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Tips and Personal Observations
Cari M. Dominguez

Chair, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

A few years ago while serving as a board member of a nonprofit organization whose mission was to aid and promote the advancement of women in the workplace, I was asked to speak about the status of women in the workplace. I began my remarks by saying that we needed to put things in perspective; that, in fact, women had come a long way. And I used a personal example. I said that my grandmother had advised my mother that if she wanted to be "successful" she needed to marry a lawyer, which she did. My mother, in turn, said to me that to be successful I didn't need to marry a lawyer, I could be a lawyer, at which time a woman from the audience piped in and said, "Forget all that 'old advice', forget about marrying a lawyer or being a lawyer, to be successful as a woman in this day and age you need to get a lawyer!"

Well, I'm certainly not advocating litigation as a form of advancement, even though I recognize that there may be instances that warrant it, not just for one's own advancement, but for the advancement of a class of individuals. And I certainly can appreciate the frustrations that women and people of color have felt while breaking into nontraditional workplace territory.

A lot of books and articles have been written about mentoring and the importance of finding mentors and career sponsors to further career objectives. In my own experiences, here are some tips that I found helpful:

Have multiple mentors --Seek out and work with individuals who take an interest in and can help you strategize and advance your career interests. From developing contacts, to offering professional advice, to even giving tips on wardrobe and etiquette, I have found it very valuable to have multiple mentors, many of whom worked at higher levels than I did, and others who worked alongside of me or even in lower level positions. All of these individuals had one thing in common: they valued my contributions and felt vested in my success. They worked to support and advance my career interests. One size does not fit all. Each situation may call for different sets of skills, different perspectives, different counsel, and different agents.
Communicate your accomplishments -- Seize every opportunity to share with professional friends and colleagues the projects and initiatives you are working on. Oftentimes, particularly when you are a candidate for a higher level position, your references are called to discuss in great detail not only your personal character and qualities but also your accomplishments and ongoing initiatives. Having fresh knowledge of your recent work history can go a long ways toward advancing your candidacy. So, don't miss the opportunity to share with your friends and colleagues the specifics of some of the work taking up your time and attention. It will pay off for you in the long run.
Network, network, network -- I can't emphasize enough the importance of getting known not only in your immediate circles of professional interest, for example, the Women's Bar Association, but also going outside of your comfort level to become active and involved in broader professional circles, for example, the American Bar Association. After all, the individuals involved in making promotional decisions are more likely to come from the mainstream organizations. So network and participate not only in your sphere of comfort, but as importantly, beyond it-- become known and valuable in organizations of global and national as well as regional impact. Become known by individuals like yourself, of the same background and interests, but as importantly get to know individuals who may not share your interests and background but who can be influential at a much higher and broader level.

The future bodes well for enlightened organizations willing to seize the competitive opportunity that a diverse workforce offers, and the future bodes even better for enlightened individuals willing to take risks, reach out, and in the process make a difference for those coming up behind.

Cari M. Dominguez is the nation's 12th Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). She was nominated by President George W. Bush and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Her five-year term expires on July 1, 2006. For more information, please visit http://www.eeoc.gov/abouteeoc/dominguez.html.