074. 3 Best Career Moves in Your 30s

You graduate college and leap heels first into the workforce. Before you know it you’re trying to figure out how to strike work-life balance as a wife, career woman and new mom at 30. The 30s can be a tough age for career development. You’ve probably read plenty of articles about women missing out on opportunities and the cringing gender pay gap in the workplace. After 30 you’ve reached a crucial point in your career, the steps you take at this point can either foster or weaken a path to success. Check out these three career moves that will help you advance your career and achieve your career goals in your 30s.

Brand Yourself

Black women are currently the most educated group in America, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The report also shows that a higher percentage of black women (9.7%) are enrolled in college than any other racial or gender group, including white men, white women, and Asian women. This statistics is particularly worthy of note because it's the first time in American education history that black women are leading the way. By the time you’re 30, you have a good amount of education, experience, a decent salary and perhaps have even been promoted a few times.

Why not package your genius to establish a brand for yourself and capitalized on it. That’s right, brand yourself. Take control of your career, your success. Remove that cap off your earning potential by unapologetically branding yourself as a thought leader in your industry on your own terms because once people begin to identify you with a specific area of expertise, in no time you’ll become the go-to-person in that career. This is a prime time to reach out to younger women in your field to help them accomplish what you’ve done in your career through free or paid mentorship, and coaching.

Negotiate Your Salary

A couple of weeks ago I pointed out negotiating your salary is a key career move in your 20s. And I’m mentioning it again here for your 30s. Frankly because negotiating your pay is cool at any age, in any industry, at any time. So you should create a clear strategy and get comfortable with the money conversation throughout your career.

When it comes to salary negotiations, what you don’t know will hurt you. Information is your greatest asset. You have 2 goals for your salary negotiations 1) be prepared and not leave anything on the table. Know your value and always do your research to know what employers and their competitors are paying their employees at your skill level. The more research you do, the more confidence and leverage you have.

Create Opportunities by Networking

Instead of hanging out with family and friends, you should be striving to expand your professional network, by going to conferences and networking events to meet new like-minded professionals. Go to places where people who are in your industry hang out, such as happy hours, conferences, meetups, etc.

Networking should be a hobby in your 30s. Networking is a great way to score better job opportunities and collaborate with others in your career field. When you are at social events, introduce yourself by more than just your name and job title, but really describe yourself and what you do in a brief 2-3 sentence summary.

Take control and build your career, your way. Tell us your best career moves in the comments below!