Resume Worded

A dirty little secret? Most people you see on “best of” lists are paying to get there. Magazines (like Forbes) and trade groups usually give out awards as a revenue-generating arm of their business. “Would you like a fawning full-page spread and a plaque you can put up in your office? That can be yours for the low-low price of $2,000!” Sadly, if you’ve been in business long enough you’ve likely received one of these unsolicited emails. And they keep coming because people keep paying. Then there’s the reality that a lot of awards that don’t cost money involve expensive nominations processes that only a select few have access to. Some companies have whole teams to submit their work for prestigious awards like Pulitzer Prizes or smaller recognitions like “best places to work” lists. Even the Oscars has extensive behind-the-scenes campaigns from movie studios to lobby voters. My point? Many people think they need to be on some award list to be successful. Or, they see others with these things and feel bad about themselves. But when you look behind the curtains, they're often pay-to-play ‘fake’ signals and not what we should be chasing. so let's shift our goalposts. Instead of aiming for what looks good on the surface, focus on what feels right for you. What makes you proud of your work? What kind of impact do you want to have? When you start asking these questions, you might just find that your path leads you somewhere unexpected — and way more satisfying. Remember, it's your career, your rules. Make sure you’re playing the game you actually want to play, not the one you think you're supposed to. --- p.s. repost this if you think it can help others see through the noise too ♻️ and consider following me. I write practical no-fluff career strategy that'll give your career quick boosts throughout your week — I hope I see you around!

10 unconventional tricks that will speed up your job search: 1. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 instead of the big aggregator sites like Indeed. There'll be less competition and give you jobs that aren't on the bigger platforms. To find them, search Google for '[your industry] job board' 2. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆. This helps you build a relationship even if you don't get the job. (I've included an example in the first comment!) 3. 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼. But remember, tailoring your resume doesn't have to be hard. At a minimum, just add 2-3 skills from the job posting into your resume's skills section. It'll get you past resume screeners. 4. 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲'𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀. Instead of saying "Built reporting dashboard...", specify your impact with numbers, e.g. "Built reporting dashboard ..., saving 10 hours per week of manual work" 5. 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝘀. Hiring managers are used to a standard format. Don't confuse them. Plus, resume screeners will likely have trouble reading your experience. 6. 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 by cutting out old work experiences and irrelevant hobbies 7. 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 and work experience, so you show up in recruiter search results when they search for candidates 8. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗚𝗣𝗧 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄. Ask it to "come up with questions and answers given your resume, and company/job you're applying to". 9. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲, 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆. Employers understand the economic climate we're in. But show proactivity by doing freelance short-term work (through sites like Upwork or Fiverr). 10. 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. Even if you get rejected, send a note to the people who interviewed you. Build a relationship now that'll serve you later on. I've also included a few links in the comments for templates you can steal — like LinkedIn templates to send hiring managers — plus free AI tools that have helped others speed up their search. Enjoy! -- do me a favor and ♻️ 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 this if you think your network can benefit too and consider: - following me here on LinkedIn for practical no-fluff career strategy that gives you quick boosts throughout your week - subscribe to my coaching email at coached [dot] com. over 900k readers read it to get (and stay) ahead in their careers

My favorite public speaking hacks I remember every time I'm speaking to an audience: 1. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘆. Your listeners will better digest what you're saying, and you'll seem more 'in control'. 2. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. Keep your shoulders back (even on Zoom meetings), use gestures, and smile. 3. 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. If it's a small audience, ask if anyone has any questions. If it's a large audience, say something like "Quick show of hands, who here has had this problem?" 4. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁. Pause at your key points and let your audience digest them. The best speakers are comfortable with silence. 5. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. Pick 1-3 people or spots you'll occasionally look at. 6. 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟭 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆. Some say memorizing stuff makes things feel unnatural. I disagree. Even the best stand up comedians memorize each line, pause, or facial expression for their big performances. Even if you like to do things off the cuff, nail the start by memorizing the beginning. ok...now, your turn. what are your go-to tricks for engaging an audience? Or mantras you tell yourself to calm your nerves? and, do me a favor and ♻️ 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 this if you found this useful and think your network can benefit too. -- btw if you found this useful, follow me here on LinkedIn or subscribe to my weekly coaching email. I write practical no-fluff career strategy that gives you quick boosts throughout your week. It’s an easy way to stay motivated and keep your career on track.

Two big reasons people miss their goals are inconsistency and not measuring progress. To solve both, make your goals a measurable habit: 𝗗𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀: “I’m going to cold email 3 people a week.” 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀: “I want to get more confident at cold-emailing.” Make sure what you want is concrete. Then, tally up your actions (in this case, the number of emails you send) in a spreadsheet or notepad. It'll help keep you motivated and accountable.

"𝗙𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁." This is a cliché I like to remember when I'm kinda nervous. It sounds like terrible advice, but it actually works. I remember the first time I got this advice. It was in a class on confidence. The trainer asked us — what does a confident person look like? We said what you'd expect...good posture, good vocal projection, shoulders back...the stuff you notice in confident people. He then told us to just fake those things, even if it didn't feel natural. We did, and it was surprising how much of a difference it made. We all sounded more confident, even if we weren't genuinely confident. This is also called the 'As-If Principle': if you act “as if” you feel a certain way, you’ll start to actually feel that way. Remember, you're always going to be uncomfortable and have some imposter syndrome in any new role you do. And you might need to “fake it” initially until things start to feel like second nature. (It's worth mentioning — this of course doesn't mean you should be BS'ing your way through facts and figures or straight up lying!)

Thinking about a career change? How to go deeper than just the job description: When picking a career, most people look at job descriptions or just Google "what is being an XYZ like?". But that's like learning to swim without getting into the water. To really know if a career suits you, you need more than a list of tasks or a generic overview. You need to dive deeper. Here's how: 1. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯. Ask them why they love it. What makes them excited to go to work each day? Their enthusiasm can be contagious. It gives you a glimpse of the job's rewarding aspects. But remember, what excites them might not excite you. It's personal. 2. 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯. Equally important, talk to people who aren't happy. Why don't they like their job? Is it the work culture, the tasks, or something else? If their reasons don't deter you, that's a good sign. But if you find yourself nodding in agreement with their complaints, it's a red flag. P.s. where do you find these people? you should network and speak to at least one person who's been doing the job for a while. You can also use things like reddit's — a gold mine for this kind of stuff. Want to get into programming? Browse the programming subreddits to see what real people who are doing the job think 3. 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 Want to be a designer? Test the waters. Sign up on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork. Create a portfolio. Start with small projects. This is where theory meets practice. You'll deal with real clients, real deadlines, real problems. It's a practical way to see if the career resonates with you. Practical, real-world experience >>> just reading about it.