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      The Questions You Really Should Ask in a Job Interview

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      Go ahead and wipe your sweaty palms on your dress pants, because you’ve made it to the end of your job interview. You’re feeling like you knocked it out of the park. Then your interviewer looks at you and says, “Do you have any questions for me?”Your mouth goes dry, your stomach drops to your shoes, and suddenly the only thing in your brain is the Jeopardy theme song.
      You polished your elevator pitch, memorized the company’s history, and perfected your answers. But this? This you totally forgot to prepare for.
      Sound familiar? Yep, I’ve been there too. It’s a disheartening scenario—and one you definitely don’t want to find yourself in again. So, let’s dig into some of the best questions to ask at the end of a job interview. Keep them in your back pocket, and you’ll be prepared to wrap up that conversation on a high note.

      But wait… do you have to ask questions?
      Here’s the short answer: yes. This is your chance to emphasize your interest in the position and the company, as well as to demonstrate that you’ve done some research.
      If that’s not enough to convince you, keep in mind that this is a great opportunity to find out more about that employer and the role you’ve applied for.
      You can only learn so much from a job description, and asking your interviewer some thoughtful, well-prepared questions is about more than looking good—it offers a lot of value for you too.

      Asking questions emphasizes your interest in the position and proves that you’ve done your research.

      Questions to ask at the end of a job interview
      When you know you’re supposed to ask questions, it’s tempting to throw anything out there in the interest of filling the silence. However, not all questions are created equal and some will do more harm than good.
      Don’t ask any questions that you should already know the answer to. If you did your research ahead of the interview (which, side note, you should always do) you’ll already know important facts like the company’s history, size, and mission statement, as well as some of the core responsibilities of the role. If you ask about them, you run the risk of looking unprepared.
      So, that begs the question: What should you ask? Here are eight standout questions.

      1. Why is this position available?
      Did the person who previously filled this role leave? Were they promoted? Did they move to a different job or department within the company? Is this a new position entirely?
      This one can be a bit nerve-wracking to ask, but remember that the interview is a two-way street. You’re entitled to get the information you need, and this is the only way you’ll learn why that position is vacant.

      2. What’s the most pressing goal for whoever fills this position?
      Chances are, that employer isn’t filling that position to check a box. They want to bring someone onboard who will drive change and make an impact.
      This question demonstrates that you’re achievement-oriented and eager to make a difference at that company. It will also give you a great sense of how high-pressure that job might be.

      3. What is one skill that you think will make someone most impactful in this position?
      You’ve already taken a fine-tooth comb to the job’s requirements and you have a pretty good handle on what they’re looking for. But, this question will help you go past surface-level qualifications and get into the nitty gritty.
      Does somebody need to be an expert with Google Analytics? Do they need to be skilled at explaining complex topics in simple terms? A diligent project manager? A fearless negotiator?
      Find out what one quality they deem most important. That’s helpful for determining whether or not you’re really the best fit to take those responsibilities on.

      4. What opportunities for professional development do you offer?
      Growth and advancement matter to you, and you aren’t alone. One LinkedIn study found that 94 percent of employees would stay at a company if it invested in their learning and development.
      From lunch and learns or seminars to structured paths for promotions, find out how that company prioritizes employee growth. In addition to getting valuable information about your potential future, it also shows that employer that you’re eager to thrive within the company.

      5. What three words would you use to describe the team?
      You’ll spend right around one third of your life at work. That’s not only a lot of time spent at your desk, but a lot of time spent with your coworkers. Needless to say, it’s important to find a team that you enjoy working with.
      How would your interviewer describe the team you’d be working with? Are they close-knit, collaborative, and encouraging? Are they driven, fast-paced, and passionate? These adjectives can help you suss out whether or not that team culture is a good match for you.

      6. What’s your favorite part about working here?
      Company culture is such a huge part of enjoying where you work, but it’s also notoriously hard to figure out before you actually start working there.
      This question is a straightforward way to learn a little bit more about that work environment. Plus, it’s more digestible and approachable for your interviewer, as opposed to asking something more general like, “What’s the culture like?”

      Company culture is a huge part of enjoying where you work, but it’s also notoriously hard to figure out.

      7. Where do you see the company in the next 3-5 years?
      You might’ve been asked a question like this one in interviews, and it’s a good one to turn around on employers.
      They might not be able to give you a super detailed answer and, of course, they’ll be careful not to divulge any confidential information until you’re actually hired. However, this will clue you in on whether the company has any major growth plans, product releases, or strategy shifts in the works.

      8. What are the next steps in the hiring process?
      You know how this goes. You leave that conversation with no clue if you’ll hear about the job in two minutes or two weeks (or even worse, not at all).
      Here’s the good news: This question gives you a little bit of power back. Make it the very last question you ask to get a better grasp on what’s next in the process and whether or not they have a timeline in place for making a decision. You’ll save yourself a lot of wondering and compulsive inbox-refreshing.
      It’s hard to guarantee with any level of certainty what you’ll be asked in a job interview. But, I’m willing to bet that your interviewer will wrap things up by asking if you have any questions.
      Fair warning: your answer better be yes. Have a few of these questions ready to go (jot them down ahead of time if you have to!) and you’ll present yourself as polished, professional, and prepared—while also getting your hands on some valuable information. More

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      Follow These 4 Steps to Stop Living From Paycheck-To-Paycheck

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      You worked hard all week at work, are Superwoman at home, and when payday rolls around, it feels like you have nothing to show for it, shuffling around bills, debt, and other expenses as soon as your check hits your account. If you feel like every paycheck is slipping through your fingers as soon as Friday rolls around, you’re not the only one: 59 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a 2019 survey from Charles Schwab. Break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle with YNAB (which stands for You Need A Budget), an award-winning personal finance software that’ll help you gain control of your money with their modern, easy-to-use budgeting tools. YNAB helps your budget with the money you have now, offering free video trainings and live workshops centered on their four simple rules to help you stop living from paycheck-to-paycheck, get out of debt, and create a savings plan so that your money works for you. 
      What’s your financial game plan? Here are four simple ways you can stop living from paycheck-to-paycheck so that you can enjoy your money more. 

      1. Give Every Dollar a Job
      Instead of picking up 2-3 jobs in order to make ends meet, use a budget to help guide you to only spend the money you have available right now. With a budget, you’re able to look at how much you’re spending on necessities and obligations like housing expenses, credit card, or student loan payments each month and how much you spend dining out with friends and family. Breaking down your spending habits is easy with a tool like YNAB, which helps you budget to gain better control of your money.
      Your budget on YNAB is broken down by category to help you sort out your expenses more wisely and see where each dollar is going: 
      Immediate Obligations (monthly fixed expenses like rent and utilities) 
      True Expenses (non-monthly expenses like tuition and clothing)
      Debt payments (payments towards consumer and student loan debt)
      Quality of Life Goals (self-care expenses like workout classes or spa treatments)
      Just For Fun (anything goes, from vacations to dining out)
      Being able to look at your spending by category helps you give each of your hard-earned dollars a job, whether it’s to help fund your next fitness class or to pay for your fixed expenses like your rent or mortgage. Your money should be used to fund the most important things in your life, and you deserve to be in control of each dollar as it comes and goes. 
      Knowing exactly where each dollar is going empowers you to make the right decisions with the money you already have. Your money should work for you–not only the other way around! 

      2. Embrace Your True Expenses 
      Your fixed monthly expenses could be as simple as rent, your transportation, and one or two credit card payments, but larger or uncommon expenses, such as car repairs, school tuition, or maintenance on your home, will come up, and you should be prepared. Breaking down infrequent expenses into smaller, more manageable payments can help you gain control of your money when those expenses arise.
      The simple-to-use personal finance software YNAB does a great job of helping you take a bite-size look at your budget and show you how you can better manage your money to make way for future expenses. Future expenses should be treated like your current expenses and be included in your budget broken down into smaller “payments.” Those payments will eventually add up and help you pay for that new laptop or home repair expense in the future, instead of being surprised by them. 
      Reducing or cutting down on expenses like going out to eat or your standing weekly nail appointment can also help you shift your budget around to make room for larger expenses. Cutting back on a few “just for fun” expenses even for a few weeks could help you budget better and get back on track with saving smaller for a larger goal. 

      3. Roll With the Punches
      The unexpected is bound to happen in life–and to your wallet. Building a budget helps you to be flexible financially when changes arrive. 
      Evaluate your budget on a monthly or even weekly basis to get the most out of your money when unexpected expenses come up. It’s probably likely that your budget will fluctuate month-to-month, with changes in variable expenses like utilities, car maintenance, and home expenses, so be prepared to move your money around from category to category to accommodate those changes. 
      Keep an eye out for any unexpected expenses you may anticipate ahead of time in order to prepare ahead of time for any changes to your budget. Have a girl’s trip coming up, gearing up for a move, or getting the kids ready for a new school year soon? Prepare to shift your money around in your budget in order to make way for those plans in advance.
      A budget helps you anticipate these changes and gears you up to go with the flow financially. Just because you may have to shuffle around where your money goes each month doesn’t mean your budget isn’t working. Your budget is there as a guide to help you manage the money you have. No matter where each dollar may end up, your budget helps you gain control of where it goes.

      4. Age Your Money
      Ever find yourself anxiously waiting until payday so that you can cover your current month’s bills right before they’re due? No one should have to live on pins and needles, hoping their paycheck will cover all their current month’s expenses. 
      A good practice to adopt is to use the money you earned from last month to pay for your current month’s expenses. Having this breathing room creates more space in your budget to be proactive when unexpected expenses arise, as well as keeping all of your bills up to-date and current. YNAB helps you to live within your means financially so that your current paycheck isn’t paying for your present or playing catch-up but helping you fund your future.
      Build up a cushion by using YNAB to fund categories in your budget for next month, or set aside a goal amount in a separate category to fund next month’s expenses. When a new month approaches, your expenses will already be covered, or saved up in a category, ready to cover all your expenses before the month even kicks off! That’s the beauty of having a great budget: you can manage your money better to save a few dollars each month to help fund next month’s expenses so that you aren’t bombarded with every bill all at once. 
      While you’re starting off small with using a budget to help you better control the money you already have, look for ways to make a few extra dollars to help jumpstart your goals and age your money better. A temporary side gig can help you reach a few of your short-term goals while maintaining your budget with the money you already earn. Additional income is good to supplement your regular paycheck, but shouldn’t be a crutch or a mainstay for maintaining your finances. Use a side job to get to where you want to go a little quicker while making plans to sustain yourself with only your current income.

      Living paycheck-to-paycheck is an unsettling cycle no one should have to experience. YNAB helps you create a peace of mind around your money so that you feel more in control. 

      This post is sponsored by You Need a Budget, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board. More

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      Ready for Some Invaluable Career Advice? Stream The Everygirls Rise Panel Discussion

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      If you missed our August 29 Everygirls Rise virtual event, we’re bringing you both panels, in FULL to stream at your leisure. Learn how to stay emotionally well while working from home, balance personal and professional life during a pandemic, change careers or fields with ease, battle imposter syndrome, and more!Plus, don’t miss out on our full second virtual conference event on October 3! The event features two all-new panels talking everything from marketing yourself for success to mentoring tips to cultivating a career you love, and more! This virtual career empowerment and networking conference allows you to join from the safety and comfort of your own home. 
      Please note: you must be 21+ years old to attend

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      This post is sponsored by La Marca Prosecco but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl Media Group editorial board. More

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      7 Things All Successful Women Know About Rejection

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      Whether it’s being ghosted by a Tinder match or losing out on that dream job, rejection is an inevitable part of life. It can be hard not to take being turned down personally, but there will usually be numerous factors and circumstances beyond our control that mean that the answer can’t always be yes.While spending a few days sulking can help, coping well with rejection is an important life skill that will set you up to better handle future disappointments. Honing an ability to pick yourself up and try again is crucial to achieving your goals. Next time that you get knocked back, remember this:

      1. That being rejected shows that you had the courage to put yourself forward
      You’ve been rejected? Congratulations! The fact that you have even been turned down in the first place shows that you were brave enough to put yourself forward for something that was difficult to achieve—and that doing so takes a tremendous amount of courage and self-belief.
      When you get rejected, take some time to remember the challenges that you overcame by going for that job interview, asking for a pay rise, or putting yourself out there on a dating app. Striving for what you wanted is still a success, regardless of whether or not it ultimately leads to rejection.

      2. That rejection happens to everyone
      Even the seemingly most successful among us will have struggled with rejection at some stage. Don’t believe me? Check out this list of celebrities who were rejected by other celebs, or this one of famous people who failed before they succeeded. If Oprah can pick herself up after getting fired from her first TV job or Vera Wang can launch a fashion empire after being passed over for Vogue’s editor-in-chief position, then you can bounce back from rejection too.
       
      3. That some factors that lead to rejection are out of our control
      Perhaps you spent hours on that job application. Maybe you thought that things were going really, really well with that person that you were dating. You might have been convinced that that presentation to land an important new client was perfect.
      Your performance, skills, and personal attributes will only ever be part of the story. There could simply have been someone else who was better suited to that job opening. That person you were seeing just might not have had the space in their life for a relationship right now. The other client could have offered a cheaper rate that your company couldn’t beat. Instead of internalizing rejection, remember that many of the factors that contributed to it were likely unknowable and out of your control.
       
      4. Why you had the opportunity in the first place
      The more that we strive for difficult-to-achieve things, the more we open ourselves up to rejection. Try and view this setback as evidence that you are pushing your limits and coming closer to the things that you want to achieve.
      Focus on the small successes that you experienced on the way to rejection—perhaps you can celebrate that you landed an audition in the first place, or that you had opened yourself up to getting to know someone new. Take stock of the strengths that you demonstrated rather than the reasons for the rejection, and work on refining and showcasing them the next time that you get a new opportunity.
       
      5. What you can learn from the experience
      Although it might take time to be able to view a rejection as a learning opportunity, it can be valuable to attempt to understand the reasons why you were turned down. For career rejections, you should ask for feedback so that you’re prepared when another opportunity presents itself. Meet with the decision-maker to ask them areas that you performed well in, and what ultimately motivated their choice.
      Romantic rejections can also be a chance to learn about yourself and what you want from a relationship. Is it losing the chance to be with that person that hurts, or the rejection itself that is painful? Would you change anything about the situation given the chance, or did the rejection come from being true to yourself and what you want in a partner? Try journaling your thoughts or discussing them with a friend or therapist to learn about your own emotions when it comes to rejection, and how you can be better placed to deal with it in future.
       
      6. What you still have to offer
      Rejection can be a blow to self-esteem and confidence. Avoid becoming too caught up in negative emotions by focusing on what you have to offer. Make a list of all of the best things about you and the reasons why you were hopeful for success in the first place. Revisit this every time that you doubt yourself or fear rejection as a reminder that you deserve a shot.
       
      7. That fearing rejection will hold you back
      A fear of rejection can easily become what stops us from asking out someone we really like, applying for a dream job or internship, or attempting to achieve our goals. That emotion that you’re feeling right now? Really feel it. Get comfortable with it. Remember that it isn’t the worst feeling in the world. Learning to be OK with rejection will set you up for success in the future. There will be a time when the answer is yes. Make sure that you’re ready when it comes. More

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      10 Tips to Help You Nail Your Virtual Interview

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      This year has shown that working virtually is here to stay, and a huge part of that is that firms are migrating their recruiting efforts entirely online. You’re increasingly likely to find yourself in a digital-first application process, possibly all the way through onboarding and your first day. With many of us recovering from furloughs and layoffs, you may be diligently on the hunt for your next career chapter. That chapter starts with making an excellent digital first impression in your application materials, and then nailing a virtual interview.

      1. Test your technology
      There is nothing worse than logging on five minutes before a meeting and realizing you need to download some niche software. Don’t assume the interview is using something you have already or are familiar with.
      Depending on the extent and seniority of the interview, you may even consider asking your interviewer’s Executive Assistant if you can do a five-minute test run with them the day before. Also be sure to ask if the line will be in use prior to your meeting. As in person, you want to arrive around five minutes early, but don’t want to be showing up at the tail end of some other candidate’s closing remarks!

      2. Know your angles
      If Tyra taught us anything it’s to face the light and know your angles. If at all possible, set up with natural light facing you. You also want to be showing on camera clearly, and as straightforward as possible. This isn’t a selfie angle—don’t position the camera too high up. A box or stack of books will get you to the right height.

      3. Do a recorded run-through
      Platforms like Zoom allow you to record a meeting—even a meeting of one. It’s free to set up an account that uses shorter meetings. Set one up with your personal email—you don’t want your video interview test run to show up on your current company roster. Practice answering some general questions and allow yourself to get more comfortable with video responses.

      4. Make “eye contact”
      Ironically, eye contact on video is staring right in the eye of the camera. It can be really hard for that to feel natural at first. You tend to want to look at the human in front of you on screen. A good mix of back and forth focusing on the screen and camera is important. However, when you’re answering questions, try to stay focused on that little fish eye, even if it feels awkward. (Hint: Your video test run will be able to reveal how much is too much focus in any one direction.)

      5. Check your microphone quality
      Most computers today have great enough microphone quality that you can go with whatever is built in. However, if you’re using headphones, you’ll want to check how that changes your connection. And, if part of your role is going to include heavy voice communication work, you might want to go the extra mile to sound like your best self. External microphones are becoming more affordable and could be a useful addition.

      6. Pass on virtual backgrounds
      Even if you’ve got a roster of some relatively professional faux backgrounds, now is not the time. You are trying to highlight yourself and come across as authentically you. Fake backgrounds don’t convey that authenticity.
      Set yourself up a relatively distraction-free background in your home, with as few trinkets behind you as possible. While it may be tempting to convey your personality through what’s behind you, restrain yourself. Remember, if this were happening in person, you’d likely be in their spaces. You want the interviewer to be able to picture you in their world as easily as possible, and a relatively blank canvas helps them do that.

      7. Get current on the company
      Researching a company should always be part of your interview prep, and now it’s more important than ever. How did they respond during the early parts of the pandemic? How are they changing their business model or offerings? You’ll want to do thorough research across their own press, social channels, and other third-party reporting sites to come ready with the best questions and answers.

      8. Take notes offline
      There are few things more distracting than someone typing away during a video meeting. You may feel like you’re being ultra efficient, note taking digitally while you’re in conversation with your interviewer. It’s not a good look.
      An old fashioned pen and paper is much more professional in this setting. And since they can’t see your desk, feel free to also narrate when you need a moment to jot something down. “I’m just making a few notes here, one moment,” helps any awkward silences.

      9. Don’t talk over anyone
      In an in-person exchange, it’s a little easier to make small verbal cues to show that you’re in step with someone while they’re talking. Virtually, that’s much harder. On the best of bandwidths, the line tends to break up a bit when people talk over each other even in small moments. Instead, consider exaggerating your non-verbals—nodding, smiling, and making strong eye contact where appropriate.

      10. Be yourself
      Most importantly, be yourself. Any interview in person would start with a few moments of small talk, or a more casual introduction. Don’t feel like you need to arrive perfectly ready to launch into your pitch. A few minutes of human authenticity goes a long way in our socially-distanced world right now.

      What tips do you have for a successful virtual interview? More

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      10 LinkedIn Hacks to Dazzle Recruiters and Grow Your Network

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      You may have heard it before, but it’s true that your network is your net worth, and the best time to build it is is long before you need to leverage your network for a new job. Since things are hyper-virtual in 2020, making the most of your digital first impression is essential.While there are a number of new platforms emerging to make career connections, LinkedIn remains one of the critical pit stops recruiters will make while scoping you out. Put it to work building new relationships and showcasing your best self with these hacks.

      1. Manage LinkedIn like your other social platforms
      This may feel straightforward, but for some reason many of us think of LinkedIn as a mystical career platform separate from our other digital footprints. To get the most value out of it, you need to actively engage, post, comment, connect, and authentically like and curate the virtual network through your profile.
      Promote yourself to the Head of Digital Strategy for You, Inc. Spend 30 days being extremely strategic about your content. For example, find interesting articles to pull in and comment on, schedule a block of time to crank out peer recommendations, or use the platform to message and introduce people.

      2. Make use of analytics
      Surprised? Yes, LinkedIn has relatively slim analytics for personal profiles, but it can give you some sort of insight about the demographics and sources of your followers and visitors. Instead of a casual skim through who last viewed your profile, pull up the more detailed monthly reporting and get a better understanding of the key words you’re come up against over time, or how connections are interacting with your content.

      3. Think SEO strategy
      Debate rages over whether LinkedIn has SEO implications in the same way we think about other web searches, but good SEO strategy can only help. Clean up language in your job descriptions and use powerful words you’d want on your next role’s description. Maximize the impact of the initial “About” section. It should be a compelling story, not a resume. Name your head shot or any other imagery, and consider adding video or other types of media where relevant.

      4. Use hashtags
      If you aren’t yet convinced that LinkedIn is the working girl’s Instagram, their addition of hashtags last year should do it. Appropriately adding relevant and curated hashtags to your content can definitely up your engagement and get you seen. One study found that inclusion of at least one popular hashtag received almost 30 percent higher impressions than a comparable post without them.

      5 . Connect it to the rest of your social world
      A good cadence of activity on LinkedIn becomes easier if it’s part of your digital routine. Consider connecting it to your other social accounts like Twitter or Facebook to get more bang for your buck. This connectivity can also help you more easily re-share and authentically engage on content.

      6.  Add your LinkedIn URL to your email signature
      If you’re outside of a creative field where you might not have your own portfolio website, fake it with LinkedIn. Include your page as a hyperlink in your email signature. This is especially helpful if you end up sending a lot of emails to external colleagues. It definitely ups the chances of someone engaging with your page, and also prompts an easier way to connect!

      7.  Time it like a banker
      Since LinkedIn serves the business crowd, post in the windows where folks are routinely phone scrolling for the greatest impact. No secret here—we tend to do our work-related reading between 7-9am and 5-6pm.  
      The first hour can be the most important time for your posting activity. And, how much people engage with it determines if the content will be pushed to the second and third degrees of your network so schedule content deliberately.

      8. Update your headshot
      For all the ways LinkedIn is like our other favorite social platforms, there is one big way it’s not. If your LinkedIn headshot is a blurry selfie from the car passenger seat or you’re hugging a friend at a party, but she’s mostly cropped out, it needs an update. (And sadly, I’ve seen all three of these examples on a recent recruiting spree.)
      No need to get fancy or spend a lot of money here. There is a perfectly acceptable wall in your living room facing some fabulous natural light that will do just fine. Dress for the job you want and set your timer. Gals in creative industries have more flexibility—think  professional, but not sterile.

      9.  Stop saying you’re good at everything
      I’m so guilty of this. A laundry list of different types of jobs over my career means that I feel perfectly justified loading up at the LinkedIn “skills buffet.” Be selective and thoughtful about including the skills where you truly shine. Even more, it’s worth reinforcing the idea that you should only select skills that you want future employers to notice you for. It’s not worth crowding your profile with historical skill sets that don’t have any relation to your future dream job.

      10. Give to get
      Start getting generous with recommendations. You can do these unsolicited, so it’s an easy way to check the box on some routine networking engagement. And this year, couldn’t we all use a nice surprise endorsement in our inbox? Make your recommendation three part; introduce how you know the person, give a tactical example of why they’re great, and close with a positive punchline. Many folks will be compelled to return the favor without you even asking.

      How have you improved your LinkedIn profile and digital networking habits?  More

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      What Elaine Welteroth Taught Me About Identifying and Pursuing Your Purpose

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      I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a writer. I can recall the day that I came home from elementary school, beaming with excitement over a story I wrote in my 2nd grade class. I remember racing to my parents’ room, eager to share my story with them, watching their eyes as they read over the tale of a young Black princess and her evil parents. I realize now that the story I wrote was nowhere near a New York Times bestseller, but in that moment, you couldn’t tell me otherwise.As an adolescent fantasy writer, I had very clearly used my personal experiences to shape my characters. Although, this story was a little too close to home, and even with my dad’s displeasure over the inspiration of the narrative, I was so pleased with my work. I had this intrigue with storytelling and continued to feed that hunger as I grew older. That passion for writing and storytelling never left and felt more and more like a calling than just a hobby. I knew I had to spend the rest of my life writing, telling stories and sharing my experiences with the world. 

      Thankfully, I discovered that there are others who share in this experience as well. Not too long ago, I found myself feasting on Elaine Welteroth’s new memoir, More Than Enough. There I witnessed the retelling of Elaine’s journey to success. This is important because most of us view the most notable of celebrities as people who just make a lot of money and are famous. But, as Elaine so eloquently puts it, “The truth is, job titles are temporary. But purpose is infinite.”

      As she reminisces on her journey from childhood aspirational magazine editing to real-life Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue, Elaine draws a distinction between her career and her purpose, placing all of her value on accomplishing goals and making career decisions that are linked to her passions and what she would define as her purpose rather than chasing after the stereotypical “American Dream.” She believed her presence in the publishing industry served a greater purpose and was more valuable than simply collecting a check or gaining celebrity; it was an opportunity to educate and to amplify the voices of people from historically marginalized communities on the greatest platforms in media. Here are three lessons I learned from Elaine about pursuing, as inspired by her wonderful book, More Than Enough.

      1. Your purpose will call you (not literally, but in a figure sense).
      Because we live in a society that is all about “securing the bag,” the idea of pursuing purpose seems outdated. I mean, after all, how do you even know what it is? Much like Elaine, I believe that I discovered my purpose at a young age. Or, rather, it found me. Not only was I saturating pages of my notebook with fairytale-like adaptations of my life, but I was also always found with a Junie B Jones or Romona Quimby novel on hand. My natural interests in literature and writing were evident. Sometimes, when we think about our purpose and what we were put on this Earth to do, we feel as though we have to go searching for it. We must experiment with different trades and different majors in order to land on the career that is exclusively ours. But, no one ever tells us to examine our history and to maybe even look within for the purpose that has always been there, written on our hearts, burning deep inside us from birth. Identifying your purpose takes introspection—to look back and remember the things that used to drive us as children, the dreams, aspirations and passions that we had when we were young. It requires us to use those moments as our launching pad for insight into our purpose. This is one way we can start to identify it: remember the passions that called you when you were young.

      2. Pursuing your purpose will challenge you. 
      The other side to pursuing your purpose is that it will challenge you. In my experience, finding a job was never difficult, but landing a job within the realm of what I believe I am meant to do was no easy feat. I think Elaine would concur. With the end of her college career drawing near, she found her future hanging in the balance as she contemplated her next steps post-graduation. She says, “Trying to figure out how to pursue your passion in ninety days sounds like one of those bestselling self-help books or a viral TED Talk, but ultimately, in practice it was more like being lost in a dark room and not knowing if I’d ever find my way out.” Let’s be real, opting for a quintessential lifestyle that ends with the white picket fence is easy. However, pursuing a path that is greater than yourself is risky and actually takes quite a bit of faith. Contrary to Elaine, I had to face the music long after college. I had already opted into the traditional 9-5 safe zone, but my purpose kept calling. It wasn’t until a few years after college graduation that I fell in headfirst in pursuing my writing and haven’t stopped yet. I’m just bold enough to believe that because this purpose is linked to my natural-born passions and my very existence, I will always find a way to operate in it. While you may encounter obstacles and challenges as you pursue it, persevere. After all, the greatest things in life never come easy. 

      3. Your purpose will change you (for the better, of course). 
      Though the journey of identifying and pursuing your purpose may be turbulent, it doesn’t compare to when you’re finally able to operate in it. Every moment that you spend fulfilling your purpose feels like confirmation that you’re doing what you were created to do. Not only do you begin to impact the lives of other people (because purpose is also about changing the lives of the people after you), but you are changing as well. Your perspective begins to shift, your priorities change, your values evolve and that’s what’s meant to happen. In Elaine’s story, shifting the paradigm in the publishing industry, especially in regards to beauty, was always her goal. But, as she continued to climb the corporate ladder, arriving at the front doors of Teen Vogue offices, her vision extended beyond Black representation in media to also stirring up and equipping the next generation. Her role at Teen Vogue radicalized the content of the magazine, taking it to new heights that no other teen magazine had reached, while simultaneously changing her. 

      For most of us, career success has been our life’s ultimate goal. We go to college to earn a degree or two—arriving at our final destination of a great job that makes us a lot of money and comes with a little bit of fame. For others, we may find ourselves in an endless pursuit of this form of success. But, at some point, we have to ask ourselves if that is really all there is to life—money, success, and fame. Or, is there more? Can we pursue careers that allow us to leave a real impact on the world? Can we pursue passions that are linked to a greater calling on our lives? Does that even exist for all of us? I think Elaine’s answer would be, yes. Those convictions, passions and intrinsic motivators are all linked to the very reason you have graced this earth. Don’t suppress them. Take that leap of faith and chase after them. They are calling you. They will challenge you. And, best of all, they will change the world while also changing you.  More