Brides Who Take Their Husbands’ Last Name May Hurt Their Careers: 'It's An Abrupt Rebranding' [Exclusive]
Relationships  |  Taylor Knight

Is Changing Your Last Name Costing You Career Clout? Brides Weigh In [Exclusive]

When a woman is set to get married, society assumes she'll ditch her maiden name for her partner's last name. However, this societal norm is a sacrifice that can impact the working woman's career.

career path advice
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Uncategorized  |  Julia Austin

Expert Tips On The Right Way To Network And Regain Your Career Foothold During The Pandemic

Women, in particular, have seen significant job displacement during the pandemic. If you’re finding yourself trying to regain your foothold now after months of possibly not working and not having much opportunity to network, you may need a little direction. We talked to an expert to help you out.

career building tips
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Uncategorized  |  Julia Austin

How To Be A Connector In Your Industry

To be a connector means having a group of associates that can greatly impact your career and life.

imposter syndrome and anxiety
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Money  |  Julia Austin

Signs You Have Imposter Syndrome

You are still living as if these great things haven’t happened to you. You’ve been offered this incredible opportunity—you’re doing it—that will so clearly change things for you. But you’re still applying to jobs you don’t like, “Just in case.” You’re still making plans and accommodations as if this good thing hasn’t happened.

career indecision and identity
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Money  |  Julia Austin

It’s Okay If Your Career Doesn’t Define You

Often creativity is discussed when talking about a fulfilling or important career. But a career isn’t the only avenue for creativity. If you have a writer’s spirit but don’t feel like competing in the publishing world and dealing with the demands of audiences or managers who may not understand your vision, you can just self-publish. You can read your stories at local open mics. You can be creative on your terms, no pressure of money.

feeling lost at 30
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Uncategorized  |  Julia Austin

Still Feel Lost At 30? That’s Normal

Meet with people—lots of people. If you find what somebody does interesting, ask to take her to coffee and pick her brain. If you think you’d like to work in a certain industry or specific job, find someone who does, and take her to lunch—ask her everything.

Whether you are asking for a job, for an interview, for an investment, for a personal loan, for free advertisement, or for a shout-out from somebody, how you ask is so important. You are the one asking for the opportunity, which means the other person has something you want, and that person also has all the power not to give it to you. So, ultimately, you shouldn’t focus on your pride or how much you feel entitled to something—you should focus on how you make the person who has the thing you want feel. No matter how qualified or deserving you are, you never know what agenda the other person has. You don’t even know what constitutes “qualified” in their eyes. You never know how many other people to whom they owe a favor, who would likely get this thing you want first. So, tread…not lightly but…consciously. Here are the right and wrong ways to ask for an opportunity. Wrong: Pointing out their weakness “I noticed your company struggles with this and I can help.” Immediately, the person is turned off because the first thing you did was criticize him or her. It also feels here as if you are selling something and that’s not honest—you’re asking for something. Right: Pointing out their strong points Flattery will get you everywhere. The first things you should mention to someone from whom you want something are her strengths, or the strengths of her organization. It shows you’ve done your research and respect the person or company. Then, talk about how your strengths would compliment their strengths. Wrong: Overdoing it on credits Yes, you have worked for 30 brand name, well-known companies or people. But listing those off in a bundle overwhelms people. It provides them lots of information but, within it, they can’t spot the useful information. Right: Mentioning pertinent credits It’s better to just mention a handful of credits or experiences that pertain directly to the opportunity you want. Listing just a few buys you the space and time to speak more in detail about what you did in those positions. Wrong: Giving them reasons to say no In an attempt to seem humble, some people start an email with, “I know I’m way under-qualified and you’d probably prefer someone who has done X, Y, or Z, but just figured I’d try…” Why would you give them reasons to say no, before even asking for what you want? Right: Acknowledging it is a big opportunity You can remain humble, without talking badly about yourself. Acknowledge this would be a big opportunity and it would certainly be them doing you the favor, but don’t talk about reasons why you wouldn’t be right for that favor. Always focus on your positive attributes. Wrong: Cold-calling Every time you reach out to anyone, try to remember just how many other people may reach out to them, every day, wanting the same thing. Simply cold-calling (or emailing) saying what you want and why you’re qualified puts you at the bottom of a big pile. Right: Mentioning a known and liked acquaintance Did someone give you a referral? Did someone the person you’re emailing really likes give you this referral? Can you tell a quick anecdote about how you met this referral and what you talked about? These little touches show the person who has the thing you want that you’re legitimate. Wrong: Trying too many times If you reach out once and hear nothing, it’s okay to follow up in two to three weeks—perhaps your message went to their spam folder or they meant to respond and forgot to. But, beyond that, do not send email after email every few days. No matter how great the content of your email is, the very fact that you’re harassing this person will make them not open your email. Right: Wait, and ask for feedback If someone tells you that you simply won’t be getting the thing you want, rather than trying over and over again, ask for feedback. Ask what would make you more qualified. They’ll appreciate this, and possibly consider you for a different opportunity in the future. Wrong: A misleading subject line Everybody’s always looking for ways to get people to open their emails. An intriguing subject line is important. But don’t trick the recipient. Don’t put something in the subject line that has nothing to do with the content. Nobody appreciates being tricked. Right: A funny subject line When appropriate, make the subject line funny. Something short and sweet, that is a real indicator of what’s inside the email, will go a long way. The recipient probably gets tons of very similar messages every day so starting with a laugh is appreciated. Wrong: Too much info at once Once you have someone’s attention, you want to give them all the information you possibly can to entice them. So you might just overload the person with information about you and why you’re qualified for the thing you want. Right: Give info, when asked Overloading someone with info is a sure-fire way to lose them. Your first correspondence should be informative, but short. You should send enough to open the dialogue. If the person is warm to the idea of hearing more, then you can provide additional information. Takeaway: what if you were the one in power? When in doubt, just ask yourself how you’d feel if you were the person on the other end of this email or phone call. How do you like to be approached, when people want something from you? You’d be surprised how rarely people ask themselves this, when approaching somebody else about an opportunity.
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Money  |  Julia Austin

Right And Wrong Ways To Ask For An Opportunity

If someone tells you that you simply won’t be getting the thing you want, rather than trying over and over again, ask for feedback. Ask what would make you more qualified. They’ll appreciate this, and possibly consider you for a different opportunity in the future.

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Uncategorized  |  Ann Brown

Getting Past The ‘Hood: How To Bury The Past & Embrace Success

Always remember where you came from. But move past it to get where you're going.

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Uncategorized  |  Taylor Gordon

10 Companies With Leadership Development Programs

Want to advance your career? One of these leadership development programs may be the right fit!

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10 Items
Uncategorized  |  Blair Bedford

9 Tips To Go From Admin Assistant To BOSS

Being an administrative assistant is just the beginning of what could be a thriving career at the company you work for.

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Uncategorized  |  Tanvier Peart

Be All You Can Be: 10 Ways To Become The Best In Your Industry

It might be a steep climb, but there are steps you can take to make it to pinnacle of your industry. Here are some tips for how to make it.

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Business  |  MadameNoire

Be a Positive Mentor to a Younger Professional

Someone helped you. Here's how to return the favor!