Dear Corporate Girlies,
I’m back from my adventures on the road, but I can’t get something one of our speakers, Terika Fasakin, said at the Atlanta Forum out of my head: “bet on yourself.” She was talking about her decision to get an MBA. She was a mechanical engineer with a good job. Nobody in her life thought an MBA was a good idea; in fact, everyone she knew actively discouraged her. In that moment, when nobody could get behind her, she said she knew she had to bet on herself. Only she could connect the dots between where she was and where she wanted to go and how she wanted to grow. So she bet on herself, applied to MBA programs, and now has an incredibly cool career as the Brand Director for Sprite at The Coca-Cola Company.
Here’s why betting on yourself is the right approach: at the end of the day, nobody else is going to manage your career for you. But how do you bet on yourself if you don’t have a vision for your career?
Step 1: Think about your current role. Which parts of your job energize you? Which parts drain you?
Step 2: Whose career do you admire? Why? What are they doing that inspires you?
Step 3: Write your ideal job description. How would you spend your day? What would you be responsible for? What would you make sure you never had to do again? Don’t be afraid to dream big here. There’s no wrong answer.
I’ll check back in on you next month to see how you’re progressing. Drop me an email or send me a message on LinkedIn if you want to chat about it.
Power Skill of the Month
Storytelling is one of the most important skills you can master. It makes what you have to say memorable, which matters more than ever when we’re being bombarded with information, alerts, and notifications at every turn. Check out this session on The Art of Telling Your Career Story with our favorite Career Coach, Diane Fennig.
Career Question of the Month
“Is now the right time to take a risk?”
We get it. The job market sucks and the economy is awful. Do you hunker down, hug that job tight, and hope things are better in a few years? Or is this the time to take an itty bitty step toward that idea, that thought that’s been brewing in the back of your mind? My colleague Amy Orlov breaks it down in this article.
Talk soon,
