Hillary Kerr - The Career Code: Must-Know Rules for a Strategic, Stylish, and Self-Made Career

Editor: Rebecca Kaplan
Designers: Sarah Chiarot and Cate White
Production Manager: Denise LaCongo

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015949324

ISBN: 978-1-4197-1802-1
eISBN: 978-1-6131-2823-7

Text copyright 2016 Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power
Photo copyright 2016 Justin Coit

Published in 2016 by Abrams Image, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

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Table
of Contents

W elcome to The Career Code: Must-Know Rules for a Strategic, Stylish, and Self-Made Career ! First things first: Wed like to take a moment to say thank you for picking up this book. There are zillions of books about work and careers, many of which were written by people who have decades more experience than we do, so we appreciate the fact that youre giving us a chance. We think we have a unique point of view on this topic, in part because were not your average CEOs in a number of ways. In addition to the fact that were women who started our own company in our twenties, we dont have the typical entrepreneurial background. Neither of us have an Ivy League education or an MBAplus we had never worked for ourselves before or managed more than an intern before starting our company, so weve really had to learn all of the Career Codes on our own, through trial and error. But were getting ahead of ourselves! Lets go back for a second.

As we mentioned, we started our company in our early twenties, launching our first website, WhoWhatWear.comwhich covers fashion, celebrities, style, and shoppingwithout a business plan or any real money, besides our own limited savings. Now, ten years later, we have built that business into a multifaceted, multibrand, multiplatform, multimillion-dollar company with hundreds of employees, numerous websites that get hundreds of millions of page views each month, two (now three!) books, and our own Who What Wear line of clothing at Target.

We learned very, very, very quickly what it takes to create a career that you really love, and weve seen all of the mistakes that peopleourselves includedmake in the office every single day. They focus on the wrong things, get bogged down in office politics, and dont always put their best foot forwardthings that dont seem like theyd have a big impact, but actually can sabotage your work, effectiveness, and happiness in countless ways. Okay, now we know that sounds pretty dire, but theres good news too. Weve established a set of tried and tested codes, which, if followed precisely, will help you cut through all of that noise so that you can really focus on what mattersthe work. The Career Code truly comprises everything weve learned over the last decade as businesswomen and over the course of our careers (and lives!) in general.

Before we dive in, wed like first to introduce ourselves and explain why were writing this book and what you can expect from it.

In short: This is not a memoir. Were excited to share our personal experiences, but people dont have paint-by-number careers anymore. Our path is not going to be your path. Back in the dayeven ten-plus years ago, when we first started our businessthe working world was quite traditional, and you really could follow in someone elses footsteps up the corporate ladder. But now, more than everand we think this is a good thingyou can create your dream career in infinite ways.

In todays fast-paced entrepreneurial world, it no longer matters where you come from, where you went to college, or even if you went to college. You are no longer required to play by the old-school rules and stay at one company or in one field for your whole life. There are so many new opportunities, businesses, and jobs available these days, and you can take advantage of all of them. All you need are the right tools and the ability to look at your career pathpast, present, and futurein a smart, self-aware, and strategic way.

And the best part about mastering these work skills is that you can use them in your off-duty life, too, to make it better organized, more balanced, and brilliantly efficient. Thats why were so excited about The Career Code . The idea that you can make your career whatever you want it to be is simply fundamentally true in a way its never been before. And take it from us, two very self-made individuals: Anyone can do it.

Maybe the best way to explain how anyone can use The Career Code is to share a little background on the two of us. We are two very different women who ended up in the same place via two very different paths.

First, our similarities: We both are only children, danced as kids (Katherine was good at it; Hillary not so much), and ended up working at ELLE at the same time. And thats about it.

Katherines Backstory

Katherine was a born entrepreneur and hustler and has always been an insanely hard worker, fiercely independent, and strong willed. Even as a kid, she was always looking to make a buck, whether that meant selling tickets to her dance performance in her garage, or working in her grandmothers store. As a preteen and teenager, she was a professional dancerif you watch the opening scene of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, youll see a teenage Katherine in the dance sequence next to Mike Myers!and she emancipated herself from her parents so that she could move to Los Angeles and work full-time when she was only sixteen years old.

After getting her California High School Certificate of Proficiency, which is what they give kids who are too young to take the GED to get an early diploma, Katherine started interning at Walt Disney Studios, in the division that used to be called Touchstone, working for a film producer named Rachel Pfeffer (The Horse Whisperer, A Few Good Men). Shortly after the internship began, Katherine was hired as Rachels assistant; by her eighteenth birthday, Katherine was a full-time employee.

After a year or two of working at Touchstone, Katherine wanted something more fast-paced and started working with the two most powerful club promoters in Los Angeles, Brent Bolthouse and Jenifer Rosero. She spent four years with Bolthouse Productions and then, with a coworker, pitched Brent and Jen on creating a branding division of the company. Katherine and her colleague launched and ran this division very successfully for a number of years before Katherine decided to pivot again and parlay the connections shed made in the nightlife/events worldwhich included young Hollywood, major celebrities, top managers and publicists, tastemakers, and moreinto the publishing world, specifically as the West Coast Editor for ELLE and ELLE Girl.

In her new position, Katherine was the editorial eyes and ears of