponent.  When we revert back to pointing fingers and screaming sexism we set ourselves back.  We look like whiners and quite simply a bunch of girls.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a fighter not a whiner.  When I encounter sexism, and I do, I don’t go home and cry about it or complain.  I make note then come back swinging hard (figuratively of course).  I have always told my son it is never ok to hit a woman.  However, if a woman tries to physically hurt or kill you, knock her the &^%$ out.  Growing up I was told you try to fight like a man you get beat like a man.  Same rules apply today.  You can’t expect to be taken serious if you are not bold or strong enough to “stomp with the big dogs”.  They have “the old boys network”, so what.  Find a way in or make your own.  They (men) have more high level positions, so what.  Create your own.  Nobody is entitled to anything in this life.  You have to dig deep and fight for what you want.  If you can’t hold your own, get out of the way and make way for someone who can. I don’t believe in two sets of rules for the genders.  I prefer to be judged on my skill not my gender.

These women did not fight and struggle just so we can use sexism as a sheild and an excuse.  It’s an insult to their struggles and success.  So be a woman and be proud.  Stop invoking the double standard and do something about it.  Don’t whine and cry foul, address the issue and stomp it out.  Let’s not give any more ammunition against us.

Be strong.

Adrienne Graham