It’s 2019 and it’s certainly a time of disruption.
Last year, I wrote about how 2018 was going to be the Year of The Woman—and huge kudos to all of us, because I’m confident we left our mark. This year, I’m seeing that trend continue but in a more fearless way, which is why I’m deeming this the Year of Disruption. Disruptive times mean disrupting narratives, disrupting old ways of thinking, and disrupting entire industries. It might even mean disrupting our long-held definitions of our own success.
Throughout 2018, the Career Contessa team and I pushed through our comfort zones to take on new projects that, truth be told, were terrifying and complicated but worth it—like launching The Salary Project™ or premiering our very first podcast, The Femails. We got in front of the camera again and again, and, in case you’re not keeping track—we hired all new team members.
And what about breaking through my own comfort zone? Well, I had my first live TV appearance, forced (ahem, begged!) my way into a meeting with a VIP executive in New York City that later got us national press, pitched the biggest professional project of my life (more on that later), and did my best to stay focused on building the long-term strategy for Career Contessa—all while not getting lost in the comparison game. That means less time on Instagram and more time reading. It means stopping myself when I’m about to go down the rabbit hole of “have I accomplished enough in my career so far?” And it means more self-love and way less self-doubt.
I know more women who experimented and pushed through their comfort zones in 2018—and that's why I have high hopes that 2019 will be the Year of Disruption for all of us.
Let this be the year when more of us replace fear with power. Lets replace comfort zones and five-year plans with “what if” and “yes, I’d love to try that.” Let this be the year when we disrupt career paths that aren’t fulfilling, ditch narratives around success that don’t serve us, and disrupt the ambition trap we’ve all fallen victim to at least once. Let's embrace change and the great opportunities that come with it.
If there’s one thing 2018 taught me, it’s that women are the most resilient. This is our year, and we're going to show it who's boss.
In a second, I'm going to explain how Career Contessa plans to disrupt 2019 with a “less is more” strategy. But before I go there, let's talk about our audience and the major treats we have in store for you.
...SURPRISE! IT'S A GIVEAWAY
We want to celebrate this exciting time with you all, but we can't pop champagne with every one of you sadly. So instead we settled for something we hope you'll like even more: a massive New Year, New Career giveaway worth more than $2,500!
We've teamed up with some really cool friends to bring you the ultimate gift package that will help you overhaul your career from your work wardrobe to your resume. [The New Year, New Career Giveaway ended January 31, 2019]
Still reading? Good. I want to talk about what you can expect from us in 2019.
1. LESS IS MORE—SO MUCH MORE
Career Contessa recently celebrated its 5th anniversary, and this huge milestone gave us the opportunity to think about our long-term direction and strategy. Although there are many opportunities for us to build out new streams of business, there’s only one important question we need to consider: What challenges or problems are the Career Contessa readers experiencing—and how can we solve those?
So, we’re simplifying our strategy and mission and instead of adding more products and services, we’ll be doubling down on what we already have. In this way, we make sure that you’re getting access to personalized, trustworthy, and effective solutions quickly. We’ve never been your average career site and we have no plans on changing that—ever.
2. SEASON 2 OF THE FEMAILS PODCAST
Season one’s success is 110 percent due to amazing listeners like you and I deeply appreciate the support—and the major boost in confidence that you’re totally excited for season two’s debut on February 5th, 2019! The theme? Not surprisingly, disruption. I’ll be interviewing women disrupting entire industries (hello, Billie!), old narratives around topics like working motherhood and female leadership, plus female CEOs and executives who are creating the new rules of work.
If you’re ready to binge listen to season one, I’ve got that ready right here. Then you’ll know why we get reviews like this one:
And this one:
P.S. You can also leave a review right here.
3. PUTTING CAREER ADVANCEMENT IN YOUR CONTROL
One of the most important ingredients for building a career on your terms is being in the driver’s seat of your own career development and advancement. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that workers today have an average of 11.7 jobs over a 30-year period. In other words, career change and advancement are priorities because a person changes jobs about every 2.5 years. Research also shows that career progression is a leading factor in employee satisfaction. Makes sense, right?
- Making progress in your career = satisfaction and engagement at work
- Engagement at work = clarity and opportunities
- Career opportunities = advancement
And we want to help put career advancement in your hands with access to more online courses on the skills that matter most. In 2 hours or less, you can achieve a competitive edge, increase productivity, and boost your professional performance. The courses are affordable, results-driven, and best of all? Can be completed on your schedule and from the comfort of your own couch.
Check out some of our most popular courses here:
4. VIDEOS
We launched our video production team this year—creating an entirely new department in the CC world. You’ve probably noticed our video content on YouTube, IGTV, and all of our social channels.
Our YouTube channel is home to our original content like our how-to video series “Work in Progress” (because, aren’t we all?) and our new "fun" work topic series “This is Still Productive.” If you're job searching, our "Ultimate Job Search" playlist is a great starting point. We have videos on everything from leading an effective meeting, to asking for a raise, or boosting your productivity. This video is one of our favorites from 2018:
We’ve also got snippets from The Femails first season, Mentor Monday replays, event series recaps, and our course trailers—so you can make an educated decision when you’re buying a course to further your career. We’re so excited to see what 2019 holds for our video department.
5. A DEEPER CONNECTION BETWEEN ME AND YOU
By far the best part of my job is connecting directly with Career Contessa readers. Your stories, your challenges, and your triumphs are what motivate us all to work so diligently to create the best career resource for you. But maybe, you also want to hear about us—maybe you want to know what we’re thinking about, building, or trying to make progress toward.
So, starting in January, I will be sending a monthly email letter sharing what’s happening with me, Career Contessa, and fun updates as they come along. Make sure you’re on our email list to get the inside scoop!
6. A TOP SECRET PROJECT COMING FALL 2019
I know that it’s super annoying to leave you in suspense, but I promise the wait will be worth it.
I’m embarking on my gutsiest project to date, and guarantee it will leave all of you with the confidence to make your own power moves (hint, hint).
ONE LAST THING
I know sharing the big picture is important, but so is mentioning the more specific features we're committed to this year:
- Curated jobs just for you. We understand that you're busy—leave the searching for cool jobs to us. Sign up for our weekly jobs email to make sure you get the curated list delivered to your inbox each week.
- Spotlighting gender issues. Yup, we'll continue to spotlight gender issues through ongoing coverage of working motherhood, the wage gap, sexism, the leadership and advancement gap, and more.
- An Instagram feed that never disappoints when you’re fighting that 3 o'clock slump and need some good office humor.
- Showcasing (and increasing) the diverse voices of women around our site. Women of color and LGBTQ+ women face more obstacles and a steeper path to leadership—we want to help change that by sharing their stories and voices.
We really hope that we're living up to your expectations of what a career resource should be. You can let us know what we're doing well—or what we might be missing! Thank you for being part of the Career Contessa community, and for always evolving with us.
Let us know what you think by emailing me at lauren@careercontessa.com.
