Are you a freelance professional or are you considering the idea? Do you feel like you might need some tips on how to survive a freelance career? If you want to know how Axelle Brown-Videau, PR and PWA member, manages her freelance life and what she learned in 4 years of freelancing, check her post “Freelancing – quello che ho imparato durante 4 anni in 10 punti” (in Italian).

Our most successful event in 2008 was the May special event “Women on Boards – Moving Mountains”. It gave us the opportunity to discuss numbers – terrible numbers – and to identify key issues and define concrete actions to change current trends. However, as was emphasised during our panel discussion, we need to confront problems in how we develop the pipeline and support women in their career paths.If any of you are thinking about a future board position, there are a number of concrete steps you should take to reach the goal. I will share with you a snapshot of the “10 steps to board-readiness” workshop that Mirella Visser, our EuropeanPWN President, and Christine Koetsier, International Executive Search Consultant at The Amrop Hever Group, presented and discussed during the WIN Conference.

First, before presenting the 10 steps, I should clarify that the path to a board position is a long one – typically lasting more than 5 years once you have consciously “taken the decision” – and implies the definition and implementation of an action plan.

The 10 steps are summarized in the word leadership that according to the charismatic, energetic and vibrant Cristina Molinari, guest at WIN of SDA Bocconi, is simply a tool to reach power, a word we women seem to be afraid to pronounce:

Life management
Education
Ambition
Development needs
External activities
Resistance management
Strategic networking
Help
Insipration
P R & promotion

Our life, and our professional life in particular, is not something that happens but is a stream of decisions that bring you to a specific goal.

The first decision you need to take and declare to yourself is “I want to be on a board within this number of years” and, once you’ve made that decision, you then need to define a plan so tha you achieve this goal. “Men always move according to a plan and they define it in early stages” Mirella says “I recall that when I was in college all my men colleagues already had a plan about where they wanted to go and when, while girls where thinking short term”.

When we talk about education we are not just referring to academic education – finance and accounting are essential for board members! – but also becoming more informed on what is happening in the world and the economy. You need to read at least one business/financial newspaper; know what is happening where; and who is who in your sector. You need to be ambitious to build your career to get ready for a board position and be strong in your ambition so that you understand why you want it: does the challenge drive you; is it power?

The route to the boardroom involves continuously identifying your development needs and doing something about them (note, this applies to every career irrespective of whether you want to become a board member or not). How often do you assess yourself, analyse your skills, strengths and weaknesses and objectively pinpoint your development needs? External activities will give you visibility and may bring you into contact with the right people; be part of your community and get actively involved.

Prepare yourself for resistance. You might be the first – and only – woman on a board and you need to be ready to face (conscious or unconscious) resistance from men and women in getting there. You need to stay true to yourself and be effective in getting your voice heard.

We are all aware of the power of networking but strategic networking is something different. Strategic networking is networking you plan and put in action with a specific goal, for example, I’ll go to that event to meet that person; I’ll speak at this conference to gain visibility and introduce myself – as an expert, a professional – to all the key players. We are all human and we all need help at times so strategic networking also involves creating a network of supporters!

Identify areas in which you are weak and find a mentor to help you address them. Women in leading positions usually have between 3 and 5 mentors at a time and always have a mix of both men and women.

Find your sources of energy and inspiration: how will you stay sane when the pressure gets too high?

And last, but not least, increase your visibility and promotion. Be that through networking, head hunters, internet (google yourself regularly and make sure what’s online is what you want the world to know about you) but tell everybody you know that you want to become a board member.

Tips from the head hunter

• Your degrees is the base but think about specific executive courses that might help your career and bring connected benefits – new networks, the “brand” of the business school in your CV etc
• Specific courses on being a board member are not necessarily required, but they might help you be ready for the interview
• Your CV is critical and be clear on any gaps: if you took a break to take care of your kids just state it clearly
• Try to translate every position you had into numbers and clearly state roles and responsibilities
• Ask a male friend to read your CV and ask him to send you his
• Define your talent, values and beliefs; they need to match those of the Company
• Prepare a two sentence statement on your contribution to the company and to the board

Monica Pesce

Preparing for my first time at a PWA Networking Aperitivo, I felt a bit apprehensive. “What would it be like”, I wondered? Would it be a “super-Tupperware” party, full of ex-homemakers looking to build a career? Or would there be lots of high-powered executives who would ignore me? And regardless, how should I approach these smiling, but unfamiliar women? Would I have anything in common with them? I ended up literally following in the footsteps of my friend Debbie, who had invited me, and the evening was a success. On my first PWA evening I met many interesting women, some of whom I continue to count as friends and contacts even today, years later.

Over time, I’ve created a set of “rules” for myself that help me feel at ease and, above all, ensure I make the most of PWA evenings shared with talented women, with so many interesting experiences.

So how do I survive? Let me share with you my “Seven Commandments”

1. The first few times you arrive, don’t hesitate to ask a board member to introduce you to a longstanding member who can involve you in a new group or conversation
2. Bring your business card. If you’re between jobs, you can always print out your own cards using services like www.vistaprint.it
3. Give yourself an objective, for example: “tonight I want to speak with 4 different people so that I can remember their names and take away their cards”.
4. The day after the aperitivo, log into EuropeanPWN and look up the profiles of the women you met and make them part of your buddy list. Alternatively, use another social network like Linked In (www.linkedin.com) or Viadeo (www.viadeo.it)
5. Try to present yourself in two sentences so that you can quickly and simply tell someone who you are and what you do
6. Smile, smile, smile, and don’t hesitate to repeat the name of the person you are speaking with. For those who are not native English speakers, your grammatical errors and pronunciation will be easily forgiven and forgotten (and vice versa).
7. Volunteer for any of the small duties during the event itself

The only thing you shouldn’t do? Run away! You may not feel comfortable approaching board members but they are there for you, to help you break the ice and make you feel at home.

So, until the next meeting, “Hi, my name is Axelle, nice to meet you”!

Axelle Brown-Videau