How to Make a Fabulous Introduction

Everyone knows that networking is the way to get ahead in the world. Everyone also knows that networking, for most of us, is hard. There is a ton of great advice out there about how to network without networking. It’s worth seeking out. But one tactic that has worked for me is making fabulous introductions. So let’s start with a basic principle: connecting begets connections. When you connect two people for…

Happy Flex Day!

According to the smart folks at Working Mother today is National Flex Day. Nice! At Path Forward we are fans of flexibility. In my life, flexibility has been the key to making my work/life work. After my daughter was born almost nine years ago (!!), I worked from home three days per week. I also worked part-time for a bit. I kept the three-days at home schedule, working full-time, until…

Science Says Motherhood May Boost Productivity

A story this week on Quartz.com (a publication I’m becoming increasingly obsessed with) was both fascinating and not the least surprising: a study found that mothers outperformed their childless peers, as measured by output of academic research. There are a million caveats to this study, which looked at PhD economists, including the bias found in a pool of high-powered academics. But I think there’s something to this theory, in part because…

5 Ways to Take Your Job Search Out Into the World

The internet revolution has been a boon for parents and caregivers in so many ways. We can use a variety of platforms to connect with each other across states and time zones and also find others like us, right around the corner. The internet has also made working from home possible in a whole new way. And for those looking to restart their careers it is now possible to launch…

Brittany

Success Story: Brittany Luebke

Name: Brittany Rhea Luebke Return Path position: Social Media Marketing Coordinator, Digital and Brand Marketing Career past life (What did you do?): Most recently, I worked in marketing and communications for an insurance and financial services company. Prior to that, I was a human resources consultant, specializing in benefit communication and employee wellness programs. How long were you out of the workforce? I was out of the workforce almost two years.…

Rick Simkins

Success Story: Rick Simkins

Name: Rick Simkins Return to Work Internship position (and company): Service Delivery Support at Return Path. Career past life (What did you do?): I was a Regional Channel Manager, selling data center solutions, networking, data storage and other solutions to companies. How long were you out of the workforce before entering the Return to Work program? I was out of the workforce for 2 years. I started a business and was looking for…

Find Inspiring Stories

The media narrative on working moms isn’t always pretty. Generally they seem to revolve around questions like: How do they do it? Can they have it all? There are many mornings that begin with #facepalm because of some story that seems to reinforce a tired narrative that doesn’t describe my life or the lives of many women I know. So it was with relief, amazement and joy that I read…

Barbara Gaskill

Success Story: Barbara Gaskill

Name: Barbara Gaskill   Return Path position:  Sales Operations Analyst Career past life (what did you do?): Sales Operations Manager and Demand Manager in the Semiconductor Industry How long were you out of the workforce?: I was out of the workforce for almost one year Return Path role (what do you do each day?): During my first few weeks at Return Path I cleaned up the pipeline within Salesforce, ensuring data…

A Few Ideas For More Pleasant Mornings

In the life of any working parent there are a few predictable stress points. One is The Morning. When you have children, mornings start EARLY. Sometimes painfully early. And getting everyone up, dressed, fed and out the door in time for the buses and trains and commutes can leave you feeling as if you ran a marathon before you even hit your desk. Mornings don’t have to be Groundhog Day,…