Inspired by Jennifer Lawrence and her story about discussing the gender pay gap, we had some discussion in our office. And since we are a predominately female office, we thought we should refrain from anything that talks about gender and work. But … of course the idea had already nested in my head. So here we go – some serious careers advice for women (and men!).

1. Stop being nice. That does not mean being unfriendly, but often women prefer being seen as likeable over getting what they deserve.

2. Claim your success. No, people will not note it was you who made it happen, claim it! Don’t be shy and assume that people will have noticed your hard work – come on: Drink some champagne to celebrate 🙂

3. Be passionate. There is nothing wrong with ambition. But if you find words such as ambition, drive, determination too strong… well, just ‘follow your heart’ – and you’ll get there too.

4. Treat your career as a bad boyfriend: If your career is not leading to what you were hoping for, take action: Care less, play hard to get and let go of wanting it!

5. Stop apologizing! Never again say “I’m sorry…” Just learn to ask for things.

6. Forget about ‘making it’. There is no such thing as being ‘done’ career-wise, there is always a new challenge: go for it!

Well those 6 steps of serious careers advice with a twist are not too hard to follow I would argue, irrespective whether you’re female or male. So let’s show some ‘girl power’ boys and girls!

Nannette Ripmeester
ELM team

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