Go beyond the bathrobe. Give your professional woman what she wants in all aspects of her life. From the home to her office, discover a unique gift for every woman, at every price point for every career stage in the premier edition of The Career Woman’s Ultimate Gift Guide.

There is still a broken rung on the promotion path to manager. A consistent trend since 2016, according to Lean In and McKinsey & Company’s Women in the Workplace 2021 report. Which begs the question: What (or who) do women need to advance?

Breaking down three common career guides whose form and functions are easily entangled and confused - Mentor, Coach and Sponsor, you’ll know who to invite into your career journey at the right time to reach your goals.

Going nowhere is a hard, worn-out road.

It’s lonely even though companions fear and shame are bumping up next to you each day. “You should have landed already” and “You don’t know what you’re doing” drum in your head like a marching beat.

The map to reach your career goals? It’s confusing. You find yourself turning it every which way to make sense of it. And your not-so-encouraging buddies are no help in the matter either.

And you thirst. Oh, you thirst to take the right step in the right direction at the right time.

Tired career sojourner: If your resume and job search are wearing you down, take heart! Prioritize your path and master the resume edits you need to go from lackluster to landed.

Self-promotion isn’t easy. Especially for women. Typically, our natural mode of operation is to diminish our accomplishments, beat ourselves up over mistakes and overvalue expertise (which makes us undervalue ourselves in the process).

And it costs. In cold hard cash.

Close to 60% of women are leaving money on the table when it comes to salary negotiation in the job search.

Brave negotiation is a life-long skill, ladies. Now more than ever step out and ask for what you need at work. From a flexible schedule to competitive pay, negotiate with confidence (even while your palms sweat and your stomach turns!).

The small, red magnifying glass. Do you remember it?

The anticipation as the glass hovered over the marbled red and white paper spinner to reveal whodunit. It's where revolver and rope murder mysteries were laid to rest in living rooms across the U.S. in the nineties.

Keep your spyglass out because you aren't too old for the real-world Clue Junior in your job search just yet. The investigative skill you need to sweet talk employers in your career documents is the same sleuthing prowess you employed in the childhood mystery game.

May is the month of the mother. Motherhood is an all-out, hands-on, messy course in leadership. From the stork’s arrival to beyond the empty nest, moms enroll in the most-character building (and trying) boot camp there is: Raising children. Our ode to moms is more than fresh flowers, but a career resource bouquet to grow with the seasons.

Let’s face it. Black and white in our colorful digital age is boring, basic and blah. We live in a visual world with our eyes as the primary portal for our experiences.

Color not only impacts interest but memory and attention as well, according to recent research. Color ads, for example, gain 42% more readership than black and white counterparts. And color increases brand recognition by 80%.

The same is true for your resume. Today, career documents are read on digital devices rather than heavy-weight paper. So, it is important to not only nail your content but the viewer experience as well.

Career advancement isn’t always up the ladder. Expand your impact on a board of directors.

16.9% of corporate board seats are held by women globally, according to Deloitte’s Women in the Board Room Report, 6th edition, with 2,987 women having a seat at the table in the United States.

Yep, you guessed it. Your voice (and skills) are needed in the boardroom. Equip yourself with the tools you need to nab your seat, including a tailored board resume.

Traditional full-time employment isn’t your only option when returning to work. Whether you took a pause to care for a loved one, raise kids, or any number of reasons, looking work in the face after a long (or short) break can be intimidating. If you are shaking in your pencil skirt (read: yoga pants) and aren’t sure which way to turn in the world of work, ease into the labor force with one of these three unconventional options.

Is your resume showing any signs of life? Are the digital vital signs weak lacking color, vitality and verve? Pump up the pulse with (resume) CPR.

Networking is conversing.

We chat every day without thinking about it. It’s like breathing. But when you mention this method to job seekers, most panic, their stomachs knot and the sudden urge to run and hide overtakes them.

Don’t sprint to your hiding spot just yet. Networking is just engaging in a meaningful conversation and exchanging information. That’s it. With that said, Preparedness can go a long way.

‘Tis the season for holiday décor. Whether you are still fairing fall motifs of pumpkins and harvest wheat or turning toward holly garland and Christmas trees, we are all cozying our spaces for the season.

To me, home decorating is a form of self-expression. And a peek into your home is a glimpse of you!

Your LinkedIn headline is much the same. It’s the centerpiece of your profile like a fireplace is to a home.

So, just as you carefully select pieces for your mantel to display, do the same with the descriptors in your LinkedIn headline. Showcase your unique personality and skills like artifacts on your mantel.

The hourglass is so last decade to illustrate the transience of time (I’m looking at you, Days of Our Lives).

Time is on a stopwatch for working parents in the age of Coronavirus. You have three minutes and 24 seconds to get things done.

At least that's how long working-parents clocked uninterruptible professional time before their personal commitments (ahem children) interrupted their work, according to a Washington Post article explaining their experiment.

The parent duo was interrupted 45 times within three-hours, averaging about 15 interruptions every 60 minutes.

Are you experiencing the same personal and professional tug-of-war, too?

Working (or job searching) in short bursts is the name of the game with young or home learning kids in the house. Better yet (if possible), in-home childcare or assistance at the very least, to block chunks of extended work time.

So how can you use your few-minute work bursts to level up your career or job search?

Approximately 16 million Americans filed for unemployment, according to the U.S. Department of Labor since April 4.

While a furlough is preferable over a layoff for several reasons, like maintaining health benefits and perhaps 401(K) contributions, it is also the messy middle.

You may be asking yourself: Will I eventually be laid off? When will I return to work?

So, how do you spend your time in the whirlwind of questions and unknowns?

Worlds collided in a BIG way with the COVID-19 crisis for working moms (and dads)! Things are “turning turtle,” as Topsy, (Meryl Streep’s character) sang in Mary Poppins Returns. What are parents to do? Young children need care. Work needs to be done.

So I crowdsourced advice from eight high-achieving women who are tasked to manage it all. From paper plates and bluetooth headphones to grace over perfection, soak in fellow mama wisdom and stand in solidarity in the struggle as we all figure it out together.