I've been predicting that 2018 will be the Year of The Woman—which means we'll be right there supporting you.
2017 had some major losses when it came to women's rights, but I want to open this letter by focusing on some of the wins we did have.
On January 21st, 2017, we started the year with 4 million people participating in the Women's March worldwide and ended this year with proof that our steps created action—15,000 women (and counting) decided to run for office in 2017.
We watched brave women speak out against sexual harassment and assault in their industries and then even more came forward to share their #metoo stories and then to advocate for the #timesup action plan.
We watched Wonder Woman break box office records grossing $822 million in revenue marketing. (Yup, it's the highest grossing film ever directed by a woman—virtual high-five to Patty Jenkins.)
Merriam-Webster named "feminism" the word of the year.
Companies with more women at the top of the org chart are still producing higher profits than companies without women.
That's why we have high hopes that 2018 will be the Year of The Woman, and it's why we're commiting our work here at CC to making it exactly that. The year women unsubscribe from all the "should-ing all over ourselves" as Cleo Wade explained in a recent Glamour Magazine essay. The year women stop giving a damn about what careers they think they should have, what success should look like, or listening to the narratives preventing you from being the exact woman you want to be. 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 participate in the Year of The Woman with a jam-packed schedule of new resources and projects. But before I go there, let's talk about you and the major treat we have in store for you...
In a second, I'm going to explain how Career Contessa plans to participate in the Year of The Woman with a jam-packed schedule of new resources and projects. But before I go there, let's talk about you and the major treat we have in store for you...
...Surprise! It's a giveaway
We want to celebrate the Year of The Woman 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 $4,000!
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. Update: This giveaway closed on 1/31/2018 at 11:59 pm PST.
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. Update: This giveaway closed on 1/31/2018 at 11:59 pm PST.
Still reading? Good. I want to talk about what you can expect from us in 2018.
1. our brand new 28-day career kickstart
We want you to be more in control of your career this year than ever before. That's why we've created the 28-Day Career Kickstart, an easy and effective way to make progress in your career—without the guilt of being told you should do more. We're about working smarter, not harder. Women work hard enough already.
In as little as four weeks you could 1) make more money, 2) learn new skills, or 3) find a new job (or all three) by signing up. It's a little bit like an online course, except you don't need to leave your inbox to work on it. So maximize your career potential and sign-up for the 28-Day Career Kickstart today.
In as little as four weeks you could 1) make more money, 2) learn new skills, or 3) find a new job (or all three) by signing up. It's a little bit like an online course, except you don't need to leave your inbox to work on it. So maximize your career potential and sign-up for the 28-Day Career Kickstart today.
2. better navigation tools
We've also revamped our homepage and navigation bar to make it easier than ever to find what you're looking for. The biggest change is that we expanded our navigation bar to include each section of our site—Advice, Interviews, Companies, Jobs, Downloads, Webinars, Coaching, and Online Learning. The goal is to get you to what you need faster without feeling like you're on an endless scavenger hunt.
3. transparency around salary data
The Salary Project has been one of our most popular series for a while now and for good reason: who isn't interested in salary transparency?! The database is crowdsourced from real readers submitting their salary information via a 100% anonymous and private survey. Over the last year, we've collected over ten thousand submissions and, now, that data is easy for you to access in our new interactive database, which you can access anytime through a free Career Contessa account.
3. showcasing (and increasing) the diverse voices of women around our site
Women remain underrepresented at every level in corporate America despite all the progress we've made like earning more degrees, entering the workforce in larger numbers, and bringing more awareness to issues like equal pay, paid family leave, and how women positively impact a company's bottom line. But the workplace is especially challenging for women of color. A 2017 report from Lean In and McKinsey found that "Women of color face more obstacles and a steeper path to leadership, from receiving less support from managers to getting promoted more slowly. This affects how they view the workplace and their opportunities for advancement."
2018 is the Year of The Woman—and that means ALL women. We're committed to sharing more resources, advice, and tools that showcase the diverse voices of all women who work.
2018 is the Year of The Woman—and that means ALL women. We're committed to sharing more resources, advice, and tools that showcase the diverse voices of all women who work.
4. in-depth coverage of Companies that support women
Here at CC, we always recommend that you skip chasing the dream job and find your "dream" company instead because it's the company that really makes for a lasting (and successful!) career. However, we also know that you don't have unlimited hours to spend researching companies that support women and it's often hard to find detailed information on the benefits they offer like flexible hours, paid family leave, leadership and growth opportunities, commitment to equal pay, and even ongoing career development programs. We're making it easy with our company profiles which give you an inside look at companies that are committed to hiring, developing, and supporting women in the workplace. In addition, you'll learn about what it takes to get hired at these great companies and check out their current job openings. Make sure you're on our email list to be notified as new companies are added!
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:
- On-demand online learning. We're expanding our library of high-quality online courses to include topics on leadership, productivity, and more so you can successfully navigate the really tough obstacles at work. Because we know that knowledge is power and learning from women who've been there and successfully done that is how you'll make the type of progress in your career that makes a difference.
- Access to the best career coaches. That means personalized and actionable career advice from professional experts you can trust— that's our ongoing promise and commitment with our career coaching platform, Hire a Mentor.
- New ways to engage with our great content. From written content to online videos to in-person events, we're developing new ways you can engage with us (and other career-driven women!) on a daily basis.
- Curated jobs just for you. We understand that you're busy so you can leave 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.
We really hope that you love the new and improved Career Contessa and 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—in the comments below! Thank you for being part of the Career Contessa community and for always evolving with us.
Let us know what you think in the comments!
