When I heard we were going to do a session on non-linear career paths as part of the EPIP-YNPN Leadership Institute, I was super excited. I’m a pro at this; I’ve spent the last six-ish years having absolutely no idea where my career was going.

I graduated in 2009 with a double major in International Relations and Arabic and a concentration in Middle Eastern studies, so I had one very clear career option: becoming a spy. (Or, you know, going into international business, working as a translator, becoming a diplomat, etc.)

Unfortunately for me, none of those careers panned out, and it was the height of the recession. There were no jobs for recent college grads, so my career focus had to shift from dreams of shaken martinis to attempts at gaining job experience and building my resume.

In late September, I was invited to be one of the experts at the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network Professional Polish event. As a stylist, I work with clients who are in the midst of change. They’re interviewing for a new job, transitioning into a more visible role at their current gig, re-entering the workforce, starting their own business or speaking before an audience. Each client is embarking on a life transition and ready to express the most polished, confident and authentic version of themselves.

And I love helping them do just that. I find wardrobe one of the easiest ways to shift not only how others see you, but more importantly, how you perceive yourself. Here are the five tips I want you to know when dressing for work.

Fall is a great time to be a YNP. There are some awesome discounts and opportunities available to YNPN-TC members we wanted to make sure you know about:

I recently read an article on LinkedIn by Justin Bariso about the downside of being called a leader. At first glance, I thought this was totally counterintuitive. We've all heard the phrase, "Be a leader, not a follower," right? Exactly.

But once I actually read the post, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I agreed with his insight. And a big reason why comes from a resource one of my first bosses shared with me to help us identify how to work well together: StrengthsFinder.

Applications for the YNPN Twin Cities Board of Directors opened on September 8th—we are on the lookout for awesome people to join us!  I thought I would write a blog post describing my experience as a board member after nearly one year and hopefully inspire some of you to apply and help shape our beloved organization.

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I will say this about my decision to go for the YNPN Board – it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. It has given me an incredible opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. I’ve been able to meet and get to know other amazing nonprofit professionals and develop leadership skills I didn’t know I had. Being on the board is so much more than that though.

The phrase like a boss strikes a chord with me as a young professional seeking to up my game. Who wouldn’t want to take control of their career and work life like a boss? 

But as a father of a toddler, I realize you can’t always act like a boss—sometimes you have to act like a parent. This is certainly the case when you’re caring for a child, but more and more, I’ve found myself applying lessons I’ve learned from my threenager in my work life.

Since I’m (sorta) a millennial, I’d like a pool table in the office. I also want “take your parents to work” days, a free pop-tart station, an Atari for kicking back between meetings, and fun, wacky team-building activities where our office slowly becomes family, like in an Aaron Sorkin show (preferably Sports Night, the best tv show ever).

Actually, stop. None of those things are important to me. In fact, I would be mortified and a bit insulted at “take your parents to work” day. Not that my parents aren’t cool, but it’s not like I’m printing out my annual reviews to hang on their fridges.

Looking to ramp up your YNPN-TC engagement? There’s always a volunteer role ready and waiting for YOU! Check out current opportunities:

Nonprofit master Giacomo Crostini is here to answer all your burning questions about life in the nonprofit sector. Email him at [email protected] for advice and guidance.
--------------------

Dear Giacomo,

I don’t know what to do. I love my job, boss, and pretty much everything about my nonprofit organization. There is only one problem - my new co-worker! We just don’t click, he rubs me the wrong way and quite frankly, I’m not a fan. How am I supposed to spend everyday with someone that I don’t really like?

Sincerely,
Paralyzed Over Our Problems 
--------------------

We’ve all been there. You sign up for an info session at a conference or an event with a presentation that sounds intriguing and potentially groundbreaking. You sit down for the session, pen in hand, ready to take notes. Throughout the entire session you wait for something noteworthy – something so insightful you just have to tweet it, write it down, and take it back to the office to share with your colleagues or impress your boss. You wait, and you wait, and nothing. Turns out the session isn’t what you thought it would be. The information doesn’t apply to your organization or your job, or it covers information you’ve already heard a million times (social media 101, anyone??).

Recently I attended an event that left me feeling this way. So now what? Did I just waste an hour or two of my time?