At PepTalkHer, we’re on a mission to empower YOU to know your worth and to understand your value in the workplace. And what better way to start than by asking our favourite women in business?
We sat down with career coach Cynthia Pong to discuss her career journey and to see what advice she has for professional women. Cynthia is a speaker, author, and the creator of Embrace Change NYC, her career consulting practice for women of color. Let’s get started!
Meggie: Hey Cynthia, thanks so much for chatting with us today! To start us off, how would you describe yourself in one sentence?
Cynthia: Thanks, Meggie. I’d describe myself as a feminist career coach for women of color
Meggie: Amazing! Speaking of your role as a career coach, how did you get where you are today?
Cynthia: Through lots of trial and error!
Meggie: Nothing wrong with a little bit of trial and error! Switching gears a bit, have you ever felt like an imposter in your career? If so, How'd you move past this?
Cynthia: The day I had my first major speaking engagement! I was presenting at LinkedIn's TransformHER conference for women of color. I had never spoken to a group that large (100+) in a live setting and it was at LinkedIn's NYC headquarters, so I was really nervous! But it was exhilarating and wonderful to be in that community with the women of color in the audience. And the talk itself went really well. It was also very different from my usual days, which I spend in my home office meeting with my clients over video chat, doing work for different individual clients, interacting on social media, doing business development, working on projects like my book on career change for women of color (coming out Summer 2020!).
Meggie: Sounds like quite the experience! As someone who helps clients to navigate their careers, what advice do you have for anyone looking to build their own brand?
“It’s important to find a way to do this and a frequency of interfacing publicly that is *sustainable* for you”
Cynthia: Find a way to express yourself (e.g., writing or speaking) that is true to you (though it can be limited to presenting one side of you) and put yourself out there consistently (even if it's not every day – it's better to ramp things up than to go too hard at the beginning and burn yourself out). It's important to find a way to do this and a frequency of interfacing publicly that is *sustainable* for you.
Meggie: Love the emphasis on putting yourself out there! Speaking of that, how do you prepare for negotiation conversations? We'd love to hear all your hacks & top tips or awesome advice you've received!
Cynthia: 1. Read Never Split the Difference. 2. Put yourself in the shoes of the person you'll be negotiating with (and make sure they're the one who makes the call on what you're asking for!). 3. Frame all your arguments and talking points so that person will be likely to hear and understand you. 4. Spend most of the conversation listening, asking open-ended How or What questions, mirroring. 5. Know what numbers are at play for you if this is a monetary/financial negotiation (e.g., what you'd ideally want, your bottom line, industry standards, etc.). 6. Remember that if you believe, they believe. So make sure that you sound like you've convinced yourself first!
“Make sure that you sound like you’ve convinced yourself first!”
Meggie: Convince yourself first - what an awesome way to put it! Final question - What’s something you are reading or listening to that you find interesting?
Cynthia: I'm reading Freedom Is a Constant Struggle by Dr. Angela Davis. And I'm listening to The Untitled Episode, a recently released podcast episode from The Kondabolu Brothers.
Meggie: Cynthia, thank you again for taking the time to chat with us today! We appreciate the opportunity!
To learn more about Cynthia and her career coaching services, check her out on Instagram @embracechangeNYC, or on her website.