I’m truly fortunate that our leadership team at Martin Waymire is full of inspiring, passionate women with a wealth of life and career experience. I’m able to learn from them every day as I continue to grow as a person and a professional. In honor of March 8, International Women’s Day, I compiled valuable career and life advice for young women professionals from some of the phenomenal women I work with.
Lift and Inspire
Angela Minicuci, APR, Senior Account Executive
What better way to push through the glass ceiling than by doing the actual heavy lifting ourselves? It’s easy to critique and tear down – both ourselves and others – but that only pushes us further away from achieving our goals. So instead, seek out the women in your life who inspire you, learn from them, and lift them up: in praise, professionally, and as mentors and friends. From my daughter who doesn’t hesitate to play with dolls OR Hot Wheels, to the very first female vice president that America has ever had: there are incredible things being done every day in all of our lives to make our world better and more inclusive. Let’s lift the good that we see, the women shattering barriers, and push through the inequities to the future we want.
Stay Persistent and Resilient
Andrea Kerbuski, Senior Account Executive
It’s not if, but when you fail and these moments are what taught me the most about myself, what I want out of a career and my life. Failures and disappointments are going to happen and if you can recognize these as little life lessons, take time to learn and grow from them, you’ll be stronger and more confident. And that confidence is key to standing up for what you want, allowing you to achieve your personal and professional goals.
Stay True to Yourself and Your Needs
Andrea Poole, APR, Vice President
Personally and professionally, it’s important to learn how to say “no” to commitments that don’t bring you some sort of fulfillment. Your spare time is precious. It’s easy to get pulled into a million extracurricular activities, such as serving on boards or attending networking events, especially when those activities validate your professional or personal connections. But don’t forget to take time for yourself to recharge and refocus. Instead of letting “FOMO” (fear of missing out) consume you, embrace the “JOMO” — the joy of missing out.
Polish Your Writing
Kathy Barks Hoffman, Vice President
No matter what kind of work you’ll be doing in your new position, writing well is the key to success. Press releases, op-eds, social media posts, speeches, talking points and proposals all are most effective when you write clearly and persuasively. The media is more likely to pay attention when your press release or op-ed follows Associated Press style, is grammatically correct and doesn’t contain any typos. Social media posts that are engaging and well-written are more likely to catch readers’ eyes or lead them to take action – especially if you pair them with well-executed graphics. Storytelling becomes art when words are used well. If you want to succeed as a communicator, never stop polishing your writing!
