by Solange Lopes | Jan 10, 2017 | Career
New year, new goals, right? If changing careers or starting a new career is on your vision board this year, it might not be as difficult as you may think. Challenging, yes? But definitely not impossible….
Here are a few ways to get started to follow a new career path this year:
Read More
Yes, as in reading more words…
I know as a busy working mom, it can be a tall order to find ANY time to sit somewhere, anywhere, let alone with a book filled with words to read… But even if your intellectual side has been on lockdown mode after the holidays, or just because alone time has become a totally foreign concept in your world, you can still fit some reading knowledge in, especially around the career you desire to pursue…
Consult some industry-specific newsletters such as Broadsheet, The List, the Ann Friedman newsletter. Open Campus also has numerous courses in management, leadership and entrepreneurship, as well as in Marketing, Finance, and Design.
Follow influential people in your desired field
I started out writing online by following entrepreneurs and influencers whose work I admired. And I still do, actually more than ever…
There’s nothing like learning from people who’ve been there, done that, and have been successful in the field you’re looking to transition in. Make a list of the influential people in your desired field, and collect their social media references. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or your any of your favorite social media channels. Even better, reach out to them and ask them for advice…
Seek Mentors
Speaking of reaching out to people in your desired field, you can go one step further and ask them to be your mentors. But wait, how do I reach out to people who don’t know me from a hole in the wall and ask them to be my mentors?
You’d think it would be nearly impossible…Yet reaching out to potential mentors can get better results than you may anticipate. So send an email, a quick message on Twitter and Facebook, and politely ask if they would be willing to be your mentors. Yes, you may get some resounding No’s, or sometimes no answers at all, but you may also get some sweet Yeses…It did happen to me, and I would never have had the opportunity to benefit from some great connections had I not taken the plunge…
Interview at Your Dream Companies
What if you’re not quite ready to jump ship just yet? Even if you’re thinking of switching careers, you may still like your current job…
This is when you may be able to seek and schedule informational interviews. Keep in mind that informational interviews are NOT job interviews. These are opportunities to literally pick an executive’s brain. You could gain insight on your resume, experience and network.
Use these to learn as much as possible about this new industry, and how influential people got to where they are.
Develop Your Expertise
In learning you teach. And in teaching you will learn. Phil Collins.
I’ve learnt only on that as counter-intuitive as it may sound, we learn best by teaching. Because teaching forces you to learn and stay up-to-date with what you already know. It also makes you accountable to keep growing and expanding so you in turn can help others grow and expand.
So if you’re looking into a new career this year, consider teaching what you’re learning along the way. A good way to do this is to start a blog, or start sharing some of your lessons and journey through your social media channels. Find ways to enrich others with your purpose, and you will find yourself growing as well.
Go Back to School.
Have you considered going back to school? If taking formal classes with a formal schedule isn’t in the cards for you this year, why not enroll in online classes? There are loads of available online classes that you can learn from for free or just the cost of a kale smoothie (still on my New Year health kick people)…
I mean, you can get an entire MBA in one course for 10 bucks, and a bunch of other classes on Udemy for just about the same price.
Volunteer in your desired field.
Last but not least, volunteering in your desired field can get you a (pretty) foot in the door as well. Even if you already have a full-time job, a couple of kids, and some seriously late laundry, you can devote a couple of hours a week to volunteer.
This could be as simple as offering some online services, like blogging or writing. Or offering to run classes at the local gym after-hours to build your career in fitness. Or even dedicating your Saturday mornings to become a tax specialist.
Look for opportunities to offer free services, time or energy to the industry you’re looking to transition into. Not only will it provide you with real-life experience, but it may also very well attract the attention of people who may be able to help you crack that new career door open…
Are you considering switching careers this year? What tips would you add to this list?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jan 4, 2017 | Career
Tweed-fringe trim blazer – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
Our Wear to Work feature presents selected pieces of attire for professional and business women in various price ranges.
Nothing says classic Parisian chic like a tweed blazer! Hence today’s pick, this Tommy Hilfiger tweed-fringe-trim blazer available at Macy’s. The sophisticated collarless high neckline and front pockets set this elegant blazer apart. I also love the modern fringes which add a touch of contemporary style. This blazer is $119.99 at Macy’s.
In a similar style, I also like this Rebecca Taylor sparkle-tweed open front blazer from Neiman Marcus. Oh, and this Karl Lagerfeld embellished tweed number from Lord & Taylor too!
Which one is your fave?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jan 4, 2017 | Career
After turning the last page of “Jump: Take the leap of faith to achieve your life of abundance” by Steve Harvey, I had to pace around the house for a few minutes. It’s because the powerful message contained in this poignant guide by the New York Times best-selling author can hardly leave you without reaction…
The book was actually born on January 13, 2016, when the inspirational mogul gave a six-minute inpromptu speech at the end of his Family Feud show which went viral, garnering over 58 million views worldwide. In his very spontaneous remarks back then, Harvey made a compelling point: that we’re all born with special gifts, and in order to be successful, we need to find these and operate in them.
Jump by Steve Harvey – Photo credit: amazon.com
“When you see people in life … when you’re standing on the cliff of life … and you see people soaring by. You see people soaring, going to exotic places, you hear about them doing wonderful things … maybe you look up the street and your neighbor just gets a new car every year, every two years? You go, ‘How is he doing that?’
“Have you ever thought, ‘Maybe this person right here has identified their gift and is living in their gift?’” Steve Harvey, Jump.
From this viral six-minute speech, came this amazing book, and the astounding #Jumpchallenge and revolution that followed. And let me tell you, it’s not just because comedian and TV host Steve Harvey can literally turn anything into a source of inspiration (and laughs). It’s because in this book, and in that short viral speech, he hit a nerve. A sensitive, tender nerve in so many people out there…
Let’s be honest, how many people have you heard talk about their jobs or lives with undeterred passion and commitment? Not many…And it’s not to throw shade around, but the reality is many, if not most people, are not only not living the life of their dreams, but seriously settling for so much less than what they’re capable of…
I remember sitting around with my bestie in Senegal at all hours of the night, plotting our futures. Talking about how we’d change the world one day. How much we would travel, and how famous/influential we’d be. I was going to be wealthy, live in a condo and travel the world. She would be a renowned doctor saving lives all over…
You know you’ve done it too..Dreaming out loud about the life you had always imagined, and then life, the “real” one, kinda happened, bills started piling up, kids came along,etc..,And before you know it, you had succeeded in silencing the natural urges/voices in your head, if only temporarily…
Reading Steve Harvey’s book will not only remind you of those voices/dreams/aspirations. It will actually awaken them, louder than ever…
It was so humbling and uplifting at the same time to read about Steve Harvey’s life. To listen to his hilarious accounts of failure and success, laced with the honesty and integrity of a legend. It’s almost as if you were sitting across from him at some cozy cafe, listening to him doling out golden nuggets of life advice…
There are way too many lessons from this book to list them all. Yet, if I had to recount the ones that marked me the most, they would be:
The only way to experience real success is to jump.
I strongly believe you define your own meaning of success. Which also means it strongly varies from individual to individual…
But I also believe that to experience the fullness of our purpose, we must continually stretch ourselves. Whether it’s by learning something else, starting a course, doing something different or quitting our full-time jobs to build our businesses…
And really, stretching is jumping, parachute and all…
The process takes time and may even hurt. But you must trust it.
Every time you decide to jump, to stretch yourself to do more, be more, and accomplish more, you’ll take risks. You’ll face opposition. And the process will seriously suck at some point or another…
Some may lose everything in the process, others may have to pay a dear price to achieve their dreams. But we must know that on the way up, the air gets really thin and pain is par for the course. But we must trust it and keep going…
But if you stick to it, you will make it.
Through examples of his own life and others’, Steve makes a promise to us: that despite the discomfort, the pain and even the trauma that jumping can create, if you stick to it, you will make it! You will succeed, on your own terms…
Have you read Jump? What other lessons have you learnt through the book?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jan 3, 2017 | Career
Wear to Work: Pleat-skirt shirtdress – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
Our Wear to Work feature presents selected pieces of professional attire for professional and business women at various price ranges.
This pleat-skirt shirtdress from Banana Republic is at the intersection of chic and classic. The plated skirt adds yet another touch of sophistication to this already elegant shirtdress. This dress is available in warm orange and neon hibiscus, and in regular and tall sizes. It’s $118 at Banana Republic.
Speaking of shirtdresses, I also like this long-sleeve trench dress, also from Banana.
Which one is your fave?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jan 3, 2017 | Career
You know it, it’s the beginning of January, right after the euphoria (and exhaustion) of the holidays… Here you are, back at work, staring at your computer screen like a zombie, ready (not quite yet) to tackle another 360 and change days…But really,despite all the “Happy new Year” cheer floating around, the last thing you want to do is the very thing you’re being paid for: work!
Plus if you’ve had a particularly busy holiday season, filled with family and social events (with the addition of large amounts of carbs and sugar), you know rolling out of bed on that first fateful day back at work can be akin to getting a root canal. Minus the soothing elevator music…
So for all of you heading back to the grind on this (happy) new year, here are 7 hacks you may want to add to your toolbox to get back in the work groove with minimum pain:
Do Something for Yourself
It may sound counter-intuitive not to dive headfirst into the personal and professional obligations of the day, especially at the beginning of the New Year. After all, there’s so much to do, right?
Except if you don’t make time for yourself at the beginning of the day, there are chances you won’t at all…So start with your morning routine, whatever it is, whether it’s exercising, praying, meditating, reading, etc…
You’ll be thankful you did when you log in to your email inbox and notice the hundreds of emails waiting for you, plus the notification you haven’t completed your required training for last year yet…
But first coffee and… a (flexible) plan:
Unless you’ve been diligently checking your emails and putting the last touch on that management report while baking your signature pineapple upside down dessert, you’re most likely getting back to work on day two or three of the year with stuff to catch up on. In many cases, quite a bit of stuff…
So start with coffee (the strong kind) and a plan that works well for you. Depending on your personality, type of work, and your own rhythm, you may decide to structure your day according to the times when you’re most productive.
For a more effective morning, consider ditching email and focusing instead on what you MUST do first. Which brings me to my next hack…
Rank tasks by order of importance, and start with the urgent stuff
What are your must-do tasks of the day? What must absolutely be done today?
Give yourself one to two hours to complete these tasks. Not only will it free your mind, but it will also allow you to let go of that sense of overwhelm that may start creeping in on you.
Check in with your team
Unless you’re working alone, you may have to sync your priorities and to-do’s with your team. This can be accomplished through a quick team huddle or informal meeting.
Share priorities with your teammates and quickly devise ways to more effectively accomplish the team’s most pressing objectives.
Set and manage expectations
Realize that everyone’s coming in at the beginning of the year with their own priorities and to-do’s. Which also means that expectations will be heightened for pretty much everyone around…While you should be aware of your teammates and managers’ expectations, you also have to be realistic about what can and cannot get accomplished.
This will avoid any misunderstandings, while also keeping you from crawling under the desk by lunchtime.
Be open
The start of the year can be rough for everyone, yourself included. There may be changes underway in your department or company, and some people may come in with pre-set agendas already. So be open to fluctuations and changes happening around…
The best way to handle it: receive any new information with an open mind, and give yourself some time to process it before you make a final assessment.
This too shall pass/There’s always tomorrow
At the end of the day, it’s only day two of three of the New Year. There will be a whole 360 and change days ahead…
Which also means that unless the coffee machine breaks (which is a seriously bad omen), it’s not the end of the world. Tasks will get done, deadlines will get met, and life will go on…
What hacks would you add to this list to handle the first day of the New Year back at work?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Dec 30, 2016 | Career
It’s not really New Year’s Eve until there’s something glittering and shining…Ok, maybe it’s just me…So for the last edition of the Weekend Wear feature in 2016, I’m doing a roundup of my 12 favorite glitter nail polishes to cap off the year in beauty, joy and lots of…glitter!!!
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by Solange Lopes | Dec 30, 2016 | Career
This is our weekly career and lifestyle news roundup, where we round up exciting news of the last week and we let you have it…And it’s also the last news roundup of 2016! Thank you so much for reading, and see you in 2017!
Here we go…
- This week, I’m featuring Marcella Herrera, Director of Global Membership at Ellevate Network as our Woman of Impact. Read her interview HERE;
- Business Insider interviewed a group of successful people sharing 11 ways to make 2017 your most productive year ever;
- Speaking of 2017, Ellevate Network lists 10 career mistakes to avoid next year;
- Considering a career change in the New Year? The Undercover Recruiter suggests 3 things to consider;
- Are you thinking of quitting your full-time job? The Muse teaches us 4 lessons learned from quitting your full-time job with no backup plan;
- Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to get your finances in order? Ellevate Network tips you off on 5 powerful money habits to adopt in 2017;
- Think Pinterest is just for great recipes and amazing quotes? Think again…Work It Daily gives you tips to leverage the powerful platform in your job search;
- Are you hosting New Year’s Eve dinner? Food52 suggests a festive menu that will blow your guests’ minds, but won’t blow your budget;
- No time to shop for a fabulous New Year’s Eve look? In this Corporate Sister post, I’m suggesting how to create 5 sassy New Year’s Eve looks from your work wardrobe.
And while you’re at it, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, IG, and Pinterest!
See you in 2017!
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
