It’s the New Year, a great time to take a fresh look at your career and determine ways to develop it. Want to improve your leadership effectiveness? Take a good, hard look at the image you project in the workplace because your effectiveness as a leader is tied to your image, according to the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). Read the rest of this entry »

According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology in fall 2010 titled, “When It Comes to Pay, Do the Thin Win? The Effect of Weight on Pay for Men and Women,” a woman’s weight can have a significant impact on her earnings. Read the rest of this entry »

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was once coaching a woman who was having a difficult time at work because she felt like upper management just wasn’t taking her seriously (don’t worry, that’s NOT her in the example pictures above).

She hadn’t been promoted in the last five years and was feeling incredibly frustrated. We evaluated every aspect of her career and began making changes, including updating her hairstyle and make-up, improving her wardrobe, and improving her public speaking and presentation skills.

One day during a coaching session I asked her to show me the picture she was using on her internal company directory. That’s when we realized something was very, very wrong!

Read the rest of this entry »

Climbing the career ladder is not just about what you know and who you know…it’s also about your appearance.  I once worked with someone at the beginning of my career who was incredibly bright, had several college degrees, excellent work experience, and was highly professional.  But, she never seemed able to get promoted.  Puzzled, I had a discussion with our manager.  Read the rest of this entry »

Many people don’t think twice about how they should act at company-sponsored events, such as a summer picnic.  But according to an article by Janet H. Cho, “anything that starts with ‘company’ first – ‘company picnic,’ ‘company barbecue,’ ‘company baseball game’ – means this is a business event” and workplace rules apply. Read the rest of this entry »

In the August/September feature interview, you’ll meet Kelley Moore, a local celebrity lifestyle expert.  You may have seen her on King 5 or one of many magazines like Seattle Magazine or Seattle Bride, addressing a variety of topics including party planning, gift giving, cooking and more. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past five years I’ve seen every type of clothing attire at work, from business suites to low cut tops and jeans to gym clothes.  Through it all I’ve had a lot of women ask me about the connection of clothing and career success.  Based on two recent surveys, it appears that “casually dressed workers may be risking career success for the privilege of being comfortable” according to Marcia Heroux Pounds. Read the rest of this entry »

I just read an interesting article titled, “The glass ceiling isn’t broken – in fact, it’s getting thicker.”  In it, two women were profiled and they hold interesting opinions about what it takes for women to make it to the top in business.  I’d like to share a brief synopsis in this blog and if you find it interesting, click here for the full article. Read the rest of this entry »

In the February 2008 Career Woman Feature Story, you’ll meet Jasmine Moir, the editor of DailyCandy Seattle, a free daily email “from the front lines of fashion, food, and fun.”  Jasmine shares her story about the importance of finding your career passion, “…the minute I started doing something that I really, really loved – not something that I thought was sensible or would be good for my resume – everthing kind of fell into place.” Read the rest of this entry »

The weather is starting to turn cold.  Think ahead and plan for your wardrobe.  Not only what you’ll wear in the office, but what you’ll wear to and from the office over your clothes.

Many young women entering the workforce don’t own a dress coat.  It’s just not acceptable to wear your leather jacket or ski shell over your business suit.  Sorry ladies, but when you show up at a client’s office wearing a silk blouse, wool skirt and pumps paired with your winter fleece, it doesn’t create a very put together look. Read the rest of this entry »