On 13th August, education and career pioneers General Assembly hosted a virtual “Kick Ass Women Slay Together” event. Bright Purple’s own Louise attended this special women’s event, which welcomed speakers Lauren Malone, Fin Wycherley, Gin Lalli and Sheetal Revis. Here are some of Louise’s key takeaways from the Q&A event below!
About General Assembly
General Assembly are pioneers in in education and career transformation, specializing in coding, UX& Design, Data, Marketing and Business. They are the leading source for training, staffing and career transitions, and have grown into a global learning experience with over 30 campuses and over 70,000 graduates worldwide.
Imposter Syndrome: What is it and how to overcome it
Imposter Syndrome is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments or talents and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud". Nearly everyone experiences imposter syndrome in their careers, but men tend to come out of it faster than women. It is so important to quieten down the voice of doubt, so ways to deal with this include:
- Remembering positive feedback you have been given before
- Reach out to your support network who will send you on the right track
- Try to focus on shifting your mind-set over time
- Overcoming natural blocks may take time – it’s really important to be patient with yourself
How do you deal with criticism?
The response to this question was that it was all about mindset:
- If you have had a lot of feedback and most of it is positive, try not to be disheartened by the negative
- Use negative feedback to objectively review and see how it can be helpful: what can you action and is there context / detail around this which will specifically pinpoint what went wrong or what can be improved on? If there is then use this to learn and improve
- Remember that you cannot please all of the people all of the time!
- Receiving negative feedback can be an opportunity to deliver something better: to go above and beyond expectations
What advice would you give to your younger self?
- Do not concern yourself with what others think
- No one notices your mistakes
- You can always be doing things in the background
- There are somethings you won’t ever change
What advice would you give to someone in a corporate job looking to start a side venture?
The key takeaway was to give yourself time – not everything can happen overnight!
- Give yourself at least 6 months to get the website set up, get a strategy in place and get going on social media
- Allow a minimum of 12 months to get into the grit of the business, and finances
- You need financial security – keep this in mind before investing or risking large amounts
- Always be aware of when your current day job is holding you back – timing is everything
- It’s so important to have a plan – make sure you do this!
How to sell yourself when applying for jobs?
- Think about why you want to move? What are the passionate reasons behind your desire for change?
- Is this an opportunity to develop? Will the new job have the same challenges?
- Is there something you are more passionate about?
- Think about your skillset, what are you great at? What can you develop in?
- Talk to people who do the job that you are interested in – they will be able to give you a better overview
- Then you will understand what you have and what you need to do to get it
Continued Growth
- Make sure you have that growth mind-set
- Always be thinking several steps ahead
- Keep networking and remind people that you are still around!
Choosing a mentor
There was a real agreement around the fact that we should all be mentors to each other! Many of us have different qualities and experiences that can contribute varied, helpful advices across multiple areas:
- It is really important to remember to trust your gut – it’s rarely wrong!
- When choosing a mentor, it’s a great idea to choose the most experienced person to guide you. You can hold each other accountable, the experience will be measurable - what are your objectives, what do you want to gain from this mentorship.
- Pick someone who is likeminded to support you and someone who will be able to help things move quickly for you
Asking for help: how to better yourself
- Read lots – business literature, mental health books
- People will help you more than you think – use your trusted network
- Think about marketing and HR
- Get your life organised (relationships, physical and mental health)
- Get fresh air and take breaks!
- Do what you do best and outsource the rest!
- It’s so important to network and connect – all the time, sometimes its not who you know, but who knows you
Describe your "day in the life"; how does this help you achieve your goals?
Key themes from the speakers’ days included:
- Morning routines of stretching, meditation, exercise, mindfulness and / or yoga
- Prioritising your workload for the day ahead as well as prioritising for tomorrow
- There are significant benefits to walking for an hour in the evening – getting that fresh air, a change of scene and time away from business / your desk
We’ve all taken a lot from Louise’s experience and notes from this event. A massive thank you to her for passing on this valuable information, and to General Assembly for putting on such a great virtual experience with industry leaders!
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