Women in Financial Services
“I’m so glad I discovered E2W” - A Conversation with Joanne Fleming
Mark.Freed / 20 May 2017
How did you hear about E2W?
I was in-between jobs, the market was quiet, and I was finding it difficult to get interviews. CV’s can get ‘lost’ in the Banking recruitment systems and experienced women can fall between the gaps.
Last year I became aware of E2W through LinkedIn and started to see interesting articles and opportunities that supported women in their financial careers. I was amazed to find a firm dedicated to supporting women through their career lifecycle but I decided to give them a go. On their website I read with interest about the variety of ways they support women including coaching and business focused events. They also work with institutions who care about gender. I saw an advertised role, that although wasn’t a perfect fit, sounded interesting so I responded and registered my interest. The E2W Recruitment team contacted me straight away. I had great chat about the role with Katie who advised me how best to position my experience for this role, and gave me confidence to ‘put my hand up’. It was so refreshing to have an open and honest conversation with someone who genuinely supported me.
The E2W team regularly kept me updated about how things were progressing as well as being a great sounding board. Within 6 weeks I had a job offer. I was expecting to be looking for a new position for 6 months, so I can’t recommend the service and support enough. All the team at E2W congratulated me on my success which provided further boosts to my confidence. How often does that happen?
What’s your next role?
I am a statistician with extensive risk management experience in Banking in the area of Risk Management and in the Pharmaceutical industry in Biostatistics. I was working at Lloyds for the last four years, and am now looking forward to a new challenge at Deutsche Bank.
How do you support other women in the workplace?
We should be there to support each other at work. We all have different skills and talents and should collaborate with one another. We can achieve our own goals and still support others to achieve their personal goals too. Inclusion is about involving everyone in the workplace, and not excluding anyone.
What advice would you pass to women in striving to progress in their careers?
Be proactive, take action. Be true to yourself, and don’t take things too personally. It is too easy for us to take things to heart when we are striving to do our best.
Who is your role model, and why?
My first manager Pam Howard in Dublin was the best manager I have ever had. She is fair, hardworking, a great listening ear, good fun, and great at understanding how to get the best out of people. She understood me, and showed me I could use my creative flair and quants in my work. She allowed young people to develop and encouraged us to get involved with senior stakeholders, gaining early exposure. How great is that!
What’s next for you and how can E2W help?
Long term, I would like to explore how my skills, experience and talents can be utilised in other sectors and now I can turn to E2W for their support in creating the plan to get me there.
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