Girlboss CEO Sophia Amoruso: resumes aren’t key to getting a job, your story is

Are resumes still relevant? Some would argue not in this current age where your personality is a form of currency.

A resume is an outdated way to show why you could be valuable to a company – at least that’s what Sophia Amoruso, the founder and CEO of Girlboss, believes.

The founder has launched a professional online networking platform aimed at millennial women as part of her media company.

The platform is free and requires no application. It allows users to access a community of thousands of women including Jen Rubio, the founder of AWAY, author and editor Elaine Welteroth, Arianna Huffington and Bozoma St. John, the Chief Marketing Officer for Endeavor.

Once the user is signed up they are able to ask questions to anyone in the network directly on any career-based topic. User profiles will include work experience, as well as accomplishments and “Girlboss moments”, as they are calling them.

It will also act as a way for users to show off their personal brand, AKA the new resume (this includes their Meyers-Briggs type and Zodiac sign). Users will also have access to Digital Firesides, (AMAs) with known thought leaders, with the ability to ask questions directly.

“A gorgeous profile that isn’t just your resume, it’s your story,” the FAQ page reads. More than 54,000 people have joined the Girlboss waitlist already.

A place to ‘learn, grow, and help one another’

Girlboss is not the first company to do this as Bumble, Dreamers/Doers and The Wing also are in the business of establishing work-focused communities for women, whether it be a physical place to connect (The Wing) or through an app (Bumble) or on Facebook (Dreamers/Doers).

The need is clearly there. Only 23 per cent of millennials are active on LinkedIn but more and more of these women are moving into the entrepreneurial space. Women own 40% of the small businesses in the US and 40% of millennial women plan to go freelance in the five years.

However, women have more trouble raising capital for these companies and a pay gap exists between men and women in pretty much every industry including freelance. These platforms are meant to act as not only support systems but a place to share ideas, have access to resources and make essential connections. There is power in numbers after all.

Amoruso wrote in an introduction to the platform: “This is a place where honesty is mandatory and the commitment of everyone within the community is to learn, grow, and help one another.”

Amoruso knows a thing or two about honesty as she rose to fame with her clothing company Nasty Gal before filing for bankruptcy protection in 2016.

Ironically, this was the same year a Netflix series called #Girlboss, about her career, (based on her book of the same name), was released and subsequently cancelled. But she was transparent throughout the whole process often speaking of failing on a whole new colossal level and then pivoting to launch her media company.

Here’s what Amoruso said about her company’s exciting new development and her career:

Girlboss already has a really strong community. Why did you decide to take it to this level with a professional network?

“Girlboss is professional networking 2.0 — a place that embraces the ambitions of the modern woman, supporting a new generation of entrepreneurs, professionals, freelancers, creatives, and future leaders.

“In today’s world, women are multi-hyphenates: we aren’t our work selves Monday through Friday and our personal selves on weekends. We’re creating a space for her to share not just what she does, but who she is. It’s an inclusive, free community that embraces her no matter where she is on her journey.

“Further, this professional network is a community for those who have followed me over the past five years, connecting with each other in the comment feeds of Girlboss social accounts, but never were satisfied — enter the Girlboss community.”

This is becoming a somewhat crowded space with Bumble and The Wing. How is the Girlboss platform different?

“It’s so flattering to be compared to such brilliant organisations. What we’re all doing is unique and complimentary – it’s an exciting time for women to find havens like ours to advance together.”

What has been the most exciting part of launching this venture?

“Hearing the success stories from users within the community. For example, the founder and CEO of WithSarina, Sarina Virk Torrendell, reported that, ‘the community has been unexpectedly great for my business. Three of my clients came through the community in my first month on the platform!'”

So, this could lead to an employment opportunity for some women but the essence of this platform is really about women being able to connect with each other?

“Absolutely! While some within the network may tap into new side hustles, we built this platform for the working woman in progress.”

What was the most important connection you made in your career?

“Meeting Neha Gandhi, the COO of Girlboss, has been invaluable in building and growing Girlboss from the ground up.” 

What is the first thing you do every morning?

“I write in my journal.” 

What would be the most surprising thing found in your desk drawer?

“Food.”

You have talked about failing on a massive scale but you came back with such aplomb. How does one bounce back from a failure?

“Thank you! I think it’s about resilience — you need to get up, get up, get up. There’s truly no other choice.” 

What is the toughest part about being a leader? What is the best?

“The toughest part is that all eyes are on you. As the CEO, I’m expected to be 100 per cent qualified, but the truth is that I’m still learning as I go. The best thing about leadership is that it’s my job to learn.”

This article was written by Meredith Lepore and originally published on The Ladders.