PRESS RELEASE
NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2010 – To address limited resources available to empower and encourage young women in business, Pretty Young Professional (PYP) launched today as an online resource to guide the formative years of the emerging generation of female leaders.
Written and edited by currently employed young women in their first roles and current undergraduates seeking their first jobs, the site functions as a resource and support system for young women in professional roles or those currently seeking employment. The name is a play on society’s perspective of young women, as the perception tends to be that they are more “pretty and young” than ambitious professionals.
“When I started my career I had nowhere to turn for advice that applied just to me, a young woman entering a business career with a social science background. When things happened at work that I didn’t know how to handle, I didn’t have anywhere constant and unbiased to turn for sound advice and support,” says Amanda Pouchot, one of the founders. “Pretty Young Professional provides a constantly available resource to help young women in their daily work lives and in planning for long, prosperous career futures.”
One of many inspirational young women behind PYP, Pouchot was recently selected as one of “50 Young Champions for Women” by the WIE (Women: Inspiration and Enterprise) Symposium, which took place on Sept. 20, 2010 in New York City.
Lack of resources available for young professional women
While many available resources focus on established women in senior business roles, PYP assists young women at the beginning of their careers to create a stronger foundation for the future. The site helps women develop professionally and personally to increase the success of long-term careers for women in the future. It provides valuable advice for young women entering a variety of fields, including finance, marketing, public affairs, public relations and more.
It also addresses the stereotypes placed on young women. “We want to encourage women who are professionals that also happen to be young and feminine,” says Pouchot. “Our message to the world is clear: being young and female does not compromise our confidence, talent and drive to be taken seriously as a professional.”
Focusing on issues that matter for early tenure professional women
The site covers a myriad of professional topics, including surviving the excruciating job hunt, how to handle making mistakes on the job and how to hold yourself in a male-dominated industry. In Lifestyle and Identity, writers explore the heightened dangers of depression for women, issues of relationships, figuring out who you want to be and what you want to do. Academic research, personal experiences, business best practices and interviews provide the basis for the many articles.
Support for young women at the right time
Women are an indispensable and lasting tenet of the workforce, but they lack the support needed to be successful. By providing dynamic guidance and encouragement to young professional women, PYP plans to increase the number of women in professional positions and to promote female leadership.
PYP is an advocate for young professional women and a resource to help young women develop and succeed in professional roles. PYP is capturing a critical audience at their time of need, nurturing their success and making a difference in their lives.
About Pretty Young Professional
Pretty Young Professional (PYP) encourages and empowers young women by providing a network and community with relevant topics focusing on professional and personal development. PYP is the first online community to focus solely on recent female college graduates and current students searching for professional roles and those currently in their first professional roles. More information about PYP is available at www.prettyyoungprofessional.com.
