I’m two months in. Thus far, dressing the part, and leaning in have paid off (I’ve started my formal appraisal process, so I should know more soon!). A partner at my firm sent me an email recently acknowledging my hard work—one of the top emails I’ve ever received, second only to my first college acceptance. “We do let our interns jump into the deep end of the pool if they want to, because they often can… and you’re certainly doing that.” Tears of joy. I may have failed the swim test my first summer at camp (true story; I’m an awful swimmer), but look at me now, treading water in the deep end with the big kids.
Kind of along those lines, I thought I’d share some of my favorite resources for the young (primarily female) professional:
Perhaps I’m biased as a former journalista, but I think being informed about the world’s goings on is vital for anyone—young and old, professional or not. Global events catalyze localized effects, and knowing an important news bit can change conversations. I’m a firm believer that cultural literacy improves intelligence, interview performance, work efficiency, blind dates. Nothing’s more awkward than having a date bring up recent issues in Ukraine or Venezuela and… nada. Even as a newsmonger, I can’t consume it all, so I rely heavily on my morning Skimm. While you get your beauty rest, Skimm summarizes the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the world, and delivers it to your inbox every weekday morning. It’s Politico Pro for normal people: the top-line, need-to-know stuff, with hilariously awesome analysis built in; they summarize the good stuff and contextualize why you should care. It’s catered to Millenials and riddled with sarcasm. And it’s free, so no excuses.
The Muse is another great resource, especially before and during the dreaded job search. They’re similar to Levo League (below), except instead of networking events, they offer free online classes that increase your hire-ability and a more comprehensive database of jobs (at really cool companies, too)—I applied to a couple of positions last year that I found through their site. Think of the Muse as your personal college advisor—if your college advisor were super hip and knew about all the hot, new gigs.
If you didn’t join a sorority in college—or if your chosen organization doesn’t have a super stellar alumni program—then let me introduce you to your new crew: Levo League. The organization defines themselves as a “social good startup designed to elevate young women in the workforce by providing the career resources needed to achieve personal and professional success.” They publish articles (both original and pulled from other career sites, all with awesome pictures) that cater to young female professionals, organize “Local Levo” groups that get together for happy hours and networking events, and post job opportunities. I frequently read through their articles (that’s actually where I heard about Skimm), and am headed to a happy hour with NYC’s Local Levo tomorrow! I’m looking forward to networking and making new female friends.
I also want to throw Glitter Guide on here because sometimes a girl just has to have fun, too. I’m a huge advocate of work/life balance, and GG helps me find that. The lifestyle blog covers decor, crafting, and travel (my favorites), as well as beauty and fashion, and is so.darn.glittery. It’s a recent fave, but I’ve enjoyed lapping up all the glittery goodness the guide has to offer. The photos are inspirational and, at the very least, make for some stellar Pinterest material. That’s it—I’m a glitter junkie.
Lean in, ladies, and share your favorite professional (or not) resources!
