Blog for Professionals
3 Practical Ways to Achieve Work-Life Balance
How often have you vowed to create and set boundaries to protect your peace at work…how's that going?
66% -- 26% -- 77%
These percentages account for the number of Americans who work during the weekend, take home their unfinished work, and ultimately experience burnout in their current position. When is the last time you have thought about how your work affects your life and causes you to stress, overwork, or worse…burnout? Here are 3 tips that you can implement immediately to gain control of your life and attain the work-life balance that you want.
Are You Overqualified? 3 Reasons You Aren’t Getting the Job! And What You Can Do About It!
When one thinks about qualifications, most people evaluate whether or not their experience makes them a viable candidate for the position. However, have you ever considered that you might be overqualified?! In theory, it seems like a good thing, but in actuality, being marked as overqualified can deter employers from extending you a formal offer. Read below to learn 3 reasons why being overqualified scares employers and what you can do about it!
Create Your 30-Day Plan to Succeed in Your New Position
Everyone is enthusiastic when beginning a new position. Whether it is higher pay, better benefits, or more responsibilities, a new job means a new beginning. As you start this journey, I encourage you to create a 30-Day Plan to optimize your success and truly hit the ground running.
When we think about 30-day plans, our minds think of working out or meal plans. However, creating a 30-Day Plan to implement at the onset of a new position can indeed lay the foundation for career advancement and success. Aside from feeling confident to start, creating a 30-Day plan at the start of a new project or job shows that you are:
1) Intentional and Results Driven, and
2) Able to Develop and Execute a Plan for Success
3 Ways to Easily Quantify Your Value to Get the Job You Want!
When you are first writing or updating your resume, you must list all of your daily responsibilities, accomplishments, and promotions. Your list allows you to see your contributions in your position holistically so that you can prioritize specific accolades and responsibilities over others. At this point, you can begin to think about how to add quantitative data to your resume to build credibility and stand out amongst other candidates. Ultimately, you should frame your thinking around impact: what have you done and why it matters?
Using Your Side Hustle for Professional Development: 2 Angles to Consider
A 2019 study revealed that more than 49% of Americans under 35 have a side hustle. However, part-time and freelance gigs can also be valuable in other ways! Finding a side hustle can help you develop skills that will help you become a competitive job seeker.
Typically, when people think of part-time jobs, they think of picking up something that will make them easy money without much demand. Examples such as bartenders, the shopping mall, and hostesses come top of mind. However, there are also ways that you can secure a side hustle that generates both income and skillset development. The key is to identify your angle when seeking a part-time position to increase the chances of obtaining your desired results.
4 Times A Pay-Cut Might Be Worth It!
When searching for a new job, one of the most common motivators is to earn more money. But what happens when you find the "perfect" job, only to learn that it would require you to take a pay-cut?! Most of our first thought is probably, certainly not! However, there are times that a pay-cut might actually be worth it! Read below to learn 4 instances where taking a pay cut might be the way to go!
6 Ways to Improve Your Career with the Feedback Cycle
An ancient adage speaks to the idea of "iron sharpening iron," ultimately meaning that we can make one another better by providing encouragement, coaching, and feedback. When embodying this understanding, we can steadily improve and be the best versions of ourselves. Therefore, it is essential that everyone actively creates and participates in feedback cycles. Read below to learn ways that you can receive and provide feedback to improve performance and success.
It's Not Them; It's You: 3 Reasons You Haven’t Gotten the Job Offer
It is daunting not to see the results of your efforts when seeking a new job. It is even more frustrating when you progress through the interview stages, and still not offered the position. However, after several close calls, or no calls at all, you must conduct a job search reflection to evaluate your application materials and overall interview preparation and conduct. To launch your thinking, you must first identify the roadblock that best matches your situation.
1. I apply to jobs all the time, but they never call me to set up an interview.
2. I had a phone interview, but they never followed up with me about the next steps.
3. I thought that the in-person interview went great, but they chose someone else.
In the blog below, you will learn more in detail about how to combat these typical roadblocks to get the job that you desire. Answer each set of questions to guide your thinking and reflection.
Increase Your Meeting Outcomes in 3 Steps
How many times have you participated in a meeting and thought, "couldn't they have just emailed this." These might be the meetings that do not start on time, are lengthy without purpose, detail futile topics, or leave team members more confused than they arrived. Regardless of the reason, though, no one likes their time and energy wasted, especially when they have a list of other tasks and responsibilities to handle. Therefore, managers must be diligent and intentional in planning for and executing their meetings to eliminate feelings of resentment due to wasted time and instead of fostering a new sense of drive and commitment within their team. Consider incorporating the following 3 tips to ensure that all meetings you lead are efficient and produce the results that you want.
3 Ways to Master Remote Learning So That You Can Get Work Done at Home
We are months after the unforeseen nationwide quarantine and are still experiencing the effects of COVID-19. Depending on where you are in the country, schools may have or not have reopened their physical doors to our K-12 students. Despite the format, school is officially back in session, and unlike in March, so is work for many of us. Whether you, a partner, grandparent, aunt, or cousin is who supports your student during remote learning, the following tips will help you establish systems and routines that will be beneficial for everyone.
5 Ways to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile as a Professional
LinkedIn is a professional social media platform that allows you to connect with others in your field, showcase your work history and accomplishments without limitations, and find jobs. "Finding jobs" is actually an understatement, because if you showcase your skillset and experience well-enough, jobs will come to you! More than 60% of recruiters utilize LinkedIn to identify and recruit new talent. Read below for 5 easy ways to elevate and optimize your LinkedIn profile, whether you are in your job search or content in your current position.
Upskilling: Taking Charge of Your Career Trajectory
Several professions require continuing education credits to maintain certification and licensing. However, many others do not. Therefore, it is up to the individual to take charge of their continued development. Upskilling is the idea that you are developing and sharpening your already possessed skillset to be more competitive and stay up-to-date in your field. However, you can still use upskilling techniques and strategies to foster new skills as well. Upskilling can look a variety of ways, allowing you to choose your own adventure to take ownership of your professional growth.
Did You Know, Not looking for a Job Can Land You One?!
Only about 62 out of 250 applicants for a single position are qualified or licensed for the role. Therefore, hiring managers have shifted their recruitment practices to targeting passive job seekers who are open to new opportunities and possess the skills and qualifications needed to fulfill competitive positions.
Must-Have | Nice-to-Have List
Must-Have | Nice-to-Have lists help you make informed choices regarding your career based on what is important to you! Considering the following overarching themes ensures that you have all of the information that you need to choose the position that is best for you. Read below to learn more about each of these topics and how they can inform your Must-Have | Nice-to-Have list!
Don't Quit Yet! Think it Through!
If you know me personally, you know that it has never been a big deal for me to quit a job once I decide that it is no longer serving me. (real entitled, I know!) Before I choose to "jump ship," I make sure to give considerable thought to my desire to leave and plan what my next steps will be. Below I share my reflection process, how I advocate for myself, and how I plan once I decide to leave a position.
What is ATS and How Does it Concern My Resume?
ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System and it allows companies to easily sort incoming resumes. These systems keep the resumes that exhibit potential, and “discard” the resumes that do not match the job description. Ultimately, the most important question becomes: How can I beat ATS? Read below to learn 4 ways to ensure that your resume makes it through ATS and into the hands of a hiring manager.