career women – The Woman Wednesday Blog

*Note: Woman Wednesday is a part of our blog. Each Woman Wednesday post will feature a woman who would like to share information in the hopes of inspiring and motivating other women. Comments are welcome below.

Q and A with Leilani Romero, Fairfax County, Virginia

Instagram: @leilaniromeroart

Website: www.leilaniromero.com

WATCH LEILANI HERE VIA A SHORT VIDEO CLIP.

Author/illustrator of The Little Things: A Collection of Happy Things

“Since I was a little girl, I loved all things artistic. I would draw people for fun since I could remember and gift them the drawings just to make them smile. I would create cities out of art supplies and colored cardboard…creating my own little world. I would spend hours on Microsoft Paint drawing pretty things simply because I enjoyed it, and little did I know that this was called design.”

Q:What are you passionate about?

A: I’m a graphic designer, international portrait and wedding photographer, an illustrator, and most importantly an entrepreneur. I graduated from the school of art and visual technology at George Mason University with a concentration in graphic design and a minor in art history. Although this might sound very cut and dry, my college career was far from it. I changed my major three times, and for a while I thought I’d be an architect…It took a little soul searching to find my passion, but in the end I chose happiness over all.

Since I was a little girl, I loved all things artistic. I would draw people for fun since I could remember and gift them the drawings just to make them smile. I would create cities out of art supplies and colored cardboard…creating my own little world. I would spend hours on Microsoft paint drawing pretty things simply because I enjoyed it, and little did I know that this was called design.

In high school, I began to explore photography and in college a friend gave me my very first canon camera because I was really good at photography. I later learned dark room film photography and continued to take portraits of the people I loved because I didn’t want to forget a thing about this beautiful life. As I took more and more photos, I began to receive requests, and friends and family pushed me to launch a Facebook page. Next thing I knew, I was starting an official creative business: Leilani Romero Co. and taking portraits and shooting weddings professionally! It’s been five years since and I wouldn’t have it any other way. After that, I began to expand the design side of my business and launched The Flower Shop, a place for handmade prints. Pretty soon I published my very first book, an illustrated work— The Little Things: A Collection of Happy Things.

While running a business became my passion, in order to support it, I worked in the professional world for five years in the non profit, corporate, and consulting spaces. As a consultant, I was able to learn about marketing strategy, communications, and social media marketing. It was through these many corporate career opportunities that I became a digital marketing subject matter expert. Although I’m only 23, I’m proud to say that I have worked professionally in this space for five years, and it was well worth it.

Q:What things have you learned that have been valuable to you?

A: One of the most valuable lessons I learned is to always be clear and open with others. In business it’s very important to always be professional, learn as much business knowledge as you can, and always educate yourself. Business law is crucial, and drafting the appropriate contracts can really be the best decision in the long run.

Q: What do you want others to learn from your story?

I want others to learn to never stop working on their dreams, and always follow them with all their hearts, because it is so worth it.

The grass is always greener where you water it. Fairytales and daydreams are possible as long as you work hard for them. Nothing comes easy, even if it seems that way, but if you believe in yourself, good things will come. Always be passionate, true to yourself, and constantly search for motivation.

The biggest takeaway is to focus on what will make you happy, and live life to the fullest. If you have a dream, you need to listen to it, and chase it with passion!

Leilani & My Lilianas would love to hear from you! Comment below!

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More and more women are taking on careers that were once considered “only for men.” Women are killing it out there! However, in many of these male-dominated careers, women are underpaid.

It can be overwhelming to be a woman in a male-dominated field. You may feel that you deserve a raise, but you don’t know how to go about getting it.

Here are some tips that could help you to get that raise or to help you get that job in the male-dominated field that you want.

1. Know your worth and show it. Confidence goes a long way here. You have a lot to offer, but if you don’t express your self-worth, how are others supposed to see your worth? Show that you are confident by meeting others eyes when speaking, standing tall, speaking clearly, and by speaking up.

2. Show you can play with the boys. Some workplaces still act on gender bias and think that women cannot handle as much work as men can. Show that you can take on more work and put in the extra hours. Speak to your boss about wanting to take on more work to make more of an impact with your company. Showing that you currently have no problem tackling your amount of work and that you are eager to take on more could significantly impact your chances of getting a raise. However, don’t take on more than you can chew!

3. Show you can be one of the boys. To do this, you must communicate effectively. In most career fields, having good communication skills goes a long way here—whether you are a man or a woman. If you’re the only woman at your workplace, the guys may not open up to you as easily. You may feel intimidated. You may just need to push yourself to enhance your communication skills.

What can you do to better your conversation skills?

Say hello to coworkers in the workplace—even the ones you don’t work with at all. A simple “Hello,” and “My name is…,” and “What is your name?” can go a long way. Make sure to smile! 😊
Remember your coworkers names—write them down if you have to. Remembering someone’s name is crucial and can make a lasting impression.
Be an active listener, and let your coworkers do more of the talking. How? By asking your coworkers questions about themselves! Do less talking, and do more listening. More people will like you, and this could spread the positive word about you around the workplace.
What kinds of questions should you ask your coworkers? Well, you can ask about their family, where they grew up, what got them into such field, where did they go to college, what did they study, how long have they had such position, what is their favorite part of working at such place, et cetera—feed off of their answers, and ask more questions to keep the conversation going.

4. Be genuinely interested in your job and in others. Show interest towards your job and for the others you work with! Why should someone who complains get a raise? This goes a long with smiling, saying hello on a consistent basis, asking others questions, and putting in the work to get to know others.

5. Build trust—do what you say you will, help others, and if someone confides in you, do not tell anyone else what he/she has told you.

6. Don’t be a gossiper—no one will trust you or want to be around you—except maybe the other gossipers. These people often don’t accomplish very much.

7. Don’t apologize. More women than men will apologize too much and apologize too often for unnecessary situations. Unless you make a mistake or hurt someone, do not apologize—especially do not apologize for asking for a raise!

8. Help where you can. Have you heard the expression, “You get what you give”? If you want a raise, you need to help others.

9. Put in the hours. This goes with number 3. If you want a raise, stay later. Show your boss how committed you are. This will show that you can take on more responsibility, that you work hard, and that you deserve that raise!

10. Document your accomplishments and the times you put in that extra work. When it comes time for your review, you can highlight all these things that you have brought to the table.

11. Find out what your boss considers to be excellent performance. Maybe you do not know what would be considered “above and beyond” at your workplace. It doesn’t hurt to ask. In fact, just asking this question shows you truly care about your job. This alone could help your chances in getting a raise.

12. Ask your boss to meet with you—and express your desire to move up in the company. Express how much you care about this position and how you want to contribute more to it.

13. Seek recommendations. After a long period of connection-making and helping others, you should be on “good graces” with others. Now is when you can ask them for help—if they are a co-worker (and not a boss) ask them to mention a favor or how you’ve helped them to your boss. If you’ve truly helped them, chances are, they will be happy to return the favor.

14. Keep track of your timeline. How long have you been with the company? A few weeks, a month, a year? At most jobs, you need to put in a good amount of time to earn that raise. Typically, 6 months to a year is what is considered fair. Mention this when you meet with your boss. Do you have to be there a year to ask? No. Maybe you have recently been taking on a lot more work, and your role has significantly changed. This constitutes asking for a raise, even if the timing isn’t there.

15. Be patient. Once you plant the seed of wanting a raise (to your boss), your boss may need time to think about it. Chances are, your boss will think about how valuable you are to the company and may worry about losing you. It may not be a good time for your boss to give you a raise under certain workplace circumstances. So, be patient, give them some time, and keep killing it at your job!

If you show that you care about your job and that you care about your co-workers, put in the extra time, build trust, and show you want to be at the company for the long haul, you may get a raise sooner than you think!

We hope these tips help!

Thank you for reading!

For more blog posts related to helping women, women empowerment, incredible women, about women, and about being a woman in today’s world, follow our blog mylilianas.blog –also follow us on Facebook (My Lilianas), Instagram (@mylilianas), and Twitter (@shopmylilianas)!Check out our page!

Tag: career women

How to get a Raise Being a Woman