Wisconsin got dumped on with snow yesterday. It was light & fluffy and the temps yesterday were pretty warm in the low 20's and no wind. Today, we took a turn for the worse with 25mph winds and below zero wind chills. I'm convinced Wisco wants to give me as much winter as possible the month of December.
The December interview guest is my big sister, Pauline. She, like my little sister, has her Master's degree in accounting (yes, I'm the black sheep of the family). She worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers for a number of years and last year took a job with VF corporation. She also has the most adorable 11 month old girl. How she manages to balance everything is beyond me, and something I wanted to gain more insight to. Enjoy!
1) What does your job at VF entail, and what is your work schedule like?
As a senior financial analyst, I support the company's global IT operations and IT projects groups, which includes performing month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close and financial reporting functions, as well as variance analysis and forecasting and planning for future months and years. I also work on ad hoc projects to assist our group CFO as needed.
My work schedule is generally Monday - Friday. I usually get in between 7:30 and 7:45, and leave around 5:30. I normally work through lunch so I can leave in time to pick up Ella from daycare. I work later about 2-3 days per month, and on those days, my mom picks Ella up from daycare for me. Sometimes I log in on the weekends to work a little, but it's not very often.
2) What is the hardest part about being a working mom?
The hardest part is balancing my drive to have a successful career with also wanting to be there to experience everything about Ella growing up. Before she was born, I always thought that if me or her dad could be there for any given day or event, we were good...but once she was born, everything changed. As a mom, I don't want to miss anything, and she has become my #1 priority. I'm still driven to find success in my career, both for myself and because I want to be a strong female role model for my daughter, but she absolutely comes first.
3) What are the plus sides of having roles as both a career woman and mom?
First, the time that I do have with Ella means so much more to me since I can't be with her every second of every day, and second, I'm excited that Ella will grow up seeing that women can have strong, successful careers. I'm all about girl power!!
4) You started this job shortly after having your 1st baby. Is it considered taboo to ask about "family-friendliness" in a job interview?
Not at all - in fact, one of the things that I asked during my interviews was whether my interviewers had kids. All of them did, and I could tell by the way they talked about their families that family was a priority for them as well. I made it clear from the start that Ella would have to come first, but that I was dedicated to making it work and that I would always be able to deliver a successful work product on a timely basis. Any company that doesn't embrace family friendliness is not a place that I would want to be.
5) What do you see as some of the key barriers to breaking the "glass ceiling" for women in the workplace (in the US specifically)?
One of the barriers I've seen is lack of strong female leadership. Once the first woman in an organization has broken through to an executive leadership role, and is successful, that paves the way for other successful women to follow. The other barrier that I see is emotions. The blessing and the curse for most women is that they tend to wear their heart on their sleeve, and care so much that they sometimes have a harder time than men being stern and making quick decisions. The female role models I've had during my career have found ways to use this skill to their advantage to coach and develop people while still finding a way to be tough when necessary.
**bonus** What's your favorite barbeque restaurant in Lexington?
Finally -- an easy question! In my opinion, the best is Speedy's BBQ. They have the best sauce, great hushpuppies, and killer sweet tea!
As a senior financial analyst, I support the company's global IT operations and IT projects groups, which includes performing month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close and financial reporting functions, as well as variance analysis and forecasting and planning for future months and years. I also work on ad hoc projects to assist our group CFO as needed.
My work schedule is generally Monday - Friday. I usually get in between 7:30 and 7:45, and leave around 5:30. I normally work through lunch so I can leave in time to pick up Ella from daycare. I work later about 2-3 days per month, and on those days, my mom picks Ella up from daycare for me. Sometimes I log in on the weekends to work a little, but it's not very often.
2) What is the hardest part about being a working mom?
The hardest part is balancing my drive to have a successful career with also wanting to be there to experience everything about Ella growing up. Before she was born, I always thought that if me or her dad could be there for any given day or event, we were good...but once she was born, everything changed. As a mom, I don't want to miss anything, and she has become my #1 priority. I'm still driven to find success in my career, both for myself and because I want to be a strong female role model for my daughter, but she absolutely comes first.
3) What are the plus sides of having roles as both a career woman and mom?
First, the time that I do have with Ella means so much more to me since I can't be with her every second of every day, and second, I'm excited that Ella will grow up seeing that women can have strong, successful careers. I'm all about girl power!!
4) You started this job shortly after having your 1st baby. Is it considered taboo to ask about "family-friendliness" in a job interview?
Not at all - in fact, one of the things that I asked during my interviews was whether my interviewers had kids. All of them did, and I could tell by the way they talked about their families that family was a priority for them as well. I made it clear from the start that Ella would have to come first, but that I was dedicated to making it work and that I would always be able to deliver a successful work product on a timely basis. Any company that doesn't embrace family friendliness is not a place that I would want to be.
5) What do you see as some of the key barriers to breaking the "glass ceiling" for women in the workplace (in the US specifically)?
One of the barriers I've seen is lack of strong female leadership. Once the first woman in an organization has broken through to an executive leadership role, and is successful, that paves the way for other successful women to follow. The other barrier that I see is emotions. The blessing and the curse for most women is that they tend to wear their heart on their sleeve, and care so much that they sometimes have a harder time than men being stern and making quick decisions. The female role models I've had during my career have found ways to use this skill to their advantage to coach and develop people while still finding a way to be tough when necessary.
**bonus** What's your favorite barbeque restaurant in Lexington?
Finally -- an easy question! In my opinion, the best is Speedy's BBQ. They have the best sauce, great hushpuppies, and killer sweet tea!