Do you want to make your next bold move or do you feel stuck in your career? Here is the best career advice for women in 2024. This career advice will help you to refocus, find motivation, and overcome some of the top challenges for women in business.
With so much advice out there, it’s hard to know what to follow and what to ignore. We have 12 underrated pieces of career advice that are actionable, growth-orientated, and will make your journey successful and meaningful.
The Best Career Advice for Women
15 Pieces of Career Advice for Women
1. Have a Career Vision Board (But Be Flexible)
A career vision board helps you look at the big-picture, you focus on your career and not just your current job. To create a career vision board, begin by asking yourself:
- Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?
- What is your ideal job?
- Focus on key concepts like “female CEO” or “respected leader.”
- Find photos that symbolize your dream career and life.
Create your board and look at it often to keep your daily practices aligned with your big goals. This is one of the best pieces of career advice for women – think big and showcase your goals. But remember to be open-minded and flexible, you never know what could happen.
Recommended Reading: How to Make a Career Vision Board That Will Motivate You Daily
2. Create A Personal Mission Statement (And Stick to It)
A personal mission statement can help you show up at work and every day in your career that is aligned with your values. By crafting a unique mission statement, you can find meaning in your work and they can help keep you motivated and focused.
Examples of inspiring personal mission statements:
- “To be a teacher. And to be known for inspiring my students to be more than they thought they could be.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “I define success as creating something that’s bigger than myself. It’s about building a company with a strong team and a lasting legacy.” – Bold BusinessWomen, Loes Daniels.
- “Not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” –Maya Angelou
3. Be Self-Aware (Focus on Your Strengths)
All the best leaders are emotionally intelligent, which begins by understanding your own emotions and their impact on your work performance and relationship. It can also help you to identify your weak spots and strengths.
Ask yourself:
- When do I feel confident?
- When do I feel unsure of myself?
- How would other people describe me?
What are my strengths?
Journaling and feedback can help you become more self-aware, which can help you improve as a leader, teammate, and female entrepreneur. And by focusing on your strengths, you can get the greatest return on investment.
4. Be Vulnerable (It is Scary But Exciting)
An unpopular piece of career advice for women is to be vulnerable. This is especially true for female leaders.
When you are vulnerable, you are brave and you can create real connections with people. Thought leader and social worker, Brené Brown, says vulnerability, value, and trust can help us be exceptional leaders.
Recommended Reading: 15 Dare to Lead Quotes That Will Change How You Lead
5. Speak Up and Be Confident (And Practise This Skill)
Confidence is one of the top challenges for female entrepreneurs. If you want to progress in your career, you have to believe in yourself and your abilities, and communicate that. Luckily confidence is a skill and like any skill, it can be practiced and developed.
Here are 3 confidence-building exercises you can try:
- Try Power Poses for Women
- Use Powerful Affirmations
- Prepare to Feel More Confident
Recommended Reading: 15 Effective Confidence-building Exercises for Women
6. Form a Group of Career Cheerleaders (And Don’t Forget to Champion Others)
Find people who champion you and your ideas. Look at your workplace, successful women in business, and your personal life. These are people that you trust and admire.
Form your cheerleading squad and check in with them. And to forget to champion other women. Empowered women empower others.
7. Develop a Growth Mindset (The Goal is Not Perfection)
An underrated but revolutionary piece of career advice for women is to develop a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, you can grow and develop your skills through application and experience, and your potential is unfixed and uncapped. With a growth mindset, you are open to feedback and focus on progress, not perfection.
How Can You Develop a Growth Mindset?
- Approach each challenge with a ‘can do’ mentality.
- Make learning your ultimate goal
- Use the phrase “yet”
- Constantly seek feedback and use it
- Embrace mistakes
Recommended Reading: How Can You Develop a Growth Mindset as a Woman in Business?
8. Get Real Feedback (And Use It)
Feedback should not be seen as a personal attack on your or your performance, but it should be used as a tool for growth. Encourage feedback and use it to identify your weak spots, improve, and get ahead in your career.
Get feedback from different career levels and angles like your managers, colleagues, and even some of your cheerleaders. Remember to use it, and measure how you improve.
9. Practice Self-Care (It Is Important)
To lead a sustainable career, you need to practice self-care and prioritize what is important to you. Ask yourself:
- How much time do I want to spend with my family?
- What other hobbies replenish me outside of work?
- Is my current work pace sustainable?
If you want more work-life balance, here is how you can Find Focus and Fulfillment in 4 Easy Steps
10. Read Business Books for Women (Focus on Improvement)
If you feel stuck, pick up a business book for women. There are so many inspirational thought leaders and businesswomen that we gather invaluable insights from, so use them.
11. Network (Make Connections)
Networking is so important. Attend networking events, collaborate within your workplace, and always seek to make connections with people – you never know what opportunities could emerge later on, when you will need a contact, or what idea they could help you with.
12. Celebrate Your Success (Both Big And Small)
Here is some easy-to-implement career advice for women – celebrate your success! This is a confidence-boosting exercise that can help you reflect on what you have achieved and can keep you motivated.
Here are 5 ways to celebrate success:
- Set Up a Communication Channel to Celebrate Success
- Plan a Trip
- Gift an Experience
- Create a Gratitude Wall
- Give a Development Opportunity
Recommended Reading: Celebrating Success: 25 Ideas for Female Entrepreneurs
13. Be Bold (Take The Risk)
A revolutionary piece of career advice for women is to take a few more risks, it could lead to remarkable results and you are guaranteed to learn from that experience.
Have a goal to take a few more risks, and record the ones you take and their outcomes.
14. Trust Your Gut (Your Second Brain)
Unconventional career advice for women is to trust your gut. If something feels right, go for it. If something feels wrong and you are hesitant, do some more digging and research. Your feminine intuition is one of your greatest strengths – use it as you navigate your career.
15. Remember to Fail (And Learn in The Process)
Lastly, try to fail. If you don’t fail, it means you didn’t try something new. And if you don’t try something new, you don’t learn anything.
Remember, learning is the ultimate goal.
Embrace Our Career Advice for Women and Watch Your Career Sky Rocket
These are the 15 best pieces of career advice for women. They tackle challenges for businesswomen, can help you develop exceptional leadership capabilities, and have fun on your journey.
Your career may be unpredictable, but following these tips will make your unique journey purposeful, exciting, and successful.
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