Former Wall Street trader-turned-expert, personal finance educator, public speaker, entrepreneur, and newly minted author, Vivian Tu is the founder and CEO of the financial equity phenomenon, “Your Rich BFF,” which she developed as a passion project to destigmatize and make the rules of personal finance accessible and digestible to non-experts and marginalized communities. Her dedication to promoting financial literacy has earned her cross-platform fame and notoriety, having garnered 6 million followers and counting, as well as honors on both the Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30 – Social Media’ (2023) and inaugural ‘Top Creators’ (2022 + 2023) lists.
This December 26, 2023, Vivian’s financial prowess has culminated into the highly anticipated release of her debut book, “RICH AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life”
Below she shares her tips on how women can land more than 100K salaries in the early stages of their careers.
The Job Application Process
Rejection sucks, and as anyone who has ever been on the job hunt can tell you, applying for jobs is a full-time job in itself. It takes time, effort, and a lot of emotional capital. You’re expected to not only meet new people and show up as your best self but also practice an extraordinary amount of patience and acceptance. The process can get your hopes up just to cut them down over and over again. However, if you keep at it and know your worth, you eventually find the right fit for you.
Women Are Less Likely to Apply to 100k+ Jobs
Furthermore, the job application process also requires you to constantly remind yourself that it isn’t personal. And most of the time it really isn’t – it is an undertaking full of uncontrollable factors like timing, luck, and biases. And while you can’t change if the hiring manager is biased towards you, you can avoid being biased against yourself. A study came out in March showing that despite applying less, women are more likely to be hired for roles that pay $100K or more. Initially, when I saw this headline, I was hyped. The girlies are paving their way! But then, when I stopped to think about it more, I began to hyper fixate on the fact that women are applying to these jobs less. Why are we doing that? What would happen if we applied an equal amount to our male counterparts? Research has shown time and time again that women often only apply to job listings where they meet every single requirement. The problem here is – if you meet every single requirement, you’re likely overqualified for the job. We need to stop being our own biggest critics and believe that we can do the job.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for More
Even though it may seem like similar energy, I’m not asking you to be “delulu.” I’m asking you to acknowledge your worth and ask for more. I talk all the time about having the confidence to ask for a raise, which is very similar to the confidence you need to have when you’re applying for a new job. You’re putting yourself out there, presenting what you have to offer, and asking for recognition. One of the things I have realized over my career is that you’re often doing more than you realize, and it’s more impressive than you think it is. Instead of focusing on all of the things you feel that you lack, focus on what you have accomplished, and your ability to learn even more in the future. Challenge yourself to write it all down, no matter how small, and you’ll realize what you bring to the table. Even if your words don’t match a job listing exactly, there is a high probability that you’ll have written down something similar enough.
Men and Women Are Both Equally Unqualified.. So Why Not Apply?
When there are hundreds of applicants for a job, odds are good only a small handful of them are truly “qualified.” Men, especially, are willing to throw their name in the ring even if they only meet 50% of the requirements for a job. Why shouldn’t women do the same?! To clarify, I’m not saying that the men applying are less qualified than the women. I’m saying that we are all equally unqualified, but someone has to get the job, right? Many companies barely know what they’re looking for until it’s in front of them, and I’ve seen jobs created for people who are incredible but maybe not the best match for a particular role they’ve interviewed for. It’s an excellent example of the “no harm in trying” mantra because you never know what is going to happen. The worst thing you can hear is “no,” which if you’re on the job hunt anyway, you’re probably used to hearing regardless!