What are some concrete steps female IR professionals can take to build the career they want? Executive search consultant Smooch Repovich Rosenberg tackles this question in part two of our video series on women in IR.
‘Design a personal brand and create and leverage differentiation,’ she says. ‘If you don’t have a personal brand for your career, figure it out. Who are you? What are you? Where are you aspirationally headed in your career?
‘What’s unique about you that makes you extremely valuable to a management team? After all, if you don’t know, no one else in the career navigation discussion will either.’
Repovich Rosenberg also discusses competitive differentiation within IR. ‘One of the keys to success is exploring strategies for standing out in the growing field of IR professionals, especially amid the influx of highly diverse backgrounds that came into IR during the pandemic,’ she explains.
‘Think critically about how you can leverage past roles for career advancement. Remember: uniqueness counts – be authentic about who you are and how you’re different from others. Why? Because it matters.’
Another topic covered in the discussion is the evolving role of IR. Here, Repovich Rosenberg urges IROs to take on new responsibilities when given the opportunity.
‘Of all the professions available to you, you have chosen IR and I’ll tell you, it is one of the most unique careers in the world,’ she says. ‘And it naturally allows you to choose a variety of lanes to travel down in your career.
‘So I’m going to use an adage with you that I truly believe can fuel future success. When your boss asks you to do something outside your comfort zone, the answer always has to be ‘yes’. Take advantage of it. Even if, upon first blush, the topic doesn’t seem interesting. You need to pursue it, because you never know where it’s going to lead you.’
