The Girl's Guide to the Big Bold Moves for Career Success

by FRIEDMAN, CAITLINYORIO, KIMBERLY

• ISBN13: 9780767927673
• ISBN10: 0767927672
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2009-12-29
• Publisher: Crown Business

Summary

Be the girl who makes it happen! Guess what? If you're not looking out for your career then nobody is. If you want to be both passionate about what you do and successful, thenyoumust take control of your professional destiny. Only you can determine who you are, what you can do, and where you want to go. If you are stuck in your career, frustrated at your position within a company, or bored with the profession you have chosen, then it is time to change your thinking. This book will hold your hand while you step back and evaluate where you started, where you are on your career path today, and most important, where you want to be tomorrow. Tired of your current job? Ready for the next steps? Eager to show the world everything you have to offer? Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio see it all the time: women derailing their careers because they believe that if they just sit quietly, work hard, and please their coworkers, someone upstairs will recognize their talents and dedication and deliver big rewards. But in today's ultra-competitive workplace, nothing could be further from the truth. If you want your dream job with your dream salary, and all the opportunities and fulfillment that come with it, you have to stand up and go for it--without shame, guilt, or hesitation! The Girls' Guide to Kicking Your Career into Geargives you everything you need to decide what you want out of work and create a plan to make it happen. From how to negotiate a raise or a promotion to starting a new profession, Friedman and Yorio provide savvy, reassuring advice on how to successfully navigate every aspect of your career. Their sure-fire tools will show you how to: Sell yourself (without selling out) Master the secrets of the New Girls Network "Manage upward" to impress the right people, the right way Overcome the fearsfrom public speaking to risk-taking--that hold you back Cope with workplace underminers Ask for what you deserve Fight the stereotypes that often keep women from moving up Based on interviews with more than 100 successful women who have shattered the glass ceiling and made great professional strides,The Girl's Guide to Kicking Your Career into Gearis your ticket to taking charge of your career once and for all and getting where you want to go.

Author Biography

As authors and speakers, Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio have helped thousands of women take control of their careers. They are authors of the bestselling and award-winning books The Girl’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business and The Girl’s Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a Bitch). Co-owners of YC Media, a successful public relations company in Manhattan, Caitlin and Kim have appeared on hundreds of media outlets including Today, CNN, Time, Newsweek, Shape and Real Simple. Visit their Web site at www.girlsguidetobusiness.com.

Excerpts

You Are Here


Guess what? If you’re not looking out for your career, then nobody is. If you want to be passionate about what you do, committed to the changes you make, and successful, then you must takecontrolof your professional destiny. Only you can determine who you are, what you can do, and where you want to go. This chapter will hold your hand while you step back and evaluate where you started, where you are on the career path today, how you got there, and most important, where you want to be tomorrow. We will ask you to ask yourself the tough questions: What does success mean for you? Are your fears holding you back? Is your job still working for you? Where did you envision yourself at this point? What kind of employee or manager are you? By diving deep into what motivates you professionally and reading the stories of women who have taken charge of their own careers, you will be armed with a better understanding of yourself and able to take that first step on the road to changing your life.


being the girl who makes it happen

We wrote this book for every woman out there who knows she can do more and wants to tackle the challenge. If you are stuck in your career, frustrated with your position within a company, or bored with the professional path you have chosen, then it is time to change your thinking. Start with a simple question: At the end of your life are you going to be proud of the extraordinary amount of time you have spent on this work?

If you’ve answered “yes,” then use this book to get you to the next level by learning the skills to ask for what you deserve and confront your challenges head–on.

But if you’ve answered “no,” then use this book to figure out what’s missing—and what you need to do to take charge of your worklife. If you have gotten into the habit of writing a negative script for yourself, we’ll work on the rewrite. Don’t accept that you are the girl whonever gets what she wants. Instead, become the girl whomakes it happen for herself.

Think about this. According to a study done by the National Sleep Foundation, the average American spends forty-six hours per week at work. We’d bet it’s actually higher than that, especially with inventions like the BlackBerry. And forty–six hours plus is a lot of time. Since the majority of our waking hours are spent working, we had better like what we're doing. The more we like what we do, the more energy we'll be able to devote to doing it well.

The key to finding happiness in what you do is in accepting who you are and what you want from your work life. Comparing your path to others’ won’t get you anywhere because your skills, values, personality, responsibilities, and even your location are all unique factors that will affect the trajectory of your career. If you’re frustrated with where you are right now, then finding the answers to what you should do about it starts from looking within.


defining your own success

Over the last few years, we’ve asked hundreds of women to define success. For the women just starting out, success was most often a title above their peers, and the income to match. Many women in the middle of their careers felt successful if they had jobs that enabled them the flexibility they needed to be successful working mothers. And women late in their careers defined success as loving what they were doing professionally.

Wherever you are now, being aware of what success is to YOU will help motivate you to achieve the kind of career that is fulfilling and challenging and pays what you want, too. Being aware of your goal will also help you create the action plan.

Here are a few factors to consider when you’re trying to define what success looks like.

• Is making big money a priority? If so,

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Excerpted from The Girl's Guide to Kicking Your Career into Gear: Valuable Lessons, True Stories, and Tips for Using What You've Got (A Brain!) to Make Your Worklife Work for You by Kimberly Yorio, Caitlin Friedman
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.