Episode 09: 6 Things I Did Before Making a Career Switch

Making a career switch is a huge deal and not something to be taken lightly. Whether you're in a job you hate or simply feel unfulfilled, it's important that you come up with a transition strategy before you take the leap. 

I've been able to make two huge transitions in my career - 1) from Operations to HR and 2) from Finance to Tech.

In this episode, I'll walk you through the 6 things I did to make sure I was ready to make that switch!

Check it out below!

Episode 04: How to Make Six Figures (3 Things You've Got to Start Doing Now)

When it comes to work and money, most people view making six figures as the holy grail of compensation.

What's interesting though is that although most people admit they'd like to earn a salary of more than $100k, they also often feel like it's an impossible goal to achieve.

The truth is, making six figures isn't as difficult as you may think and it doesn't have to be reserved for people in specific industries or locations.

The truth is, making six figures at work isn't as difficult as you may think.

Check out episode 4 in the Deeper Than Work podcast where I break down the 3 reasons why most people never get to cross the $100k threshold. 

If making six figures is something you'd like to do, you don't want to miss this one!

How to Stand Out from the Competition at Work

Whether your goal is to get promoted to the top spot in your department, land your dream job at the company you’ve been stalking for months, or finally take the leap to launch a side hustle, making sure you stand out from the other people doing the same thing you’re doing is a huge part of your success.

Think about it: How can you convince anyone you’re the most qualified, the best choice, or whatever else, if you aren’t able to differentiate yourself from everyone else? It’s pretty clear – in order to achieve success in work , you’ve got to figure out how to separate from the competition.

But standing out in a sea of people doing things similar to you can be a challenge. You’ve probably got a million questions swirling around your brain.

Questions like:

What makes me special?

How is what I’m doing different from everyone else?

Why is what I have to say or do worth anyone’s time?

Am I good enough to stand out from the crowd?

Although these questions represent the way many of us think – especially when it comes to the work we do – the good news is that it’s much easier to differentiate yourself than you think. It’s just a matter of changing your approach.

Here are three things you’ve got to start doing right now in order to stand out from the crowd at work.

Stop comparing yourself to other people

This is the most crucial part of the entire process. If you’re consistently comparing what you do to what everyone else does, you’ve already put yourself at a disadvantage. The saying goes “Comparison is the thief of joy”, and while that’s true, I’d take it a step further and say it’s also the thief of success. When you take your eyes off of your goal to worry about what someone else is doing, you’ve taken time away from doing things that will help you move forward in your own career.

Instead, your goal should be to get laser focused on what you bring to the table and how you can improve your own skill set. The most successful people will tell you that when it comes to getting to the top, you simply can’t worry about what anyone else is up to. Wasting valuable time focused on other people will actually put you further behind them – which is the opposite of what you want.

tap into your signature style

Signature style is the unique way you approach your work and encompasses the way you think, the way you relate to others and the way you express yourself. Basically, it's getting crystal clear on what your strengths are and how to use them in a deliberate way. Developing your signature style forces you to tap into who you are as it relates to your work and brings you much closer to bringing your authentic self to the office.

Those who are successful in their careers have developed and mastered their signature style and instead of shying away from the things that make them different, they’ve embraced and even highlighted them. For example, someone who's tapped into their signature style is not afraid to offer a differing opinion to the group or to share their personal views on a topic. Studies show that those who can truly be themselves at work are more engaged and are more successful in their career overall.

Become an expert

Although you may be tempted to brand yourself as a “jack of all trades” and spread your knowledge base across many different areas at work, it’s much easier to stand out from the crowd if you become the “go to” expert on a specific topic. And while most people tend to shy away from calling themselves an expert for fear of not having enough knowledge or experience, the truth is that being an expert doesn’t mean you need to have your Ph.D. on a certain topic or spend 10 years working in a specific field. What it does mean though, is that you’ve dedicated time and energy to learn more about your work than other people have.

Think about it: If you spend just one hour researching one topic, you’ll already know more about it than 50% of people. Now imagine if you spend 60 minutes every single day researching that same topic. That’s right, you’re now an expert.

"The bottom line is this: The key to standing out from those you view as competition at work is to shift your attention from them to you."

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Instead of focusing on what your competition is up to or how your competition is doing, your goal should be to figure out how to best develop your own skills in a way that plays to your strengths and highlight what makes you, you.

Take a moment to think about the most successful person you know. Nine times out of 10, this same person isn’t thinking about you right now. Instead, this person is spending their time thinking about what steps need to be taken in order to take his/her career to the next level and I challenge you to start thinking the same thing.

The Truth About Work-Life Balance

One of the most overused phrases out right now (more overused than "stay woke") is work-life balance.

It's often thrown around by employers trying their best to attract new talent.

Look, I get it.

These days people care about flexibility and balance as much as, if not more than they care about pay.

We love life as much as we love work.

But this so-called ‘balance’ cited by many recruiters and managers as a way to seduce job seekers and even written into many benefits policies at companies all across the country, is mostly just a game of smoke and mirrors.

It's not real, y'all.

Few people know what it means to truly have work-life balance and even fewer can actually say they get to experience this phenomenon in all its glory.

The key to work-life balance is this: You've got to realize that it’s less of a balancing act and more of an exercise in integration.

97% of us have a job, which means that 97% of us will spend about 1/3 of our lives at work. With proportions like this, there may never be an opportunity to balance every single piece of our lives perfectly.

Yes, flexible work arrangements and telecommuting options definitely help, but instead of focusing on number of hours clocked, you should be focusing on creating a balanced mindset – better yet a lifestyle – that allows you to thrive both inside and outside the cubicle.

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"Balance isn't about focusing on the hours you work, it's about focusing on creating a lifestyle where you thrive inside and outside the cubicle."

So, how can you do it? How can you experience real balance that allows you to kill it at work and in life?

Here are 4 tips to help you achieve more work-life balance instantly.

Prioritize what’s important to you outside of work

Take a long, honest look at what you truly value in life. Is it focusing on health and wellness? Volunteering in your community? Experiencing quiet and uninterrupted alone time? Make a list of all the things you want to experience in your life on a normal basis and rank them in order of priority. Go deeper than just saying – I want to spend more time with my family. Really think about what that actually means for you. Do you want x amount of date nights with your partner every month? Do you want to chaperone the next field trip at your child’s school? Get really specific.

Carve out time for what’s important

Once you’ve identified what you want to focus on in life, you've got to make time in your schedule to actually do these things. If your idea of balance means taking more vacations, then pull out your calendar and block off the days you'll take your next trip. If you want to begin meditating, then set your alarm 30 minutes earlier, go to bed later, or use some time during your lunch break. We all find the time to do the things that are important to us and now that you’ve identified your life priorities, you have to ensure you make time to experience them.

Commit to not making sacrifices

Once you’ve made the time in your schedule to spend on the things you value outside of work, protect this time at all costs! It's not OK to push your scheduled gym time to the side so that you can pull an all-nighter at work. It's not OK to miss your niece’s dance recital because you want to proof read your presentation a couple more times before you submit it. Of course, unexpected things come up sometimes and we have to be flexible, but when you're missing more appointments than you're keeping, work and life are not in balance.

Be present

This is the most important tip of all. When you’re at work – be sure you're 100% focused on what you’re doing there. Don’t surf the Internet or lurk on Instagram when you’re supposed to be paying attention in a meeting or completing a project. Focus on the task in front of you and commit to being productive.

This will make it easier for you to do the second part of this tip, which is – when you’re off, be off. Don’t constantly check your work emails or log on from home just to “fix one small thing”. It’s important that you're present in whatever you’re focusing your energy on at the given moment.

Making a living is typically the priority for most of us, but I challenge you to make living the priority. By the time most people get to retirement age, I guarantee they're not wishing they had spent more time in the office and less time doing things they truly loved.

Be deliberate about prioritizing the things that are important to you. You'll be much happier in the end.

The topic of work-life balance is truly important to me and something I love to teach women about. If you'd be interested in a free video workshop on how to achieve work-life balance for yourself, join the VIP list by clicking here.

The Easiest Way to Get a $10,000 Raise

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Coming to terms with the fact you’re being underpaid isn’t an easy thing to do. And if you’re one of the many women who’ve unfortunately already come to this conclusion, you’ll most likely react in one of three ways:

1. Complain about not getting a raise.
2. Think about asking for a raise.
3. Actually ask for a raise.

Even though you know the third option is the best choice – the one most likely to bring about the outcome you want – nine times out of ten, it’s not the one you’ll choose.

The reasons for not choosing the third option are varied. They can range from being unsure of how to bring up the subject of a raise, to being afraid of your boss’ reaction, to simply feeling overwhelmed by the process in general.

I totally get that the thought of asking for and receiving a raise can be daunting, but believe me, it is not impossible.

Here are 5 super easy steps I teach women on how to negotiate salary increases of $5,000, $10,000 and even $25,000.

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1. Be Strategic about Your Timing

Once you’ve worked up the courage to ask for a raise, you may be tempted to march into your boss’ office on the spot and demand more money. Before you do that though (slow down, girl), you should know certain situations are more conducive to positive results than others.

For example, when you’ve:

• Completed a huge accomplishment at work
• Received a promotion
• Conducted market research that shows you’re being underpaid
• Been offered a job with a new company

Situations like these give you leverage and make it more likely you’ll get a “yes” response.

Although you may be tempted to wait until your next annual salary discussion to express dissatisfaction with your pay, this isn’t necessarily the best time as money decisions have most likely already been made.

Instead, take the lead on when the conversation will happen. Be intentional about not only what you’ll say, but also when you’ll say it.
 

2. Do Your Research

Approaching the salary conversation with specific examples of how much people in similar roles to yours get paid will dramatically boost the odds of your boss agreeing to your request for more money. 

Sites like Glassdoor.com and Payscale.com have completely changed the game on conducting salary research. With a few simple clicks, it’s possible to find the average pay for virtually any role at any company. 

Being armed with information to support your request for higher salary is the single most important aspect of the salary negotiation process – and often heavily influences the outcome in a positive way.
 

3. Get on Your Boss’ Level

If your boss usually prefers a more laid-back style, now isn’t the time to suddenly get super formal. If she prefers to have meetings in the late afternoon, don’t schedule your salary conversation at 9am.  If she likes a detailed agenda outlining meeting topics ahead of time, be sure you give her one.

Switching the style of communication you and your boss usually have can cause confusion and put her in an uncomfortable head space. When people are uncomfortable, they’re less receptive to the information being presented to them.

Don’t get trapped in the belief that because the subject is money, you have to be more stuffy and formal in your approach. How do you and your boss normally interact? Go with that.
 

4. Be Straight Forward

When asking for a raise, avoid the urge to start speaking in code or beating around the bush. Although it can be challenging (due to your nerves getting the best of you), the best approach is to be clear and to the point.

Being straight forward also helps keep your emotions in check. Emotions like: anxiety, anger, nervousness and fear can sabotage your efforts to have a constructive conversation about your money goals and expectations.

Creating bulleted speaking points that are direct and to the point can help you keep the conversation on track and avoid getting side tracked.
 

5. Have a Clear Call to Action

Often the best salary conversations lose steam at the most important part – the end.

No matter how well everything has gone, don’t undermine all of your hard work by not making the actual ask for more money.

What would you like your boss to do at the end of the conversation?

Make sure your ask is crystal clear so there is no room for doubt or uncertainty in your boss’ mind about what it is you want.

Going after your next raise doesn’t have to be a scary or convoluted process. Although it may not feel like it, having the money conversation with your boss is just like having any other career related conversation – the key is to be confident, strategic, prepared and straight forward.

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"Asking for a raise doesn't have to be a scary process. Be confident, strategic, prepared and direct."

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