Guys, it’s the return of Career Girl Chat!! It’s been a hot minute since I last interviewed and wrote an episode. The very last career girl we chatted was Jennie Yoon from Casetify and Kinn, and before that, it was Amanda Weiss from Poshmark. And speaking of Poshmark, I actually met today’s Career Girl, Paulina Mo at a local San Diego Poshmark in May of 2015.  Paulina, aka Lil bits of Chic, was one of the local OG fashion bloggers that Poshmark invited to the event, and I was a newbie Poshmarker that wanted to meet other Poshmarkers. We didn’t exactly connect at the event, but I started following Paulina on her Instagram account.

Related:
Career Girl Chat || From HR Intern to Director of Biz Dev at Casetify – How did she do it?!
Career Girl Chat || Work hard, stay humble, and be kind. Opportunities will follow

Fast forward to 2018, with me cranking up my blogging efforts and Paulina being on her maternity leave (Paulina and her husband recently welcomed this little bundle of joy into their world), we had the chance to catch up and I decided to learn more about her professional career in finance, and invited her to share her career experience with Cubicle Chic readers.

Rapid fire questions – what was your 1) college major, 2) your first job, and 3) how many resumes you sent out before you got your first & current job?

Paulina:  My college major was Management Science (Economics), my first job was a cashier at a water park, I only sent one resume to my old boss as a courtesy because she had already recruited me, and for my current job I sent one resume in to be considered for an open position and received a call back shortly thereafter.

When you first graduated from college, did you know that you’d end up where you are today, why or why not?

Paulina: When I first graduated, I knew that to be financially secure I would be doing some form of a job like the one I am in today- in the financial services industry, working with finance.

Are you happy with where you are in your career? If you were to name three things you have to have in your career/employment, what are they?

Paulina: I am satisfied where I am in my career, I also feel like starting a family has had me rethink my priorities and requirements in a job. Now I like flexibility (work-life balance), a good workplace culture and great benefits.

What’s your experience with mentorship like, who were your mentors and are you mentoring anyone now?

Paulina: Mentorship was vital to my success. I had great bosses and mentors who believed in me, but there was one who really invested in me. She recruited me as her assistant when I was a college student and had seen my work ethic when I worked in a bank branch. She mentored me, pushed me to get my securities licenses, went so far to sponsor me in them and opened my eyes to the career track I’m on. I’m currently not mentoring right now but it is definitely something I would like to pay forward in the future.

If you look back in the past 5-10 years, what were the most important experiences that propelled you to where you are today? These could be lessons you learned from failures, being part of a special project, or pursuing (or not pursuing) a passion you really have.

Paulina: I learned very important lessons from failures as they taught me not to repeat the same mistake, one of them being my relationship with credit cards or living outside of my means. Once I paid off every cent of my debt and student loans (which took me 3.5 years) I felt so unburdened and I vowed never to let that happen again. I live within my means, I have a good relationship with money and feel financially secure.

Now the dreaded “what do you want to be in 5/10 years” question…how do you typically answer questions like this?

Paulina: In 5 years, my son would be 5 years old, I would hopefully (God willing) have another child and be happy in my full-time career and blogging career. I’m sure blogging will have evolved by then but hope that I can continue utilizing it as a creative outlet.  Professionally, I would like to still be challenged and (for lack of better words) kicking butt!

If you have experience in interviewing/recruiting new employees, what do you look for in candidates for positions that don’t require years of experience?

Paulina: I look into their track record, or some sort of indication of their work ethic, either by checking on their references or if they were referred by a colleague. I think work ethic and attitude is essential especially in positions that don’t require years of experience because there is a lot of continuous learning so a go-getter attitude is better than an experienced whiny worker!

Lastly, what’s your go-to office outfit, and what is one piece of clothing you can’t live without?

Paulina: My go-to office outfit tends to be a fit and flare dress (that is not short of course) with a fitted blazer. I alternate between high heels and black flats. After working in Corporate America for so long I have discovered that this combination is a comfortable yet stylish option!

The post Career Girl Chat || The Finance Girl With a Fashion Blog appeared first on Cubicle Chic.

Hi you! Thank you for tuning in from your busy schedule. I promise you this is a good one!!

I’m launching an exciting new series called Career Girl Chat on Cubicle Chic (# CGCCC, possibly??), where I interview #GirlBoss who are passionate about their career and love what they do. Together, we’ll probe them with challenging questions and get them to spill the secret ingredient to their career success!

First #GirlBoss On Career Girl Chat

This week, I’m taking you guys with me to peer into the career profile of the one and only Amanda Weiss (@theamandaweiss), Marketing Manager at Poshmark. If you’ve interacted with Poshmark in any way, shape or form on digital media (like their hilarious Facebook page), you’ve probably seen Amanda’s work. She heads up Poshmark’s social media and brand marketing team which includes influencer marketing, events and community management. She’s even Emcee’d at the annual PoshFest conference four years in a row, if you can believe it. Yes, it’s no secret that she’s devoted to a very demanding job that blurs the line between work and personal time. Yet, if you’ve met her at Poshmark events, read her quirky and cheeky Tweets, or seen those high energy/fast pace Facebook Trend Report Live videos, it’s clear that she enjoys what she does and is absolutely passionate about it. So how does she do it??? Let’s dive in and find out how she got to where she is today, and if everything’s always been peaches and cream, as one may think.

First off, a round of Rapid-Fire Questions –

What was your

1)     Major in college?

2)     First job?

3)     Lastly, how many resumes did you send out before you got your first and last job offer?

Amanda: I went to FIDM and got an associate degree in Fashion Merchandising/Marketing then went on to get a bachelor degree in business with a focus in marketing. My first job out of school was being a server at a restaurant to pay the bills, but I spent every minute of my down time job searching for a fashion relation position. In my free time I was also working for free at places like LA Fashion Week and steaming clothes and coordinating details at these events. Before I got my first job offer, I sent out at least 10-15 resumes every week.

When you first graduated from college, did you know that you’d end up where you are today, why or why not?

Amanda: I’ve always wanted to work in “fashion” since I was in high school. But didn’t understand what the industry was like and what it took to work in fashion. For a while I thought I would end up in fashion merchandising and styling because of my experience and degree. But with blogging, social media and all the changes that we’ve seen, the industry is a very different place today. So I had no idea this is where I’d end up. I have just grown and developed and rolled with the punches and using everything to my advantage.

Are you happy with where you are in your career? If you were to name three things you have to have in your career/employment, what are they?

Amanda: I am so passionate about what I do and it’s led me to where I am today. I love Poshmark as a company and also everything that comes with it, the people I work with but also the people I’ve met because of Poshmark. At the same time I think work/life balance is very important, even though I am a workaholic. But for me, what makes me good at what I do is the fact that I love what I do, so a lot of times it doesn’t feel like work. Along the same line, being able to have fun when you work is very important. Fun always makes work easier to do!

What’s your experience with mentorship like, who were your mentors and are you mentoring anyone now?

Amanda: Generally speaking I am an open book and I let my guard down very easily. As a result, I feel like people really respond to that, so I actually get a lot of people reach out to me about how I got my job, to critique their resume, or chat about their job search process. I am very community oriented, so I love connecting with and helping people.

In terms of people that mentor me, at Poshmark I am surrounded by very talented people that are always elevating me. They saw potential in me early on and really value what I do personally and professionally. I’ve been given the chance to shine here so I am very appreciative of that.

If you look back in the past 5-10 years, what were the most important experiences that propelled you to where you are today?

Amanda: A turning point in my career was when I was laid off from my last job before Poshmark. I had already accumulated decent amount of experience, and decided to take a chance at another start-up. When they laid of me off, it definitely made me feel lost, especially when they did it right before the holiday that year and I had an apartment and bills to pay. Someone else would probably have been so devastated and just give up. For me, I picked myself back up right away and let this experience fuel me to find the next opportunity that I really deserved. And I did! Because I was familiar with Poshmark, I saw they were looking for a fashion intern – and although I was way overqualified for the position, I sent in my resume because I just had a feeling Poshmark was for me and that they were going somewhere and I had to be part of it.

Another belief I’ve cultivated over the years is that you’re never too good for a job, and it’s important to pay your dues when you start out. In your career, things don’t get handed to you on a silver platter no matter how many followers you have on Instagram. No matter how much small the task you’re assigned to, if you’re dedicated and give it your all, it will show the kind of person you are and the potential you have.

This quote may be a cliché but it is nothing but true: “Work hard, stay humble, and be kind.”

Now the dreaded “what do you want to be in 5/10 years” question…how do you typically answer questions like this?

Amanda: I 1000% want to grow the team I’m managing now and at the same time expand the different areas in marketing for Poshmark such as more videos, influencer programs, events, creative content, and all the new digital channels that are out there.

Aside from work though, I would like to get to a point where I have a better work/life balance. I want to get to a place where I can also reward myself for all the hard work I’ve put in.

Every 6 months I do a review and look back on what my team and I had done, but with all the changes like Insta-stories sometimes it’s hard to predict the future. The point is that a lot of times growth comes from unexpected places and we should embrace the unknown and dive right in!

If you have experience in interviewing/recruiting new employees, what do you look for in candidates for positions that don’t require years of experience?

Amanda: It’s almost funny, but I can spot a good candidate before meeting them. It’s very important for the candidate to be mindful of the hiring manager’s time and show that they’ve really done the homework to understand their potential employer. Take the cover letter, for example. If 9 out of 10 sentences are about the candidate and nothing about the company, that’s a red flag to me.

Think of your cover letter as an opportunity. Even though it’s not always required, it’s an opportunity to show your personality, connect with the person reading it, and that it could let you stand out. Just like on social media where authenticity is key, your cover letter is just the same – are you showing who you really are and your true interest in the position/company you’re interviewing for.

During the interview process, it’s also very important to have at least 3 solid questions to ask the interviewer because it shows that you really took the time to study the company and understand what the job requires.

Lastly, what’s your go-to office outfit, and what is one piece of clothing you can’t live without?

Amanda: Lucky for me I’ve always worked in the start-up environment so I’ve been able to wear whatever I want. Most of the time it involves something bold, colorful, and makes a statement. Sneakers are the piece that I can’t live without. I re-buy multiple pairs of the same pair of sneakers if I know I would wear a lot. Adidas Superstars and Converse are my go-tos.

The post Career Girl Chat || Work hard, stay humble, and be kind. Opportunities will follow. appeared first on Cubicle Chic.