Lauren McGoodwin is the Founder of Career Contessa, an online career development and mentorship platform for women. Through expert career advice, one-on-one career counseling, online workshops, and job listings, Career Contessa gives you the resources to find a job you love—and be successful in it.
Prior to Career Contessa, Lauren was a recruiter for Hulu and wrote her master's thesis on millennial women and career resources. When Lauren’s not contessa-ing, she can probably be found at a wedding (she's already gone to 20+!), trying to develop a green thumb, or enjoying Redondo Beach where she lives with her husband.
There’s nothing quite like the start of a new year. It’s a time for reflection, a mental refresh, and the kick-in-the-pants you need to make a plan that helps you consciously move forward toward the career goals you want to accomplish. It’s true that many of us look at January ...read more
Becoming a manager is filled with a melting pot emotions: excitement, pride, and maybe a little fear because, truthfully, the transition to manager can often be a bit rocky. Whether you’ve been promoted within your organization or you’re a brand-new hire that has been brought in ...read more
Inbox zero. BCCs, CCs, and Reply Alls. "Apologies for my late response..." This is just some of the lingo us worker bees use to describe the (probably) most-used tool at work: email. Its essential role in workplace communication also means it's one of the most important tools to ...read more
If you’re back in the office after a great summer vacation and already feeling like you’re in a rut, you’re not alone. Studies show that 70% of people are more likely to look for a new job after a holiday or vacation. But finding a new job isn’t always the answer. Sometimes ...read more
I don’t know about you, but I rarely pass on the opportunity to learn about the daily habits of successful people. From the creation of a habit, to changing your behavior to incorporate it on a daily basis, to the changes you see unfold because of these new habits is incredibly ...read more
If you made it through your twenties, you likely made it through your quarter-life crisis. If you’re in your twenties—get ready. At some point (and maybe that point is now), you’re going to feel like you’ve hit a road block—a roadblock where you completely question everything ...read more
Finally deciding to move on from your current job can fill you with equal-parts excitement and anxiety. At least, that’s how I felt when I decided I was ready to quit my administrative assistant job years ago. Excitement because I knew working in higher education wasn’t a fit, ...read more
Today, April 10, 2018 is Equal Pay Day—and it’s not a holiday or milestone worthy of celebration. Instead, it’s in our calendars as a public awareness event meant to illustrate the ever-present gap between men and women’s wages. Today is about facing harsh realities and creating ...read more
Job interviews: Essential for growing your career, but also some of the most dreaded and frustrating moments of adulthood. The thing is, it isn't easy for either side—whether you’re the one on the job hunt or the person conducting the interview, chances are you’d probably rather ...read more
Resumes. Some folks will tell you they are unnecessary today. Other folks will tell you they are vital to your success and to never forget to add a professional summary at the top. As a previous recruiter and now the CEO of a career site for women, Career Contessa, I’m here to ...read more
It’s a new year and that could mean a new career—or at least new responsibilities, clients, or projects at work. At Career Contessa we dedicate all of January to this theme, “New Year, New Career” and we even have this fabulous giveaway to help jumpstart your motivation. ...read more
At Career Contessa, we’re seeing the same full-time team members all day, every day—and we all like each other. So it’s natural that our personal and professional boundaries are a little more relaxed than at traditional companies (we’ll readily admit that discussing our single ...read more
Career advice basically consumes my every waking thought, which is probably a surprise to no one as I run a career site for women. But what may surprise people is that my number one piece of career advice has nothing to do with resumes or LinkedIn profiles. It’s pretty obvious ...read more
At Career Contessa, we’re all about women succeeding at work, which means standing up for themselves when their coworkers and managers mistreat them. But unfortunately, workplace politics still matter, so we’re constantly tasked with deciding whether speaking up is worth the ...read more
I love resumes. I know that makes me an outlier in most scenarios, but I love them because they are the one piece of the job search puzzle that can uniquely show off your professional brand quickly. Your resume, unlike your LinkedIn profile, gives you the opportunity to ...read more
Here’s the thing about careers: We expect a lot out of them. We expect them to pay for our livelihood, make us happy, challenge us, make us look good at dinner parties, and, well, I think you get the point. Careers and career paths are no longer linear for a lot of reasons and, ...read more
There’s something to be said for knowing that you’re excelling at your job. You walk into the office like you own the place, feel more self-confident in every aspect of your life, and take pride and ownership in the work you’re doing. Feeling good is great, but of course, ...read more
We can all admit that awkward situations are a natural, unavoidable part of life. Remember that seventh grade dance or, if we’re being honest, pretty much the entirety of high school? But when awkward experiences happen at work, an environment where our actions affect how we’re ...read more
Each year, there are limitless articles on finance, health, and spiritual goals, but it feels like there's a hole in content when it comes to using the new year as a fresh slate to kill it in your career. To that end, we tapped our resident expert, Career Contessa, for an easy ...read more
Having left the traditional workforce to work for myself (which remains the case for almost five years now), I haven’t had to deal with the kinds of dynamics many people do in a typical office environment for a while. While being a self-employed entrepreneur comes with its own ...read more
