I’ve talked with many friends and acquaintances about jobs, potential jobs, and dream jobs. We are growing up in a very different world than our mothers. My mother was a single mom and has worked just about her entire life. She taught me so much about work ethic and how to “get ahead” in a very competitive world.
“Nowadays” as people say, it’s very hard to maintain a livable wage with our husbands doing all of the work…and who wants to just sit home and clean all day? You may desire this, but I was homeschooled and home all the time, and being home all the time can get old, fast. That may change once we decide to have children, however, at this time I prefer to work! Some girls feel that they cannot have a career and raise children too. My mom did it with me! I know so many mothers who have done the same. So can we. In this day and age, it is possible for all the income to come from one source. A lot of couples do it and I respect them, and do not wish to offend. However, this article shares my heart with girls who wish to have a career, have children, and keep a home.
But, let me start with sharing my personal story.
My Career Story
On my 17th birthday, my mother hired me as a leasing associate at her apartment community. This started a journey for me. I worked part time and went to LSC and got my AAS in Interpreter Training Technology. I went to college for my passion, sign language interpreting. I do think it was worth going, but if I could do it all over again, I would have selected a more general degree. If I go back to school, I’d like to pursue a Bachelors in Business. If you’ve done some job searching, you will find this degree is applicable with SO many different fields. So during that time, I transferred to different properties and management companies. I have worked for 5 different management companies all over Houston and here in Louisville.
When I moved here to Louisville, things really started to happen. I started out as a leasing associate when I got the job over the phone after two weeks of job hunting. I was here in Louisville for 3 months and was promoted to an assistant manager. Then, 3 months later I became a property manager.
Now, I manage a multi-million dollar asset in the Louisville area, I have four employees and oversee almost 180 different residents, renovation teams, contractors, and numerous vendors. By the grace of God, I rarely miss church because of work. I did not go to school for this, I started from the bottom up. God was with me! I’ve had so many young girls in the church ask me how to do it and how to get in and get ahead. I’d like to share a little bit of how I did it and how I’ve gotten where I am. And what I am doing to grow from here!
Sky is not the limit!
The Single Girl’s Dream
If your single, unmarried, and expecting for a husband to come along from thin air with A LOT of money to support you, please consider changing your frame of mind. Fairy tales like this are rare, and in our world, pretty much non-existent. If you can be a stay at home mom, which is some girls’ dream, great! But in my case, I prefer to have financial stability, which includes me working a full time job at this point in our financial lives.
If you feel as I do, this article is for you. If you’re striving to be a Christian, modest woman in this modern, competitive society, I’d like to address 3 steps you can use to seek Gods will, get noticed, and advance in the career of your choice.
Step One.
Pray, counsel, pray some more.
I can’t stress this enough. Prayer and guidance from God is what we want. You can make all the money in the world and be completely miserable. Money isn’t the biggest factor in this decision-our soul should be our priority! If you choose a job that is morally compromising, it will be hard to hold to those morals for long. Talk to people. Ask questions before making the decision of where you want to work and who you want to work for. Talk with your parents, the ministry, or find a mentor who is in the field that you’re interested in. ALWAYS put the Lord first in your decision and He will come through! If you promise the Lord something, keep that promise. Stick to your faith. I’ve gone on business trips, I’ve had tests come up, and I’ve stood true to my faith. When I did get a job, I made sure that people knew up front there are certain things I do not do because of my beliefs. If you set up those boundaries, it causes others to respect you for them. And when the testing time comes, most co workers are required by law to respect your faith. God recognizes when we put Him first in all of our decisions.
Step Two.
Education, Resumes, Interviews.
I highly recommend going to school. Even if you do not know what to go for. I have an associates degree and with that added with my experience, it causes my resume to stand out. I know so many young girls who have a difficult time because they have do not have any credentials on their resumes. Yes, it is just a piece of paper, but that piece of paper is one more thing that puts you ahead. Its expensive, yes. But if you go part time and work part time, you can do it. When I was going through school I had NO money whatsoever. I sometimes had less than $300 in my bank account. Ramen noodles? I’ve been there. But I made it work. Don’t buy the MK purse…I am begging you. No matter what your heart tells you- stay away from the light…
Anyway, back on subject. This is definitely something to pray about. The second thing to consider in this step is your resume. Have people critique it. I’ve helped friends with resumes before. Go online and look at template resumes. Use those tools that we have that are FREE. Put correct spelling and punctuation on there. I’ve looked at so many resumes when hiring someone and if they can’t spell correctly, the resume goes directly in the trash can under my desk. This is a huge deal. If the resume isn’t formatted correctly and in bold font or something crazy, I also disregard it. If you have a job that doesn’t look too great on a resume, wording it correctly to make it stand out can make a big difference. You can make just about anything sound good if you word it correctly. The bottom line on the resume is, you cannot spend too much time perfecting it. Keep a resume ready at all times, no matter what. You never know when opportunity calls.
Then it calls. Now what? Someone wants to set up an interview. Great! Now get to researching. Get the job description you’re applying for, do research on the company, look up employee reviews of the company to see if its even worth it for you to interview. Find out if there’s room for growth and promotion. Find out these details BEFORE you go into the interview. When you walk into an interview, you should be the expert on the subject. You may know very little about what you’d actually be doing, but get all the research together you can. Memories the interview’s name before you go. Get a new, fresh, professional outfit. If you don’t know what to wear- Google it. Google what people wear in the position you’re interviewing for. The information is out there, we just have to get it. Remember: It is always better to over dress than to under dress.
I have interviewed multiple people. Please show up on time. Google the location and save it in your phone the night before. Have 3 alarms set. Charge your phone. If you’re running late, call. Bring a notebook and pen. Bring your contact in formation and copies of your resume. Bring a firm but not too firm handshake. These tips will help you be as prepared as possible. If you are lacking one of these many items, it shows. Make a check list of the items above and mark them off so you won’t forget. I promise you, it works.
During the interview, do not chew gum. Smile. Have positive, smart, well thought-out, competent answers. Before one of my interviews I had, I Googled interview questions and wrote down potential answers for those questions. I memorized them. I can definitely tell when I am interviewing someone if they are actually thinking about their answers or just telling me what they think I want to hear. Usually when people haven’t thought about what to say before hand, all of their answers are relatively the same or so generic they aren’t real, genuine answers. If you’re personable and realistic and do your research, this is what every interviewer is looking for. How do I know this? I have gotten every job I’ve ever interviewed for. I don’t say this to brag, I just say this to show that I do my research. If you follow these steps, people will be calling you, asking if you want to work for them. It’s really very simple.
Step Three.
Job Landed. Where do I go from here?
For some people, being at a job with little responsibility and minimum requirements is “the life”. Making the minimum to pay bills is enough. Not for me. If you feel the same, this section of the article is for you. For those of you who are very laid back and detest the word, please cover your eyes when you read the next line or even just skip this whole section. Because, one of the biggest qualities that I’ve had that has been a blessing (and curse at times) is being a perfectionist. There, I said it. Its a hard quality, but in some cases, its a requirement. In whatever field you choose, you have to master it. Become a connoisseur of your trade. Do as much research as possible about whatever you do, document everything, over prepare. Ask questions. I can’t stress it enough. If you want to get ahead, ask how to get ahead. When I was interested in management, I begged my boss to teach me everything about the job. If your goal is to be a supervisor, call your supervisor, and schedule a meeting! It sounds crazy, but sometimes crazy works. In my case, it worked (insert laugh-crying faces here).
Network. Get out and meet people. Make acquaintances. Build bridges. The people who are working beside you may one day be your supervisor! You never want to do anything to cause that to come back to hurt you in the future.
Find people who believe in you. I have had some great mentors in my career so far and they really invested a lot in me. God brought people my way who really cared about my advancement. It is not like that everywhere, which brings us back to the beginning when I spoke about prayer. Prayer affects everything. Pray for God to send you a mentor or pray that you’ll have a supervisor who wants you to succeed. If you’re not in an environment for positive growth, you may want to make a change. This will affect everything.
Get a motto and stick to it. I am a firm believer in being your own cheerleader. Don’t expect praise for what you do. Do a good job for what you want in the future, not to seek praise. My motto a few years ago was, “I Love Money.” As shallow as it sounds, and even though I’m being slightly facetious, its so true at the same time. I don’t know about you, but if I didn’t make money, I would be doing something else. When my boss asks me to do something I have always said, “Well, I Love Money!” This was my funny way of saying yes. It sticks. When opportunities come along they will remember that I am willing to work hard. My team that I manage are all under the age of 30 so I call us “The Prodigy Team”. It keeps things fun and makes us memorable to other people. Find yours and use it.
Kiss up. No one wants to be or be called a kiss up. But if the job is competitive, you have to do what it takes to get noticed. I don’t mean allow yourself to be taken advantage of, or compromise your faith or morals. I mean, you do what it takes to get noticed and get promoted. I am saying to go above and beyond. Offer to do things. This means a lot to your supervisor and will not be forgotten. If you become “the yes man” or “woman” in my case, they will come to you first. When a position comes open, where do you think they will go first? That’s correct… to you.
Lastly, I want to stress to build relationships and rapport with the people you work with. This is huge and highly misunderstood. This doesn’t mean to go out and have a good time with your coworkers. This means to find out what makes them tick as a person and understand who they are. Find how what their birthday is and remember to do something a little special for them. If you invest in others, they will invest in you. Its just how the system works. We can get so busy with our own lives, that we just focus on ourselves. If you see a coworker having a bad day, lend a hand and a smile. It speaks volumes about who you are inside.
In Closing…
I hope this article that is loaded with information is helpful to you. If you have questions, you can always reach out to me. I’m a text away: 502-407-0929. I am obviously 23 and no expert, but I do want to share my experience with newcomers to the career field if I can in any way. So just to recap- Pray. Counsel. Focus on education, your resume, and landing a good interview and a potential job. And lastly, focus on ways to grow after you get a job. Use these tools and they will help you greatly, as they have helped me. But most importantly, it is God who leads our lives.
Put Him first and He will put you first.
Love and blessings to you!
I place my cakes in the refrigerator after one coat of icing to make the final touches a little easier. And…the final product!
gelinareed 