Our Wear to Work feature presents pieces of workwear for women at work at various price and style ranges.
I've been on the hunt for tailored, modern suits that don't take me back to the "Working Girl" era (no offense). Suits like this tailored number from J. Crew!
I absolutely love the easy fit of this suit in a non-traditional light blue. It's perfect for summer and even into early Fall.
The coordinating tailored trousers are also cut to perfection and extremely flattering.
Our Wear to Work feature presents pieces of workwear for women at work at various price and style ranges.
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is still going on and there are still some amazing finds out there! This Eliza J cold should dress is perfect for the office and after-hours, adding just the right touch of je-ne-sais-quoi to your workwear.
This fitted sheath with darts and seaming flatters any silhouette, while the cold shoulder is a nice contemporary look. It's available in Pine and Navy at Nordstrom.
You’ve set all these goals for yourself at the beginning of the year. Before you know it, we’re way past mid-year, and in between, all those career resolutions are right there with your unused gym membership.
I know the feeling. I love making plans and setting goals for the future. The challenge, like with everyone, comes when it’s time to turn those plans into action. The more time goes by, the harder it is to get back to those goals and actually accomplish them. Or recognize when those goals have changed, re-focus and re-calibrate.
Every year somewhere towards the halfway mark, I schedule a mid-year check meeting with Me, Myself and I. It’s my own reality check as to where I’m standing in general. I have to say, it’s not always the most fun meeting to have, especially when I’ve let this goal slide, that objective get forgotten and those dreams get delayed one, two or several more years.
After a while, I got tired to starting over every New Year and rehashing the same goals without much success. Stopping at mid-year to truly evaluate where I stand allows me to have the honest conversation I need to hold with myself in order to make progress. Even if progress sometimes means stepping back in order to better move ahead…
If you’re at this point too or considering having a truthful conversation with yourself about where your career stands, here are 3 steps you can take:
(HONESTLY) REVIEW YOUR YEAR SO FAR
Now is the time to do an assessment of the first half of the year. Take a sheet of paper and write down all the goals you had at the beginning of year, or just dig out your Goal Book from the beginning of the year (if you have one).
What accomplishments are you most proud of so far in the year? What hasn’t worked so well for you? What feedback have you gotten so far? Where can you improve? Grab a cup of tea, sit in your favorite spot and honestly look at how far you’ve come.
RE-INVIGORATE YOUR GOALS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR
After conducting an honest assessment of where you stand, you can now actually put some life back into those goals. From this point on, you can dust yourself off and look forward to the last few months of the year.
What do you really intend to accomplish by the end of the year? Why does it matter so much to you to accomplish these objectives? What do you have to do to get there? It’s time to set those objectives and plans in motion!
Don’t forget to use the SMART approach to refreshing or re-creating your goals. In order to be effective and achievable, they must be:
S- Specific: Paint as clear a picture of the outcome you’re looking for. Use clear deliverables and deadlines. For instance, commit to getting two clients a week, or delivering one report a month.
M- Measurable: Unless you can measure your progress, you can’t really know how close you are to meeting your goals. Put some figures behind them, such as numbers of deliverables, website traffic or other measurable metrics.
A- Attainable: Can you realistically reach your goals, or are you being unreasonable considering your resources, time and energy? Be honest about how attainable your goals really are.
R- Results-Oriented: You need to see some results. Whether it’s revenue, promotions, raises, or website reach, your goals must show progress towards tangible results.
T- Time-bound: Someday won’t cut it. You need a deadline to get your objectives achieved by. Whether it’s next month, or next year, every goal must have a specific deadline associated to it.
SET UP AN ACTION PLAN
After putting life back into your goals and taking a definite look forward, it’s time to start decomposing these refreshed goals into action steps. It’s one thing to have brilliant objectives; it’s another to actually follow the steps to bring them into fruition.
For each goal, determine which step(s) you can take NOW (as in TODAY), and which steps you can take by the end of the year to reach your objectives.
IN CONCLUSION:
REVIEW YOUR YEAR SO FAR AND PERFORM AN HONEST ASSESSMENT OF HOW FAR YOU’VE COME
REFRESH OR RECREATE YOUR GOALS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR
SET UP AN ACTION PLAN
Have you done your mid-year career check yet? What have you learnt so far?
Welcome to our weekly career, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and fashion news roundup! Think of it as your online watercooler/work gossip station/coffee break spot for now…Want to add anything to our list? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
Are you under the spell of the summer productivity slump? Recruiter provides 10 tips to beat it;
Wondering whether you’re on the right career path? Thought Catalog lists 17 questions to help you;
Got a Bachelor’s degree? Business Insider lists the 25 highest -paying jobs you can get with your degree;
Considering going to grad school? Ellevate Network helps you answer the question “Should I go to Grad School?”;
Looking to start a new career? Recruiting blogs lists these easiest industries to start in;
Drowning under credit card debt? Forbes Woman lists 4 ways to slash it;
The LinkedIn blog tips you off on finding your next job using Linked In;
Glassdoor confirms that it’s time to quit your job, and why;
Want an extraordinary life? Making Sense of Cents tips you off on 9 ways to actually make it happen;
Are you an entrepreneur? Ellevate Network tells you four simple ways how you can use the lazy days of summer to your advantage;
Growing up in Senegal (West Africa), I’ve always loved learning. Anything education-related, from shiny new notebooks to large academic books, had me doing a (mental) happy dance. I guess you could say I was a nerd, pink glasses, heavy backpack and all… As the second girl in a single-parent family, I had learnt very early on to treasure the gift of education, mostly because my dear mom sacrificed so much so all four of us could have access to it. In a country where women were (and still are) under-represented in so many ways, being educated as a girl was (and still is) precious!
As passionate as I was about learning, I would have never suspected back then that the gift of education would actually change my life. Fast-forward a few years as I completed high school, both my mother and I were called in to the principal’s office. Shaking with nervousness, I kept wondering what that was all about. As it turned out, I was in the running for a scholarship to a prestigious school. Except the school was in the U.S., and if I was lucky enough, I’d be starting in the next few months…
The power of learning and education will take you further than you may have thought, across continents and countries. Whether formal or informal, everything you learn takes you some place you’ve never been before…
A few years later, I was graduating from Undergraduate and Graduate school, proudly wearing my favorite handmade African outfit under my robe. As I walked across the stage, thoughts of my journey flashed through my mind. Never in a million years had I thought learning would take me halfway across the world, enhancing my precious roots, and experiencing new cultures, ideas and concepts.
It was the power of education that taught me never to stop learning. Even after graduating as an Accounting major, my thirst of learning cultivated from years as a student, never dried up. It had awakened in me a constant curiosity, this constant sense that behind even the most trivial of things or events, there’s always something to learn.
Once a student, always a student. Learning doesn’t stop at graduation, or after completing a significant milestone in life. We learn every single day, formally or informally, and we’re made better, stronger, and so much more fulfilled because of it.
It’s also learning that brought me back to my first love of writing through blogging. After getting a formal education, I kept informally learning about the one passion I had had since childhood. The more I learnt, the more I could incorporate what I learnt in and outside of school and college. The more I was able to combine my natural talents with professional demands and start building my own path…
That’s the thing about learning and education. It doesn’t have to be in a specific discipline or path. It’s not necessarily done in formal settings. It can take you from the cubicle to the corner office, lead you to try things you’ve never considered, and push you to explore those skills and talents you may have neglected before.
I’m thankful to have been given the gift of education, in both formal and informal settings. As my dear grandmother used to say in her native Cape-Verdean creole over her stove making the best soul food I ever ate: “What you know, no one can ever take away for you!”
Keep on learning and getting inspired by other students’ stories who are overcoming odds to achieve success in their lives through education!
I always look forward to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale to snatch some fashion goodies, especially in the Wear to Work area. This year is certainly no exception! The Anniversary Sale Early Access is currently on until July 20, which means you’ll be able to find brand-new arrivals at super sales prices.
As far as Wear to Work picks, overall, there are a lot of choices! If you happen to like ruffles, you’ll be served as a number of workwear picks feature either ruffled sleeves, hems or cuts. There are also a lot of colors and patterns to pick from, which is quite refreshing, especially in the dresses department. I would’ve liked to see more variety in pants and skirts, but the versatility of dresses and tops largely made up for it.
Welcome to our weekly career, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and fashion news roundup! Think of it as your online watercooler/work gossip station/coffee break spot for now…Want to add anything to our list? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
This week was my birthday, and on The Corporate Sister, we were all about original ways to celebrate your birthday at work;
Glassdoor lists 13 companies that are hiring now fast;
The Lindsey Pollak blog lists 5 sources of summer work stress (and how to fix them);
Forbes reveals the 6 signs you need a new job (and don’t even know it);
Are you a recent college grad? Ellevate Network recommends 3 fields grads should consider
Hello curly girls! If you happen to be in New York, Black Enterprise reminds you to stop by the third Curlfest 2017;
Looking for a job on the DL? The Muse recommends a few tips to get out of work for job interview (without weaving a web of lies);
The Nordstrom Anniversary sale is on and poppin’, and Corporette has the best workwear recommendations;
Ellevate Network lists 5 tips on how to plan a work-free summer vacation.
