Our Hip-Hop and R&B Lab Marketing Assistant, Carol Simpson shares some uplifting tips about conquering imposter syndrome. Take a peek and use her great advice. 

What does your role/department oversee? 
I’m 1 of 2 marketing assistants in the Hip-Hop and R&B Lab at Republic. Essentially our lab oversees all the release planning from pre through post release for all of the hip-hop and r&b acts at Republic. We work in coordination with other departments like advertising, digital, press and commerce. 

What do you like to see most in an application? 
One thing that I definitely look for is the formatting and organization of the resume itself. Especially being in a creative industry, having a standout resume just feels so important. Whenever I get a plain text Word document, I read it because I have to, but I’m not as inclined–how are you going to stand out? 
For applicants, I’d love to see in their little descriptions specific projects that they’ve worked on: actionable items that they’ve brought to life, and how you executed in their previous role. Anyone can have really incredible ideas, but being able to execute is really what makes you a strong candidate for any job. And being able to put that on a resume is also impressive, because with limited space on 1 page, you can’t always express everything.

What are some tips for women looking to work in the industry?
Confidence is huge: starting off as an intern, I felt completely out of my element. But moving into my first role, I had to adopt a “fake it till you make it” attitude. This sounds like terrible advice, but it really does make a difference because eventually. Even though you may not be the most important person in the room, you’re still a part of the team, and you still deserve to be there. Don’t be afraid to bring up your ideas, even if they get shot down at any moment. Especially as a woman, sometimes men will speak over you or they’ll pass up your ideas as their own, or they’ll interrupt you–don’t back down. 
If you’re feeling imposter syndrome, find mentors that you can see a little bit of yourself in. My current boss, for example, is also from an immigrant family. She’s the first Dominican executive that I’ve seen in the music industry. It’s helped to break down that barrier of, “how could I be here? I’ve never seen someone like me in that position.” Find a solid team or friends in the industry as well–we can all lift each other up.
Leverage any connection that you’ve had previously! I know that we as women sometimes feel like we’re being annoying, or we feel like we need to apologize for reaching out. But as long as you’re not overstepping, or asking for something that you’re severely unqualified for, leverage your connections and use them to your full advantage. 
Don’t over apologize! Men don’t apologize nearly as often as women do. We all need to work on that. 

Any resources you love?
The Music Industry Career Networking Group on Facebook is where I got my first label job from, and I always see such incredible opportunities on there. 
There are always incredible panels happening, so keep your eye out and attend!
The Color of Music Collective on Instagram is great. They focus on LGBTQ+ and people of color in the music industry. They also put on a ton of panels and opportunities, as well as helpful infographics. They’ve grown so much over the last few years, so they’re definitely a go-to resource for anything.