0:00

Welcome to another edition of Money

0:02

Matters . I am so excited today

0:04

to have Yolanda Whitmore join

0:06

me back again so that we can continue

0:08

our conversation on , basically

0:10

, how are we going to use our careers , our

0:12

income , to better our financial situations

0:15

. So on our previous episode , that's

0:17

what we talked about salaries versus benefits

0:19

. I take a job that's maybe paying

0:21

me a little bit less , but I have better benefits

0:24

that work with my lifestyle . But now

0:26

we want to refocus and talk about , now that

0:28

you have that job , how

0:30

can you leverage your career ? How can you

0:32

maximize your income

0:34

potential ? How do we even know what your income potential

0:36

is , your net worth ? So guess what

0:39

? Yolanda has come back today to help

0:41

us answer some of those questions . Thank

0:43

you for having me . I think after our last

0:45

episode , we got into such a deep conversation

0:48

about what we're going to talk about today and

0:50

that was so compelling that I was like , yes , we have

0:52

to come back and talk about it Because now for

0:54

those individuals that have a job , you may say

0:56

that episode wasn't helpful for me because I

0:58

have a job already . So now we're going to talk about

1:00

if you have that job , if you're in

1:02

the career that you want to be . How

1:04

do you leverage that ? How do you

1:06

go to the next level and you may

1:09

say this is a personal finance podcast

1:11

. What does that have to do with anything ? Every

1:13

day we're talking to individuals that are in situations

1:16

that they need more income

1:18

, and so sometimes it's easier

1:20

said than done . Does that mean that you need

1:22

to take a part-time job , change careers

1:25

? Maybe not , but hopefully what we discussed

1:27

today will give you some insight in

1:29

what you can do where you are

1:31

, to maybe get to that next level . How

1:34

do you ask for a raise and I'm going to start

1:36

right there with your loan at HR . How

1:39

do you do that ? If I want more money

1:41

, do

1:43

I just go up to my boss and say look

1:45

, slide this little sheet

1:48

of paper over and say can we add a

1:50

zero to that ? Absolutely , that's

1:52

all you have to do . Can

1:54

I expect to get an answer ? Can I

1:56

expect to have a job after that

1:58

sheet of paper slid over to that side

2:01

?

2:01

Absolutely . This is what I'm saying . First and foremost

2:03

, if you are in a place

2:05

where you feel that you

2:07

should be receiving a raise

2:10

, I have a couple of things

2:12

that I say to a person before

2:14

you choose to slide that piece of paper

2:16

across the table to your manager how

2:19

long have you been in that position ? There

2:22

are some people that would be in a position

2:24

for three months and feel

2:26

that they have mastered and say , oh , it's time

2:28

for me to get a raise , so

2:31

it's time for me to push that paper over , just like you

2:33

did . I need a raise

2:35

, but you didn't explain the reason why

2:37

you would need a raise . But what I

2:39

suggest to people , first and foremost , be

2:42

in your position and become comfortable in

2:44

your position within six months . If

2:46

that's comfortable and you're like if I accepted

2:48

a position , I accepted that salary you

2:51

should not be asking for a raise in three weeks because

2:53

you felt okay with that salary in the beginning

2:56

.

2:56

But inflation has hit in those three weeks

2:58

. Okay , go ahead .

2:59

Understandable in that aspect . But

3:01

one thing I always tell people don't

3:04

put your personal to

3:07

ask for a raise , for instance , like you just

3:09

say , oh , it's inflation , oh , I got to pay my

3:11

bills , oh , I got to pay my car now . Oh , I

3:13

got stuff going on , so I need a raise

3:15

. It should be about your performance , what

3:17

you're actually doing at work , or if certain

3:20

things change within work , where you

3:22

may have had someone

3:24

that was in a department and they

3:26

are actually no longer in the department

3:28

and it's been several months . You've been taking

3:31

up that role . You've been doing those duties

3:33

and your duties at an exceptional level

3:35

. They see that I can do both jobs

3:38

and I'm comfortable . I'm not stressed out , I'm

3:40

not burnt out , I'm okay with doing both of those

3:42

jobs . I think it's about time

3:44

now . I've been at this company a little

3:46

bit over a year and a half . I think it's time and I'm

3:48

comfortable and I have the information and

3:51

they see that I'm doing both jobs and doing

3:53

both jobs well . I can bring my

3:55

job description to the table with my

3:57

letter and state hey

3:59

, these are the duties that I've been doing . As

4:01

you stated , I've been doing these things at an

4:04

exceptional level as well , I have picked up these

4:06

additional duties as well and I

4:08

continue to do those . What I am suggesting

4:10

and requesting is may I

4:13

or can I get a raise or

4:15

possibly blend these positions together

4:17

where I can actually get an increase

4:19

? That's a way that you can actually come

4:21

to the table . I just tell people do

4:23

not come to the table just saying I need a

4:25

raise , or , oh , I'm coming to the table

4:27

, I want a raise . If not , because we can flip that

4:29

conversation as well . Oh , they

4:32

got me doing all this work because we need

4:34

another person , another body there . But

4:36

you're frustrated . You have an attitude with

4:38

doing this extra work as well , as

4:40

you're not doing it to the ability that

4:43

you could do . It is very subpar

4:45

. But the economy at this point

4:47

there's not anybody applying for this

4:49

position . So what you do is push that paper

4:51

over and say , oh , I need a raise

4:54

, if not , I'm going to quit . So

4:56

it can be reversed . But that's not what you want

4:58

to do , because sometimes you would be rather

5:00

surprised . Some organizations will

5:02

be like , okay , that's your choice . So

5:05

you could put yourself in a catch-22 where

5:07

you threaten a company

5:09

, so you never know . So

5:11

that's why I say anytime you want

5:13

to actually go to the table

5:16

because it's a negotiation at that point

5:18

where you're requesting a raise . So

5:20

when you do that , you want to do that as professional

5:23

as possible . Bring your information , bring

5:25

the reasons why you feel that you are

5:27

qualified for that raise .

5:29

And , in keeping with that , if I look

5:31

at my salary and say , ok , I want to raise , I've

5:33

been working hard , how do I , as

5:36

the employee , determine what the appropriate

5:38

amount to ask for ? How can I find out

5:40

what my worth

5:42

is in terms of the company to say

5:45

, okay , I want a 10% , I want a 5%

5:47

, I want a 15% raise ? How

5:49

can I measure that so that I can

5:51

present it to my employer

5:53

and feel confident that it is

5:55

a reasonable amount ? So how can I really

5:57

come to the table ? I'm confident in saying

5:59

I've done a great job , I have

6:02

excellent service , etc . But

6:04

how can I be confident in that

6:06

number I put on that sheet of paper and slide

6:08

over is reasonable ?

6:11

OK , what you want to know . First

6:13

and foremost , you said that you've done your research

6:16

.

6:16

If your salary is in that range

6:18

, my research in terms of what

6:20

I'm making sure I've done , dotted all my I's

6:23

and crossed out my T's for my role

6:25

in anything extra . So if I'm

6:27

completely in the dark about

6:29

what I should expect beyond

6:31

, how do I do that research ? Where should

6:33

I do that research ?

6:34

The way I tell people . First , you can go

6:36

to BLS , which is

6:39

the Bureau of Labor Statisticsgov

6:41

. That gives you a plethora

6:43

of information compared to where

6:45

you can find information on benchmarking within your

6:47

positions . Also , look

6:49

locally If you are at an organization

6:52

for instance , we're at a credit union All

6:54

the credit unions are financial institutions in

6:56

and around the surrounding area and verify

6:58

what those salaries actually are in those positions

7:01

. Usually you can find that information on

7:03

job descriptions , job postings , or you

7:05

can pull that up sometimes and get that information directly

7:07

off the internet and you would

7:09

verify . Usually , hey , I see down

7:12

the street they're paying $5,000

7:14

more for a similar position . And

7:17

when I tell people that you get that information

7:19

or you can get that data , sometimes

7:22

when you bring it to us , we can go into

7:24

as far as I would be more

7:26

basic , as far as , like a

7:28

teller . We know a teller here

7:30

is a teller the same usually in majority

7:32

other organizations . So

7:34

it's easier to leverage to say , oh

7:37

, this organization is paying

7:39

their tellers $15 an hour

7:42

. However , I'm only getting paid $13

7:44

an hour here . But I can see , hey

7:46

, I've done everything that a teller can do . I'm

7:49

actually stepping up , helping the assistant branch

7:51

manager or things like that . What

7:53

you're going to see is that at that point

7:55

you're bringing that information and

7:58

that attention up that maybe that

8:00

organization did not notice that , hey

8:02

, these organizations now are

8:04

paying those , our majority of their

8:06

tellers , at $15 an hour

8:08

. That's just an example that I'm using so

8:10

that can actually bring the attention

8:12

and is hey , at this point we may be

8:14

lowball or not paying our employees

8:17

or what they're worth . At that point the

8:19

organization itself can take a look where

8:21

a raise doesn't even have to be involved

8:23

. They can make adjustments themselves across

8:26

the board . If there's something

8:28

that is in a position that is completely

8:30

out of the norm and you're way skewed

8:32

, I tell people as well . Even

8:36

though it's the same job title , it

8:38

doesn't mean your duties are the same . Sometimes

8:41

you may get a no , and even if you

8:43

get a no or a decline for that

8:45

salary that you're requesting

8:47

, ask the questions why

8:49

? Because you will be surprised sometimes

8:52

of why the answer was a no

8:54

or not at this time . It

8:56

could be the fact that the organization right

8:58

now have a freeze on actually any type

9:00

of raises or promotions , because

9:02

we can be going , or an organization can

9:04

be going through some type of financial strain

9:07

and it could be at the point we

9:09

cannot , as an organization right

9:11

now , give increases to our

9:13

employees right now . So sometimes there's

9:15

always a why , sometimes even behind

9:17

the no or the no not right

9:20

now .

9:21

You said , okay , they see what you're doing

9:23

, they recognize your work , but is

9:25

that always the case ? What if they're not ? What

9:28

can you do as an employee to

9:30

make sure if you're going above and beyond

9:32

to make sure your supervisors

9:34

recognize that , so that if you are going to

9:36

ask for that raise , if you are going to ask for something

9:39

in addition , that it is

9:41

recognized ? I know that some

9:43

companies offer an annual review . How

9:45

important is an annual review , or even

9:47

a self-assessment in terms of that ? And

9:50

then , beyond that self-assessment

9:52

, is it okay to toot your own horn

9:55

? What can you do so that , if you

9:57

want to ask for a raise , or if you

9:59

want to just show them that , hey , maybe

10:01

you don't have to ask for it , you want to put it

10:03

out there so that they're going to come to you and say , look

10:05

, we've seen you do this , we've

10:07

seen you do all of these extra tasks

10:10

. How can you make sure that your

10:12

superiors or your supervisors

10:14

are aware of what you're doing ?

10:16

Okay , I'll try to answer all 15 questions

10:18

. First

10:20

and foremost , on this aspect , I tell

10:22

everyone , even the people that I do

10:25

mentor , keep a brag book , that

10:27

brag book . There's nothing wrong with it . Anything

10:30

that you do out of the norm , out of the ordinary

10:32

, write it in that brag book . So

10:34

when it's that time , if you are

10:36

at an organization that actually does

10:38

annual performance reviews , do

10:41

that self-evaluation on yourself

10:44

or give that information to your manager

10:46

, because sometimes you have to understand managers

10:48

may manage several or more employees

10:51

and they're not probably remembering

10:54

what you did at a moment

10:56

. And when you bring that back to their memory because you

10:58

know what you have , wrote all those memories down

11:00

in that brag book . So when it's

11:02

time for that review , oh , I'm going to let

11:04

you know everything I did these past 12 months

11:06

, just to refresh your memory . Managers

11:09

appreciate that . And when they're like , wow

11:11

, this person did do all of these things and

11:13

I'm sorry I did not recall , yeah , he

11:15

did work on the committee . Yes

11:18

, he did work extra hours and when

11:20

accounting needed help , they wanted some

11:22

backup if possible when he used to work in the accounting department

11:24

. So those type of things put

11:26

in your brag book . Put anything work-related

11:29

, even non-work-related , that can be volunteer-focused

11:32

. For

11:38

instance , if you volunteer to work for the Cancer Society on the

11:40

weekends and things like that and you know that your organization is volunteer-focused , make

11:42

sure you actually add those things , because

11:44

, keep in mind , some personal things that you do

11:46

outside of work can also

11:48

help you inside within

11:51

your job .

11:52

All right . So I want to bring it back in

11:54

and narrow it down . Are there any key

11:56

, maybe two or three things that you would say if

11:59

you're going to go in and ask for a raise that

12:01

you should be prepared to present , and

12:04

if you are declined , are there two

12:06

or three key things that you want to

12:08

know before you walk out the door ? In terms of

12:10

why is it just the no

12:12

, an updated

12:15

?

12:15

resume . Okay , bring your

12:17

updated resume and

12:20

your current job description , because

12:22

at that point you're giving

12:24

your manager an opportunity to be

12:26

like okay , these are the job duties

12:29

that I have . However , on

12:31

my current resume , these are the previous companies

12:33

and organizations that I worked for , so

12:35

they know what your history is as well . You're just refreshing

12:38

them at that point , but you're letting them

12:40

know I've been at this

12:42

company X amount of months or years

12:44

. These duties now have evolved

12:46

. This is what is stated on my job description

12:49

. That's when you bring out your brag book with you and

12:51

you let them know . But these are some of the things

12:53

that have been added to my duties

12:55

, so you're gonna let them know I that have been added to my duties

12:58

, so you're going to let them know I'm doing this , I'm

13:00

doing this and I'm doing this . And

13:03

also be comfortable , let them know this has been removed or because I

13:05

have started this , I have improved

13:08

this in efficiencies you want to

13:10

let them know all the things that

13:12

you've done to improve the

13:14

position that you're currently in . Now

13:16

, keep in mind , I let people know as well . But

13:19

if it's a plethora of people like if you

13:21

are in a contact center , for

13:23

instance , and it's 40 contact

13:25

center people taking calls and y'all have all the

13:27

same duties . However

13:29

, to ask for a raise and everybody's

13:31

doing the same thing at the same level , sometimes

13:33

it may be a little different and you will have to find a way to actually

13:36

, I guess , stand out . Sometimes it may be a little different and

13:38

it'll be . You will have to find a way to actually , I guess

13:40

, stand out to me when you bring

13:42

that information and you

13:44

are standing out because you're doing

13:46

over and beyond , taking on extra

13:48

duties and things like that it can

13:50

be more of . Maybe I need a job

13:52

change , maybe

14:00

I don't need to be in the same position as all these other 38 , 39 other

14:02

contact center reps . You can actually pivot and change that conversation as well of yes

14:04

, I'm asking for a raise , but I understand that these raises

14:07

may not happen because it's a group of us or

14:09

whatever . I'm asking for a raise , but also

14:11

I'm asking for a position change

14:13

or a position title change .

14:15

You must be reading my mind , because that's

14:17

literally what I wanted to talk about next , in

14:19

terms of you've been on

14:21

a job , you've been comfortable , you've been in this position

14:24

and you may realize that at that position

14:26

you've reached the ceiling . So when

14:28

is it appropriate to start

14:31

looking at other positions

14:33

? I know that there are some employees that

14:35

will apply for everything . Everything that comes

14:38

up is I'm going to apply . Tell me

14:40

your feelings about that internally . Is

14:42

that a good look ? Does that say that

14:44

you're ambitious ? Or how

14:47

do you think that's perceived in

14:49

the corporate world if you have an employee that

14:51

every time there's a position available , they're

14:54

applying ? And then what is your recommendation

14:56

in terms of giving thought

14:58

to the positions that might be available ?

15:02

I think that person is still trying to find themselves

15:04

. Okay , I don't tell anyone

15:07

not to apply for something because they may

15:09

feel like I thought this was a good

15:11

fit for me but maybe it's not . Some people

15:13

may have to go around the world three times before they find

15:15

out . Hey , this is my home . I

15:17

don't say that it's looked at any way , whether

15:20

negative or positive . That's just me personally

15:22

. That's the way I take it , especially

15:24

when I feel

15:27

if they are seasoned in their position

15:29

and we do use performance

15:31

reviews here . So if you are

15:33

exceeding or outstanding at

15:36

that type of level in your position that you're

15:38

currently in , I can see sometimes

15:40

where you may feel stagnant or at a plateau

15:42

and you're looking for something different . If

15:45

there's a position that does come up that

15:47

you feel that you are qualified for and

15:49

you do meet those qualifications , absolutely

15:52

apply . If you are in

15:54

a position and you are

15:56

still learning that position or learning those

15:58

duties , do I feel comfortable for you to apply for a position and you are still learning that position , are learning those duties ? Do

16:01

I feel comfortable for you to apply for

16:03

a position that you pretty much may not be qualified

16:05

for ? I can't stop you

16:07

. All I can do is tell you or give you the phone

16:09

call and say unfortunately you did not meet the qualifications

16:11

. And do we do that a good bit

16:13

of times for a lot of what ? Yeah

16:16

, as long as you meet the qualifications

16:18

, you're eligible to apply for those positions

16:21

, and it depends on what you

16:23

do in that interview at that point . But

16:26

I strongly suggest that

16:28

when you do apply , first and foremost

16:31

, especially for an internal position , make

16:33

sure your resume is updated . I

16:35

think that's more so our pet peeve than

16:38

you applying for $50 million . Anytime

16:41

a position opens , it's because

16:43

you've been in a position for three years , you've

16:45

been employed with us for those

16:47

entire three years and when

16:50

you apply for that position , that's the resume

16:52

that we're receiving . It's not telling us that

16:54

you even work here at no not in three

16:56

years , which is supposed to be looking over my shoulder , exactly

17:03

. So first and foremost , even if you're applying internally for a position , update the resumes , your

17:05

resumes . You should be literally honestly updating or just looking at

17:08

it at least once or twice a year , because

17:10

duties change in jobs . So that's

17:12

one thing I say . Make sure your resume

17:14

is up to date in that aspect

17:16

.

17:17

Well , look , we're going to pivot , because

17:19

that's why I asked him , because I know I won't remember , but

17:21

I want to pivot . And this is still in this

17:23

same area career development and

17:26

this is a great debate question that you and I

17:28

discussed in a similar

17:30

meeting , and it's career development who

17:32

should , who is the responsibility of

17:35

more ? Is it the employee or

17:37

the employer ?

17:41

responsibility of more . Is it the employee or the employer ? Just to let you know , I think when I

17:43

stepped on the side , it's more of the employee's responsibility for self-development

17:45

.

17:46

And I was on the other side , but I'll let you go first

17:48

.

17:48

Okay . And the reason why I stated that is

17:50

that , if just me personally

17:53

, I feel that if you do not take stake

17:55

in your own career development

17:57

and put yourself out there and

17:59

let your managers know , hey , I'm

18:01

taking extra classes , I've signed up , I'm

18:03

getting my master's , I'm getting my doctorate

18:05

, I'm taking certifications , I'm

18:07

doing these things and I'm choosing to do these things

18:10

on my own , it doesn't have

18:12

to be your manager or

18:14

your organization's responsibility to

18:17

say , hey , it's your responsibility

18:20

or it's their responsibility for your

18:22

career development . And I think we're

18:24

missing that major word that was in

18:26

the difference of who's more responsible

18:29

. That's the more word . I'm

18:31

not saying that employers are not

18:33

responsible for their employees' growth , but

18:35

, however , they're not the one

18:37

that is majority that

18:39

responsibility is for .

18:41

And so I was on the other side , and

18:46

one of the reasons that I was on that other side is the fear of not knowing what you don't

18:49

know . And so I think that , as

18:51

an employer , you have to present

18:53

those opportunities . Yes , it's the employee's

18:55

initiative . They need to have the motivation

18:57

to take advantage of them . But if you don't know

18:59

XYZ exists , how

19:02

can you take advantage of it ? If you don't know that this

19:04

company allows for cross-training

19:06

, offers these opportunities , how

19:08

will you know , especially if you're in an entry-level

19:10

position in any corporation ? If

19:13

you don't know what exists , how can you

19:15

take advantage of it ? So , yes , I may

19:17

be developing my career outside , like

19:19

you said , furthering my education , but

19:21

within that corporation , I do think that the organization

19:24

has that responsibility to not

19:26

only , not just , provide those

19:28

opportunities but to make sure employees are

19:30

aware of it , which I can say , neighbors , is definitely

19:32

doing a great job , because this all came about

19:34

through our Sink Mentorship Program . I

19:37

posed that question to . Because this all came about through our

19:39

Sink Mentorship Program . I posed that question to about wouldn't you agree about

19:41

? 80% of the room was on the employee side

19:43

, and so I pivoted and I asked the question

19:45

. I said now raise your hand . How many

19:47

of you have been in a mentorship program before

19:50

Neighbors ? And there were only maybe about two

19:52

hands up , and so I felt that

19:54

those two individuals , yes , that on

19:56

their own initiative they were developing

19:59

their own career , whereas I felt

20:01

the rest of them , the reason that you are

20:03

now involved in this program , is because

20:05

your employee ie neighbor shout

20:07

out was offering that particular

20:09

opportunity .

20:11

And absolutely I did believe in that , and

20:13

that's when I say again , shout out to neighbors , we

20:15

actually do amazing in self-development

20:18

as well as employee and employer developments

20:20

. As far as I've been here almost

20:22

18 years , and from my

20:24

previous organization even

20:26

though it was a multi-billion

20:29

dollar organization they did

20:31

not believe in self-development as employees

20:34

, you had to develop yourself . They

20:36

wasn't paying for you to go to conferences , they

20:39

were not paying for any type of mentorship

20:41

programs , anything of that nature . It did not matter

20:43

what position you were in , whether you were

20:45

on the C-suite levels or not . So that

20:48

was one of the things that was completely different

20:51

here at Neighbors . That's one of the things that

20:53

we do foster . We believe in

20:55

actually training our employees

20:57

. We believe in actually

20:59

and I'll give the example of training . Our

21:01

trainings are extensive , they run , whereas

21:04

other organizations then that was one of the benefits

21:06

People say , oh , my goodness , y'all do a training

21:08

that long . Yes , we do . Where

21:10

some people say I trained in just three days

21:13

, yeah , it's just the fact we want to

21:15

make sure we give people a foundation and we

21:17

want our employees to grow . And that's one of the

21:19

things why we do believe we're promoting

21:21

from within , because we feel that when

21:25

we have our employees here , we

21:27

don't want to not have them

21:29

grow , we don't want them to not mature

21:31

, we don't want them to not learn

21:33

anything else . We want them to

21:35

actually grow and grow within their organizations . When

21:38

they ask certain questions about hey , I want

21:40

to know more about this , that's what we

21:42

say . Your manager is there and your manager

21:44

is supposed to be there , like you stated , and you made the

21:46

comment as far as if you don't know , if

21:48

you're very green , how would I know

21:50

about ? It's okay for me to have these opportunities

21:53

to go out and to actually

21:55

learn and to further my education

21:57

or just further my knowledge . And

21:59

one of the things also just to plug out

22:01

there is that we do tuition reimbursement

22:03

. So there's a lot of companies and organizations

22:06

that do that as well . But that's just one of the things as

22:08

we support . We support

22:10

people to actually further their education

22:12

and that's why we do have that type

22:15

of program put in place . But again

22:17

, it is still the employee's responsibility

22:20

if they want to actually grow

22:22

within the organization , if you want to be

22:24

a leader or if you want to move up within

22:27

the organization , sometimes you have to

22:29

be the person to take initiative and

22:31

when that manager see you as that person

22:33

that's taking initiative , they would be

22:35

like , okay , they've came to me

22:37

, they told me that they were interested in these

22:39

certifications . They're in

22:41

the IT department . They should know about certain

22:43

certifications . Whether you're green or not , you

22:46

know about something in those positions

22:48

, whether it be in my department , where

22:50

they're talking about certain certifications pertaining

22:53

to human resources , and they come

22:55

to me and say , hey , I feel this would be a

22:57

benefit for me to learn as well , as I can bring

22:59

that information and my knowledge , become

23:01

more knowledgeable in this department , and that will

23:03

, in turn , help the organization .

23:06

Right , excuse me . We've shared

23:08

a lot of information in terms of what can you

23:10

do within the company . Obviously , all

23:12

of this is focused because we want to look at how can

23:14

we increase our incomes to keep up with

23:16

inflation , to make sure we can retire

23:19

, to make sure we can take care of our families . But

23:21

of course , we don't live in a perfect world and sometimes

23:24

things just may not work out at that organization

23:26

and you may have to start looking at other

23:28

companies , other

23:34

organizations , to maybe get the income that you need . So let's kind of circle back and talk

23:36

about resumes . How important are resumes and what are the tools that you think are

23:39

vitally crucial today ? Because resumes

23:41

almost feel a little antiquated

23:43

when you have tools like LinkedIn

23:46

. Keep them updated . Is that really

23:48

going to help me get a job

23:50

a little bit more ? And then I want to talk a little

23:52

bit about those tools like LinkedIn and how

23:54

important a role they can play

23:56

in helping you with your career path .

23:58

Resumes are not antiquated by

24:01

any means . That is still what

24:03

a person gets to know

24:06

about you , first and foremost , before they even

24:08

hear your voice across the phone , things

24:10

of that nature . So

24:12

one thing I do suggest is always

24:14

, when you're actually looking at your resume

24:17

, make sure it's up to date . If

24:19

you're applying for positions , whether internal

24:21

, within your job , if you currently have a job or if

24:23

you're actually seeking , make sure that resume

24:26

is up to date . Make sure you review

24:28

it , make sure things on your resume is

24:30

actually antiquated

24:33

. You don't want to be saying that you're proficient

24:36

in Microsoft 98 or

24:38

whatever . It's been 20 years people . So

24:41

you just want to make sure you're up to date with

24:44

the technology , because people will

24:46

be surprised oh , nobody uses this anymore

24:48

, things like that . So you want to make sure

24:51

that information you are updating , or

24:53

if you actually have any type of new

24:55

certifications , or if

24:57

you have actually finished your degree

25:00

and it wasn't on your resume before , make sure

25:02

you add those informations . Or if you join

25:04

any type of organizations , make

25:06

sure you add that information as well . So

25:08

I always say make sure you update your resume

25:11

. You'll be rather surprised what you'll look back

25:13

and be like oh , last year I actually

25:15

completed this certification . It's not on my resume

25:17

. I may need to add it to my resume . Just

25:20

why I say look at it every six months

25:22

to a year , because at that point you

25:24

won't forget that I need to add this to

25:26

my resume . And when an opportunity

25:29

arises because we're going to speak on LinkedIn , like you

25:31

just stated to me , linkedin

25:33

is more so of a networking opportunity

25:36

as well as to put yourself out there . If there's

25:38

hedge hunters probably looking , they're going to look at

25:40

LinkedIn when they're looking for somebody or

25:42

for a certain position . That's one of the possibilities

25:44

of places that they do go look . I

25:49

say keep that up to date as well , because when organizations

25:52

may be looking for a certain position or

25:54

a certain professional position , they can

25:56

go to LinkedIn and be like , hey , we're looking

25:58

for XYZ , and they pull up and they

26:00

see people that's in the local area where

26:02

you're located , your experience . So

26:04

, as often as you update that , update

26:07

your LinkedIn , get that information

26:09

and as well I say that

26:11

to pivot to the piece of networking when

26:14

you're actually using that type of tool

26:16

or any type of social outlet to

26:18

actually update or put your information

26:20

out there , that's a way to connect , and that's a way

26:22

to connect with other people as well . Some

26:25

people may use that to see hey , this person

26:28

is an expert in marketing

26:30

and has been an expert in marketing for over 20 years

26:32

. We have this situation that's going on

26:34

. I wonder if I can just reach out to them and see if

26:36

they'll be able to help me and to assist me on a

26:38

certain question or concern . But you

26:41

, because you at that time , you now met

26:43

a person and you have that type of camaraderie

26:45

. You never know in the future that person

26:47

may think about you when somebody is asking about

26:49

, hey , do you know anybody pertaining to marketing that

26:52

may be looking for a job or an opportunity

26:54

? And the first thing they remember , like bub , hey , on

26:56

LinkedIn I sent out this question . I asked and they responded

26:58

that's the opportunity to network . When

27:01

you put yourself out there on LinkedIn , you're not

27:03

just putting out your resume , you're giving

27:05

yourself to be a person , to

27:07

actually network with others .

27:08

As well and I can definitely

27:11

testify that it works not personally

27:13

, because my LinkedIn page is probably needs

27:15

to be dusted off , but I'll bring my

27:17

son into this . He's used LinkedIn and he's had

27:19

an internship with companies like Formula

27:22

One , duke University and now he's living

27:24

his best life over at Disney , working

27:26

for ESPN . And all of this

27:28

has been through him , leveraging and networking

27:30

through LinkedIn . So definitely platforms

27:33

like LinkedIn are really good . What

27:35

other tools out there do you think are

27:37

really useful if you're trying to stay

27:40

, maybe , in your career , even going to a different

27:42

career , but to get that exposure to find

27:44

, for you , to find those opportunities or for those

27:46

opportunities to come and find you ? I

27:49

tell people personally .

27:50

If you're in professional positions such

27:53

as human resources , internal

28:01

audit , talent development , marketing , there are local organizations that specifically cater to

28:03

those groups . Make sure you are part of those organizations

28:05

and those groups . There could be local

28:07

organizations or local chapters that

28:09

actually give you an opportunity to mingle

28:11

with people within

28:14

your type of position that you

28:16

are currently looking for . Put yourself in

28:18

those places . Put yourself in those spaces

28:20

. If that's not one of the best

28:22

things that you can do , because at that point

28:24

I'm putting myself out there I want as many

28:26

people to know me and know my face and know

28:29

my name so if any opportunity

28:31

comes up , my name is

28:33

on the tip of their tongue . So I tell

28:35

people all the time put yourself out there

28:37

to network . I know some people feel like , oh

28:40

, once I got a job , that's fine , but that's

28:42

not always it . You can be in a job

28:44

for a decade or even longer still

28:46

. Network because you never know what can happen

28:49

or what blessings can lie

28:51

ahead because of networking . So

28:53

that's why I always say you want to put yourself

28:55

out there , and some ways to do that is joining

28:57

other organizations or certain

28:59

groups that actually can

29:01

assist with your growth and development

29:04

.

29:05

So I want to spend a minute and let's talk about leveraging

29:07

titles . You mentioned talent

29:09

development and so maybe our listeners that

29:12

may not know . Let's talk about what is

29:14

actually talent development department in terms

29:16

of neighbors . That's our training department . So

29:18

how important are titles , not

29:21

just for departments , but even in

29:23

your profession , in terms of , if I were

29:25

updating my resume , what

29:27

would be more appropriate that I am the

29:30

VP of the training department or the VP

29:32

of talent development ? What is

29:34

going to be received better in

29:36

your opinion ?

29:38

It depends on what the

29:41

organization , more so , has

29:43

transitioned over to talent development

29:45

. Years ago , the early 2000s

29:48

, it was training . Everybody is your training department

29:50

, so things actually tend to

29:52

evolve and sometimes that means that

29:55

job titles do evolve . It means

29:57

that I'm saying that this needs to

29:59

change because , yes , we're the training department

30:01

, but what is our main focus ? Our

30:03

job is to develop talent , so

30:06

we feel that speaks more to us

30:08

. So at this point we see

30:10

that we are the talent development

30:12

department . A lot of people can understand

30:14

because that's what we do . We grow talent and we

30:16

develop it . We're not just training people

30:19

and sending them off , we're going to develop those people

30:21

as well . Job titles begin

30:23

to evolve depending on what

30:25

those duties are at the time . Sometimes

30:28

you have to take a step back . Just on the flip side

30:30

, with job titles . I can

30:32

use an example here . We

30:35

had to hire for some senior member advocates and

30:37

it was rather interesting the resumes that were coming

30:39

in . Yes , I'm very comfortable with

30:41

working senior citizens . I'm willing to help

30:43

the elderly . I'm more than happy to

30:45

assist them with any type of needs that they may

30:47

have . And wait a minute , while we're doing this

30:50

, did our applicant , did this mix up with

30:52

a nursing home or a nursing facility . It

30:54

was like no , it says senior

30:56

member advocate . And what does that mean

30:58

for neighbors ? What that means ? It's pretty

31:00

much our representatives , our financial

31:02

service offices . For the most part

31:04

they are pretty much in the financial

31:07

field , assisting our members that come in

31:09

with any type of financial needs or concerns

31:11

. So we were like I

31:14

think it's time for a title

31:16

change because at that point , if

31:18

it's going to confuse our

31:20

candidates that are applying for it , just

31:22

imagine how that confused our members as well

31:24

. So sometimes a job

31:27

title can be a miss and not

31:29

a hit for you .

31:30

So you have to look at it both ways , and

31:33

so we had member advocates and senior

31:35

member advocates , which we were not referring to

31:37

, the seasoned individuals . So

31:40

, how important though , is it , if I have

31:42

a resume , that I want to convey

31:45

that I was not just at the base level

31:47

of a member advocate , I was at a senior level

31:49

.

31:50

It should be posted on your resume . You can say that

31:52

you are a senior member because that is currently your

31:54

job title . So you would put that on

31:56

your resume and I think some

31:58

people , when you're doing your resume , some

32:01

people would automatically be like okay , if

32:03

I've been in an organization for five or six years

32:05

but I've held several titles or

32:07

several positions and there

32:09

are different duties under there , Put those

32:12

previous jobs that you had within that organization

32:14

because you can be short changing yourself in

32:16

other areas . If you're especially looking for positions

32:18

internally or externally , because you have to keep in mind the

32:21

person that you are actually sitting across from

32:23

in that interview may not be aware of

32:26

those previous duties that you do , even

32:28

though you were in other positions .

32:30

I think I want to end with what advice would

32:33

you give somebody that wants to

32:35

ask for a raise ? Because I think , secretly , we

32:37

all would like a little bit more than what we have

32:39

, no matter what our position is , no matter what our income

32:41

is . But I could see that some

32:43

individuals might be intimidated about approaching

32:46

their supervisor about a raise

32:48

.

32:48

I would say , first and foremost if

32:51

you're intimidated , that feels that

32:53

you're not confident enough that you're ready

32:55

for that raise . That's how I honestly

32:58

feel . Number two , make

33:00

sure you're going in for the raise for the

33:02

right reason , not for personal

33:04

reasons . Make sure it's based on professional

33:07

, of course , like you stated about inflation

33:09

and things of that nature , everybody's

33:12

going through that . That's not just one person

33:14

, not one individual person's concern

33:16

at this point . So are you to say , oh , I'm about

33:18

to get evicted , so I need a raise ? No

33:20

, please do not make it personal . Always

33:23

make it professional , pertaining to the reason why you're going

33:25

or requesting a raise or a salary increase , pertaining to the reason

33:27

why you're going or requesting a raise or a salary increase . And

33:30

so , to sum it up

33:32

, do your research . Don't

33:36

go ask for a raise and

33:38

you're getting paid $3,000

33:40

more above average compared to everybody

33:42

else within an organization or a

33:44

company . If you're at least over a

33:46

percentage , a midpoint , it's

33:48

a lot that you want to make sure , as you stated

33:51

, do your research , please

33:53

do research prior to asking for a raise

33:55

and make sure you bring in the

33:58

information as far as what

34:00

I have provided to receive this

34:03

raise . Also , make sure

34:05

you are at an exceeds

34:07

or outstanding level in

34:09

your position as well . I

34:12

don't feel comfortable . I

34:14

would feel comfortable or ashamed to ask for

34:16

a raise , and I know that my work is very

34:19

subpar . You will be surprised

34:21

that certain people will come and ask for a raise . Their

34:23

performance is very subpar . Make sure

34:25

that you are coming in with

34:28

that positive attitude , with the experience

34:30

of saying hey , I've been in this position

34:32

XYZ , I have done

34:34

blah blah blah , I have

34:37

assisted with blah blah blah , I have

34:39

stepped in blah blah blah , and

34:41

I've done this on a continuous basis . People

34:44

have come to me as the person

34:46

with the expertise in this area

34:48

. I feel that at this

34:51

point , I should be eligible

34:53

for a raise .

34:54

Yolanda , it has been great having you

34:56

here again .

34:57

A lot of good information .

34:59

I'm telling you this is really good . This is a conversation

35:01

that can go on and on , because I'd almost love

35:03

to ask that next question of is

35:06

it who you know or what you know ? But we'll save that for

35:08

another time because I have to go ahead . I think we want

35:10

a separate side to it too , right ? Yes , we were , because

35:12

I have to go ahead and make sure I provide some blueprint

35:14

building blocks for our listeners which

35:16

, based off of today's episode

35:18

, get that brag book together

35:20

If you have not been keeping up with your accomplishments

35:23

. make sure that you are documenting everything

35:25

you do inside and outside the

35:27

workplace . So if you're volunteering , if you're

35:30

doing some work , maybe with a friend

35:32

or family member , put that information in your

35:34

brag book . You never know how important

35:36

that will be . If you're not on LinkedIn

35:38

, if you're not using social media to network

35:40

and leverage , challenge yourself to get that

35:42

done , and that's our Blueprint Building Blocks

35:45

for today . I'm Kim Chapman with Money

35:47

Matters .