The Evaluation Couch

This episode series features inspiring women who are transforming the way evaluation businesses work by creating workplaces that are people-centered.

In this episode, Kat Haugh from Convive Collective shares her journey of creating a people-centered workplace that embraces flexibility, authenticity, and well-being. She discusses the principles of human design and how they have helped her create an environment where her staff can step into their unique gifts and strenghts. Maria and Kat discuss Kate's approach to recruitment and organizational learning. Kat also shares valuable career advise, especially for those currently affected by the foreign aid crisis.

Resources:

Learn more about Convive Collective here.

In this episode, Eric Barela shares his career journey spanning 20 years in various sectors, including non-profits, foundations, and corporate settings. Eric discusses his roles in differet organizations and his recent shift to consulting. Eric reflects on the importance of support systems, both personal and professional, and emphasizes the need for evaluators to remain adaptable and continuously learning. He also touches on the challenges and opportunities that come with transitioning between different sectors and how his evaluation practice has evolved throughout these changes. Eric concludes with advice for those facing career transitions, encouraging them to understand interconnectedness and context within organizations. He motivates us to see transitions as opportunities for growth, continous learning, and to fall in love with our evaluation profession all over again.

Resources

Follow Eric Barela on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Visionary Evaluation in Eric's AEA365 blog post.

In this episode, Ratiba Taouti Cherif joins Maria to share insights from her 20 years of experience in international development. Together, they explore Ratiba's learnings from navigating uncertainty in this space:

1. Your industry is not your identity
2. You will lose networks and build new ones
3. Diverisying income isn't a backup plan. It's a power move
4. The future of work is independent and global
5. Sitting on both ends of the table changed everything
6. Stability isn't a job. It's adaptability.
7. Where to start

Resources

To learn more about Ratiba, follow her on LinkedIn. Her podcast is available on all major audio platforms #RethinkSocialChange and on YouTube. Learn about ReThink Social Change Cards here.

Find The Bloom's pro bono support for those affected by the humanitarian crisis here.

In this episode, Maria interviews Veronica Olazabal about transitioning as an evaluator into the private sector, focusing on philanthropy and corporate philanthropy. Veronica shares her experiences, the skills required for such transitions, and the differences evaluators may face in corporate settings. She also offers key advice for those considering this transition such as understanding different terminologies, aligning skillsets to new roles, the importance of conflict resolution, communication, and risk management. Veronica emphasizes the significance of resilience, adaptability, and effectively positioning oneself for the few available but impactful roles in the corporate sector.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by Veronica in this episode are solely her own and do not reflect the views of any organizations she is or has been affiliated with.

Resources:

Follow Veronica on LinkedIn

Read the AEA365 blog "Understanding the Emerging Field of Evaluation in Corporate Social Good" by Jared Raynor, Lisa Frantzen, and Morgan Buras-Finlay here.

This episode features Libby Smith, Deven Wisner, and Tiffany Tovey who share about their new community of practice for higher education evaluators and assessment professionals. This episode discusses alignment with our values, the value of collaborative reflective practice, and the role of community in navigating professional challenges. Resources

Learn more about...

Libby's work through her website: workwithlibby.com

The community of practice here: https://viableinsights.com/community-of-practice/

Libby, Deven, and Tiffany's collaborative reflective practice through their podcast Radical (Re)imagining

This episode features Torriel Harris, a career coach who is on a mission to help 500 women in their careers. The episode starts with a discussion of how community can help us heal from career related events. Then, Torriel shares her views on building community, how community has played a role in her career, and how she is incorporating community in her coaching program "Command the Room, Sis!". Maria and Torriel end the episode with practical tips for people wanting to start building their own communities to support their careers.

Follow Torriel Harris on LinkedIn to learn more about her work and programs.

Learn more about The Bloom, the community for social impact careers where Torriel and Maria met.

In this episode Maria shares stories of her experieces negotiating job offers. The episode starts with statistics and research findings related to women and men's perceptions and experiences towards negotiating. Then, Maria shares stories from her career when she negotiated a salary offer and the lessons she learned from each of those experiences.

Resources:

The book Maria references in the episode is Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide Learn more of the Vanderbilt Business research study here

The study providing evidence on the backlash account towards women's assertiveness during negotiations can be found here.

In this episode, Shelby Corley and Stephanie Mui join Maria to discuss myths and questions about resumes based on their perspectives hiring for evaluation positions. They discuss their preferences when reviewing applications and provide valuable tips for those seeking to apply to evaluation jobs.

This episode covers why cover letters are important and provides guidelines to write them effectively. Maria shares examples of effective cover letters she has written in the past. This episode also includes an exercise you can work through to identify effective stories for your cover letters.

The statistics mentioned in this episode come from this study.

In this episode, Diego Luces shares a story about how he knocked on a company's door and ended up landing on a job when he was still a fairly new immigrant in Canada. Diego shares what motivated him to take this risk and how he maintained a positive mindset after being rejected in his job search process. He offers useful advice to help others navigate the job search process. This episode discusses the importance of diversifying our job search strategies as well as barriers faced by immigrants in searching jobs in a different country.