Network of enlightened Women at UNC Charlotte

Many people focus on professional networking to start or advance their careers. Knowing the right people can play an important role in what your next job will be. However, a key ingredient to professional networking people forget about is maintaining those relationships. Often, many people fail to stay connected with people they build great rapport with.  Dorie Clark, a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review says “if you’re not staying in touch with people from your past, you’re cutting off a lot of potential opportunities.” Let’s look at practical steps you can take to not only expand your network but how you can keep it alive. Who Should Be In Your Network? You may not realize it, but even if you have not been actively building your professional network, you probably already have a solid list. Here are some people who can be on it: Friends and Family Current and Former Classmates Current and Former Coworkers and Supervisors Members of Clubs or Profes...

Strolling the seemingly endless aisles of my local Target the past few weeks, I see all of the school supplies lined up on the endcaps tempting buyers like me who are headed back to class. My favorite items to look at are the planners. Typically, they’re girly - just like me - and give you the immediate feeling of wanting to get organized. There are a few reasons why these spiral-bound pieces of paper are great ideas - especially for busy college students. You can plan out assignments. Let’s start by focusing on academics which is the main reason to purchase a weekly planner. Keeping track of four to six different classes can be a struggle especially when you’re balancing everything else in your life. By using colored pens and highlighters, you can specify what assignment is due when for a certain class. Filling out the weekly planner portion helps you see your “day by day” tasks and the month-long calendar allows you to see the bigger picture. You can plan out extracurricu...

Written by: Caroline O'Connor  There are some in life who live with tiny bumps in the road, is successful without much effort, and has a comfortable time attaining the opportunities they want. They can do this either through privilege, money, and or just the sheer luck of life. Then there are some who have hardships, feel like they try harder than most and barely get by, and have to prove their worth constantly. Both of these people can be successful in life and arrive at similar points, even with the different levels of effort and grit that had to be put into getting there.  I was recently reading from a textbook to keep up with my class syllabus, and I came across Igor Stravinsky talking about the morals of music. Throughout his passage, I came across the quote. "what diminishes constraint, diminishes strength." The passage moved me as a whole, but these five words appealed to me the most because it made me sit back and think. Throughout all of the struggles that...

By: Caroline O'Connor After spring break, there is a general feeling of wanting the school semester to come to a complete close. While it may be tempting to revert to laziness and added procrastination with school work, remember these few things: 1.     It is only a few more weeks until the end of school. When it comes time for the final few weeks of school, it will go by in a flash. Between catching up on school work, interviews, potentially moving off campus to either back home or apartments, and exams, the spring semester tends to be more cramped than the summer semester. Keep pushing yourself because relief is coming soon. 2.     You can make or break a class grade after this middle point of the semester. If you are potentially struggling with a class, go and talk to your professor before/after a class or during their scheduled office hours. Speaking to a professor will help you gain a better understanding of their expectations, b...

Written By: Caroline O'Connor and Alexandra Duncan It is that time of year when it is time to start applying for future Summer Internships and jobs. While it may be nerve-racking to apply for your future, especially if you are unsure of it and all that you would like to do in it. As part of my experience, here are some of my tips for applying for your future that I have learned from my past. 1.    Be open You may never know where a path may take you. If you see a job posting on LinkedIn and it sounds remotely interesting, go ahead and apply for it! You may never know what opportunities and experience you can get from a job. It is all about the experience and how you use yourself at the end of the day - not the specific experience itself! 2.    Update Your LinkedIn Many job interviews and opportunities I have had were through LinkedIn. It is essential to update your jobs, have a copy of your resume on LinkedIn, and make sure your information ...

Have you ever noticed the difference between men and women when we state our thoughts while we are talking about a topic, whether if it is serious or not serious? In class or in discussions, most of us women have an opinion on what is being said, whether that is in agreement or disagreement. When we have an opinion, we raise our hand and we start to say what is going on through our minds. We start out with “I feel like…”. We like to say “I feel like..” and while we do feel a certain way, we should start to say “I know” or something that alerts that whoever we are talking too that we stand by our statement. Women have been convinced that we need to be emotional caregivers of the world. We are the ones to deliver bad news and to stay quiet when something needs to be said. However, with the rise of the strong women who are break the glass ceilings, we should start rewording the way we state what we have to say. It is a simple tactic to help ourselves be taken more seriously. Growing ...

As the Holiday season draws near, gifts are bought, wrapped, and given. While thinking of others, don’t fully neglect to think about yourself. December is also a time of reflection and preparation for the upcoming year. This year, consider giving yourself a new source of networking and job hunting - a LinkedIn profile. Free of charge, LinkedIn is often referred to a “professional Facebook ”. While that is true, it is also used to build business connections and give a more detailed look of your resume. Connecting with friends, former teachers / professors, and bosses allows your professional social network to grow. If using the LinkedIn Jobs application, you can see how many alumni or connections work there. Having that extra boost in numbers allows you to reach out for recommendations or have any questions answered if need be. Moving from a personal to professional scope, LinkedIn offers a great deal of information on all of it’s pages. Businesses use LinkedIn as a way to inf...