HerStory: Faith Rothberg

There are only 51 female CEOs in the Fortune 1000. This statistic, sadly, isn’t all that surprising, as not only do women face discrimination in the workplace, but also mothers choosing to opt back into work after having children discover they have an even harder time at it.

For Faith Rothberg, the task of finding a company to employ her wasn’t the hard part. Instead, she struggled the most with adjusting to and becoming qualified for her new job.

Rothberg was a stay-at-home mother for thirteen years, raising her three children full time. Once her family was able to be independent without her constant help, she decided to try on her professional hat again.

“I decided I wanted something for myself again, something challenging and meaningful, where I could help others,” Rothberg said. “I had been the free consultant to my husband and business partner, Steven, who was running our own business day to day, on his own. Our business, College Recruiter, works to help students and recent grads get hired into great careers. I decided that this was where I wanted to face new professional challenges and help young people get a great start in their careers.”

Now, Rothberg has practically taken over her husband’s role in College Recruiter and serves as the company’s CEO. Her responsibilities include the areas of sales and marketing, operations, human resources and IT.

Becoming the CEO of a company took time, learning, and a lot of effort, Rothberg said. Discovering how to find a balance between her work and home life proved to be one of the most difficult adjustments for the mother. The real trouble, though, came from pressures she felt from outside people.

“I had to work much harder to begin to have people in our industry respect me for my intelligence and abilities because Steven, my husband, had been the face of the company and I was the wife that stayed home with the children. I was stereotyped as someone who really didn’t know what they were doing and had to work to change that impression,” Rothberg explained.

Changing this negative perception that was formed toward her took a lot of hard work and, even more, time for Rothberg to accomplish.

“It really took about two years, first managing our IT development, to establish credibility. For the next three years, I took on more responsibilities and became known in my own right in our industry. Then in 2014 I took over as CEO, at which time I had established myself as a leader of our business and in our industry,” she said.

To help other women who choose to opt back into work after raising children, Rothberg says it is important for them to know how to sell themselves, to have fellow female mentors, know your own value and find a position you have a passion for.

OptIn helps women seeking to get back to into the workforce with counseling, coaching, and connections.

Visit http://www.optbackin.com/6-week-course/ for info or email hello@optbackin.com.