by Solange Lopes | Jul 21, 2016 | Career
Unless you’re hiding under a rock, or are avoiding media at all costs (which no one will blame you for lately), you’ve heard about the now infamous speech Melania Trump gave at the Republican National Convention last week. As the Internet overflowed that day with side-by-side comparisons of current First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech and Mrs. Trump’s rendition, stronger and stronger allegations of plagiarism started to emerge.
Plagiarism is defined as the “the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.”As we’ve seen in the news recently, apart from the political noise it has created/amplified, the very concept of plagiarism raises serious ethical questions; as it also makes us wonder how to avoid the same type of scandal in our own lines of work and careers.
In the corporate world as well as in the business and political world, plagiarism can lead to disastrous consequence, including but not limited to lawsuits, financial repercussions, and destruction of careers and businesses. The thing is, you may not even know you’re plagiarizing as you’re doing it, which makes it even more concerning…and more dangerous.
As a blogger, I’ve had to research and look at the many facers of plagiarism in my work; which in turn has made me scrutinize how it can affect us all. Here are 3 easy ways you can avoid plagiarizing at work, without adding extra stress to your already busy life:
Think before cutting and pasting
It’s so easy to just “cut and paste” someone else’s work into your own. You may mentally want to revisit it later, and change it to accommodate your own style. And you may just forget to do so…
According to Harvard’s Guide of Using Sources, you should keep track of your sources in a separate file or folder. That makes it easier to acknowledge your sources later on. It could be as easy as maintaining a separate Word or Excel document listing your sources for each project you work on. What I also do is maintain my written work in Google Docs where I can link to any Internet-based sources.
At the end of the day, use whatever system works best for you to keep track of any sources you may use as part of your work. The bottom line is: never claim someone else’s work as your own!
Use citations and quotation marks
The Harvard’s Guide of Using Sources recommends using “quotation marks for directly quoted material, even for short phrases and key terms.” You can quote away, as long as you’re giving credit where credit is due.
In the same token, add citations every time you paraphrase or quote a source.
Plan Out Your Content
Preparing content at the last minute is the reason many people inadvertently commit plagiarism. With limited time and last-minute revisions, it’s easy to forget adding a source here, or inserting quotation marks there…
If your work requires research, make sure to budget enough time for it. It’s not just about finding the right information in a rush, but also keeping track of where you found that information in order to attribute credit later on…
When in doubt, attribute!
Not sure about the whole thing? Just do like my 4-year old and say it like it is! If you’ve borrowed some content from someone else, say it openly. It’s as straightforward as inserting a self-explanatory phrase like this one: “This paragraph has been extracted from…..”
There’s no right or wrong way to attribute work to its legitimate creator. Although we could be getting very technical here, the main point is to always disclose where your information is coming from (if it hasn’t originally been created by your truly).
Bonus: Use this Software to Check Your Work
Still in doubt? You can use the Turn It In software, also a favorite of many academic institutions and companies, to detect plagiarism.
Have you experienced plagiarism at work? How else do you avoid?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 20, 2016 | Career
Photo credit: skimlinks.com
I love an easy yet elegant jacket I can wear throughout the year, even when temperatures skyrocket (and your cubicle feels like the Antarctic in the middle of Summer). Hence today’s Corporate Catwalk pick, this Theory “Braneve B” linen-blend peplum jacket. Everything about this jacket spells “head turner”, from the breathable fabric to the collarless style, not to mention the ultra-flattering peplum silhouette. This jacket’s on sale for $236.98 at Nordstrom (psst…the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale officially starts on July 22nd!).
Other alternatives include this original sleeveless linen blend blazer, this sleeveless cotton option, or this more traditional, yet vibrant Classiques collarless piece.
Yay or Nay?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 20, 2016 | Start Your Business
By the time Kenya gets to work by 9am, she’s already worked two hours on her side business, got her kids ready for school and dropped each one of them off. If you’d see her shuffling her three bags through the office front door, make-up intact and hair flying, you’d hardly ever guess this woman is stretching her daily schedule to include her day job, family responsibilities, and hustling on the side.
Kenya’s not alone in this…According to the “2015 State of Women-Owned Businesses”, women-owned businesses grew at the rate of 1.5 times the national average, which is about 74% between 1997 and 2015. Out of the 30% of businesses owned by women, African-American women own a whopping 14%, which equates 1.3 million businesses.
Yet, women, especially women working full-time, are increasingly busy. Our schedules are packed with family activities, work responsibilities, and maintaining our social lives. As full as our plates are, how do we create more time to hustle on the side? Do you skip sleeping entirely, or survive on caffeine, or keep your eyelids surgically glued to your eyebrows (whatever works, right?)…
As a “side hustler” with an overflowing plate filled with (time-consuming) blessings, I know what it feels like…And to keep it simple, I’ve put together a nice’n’easy Slideshare presentation with three essential tips to apply to effectively carve out more time to devote to your side hustle. Enjoy!
What do you think of these 3 tips? What has been your experience trying to carve out more time for your side hustle?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 19, 2016 | Start Your Business
If you ever see my girl Kayla running out of work, sneakers on, hair in a bun, gym bag in tow, you’d think she’s racing to make it to the gym after-hours. And you’d be right too…Four days a week, Kayla leaves her 9-to-5 to go teach her usual fitness class. Under the gym outfit and the athletic demeanor, very few would guess Kayla’s a practicing attorney hustling on the side as a fitness instructor, and loving every minute of it…
Kayla’s just one example in a million, among millennials and other generations of professionals for whom the side hustle is the new normal. As it turns out, millennials are actually obsessed with side hustles, and not just for monetary reasons.
In the very often conforming and uniform corporate world, side hustles have become more than a way of making some extra bucks on the side. They’ve actually become our way of being who we really are, and for some of us, who we’ve always wanted to be, before the bills, the college loans and the kids’ tuition…
Yet how do you even start a side hustle when working full-time, in addition to caring for yourself, your family and having a semblance of a social life? Given how busy our careers are, how do we even stretch time to include a part-time occupation of any kind? And when you add kids, spouses, drop-offs and pick-ups to the whole mix, where do you even begin?
When I started blogging on the side, while working full-time in Big Accounting, it was to finally do what I’ve always loved doing, writing. As many millennials today, I was looking for a different way of expressing myself through work. Yet, like many, starting out was a struggle. From finding extra time to carving out a schedule for my side hustle, the process was far from easy.
With time and inspiration from other “corporatepreneurs” like myself, here are a few lessons I learnt over time about starting a side hustle when you’re still working full-time:
Start with a Passion
What’s your passion? What would you do if money were not a consideration? What would you love doing for the rest of your short, precious life? These are all questions many side hustlers ask themselves before starting their business. A side hustle is that opportunity many “corporatepreneurs” crave to finally delve into something they love, like food, travel, fitness, or for me, writing.
Identifying your passion is also how you garner the strength and determination to provide that extra effort required to pursue a side business. It’s how you keep yourself motivated and strengthened during the laborious first months when you strive to establish yourself and get a routine going.
What’s your passion?
Define Your “Why”
For me, it was important to understand why I was doing what I was doing when I started blogging on the side. Yes, I knew writing’s my passion. I knew I loved sitting at my laptop in the wee hours of morning and type endless words on the blank screen. Yet, it was also crucial for me to know my why.
In the first few months of my side hustle, my “why” wasn’t exactly clear. I was just enjoying what I was doing. After a while, after spouse and kids came into the equation and time seemed to compress away, I had to find my “why” in order to keep going. For me, it was the desire to live a more fulfilled life, to leave a legacy and show my children you can pursue what you set your heart to.
For you, it may be to change your lifestyle, to spend more time with your kids or elder parents, or to generate more income.
What’s your why?
Plan Your Schedule
I never understood the value of time as acutely as when I started side hustling. It became so important to define my priorities, and start scheduling my time as carefully as I picked my shoes (or my coffee flavor, you know, whatever floats your boat). Early mornings and late evenings, before and after everyone in the house started expressing their various needs (from chocolate to clean diapers), became my go-to hours…
Schedule your “hustle hours” outside of regular work hours, and stick to them. Whether it’s carving out some time on week-ends, or hustling after the kids go to bed, stick to a consistent and realistic schedule. Being all over the place at all times will only get you drained, frustrated, and more prone to giving up sooner than later.
Use Your Network
You do have a network. From your years working in the corporate world, to your circle of friends and family, your network is larger than you think. Unless your side hustle conflicts with your day job (in which case you may want to double check with your manager), it’s ok to inform your contacts of your new ventures.
Countless entrepreneurs were able to use their network to create more business opportunities for themselves. Your contacts may even become your first clients!
Are you capitalizing on your own network?
Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate!
Take every opportunity to collaborate with other side hustlers and entrepreneurs like you. Especially when starting out, collaboration is important and can help you establish yourself. It’s also comforting to know you’re not alone in this, and that others just like you have done this before you.
You can even ask for the guidance and mentorship of fellow “corporatepreneurs“. Send one of the influencers you follow an email or message through social media to pick their brain. If they’re local, invite them for a cup of coffee.
You can also join local associations of entrepreneurs around you, or start organizing meet-ups where you are. Anything that can help you collaborate more and be less isolated as you start your side hustle can go a long way…
Are you a “corporatepreneur”? How did you start your side hustle while working full-time?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 19, 2016 | Career
Photo credit: skimlinks.com
Today’s Corporate Catwalk pick is this fresh, slimming sheath dress with an original envelope-hem dress. Loving the classic stripes on this sleeveless London Style Collection dress, perfect for work and after-hours. The black-and-white traditional pattern meshes well with the envelope hem, and is all in all a flattering addition to your wardrobe. Even better, this dress is on sale for $49.99 at JC Penney.
I’d pair this dress with an easy cardigan for chilly offices like this one, or this easy bolero shrug for added style.
Yay or Nay?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
