Professionals Archives - Page 11 of 13

Interview Hack: #1 Secret To Answering Hard Interview Questions

March 17, 2022March 18, 2022

When you’re in the hot seat at a job interview, thinking of the best answers can be challenging. In this post, we’ll share our #1 secret for answering hard interview questions. Think of it as an interview hack…

Document Everything!

It’s important to bring up relevant and clear examples that prove you’re a fit for that job. But if you struggle to remember specific examples during interviews, you should create a running document of accomplishments. This document will help you prepare for interviews more effectively because all of those examples will be fresh in your mind. Basically, it allows you to review your accomplishments before you go into an interview rather than sitting there trying to think of relevant examples to showcase.

So, what kinds of things should you be putting on this document? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Relevant Quantifiable Accomplishments

Quantifiable accomplishments tie your professional accomplishments to numbers. Remember: numbers = results = value. During the hiring process, your job is to prove that you’ll be a value-add to that company. Quantifiable accomplishments allow you to showcase your value. So, think of all of your previous professional accomplishments and write them down.

2. Challenges You’ve Overcome

Think about all of the challenges you’ve overcome in your career in order to snag that promotion, work with that difficult co-worker, or get that client. Employers want to know these kinds of stories. They want to know you can adapt to situations and overcome difficulties. So, think about all of those challenges you’ve been up against and how you were able to push through successfully. Tip: use the Experience + Learn = Grow model, especially while answering behavioral interview questions.

3. Stories That Reinforce Your Enthusiasm For The Industry/Company

What is it that makes you so enthusiastic about your work? What’s the root of your motivation for working in this particular field, doing this particular job, for this particular company? Write these things down. Employers want to know that you’re passionate about what you do. They want to know you’re in it for more than just the money.

Don’t let your fear of answering hard interview questions stall your job search! Keep a document with all of these items in it. To make this easy, make it a habit to document these things as they happen. Keep everything in the document, pull relevant examples, and review before you head into an interview.

Need More Help Answering Difficult Interview Questions?

We hope you found this hack to be helpful in answering tough questions in your next interview. If you need more help preparing for a job interview, landing a job, or changing careers, we’re here for you. We’d love it if you joined our FREE community. It’s a private, online platform where workers, just like you, are coming together to learn and grow into powerful Workplace Renegades.

It’s time to find work that makes you feel happy, satisfied, and fulfilled. Join our FREE community today to finally become an empowered business-of-one!

5 Ways To Have A Great Day At Work

March 16, 2022March 18, 2022

Who doesn’t want to have a great day at work? I suppose everyone wants to have a great day except for a grouch—those who feel happiest when they are grouchy. So, what are some of the things I have done to have a great day at work?

Before I start, perhaps it’s best to explain that you need to have a long-term view. That view is: achieving more great days at work is possible if we learn some key habits.

1. Finish Today’s Work Today

A great day at work today, started yesterday. And a great day at work tomorrow, started today. So, regardless of what you do, finish today’s work today. And if your work is like mine, always unending, start by having timelines and daily goals you want to achieve every day. These become your productivity benchmarks.

2. Be Mindful

Learn to be conscious of your own feelings. Be aware of why you feel a certain way about certain work issues and colleagues. When you feel certain feelings, tell yourself why you feel that way. For example, “I feel jealous because John received compliments.” Then, ask yourself: “What is a better way to feel?” For example, “I should be happy for John. He worked really hard for it. I should congratulate him.”

Of course, it’s not easy. But if you do it constantly, soon you will catch yourself with negative thoughts. You will arrest these negative thoughts before they become words out of your mouth and actions. You will be more self-aware. A more self-aware person can instantly change the way they think, speak, and act. A mindful person will slowly begin to have a great day at work.

3. Appreciate Challenges

Challenges are all around us. Even the moment you get into your car and onto the roads, the challenge begins. Why is the car in front moving so slowly? Why is that red light so slow in changing? Challenges surround you daily. If you continue fighting them, there is no way you can have a great day at work.

The trick is to appreciate these challenges as a way to train yourself. Train yourself to accept challenges—that there is no way you can change this and it’s a matter of how you respond that will determine how you feel towards your day. When you start to appreciate challenges at work, you will start to have more great days at work.

4. Embrace Change

Just like challenges, change is all around you. Life is about change. Every second, your thoughts and feelings flicker. You change from feeling good to feeling bad, to feeling angry, and a gamut of other thoughts and feelings. Change produces uncertainties and because we like constants and routines, uncertainties bring dissatisfaction.

One way to overcome this is to embrace change. Accept that change is a natural phenomenon and whether it’s a good change or a bad change, these are merely labels we give to a situation. Because things change constantly: something good may change into something bad very quickly and vice versa. A great day at work starts when you can better embrace change.

5. Reflect, Don’t Regret

Reflect constantly on your actions. Some people like to reflect at the end of a day, some like to reflect at the end of the week. Whatever suits you best, do it. But reflect. It allows you to be more self-aware and mindful of your actions. Reflect so you are able to make adjustments and be better the next time.

You need not do all of these tips concurrently. Start with one or two, but be consistent with them. Then, see how your great days at work start to increase.

If you’ve tried the tips above and still find it difficult to have a good day at work, it may be time for a change. Join our FREE community today and learn how to become empowered in your career so you can finally find work that makes you happy, satisfied, and fulfilled!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Work It Daily Reviews: A Hopeful Testimonial For Job Seekers

March 16, 2022March 18, 2022

As a professional who’s going through a tough job search or career challenge, finding the help and inspiration you need can be difficult. At Work It Daily, we know our career resources can help anyone, no matter what problem they’re facing or where they are in their career. But don’t just take our word for it…

We wanted to highlight a recent testimonial from one of our amazing members to inspire and instill hope in others who are also struggling in their careers and considering getting help. Per her wishes, we’re leaving her review anonymous.

Check out this new, inspiring testimonial from one of our incredible Workplace Renegades below!

A Work It Daily Testimonial…

J.T. and team,

I want to say a big THANK YOU for sharing your inspirational videos and other tips on LinkedIn. Thanks to you, I successfully landed a job in my desired career field (I pivoted my career to more closely match my talent with my passion), AND I negotiated a salary increase of 63% more than the hiring team’s initial offer. Plus, they upped my annual potential bonus from 10% to 12%. I have never been able to successfully negotiate my salary before now.

I have been following you for about 3-4 years. About a year ago, I finally invested in your resume and cover letter review because I decided to get a little more serious about getting my career documents and online presence up to a higher standard just in case a new opportunity came along.

Well, this past January, my current employer made some interesting decisions for remote workers that lead my career truly into a dead-end if I would have stayed. So, instead of getting sad about feeling stuck, I went into full swing by applying all of your wonderful advice that I’ve learned over the years.

I quickly found myself actively interviewing with 4 different companies. At each stage I told myself, “Ok [name], remember what J.T. says to do at this point…” and I went and did it.

I start my new job as a Technical Writer, fully remote, on April 4th.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

I don’t know about you, but that testimonial brought tears to my eyes! It’s a wonderful reminder for us at Work It Daily to know that what we do is truly making a difference in people’s lives.

We hope you found this Work It Daily review to be motivating and inspiring. And remember: you’re not alone in your career. If you need some extra help with your career right now, we’d love it if you joined our FREE community. It’s a private, online platform where workers, just like you, are coming together to learn and grow into powerful Workplace Renegades.

It’s time to find work that makes you feel happy, satisfied, and fulfilled—just like our amazing member did above. Join our FREE community today to finally become an empowered business-of-one!

How To Answer Interview Questions About How You Handle A Heavy Workload

March 10, 2022March 12, 2022

We all have times on the job when the work piles up. However, we don’t all react in the same way. Some of us handle that stress better than others. A potential employer naturally wants to know how you will react when that situation happens in this new job. So, they say something like, “Describe a time when your workload was particularly heavy and what steps you took to handle it.”

Behavioral Interview Questions

This is a type of behavioral interview question. These types of questions ask you to describe your past actions or predict how you’ll react in future situations. These can be great ways to get insight into your personality and how you approach difficult situations.

Answers to behavioral interview questions are best structured using the STAR format (situation or task, action you took, and results you achieved). Using this technique ensures you say what you need to say to give a complete answer to the question. (Some people forget to talk about the results they got from the actions they took, but this is the most important part.)

What Do Employers Want To Know?

Basically, employers want to know how you approach problems and stress. Can you adapt? Can you prioritize? Can you stay calm? A lot of people will just say, “I stay until the work is done.” Persistence is good, but letting them know that you approach problems analytically and strategically is better. Show them that you can think critically and make good decisions. Walk them through how you have dealt with this issue before or how you would deal with it.

Good Sample Answers

Here are a couple of examples of good answers to this question:

1. “We all have times when the workload gets a little heavier than normal. I’ve found that the best way to handle it is to step back, take a look at everything on my task list, and prioritize. Most of the time, not everything needs to get done immediately. Some things are more critical to team goals than others, so sometimes it’s necessary to prioritize.”

Then, tell a short story about a time when you did that, and tell what the results of it were: you got X task done, which was beneficial because of Y.

2. “In that kind of situation, prioritizing and teamwork both become critical. I speak to my supervisor to see if I can help him or her and get some input on which tasks to tackle first.”

Then, talk about the time you provided assistance to your boss on a mission-critical task and what happened as a result of that teamwork.

Every interview answer should help sell you for the job. Be prepared with great answers for dozens of tough questions in How to Answer Interview Questions and How to Answer Interview Questions II, both available on Amazon.

We understand the challenges you face in the job search. We know how difficult it is to land (and ace) an interview and make the right career decisions. If you’re feeling trapped or lost in your career right now, we’re here for you. We’d love it if you joined our FREE community where professionals like you are learning how to become empowered in their careers so they can finally find career satisfaction.

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

How To Be Assertive In The Workplace

March 3, 2022March 5, 2022

Are you assertive in the workplace? Assertiveness is one of the many qualities that makes a good leader. Without this trait, leadership can be a challenge.

So, what if you’re not a naturally assertive person but want to move up the ladder? Or, what if you’re not confident enough to assert yourself in the workplace? Here are some tips from some of our approved career experts:

Focus On Leading

“The important thing to do is to stand up for yourself in a manner that doesn’t trample on other people,” says Bud Bilanich, author of Climbing The Corporate Ladder. “This is a good working definition of being assertive.” Bilanich stresses that if you’re in a leadership position, you have the right and, more importantly, the responsibility to direct the actions of others. “Don’t focus on being friends with the people you lead,” he advises. “Focus on leading them.”

So, how do you do this? Set goals with them and review their performance frequently. Provide them with positive, encouraging feedback when they do well, and redirect their behavior when they get off track.

Be Proactive

According to Dorothy Tannahill-Moran of NextChapterNewLife.com, assertiveness is a crucial trait in a leader. But what if you’re not naturally assertive? “You need to look at where you aren’t asserting your opinion and direction, and think through those situations in advance,” says Tannahill-Moran. She suggests creating a “script” for yourself in advance. This approach allows you to work on your leadership skills in a proactive way.

Look for one opportunity each day to assert your opinions and direction—practice makes perfect! “Keep in mind that you are building a skill, which means it won’t feel comfortable or fluid at first,” she says. “But the more you do it, the better you will be.”

Map Out A Plan Of Action

“Leadership is about directing people and you need to be clear about the expectations of the organization,” says career coach Roshni P. Kumar. Kumar suggests creating a plan of action. For example, if you need to reach your office, the first thing you need to know is its location. Then, you determine the most effective route and guide others (management). “Once you are clear about your destination,” she says, “then you can communicate effectively to your team—and that, my friend, is ‘assertiveness.'”

Being assertive in the workplace takes practice, but once you hone this skill, you’ll be better equipped to succeed as a leader.

If you’re struggling to move up in your career or find the right career for you, we can help. We know how difficult it can be to stand out at work and overcome office politics. We know how it feels to be trapped in a career that isn’t making you happy. That’s why we’d love it if you joined our FREE community where professionals like you are learning how to become empowered in their careers so they can finally find career satisfaction.

Sign up for our FREE community and become a Workplace Renegade today!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Are You Ready For The Workplace Revolution? Join Work It Daily’s New FREE Community!

February 25, 2022February 28, 2022

If you’re looking for a job, want to make a career change, feel burned out, or all of the above, our new platform is the perfect place for you to overcome your career struggles so you can find career happiness and satisfaction again. The Workplace Revolution is here, and Work It Daily is leading the way!

J.T. O’Donnell, Work It Daily’s founder and CEO, and a former staffing industry executive and 20-year career coaching veteran with over 2.6 million followers on LinkedIn and another 1.1 million on TikTok, says that many of the participants in the Great Resignation will struggle to find jobs that are better than what they had previously because they were never taught the “new career rules” for success.

“The pain and depression these folks are experiencing are real and deep. It’s not easy to break through your burnout without the right training and support,” says O’Donnell.

This is why we’re launching a new FREE online platform for those looking to find the answers they need to create career satisfaction on their own terms.

Feeling Burned Out In Your Career? Our New FREE Community Is For You…

O’Donnell explains, “Our platform is built to provide the 3Cs for career success: coaching, courses, and community.” Ultimately, we’re leading the Workplace Revolution by providing a private place for frustrated workers to transform themselves.

When you join our FREE community, you get access to…

Exclusive Career Transformation Courses
Templates & Tools To Optimize Your Resume, LinkedIn & Personal Brand
Expert-Led Group Career Coaching Sessions
Inspiring Live Events & Networking Parties
Supportive Community To Discuss Career & Job Search Challenges

Sign up for FREE today and join thousands of other members who are becoming empowered in their careers and taking back their happiness.

Break Through Your Burnout: How To Go From Crisis To Career Satisfaction

Plus, to kick off the launch of our community, J.T. is hosting “Break Through Your Burnout: How To Go From Crisis To Career Satisfaction,” a 4-week FREE course that starts on Wednesday, March 2nd at 12 pm ET.

“This class will help people understand what is holding them down and making them feel unable to get out of their career funk,” says O’Donnell.

Join The Workplace Revolution For FREE Today!

The Workplace Revolution is here. We’d love it if you joined us in changing the world of work for the better.

Exit Statements: What Do I Say When I’ve Been Let Go?

February 9, 2022February 10, 2022

Recently, a reader asked the following question: “I was recently let go from my last company. Are your career experts able to assist with exit statements on why you left a job for situations like this?”

Yes, we do a lot of work in this area. It falls into our “Interview Prep” category.

Here’s how we help you work through and create a solid answer to: “Why did you leave your last job?”

Steal The HR Playbook

At Work It Daily, we provide expert career courses you can watch to find out how to prepare for behavioral interview questions like the one above. Then, we give you a comprehensive list of 18 behavioral interview questions that you could get asked during an interview. (I’m talking REALLY tough questions—the kind that make you sweat just hearing them, let alone answering them!)

Once you’ve read through and thought about these behavioral interview questions, you can choose to write out your answers and submit them to a career coach for review. The career coach then works with you by email so you can fine-tune your answers and be truly confident they are sending the right message. In particular, we focus on the questions that are giving you the greatest “crisis of confidence,” and then we work on those until you are 110% ready to discuss them in an interview.

Interview Prep Eliminates The #1 Killer Of Candidates In Job Interviews

The process above works well for those who have been fired or laid off because it helps them work through their pain and fears related to discussing what they see as an “unpleasant” item on their career record and resume.

Through your interactions and support from your career coach, you’ll see that this is nothing to be sad, embarrassed, or angry about. We help you move past the emotions and focus on the good (yes, good!) that has come from the experience. Trust me, you need to move past this. Ninety-three percent of communication is nonverbal. So, if you aren’t completely comfortable talking about all the tough stuff, then you can bet hiring managers will read it in your body language, facial expressions, and tone. People know when you are lying—and not being at peace with your past and trying to hide it is a form of lying, especially to yourself.

So, if you need help answering, “Why did you leave your last job?” check out Work It Daily and all of our career resources. We’ll help you effectively answer this question (and other difficult behavioral interview questions) and gain the confidence you need to ace your next interview.

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Hate Your Resume? Do This!

February 7, 2022February 8, 2022

So, you hate writing resumes. I get it. It’s so difficult. You don’t know what to put on it. It feels weird writing about yourself. You don’t know if you’re doing it correctly. You’re changing it all the time. And when you finally send it out to employers, you’re not getting any responses.

I understand the struggle. We were never taught how to write an effective resume. We were never taught how to optimize a resume so it gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager.

All the stress, frustration, and confusion that comes with resume writing might make you think that you should invest in a resume writer. Here’s my expert opinion…

Avoid Resume Writers

@j.t.odonnell If you hate your resume, do this… #resume #resumetips #learnontiktok #edutok #jobsearch #careertiktok #careertips #linkedin #careeradvice #resumen ♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell

Let me be very clear about this: resume writers do not write resumes for the right people. They’re supposed to write them for the recruiters. Recruiters want simple, clean, easy to understand, easy to read in 6-13 seconds. Resume writers write for you. They want to give you an ego boost. So, you spend $300, which is the average cost of hiring a resume writer, and they write up this fancy resume with fancy fonts and tables and make you look so important and so unbelievable—and you still don’t get any calls.

Do you know why?

Because a lot of these templates they’re using are bogus. They don’t work. The tables alone get tossed out of applicant tracking systems (ATS). They’re designing your resume to make you feel good, not get you the attention that you want and need from employers.

Check Out My Resume & LinkedIn Bootcamp Instead!

More importantly, everyone should know how to design their own resume. It’s not that difficult. It’s not rocket science. It’s not brain surgery. And if you are taught correctly, it takes about 45 minutes. That’s it. And then you have a resume that’s optimized and effective.

How do I know this? Well, because I teach this for free.

I don’t want you wasting money on a resume writer. I have a FREE, 45-minute training where I give you the template to write an effective resume. I’ve worked with recruiters for 20 years. Seventy-three percent of them told me they prefer this template. You follow my training, you fill out the template, you optimize your resume. And then, as a bonus, we teach you how to take what you learned and apply it to your LinkedIn profile.

So, if you’re frustrated in your job search, if you need help writing your resume or LinkedIn profile, sign up for my FREE Resume & LinkedIn Bootcamp.

Why would you spend $300 on a resume writer when you could do this for free? Know how to do it and have a resume that actually works? I’ve been helping thousands of people with this free tool, saving them hundreds of dollars in the process, and getting them results.

Stop outsourcing your resume. Learn how to write one that’s simple and effective. You will be so glad you did. You’ll feel so empowered—and that’s the point. That’s why I’m trying to help you. That’s why I’m here.

5 Mistakes That Are Killing Your LinkedIn Profile

February 4, 2022February 5, 2022

If you’ve been satisfied with a “placeholder” LinkedIn profile up to this point, or feel like landing a job through the site isn’t a viable option, we’ve got some news for you. The hiring landscape has changed, permanently, and those who adapt will secure the best opportunities.

Here are five of the biggest mistakes people make on their LinkedIn profiles:

1. Not Using The Headline To Its Fullest Potential

Pull up your profile and take a look at the “headline” that’s immediately underneath your name. If all it does is list your current job title and the company you’re working at, change it! LinkedIn headlines accept a maximum of 120 characters. Use this space to directly address your audience, whether it’s recruiters, fellow professionals, or potential clients.

In your LinkedIn headline, list your skills after your current job title and company. These skills are keywords that will help you show up in search results on LinkedIn. This will allow recruiters and hiring managers to find you, and they’ll be more likely to click on your profile if your LinkedIn headline is optimized with relevant skills, the skills they’re looking for in a job candidate, and potential employee.

2. Rehashing Your Resume In The “About” Section

While lifting content from your resume to fill out the “About” section of your LinkedIn profile is easy, it’s also ineffective. Your “Experience” section should look identical to your resume. Your summary, located in the “About” section, should not.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make on your LinkedIn profile is not including your personal branding statement in the “About” section. You need to communicate how you create value, how you save or make companies money as a business-of-one. What is your specialty? Then, after your personal branding statement, list your core skills and accomplishments, which will further increase your chances of being found by recruiters and hiring managers.

3. Not Having Recommendations

Recommendations are crucial to establishing credibility on LinkedIn. A few sentences singing your praises by a former boss or colleague can do more for you than paragraphs of self-congratulatory prose.

Here’s a message template you can use when reaching out to someone through LinkedIn for a recommendation:

Hi [Name]

Hope all is well! I really enjoyed working with you on/at [project/company] and would be very grateful for a brief LinkedIn recommendation. If you could touch on my capabilities in [quality #1] and [quality #2] that would be a huge help. Just a few sentences is all I’m after. It was a real privilege working with you, and I know that a recommendation would significantly boost my profile. Thanks in advance for your time, and hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks, [Your Name]

Remember to return the favor, too!

4. Adding Non-Relevant Skills And Endorsements

If you’re currently seeking an HR director role but the bulk of the skills and endorsements on your profile relate to your days as an administrative assistant, that mismatch is going to affect how frequently your profile turns up in searches recruiters and employers run for HR director candidates. Align the skills in your profile with current (not past) aspirations.

On LinkedIn, search for people who have the job you want. Bring up the first few profiles that come up (these are usually the most visible professionals on the site) and review their “Skills and Endorsements” section. Make a note of skills they’re frequently endorsed for which you possess. Then, add these skills to your profile.

Expert tip: endorsing the skills of other people in your network is the fastest way to have your skills endorsed as well. Visit the profile page of anyone in your network and you’ll be greeted with opportunities to start endorsing them (and others).

5. Not Including Personal “Hooks”

It’s amazing how often a seemingly insignificant detail about a person’s non-work life will result in an interview. Familiarity is a powerful motivator. If someone feels like they know you, or that you share a major interest, they’re much more likely to pursue a connection. Here are some sections you can fill out on LinkedIn to provide those personal “hooks”:

Volunteer Experience (avoid inserting anything polarizing here, such as religious or political activities)
Causes you’re interested in
Joining non-professional LinkedIn Groups (ex. Awesome Mountain Biking, Women in Photography)
Personal Interests

Connection happens through storytelling! Does your LinkedIn profile tell your story?

If you’ve made some of these mistakes on your LinkedIn profile, that’s okay! It’s not the end of the world. Now you can take the steps to fix them so you’re left with a well-optimized, complete LinkedIn profile that will get you in front of the right recruiters and hiring managers!

Need more help optimizing your LinkedIn profile? Sign up for our FREE Resume & LinkedIn Bootcamp!

During this bootcamp, you will learn:

How to properly format and optimize your resume
How to optimize your LinkedIn profile
How both of these tools can help you stand out

Interested? Sign up today!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

4 Ways To Build Success From Scratch

February 3, 2022February 4, 2022

For most of us, success doesn’t just come out of nowhere. We have to work for it. Whether it’s at work or at home, we strive to be successful in everything we do. This isn’t an easy task by any means. However, there are ways to meet your goals without driving yourself crazy.

Here are four ways to help you build success from scratch:

1. Wake Up 15 Minutes Earlier

Changing your daily habits slowly rather than all at once increases the likelihood that you will maintain them. According to Fast Company contributor Laura Vanderkam, building habits takes time.

In her article “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast,” she suggests taking on one new habit and building it into your routine before you start another habit. Makes sense, right?

2. Have A Positive Mindset

Although having a positive mindset seems like a no-brainer, many people fall into the downward spiral of negative thinking. Instead of blaming yourself or others for your lack of success in life, try looking at things from a different perspective.

Geoffrey James touches on this concept in his column “Sales Source” for Inc. Magazine. He uses an example of how perfectionism, though it seems like a wonderful goal, is ultimately impossible to achieve.

When you realize you can’t achieve perfection, negative thoughts can overwhelm you and keep you from success. Instead, re-evaluate your goals and make them more manageable.

3. Take A Risk

Yes, taking risks is a scary concept, but taking one once in a while can be a smart thing to do. Risk takers can be success makers!

According to Fast Company’s article “How To Quiet the Negative Thoughts That Are Killing Your Career,” the key is to be smart about your risks. Always weigh the benefits of a risk with the losses.

4. Be A “New” Leader

It’s a new world, so be a new leader. According to the blog The HR Capitalist, an old leader is very shut off from the world. It’s difficult for old leaders to accept mistakes and open up with others.

However, new leaders are generally more open, accept their mistakes, and consult their network for answers. Which one do you think is more successful?

By doing these four things in your career, you can get on the path to success and finally achieve your goals. It starts with building good habits, having a positive mindset, being a leader, and taking risks when the time is right. Career success is closer than you think!

Need help reaching your professional potential? Sign up for our FREE training “Unlocking Your Career Potential So You Can (Finally!) Find A Job You Like.”

Here’s what you’ll learn:

What kind of work you should be looking for based on your lifestyle and needs
How to identify the kinds of companies you would be happiest working at
Which of your skills you should focus on leveraging in a job so that you feel happier at work each day
How your personality impacts what type of work you should be looking for

Interested? Sign up for FREE today!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Feeling Unfulfilled At Work? It’s Time To Make A Change.

February 2, 2022February 3, 2022

We know there is so much more to life than work, yet we cannot deny that our jobs take up a good portion of our time, and sometimes the majority of our waking hours. That’s why, when we feel unfulfilled at work, it impacts every aspect of our life. It feels like a big deal because it is. So, what can we do when we feel unfulfilled at work? How can we find a job that will give us a sense of purpose?

It’s not as easy as quitting your job and looking for a new one. Yes, if you’ve tried to talk to your boss and you still feel like something isn’t working or something is missing, it’s probably the job that’s causing you to feel unfulfilled, so getting out of that situation/environment is in your best interest. But in order to fix the problem (feeling unfulfilled), you need to figure out why you’re feeling unfulfilled in your current job or career. Then, you need to build the confidence to quit your job so you can pursue a more fulfilling career.

Here are some tips for how to find career fulfillment and gain the confidence to leave your job so you can find a better one.

Figure Out How You Like To Create Value

The #1 reason why you feel unfulfilled at work is because you aren’t doing work that feels satisfying to you. You aren’t creating value the way you want to create value. You feel like you’re wasting your skills and talents. When your job doesn’t allow you to leverage your strengths, it leaves you feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled. It’s that simple.

So, how do you figure out how you like to create value? The easiest way is to take Work It Daily’s Career Decoder Quiz to discover your workplace persona. Your workplace persona reveals how you like to contribute to the workplace. It shows you how you like to create value and which jobs/careers would be the best fit for you. Ultimately, it tells you what type of work makes you feel satisfied and fulfilled.

Nobody is the same. We all create value in different ways. This is why it’s important to figure out how you like to create value and the types of jobs that would make you feel satisfied and fulfilled. It’s not about the job your family or friends expect you to have. It’s not about the career society says you should pursue. It’s about the type of work that would give you a sense of fulfillment. It’s about finding something that doesn’t make you dread waking up in the morning.

Develop Skills That Will Empower You

Once you discover your workplace persona and can identify and understand why your current job or career is making you feel unfulfilled, you now need to gain the confidence to leave your job and find a new one that will leverage your strengths.

The best way to build confidence as a professional (and business-of-one) is to develop skills that will empower your career and make it easy for you to find a new job. Research which skills are in high demand in your industry. Identify which skills you have and which you need to develop. Then, take online courses, volunteer for projects, and look for new challenges to develop those skills.

Starting your job search knowing you have relevant skills and experience will give you a huge confidence boost when it comes to applying for jobs and performing in job interviews. Just remember to quantify those new skills on your resume so you actually get your job application in front of the hiring manager. And now that you know how you like to create value, your disruptive cover letter will be sure to stand out!

Know Your Worth

An important part of the job search is knowing your worth as a business-of-one. It’s also something that can give you the confidence to leave your current job (especially if you’re being underpaid) and apply for jobs with a higher salary or negotiate a higher salary in the interview process.

So, how do you find out your worth? We recommend checking out free resources that can give some valuable information about job salaries and what would be a competitive salary in your industry. Glassdoor, for example, has a salary calculator that allows professionals to enter information about their current career, job experience, and industry to give them an estimated market value.

Once you know your worth, you’ll be armed with that knowledge in your job search, and that information will give you the confidence to pursue jobs that will give you a sense of fulfillment and pay the bills. You’ll ensure that you’re being fairly compensated for what you have to offer—no matter which jobs you decide to apply for.

We understand the challenges you’re facing in the workplace right now. If you’re feeling unfulfilled at work, that’s okay. You’re not alone. We hope these tips help you figure out how you like to create value and help you gain the confidence you need to leave your job and find a better one.

Do you feel unfulfilled at work? We’re here to help. Check out our FREE training “Unlocking Your Career Potential So You Can (Finally!) Find A Job You Like.”

Here’s what you’ll learn:

What kind of work you should be looking for based on your lifestyle and needs
How to identify the kinds of companies you would be happiest working at
Which of your skills you should focus on leveraging in a job so that you feel happier at work each day
How your personality impacts what type of work you should be looking for

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Being Overqualified vs. Staying Relevant In Your Career: What’s The Difference?

January 31, 2022February 1, 2022

I always talk about the importance of staying relevant in your career. But for professionals, being overqualified in a competive job market is a real concern. So, let’s clarify the difference between staying relevant in your career and becoming overqualified.

Here’s An Example…

@j.t.odonnell Reply to @deannaranger Being overqualified vs. staying relevant in your #career #ShareTheMagic #EduTok #learnontiktok #careertiktok #careeradvice #c ♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell

To best explain the difference between staying relevant and being overqualified, I’m going to give you an example.

Imagine you decided to become a digital marketer back when Facebook was created. You got really good at hacking Facebook advertising and everybody came to you for that skill and you got hired by a company to do their Facebook advertising. Then, as Facebook got bigger and bigger, you continued to focus on how to use Facebook to help the company make money. But during that time, Instagram comes along, and all of a sudden you can’t make the kind of money you made on Facebook. Marketing campaigns don’t work anymore. The market is oversaturated. So, what does your company do? They let you go because they don’t want to spend that kind of money on Facebook anymore, and they hire somebody who knows what they’re doing on Instagram.

That is where you became overqualified and didn’t stay relevant.

Now, the person who was hired to advertise on Instagram starts learning everything they need to about Instagram. Instagram gets really, really big, and suddenly they can’t compete with competitors on that platform. So the company lets them go because now they’ve hired somebody to spend money on TikTok advertising.

This is what happens when you don’t stay relevant by developing skills in your career. You become overqualified for skills that are irrelevant and no longer in high demand.

Staying relevant is about knowing when you need to diversify your expertise, when you need to slightly pivot in another direction to stay relevant in your marketplace. It’s about having the tools and experience needed to do the cutting-edge stuff. If you don’t continuously work on staying relevant in your career, you risk becoming overqualified for one skill set, and without more to offer companies, they won’t want to pay you the salary you think you deserve.

The Bottom Line

Too many people get comfortable in a job, especially when their company keeps giving them money to do that job well. Your company is giving you money to keep you there for as long as they need you. But one day you’re going to wake up and your skill set will no longer be relevant.

Every job is temporary. You are a commodity. The market is saturated with people like you, and you don’t want to be viewed as being overpaid for what you provide. This happens every single day in business, so you cannot continue to focus your expertise in one area and keep making a bigger and bigger paycheck and think it’s going to stay that way. You have to stay relevant. Otherwise, you will wake up one day and be overqualified.

If you need help staying relevant in your career and effectively marketing your skills to employers, you’ve come to the right place.

Sign up for a Work It Daily membership today and get access to one-on-one career coaching, resume and cover letter reviews, online tutorials, and unlimited networking opportunities—all in your back pocket!

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Document Everything!

Need More Help Answering Difficult Interview Questions?

1. Finish Today’s Work Today

2. Be Mindful

3. Appreciate Challenges

4. Embrace Change

5. Reflect, Don’t Regret

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Behavioral Interview Questions

What Do Employers Want To Know?

Good Sample Answers

Focus On Leading

Be Proactive

Map Out A Plan Of Action

Feeling Burned Out In Your Career? Our New FREE Community Is For You…

Break Through Your Burnout: How To Go From Crisis To Career Satisfaction

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Steal The HR Playbook

Interview Prep Eliminates The #1 Killer Of Candidates In Job Interviews

Avoid Resume Writers

Check Out My Resume & LinkedIn Bootcamp Instead!

1. Not Using The Headline To Its Fullest Potential

​2. Rehashing Your Resume In The “About” Section

3. Not Having Recommendations

4. Adding Non-Relevant Skills And Endorsements

5. Not Including Personal “Hooks”

1. Wake Up 15 Minutes Earlier

2. Have A Positive Mindset

3. Take A Risk

4. Be A “New” Leader

Figure Out How You Like To Create Value

Develop Skills That Will Empower You

Know Your Worth

Here’s An Example…

The Bottom Line

2. Rehashing Your Resume In The “About” Section