Since we all have better ways to spend our time, here’s a way to make shopping pain-free and largely brainless using two popular—and free!—tools.

The first is Evernote, a Web, software and mobile app that helps you “remember everything”—Web clippings, typed notes, even snapshots of handwritten notes, all of which are easily searchable. The second is Mint, a beautiful and free money-management tool with killer Web and mobile apps.

You’ve likely heard of both of these. But have you used them to improve your holiday shopping experience?

Shopping vs. Buying

Evernote covers the shopping side. Create a notebook titled “Gifts,” and when you see a gift someone might like, clip the webpage or snap a picture with your phone. Then tag it “Mom gift idea” or “Dad gift idea.” If you have a conversation with your mom about something she likes or wants, fire up Evernote, type up a quick note that says something like “wrapping paper organizer,” tag it as a “mom gift idea” and file it away.

When it comes time to find gifts, you aren’t actually “shopping”; you’re buying. Just open your gifts notebook, search by tags, and then it’s just a matter of purchasing the ideas you’ve saved. No thinking, remembering or brainstorming—all you need is the Evernote app.

A side benefit of this method is that you can create a tag for yourself and save ideas for gifts that you want. So when your mom calls and asks what you want for Christmas, just fire up Evernote and read off what you’ve tagged. No more rolling the dice; now you get the gifts you want.

Paying

One of the best lessons I ever learned about shopping and spending was when I got engaged. Thankfully, I’d saved slowly but regularly for years just to pay for the ring. (Thanks for the advice, Ramit!). So when the time came to buy a ring, something that would have been a stressful financial decision, I felt like I was using someone else’s money! It was super-easy because the money was set aside, so spending it didn’t result in any additional financial pressure.

Buying holiday gifts can be just as easy. First task is to set a savings goal in Mint. To do that, log on to the website (you can’t do this on any of the mobile apps) and click on “Goals.” On the next page, click the “+ Add a goal” button and then click the piggy bank that says “Create a Custom Goal.”

Give your goal a title like “Holiday Gifts,” choose the “Gifts and Shopping” category and set the amount you want to save. (Setting the amount you want to save means you’re basically setting a gift-buying budget, too. You’re so responsible!) Hit “Next,” and Mint will walk you through the process of linking your goal with an existing savings account or setting up a new one. Select your end date and hit “Save.”

Note: By linking your bank account with your goal, Mint will automatically update your goal as it sees money deposited into that account. You can’t do this manually, so make sure you are saving where you told Mint you’d be putting the money.

Finally, have the savings account you linked to your Holiday Gifts goal automatically pull $20 each month (or whatever amount you choose) from your checking account, and that’s it.

Now, when rifling through your Evernote Gifts notebook, you can buy like you’re using Monopoly money! Your funds will all have been set aside, so there is no purchasing decision and no stress about spending money you don’t have. All that’s left is for you to enjoy some eggnog, some National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and relax!

The automatic savings part requires more lead time, so it’s probably too late for you to take full advantage of that this year (see below for why should set it up now anyway). But what you can do right now is set a Gift budget. You can do this through the website or any of the mobile or tablet apps—just be sure you categorize any gift-related transactions against your Gift budget.

Two Closing Points

1. If you think it’s too late for you this year, set up your Evernote and Mint accounts now. Think of this blog post as note from the You of Christmas Future addressed to the You of Christmas Present. Get Evernote and Mint set up now so you don’t have to worry about it next year.
2. What I described above requires no discipline whatsoever. You automate everything, so any decision-making (to save, budget or spend) is removed from the equation. If you ignore this advice and just rely on discipline, you’ll find yourself at the mall on December 23rd.

Tim Murphy is author of the new book The Mint Manual, a shortcut to mastering and saving money with Mint.com. Brazen readers get 25% off by entering “BRAZENMINT25” at checkout. (Offer good until 12/31/12.)

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The post How to Use Evernote and Mint for Painless Holiday Shopping appeared first on Brazen Life.

Luckily, there are free tools like Mint.com to help us stop wasting money and get a hold of our personal finances. With its beautiful Web interface and killer mobile/tablet apps, it’s no surprise that Mint recently crossed the 10-million-user mark. (And no, I don’t work for Mint! Completely objective user here.)

But what is surprising is how many people miss out on the best parts of Mint. Most use two or three basic features and ignore the treasure trove available to those who dig a little deeper.

Here are a few ways to save money and time with Mint that you’re probably missing:

1. Use Bill Reminders to avoid late fees

No matter how responsible we try to be, everyone forgets to pay bills from time to time. Rather than hoping our memories get better with time (unlikely), why not leverage technology when you can? That’s where automatic bill reminders come in, eliminating the need to remember what’s due and when.

Mint recognizes certain recurring payments as monthly bills and will automatically add them to your Upcoming Bills section. But to really dial in your reminders, click on the small and easy-to-miss gear icon to the right of the Upcoming Bills header (scroll down on the Overview screen until you see Upcoming Bills) and select Change Your Reminders.

At the top in green text it says, “These look like bills to us.” That means that Mint sees those transactions as recurring bills and can prompt you to schedule a reminder. Click on “Remind me” to have Mint automatically send you reminders when your bill is due. It will default to reminding you when the bill is actually due, but you can change the date by clicking on the link that says, “repeats (monthly) on the…”

Rather than being notified the day a bill is due (which might be too late), I set reminders for two or three days before the bill is due. After you’ve added a reminder for a bill, Mint will send you an email seven days before the bill is due by default, but to change or verify this setting, you can click on the small gray gear (again, easy to miss) at the bottom left of the Your Bill Reminders section. There, you can change how many days out you’ll get reminded and if it’s via email or text.

If you want to add or create a reminder that Mint hasn’t suggested, just click the orange “Add Reminder” and enter pertinent information like name, due date, amount, whether the amount varies, etc.

Late fees can cost up to $50 a pop, but this is a dead-simple way to avoid them.

2. Rely on Email Alerts to keep you on your toes

Different than bill reminders, email alerts are messages you sign up to receive from Mint that notify you of things like low balances, overspending or unusual spending. Rather than having to comb through all your accounts every week, you can have Mint watch your back and let you know if anything shady (or, ahem, irresponsible) is happening with your spending. Handy, right?

To sign up for email alerts, click “Your Accounts” at the very top of any screen on the Mint website. Then click “Email & Alerts” in the upper right of the next screen. Scroll down for all of the available alert options, including the ability to receive each alert as a text or email message.

Personally, I find the low balance and bank fee alerts to be most helpful; using them helps me avoid (or know to contest) expensive bank fees.

3. Auto-Categorize like it’s your job

Creating a coherent category scheme is the most important aspect of using Mint if you really want to save time and money. Everything you track or measure depends on categorized information, so if your categories are a mess, everything else will be, too.

One of the biggest time-savers Mint offers is letting you set rules for how to categorize repeat transactions. For example, I recently created a “Running” sub-category to see how much my wife and I spend on running gear and races. If we buy something at the store Fleet Feet, it’s definitely running gear, so it can automatically be categorized as “Running.”

To set this up, I navigated to Transactions, clicked on a Fleet Feet transaction (or whatever transaction you’re working on), and changed the category to Running. Then click “Edit Details” right below the Description field. In the window that opens, I checked the box next to Rules that says “Always rename Fleet Feet and categorize as Running.” Now Mint knows that Fleet Feet transactions are always Running transactions and will file them accordingly.

Bam! Automated.

Personal finance might seem intimidating, but the right mix of tools and techniques can make balancing your budget as easy as checking your email. Sure, you could just use Mint as an expense tracker, but you’d be missing out on so much more!

Want to save more money and avoid weeks of trial and error learning Mint? Get Tim Murphy’s ebook The Mint Manual, a shortcut to mastering and saving money with Mint. Brazen readers get 25% off by entering “BRAZENMINT25” at checkout. (Offer good until 11/30/2012.)

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The post 3 Rarely-Used Mint.com Features That Will Save You Time and Money appeared first on Brazen Life.

Have you ever looked at your cluttered desk or closet and gotten the feeling that you have too much stuff? That all the possessions you own are actually starting to own you?

Be careful, because having too much stuff can become a habit that could harm your job search as well.

In 2008, I moved from Washington, D.C. to Chicago. I desperately wanted to use movers, but they were too expensive. At my roommate’s advice, I sold most of my stuff, packed what was left into my car, drove to Chicago and used the furniture proceeds (plus what I would have spent on movers) to buy new stuff.

Reducing my possessions to the bare essentials was powerfully liberating. It taught me the virtue of “less is more”—that, given the chance, we all keep too much stuff; but when forced, we can make drastic cuts in our lives. And stripping away the unnecessary doesn’t lead to any real downside. Actually, such cuts allow us to move more freely and even communicate more clearly.

The same mentality has implications for resumes, elevator pitches and interviews:

Your Resume

Parkinson’s law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” I like to think of that when traveling. Bring a large suitcase, and I’ll probably fill it. Commit to a backpack, and I’ll bring only what’s needed and probably be fine. (Obviously this isn’t true in every instance.)

Same goes for your resume—commit to one page and stick to that. It will force you to keep your most relevant experience and ditch the fluff. Recruiters spend about six seconds looking at your resume, so even if you have tons of other info, it probably won’t even be noticed. If you’re worried about getting past resume robots, you can always include keywords from the job description to optimize the one page you have. But keeping everything to one page shows your best information in the most digestible way.

While the one-page-only advice isn’t applicable in every instance, unless you’re applying for a C-level role, stick to one page.

Your Elevator Pitch

As with your resume, if you try to cram everything into your elevator pitch, you’re doomed. Attention spans are short and getting shorter, so you need to distill what you offer, how you add value and why someone needs to hire you into a brief pitch. Conventional wisdom says your elevator pitch should be 30-60 seconds, but the shorter the better.

One can’t overstate how easily distracted or bored people get, so you need to make your point right away. Brevity is key!

Interviews

If you’ve ever caught yourself rambling through an answer at an interview, you can certainly appreciate the “less is more” virtue. An interview isn’t just about whether you give the right answers, it’s also about how you communicate the right answers.

If you ramble and wander through a response, eventually coming to the correct answer, you’re dead in the water. If you can distill your answer down to the most essential elements—and communicate those elements clearly and succinctly—your chances skyrocket. You could even get the answer wrong, but if you deliver it in a clear, thoughtful and brief way, you’ve still got a shot. It’s all about the delivery.

Since my D.C./Chicago move, I’ve been constantly reminded of the power of brevity and eliminating the unnecessary. It’s almost like an immutable law of physics. Keep only what’s critical, strip away what’s not, and you’ll think, write and communicate more effectively.

Tim Murphy is a writer and the founder of ApplyMate, a free job application tracking tool. When he’s not writing about career issues and entrepreneurship, Tim is running, writing gear reviews and eating his way through Chicago.

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The post If You Really Want to Make Your Point, Start Stripping appeared first on Brazen Life.

If you paused for a moment before answering, that’s a good sign. It means you’re aiming big enough that even you think you might be crazy.

No one ever achieved something great by reaching for low-hanging fruit, so it’s good to be on the border between delusional and ambitious.

But does it really matter which one you are? Can both be good?

Ambition is good, sort of

When growing up, many people are told, “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

Such encouragement is supposed to engender a sense of ability and capability, positive notes for anyone. Sometimes this idea sticks and people go on to think and do big things.

Other times it leaves people with a sense of entitlement and imaginary accomplishment. These people think, “I know I could do better than so-and-so, but I just don’t want to (or, more commonly, “I don’t have time”). They feel capable without showing they are actually able.

So ambition is good, but not if it just leads to wanting to do well. Ambition must be paired with action and execution to be truly meaningful. Otherwise, it’s just a daydream.

Delusional is better

According to Psychology Today, delusional people are happier and more productive. The first part isn’t too surprising – after all, ignorance is bliss. But delusional people also tend to be more productive, which is less obvious. Why? Because delusional people are more optimistic about completing goals, and humans, as emotional beings, are more likely to work toward (and execute on) goals we think we have a good chance of completing.

Another benefit is that delusional people imagine and build the impossible. Elon Musk was completely delusional about his company, Space X, sending a private spacecraft into orbit and then docking with the international space station. That was impossible and ridiculous, and he did it.

Walter Isaacson talks repeatedly about Steve Jobs’ “reality distortion field,” and how it enabled him to push boundaries and do the impossible. Delusional people are disruptive (which is why we often dismiss them), but they advance great things even in failure.

How to get there

The best way to move from ambitious to delusional is to constantly reevaluate goals and look back on past successes that made you most proud. Those wins were probably not layups. Rather, they were likely long shots that worked, or a payday that resulted from measured risk and months of hard work.

If you haven’t thought of yourself as crazy in a while, you’re probably not delusional just yet. Look for areas you can really stretch and push boundaries. That’s where you can really shake things up.

Everyone wants to succeed, but it’s only the ones who set crazy goals and do the requisite work who log big wins. The idea of being delusional is scary to some, and totally necessary to others.

So if you want to make a splash, start looking to the “crazies.” They’re usually on to something.

Tim Murphy is a writer and the founder of ApplyMate – a free job application tracking tool. When he’s not writing about career issues and entrepreneurship, Tim is running, writing gear reviews, and eating his way through Chicago.

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The post Are You Ambitious About Your Career… or Delusional? appeared first on Brazen Life.

Confession: I love the show Shark Tank. Love it. I’m way too entertained by all aspects of business and entrepreneurship – and Shark Tank indulges my obsessions brilliantly.

While enjoying a lovely Friday night with dinner, a bottle of wine, and the latest episode of Shark Tank, I saw one of the contestants make a mistake that job seekers make all the time.

The contestant had a pretty good idea for hand-painted, chocolate covered pretzels. I won’t go into the specifics of the business model and its potential advantages/disadvantages (though we can discuss in the comments below!). At the end the Sharks asked her, “Why should we invest in you or your company?” Her answer was just terrible.

She went into some sob story about being a mom and really needing the money and some other worthless information. Not that being a mom is worthless, obviously, but why does it matter to them? It doesn’t – and they all groaned and rolled their eyes and gave her shit for having such a terrible answer.

They care about making money, that’s it. If her being a mother won’t make them money – and it wouldn’t in this case – they simply don’t care.

So what should she have said?

First, she should have considered the exact same thing you should consider when selling anything or networking or trying to get a job – what’s most important to this [interviewer, hiring manager, buyer]? What would make their life easier or better and how can I be that? How can I be the answer to all their problems?

She should have said, “You should invest in me because I’m going to make you money! Because my idea is ready to take off! Because I’d be a great addition to your business line!” (Eventually she gets it right and gives them a good reason, but the initial misstep was illuminating.)

Remember, it’s not about you

So many people go into interviews or networking situations and pitch that they “really want the job” or “it’s their dream job.” But that won’t get you a job – no one cares.

Managers need to justify the huge cost of hiring you, so you better make it easy for them. Tell them why you can help them, propose ways to fix their problems or make their life better. Convince them that you’ll be the solution to their problems. Don’t go in with your hand out, go in bearing gifts!

The Shark Tank judges aren’t bad people for caring what’s important to them, and neither is the hiring manager. If you bore or distract with worthless information, your stock plummets. If you go in with a “gimmie gimmie” attitude, you’ll walk away with nothing.

So sell yourself in terms that matter to the listener, explaining how they win by going with you. It’ll make a better experience for you both.

Tim Murphy is founder of ApplyMate.com, a free application tracking tool.

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The post One Meaty Lesson Job Seekers Can Learn From Shark Tank appeared first on Brazen Life.

Too often the difference between a good conversation and a terrible one is a matter of who did most of the talking. If it was you, you probably loved it. If it was the other person, it was probably awful.

Whether it’s first dates, interviews or introductions, no one wants to hear someone prattle on and on about him or herself. In fact, that’s the opposite of what people want. People enjoy talking about themselves, hearing themselves speak, so why get in the way of that, especially when networking or during an interview?

Why quiet is better

Taking a more measured approach and letting people indulge the desire to hear themselves speak can pay off in two ways. First, it lets the person do what they want, which is steer the conversation toward something they know well and like.

If you get a new contact or interviewer going on how great or exclusive or prestigious their company is, it makes them feel good because it’s (indirectly) about them. Now you’ve set the stage for them to form a favorable impression of you. It’s the same reason judges are more lenient after lunch – if their mood is elevated, your chances are way better.

The second way shutting up and letting people talk pays off is by preventing you from grabbing the conversation like a greedy kid. It also prevents the other person from having that negative feeling of “Ugh, when will this end!?” If a date, or new acquaintance, or interviewer starts looking at their watch, you’re toast.

Do the asking rather than the answering

So turn the mental filter on high, and whenever you get the urge to interject with something about yourself, just say nothing. Obviously you shouldn’t turn into a robot or ignore questions asked of you, but try not to take hold of the conversation.

Asking a lot of questions is a great way to not only shut yourself up, but to encourage the other person to talk about themselves. How to Win Friends and Influence People one of the oldest and most popular self-help books in history, advises “Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.” Again, we’re setting the stage to make you look good.

Now put it to practice

People love talking about themselves, and conversations can quickly become a zero-sum game. If one person is talking the whole time, the other person isn’t, and it becomes awkward quickly.

The more aware of this fact you are, the less likely you are to monopolize a conversation and make a bad impression. Just relax, ask good questions, and try to let them do the talking.

Tim Murphy is founder of ApplyMate.com, a free application tracking tool.

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The post The Best Career Advice of All Time: Shut Up appeared first on Brazen Life.

Either they think a sales job is beneath them, they don’t want their pay to be tied to performance or they just “don’t like the idea of selling something.”

I’ve been there, too; I actually felt bad for my friends who were “reduced” to sales jobs right out of college. And I’ve seen friends adopt an air of apology when explaining that their job involved sales. Oh, the shame!

But that approach is plain old stupid. Being able to sell is everything.

Every idea you pitch to your boss, every business you want to start and every job interview you have are all about selling. Sometimes it’s an idea, other times it’s a product or service, and it almost always involves selling yourself. The ability to sell is an absolutely critical skill, and taking a job that forces you to learn and master the art of sales early on in your career is a great move.

Get over yourself

If you are a recent college grad, chances are good that nothing is beneath you. Sorry, but that’s how it goes. People love to say they’re willing to “start at the bottom” and “work my way up the ladder,” but when they are presented with such an opportunity, they recoil in terror.

Taking a sales job is hardly starting at the bottom, but there’s definitely an air of superiority implicit in anyone who disregards sales as an unworthy profession.

Are you just afraid?

The reasons why we have negative perceptions of sales as a career vary, but part of it is the thought that salespeople are “sleazy.” That stereotype does a great disservice to young professionals everywhere. “Sales involves being sleazy,” so the flawed logic goes, “thus my dismissal of a sales position must be due to my integrity.”

The fact is that a career in sales can be quite challenging, and that’s intimidating. But associating a sales position with being “sleazy” allows people to give themselves a pass, rather than take on a difficult, sometimes uncomfortable job. In other words, a lot of people don’t want to do it because they’re scared.

To the bold goes the paycheck

While some of us are intimidated by the prospect of salary being tied to performance, others wouldn’t have it any other way. They see a set salary as a cap, a limit to their potential, while a sales commission-based salary is only limited by their abilities.

That’s why lots of people in sales make great money, eventually landing the set salary and the ability to make a bunch more via commissions. Adopt the right attitude and sales-based pay can be very attractive and lucrative.

Learn to pitch

The ability to sell is one of the most versatile skill sets a person can have. It doesn’t matter if you’re an engineer, an architect, a waitress or a business owner – if you can’t sell, you’re severely handicapped.

At some point, probably more often than you’d think, we all have to sell, and taking a job in sales forces you to learn the craft quickly. Making sales calls and presentations hones your critical thinking, on-the-fly thinking, public speaking and interpersonal skills like nothing else.

Plus, part of making a sale is negotiating – another tremendous skill set. By the time you need to negotiate a salary, ask for a raise, buy a house, a car, a business or sign a lease, the practice you’ve had at negotiating and working through alternative prices to close a deal will pay huge dividends.

Bottom line: taking a sales job is a great way to jumpstart your career, make good money, become a pitching and negotiating pro, and turn yourself into a well-rounded professional.

You might not want to be “in sales,” but the fact is, you don’t really have a choice. You’re going to have to pitch, sell and negotiate regularly throughout your life. Rather than brushing off sales as “not for you,” why not embrace it and get to work mastering a skill you’re going to need, regardless of profession?

Tim Murphy is founder of ApplyMate.com, a free application tracking tool.

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The post Why You Should Consider Taking That Sleazy Sales Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

A fellow employee and I were rushing to prep for fumigators to spray down the bar (yep, it was that kind of bar), and we had no idea what needed to be done; we’d received zero instruction from the owners and it was 2:30 a.m. I decided turning off the pilot lights on the stove would be a good idea, so I asked my fellow employee if he knew how to do that. His response? “No, but I’m sure I can figure it out.” We both went downstairs and followed the gas line from the stove until we found an on/off lever for the gas. We pulled the lever and off went the burners.

Hardly brain surgery, I know, but there’s a great lesson here. Rather than get frazzled like I did, my co-worker stayed totally calm and simply put on his problem-solving cap. He wasn’t even phased by the fact he didn’t know what to do (I actually don’t think it even occurred to him), he just knew he would look at the problem until he found a solution.

That’s what employers want. Hell, that’s what EVERYONE wants – someone who’s a doer, who finds a way and gets the job done.

In a world full of crappy co-workers and employees, your boss is dying for a can-do attitude. All bosses are – that’s why problem-solving ability regularly ranks as one of the most desirable traits in a prospective employee. Problem solvers are strategic and critical thinkers, people who bring ideas and solutions.

And guess what? Ideas and solutions make money.

Innate or obtainable?

“Your interpretation of the experience determines your perception,” Michael Michalko wrote in Psychology Today. Put another way: we decide how we react to a given situation. Some of us might be more predisposed to the can-do attitude, especially optimists, but how we react is up to us. Some situations may be out of our control, but how we react rarely is.

Like any other highly-valued skill set, a can-do attitude requires practice, practice, practice. When preparing for different government jobs, I knew I’d face a lot of problem-solving or puzzle questions, and my early attempts at these challenges did not go well. Whenever I heard a sample Google or Microsoft interview question, I’d respond with the mental equivalent of seizing up and falling into the fetal position.

I needed work. So I tried as many sample questions as I could and bought puzzle and mental exercise books like How Would You Move Mt. Fuji? Most of these questions deal more with how to react to and work through the problem at hand, so they’re great practice even if you don’t get many of the answers.

I also practiced a ton of analytical reasoning while studying for the LSAT, which really does ingrain a formulaic, methodical approach to a given problem. Some people are born with this skill set, but the rest of us have to work hard at it.

Luckily, it’s teachable – and learnable.

Valuable beyond your career

Being a problem-solver will take you far, regardless of your profession or industry, but it will also pay dividends in your personal life.

When faced with adversity, something as inevitable as death and taxes, those with a can-do attitude are well equipped to handle any situation. Struggling marriages, partnerships or businesses can often be righted by working through the challenges methodically and with perseverance.

In contrast, those who quickly or dismissively deem the problem unsolvable (often known as quitters) are just as quickly defeated.

Next time you’re asked about a problem you don’t know the answer to, be honest about it but volunteer to find a solution. It’s a way of taking ownership  and showing initiative, two things any boss loves. Adopting challenges with a can-do attitude is also arming you for interview time, when you’ll almost certainly be asked about a time you “worked through a difficult problem.”

“Whether you think that you can or can’t, you’re usually right,” Henry Ford famously said. That certainly applies to having a can-do attitude. It’s optional; it’s a choice.

What kind of attitude do you choose?

Tim Murphy is founder of ApplyMate.com, a free application tracking tool.

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The post What Every Employer Desperately Wants: A Problem-Solver appeared first on Brazen Life.

Most people think unemployment is high because so many jobs are outsourced or mechanized, and business is bad so companies are laying people off. As a result, there are more job seekers than jobs.

These are certainly contributing factors, but as usual, there’s more beneath the surface.

Basically, it’s expensive as hell to hire you.

Why you need to understand how expensive you really are

It’s important for you as an employee or prospective employee to know about these costs for the same reason empathy is important in everyday life. You need to understand where your employer is coming from if you want to speak his or her language. If you want to sell yourself as someone who will add value, you need to be aware of how much you cost before you can begin to make a value proposition. If you’re unaware of how truly expensive it is to hire someone, it’s tough to show your employer how much you will add to that company.

For example, if you go into an interview assuming your cost to the company would only be your salary, say $60,000 per year, but the cost is actually $100,000 or more, you’ll likely underestimate the value you need to add.

The missing piece

Most employees and prospective employees have no idea what costs go into hiring a single employee, let alone several dozen or hundred, because they never see the costs first-hand. Keep in mind that all of the expenses listed below are in addition to your salary. Most people think their salary is the main expense, and while it’s probably the largest, it’s just one of many costs to hire.

Payroll taxes

When you get your paycheck or direct deposit stub, you see your gross earnings, net pay after taxes, and any other deductions you pay into (401K, benefits, etc.).

What you probably don’t see is that the employer matches your social security and Medicare payments. If you pay $150 per pay period in social security and Medicare, then your employer also pays that amount, or $300 per month (though, because of a recent payroll tax break, employees actually pay less now. But for easy math, let’s assume it’s a 1-1 match). For this example, if the company has 10-20 employees, they are paying $3,000-6,000 per month, just in payroll taxes.

Issuing paychecks costs your employer a lot of money too. They either staff a payroll department, hire a payroll processing company, or both – and both are expensive. Obviously these things are not put in place just because of you, but costs add up as the employee count grows.

Unemployment insurance

Here’s an area that’s grossly misunderstood. In my Brazen post about how to make money during your job search, one commenter thought employees “pay into the system,” despite having just read that unemployment insurance is an employer-funded program.

To be clear, unemployment insurance is an extra expense that only employers pay. Simply put, employers contribute to a state-level pool (though there is a federal pool as well), and when unemployed people file for or collect unemployment benefits, the state pays them from that pool. It’s a way for the state to ensure it doesn’t bear sole responsibility for supporting unemployed people.

Workers compensation insurance

Again, this is a cost the state requires employers to pay. Depending on what kind of work you do, your employer almost certainly has a state-mandated workers comp insurance policy that covers you.

Each state’s requirement is different, but some states require a policy on even the lowest risk office workers. Depending on the kind of work being performed and the number of workers, workers comp insurance can be a few hundred dollars or thousands per year.

Benefits

Health insurance, 401ks, paid time off – these are even more costs your employer faces per employee that go unseen. And benefits are usually much more expensive than payroll taxes or unemployment insurance. For example, Starbucks spends more on employee health insurance than on coffee and in the past General Motors spent more on healthcare than on steel. The incendiary politics of healthcare insurance aside, employers generally pay a ton of money for this employee benefit.

It’s easy to take your 401k for granted, but the programs are expensive for your employer just to set up. Then, if the employer matches employee contributions (which many companies do), that’s another per-pay period, per-employee cost the employer faces. 401k administration fees and matching expenses are yet more costs associated with hiring, and because they never see or hear about those expenses, employees tend to be ignorant about them.

Training

Every company has their own protocol when it comes to document management, expense reimbursement, customer relationship management (CRM), sales calls and countless other policies. As a result, most new jobs involve a lengthy training session, where new employees are sequestered for a few days or weeks to learn all the ins and outs of the new company. For larger firms, this might even mean the employee(s) traveling off site to corporate headquarters for training. These training programs are very expensive, both in time and money.

A company has to pay a dedicated team to teach new employees – meaning salaries, benefits and additional payroll expenses (see above) for each of the trainers. Then they have to pay for teaching materials and, in some cases, travel for the employees to the training location. Some people receive full pay during training, some get minimum wage until they’ve passed certain tests to prove their training was successful. Training is a long and expensive per-employee cost.

It’s important to understand why hiring you is so difficult, not as an exercise in negativity, but so you know exactly what you’re up against. If you know why something might be keeping you back, you can pivot, adapt and overcome. Keep these costs in mind when interviewing and you’ll be able to pitch yourself as a value-add, rather than simply another cost.

Tim Murphy is founder of ApplyMate.com, a free application tracking tool.

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No doubt you’ve seen your share of the tell-tale signs — sloppy emails, thoughtless answers to questions, late all the time, awkward with clients, clearly coasting on the job — the list could go on forever. You can only see so many of these guys before concluding that most people are terrible at what they do.

That might sound overly general, but consider that most people dislike their job and that one out of four people with a job plans to leave in the next year (some put this number at one out of three). If someone wants to leave their job amidst 9.1% unemployment, they probably dislike it enough to not care about their performance. It’s not exactly a stretch to think the majority of people doing a job they dislike will do it poorly.

Crappy colleagues and co-workers cause plenty of frustration, but they also create opportunities to stand out. Indeed, the presence of so many terrible people generally results in the absence of remarkable people. So how do we fill that void? How do we become remarkable? Doing just a few little things right will not only keep you out of the “terrible” bucket, but it will make you seem remarkable — in a good way.

It helps to first understand three types of Remarkable: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Good

Probably the most obvious because the word remarkable tends to carry a positive connotation, the Good Remarkable people are reliable, competent and capable. They seem rare because, as explained above, most people are just not good at what they do.

The good remarkables are the people you can count on to meet deadlines, hit goals, deliver what’s expected, and demonstrate professionalism at every turn. In other words, they do what they say they are going to do.

Bad (or Unremarkable)

These are the people who fade into the background, never really screwing up, but never really doing anything good. They tend to go through the motions, stay out of trouble, but always do the minimum. Unremarkable people are not the worst people to have around, but they certainly aren’t the ones you want on your team.

Ugly

The shockingly inept, seemingly incapable of doing their job well, probably indifferent, remarkable for how bad they are. Again, these people are everywhere and can really suck the life out of a team or project.

Obviously we all want to be Good Remarkable, and it actually doesn’t take much to get there. Just doing what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it, is a great start, one that can put you ahead of most everyone else.

For example, when hiring web developers, I’ve really struggled to find someone that could communicate reliably via email. Think about how easy that is — returning an email, even if it’s to say, “Tim, I’m swamped right now but haven’t forgotten you. Here’s where we are in the project, can we talk later this week?”

Even if one developer is more talented than another, I will hire the reliable communicator 10 times out of 10, all because they do this one simple (but important) thing better. I know firms that have lost business because of poor communication, which is a shame because this is such low-hanging fruit.

Another way to stand out, unfortunately, is by delivering a quality product when you said you would deliver it. I say “unfortunately” because this is as rare as it is obvious! How often do you get a product — whether it’s a meal, widget, plan or service — that is hastily slapped together or carelessly executed? Just by doing what you said you would do, you can separate yourself from the vast majority of people who regularly cut corners or skimp on quality.

Now that we’ve been over the easy and obvious ways to stand out, check out one over-the-top example: HARO founder and new Vocus VP Peter Shankman sent out a tweet to Morton’s steakhouse — and this is how they reacted. If you don’t call this an over-the-top example of Good Remarkable, I just don’t know what to tell you.

So, after reading that most people are terrible at their jobs and considering different ways a person can be remarkable, which one are you?

Take a critical look at yourself and develop an honest professional assessment. If you fall into one of the Bad Remarkable categories, dig until you find out why.

Chances are it’s because you are missing a few really easy ways to stand out from most other people. Brainstorm how you can start standing out, and go from there. The positive feedback you’ll get, not to mention the improved reputation, will certainly provide the fuel to keep improving.

If “good help is hard to find,” doing the little stuff will make you Good Remarkable and, considering the quality of most other workers, make you an easy-to-find standout.

Tim Murphy is founder of ApplyMate.com, a free application tracking tool.

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It’s a taxing experience that can really take its toll on one’s emotions, physical well-being, relationships and finances. But take heart, you who’ve been stuck in the job search with nothing to show so far. There are ways to lessen the financial blow with small wins here and there. And in a seemingly endless job search, small wins can feel huge.

1. Write off job-hunting expenses

You can deduct job-hunting expenses on your tax return if you meet a few qualifications. First, you need to itemize your deductions. If you don’t own a home, you probably don’t itemize your deductions (though some do, like if you paid a lot toward medical care, charitable contributions or casualty losses). If you don’t itemize your deductions, you just take the standard deduction (which for 2010 was $5,700 for singles and $11,400 for married couples filing jointly).

(Need a laugh after that financial jargon? Write-offs always make me think of Seinfeld.)

Second, as Kiplinger notes, “you can deduct job-hunting costs as miscellaneous expenses if you itemize, but only to the extent that the total of your total miscellaneous itemized deductions exceed 2 percent of your adjusted gross income.”

What the heck does that mean? Lisa Kuenn, a CPA at the Milwaukee accounting firm Andaloro, Smith, & Krueger, LLP, explains: If your adjusted gross income (income before deducting personal exemptions and itemized deductions) is $50,000, you can only deduct job-hunting and other miscellaneous expenses beyond 2 percent of $50,000, or $1,000. In other words, if you have $3,500 in miscellaneous deductions (let’s say $1,500 were for the job search), you can only deduct $2,500 from your taxable income ($3,500 – 2 percent or $1,000 = $2,500).

The third consideration is where you are in your job search as it relates to your professional career. Money spent when looking for your first job can’t be deducted.

If you do qualify, you can deduct the cost of things like printing resumes, business cards, employment agency fees, or transportation to job interviews (though there’s a better way to make up for these costs — keep reading). Just be sure you talk with a tax professional to be sure you meet all the requirements to qualify for these deductions.

Note:  Nothing here should be taken as tax advice. I’m not a CPA, and everyone’s tax situation is different. If you’re considering any decisions regarding your taxes, you should discuss everything with a tax professional first.

2. File for unemployment benefits

Then there’s the often-heard-but-seldom-understood term, “Filing for Unemployment.”

We’ve all heard about unemployment claims being up or down, or heard anecdotes about a friends “collecting unemployment,” but what does that really mean?

Basically, all employers pay into state and federal unemployment insurance funds (one of the many costs employers face when hiring that employees usually don’t realize). Then when someone “files for unemployment,” they’re basically submitting a claim to that state or federal unemployment insurance fund. If they’re deemed eligible for unemployment benefits, they will be paid out on that claim (like you would be paid out on a claim you filed with your car insurance company after an accident).

Here’s a more comprehensive article on understanding jobs data and other unemployment terms.

Filing for unemployment is tough because it carries a fairly negative stigma of defeat (at least it used to — before more than 9 percent unemployment became the norm). I have mixed feelings on advising people to collect unemployment benefits, because of the argument that unemployment benefits can encourage joblessness (or at least discourage working) and  lead to fraud (like underreporting earnings while collecting full benefits).

Bottom line, filing for unemployment benefits should only be used as a last resort. Keep in mind it will take a few weeks to get paid after you file your first claim. You might not like it, but if you’re really staring financial death in the face, unemployment benefits are there for a reason, and they sure beat going under while you look for work.

3. Ask prospective employers to cover expenses

When interview time comes, don’t be afraid to ask for a meal and/or travel allowances. Many companies will offer this up front (though it’s become less common because of the economic downturn), as it lets the candidate know they are serious about hiring. On the flip side, withholding such reimbursement sends the message that the company is cheap — not the best first impression.

If you’re scheduled for an interview and the hiring manager hasn’t mentioned this, don’t be afraid to ask about the company’s policy on per diem or meal, hotel and travel allowances. It’s common enough for companies to offer that you can ask without fear of sounding off-the-wall or cheap. And if they offer, take advantage!

4. Stay busy

The best way to make or keep more money during your job search is by staying busy while out of full-time work. There are plenty of work-at-home options like Flexjobs, where you get paid to do various tasks for people who aren’t necessarily looking to hire full-time employees (though it can lead to a full-time hire).

This is a great way to keep the cash coming in and keep a big stretch of idleness off your resume. Looking to break-into a new field? Flexjobs could be a great way to take on small tasks and build your experience in that area.

Another great way to make a buck here and there is by signing up for Focus Groups. You won’t qualify for every study, and you have to be called (whereas you have control over how much work you take on with Flexjobs). But when it does work out, you can make more than $100 per hour just to give your opinions about different products and marketing campaigns. I’ve done these before and they are actually a lot of fun. I got $100 to talk about new orange juice bottles for an hour and another $100 to talk about Corona commercials for an hour. Plus a lot of them pay in cash, which is nice.

Looking for a job can be truly brutal; you might as well take advantage of every dollar-maximizing trick out there. Some of these might not apply to your situation, so be sure to do your homework and find the methods that work best for you.

Have any other tricks that I missed? Please share in the comments! Your suggestion could really help someone who’s struggling to get by.

Tim Murphy is founder of ApplyMate.com, a free application tracking tool.

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Not bidets, nor gold-plated seats. The toilets are just like any other except for one feature: the seat and lid won’t slam. All you have to do when you put the seat down is pull down slightly and the lid falls slowly, closing quietly. It’s called the SoftClose — here’s a video to give you a better idea.

Uh, who cares about your toilet seat?

As a guy who grew up with two sisters, I learned the importance of putting the toilet seat down before leaving the restroom. Overall I’m pretty good about doing it but, admittedly, I still don’t do it every time. Why not?

I don’t put the toilet seat down all the time because, as simple a task as it is, it still requires some effort to bend down, reach over, grab the seat and lid, and lay them down gently to avoid a slam. I know, it’s totally stupid and trivial. But any woman who’s shaken a rueful fist at a guy for leaving the seat up knows that little bit of effort keeps many a toilet seat in the upright position. It simply doesn’t take much to push someone away from doing a task, no matter how easy.

But with this new toilet seat I am 100 percent complying with my sisters’ wishes. I literally close that damn toilet lid every time. Duravit — the maker of the toilet seat — has somehow made the already laughably-easy task even easier. It’s now so easy that — pardon the double negative — I can’t not do it.

We could all learn from the Duravit toilet seat. No matter what you’re trying to sell, win, convince people to do, or teach someone, it needs to be way easier than you think. You need to make it — whatever “it” is — dead simple… and then even easier.

Think about your behavior online. How quickly do you bounce off a site if it doesn’t load immediately, the page is confusing or the sign-up process is even slightly difficult? Probably in a matter of seconds, maybe even less than five. Our society behaves in real life like they do online: distracted, busy, impatient, and lazy, so you need to think of everything in terms of simplicity. You need to provide the path of no resistance.

Looking for a job?

With competition for jobs as high as it is, you need to make it absolutely brainless to hire you. That means submitting an application that shows you are the answer to every desire mentioned in the job description.

Any resistance you create (poor grammar, late submissions, tardy follow-up) will end your chances. You need to create an absolutely frictionless experience for the person hiring you, otherwise it’s on to the next candidate. The devil truly is in the details.

Looking for help with a project?

I’m constantly amazed at how difficult most people make it to receive help.

Think about this scenario: Jack wants help from Craig. Craig agrees to help Jack, whereby Jack basically flops the problem or task in front of Craig, with little direction or explanation. When Craig asks clarifying questions, Jack responds with terse or thoughtless emails, making it impossible for Craig to help — even though he wanted to help!

I see this all the time — if you want help, you need to make it easy for the person providing it. Give them direction, information and anything else they need, in all the detail they need, right away.

Obvious, right? Maybe, but that kind of behavior is woefully rare.

Trying to network your way into a job?

That’s great, but even your close friends are busy. You need to make it totally painless for them to know exactly what you bring to the table and exactly what you want. Just sending them your resume won’t cut it. A resume is something they have to read, and let’s be honest, even that probably won’t happen. People are too busy with their own lives, so putting everything on hold to help you is tough. You need to make it really, really easy.

The Duravit toilet seat is a great reminder that, no matter how simple something seems, people will find any way possible to not do it. We need to remove every obstacle, friction or pain point and make things as easy as possible. This requires more attention to detail and a critical eye, but in the end you’ll get more cooperation and more accomplished.

Tim Murphy is a member of the Brazen Life Contributor Network and founder of ApplyMate.com, a free application tracking tool.

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Congressman Wilson and his aides are struggling to find the one, magic weapon they can provide to the mujahedeen. His weapons expert explains that they shouldn’t look for a single new weapon, or a “silver bullet.” Rather, they needed a “symphony of different weapons that, when put together, would change the balance in favor of the mujahedeen.”

With each new piece of technology or trend, we hear about the “death” of something else. Resumes are out – bios are in, job boards and sending cold applications are out, networking and LinkedIn are hot.

Nonsense.

Adopting any one approach (especially if it’s the latest, hot trend) to the exclusion of others is a bad idea. Job hunting isn’t a zero-sum game where the presence of one technique, strategy, platform, or application means the absence of another. The key is to use as many methods as possible while maintaining harmony.

Resumes

To say resumes are out is just crazy. Talk to a working recruiter and ask if they think resumes are out. Resumes have been the standard for measuring professional suitability for decades, so the recruiting industry isn’t going to just shelf them any time soon. Even if more elaborate bios, or video resumes, or LinkedIn profiles do grow in popularity, they aren’t going to replace traditional resumes. Each tactic will evolve, with some becoming mainstays and others falling away. You need to experiment with all of them and find the ones that work best for you.

Another point about bios: these new voices praising the importance of a well-written bio run contrary to just about every recruiter I’ve talked to about how applications are viewed. Recruiters scan resumes for bullet points and keywords and almost always skip over bios, personal statements, or anything else that results in more reading time. If you have a statement, be very careful it is not there at the expense of an easily digested bullet point. No matter how good it is, it doesn’t matter if no one reads it!

Job boards? Really?

I know, I know – leviathan job boards like Monster and CareerBuilder get a bad wrap for being too big to navigate, too clumsy to use, and overall just a waste of time. While I don’t think they have all the answers, it’s a mistake to ignore them completely. If nothing else, you can use job boards for market research when looking for a job. When trying to break into a certain field, those massive job boards provide tons of job descriptions from which you can tailor your resume. Also, Monster is at least trying to diversify their offerings with BeKnown, which is a somewhat tardy version of In the Door and BranchOut (apps that help you tap into your Facebook network’s professional connections). From what I can see, CareerBuilder is still just a job board.

I also like using job boards the way I used to use Orbitz and Expedia (before Kayak). Back in the day you could search for flights using Orbitz, find what was available, and book using Orbitz for a slightly higher rate. Or, what many people did was use those services as flight search engines, find out what was available, and then just book directly through the airline’s site. I didn’t want to search each airline’s website for availability, but I also didn’t want to pay the extra fee by booking through the flight search engine. Job boards can be used the same way – use them to find out what’s available and apply directly through the company’s site.

Applying online? I thought I was supposed to network!

This is another place where getting caught up in the trend is dangerous. Yes, networking is extremely important, but it’s only one means to an end. Networking is not an end itself. If you are talking to someone about a job at their company, most of the time the first thing they will ask you is, “Have you applied online yet?” If your answer is “no,” or worse, if you didn’t know about the opening, you look like someone who isn’t serious about working at that company. You need to do your due diligence and get the obvious steps out of the way before networking can do anything meaningful for you. If all your ducks aren’t in a row, networking is just socializing.

Submitting job applications online also makes it easier for anyone in a position to help you, to actually help you. Once you can tell them about a particular job at their company, they can refer you to a specific person or department. Much better to attack a specific job from multiple fronts, than to approach someone and say, “I’m not sure where exactly, I just really want to work here.” Everyone says you need to network to get a job, but networking only works when done in conjunction with other approaches.

Regardless of the latest advice, or the supposed “death” of a trend, always remember than there is no silver bullet for your job search. There is no one solution. You need a symphony of job search weapons, all working in harmony, to land a job in this market.

Tim Murphy is a member of the Brazen Life Contributor Network.

Ed. note: If you’re looking for your next great opportunity, consider signing up for the Job Hunt Network Roulette on Wed., July 27.  Tim’s right on — there is no silver bullet for job search. But making some great connections is sure to provide powerful ammunition! Okay, okay… done with the metaphor.

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It’s easy to fall in love

When out at a bar or party, you’ll probably encounter a mix of good looking and average looking people (depending on where you live). When a really good looking one catches your eye, it’s easy to become enamored, for the night or even for days.

Job hunting is the same way – you sift through the lame or average jobs and then, every once in a while, you happen upon one that gets you excited. You start to picture yourself with that job and how it would make your life better. You think how much better that job would be than your last job, or how much better you’d look with this new job and all its prestige. Finding a good one is important, and I’m all for giving it a shot, even if it’s a long shot. Just don’t let it paralyze or distract you from all the other options. I know I’ve gotten hung up on “dream jobs” in the past, and sometimes you let it get the better of you. Stay ambitious but level headed.

It’s easy to get shot down

Sadly, most job applications don’t work out the way you plan, much like most romantic overtures don’t all work out (at least they didn’t for me :)). And the worst part is, no matter how badly you want a certain job, or a certain person, sometimes it’s just not a good fit. They might already have their eye on another candidate, they might not be hiring, or they might just not be interested in working with you (all parallels intended). When that happens, you need to pick up the pieces and move on.

The most important aspect of getting shot down (in love or jobs) is to keep looking. Just having something to work toward, some project to keep you excited, will give you purpose. And as we learned from “The Matrix,” purpose is everything.

What to consider before committing

After a while, dating and the job search get old, and we just get tired of looking. The urge to get on with your life, contribute to a team, and make some money becomes too strong (all parallels except the last one intended). When that happens, it’s easy to accept the first offer you get (and maybe do something you regret). So keep these things in mind before committing.

1. Where you work says something about you. Say you’ve been out of work for a while, a long while. You might even call it a drought. Then you get an opportunity at a less-than-reputable company, one you never thought you’d consider but that you’re suddenly weighing. Sure, signing on with that company might get you through the dry spell, but the reputation will follow you longer than you think.The place where you work says something about you, and you could have difficulty explaining that stint to a future prospective employer. The parallel here is pretty obvious, if you go home with sketchy people, you’re going to become “that” guy or girl. Yeah, settling might satisfy your short term needs, but you’ll probably regret it, and you’ll have to explain it for years.

 

2. Remember that expectations are important. You might think, “Oh, I’ll just work here until something better comes along,” the same way you might think you’ll date a person until someone better comes along. But there’s a problem: the company or person might not have the same idea. What if they are hiring you with the expectation that you’ll be with them for a long time? You’ll burn bridges rapidly if you give them the impression you’ll be long term, only to bail for the next best offer. Yup, same with relationships – don’t be a phony because eventually you’ll get burned.

 

3. Settling can be dangerous. How many people do you know who have been at a job they hate for years? How many people have been talking about quitting their crappy job forever? I know plenty of people like that! All the stories start the same way:  the person takes a job they don’t want because they have to (or think they have to), then they stop looking for jobs because looking for jobs usually sucks (though it could be better). Complacency sets in, usually followed by laziness, and suddenly they are 10 years into a job that was never a great fit.We’ve all seen these relationships too. Someone is in a relationship that just isn’t very good. It’s not bad, but it’s clearly not a good fit. But, the person doesn’t want to be alone anymore, all their friends have significant others, and dating is exhausting. So rather than facing the dating scene, they just stay in the same unfulfilling relationship for years. And it all started because they settled at the beginning. The take away here is, be careful about settling because the intended short-term easily becomes the unintended long-term before you know it.

 

The job search/dating parallels are meant to provide another way of looking at both endeavors. Think about how you approach your dating life, what you’ve learned, and maybe look at your job search through that lens. Then do the same with your job search and examine your love life through that lens. Hopefully, considering both experiences will lead you to a fulfilling relationship with a solid partner.

Tim Murphy is a member of the Brazen Life Contributor Network.

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Whether you’re starting a new job, looking to move up in your current job, or trying to survive layoffs, I have a valuable tip that is sure to help you achieve your goal. It’s not pretty, it’s not glamorous, but it is effective and could save your job.

What’s the tip? You need to take ownership.

It’s a very simple concept, but it presents a huge opportunity that most people miss.

So what does it entail? Taking ownership means standing up and announcing that you are responsible for executing a particular task or project. Sometimes taking ownership will just mean being accountable for a project within your job description. In that case, taking ownership isn’t terribly remarkable.

But there are other times when taking ownership means doing things outside of your job description. In fact, it means doing the stuff no one else wants to do. Think: filing, building proposals, editing, cold calling. I’m sure you know what I mean.

Taking ownership also means making an active and enthusiastic commitment. If you begrudgingly take on a task only because you have to, you’re not making much of an impression.

Why should you take ownership?

Basically, when you take ownership of a task or project, you’re telling whoever is in charge, “Don’t worry, I got this.” You’re taking something off their plate and putting it on yours. That is any busy person’s fantasy. If there’s a difficult or unpleasant task, then the person in charge probably isn’t keen on doing it personally and is also dreading the task of finding someone else to do it. It also adds one more difficult thing to his or her rapidly growing to-do list. When you stand up and say, “I’ll do it, no problem,” you’ve just killed some major anxiety. Everyone loves an anxiety killer.

Think about it. Have you ever been in a meeting or on a conference call where everyone is trying to dodge a task? Aside from the time it wastes, it’s just awkward as hell! Or have you ever seen people dart around as they try to avoid a task, only to have someone volunteer to do it? The relief in the room is palpable. It’s like freakin’ Spiderman came in and saved the day.

There’s more to taking ownership than just being a people-pleaser, though many people simply take issue with that aspect and don’t want to be seen as the office suck-up. Yes, there is a certain degree of people-pleasing when you take ownership of annoying, menial tasks. But you’re also becoming the go-to person. You’re establishing your reputation as the problem solver. You’re becoming the one your boss associates with getting things done, with control, and with solutions. You own those tasks, so the boss doesn’t have to worry about them.  In other words, taking ownership makes you a leader.

If layoffs come around, who do you think your boss will let go? The person who solved problems time and again, or the one who sat there looking at his shoes while difficult tasks needed to be done?

Now I know what you’re thinking:  “Thanks, Tim. Sounds like a great way to become the office bitch.” And you might be right. This method will certainly not lead to more free time and it’s not a glamorous way of getting ahead either. But it will help you differentiate yourself from the rest of the non-doers. You’re becoming the person your boss feels comfortable going to, and once that happens, he or she is much more likely to feel comfortable going to you with other, more meaningful tasks. Plus, if you’ve done your share of grunt work, you’ll feel more comfortable asking the boss to be included on the more desirable, meaningful projects.

This is especially true in a small business setting. I worked for a communications firm in Washington, D.C. (informational interviews work!) for a few years and saw this first hand. My boss, the owner, didn’t have time for pettiness or egos. He needed people to help out across the board – from making coffee to filing and making cold calls. If you were “above” that kind of thing, you just looked like a jerk who wouldn’t help. The office manager, as she became known after taking ownership of everything she could, was one of the most valued people in the company. She knew everything about the office, the clients, and the business in general. She made herself indispensable. Had she been petty and not confident enough in her other work (the stuff she was actually hired to do), there’s no way she would have stood out in the same fashion.

Taking ownership of menial or annoying tasks doesn’t diminish your intelligence or your worth at a company. If it does, I bet there are other reasons at play.  Taking on more tasks differentiates you from other workers and forces you to keep learning new things. Plus, the more projects you take on, the more likely it is for you to carve out a niche within the company.

Doing the tasks that no one else wants to do makes you look good, it diversifies what you do and it creates job security. Don’t let pettiness stand in the way of all that good stuff.

Tim Murphy is a member of the Brazen Life Contributor Network.

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That’s downright blasphemy when you consider that about half of out of work job seekers are jobless for six months, workers everywhere are settling for less, and overall pay is staying low and flat. Only a disconnected fool would utter such nonsense, right?

Granted, there is a lot to dislike when it comes to the job search. I don’t need to discuss the anxiety, disappointment, frustration, feelings of futility, and 10,000 other negatives. We all know them well.

Instead let’s talk about the good aspects of a job search, specifically how looking for a job can help you in your current job.

Think of your job hunt like market research

Looking for a job is like a treasure hunt. You’re constantly following clues, asking about leads, discerning myths from facts, and ultimately working your way toward something great. Also, both require you to follow signs along the way. For example, job descriptions are a fantastic insight into what’s hot in your targeted industry. Take note of what’s most in-demand – look at what skills are needed, what certifications are attractive, and what experience is most valuable. Read the signs.

Next, match those against your own qualifications. See any holes? It’s okay, you almost certainly will. But now, thanks to your job search, you have a list of professional goals. You’ve researched the industry you want to work in, and now you have a to-do list for how to make yourself a competitive prospect.

Use your job as a grad school of sorts

Now that your to-do list is ready, it’s time to get to work. If you have a job but are looking for another one (like 66 percent of workers), you can incorporate and practice those skills in your current job. Put another way; use your current job as a breeding ground to develop the skills that are in demand.

For example, if you see that most employers in a particular field want public speaking experience and you don’t have any, propose giving a speech at the next company meeting or hosting a discussion group within your department. Both are great speaking practice and show that you’re a go-getter with new ideas.

If you’re seeing a lot of employers requiring team leadership experience and you don’t have any, propose a mentoring program and volunteer to help new employees become acclimated. Certain software expertise needed? Propose getting trained on it and become your company’s go-to person for that program.

Be happier in your current job

Also like a treasure hunt, looking for a job requires a heavy dose of optimism. You have to believe deep down that what you’re looking for actually exists and is attainable. That can be hard at times, especially when you aren’t having much success with your applications or interviews. One way to keep the optimism alive is to log a few small victories along the way.

We hear the terrible employment numbers all the time, and many people are simply staying in jobs they hate, rather than quitting and rolling the dice in today’s job market. If that’s you then using your job search as a professional development tool, as described above, is a great way to stay sane at a job you dislike. Once you’ve established your to-do list and how you can use your current job to satisfy it, your outlook will change. The job you don’t like will look less like a hindrance and more like a vehicle for getting where you want to be. It becomes a way forward instead of an anchor.

Not only do you benefit from having a more positive attitude, but your whole company does. If you dislike your job, I’d guess you don’t approach many tasks with enthusiasm, you aren’t terribly pleasant to be around, and you might just be doing crappy work. The job search to-do list gives you a renewed sense of purpose, which in turn has a buoying affect on the rest of your attitude and performance.

Think about it, who would you rather work with? Someone who pouts about how they don’t like their job and is pissed off because they can’t get a better one? Or an ambitious spark-plug who is clearly working with a purpose and proposing new ideas?

Like anything else, a job search is what you make of it. If you focus on the negatives, which we all know abound, it will be a miserable experience (why do you think one million people get discouraged and give up?). But if you use the job search as a way to make yourself a better candidate for future jobs and a better employee in your current role, you’ll have a much easier time keeping up the hunt.

Tim Murphy is founder of ApplyMate.com, a free web app that helps you track and manage job and school applications. He also blogs regularly at ApplyMate.com/blog.

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The post How the Job Search Can Improve Your Current Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

Of course, there were more important challenges I could not have anticipated. I heard plenty about long hours and about having to be a little crazy. Those weren’t shockers when they inevitably hit, but three other things caught me off guard:

1. You are Your Only Limitation

This was particularly surprising, because I’d pegged it initially as a benefit.

Unshackled by others’ policies, direction and oversight, I figured I couldn’t be stopped. (There has to be some level of self-confidence, bordering on arrogance, to start something on your own). The reality is I have a very limited set of skills. If I don’t know how to do something, I either have to learn it or pay someone to do it.

That’s manageable most of the time, but paying someone per project gets expensive. It also means I need a crystal clear vision of what I want that person to do, and that vision hinges entirely on my own imagination. Most of the freelancers I hire either can’t or don’t offer the imagination that a team of employees working together can generate.

There are upsides to having total creative control, but it gets lonely and pricey.

2. Be Wary of Other Entrepreneurs

I only realized this a few months ago.

When I first had the idea for my project, ApplyMate.com, I devoured books, articles and blog posts about entrepreneurs. Learning about other people’s successes fueled my desire to build, to create, to turn an idea into a product. After a while though, I noticed a change. Instead of being driven to create and execute, I only wanted to read about others who’d done it.

Over time, reading about entrepreneurship became like reading fiction. I was able to live vicariously through the characters and enjoy their successes. But I didn’t do or create anything myself. Such stories satisfied my craving for success and sapped my drive to create.

I’m not alone in this reaction to start-up stories (credit to David Walsh at Muselife.com for helping put a point on it). It’s worth remembering during the early stages of launching something. If you can read stories for the occasional motivation, great. Want to talk with other start-up owners, pick their brains and exchange ideas? Fantastic. Just don’t let those stories and talks become a substitute for actually doing something.

3. People Don’t Care About Your Idea

Sorry, but people are just busy. (Or at least they think they are.) They have their own jobs, projects, bosses, spouses and kids to worry about.

Even though your idea was difficult to conjure up, you think it’s a huge deal and you’ve put tons of time, money and energy into it, most people simply don’t care. If you expect telling people about your idea to be like dropping an atom bomb of brilliance, you’re going to be disappointed. That doesn’t make people bad or inconsiderate by any means (please!). Everyone is just busy. Keep that in mind, and get over yourself.

Close family, friends and fellow entrepreneurs will care. They’ll be genuinely excited for you. They will ask questions, and will do everything they can to help. Those people are gold. Keep them close, because encouragement will likely be hard to find on a regular basis.

Of course, a post about the challenges I experienced launching my own business is going to have negative undertones. I hope this helps some readers foresee some of the difficulties that might be in store. But it’s also worth noting that in my experience, the good — which is the great deal of satisfaction I feel for starting my own business — has greatly outweighed the bad.

Regardless of your business or idea, take the good with the bad. In fact, be prepared for both.

Tim Murphy is Founder of ApplyMate.com, a free web app that helps you track and manage job and school applications. He also blogs regularly at ApplyMate.com/blog.

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1. Capitalize on Your Entry-Level Position

To get your dream job, or even a mid-level role, yes, you will need relevant (probably professional) experience. However, entry-level jobs don’t require much experience and they are a great way to position yourself within a target industry. For example, being an office assistant produces a paycheck (not to be dismissed), allows you to observe and learn about the job you really want, and can facilitate a relationship with the person hiring. Think like a spy here – all you need is an “in” and you can work your magic from the inside.

Once your foot is in the door, talk to everyone you can, ask lots of questions, and take up every task related or unrelated to your job. Once you become the person everyone knows will step up and do good work, people will want you on their team. Now you’re an insider who knows what the job requires, what personalities are in play, and how you can solve their needs.

Not many people take this approach because it requires accepting a menial job for little pay. Keep your eye on the prize though – getting in the door is a huge step toward your desired job, especially if your experience is light.

2. You Don’t Need a Job to Get Experience

There are myriad ways to get the experience needed for your ideal job, you just have to find them. For example, creating a side business is a great way to take your academic experience to the next level. Interacting with clients, pitching services, delivering products on time, and responding to customer inquiries are the kind of professional experiences you can’t get in a classroom. By starting a side business, you create the experience your resume is lacking and you’ll have concrete examples to reference when applying.

Does the job you want require specialized experience working with certain software? Try finding someone in your network who has those skills and is willing to teach you. Often it’s a matter of learning the basics and practicing in your free time to get better. Can’t find someone who can teach the skills you need? Check out an online course, book, or community college that might be able to give you those first layers of instruction. Once your skills improve, start reaching out to friends and family that might need those services and build a portfolio of pro bono work. Now you have the skills needed and a portfolio of work to display.

3. Volunteering is an Experience Shortcut

Volunteer work is another great way to beef up your resume with professional experience. You might have to start low on the totem pole, but most volunteer organizations are dying for help so you’ll be able to move up as quickly as you can take on other projects. In very little time you could be managing teams, looking at budgets, proposing marketing projects, raising funds, or ordering inventory – all fantastic professional experience.

Like any business, you’ll find that some volunteer organizations are poorly run, which means you’re even better positioned to make a large, quantifiable difference. If you see some gross inefficiency or mismanagement, take note of what’s wrong and either propose a fix or, whenever possible, just fix it.

When you begin volunteering, set goals and write them down. This ensures you’ll be working toward something specific the whole time, making the whole experience more beneficial. These goals could change after you’ve been there a while, especially as you start to notice what needs improving, but it’s good to have an idea of where you want to go from the outset.

Next, track your projects and related numbers, comparing how things looked before you got there with after you were involved. That way you have specific examples to reference during interviews or when applying. When an employer hears that your project increased the number of people fed at a food bank while lowering expenses, they’ll know they have a go-getter who means business.

Lack of experience can be the bane of a job applicant’s existence. Employers want to spend as little time training you as possible because, well, you’re expensive and they need you producing something to offset that expense. But your lack of experience will hold you back only as much as you let it. Fill in the holes with side projects, volunteer work, and whatever else it takes. Keep detailed notes of what you did and list that confidently on your resume. While others might get held up, you’ll stride right across that experience gap.

Tim Murphy is Founder of ApplyMate.com, a free web app that helps you track and manage job and school applications. He also blogs regularly at ApplyMate.com/blog.

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The post How to Bridge the Experience Gap (When You Don’t Have Any) appeared first on Brazen Life.