Six days, three reschedules, and two time-sensitive text messages that went unanswered for 14 hours. That’s what it took recently for a friend to pick up a couch he’d already agreed to buy from me. This behavior got the entire Career Contessa office talking, and our Editorial Director Kit Warchol was so enraged that she has deemed […]
There’s a lot to be said about work culture today. More and more companies offer flex schedules, better parental leave, and value creative work. And perspectives have shifted, allowing us to switch jobs or industries in our pursuit of the “just right” fit. We also celebrate people who start their own companies—whether we call them […]
You’ve graduated, worked internships, maybe even freelanced. But how do you make the jump to actually start your career and find a job with zero experience under your belt? It’s a common issue – while you may have excelled at school, once you’ve dropped off the cap and gown, you’ve got a nearly blank resumé. But […]
Most people think about detoxes and resolutions on January 1st, but the real winners in life are the ones that think about setting and achieving goals year-round. And since summer is on the horizon and we’re already half way through 2017 (yikes!), my team and I at Career Contessa decided that May was a great […]
In college, most of us learned that living with friends can actually be pretty tricky business. So when the question is whether to work with your BFF, the pressure’s much higher. So should you work with a friend? The usual advice goes something like this: No. Never. And… that’s the end of this article. Gotcha! If […]
What’s not to love about a good podcast? You get the thrill of a good story from anywhere, anytime, without having to schlep a heavy hardcover book with you onto the subway. And while we love a good rerun of Serial and we’re diehard fans of Alec Baldwin’s podcast, there are a ton of other podcasts out there that […]
If you’re one of those people who always plans to take a night class or attend a workshop, but ultimately you remember that your favorite show just landed on Netflix and opt to just stay in and order Thai food…you’re not alone. But given that the summer is looming and 2017 is almost halfway done, […]
All signs point to it being time to move on. You’re faking sick, doing the bare minimum work, and dreading Mondays. But your job also pays good money, and you’re living an OK life on that salary. So you put off launching your job search week after week, trying to ignore the frustration you feel at […]
During one of Career Contessa’s #CCMentorMonday posts on Instagram, we got this completely legitimate, complex, and essential question: “How do I deal with sexism in the workplace?” It was one of those questions that makes you go, “Ooh,” but then we immediately realized we didn’t have an answer. We’ve all endured those terribly long sexual harassment training […]
image via mikutas Handshakes, Facebook friend requests, LinkedIn invitations, book clubs, office happy hours, sweat working (?!), Instagram likes, conferences, workshops, webinars… Last month, I found myself dreading attending yet another holiday party with a friend. I’d spent the season saying “yes” to everything from mixers to outings with coworkers to multiple happy hours in […]
photo from hudson interior designs If you are a New Year’s resolution maker, then we at Career Contessa think it’s a safe bet to guess that something about reading more crept onto your list this year. Technology is amazing and we love having an infinite amount of resources at our fingertips, but sometimes your eyes and thumbs (texting […]
Ringing in the new year makes us all reflect on the past twelve months and consider where we hope to be this time next year. And while some resolutions are basically made to be broken (like learning to speak Portuguese on our own… ahem), others are made because we really are ready to commit to them. One […]
photo via edyta szyszlo We’re part of an elite club of career-drive women and we deserve some resources built specifically for us. From magazines like Cherry Bomb to dating apps like Bumble to Career Contessa’s own Hire a Mentor platform, ladypreneurs are increasingly introducing resources tailored to women like them. You know, whipsmart, snarky, and just plain cool. Here are seven platforms […]
When I was 14, I marched into the house with my report card, tossed it in front of my mom, and waited for her to gasp and the column of perfect grades: A, A, A, A, A, A. But after a silent speed read, my mom glanced up and said: “Hey Lauren, this is great! But […]
First things first: let’s talk about what emotional intelligence actually is. Because we’re all kind of wondering. On the simplest level, “emotional intelligence” starts with the ability to read the room. It’s a person’s innate sense of what’s going on beneath surface-level dialogues, and how the people around them actually feel about the situation at hand. […]
So there’s this largely forgotten film from 1999 called Bowfinger. Seen it? In the film, Eddie Murphy’s character, Kit Ramsey, has issues. Loads of them. But whenever he’s spiraling towards a breakdown, Kit’s therapist suggests he calm himself by repeating a personal mantra: “Keep it together. Keep it together. Keep it together.” K-I-T. I have a point, I swear. Crafting […]
Before I tell you about the most obnoxious email thing you do, let me tell you a story. Picture this: It’s 4:52 P.M. on a Thursday and I have big plans to meet my girlfriends at a new swanky wine bar. It’s 8 minutes to Happy Hour and then I’m letting loose. Then this thing […]
Last summer, I had a serious cold brew coffee addiction. Once (sometimes twice) a day, I’d leave our offices to take a “walk,” which really meant stopping by a high-end coffee shop and shelling out $3 or $4 per trip. Think about that. $4—sometimes $8—of my daily budget went into my caffeine fix. That’s like […]
Before I launched my own career site for women, I was a recruiter and spent the majority of my day interviewing candidates. From interns to managers and from phone screens to in-person interviews, I’ve pretty much seen (and heard) it all. Here’s what I know: the root of every poor interview is a lack of […]
I’m a pretty productive person. I consistently write out my to-do list, set (and keep) deadlines, and end my day at inbox zero. Still, somehow I still felt like I was struggling to get things done. I set out to find a better way to make my to-do list work for me, and the secret […]
Anxiety seems to be a natural part of today’s 9-5. We frantically answer emails all day long, avoid ever saying “no” because of some crazy fear that we might miss out on the next big thing, and then, of course, there’s our obsession with needing to know exactly what’s next. What’s my next career move? […]
“Motivation is what gets you started, but habits are what keep you going.” My mother hit me with this pointer on the phone last week during our regular call on my commute to work, proving yet again that moms really do know best. That catchphrase stuck with me throughout my day, leading me to consider […]
