By Elizabeth Arnold | Grants and Communications Consultant
Tiffany Bradley arrived at Women's Employment Network not really knowing what to expect. She showed up because her friend said this would be a good experience for her. When Tiffany expressed hesitancy, her friend said, "do it anyway-do it scared.
Tiffany was glad she showed up to WEN, because she's been tremendously helped by this program. She made an intentional decision to trust the process. She decided she would keep showing up and doing the work as assigned, then let the dots connect themselves. She decided not to try to control or rush this experience. Tiffany had trust in the success WEN must deliver to its clients for its program to last for over thirty years.
Tiffany has come a long way from where she started. On her first day, she, like many WEN clients, diminished her experiences and downplayed her work history. She told program staff that she had "just" been a stay-at-home mom for the past thirteen years. One of her children had a chronic illness, now cured, but caretaking took up most of her time. Then, almost as an afterthough, she talked briefly about holding Executive Board positions in the local chapter of a national organization. Tiffany also mentioned that she performed some Human Resources work for a small dental practice. She just didn't recognize her own valuable skills and contributions.
Throughout her classes, Tiffany gave her all to each step of this process; taking notes and listening intently. She shared that she has been in WEN workshops where I barely wanted to get up to go to the bathroom because I didn't want to miss anything. Her conversations with workshop volunteers and classmates were encouraging and pushed her to see her strengths and reframe her personal narrative.
WEN's workshops provided some "aha" moments for Tiffany. It was fortifying for her to understand her workplace temperament and know that she is not a misplaced anomaly: bossy and exacting. Instead, her temperament is choleric: strong willed, results-oriented and determined. This reframing of her professional character helped her set aside some of the negative things she had been told about her personality. Instead, Tiffany embraces those qualities to positively highlight them as strengths.
With the help of WEN, Tiffany no longer diminishes her experience. She now tells potential employers that it has been a blessing to have been able to be at home with her children for an extended period of time, and she has definite transferable skills from that experience. She also has industry-related skills from my work as an HR Consultant and as a Benefits Specialist. Tiffany knows that what she's done has value and the work she's done here at WEN helps me to speak more confidently about it.
Knowing that she is valuable, capable, and has marketable skills has given Tiffany the confidence to showcase her talents and competencies. She says of her WEN experience: "I have faced my fears and I’m winning my inner game. My next job will propel my career in Human Resources. I will influence and help propel the career of others."
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
