Ev-ev-ev-everyday I’m hustlin’

Everyday I’m hustlin’

Ev-ev-ev-everyday I’m hustlin’

Ev-ev-everyday I’m, everyday I’m, everyday I’m hustlin’

Everyday I’m hustlin’ hustlin’ hustlin’ hust-hustlin’ -Rick Ross

I’ve never thought of myself much as a hustler. I’ve always been an extremely hard worker, but being a hustler is different.

Up until now, it always had a bit of a negative connotation for me. A hustler is pushy, demanding and maybe a little shady. If you watch the spectacular trailer for the new film American Hustler, you’ll get my point. (Bradley Cooper’s hair alone is convincing.) However, recently I was called a hustler, and I realized it was actually a compliment.

I’m currently in the midst of establishing myself as a freelance writer, editor and content strategist. I’m talking to everyone I possibly can and promoting myself. I’m writing tons of emails, being persistent (remember, there’s a difference between being persistent and nagging), and I’m networking — or power networking, as I like to call it. (With power networking, you burn more calories.) I’m not a shy — or, rather, lazy —  networker anymore because I can’t be. My livelihood depends on it.

“Hustling” in the working world just means strategic self-promotion and constant networking, as well as looking for non-obvious opportunities. I’m not walking around with a cane and a hat throwing my cards at people, but I am trying to get more people to listen to me. And it’s actually working! Yes, I’ve had to eat more Ramen noodles than usual this month, but that’s OK. It makes me feel like I’m 24 again. Fun!

I’m taking my work ethic and channeling it into all these different things. It’s hard work, but also exciting. I’m getting to see a whole new side of myself. There are a lot of things I can’t control right now, but one thing I can control is how much I’m networking and promoting myself. I can take charge of that — and so can you.

So, here are my tips for being a hustler. Hustling 101, if you will.

1. Give everything you’ve got

It won’t work unless you’re putting everything you’ve got into it. It’s not going to be easy. It’s cliche, but no pain, no game.

2. Be fearless

I used to be the person who hated to write those emails once again asking if someone has read my stuff or could meet for coffee, but now I do it all the time — and most of the time, people thank me. I’ve been in the other seat, and it’s hard to answer those emails when you have a million other things to do.

I’ve found a second email is just enough of a push that people realize you’re seriously interested and excited. It’s not embarrassing. If they never email you back, then it’s their loss.

3. Network until the cows come home

As Sallie Krawcheck says, networking is the new career. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) You have to talk everybody because you never know how they can help you.

Last week at a Marie Claire event, Krawcheck, owner of 85 Broads, said, “We should embrace networking. It is the number one unwritten rule of succeeding in your career.” It’s almost a hundred percent more likely your next job is going to come from a loose business connection and not a friend, she said.

I’m a social person, but it takes me a little while to warm up. I don’t have time for that anymore. If you have this problem, too, take a sip of wine and bring a friend who can be your networking wingman, and get to it. It will get easier every time. Talk about how awkward you are. That’s one of my best ice breakers.

4. Love it

Hustling is work, but it’s really exciting. You never know who you’re going to meet or what opportunity may present itself. Right now, literally every day something happens that I couldn’t have predicted. I’m introduced to another person or made aware of a company or job I didn’t even know existed.

Embrace it! That’s the only way you’ll thrive. Remember, “Good things happen to those who hustle.”

Meredith Lepore is the former editor of the women’s career site The Grindstone. Before that, she was on staff at Wall Street Letter and Business Insider and was a contributing writer for LearnVest. She earned her Masters in Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University after graduating with a degree in Brain and Cognitive Science from the University of Rochester. Meredith resides in New York full-time and enjoys reading, jogging, shopping and playing with her puppy, Otis.

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The post How to Go from Reluctant Networker to Career Hustler appeared first on Brazen Life.

How do you stand out among the crowd to be the one hired? Find a way to add a dash of humor. Easier said than done, right? Try these off-the-wall tips to get noticed and get your foot in the door:

Step one: Work the networking room stage

Networking is a vital step in the job search. It’s how you make a human connection with people who have hiring power or can recommend you to people who might hire you. Here’s how to use humor to be remembered long after the event.

1. Present a unique business card

Include your picture or an inspirational quote. Or try to find a creative way to match your business card design with the industry in which you’re seeking a job. Check out these unique business cards for inspiration.

2. Create an interesting job title

There are millions of accountants out there. But you can be remembered as the only Numbers Ninja in the room. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) Let your personality prevail and try a witty job title.

3. Ask thought-provoking questions

After the obligatory “What do you do?” and “What do you like about your job?”, turn to more memorable questions that will keep the conversation interesting for both of you. My favorite: “What’s something you’ve done that you think no one else in this room has done?”

4. Give yourself a personal challenge

There’s no doubt that networking can be scary. So challenge yourself to accomplish something before you allow yourself to leave. Don’t leave a networking event before reaching a goal you’ve set for yourself, like talking to five new people or collecting a certain number of business cards.

5. Play an improv game

Bored by the conversations at the event? Play an improv game like First Letter Last Letter to force yourself to concentrate on the other person more. The first letter of the first word you say has to start with the last letter of the last word they just said.

Step two: Make your 30 seconds of resume air time count

Your resume is your sales letter to get that interview, yet it will only be looked at for 30 seconds — or less. Here’s how to use humor to make sure those 30 seconds help you stand out.

1. Start with epic inspiration

Before you polish your resume, get inspired. Listen to music to motivate you to create the most epic resume possible.

2. Add special skills

Your past skills and education are important pieces of your resume, but you can also shake things up a bit by adding social skills as well. Find a way to work your sense of humor into your special skills section.

3. Design the resume

Incorporate aesthetically pleasing design elements like icons or the use of color to highlight (but not overshadow) your skills and expertise. Or, you could create an infographic resume.

4. Embed a message

To really demonstrate your creativity, use the first letter of each section to hide a message such as “HIRE ME.”

5. Add personal experience

Include a personal accomplishment at the bottom of your resume. Have you run a marathon? Successfully raised kids? Drank three milkshakes in the same day?

Step three: Crack up the tough interview crowd

One of the final steps to landing a job is the interview. It’s your time to show the hiring manager (or HR person) why you’re the person — and personality — for the job. Here’s how to use humor to show you’re someone they want to work with.

1. Talk to your hype man / woman

Before your interview, spend time with a friend or family member who hypes you up about how awesome you are. They’ll amp you up and give you the momentum you need to be your best self during the interview.

2. Be a superhero

Your body language can work wonders for how people view you — and for how you view yourself. Hold a power pose before interviewing to boost your confidence.

3. Respond from personal experience

In addition to giving examples from your work life, sprinkle in stories of overcoming challenges or facing adversity from your personal life.

4. Ask culture questions

Determine if the company is a place where you actually want to work. Ask when the last time was that your interviewer laughed at work to gauge how much fun they have around the office.

5. Follow up with humor

When following up post-interview, include a link to something funny that reminds you of the person or the company. Just make sure it’s positive humor and not too edgy, which could be taken the wrong way.

Stand out among the crowd, have some fun in your search and use humor to land a job you love.

Andrew Tarvin is a humor engineer teaching individuals and organizations how to be more effective using humor in the workplace. He is also the author of the bestselling book Humor That Works: 501 Ways to Use Humor to Beat Stress, Increase Productivity, and Have Fun at Work.

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Criticism takes many forms and has many purposes, most of which you can’t control. What you can control, however, is how you respond to it. Will you be cool and calm or will you, well, kind of lose it?

Keeping it together in the face of unpleasant feedback is a mark of real professionalism. So, with that as your end goal, here are a few tactics to help you avoid embarrassing meltdowns, job-endangering rage fits or even just lingering (and potentially job-ruining) disappointment:

Remove yourself from the situation

If at all possible, coolly and calmly excuse yourself from the presence of the person giving you feedback. Simply saying something like, “Thanks for your input. Will you excuse me for a moment?” should work just fine.

It can be very, very difficult to control your emotions in the face of harsh criticism — so don’t try. Just get yourself out of there as gracefully as you can.

If you’re in the middle of a meeting and can’t take a bathroom break, calm yourself down by mentally escaping and thinking about things that make you happy: your best friends, your puppy, your upcoming vacation.

Vent—but choose your ventees wisely

Many people like to talk through things that upset them. It’s a great coping mechanism… with two caveats.

First, if you can avoid it, don’t vent to coworkers. It can be hard to know where people’s allegiances lie, or even just if they’re any good at keeping things confidential.

Second, if your coworker is your best friend and your go-to person for venting, do not (repeat: do NOT) discuss it at work! The very last thing you need after getting criticized is for someone to overhear you “complaining” about it. If that gets around — or worse, gets back to the criticizer — it’s going to look pretty bad for you.

Wait until drinks after work. It’s a great excuse for a margarita, anyway.

Get more information

Once you’ve cooled down a bit, go back to talk to the person who gave you the criticism.

I know; this is the person you least want to see, but bear with me. Everyone’s communication style is different. What’s “criticism” for you, could just be “feedback” for her.

Schedule some private time with the person who gave you the criticism to ask questions about what she said. Let her know you’re just looking to best utilize her feedback, and ask things like, “Could you be more specific about _______?” or “I understood that you meant _______. Did I get that right?”

You may discover you weren’t even being “criticized” at all!

Figure out what you can learn from it

Again, wait until you’re calm for this step. But in almost all of even the most heinous pieces of criticism, there is some lesson you can apply to make yourself a better person.

Think through the criticism. Try to restate it to yourself without any anger or frustration. For example, say your boss shouted, “This report is unacceptable! My third-grade daughter could have done a better job!” (Especially cruel, but you see what I’m getting at.)

Restating that without emotion, it might become, “This report is disappointing to me. There are more mistakes in here than I think are acceptable, and it’s not as thorough as I’d like it to be.”

Figuring out what you can learn from criticism gives you action steps to improve your performance and, hopefully, help you avoid getting criticized in the future.

Figure out your optimal feedback style

OK, so you know you’re going to have to get feedback throughout your career. One of the best ways to make sure that feedback is constructive and usable is to plan ahead. How and when are you most receptive to feedback?

Some people like immediate feedback; others need time. Some like itemized issues; others prefer the big picture. The list goes on, but you get the picture: Figure out what works best for you.

Then, let your boss (or the people giving you feedback most often) know. After all, what’s the point in knowing how you best receive input if they don’t give it in that way?

Communicating this can be as simple as, “Thanks so much for the feedback; I really appreciate your input. In the future, though, I take feedback best in private/in writing/in person/etc. Would it be possible to set up our feedback sessions like this?”

Criticism can be difficult to receive, but it can also be beneficial for your professional development. Looking at it in a new light and dealing with it effectively can help you take any feedback in stride.

How do you deal with criticism? Do you have any additional techniques to share? Let us know in the comments below!

Nicki Krawczyk is a copywriter, copy coach and founder of Filthy Rich Writer, an online resource for new and aspiring copywriters. She helps people take charge of their careers, craft their own unique selling points and perspectives and market themselves or their businesses to the world. You can get access to her free Break Into Copywriting ebook here and find her on Twitter at @nickikr.

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The post The Secret to Dealing with Criticism (and Avoiding Tears) at Work appeared first on Brazen Life.

Contrary to popular belief, great leaders aren’t born that way. Most are developed, coached and mentored. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) Here are some best practices you can follow, no matter what your title:

1. Put your employees first

When in doubt, put the interest of your employees before your own self-interests. For example, it may be in your best interest to volunteer your department to chair this year’s charity event. After all, it would be such great PR for you and the rest of your team. But everyone has been working every weekend to complete a project on time. They’re already burned out.

Take a pass. Your team needs a break. There will always be other volunteer opportunities.

2. Go to bat for your employees

It may feel uncomfortable to ask your boss to reconsider a reorganization she’s been discussing with you, but perhaps you no longer feel the plan is right now that you’ve had time to think about it.

Be bold. Let your boss know you’ve had a change of heart. Tell her why, and be prepared to offer alternative solutions. Eventually, your employees will figure out you had the courage to push back when others would have retreated — and they’ll stick beside you in thick or thin.

3. Learn how to “manage up”

In my bestselling book, Suddenly in Charge, I talk about how managing up isn’t about brown-nosing. It’s about developing strong relationships with those above you and throughout the organization so you can get your people the resources they need.

In every organization, there are people who are somehow able to get what they need while everyone else waits on the sidelines. These are the people who have taken the time to build strong relationships up and down the organization. You can bet these types of leaders have no problem keeping top talent on their teams. Take note, and if an opportunity presents itself, ask for some tips.

4. Make yourself visible and accessible

Magnetic leaders are visible both inside and outside the organization. Get involved in an association related to your career. Whenever possible, step up and volunteer to take a leadership position.

You’ll be seen as top in your field based on your affiliation. Don’t be surprised if others come to you seeking advice or a position on your team.

5. Treat people like you’d like to be treated

This one seems so obvious, yet when is the last time you felt someone in management followed this creed?

In my new book, Talent Magnetism, I tell the story of magnetic leader Chris Patterson, CEO of Interchanges, who took it upon himself to personally help an employee who was in crisis. Patterson made it his personal mission to provide this employee with the best care possible during a life-threatening illness. He did so with compassion and conviction. This is a guy who is magnetic in every way.

Magnetic leaders are highly valued by their organizations and are compensated accordingly. It’s not just to reward them for their work; companies know these people are constantly being approached with offers from other firms.

Here’s to stickiness!

Roberta Matuson, The Talent Maximizer®, is the President of Matuson Consulting, a firm that helps organizations achieve dramatic growth and market leadership through the maximization of talent. Her new book, Talent Magnetism, is now available for download or purchase.

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The post How to Become the Kind of Manager People Actually Want to Work For appeared first on Brazen Life.

Why does this happen, and what does HR actually want from you?

You’re in luck! Several HR professionals want to share four important points to help you secure the job you want.

1. Your application is a process

You submitted your application three weeks ago, and you still haven’t received a hint someone even received it. Why?

“There are meetings to have, other candidates to schedule and conversations to be had,” says Paul Smith, Director of Human Resources at the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. Paul holds over 15 years of HR experience in both the private and public sector.

“Depending on the circumstances, the HR person might be the only one handling HR duties in that office,” Smith says. “There are times when they are shorthanded, they might be on leave or key decision-makers are unavailable. Sometimes there is a sense from job applicants of ‘why don’t they tell me, why don’t they communicate?’ But sometimes there isn’t anything to communicate yet. The process will be different depending on the company, industry, size of the company and management philosophy.”

2. Be genuinely interested in our company, and we’ll be genuinely interested in you

“We love good questions,” says Jeffrey DeLucia, Manager of Talent Acquisition at The Judge Group, a consulting, staffing and training agency. Jeffrey oversees all incoming talent and screens candidates from the entry to senior level. “Ask us about differences you noticed between us and our competitors. It shows you took the time and effort to research. Specifically for me, since I interview for sales positions, I like to see assertiveness for this particular role. We want to see someone who wants to be here.”

Ask good questions to not only showcase your company research, but also to transform your typical, generic question and answer format interview into an engaging, back and forth conversation. This shift helps you stand out and generate interest from your interviewer.

“A sense of passion and a want to be doing the work is important,” Smith says. “Being able to specifically demonstrate your interest in the work is important. It makes for a conversation instead of an interview. The interview process is usually a question and answer process, but when you actually go to work, you won’t really be doing the question and answer thing. Your conversations are what you’ll be doing in the organization.”

3. If you’re not contacting us on LinkedIn, you’re missing an opportunity to stand out (and don’t just spam us)

“I think most people aren’t using LinkedIn enough,” says DeLucia. “I recruit 90 percent of my candidates on LinkedIn.”

Caroline Girone, a Human Resources Specialist at the Office of Civilian Human Resources for the Department of the Navy, agrees. “If someone contacts me on LinkedIn, I can help them with the application process,” Girone says. “The only method we can accept resumes by, however, is through usajobs.gov. If I was in the private sector, I would be very open to receiving resumes, because that shows initiative and research, which is impressive.”

Applying for a public sector job is a different, often stricter, process than many private sector positions. All public sector applicants are required to pass an exam (and score highly) just to receive an interview. This method helps the government ensure fairness for interested applicants.

You might feel great knowing both private and public sector human resource specialists are open to your attempt to connect, but do so with a sense of purpose.

“I get requests that say ‘add me to your network,’ but sometimes I have no idea who this person is and I have no idea why they want to connect with me,” Smith says. “I imagine I came up on their side of the screen that says ‘people you may know.’ But that’s not true networking; it’s just adding to your Rolodex.”

If you’re going to reach out, make sure to explain why in the email and briefly state what you want.

4. We understand the hiring process is hard on you

“People get frustrated because they don’t see any transparency in the process,” Smith says. “That creates a certain amount of uncertainty, which causes anxiety. I encourage folks to try to look at the uncertainty as part of the process, as opposed to letting yourself get anxious about it. I think, specifically, the hardest thing for candidates to grasp is how organizations and HR view the ability to get work done.”

When HR and management read resumes and interview, they look at knowledge and skill sets, but they also look at abilities—are they able to get the work done? HR people will think, for example, of the organization’s managerial styles, coworkers and different matrix relationships, and whether the candidate is going to be able to accomplish their tasks in this organization. And it’s hard for a candidate or someone looking for a job to know those internal dynamics.

Your turn: What question do you most wish you could ask HR and why?

Reggie Hall Jr. keeps GenY inspired and one step ahead at FreshWisdom by sharing interviews and advice from thriving Millennials as well as older generations to help you get what you want. Say hi on Twitter @FreshWisdomLive or on Facebook.

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The post What Hiring Managers Want You to Know About the Application Process appeared first on Brazen Life.

So do you know what makes a great follower? Understand this, and you’ll understand both how to be a better follower and how to draw them.

To help solidify the image of a great follower, let’s examine what one looks like. Follow these steps to become the kind of follower any blogger or business wants:

1. Pay attention

Listening is the building block of any good relationship, whether it’s a sales manager and employee relationship or the relationship a blogger has with their community. So to become a good follower, listen to the people you’re connected with online.

Regularly read updates in your streams, and work to remember concerns or insights others share. Over time, you’ll get to know the people you follow and will strengthen connections.

2. Be responsive

Join conversations you find interesting, whether on social media channels or on blogs. Bloggers notice consistent commenters, so when you regularly leave genuine, thoughtful feedback, you invite a relationship.

Likewise, when you interact with other users on Facebook or Twitter, you create an online community. Reply to someone’s tweet or link with a meaningful response. The people you’re following will notice.

3. Share content

Everybody appreciates followers who promote their content. When someone posts something you like, share it and link back to the original source. On Twitter, retweet helpful links. On Facebook, share someone’s blog post or photo.

By promoting someone else’s work, you’re being the kind of follower everyone wants. What’s more, you’re acting as a resource, which makes you someone others want to follow.

4. Like content

From liking Facebook posts to Instagram photos, there are more ways than ever to let someone know you appreciate their content. Liking someone’s content is a simple yet meaningful way to encourage him or her and to build community.

5. Be genuine

Nothing kills community faster than lack of authenticity. When bloggers or social media users smell a fake, they run the other way. So above all else, aim for a genuine voice. Post and respond in a way that is true to who you are.

So once you’re ready to become a great leader, how do you draw quality followers?

Part of drawing good followers comes down to luck; helpful people start following you and respond to your content without you seeking them out. But the other part of drawing good followers comes down to habits.

What kind of message are you putting forth online? What sort of people respond to what you write? With that in mind, adapt these habits to cultivate and draw the best kind of audience:

1. Be authentic

Authenticity invites authenticity, so when you’re the kind of blogger or business that speaks genuinely and consistently, you automatically draw readers who behave the same way. Avoid pretense, admit what you don’t know and build credibility with your fans.

2. Create quality content

The surest way to draw good followers is to create quality content—the kind that stands out from the crowd. Aim to create top-notch articles and photography and you set yourself up to draw interested fans.

3. Be a good follower

If the above list describing good followers does nothing else, it should show that loyal fans are assets for anyone publishing content online. When you notice someone is consistently supporting your brand on social networks and blogs, you’re more likely to pay attention to him or her—and the same goes for brands that see you responding to them. So to draw more loyal fans, be one. Other bloggers can become your greatest online allies.

4. Be thankful

If you want to encourage loyal followers, pay attention to the ones you have. When someone promotes your content, thank him or her. Respond to comments on your blog. Notice the followers who are talking about you on social networks. By being the kind of content creator who is thankful and responsive, you invite great followers.

 Shanna Mallon is a writer for Straight North, a Chicago Web design firm providing specialized SEO, Web development and other online marketing services. Follow Straight North on Twitter and Facebook.

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The post The Key to Becoming a Great Leader (And It’s Not What You Think) appeared first on Brazen Life.

I’m exaggerating, but that’s what my in-laws probably thought. After our wedding, I moved their Georgian daughter to Boston for my job—and then promptly lost it. Those were not fun months.

A lot of people are in a similar place right now. Whether you lost your job or graduated from college into an economy that doesn’t feel very friendly, here are three things you need to do right now:

1. Think about your circles

Being unemployed is about properly managing three different circles: geography, industry and commitment. The longer you’re unemployed, the more deliberate you have to be about expanding these circles.

For example, for the first month or so, you might look for a new job in your city. During the second and third months, you might expand your search to other cities within your state.

If you experience prolonged unemployment, you might need to expand your search to other states—or even other time zones. Same goes with the industry you’re targeting and the commitment you want (full-time, part-time or hourly).

Want to potentially speed up your job search? Expand the circles quickly.

2. Get a stopgap job

This is way easier to write than it is to actually do, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.

You might need to get a stopgap job, some sort of part-time employment that heads off monsters like “getting the power turned off,” “having your car repo’d” or “moving back in with your parents.” This is an ego-aside, I-never-thought-I’d-work-here-but-difficult-times-call-for-difficult-measures kind of job.

The day I wrote this article, I saw a bakery job posting for someone to bake bread from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. That’s not easy. That’s not fun. But that’s a great stopgap job.

And don’t for a second buy the lie “If I take on a part-time job, I won’t be able to go out for interviews or look for a full-time job.” That’s ridiculous. What job interview are you forced to cancel at 4:00 a.m. because you’re making bread?

3. Put results at the top

This one is incredibly tactical, but it works. At the top of resumes, most people put “goals” or “objectives.” They then type out paragraphs that say things like, “I want to work in a people-based environment where I can use my skills to progress the business in innovative ways.”

Goals at the top of resumes are useless. Why? Everyone can say the exact same things. Everyone on the planet can write fluffy words about what they’re going to do. That doesn’t separate you from the crowd.

When I applied to one of the best ad agencies in the country, the owner chewed me out for using empty words like “goals.” He said that every candidate told him over and over again how creative or goal-oriented they were. He didn’t care about that. He cared about what I’d actually accomplished.

I rewrote my resume that week. Instead of goals or objectives, I started each resume with a short paragraph titled “results.” In under 100 words, I summarized what I felt like I had accomplished that might be relevant to each job.

And something weird happened. Recruiters and HR departments started asking me about the results. In some cases, they would barely look at the rest of my resume and would instead ask, “What was it like to work at Home Depot?” No one had ever asked me about any of the meaningless sentences I had put in my “goals” paragraph.

Even if you’re a recent college grad just joining a new industry, you’ve got a sentence or two you could put in that paragraph that might generate questions, interest and maybe even a job interview.

The good news is that regardless of why you find yourself without a job, there are some very tactical things you can do to remedy that. The great news is that we’re all in our 20s. We all have the chance to START over and be awesome again.

Just because you’re unemployed doesn’t mean you have to be average.

 Jon Acuff is the New York Times bestselling author of four books, including his new one, Start. You can follow him on Twitter @JonAcuff and read his blog at jonacuff.com.

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The post 3 Things You Should Do Right Now to Find a Job Faster appeared first on Brazen Life.

Here are five tips to help you find a great opportunity and then make the most of it:

1. Be specific

Employers aren’t stupid; they can spot a generic cover letter from a mile away. If yours falls into this bracket, it’ll go straight into the recycling bin with all the others like it. A generic cover letter screams “I don’t care who I get an internship with, just as long as I get one.”

Instead of randomly shooting off applications, decide what you want to get out of an internship and then focus on finding a few that meet your requirements. Do some research into each company and create an individually tailored application for each position you’re interested in.

Not only does a targeted approach make it more likely that you’ll hear back from an employer; it also increases your chances of securing an internship that gives you the experience you want.

2. Forget about college life

If you’re a student or a recent graduate, office life may be a bit of an adjustment. While advice like “arrive on time” and “don’t turn up hungover every day” is pretty basic, it’s still important. But to make the most of your internship, you’ll need to consider a few changes you might not have expected.

Differences in the way you need to manage your time will quickly become apparent. When you’re given a college assignment, you’ll often have a number of weeks or months in which to complete it; in a workplace, you might suddenly have to finish a project by 5:00 p.m. the next day. That means you’ll have to prioritize your other work so nothing falls by the wayside while you complete the urgent request.

If you can master time management during your internship and complete the tasks you’re given quickly and efficiently, it’s more likely that you’ll be given the kind of more complex work that will really stand out on your resume.

3. Learn everything you can

An internship is an excellent learning experience, and you need to treat it as such. Your studies are relevant, but don’t expect to be an office authority based on what you’ve heard in your college lectures.

Your coworkers will have a range of business experience, and they’ll likely be willing to share their knowledge as long you’re ready to listen. Keep an open mind; an internship is a great way to discover your strengths and weaknesses, and if you go in with a fixed idea of what you’re good at, you might not get the most out of it.

An internship is likely to expose you to tasks and job roles you hadn’t considered and may open career paths you hadn’t expected to be interesting to you. A willingness to learn, not just about the world of business but also about yourself, is vital if your internship is going to be a rewarding experience.

4. Don’t be shy

Although being brash and arrogant isn’t a great option, you don’t have to be the office wallflower, either. Connect with as many colleagues as you can, and if you have the opportunity, build contacts with people from outside the company. You never know who might be able to help you to get a full-time job later on. “It’s not what you know, but who you know” may be a cliché, but networking should still be a vital part of your internship.

 If you’re keen to take a more long-term role at your company, make sure people know. You don’t have to shout it from the rooftops, but let your supervisor know that you’re interested in being more than just an intern, and ask her to keep you in mind for any positions that open up.

5. Make a lasting good impression

Finishing an internship with relevant work experience is good, but having great references to back up that experience is even better. Being polite and friendly is a good start, but a little extra effort will make sure you’re remembered.

 Make sure to over-deliver on your work: complete projects ahead of schedule, work within a tighter budget than you were given or add extra touches that make your supervisor’s life easier. If you’ve enjoyed your experience with the company, mention it on social media; people remember it when someone says nice things about them, and they’re usually more than happy to return the favor.

Will Stevens works for 123-reg.co.uk. The company was recently nominated for the Best Employment Experience as nominated by a student or intern in the UK’s National Council of Work Experience awards.

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A word of warning: not all internships are created equal. Some will be very structured and, if you’re conscientious enough, it should be fairly easy to have an enjoyable and enriching experience. Others will have next to no structure, so it’s important you take the lead. The first two weeks of an internship are crucial in setting expectations and your trajectory for success or failure.

1. The basics

These are things which, if you’ve had an internship before, you probably already know, but we’ll list them just to be sure:

• Dress appropriately (and don’t assume Fridays are casual).
• Watch the language you use.
• Don’t bitch, whine, complain or moan.
• Don’t hit on your cute coworker—or, worse, your manager.
• Do not get drunk at the welcome drinks (or happy hour).

Now, on to some of the lesser-known tips…

2. An internship is a six-week interview

Many internships will offer some full-time jobs to recent graduates at the conclusion of the internship program. So if you think you want a permanent role in the company, your internship is the best time to prove to your managers that you’re the right choice. Even if you don’t get a job straight away, you can still build up contacts for later down the road.

3. Failing to plan is planning to fail

The internship will be over before you know it, so it’s important you plan exactly what you want to get out of it. By letting your manager know upfront what you want to do, it will be a lot easier to design a program tailored to your interests. Be firm, but not demanding; they might not give you much “real work,” but at least you can let them know which types of roles you want to oversee.

Try to set up brief weekly catch-ups with your manager so you can update them on your progress or flag any concerns you have. Use this time to steer the direction of your internship if you feel it’s getting off track.

4. Be realistic about what you want to achieve, and have a daily plan

It’ll be impossible to deliver a major project in such a short amount of time, but you should look to add value in any way you can. Tagging along to meetings is a great way to find out what your manager actually does all day, what problems they face and how they deal with them. Offer to take the minutes and send them to your manager afterward. This will help keep you in the know and will get you well-acquainted with the different stakeholders and the steps required to complete a project at the company.

5. Be social (but not at your desk)

Sure, eating out every day can be expensive and unhealthy, but imagine you’re the only one who brought lunch and you’re sitting in the lunch room by yourself while everyone else is out. Next thing you know, everyone is calling your manager “the dolphin” and you have no idea why. Hanging out with your colleagues during non-work hours is an essential part of getting to know their personalities and how to best work around them, so don’t be the one left behind!

6. Don’t just hang out with your intern friends

It’s great to make friends, but make sure you also spend time getting to know your managers and teammates, their backgrounds and the team culture as they’re ones you’ll be working with in the future. Being an intern, people will generally be more lenient when it comes to you asking questions and poking your head into different parts of the business.

Use this to your advantage and don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions about how different divisions work together or whatever else you’re interested in. Most people love to talk about themselves—they just don’t have an audience! By asking how your colleagues got to this stage in their careers, you can see what skills you need to acquire in order to get to the same place.

7. Your manager is not your friend

An internship is a mighty short time to build strong, professional rapport with your colleagues and your manager, so always make sure you act professionally in the office. Even if they say it’s cool to take a two-hour lunch break, it probably isn’t. The same goes with sharing too much personal information.

This doesn’t mean you have to act like a robot with no feelings or personality; just make sure you’re showing your best self during this time. Also, don’t be too concerned about sucking up to high-level managers! Often it’s your immediate manager or middle management who will have the last call about hiring you.

8. Don’t come with problems; come with solutions

Instead of asking, “What should we do about XYZ?” say, “I think we should do [insert activity] for [insert project]. What do you think?” This will test your own analytical skills and also show your manager that you’re thinking about the problems, not just waiting for instructions to be dropped in your lap. People who follow instructions without adding value are easily dispensable. Always have a go at finding a solution before asking your manager; they want to work with people who can think on their own, not people they have to micromanage every step of the way.

So, there you have it! Eight simple steps to getting the most out of your internship. Keep your head up, and great job taking charge of your career!

How do you make sure you get the most out of your summer internship? Share your tips in the comments!

This post originally appeared on Levo League.

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Maybe this happens at Google, but for most in-house recruiters, attracting the most talented workers is a whole new ball game these days. Relying on job boards, attending career fairs and having a standard “we’re hiring” message on your website just isn’t enough.

So here are five powerful tactics for finding all-star employees who want to stay the course and help the company grow:

1. Hit up relevant live events

Today’s digital world has created a recruiting environment centered around screens. Your organization will stand out if you get off your computer and attend live events to meet candidates. Having a face-to-face connection with a rising star will leave a lasting impression, while an email can easily be forgotten.

To determine what events to attend, think about who you are targeting, learn where they hang out and then go there. For instance, attend a local hackathon to find hard-to-reach tech geniuses. For harder-to-reach candidates like those in the emerging field of “big data,” you may need to think outside the box and host a special event that will draw in great candidates.

2. Find creative ways to get the word out

Collaborate with your marketing team to create innovative ways to announce job opportunities. For example, at Seamless, the online food ordering system where I serve as Vice President of the People Team, we include messages about joining our team when our customers interact with our service. They’re likely to see it even if they aren’t actively looking for a job.

By doing so, we’re putting a bug in the ears of people who are already familiar with us, but maybe never thought about our company as a great place to work. Infuse all of your outgoing communication with the message that you’re actively looking for candidates to extend your reach.

3. Create a fun and engaging office environment

You may have a top-notch recruiting process in place, but if a supportive and dynamic company culture isn’t there to back it up, your efforts may be all for naught. Today’s prospective employees are looking for a workplace that’s fun as well as purposeful and fosters appreciation. When your employees are excited to go to work every day and find meaning in the work they do, they’ll share that with their friends and, in turn, provide you with a continuous flow of candidates.

Creating the type of environment in which today’s top talent wants to work requires investing in building their leadership skills, recognizing their accomplishments and rewarding hard work. In other words, it means helping build great careers. This will not only improve your recruiting efforts; it will also help your company retain the best employees.

4. Involve the whole team

The entire organization should be involved in bringing in top talent; it should not solely fall on your shoulders. Managers should feel responsible for building out their teams—and then engaging team members so they can continue to build new relationships for the company, attend live events to advertise and help creatively announce openings.

This may include using a referral program as an incentive for employees to bring in their contacts as well as encouraging them to tap their networks for potential leads. In all likelihood, those referrals will make excellent workers who want to stay with the company long-term.

5. Never underestimate the power of perks

At Seamless, we recently conducted a nationwide survey of nearly 1,100 professionals across more than a dozen different industries and found that employees highly value the perks their company offers. We learned that the presence of food (surprise, surprise!) can play an important role in motivating employees to spend more time in the office, work more effectively and view their workplace more positively. In fact, 60 percent reported that having more food at the office would make them feel more valued and appreciated.

While offering free food all the time may not be feasible for your company, you can show you care about your employees by hosting special birthday get-togethers or celebratory lunches.

Offering competitive salaries is nice, but the ability to nurture a vibrant and engaging environment will separate you from the competition and help you retain the best workers. In our highly connected world, news about the ways in which companies treat their employees travels fast—hopefully to the ears of a rising star considering a position within your company.

Karen Miller is the Vice President of the People Team at Seamless, the leading online food ordering service that makes it easy to feed the office, where she is responsible for defining and executing Seamless’s people and HR strategies. Karen has more than 15 years’ experience in organization development, including talent management, employee engagement, performance improvement, communication, facilitation, coaching and cultural transformation.

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Maybe you’re a people-pleaser and don’t like the idea of letting someone down. Maybe you’re trying to impress your boss/mother-in-law/frenemy and don’t want to sound like you can’t handle a certain responsibility. Maybe you were taught that it’s always best to be a team player and extend yourself for others, even if it’s a sacrifice.

You can forget that particular tidbit of etiquette right now.

While you certainly should pitch in and be helpful, successful people—the kind who achieve success without totally burning themselves out in the process—do so by knowing how to say no. You only have so many hours in the day and so much energy. It’s only reasonable that, when faced with multiple pressing obligations, you will have to turn some of them down. Otherwise, you’ll become a frazzled wreck, spread too thin to be of service to anyone (yourself included).

The key is in knowing how to say no politely, but firmly, in a way that doesn’t make you come across as a jerk. Memorize these handy little phrases for the next time you’re ambushed with a plea for your help:

1. “I’m currently working on the Smith report, the Jones report and the Macklemore report. How would you like me to prioritize this new project?”

This particular phrase is especially helpful when dealing with a superior, who you can’t very well “Just Say No” to. Instead, show your willingness to do the work but ask for an executive recommendation on how best to balance your various obligations.

If you’ve already got several projects in your queue, ask your boss which one takes priority so you can focus on that first. If you report to several managers and they’ve given you competing projects, ask them how they’d prefer you resolve the conflict. (One of them is going to have to cede to the other if they want you to give both projects your full attention.)

The trick to this phrase is not to say it huffily or with a “woe is me” attitude. You are not complaining about how overloaded you are and whining for a way out; you are being a responsible employee and making sure you do your job to the best of your ability (while also letting your boss(es) know just how much you have on your plate).

2. “I’m all booked until [insert date here]. I can put this on my list for then if you like.”

This phrase demonstrates a willingness to help—you’re not saying no altogether—while letting the other person know your schedule is firm and you’re sticking to it.

If their project is super, building-on-fire urgent, they’ll have to ask someone else (or maybe not leave things till the last minute next time).

3. “What exactly do you need done?” or “When is the hard deadline for this?”

If you’ve ever worked with…well, anyone else…you know that different people communicate in different ways. (And some people don’t necessarily communicate in the most effective ways.) Just because your boss is a high-strung micromanager, his stopping by your desk every hour to see how things are going doesn’t necessarily mean you’re racing against the clock.

As soon as you’re handed a project, make sure to get clear on exactly what’s expected of you: what steps are involved, how time-intensive will it be, when will you need to turn in the final product? Nebulous action steps or a sense of false urgency can make it hard for you to decide whether you even need to say no in the first place. Once you have a better grasp on the scope of a request, you can decide whether or not you can take it on—and under what terms.

4. “I need to check my calendar and get back to you.”

This can be useful when you find yourself cornered. Some people have a way of weaseling a “yes” out of you through sheer, dogged persistence. You pick up your extension to hear your coworker breathlessly mid-request before you know what’s hit you. Or your mother-in-law has a fantastic knack of countering every excuse you give for why you can’t host the family reunion for 100 relatives this summer.

Rather than trying to avoid a pushy person forever or playing the 20 excuses game (only to ultimately lose), just drop this simple phrase to put an end to the ambush. Saying you need to check your calendar (even if you secretly know your answer will be “no”) gives you a little room to breathe and escape the pressure of the moment. Then, from a safe distance, you can reply back (e-mail is a great way to avoid further attempts at persuasion) by saying, “I’m so sorry, but I’ve looked at my calendar, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it.”

Don’t offer any elaboration or excuses; all they need to know is that you can’t do it.

5. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t.”

Seems deceptively easy, doesn’t it? If only it were that simple, you’d have been using this one for a while now, right?

Not necessarily. This is actually the hardest of the phrases, and best used after you’ve built up your courage with the other ones. The trick to this seemingly way-too-easy defense is in the follow-up: there is no follow-up.

Most people aren’t used to taking a no-frills “no” for an answer. They’ll want to know why you can’t, if there’s any wiggle room, if they can’t convince you to change your mind once you know how special their particular circumstances are.

This is where you need to stand firm—and say as little as possible. You are the rock of Gibraltar. You make excuses to no one. You are (if the image helps) dealing with an overly inquisitive toddler who is trying to test your limits, and you’ll have none of it.

Why can’t you do it? Because you’ve got too much on your plate.

But it’s only a little favor, and you really owe them one… You’re very sorry, but as aforementioned, you can’t. You will owe them one another time.

But whyyyyyy? Because you said so. End of story.

Stated simply, firmly and politely, a simple “no” is unassailable. Repeated several times over, it will make the requester eventually get tired and move on to someone who’s an easier sell.

There is nothing wrong with saying no when you can’t take on something. While it’s important to be a team player and to stretch yourself when needed, you are under no obligation to run yourself into the ground trying to make everyone happy.

As a matter of fact, you owe it to your job, your coworkers, your family and everyone else you come in contact with (including you!) to manage your time smartly and not take on more than you can logically handle. Doing a million things half-assedly is not doing anyone a favor.

So, start practicing those phrases and putting them to use. You can do it!

Kelly Gurnett is Assistant Editor of Brazen Life and runs the blog Cordelia Calls It Quits, where she documents her attempts to rid her life of the things that don’t matter and focus more on the things that do. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook and hire her services as a blogger extraordinaire here.

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Online business owners somehow believe that their business is failing in spite of them—when the reality is that it’s failing because of them.

Internet businesses often fail for the following three reasons. If this sounds like your business, you can still do something about it before it’s too late.

1. You don’t have a business model

Figure out your business model from the start. Don’t fool yourself and say that you’ll figure one out when you get X amount of readers, users or another arbitrary number. Those vanity metrics don’t really mean anything. Hammer out your business model as soon as you start your business.

Answer this one question: How many different ways can someone give you money?

If the answer is zero, you have a problem. If people can’t pay you for anything, don’t be surprised if and when they…gasp!…don’t give you money.

You are not Instagram. Facebook will not buy you out of the blue for $1 billion. Build a business model into your business from the get-go and don’t wait for the money part to “just happen.”

How to fix this problem: Create a product answering someone’s question. Offer a service to solve someone’s problem. You can even put a big donation button on your site. Whatever you do, create at least one way for people to give you money. Yes, it’s that simple.

2. You still think it’s all about you

Nope. That’s not how it works.

Build something for others. Find out what problems they have. Then solve them.

I don’t care how much you love ice cream. If you all you want to do is eat ice cream and talk about ice cream all day, you’ll never actually have a business (you’ll just spend a lot of time eating ice cream and getting fat).

Instead, try ranking, curating and organizing all the best types of ice cream out there. Help ice cream parlors promote their businesses and bring in more customers. If you’re feeling particularly gung-ho, create your own brand of ice cream that is somehow better than all the other brands of ice cream out there.

Bloggers fall into this trap all the time. They want to talk about what they’re interested in—instead of talking what other people want to talk about or solving problems other people need solved.

For example, instead of blogging about your transformation on the Paleo diet, try sharing helpful resources, tools and food lists to help others make the transition, too. Yes, your story is interesting, but the tools are more useful to other people and thus more valuable.

How to fix this problem: Cut yourself out of the equation. Talk obsessively to other people about what they need—then deliver it.

3. You think “online business” means “easy business”

Too many people think they just need an Internet connection to get started. They somehow think that also means that as long as they have a website, all the other hard parts of business go away. Not true!

Remember the whole problem-solving thing we mentioned earlier? That means you have to actually do work, so bust out some elbow grease! The reason it’s a problem in the first place is because there was enough of a barrier at some point in time for someone to think “this is hard” and give up before solving it.

That means you need to step in and fill that space. It might not be easy, but it’s probably not as difficult as you imagine it to be, either.

Regardless of the difficulty, if you can fix a problem or find a solution for someone’s pain, there’s a good chance they’ll pay for your service or product.

How to fix this problem: Don’t be afraid to do the hard work. The reason it’s hard is the same reason it’s valuable. Do what other people aren’t willing to do, and you’ll benefit.

Are you guilty of making any of these mistakes? How are you going to change them?

Joel Runyon is the creator of Impossible HQ and runs an online marketing agency, Impossible Agency. Follow him on Twitter @joelrunyon.

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True or false? While attending candidate-focused events, good recruiters chat only with coworkers and passively watch as candidates stroll by.

True or false? Top-performing recruiters only work active applications in their company’s applicant tracking systems.

Answers: False. False. And false!

Yet, at countless job fairs, within global companies and on HR teams across the country, poorly trained, unapproachable and lackluster recruiters are tasked with finding their companies’ next top talent. Don’t let yourself be one of them!

If you really want to succeed in the recruiting industry, focus on developing these traits:

1. Great product knowledge

If you want to be successful in this job, you have to know your product. In recruiting, this means knowing the job and requirements, the benefits and career path, the hiring manager and corporate culture.

“On top of that, you have to know how each job req that you are looking to fill affects the company’s bottom line,” advises Matt Duren, technical recruiter at Tenable Network Security.

2. Power to influence

Recruiters are the public relations/salespeople for their companies. To be successful, you have to sell candidates on why your opportunity is better than their current situation or other offers, and many times you have to persuade hiring managers on why they should consider your candidates or sweeten employment offers.

3. Good at building relationships

Great recruiters don’t just remember names and faces from yesterday; they remember people from years ago. And they still stay in touch.

“It is not just about talking to candidates for the role that is on the table—some of the best hires come from months and months of communication,” said Lauren Hiegel, a member of Groupon’s corporate recruiting team.

4. Approachable and nice

If you don’t like handshakes, people, small talk, networking or schmoozing, you’re in the wrong profession. Recruiters are in the business of meeting candidates and clients and figuring out if there is a fit. No one wants to work with (or pay contingency fees to) a jerk.

5. Well-connected

Whether it’s on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Ning, during tweetups, meetups, webinars or conferences, online and off, recruiters know people. They hang out in many circles and are well-connected. They are even connected to people they don’t know they are connected to.

6. Have a lot of hustle

Other words that come to mind are “motivated,” “driven” and “aggressive.” Top recruiters don’t rest on their laurels, they don’t clock in and out, they don’t lollygag or pull a standard 9-to-5. They are always thinking, doing, sourcing, networking, researching and connecting.

Some great recruiters are born, but others can be made—and we all have opportunities for improvement. If you focus on these six skills, you’ll continue to move up in your recruiting career.

Shannon Smedstad spends her days as the employment brand and HR social media manager for a major U.S. auto insurer and has more than 12 years of recruiting industry experience. You can connect with her on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

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Agreements could not be reached. Fans were angry. The 2012-2013 hockey season looked like it would never happen. However, after much negotiation and tradeoffs, the lockout ended, resulting in a shortened season, a returning buzz in the sports world and players, coaches and fans digging out their favorite hockey apparel.

Lucky for fans, players and owners, the lockout resulted in a positive outcome—and lucky for job seekers, the events that transpired demonstrate a few tips that can help you in your job search. Here are a few lessons you can take away:

Stay in shape

One hundred thirteen days is a long time for athletes to go without playing. During this off-time, their skills may have waned simply because they weren’t as active or challenged as they had been at the end of last season. This may have been fine during the lockout, but now that the season has begun, they’re facing a harsh reality.

The same goes for job seekers. It’s easy to fall off the professional wagon. It’s important to stay in shape mentally, so when your job search results in an interview, you’ll be prepared and excel. Staying up on industry trends, honing your interviewing techniques and learning about the latest job search methods are all ways to improve yourself for when that time comes.

Rebrand yourself

Many hockey players found themselves exploring other opportunities to better themselves during the lockout. For instance, a good number of players went to other leagues in Europe and Russia. Although this was not ideal, that experience could help to reshape the way they perform.

For job seekers, downtime gives you the chance to rebrand yourself professionally. As an example, revamping your cover letter lets you try something new. Using different application techniques, such as video resumes, helps you to stand out from the competition. Talking to professionals about alternative career paths gives you insight into your industry. These methods allow you to rejuvenate your brand so you don’t reach a lull in your search or in yourself professionally.

Know when to compromise

It’s tough to face, but sometimes you need to compromise. The NHLPA and NHL had to when it came to salary deals and current contracts. Job seekers may have to do the same.

If your current methods fail to lead you to a job, finding another balance may be a better strategy. For example, if you’re not getting an interview in your dream city, you may want to look elsewhere. If the employer of your dreams can’t pay a salary you desire, try to find a solution. If you aren’t gaining any job search leads or you’re not happy with your current career path, look into alternate careers in your space.

When you compromise, you not only take back the control in your search; you also put yourself in a better position to actually land a job.

Adjust your plan accordingly

NHL coaches across the States and into Canada had plans for the pre-season that were created back in September. Months later, with a shortened training camp, the coaches had to throw out or readjust their plans to implement what will work now to prepare players to battle it out on the ice.

Many job seekers are faced with a similar challenge. Do I continue to use the same job search and interview techniques, or do I throw out my plan and try something new? It can be hard to change your strategy mid-hunt, but even small adjustments can be beneficial. Anything from joining a professional organization to tweaking the story you tell in an interview can result in a more positive reaction from employers.

Although a hiatus of 113 days isn’t convenient, the insight that can come from the NHL’s off-time can be invaluable to any career. So, job seekers, take note. Staying in shape, rebranding yourself, knowing when to compromise and adjusting your plan accordingly are all ways you can use your time to create a better result now and in the future.

What do you think? What are some other things job seekers can learn from the NHL lockout?

Alan Carniol is the Founder of Interview Success Formula, a job interview preparation program that helps job seekers to deliver powerful answers that prove why they are the right person for the job. Follow Alan and Interview Success Formula on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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The post What the NHL Lockout Can Teach You About Your Job Search appeared first on Brazen Life.

That’s why we’ve gathered up 10 of our favorite Brazen posts on freelancing to help you decide whether this career path is for you—and learn how to rock it if it is:

1. The Pros and Cons of Becoming an Independent Contractor or Freelancer. Not sure if the freelance lifestyle is right for you? Here’s an idea of what you can expect.

2. The Savings (and Costs) of Working from Home. What about the financial aspects of switching to a work-from-home situation? Here are some factors to weigh when making your decision.

3. Want to Follow Your Dream? Don’t Quit Your Day Job. It may not seem as glamorous or dramatic as handing in your notice to pursue your passion, but there are many reasons why easing your way into a freelance situation is better, both for your financial security and for your dream.

4. 8 Tips for Launching Your Side Hustle Like a Rock Star. You’ve read up on what to expect, and now you’re ready to do this thing! Here’s how to do it right.

5. 7 Things You Should Never Say to Someone Who Works from Home. You’ve made the leap! Can’t wait to tell your family and friends the great news? Just be prepared to start hearing these common misguided comments from those still in the 9-to-5.

6. How to Become a Freelance Hard-Ass and Get Paid What You’re Worth. Don’t be timid about your rates; you know you offer a valuable skill, and you deserve to be paid for that. Here’s how.

7. 3 Freelance Mistakes That Keep You Stuck at Rookie Level. It can be especially easy to make these mistakes when you’re just starting out and eager to bring in work—any work—however you can. But these practices can actually keep your career from ever taking off.

8. 5 Essentials for Boosting Your Freelance Productivity. Getting out of bed and getting dressed may seem like silly goals, but if you’ve been freelancing for any length of time, you know just how powerful simple actions like this can be when it comes to setting the tone for your whole day.

9. Tax Tips for the First-Time Freelancer. You’re actually starting to bring in some real money! Woohoo! But don’t forget that this changes your relationship with Uncle Sam. Read up on how to stay on the IRS’s good side.

10. 5 Tips for Buying Affordable Health Insurance When You Work for Yourself. Also worth thinking about is how you’re going to keep yourself (and your family) covered now that you don’t have a company-sponsored health plan. Here are some tips to consider.

Have you read any worthwhile posts for freelancers lately? Leave a link in the comments!

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Remember: it’s not only your experience or skills that will make or break your application; in many cases, it’s the grammar on your resume.

Your resume is the first thing about you a potential employer sees—and even though your skills and past experience will be carefully evaluated, so will your professionalism. One of the fastest ways for a potential employer to get a sense of your professional character is the spelling, grammar and punctuation on your resume. A resume without typos can mean the difference between being called in for an interview or being passed over for another candidate.

More than two-thirds of all office jobs require a significant amount of writing, making written communication a key consideration in hiring. The bottom line is that employers need to be totally sure you’re able to fire off emails, reports and other documents quickly and flawlessly—and your resume is an effective measuring stick.

Although that seems obvious to many job seekers, a recent Grammarly study found the average candidate makes up to six spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes in his or her resume. Six! With that many errors in a document meant to showcase your talents, imagine how many mistakes might end up in an email or report.

Here are a few steps to ensure your writing will not scare off potential employers:

1. Use Spell Check

Seriously. When you stare at your resume for too long, simple mistakes (such as spelling “and” as “adn”) can go unnoticed. Only contextual spell checkers like Grammarly (full disclosure: that’s where I work) account for words that are spelled correctly but not in context. Examples include confusion between “your” and “you’re” and “then” and “than.”

2. Review Your Grammar

Linguists and writers consistently argue about the specific rules related to proper use of grammar. And, although “grammar” is a pretty broad term, for the purposes of your resume and job search, there is only one true metric that potential employers consider as they look to decipher the grammar in your resume: does this make sense?

When talking about past work experience, consistently use verbs in the past tense. Job seekers who talk about a current position should use the present tense (“lead” versus “led,” etc.). Makes sense, right?

Use a thesaurus to find words with the same meaning so you don’t sound like a broken record. A wider vocabulary shows your potential employer you are creative and resourceful, while “I am a dedicated person who is dedicated to my job” does not. It just makes sense!

Read your writing aloud when proofreading. You will catch errors you might miss otherwise. You will also notice if your sentences make sense or sound odd, which is something spelling and grammar checkers cannot tell you.

3. Use Consistent Formatting

Choose a format, and stick with it! Having bullet points in one section of a resume and numbers in the next is distracting. Make sure all your fonts are the same type, size and color (which should always be black). Review your resume or document for general uniformity, and if one section stands out, tweak it to match the rest.

Checking for all these seemingly minor errors might make you cringe, but many resources online can help. Websites such as Words, Answers and Handbook are just a few of the online resources you can use to catch mistakes and improve your writing.

Good resume writing can help you land that dream job interview—and, once that’s in order, you can take advantage of that perfect handshake.

Make sense?

Brad Hoover joined Grammarly as CEO in 2011 to help perfect written English.

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The post 3 Ways to Avoid Grammar Gaffes that Could Ruin Your Resume appeared first on Brazen Life.

Keep this front of mind when writing your resume. Essentially, to write an enticing resume, you have to switch from being an engineer or finance executive to a marketer so that you can capture the attention of anyone who glimpses at your application. Recruiters and hiring managers might spend only a few seconds looking at your resume, and you need to communicate a lot in those few seconds.

If your written communication is enticing from the get-go, the reader will be impressed. That person will read a little further, confirming their belief about the quality of the document—which means you, the candidate, are likely to get a call. If your written communication doesn’t grab their attention, your opportunity is gone for good. Even if that person does continue to read on, he’ll be looking for evidence to confirm his first conclusion: that the resume isn’t good enough to make the cut.

Your resume is the first impression you make in the hiring process. With that in mind, here are five tips that will help you write a resume that’s enticing, one that won’t get culled unnecessarily. Some of these might seem obvious, but the mistakes are quite common, so it’s worth a reminder.

1. Customize your resume for the role you want

We humans are very clever, but we’re not mind-readers, even with our evolved mental processes. So when a recruiter sees things on a resume that don’t align with that particular job they’re recruiting for, it’s onto the next resume—anything to speed up the shortlisting process. Because if you don’t seem like the right fit, the pile of resumes promises someone better.

Stock standard resumes simply don’t work. Different roles require different standout skills. Nobody wants to receive a cover letter saying “Dear Sir…” Make sure you customize not only for the role, but for the reader, too.

2. Recruiters make mistakes, so don’t leave anything to guesswork

A recruiter once told me I wouldn’t be able to get a job as an HR project manager in a bank because I had no banking experience. Another, less-experienced recruiter, recruiting for the same role had a different opinion, sent me for an interview—and I got the job!

We’ve all been in the position where we made a decision we were certain about, only to later realize we were wrong. Even though we believed wholeheartedly we were right, new information emerges and, well, we realize we didn’t know enough at the time to make an informed decision.

Nobody is immune to making those judgment errors. That’s why it’s vitally important that you don’t give recruiters any further reason to be careless with your resume. A careless mistake on your part where relevant, important information has been left out could cost you that job.

And don’t be afraid to boast. Better to oversell yourself than undersell, right?

3. Display your most important information “above the fold”

Since the reader will likely only spend a few seconds skimming your resume, your task is to make sure the most important information (a.k.a. the details that will get you the job) are at the top. This will help the recruiter focus on what makes you different and why you should get the job.

Displaying your most important information near the top of your resume will heighten your chances of getting noticed. Don’t hide details that could make you the best choice.

4. Avoid silly mistakes at all cost

How do you ensure that your resume doesn’t get culled unnecessarily and much too soon? Don’t give recruiters reason to discard you.

Your resume must not only look and feel good, but must also be filled with GREAT content. It is essentially proving that you’re the right fit for the role you’ve applied for. Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, missing information, too much information and words that are out of place all contribute to increasing the chances of your resume being dumped into the “thanks, but no thanks” basket. Making your resume flawless increases the chances of getting that job you’re so excited about.

5. Each word is sacred, so choose wisely

Each word on your resume must serve a purpose. And that purpose is simple: to get the reader to read the next word.

Look at it as a competition. For a word to be on the page, it needs to be one hell of a mighty word. The better you choose your words, the more likely whoever reads them will invite you for an interview.

So take a look at your resume and ask yourself: What does my resume communicate? If I were a complete stranger, would I be interested in reading my resume?

Irene Kotov is the founder of Arielle Consulting and is passionate about people, careers and management. Through resume writing services and interview coaching, Irene works with job seekers to help them create a powerful impression throughout the job search and beyond, focusing on written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

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The post How to Write a Deliciously Enticing Resume Recruiters Won’t Want to Put Down appeared first on Brazen Life.

Quit blaming your failed job search on a down economy; it’s time to evaluate your efforts instead. While no job seeker likes to hear that his strategies are failing, it’s important to know when your practices need revising—or should be dropped altogether.

So rather than letting job search frustrations take a toll on your attitude and confidence, consider these six reasons your job search might be failing:

1. You have a negative attitude or lack of confidence

The job search is frustrating, tiring, degrading and a whole other slew of negative adjectives. It’s important to not let the search eat away at you and ruin your outlook. So much of the job search can be related to your composure and attitude, so it’s essential to stay positive.

In fact, your attitude is the only part of the job search that you can control. A positive attitude usually generates a level of confidence that can be gauged in applications, emails, online and, most importantly, in an interview. Do whatever it takes to stay positive and confident.

2. Your online presence is non-existent (or vulgar)

Social recruiting is on the rise this year, with more than 80 percent of job openings being recruited for online. Dozens of companies are now launching tools to help recruiters search for job candidates through social media.

For job seekers, it’s absolutely imperative that you not only have the necessary social media profiles, but that your online brand be sparkly clean. If you don’t have them already, it’s time to generate a LinkedIn profile, Twitter account and any other social media profiles recruiters could use to find you.

Don’t ruin your chances of a potential interview or job offer by allowing your social media profiles to be anything less than professional. Google your name for insight into what employers will see when they search for you. If the results are less than professional, it might be time to check your privacy settings or have your friends untag those college drinking pictures on Facebook.

3. You’re looking in all the wrong places

Don’t let the lure of major job boards ruin your job search. Too many job seekers waste time and energy only applying to openings that have been posted on the major job boards. Not only does this categorize you as a less-than-dedicated job seeker; it’s the equivalent of tossing your resume into a tower-sized stack of applications.

Stick to niche job boards within your industry to get the benefits of smaller candidate pools and more accurate job search results. There’s also an increased level of interaction that comes with applying directly to niche job boards, because the contact information of hiring managers is usually more readily available.

4. You don’t know how to network

The job hunt may leave you spending the majority of your time as a hermit, living in front of your computer. The ability to successfully generate a network of professional connections is just what you need to turn your job search around.

Effective networking isn’t just about knowing someone and asking them to put in a good word for you; it’s about building a mutually beneficial relationship where you can learn more about companies, positions, industries and even your own career path. Take the right steps toward creating better networking connections by seeking out mentors and actively listening and learning from their experiences.

5. Your resume isn’t up to par

There’s no room in this competitive job market for a bad resume. It takes only five seconds for a hiring manager to scan your resume and decide which pile it’s going into. Too much text, lack of formatting, grammatical and spelling errors and downright poor content are sure to send your resume to the recycling bin.

Do whatever it takes to create a resume that represents you in a concise, easy-to-read format.

6. You never ask for advice

There are generally two forms of job seekers: those who ask for too much and those who ask for too little. It’s important to find a happy medium, but remember that asking for job search and industry-related advice is both acceptable and necessary to land a job.

Utilize your networking connections and attempt to build a mentor-like relationship to allow for a two-way communication chain founded on asking questions and learning from experiences. Advice doesn’t mean asking someone to find you a job; it means gaining insightful knowledge that will help you along your career path.

What mistakes do you think are all too common when it comes to job searching?

Amit De is the CEO and Co-Founder of Careerleaf, an all-in-one job search platform that cuts the time to apply in half. Connect with Amit and Careerleaf on Facebook and Twitter.

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The post 6 Reasons Your Job Search is Failing Big Time appeared first on Brazen Life.

Networking is a player’s ball when it comes to staying on top of your employment game. But unemployment rates have made it increasingly difficult to stay ahead using traditional tricks of the trade.

So if you really want to up your networking stock, you might need to turn some new tricks. That’s right; you need to start pimping your friends.

Now, get your mind out of the gutter. This isn’t that kind of party. We’re not talking brothels and cash for favors to get ahead in this networking exchange. The only solicitations we’re advocating are business cards and intel on your friends’ professional assets.

You see, having a diverse talent pool in your contacts list—people who could be a resource to others—can make you a crown jewel in networking circles, both on a personal and professional level. So take advantage of your professionally well-endowed friends and pimp their expertise at your next social event with these tips from the player’s handbook:

Keep track of your contacts’ professional prowess in your little black book

There’s something to be said about the power of association. The more reputable the company you keep, the more your personal stock increases.

Say you have friends with talents that could benefit someone you’re trying to network with. For example, a friend who’s a guru at repairing cars, a party-planning maven, caterer, website designer, financial planning phenom, etc. If you have valuable, reliable, readily accessible contacts you’re willing to share with other movers and shakers, they’ll view you as a hot commodity. There’s always someone jonesing for a hookup to get them ahead on a project, get a great deal on a service or find a way out of the dog house.

So channel your inner Heidi Fleiss. Go through your little black book and take inventory of your contacts’ skills and abilities. Use programs like Huntsy and Evernote to keep a scorecard of their talents and roster at hand. Then, when opportunity knocks, break out your little black book, stand back and watch all the johns secretly beating a path to your door.

Set your friends up on blind dates (a.k.a. employee referral programs)

Employee referrals are one of the best ways to get noticed by your employer and go to the top of the food chain when reviewing candidates. Managers and recruiters live by the “birds of a feather” motto because it saves them sourcing time—and it could boost your wallet and professional street cred in the process.

So play matchmaker with your friends who are looking for love in the unemployment line and submit their resumes to your company’s employee referral program. Many of these programs offer monetary rewards (up to several thousand dollars) for candidates who work their way up the interview process ladder. And while I said this article wouldn’t involve any cash for favors (my bad!), if your friends end up gainfully employed, you could be looking at them with dollar signs in your eyes.

Get a professional wingman to be your plus one at networking events

The professional networking scene has made a crossover to the bar and club scene. And since bringing a wingman improves your personal prospects, why not try it in your professional life?

Pay it forward with your unemployed friends and invite them to be your plus one at company events and happy hours. They’ll be delighted for the free eats and potential contacts, and you’ll have a buffer for those annoying coworkers.

In addition, employers may find your friend professionally attractive as the arm candy of one of their own. Given your employer likes and trusts you, that could translate to the company you keep and score major schmoozing points in your networking portfolio. You + One = Major Score for everyone.

Yolanda M. Owens is a recruiting sensei, intern whisperer and awarding-winning author of How to Score a Date with Your Potential Employer. Learn more about Yolanda and her employer “dating” tips by visiting her website www.yolandamowens.com or fan her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/howtoscoreadate.

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The post Another Way to Up Your Networking Stock: Pimp Your Friends appeared first on Brazen Life.

Environment is everything. And it’s 100 percent in our control.

Over the past 10 or so years of studying social dynamics, human interaction and personal rapport (and being obsessed with making new friends), I’ve made some discoveries that have lead to near-instant memorable interactions with folks like Warren Buffett and Tony Robbins, all the way down to the interesting girl at the bar or the stranger on the street.

No matter the status of the person you’re trying to connect with, the approach is exactly the same. As it turns out, it’s a lot simpler than you’d think.

Often the biggest reason people fear reaching out and connecting is that they don’t have a clue what to say or think they’ll look like an idiot.

Let’s change that.

If you know what to do to create a quick positive human connection, you’re going to do it much more often. With knowledge comes confidence. With confidence comes connection.

So here’s how to make a genuine connection with anyone within minutes of meeting them:

1. Exchange passion

Connection starts long before the first interaction. Be the guy glowing with passion. Let the people around you feel your fire for the dent you want to put in the world. Prompt others to share what makes them come alive. Share in their excitement.

No one forgets a passionate, genuine supporter.

2. Be happy

Start with a smile. This is by far the fastest way in the world to create a bond. The right grin beams with confidence, creating immediate respect and interest. Smiles are contagious, and the simple change in physiology they cause makes people feel better.

There is no stronger opener than a smile. And, sadly, it’s still uncommon enough to make you stand out.

3. Say thank you

Find a reason to thank everyone you meet. Be sincere. Share genuine appreciation for their work, no matter how big or small. If the person on the other side explains something in an interesting way or has an exciting energy about them, recognize it. From the mailman to the bestselling author signing books at your local shop, make gratitude a habit.

If the person is well-known, there’s no excuse for not doing at least enough Googling to have a list of meaningful ways to thank and congratulate them, as well as common threads between your story and theirs. Common ground is the foundation of rapport. And a genuine compliment is a pretty easy place to start.

4. Tip with $2s

Anything even slightly different will do. Every few months, I pick up a couple hundred dollars in two-dollar bills from the bank. Perfect for tipping, paying people back and making change. It’s the fastest way I’ve found to create surprise and a smile.

Most people think two-dollar bills aren’t around anymore, so when they get one, they thank me like crazy, ask how I got it and talk about how they’re never going to spend it because it’s so lucky. Little do they know you can order them at every bank…

5. Obey the 3-second rule

This happens to be the most powerful pickup tool a guy or girl could have. If you see someone interesting or whom you’ve been dying to meet, give yourself three seconds to walk up and start a conversation. If you wait any longer, you’ll either over-think it and screw it up or over-think it and never say anything at all.

Stop worrying about what to say. Anything is better than nothing. Once you speak a word to someone, you’re immediately elevated out of the sea of thousands of onlookers to the few who actually sack up and say something. And that is the biggest first step.

Get in the habit of making people’s days.

These are all simple ways to have a positive impact on the people around you. There are a million others. If you’re not connecting to help, then stop trying. People will see right through you.

When thinking about approaching someone, just ask yourself, “What could I do to make this person’s day even slightly better?” Those whose days you make will go on to do the same for others. These ripples start to intersect, and that’s when the world starts to change.

And it can all start with something as simple as a smile.

So show up. Be helpful. The world will start to pay attention.

Scott Dinsmore is the founder of Live Your Legend and the creator of How to Connect with Anyone, an interactive online course that’s open for enrollment to the first 100 students until this Friday at 11:59pm PST.

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The post 5 Underused Tactics to Make an Immediate, Genuine Connection with Anyone appeared first on Brazen Life.

If you’re limiting your search to major job boards like Monster and Indeed, you probably aren’t making much progress. If you’ve filled out more than 25 job applications or if you can’t keep track of how many applications you’ve submitted, which companies you’ve applied to or who you need to follow up with, you probably also suck at applying for jobs.

Lucky for you, we’ve compiled some tips to help you improve your current job search strategy:

1. Do your research

Most industries and cities have niche job boards and communities dedicated to certain areas of the market. For example, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has a job board dedicated to each city where companies looking to hire PR professionals can post their openings. Sometimes these openings are also posted on major job boards like Monster, but sometimes they aren’t.

By researching and finding these niche communities, you can stay tapped into what’s going on in your industry. You’ll have access to different, more targeted job posts and be able to make valuable connections in your specific market. You’ll also have a leg up on the competition by seeing job postings with a more limited audience.

Ask your professional contacts for suggestions if you’re having trouble finding these niche communities. You can also ask if they know of any job opportunities that would be a good fit for you.

2. Slow your roll

While it can be tempting—especially with form applications and fill-in-the-blank fields—to apply for each and every job you come across that seems like a decent fit, don’t do it.

Although it seems like casting a wide net would be a good job-search strategy, what you’re really doing is akin to “spraying and praying.” You can’t possibly keep track of all of those applications, follow up with every hiring manager or do enough research to impress every single company you’ve applied to if your net is 100 companies wide. Instead, you should…

3. Do more research. Yes, MORE

Take the time to look up each company before you apply for their position. See if they have a company culture that you would work well in. Research the name of the hiring manager and look at his or her Twitter feed. Check out client reviews and testimonials. Click around on the website and make sure you like what you see. Look at your social networks and see if you have any connections who work at the organization.

Not only will this give you a better idea of what it would be like to work there; you’ll also be able to write a much better and more individualized cover letter explaining to the hiring manager exactly what it was that attracted you to the company. Once you’ve done your research and identified companies and opportunities that seem valuable and desirable, you’re ready to move on.

4. Rank your opportunities

Take a look at the jobs and the research you’ve compiled. Rank the opportunities in terms of companies you’d most like to work for, jobs you’d most like to have and positions for which you’re the most qualified. Pick your top 10. These are the jobs you should apply for, not all 50 of the opportunities you found.

5. Track your applications and follow up

The nice part about niche job sites and learning about openings through your network is that you can learn more about the position than you might on the typical job board. Often, major job boards don’t offer any unique information, like the hiring manager’s name or sometimes even the name of the company.

Because you’re using niche boards and doing extra research, you have access to the information necessary to follow up and track your applications. Once you’ve applied to a job, make sure to note the name and contact information for each hiring manager, what date you submitted the application and what date you told them you would follow up. Mark those dates on your calendar—and then follow through. Keep track of all your communications with a particular manager or company to ensure you’re doing all that you can.

By casting a narrower net, you can focus your time and energy on each job. While your resume is great and shows your work experience, you need to show the employer all sides of you to land the position. This includes follow-through, research and initiative—all of which are possible if you use niche communities and job boards to find your opportunities and really dedicate the time and energy to each application.

Follow these tips, and before you know it, you won’t suck at applying for jobs!

Are you doing enough with each job application? What could you do to follow through after you apply for a job?

Amit De is the CEO and Co-Founder of CareerLeaf, a platform that helps job seekers showcase their skills and talents, search for jobs and track and organize communications all from one place. Connect with Amit and CareerLeaf on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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The post Why Your Run-of-the-Mill Job-Search Strategy is Getting You Nowhere appeared first on Brazen Life.

Being in college gives you that mixed feeling of being able to be irresponsible but at the same time being proud of growing up. But while you should enjoy your college experience, it’s also important to focus on what will help you after you graduate.

Here are five must-do items for your college to-do list:

1. Get a job

Jobs aren’t just for after college. You’ll want to get a job during college, too.

Why? Because whether it’s a summer internship or a part-time job, having a few relevant working experiences will always make you more appealing to employers—and that will help when you start searching for a full-time job after graduation.

Even better, if you’re part of that group of students who have not quite figured out what they want to do in life, trying a few significant job positions can help you figure out what you don’t want to do for a job.

Knowing what you don’t want to do is a step forward in discovering what you would like to do for a living.

2. Build relationships with your professors

Stick out from the crowd!

Establishing a relationship with your professor (especially for those classes you really like) can help you not only during school, but also afterward. If that professor knows you, they’ll be more willing to help.

They’ll be more engaged when you do your master thesis, they’ll keep you updated if they hear of a conference or networking event they know you would be interested in, they’ll happily write a recommendation letter for you and they will give you useful tips on how to reach your objectives after graduation.

These are just some of the positive benefits you can receive by just going that extra mile in and outside your classrooms. It might take some extra effort to get to know a few professors who value and appreciate you, but it’s totally worth that effort.

3. Learn a language

Especially if you want to work in an international environment, knowing at least one other language is a must. By learning one or more languages, you’ll qualify for jobs that require that ability, as well as putting yourself ahead of your competitors for jobs that don’t.

Language skills are unique, especially for Americans, so being able to communicate in Spanish or Mandarin or whatever language you choose can only help you later in life. And once you’re out of school, it might be difficult to find the time to dedicate to learning this skill.

4. Participate in an exchange

A semester abroad isn’t just a good excuse for a prolonged vacation; it’s one of the best experiences you can get in life. Experiencing a new culture, traveling, meeting new people, studying in another country, possibly learning a language—it opens your mind and adds to your knowledge, not to mention helps you learn about yourself and grow up in ways you would have never imagined.

Study abroad is also an awesome experience to put on your resume. Hiring managers are often impressed if you have an international background, mostly because putting yourself in a situation that’s outside your comfort zone takes initiative and courage. You’ll develop intercultural communication skills, adaptability, sociability and the capacity to analyze things with different perspectives—all valuable skills in almost any kind of job.

5. Don’t focus too much on grades

After a four-point list of things that require hard work and commitment, it’s equally important to stress that you should also enjoy life. Grades are important, but that’s not all there is.

Take time to party (yes, party!), cultivate your hobbies, sleep, visit your family and hang out with friends. That last point is especially important because friendships acquired in college will often last you for life.

What would you add to this list? What else should college students focus on?

Sara Coppola is an aspiring freelance writer and a creative content writer for Miinto UK. Sara has a background in economics and international business with a focus on social media and online marketing.

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The post 5 Must-Do Items for Your College To-Do List appeared first on Brazen Life.

In a practical sense, I prefer salty over sweet, and your interviewer may, too. She may enjoy a bag of chips over a bar of chocolate. Dropping off cupcakes assumes that you not only know your interviewer and what brings her pleasure, but also that such knowledge gives you carte blanche to bribe your way into her company.

Wrong.

Why home-baked treats are the wrong way to impress a hiring manager

Out of all the gimmicks you could leverage in your job search, cupcakes are particularly bad. They align you with the image of a homemaker, not a successful career woman. And while success follows how likeable you are, cupcakes are an empty attempt to win favor. You can’t play stunts and expect to win. You will gather attention, but none of it the right kind.

The incessant barrage of donuts, cakes, cookies and pies in the break rooms of the companies I’ve worked at were brought in by the wives of the men who worked there. Not once did I see a woman who worked in the office bring in home-baked goods. If anything, she bought a pie from the bakery on the way in, but then it was probably because she had been instructed to by the office’s social committee.

Dropping off cupcakes, or something equally drastic, is like dropping an incendiary device into your job search. All of a sudden, you feel entitled to a reply, a thank you or something—anything—in return from the interviewer. And when it doesn’t happen, boom! You begin to have the lofty idea that you should hear back from the interviewer, that you’re owed a note of thanks. You baked cupcakes, for goodness’ sake! Who would blow off such a nice gesture?

You become jaded, and for nothing. You weren’t being judged on your actual skills and expertise in the first place.

Can we agree that you baked cupcakes because you’re scared?

Baking cupcakes—or any stunt or gimmick, for that matter—is an act of fear. You’re worried that you’re not good enough, that you won’t stand out in the crowd, that you’ve been searching for six, nine, twelve months, and if you don’t do something, you will find nothing. You haven’t spent enough time on your cover letter and resume, and you don’t believe in yourself. Instead, you spend an hour mixing up a distraction, when you could spend less and get more by taking a new contact out for coffee. Or volunteering at a design meetup. Or learning a new skill.

So, what should you do instead?

The way to be awesome in a sea of the same is to care about the company more than you care about what they think of you. Gimmicks shine the light on you. Focusing on the job puts that focus on the value you’ll bring to the company. You can tell the difference between these actions with this one test: do you want approval after doing it?

There’s nothing wrong with a bit of narcissism; it lends us confidence. But when it smacks of desperation, that’s when you’re in trouble.

Stand out, but do it in a way that shows your passion for using your skills and talents to bring exceptional results to a company. That’s what an interviewer would consider sweet.

Rebecca Thorman’s weekly blog, Kontrary, offers tips to create the career, bank account and life you love and is a popular destination for young professionals. Her goal is to help you find meaningful work, enjoy the heck out of it and earn more money.

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The post Why Baking Cupcakes for Your Interview Is Not the Best Strategy appeared first on Brazen Life.

If you work in a typical office environment, you share your space with one or more coworkers. And that means you need to learn how to play well with others. Because being stuck in the same space for eight hours a day with people who basically amount to perfect strangers requires a certain amount of courtesy and consideration.

While you may not be as obnoxious as “that guy,” there are still plenty of little things you might do without realizing how much they can get on your coworkers’ nerves. And it’s the little things that slowly grate on people until suddenly you realize that Bob’s been giving you the silent treatment for days and you kind of hate Sheila.

So here are some simple, easy ways to make the workplace an overall shinier, happier place and prevent some unnecessary drama:

Avoid the heavy perfume

Same goes for cologne for the guys, as well as scented beauty products like lotion and soap.

We tend to not notice the scents we wear after a while, which can lead us to layer them on heavier than they need to be. You may think you smell like “Midnight Fantasy,” but you could be giving your coworkers a raging headache.

Keep the tunes respectful

If you work in close quarters, headphones are always the best way to go. (Although even those can be turned up so loud your coworkers notice, so be careful.)

If you have a little more leeway and can play the radio at your desk, try to keep your musical choices to ones most generic coworkers wouldn’t find offensive. It doesn’t have to be smooth jazz or golden oldies, but maybe stick to some easier fare like Taylor Swift or Colbie Caillat instead of Drizzy or Nicki Minaj.

Clean up after yourself (and, sometimes, other people)

It’s common courtesy to wipe up the coffee you spilled on the counter—but what about refilling the copier when you’re done with your project, even though there’s still a little paper left for the next person (though not enough for a full job)?

When you find the copy room table littered with staples and paperclips, do you clear it off to make room for yourself, work around it—or do you add your own contribution to the clutter, figuring that if other people don’t mind leaving a mess behind them, why should you help them out?

Don’t be petty, and don’t (PLEASE don’t) make the receptionist print out one of those “Your Mom Doesn’t Work Here” signs. Just keep things orderly and replace whatever you notice has run out, without making it into a power play.

Stay away from pungent lunches

You may love your big bag of midday popcorn, but if your office microwave (it’s the microwave’s fault, of course) always burns it, you may want to find a different snacking option. Burnt popcorn can singe the nostrils of people several departments away.

Be equally aware of the fact that your next-door desk mate may not appreciate it when you reheat your spicy curry leftovers from the night before. True, you do have a right to eat whatever you want—but there’s also such a thing as common courtesy. If you show some for others, they’re more likely to show some for you.

Don’t be the office reality show

You know that coworker who’s going through a messy divorce, who has all those risque stories about the girls he’s dating or whose teen is getting into so much trouble at school lately? You probably  do—because most offices have that person who loves to air their personal dramas, whether or not they’re appropriate for all audiences.

When you’re in mixed company, it’s best to keep your juicier stories only for the coworkers you know share your sense of humor or lack of PC controls. Not only do some people just not want to get involved in your drama, but some might be genuinely offended by your subject matter.

What common courtesies do you wish your office mates would observe?

Kelly Gurnett is Assistant Editor of Brazen Life and runs the blog Cordelia Calls It Quits, where she documents her attempts to rid her life of the things that don’t matter and focus more on the things that do. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook and hire her services as a blogger extraordinaire here.

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You might want to, but no. You ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I hungry?

Close your eyes and do a quick assessment. When did you eat last? In the majority of cases, office rage is a case of the munchies gone awry.

If you find that you suspiciously start to send passive-aggressive email replies around the same time each day, invest in some nuts and granola bars to keep at your desk. Hunger makes a tyrant (and a less patient person) of us all.

2. Am I mad at someone or something else?

You spend the morning getting chewed out, so around 2 p.m. when your assistant interrupts your web surfing to bring you the meeting notes and they aren’t double-spaced, you are almost overwhelmingly angry at her.

Take a minute. Are you really mad the notes aren’t double-spaced? Or are you mad at what happened this morning and looking for an opportunity to let it all out on someone?

Slow your roll and reconsider the innocent bystander. And if you are indeed genuinely mad….

3. How would a classy person act right now?

Because sometimes you have every right to be pissed off, angry, enraged and all the other words that describe righteous indignation. But rarely is it appropriate for you to express that anger.

Think of the classiest person you can (Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock, anyone?) and imagine how they would respond. Would they yell at someone? Or would they keep it calm and try to be helpful even when they know they’re right? Would they loudly point out someone’s errors? Or would they take the time to speak with the person politely (and privately)?

After all, this is what role models are for—they show us the way when we don’t want to leave it it up to our instincts.

If you can’t manage to summon the “classy” mantra, it might be time to look for a new job.

With any luck, this checklist will spare you from experiencing the real-world consequences of anger, which could include embarrassing yourself at work. Because if you can make it home after a frustrating day at the office without clawing somebody’s eyes out, then you can consider yourself a winner.

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content Management Specialist with a lot on the backburner (if you count LOLCats and Words with Friends). She curates and write the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and is studying to be an Accredited Personal Financial Counselor.

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The post 3 Questions to Ask Yourself When You Get Mad at Work appeared first on Brazen Life.

Despite Tara’s known hatred of anything vampire, Sookie and cousin Lafayette couldn’t bear to not have Tara around anymore. So the duo asked the undead’s Pam to turn her into a vampire. True Blood fans know the outcome: the fledgling Tara is now wandering around really pissed off, having become the very creature that once made her skin crawl.

You’ve gotta feel for Tara. Finding your way in a new environment is never easy. The same thing applies to the work scene, where the new hire at the office often feels just as marginalized as someone who’s shed a previous human identity.

Yet the perils of True Blood’s Tara need not be your fate. How can you maximize those new employee challenges? It’s all about what you don’t know and how to fill in those gaps.

1.  Learn where the power lies

Tara’s maker holds the key, but figuring out the name of the top player can be tough and time-consuming for new hires. Often those hierarchical organization charts aren’t quite the real deal.

The solution is to do a reality check and pay attention. Sometimes people lower in rank hold the true power. At meetings, observe who brings up the ideas that are most enthusiastically embraced, who answers with the most confidence and depth and who defers to whom.

2. Go digging for cultural nuances

Vampires have gorged, slept and fornicated the same way over centuries. New employees, on the other hand, need to assess which behaviors are rewarded and which are frowned upon in their new environment. Is it hard work, institutional knowledge, or maybe simply being a team player?

The solution is to ask the people who know, so invite your new coworkers to lunch or coffee. Casually ask them how they’d characterize the environment and what top management values—or won’t tolerate.

3. Study your boss’s style

Vampires pretty much know how to please their makers, but you may have only scratched the surface of your supervisor’s personality during the interview process. His or her daily behavior may be another deal entirely—that calm demeanor when hiring you may have simply masked the walking-and-talking thunderbolt persona you now have to deal with day in and day out.

Learning what the boss’s true colors are and what he or she expects from you can take time. When you do, mirroring your supervisor’s behavior can solidify your relationship. And don’t forget to pay attention to those people in the company your boss considers to be allies and trouble makers. They matter.

4. Play it cool with idiosyncratic groups

Fangs are easy identifiers. Not so at the office. Some groups consist of the hard workers, others speak in tech, still others seem to do nothing but bitch, moan and gossip. Yes, it’s just like high school, where falling in with the wrong crowd can mean a disastrous start.

Because we all want to please and fit in, it’s quite tempting to accept the first invitation to join up with a contingency. The best strategy is to stay neutral while you remain objective and figure out which group is which. Don’t share personal information and, above all, don’t gossip or listen to gossip. Until you know the field, simply tell people, “I appreciate your ideas, and I just want to stay open for awhile and learn a bit more about everything.”

5. Understand your company’s true reputation

Vampires are pretty much their own cottage industry. For the rest of us, it’s tougher to assess where companies stand. How a firm is really valued—in reputational and financial terms—is not always obvious.

The solution is to do as much due diligence as possible before taking the job. Read what trend-watchers in the industry are saying about the company, join discussion groups and speak frankly with your headhunter, even after you’ve joined the firm.

Beverly Flaxington is a business advisor who specializes in individual and organizational behavioral change. She’s the award-winning author of five books, including Make Your SHIFT: The Five Most Powerful Moves You Can Make to Get Where YOU Want to Go (ATA Press, 2012).

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Are you struggling to find your dream job—the one that really fulfills you and makes you happy?

If so, it’s time to consider whether you’ve gotten stuck in wouldn’t-it-be-nice mode rather than proactively seeking a change.

Are you being practical about your next step, or are you mired in fear or complaining?

Are you keeping your head in the clouds, wishing you could have something better but doing nothing about it?

If those questions hit home, it’s understandable. It’s human nature to resist change—but you have to be willing to change to get where you want to go. No one ever became successful by sitting around his or her house saying, “Wouldn’t it be nice if….” They went out there and made it happen.

Yes, they encountered obstacles. Yes, they fell down sometimes. But that doesn’t mean they gave up. They kept going.

A coach once pointed out to me that the word action is a part of the word attraction. It’s a great visual reminder to stop dreaming and get practical.

Here are some ways to apply this way of thinking to your job search:

1. Be practical and realistic

You want to land your dream job now. Understandable! But sometimes you need a job just to pay the bills. If you can’t get into your ideal career right away, find something you can enjoy while you work on it from the sidelines.

There is nothing wrong with accepting a job to take care of yourself and then using that stability and experience to move toward what you want to do long-term. It may seem like a step back, or that you’re not moving forward. In reality, you are moving forward, because maintaining some level of financial stability is critical to achieving your goals.

2. Find your happy place, then think outside the box

If financial realities require you to get a job at all costs, consider expanding your viewpoint. Are some jobs related or similar to your dream job? Can you find a job that will later let you move toward what you’d ideally like to be doing?

Taking this approach is not selling out or giving up. If a job is similar to what you want to do long-term and keeps you happy and stable while you pursue the dream, it’s worth it.

3. Land a “bridge job”

We often need what you’d call a “bridge job” to gain additional experience in an industry where we want to be—and also to pay the bills. View that job not as a compromise, but rather as a stepping stone toward your long-term goal.

For example, one woman I worked with wanted to be a grant writer or marketing professional for a non-profit organization. She was a human resources director and was able to find a different human resources job that involved writing and producing the company newsletter. She then moved into corporate communications. Her next step is to shift into communications for a non-profit organization.

4. Get off the couch

If you’re feeling frustrated by your search and disappointed that you haven’t found or achieved that dream, complaining won’t help. Channel that frustration into positive energy to propel you to take action. Don’t waste precious time and energy focusing on why you’re unhappy now. Use it to focus on what you want instead.

Dream big. Decide on a career path that will fulfill you. Then, get moving toward that goal. Quit complaining and obsessing about why you don’t like where you are in your career. Move toward fixing it instead.

It’s time to stop talking and start doing. After you take a step in that direction, you’ll figure it out as you go.

Hallie Crawford is a certified career coach and founder of Create Your Career Path with www.HallieCrawford.com. She is regularly featured in the media, including the Wall Street Journal, CNN, US News and World Report, Fox Business News and Entrepreneur magazine.

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The post It’s Time to Turn That Dream Job Into Reality appeared first on Brazen Life.

Do you want to be a Ringleader?

No, not the whip-cracking, lion-taming kind. I’m talking about being the captain of your own ship. About taking control of your future through leadership.

In 2010, I went after my dreams—the big ones—the reach-for-the-stars kind of dreams. Yes, I made a movie. It was scary and euphoric and lonely and exciting all at the same time. And while I don’t pretend to have the wisdom of Oprah or Donald Trump, this experience taught me a thing or two about professional success.

So, here’s my take on how to be a Ringleader, for both your career and your life:

Prioritize laughter

Take a chill pill and laugh at life once in a while.

There’s a direct correlation between the number of times you laugh in a given day and personal success. Okay, so I haven’t done a scientific study on this, but I’ve run a few tests on my own and here’s what I’ve found: people are more willing to help you if you break the ice with a laugh.

Back in college, I spent my summers door-to-door fundraising, and on one particular day I decided to test this theory. I knocked on 50 doors and made it a point to throw in a laugh during half of the conversations. Not only did the laugh significantly contribute to my monetary success that night, but it also resulted in a number of free meals and water bottles.

As humans, we long for connection. That connection doesn’t have to be established with some in-depth discussion of Picasso’s blue period. Just smile and laugh and good things will happen.

Value education

Unless someone is asking you for advice, you should approach every conversation as a student.

This is especially crucial if you’re looking to change career paths. When I decided to make my first film in 2010, I already had a B.A. and J.D. under my belt, as well as a significant amount of business, sales and leadership experience. But entering this new field meant taking my ego out with the trash, and here’s why: people prefer to give advice over favors.

Give others an opportunity to feel important, and doors will open. Also, if you’re open to learning, well, you might actually learn something.

Seek adventure

Think outside the box. I’m not telling you to reinvent the wheel, but if you’re looking to find a job, change jobs or move up in a job, don’t forget there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

In 2009, I decided to graduate a semester early from law school to pursue my dream of making a feature film. This was UNHEARD OF in academia, but by thinking outside the box, I not only moved forward with my legal career, I also learned how to make a movie through trial and error.

If two roads are “diverging in a yellow wood,” don’t be afraid to take the one less traveled by. It really could make all the difference.

Breathe your dreams

Dream big. Dream often. Dream in detail.

When you’re young, it’s completely normal to answer the “what do you want to be when you grow up” question with: astronaut, professional soccer player or Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Once we’re adults, however, we’re expected to be more realistic with our life goals.

Get rid of that mindset; that’s for people who are risk-averse and afraid of change. If you’re not happy with your professional career, figure out what you want (no matter how “silly” it may seem), write it down and tape it to the mirror in your bathroom. Then every week, no matter how small, do one thing that brings you closer to that dream.

Go at it with energy. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.

If there’s a will … there is a way.

Make time for relationships

Period. No “I have a deadline to meet” or “you live so far away” or any sentence that starts with “my boyfriend…”

I don’t know anyone who has been successful in business without the help of at least one other person. Success isn’t about working hard. It’s about working hard and knowing the right people. The ONLY reason my film tour has been successful this summer is because my friends on the East Coast were willing to help me book venues, advertise and house us for free. These weren’t business relationships; they were friends—people I played beer pong with in college or met briefly while hiking the Appalachian Trail. Yet through them, I’ve made business connections and booked a full-fledged, 35-venue tour.

Make time for friends. It will pay off professionally, and more importantly, it will increase your personal happiness ten-fold.

It’s never too late to go after your dreams

In 2006, I didn’t know any filmmakers or lawyers. Four years later, I passed the Illinois bar exam, hiked the entire Appalachian Trail (that’s 2,178.3 miles) and made a movie. Dreams really do come true—if you can find the courage to be a Ringleader.

Katherine Imp is a lawyer, filmmaker and outdoor adventure enthusiast living in Chicago. She also works part-time as a business and travel consultant, blogging regularly at http://ringleaderkate.com.

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The post How to Accomplish Your Big Goals (Even if They’re As Crazy As Making a Movie) appeared first on Brazen Life.

The President’s equivalent of interviewing for a job is campaigning—and the public decides who to hire. Many of us will (thankfully) never have the experience of having 300,000 million people judge our abilities to perform in a job. Lucky for you, you only need to impress 3-5 people along the way to get hired.

Still, with Election 2012 around the corner, the political battlefield provides key lessons to elevate your own job interviewing skills.

Rule #1: Know Your Base

The job interview is not about you. The interview is about what you can do for your potential employer. It’s about their needs. Their issues. Their problems. Your mission is to fully understand what they need and how you can help them succeed. If you don’t get this right from the beginning, you won’t win.

In the 2004 presidential elections, the foundation of former President George W. Bush’s campaign for re-election was ideological conservatism and rallying his conservative base around opposition to same-sex marriage. He focused on his base’s ideas, not necessarily his own. Because if the people want to talk about the economy, your plans for health care won’t get you votes. If the job requires client management skills, rambling on about your exceptional analytical abilities won’t get you far.

To figure out what matters to the company or person you’re interviewing with, do your research, analyze the job description, search the internet, read their press releases, watch YouTube videos, study their annual reports, subscribe to their blogs and discussion groups and identify what’s most important to them.

Then, start with the question, “What can I do for them?” and show up as the solution to meet their needs.

Rule #2: Tell Your Story

Think it’s good enough to just be able to do the job? Think again.

More than anything else, getting hired is about your ability to communicate a message that compels the hiring manager to say yes. Just ask President Barack Obama, who noted how important it is to “tell the story” in a recent interview on CBS.

Your story is a “why you” story—why you and only you are the solution to the organization’s problems. So, prepare your answers to interview questions based on what they need most and you’ll close the deal.

In 2008, Obama’s campaign was based on three themes: hope, change and the future. No, you won’t have Will.I.Am produce a song based on your campaign slogan, but you can articulate your story in a clear, concise and convincing way that resonates, inspires and persuades your dream company to hire you.

Rule #3: It’s Not What You Say About Yourself; It’s What Others Say About You

Endorsements are crucial in elections—and in your job search. If Obama has George Clooney, Jay-Z and Oprah singing his praises, you’d better have your peeps singing yours. A key part of your interview strategy should be to get as many people as you can to endorse you and tell the world what a rock star you really are.

How can you do this besides offering a traditional reference? Leverage the power of social media in your job search and use LinkedIn’s recommendation feature to rack ‘em up, baby. The best part? Anyone can give you a recommendation. Friends, peers, clients, subordinates, supervisors, classmates, sorority and fraternity members, organizations you volunteer with, your neighbor, barber… even your dry cleaner. (Not that your dry cleaner would help, but you get the idea.)

Numbers count here. You don’t have to wait until the hiring manager requests three professional references from you. Expose potential employers to a dozen or more informal recommendations from people in your network who can vouch for you.

The fastest way to get recommendations? Give first. Write a few words of praise for one person in your network each day for the next 30 days, and watch as your recommendations pour in—because those people are likely to recommend you back. How many is enough? Keep going until it feels like everyone and their mama says you are the shiznit.

People vote for the person they know, like and trust. Take it from former President Bill Clinton. The day after he secured the Democratic Party nomination during the 1992 presidential elections, he appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show playing the saxophone and building his popularity among minority and young voters, which catapulted him in the polls.

Your target company isn’t hiring a list of skills. They are hiring a real person. So be unique. Be funny. Be approachable. Be yourself. Oh, and bring your sax if you have one.

Adwoa M. Jones is the Founder of Crystal Clear Interviews and recently released her Free Irresistible Interviews Blueprint: 5 Strategies To Interview For A Job And Motivate The Hiring Manager To Say Yes!

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As it happens, this is exactly what happened to me earlier this year, and I am now using this public forum to pass my wisdom on to the rest of the world. Not because I’m bitter—no, never—but because it could save you from having an embarrassing aneurysm at the office when you get a similar phone call.

So here are a few tips for burglary-proofing your life:

Pester your landlord

If your apartment is particularly vulnerable in any way, by all means tell your landlord you would like additional safety measures taken. Are the locks on the windows not closing? Is your deadbolt loose? Tell your landlord you’d like it fixed. After all, they have their own interest in keeping the apartment burglary-free and in good condition, as opposed to spending time and money repairing broken windows or a kicked-in door.

If they say no, refer to your lease; there’s a good chance that there’s a clause about your landlord’s responsibility to maintain a safe apartment. As I understand it in my non-attorney mind (insert disclaimer here about this not being legal advice), no, your landlord generally isn’t responsible if your apartment does get busted into—but yes, you may have written confirmation that they need to keep it habitable and secure.

Give in to your neuroses

Okay, so your additional security measures may not happen quickly enough. For example, you may hear of a rash of burglaries in your neighborhood and ask for a gate to be put on your suddenly-very-vulnerable-looking back door, only to find that the burglars have managed to beat your landlord to said door.

I mean, hypothetically speaking here.

Anyway, the point that some of this is out of your control, not to mention your landlord’s. But only some of it. Maybe you can’t put bars on your own back door, but you can find some other way to protect your goods, like buying a safe. Or if you’re feeling a little less like a normal person, you could play the hiding game—and hide, for example, your computer every day when you leave the house.

When I heard thieves had taken a liking to my neighborhood, I put my computer in an undisclosed location every morning, in the XXXXX behind the XXXXX, shoved under the XXXXX, and sang my “hiding the computer song.”

“Hiding the com-pu-ter in the XXXXX for the 95th tiiime,” I would sing in a really sort of creepy falsetto. “I’m probably in-saaaaaane and I embraaace it!” Then the imaginary backup singers would come in with a soulful: “Like a sissssss-ter or a pet turtle!”

Lo and behold, after the jerkish-but-hurried-and-perhaps-lazy burglars had left, the computer was still there.

I mean, you can’t give in to every compulsion. If I did, I would always unplug every appliance every time I left the house (ANYTHING CAN START A FIRE), and all of the ice cube trays would always be symmetrically emptied (I have no excuse for this one). But when it comes to a cherished possession that holds sensitive information, not to mention the simply genius short stories you wrote in college that the world wasn’t advanced enough to appreciate, sometimes you can let the crazy come out.  And if burglars strike, the universe will actually validate that crazy.

Come to think of it, that’s sort of an unsettling lesson, but it’s true. It happened to me.

Research your magical technology options

My roommate was not so lucky, and his laptop—along with all of his brand-spanking-new vacation photos (sublesson: back up everything you’ve ever created or downloaded)—left the apartment under Stupidface McCriminal’s arm. But a program that he happened to have on his computer helped him to track where the computer was next logged onto.

Have the police recovered the computer yet? No. But a quick search of the internets shows me myriad computer programs like Prey that could still be very helpful in allowing you and your local police department to hunt down your baby.

Get renter’s insurance

Honesty time: I didn’t have renters’ insurance when my apartment was robbed. Lesson learned. Done putting it off.

Yes, it may seem like an unnecessary expense to protect against an altogether unlikely event. But to put it in cost/benefit terms, renters’ insurance can be fantastically cheap. Many insurance websites will provide you with a free quote, and the cost could be surprisingly low. In my last, four-person house, the insurance ran less than $200 per year. That, to me, is a great deal, considering however many computers/bikes/very valuable thrift store chairs and futons we were protecting.

And we didn’t even have to make up any creepy falsetto songs.

Danielle Kurtzleben lives in Washington, D.C., where she works as a journalist. She still hides her computer every day, because it’s fun.

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The post How to Burglary-Proof Your Life (and Avoid an Office Meltdown) appeared first on Brazen Life.

But it has also created a constantly connected world where the concept of work/life balance can sometimes seem like a fairy tale. How do you reclaim a little “me” time (for both your health and sanity) when you feel like you’re always on call?

Try these tips for a start:

Turn off your phone

*GASP!* Can she really mean that?

Yes, I do. Turn that sucker off. And not just the ringer—the whole freakin’ thing. Have a cutoff time at which you will no longer be available for whatever emergency someone decides to punt your way.

It also helps to have designated “no phone zones,” like meal times or date nights with your significant other.

Allow yourself a mind dump

Listen to some particularly cathartic music on the commute home. Allow yourself half an hour when you get home to watch that completely mindless reality show you love. Take your dog for a walk and focus on the sights, smells and sounds of being out in nature.

If your s.o. is willing to be your sounding board, allow yourself to vent about the day unrestrained for 10-15 minutes when you get home—and then promptly shut off all further thoughts about work and everything connected with it.

Whatever you do, allow yourself some time to clear your mind of all the work muck and transition into the personal part of your day. Don’t dwell on the stupid mistake you made on that report or the catty thing your arch nemesis said in the break room. It’s bad enough you have to endure the stress and frustration when you’re at work; don’t let work win by allowing it to ruin your personal time, too.

Have glorious, distracting hobbies

The sort of hobbies you love so much you get lost in them. The sort that make it a little easier to get through the work day knowing you have them to look forward to.

Whether it’s exercising, doing crafts or even working on a side hustle, it’s important to have things that bring you happiness and fulfillment in your personal time. They take your mind off work stress, remind you of what really matters and help put all the crappy stuff that happens between 9 and 5 into perspective.

Compart-mentalize

Visualization exercises really can help. Picture your mind as a series of rooms, each one dedicated to a significant part of your life. There’s a room for thoughts about your family, your friendships, your work and any other major parts of your life.

When five o’clock hits, give one last wave to everything that’s in the “work” room, and then picture yourself closing the door firmly and sliding the latch across it. No peeking inside it in the evening; no reopening it till the weekend is over. That part of the day (and your obligation to devote mind space to it) is over. Clearly visualizing that can help make it stick.

Learn to stand up for your time

This one is the most important of them all. You can have all the tricks in the world for separating yourself from the office, but if you aren’t willing to defend your time when the office tries encroaching, you’re doomed.

Put an away message on your work email letting people know that you check your inbox between the hours of ____ and ____ and will get back to them then. If you’re a freelancer or a remote worker, make it clear to your employer(s) when your office hours are—and stick to them.

If you start making exceptions to your own rules and allowing your time to be hijacked, your time will be hijacked.  It’s that simple.

If you feel guilty saying “no,” just remind yourself you’re not only standing up for your own time; you’re protecting your ability to get your work done. A burnt-out and stretched-thin employee makes mistakes, gets sick more often and can have horrible morale (which counts for a lot in job performance).

You have every right to some “you” time. If anything, it makes you a better worker when you are at work.

What tips do you have for leaving work at work?

Kelly Gurnett is Assistant Editor of Brazen Life and runs the blog Cordelia Calls It Quits, where she documents her attempts to rid her life of the things that don’t matter and focus more on the things that do. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook and hire her services as a blogger extraordinaire here.

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Internships tend to incite one of two emotions: pure dread or sheer excitement.

Usually the former is reserved for those of us who are hoping for paid employment but, in a struggling economy, settle for whatever we can find to log the hours and keep our resume afloat. (I know how you feel. I’ve been there.)

Sheer excitement—and possibly healthy dose of fear—comes into play when bagging an internship means you’re getting your first chance to cut your teeth in the workplace: a trial run of your soon-to-be career including a cubicle, key card and maybe even a company email account.

Having spent a decent amount of time as both an intern and a supervisor who now oversees interns, there’s a list of things I wish I could tell each intern before they start— tips I wish someone had told me when I was pushing papers, doing “meaningless research” and biding my time to earn class credit or build my resume:

Internships are what you make of them. So here are few tips for making the most of them.

1. Despite the intern title, treat this position like a real job.

The more you value your role, the more others will too. When you slack off and show little interest in your work, you’re likely to receive little responsibility. Ask for more responsibility; don’t wait for it to come to you. And then deliver.

2. Find an ally.

If you’re intimidated by new tasks and too scared to ask for help, find someone who can be your go-to person for all questions. This person can help you push past your insecurity and enable you to seek out others who might help answer your questions. (It might even be another intern.)

3. Show up on time.

Or even early. I can’t tell you how huge this is. Just do it.

4. Use the opportunity to network.

Go to brown bag lunches, attend functions your company/organization is holding, meet as many people as you can. If you’re in an environment where you’re comfortable with your supervisor, ask them to bring you to other professional events. This is what will land you a job. Not a company name on a CV, but connections with other people.

5. Get business cards.

Ask your company or your school or just venture out and get a set of personalized cards printed. (But don’t use your school or company name without their permission!) Having something to hand people you meet gives them a way to remember you and reconnect with you.

6. Learn everything you can.

Seriously. Learn about the company, the various projects, divisions, tools, software. Everything. This real-world experience is better than any classroom education.

7. Despite wanting to prove yourself, don’t overwork.

Most likely, you’re interning in a new city (or country). Be sure to create a balance between enjoying where you’re at and working hard. This balance is something you’ll most likely be “practicing” for the rest of your life, so start now.

8. Have fun.

For every good internship out there, you’ll find a few doozies. Don’t stress over it. Do your best, make the most of it and be sure to have some fun. The Real World will come all too soon.

Christy Campbell dwells in Shanghai, consulting for social businesses and learning about what sustainability means in a mega-city. You can follow her on Twitter at @echoinghope.

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You aren’t average, so why should you apply just like everyone else?

You eat ice cream with a fork. You go skydiving on weeknights to relax after a hard day at work. You don’t fit within a box, so you’ll be damned if you’re going to submit a resume just like the other sheep… err, job candidates.

Used well, a creative resume can really give you an edge over the competition. Creative resumes show you’re an outside-the-box thinker and a creative problem-solver. These are all sought-out traits in potential employees, especially since the problems modern companies are facing seem to solicit especially creative solutions.

Feeling pretty good about yourself and your creative resume? Don’t get too complacent. The truth is, for all the benefits creative resumes afford, they have just as many pitfalls. Truly creative resumes are a new frontier, and we all know those come with as many risks as rewards.

Knowing the major blunders will keep you from making the wrong impression. So here are some common traps less-savvy job seekers fall into when getting creative with their resume:

1. Forgetting your industry

Despite what the internet might tell you, creative resumes aren’t the right fit for every position. If you make a stellar infographic resume to get a job in the visual arts field, you’re well on your way to career bliss. Using this type of resume shows off your job-specific skills in both a creative and practical way. It makes sense.

But submitting a beautiful infographic resume for a job as an accountant will probably be less effective. It might be visually striking, but how many accountants do you know who need graphic design skills to crunch numbers? Forgetting to tailor your creative approach to your industry means hiring managers are more likely to roll their eyes, when you actually want them to be blown away.

2. Thinking creativity will mask sloppiness

You’re truly impressed with your idea of making a video resume. You can’t imagine how the moving images of your video will fail to wow hiring managers. In fact, you’re so impressed with your own stroke of genius, you’ve put zero effort into the information about yourself and your experience you’re sharing with that manager.

Spoiler alert: hiring managers and recruiters aren’t impressed merely because you’ve thought of something creative. They’ve been around the block a few times. They’re not going to hire you on the spot just because you’ve recorded a video resume. Plenty of other job seekers have had the same stroke of genius. And those job seekers probably realized video resumes have to be just as polished and professional as their paper counterparts.

Don’t expect your flashy method of delivery will make up for a lack of content. It won’t.

3. Skimping on relevant information

Some candidates see resumes that list work experience and job titles as a thing of the past. So instead of focusing on experience, these candidates focus on their skills and accomplishments. It’s a good way to personalize your skills and make yourself more than a list of dates and titles.

So what could go wrong? Plenty! Sometimes these resumes can make your accomplishments seem out of context. It’s important for employers to know not just how you’ve achieved something, but in what setting. Without proper context—and especially if you exclude dates entirely—employers might side-eye these resumes, wondering whether you’re hiding something.

Make sure to properly ground your accomplishments in your work or educational settings. Don’t skimp on the information employers need to understand how impressive you are.

What mistakes do you notice with creative resumes? How can we avoid them?

Josh Tolan is the CEO of Spark Hire, a video-powered hiring network that connects job seekers and employers through video resumes and online interviews. Connect with him and Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter.

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So you want to start an online business. Are you willing to be shameless in your pursuit of the right strategies, tech tools and marketing know-how?

Awesome, then let’s begin.

Let’s take a look at the technical skills you’ll need to start an online business, because it does involve the web, and that means you’ll need a certain level of technical savvy. Don’t worry; there are only four essential steps to getting techy that will help your online business succeed.

1. Decide What You Need To Learn

Websites. Google Analytics. Conversion rates.

You probably have a basic understanding of technology; now you just need to learn more about the specific tools of the online business trade.

You might think that the first step to getting an online business up and running if you’re not tech savvy is to hire all the work out. But don’t make the mistake of putting the keyboard before the mouse.

When you try to hire someone to do something that you don’t understand, you might get gypped, end up with the wrong setup and waste a ton of time.

Having a basic understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish and how it works will save you a ton of time trying to explain what you need. It could also save you a lot of money, because you’ll be able to judge how much time a certain project should realistically take and whether a quote is acceptable.

2. Find The Tech Training You Need Right Now

So, how can you go about getting a basic understanding of the tech tools you’ll need?

You can learn to code at Codecademy, watch YouTube training videos to get up to speed and find out which tools you’ll need to take orders online.

The great thing about learning the ins and outs of this technology is that you’re likely to discover it’s much easier than you thought. That alone will save you a few hundred dollars, and you’ve also just gained a new marketable skill. Level up!

3. Get Your Website and Blog Up and Running, Stat

The next step to establish your online business is setting up your online presence, and that means starting with a website and blog.

Why do I recommend having a blog instead of just a static website? Because you’ll want to be creating and curating content on your site consistently to showcase your talents.

You’ll want to buy your own domain name, and set up a WordPress website using the 5-minute install that’s available on most hosting providers.

The great thing about WordPress is that it’s such a popular platform, you’ll have a plethora of options: whether you want to hire it out or learn how to do it yourself, the resources are out there.

4. Be Adaptable, Because Technology is Always Changing

Get comfortable with change. As an online business owner, you’ll soon notice that things are always in flux: popular social media platforms, competitors, software systems and your audience’s needs.

There’s nothing wrong with these changes—they could even help your business. But be prepared to buckle down, because each time there’s a new piece of technology that’s relevant to your online business, you’ll need to get your hands dirty and learn it.

Get plugged into a community of online business go-getters to stay on the cutting edge as these changes take place.

You’ll also want to stay nimble in your own business, since you might need to tweak offerings, blog topics and more as you and your business evolve over time.

Nathalie Lussier is an online business triple threat, serving up digital strategy with integration and do-it-yourself training programs to turn your website into the asset you know it should be. She’s the creator of The Website Checkup Tool and she loves getting techy with it, doing martial arts and drinking green juice.

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The post 3 Easy Moves to Update Your Job Search for the Digital Age appeared first on Brazen Life.

You’re ambitious, hardworking and smart. Your resume is polished, your cover letter is relevant and you’re networking.

Yet, you’re still getting rejected from every job you apply for.

Sound familiar? If so, you may be ignoring one of these unwritten rules of job searching.

1. Be organized

Use a label for all job-search-related emails. Use a program like SpringPad or Excel to track all the positions and organizations you’re interested in, all the resources you use and all the people you meet with. You can also get extra fancy and track other data such as date of application, date of interview and related contacts.

If you aren’t speaking with two or three people about your search daily, you aren’t networking enough. Talk with friends, friends of friends, contacts you find on LinkedIn or at an event, recommendations from your school’s career center (even if you graduated long ago) and recommendations of recommendations. Think strategically about each networking request, and keep an organization doc for that, too, if it helps you stay on track.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask—and make it easy to say yes

Make it easy for your contact to qualify your request and help you. Be specific and strategic about the people and/or organizations you want them to connect you with or the advice you’re asking for.

Write introductory emails or talking points they can easily forward along, and make sure you aren’t asking for too many things at once. And if someone is unable to help, don’t hold it against them. People have to preserve their network and reputation. They can’t introduce their powerful contacts to every person they speak with.

3. Don’t apply for jobs you don’t want

We all do it. It’s easy to get excited for any seemingly good, somewhat tangentially related to what you want to do, open position you can find.

But do you really want this job? Will it be a good fit for you? Be honest with yourself about your strengths, work environment preferences and goals, and do your research on what the company and position offer.

Here’s a test: if you’re not willing to put in the effort for a customized resume and cover letter, you probably don’t want the position enough. (And yes, every application needs to be customized. Even inexperienced hiring managers can tell as soon as they open an application when it’s not customized.)

We sometimes think if we apply to as many jobs as possible, we’ll get a job faster. In fact, that’s just a waste of your time and the organizations’ time. Instead, apply smart.

4. Start somewhere

If a good opportunity comes your way and you’re early in your career or moving to a new field, you need to start somewhere.

Say the position isn’t ideal—do you care about the organization’s mission? Is there opportunity for growth? Then treat the position as if it were your dream job, prove you are an asset to the team, gain new skills and be honest about your career goals at the company. Doing so could also introduce you to new interests and goals you didn’t know you had.

5. Be honest

Be honest in interviews about your strengths, weaknesses and what type of position and work environment you’re looking for. Interviewers can tell when you’re being genuine, and they’ll appreciate your honesty. Even if you’re a great actor, your interviewer can detect when you don’t actually want the job, so you’re just sabotaging yourself.

And don’t forget: interviews are rarely about your skills and almost always about fit for the company and the position.

6. Be observant

Interviews are two-way. Not only is the employer seeing whether you’re a good fit for them, you’re also determining whether the company and team are good fits for you.

How does your interviewer treat you? Was the interview process organized, slow or fast? How do they talk about teamwork, your position and their own work? These are all things to consider.

7. Always help others

Just because the job market is competitive doesn’t mean you can’t collaborate. If you find a job that is a better fit for someone else, share it with them.

Whether you are in the midst of a search yourself or settled in a job, it’s important to give back and share… because what goes around, comes around.

8. Learn

We can all learn during the challenging job search process, so take advantage of the opportunity for personal reflection and discovering more about your industry.

After all, learning is a quality that will help you no matter what job you land in.

Hila Mehr is a Social Enterprise Fellow in India and previously worked for a think tank in Washington, D/C. She blogs at http://hilamehr.tumblr.com. Connect on Twitter @HilaMehr.

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But nothing happens. Not one drop of the ingenuity you know is bottled up inside gushes forth. Meanwhile, your deadline nears.

Creativity doesn’t flow from a tap that we can simply turn off and on. It’s fickle. Like a Broadway diva, it often needs some pampering and encouragement before taking center stage.

Luckily, there are a number of simple ways to jump start the creative juices:

1. True Blue

Surround yourself with the cool, calming color of blue to give your creativity a boost. A 2009 study published in the journal Science outlined how colors take on certain associations. Red makes us anxious, while blue allows us to relax. The study found that people who faced a blue computer screen were better able to unwind and allow fresh ideas to develop.  Simply go into the settings on your computer and change the background on your desktop to a more calming color and see if it works for you.

2. Keep It Random

Grab a magazine or book, flip to any page and just start reading. Turn on the TV to a show that’s half over and watch it for a few minutes. Don’t try to catch up on the plot—pay attention to the phrases being used or emotions being conveyed. Your mind will start to fill in the gaps, which can create new ideas.

3. Be Cheerful

Watch a video of your favorite standup comic. Mood is a significant determining factor in creativity. While anxiety can focus a person, good cheer and happiness can foster new ideas, according to one study published by the National Academy of Sciences in 2006. Just watching a clip of a laughing baby has shown the potential to boost one’s creativity.

4. Feed Your Creativity

Certain foods provide nutrients that help foster fresh thinking. Antioxidants found in vitamin C- and vitamin E-rich foods (such as broccoli, spinach and sunflower seeds) are known to promote creativity.

5. Map Your Mind

This technique is like brainstorming 2.0. Jot down a central topic or word on a piece of paper and then link related terms or ideas around it. This creates a visual way of seeing how different ideas and concepts are linked while providing a unique perspective on your subject.

6. List It Out

Creating lists can help you organize those tangled thoughts. Take a question that’s central to your project and then rattle off as many answers as you can. Don’t overthink it—the responses must be spontaneous, allowing your subconscious to take the lead. Stay focused and make the entire list in a single sitting for best results.

7. Embrace the Absurd

Try thinking of your project in a completely different way. Go nuts! One method called Janusian Thinking involves connecting two opposite or ridiculous concepts to create an original idea. Consider markets or audiences that have nothing to do with the project you’re working on. A strange combination could spark a great idea.

8. Meditate

If you can find a nice, quiet spot to escape from your usual work routine, meditation might help you stoke the creative flame. A recent study published by Frontiers in Cognition showed that certain meditation techniques influence the divergent and convergent styles of thinking—the main two ingredients for creativity. It will also help you relax, which is never a bad thing.

9. Perform Menial Tasks

Pick up a broom, do the dishes or even pave the driveway—any menial work that will allow your mind to wander. This frees up your subconscious and will allow new ideas to enter. At the very least, you’ll get some of the housework done.

10. Switch Your Medium

Break out of your comfort zone by being creative in a different way. If you’re a graphic designer, try writing. If you’re a writer, give sketching a shot. This will force you to look at your project with a new perspective as you strive to overcome different challenges.

Jennifer Motian lives in Chicago and writes for a company that provides patent brokerage services. When she’s not working and writing, she can be found doing yoga and seeing live music around the best city in the world.

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Sometimes, regardless of our best intentions, and no matter what we do to make our work relationships and product better, it just seems like nothing is changing for the better. Sometimes, my clients feel physically ill because of the abuse they experience at work. Some people don’t even want to get out of bed in the morning. The following is my “prescription” when you’re sick and tired of your job:

Identify The Problem

What is really wrong with your job? Is it the environment? Is it a specific colleague, or a general office attitude? Is it the product you make or the type of job you have? The key to making your situation better—either by taking actions to improve your work situation or quitting—is to know what is making you sick. Some people skip this essential step only to return to similar situations at different employers, never quite resolving the problem. Make a list of what is working and not working for you and be brutally honest. Sometimes, knowing what we don’t want can be enough to send us in the direction of what we really want at work.

Find Support

Find a coach like me. Find a friend who can help you through the existential work crisis. If necessary, speak with a counselor, pastor or therapist. Finding support with someone who has been through and/or helped others in your situation is one of the best ways to move forward faster. Stay committed to working with this person and be open to communication. The more you express your negative feelings and thoughts, the better. Out with old, negative thoughts and in with new, positive thoughts about the future.

Take Care of Your Body

I know this is a tough one for my American and foreign friends without health insurance, but take the time to care and nourish your body. See a doctor if you have the need. One friend was so exhausted and sick of her work that she passed out on the sidewalk. She woke up in the hospital severely malnourished and dehydrated. I had to call her each week and ask her if she was eating and drinking properly.

Even if you’re feeling depressed and don’t want to take prescription pills, there are natural and holistic ways of seeking medical treatment. Choose to love your body even if you don’t love your work. As they say, “You’ll need your strength.” You’ll need your physical strength and endurance to get through a bad work situation.

Nourish Your Soul

As mentioned earlier, speak and work with a pastor, counselor or therapist who can help you sort out your negative feelings and thoughts. Sometimes, work isn’t the only factor that causes stress in our lives—it can be one of the many factors that makes us depressed and sick. Take the time to read spiritually enlightening literature from your belief system. Talk with a member of your congregation or speak with a spiritual guide who can help you understand your life’s purpose from a values-based point of view. Feed your soul and bring back the energy and motivation we’ve lost at work.

Look For A Way Out

If you must quit, now is the time to start planning your exit strategy. That means taking an inventory of the things you need to do and know before you quit and preparing yourself for the job search or next big move. Start asking yourself how you can get out gracefully.

Can you think of other ways to deal when work makes you sick and depressed? Do you have any tips or advice to offer? Share them here!

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by Julien Gordon

Who has the marbles to walk into an interview and drop this resume on the table? If I were recruiting for my company and someone submitted this resume, I would probably hire them on the spot.

You can write the most thorough resume, with strong action verbs, the nicest layout and the best schools and GPA, printed on the finest paper, but if it doesn’t communicate that you 1) create value and 2) get money, the chances of you getting hired are slim.

Size does matter

The sizing of each section of the resume is extremely important. Eighty percent of your resume is about your performance and 20 percent about your personality.

A lot of resumes are full of fluff. If you are overcompensating by filling up your resume with achievements and awards from high school or words typed per minute, it’s probably a sign that the size of your impact isn’t that great. Where you went to school and your GPA don’t matter that much—even a 4.0 won’t get you hired today. The baseline is that you have finished college, created value and have some sort of leadership beyond self.

A resume should not be a carbon copy of your job descriptions. Instead, each bullet point should communicate how you moved the organization or some aspect of it from point A to point B. Potential employers are more concerned with what you MOVED FORWARD than what you DID BACK THEN. You can even take it one step further and create a resume 2.0, which is more like a visual portfolio of your value. An addendum to your portfolio should include physical examples of the quality of your work (i.e., business plans or essays you’ve written, presentations you’ve created, an actual website or product you designed or marketed, etc.).

Employers trust results, not resumes

Let’s face it: most resumes are lies. There is so much information asymmetry in the career search process. Companies lie by posting job descriptions that don’t truly communicate the nature of the job, and potential employees exaggerate each and every bullet point on their resume, falsely presenting their true nature. It’s easier to search the dictionary for the perfect SAT word than it is for someone to actually create real value. Employers see you as a risk until proven otherwise.

Every company is hiring…even in economic downturn

In other words, no company is NOT hiring. When a company is down, it will hire anyone who it thinks will take it higher. The only way to bounce back from an economic downturn is to either lay off people and hope that things return to the good ol’ days or hire great people who will be intrapreneurs (i.e., entrepreneurs within an existing company) who will think of new ways to reposition and repurpose the company through innovation.

If someone great knocks on the door, they won’t shut it. But keep in mind that I don’t mean “great” as in “great person” or “great personality”—I mean someone with a great performance track record. Leading people over the past 10 years has shown me that nice people don’t always produce nice results. It’s sad but true: unfortunately, personality and performance aren’t correlated. Personality only gets you so far. Sometimes nice guys do finish last because they don’t perform.

Have you created EXTREME value? If so, how?

The best resume I’ve ever seen is Jay-Z’s. His resume is full of ways that he has created EXTREME value for companies he has started and worked with. School doesn’t prepare us to create EXTREME value; it prepares us to be employees. An 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. workday becomes a 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, and homework becomes work that you have to take home.

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell (of Dell), Mark Zuckerberg, Ralph Lauren, Jack Taylor (Enterprise) and others dropped out of college because they saw ways to create EXTREME value in the world that college wasn’t preparing them to do. Imagine if Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg followed the rest of their classmates and ended up being a consultant or investment banker. I probably wouldn’t be typing this to you on a PC or a Mac, and you probably wouldn’t be reading it on Facebook.

I’m not saying this to encourage anyone drop out; I have three degrees, and I value each one because I used the free time and risk-free space to practice value creation. I failed at five business during college and grad school. Instead of seeing yourself as buying an education, see it as buying two or four years of time to educate yourself and demonstrate you can create value through on-campus leadership, entrepreneurship, event execution and internships. Even if you don’t want to be an entrepreneur, you need to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit.

Everyone expects to have a job, but few are creating them

The last time I was speaking, I asked everyone who intended to have a job to stand up, and of course everyone stood up. Next, I said to sit down if they’d never created $1,000 of income in a year through any form of work, and about 30 percent of the room sat down. And finally, I said to sit down if ’they’d never created $1,000 of income on their own outside of a company before. Only a handful of people remained standing. This is the problem with our economy: everyone wants a job, but nobody is trying to create them. There is an imbalance between entrepreneurial-minded people and employee-minded people. Companies need both, but the entrepreneurial-minded person will always get hired first, and the employee-minded person will always get fired first.

Value is that which causes a transaction

True value forces whoever is being offered the value to make a choice. It causes the exchange or movement of time, money and other forms of capital. Most people are indifferent and happy with who they are and where they are, even though they may say they aren’t. Value makes them admit that they want to be somewhere else, somewhere better and then helps them actually get there. In my book, The 8 Cylinders of Success, I define this ability to close the space between point A and point B for someone else as your “professional velocity.” The higher your professional velocity is, the faster you will get hired. You communicate this on your resume through using “point A to point B” bullet points.

Unemployment is caused by bad resumes, not a bad economy

Unemployment is not a sign of the lack of jobs in the economy. Unemployment is a sign of a lack of people who have and can demonstrate that they have created value for others in the past. That’s why 50 percent of workers are underemployed, meaning that that they have jobs, but they aren’t using their passion, they aren’t reaching their full potential and they aren’t making their highest contribution to the world every day. Whereas the national unemployment rate is only 10 percent, underemployment is five times that. This cycle starts with your resume.

So many people drive to work, leave half of themselves in the passenger seat and drag the other half of themselves inside the office. Note that underemployment has nothing to do with one’s salary; you can be making $200,000 a year and still be underemployed. Economies fail when too many people are underemployed. Employees get mad when companies cut dead weight, and employers get mad when they realize that they hired dead weight. Are you dead weight, or are you helping your company soar? It’s hard for dead weight to move, so it simply holds on as long as it can.

It is what it is

At the end of the day, a resume 1.0 won’t get you a job, and a resume 2.0 might land you an interview. A resume is exactly what it means…without the accent over the e. It’s a document that employers use to answer the question “Will this person be able to resume (pronounced “re-zoom”) their past success here?” If you haven’t been creating value where you are right now—even if you hate it—it’s going to be difficult to communicate your value to another potential employer. If you hate your job, remember that you chose it by way of your past choices and actions, which ultimately shaped your future choices. So seek to create value wherever you are because it will only position you to do things that you truly value in the near future.

I’ll leave you with the quote that inspired this blog entry. It came from Jeremih’s song “I’mma Star” (an unexpected place):

So here I am… Check my DNA
Getting money’s the only thing on my resume
I thought I told yah… I’m a star

Are you a star? Is creating value in your DNA? And is gettin’ money evident on your resume?

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The post How to Write the World’s Best Resume Ever appeared first on Brazen Life.

by Hashim Warren

Giving advice about asking for a raise is like giving advice about dating. Everything you suggest can be reasonable; however, people will still have to deal with the emotional decisions of another person.

Let me stay on the safe side and teach you a way to raise your pay that I’m confident will work for everyone. Check out these four proven ways to increase your salary without begging your unpredictable boss:

1. Freelance

Why spend your nights and weekends using your unlimited mobile minutes when you can use your skill to help other people and businesses, for a price?

Yes, I know everyone in our business already claims to freelance on the side. However, when I coach people on this, I find that most have no system for winning customers, no process for completing projects and—worst of all—no framework for how much to charge or how to collect it.

I was in the same boat until I read The Unlimited Freelancer ebook. At first, I was skeptical whether it would help me because other books on the same subject suggested “cold-calling” for clients, which I refuse to do.

The Unlimited Freelancer took me step-by-step through the 21st century way of setting up my freelancing business, including how to use the Web to promote myself without being obnoxious. No cold-calling here.

Buy the book for less than 20 bucks, and I get a finder’s fee for sending you over. Once you buy, shoot me a note to let me know how things are going. I may feature your freelance business in a future post on Career Green Light.

2. Get A New Job

The high rate of turnover at music labels, movie studios and television networks is scary for some, but an opportunity for you.

Every week, there’s a new opening out there that perfectly fits your skills. So, using less effort than you need in most industries, you can hop from your current job in entertainment to a different one, for a huge boost in your salary.

Look around you. You’ve seen more people leave for higher pay, then come back for even higher pay, than you’ve seen workers stay and receive a raise. It’s the crazy nature of our business.

If you’re not actively freelancing right now, you should be. Apart from earning more money, it’s one of the better ways to discover your next full-time job, without even looking.

3. Start Off Right

When you’re offered your next job, you have your biggest opening to negotiate a raise for yourself, even before you begin.

I’ve had my salary raised at almost every job I’ve accepted. I’ve been paid more than the other people in the same position, at the same company, who have already been there for years.

It doesn’t make sense, but that’s how it works.

Television executive and reality show producer DMA has great advice on how to price your work when you have a new job offer. Study her formula and use it to guide your next salary negotiation. It will save you from starting off underpaid, which is a worse hurt than never earning a raise.

4. Manage Your Money

The simplest way to get a “raise” is to get more out of the money you already have.

Pouring over your bills and budget every half-week is for people with more time than most of us have. Instead, try the three bucket method, developed by a personal finance expert but useful for people who don’t want to spend a lifetime studying this stuff.

I used a modified version of that method to effortlessly kill thousands of dollars of debt some time ago.

Another way to get more out of your money is to spend it on things that will help your career. Skip that film premiere and buy a book that will help you build a new skill. Cancel your vacation this year and spend that money on a continuing education class.

(Did you know career-related expenses are tax deductible? Unfortunately, movie and plane tickets are not. )

A raise from your company is their way of investing in you. Are you willing to invest in yourself in the same way you’d ask your boss to?

It’s About Control, Not Money

There’s nothing worse than the feeling that someone other than yourself is in charge of your livelihood.

By putting one or more of these self-raise tips into practice, you won’t just earn and keep more money, you’ll take control of your career.

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The post 4 Ways To Get A Raise (Without Asking) appeared first on Brazen Life.

by Drew Tarvin

One of my biggest challenges since graduating college has been learning how to wake up early. It seemed that every morning I would hit the snooze button six or seven times, wasting an hour of productivity (or at least uninterrupted sleep).

But last year, I decided I had had enough of the snooze button. By applying a number of tips and tricks from various sources, and having a sense of humor about the morning hours, I was able to ween myself off the snooze button and start waking up early.

Breaking the Snooze Addiction

My first decision when wanting to wake up early was around the snooze button. Do I just start setting my alarm for 5:00 a.m. so I can hit snooze for an hour and wake up at 6:00 a.m., or do I learn to stop hitting snooze and wake up on the first ring of the alarm? I realized I would rather be able to wake up for the time I set on my alarm.

By learning the discipline of waking up the first time the alarm rings, I can change when it is that I want to wake up. Right now, the desired time is 6:00 a.m. So I set my alarm for 6:00 a.m., and I’m good to go. But what happens if I need to start waking up at 5:00 a.m., or decide to get up at 8:00 a.m.? If I only learned to wake up exactly at 6:00 a.m., hitting snooze or otherwise, then changing the wake-up time is an added challenge. But if I can get up as soon as the alarm clock goes off the first time, then it doesn’t matter what time I set the alarm for.

And it’s worked. For the past year, I’ve been waking up early by not hitting snooze. I’ll admit that I have days (and sometimes a week) where I “relapse” into hitting snooze, and if I told you that I love every minute of 6:00 a.m., I’d be a liar…But, I have become an “early riser.”

To do so, I had to combine all the tips and tricks that I’ve learned and read about through the years (trust me, I’ve done a lot of research on this). The 12-step intervention plan I used is below. I tried to link to the original sources I learned each tip from, where I could remember.

12 Tips to Stop Hitting Snooze and Wake Up Early

1. Appreciate waking up.
   One of the most important steps for me was changing my mindset about waking up. It was easy for me to hit snooze because my morning mind was focused on returning back to my warm, welcoming bed. But now, waking up and mornings are different for me. Every time my alarm rings, I focus on the fact that it’s a new day with new opportunities. I’m only 25, so hopefully I have quite a few more years ahead of me, but there’s no reason to not start living each day to its fullest.
2. Set an alarm you’re happy to wake up to.
   I hate the process of waking up, regardless of what time it is. You’re in the middle of a great dream, and then suddenly an annoying, loud sound comes from nowhere to wake you up. I decided if I’m going to appreciate waking up, I can’t use the same old alarm clock. Instead I switched to a sound I actually enjoy, one that I’m happy to hear in the morning. (It’s currently the song “A Brand New Day” from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog.)
3. Have something to do/a reason you are getting up.
   Do you ever have an early flight on a Saturday morning and find it easier to get up at 4:00 a.m. that day than to get up at 6:00 a.m. on any normal day? It’s because you have a deadline for when you can be up, and you have something immediate to do upon waking (getting ready and getting to the airport). By having something you need to do, it makes it easier to stay awake and avoid the snooze. If you can’t think of anything that you want to do immediately upon getting up, showering is a good start.
4. Set a short goal.
   My goal for waking up at 6:00 a.m. was technically only for one week. But after that week, I kept going. By giving myself a short goal of waking up early for just seven days, it seemed less daunting. Each morning, when I hated the fact that I was awake, I would repeat to myself that it was only short-term. By having the mindset that I just have to get through this week, it was more manageable. I then told myself the same thing the next week, and then the week after, etc., etc.
5. Go to bed earlier.
   This one is obvious, but it certainly does help. I know that my body needs an average of at least seven hours of sleep each night for me to be productive during the day. That means if I want to wake up at 6:00 a.m., I need to be in bed by 11:00 p.m. It’s much harder to wake up early if you go to bed late.
6. Don’t sleep too comfortably.
   Often my problem in the morning isn’t having nothing to do; it’s that I look back at my bed and think of how incredible it would be to be able to return to it. By sleeping in a slightly less-than-heavenly bed, the allure back into it diminishes. Luckily, I have a Sleep Number bed, so I’ve set the setting to 70, much firmer than I’m used to, because it’s not as entrapping as sleeping on 35.
7. Try to wake up in the right cycle.
   Studies show that how much sleep you get isn’t nearly as important as how much REM sleep you get. They also suggest that waking up in the middle of an REM cycle can leave you drowsy, but waking up in between one can be more refreshing. By sleeping for the right amount of time (e.g. seven and a half hours instead of eight), you can make it easier on the body to wake up.
8. Put the alarm on the other side of the room.
   By putting the alarm on the other side of the room, it’s a lot more inconvenient to keep hitting snooze. If you have to keep getting up and walking, you’ll get your muscles moving and your body up.
9. Turn on the lights.
   Despite the invention of the light bulb, instinctively, we still desire to rise and sleep with the sun. That’s why most people want their rooms to be dark when they’re sleeping. Well, the same is true for waking up—light signals our body that it’s time to get up.
10. Drink some water.
    Not only does drinking water get you doing something physical (walking to the kitchen and getting water); it also supplies the body with its most precious resource after a six- to eight-hour drought. Drinking cooler water also helps wake up the body because of the additional energy required to heat the water during digestion.
11. Wake up at the same time every day.
    Waking up at the same time every day allows your body to set your internal clock so that it becomes accustomed to the 6:00 a.m. hour. Over time, your body will naturally start prepping itself to be awake at 6:00 a.m., oftentimes allowing you to wake up just before your alarm. And if you have an alarm sound that you are looking forward to hearing, it can make it even more pleasant to hear it from the beginning. The biggest hurdle to this tip is the weekend. Many people, myself included a few years ago, wake up at 6:00 a.m. all week and then sleep in till noon on Saturday. The general rule of thumb is to wake up no later than two hours after your normal waking time; otherwise, you destroy any internal clock-setting.
12. Commit.
    Perhaps the strongest driver for me when I first started was committing to waking up. I wish I could pretend that my discipline is so great that I just committed to it internally to myself and that was enough, but it’s not. I committed to it as a project, which meant if I failed, I owed someone $100. I also committed to a friend, who decided to wake up at 6:00 a.m. as well. Each morning for that first week, we IMed each other at 6:00 a.m. to prove that we were both up, realizing that we’d call each other out if we didn’t wake up at that time. Money and friendly challenges can be motivating factors.

How You Can Wake Up Early

By attacking my snooze addiction from multiple angles, and creating a routine using the above tips, I’ve been able to survive waking up at 6:00 a.m.. As a result, I’ve had more productive days because I’ve started the day off right.

I’m sure not everyone will need to incorporate all of the tips like I do, but at least you can pick and choose which ones will work for you. No two people are exactly alike; you have to find out what motivations, tricks and techniques work for you. Good luck, and good mornings.

My Wake-Up Routine

For those of you curious about my specific routine, this is what my mornings currently look like:

1. Alarm goes off playing “A Brand New Day.” (Note: I usually try to change the song I wake up to every couple of weeks, otherwise I grow to hate the song and it becomes less effective.)
2. I wake up, walk across the room to my alarm (usually forcing myself to sing along with the alarm).
3. I turn off the alarm, hit the lights and go to the kitchen for a glass of water.
4. I come back into my room, agonize over what time it is, drink the water and get on my computer to do something that involves brain activity (reading email or a Sudoku puzzle).
5. If I’m feeling ambitious, I stretch/prepare to workout or, more often, hop in the shower.

Got your own tips for waking up early and not hitting snooze? Share them in the comments.

Note: The original version of this article was first posted on the drewtarvin.com.

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The post How to Stop Hitting Snooze And Wake Up Early appeared first on Brazen Life.

by Amit

Honest and sincere appreciation is the most effective tool used sparingly by the majority of people. The effectiveness of this tool has been undermined by many due to various reasons. However, the people who have used it efficiently have done wonders in their personal and professional lives. This topic has a full chapter dedicated to it in Dale Carnegie famous book How to Win Friends and Influence People. The author has used many examples to show why it means a lot to give honest and sincere appreciation in order to get best results out of your relationship or career. Beyond a doubt, this is the most effective tool you can use to impress people, change the situations, steer the results in your favor and—most importantly—make people think highly of you.

There are many issues when it comes to appreciating someone. While your inner self might be thumping out loud to go ahead and appreciate, the other part of your mind holds back you so strongly that you lose all courage at the time. The main reasons for this include:

1. fear of rejection
2. thinking it is cheap
3. comparing it with flattery
4. ego
5. worrying what others might think
6. social pressure
7. thinking it’s useless
8. thinking it might be out of context
9. thinking it’s needless
10. the “I am the best” philosophy

This may not happen when you tend to appreciate:

1. a beautiful car
2. some monument
3. a TV show, etc.

Yes,you tend to appreciate anything or everything except human beings. Why?

Aren’t they worthy of it? Well, they are very much worthy of it.

So, what holds you back? The mindset, of course

While many authors including Dale Carnegie would tell you why you should appreciate someone, the biggest problem I have seen is that people don’t recognize triggers and always fail on very basic art of “How to Give Honest and Sincere Appreciation.” This is a 10-step procedure which help you recognize your triggers and appreciate a person.

Trigger – Many things that happen in our life are normal or monotonous. Seldom do we see, experience or feel something which is different. A trigger is something which gives us a feeling of awe. Develop a habit of recognizing it, because this will be your most effective weapon in years to come.

Now…

How to Give Honest and Sincere Appreciation

1. De-clutter your mind.
2. Think of the person and not any of the negatives about him/her.
3. Drop all your apprehensions and remain positive.
4. Proceed further and kill the voice which says “no.”
5. Tell yourself, “I should, because this is just amazing.”
6. Tell the person that you appreciate the act.
7. Tell them how it made you feel good.
8. Try to relate it to an incident and how the act has surpassed all expectations.
9. Congratulate and tell them that it was beyond expectations.
10. Thank them again for the much-appreciated thing.

When I see something good by any team member or someone from a different team, I make sure to be positive and appreciate the act. I forget any negatives about the person or bad experiences I have had with the person. My mind tries hard to remind me of bad things, but I tell myself that I should definitely show appreciation. I do that not only to appreciate the person, but also to make sure that the he keeps in the best spirits in future. I tell him that he has done an amazing thing which is way beyond my expectations. I congratulate him and tell him how this will influence things in the time to come. I thank him again and tell him to keep the good things coming in future.

I have considered a scenario which you will encounter in your corporate life. However, the basic would remain same if:

1. You want to appreciate you loved ones.
2. You want to appreciate a good service.
3. You want to appreciate some good act.
4. You want to appreciate something which is out of this world.

Try It. It is the best weapon you can have in your arsenal.

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