Know your worth

The first step to being able to sell your personal brand or what you have to offer is to know your worth. Currently, it has been about a year since I have graduated from college and am now grappling with balancing the responsibilities of my adult life. I think one of the first lessons that you learn out of college is exactly how you can package yourself and your brand to attain a job. Job-hunting is really a process of trial and error. It involves fine-tuning your resumes, cover letters, and expanding your networking skills to effectively communicate your personal brand and what you have to offer out of college. The next important component of this process is to understand your value and never sell yourself short.

Knowing Your Worth in Job and Internship Search

It is easy to sell yourself short if you do not do the research to discover exactly how much value is placed in your skills. If research is not done to discover how much companies invest in your skills it is easy to accept an offer lower than what you deserve. Tools that are beneficial in discovering your worth are as simple as Google or even glassdoor.com. If you are on the hunt for a job or internship position in a specific skill set or field you will begin to recognize a pattern in the entry-level positions and titles that you are seeking. Simply, search the position or title that occurs frequently in your search and discover the highest hourly rate or salary for the specific positions. Next, you need to look at your personal finances and figure out exactly how much you need to live the life that you want to live. Write down a list of your expenses, budget for how much you want to save and figure out your magic number.

This magic number will help you to determine what jobs are worth your time and effort to live the life that you aspire to live. Once you get a general idea of your range and your magic number then you can do further research. Glassdoor is not the only resource but it is a great resource I recommend to get an estimate on how much a specific company is offering for a position or internship. Job applications will ask for salary expectations and it is important to go into the process knowing your salary expectations. In this instance, it is important to keep in mind a number higher than your magic number within the range the company offers for the position to leave room for negotiation.

A change in the season is also a good time to look around and switch things up. It is our natural biological reaction to a new season to look at how we can get rid of the old and add some new energy into our lives. Fallin in…. features an array of new artists, underdogs, and hot on the scene talent you can add to your rotation of music. A few highlights of this play list include upcoming artist Kevin Ross with his EP Drive and Jhene Aiko with the release of her second studio album Trip. Drive gives a beautiful compilation of the sweet sound that is Kevin Ross. The first time that I heard Kevin Ross was at a Ro James performance in Baltimore where he performed notable single “Long song Away”. It was from that point on that I’ve kept an eye on Kevin Ross. Kevin Ross offers the sweet, sugary, smooth R&B sound reminiscent of his idols Babyface and Joe. Highlighted in the playlist is “Cruise” and “Like I do” which will put you in the right kind of mood.

Jhene Aiko’s Trip is an artistic representation of her journey through grief when she lost her brother Miyagi in 2012 to cancer. In this time, she turned to her music, drugs, and spiritual enlightenment to move past her grief. Her experimentation with LSD, shrooms, and weed is apparent in the highs and lows of her music. The airiness of her voice blends perfectly with the ambience of her production. Highlights of the melodic album include “Sativa” featuring Swae Lee and “Jukai”. “Sativa” is the perfect capitulation of her airy sound and production with a sexual appeal that is an easy listen. “Jukai” grapples with her thoughts of suicide and the use of drugs to attempt a high that would be close enough to reach her brother. Trip is a standout this month because Jhene Aiko shared her vulnerability and created an art piece worth recognition.

Jhene Aiko’s tickets for her tour dates were released on October 13^th. Catch her tour down below:

11/14 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
11/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theatre
11/19 – Toronto, Canada @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre
11/20 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
11/21 – Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver
11/24  Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
11/26 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
11/27  Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
11/06 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
11/07  Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
11/08  Vancouver, Canada @ Vogue Theatre
11/10  San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
11/13  Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo by Microsoft
11/27  Honolulu, HI @ The Republik

Check out the playlist down below and comment your favorite song!

A year after graduation and a year into my adult life have come with a few learning hurdles and insight. A key factor into my continual search for knowledge and self-improvement is my establishments of tools that provide me with information on how I can continue to improve myself. These tools have also enabled me to stay focused and not get sidetracked by the success of others in my life or on social media. Grounding yourself and surrounding yourself in motivation and inspiration is a key way to stay focused on your entrepreneurial or life goals. Podcasts have been an essential aspect of my self-growth by providing me with topics and aspects of my life to focus on and hone to become a better person. Podcasts are also a good way to gain insight on pop culture, news and insight into people who have succeeded in a field you would like to reach.

Here are 5 podcasts that I recommend:

The Friend Zone: The Friend Zone Podcast is hosted by Francheska Ramsey aka Hey Fran Hey, Dustin Ross, and Assante and it gives a refreshing look into personal wellness. The opening of the show sets the tone as an inside look into “mental health, mental wealth, and mental hygiene, because who in the hell wants a musty brain?”. Segments of the show include responding to listener’s feedback on social media, the wellness segment, the TV Land segment, the music man segment, the listener letter segment, and the black business shout out segment. The podcast provides the perfect mix of fun and insight into your personal growth and if you’re into music a great way to discover new music. Black-owned businesses are also recognized on each episode to encourage community support. Listen here.

The Mattie James Show: The Mattie James Show is hosted by Mattie James who is a style blogger based in Atlanta. Her blog mattiejames.com is a great resource for style, beauty, and lifestyle tips. The Mattie James show as an extension of her brand provides further insight into her experiences blogging, branding and handling a business, as well as answering listener questions. Listen here.

Therapy for Black Girls: Therapy For Black Girls is hosted by Dr. Joy Harden Bradford who is a licensed psychologist in the state of Georgia. Her specialties include working with black women in both individual and couples counseling. Therapy for Black Girls is an extension of her expertise where she creates a space for black women and girls to talk about mental health issues and personal development. Listen here.

Switch, Pivot or Quit: Switch, Pivot or Quit is a women’s empowerment podcast hosted by Ahyiana Angel. Angel’s name is befitting as she uses her experiences as a creator of a jewelry line, author, and publicist to offer encouragement to women looking to make a switch up in their life. Switch, Pivot or quit creates a space where women that want more in their life can gain insight in how to make personal and professional changes. Listen here.

Heart + Hustle: Heart + Hustle is hosted by Angelica Yarde and Charisma Moran. Angelica Yarde is the editor and designer of Studio 404, which is a design blog. In 2014, she launched paper shop Studio 404 that includes greeting cards, note cards and prints. She also co-owns a branding strategy studio with her husband in Florida. Charisma also comes with expertise as the owner of 725 Creative, which is a social media, and branding firm that specializes in working with creative and non-profits. Angelia and Charisma fit their title as hustlers, creatives and entrepreneurs because it is with their skill and experiences that they can provide an inside look into business and relationships with their podcast Heart + Hustle. Listen here.

Hashtags + Stilettos: Hashtags and Stilettos is hosted by Sakita Holley who is the founder and CEO of House of Success. House of Success is a NY based lifestyle PR Firm. Over the years, Sakita has fine-tuned her expertise in the PR world and has created Hashtags + Stilettos to inspire others to reach the same level of success. The podcast provides valuable inside knowledge on business, lifestyle, PR knowledge and features interviews from entrepreneurs. This podcast is for the go-getter with a plan and Hashtags and Stilettos will help guide your plan. Listen here.