How To Support Your Girlfriends In Their Careers
Balancing work commitments while making time for our girlfriends gets tougher as our career ambitions take up more of our time. However, we definitely want to make time for our gals and support them in their careers! Keep reading to discover a few ways to support your girlfriends in their career ambitions.
Be A Cheerleader
Have your girlfriends mentioned that they're eyeing a promotion or raise? Do they want to apply to a new role or program to stretch themselves professionally? Get out your pom poms and cheer them on! Even confident people need a hype (wo)man, and doesn’t everything seem possible when your besties have your back?
Keep Inviting
As your friends put more time and energy into their careers, they will naturally have less free time to be social. However, this does not mean that you've been forgotten or your friends no longer want to hang out. Quite the opposite! Everyone wants to feel included and connected, so keep on inviting your career-focused ladies out. Even if they can't attend as many happy hours as they used to, they still need your support and friendship. Inviting them to events, even if you're pretty sure they can't come, sends a strong message that your friendship is still important while they’re breaking those glass ceilings.
Check In Periodically
Find a good time to send your friends a quick message to see how they are and ask about their job. Try to do this monthly, or any amount of time you think will work. This is another way to extend support without a social obligation, and your girlfriends will definitely appreciate it. They’ll know that you’re still thinking about them and care about their life, even though they may be busy.
Be A Great +1
If your friend wants to go to an industry or networking event but doesn’t want to go alone, offer to be her guest! Is there a big conference coming up that you have access to, or would help you professionally as well? Get those tickets, girl! Especially if your friend is more introverted, you can help break the ice and give her a literal nudge in the right direction.
Share The Love On LinkedIn
Even in a major city like Boston, once you’re in an industry everybody knows each other...or knows someone who knows a friend of yours. Do a little digging in your network to see if you can introduce your career-minded friends to someone who can help them reach their goals. Building a career network is so important, and taking the time to bring people together shows genuine caring
When you do get to spend time together, don’t forget to celebrate! Even small career successes deserve some love, and nothing is better than reaching your goals with the people who supported you the entire way.
Becky Holder is a content contributor for JUGs and works in education. In her free time she looks for the next best cup of coffee and great food. Follow along @rebeccalizholder on Instagram.