"Your life does not get better by chance.

It gets better by change." 

- Jim Rohn

Mujeres Y Allies,

There’s nothing quite like being jolted out of sleep or interrupted in your day by an earthquake. Your LatinaVIDA family is all too familiar with the horror of feeling the ground moving beneath your feet and knowing it isn’t because you're being swept away by the love of your life or your latest crush! The big quakes that hit Southern California on July 4 and 5 were big reminders of the importance of having an emergency kit--not just for a natural disaster-- but for different parts of our lives, too.  Have you set aside time to ask yourself those existential “what if” questions about your career? Do you have a backup plan ready to go? The big career challenges that can suddenly hit us by surprise fall into several arenas: Your employer shuts down or merges with another company. Your job or your spouse’s job moves to another unit to another part of the country. Your boss leaves--for a promotion or a scandal--and now you report to a new boss. These “career emergencies” are hard to predict but they happen.

This week’s #3LVCareerHacks is about being prepared for surprises that can hit your career any time and what to do to be ready. 

Uno, dos, y tres. Let’s do this con ganas.

If you unexpectedly need to get a new job, nothing will slow you down more than having an out of date LinkedIn profile or worse an out of date resume. When was the last time you actually looked at your profile? Exactly! Make the most of the number one site where recruiters go to find new employees and make sure all your latest achievements or skills are reflected. You can see a list of resources for designing your profile or using posts effectively in our Evernote notebook here.

Roughly 78% of households live paycheck to paycheck.  Recent findings also suggest 12% of households are not prepared to cover $400 in unexpected expenses with cash. A common rule of thumb is to keep at least 3 months of cash in savings to cover living expenses so you can look for your next job--con calma!  But separate from that emergency fund--what about creating a smaller amount to save for a workshop, to get some coaching, or to get help preparing for your next career move?  A single coaching session can run between $75 - $500 per hour. An edit to your resume and a strong written cover letter may cost between $50 - $200 per hour. Stash some funds away to help you get ready. 

In one of our past newsletters, we introduced you to the work of Dr. Carol Dweck who has written about the “growth mindset”.  The growth mindset is demonstrated among people who reach to challenges or failure as a chance to learn and grow.  A person with a fixed mindset responds with discouragement and a lesser resolve to keep trying. They are not innate skills.  These skills are learned over time and the best time to develop these is before you face a challenge.  Take time to visualize a stressful scenario that you might face and journal through the options you might follow. One of the reasons emergency crews run so many drills, is to build a strong “muscle memory” of what to do when the real deal happens.  Make time to talk through your plans with your trusted advisors just in case your “what if” turns into what you need to do right now.    

That’s it. #3LVCareerHacks on being ready for a career emergency. 

Got a comment for us? Give us a shout at @SavvyLatinaInfo @LatinaVIDA360 or on our Facebook Group. We’d love to hear from you!  If you’ve made one of the CareerHack tips work for you, we may feature you in the next LatinaVIDA360 Career Power Hacks Podcast!

Live Your VIDA with Intention! 

--Abrazos,

Your LV Familia!

P. S. Remember, here are the other LatinaVIDA resources for you:

• Evernote Notebook of Curated Work-Life Resources, Readings and Tips

• Join our Private Facebook Group

• LatinaVIDA360 Podcast Latina Leaders in Conversation and NEW Career Power Hacks

• Our #Slack Community to Share Experiences with LatinaVIDA Circle Guide

• Past #3LVCareerHacks Newsletters (please share with friends and family)

• Latina Cubicle Confidential: A Personal Blog from our Co-Founders

RESOURCES