Thanks for visiting Ms. Career Girl!

Ms. Career Girl is a blog for ambitious young professional women who want it all!  You’ll read about job search advice, and how to make a career transition.  Entrepreneurial women will share their stories as will real women who are going through their “quarterlife crisis” or who just graduated college.  We’ll also address challenges in the workplace, networking, social media and even dating & relationships!  Below are the beliefs we live by at Ms. Career Girl:

The ten Ms. Career Girl Commandments:

  1. YOU are in charge of your career (not your employer, your parents or your college).
  2. Successful people network EVERY DAY and rely on their network to get ahead.
  3. If you don’t know what you want to do, test ideas out until you do.
  4. Get “career insurance” by creating at least one additional revenue stream in addition to your day job.
  5. Use technology to your advantage: brand yourself online in order to get where you want to be.
  6. When conducting a career search, look for cool companies, not just cool job postings.
  7. Read, read, read!
  8. Interview often, even when you’re not looking.
  9. Your college major isn’t everything.
  10. You can have it all: a successful career doing something you love and a life outside of that career.

Hi, I’m Nicole Crimaldi, the founder of MsCareerGirl.com.

I started Ms. Career Girl in November 2008 as a “passion project” to help empower ambitious young  professional women and build community.  I had no idea my own career path would become a story in itself.

In college I studied Finance and Entreprenuership, then I worked in Commercial Banking for 5 and a half years.  When I was 26, the CEO of a start-up recruited me to become his company’s marketing manager. I looked at the job offer as a rare opportunity to change career paths with little marketing experience, so I left the banking world and took a pay cut in order to pursue it.  Only about four months into my tenure at the start-up, I was laid off along with a third of the company.  It was then I knew it was time to go into business for myself.

I’ve been a 9-5 suit-wearing cubicle gal at one of the world’s largest companies.  I’ve been a jeans-wearing, start-up junkie who worked way too much.  I’ve switched career paths with little experience during a recession.  And today I’m self-employed as a content creator at MCG Media, Inc. Wherever you are in your career or wherever you want to go, I will likely have some insight!

I hope you will find the stories on Ms. Career Girl informative, entertaining and relatable to where you are in your career.  If you’d like me to answer your career questions, please email me directly at nicole@mscareergirl.com.  I love hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Nicole Crimaldi

Contact Ms. Career Girl
Regular Columnists

Awkwardly Ever After- Lauren Schaefer: Dating & Relationships

Hi All! I’m Lauren- professional event planner, comedy improviser, social media buff and relationship blogger for Ms. LaurenSchaeferCareer Girl! I moved to New York City to start my job this past summer after graduating from Indiana University in May (Go Hoosiers!) and have been living and learning through all this city has to offer! I document my journey (beyond relationships!) as a young professional in New York at my blog From the Fifth Floor. I’m pumped to be part of this awesome team and love to start conversations! If you have an idea for me, comment, or just want to chat, follow me on Twitter at @Leschaef.

Kovie in Chicago- Life After College: Kovie Biakolo

Hi! My name Kovie and I am a 2011 Drake University Marketing Graduate who was originally headed to law school in KovieBiakoloChicago or a year in Spain. Alas, I find myself in the Windy City!  I like to think of myself as Nicole’s “right hand.”  I
work as the Project Manager at MCG Media, Inc. (the parent company of MsCareerGirl.com) which is a social marketing agency in Chicago.  I also coordinate Ms. Career Girl Connect events and co-host #MCGConnect chat.  While I may still have law school on my future agenda, I am loving my role in marketing and event planning. I am indeed also on the “job hunt” for a marketing and/or event planning experience aside from MCG Media. While my life goes from uncertainty to uncertainty in this crazy early 20 something stage, I try to control all the things I can: my character, my attitude and my work ethic. Above all, I try to be honest and real!  Follow me @KovieBiakolo to get in touch! Read Kovie’s column, “Kovie in Chicago” every other Thursday.

Shorter version of Nicole Crimaldi Bio for Clients and Press

Nicole Crimaldi is the founder of MCG Media, Inc. a full service Online Marketing agency in Chicago.  Her firm specializes in SEO, copywriting, content creation and social marketing.  Nicole also runs MsCareerGirl.com, a career blog for ambitious young professional women and hosts quarterly “Ms. Career Girl Connect” networking events in Chicago. Nicole has had the honor of speaking to several groups and universities including National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Illinois CPA Society, The University of Chicago, Miami University and DePaul University.  Nicole was also a speaker at PodCamp Pittsburgh and has been featured in several media outlets including US News & World Report, Oprah and Friends XM Radio, The Chicago RedEye and The Pittsburgh Post.