Interview Series - Career Experts - Georgene Huang from Fairygodboss CareerMetis.com

Interview Series - Career Experts - Georgene Huang from Fairygodbossâ€" CareerMetis.com In this interview series, we caught up with Georgene Huang from Fairygodbosswho shares her expertise and insights about job search, career change,etc.in today’s marketplace.Tell us a little bit about your companyevalFairygodboss is the largest female career community where highly motivated and authentic women can connect with other career-minded individuals to share real-life experiences and help one another to succeed.Our platform supports women in their careers through free resources like company reviews, over 70,000 job listings, virtual recruiting events and a community where users can be honest about their triumphs and failures either as themselves or anonymously.How did you get started in this path?The idea for Fairygodboss came to me after, what I describe as, a very bad day at work.On that day, I was suddenly fired from my executive role at a major company as part of a management shakeup. At the time, I was two months pregnant and hadn’t yet told anyone. So I was in this position of looking for a job and going on interviews â€" and feeling quite pressured to hide my pregnancy.While interviewing, I wanted to ask certain questions around benefits and policies like maternity leave and work-life balance â€" but feared being judged as less than fully committed to my career if I asked.I also wanted to hear directly from other women about their experiences and how they overcame similar challengesSo, I turned to the internet for answers, and was surprised by the lack of information I found, which is why we’ve formed the FGB Community.Is this something you decided early on in your career?I’ve always been entrepreneurial, but I think my own experience definitely helped me see a gap in the market for everyday, working women.What is the most exciting part of working in this industry?Helping other women succeed!How do to stay abreast of the industry as an expert?evalRead, read, and read!Stay on top of the news, not only within your industry, but you should k now what’s going on in the world.Everything has a way of impacting something else so it’s important to know what’s happening.What are some of the things that you see job seekers struggle with the most?Many female job seekers struggle to find the answers to more sensitive questions, usually related to health benefits which is why we’ve made this information clear on our website to help improve transparency.How should job seekers approach job search today?Often, I hear from FGB members when they’re in a position of looking for a job, that it’s hard to keep the bigger picture in mind. They are so, understandably, focused on the short-term job search itself and landing an offer. But taking a job is agreeing to enter into a long-ish term relationship.So it’s very important to be intentional about what that relationship will look like and honest with yourself about whether you will enjoy it.Most people spend at least 40 hours a week at work, so when looking for a job, you’ re also looking for a place to spend most of your waking hours with people that will become potentially as close to you as your family and friends.What are the common mistakes that you see them do?Many job seekers don’t do their research prior to starting their job hunt and then end up in a job at a company that they don’t like or whose values don’t align with their personal values.What is the biggest trend1) Better benefits.2) More flexibility in the workplace.3) Increased transparency between management and employees.What is one advice you would give someone just out of college today?I strongly suggest an informational interview at companies that you’re interested in to learn more about their open roles and company culture.If you have a contact at a company, definitely reach out, but don’t be afraid of cold outreach (especially to recruiters).What is one advice you would give someone who is switching careers?Leverage your community and do your research.Find out what it†™s really like to work at a company by reading company reviews on websites like Fairygodboss.Find out why people like, or dislike, working for a company and do some research into what the company offers in terms of benefits and compensation.Unemployment is at the lowest levels, why do you think that is?More jobs are being created.What is the biggest trend(s) you see that hiring managers will face in the next 2-3 years?1) Candidates expecting workplace flexibility.2) Candidates placing increased importance on company values and culture.What are you currently working on?Currently, we’re focusing on continuing to improve our product.The Fairygodboss site recently went through a major overhaul and we’ve created a new platform with a brand new look.Adding new features that our users want to help improve our platform is our main focus.What are the best resources you recommend to job seekers?Fairygodboss.comWhat is the best way for our audience to reach you?Connect with me on the FGB c ommunity!Connect with or Follow Georgene Huang Fairygodboss on Social Media:LinkedInTwitterFacebook PageYouTube PageGeorgene Huang and Fairygodboss have also been featured in our recent compilation of the most resourceful career experts and career blogs â€" Top Career Advice Websites.