10 Career Tips Every Young Woman Should Know

Young women, in particular, are extremely empowered. We have more opportunities in the workplace now more than ever (although there’s still a lot of room for improvement). It is very possible for us to build careers that women even one to two generations before us only dreamed of. Staying on top of your career can be tough, but then again, so are women. Here are 5 career tips for to guide you as you rise up your career ladder.

1. Be willing to take criticism because it’s crucial to the learning process.
2. Study your superiors. At work, I am surrounded by brilliant female leaders. Learning from their example is incredibly valuable.
3. Find internships. Go to workshops. Obtain all possible experience.
4. Be creative and innovative in the workplace. You are young and offer a fresh outlook into your field. Contribute your ideas and think outside of the box.
5. Understand that you’re never beneath any kind of work, and you’d be surprised what you can learn from seemingly meaningless tasks.
6. Never feel you have to dress less feminine to be respected by others. Your appearance should be irrelevant in professional circumstances. It is your personal choice. Leaders can wear pink. Just be modest and professional and the rest is up to you.
7. On that same note, never feel that your appearance in general matters more because of your gender. It should be unrelated to the confidence you have in career situations.
8. Don’t be ashamed or afraid to ask for help.
9. Write thank-you letters and send thank-you emails. Be clearly and verbally appreciative at all times.
10. Try to save money in all of the little ways that you can. Pack lunches, get REWARDS cards for gas points and shop at Tj Maxx for your blazers instead of the mall. You want to be able to make money from your job, not spend more on it than needed.