by Solange Lopes | Sep 21, 2016 | Career
You know the drill. You go to school, then college, or choose to skip the whole college thing and drift right into your career, or build your business. And before you know it, you’re drifting doing kinda the same thing day in and day out, wondering where you’ve lost that fire on the way…
Don’t get me wrong…Some of us, ok, very few of us, wake up jumping out of bed at the thought of reporting to work.Those are the ones you see driving in the morning with a huge grin on their faces, as you pray to your internal calm goddess to refrain from giving them the finger. Or maybe their coffee’s extra strong, something…
For the rest of us, as committed as we may be to our careers, there may be a thought, or two (or ten thousand) in the backs of our minds about what we COULD be doing instead. Thoughts about writing that best-selling novel, starting that coaching business, opening up a fitness place, may be swirling in your mind as you’re filling out your timesheet at work.
Yes, getting up and jumping from your current day job to your dream job right this minute isn’t always possible…right this minute, that is. Yet, re-inventing your career is far from being impossible. And before you start rolling your eyes, read up on these women who went from day job to dream job over time:
Viola Davis
Viola Davis graduated with a theater degree and later went on to New York’s iconic Juilliard School, so she could start a career in theater. She got her first Tony award for her role in the King Hedley II drama.
After a while, she started dabbling on TV with small roles in Law and Order and City of Angels. It wouldn’t be until she turned 43 that her career really took off after she starred opposite Meryl Streep in Doubt. Her path led her to be the first African-American woman to win Best Drama Actress at the 2015 Emmys. Can you say career re-invention?
Vera Wang
You may think of gorgeous wedding dresses when thinking of Vera Wang. Yet, you may not know she actually started as a competitive figure skater. However, after she graduated from the Sarah Lawrence college, she decided fashion would be her career focus.
After working for Vogue as a Senior Fashion Editor and Accessories Design Director for Ralph Lauren for 15 years, it wasn’t until she was 40 and planning her own wedding that she thought of opening her own bridal store. And the rest is history…
JK Rowling
On the days I’m totally discouraged and reaching for yet another Twix bar, I think of Harry Potter’s best-selling author JK Rowling. I mean, the woman wrote this incredible story over a span of years in longhand on coffee tables as her baby slept in a stroller. As she struggled through divorce, depression and welfare.
And after all this, this is what she had to say about failure in her Harvard commencement address: ” “Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged.”
Gretchen Rubin
This best-seller author of Better Than Before and podcast host was once upon a time…an attorney. Like so many in her ex-profession, she took the “regular” path at first, went to law school and into a fairly successful legal career (at some point, she even served as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor). Yet, her dream was to be a writer.
Two kids, three best-sellers and a popular podcast later, she reminds us that re-inventing yourself professionally helps you find your true self. She realized she’d rather “fails as a writer than succeed as a lawyer”.
What other role models of career re-invention do you have? Are you inspired to follow your true career path?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
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by Solange Lopes | Sep 16, 2016 | Career
This is our weekly career and lifestyle news update, where we round up exciting news of the last week and we let you have it…ahem, news-wise that is…
Think of it as your career gossiping section on steroids…
And while you’re at it, follow us on Facebook, Twitter,IG, and Pinterest!
Here we go…
- Let’s start this roundup on a happy note. Inc. lists 60 ways to find happiness in everyday;
- Levo lists 3 important workplace trends that could affect your future paycheck (#2 is very real);
- I’ve been looking forward to Luvvie Ajayi’s first book “I’m judging You“, and apparently, it’ll fix your life;
- Black Enterprise introduces us to this Tech Innovator who is spreading the Black Tech Work;
- Hate interviews? Well, Business Insider points out that psychologists say they’re a terrible way to gauge talent;
- Hate your boss? Ellevate Network has a few tips on what you can do here;
- Talking to your manager about work-life balance can be a challenge. The Glassdoor Blog has a few suggestions;
- Want to boost your networking? Ellevate offers 5 great technology tools;
- Corporette tells us all about the new elegant fashion collaboration between Eva Longoria and The Limited;
- NYFW has just ended, but history was made this season;
- Check out my Wear to Work pick this week.
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
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by Solange Lopes | Sep 15, 2016 | Career
Dear TGIF Addict:
You know who you are. The one who wakes up with a renewed sense of energy on Friday mornings, wishing TGIF to everyone around as if Christmas came early. The one looking forward to Friday as soon as Sunday night rolls around…
You live for Fridays and have no shame to your career game. You endure work, grit your teeth through emails and meetings, and face your to-do list with fervent prayers.
But it’s not always been this way. There was a time you looked forward to building a successful career. When you showed up early to the office, spoke up in meetings, and was brimming with all kinds of fresh ideas.
Then Life happened, with its mix of circumstances, bad bosses, great kids, pregnancies, deferred dreams, and other disruptive, albeit normal things. Maybe even somewhere in the middle of it all, you remembered your first passion and set out to hustle on the side towards it. Or you figured out the cubicle lifestyle was never for you.
Whatever it was, at some point or another, you started wishing your career away. Watching precious time pass by as you waitedfor Friday. Squandering precious talent as you dreamt of 5pm.
This is your wake-up call from the Universe! And this one ain’t got no snooze button. Stop wishing your career away! You have way too much talent, way too precious of a unique perspective, to bury it under some random cubicle desk as you wait for 5pm, for next Friday, for the winning Powerball numbers…
Find work that stimulates and grows you. And if you can’t find it right away, (side) hustle your way towards it. Whatever you choose to do, honor that part of you that’s still striving, vibrant and becoming!
Yes, bills have to get paid, shoes bought and (some shred of) sanity saved. But if that’s costing you ( and the rest of us) your precious impact to this world, you may want to reconsider that cable channel package or Louboutin sale.
However you choose to do it, refuse to lose your enthusiasm, give up your spunk and finish the (last) bag of Doritos while you wait for Friday…
Sincerely,
The Corporate Sis.
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by Solange Lopes | Sep 14, 2016 | Career
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock (or maybe lost your smartphone as you were being stranded on a deserted island), you may have heard that the first woman Presidential candidate in the US, Hillary Clinton, has pneumonia.
And this may just have been the one single disease that has received this much media coverage in a while. In the midst of conspiracy theories about possible brain damage and other claims against her “stamina”, we’re left to wonder if the problem is the pneumonia, or the woman who has been powering through countless media and campaign events while sick.
Yet, in our day and age, this shouldn’t be news. Women have been working while sick for the longest time. To care for their families, to hold down jobs, to stay up all night with a crying baby, etc. And these same women have been suffering consistent prejudice in the workplace for being weaker than their male counterparts, while they have been doing twice the work for less than half of the recognition (hello gender gap!).
According to the 2015 American Time Survey, women still do more housework and handle more of the childcare than men, even when said men don’t work. Yet, how many of these same women, have to show up for work every morning and literally have to prove that they’re as competent as their male counterparts?
The answer is way too many.
A 2014 survey by the Public Health and Safety Organization finds sickness doesn’t prevent hard-working Americans in general to show up for work. At a certain level, it’s actually considered heroic and the emblem of masculine power in higher corporate circles. Or the equivalent of “extreme sports” office-style…
I personally don’t know any woman who hasn’t powered through illness or painful bouts of that “time of the month”, or even used her sick days to care for ill children or relatives instead of herself. That’s just what’s expected of women, at the risk of being seen as weak or incompetent at work.
Even though this episode is painted in the broader and more confused landscape of politics, it still serves well to remind us that the long-standing, insidious stereotypes about women’s frailty and lack of competence are still, well…long-standing. That if a female presidential candidate can be freely attacked by her detractors on account of her health, then the rest of us might as well forfeit our vacation days for the rest of our career…
What about you? Do you think this is a stark reminder that working sick is still not news for many women out there?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
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by Solange Lopes | Sep 14, 2016 | Career
Photo credit: shop style.com
Our “Wear toWork” feature presents a piece of workwear, along with great alternatives, for stylish corporate sisters.
I haven’t featured a bag in a while, and was looking for one that would be practical, stylish and still economical to take to work. Hence today’s pick, this Street Level reversible faux leather tote, which comes with a wristlet too. It’s $49 at Nordstrom.It’s a great bag if you’re looking for an inexpensive option that offers multiple styling opportunities.
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
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by Solange Lopes | Sep 13, 2016 | Career
Our “Wear toWork” feature presents a piece of workwear, along with great alternatives, for stylish corporate sisters.
This Shoshanna macrame eyelet sheath dress is the perfect combination of feminine elegance and style. Loving the simple and sophisticated cut of this round-neck dress, accented by beautiful macrame stitching. The short sleeves are as practical as they’re elegant too. This dress is on sale for $103.50 at Neiman Marcus.
Petites
In the same style, this Calvin Klein perforated striped sheath dress is both trendy and elegant.
Plus-Sizes
This flower eyelet sheath number from Talbots is bright and cheery for the end of the summer. Sizes run to 18WP.
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
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by Solange Lopes | Sep 13, 2016 | Career
You know those terms that sound really cool, but hardly anyone knows what they really mean. Like “personal brand” for instance…You hear the term being thrown around in networking events and career discussions here and there, but really, what does it mean?
When I think of a brand, I think of Starbucks, or Coke, or Pepsi. It could also be the Nike “swoosh” on your sneakers, or the embroidered alligator on your Lacoste shirt. Look around further and notice the glowing apple on your computer. All these are visual representations of brands we’ve grown accustomed to seeing and buying into…
Does this mean we should start picturing ourselves sitting in our cubicles typing away at our computers with a big “Employee” sticker all over our foreheads? Or that we are mere corporate products sitting on department shelves waiting for our expiration dates? What exactly does it mean to have and develop a personal brand? And how much does it affect our careers?
It took me a while to understand the concept of personal branding, especially as it related to my career. It’s not exactly something you’re taught as you step into Big Corporate, which is unfortunate. If more of us knew about it right from the start, it would help us self-direct our careers more effectively.
After struggling with the concept for quite some time, here’s the simplified definition I came up with:
“Personal branding is the melting pot of who you are, what you are passionate about, and what you do really well, channeled into a concise, clear and focused message about who you are and how you stand out.“
In other words, that’s how you tell the world who you are, what you have to offer, and how unique you are. It’s your own intangible business card, the one you carry with you everywhere you go as you interact with others and build your career.
Why does it matter so much to my career?
- Your personal brand allows you to define yourself, before anyone else does: When I started out in Big Corporate, I had my personal brand handed to me. Like most people. I was the “quiet”, “nose-to-the-grind” employee. Many times, other people’s perceptions of us build our personal brand before we’ve even had a chance to decide on what it should be. By building your personal brand, you get to define who you are in the workplace and beyond before anyone else has a chance to decide for you.
- Your personal brand helps you figure out what makes you stand out, and use it to your advantage: The process of building your brand will force you to sit down and take a good, hard look at what makes you unique and different from others. In a corporate, and world culture in general, where we may try to fit in more than we try to differentiate ourselves, this can draw the line between having an average, normal career, and soaring to the heights of your professional field.
- Your personal brand increases your value and decision power in your career: Why do you think that guy got hired instead of you? Or why this person got the promotion instead of that other one? There’s a lot that goes into the balance when recruiters, management, or even investors (if you happen to be an entrepreneur) decide to bet on one person and not on the other. Building a strong personal brand hijacks your value, as it makes you stand ahead of the pack, and allows you to have more choice in your career.
Have you thought about developing your personal brand, and how it can affect your career?
PS: Want to learn more about personal branding? Join the “Recharge Your Career” month, for a discussion on re-energizing and re-inventing your career.
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
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