How to Snag a Promotion Without Compromising Your Kids

Not many people can say that they have the perfect work life.  There’s always room for improvement.  Furthermore, if you are a working mother then you may find it hard to completely throw yourself into your job.  You may even find it hard to concentrate on a day to day basis because you have a thousand things running through your mind.  This could include whether or not you packed a juice box in your child’s lunchbox or who has soccer practice later that day.  Either way, juggling kids and a career can be difficult.  But, that doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on a promotion or time with the kids.  You can have both of these things.  Additionally, it’s a great way for you to boost your income.  Today, I’m sharing a few tips on empowering yourself and how to snag a promotion:

 

 

 

 

 

how to snag a promotion

 

 

 

Know the Needs of Your Department

If you want to nail that interview for a promotion, then it helps to know what is needed in the department.  You’ll want to be a leader for your department.  It’s important that you take on tasks in the new department, and show initiative.  Your manager doesn’t need to see you doing these tasks.  They will know that it was done, and this can  work in your favor if you are working in a team.  It may not be your job to do some paperwork at the end of the day, however, if doing the paperwork helps out a teammate, your manager or anyone else in the company than it is well worth it.  Your efforts will never go unnoticed.

 

how to snag a promotion

 

Be Friends with Your Boss

Your boss is ultimately the one who controls your destiny. It is in your best interest to get to know them better.    This doesn’t mean going to their home, babysitting their kids or buying gifts for them.  However, if you’re invited to dinner or cocktails accept the invitation.  By learning what makes them tick, you will be able to communicate with them.  This can work in your favor.

 

Be Successful

How to snag a promotion includes having a positive attitude.  A positive attitude it can been seen in your facial expressions.  Also, it can be seen in the way you carry yourself.  Even the speed of your voice can show how you feel about your job.  So, it’s really important that you are confident and  qualified.  When you know you have the training required to do the job well, this can be a huge boost to your self-esteem.  Furthermore, it can also make you feel more at home in your job.  If you have not enhanced your skills in quite some time, don’t worry.  If you work in the engineering industry,  go for an engineering masters course.  You can even do this online.  Which means that you don’t have to give up family weekends.  So, it’s worth considering.

 

how to snag a promotion

 

Know your Industry

The industry that you work in is constantly changing.  So, if you want to know how to snag a promotion it’s important that you keep up with what is happening.  A lot of industries have trade magazines or even websites that are completely devoted to news regarding your working niche.  By educating yourself, you can show that you have an interest in your job.  Just as important, you can also show those around you that you are willing to push yourself to go the extra mile. You can be an example for team members and other office personnel.  Demonstrate that that you’re willing to learn.  Take a newspaper or magazine in your industry to work with you.

 

how to snag a promotion

 

 

Be the Creator of Solutions

If you want to know how to snag a promotion, bringing a solution to the table is only half of the equation.  Your managers want you to bring an actionable plan. When sharing your ideas, help your manager and team members see your vision.  Present the path that you will take to implement the idea.  You will be seen as an asset to the company.  It is these types of employees who often end up with the promotion.  Unfortunately, you may not be able to come up with ideas all the time.  However, you don’t need to be a never-ending source of knowledge.  Just make share  you have ideas, and that you share them in a way that provides a solution.

 

Get a Mentor

If you are new to the company, feel as though you have fallen behind in your job or looking for a promotion, get a mentor.  However, you’ll need to make sure that this person has the qualification to help you.  Of course, it helps to find someone who you respect too.  Your mentor can be someone who works in your company or it could be someone on social media.  Take them out for lunch from time to time and talk about how you can be a better employee.  It also helps to talk to them about non-work related topics as well.  Having a genuine friend in your mentor is always a great thing to have.

 

Your Communication

One of the biggest mistakes that people make is not coming to the table to talk about issues that they have. You may have a fear of confrontation and this is completely normal.  But, honesty is always the best policy.  So, you need to make sure that you are always willing to work through conflict. This will help you to become a better leader.  Furthermore, it will stop you from dwelling on any work issues that you have.  If you leave these problems unaddressed they can cause stress.  Stress can affect your job performance as well.

 

Working Hard

Some employees try to set limits and even boundaries for themselves.  They don’t want to get involved in a project that will require them to work overtime.  Set your schedule so you can complete your work and still be able to pick up the kids from school or other afterschool activities.  If you must work late, have a family member or friend pick up the kids and keep them for a few hours.  It’s important that you be home for bedtime and homework checks.

So, how to snag a promotion is possible if you follow the above tips.  If you can’t implement them all, pick a few so you can make the most out of the job that you have or want.

 

How to Balance Motherhood and a Career

The idea of a woman being a mom and having a career was looked at as pretty much impossible years ago.  Later,  the idea of a women working became more accepted.  However,  it was assumed that you had to make a choice between your career and having a family.  This idea was thrust upon women by society.  Having a career when you’ve got kids can be challenging.  But, isn’t that true for fathers too.  Here’s a few tips on empowering yourself on how to balance motherhood and a career:

 

 

 

 

If you want to start following your dreams you will need a starting point.  There will be obstacles and challenges while pursuing your career.  Teachers must complete the required college courses and on the job training as well.  If you want to become a social worker then you have things like lcsw reciprocity to consider.  This can applied to any career path.   Looking at your ideal career from a distance can be discouraging.  Especially, when you have little ones to look after.  But, being able to see beyond the potential steps makes it all seem less daunting.  Once you stop feeling intimidated, you will figure out how to balance motherhood and a career.

 

Get organized

Now that you have a family you must utilize your time wisely.  If you don’t have a clear routine as a parent, then you’re going to get overwhelmed.  Focus on how to get organized if you want to parent and have a career.  Organization is key.  Organization helps you to work towards your goals.  So, you need to have clear chunks of time mapped out for you to focus on. Perhaps it could be something as simple as “when the baby is napping, you’re working.”  Or you have a set period of time where you focus exclusively on work every day.

 

Figure out your priorities

When you have children, your priorities shift.  That is a fact.  As a matter of fact, the moment your kids are born your priorities change.  Your children become the focus of your world. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you forget about everything else that’s important in your life.  It just means that you have to be more selective about where you put your attention. For example, if you want to be able to take care of your kids and have a career; your social life might take a hit.  We don’t suggest that you stop talking to your friends altogether, but social time may be limited.

 

 

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Never stop pushing yourself

If you’re trying to raise a family and pursue a career, you are going to be burning the candle at both ends.  If you want to reach your goals you’re going to have to push yourself.  This means that you need to embrace being busy.  If you want to be a career woman and a mom,  you need to be self-motivated.  This is your life, and you need to be willing to push yourself every step of the way until you reach your goal.

 

Ask for help

There are going to be people around who will be able to help you. Your partner, your family, your friends, even your work colleagues will be around to support and help you when you need it.  The truth is, no one can get by without some help.  Your pride might take a bit of a bruising when you need to ask for help, but it’s better to ask than to take too much.

 

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Be realistic

 

In life, there are always going to be sacrifices that need to be made. Because of this, you need to be realistic about what you can actually once you’re a mom.  The idea of working a job that takes you to all corners of the earth simply isn’t realistic when you have kids. Think carefully about whether or not your career goals are actually achievable.

 

Plan for the future

Of course, being a parent doesn’t mean the same thing forever. In reality, parenting changes as your kids get older. So, you might not be in a position to pursue your dreams when you’re knee deep in diapers.  However, as your kids get older you will be in more of a position to plan and set goals. When your children are at school, you can focus on you.  As a matter of fact, the older and more independent your children get, the sooner your can start focusing on your career.

Just remember, there is nothing wrong with wanting to dedicate your life to your family.  Remember, it’s your life, live it the way that you want!  We hope that you will find our tips on how to balance motherhood and a career useful.

 

When Mom’s the Breadwinner

Are you the breadwinner in your family and feeling guilty because you’re not a stay at home mom?  If you’re a single mother, your chances of being a stay at home mom are slim.  That is unless you hit the jackpot with child support payments or have another income added to your bank account.  Neither of those things happened for me.  I felt guilty leaving my daughter when I headed out to work, but someone had to bring income into the home so bills could be paid.  That someone was me.  Today, I’m going to share a few tips for women breadwinners.  They will leave you smiling and empowered.   

 

 

single mothers

 

Unfortunately, being a single mother is not easy. However, you must get over your guilt if you’re feeling any.  I missed my daughter’s first step and her first time being successful using the potty because I was working. I finally had to make peace with my situation and accept the fact that I had to provide for us.  After all,  the child support I was receiving barely paid for her child care let alone pay the other bills.

I wondered how working outside the home would affect my daughter.  Would she grow up thinking that moms who stayed at home or who had husbands who provided was abnormal.  I wondered if not having her dad in the home as a role model would affect her negatively.  So many things went through my mind.  When I was growing up, my mother took care of the home while my father worked. You know the traditional woman versus man duties. Mom cooks, cleans, does laundry and dad works, mows the lawn, fixes the pipes.

I soon realized that times had changed.  The work force was full of women who had husbands and children, and still managed to run their homes.  The work force was also full of divorced or single women who also ran their homes, had children in school who were doing well and some had gone on to become lawyers, doctors and whatever else they choose.  I realized that the household that I grew up in was no longer the norm in society.  Women had moved up and on.  They had become multitasking moms and no longer fell into that traditional stay at home role.  We were proudly taking our place as women breadwinners and our current situations.

I also decided that I would never be my mother!  I love her for everything she did when I was growing up, I learned a lot.  She thought my sister and I going into the work force and becoming non-traditional mothers was strange. Now she sees that it’s the new normal.  We have an army of women breadwinners and we are marching with pride.

 

 

single parents

 

My daughter and I had several discussions about her father and me having to work to provide for us.  She understood that I wasn’t the only single mother in the world.  She had friends who had single mothers too. I continued to provide and she continued to excel because she had all the love and the necessities that she needed without a father in the home.  Here are a few lessons that she learned:

  • A mother’s love is the strongest love on this earth
  • She had a strong mother who taught her to be a strong woman and mother
  • Welfare and other public assistance is not an option when you’re able to work
  • Always work to better yourself and don’t blame others for you decisions
  • We don’t live in a perfect world
  • Break circles when you need to
  • There are children who have fathers in the home who are drunks, drug addicts or who just don’t contribute and live off their wife or girlfriend

 

So if you’re in the group of women bread winners or sole provider for your child or children, you’re doing your job as a mother.  You will find that it gives you a sense of purpose, and they will respect you for everything you’ve done for them.  Single mothers raised these leaders and celebrities:

  • Judge Greg Mathis
  • President Obama
  • President Clinton
  • Mary J Blige
  • Pierce Brosnan
  • Tom Cruise
  • Al Pacino
  • Barbara Streisand
  • Mariah Carey
  • Halle Berry
Our children may not grow up to be presidents and celebrities, but we don’t have to feel guilty as women breadwinners, single mothers and neither do our children.  Stand proud, stay strong and earn that bread!
 

Career Women Make Bad Mothers

Career Women What’s your thoughts now that you’ve read this advertisement? I was offended since I am and have been a career women and mother for the pass 32 years. I take pride in my role as a mother, and I also take pride in my career. I’ve worked hard being the best that I can be at both. It’s pretty sad that in 2010 women have to endure this. 


A company called Outdoor Advertising Association (OAA) used this slogan in England as a part of their campaign to promote outdoor advertising. I’m baffled as to how this slogan received approval and thousands of dollars were set aside to plaster it on the side of buses, buildings and billboards. How could you not think that it would be offensive to working women. Well, it looks like OAA just sent thousands of dollars and their bullshit slogan down the toilet. They are being forced to pull the advertisement, and in my opinion rightfully so. The intent was to spark a debate, and encourage people to voice their opinion on a website. Instead they entered into a war with working mothers. 

Not all women have a choice in being a Stay At Home Mom.  Our economy has forced many women into the work force.  They feel bad enough, they don’t need to see buses and billboards that make them feel worst.  On the other hand, many women have made a conscious decision to enter the work force.  They enjoy having their own pay checks and contributing to the household.  Does this make them a bad mother?  I don’t think so. I choose to have a career.  I have a beautiful daughter who grew up understanding that women have choices today.  I taught her to always stay true to who she is and to do what is best for her.  Many women have made the mistake of losing themselves in their relationships or putting everything and everybody before them and in the end they don’t know who they are.


My daughter watched me progress in my career.  I traveled, continued my education and still managed to keep my house in check.  I also checked her homework, transported her back and forth to ballet lessons, and any other school activity she was involved in.  She received 3 meals a day and quality time with me.  As a matter of fact, we still have mother/daughter day.  She choose to end her career and stay at home with her son.  Did you notice the word “choose”.  He turned 2 recently, so she is now working outside the home part time and working on her Masters Degree. 
I resent anyone calling me a bad mother because I choose to have a career.  Do you see my middle finger OAA?  Yep, it’s for you.  If that’s not enough, I have a big ass that you can kiss.  How do you like me now.  My career afforded my daughter many opportunities that she would not have had otherwise.  My career put her through an out of state college.  It also provided trips to Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  She still talks about these trips to this day.  She made life time friends as a result of these experiences.  My career contributed to a better life for her as a whole. 
Are you a working mother?  If you are or aren’t, we would love to hear your opinion on this advertisement.  Thank you for the opportunity to vent. 

Photo courtesy of Daily Mail