Working Women, Women and Money, Women Financial Advice

How to Get Your Dream Job

Do you want to be taken seriously in your career as an up-and-coming professional? Maybe you’ve just graduated college or are entering the workforce after being home with the kiddos for several years. Perhaps other circumstances have landed you here at this point in your life, but regardless of why you’re here, you may be or should be asking, “How do I make the best impression?” First impressions are huge, especially in an interview or at your first meeting for a management position. Here are a few tips from a Human Resources professional that may answer your questions. 1. Dress appropriately! Leggings are not pants, crocs and flip flops are not professional footwear, short skirts/dresses need to be reserved for date night, […]

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Exhausted From Work? 5 Ways to Refuel During Your Day

By Catie Welvaert / Work & Money, Life & Culture

No one had to teach me how to rest. In fact, I could be a professional relaxer (if you happen to hear of any opportunities in this field, please hook a sister up). I’m a beach aficionado and I thrive on Saturday mornings with no alarm and no schedule, just the people, places, and things that fill me up. If only the entire week was made up of Saturdays and Sundays… But there are five other days, and they consist of nearly the exact opposite happenings—work, hustle, errands, lists, spreadsheets, computer screens, phone calls. Are you feeling tired yet? I’m new to the full-time workforce. This will be my first year ever without a summer break (shed a tear for me). While transitioning from free time to full-time,

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Can You Deviate From the Corporate World and Be Successful?

By Jordan Hawkins / Work & Money

Do you ever feel like you’re caught up in the rat race? That since you graduated from college you have moved from one corporate job to another with no fulfillment and no real experience gained toward an end, all while fighting to simply live your life? You know, the kind of job where you have to ask the boss if you can take a weekend off for your honeymoon, or your child’s second birthday. You “work, work, work, work” (to the tune of Rihanna) and feel so little passion to get up every day and come into the office, or get on a plane, or leave your family for hours on end … and for what? I dare you to deviate for just

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Dear Parents of Millennials: It’s Time to Stop It

By Teresa Christian / Work & Money, Best Of, Motherhood

Dear sweet, sweet parents of Millennials (those precious little snowflakes born around 1980-2000, give or take a year or two) As the parent of two Millennials myself, and a Human Resources professional, I have a few words of advice for you: Let. Them. Go. I routinely read in HR career magazines and blog stories about how parents step in on behalf of their children. We’ve been doing that their entire lives, and it seems that it’s too difficult to quit. Here are examples I recently read. A father called his son’s employer to ask that his son be given a pay increase. A mom called to say that her child was sick and unable to come to an interview. Another parent called

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Tips For When You Want to Set Goals and Actually Meet Them

By Annie Leigh Edwards / Purpose, Work & Money

It was high school math class, and as usual, I was daydreaming. My eyes met an obnoxious banner in the back of the classroom that read, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” There was something so irritating about that stupid banner! That phrase had been preached to me many times in my young life and continues to interrupt my daydreaming but this time it was in a good way. I don’t want to spend my life daydreaming…I want those dreams to get feet and actually go places! This happens through making a plan of action! Goals are great but without a plan, they are just taking up space in the journal beside your bed. I have never been much

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Can Female Bosses Be Nice and Successful?

How to Be a Nice and Successful Girl Boss

By Darlene Brock / Work & Money

Young career ladies often commiserate that it is an impossible task, dealing with difficult issues, while being nice. Success comes through strength not weakness and nice is interpreted as weak. Often pining that when you try to offer words of instruction or reprimand in the same manner as your male counterpart you gain a new title… You know what it is. This does at times happen but I really don’t believe it has to be true. I know from real life experience you can have healthy relationships and be considered a caring human even if you are the boss. It may require a little more pre-planning as a lady, but it is completely worth the effort. Here are a few tips for all

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7 Simple Ways to Free Yourself from Student Loans

By Stephanie Ramos / Work & Money

According to recent reports, the average Class of 2016 graduate has over $37k in student loan debt, which is up six percent from last year. While the specific amount can vary for each individual depending on scholarships, assistance from parents, private vs. public schools, etc., there are approximately 44.2 million Americans with student loan debts.1 I myself graduated in May 2012, and had my own little chunk of student loan debt to tackle. I had done what I could to minimize costs by spending my first two years completing my associate’s degree at a local community college as a dual enrolled student (which was available to me at no cost as a high school student besides paying for my books). I also

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How to Get That Job Promotion

By Clare Marlow / Work & Money

If you’re a professional woman happy with the career you’ve chosen, chances are you always keep an eye out for opportunities to move up the professional ladder in your field. Going after and getting a promotion, or more than one, is part of your long-term goal and something you’ve worked hard to achieve. Getting a promotion generally doesn’t “just happen.” When a position suddenly opens up, you can’t just assume you’ll get it based strictly on your longevity, past accomplishments, or good relationship with your boss. You need a strategic plan, a set of tasks you meld into your daily work activities that will get you ready when it’s time to go after a new job title and the bigger salary that

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Three Cords Haiti: Life Transformation For At-Risk Women

By Clare Marlow / Purpose, Work & Money

Colorful bolts of fabric vied with the whir of multiple sewing machines for our attention as we stepped out of the heat and dust and into the small blue building. As I tried to take in the sights and sounds of busy hands, pouncing needles, and soft chatter, a beautiful young woman named Guerline swiveled her chair around. What she said captured everyone’s heart: “Oh, maybe I could use one of those if I have a baby one day!” She was eyeing my daughter’s Solly baby wrap, a massive length of fabric that was wrapped around her body and holding my infant grandson safe and snug against her chest. Guerline had never seen one, and her excitement was palpable. We could understand

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Can You Start A Career Later In Life, Absolutely

A Stay at Home Mom Shares How She Started a Career Later in Life

By Ashley Johnson / Purpose, Work & Money

Depending on whom you ask, being a stay at home mom can be: fulfilling, exhausting, joyful, mundane, and so on and so forth. Often times, it’s a mixture of all of that wrapped into one—or several—little bodies. Tack on the fact that every woman is different, with her own unique circumstances and feelings, and you’ll find a variety of perspectives. However, I will be so bold to say that many SAHM’s can feel a bit lost from time to time … like a piece of their identity is buried under the dishes, diapers, and discipline. Perhaps that’s where you find yourself today. If so, this story is for you. It’s a story about a woman who has lived through many seasons of life—one of them being a SAHM. Though

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Word-to-the-Wise-for-Every-Working-Woman

Word to the Wise for Women Building a Career

By Julie (Graham) Bender / Work & Money

If you’re a working woman you know the struggle can be real. To be successful in your career, present at home, and have time and energy leftover to enjoy some sort of down time, hobby or creative outlet…who can do it all? We’ve got your back…here are some of our fave reads for working women, broken down by topic. Bookmark this baby, and share it with your friends! Looking to get a job? Not sure what kind of work you should pursue? How to Pinpoint Your Purpose With One Simple Question Going for an interview can be stressful, watch this first! How to Stand out in a Job Interview (Video) Are you new to the workforce? Some things you should know… How

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Back to School Clothes: 10 Different Ways to Save Money

By Clare Marlow / Work & Money, Motherhood

It’s still summer, your days ripe with swimming and popsicles and vacations, and then you get it … a reminder. Whether it’s from your kids’ school about their uniform requirements or you randomly look at the calendar and realize the days are waning. Before the idea of school preparation ruins the rest of your lazy days and makes you start pinching pennies on summer fun, don’t panic. There are a number of options for saving whether it’s on school uniforms, and even on those designer jeans your teenager is clamoring for: • First clean the closet to find the clothing items that aren’t worn out. For the ones that still fit make a list of possible tops or bottoms to make a fresh

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Are You Chasing Paper? 10 Practical Ways to Save Money

By Dawn Seabolt / Work & Money

Our family has had to dramatically change the way that we spend, for several different reasons. I have been working on simplifying my life in many areas, and fortunately, that does end up saving a bit of money. I believe one of the best ways to save money is to be mindful of where your money goes. Write down your expenses, keep a budget, plan ahead. Nothing earth-shattering, but here are a few practical ways to start saving money: 1. Plan out meals for the week and stick to your grocery list. This takes about 15 minutes a week of planning per week for me. I also have a menu list of about 20 items, so when I don’t feel creative, I just check

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What Do You Do When Faced With the Impossible?

By Darlene Brock / Purpose, Work & Money

Walt Disney made the statement, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible” as he was building the incredible company that we now call Disney. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Disneyland, and Disney World, and every princess that every little girl has ever wanted to be were born of that attitude. He was creating a new industry, one that had never existed before. I can only surmise that imagination, creativity, and sheer fortitude are what led this man to pursue his ideas that resulted in such joy for so many. It’s that same attitude I hope to always possess and encourage others to have as well: when faced with the impossible, to look it straight in the eye and say, “This is gonna

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Do You Travel for Work? 5 Ways to Be Safe as a Woman

By Darlene Brock / Life & Culture, Work & Money

My career in the music business often required days out of town. Because I was the artists’ manager, I juggled a workload in the office as well as hitting the road with the bands. When I wasn’t on a tour bus, I usually traveled solo from airport to rental car to auditorium to hotel and back to the airport the following day to trek to the next destination. I not only traveled with my bands but also attended out of town meetings, working with other business partners to achieve our career goals. As a female traveling by myself, I took a few extra precautions. It’s not that I’m not adventuresome, nor am I unnecessarily paranoid. But I had two daughters and a

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10 Family Outings That Are Cheap and Fun

By Whitney Hsu / Work & Money

Summer is here and you might be looking for some fun, inexpensive ways to keep your family entertained. There are probably some activities in your town, or nearby, that you haven’t thought to try before! Try out some of these ideas for some summer fun that won’t cost a fortune! 1. Go to a farmers market. We have several farmers markets within half an hour of our home, and we love visiting them! It’s a great reason to get out of the house, and you can decide how much money to spend. You can enjoy a nice walk around, checking out the goods, even if you don’t want to buy anything. But I’ve often found that I can get some of the groceries I

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How to Craft a Professional Email

By Clare Marlow / Work & Money

We’ve all heard the statement, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.” Never is that more important than in a business email. I imagine most women reading this article are nodding their heads, as am I, because we’ve totally blown that advice a time or two. Usually with our worst client, the one who whines and demands and never gives us the information we’ve asked for a half-dozen times so that we can complete the job and get them off our back! When I worked in Public Relations, I quickly learned that the tone of an email can be very subtle. Just a few word choices and sentence structures can either be well received by a client…or totally raise

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