Recapping Our Top Five Articles From 2020

Despite the rollercoaster ride of 2020, we wanted to take the time and thank our readers, the candidates, and the clients we work with daily.

As we get ready to build new momentum in 2021, we reflect on this past year and the articles that resonated most with our readers. Join us as we review five of our most popular articles from 2020:

Six Resume Mistakes To Avoid in 2021


Whether you are looking to get started on your first job search out of college or looking to change careers, having an up-to-date resume is imperative. Recently, our friends at Nexxt revealed six of the most commonly overlooked mistakes made by job-seekers on their resumes. From overemphasizing soft skills to failing to provide clear timelines, falling victim to these mistakes will prove costly to your shot at the job.

Setting Up An Effective Remote Workspace


According to SHRM’s COVID-19 Business Index, 64% of U.S. employees are currently working remotely. With the massive shift to the virtual working world, it’s not easy to maintain productivity and passion for your work. Are you one of the many individuals drastically impacted by COVID-19 and all its complications?

Although being forced to work from home was beyond your control, there are still elements you CAN control for a productive workday. Take these FIVE steps today!

Mistakes to Avoid For A Strong First Impression

Getting judged based on your appearance, mannerisms, or body language occurs in a matter of seconds. Providing a strong first impression is critical in job interviews as it often sets the tone for the conversation and the direction it will take. With no ‘second chance,’ we want to look beyond the traditional tips of arriving on time and dressing appropriately. Read below as we review five of the most commonly made mistakes made in first impressions, as told by various millionaires across the country.
*Key examples and necessary adjustments included*

Identifying Your Ideal Career Fit


According to a recent Toll-Free Forwarding study, only 10% of Americans will land their conceived ‘dream job’ that they identified at a young age. Of that 10%, just 64% of those journeys play out to meeting their surmised expectations. Furthermore, 61% of those remaining do not regret the divergent direction their career path took. So, what conclusions can be made? Do not fear the ‘no’ or the prospect of change when it comes to finding your ideal career fit.

If you require a little guidance when it comes to your career indecision, here are three thoughts you must consider when pursuing a complementary role for your next career:

Avoid These Four Mistakes in Your Next Video Interview


Emanating from the onset of COVID-19, thousands of companies continue to operate under the work-from-home order. Unemployment remains high, and many organizations rely heavily on phone and on-screen meetings for their hiring efforts.

Are you missing the mark when it comes to effectively grabbing the hiring manager’s attention? While your content preparation remains unchanged in terms of having examples, answers, and questions readily available, your interview’s virtual aspect brings new challenges you may not expect.

Courtesy of CNBC Contributor John Bowe, we review four of the most annoying mistakes made in video interviews, as revealed by Zoom’s Head of Global Talent Acquisition, Phil Haynes.

Wrap Up

Thanks so much for sticking with us in 2020! If you’ve missed out on any of these career tips, we hope you take the time to review them today!

Let us know what kind of articles were your favorite and what you would like to see from our content team in the new year!

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Finding A Mentor & Making It Count

When you have strong intentions of growing your career, you must understand you cannot do it on your own. Developing mentoring relationships allows for increased confidence and offers the ability to “talk with people and ask for their feedback.” Regardless of where you are in your career, choosing to rely on a career mentor can aid your career transitions, increase your chance at a promotion, and improve your leadership skills and job satisfaction.

Our friends at The Muse recently revealed 10 essential tips to correctly identify your career mentor and how to construct a meaningful relationship. We break down four of our favorite tips below:

Discover What A Mentor Is & What It Isn’t

Your mentor is there to help you navigate challenges, answer questions, and provide encouragement, but remember the relationship is a two-way street. Your conversations should not become a therapeutic outlet for your struggles. Both the mentor and mentee have valuable information to share. 

There tends to be a belief that career mentors should be older than the mentee, but that is not always the case. Age does bring wisdom, but so do knowledge and experience. For example, if you graduate college and choose to venture into sales, but a classmate chooses the entrepreneurial route, you have both garnered expertise in your selected industries. After a 20-year sales career, you may find yourself wanting to experiment in entrepreneurship. There is sure to be an abundance of wisdom you can gather from tried-and-true entrepreneurs such as your classmate dating two decades back. Older mentors may be more likely to have experience surmounted your current obstacles, but the broader the age gap, the more trouble they will have relating.

Typically, your mentor will be someone in your current (or desired) industry or possessing your preferred role, but this does always have to be the case. Lisa Rabasca Roepe details the many different forms of mentoring, including peer mentoring (someone at the same level as you), group mentoring, and bite-sized mentoring. There is not a required schedule to have a mentor. It is whatever works for both parties and helps achieve what you’re working toward, even if that means meeting once a year. 

Seek Out Different Perspectives

You are well within your right to have multiple career mentors. In fact, it is recommended as it will allow you to tap into the expertise of more topics (and share your knowledge with more individuals as well). There are lessons to be learned from every industry. Seeking out mentors outside of your line of work allows you the chance to learn new skills and gain a new perspective. 

“If you are really going to push yourself and grow, you need a mentor who is different from you, who can give you a different point of view.” -Kathie Patterson, CHRO at Ally Financial.

It is important to remember that having reliable mentors is not an excuse to slow your efforts in other resources. While you are expected to rely on their wisdom, mentoring is not a cure-all for your career. 

Be Specific

Make it easy for your mentor to understand why you are turning to them before anyone else. Clearly define the problem you are facing and the immediate steps you are hoping to achieve. “Being clear with what you’re looking for and why you think this person is the right one will help them to say yes,” says Patterson. Additionally, it is your responsibility to organize the meeting, seeing that you are the one coveting their advice. Whether you both are comfortable with an in-person meeting or merely sending a link through Zoom, it’s best to take the initiative and arrive early. Nothing has to be formal, but being explicit shows that you know and value where their expertise lies and shows that you are mindful of their time.

Know That Mentors Will Likely Change With Your Career

Depending on where you are in your career path, your needs will adjust accordingly. As you progress in your career, the guidance you require will adapt as well. It is not uncommon to lose touch with a career mentor from your entry-level stage. Don’t be afraid of this change. When you step into a managerial role, you may seek advice is learning how to delegate responsibilities and how to stay involved in your team’s culture.

If you lost your job due to an unexpected change or sudden loss of business, you could find consultation from those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Finding a new mentor with experience relevant to your current situation is paramount. 

Wrap Up

No matter how great your mentors are, it still comes down to you to put in the work and see real progress. Take heed to their advice and quickly layout new goals and activities to achieve them. Beware of falling victim to these three major myths surrounding mentorship.

Show gratitude through a letter of appreciation, a simple text message, or interacting with their posts on LinkedIn. If you want to make the most of your mentoring relationship, show that you care as much as you expect them to care about you.

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What NOT To Do When You’re Having A Bad Day

When you feel annoyed or offended, it is customary not to act on those feelings with aggression. In relationships, it’s critical not to sever any bonds with a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction or comment in the heat of the moment. Whether it is a family member, friend, or significant other, giving yourself space, taking deep breaths, and returning to the issue at another time is always advantageous. When you have one chance at making things right, you do not want to put yourself in a position to make things worse.

Our friends at The Muse took the time to connect this sentiment to our responsibilities and tasks in the workplace. When a function needs to be taken seriously, you must illustrate the proper mindset to tackle it. When you enter a momentary rut or negative headspace, here are five things Alyse Kalish recommends you shelve for the time being:

1. Take an Important Call

If you’ve had a rough or busy morning and are dreading an upcoming phone call with a client, you are well within your rights to postpone the meeting a few hours. The key is to not cancel on them, but instead offer a ‘white lie’ to make way for more focused, productive conversation later on.

2. Have a Difficult Conversation

If you have an employee or co-worker that you need to deliver some harsh feedback to, proceeding while in a recusant state of mind will induce the individual unreceptive to your observation or criticism. It’s best to hold off on the meeting until you are mentally prepared.

3. Respond to an Email That Gets on Your Nerves

When you are not feeling like your typical self, even a subtle annoyance can send you into a tailspin. Maybe a co-worker just sent you a notice that they have not made any progress on their assignments for a big project. Perhaps it is your boss or manager responding to your question with “Figure it out.” 

When you receive an email that strikes a nerve, don’t jab back with a frustration-fueled response. If someone required an immediate reply, the message likely would’ve been delivered through a phone call or in-office meeting. Take time to unwind, collect your thoughts, and come back later with a professional response.

4. Make a Decision

If someone in your organization requires your input for a direction to take for a new project, now is not the time. Here’s why: Your ‘bad day’ may consist of feelings of recklessness or hastiness, which can lead to a bold decision that takes you off-track. While it may feel productive and as if you are removing a burden, it’s not wise to justify making that decision in an impulsive state. Instead, ensure your team you are dealing with it and offer a timeline for your answer.

5. Submit a Key Assignment

Days will come where you are not exhibiting an apt mentality to meet an approaching deadline for a research write-up, analytics spreadsheet, or outreach plan. Do not risk pitching a lackluster product when a few extra hours or days can provide a winning result. If you are comfortable requesting a deadline extension, offer a promise for desirable outcomes, set a new timetable, and ensure it won’t happen again. 

Wrap Up

Take care of your mental health. Pushing through a difficult day is never easy, notably when conditions like these occur. Still, with a little time and inward thinking, you can quickly return to the reliable professional you know yourself to be. 

For written-out examples on how to express reasons for the delay or push through when the task cannot wait, visit Alyse’s full article here.

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Identifying Your Ideal Career Fit

According to a 2019 study by Toll-Free Forwarding, only 10% of Americans will land their conceived ‘dream job’ that they identified at a young age. Of that 10%, just 64% of those journeys play out to meeting their surmised expectations. Furthermore, 61% of those remaining do not regret the divergent direction their career path took. So what conclusions can be made? Do not fear the ‘no’ or the prospect of change when it comes to finding your ideal career fit.

If you require a little guidance when it comes to your career indecision, here are three thoughts you must consider when pursuing a complementary role for your next career:

Understand Yourself

Talk It Out – If you need a helping hand identifying your greatest strengths and the job features you desire most in a new career, ask those closest to you (family, friends, mentors, etc.). Not only will this provide some clarity on your career path, but it will provide encouragement and confidence when you need it most. Some of the answers you receive may surprise you.

When employees find themselves dissatisfied in their current role, it is often because they did not take the time to align their strengths, interests, passions with their job search. Their objective was merely to find a new job, rather than solidifying a long-term career. If you aspire to get more out of your career and find natural motivation, take career assessments to identify your greatest strengths, weaknesses, and career preferences. What interests or personality traits tie into your career preferences? Your blueprint for success is likely varying from that of your role models, friends, or co-workers. 

60% of employed Millennials are open to exploring a different job opportunity [Gallup 2020]

Company Values/Environment

Write It Out – Base your LinkedIn profile and resume around your ideal job and ideal employer. Courtesy of The Balance Careers, here are four key questions they recommend you ask yourself when determining your work style and ideal ‘fit’:

  • Which activities are most satisfying about your current job?
  • What might you like to avoid in your next job?
  • What does work-life balance mean to you?
  • What is your ideal company culture?

The more information you can collect about what you want, the easier it will be to make a decision.

When interviewing for a new position, aim to get a feel for the company by doing your research, asking the right questions, and walking around the office before your interview. Is the atmosphere collaborative or competitive? Are employees being micromanaged? Is there an option to work remotely? Is their model of business more structured or flexible? It is paramount that you take note of these considerations, especially when you are getting pulled in different directions in your job hunt.

What Do You Hope To Get Out Of Your Job?

Think It Out – Now that you’ve identified your strengths, weaknesses, and passions, it’s time to pinpoint your job search and make the most of your opportunity:

What is most important to you in a new job? Are the company’s values a top priority for your workplace happiness? Other top examples of job priorities include work culture, skill development, room for growth, salary/bonus potential, healthy work-life balance, job security, location, and trust. Which features are your ‘non-negotiables’? Don’t settle when your happiness and mental state are at stake. Finding your new career should never compromise what you stand for or your most coveted features. 

Wrap Up

Once you have a firm understanding of your desired job title and industry, it is time to get connected. Networking is your greatest tool when it comes to landing your desired job, so it is best to get started before the connection is needed. Why? Your desired connection will know you are not seeking immediate benefits out of the relationship, but rather to learn more about their journey and potentially provide support, even if through a ‘liked’ post.

Sure, sending a hiring manager a LinkedIn invitation with a personalized message is unique and highly recommended in the job search, but imagine the difference if you already share a connection within the organization you are hoping to join. Effective networking does not involve asking your network to find you a job opening. It consists of building functional working relationships you can tap into when you discover a shared connection (and vice versa).

With some self-reflecting and dedication, you will begin to discover your dream job is closer than you first believed. 

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Becoming a Better Leader in the Workplace

Whether you are the CEO of your company or simply taking charge of one objective in a new business project, being a sound leader is critical. Leadership doesn’t come naturally for everyone, but thankfully, it doesn’t have to. One great example is in Author, Director, and Management Consultant, Peter Gasca. In a piece for The Entrepreneur, Peter admits his lack of natural leadership but credits his mentors and his ambition for new challenges as the root of his leadership growth. Being an introvert doesn’t make you a pushover or incapable of leadership. In fact, introverts are often better listeners than extroverts, which a key characteristic of leadership. Review the four simple priorities Peter recommends every aspiring leader set early in their career.

In this breakdown, we reveal three critical factors to becoming a better leader in the workplace: 

Communication

If you exhibit an uplifting, optimistic spirit, others will follow suit. If you appear discouraged or disinterested, your team will become concerned and uninspired. Being vulnerable to your team does not make you weak, but rather a leader that employees will want to follow. Admitting when you’re wrong will cultivate respect from your peers and your employees by elevating a sense of accountability.

The most renowned leaders are great listeners who show a genuine interest in workplace conversations. Get ‘in the trenches’ and be a part of the team. When discussing long-term goals and analyzing the bigger picture, allow your employees to feel they are a part of the team as well. Be intentional in constructing a bond with them and occasionally discussing matters outside of work. Consider stepping outside your office and walking amongst your team members or employees, but do not micromanage or talk down to others. Instead, take a mentoring approach and seek out what’s best for their career development. 

Trust Your Team

Have confidence in your subordinates, have faith in your peers, and encourage their involvement. As you begin to learn your employees’ skill-sets and strengths, you will know who to trust most in critical situations or with new projects. When you start trusting others, they will start trusting in you. Additionally, you will be offering them opportunities to grow and take on leadership responsibilities themselves. 

When you invest in your employees, you will see individuals grow into more productive, engaged, and happy employees. Seek out feedback for new ways to garner motivation, reward employees, and become a more effective leader. Foster creativity in your team by challenging them in areas you believe they will excel. When an issue does arise, or a mistake occurs, always give your team the benefit of the doubt. Get to the root of the problem and do your part in ensuring the problem does not happen again.

“Leadership is the ability to guide others without force into a direction or decision that leaves them still feeling empowered and accomplished.” – Lisa Cash Hanson

Celebrate Others’ Wins

When you notice somebody is doing a good job, go beyond the ‘pat on the back.’ Acknowledge and honor them publicly. When they take a bold step in sharing a new idea or comment during a meeting, show your appreciation for their contributions. Hearing compliments of their work will not only provide a sense of accomplishment but will increase confidence, provide affirmation, and bring a sense of job security. The happier your employees are, the more productive and passionate they will become. Not much is better than happy and appreciative employees having your back.

Although it is important to celebrate others and have fun, you must also remember to stay assertive and hold your team accountable to gain respect. Don’t let your team get stationary. Your employees are relying on you to help keep their goals a priority. Lastly, when discussing an employee’s room for improvement or growth, do so privately to refrain from publicly embarrassing or belittling them. 

Wrap Up

What are your preconceived notions of quality leadership? Rid yourself of the ‘my way or the highway’ mentality. It is not about being the loudest in the room, the most-liked, or most recognized. Authentic leadership involves wanting the best out of your team and aspiring to see others grow. The best leaders aim to inspire, entrust, and keep morale high. It is not a quick and easy process, but you can lead your team to success through pure intentions and deliberate planning.

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