Ohio State employees looking to move their careers into high gear should consider joining the Staff Leadership Series program run by The Women's Place.
The year-long leadership program, designed to help women from across the university advance in their careers, is currently accepting applications for the next cohort through July 14. "It's content geared towards women and the issues they face in the workplace," said Diane Florian, communications and project manager for The Women's Place. "We're really aiming to help women gain leadership skills and addressing areas for women that are specific to the university workplace."
The program includes 20 sessions throughout the year covering a host of issues including career mapping, expanding networks, polishing your resume and online presence, peer coaching and feedback, creating inclusive workplaces, public speaking as well as negotiations. Women in senior leadership positions also speak to the group giving insights into the university's leadership culture and their own careers.
Florian said several women in the current cohort have already changed into new positions at the university. "That's not unusual; we see that every year," she said. "Even the act of applying for the program works as a heads up to a person's supervisor that they are interested in their career and in advancing."
One of those in the current group who has already tapped into the lessons from the series to move up at Ohio State is Katie Stanutz, who recently became the STEM student success program manager in the Office of Undergraduate Education. "It really helped me think about why I wanted the role, how to present myself in the interview, and negotiate my compensation for the role," said Stanutz, a university employee for four years. "I wouldn't have been as strong a candidate without the leadership series--it's really informed every aspect of helping my career."
Stanutz said the series gave her time and space to think intentionally about what she wanted from her career as well as identify her professional strengths and weaknesses. "It's really been a wonderful experience," she said. "I've been mentioning it to other people I know who could be helped by it. I'm kind of an evangelist for it now."