Women's History Month Q&A with Laura Rowley

Mentoring and Advocacy in the Workplace 

March 8, 2025 marks the celebration of International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” Central to this vision is empowering the next generation as catalysts for lasting change. In honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, SitusAMC asked employees how they help empower girls and women in their communities and the workplace. Laura Rowley is a Director and Head of Content for SitusAMC.  

You have developed an unusual way of supporting recent college graduates. Talk about how it came about. 

I had a long career in journalism before moving into content strategy, and I also write books. Over the years, many talented young women seeking careers in journalism, publishing or marketing have reached out asking to meet for an informational interview. This accelerated quite a bit when my three daughters started graduating from college. While these calls and coffees are enjoyable, I found they were not particularly effective in getting the graduate a job. So I changed my approach.  

Describe how it works. 

First I tell the graduate to connect with me on LinkedIn, and see if any of my contacts work at companies she is interested in. Then I ask her to find a specific opening she plans to apply for at that company. This requires her to do her homework and really dig in on what she wants to do, research specific firms in her industry and find the opportunities. 

Next, the candidate has to contact me and confirm I have a relationship with that LinkedIn connection, because it might be someone I met once at a conference. In that case, a referral from me isn't going to help. But if it’s someone I know well, I ask the graduate to send me an email along these lines:  

"Hi Laura, I see that XYZ company is hiring for XYZ role [insert LinkedIn job link]. I just applied for the job, and noticed that you are connected with [name and title] at that company. Would you be willing to forward my resume? Here's why I believe my skills are perfect for this opportunity." 

Then I ask her to write three to four concise bullet points about why she is an ideal fit for the role, and attach her resume.  

Why take this approach? 

First, this approach requires candidates to put serious thought into those bullet points. They must be concrete, rooted in their education, experience and skills, and directly connected to the open role. This is where a lot of my coaching occurs. I sometimes go back and forth a few times with a young person, advising her on how to think strategically about her skill sets and accomplishments, and position them to show how she can add value in the role she’s seeking. Obviously the candidate's qualifications have to be a suitable fit for me to make a referral. 

Second, the candidates are applying for real jobs -- not talking in the abstract about their career goals over coffee. While it's always valuable to reflect on your passions and ambitions, I'm not a career counselor. But I've been fortunate to have developed a deep network over my career, and helping women leveraging that has more impact. 

So once the candidate puts together the email with the bullet points, what happens next? 

I forward the candidate’s email to my contact with a "hello, here's someone you might want to consider for your opening if you're still looking" at the top. So in a sense, I'm doing my contact a favor by steering a qualified candidate their way. 

Of course this doesn't guarantee anything. But it can help move a candidate's resume to the top of the pile -- and then she has to take it from there. This method is the best way for me to connect people with opportunities, as long as the candidates are willing to do the legwork. It's vastly more effective than spinning their wheels in informational interviews. 

Why is mentorship important to you? 

I grew up the tenth of eleven children on the south side of Chicago. I started working when I was 14, and paid for my education through scholarships and part-time and summer jobs. I didn't have connections to my industry through friends-and-family networks. Excellence, hard work and persistence will carry you far, but ultimately someone has to open the door for you. I found people along the way who believed in me and helped me get in the door. Now I’m a serial connector. I love the opportunity to help open the door for talented people – especially from lower- and middle-income backgrounds, as well as recent immigrants -- who may not have access to professional networks. It's hugely rewarding when I can help someone get a foothold or advance in her career.