Emily in Paris has been undoubtedly one of the most popular Netflix series, and -to be honest- as much as negative some may want to seem and criticize the vague and superficial content of the series, the majority waits impatiently for the next season (s).

Despite the simplicity of the plot (a young girl from Chicago moves to Paris for one year to help with the Parisian subsidiary of the company she works, makes friends, and meets the love of her life), Emily has presented some exceptional professional skills that we believe would make anyone stand out professionally and build their career. At the end of the day, that is the idea, isn’t it?

So, do you feel like getting a bit inspired by Emily's professional skills?

1. Boldness & Initiatives

Even though Emily is in a foreign country, not speaking the language at all (well, Bonjour doesn’t count!), she never misses the chance to take the initiative and propose new things that would help her company look good to grow. She rarely waits for approval from her boss (Sylvie, we love her!), and she tries her best to carry out every project. She asks for what she wants to undertake. Even though she doesn’t always make it her own (lacks experience), she shows a problem-solving orientation and creativity. This essential soft skill is crucial for every job post.

2. Positive attitude

Who wants to work with a pessimist person all the time, a person who is whining around the clock? Nobody, I guess! On the other hand, Emily has a constant positive attitude, which, credit, where credit’s due, is quite contagious! She wins over customers, manages to make it her way, and is the office’s happy vibe. A positive attitude is undoubtedly a must-have in the workplace; you make people feel comfortable, boost your productivity, and reduce stress. Not to mention how popular it can make you in the office! Tastes like a promotion?

3. Good coworker and collaborator

Although her first days in the Parisian company weren’t that successful, Emily managed to make good friends there, since she never gave up trying to have a rapport with her colleagues and her boss and she kept trying to help -sometimes unsuccessfully. She also tried hard to avoid conflicts; at the bottom line, she had her colleagues back, and, they did too for her, even when she got fired. So, being focused on your tasks is good, but having a friendly relationship with the people with whom you spend a lot of hours together is priceless.

4. Networking

Emily’s boldness and growth mindset motivated her to try and network everywhere, from the metro station to the “boulangerie” from where she would buy her “pain au chocolat”.

“Your network is your net worth”, Porter Gale says in her book, and Emily definitely followed that rule. She was open to pretty much everyone and even to people who weren’t that friendly. But she never stopped meeting new people. Another excellent skill, though, was her ability to use her network in order to get the help she needed. A mistake many people make is that they think they can do everything on their own. But, the truth is that everyone needs a hand from time to time, and Emily definitely knew how to use this hand!

5. Takes responsibility for her mistakes

For a young and ambitious girl like Emily, mistakes are on the game, considering her little experience and being in a totally different work environment and working culture. Emily indeed made some serious or minor mistakes during her course in the Parisian working life. Still, she never shirked her responsibility despite the consequences when she couldn’t solve them immediately and the damage was done. Her courage and straightforwardness were rewarded at the end.

We all indeed make mistakes at work. The point is to understand them and not avoid taking responsibility when we get caught.

Being a Social Media Manager in Paris may not be that fun and glamorous in real life as in the series (or, maybe it is?) but Emily definitely gives us the inspiration and motivation to be even better in our real life -and maybe not so glamorous- work routine!