13. Five Stories You Need to Read (June 2023)

Using Twitter for tax research, becoming a master mentee, what being attractive has to do with startup funding and why AI is threatening women's jobs the most.

Women in Tax is a semiweekly newsletter for the female accountant, lawyer or consultant in tax who wants to build your personal brand, grow your book of business & become a thought leader in your industry.

Here are some of the headlines that caught my eye in June: making the most of your performance review as companies tighten the purse strings waiting for a recession, using Twitter for tax research, why being attractive may get you more funding, being a master mentee, and why AI is going to impact women’s jobs the most. -Yelena

1. How to crush your annual review, even in a recession (Worthmore Strategies)

This blog post is full of good tips on making your annual performance review benefit you, including: 

• Assess YOUR dynamics: what is happening in YOUR industry? YOUR company? Your department? Your level?

• Understand what your company’s and department’s “big goals” are.

• Think about YOUR goals.

• Compare those answers, then determine what you’d like to negotiate for.

• Ask relationally and discuss collaboratively.

2. Using Twitter for tax research (Alicyn McLeod)

If you’re a tax professional and haven’t yet heard of the #TaxTwitter community, you should get yourself a Twitter account and peruse the posts under this hashtag. This thread is a good overview of how to get the most out of this community and to leverage it for tax research questions! 

3. ‘Attractive women 16% more likely to secure start-up funding’ (Financial Times)

This is only tangentially related to women in tax, but an interesting statistic to consider, especially if you work in the start up or venture capital world: new study from the University of St. Gallen found that attractive female entrepreneurs are 16% more likely to receive start-up business investments from men. 

4. How to be a master mentee (Axios Finish Line)

Every woman in our profession has heard about the value of having a mentor. But, few people talk about how to make the most of a mentoring relationship as a mentee, which is why I loved this round up of tips for mentees, which includes a template for being a “Master Mentee”: 

• Hunger

• Purpose

• Self-awareness

• Self-confidence

• Action

5. AI-Threatened Jobs Are Mostly Held by Women, Study Shows (Bloomberg)

Here’s another interesting study impacting women who work: according to a human resources analytics firm Revelio Labs, AI is likely going to disproportionately replace jobs typically held by women. This is why I talk about how important it is for female tax professionals to build strong personal and professional brands as thought leaders, because the future of our profession is in subject matter experts, something AI can’t replicate. 

What headlines caught your attention recently?

Any takeaways from these links? I’d love to hear your take on these topics!