Work Life balance is the key to long term success

Life is not all work. You need to treat and pamper yourself regularly. You need to balance work, education, and fun.

You may be busy with work, but that shouldn’t be an excuse not to have fun. If you have a hobby like Stand-up Paddle Boarding, squeeze in an hour a day or a few hours during the weekend to still fulfill these things.

Same with education. Always learn new things and never stop learning. With time, you can still give a few hours a day to learn something new or during your days off work.

Tips for College Grads

Gain professional experience through an internship

Trying out different fields and learning new skills is the perfect way to see what type of career path you’d like to take.  Professional experience, no matter the sector, will better prepare you for the real world and help you figure out what you enjoy. Plus, getting a foot in the door when you’re young will make the job hunt less painful.

Are you making this mistake in your interviews?

Only Answer Questions

Yes, you’re expected to answer a lot of questions in an interview. That’s the whole point. But, you should come prepared with your own questions, too. Not only does that signal your interest in the position and company, but it shows that you will take an active role in discussions and meetings if hired.

If you’re stuck on what to ask, keep it generic. Ask about the culture of the company, how the team dynamic is or what the manager is looking for in their ideal hire. The point is to engage in the conversation so it’s not one-sided.

Do not do this at your next interview?

Pretend You Know an Answer When You Don’t

If you’re asked a question you don’t know the answer to, don’t make one up or act as if you know. Instead, use it as an opportunity to show you can be humble and how you would handle yourself if a similar situation came up on your team or with a client or manager. Offer to look up the answer or do research and get back to them within a specified timeline. While it’s obviously not ideal, it is better than getting caught in a lie. Plus, it shows how you deal with conflict.

Put on an Act

An interview is your opportunity to show a company and the hiring manager your personality. While it’s important to put your best foot forward, it’s equally as important to be yourself.

Use Corporate Jargon

In the same vein as being yourself, don’t pepper your speech with jargon. Speak how you normally would in a professional setting. Be direct but kind and leave the figures of speech and words that don’t really mean anything behind.

Are you thinking about your Career Path?

Every year or so, deeply consider your career path

About once a year, you should go out and refresh your network, check out new opportunities and conduct salary comparisons. It is easier to make strategic career decisions when you have real data to compare to the benefits of your current job. It is important to know where you stand in your industry. You may also consider sharpening your knowledge of new industry trends each year to remain competitive in the job market if you should ever choose to or need to leave your current workplace.

Be innovative take a risk

The job search is tough, the market is competitive, and it’s only natural to be cautious and by-the-book in your approach. But, as the saying goes, fortune favors the bold—and sometimes, taking risks in your career can pay off big time.

For example, if you see a job listing that makes your heart race with excitement, but you don’t quite qualify, apply anyway. If you’re applying to a highly competitive position at your dream company, consider a video application or dynamic online resume to stand out. Or, think outside the application process altogether—and see if you can set up informational interviews or meetings with people who work at awesome companies in your industry. These approaches might seem risky, but I’ve seen them reap big rewards more than once.

All the trappings of our modern lives can be easy to depend on—and sometimes you really can use them. But, make sure you weave in a few old school tricks as well, and you’ll surely impress potential employers with your renaissance approach.

Action Verbs for your resume

Most resume bullet points start with the same words. Frankly, the same tired old words hiring managers have heard over and over—to the point where they’ve lost a lot of their meaning and don’t do much to show off your accomplishments. So, let’s get a little more creative, shall we? Next time you update your resume, switch up a few of those common words and phrases with strong, compelling action verbs that will catch hiring managers’ eyes.

No matter what duty or accomplishment you’re trying to show off, we’ve got just the resume action verb for you. Check out the list below, and get ready to make your resume way more exciting.

You Led a Project

If you were in charge of a project or initiative from start to finish, skip “led” and instead try:

  1. Chaired
  2. Controlled
  3. Coordinated
  4. Executed
  5. Headed
  6. Operated
  7. Orchestrated
  8. Organized
  9. Oversaw
  10. Planned
  11. Produced
  12. Programmed

Action Verbs 13-33You Envisioned and Brought a Project to Life

And if you actually developed, created, or introduced that project into your company? Try:

  1. Administered
  2. Built
  3. Charted
  4. Created
  5. Designed
  6. Developed
  7. Devised
  8. Founded
  9. Engineered
  10. Established
  11. Formalized
  12. Formed
  13. Formulated
  14. Implemented
  15. Incorporated
  16. Initiated
  17. Instituted
  18. Introduced
  19. Launched
  20. Pioneered
  21. Spearheaded

Action Verbs 34-42You Saved the Company Time or Money

Hiring managers love candidates who’ve helped a team operate more efficiently or cost-effectively. To show just how much you saved, try:

  1. Conserved
  2. Consolidated
  3. Decreased
  4. Deducted
  5. Diagnosed
  6. Lessened
  7. Reconciled
  8. Reduced
  9. Yielded

Action Verbs 43-61You Increased Efficiency, Sales, Revenue, or Customer Satisfaction

Along similar lines, if you can show that your work boosted the company’s numbers in some way, you’re bound to impress. In these cases, consider:

  1. Accelerated
  2. Achieved
  3. Advanced
  4. Amplified
  5. Boosted
  6. Capitalized
  7. Delivered
  8. Enhanced
  9. Expanded
  10. Expedited
  11. Furthered
  12. Gained
  13. Generated
  14. Improved
  15. Lifted
  16. Maximized
  17. Outpaced
  18. Stimulated
  19. Sustained

Action Verbs 62-87You Changed or Improved Something

So, you brought your department’s invoicing system out of the Stone Age and onto the interwebs? Talk about the amazing changes you made at your office with these words:

  1. Centralized
  2. Clarified
  3. Converted
  4. Customized
  5. Influenced
  6. Integrated
  7. Merged
  8. Modified
  9. Overhauled
  10. Redesigned
  11. Refined
  12. Refocused
  13. Rehabilitated
  14. Remodeled
  15. Reorganized
  16. Replaced
  17. Restructured
  18. Revamped
  19. Revitalized
  20. Simplified
  21. Standardized
  22. Streamlined
  23. Strengthened
  24. Updated
  25. Upgraded
  26. Transformed

Action Verbs 88-107You Managed a Team

Instead of reciting your management duties, like “Led a team…” or “Managed employees…” show what an inspirational leader you were with terms like:

  1. Aligned
  2. Cultivated
  3. Directed
  4. Enabled
  5. Facilitated
  6. Fostered
  7. Guided
  8. Hired
  9. Inspired
  10. Mentored
  11. Mobilized
  12. Motivated
  13. Recruited
  14. Regulated
  15. Shaped
  16. Supervised
  17. Taught
  18. Trained
  19. Unified
  20. United

Action Verbs 108-113You Brought in Partners, Funding, or Resources

Were you “responsible for” a great new partner, sponsor, or source of funding? Try:

  1. Acquired
  2. Forged
  3. Navigated
  4. Negotiated
  5. Partnered
  6. Secured

Action Verbs 114-122You Supported Customers

Because manning the phones or answering questions really means you’re advising customers and meeting their needs, use:

  1. Advised
  2. Advocated
  3. Arbitrated
  4. Coached
  5. Consulted
  6. Educated
  7. Fielded
  8. Informed
  9. Resolved

Action Verbs 123-142You Were a Research Machine

Did your job include research, analysis, or fact-finding? Mix up your verbiage with these words:

  1. Analyzed
  2. Assembled
  3. Assessed
  4. Audited
  5. Calculated
  6. Discovered
  7. Evaluated
  8. Examined
  9. Explored
  10. Forecasted
  11. Identified
  12. Interpreted
  13. Investigated
  14. Mapped
  15. Measured
  16. Qualified
  17. Quantified
  18. Surveyed
  19. Tested
  20. Tracked

Action Verbs 143-161You Wrote or Communicated

Was writing, speaking, lobbying, or otherwise communicating part of your gig? You can explain just how compelling you were with words like:

  1. Authored
  2. Briefed
  3. Campaigned
  4. Co-authored
  5. Composed
  6. Conveyed
  7. Convinced
  8. Corresponded
  9. Counseled
  10. Critiqued
  11. Defined
  12. Documented
  13. Edited
  14. Illustrated
  15. Lobbied
  16. Persuaded
  17. Promoted
  18. Publicized
  19. Reviewed

Action Verbs 162-173You Oversaw or Regulated

Whether you enforced protocol or managed your department’s requests, describe what you really did, better, with these words:

  1. Authorized
  2. Blocked
  3. Delegated
  4. Dispatched
  5. Enforced
  6. Ensured
  7. Inspected
  8. Itemized
  9. Monitored
  10. Screened
  11. Scrutinized
  12. Verified

Action Verbs 174-185You Achieved Something

Did you hit your goals? Win a coveted department award? Don’t forget to include that on your resume, with words like:

  1. Attained
  2. Awarded
  3. Completed
  4. Demonstrated
  5. Earned
  6. Exceeded
  7. Outperformed
  8. Reached
  9. Showcased
  10. Succeeded
  11. Surpassed
  12. Targeted

2 Tips to live and work by.

Do Your Job Well

This goes without saying, but what some people may not realize is that it’s important to not only meet expectations but exceed them. Understand your role and responsibilities and do more than what is expected.  Not all roles, entry-level or not, are thrilling every day and most people are anxious to get that promotion, but first you need to master the basics and demonstrate your willingness to work hard and show results in your current role.

Develop a Specialty

Know your strengths and weaknesses, and identify a need in your business or industry that can leverage those strengths. If you’re not sure what your strengths are, use an assessment tool to discover them. This specialty should become a part of your brand. It will help you identify opportunities down the road as well as make you stand out to be identified for opportunities.

Free Career Assessment Tool

Are you good at public speaking?

Work on your public speaking and presentation skills

If you solve an IT problem and no one notices, have you really solved it?

Public speaking is one of the most important skill that any employee can develop if he or she wants career advancement.

The person who gets noticed at a meeting or a conference is always one that has presented well. Other presenters may have known their subject inside and out or presented interesting ideas. But if they cannot present that message well, they won’t be noticed, and their message will suffer, too.

Presentation is the No. 1 skill to get you ahead. It’s not enough to know something well and do something well. You have to present it well, too. If you can present to your coworkers or to clients, you will stand out from the crowd and do well in your career.

Take ownership of your career…

If you want to succeed in your career, you have to take ownership of both your triumphs and your failures.

Celebrate your triumphs, analyze them, and learn how you can emulate them and build on them in the future.

You need to take ownership of your failures as well, accepting responsibility for them without letting them drag you down and learning everything that you can from the mistakes you make.

Many times, failure is a much more effective teacher than success, and most if not all of the world’s most successful people would not be where they are today if they did not accept their mistakes and learn from them.