Friday, December 27, 2019

Registered Brokers Sales Assistant Job Description

Registered Brokers Sales Assistant Job DescriptionRegistered Brokers Sales Assistant Job DescriptionA broker ausverkauf assistant helps financial advisors, traditionally referred to as brokers, with time management by handling routine client inquiries. Most questions are related to account maintenance matters, allowing financial advisors to devote mora time to their value-added activity, providing investment advice. While the phrase broker sales assistant still is common parlance, fruchtwein wealth management firmsofficially use the title financial advisor sales assistant or something similar. Supporting a busy financial advisor with a large roster of clients means a constant stream of telephone inquiries and time pressure to resolve problems. A sales assistant can have a large influence on client satisfaction. Brokers Sales Assistant Duties Responsibilities This job generally requires the ability to do the following work and meet the following responsibilities Screen telephone calls to financial advisors.Solve operational problems such as issues with statements, deposits, checks, and credit card transactions.Troubleshoot for clients. Registered sales assistants perform these same duties in addition to processing unsolicited trade orders. Theyre typically not permitted to offer investment advice of any sort, however. This job goes well beyond mere clerical duties. Registered brokers sales assistants can be critical to maintaining client rapport and satisfaction, and in easing the workloads of the brokers they work for through organization and record-keeping. This is often an entry-level position to start, but it can rapidly expand due to superior performance. Brokers Sales Assistant Salary Compensation is highly variable depending on the firm and the size and profitability of the financial advisors book of business. Registered sales assistants tend to earn at the higher end of this range. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) doesnt cite salary inf ormation for brokers sales assistants specifically, but it indicates that incomes for brokerage clerks in general in 2018 were Median Annual Salary $51,400 ($24.71/hour)Top 10% Annual Salary More than $76,550 ($36.81/hour)Bottom 10% Annual Salary Less than $34,670 ($16.67/hour) Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018 In an ongoing drive to cut expenses, many securities brokerage and wealth management firms have moved to a system in which pay for sales assistants is deducted from the financial advisors pay.These assistants are officially employees of the firm, but the firm has effectively relieved itself of much, if not all, of its compensation costs. Education, Training Certification Those looking for careers as brokers sales assistants should ideally have college degrees, and registered assistants are subject to testing requirements. Education This job category was deemed suitable for high school graduates in past years, but a bachelors degree is typically required today. Coursework in finance, accounting, or economics is helpful, although not required.Certification No special certifications are necessary except for registered sales assistants. People in this subcategory can accept and process unsolicited securities trade orders that are placed by clients entirely on their own initiative.Testing At a minimum, registered sales assistants must pass the Series 11 exam offered by FINRA and meet continuing education requirements. Larger securities firms can require much mora rigorous qualifications, however, such as passing the same Series 7 and Series 66 exams that are part offinancial advisor certification and training. Brokers Sales Assistant Skills Competencies Those looking for careers as brokers sales assistants should have several qualities and skills for success Interpersonal skills Youll regularly deal with clients and firm personnel. Youll have to interact well with them, sometimes under pressure.Multitasking skills You wont be able to pu t the phone and clients on hold while you take care of other pressing tasks.Discernment This job can involve troubleshooting, knowing when to act and when not to act in the best interests of the firm and clients.Writing skills Youll probably be called upon to convey information to your financial advisor in a clear, concise written form. Job Outlook The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that job growth for administrative assistants, in general, will drop by about 7% through 2026. This is far below average for all occupations, and the trend is due, at least in part, to technology taking over many of the tasks that assistants have historically performed. This might not be the case with brokers sales assistants, however, because much of their work involves hands-on interaction with clients. The practice of paying assistants from financial advisors pay can have a negative effect on this occupation, however. Its bound to diminish job openings and pay potential for sales ass istants. Only the most successful financial advisors earn enough to take on a sales assistant or to pay a competitive salary. Work Environment This is a desk job for the most part, but sales assistants often are expected to attend events in which clients are being entertained. Work Schedule A40-hour workweek or something close to it is typical for a sales assistant. Nonetheless, there are busy periods when work extends beyond these hours, such as during turbulent markets. How to Get the Job STUDY HARD AND STUDY WELL American Investment Training provides a variety of practice exams to help you ace testing.BE PREPARED FOR YOUR INTERVIEW Job Interview Questions offers a list of interview questions that are likely to be asked when youre seeking a job in this field. Comparing Similar Jobs Some similar jobs and their median annual pay include Financial Clerk $39,570Paralegal $50,940Accounting Clerk $40,240 Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018

Sunday, December 22, 2019

LinkedIn top influencer J.T. ODonnell on the future of influencer marketing

LinkedIn top influencer J.T. ODonnell on the future of influencer marketingLinkedIn top influencer J.T. ODonnell on the future of influencer marketingIn 2012, J.T. ODonnell welches invited by LinkedIn to be a member of a top secret project. After signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and agreeing to contribute regularly to this new platform, she was told she would be dubbed a LinkedIn Top Influencer.ODonnell, who is the founder and CEO of Work It Daily, an online career coaching platform that garners over 1.5 million page views each month, is also a paid columnist for Inc. Magazine and a former contributing author to Fast Company. J.T. was one of 300 or so people to make the initial invite list to join LinkedIn as a Top Influencer. Others included the likes of Barack Obama, Richard Branson, and Arianna Huffington.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWhat she didnt realize then, bu t quickly learned after, is that she was part of the content engine that would take LinkedIn from a social network to a media publishing platform.Since launching, LinkedIn has invited others to join the ranks of being a Top Influencer but not by many.In this LinkedIn Help response from 2017, LinkedIn describes the size and scope of the Influencer ProgramLinkedIn Influencers are selected by invitation only and comprise a global collective of 500+ of the worlds foremost thinkers, leaders, and innovators. As leaders in their industries and geographies, they discuss newsy and trending topics such as the future of higher education, the workplace culture at Amazon, the plunge in oil prices, and the missteps of policymakers.According to LinkedIn, these Influencers are the most engaged, prolific, and thoughtful contributors.But LinkedIn is no longer inviting anyone else to become an Influencer ever. Those wanting the Influencer badge on their profiles can petition, said J.T., but the invi tes have stopped.The initial list of Influencers will remain the same, plus now everyone can publish their own thought leadership content with LinkedIn Articles.But, writing an article doesnt make you a LinkedIn Influencer, which is explained in this LinkedIn Help response on publishingWhile publishing an article doesnt mean youre a LinkedIn Influencer, it does allow you to further establish your professional identity by expressing your opinions and sharing your experiences.It also just so happens to make LinkedIn a top spot for content marketing. According to Hootsuite, two million posts, articles, and videos are published on LinkedIn every day and 94% of B2B marketers on social media use LinkedIn to publish content.For all intents and purposes, LinkedIns Top Influencer program did its job and its paying off for them in spades.Whats Next for Influencer Marketing?In this Forbes article on The Real Problem With Influencer Marketing, writer and marketer Mallory Walsh says, As an indu stry, weve lost sight of the fact that social influencers are inherently inauthentic the content theyre creating isnt earned its just a modern form of paid advertising and content creation.While popular, influencer marketing is being honigwein with a fair amount of skepticism as consumer trust continues to decline. Sites like LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram are chock-full of celebrity-esque influencers being paid to deliver homilies on behalf of big brands.A 2018 report by Stackla revealed that only 23% of people believe content from celebrities and influencers is influential. Alternatively, 60% say content from friends or family influences their purchasing decisions.Micro-influencers, on the other hand that is, real people like me-type influencers are viewed as much more trustworthy. Not surprisingly, the same Stackla study found that 60% of consumers say user-generated content is the most authentic and influential form of content.2019 Influencer Tips From Top Influencer J.T. OD onnellTo meet the rising consumer demand for more authenticity, J.T. recommends telling it how it is when it comes to creating content.If you really know your subject, you should be able to explain it and write about it in such a way that a five-year-old could understand it, says J.T. Your writing should make it feel like were in the room with you.J.T. also advises to play the long-game when it comes to influencer marketing.Whats the ah-ha moment youre trying to get someone to have? Whats the one thing thats going to make someone go, Oh I hadnt thought about that before, says J.T. Its the belief, the truth, the message youre trying to drive and thats what makes influencers sticky.The old adage that all PR is good PR, including the bad, is not something J.T. believes in or recommends when it comes to influencer marketing.People mistake flash with success. They think theyll become a fast influencer by being salacious and confrontational, but theres a shelf life to that, says J.T. Those influencers have to continue to be more and more outrageous or they risk fizzling out. Its a slower way to build a following, but people want you to tell it to them straight. Its not always sexy, but its about being real and being thoughtful and thats what people want.J.T. also recommends researching platforms before agreeing to publish content for free.Learn from my mistakes, says J.T. Anytime youre putting your content somewhere other than on your own platform you need to calculate what the ROI is going to be of putting it there. How are they going to benefit? How are you going to benefit? Think about that and be comfortable with whatever that ROI is.She also encourages influencers to hold back a little.Be careful about the information youre putting out there. Its good to put out a lot of content, but also hold back a little and figure out how youre going to monetize your message, says J.T.For additional influencer platforms, specifically for coaching like what J.T. provide s at Work It Daily, she recommendsCommonGenius an expert marketplace that enables professionals to schedule on-demand, 1-on-1 video meetings with the worlds leading consultants, coaches and executives.Forbes Coaches Council a community for successful geschftliches miteinander and career coaches.Medium which aims to tap into the brains of the worlds most insightful writers, thinkers, and storytellers to bring the smartest takes on topics that matter.Brittney Kowalski is the founder and lead consultant at BMUR Branding Group, LLC. She helps companies tell their story through a combination of brand conceptualization, creation, and management, content writing and strategy, marketing and public relations.Prior to founding BMUR, Brittney worked for Randstad and Robert Half, two of the largest staffing and recruiting companies in the world.To keep in touch with Brittney, connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on Twitteror email.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Important Job Skills for Office Managers

Important Job Skills for Office ManagersImportant Job Skills for Office ManagersOften confused with a secretary oradministrative assistant, bro managers in many companies operate at a very high level with one of the most challenging jobs in the entire building. Office managers typically lead and work closely with other department heads to build a healthy work environment. Those looking to hire an schreibstube manager are going to be selective. If you desire this type of work, you can dramatically improve your chances of getting hired by knowing which of your skills and experiences to highlight during theapplication and interview process. What Skills Do You Need to Be an Office Manager? Office managers take responsibility for making koranvers the entire amtsstube or complex of offices runs smoothly. This could include duties such as managing andsupervising one or several administrative assistants.Office managers usually do not need specialized education, but they do need plenty of relevant experience and well-developed skill sets in both administrative andmanagementroles. Not all office manager positions require exactly the sameskill set. Much depends on how many office assistants you must supervise, how many people use the office youll manage, and what kinds of software and other systems your employer uses. Types of Office Manager Skills Administrative As an office manager, youll be responsible for completingseveral administrative tasks. These include hiring and firing employees, conducting performance evaluations,training new employees, and supervising others.Approving formal requisitions, conducting general business operations and maintaining paperworkand personnel records may fall into your jurisdiction as well. MultitaskingInformation ManagementMail ProcessingSchedulingConflict ResolutionDelegationDecision-making Analytical parte of your role will be to find ways to do your job better. If you can identify inefficiencies in how your office runs and provide solutions, you may be able to save your employer a lot of money and save your colleagues a lot of aggravation. A great office manager will continually ask herself,regarding all processes, practices, and procedures, Does this make sense? Is this the best we can do? It is recommended to include alist of analytic skillson your resume. CreativityOptimizationProblem-solvingCritical ThinkingProcess ManagementDeductive ReasoningInductive Reasoning Attention to Detail As the office manager, the buck stops with you. You will be responsible for ordering the correct office supplies in a timely way, for maintaining records accurately and in an organized manner, and for keeping track of the needs and issues of everyone else in the office. If you do your job well, the office will seem to run itself. If you get some details wrong, other people may be unable to fully do their jobs. RecordkeepingDetail-orientedIntuitionProactivityAccuracyIdentifying Systemic Issues Communicat ion Like office assistants, you will often be one of the first people visitors see, and you may at times be the only one they see if one of the professionals working in your office happens to be out. You must act as an effective receptionist while simultaneously carrying out your other duties. You may also be the primary point of contact among various people who use the office and possibly between your office and others within the same organization. You may have to practiceconflict resolutionanddelegatework. All of that adds up to a lot of communication, both written and verbal, all of which must be accurate, efficient, friendly, and professional at all times. Written CommunicationOral CommunicationReceptionPhone EtiquetteApproachableActive Listening Computer Its important that office managers have a wide range ofcomputer skills. The specifics will depend on your employer but usually involve data entry,spreadsheets, and general IT tasks. Managing offices can involve a tremendo us amount of responsibility. Office managers generally work at the apex of an organization, with their hands in every aspect of the company. If this central role appeals to you, continue to review the skills list to see if this could be a career for you. Microsoft Office SuiteOperating SystemsData EntryDigital CalendarsEmail ManagementKPI SoftwareSoftware TroubleshootingFile Sharing Finance Your responsibilities may include bookkeeping, invoicing, budgeting, and accounting. You may also be required to handle payroll, petty cash, andQuickBooksentries. Quarterly and semiannual reports may fall into your range of duties as well. At the very least, if your office handles money at all, youll be ultimately responsible for making sure its handled well. BookkeepingBudgetingAccounting SoftwareFinancial StatementsInvoicesComplianceIntegrity Leadership As the supervisor of what may be a large group of office assistants, youll need to keep everybody motivated and coordinated. Youll hav e to maketeamworkhappen. Your job will include setting a standard for everyone elses work and making sure those standards are met. Leading often means helping other people to grow in their careers, and to help people self-start and communicate well with one another. CoordinationSetting and Managing ExpectationsTeamworkCollaborationMotivationGuidanceManagementInterpersonal Skills More Office Manager Skills AuditingBenchmarkingIntegrationBillingDesktop PublishingTranscriptionFormalityBearingProcess of Packaging and Sending Legal DocumentsNote TakingMemoryProblem SensitivityTime ManagementPrioritizationStress ToleranceTroubleshootingSocial Media ManagementProofreadingRevisingDraftingProper Use of Search EnginesReport WritingDevelop and Maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)DeadlinesMultilingualProfessionalismCustomer ServiceResilience How to Make Your Skills Stand Out Add Relevant Skills to Your Resume Use the names of your relevant skills as keywords in yourresume, so the h iring supervisor can clearly see that you have what theyre looking for.Highlight Skills in Your Cover Letter Make sure that your letter identifies your core competencies using some of the skills listed above.Use Skill Words in Your Job Interview When you prepare for yourinterview, come up with at least one specific example of a time youuse your most relevant skills.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

MOS 91 - Field Mechanical Maintenance

MOS 91 - Field Mechanical MaintenanceMOS 91 - Field Mechanical MaintenanceMaintaining the operational function of all machines in the arsenal of the Army is the job of this career field. Army MOSs Mechanical Maintenance Field 91A - M-1 Abrams Tank System Maintainer -The M-1 Abrams tank system maintainer is primarily responsible for supervising and performing maintenance on Abrams tanks.The duties performed by Soldiers in this MOS include performing maintenance on the suspension, steering, hydraulic, auxiliary power, fire extinguisher/suppression and gas particulate systems, and diagnose and troubleshoot malfunctions.91B - Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic -The wheeled vehicle mechanic is primarily responsible for supervising and performing maintenance and recovery operations on wheeled vehicles and associated items, as well as heavy-wheeled vehicles and select armored vehicles. 91C - Utilities Equipment Repairer -The utilities equipment repairer is responsible for supervising and performi ng maintenance on utility equipment and special purpose support systems such as refrigeration systems, air conditioning units, and heaters and more.91D - Power-Generation Equipment Repairer - The power generation equipment repairer performs maintenance on tactical utility, precise power generation sets, internal combustion engines, and associated equipment91E - Machinist -This specialist is primarily responsible for supervising and performing the fabrication, repair, and modification of metallic and nonmetallic parts. If you need a part, the machinist can make it. The 91W Metal workout has merged to this MOS. 91F - Small Arms/Artillery Repairer -The small arms/artillery repairer is responsible for keeping a wide array of weapons - from small arms to field artillery and large ballistic missiles - operating properly.91G - Fire Control Repairer -The fire control repairer is responsible for supervising and performing maintenance on combat vehicles, and infantry and artillery fire cont rol systems and equipment and assessing damage and repair.91H - Track Vehicle Repairer -The track vehicle repairer is primarily responsible for performing maintenance on tracked vehicles and supervising activities that include fuel and electrical system repair and maintenance. 91J - Quartermaster and Chemical Equipment Repairer -The quartermaster and chemical equipment repairer are primarily responsible for supervising or performing maintenance on chemical equipment, quartermaster machinery, forced air-heaters and special purpose equipment.91K - Armament Repairer -The Armament Repairer is primarily responsible for supervising and performing maintenance and repairs on the mechanisms and systems of tank turrets, tank weapons, fighting vehicles, towed and self-propelled artillery, small arms, and other infantry weapons. 91L - Construction Equipment Repairer -Construction equipment repairers, are responsible for maintaining trucks, bulldozers, power shovels and other heavy equipment tha t are needed for construction operations.91M - Bradley Fighting Vehicle System Maintainer -The Bradley fighting vehicle system maintainer handles the maintenance and repair of the M2/M3, A2/A3 Bradley fighting vehicle, the M6 Bradley linebacker air defense vehicle and the M-7 Bradley fire support gruppe vehicle.91P - Artillery Mechanic -The artillery mechanic is primarily responsible for supervising and performing maintenance and recovery operations of all self-propelled field artillery cannon weapon systems - including automotive, turret, fire control, and chemical protection subsystems. 91W - 91W no longer exits and has seen some changes.Originally 91W was combat medic.Now that is 68W.91W became a sheet metal worker which has merged MOS with 91E the Machinist.91X - Maintenance Supervisor - This position is not an entry-level position.After years of moving up the ranks and mastering your craft, you can be in charge and mentors the unit with knowledge and experience gained of an NC O.91Z - Mechanical Maintenance Supervisor -The mechanical maintenance supervisor supervises, plans, coordinates, and directs the unit, direct support and general support (DS/GS) maintenance of all mechanical equipment.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Whats Actually Happening with Cto Resume

Whats Actually Happening with Cto Resume If you dont put in the skills which employers are interested in, you may not get an interview so that its most effective to consider the kind of talents or skills you have which employers will discover useful. Youve got to make certain you add a great collection of history so that employers can see what youve done previously. It shouldnt be that way but a lot of employers are taking a look at methods to cut back on potential candidates and at times the summaries can do just fine. Were saying that, because youre a tech pro, a prospective employer is most likely likely to expect something slightly more advanced. So, what you would like to do is create a little brief of talents and skills that you could utilize. Its simple to fall in the trap of downplaying your abilities and accomplishments. Some focus on objectives, while some place an overview of your skills on top. Youre able to incorporate a couple of bullet points emphasizing partic ular abilities, he states. The Ultimate Cto Resume Trick The new normal is to create longer resumes that let you incorporate the key phrases you want to go noticed. The 2 sections also utilize different bullet point styles. You probably think opting for many fonts with different bright colors is advisable however, youd be wrong. If youve got older resume templates from prior versions of Word, you may use them in recent versions also. You will also find valuable easy-to-implement strategies and insights on what you can do in order to produce the applicant tracking system zero in on your application. Expand on any expert obstacles you had the ability to overcome in previous positions, using verbs like reconciled, amended and surmounted. In addition, the font of the crucial achievements section is a bit larger than the vital duties section. There are two simple ways to see whether your resume is ready to be correctly interpreted by means of an applicant tracking system. So lets t ake a better look at each high quality and discuss why you need to care deeply about each and each of them. I wished to say Hello and to supply you with a progress report. The candidates resume is a very good illustration of clear and strategic formatting for the next reasons. When you have privacy concerns, you can want to scale back on contact info, only revealing the city and state in which you live, for example. Make certain your contact information at the very top of each page of your resume is accurate. A substantial collection of action verbs are available here. Therere prepared for save, if you need and wish to receive that, just click save logo on the post, and itll be instantly saved in your PC. Download resume examples and get completely free access to all the resources you will need to create your best resume and accomplish your career objectives. Put simply, a CTOs role is to make tech products for EXTERNAL use, even though a CIOs role is to produce technology t hat may be used INTERNALLY. Though sometimes underappreciated by many first time entrepreneurs, it might be the most critical position in your company during the initial product and business development phase. A CTO must observe the entire picture, including the company side. However, fortunately, in the majority of real-life scenarios, no CTO is truly better than a lousy CTO. Job listings often incorporate the sort of leadership required. Listing those personal accomplishments demonstrates that youre competent in the business. Have a look at the descriptions of their jobs along with the businesss description. But even if this is your very first CTO role, you should help it become clear to the hiring team that youve got the leadership experiences necessary to satisfy your duties as a technology executive. It follows that youre competing with a far larger field of candidates. The most important thing is that applicants must discover how to optimize resumes to make it through th e screening process so that you can ultimately get the job which you seek. The candidate utilizes a proper action verb that allows the hiring manager to be aware of just the way the candidate approaches an issue and solve its challenges. Granted, your business wont be in a position to operate without a resident Technical Officer for long, as a fantastic CTO is essential for practically any technology startup. Jobs continue to attract a lot more applicants than busy hiring departments have the opportunity to interview. Distribution to recruiters included within this package

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Lost and Found in Spain How a US Ambassadors Wife Forged Her Own Path

Lost and Found in Spain How a US Ambassadors Wife Forged Her Own Path In 2009, Susan Lewis Solomonts husband,Alan Solomont, welches appointed US ambassador to Spain and Andorra by President Barack Obama.Susan uprooted herself, leaving behind a successful career in philanthropy and a life she loved to join her husband overseas.An ambitious professional, Susan had hoped to find a new role in Spain. She welches disappointed to learn the US Department of State deemed jobs for spouses of ambassadors to be a conflict of interest.In the following excerpt from her new book,Lost and Found in Spain Tales of An Ambassadors Wife, Susan recounts how she found and fought for a fulfillingpurpose even when the deck welches stacked against her.As I learned more about what was expected of an ambassadors spouse, I came to hope that perhaps I could still work by doing something important for our nations embassy in Madrid. I met a previous ambassadors wife who had been a journalist for many leading newspapers and institutions. While residing in her host country, she would organize intimate lunches with journalists and have conversations focused on important issues of the day. Her embassy loved those gatherings and was thrilled that she organized and ran them. Her skills and expertise were highly valued and deeply respected.Upon hearing this, I imagined organizing meaningful events that would help the United States and our embassy in Spain accomplish important objectives. It wouldnt be a job in the conventional sense, but I could live with it. Ultimately, I had to find meaning and value in whatever I ended up doing.When we arrived in Spain in January 2010, I went around to every department, or section as they are known in embassies, and offered my services. The embassy staff were all very polite. They smiled and promised they would call me. But they didnt. To them, I was very much the spouse in the traditional sense my job was to stand-and-smile and support the ambassador. I took this rejection to heart. How could nobody want me? I thought. Im good Im smart Im capableI told myself that it wasnt personal, that these workers were busy with their demanding jobs. But I couldnt deny that receiving the brush-off was frustrating and incomprehensible. Everyone in the foreign service from the ambassador, whose official title included the phrase Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, down to the interns had an important role to play. Yet there I was, little more than an accessory to my husband, with no official role and of seemingly little professional value to the embassy.One thing about me Im relentless. Im not the type to just let things be. Acquiescence is not in my DNA. If there wasnt a meaningful role for me to fill something that would allow me to put my own skills and intelligence to work then I would create one. I didnt want to simply be the ambassadors wife. I wanted to be Susan Solomont.Given my background in charitable causes , I began by convening groups of philanthropists. Working with a protocol team (the people in the embassy who know and reach out to the local community), we helped identify leaders in Spanish philanthropy and considered what they were doing. We then organized a roundtable discussion of about35people.To make this happen, I had to convince some of the embassys sections that it was a worthwhile endeavor.And I had to get it funded, because money doesnt just appear for these things.And I had to make sure people would come. This was the easiest part. An invitation from the United States embassy is a powerful draw.And I had to convince the embassy employees, the foreign service officers, that I could pull the whole thing off.Getting departments to engage with me about a roundtable discussion wasnt easy. I think they finally said, Lets just let her do it and see what happens.I continued on like this for months, seeking out and scraping together opportunities to contribute my skills and tale nts, buoyed by my husbands constant support and encouragement. If this adventure doesnt work for one of us, he would say, it doesnt work for either of us.It took nearly a year to create a role for myself helping launch initiatives and mold programs in which I believed. My main interest became women in business. I strove to shine a light on what Spanish women were doing, what American women were doing, and how we could all help one another. I discovered that hardly any networking opportunities existed for Spanish women, even though a significant number of them served in senior leadership roles in Spanish businesses. I found common ground with a female embassy employee who shared my interest and had a professional stake in meeting Spanish business leaders, and together we launched a networking program called the Womens Leadership Series. It became a great success and featured programs such as Women in Journalism and Women in Social Media and Marketing.Channeling my inner Oprah, I serv ed as moderator, asking participants about their paths to success. I became more visible in the community and soon began receiving requests to speak and give magazine and newspaper interviews. I was developing my own voice, making a difference, and loving every minute of it.This has been adapted from Lost and Found in Spain Tales of An Ambassadors Wife 2019 by Susan Lewis Solomont, copyright (c) 2019. Published by Disruption Books.Susan Lewis Solomont has enjoyed a dynamic and impressive career in the field of philanthropy. She was named International Woman of the Year by FEDEPE, the leading organization for Spanish women executives and directors.