Olivia Jeanette

As most of you know, I am passionate about what I do and lean on the lessons I have learned throughout my life and career. I have never been one to leave things to chance or be a “let’s just see what happens” type of person. The unknown can be scary, which is what drives me to make sure that results are driven directly from my hard work. There have been times where I have had to ask myself, “Am I doing what I need to do to get to where I ultimately want to go?”. Those instances are ones that can either be extremely helpful (if you take action) or terribly detrimental (if you let fear take over). In those self-questioning moments, I reach out to those in my “inner circle” for advice or just use them as a sounding board. It’s very therapeutic and I know (at least I hope) they don’t mind lending an ear. Breaking outside of that comfort zone is important too. Gaining advice from others beyond your inner circle will allow you to gain a unique perspective.

As a long time reader and supporter of Career Contessa, I recently connected with their team to learn more about a recently launched platform, Hire A Mentor. The platform offers a dynamic experience where you connect with someone, who can offer advice on any number of things; finding a new job, getting ahead in your current career, gaining industry insight, or simply having a conversation with someone who has been there and done that. They have a really diverse group of professionals from recruiters at NastyGal, to professional bloggers, and women who work at Google and Facebook. Check out the full list of mentors here. Whether you’re brand new in your career or a seasoned professional, gaining new perspectives can be extremely valuable. It will allow you to see things through a different lens and can provide a new way of thinking about things. When you are first starting out, there can be a tendency to simply follow along and fit in. Most don’t put too much thought into developing a true career roadmap. It comes with time. However, if you are proactive with finding someone you respect, who is willing to offer advice and listen to your goals, the path can be paved quicker and the steps become much more clear. Having a mentor throughout your career is vital. They will guide you and provide you with the assurance that what you are doing is in line with your career ambitions.

Career Contessa’s Hire A Mentor platform makes it easy as they bring the mentor to you. Real talk advice that’s all about you—your needs, interests, and goals—from successful mentors who have been there, done that.  You browse a list of experts using filters for price, services offered (everything from personal branding development to salary negotiation), industry, and job function to narrow it down. After you’ve chosen an expert, you can request a session by uploading your résumé and selecting the service. You’ll leave your session with a fresh perspective, a plan of attack, and some added confidence that you are on the right track or finally put an end to your career frustration.

As part of Corporate Catwalk x Career Contessa partnership, we’re giving away a free mentorship session to one Corporate Catwalk reader. This gives my readers the opportunity to experience the platform firsthand. The winner will be announced on September 9th! For a chance to win, click below and enter your name and email to be entered into the giveaway!

For those ladies interested in learning more about the Hire a Mentor platform, check out how it works here.

Giveaway runs through Friday 9/9 at 5pm PST, announced via email on the 9th. One entry per email entered. Winner will be chosen at random. By entering, you confirm that you are 18+ years of age.

Dress | Bag (smaller version here) | Sunglasses | Heels

xo, Olivia

ps. be sure to check out my recent interview with the Career Contessa team!