by Solange Lopes | Feb 18, 2015 | Career
Houghton NYFW 2015 – Photo credit: observer.com
There are boring, time-sucking vampire meetings, and there are those make-or-break meetings that can make or break your career, literally. As you prepare to slay your next major meeting, here is a bit of fashion inspiration from New York Fashion Week
Derek Lam NYFW 2015 – Photo credit: theobserver.com
, with my 5 power suit picks of this week (ok, the suit onesie from J. Crew may be pushing it a bit, but if your meeting’s theme is innovation, why not):
J. Crew NYFW 2015 – Photo credit: theobserver.com
Houghton NYFW 2015 – Photo credit: observer.com
Marissa Webb – Photo credit: huffingtonpost.com
Suit Onesie – J. Crew NYFW 2015 – Photo credit: forbes.comv
by Solange Lopes | Feb 18, 2015 | Career |
Boring meetings – Photo credit: http://people-equation.com
We all know it, you haven’t been minted as a professional unless you’ve attended full-fledged, around-the-big-conference-room, let’s-all-have-an-opinion meetings. Weekly meetings, departmental meetings, bi-weekly meetings, impromptu meetings, emergency meetings, company meetings, you name it, everything has a meeting named after it, and your oh-so-busy presence is required at all of them. And this despite the fact we all realize meetings waste precious time (that can actually be spent doing REAL work), and that avoiding them is literally the stuff of miracles. Especially when it’s been proven 50% of all meetings are unproductive, and 25% is spent discussing irrelevant issues (like the next Hunger Games episode, or how Fifty shades of Grey is slaying the box office…)
Well, since you are doomed to be bored to death in one of these meetings, here’s how to survive them, and even fake interest:
by Solange Lopes | Feb 17, 2015 | Career |
Comparing careers – Photo credit: http://3.bp.blogspot.com
Are you guilty of comparing your career to everyone else’s around you? Do you look at your co-worker who just scored a gleaming promotion with envious eyes, resenting their success? Or are you the silent Linked In lurker checking out all your college friends’ profiles, measuring up against their accomplishments?
We live in a world of comparisons. We don’t just want to keep up with the Jones, today’s culture teaches us to beat the Jones, buy their house, take their car, holler at their friends, all the while trying to keep our FICA scores high and blood pressures levels low.
After all, it must be greener in the next corner office right?
My $0.05: Comparison and competition in the workplace can be beneficial to some extent, as long as it’s healthy. You want to be able to emulate positive or successful behaviors, and avoid damaging ones. You also want to be able to assess whether you’re at the right compensation level, or need to improve in certain areas.
However, as I like to say, there’s a price to pay for every career. Avoid making hasty assumptions about a successful colleague or higher-up, at the risk of diminishing your own accomplishments. One way to avoid this dangerous pitfall is simply to ask! Ask that brilliant colleague how they achieved success, or send a note to the partner and inquire if they can be your mentor.
The grass is not greener in the next corner office, it’s only busier!
What do you think?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 17, 2015 | Career
Flower-Print Dress- $54.50 – Photo credit: last call.com
NYFW 2015 brought with it a taste of Spring, with its bold and beautiful brights, which inspired me to pick this floral-print jersey dress from Last Call that will make you dream of warmer temperatures and open fields! Loving the simple, easy round-neck, long-sleeve cut of this contemporary dress, allowing the floral design to shine! Loving the price too, it’s on sale for $54.50.
For daytime at work, I would style this with an understated sweater or blazer, like this cutaway soft blazer from Banana, and add a muted pair of nude pumps like these Sam Edelman beauties for a look-at-me-but-don’t-really-look-at-me look.
What do you think?
Any suggestions of fashion pieces you’d like us to feature?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 17, 2015 | Career
Ms. Stephanie Samuel
It’s our pleasure to feature Ms. Stephanie Samuel, journalist and reporter, in our Sister of Impact series. As a reporter with over nine years of experience on the field, Ms. Samuel has written for various publications, including the AFRO-American, The Prince George’s Sentinel and the Christian Post. Today, she speaks to us about her experience as a woman of color in her field, kindly offering us a glance into what it means to be a woman of color at work in her world.
Hi Stephanie, thank you for joining The Corporate Sister as a guest contributor. Can you start off by telling us a bit about yourself?
Stephanie Samuel: I am a reporter with over nine years of experience writing for various print and online publications. In that time I’ve been blessed enough to interview major newsmakers from 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to actor Laz Alonso. I’ve also learned that there are many hurdles facing professional women of color from being the only one in the room to being overlooked for advancement. It is my desire to encourage readers to defy the odds and push forward in their careers.
How has being a woman of color affected your career?
Stephanie Samuel: In many ways being a double minority (Black and female) gives me an advantage. I have a unique view of the world and I incorporate that viewpoint into every pitch, every interview and every article. However my biggest struggle has been exchanging notes, so to speak, about the industry with other women of color. Unfortunately some of us harbor a sense of competition and one-upmanship because we fear of being surpassed or replaced by an energetic newcomer. I believe that for all women of color to truly thrive in the professional arena, we must be willing to open the door for others.
What has helped you, and also what has hindered you in achieving your full potential at work?
Stephanie Samuel: The key for me has always been to challenge myself. When I started writing in college, I was terrified of interviewing strangers because I wasn’t confident about myself and ability. So for every story I challenged myself to approach people and get them to talk to me. Succeeding at that challenge gave me the confidence to take on another challenge and another challenge and another. Never stop pushing yourself.
You’ve accomplished so much in your career, and I’m sure you’re planning on accomplishing even more. What are you most proud of?
Stephanie Samuel: My proudest moment is working as a freelancer for the AFRO-American newspaper. Before becoming a freelance writer, I had graduated from college with no internships to speak of and no job leads. I didn’t know what it meant to be a freelancer but I knew I wanted to write for a living. Looking back on it, I can’t believe that my shy 20-year-old self walked into that newsroom and negotiated a job. It was truly a leap of faith. But without that leap, I would not have the career I have now.
If you were allowed a “do-over”, what would you do differently in your career, and how?
Stephanie Samuel: While I have made some embarrassing mistakes, I would never want a do over. I believe my mishaps help me to become better at my craft. The secret to turning a mistake into a valuable lesson is to get pass the emotion and ask myself what could I have done differently.
What books have helped/motivated you in your career, if any?
Stephanie Samuel: Two Books – At Home in the World by the late Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and But Enough about Me by Rolling Stone Writer and MTV VJ Jancee Dunn. Pearl writes with a curiosity and lust for life that I admire. Dunn’s memoir is a lot fun but it also offers great tips for interviewing high-profile people.
Last but not least, if you had to give only three tips to women in general, and women of color in particular, as to how to be successful and happy in their careers, what would these be?
Stephanie Samuel: My tips would be join a professional group to connect with others in your field, continually strive to top your best performance, and find ways to achieve work-life balance so you don’t burn out.
Thank you so much, Stephanie!
Readers, any other questions for Stephanie? For those of you who are in the journalism field, or would like to enter this field, would you like to contribute to the conversation?
The Corporate Sis.
