by Solange Lopes | Nov 20, 2014 | Career
Shopsavvy app – Photo: buzzfeed.com
‘Tis the season for shopping, and trying to find deals! Except when you’re busy, you end up not having enough time to try to find anything, and end up buying whatever you find at whatever price you find it, and then lament over your credit card bill come January…And of course, there’s an app for that!
ShopSavvy helps you find the best deals, allows you to compare prices, and even follow your favorite stores. So instead of looking through your monumentally disorganized purse to find that expired coupon from last month (or realize the baby chewed it), you can just well, you know, get the app…
My $0.05: It’s free and available on any iPhone, so ready, set, shop!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 20, 2014 | Career
Colorblocked cashmere cardigan – $109.99 – Photo: macys.com
‘Tis the season for cashmere and cardigans! And what better than this Charter Club color blocked draped cashmere cardigan from Macy’s! Loving the pop of color for a nice change to the sometimes more somber winter wardrobe, and the swingy silhouette on this otherwise cozy yet elegant cardigan! It’s on sale for $109.99 at Macy’s!
Speaking of cashmere cardigans, I also love this open-front peplum version, very flattering and original, or this sweater vest option, or this more conservative leather trim sweater jacket one!
Seen a great fashion pick you’d like to share! Shoot me an email at corporate@thecorporatesister.com, or leave a comment!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 20, 2014 | Career |
Introverts – Photo: madamenoire.com
Blog topics come from everywhere. This one comes from a rather emotional place, as I was speaking the other day with a dear friend of mine who happens to be an introvert. In tears, my friend A. explained how her manager would make her feel ostracized and discriminated against because she’s an introvert. Unlike her other team members, or many people at work who foster a culture of speaking louder and first to assert their expertise in anything, she’s more reflective and less inclined to speak up, at work or in life. As a result, she’s being punished for it.
Listening to her brought back painful memories of starting out in the corporate world as a young introvert myself, painfully forcing myself to speak up in meetings and being constantly on alert for fear of being pushed out of the corporate group. Even better, it brought back memories of being a quiet child at school, who everyone else thought needed to learn to speak up in class.
In the Huffington piece entitled “Speaking Up for Introverts”, author Karra Sherrer speaks about the unfairness of certain environments that tend to stigmatize introverts for lack of understanding them. Yet, if people and institutions bothered to know more about introverts and how they function as people, it would allow them to tap into an exceptional well of talent that is often left dormant.
The sad reality is, more often than not, introverts are punished at work because many higher-ups do not understand how to deal with their type of personality. Instead of saddling them with negative descriptions such as antisocial, loner, unproductive, or even slow, why not foster attitudes in the workplace allowing introverts to bring their best to the table. Attitudes such as playing to introverts’ strengths, including researching, strategizing and writing, or allowing them time to think before talking (you’d be surprised by the great insights that’d be produced).
Do you think introverts are unfairly punished at work?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 19, 2014 | Career
I wrote earlier about how your spouse, or partner, can affect your career. Yet, is the reverse true? When picking a partner, or considering to date, or even marry someone, how does your career affect your choices, if at all?
While some, like Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, argue carefully choosing who you’ll have children with is the most important decision you can make as a woman, others will simply tell you to go with your heart. I’ve met women for whom their careers were pivotal to their lives, and as a result chose life partners based on the demands of their work. I’ve also met other career women who married or got in relationships with their total opposites, not considering their career as a factor in their relationship choices.
In both groups, I’ve witnessed some women rising to the top of their fields, and others stagnating miserably. So, really, how much can you influence your career by who you choose to marry?
My $0.05: It depends. No one can predict the future, yet what we can do is sit down and have a good old, face to face, conversation about what we consider important. And if work and career happen to be a cornerstone of who we are, we need to make sure we agree on some basic things, like schedules, kids and most importantly, acceptance. And preferably, have the talk before the ring, the house or the kids….Just sayin’…
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 19, 2014 | Career
Cap-sleeve top – $78 – bergdorfgoodman.com
I was looking for a silk layering piece that would be sophisticated and original enough for work. Hence today’s pick, this Rebecca Taylor printed-silk cap-sleeve top, on sale for $78 at Bergdorf Goodman.
Loving the structured mandarin collar and placket snap closure, as well as the fun yet still conservative print. I’d pair this with an elegant pair of black slacks like these Elie Tahari straight leg trousers, or these tapered trousers for a funkier workplace (and mood)…
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 19, 2014 | Career |
Photo: bossip.com
Many of us attribute taking a step down in our career, or foregoing a career altogether, to having kids. Yet the somewhat surprising secret of your career success (or lack thereof) could actually be your significant other. According to a recent study, your spouse’s personality has a lot more to do with your career success than you could ever imagine.
Remember Huma Abedin, who started out as Hillary Clinton’s assistant and ended up rising to the top of her career? Or rather, do you remember her more when reminded of her husband Anthony Weiner, who made headlines for sharing pictures of his (no longer intimate) intimacy. Do you recall how all of a sudden, in light of all the penis-sharing business of her spouse, her career lost lackluster as she was faced with the harsh decision to divorce her hubby (and be poor, alone and pregnant at the time), or stay and endure the backlash of public opinion?
Speaking of the Clinton’s circle, do you also recall Monica Lewinsky and the whole sex scandal that surrounded her back then? Granted, unlike Huma, Monica had an integral part in it. Yet, here as well, the actual spouse, Hillary, who had nothing to do with the whole thing, also had to suffer the consequences of her husband’s behavior. And sixteen years later, as Monica Lewinsky is shamelessly staging a comeback on social media ahead of the 2016 campaign (interesting coincidence), Hillary is probably going to have to suffer consequences she never bargained for….
So can your spouse ruin your career? Absolutely! Can you do anything to prevent them from doing so, or to even limit the damage? It depends on how strong you are if you decide to stay and face the backlash on the home and public fronts; or how much you are willing to place a phone call to your parents to loan the money you’ll need to pay for an expensive divorce, oh, and for groceries too…
And while you’re at it, and if you still are deciding on the best marriage and career choices, you may want to read Linda Hirschman’s book, Get to work, and follow her decade-old advice to “marry down“. As crazy as it may sound (and to my male readers, please don’t get mad), a man who is less rich, less in the limelight, and less prone to ask their spouse to set their careers aside to propel his, may just be what some ambitious, go-getter women need…
Just sayin’…
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 17, 2014 | Career
Photo: switchapp.com
If you’ve ever wondered how to apply the principles of fast-paced,. anonymous speed-dating to your job search, well…there’s an app for that. It’s called Switch, and it’s been dubbed by The daily Muse as the new Tinder for jobs.
What it does:Basically, it allows you to conduct your job search anonymously, without the stress of your current employer, clients, friends or acquaintances ever finding out. Not only are you able to check out job postings incognito, but you also get notifications directly to your phone every time a potential employer likes your profile, very much like “likes” on Facebook or “Favorites” on Twitter. And if sparks fly, Switch allows you to be put in direct contact with the recruiter in question. So i happen to be a hiring manager, consider your work made much easier…
My $0.05: Whether you are actively searching or passively job-hunting, Switch sounds like a great option to do the do under wraps (here’s another app for job-hunting on the down-low), and still keep abreast of great opportunities on the market. Great app!
The Corporate Sis.
