Working from home can be a dream for many. On one hand, you have all the flexibility that you need and you can work free of interruptions and be extremely productive. For others who are more extroverted for those of us who thrive in an office environment, it can be utterly boring and can be tricky sometimes trying to find ways to remain motivated while working remotely.

Here are seven tips (as always tried and true) that can help keep you motivated while working from home.

Your cover letter is your “resume’s best friend,” and will be its friend until the end. There has been so many debates around whether or not you need a cover letter with your resume when applying for jobs. We are going to tell you right now, that you absolutely need a cover letter to accompany your resume.

Now what exactly is a cover letter? Think of your cover letter as an your introduction to the employer.

We recently conducted a poll asking job candidates to share their least favorite interview question. Going by the subject of this blog, you can probably figure out what that question was. Drumroll… The results were almost unanimous. The most dreaded interview question to be asked during an interview is: What is your greatest weakness? As a result, most candidates are caught off guard when asked and their responses usually fall short of what is required.

Trying to get through life with its daily challenges is tough enough. It doesn’t make things any easier when we get our occasional moments of self-doubt, fear, and the times where we just don’t feel like our efforts are good enough. Have you ever felt this way about interviewing?

You’re excited about a job opportunity. You apply with enthusiasm and you’re just buzzing with excitement. Woo! However, this enthusiasm slowly starts to wane when you don’t hear back. It’s been days, weeks, months and not a word…Why is this happening to you? What do you do?

Being ghosted by a recruiter is a sticky subject, but we had to write about it. More and more we are hearing from our clients that they have been applying to positions and not hearing back from HR or the recruitment team to acknowledge receipt of their applications/resumes or to provide an update. Not only have they not heard back about an application, but they go on interviews and they don’t get an update.

We have been living in a very socially charged world ever since our delayed (“staggering” may be a better word) departure from the pandemic. This phenomenon has made its way into the workplace where companies now want to see their teams more engaged and socializing at work.

The idea here is that to keep people “happy” and productive, you need to give them a reason to want to come into work, a reason to make work fun, and create a strong company culture. However, sometimes it can be tricky navigating your way around work socials and interactions with colleagues. Just where do you draw the line and “how social” do you need to be?

We have received a lot of messages from candidates and prospective clients concerned about not being able to write a resume when they have no job experience. This is always a tough one because most employers want you to have experience when you apply for a job. But, here's the conundrum: how do you get experience if no one will hire you?

Picture this:

You spent the past 7 months and 4 days looking for a new job. You know this time down to the exact, because you’ve been counting. You applied to over 100 positions; you were only called for 6 interviews. Again, you've been counting.

You now find yourself on a call with a recruiter who is telling you “Congratulations! We want to hire you!”

Have you been in the same role for too long and you’re looking for a change? Or, do you just want more from your career? Here are 10 tips that can help you earn your next promotion.

1. Work hard

This one might seem obvious but sometimes it’s easier said than done. Not everyone gets a promotion. The ones who do are the ones who do are the ones who put in the effort and go above and beyond. They are the ones who show value. Aim to continuously have a positive attitude and let people notice how hard you’re working. Have a strong work ethic and don’t forget to use your soft skills. Show creativity, the ability to think on your feet, and how great you are at solving problems. 

 "Why do you want to work here?"

Have you ever been asked this question before? Undoubtedly if you have ever applied for a job or attended an interview you would agree that this is one of the first questions you were asked. Although this question seems easily structured, it is one of the most difficult questions to answer. The dilemma: you want to give an honest answer, but you are also concerned that the answer you give may not be the response that the interviewer or recruiter wants to hear. You are worried that you will give the wrong answer.

Employers ask this question to really gauge your interest in their company and the job so how you answer is prime.

Some people are naturally great at interviews and some just aren't. In my line of work, I advise candidates to always prepare for an interview, no matter how great you think you are or how good of a fit you are for the role. Additionally, if you are someone who do not have have a good track record of excelling interviews (i.e. they make you cringe and you start sweating in the all the wrong places!) it’s highly recommended that you begin your prep even before you have an interview if you are someone who don’t have an interview scheduled.

Think about it this way, if you are not a runner, but you wanted to run a 5KM race to support a charity or to engage in a community run, would you start your practice runs 1-2 days before? You could, but chances are, on race day, you won’t do very well. You will finish but you won’t finish with a good time and you will feel exhausted. Similarly with an interview, you need to start practicing so you can feel comfortable with your responses and feel comfortable on “interview day.”

Here are some things that you should consider when you’re doing your prep and on the day that you interview that can help:

Burnout is real…I’ll stop here and wait for that sentence to sink in.

Still waiting…

Okay… There has been so much talk about burnout and mental health in the workspace lately. This a conversation that has undoubtedly been climaxed by the “work from home phenomenon” among many other residual effects of the pandemic. Let’s talk about how working from home went from, in some cases, to being aligned to “fun, flexible, autonomous” to long days, no breaks, and an over heightened sense of anxiety. Let’s assess two major ways in which, if not managed correctly, remote work can negatively affect your mental health:

n the top with pajama bottoms. Classic.

I came across a recent posting on one of the forums that I frequent. This posting really got me to thinking. It is still a very tough job market out there for candidates. Sometimes, it can even feel like the job market “doesn’t have your back.” The big tech companies aren’t the only ones who are now having to downsize; all organizations of different sizes are facing this predicament. Like the individual in the post and like many other posts I see and even people I speak with everyday, people are feeling like they are at their wits end. The tunnel has closed…there is no light. No hope, not even a glimmer.

After submitting thousands of applications (yes, thousands based on length of layoffs), it feels like you should just pack it in/throw in the towel. Tough reality to swallow, isn’t it? But just how do you keep going and keep yourself afloat? While the timeline for getting hired is something that you have no control over, here are somethings that might be worth focusing on that you can change, while you wait.

There isn’t a cookie cutter response here as we all have different backgrounds.

The technical skills that you include on your resume would really depend on the skills that you do have. If you check all the boxes for technical requirements, perfect! For example, if you are a Drafter you would want to put any experience with AutoCAD, Visual Basics or any 3D software technical expertise you have. Additionally, you might want to include your ability to read blueprints etc. Same goes for if you are an engineer, an accountant, administrative professional, chef, truck driver, warehouse worker etc.

Imagine this:

You've been applying for jobs for months and no response to your job search. Eventually you start getting some callbacks and you're excited! Most importantly, you get a call to interview for a job that you really want! You study your resume, you practice suggested responses interview questions, you plan what you’re going to wear the next day and you even Google maps the location. Look at you go! The next morning you leave your house 30 minutes in advance because you want to get there early.

Well...things happen. You get to the highway and there is awful summer construction happening for miles upon miles. To make things worse, some roads are closed. You keep checking the time and you start to panic; you’re cutting it close.

Yes, you have interpreted the this poor attempt of artwork with the intention that it’s meant. “It’s time to ditch (yes ditch, throw out!”) the “Objective,” on your resume. A very long time ago it was common in resume writing to include an objective at the opening of the resume to inform prospective employers what you as a candidate were looking for. However, as times have changed, resume writing has evolved, and the market has changed, the use of an objective in your resume is now highly discouraged. Let me explain to you why using this popular example of a resume objective:

“Seeking a position where I can utilize my skills and experience in sales.”

This question came up a few days while I was doing resume reviews: Should I include the exact months for my employment or is it okay to just include the yearly dates?

Well, here are my thoughts. If you did include the months and you have had good tenure, you will be happy that you did. However, if you didn’t and you make it to the initial screening process you will be wishing that you did explain this detail. This a question that every employer will ask when going over your work history.

Including your months helps the employer to determine exactly how much time you have spent in a particular position. Additionally, when you give full details this is one less question you would have to answer if you make it to the interview. It also makes you look as if you have nothing to hide by giving the full dates. If your dates are longer this speaks to your ability to hold a position and this will build to your credibility as a potential candidate.

Have you ever wondered why employers care if you have volunteer experience on your resume? Volunteer experience shows that you are not afraid to selflessly lend your time to help others in need or those less fortunate. When you volunteer it shows that you are also very well rounded and you are not all about work. I have told so many clients that it doesn’t matter how high your GPA is, how much experience you have, if you don’t volunteer experience, the other applicant who may have less experience, but have volunteer experience will most likely get hired over you. It is also good to include volunteering experience on your resume because some times your previous paid work experience might not be relevant to the position you are applying for, but your volunteering experience does.

Volunteering experience can also help you if you are a new graduate or a junior candidate entering the market. While you are applying you can volunteer your time to show that you have still remained active in the community.

Studies have shown that recruiters take on average six seconds to look at a resume. Yes, six seconds! This might sound like a bit of a downer for you eager job seekers who have spent endless hours upon end trying to perfect your resume only to have your efforts be reduced to a mere matter of seconds. How insulting! Well, not really… when you think about it.

Here are two major reasons why the six second rule comes into play:

Recruiters are very busy people and they receive hundreds, yes hundreds of resumes a week. They don’t have time to read every single resume they receive in detail. If they did, they would never get anything done. They wouldn’t fill any positions!

Recruiters know what they are looking for. If your resume doesn’t effectively display your skills and qualifications, qualifications that align with what recruiters are looking for, they aren’t interested. They move on to the next.

Here are some tips to get your resume past the six second glance:

If you are a job seeker, job fairs and career fairs can be your biggest dream come true! You get the opportunity to visit and interact with multiple employers all in one spot. What’s even better is that you get the opportunity to pick and choose those companies you are actually interested and plot your next move. Just before you head out though, here are few things to keep in mind:

Research the Companies

Before you visit each company you should try to do some research as to which companies will actually be at the job fair. Research each company and create a short script for each of what to say beforehand. This will take some time, but this is a sure way to get that person’s attention. This will get you noticed! Additionally, you want to have a list of 3-5 questions about the company you plan to ask.