4 pieces of career advice no one will give you - TheJobNetwork

4 pieces of career advice no one will give you - TheJobNetworkYouve heard all the classics before (including from us) never stop revamping your resume. Practice your body language. Keep your network evergreen, because you never know when youll need it. These are all important and useful tips for anyones career, no matter what the industry. But if youre just starting out, there are some moreoff-the-record things that everyone learns the hard way, but people dont really talk about. Lets look at some of the things that happen to most of us, but arent necessarily in the career guides. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) 1. Youre going to fail (sometimes)That sounds super harsh and pessimistic, right? But its also true. Youre not gonna fail all the time, or most of the timedont worry. But sometimes, things will go badly, and you will zulauf into the big F. It happens to all of usthe straight-A overachievers, the guy who doesnt care, the seasoned professional. Sometimes things just arent going to go well. And while it can be upsetting, especially if it leads to negative feedback or professional consequences, you have to be able to absorb it, take what lessons you can, and move on. And when it happens, remember that youre not alone, and that some of the most important lessons come from falling on your face once in a while.2. Set work-life boundaries earlyAt the start of any new job or career path, you want to set a great first impression. The one who starts early (or is impeccably on time every day), stays late, deftly responds to an after-hours email. Heres the problem with that approach it can turn into the status quo very quickly, as people start to expect that your hard-charging ways are just the way you operate and what they can expect from you. This is not to say you should slack off, or try to set expectations low. Rather, make sure youre staking out personal boundaries and that you have personal outlets that balance o ut the job. If you dont have a workout routine, or de-stressing activity, or something that keeps you happy and fulfilled outside of work, thats a fast-track to burnout.3. Dont take everything so seriouslyYes, your career is important. Yes, you should be a strong advocate for yourself and not take crap from anyone. But if youve got your Game Face on all the time at work, you run the risk of alienating coworkers, bosses, anyone on the receiving end of your dont mess with me vibe. Being flexible (and willing to take a step back and chill out) when necessary will help you keep a kind of equilibrium at work.4. Its okay to have imposter syndromeYouve probably heard about imposter syndrome, where people feel like theyre inadequate at their jobs and that everyone else is on the cusp of figuring out that they dont belong there. Turns out, a little insecurity can go a long way toward helping your career. If you feel an overwhelming sense of inferiority, that could mean that you need more tra ining or guidance. But if you feel more like you could take that feeling and direct it into professional development, or working more efficiently, then it can be a boon to your career.No matter who you are, no matter what job you do, the most important career advice of all is dont worry. As long as youre working hard to improve yourself at every step of your career, you dont always have to worry about whether youre following the proper adviceit just has to be proper for you and your goals.

The Flex Company Making Periods A Little Less Painful

The Flex Company Making Periods A Little Less Painful The founders of theFlex Company- whose product, amenstrualdisc, is the first real innovation in feminine care in nearly 80 years - are onto something big.If we lived in a world where every woman lived unashamed of her own body, think of the collective mind space wed free up for women to focus on solving the worlds most pressing problems. Being a better citizen. Advocating for others. Inventing new solutions. Supporting causes she cares about. Being a better sister, mother, partner, or friend.Its this big-picture idea, the co-founders say, that has motivated their business. Founded in August 2015 by Lauren Schulte, Erika Jensen, and Panpan Wang, the Flex Company aims to chip away at the stigma that continues to surround womens periods, bodies and reproductive health. As the founders note, boys in most public schools in America arent taught about menstruation, and girls are taught to hide their tampons. So from the moment we become women, we feel ashamed or embarrassed of ur bodies.When Schulte, Jensen and Wang were brainstorming ways to help girls and women combat this sense of shame, they realized that so much of the negativity we feel toward ur periods is associated with the products we use. No matter what product a woman prefers, they say, she deserves to have healthy, safe, comfortable options. And no woman should be shamed for choosing whats best for her own body.Thats how they came up with the idea for a menstrual disc. Schulte recalls getting yeast infections from tampons - even organic ones - and found menstrual cups difficult to use. Plus, she adds, I dont like that menstrual cups primary marketing angle is to shame women about wanting something disposable.Pictured above The Flex Companys product, a menstrual disc. Photo courtesy of The Flex Company.The Flex Company started shipping to customers last October, and their revenue is booming.We would not have the explosive growth weve seen so far if we w erent selling our product online, the founders say. Truthfully, awareness is the easy part the hard part is adoption. How do we get women to change their behavior to adopt a radically different product?...Particularly one that goes inside of a womans most sacred space?We use technology to replicate the first-time tampon experience, they explain. So, in a way, we act as our customers best friend sitting on the other side of her bathroom door, coaching her through the process. So wed say the Internet is our secret sauce to adoption.Another secret to the Flex Companys success is its diverse team. While their employees come from a variety of backgrounds, the founders say the one thing that binds them together - including the men on their team - is their passion for supporting and building up women. And they practice what they preach beyond advocating for women out in the world, the founders make a point to build up their own team by creating a company culture of support and growth.Not o nly do we pay for employee learning (whether a course, book, workshop or online class), we also give employees a bonus for applying their learning in their day-to-day roles, the co-founders explain. Feedback is often viewed as a negative thing, but frankly, none of us would be able to know where to focus our learning if we didnt have people around us, supporting us, trying to make one another better. And when someone does a great job, they know that they are deserving of the positive feedback.Indeed, Schulte, Jensen and Wang are all about being open and frank. Theyre devoted to facilitating more honest conversations surrounding menstrual and reproductive health, and they admireUnboundandOMGYES-- two companies whose mission is to bring womens sexual pleasure out of the shadows and into the mainstream. At Fairygodboss, were also focused on increasing transparency on issues that are often hard to navigate or discuss -- so we applaud what The Flex Company is doing to change the way we t hink about and deal with our periods. Many women are still grossed out by their own menstrual fluid, the founders point out. That said, when tampons were introduced, the idea of putting something inside of your vagina was also extremely taboo. This shows us that attitudes can change over time. With enough education, we think our society will overcome the deeply ingrained feelings of embarrassment pertaining to our own bodies.Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.Join us by reviewing your employer