Stop Overthinking and Just Do Something!

Stop Overthinking and Just Do Something! I was overthinking it. A hundred years ago (in 2006) I started up a little software company called JibberJobber. It was the cats meow, better than sliced bread, and would consume me for years. I really had no idea what I was doing, but every day I had a list of things that had to be done and worked diligently to make progress on anything. I was comfortable with some things (product management and stuff) and not so comfortable with other things (marketing and networking and sales). But I did what I could, learned what I needed to, and just fudged my way around. I didnt know what I didnt know, which is good. Ill explain why in a minute. One day I wrote a press release. It was probably good. I honestly have no idea. Could have had some spelling and grammar errors. A real PR professional probably would have ripped it to shreds and rewritten it. But I was just dumb enough to not know what I was doing. I wrote it and submitted it on the PR sites. That press release I got noticed and one thing led to another which led to another and today I can track good things that came from that one press release. Thankfully I didnt overthink it, I just did it. Fast forward a few months. This is still 2006, towards the end of the year. I sat down to write another press release. The last one went so well, why not do it again? I sat down and stared at my monitor for over an hour. Instead of writing, I was overthinking it. Now that I knew people actually read it, and that what I was writing was important, indeed, that the very future hinged on this one press release (dramatic, I know), I couldnt do it. I was overthinking it. I drafted a few releases but never submitted them. Too often we do this. We think and overthink and we dont get the job done. We think the level of acceptability is really high when in fact its way lower than what we thought. The key was to get the job done, not to have it done with white-glove perfection. Of course, you need to know the level of acceptability. Sometimes it is high and you really need to take care of quality. I am not dismissing that. But sometimes you just need to write the email or pick up the phone or go to that networking meeting, even if you feel like you need a new shirt or new pants. JUST DO IT. I know the job search is hard. I know networking is uncomfortable. I know that overthinking can lead to stalling which can lead to avoiding the hard an uncomfortable. But that isnt how you land a job. If you just do it, even though you wont do it perfectly, count it as practice. Learn from it, and do it a little better next time, and a little better next time. Id rather have you do and practice and improve than not do anything for months and months. Stop overthinking it and just do it, today! Stop Overthinking and Just Do Something! I was overthinking it. A hundred years ago (in 2006) I started up a little software company called JibberJobber. It was the cats meow, better than sliced bread, and would consume me for years. I really had no idea what I was doing, but every day I had a list of things that had to be done and worked diligently to make progress on anything. I was comfortable with some things (product management and stuff) and not so comfortable with other things (marketing and networking and sales). But I did what I could, learned what I needed to, and just fudged my way around. I didnt know what I didnt know, which is good. Ill explain why in a minute. One day I wrote a press release. It was probably good. I honestly have no idea. Could have had some spelling and grammar errors. A real PR professional probably would have ripped it to shreds and rewritten it. But I was just dumb enough to not know what I was doing. I wrote it and submitted it on the PR sites. That press release I got noticed and one thing led to another which led to another and today I can track good things that came from that one press release. Thankfully I didnt overthink it, I just did it. Fast forward a few months. This is still 2006, towards the end of the year. I sat down to write another press release. The last one went so well, why not do it again? I sat down and stared at my monitor for over an hour. Instead of writing, I was overthinking it. Now that I knew people actually read it, and that what I was writing was important, indeed, that the very future hinged on this one press release (dramatic, I know), I couldnt do it. I was overthinking it. I drafted a few releases but never submitted them. Too often we do this. We think and overthink and we dont get the job done. We think the level of acceptability is really high when in fact its way lower than what we thought. The key was to get the job done, not to have it done with white-glove perfection. Of course, you need to know the level of acceptability. Sometimes it is high and you really need to take care of quality. I am not dismissing that. But sometimes you just need to write the email or pick up the phone or go to that networking meeting, even if you feel like you need a new shirt or new pants. JUST DO IT. I know the job search is hard. I know networking is uncomfortable. I know that overthinking can lead to stalling which can lead to avoiding the hard an uncomfortable. But that isnt how you land a job. If you just do it, even though you wont do it perfectly, count it as practice. Learn from it, and do it a little better next time, and a little better next time. Id rather have you do and practice and improve than not do anything for months and months. Stop overthinking it and just do it, today!

Tips to Hire Top Resume Writing Services For Executives

Tips to Hire Top Resume Writing Services For ExecutivesTo help you succeed in a competitive job market, it is important to get the top resume writing services for executives. Top resume writing services are available to fill the needs of many employers who need to evaluate potential new hires. When deciding which services to use, it is important to find out how experienced they are. Resume services are used to highlight qualifications, job skills and education of applicants.The top resume writing services are trained in writing effective resumes that highlight all of the information necessary to be hired. The written resume must convince the employer that the employee will be an asset to the company. Not only does the resume need to impress, but it also needs to be well researched and clearly presented. Having a professional do the writing on your behalf means more than just filling out some forms.Selecting a quality service to work with is also important. After all, the goal is to s how that the applicant is the best candidate for the job. Many firms offer a variety of services from cover letters to editing resumes. Looking into how they can help with a resume is something to ask before agreeing to work with one of these firms.There are some things that must be on the resume in order to be considered as a top resume writing service. For instance, the type of position that the job seeker wants and how much experience they have to offer should be on the resume. The length of time the person has been employed in the position as well as the last work performed is also important.The applicant also needs to know about any degrees or certifications that would be relevant to the position they are applying for. In addition, the resume must also have skills that are desirable by the employer. A top resume writing service is a great resource when it comes to completing this important document. This includes showing how well the person is organized and how well they presen t themselves in their interview.It is important to give a general picture of the person's personality so that employers know that they can trust the person with their future job. It is important to do this so that they will be willing to hire them. Aside from these, they also need to be able to handle certain responsibilities, how they relate to others, how well they communicate and how they maintain professionalism.Asking for samples of past work is a good idea when looking for top resume writing services for executives. This will provide a better picture of how well the person can handle a particular situation and will give an accurate picture of their abilities. It is a good idea to look at some of the recent results as well. Even if the candidate is new to the position, it is important to see how well they did at previous jobs.Being well prepared for interviews is important when getting the top resume writing services for executives. This includes knowing what to say in order to make the employer feel like they know the applicant. Also knowing how to be professional and what kind of resume to write will help as well.

The official announcement of my blog

The official announcement of my blog Today is the official announcement of my blog. I actually started blogging three months ago, when I was doing interviews for my recent column about blogging. It became clear that anyone who is very serious about their career should have a blog, and I didnt have one. It turns out, it is not that easy to blog. Well, its easy to write a blog for an audience of six best friends and your mom. But if you want to be seen as an expert in your field by making a significant contribution to the daily community discussion, then you need to think things through a bit. Fortunately, Im a person who loves to learn something new. Heres what I did: 1. I called all the people I knew who were bloggers and asked them about their technique. 2. I spent two hours a night for a month reading other peoples blogs. I read hotshot blogs, like Lifehacker and smaller blogs like Communication Nation. 3. I started blogging furtively. I told only my blog mentor and my brother (who said You should get a better picture of yourself.) Today is the last step: Announcing the blog to everyone else. It turns out that I really love blogging. It appeals to three very big aspects of my personality: I love to write, I love routine, and Ill read anything. This last thing is genetic, I think. My mom will read anything, too. My mom has an amazing memory, and she was on the game show Jeopardy. I dont have her memory, but Im a good synthesizer of information, and blogging is a great outlet for that. According to the guys who wrote the best selling book Freakonomics, the idea of talent is overrated. What makes people stand out concert pianists, Olympic athletes (and probably big-time bloggers) is that they love to practice. They love to do it day in and day out and so they get really good at it. This is the reason that people should do what they love because thats what theyll be really good at because theyll do it a lot. So Im happy to have found something I love. For those of you who are still looking for something you love, you should know that I did not know that I would love blogging before I tried it. In fact, before I tried it, I thought blogging would be a daily pain in the butt. But I took a risk because I know you cant find what youre really good at without trying a lot of things. Blogging is a very big time investment. And its not like Im getting paid to do this. But you cannot get paid to do everything in life. I have made almost all my big career steps by doing something that I did not get paid for. I have written business plans with no assurance that theyd be funded (I got the money). And I have contributed time and ideas with no assurance that Id get credit (I got a job). In this case, Im not really sure where the blog will lead, but I feel strongly that I need to be doing it, to contribute to the online conversation about work and life. Some days I worry about how much time I spend on the blog, but I tell myself that good things happen to those who take risks to do things they love. So, Im doing that. Well see what happens.

7 Keys to Successfully Parenting Toddlers - Classy Career Girl

7 Keys to Successfully Parenting Toddlers We are all busy with work, schedules, and various activities, but we all know that our kids come first. They are our priority and flipped our worlds upside down when we first learned that they were going to be making their grand entrance to the world in 9 months. The baby years were tough but as we get into the toddler years, things change and the more knowledge you can gain about becoming successful parents, the better. How you act, what you say and what you do is important. Our children are watching us. We are modeling for them. So, lets teach our children young to grow into the leaders we know that they can be someday. 7 Keys to Successfully Parenting Toddlers 1. Successful Parents Practice Discipline Daily. This is the time to make adjustments and necessary changes because this phase of the child is the foundation stage. So just imagine yourself as an architect and your kid as a building; once the foundation is set, you are ready to go! When it comes to discipline, you have to pick your battles and you dont want to constantly be saying no. You have to be consistent, know your childs triggers and dont get too emotional. 2. Successful Parents Dont Compare. Don’t compare yourself with others and don’t compare your children with others. This can impact their self-esteem and will make them feel resentful. The truth is that all children are different and we should celebrate the uniqueness of our children instead of trying to get them to be like other kids. 3. Successful Parents Put Love First Always. It’s much more important to love your kids than to finish math homework or any other activity.  Just remember always who they are and how grateful you are to be a parent. There are tough moments, we know. But as you hear again and again, the days are long but the years are fast. It goes by quickly and soon they will be teenagers applying to college. Love is always more important than the unclean room or making it on time to lacrosse practice. There are also many different ways to get things done instead of shouting or getting mad. 4. Successful Parents Release Control. Don’t control the environment by controlling your kid.  It is okay to stay close and look after them, however, it’s way better to stay a little back to provide them a safe place but don’t hover around them. Give them room to explore. Youll find that they come back to you pretty quickly if you are in a safe environment. 5. Successful Parents Practice Playful Learning. Small children like to play a lot and the most common thing youll be introduced to is their constant toddler mood swings. If you are aware that this happens a lot with your toddler while reading or learning, try changing the method of education into a playful learning experience. Children can learn even while they are playing. Yes, there are plenty of pre-schools now such as kids Kemp, kidzee, playschool and others where they  experience playful learning and enjoy play with other kids as well. This makes the job of teaching them easier and reduces their mental pressure. 6. Successful Parents Teach Children How to Do Household Chores. Kids are full of surprises and sometimes they may not think even once to ask if they can help you. Other kids love to help. In any case, give your  child a chance to help you by listing a few responsibilities and act as a role model of how it gets done. Always remember that if they mess things up, then they can make it right too. With time, as they get older, try to increase their involvement in more household chores. 7. Successful Parents Say No to Schedules and Yes to Routines. Having a routine will give your toddler a sense of punctuality and responsibility. If they attend a pre-school or certain activity a few days a week, make sure you stick to a similar routine on the weekends and days off so they dont get confused. For instance, try to have the same nap routine on a daily basis as well as nighttime routine so your child knows what to expect. This will reduce the mood swings and common characteristics you may have heard about those terrible twos. I hope these ideas give you a different opinion about how important home education is for kids apart from schools and tutoring. It is an ongoing and never-ending process of living out the decision to educate at home as a parent. Always be patient and calm as every mother has to go through this phase in her life. This  journey to become a successful parent may not be very pleasant and may not sound good at the beginning as it can be a bumpy ride for some. But, life is a journey and so hold on tight and enjoy! Related Post: 4 Ways to Overcome Motherhood Penalty

The Value of State Resume Writing in St Cloud, Minnesota

The Value of State Resume Writing in St Cloud, MinnesotaWhat is the value of St Cloud State Resume Writing? For a city in Minnesota, the answer is quite obvious. Many residents of St Cloud, Minnesota are responsible for the business success of that particular town. Not only are you going to be working for one of the companies that offer excellent jobs, but you are also going to be helping out another company.Many computer software companies provide quality jobs in the St Cloud area. They have the best people in the industry that know how to maintain all the computer programs. Most computer systems are constantly upgraded with new versions of software, and therefore the technicians have to continually work to keep up with the latest technology. One of the most difficult things for any employee to do is to keep up with the changes that are made in their job.All employees need to be familiar with what is new and added to their company's software program. So to do this, you should be abl e to use the resources of the internet to find information on the most recent software programs that are offered. It is not necessary that you know everything about every new program, but it is important that you know what is important to your job. If you can find out what the latest updates are for your job, then you will be better prepared to talk to an interviewer about what was learned during the interview.Now that you know what they are trying to do, what is the value of this type of help? You may want to meet the person who is going to help you with your application. This is very important so that you know that you will be able to talk about what you know and what you did to help your company succeed. After all, if you can talk about what you know, and you can talk about how you helped your company succeed, then you will be more likely to get hired for the position that you have applied for.Before you start doing any research online, you should remember that a resume does not have to be detailed. There are many details that you can include that may not have been thought of before. Some companies even have sample resumes that you can fill out and send in with your resume. If the sample resume is on the internet, you can fill it out and send it in with your resume.If you have never applied for anything, a good idea is to use the services of a local college to help you write a resume. The college is there to help you with your resume and will not charge you for their service. They will give you the assistance that you need to get through this process with your resume.Another way to help yourself in this process is to look around at some of the business's websites to see what they have available. You can look at the previous resumes that were sent out, and you can also search the internet for the websites that are associated with the new company. These websites have special sections for resumes and are easily found online.There are many ways to help yourself when it comes to St Cloud State Resume Writing. You just need to use these tips to help you when writing your resume.

3 Ways to Get More Out of Your Nursing Career

3 Ways to Get More Out of Your Nursing Career Photo CreditFew career paths are as rewarding as the Nursing Sector.evalNothing in this world can match the satisfaction gained from saving lives and helping people get back to full health. While this might be a very selfless job, it’s still imperative that you invest in your personal needs too.Apart from enhancing your life, going the extra mile in these areas will allow you to provide a better service to the patients. Sometimes, the best way to help others is to help yourself first. This is one environment where those sentiments ring true.Here’s everything you need to know.1. Aim for BetterFirst and foremost, nursing is a job where supporting other people in need is paramount. But that shouldn’t be an excuse to sell yourself short. The fact you opened this post confirms that you have aspirations of achieving more out of the career. So don’t be afraid to chase those goals.It takes a lot of hard work to simply take that first step onto the health sector ladder. So it would be foolish to stop now. The internet is a wonderful resource for finding better vacancies in the medical care industry. A little research, with a little prep work on your CV and cover letters will go a very long way indeed. After all, first impressions count for everything.2. Don’t Go it AlonePhoto CreditUltimately, only you can push your career to the next level. However, you’d be very foolish to think that other people can’t support you along the way.For starters, you should always be willing to listen to others. Their advice might not always be of value, but some of that information could be key to your development.evalMeanwhile, providing the best care to patients is a team game. Therefore, building stronger relationships with colleagues can be great news for everyone. Besides, those friendly bonds will make the workplace a happier environment too.Additional courses and other development techniques can have a telling impact too.3. Seek Financial SupportFinancial rewards are the most important aspects of ensuring that you gain the benefits that your career deserves. Once you reach the top, nursing can provide a very lucrative career. But there will be various challenges on the journey, and keeping control of money is essential.Nursing is a skilled job, and putting yourself through the education process isn’t cheap. Loan forgiveness for nurses can be your saving grace. Gaining that financial support can remove some of the strain encountered during those early stages of your career. In turn, this can allow you to concentrate on becoming a better nurse and providing the best service to patients.evalMoney isn’t the most important thing in the world, and choosing the career path verifies your appreciation of this. Nonetheless, it’s not an aspect that can be ignored. Without financial security, you can quickly find yourself in a very low place.Pay attention to the three aspects above, though, and you should be just fine.

New Job Four Ways to Improve Your Salary Offer

New Job Four Ways to Improve Your Salary Offer After guiding thousands of clients through the salary negotiation process, I’ve noticed that when most people begin to negotiate a job offer, they focus on the base compensation and ways to improve it. While you may be able to improve the initial offer, you may not be successful getting to your “magic number” without being a bit more creative in how you approach the salary conversation. Compensation is made up of two types: fixed and variable.Fixed compensation is the range of salaries the company has determined they can pay for a certain job. For large companies, in particular, these ranges are very structured and it can be difficult to negotiate outside of the salary range. Variable compensation represents other forms of financial rewards that companies can employ with more flexibility. The pool of variable compensation dollars can be leveraged to entice new recruits to the organization and engage the existing workforce.By thinking more strategically about your approach to co mpensation and thinking creatively, you can craft a negotiation strategy that leaves less money on the table and more in your pocket. Below are four items to consider negotiating to improve the offer.1. Sign-on bonus. A sign-on bonus is a one-time compensation incentive given to a candidate to improve the quality of a job offer without impacting the salary range. Generally, a sign-on bonus is given to a candidate who is giving up something; perhaps leaving a current employer and foregoing their merit increase, bonus, or vacation time. But candidates who are in transition can also try to negotiate a sign-on bonus and may attempt to do so as a way to improve an offer when the employer cannot offer a higher base salary.2. Spot rewards. Spot rewards represent money given to an employee for achieving a specific goal or project milestone. They are used as a way to motivate and engage employees and provide monetary recognition in real-time of the event, rather than waiting until the employ ee’s annual review. But candidates may be able to negotiate a spot reward based on certain goals they believe they can achieve relatively quickly for an employer.By the time you are negotiating your compensation package with the employer, you often have a good idea of what their main challenges are. If you can create a roadmap for addressing those challenges with a firm completion time, you may be able to secure a spot reward. Examples of situations that might warrant a spot reward include increasing sales, decreasing costs, revamping a product, or improving a process or system. If you can prove that you can make an impact early on, the employer may be willing to negotiate a spot reward contingent to your completion of the effort.3. Termination benefits. It may seem odd to be negotiating for what you would be entitled to on the way out when you are still trying to secure a place in the organization. But due to the new reality of work and the fact that people aren’t staying at co mpanies as long as they used to, negotiating these benefits up front makes perfect sense. Benefits that you can negotiate include additional severance or outplacement services in the event your job is eliminated due to a business reason. You can let the employer know that you expect to have a long and fruitful career with them, but given the volatility of the industry, economic factors, your experience going through your last transition, etc., you would like to explore options for negotiating your termination benefits up front.4. Additional vacation time. If you had long-term tenure with your previous employer, it’s possible that the amount of vacation time the new employer offers will fall short compared to what you are accustomed to. Negotiating additional paid vacation time may be a consolation to you when you can’t improve the salary. And if having the additional time is what’s most important to you, you can also try to negotiate additional unpaid time to help support the work/life balance that you may value.At the point where you are negotiating your compensation package, you have leverage. The employer has decided they want you to fill the role, and they want you to be happy with the offer. Salary negotiation is a very collaborative process. You may not be able to negotiate for everything you ask for, but by being open to exploring different options, you are more likely to reach your compensation goals.This post was first published on Forbes.

How To Prepare Your Inbox For A Job Search

How To Prepare Your Inbox For A Job Search If you have had an email account for a while, it probably has a lot of stuff in it that you think will be opened someday. Most of us do this and realize one day we have thousands of unopened emails that might have something important to say. Yikes! How is this helping? The quick answer is that it is not helping. Email is an important part of your professional life and the way you handle it directly affects your job search. Here are three quick ways to get your email inbox ready for action: Have A Professional Email Account If your current email address is pretty casual, that email address could be preventing you from getting a job. Start over with another professional email account that is only used for career purposes. In most cases, your first and middle initial with your last name @ gmail.com, or another e-mail provider, is good. If you have a common last name, you may want to use first name, initial, last name. Do a search on the variables and see what an employer will see when they search your name and choose your email address carefully. This account is only for your job search and things related to that. This is your brand, the label of your digital presence. Dont sign up for newsletters, use it for family or friends, or anything but business. If your email address is good and its just overwhelmed, put everything in a folder to be sorted and start over with the next step. Set Your Inbox To Sort Automatically Take the time to set up your professional inbox to sort into appropriate folders automatically and you can see at a glance what has come in. Every time you apply to a company, set up a folder with the rule that new mail from that company goes here. Keep an eye on your folders and know you will not miss anything important. Whatever your account uses, rules and filters and labels can be set up to make your life efficient. Maximize all the tech you can and you will be ahead of the game, both in the job search and in any job you hold. Its like having an electronic secretary. Delete, Delete, Delete I know a manager who deletes everything but never empties the trash folder so she can search for something just in case. This drives the tech support staff nuts, but she thinks she needs that security blanket. How about a folder that has the things you truly may need someday (contact information, for instance) and only keep that? If you are not curating your inbox ruthlessly, theres a good chance that you will miss an important email someday soon. Learn how to delete the extraneous stuff so you can focus on your future by having an efficient email inbox during your job search.