Trailblazing Women of the Wild West 2012

We invite you to our annual fundraiser - Trailblazing Women of the Wild West!

On Saturday, October 13, 2012, we will be honoring two amazing women: Heritage Honoree Jane Caughey and 2012 Trailblazer Honoree Ada Gates Patton. 


As a Pasadena realtor for 46 years, Jane Caughey is recognized for commitment to community, support for those needing help, and her generosity to so many. She has served on countless community and education Boards, volunteering her time and expertise.


In 1978, Ada Gates Patton became the first woman farrier licensed to shoe thoroughbred racehorses in the United States and Canada. Her dedication to the industry has led to many years of selfless service, including farrier liaison for the 1984 Olympic Games, official horseshoe inspector for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, member of the California Thoroughbred Foundation Board of Directors, and presenter of various seminars.

Join us at the Pasadena Center at 5:00 pm for a fun-filled evening! Guests will enjoy a silent auction, some "Wild West Delectables" of Greater Pasadena, and line dancing with Miss Claire & the Greater Pasadena Notables. Dress in your best classy western attire. We hope you attend!

RSVP today by contacting Robin McCarthy: rmccarthy@womenatwork.org.

Robin's Interview by ACTS

ACTS Thrift Store interviewed our own Robin McCarthy, Executive Director of Women At Work! 

Robin discussed Women At Work's mission and the services we provide. She even recounted one of our many success stories! 

Women At Work would like to thank ACTS Thrift Store for their support!

Consider some friendly advice...

It's a widely known fact we're all aware of: Job searching is stressful. Especially so when you constantly hear that "NO TIME. NEED JOB NOW." voice nagging at you day and night.

Job searching is stressful.  And unfortunately in today's job market, a job search encompasses much more than finding a list of jobs, sending out resumes, and waiting for the phone to ring so you can schedule your interviews.

Today, job positions are posted everywhere online, resumes are fed through computers, and employers are more picky than ever.  What does this mean? More people are seeing the same job postings you are, resumes are analyzed based on keywords rather than quality and experience, and with so many applicants, employers can afford to label you as under qualified, over qualified, or simply replaceable.

So, while job searching is absolutely daunting, there are ways to help you rise to the top of the (very competitive) barrel.

Career counseling.  You've heard the words before. Sure, a short session will take away from your job hunting time, cost a small fee, and won't land you a job on the spot; BUT one private session WILL inform you of the tips, tricks, and skills that will help make your job search more successful.

Women At Work offers a variety of private specialized counseling services to meet a variety of needs and provide helpful direction for career-planning.

If you're in the middle of a job search rut and need some help moving forward, an Individual Job Search Counseling session would benefit you. Your career counselor will help you explore new job search techniques and networking strategies, prepare for job interviews, and find job leads.

(30 min/$30; *60 min/$50)

If you're considering a career transition or want to re-evaluate your professional skills, consider an Individual Career Counseling session. Explore your values, interests, and skills with a counselor, and learn how to research and assess your potential and the requirements for various occupations.

(*60 min/$60)

One of the hardest aspects of applying for a job is the resume & cover letter process.  Signing up for an Individual Resume Counseling session will allow you one-on-one time with a counselor to guide you through the resume and cover letter writing process.

(30 min/$30; *60 min/$50)

If you're planning a career transition and are unsure of what occupations might best suit you, sign up for  Occupational Testing/Career Assessment.  Following testing is a private session with a counselor to interpret your results.

(Two 90 min. session = $160)

*Sliding scale is available with documentation & counselor approval

For more information about our counseling services, visit us a www.womenatwork.org .

Training At Work

We welcome a new division of Women At Work!

Training At Work was unveiled at a Ribbon Cutting on June 27th to introduce its services to the public.

               Wendy Welch-Keller, Robin McCarthy, and Vickie Campbell are joined by 

                                        Women At Work Board members to cut the ribbon

Training At Work will provide the various workplace training programs offered to our clients to companies of all sizes. While companies have the option of hiring large, for-profit training programs, utilizing the resources and services through Training At Work will yield quality training from our professional staff members, and all proceeds go towards benefiting our clients.  The services provided can either be presented at our own office or on-site at the client's facilities.

Our wide range of training programs, specializing in technology and professional skills, include:

       * Microsoft Office

       * Bookkeeping & Quickbooks

       * Business Communications

       * Customer Service

       * Leadership Training

       * New Supervisor Training

       * Project Management

       * and more!!!!

Our recent clients have included Kaiser Permanente, Center for Non-Profit Management, The Whole Child, APAIT Health Center, and many more.

Vice-President of the Women At Work Board, Wendy Welch-Keller receiving

an award of recognition for the Training At Work program

A special thanks to Bonnie B's Smokin' BBQ Heaven and Pasadena Star News for helping to make our Ribbon Cutting ceremony the success that it was!

For more information about the Ribbon Cutting, you can read articles from Pasadena Star News here:

Training At Work offers on-site instruction

Training At Work Academy unveiled

Contact Information for Training At Work:

Vickie Campbell, Program Manager

626.796.6870 ext. 2

vickiecampbell@womenatwork.org

Why Women Succeed: The Art of Re-invention

Our KPCC event "Why Women Succeed: The Art of Re-Invention" was a success!

The 100+ attendees who joined us at KPCC's Crawford Family Forum last Tuesday, June 19th, enjoyed a reception on the patio prior to the panel discussion.

                                         Jane Caughey, Heritage Awardee

Among the attendees was Jane Caughey, the Heritage Awardee for our upcoming 2012 Trailblazer event this October.

                                   Wendy Welch-Keller introducing the panel discussion

Wendy Welch-Keller, the Vice President of the Women At Work Board of Directors, introduced the panel presentation, handing things off to Margaret McAustin, Pasadena Vice-Mayor and the moderator of the panel discussion.

                  Pasadena Vice-Mayor, Margaret McAustin, was the panel moderator

Our featured panelists were:

Robert Hemmings, Author of "How to Jump-Start Your Career"

Victoria Seitz, Ph.D., Author of "I Don't Wear A Suit!"

Gail Schaper-Gordon, Ph.D., Founder of Win-Win Workplace Solutions

Cyndee Whitney, Ph.D., Manager of Learning & Development for Metrolink

Linda Wah, Trustee for Pasadena City College

 From left: Wah, Whitney, Schaper-Gordon, Seitz, Hemming

Panelists discussed their own life-success stories and how re-inventing themselves helped them better their careers and achieve their goals. Aside from the discussion, panelists answered questions from the audience, gave advice, and shared their success secrets.

Attendees walked away from the discussion saying they found it "enlightening", "informative", "all-age appropriate", "inspirational", "encouraging", and "empowering".  One attendee valued one panelist's advice to 'Grieve a job loss, take your time, and don't accept any job offers just because you need work. Consider your passions', while another attendee said of all the panelists that "their words of wisdom are gold."

               

Women At Work would like to thank its Board of Directors for generously donating all food for the reception, KPCC for allowing us to host this event in their beautiful facilities at the Crawford Family Forum, and our panelists & moderator for sharing with us their advice, secrets, and sense of humor.

Employer Forum - 6/13/2012

Cheers to a successful Employer Forum!

Women At Work would like to thank the representatives from Dr. Pepper/Snapple, Aflac, Goodwill SoCal, and LA Urban League who attended our June 13th Employer Forum.

In the past, Women At Work has hosted representatives from brand name companies, such as corporate Vons, CalTech, Kaiser Permanente, Pasadena Unified School District, City of Hope, Space X, as well as many other local businesses!

Women At Work hosts its Employer Forums, otherwise known as mini-job fairs, 3-4 times per year.   On average, 8-10 employers are invited to speak to attendees about open positions they are seeking to fill.  Following brief presentations by each employer, attendees have the opportunity to briefly meet individually with employer representatives to discuss their qualifications, review their resumes, and ask any additional questions about desired positions.

Through our Employer Forums, clients have been able to network with employers and fellow job seekers, receive feedback from recruiters, learn more about available positions in the job market, and even find jobs themselves!

As our Employer Forums are our most popular events, if you would like to attend in the future we recommend considering these tips:

- Arrive early to find parking.  These events are packed! As our parking lot is small, it fills quickly; however, you can find parking in the adjacent cul-de-sac, or park in the Coco's parking lot across the street.

- Dress to impress. You will be meeting many recruiters who are meeting lots of candidates for their job openings, but YOU might be the right fit! Be sure to make a strong first impression by arriving in business attire.

- Bring your resume.  Professional attire is important, but nothing says "I'M the best candidate for this job!" like your resume! To strengthen your resume, we strongly recommend signing up for an Individual Career Counseling session or attending our Drop-In Resume Critique Service to receive any tips from our professional career counselors.

- Bring your business cards. Recruiters meet dozens of people a day who are looking for the same position.  Business cards are a great way of keeping your name in their pocket when they go to consider job candidates. To order affordable business cards, we recommend checking out sites like Vistaprint.

- Don't forget your SMILE! We all know the job market is competitive today, and no employer is looking for a crabby job seeker. Don't forget to bring your sunny personality and SMILE! Recruiters know you need a job, and demonstrating your ability to maintain a positive attitude during hard times makes you a more attractive candidate.

Keep checking for updates about our Employer Forums on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn

An Introduction...

For the past 33 years, Women At Work has successfully provided valuable services and job skills training to clients, empowering them with the knowledge and resources necessary to achieve their full employment and earnings potential.

Offering a wide variety of services and courses taught by highly qualified trainers of diverse business and educational backgrounds, we emphasize skills building for job seekers pursuing their own professional development, with positive results that foster job placement.  As a non-profit organization, our services are affordable and customizable to meet your professional and budgetary needs. 

Our private services include self-employment, job search, career and resume counseling, as well as occupational testing/career assessment using the Strong Interest Inventory and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Courses range from computer classes in Microsoft Office Applications, Quickbooks & Bookkeeping, various Social Media platforms, and an introduction to computers, as well as counseling courses on winning interviews, self-employment, job searching, and more.  Select courses are also offered in Spanish. 

For more information, please visit our website www.womenatwork.org or call 626.796.6870

You can also read our Summer newsletter here:

http://womenatwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Current-Newsletter.pdf