how to find a job (while you have one)

The most important part of finding a new job is absolutely not to wait until your current job becomes unbearable. In fact, I subscribe to the idea that you should always be looking for jobs to a) know how your field is evolving and b) to stay apprise of your market value. This way when you do start to think about leaving your current job, you already have a sense of what's out there.

the best questions to ask during a job interview

One of the best pieces of professional advice I’ve received for my career is to remember to interview the company during your job interview. 23 year old Nicole was clueless – why would I interview them? I’m just excited to have an interview. But it is actually really sage advice. An interview should be more than a company’s assessment of you – you want to be sure that company and this job is the right fit for you, too.

Any good interviewer will ask you if you have any questions for him or her at the end of their questioning. Your answer should always be yes. Have a few questions prepared to demonstrate your knowledge of the company. But also have these 5 in your back pocket to help you decide if this is the job you truly want if offered the position.

"Can you tell me about the organizational structure of the department/office/team/company?"

 The idea here is to get a sense of where your position falls into the greater scheme of things. While this is especially important for mid level professionals, it still rings true for entry level positions. You want to know how many people and layers are between you and the most senior official. Not only does this give you a sense of room for growth, it gives you insight into the potential bureaucracy of the organization. How accessible is the top dog? Potentially a lot more accessible if there are 3 people in between you and her than 23.

"What are the opportunities for growth"

This is a taboo interview question because some feel like it makes you look too aggressive. I disagree -- you should absolutely know what your career path (or lack there of) could look like at the organization. Frame this question around being interested in finding a work place where you can both stay and grow but don't be bashful about showing ambition. Especially if you're a woman. No one likes a jumpy resume but sometimes we can't help it when we take a job where we only later find out opportunities for promotion are far and few between.

"What are the strengths of the office? And opportunities for improvement?"

The real meat of this question is the second part. Of course, it's helpful to know the strengths of the office but no office is perfect and you want to have a sense of how realistic people are about that. There are always areas for growth so you want to hear that your future employer is aware of these areas, and hopefully has a strategy in place for how to improve them!

"What do you see as priorities for our industry?"

This is a good question to talk shop a bit, and highlight everything you know about the industry. Every industry has trends and priorities -- you want to know that your future employer sees them. His or her answer will also give you a sense of if this organization is a thought leader in the industry because you will grow a lot more professionally if they are.

“Will you tell me about the work life balance here?”

You will probably hear a “we like to work hard, play hard” answer here. Press back a bit. You want to get a sense of their work expectations outside of the office. What time do people normally leave work? Do you have to stay late to accomplish all of your deliverable? Are you expected to answer emails on the weekend.  That is what you want to know about work life balance. It is nice to know about the social relationships in the office (who doesn’t love an excuse for happy hour) but their expectations of work outside of work hours, and what even constitutes work hours, should be transparent.

BONUS QUESTION: "I'm looking to make XXX yearly. Is there flexibility in the salary offered?"

If offered the job, critically examine the compensation package…. and then ask for more money, even if you’re comfortable with their initial offer. HR hardly ever offers their ceiling salary on the first offer so chances are, you won’t be putting anybody off.  It may be uncomfortable but YOU are your biggest advocate. Its good practice in self advocacy and you may even end up with a little extra moola in your pocket.  If you’re not comfortable with asking for more money, ask about what other benefits are included in the compensation package. Perhaps you can negotiate more time off, a personal office,  or tuition benefits. Advocacy and negotiation can be challenging skills to master so don’t pass up the opportunity to practice and hone them.

how to work from home

One of the major benefits of my job is the ability to telework. I work from home one day a week and it's been instrumental in helping me achieve a healthier work/life balance. I find that I'm productive and produce high quality work without getting muddled in office politics or gossip (which my office does a lot of!) Even though I'm at home on a Friday, I'm far more focused than I used to be in the office on Fridays and it's a really nice way to end the week.

At 5pm (or really closer to 5:30) I can shutdown feeling confident that I've tied up the work week and turn off work and turn on weekend mode.

The key to success here is, as closely as possible, mimicking the positives of your office while removing all the detractors.

\\ HAVE A DEDICATED WORK SPACE OR HOME OFFICE //

This is crucial. Ideally this space is a home office but you may be like me and live in a 900sq ft apartment and a laughing at the idea of home office. Trust me, a desk or table will also work. Regardless of where this space is, it should be the same space every week.  Again, you are trying to mimic your office work conditions so having a dedicated space to do work keeps you focused and allows you to cut out the distractions of being at home. Working in the same space will allow you to establish a working routine. 

\\ SHOWER AND GET READY //

Treat your work from home day like any other work day and do your regular morning routine. Shower, get ready and have your morning coffee all to get yourself in the frame of mind that you're working today. You're not lounging around in yoga pants.

That being said, I do usually wear leggings at home but getting ready like I do Monday through Thursday prevents me from getting a slow unproductive start to my day.

\\ TAKE A BREAK AWAY FROM YOUR WORKSPACE //

This is a good reminder for your regular work day, too. No one can produce for 8+ hours without a break. Well, unless you're a robot. Trying to work for 8+ hours without a break will leave you susceptible to distractions, and there are loads of distractions at home. Take a break to walk around the block, get some fresh air, or in my case take Lucy for a walk to the park. Taking a break and getting away from your desk will force you to reset and break up the monotony of working from home alone. 

\\ PUT AWAY YOUR PHONE AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TURNING YOUR TV ON //

Remove distractions from your day! Today is not the day to get caught up on Scandal just like you wouldn't be watching Snapchat stories all day at work. If you need some background noise, try Noisli, Calm.com, or Coffitivity.

\\ PLAN OUT YOUR DAY //

Start your day by setting some goals and planning what you want to achieve while teleworking. This is particularly important to me on Friday's since it is my last opportunity to get everything done for the week. Map out your day in a way that will allow you to get everything done and this map will keep you focused. In case you so get distracted by being at home, you can alway go back to your roadmap for the day to refocus on your priorities.

Do you have any tips or suggestions that help you work from home? I would love to hear them!

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All images via Ashley Ella Design

how to stay organized (for the not organized person)

I would say that I am a pretty organized person. I'm not Type A by any means, and my closet might suggest that I'm anything but organized. But when it comes to day to day GSD, I stay on top of my shit (for the most part). It is not to say that I am an innately organized person (I'm not), I just like plans and achieving said plans and staying an organized is a way to accomplish that. I wanted to share with you some of the systems I use to stay organized and hope that you will share some of the tools you use in the comments! We're in this together, Type B friends!

\\ TRELLO //

The pictures in this post a perhaps a bit misleading because I use Trello almost exclusively to keep all my to-do's organized (and to keep sane). If you're unfamiliar, Trello is an online tool for managing projects and tasks. Users create boards to group together lists to organize tasks (called cards). You can check off cards, archive them when they have been completed, color code them to assign them to other users (Trello is great for collaborating at work), and move them between lists. I use two boards primarily --  work, and wedding -- and I've set up each differently. 

On my wedding board, I have lists for each month and underneath each month are all the tasks that need to be completed. Aaron and I use the board together and we're able leave notes for each other on the tasks, and color code each task so it is clear who is responsible for what. There are really romantic parts of being engaged and planning a wedding -- the project management aspect of it is not one of them. 

On my work board, I have one list full of my to-dos and a list for each day. At the beginning of each day, I move the cards under the to-do list to the days of the week to use as an outline for the day. It helps me prioritize what needs to get done today and what can wait for tomorrow while not losing sight of all that needs to get done this week. In my work, I manage a number of projects so I assign each project a color so that I can quickly look at my to-do list and see what project needs the most attention today (or this week). Alternatively, I've set up my work board to have a list for each project with all the tasks needed to be completed underneath it. I found that to be too cumbersome for all the projects I manage and did not help me manage my time.

Let me know if you use Trello, or want to see how my boards are set up. I'm happy to share! 

\\ PAPER CALENDARS vs. ELECTRONIC CALENDARS //

I use both. I have a paper datebook were I keep important dates, like birthdays or major events, and an electronic calendar for everything else like day to day meetings or after work events. The key to a good electronic calendar again is color coding everything. Blog tasks, wedding appointments, personal obligations, and work meetings are all different colors but on the same Google calendar. That way, when I open up my calendar as I do every morning, I have an accurate snapshot of what my day will look like all day -- not just at work.

In addition to using my electronic calendar to manage work meetings and appointments, I also use it to manage my time and work flow. I start each morning drinking my coffee and looking at my inbox, calendar, and Trello to-do list for the day. I then fill in my time between meetings with appointments for myself to complete certain tasks. I leave a few open breaks in case something comes up with a colleague who is using my calendar to determine my availability to meet. But for the most part, I try to book out my day so I can ensure I  have enough time for each one of the tasks I've assigned myself for the day. This method also works well in forcing you to step away from a project or take a break which is something I can need hep with.

\\ EMAIL //

What a beast, right? Again, color coding is my best friend. In my personal email, I use color coded labels in Gmail for everything. That way, I can sort and visually see what is waiting  for me.

At work, I use email a bit differently. My inbox is sorted into unread, and everything else with unread emailed listed first. As I mentioned, I begin each day skimming but not replying to everything unread in my inbox. I give myself 30 minutes to respond to low hanging fruit -- emails that need a confirmation of receipt or I know will only need a response to end the conversation. After responding, its labeled and archived. For everything else, I add responding to my Trello to-do list for the day or the next day. Email etiquette in my industry dictates a 24-48 hour response time so I do my best do respond accordingly.  Emails that are open ended conversations, like those for which I need a response to my reply or emails that I need to wait for more information before I can reply appropriately wait in my inbox as read. My inbox serves as mini to-do list and a list of reminders. 

I include time on my calendar each day for checking email and try my best not to look at my inbox until those designated times. In Gmail, I enable desktop notifications for important messages so I know that I'm not missing any emails from my boss (or other VIPs) during the times I've designated as non-inbox times. Only checking email a few times a day has helped my productively immensely. 

How do you stay organized and GSD?? 

5 tips for writing an effective resume

What feels like a lifetime ago (but was in reality just 2.5 years ago) I was a corporate recruiter. At any given time we had 25 open positions so my day was built around reviewing dozens and dozens and dozens  of resumes and then interviewing potential candidates. Because of this experience, I've sat on more than a few interview committees at my current job. It's safe to say, I've seen my fair share of resumes to evaluate. And I kind of love it.

Everyone agrees resume writing is the worst. It is such a chore! It feels like such a daunting task when it really doesn't have to be. I've run these tips by a few HR friends across industries so I hope you can benefit from them regardless of your career path.

UTILIZE  A SUMMARY

The summary or objective section is the first thing on your resume and, if written well, acts as a lens for which the rest of your resume should be read. Think about what skills you bring to the workforce, who you are professionally, and what your career objectives may be. With this information, the reader can better understand the rest of your resume and the picture you are trying to paint which is that you are a totally hirable asset!

STRATEGICALLY PLACE YOUR EDUCATION SECTION

The cold hard truth is that most recruiters or HR professionals aren't going to spend more than 30 seconds looking over your resume the first time around. This means the first page is the most important. Following the idea that a summary is a lens, be thoughtful about what you want the next section to be. With a little over 6 years of professional experience under my belt, I want to highlight my career achievements and responsibilities that fall in line with the job I'm applying for. My education, while still valuable, is not as relevant as the work I was doing last year that directly relates to the job I'm applying to. If you are a recent college grad and your work experience doesn't yet speak for itself, put your education before your professional experience. When I graduate from my MBA program, I'll likely move that education section back to the front page.

USE THE EXACT SAME VERBS FROM THE JOB POSTING

You should use the exact same words from the job posting where you can for a few reasons. The first being that a lot of companies employ software to screen resumes in the first round of screening and the software makes selections based on keyword matching. Meaning unless the software picks up on certain words in your resume, your resume is headed straight to the trash. Even if your experience seems to be a direct match, ensure the computer knows that by peppering in words from the job posting so you know there isn't any guessing. Like the computer, a human reading your resume is trying to pick up on certain skill sets too. Let's say one of the job responsibilities for the job you're applying for is "foster relationships with prospective donors". If you list "cultivated relationships with prospective donors" as one of your past job responsibilities, it seems pretty safe to assume the reader will understand how your experience directly relates to what they are looking for. Instead of assuming, make it EASY. Don't make it any harder for the reader than it needs to be. Use the same word the job posting to ensure the reader knows exactly how you're qualified. 

IDENTIFY ACCOMPLISHMENTS NOT JUST RESPONSIBILITIES 

One of my favorite things to read on a resume is what a candidate did above and beyond their normal job duties. If you're title is a Team Coordinator, I may be able to gather a pretty reasonable sense of what your job entailed from your title and the first few bullets listed. I want to know what made you an A++++ Coordinator. What major accomplishments did you achieve in that role? What leadership projects did you work on? How did you take initiative to do more than just your job responsibilities? Don't be afraid to show off!

PROOF READ YOUR RESUME. AND THEN PROOF READ IT AGAIN

This should go without saying but proofread your resume! Ask a friend to help. Go to bed and read it again in the morning.  You don't want a super easy to fix spelling mistake or a grammatical error to be the reason you don't get called for an interview. I can't tell you how many resumes I've read with glaring grammatical or spelling mistakes. True story: I read a cover letter that said "I am extremely detail oreinted". I'm no copy editor (as you can probably tell since you're reading this blog) so I don't read resumes to notice grammar but some people do. I know recruiters that will absolutely toss your resume for a spelling mistake. While I'll have some leniency for grammatical mistakes, you won't know if the reader will offer you the same grace.  Don't take that chance. 

Do you have any additional tips? Any specific questions about your resume? Leave 'em in the comments or tweet me :)

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