Advice from Babe to Babe

Building your own brand? Navigating a promotion that didn’t come with a raise? The BWH Advice Gurus know what to do. Read up on this week’s wisdom, and don’t forget to submit your own questions to Asking For a Friend below!

This might sound cliche, but network, network, network. I’m not a lawyer, but networking (and not in the cheesy, stereotypical tabled events everyone thinks of) is the best way to build your brand. I’m assuming at this point you’ve identified your brand and defined it. You know what you want to go after and where your passion lies, so get out there and start talking with others who share that passion. Get on more cases that give you credibility in that field, then go tell your success stories at conferences or write papers or essays about it (Maybe Babes Who Hustle can be a place for you to start trying this out!). Think about building your eminence as an expert and a go-to, not just your brand. After that consistency and marketability will come.

—HILLARY KIRTLAND, CONTRIBUTOR

What she said! Networking gets a bad name sometimes, but you don’t have to attend office happy hour or industry conferences to make connections. Be yourself and attend things that interest you, and your own brand and relationships will grow authentically from the community you build. Being a talented professional with unique ideas and services makes you an asset to your firm, not a disruption. Own that!

—MARA STROBEL-LANKA, BWH CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Just say no. If it makes you feel better to justify it, just say you've got a pretty big workload right now or are too busy or it's just not in your job description or you think someone else may be a better fit for such a task. Sometimes just simply saying 'NO' can be the healthiest, most rewarding thing.

—MOLLY SLICKER, CONTRIBUTOR

I always turn that question around and ask “Why me again?” to help the other person think about why their reasoning. Maybe they’ll realize that it’s just out of habit or maybe you’re the only person they trust to do it right, or maybe they are just plain sexist. Who knows? At the very least, asking “why?” will prompt them to think about how this falls on you.

—HILLARY KIRTLAND, CONTRIBUTOR

I say do your research and sit in self-reflection. If you see that you can get a similar job somewhere else for more pay, and that’s what you want, then take the leap of faith. Maybe you’ve outgrown your pot and are ready to try something more.

Right now, it sounds like your fear is around “what if.” “What if” I could get more money? “What if” something better is out there? In order to make peace with the trade-offs you’ve decided to accept, you should “know” you’re being compensated unfairly and “know” an increase in pay will truly increase your happiness at work. For some people that is absolutely true and for others, they find that they come back to the lower paying job, because money isn’t always worth it. I would recommend you take a look at what your skills, education, and experience are worth in your industry (on sites like Glass Door) and then figure out within yourself what aspect of your career is the most important to you.

—HILLARY KIRTLAND, CONTRIBUTOR

So, what exactly do you really love about your job so much that you're willing to sacrifice a realistic workload, a healthy culture, and fair compensation? Is it just a temporary growing pain in your office or is it a lack of care for its employees? Find the things that you DO love about your job, and start to consider where you could find that somewhere else where you would be better taken care of.

—MOLLY SLICKER, CONTRIBUTOR

My question back to you is why you would HAVE to leave something you love so much. You’re the only one who can make decisions about what’s important for your career and there’s no reason money has to be the driving factor. I’d also say that ‘anything before the but is bullshit.’ Do you actually love your job and want to stay, or is being paid under market value the excuse you’re looking for to finally leave a job that’s making you miserable?

—HEATHER CROTEAU, BWH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Until Next Week,

—THE BWH ADVICE GURUS

Asking for a Friend is Babes Who Hustle's weekly advice column that asks and answers the work-related questions on all of our minds. Looking for advice and guidance? Hit us with all of your questions below and stay tuned for next Wednesday's edition!