We caught up with DEI and talent leaders at Bank of America to learn what makes for a successful return to work after a career break. The team highlights transferable skills they’re looking for, what they listen for in interviews, and what makes for a standout candidate. We also hear from a returnee at the bank. Hosted by Stacey Delo of Après, a career resource for mothers returning to work or pivoting.

Back to Work with Bank of America Transcript

Stacey Delo
Just getting started here, everyone, feel free to grab some paper and a pen. This is going to be a great session today. Lots of notes to take.

Okay, I’ll get started. And I know people will continue to join us. Hi there. I’m Stacey Delo. I’m the CEO of pray. And welcome to our Tuesday webinar series where we talk about what is it your turn to do. Whether you’re returning to work after a long career break or a short career break. Maybe you’re thinking about leveling up to something new or different or more meaningful, these sessions are for you. We hope that you learn and walk away feeling empowered and inspired to do what’s next and find what it is your turn to do. Today, we are joined by an outstanding panel of women from Bank of America, who I will introduce a little bit more formally in just a few minutes. They’re here to talk about the Bank of America back to work program, and also what it takes to really make a successful return to work, how to stand out in the resume and LinkedIn profile, and how to think about interviewing as a returnee and really in general, it’s going to be a great session. Please tell us in the chat, where you’re joining us from where you are in your career journey, and how we might be most helpful to you. Jordan is womaning. The chat as I like to say, behind the scenes, and we’ll share some important links for today’s session, and just be there to answer any of your little questions that you might have. We will save big questions for the end, specific and relevant to the topic. And the group. I’d like everyone to use the q&a icon for that, please, it helps us track the questions more easily. So if you’re joining us for the first time, a prey is a career site for women returning to work or pivoting to something new or better. Our mission is to stop sidelining women talent, and we do this through three strategies that we use. One is through our boutique job board, where you will find that resume gaps are welcome. You’ll find programs like the Bank of America back to work program there, and regular jobs with companies and employers that are looking to hire from this group. I really encourage you to check that job board out. Also, be sure to update your profile on our site if you haven’t, or create one. If you haven’t already, you can go to upgrade group.com/sign up or login and go to your membership settings. We also host webinars like this one, and workshops. This is a quick glance at our upcoming calendar. You can find the calendar on the Calendar tab on Apresgroup.com. And you can register these are always free. We also provide many types of career coaching. Our packages are really designed to be efficient and affordable to get you job interview ready very quickly. You can explore those on the kids tab on our site. With that, I’d like to get started we have I really want to use our time wisely. We have such a great resource here with us with these three women from Bank of America that are joining us today. I wanted to just mention that one of the joys of my career is getting to meet people at companies who are committed to making the workplace better for women. And these women are examples of this. That only have they deeply committed themselves to diversity and inclusion efforts and talent acquisitions when it comes to talent acquisition efforts when it comes to women at the bank. But they have devised this program, the credit return CHIP program that we’re going to hear more about from them. And it’s such a pleasure to meet people like this and then to actually be able to have them on and really help you think about your return to work and what some of those opportunities could look like. So I thank you all for being here.

Again, I mentioned we’re gonna save our questions for the end. And with that, I’d really like to just get started and turn it over to Manisha Luz and Lynn, and have you all introduce yourselves a little bit more formally. Talk about who you are, what you do for the bank, what your role is? And tell us how you’ve got here. Lynn, do you want to kick us off with this, please?

Lynn Fairbanks
Sure. Thank you so much, Stacey really appreciate the time, Lynn Fairbanks. I’ve been with Bank of America now for 17 years, I’ve got an interesting background, I’m a CPA with the state of New Jersey. So I started at the bank, in the finance organization, then moved over to the business for mortgage operations for about four years, four to six years. And then I have recently I’m part of our global Human Resources Group, specifically in diversity and inclusion. So I’ve had a couple of roles in their leadership development and learning. You know, what brings me here today is just your, your, your motto, you know, no longer looking to sideline women, but really getting women involved in the conversation. So really thinking about how do we continue to move forward, and with this great program, partner with individual groups to really identify talent, and, you know, get them connected to Bank of America get connected to, you know, the great resources that we have, and make sure that they’re part of the conversation.

Stacey Delo
And one thing I’d like to add is that you mentioned your certified coach.

Lynn Fairbanks
Yes, that didn’t share that just a second ago. But yes, in our in our preview, I am a certified coach, Hogan coach. And part of the work and leadership development has always been to speak to him and speak to our teammates to understand where they are, where they like to go, and then put the plan in place to get to put the steps in play to get them to that goal. So it’s really listening. It’s making sure that we walk forward, it’s making sure that we are hand in hand as we identify whatever path that they want to walk down. So thank you.

Stacey Delo
I love it. Okay, Luz. Would you like to go next?

Luz Lambertus
Yeah, absolutely lose some bad news. I am the DNI Talent Acquisition Manager for the global banking and Markets team here as well as Merrill Lynch and the private things. In that capacity. I am responsible for managing and partnering with our external sourcing partners partnering internally to drive DNI in our internal mobility efforts, and then also working with our Business Support Team on any type of process or procedure or reporting changes and adoption that we need to make in support of driving towards our diversity and inclusion goals. Prior to my corporate career, I was working on becoming the next fiance I was very focused on on a professional singing career. But I took what was supposed to be just a job at a staffing agency as a recruiting coordinator and turned it into an incredibly unexpected and fulfilling career which has blossomed since joining the bank six years as well as a recruiter supporting wholesale credit so super happy to be here to share some of the work that I’ve been doing this Back to Work program. I’ve been meeting here so I’m really excited to share it all with you and answer any questions that you may have about it.

Stacey Delo
If you feel like breaking out in song, we would welcome it It’s okay. dying to hear you sing. Hopefully you sing for your your your colleagues at some point. A Bank of America talent show or something. So Manisha. Manisa let’s hear from you. You are a returnee yay.

Manisha Kumar
Um, hi everyone. I am Manisha Kumar. I’m a director in global markets credit. I am based in Dallas, Texas, where I live here with my my two kids six and four which are my life outside of work. I have been in this role for about nine years. So I’ll just start back in the beginning of my career. I started at the bank in 2006. I worked in a kind of front office, very demanding role for about five years. After that, that point I got my Harriet and my husband got an opportunity to move overseas. So I took a break and spent two and a half years living abroad. At that point, we were living in Charlotte, and then we moved overseas for a couple years. After two and a half years, we came back to the States. I had planned to have children that time. But you know, life didn’t work out that way for me. So I came back to the States, we came to Dallas, and I was looking for a job. And I was able to get a job back at the bank. And so I’ve been in that role since about 2013. So that nine years now, when I left the bank, and when I came back and came back to a role, I mean, I guess technically I’d stepped back, I come back to a different role, probably a little bit lower title, and kind of restarted my career. And so I spent the nine, the last nine years really rebuilding my career, and kind of my brand at the bank and have since really focused on a lot of DNI and women’s efforts on top of, you know, just building credibility in the business, and building my career. From a technical standpoint, my passion, and what drives me every day is really, you know, DNI efforts, including efforts like this, I lead a grow and develop talent workstream for our diversity and inclusion program, and we’re trying to, you know, really increase representation across all levels at the bank, I co chair, our Dallas chapter of Women’s Leadership Council, where we’re really trying to advocate and promote women in global global banking and markets, and also mentored at the Cherie Blair foundation. So I really like my passion is helping women, you know, really advancing DNI efforts. And platforms like this are a way to do that. So I’m really thankful and grateful to be here.

Stacey Delo
We’re grateful to have you and I think you can see what I was saying, as I kicked off this panel, they’re all incredibly talented, and busy in different directions and and hugely invested in the purpose of bringing women back into the workforce and retaining them. It seems like a great way to start off Lynn, I thought we could talk a bit, you know, the last couple years obviously have been very difficult for women. The National Women’s Law Center, this week released a report that I have to read the headline 27 times more men than women joined the work joined the labor force in January, and women are still short about 1.8 million jobs since the beginning of the pandemic. I know you all think about this. It you know, the the importance of companies and employers thinking about how to attract women talent back into the workforce, and then keep them there has long been something that some employers do better than others. But it now it is, you know, it is of critical importance. So do you would you like to just kind of set the stage for the way that bank America, Bank of America thinks about investing in women, some of the programs that you’re most proud of? Right, no,

Lynn Fairbanks
no, definitely. You know, one thing that we know is the trend for the last two now into the third year has really been about people reassessing what is important to them, what’s important in life to them. And we hear the term work life balance, and we think there’s going to be something that drops but we at the bank, think about work life integration, and it really has come to light these last two years, it’s during your 24 hour period. What do you integrate into your day, we know that that’s important because families are important. So people have taken the time to assess. One of the programs that we have at the bank is our courageous conversations where we have our thought leaders actually take their teams through a discussion to help employees understand how to be more empathetic, focus on their purpose, and really demonstrate that grace needs to be given to all and you know, I want to underscore these last two now going into three years, we know that all are dealing with something some are known, some are not. So it’s again, just to be conscious of what may be happening to your teammate or with your team. And we see that managers and leaders definitely looking are looking to connect more. And we have different programs. I lead a women’s ready to lead program, which is actually focused on connecting multicultural women in the various markets, understanding where there may or may be market opportunities to bring women closer together into the conversation and making sure that they understand what’s available to them. It’s really reconnecting reengaging the hearts and minds of our teammates. We’re really looking to do that and even more as we go through 2022 our talent teams, our human resource teams are looking to understand the succession planning and pipeline management, again, to make sure we’re not only getting people in the door, but they’re advancing through the various, you know, their career plans. Once identified, let’s help you put that plan in place and attain where you’d like to go. What we’d suggest to women, as they look at any company that they’re looking to engage with, is not only look at what they’re doing internally, but what is their external footprint look like? What are they looking to make a mark on their clients and communities. And so we know with our ESG group, we know with our 125 billion investment in our communities, and just really looking at helping to move the needle and being great stewards of our, you know, our world, just thinking about how we can impact any place that we have Bank of America employees engaged in. And so it’s really understanding how to you focus on the influence or the circles that you’re able to influence and what that what that looks like, just to share a couple of things. And I know that Manisha mentioned one about Cherie Blair, but when you think about we’ve got the external footprint, we get involved in a number of with nonprofits, and really think about how we impact women, whether it’s our Vital Voices, Kiva, the Tory Burch Foundation, Cornell University, we’ve had about 75,000 or helped about 75,000 Women Entrepreneurs advance their businesses. So it’s not just again, what we’re doing internally, but it’s that external footprint as well. And I can go on and on, we’ve got this. We have an employee network, our leadership, education and advocacy and development employee network that has about 37,000 members, not all women, but 64 global chapters. And again, we look to encourage every employee to get involved at the bank. It’s very important as we think about who we are, and how we want to move forward. Specifically, when we think about our new hires, and as they come in, we women and summer interns made about made up about 40% of women coming into the bank. And in 2021, women made up about 45% of our campus hires. So we really do look to impact women as they engage with the bank and through different and various means. I hope that helps if we if we have more time, I can get more into into more of the stats, but I just wanted to make sure to share.

Stacey Delo
Yeah, no, that was a great overview. And I actually will I wrote down to think about what does the external footprint of a company look like I often tell the women that we work with that it’s important, even if you’ve moved beyond those years of needing maternity or paternity leave, that it’s important to note if a company offers it, because it’s an example that they’ve done the thinking and have invested a little bit in the culture already. But I really like adding the footprint of what the company is doing externally. So thank you for that. Um, would you like to kind of chat a little bit while we’re with you, Lynne and maybe Manisha can pipe in here as well about, you know, what does returning to a professional career at the bank look like? Just kind of talk us through a little bit of that

Lynn Fairbanks
note, definitely, as we go through, and we really think about women engaging. One thing that we want to do and one thing that I know I’ve done from a leadership development perspective, is spend time with any prospective applicant to really understand who they are, I want to spend time and understanding if they can share with me, their their trajectory, the road that they’ve been on, and what they’ve been learning throughout their career, it’s really important to understand that because what I want to know is when you come into the bank, and you join our company, what are you going to continue to learn what are you going to continue to invest in, and then also give back to those that you’re, that will be your teammates. So that’s one thing that I look at as we’re engaging with women as they come in. But I know that we have a number of tools and resources for managers of the prospective candidates coming in. For those individuals that are coming in, no matter the line of business, they’ll get training upfront. So whether it’s onboarding, whether they’re, you know, enrolled development, they’ll, you know, get tied and connected with their managers and leaders. It’s getting connected to the tools and resources of the bank. So there’s a number of processes that you’ll be taken through. And again, it’s to make sure that you acclimate very quickly to the bank culture, understand what’s expected of you, but then make sure that you’re successful. So we put those those guardrails around and some some guideposts to make sure that you get on track and you stay on track. So those are some things that I know and Munish if you want to or lose if you want to add anything as well. Okay,

Manisha Kumar
I would say this from because I do work in credit and I came, I came from a non credit role to a credit role. The resources and tools that are available to us are, are so helpful, you know, personally speaking, you know, I share this a lot, because I’m in a credit role, but I don’t have a strong accounting background, I don’t have an accounting degree. So for me to be able to help round out some of those technical skills to be able to leverage the existing resources that the bank offers, is really incredible. So that way, I feel like I’m not only developing myself, I’m getting better in my role. You know, I’m taking the initiative to learn more, I expand myself. And so there’s really a ton of resources that the bank offers. Additionally, which I think is just unmatched is our the breadth of our employee networks. We have a parent and caregiver network, we have lead for women, we have Women’s Leadership Council and global markets, you know, Disability Advocacy Network. So we do, there’s a ton of support. So I think, as you’re coming back to or entering Bank of America, you have not only technical resources there for you, but we have a ton of support. And just, you know, other resources there for you too, because if you’re, you know, for me, as a you know, as a mom of two little kids like that parents and caregivers networks, you know, it’s a great outlet, they have great sessions, webinars, mentoring programs, so you can leverage just things you can we can work with people one on one to help you, you know, help you in your career, and they may not be in your line of business, which, so not only does it expand your network, it just gives you the tools and the support, you need to kind of advance your own career. You know, I have a lot of a very dear friend of mine, you know, her child went through, you know, cancer. And so for her, the Disability Advocacy Network was incredibly important to her to help her get through, you know, these really difficult times in life. And there’s endless stories about how the bank has truly helped women that, you know, the bank really cares, and they’re invested in women, and they really want to help people through these stages and phases of life.

Stacey Delo
I want to highlight for the audience, one thing that’s so important about what you all are saying, and for anyone who’s in a return to work mode, whether you’re just getting going or you know, in the process of applying and thinking about where you want to work, this type of structure. And like Manisha said resources and tools doesn’t exist everywhere. And it’s really important to, you know, attend sessions like this, or look at the websites, asked in the interview process. Obviously, you’re going to find this at larger entities. But it’s so important to think about, if that’s something that’s really important to you, I mean, I’m sort of drooling, listening to it, because it just sounds amazing to have that kind of network really available to you to, to learn and to, you know, hopefully feel supported. So that it’s just a good point for people to think through as they’re thinking about where they would like to do next. Leave it’s we haven’t heard from you. Do you want to add anything there? Or do you want to talk a little bit, I

Luz Lambertus
just think,

Stacey Delo
and then I want to I want to dive in with you specifically because you’re so involved in specifically talent and acquisition, I want to get to some questions about how people can really stand out in an interview process as a returning.

Luz Lambertus
Yeah, so just to kind of tie a tie a bow around what Manisha and Lynn were saying, you know, part of being successful in this endeavor of returning to work is feeling comfortable, right. And I think that what the the, the employing networks do and some of the other resources that we have will do is help you really find a sense of community very early on, people that you can lean on, ask questions. And that’ll help, you know, make you feel a little bit more comfortable to bring your whole self to work, if you will. And then some of these other resources that are more technical, right? You don’t have to be part of a development program to tap into that. That’s the great part. We have the learning hub here. If you want to learn about different things, different businesses, credit transaction services, what have you, you can go to the Learning Hub and find that track. You can find classes on the fence, Excel, anything that you really feel would you know solidify some of those skills for you so that you can continue to feel comfortable and add value You in your role, we have that care for you. So I just wanted to make sure that we’re kind of making that distinction between coming back and feeling good about where you are, and then feeling good about how you can continue to grow as well. So, you know, to your question, Stacy about differentiating yourself from other job seekers, as somebody who have taken a career break, you know, I want to address some of the mistakes that I see a lot with with returners. And as they tend to minimize their experience, they tend to come like, from this self defeatist, like kind of attitude, like, I know that you’re kind of doing me a favor and talking to me, because I’ve been out of work for so long. And it almost confirmed the interviewers assumptions in a way. And I think what you need to remember is a gap in your resume doesn’t make the experience that you already have go away, right? You’re a professional, you’re bringing certain skills to the table. And it’s important that you talk about that with confidence, because these are things that you’ve done, you can list the achievements that you’ve had, right? This is you’re not making this up, you’re not pulling this out of thin air, it’s important to go back to that and say, when I was working, this is the value that I was adding, and this is how I was doing it. Right? That’s really important. And the more elaborate that you are about your previous experience, the more comfortable the interviewer feels about your level of expertise with these things, right. So you know, bringing in that confidence and not using terms like I was just doing this, or it’s just doing that, right, that’ll help, you know, to make sure that you’re leaning into the fact that you’re bringing very useful skills to the table. And I don’t know if it’s led in many cities has kind of want to weigh in on that,

Lynn Fairbanks
ya know, I still want to put a pin in it. One of the two of the areas of focus for women internally this year are wellness, mind, body, spirit, and Finance, Financial wellness. The second is self advocacy. And so loose, what you said is you need to be your own champion, this is a time whether it’s an interview, talking to a manager, whatever it may be, that you’re able to toot your own horn and really talk about what you’ve done. You know, talk about the experiences you’ve had talk about what you’ve learned along the way. And even as you stepped out and be authentic, you know, I think lose, share that be authentically who you are. But even as you stepped out, you focused again that work life integration, you focused on what it what you needed to focus on, which was most important for you and your family and your life at that time. Now, it’s your you’re looking to get back in and begin to learn to begin to be included in the conversations and whatever that may be. We want to hear from you and really understand, you know how to align you to the specific roles.

Stacey Delo
And practice saying things out loud, because it will help you build your confidence so that when you do step into an interview process, you aren’t showing any hesitation that Luce was talking about. And I was clapping because you’re, you’re singing our song here, which is that you need to really spend time finding and knowing that the break brings value and be able to position that versus looking at it as something that you may need to hide. Lose when you get a I was thinking about this, like, do you ever get a resume and go, Oh, thank goodness, thank goodness, you know, this is amazing, like, what are the things that you really want to see on a resume, that just brings you, you know, relief and joy that it was executed so well.

Luz Lambertus
ologies have to take myself off mute. So I think that one of the things that I love to see is when people have some sort of professional summary that highlights their skills, a lot of people kind of get caught up in making sure that they’re talking about what they were actually doing in the role, which is great. We want to know what your achievements are. But I also think that from those experiences, there are transferrable skills that kind of apply across, you know, multiple jobs. And it’s important for you to highlight that, so that you as somebody’s reading your resume, you’re not getting caught and like this person is just a credit analyst or this person just has this experience, right, but you can see the breadth of skills that this person brings to the table regardless of whatever role that they’re in. I think that’s super important. I’d love to see, you know, obviously kind of a few general bullet points on the role, but then again, focus on the achievements right, what what were what was the value add that you brought in that role? What were some of the highlights that you want us to take away? I shouldn’t have to get to the conversations to hear that story. I should be able to see that you know on the resume before I reach out to you and have a conversation And those will be, you know, things that I want to ask about and elaborate more. Have you elaborate more? So definitely that I think from a returning perspective, you know, some people will do things that, you know, maybe are volunteer work, or you know, maybe they’re working with the PTA, a school, other kids school, and they don’t list that, because they don’t think it’s relevant experience. But I would challenge you to think about, you know, what are some of the skills that you built during that, you know, type of engagement, right? Or what were some of the skills that you leverage that you had already, that you could put that you put to work, and those kinds of efforts. So I would love to see, you know, you know, specifically for somebody that has taken a career break, somebody making something out of that break, and saying, you know, these are the things that I gave, you know, during the time that I was away from the workforce, and there’s so many things that, you know, you you’re doing as a mom, you know, on on hiatus from work, right, you’re doing a lot of scheduling, and coordinating, and planning and time management and budgeting, and you’re doing due diligence on schools or on stock is or whatnot, you know, these are all things that, you know, you can bring into the conversation, right, from a, from a skill set perspective, that would be helpful. And on an interview, you know, I think we said this, be honest, be authentic, right. But I think that more so than focusing on the gap, once again, is really how that gap has enhanced your skills and is going to make you an even better employee. You know, when you join the firm.

Stacey Delo
I’m going to try not to cry, but I literally feel like crying with with happiness, hearing somebody in a direct hiring role saying that they want to see the PTA on the resume. We talk extensively about, you know, taking your volunteer work and positioning it to showcase what you accomplish, and also to think strategically a bit about your volunteer work so that you can you know, when you do go to put it on a resume, there is a bit of a story to tell. But the PTA you know, it’s we talked to women who have headed the PTA and their the budget at the school that they raise is a million dollars. It’s not a small job, and it does belong on a resume. So I thank you for saying that out loud. It’s not just me and Fran, Dina and Megan and Jordan on our team saying it is here for you as well. Does anyone else want to talk about what they are really impressed about seeing in a in a returnee Manisha, you know, maybe there’s something you want to share about what you did, that really helped you make that leap?

Manisha Kumar
Sure, I would say, you know, I think when you take a break, you have a lot of time to think and really work on yourself, too. And so, I My advice would just be to remember your purpose and your values. And I think if you stay resolute in that, and that can come across in an interview, I think that is, you know, that is more powerful than, you know, words on a paper. I think, for me coming back to work, I knew I wanted to be a mom, I my journey was a little bit longer. And I took a lot of fertility treatments and whatnot. So for me, I needed a job where I could, you know, I knew what I wanted to do, I knew I wanted to be a mom. And that was important to me. But you know, I had bills to pay, so I had to work. And so I needed to find the right, the right balance. So I knew everyday what my purpose was what I was trying to do with my life. But I also knew I wanted to contribute in a way, you know, to the bank and be feel productive and have an important role in a larger institution. And so for me, I always, I always make it very clear who I am and what I want. And I think if you remember that, it helps get through some of that. The days where it doesn’t feel so great some of the days where you feel like you know, you’re really channeling that imposter syndrome. But remembering who you are and why you’re doing what you’re doing will make some of those harder days a little easier.

Stacey Delo
Win or lose, do you want to highlight because I want to get to also talking about the program itself in a second here, but do you want to talk a little bit about the transferable skills that you believe are really valuable in today’s work environment? And and, you know, expound on that just a little bit for us.

Lynn Fairbanks
Right Yeah, I can start you know when we think about Just leadership, overall leadership skills. So as lucette shared as many shared, you know, tying in what you’ve done outside of the corporate environment, understanding that leadership in any capacity really does lend to your overall leadership foundation is key to share. And make sure you’re sharing that often, when we think about just being intellectually curious. That is one that always resonates with me that you ask the question, why it’s not just the surface, getting the answer, but you continue to ask why to make sure that you understand one of the things you want to know because we have such tight schedules, and everyone’s on the clock, and there’s back to back meetings, it’s to maximize the time that you’re given with any individual that you’re going to engage in, peer that you leave and make sure that you’re on the same page and understand who’s who’s doing what, who needs to do what, how do you advance any work that’s on your on your plate? So it’s really important to make sure that you have that intellectually curious mindset. And it may be I know that we’ll ask situational questions at times. And just to see how the applicant thinks, how do you put, you know, go from A to B to C, to see how you would demonstrate just how you would handle any situation, something that’s thrown at you that you weren’t expecting? Or just how did you handle this situation? And how did you recover, you know, give us a situation where you really felt that you, you know, thought that you fell on on your face, yet you were able to recover? And in the end, it turned out to be really great engagement or story. So, you know, we’ll ask some of those situational questions just to see how how the applicant kind of acts on their feet, they can handle, you know, questions that they might not have prepared for, but again, it’s to become precessional, to see how they respond. And to really understand then, where in the bank, because we’ve got so many different, you know, eight lines of business externally, plus all the support services, there are a number of areas that individuals can come into the bank and join themselves with the bank. So it really is understanding what does that specific line of business require? What’s top of mind and seeing where the best fit is? So those were just a couple of characteristics that I look for, as I talk to prospective applicants.

Stacey Delo
Please, do you want to add anything to that?

Luz Lambertus
Yeah, you know, I think that, you know, Lynne really hit the nail on the head moreso. And this is what I was talking about with, you know, having the transferable skills kind of at the top, is that more so than any experience that you have? As I’m talking to a candidate, I really want to know, like, what is their thought process? You know, how do they process information? How do they solve problems? How do they think critically, because that will apply outside of whatever role they’ve already had, you know, they could take that to the next role that they’re going into. So I think, you know, having that intellectual curiosity is key, anyone that, you know, has that naturally, will continue to expand the conversation, but also, you know, strong attention to detail, critical thinking skills, ability to research right and find answers on their own. So that kind of like self sufficiency, self resourceful, those are all very important things that I look for, as I’m speaking to people and hearing their experience and seeing how that comes through.

Stacey Delo
Yeah, and I think that what’s what what you really just highlighted there is that when you’re being interviewed for and correct me if I’m wrong, but when you’re being interviewed for a position at an organization like this, that you’re you’re being evaluated for the position, but also with potential for growth, because the plan is that you would you would grow a career once you’re there.

Lynn Fairbanks
Exactly. It’s not just, it’s not for the current, it’s for the continuous. I want to say the continuous conversation that we have with you, as you align yourself and you practice your profession at Bank of America. That’s important. And I know that also, there are a number of women on here who had may have stepped out not only caregivers of maybe elderly parents, but of children. And so the bank has excellent, excellent offerings for parents and for caregivers. And I’m not even going to go through the list but join joining the bank, there are a number of opportunities to make sure that you’re supported coming in the door, continuing with your relationship, but also at any point during a relationship. So just want to make sure I share that.

Stacey Delo
Yeah, and all of that I also commend you all it’s all really well spelled out on your website and I think you can click through on the if you if you click through on where to apply for this position are going to talk about now. You can and actually click through to find that link. But feel free to put it in the chat if anyone has it available. So let’s move on to talk specifically about the Back to Work Program, which is specifically a returnship. In the credit line of business. So, Luiz, are you going to start? Are you going to do you want to give us an overview, I actually have a slide here with. Yeah,

Luz Lambertus
for sure. So, before I dive into the program specifics, I just want to take a little bit of a setback and share with you all like how we got here. So years prior, we did have a returnship routine here at the bank. And what it was, is we would invite select individuals to come to the bank for a day, a day and a half of workshops, where you would get you know, coaching, help with your resume help with interview skills, and we would socialize you with both the business and talent acquisition and hope that we would be able to hire you through the normal hiring process, I don’t have to tell this group that that’s very difficult for somebody who’s returning to work to compete with somebody who’s currently doing this job elsewhere, or an internal candidate who is in essence, unknown entity to us, we have performance reviews on this person, you know, we have more insight into their capabilities, right. And so, you know, late last year, before Omicron, and as we were thinking, Oh, we’re getting back to normal. And, you know, we thought it was a really timely effort, right to say, let’s just stop this back to work idea and think about how we could really create a program around this, that will give the support that this, you know, returning talent needs in order to successfully reintegrate back into the workforce. And we really put a program around it, right. So this is going to be 12 weeks of training. Within that training, you’ll get technical training, right, that you will be put through our credit college program that we have here internally is our credit training. You’ll also receive training on you know, that will help you get back to work in a more organic way things around identifying your strengths, how you can leverage that through your day to day, how you can start building your brand internally, how you can network with purpose in here and try to start building a sense of community early on, right. And then you’ll also have access to a one on one mentor throughout the 12 weeks somebody that’s there and invested in your success, as well as opportunities to network with senior leadership and really get to know the leadership of the credit, the centralized credit business. So this is the first time that we’re doing such a, you know, a full program around something like this centralized commercial credit is sponsoring this first cohort. And that’s why the roles are for the centralized credit organization, which is a part of our larger enterprise credit organizations and sinister Christ credit handles all of the lending across Bank of America, centralized credit manages specifically credit deals of up to a total risk exposure of 5 million, and monitors all of the commercial credit deals, even those that sit above tre of 5 million. So on a day to day basis, this team is responsible for vetting all of the credit deals, including financial statements spreading, you know, cash flow calculations, industry analysis, market analysis, and really putting together that document detailing this is the analysis that we’ve done, based on this, this is how much money we should lend, these are the terms that we should lend it under, right? So you’re really helping to drive, you know, credit revenue generation here at the bank from a commercial standpoint, within this role. You know, you can, as far as what the career path looks like for somebody within the space, you can definitely grow into larger deals or different types of deals or sectors across the credit organization, or you can grow into a management role within centralized credit. One of the things that I like to point out about starting credit is that knowledge of credit is really applicable across a large amount of roles across the bank. So if they’re coming in and really building this credit experience, it’s applicable to be a relationship manager to be a you know, transaction sales person, to be a financial adviser, whatever it is that you want to grow into this credit background will really help you in terms of really managing your client base and growing your client base.

Stacey Delo
And I’ve got details here, but I did want to make sure that everyone understands they need to apply for this program. By March 30. You’re accepting applications through then, I mean, one of the things that you want to talk a little bit about somebody who doesn’t have specific credit background at how they can, how they can position themselves to, to be a, you know,

Luz Lambertus
absolutely. Absolutely. So we’re talking a little bit earlier about transferable skills. You know, this is a business that, as you can tell, it’s it’s rooted in analysis is rooted in research. So really strong analysis and research skills, critical thinking skills, you know, strong quantitative skills, attention to detail. I mean, you know, this is a role that incorporates, you know, risk management factor into it. And obviously, really strong communication skills, both verbal and written, are going to come in really handy. So, where you have those skills, even as it doesn’t pertain to credit, right, that’s what I would highlight about your experience, how you can lift and shift that into, you know, credit analysis and credit underwriting.

Manisha Kumar
I think a tangible example there is if you were working with a set of funds, and you were trying to determine how to appropriate those funds, maybe it was through a fundraiser or you know, a charity or PTA. I mean, it’s that kind of thinking, that that you kind of were looking for here is how do you, you know, if I’m going to lend money to someone, how am I going to get that money back? So you want to make sure you’re, you know, lending to the right Counterparty. And so that kind of thinking in terms of like, just money, and who should it go to, and how to think about it, I think are really transferable.

Stacey Delo
And this is a paid program.

Luz Lambertus
Yes, you will be paid for the 12 weeks that you are a part of the program, I do want to highlight, and I know it’s on the screen. But the roles will be located in Charlotte and Phoenix, you don’t have to be currently located there. But if you do get hired to the programs, we do expect that you will relocate to one of the two locations and we would pay for relocation as well. And then, of course, after the 12 weeks, and you would find that if you’re receiving a full time offer, there will be a midpoint performance reviews. So you know where we stand six weeks, then, right? You know, not just how you’ve been doing, I think it’s really important for somebody to tell you, hey, you’ve been doing great. All right, here are some things that you should keep an eye out for the next half of the program, right? So that you can kind of stay on track and make sure that you’re successful, and that you do get the full time offer at the end of the 12 weeks. Right now, just full disclosure, our commercial credit centers are working remotely. So you know, we’re hoping that by the start date of May, which is what we’ve targeted for this program, we will be back in the office, you know, and that’s all pending health and safety guidance. We you know, the health and safety of our employees, first and foremost. But if we have been cleared to go back to work, then you would be expected to be on site. Day one.

Stacey Delo
Got it? Got it. So let’s take a couple minutes just to be mindful of time to address a few of the questions in the q&a if that’s okay. With everyone. Absolutely. And Jordan, if there are any that I’m kind of running through them quickly here. But if there’s any that you think we should highlight, go ahead and chime in here. I think one of the questions I saw that we might want to address is, you know, and people ask this of us occasionally. But I’d be curious how you think about it. Some people get worried about how long their gap is? Is there a specific gap that’s too long in your mind for this program?

Luz Lambertus
No, there’s not a gap that’s too long. There is a requirement though, that you will have had to be fully out of the workforce for at least one year in order to qualify.

Stacey Delo
At least for one year. Okay? Okay. Christy’s answering some questions it looks like as well. So here’s a question. What happens when you feel that your skills are not that strong and you weren’t head of the PTA? How do you get your foot in the door? I have an MBA from NYU life unfortunately got in the way and I do have a significant career gap. First of all, I’m going to remind you before anyone else answers that you have an MBA from NYU. So please, Step Take a step back and take value in that. But but can you all address that that that kind of fear hesitation, Manisha, that’s also something that you all might that you might want to address as well, just what you would suggest, if someone feels, you know, hesitant and fearful about how to present themselves.

Manisha Kumar
I would say it’s, I mean, it’s scary, and it’s risky. And sometimes you just, you know, you sound, you just don’t sound the way you want to sound. And you’re not saying the right things, and it happens a lot. And it’s well studied. And, you know, you can research impostor syndrome, you can, there’s a lot of tools and tips and tricks out there to, you know, to help your executive presence, your communication skills and all that. But I think a lot of it is, again, doing some of the introspective work as to why you’re trying to do what you’re, you’re trying to what you’re trying to achieve, what your ambition is, where you’re trying to go. And I think that comes across, regardless of the gap, regardless of everything else. If you are a confident, you know, you have a great attitude, you have a strong work ethic, I think that comes across, more so than the gap. You know, you had a gap, it’s okay, we life happens, careers are not linear, you know, we run I run into a lot of people who have been in the same role for 2025 30 years. And that is, that is not my path that never was, and that’s okay. And there are a lot of different paths out there. So, you know, I, again, I encourage everyone to remain kind of steadfast resolute in your purpose and your values. And know that you have value that you bring a lot to the table, you know, this individual who has an MBA from NYU, I mean, that is huge, regardless of the gap, you have, you bring a lot to the table, and regardless of all that, so remember that as you’re going through this process, because there are so many days and so many times where you just feel inadequate, you know, whether it’s as a mom, as a woman, as an employee, it just happens. You just have to be able to kind of work through that.

Luz Lambertus
Yes, I just want to add to that, you know, the other pieces, you have your MBA from NYU, what projects were you working on while you were getting your MBA that you can list to put on your resume to show your skills, right? So you don’t have work experience? You weren’t working on these things. But again, it demonstrates how you think about things, what are your critical thinking skills, what are your planning skills, your time management skills, all of that is going to come through, it doesn’t have to be your entire scholastic career, like, while you were at your MBA, two or three, you know, projects at the most that you felt were important that you know, encompass a lot of good transferable skills that you can demonstrate through a few bullet points, and just write that down. And that will come through right like that’ll be the spark that says, you know, what, this is somebody I should have a further conversation with, and, you know, see how we can align them to meet that we have opened up a bank.

Stacey Delo
Absolutely. And just to note, Fran, on our team works, coaching with people who have taken long career breaks and is just incredibly valuable to somebody who needs a little bit of confidence building, and also to remember what those skills are and attributes that you have, because they’re there. So you can you can reach out to contact at outbreak group.com. If you’d like to learn more about working with her. There’s a couple just kind of housekeeping questions. One is I would assume the answer to this is yes, open to people with international experience, but are authorized to work in the US. So I assume. I would assume as long as you have a visa

Luz Lambertus
as long as you have work authorization to work here in the US, that’s fine. Okay.

Stacey Delo
And a couple questions on the size of the of the credit business that you would be addressing. I think one of them.

Luz Lambertus
So the size of the centralized credit organization, we’re about 500 strong right now. You know, we set growth growth targets every year, obviously. So expect that to continue growing as a business grows as well. You know, a lot of the activity that we see in this space is driven by our relationship manager, relationship managers across the business bank in the commercial bank, and we are on a path to add 900 new relationship masters, specifically in business banking, so we anticipate obviously that’s going to drive volume to this group. And so we’ll continue to grow the credit team accordingly, but right now five hundreds

Stacey Delo
you Okay. Okay. Is there anything else that I’ve missed? Just checking in the chat? If you have a question, if you could just put it in the q&a box? That would be fantastic. I think that we’ve addressed the majority of these

I think we would be coming. Can we end on a? Can we end on a sort of inspirational note that, you know, kind of your last line of thoughts here, from all of you on on what you think it really takes to be a successful attorney? What’s the secret to success?

Lynn Fairbanks
I want to start, you know, one of the things I say, so excited to answer exactly, you know, when in doubt, challenge yourself take a chance, you never know that opportunity, maybe exact opportunity that has been waiting for you. So I would say, challenge yourself, take a chance. And, you know, let’s see what what happens. Have the conversation, at least, you know, set it up to apply, and let’s get you on the books to have the conversation.

Stacey Delo
take that first step.

Manisha Kumar
Yes. My tip would be to remember the value of incremental progress. Maybe that one conversation did not go how you wanted to go, but you had the conversation, have another conversation, you never know what doors will open. So whether it be on the personal or professional front, just remember the value of incremental progress.

Stacey Delo
I love that.

Luz Lambertus
I think you know, you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, right? This is a shift for for you, as you’re coming back to the workforce. And it’s important that you understand that there’s going to be that initial discomfort. So be flexible, be adaptable, be open to feedback, right, all the while having confidence in the abilities that you’re bringing to the table. And don’t be shy to ask questions or tap into the support resources. If your next role is here at the bank, which we hope it is, we mentioned all of the resources that are available to you upon joining so you know, taking advantage of that. But I think the the, the key here is to like I said, Have confidence in your abilities as you’re working through that transition, because it is a transition.

Stacey Delo
I love all of that. That’s all invaluable advice. Thank you so much. I’m just to kind of wrap up here, the link to apply is currently in the chat, but you can it’s in there a few times I can see but you can also find it on our website under the Jobs tab, and directly on the Bank of America site as well. So, you know, the purpose of today was to really encourage you to apply I think that that message of taking a risk and going ahead and applying out you know, that’s that’s something that we talk a lot about here. Nobody knows you’re looking for a job unless you let them know you’re looking for a job and to go ahead and and take the time that it takes to get that resume in shape and and put it forward because even small steps can lead to very big leaps. So I think this panel so much Lynn, loose minich I wish I could meet you in person. Someday I thank you for devising this program, getting it getting it developed and approved and we are going to be just so excited to I hope you’ll stay in touch and tell us about the cohort and and how it’s going and we’re just really thrilled to be able to present with you today. Thank you so much.

Manisha Kumar
Thank you. Thanks for having us. Absolutely.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai