A BASIC GUIDE TO GROWING YOUR CAREER

A few years ago, we listened to a revealing talk on the gender wage gap. What stuck out to us the most was when the psychologist said that women are far less likely to receive a promotion than a man because women, in general, are usually less willing to ask. When we compared women to men, women tend to be a lot more accepting of things as they were. That lit a fire under us, and made us realize that if we don’t fight for the value that we as women bring to the table, no one else will fight for us.

Below are a variety of strategies we’ve compiled to help you continue to accept nothing less than what you deserve:

You Don’t Get What you Deserve, You Get What You Ask For

Yes, we know this is not always true; but, unfortunately, this is usually a pretty good rule of thumb. If you never ask for a promotion, how will anyone know that you need one? Unfortunately, it is easy for a  boss or company to assume that you are content where you are. While you’re working your butt off trying to earn your way to the top, some other person might easily just walk into an office and say, “can I do this?”

Learn How to Play the Game

In the real world, everyone is out to protect his or her best interests: that doesn’t just include the company you work for or your boss, but even your coworkers and associates! Playing the game is making sure you are protecting yourself first. Don’t be surprised if someone screws you over to serve their best interests… unfortunately that is the world we live in. Recognize that you need to put yourself first in the workplace, and fight for your what you deserve!

Write your Letter of Resignation Your First Day on the Job

Keep this in mind: you do not owe anyone anything. We’ve worked in jobs that gave us meaning, flexibility, and excitement; but, there came a point where our best interests were not on the line. If your health, future, or personal life are being taken for granted, you do not need to stay in that job. So why do we advise you to have your letter of resignation handy starting day one? No matter how crazy things get, no matter how scary it is to face the unknown, no matter how indebted you feel to your boss or employers, you do not owe anyone anything. So, your first day on the job, when you’re not burnt out, your excited and optimistic, and you’re ready to go, have your letter of resignation handy, because you always want to do best for you.

Always Keep your Options Open

Want to know how to be a master of job offers? Keep your LinkedIn up to date, make inquiries, and always continue to network. Keeping your options open helps you to see how other people value you. If companies are all vying to hire you, you can use that as leverage to ask for a pay increase.

Keep an Open LinkedIn Profile (Your Network is Your Net Worth)

Times are changing, so make sure you’re willing to change with it! Now more than ever, recruiters and employers are using online platforms to look for hire-able employees. If you’ve never tried LinkedIn, or you don’t use it, now is the time to start! LinkedIn is useful because you have your resume right there: experiences, talents, people you know, and next steps you want to take. It’s not uncommon to get interested employers or even job offers when you’re not even looking!

Perhaps this list sounds a bit pessimistic-- be selfish? Don’t trust anyone? Don’t feel pressure to commit?

Following these standards does not make you a terrible person, it is merely geared to help you understand the nature of business-relationships and how the business world often works. Stay on your game! Don’t stop hustling; but, most importantly, figure out your passions, what gives you meaning, and what you truly enjoy doing!

Best Side Hustles

The best things in life are free, right? Or, if not free, at least easy to get. One of our favorite things to do is to make easy money. Our definition of easy money? Something that takes little-to-no time, and something you don’t need to put much effort in. We’ve compiled a list of a things you can do to make little extra spending money. You may not fit into every category, but it’s always a good rule of thumb to always use your resources!

Airbnb:

One of the members of our SheTeam tested this out, and here was her takeaway:

Deciding to start an Airbnb was one of the greatest decisions of my life. We had an extra room in the basement with a full bathroom, and we never used it. I spruced up the room a little, put some chairs and a keurig in the basement, and listed our room. You would think that living in the middle of nowhere and miles from a highway, we wouldn’t get many guests. Surprisingly, because we were the cheapest place to stay within an hour radius, we filled up quickly. Our guests have been the ones to basically pay our mortgage and utility bill… we literally are making money as we sleep!

Mystery Shoppers:

If you live in a city, this is a great and easy way to make some extra money. All you have to do is sign up at a variety of websites like bestmark.com or liveshoppers.com. When they have an assignment for you, they’ll email it to you and give you a certain time period to get it done. You basically go to a store, complete the assignment (which usually is buying products), and then fill out a survey online. It’s a pretty great deal, because you usually make $20, and they’ll reimburse you for whatever they ask you to buy!

Sell your old stuff:

Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, Plato’s Closet, Clothes Mentor, and Poshmark are all great places to sell your old stuff at. Plato’s Closet and Clothes Mentor are both retail stores where you can take your gently used clothes. Both places only accept more trendy clothing, but they pay a good amount. Poshmark is an app you can download and sell your clothes on there. You can price your clothes however you want! Facebook marketplace is an excellent resource, especially if you have old furniture to sell.

Donating Plasma:

You can make as much as $75 when donating plasma and go as often as twice a week! Just make sure to eat healthy and drink a lot of water before you go. Not only is this a way to make money, donating plasma also helps with scientific research. Call your local hospital to get started.

Recycling cans:

A lot of states give you 10 cents or more back on your cans. This can add up over time and give you a return on your used pop or beer cans. Try bringing a trash bag of cans when you go grocery shopping, and there are usually areas to return them.

Uber/Lyft Driver:

All you need to drive for Uber or Lyft is your own car. Although this doesn’t necessarily fall under our category of “time-saving, no effort” ways to make money, it is still super convenient to have a job that you can do anytime, anywhere.

Online Teaching:

There are a selection of online teaching jobs that only require a bachelor’s degree… no teaching license required! Again, this isn’t necessarily the “time saving, no effort” type, but it can pay as high as $22/hour, you can choose the hours you work, and still have a full time job. Be aware, though, these jobs mostly teaching english to kindergarteners in China. Being in separate time zones, usually early morning or evening is the times you will be able to schedule.

In today’s world, there are many nontraditional ways to make extra income. Think outside the box, and try new things! Have you tried any of these ways to make “easy” money? Comment your best tips below!