|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
This week, we’re spotlighting Monserrath Salas, associate category manager at Ferrara. Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, her family is from Ecuador, and her parents instilled their culture in her. Read about her inspirations, what she can’t live without, and advice she has for others.
Who inspired you the most in your life growing up?
Probably the most cliché answer, but my parents really are the foundation of my story. To understand where they came from—my dad working since the age of five carrying bricks in Ecuador and my mom making her own bras from old underwear because her family couldn’t afford any—to coming to a foreign land and achieving what some would call “the American Dream,” it drives me knowing that my story is whatever I choose to do with it and how much I choose to work for it. They never limited my dreams and served as pillars in lifting me up along the way. I want to go farther and set high goals for myself because I owe it to my parents. They gave me the opportunities they didn’t have and allowed me to dream when they couldn’t—my success is their success.
What lesson did you learn early in your career that still serves you today?
You are your biggest advocate in your career! When applying to jobs, I would read a plethora of job descriptions with lengthy requirements that always had me doubting myself. Sometimes they just seemed excessive like I should’ve began working when I was twelve just to meet the experience level. I never let that stop me I applied anyway. A big thing companies and everyone who’s in the workforce knows is that you learn on the job, so just prove to be the best possible student for that process. As you progress and pick up more knowledge, you’ll learn the game and learn what to say. But at the end of the day, you have to give yourself that chance so make sure you tailor those résumés but more importantly know how to best advocate your strengths and identify your less strong points as growth opportunities.
How can Latino professionals better advocate for themselves?
Culturally we are taught to always be humble and gracious. We must always be grateful for what we have and wanting more is “greedy.” We are okay doing more work for less pay because we should “just be grateful we have a job.” We need to stop making ourselves small, biting our tongues, and keeping our voices down. The squeaky wheel gets the oil, we have to start speaking up. Have those conversations with your managers. Don’t lowball yourself in the initial steps when discussing salary expectations. When reviews come up, bring up your growth plan and discuss pay. It may feel uncomfortable but there are people that have done it so reach out to those people, talk to people in your organization, in your resource groups, or join one of the many free webinars there are out there on these topics to learn how to do it. My mom always used to say, “They can’t hit you.” What we are scared of [with] the worst case is [that] we’re told no, which in itself can help lead into other important questions like, “Is this the right place for me to grow? Do they value me?”
What podcast or lifehack can you not live without?
I love the Networth and Chill podcast! It spans a variety of interesting topics from finance to psychology and brings up valid points on women in the workplace.
What is part of your daily routine that you look forward to every day?
My nightly skin care routine! It doesn’t matter if my night ends at 10:00 p.m. or 2:00 a.m. I will always take that time for myself and unwind.
What behavior or personality traits do you attribute to your success?
I know my tenacity has taken me to this point and will continue to take me to new heights. I am a very confident person and take risks in both my career and life; it’s that confidence in myself that no matter what I will figure it out that allows me to take those risks. I wouldn’t be where I am, I wouldn’t even be in Chicago, if I never took chances on myself.
What is one non-work-related goal that you would like to achieve in the next five years?
I want to better develop my streams of passive income; ultimate goal is to create that generational wealth for my future children. Through my actual investment portfolio and real estate, I hope to start growing that and become better versed with that whole realm. It’s super intimidating at first especially not growing up around it or people that know about these topics, but there are so many resources out there that make it less daunting.
What’s one thing we’d never be able to guess from your LinkedIn profile?
My sense of humor is probably my favorite thing about myself. I learned the majority of my English by watching late night TV before I went to kindergarten, and I guess it all kind of stuck. I love making people laugh as well as being able to laugh at myself I probably would have gone into comedy if I wasn’t scared of my parents disowning me for a bit.
Find Monserrath Salas on LinkedIn.
