Career & Finance

When it comes down to it, the resume is your greatest marketing tool—it highlights your skills and expertise and shows potential employers why you’re the best fit for their organization. So, needless to say, writing the perfect resume can be a challenge.
But, what if you’re just starting out and have very little experience under your belt? Or, what if you’re making a career transition and think you don’t have relevant job experience to share? This makes crafting the perfect resume that much more challenging (as if it needed to be any harder).
But there’s no need to panic. Here are five tips to write a powerful resume—how to highlight your best attributes and clinch that prized interview even if you have very little or completely irrelevant job experience.

1. Analyze the Job Description
This is a must when you’re applying for any job, but it’s particularly essential when you need to appropriately tailor or expand on your professional history in order to present yourself as qualified.
Before even opening up a blank document and putting your name at the top, take the time to go through the job description with a fine-tooth comb. Are there key words like leadership, communication, or organization that keep popping up? Do they list Photoshop expertise as a desired skill? Is there a certain line of the description that makes you think, “Hey, that’s totally me!”
Getting a solid handle on the specific qualifications they’re searching for is incredibly important for helping you appropriately tweak and target your resume. Once you’re armed with the details of what they consider a perfect candidate, injecting some of that information into your own document (while still being honest, of course!) will be much easier.

2. Play Up Your Skills
Whether you have little to no job experience or experience that doesn’t directly correlate to the job you’re applying for, this tactic will be beneficial. When drafting a resume, make the effort to place the majority of your emphasis on your skills and knowledge, rather than past experience.
What exactly does this mean? Well, it all starts at the top of your resume where the key skills section should appear. This portion is typically a bulleted piece that highlights your strongest expertise—such as public speaking, database management, or search engine optimization. This is the perfect place to insert any skills they listed in the job description that you possess. Think of it as your chance to demonstrate your quality and relevancy.
When emphasizing skills, it’s also important to broaden your view a bit—especially if you have very little professional work experience. Did you have a college internship that refined your project management skills? Have you become a master at creating graphics for your personal blog? Did you volunteer for a community project that made you a great team leader?
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the skills you list on your resume need to be the direct result of a previous professional position. As long as you can successfully demonstrate those abilities, go ahead and list them—it really doesn’t matter where you learned them.

3. Write an Impactful Summary
If you’re anything like me, the “About” page on websites and blogs is one of your favorites. It’s great to learn a little bit more about a particular person in their own words. Think of the summary at the top of your resume in the same way: It’s your opportunity to step away from short, bulleted fragments and share a little bit about yourself.
Some resume writers disagree, but the standard objective statement is a thing of the past. Instead, begin your resume with a powerful professional summary. This short paragraph introduces you as a candidate and expands on your resume’s details in order to show why you’re a perfect fit for the open position.
It goes without saying that you should use this section as your opportunity to shine. Instead of simply rewording and reiterating everything already listed on your resume, use this space to expand on all of those skills that make you a fit for the position. The summary is one of the first things a hiring manager will read, so make sure it’s top-notch and targeted! Injecting a little personality never hurts.

4. Polish Your Positions
Yes, you want to showcase your skills. But that doesn’t mean you can ditch the standard descriptions of your positions completely. While you could utilize a functional format resume, which is categorized based on area of expertise rather than previous jobs, most recruiters agree that those are significantly more difficult to read. Instead, tailor the descriptions of your previous positions to make them as powerful as possible.
Need an example? Let’s say you’ve worked part-time at a customer call center through college and now are looking to transition to your first professional job in marketing. Instead of listing one of your duties as something basic like, “Answered customer calls” try “Fostered continuous brand loyalty by providing high quality customer service over the phone.” It’s the same duty, but the second one sounds better and mentioning brand loyalty demonstrates relevancy in the marketing field.
You always want to be honest and avoid filling your resume up with large, complex phrases that don’t add any actual value. But, finding common threads between your past positions and the one you’re applying for will help put your resume on the top of the pile.

5. Play with Structure
For the most part, resumes are pretty cut and dried—there are certain things you need to have. But, that doesn’t mean you don’t have any room for flexibility.
If you’re someone that has a relatively extensive history with a variety of different positions, there’s no rule stating that you need to have a detailed description of all of them. Instead, provide more detail on the ones that are at least somewhat relevant and then add an “Additional Experience” section. Under that header, you can list positions that aren’t as closely related and only include essential information like company, job title, and dates of employment.
Not only does this downplay any unrelated experience in your history a bit, but it also helps free up valuable resume real estate for you to emphasize the things that actually do matter!
There’s no doubt about it, crafting an effective resume is no easy feat. And having very little or completely irrelevant job experience can definitely add fuel to that fire. But, it doesn’t mean you need to throw your hands up and resign yourself to an eternity of constantly working the same job. Put these tactics to work to help you craft a resume that presents you as an accomplished and qualified candidate and get ready for that interview call.

How to Show Your Passion in a Cover Letter and Resume More

Most of us say we want more time in the day. Well, I spent about 11 months with just that, and I can honestly say it wasn’t for me. Like many people, I was unemployed for the better part of last year. The experience left me shaken. I lost my confidence and began questioning my talent, but I learned so much about how I lost myself in my previous job—or at least that’s what it seemed like.
It’s something that can happen to anyone. Think about the last time you were at a party and met someone new (I know, I know it’s been quite a while). Likely, one of the first things they asked was, “What do you do?” The conversation probably continued with more questions about what your exact title is or how you spend your day and if you enjoy it. This is standard and polite chitchat in our society. There’s nothing really wrong with it, but it begs the question: Are we obsessed with our jobs?
Imagine being asked that simple, innocent question about what you do for a living, except this time you don’t have an answer. You don’t have a job right now or, frankly, any prospects either. Just thinking about this situation sends a tidal wave of embarrassment, anger, and sadness rushing over me because I’ve been in this position before. 
It’s not the other person’s fault, but this common question isn’t exactly crafted for someone standing in the unemployment line. It automatically assumes you’ll be able to confidently answer with your profession which, more often than not, is a large part of a first impression. I’ve also seen the look on someone’s face when you respond with “Oh, actually I’m looking for a job right now,” or “I work as a television news producer, but I’m currently in between jobs.” Their eyes momentarily get big, they try to stretch out a convincing smile, and all the while they’re internally telling themselves to “be cool, be cool,” despite being filled with instant regret.

Source: Social Squares

I’ve talked with a few other people who have either been fired before or walked away from a job on their own over the last couple of years. It’s interesting because we all have different stories about how we ended up with the label of “unemployed,” but we all mostly feel the same about the experience. It’s a mix of literally every single emotion you can imagine. I remember feeling embarrassed and powerless. I was angry it wasn’t my decision. I was happy I didn’t have to go back there, yet I was stressed about not having anywhere to go. Ultimately, I felt an overwhelming sadness that left me terrified. While I was overflowing with confusing and contradicting emotions, I somehow felt empty.

I remember feeling embarrassed and powerless. I was angry it wasn’t my decision. I was happy I didn’t have to go back there, yet I was stressed about not having anywhere to go. Ultimately, I felt an overwhelming sadness that left me terrified. While I was overflowing with confusing and contradicting emotions, I somehow felt empty.

Months later, I was babbling about my tangled mess of emotions to a close friend of mine. About a year before, she made the decision to step away from her decades-long career to protect her mental health. Leaving the (mostly) stable schedule and salary was her choice, but she struggled in the same ways I did. She shared with me something her therapist told her and honestly I think about these words every day. Her therapist described our emotional confusion as a form of grief. We were grieving the loss of who we were; our identities. 
A study by the Pew Research Center in 2016 confirms this. The research shows 51 percent of Americans said their jobs are central to who they are and gives them a sense of identity. That number seems understandable and like not a big deal until 2020 rolls around. After all, we do spend a lot of time at work. But, according to USA Today, in November 2020, approximately 3.9 million Americans were experiencing longer-term unemployment, having been out of work for at least 27 weeks. 

We were grieving the loss of who we were; our identities. 

Source: Social Squares

I’m not great at math, but Siri says that means almost 2 million people most likely feel like they lost themselves when they lost their jobs. That’s on top of the depression, anxiety, and other psychological effects that already can accompany being unemployed for longer than six months. Take it from me: sleeping in because you really don’t have anything to do isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. 
The idea of grieving the loss of my identity along with my job was groundbreaking for me, and it helped during the days that felt like an eternity. The fact is, I didn’t know how to spend my time. When I was working, there were never enough hours in the day. Suddenly I had all the time in the world, but I struggled to fill it. I tried to make working out my new thing. I told myself I’d read more. I entertained starting to paint again. But none of it felt right or felt like me. Also, each thing would only fill about an hour or two of a day… and then what? I now think who we are is how we spend our time. That’s why we have talented bakers, aspiring artists, and avid readers. I couldn’t get myself to fit into any of those categories; my 9-to-5 had consumed me. The majority of my friends were people I met at work. When we hung out, that’s what we’d talk about. So when it was taken away, I felt my identity was too.

Take it from me: sleeping in because you really don’t have anything to do isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

I know I can’t be alone. Many people love what they do for a living. Whether it’s the salary, the schedule, your coworkers, or the fulfillment you get from your work, there’s some reason you chose your profession or—at least—why you choose to stay. There’s a fine line between loving your job and allowing it to become an obsession. I definitely dove headfirst into the latter without even realizing it. Consequently, I learned firsthand how soul-crushing unemployment can be, especially during a pandemic, when so many businesses are struggling and so few companies are looking to hire someone new.
I can now say I’m one of the lucky ones who managed to find a job toward the end of 2020. As I settle into working from home (and meeting my new coworkers over Zoom), I have to remind myself that I am more than my job title. Don’t get me wrong—I once again love what I do, I’m proud of my work, and I strive to be great at it. But at the end of the day, I’m the only one who cares about that. It took me almost 11 months of unemployment to realize my biggest issue wasn’t the fact that I didn’t have a job, it was that I thought I needed one to have value. For me, that theory was debunked when I looked at the people around me. I still had friends who cared about my thoughts and opinions, a fiancé who supported me on the good and bad days, and a family who encouraged me to keep my chin up through it all. These friendships and relationships aren’t contingent on my job status. Like I said, I’m one of the lucky ones.

My 9-to-5 had consumed me. The majority of my friends were people I met at work. When we hung out, that’s what we’d talk about. So when it was taken away, I felt my identity was too.

Source: Colorjoy Stock

While last year was difficult for so many reasons, my time of unemployment has made me more aware than ever of how I spend my time off the clock. I do things that keep me grounded and happy, no matter how simple—like enjoying a cup of coffee on the couch every morning, doing an online pilates class or going on the occasional run, and ending my day with an episode or two of whatever show I’m watching at the time. It turns out I didn’t need to pick up a new hobby to have a healthier relationship with work.

It took me almost 11 months of unemployment to realize my biggest issue wasn’t the fact that I didn’t have a job, it was that I thought I needed one to have value.

If you’re unemployed right now, just know that no matter how difficult it gets, this time is temporary and you will rebound. I encourage you to use your free time to find and do things that take your mind off the stress. If that means getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new every day, great! If you’re more like I was and you only have the energy to lay on the couch some days, that’s OK too. The important thing is to never equate your value as a person to your employment. Whether you see it yet or not, you have so many other talents and qualities that make you who you are… with or without a professional email account. More

You scan through each and every sentence of a perfectly crafted email one final time and then hit “send.” Whether it was a job application, request for a meeting, or just a simple question you need answered, there’s now nothing left to do but wait for a reply.
Days tick by, and you’ve heard absolutely nothing. Understandably, you’re getting antsy for a response. But at the same time, you don’t want to seem like a total nag. So, what should you do?
Following up is always encouraged. However, there’s a fine line between being persistent and being a pest. Here are six things to keep in mind to encourage a response without coming off as completely obnoxious in your follow-up email.

1. Be realistic with expectations
In 2021, it’s standard to feel constantly connected, and while that’s definitely helped make life more convenient, it’s also warped our perceptions of what a reasonable response time is. So before ever drafting a follow-up email, it’s important to pause first to think about your expectations. That message you sent days—or even a week—ago that’s still awaiting a response? You can check in on it without seeming overly eager. But, if you contacted someone mere hours ago and are shocked that he or she hasn’t gotten back to you yet? Well, you’re better off practicing a little patience and keeping that follow-up in “draft” for now.

2. Be polite
It can be frustrating to feel as though you constantly need to chase people down in order to get what you need; however, no matter how irritated you become, you shouldn’t let any of that hostility creep into your follow-up message.
That means no snide remarks like, “I still haven’t heard anything from you,” or blatantly aggressive comments like, “I don’t understand why it’s taking you so long to get back to me about this.”
Most of us don’t respond well to anger and finger pointing. So, even if it manages to get you a reply, it likely won’t be one that you like. So make an effort to be overly polite. And remember the old saying: “You catch more flies with honey.”

3. Explain your reasoning
We all get busy. And in those moments when it feels like your to-do list is out to get you, it’s tough to think of anyone’s workload besides your own. This is why it’s important to remind the recipient of why you’re following up—why exactly is their response needed? Of course, this explanation will vary depending on the specific item you’re checking in on. But, for the sake of simplicity, here’s an example. I often have to circle back with potential freelance clients to see if they’d like to move forward with a discussed project. They can be notoriously slow on responding with a decision, so often a line of my follow-up email looks like this:
Please let me know whether you’d like to move forward with the project as discussed. Your firm answer will allow me to map out my workload for the coming weeks.
This is a gentle assertion that my own schedule is hinging on their response. Oftentimes, being reminded that they aren’t operating in a vacuum is enough to inspire people to fire off a quick reply.

Source: Social Squares

4. Switch things up
We all rely heavily on email. But, it’s definitely not the sole form of communication that exists. So if you haven’t had success with the written word, why not try a different method? No, you don’t need to send smoke signals or carrier pigeons. However, if you have a phone number for the person, why not give a phone call a try? Of course, you shouldn’t plan to bombard someone with an endless stream of emails and calls—that’s how you develop a reputation as a pest. However, if you’ve sent two messages and have yet to hear something, sometimes connecting in a more personal manner (such as via the phone) can get you the response you need.
If you’d rather stick to email? You can switch things up there too. If you sent your previous email in the morning, try sending your second follow-up in the afternoon this time around. Sometimes your key to success is catching someone when they’re not absolutely swamped.

5. Set a firm deadline
There’s nothing that lights a fire quite like an approaching deadline. And while including a firm end date in your follow-up emails might seem a little direct and brash, it’s usually effective. Why? Well, it puts the ball back in your court and makes your expectation clear to the recipient. It illustrates that if you don’t hear back by the specified date, you’re moving on.
What does this look like in practice? Let’s continue with the message I used with a hypothetical freelance client above. I’d just tack a simple line like this onto the end:
If I haven’t heard from you by the end of this week, I’ll assume you’ve gone in a different direction.
Whether you’re waiting on an answer from a client, a potential employer, or a co-worker, setting this firm deadline ensures you’re both on the same page—which is key for avoiding any further problems or miscommunication.

6. Know when it’s time to call it quits
The most important thing about using a deadline in your follow-up emails? Sticking to it. You don’t want to set an end date for your recipient, and then continue to contact them about the issue. Then your words and expectations will hold no merit. Why should they ever take you seriously? There comes a certain point when it’s clear you’re just not going to hear back from a person. So let go and move on. If you continue to pester someone, even after they’ve repeatedly (and blatantly) ignored you, you’ll only annoy the recipient and harm your own reputation in the process.
There’s no denying it: not hearing back from someone can be annoying, irritating, and even stifle your own productivity. There’s nothing wrong with following up in order to get your hands on the information you need. However, you want to do so in a way that shows you’re persistent—and not a pest. Keep these six tips in mind, and you’re sure to walk the right side of that fine line.

10 Email Mistakes You Should Always Avoid More

Whether you’re a full-time freelancer or just dipping your toe in, reaching your ideal clients can be a challenge. How do you find them? And how do you convert them once they land on your site or social media? 
If you’re struggling with these questions, you’re not alone. I’ve been a part-time freelance graphic designer for almost 10 years now, and I’ve been through many ups and downs trying to find and engage my dream clients. Below are my top tips you can implement today to help reach the people who’ve been looking for you all along: from making your website work for you (with my platform of choice, Squarespace) to cultivating an email list to diversifying your revenue streams. 

Whatever your idea is, launch it with Squarespace. Start your free website trial today and use code THEEVERYGIRL for 10% off when you’re ready to show the world.

1. Clearly list services on your website
Before you book any clients, you’ll want to have a good handle on what you’re actually offering. I’ve found that with thoughtfully structured and detailed service packages, I not only book more clients but the actual project runs so much smoother. 
When considering how to present your services, the more specific you are up-front, the better. If you’re a copywriter, avoid listing “copywriting” and instead try determining different package tiers. What specific deliverables should the client expect at the end of the project? What is not included? The fun part about this is, it’s totally up to you! Brainstorm what you really love producing as a freelancer. If you’re a graphic designer, maybe you feel confident and excited about creating a branding suite for clients, but struggle with different elements, like packaging design or printed collateral. Reorganize your service package to highlight the elements you will deliver—logo, submark, alternate logos, color palette, etc.— and exclude printed collateral elements. Narrowing in on exactly what you want to offer helps you better serve your clients and prepares them for what to expect in the process of working with you. 
Not sure what services to offer? Read this.
Once you have your service packages mapped out, list them clearly and concisely on your website. Avoid industry jargon and have a friend read over the text before you hit publish to ensure potential clients that land on your site will fully understand what you’re offering. I love working with Squarespace for website design, because each template comes pre-loaded with layouts for different needs, including listing your services. It’s less overwhelming to add everything to your site when you don’t have to start from scratch. It’s also easy to add scheduling functionality to your site if you want to offer prospective clients a frictionless option to set up a consultation with you.

2. Consider listing your prices on your website
Speaking of detailing your services on your website, it’s also worth considering your pricing. There’s debate around whether or not it’s better to list your pricing upfront on your site or wait until a client inquires with you. I’m personally of the mind that listing your pricing will benefit you in the long run. 
Remember that you want serious inquiries to reach out to you. It can be a big waste of time to constantly field inquiries for clients that aren’t ready to invest in your services. It’s scary to think about when you’re just starting out, but it’s important to remember that working for less than you are worth can be detrimental in the long run. Listing your prices upfront will also help you stick to your quotes when you start working directly with clients.
If you’re unsure, group your services into tiers and price them accordingly or try listing out a pricing range for each service package. 
READ: Everything You Need to Know About Pricing Your Services

Source: Mathilde Langevin | Unsplash

3. Establish expert status with blog posts
A great way to utilize your website, even if you don’t have a ton of relevant previous work to display, is to publish evergreen blog posts. Evergreen content is content not tied to a specific season or time of the year, so it’s relevant to potential clients and readers, whenever they happen to land on your site. 
Think about the questions clients ask you before you start working together (some that come to mind for me as a graphic designer are: “what is a submark and how will I use it in my brand identity?” or “what pages do I absolutely need on my website?”) and turn the answers into blog posts. The posts will give you something to promote on social platforms like Instagram and Pinterest as well as save you time in the long run because you’ll have a running educational hub to direct potential clients to, instead of answering each question individually. 
Pro tip: When creating your blog posts in Squarespace, toggle off the “Show Date” option, so that your posts aren’t tagged with a specific publish date. That way, no matter when potential clients end up on your site, the evergreen content will look new and updated.

4. Start an email list
Clients frequently ask me if it’s okay to collect email address on their site, even if they aren’t planning to send out regular newsletters just yet. My answer: yes! Your email list can be a powerful tool for your service-based business, so make building it a priority. 
The people who sign up for your list are your engaged core audience, who will want to be the first to know about new services you’re offering, new blog posts you’ve written, sales you’re running, and more. Even if you’re not at the place where you can regularly send out newsletters or updates via email, add an email box to your website so you can cultivate your list beforehand. This way, when you are ready to put focus behind your email marketing, you’re already have an audience. 
Adding email collection to your Squarespace site is a breeze, simply select the newsletter icon and a pre-made sign-up box will be added. By default, your contacts will filter into your Squarespace email campaigns, keeping everything organized and in one easy-to-find place once you’re ready to start email marketing. 

5. Show off your previous work, strategically 
You don’t need 85 previous projects to create a compelling website that actually converts into new clients. You also don’t need to showcase every single project you’ve ever worked on. As a freelancer, I’ve worked on plenty of projects that were right at the time, but not right to showcase on my portfolio now. Some of them showcase services or offerings I no longer provide or don’t reflect the direction my work as taken recently. Be selective about what work you want to showcase and curate a few projects that speak to the clients you want to attract right now. 
If you don’t have any client work you feel comfortable adding to your portfolio, try a self-initiated project for a faux dream client. Personal projects have been some of my favorite things to work on in the past and they make great showcase pieces for your portfolio or example projects for your evergreen blog posts. 
READ: How to Build Your Portfolio When You Don’t Have Any Clients

Source: Social Squares

6. Try new revenue streams 
As a service-based business, diversifying your revenue stream can relieve so much for the pressure of searching for and landing the right clients. When you have multiple sources of income coming in, you can afford to be selective with inquiries and only accept the clients you know you will work the best with. This will help you produce better results for your clients in the long run as well. Win, win. 
I love the all-in-one nature of hosting my site on Squarespace, because I can list my services and cater to my freelance clients, while also hosting my online shop for my prints and custom portraits. Having that secondary source of income built directly into one website makes keeping track of everything a breeze (or at least, breezier). 
I also love that Squarespace now offers Member Areas, which allow you to create membership tiers on your site. This would be so useful for hosting an online course or providing member-exclusive content such as downloadables and video resources. 

If you’re a freelancer struggling to find and maintain consistent work, remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect. I struggled for a long time with publishing my own site or sharing my work on social media because I wanted everything to be in picture perfect shape before it could reach potential clients. What I didn’t realize was how this perfectionism was hindering me finding any clients or work in the first place. Start where you are. Launch your site and get your work out there and then refine and update as you go along. 

Whatever your idea is, launch it with Squarespace. Start your free website trial today and use code THEEVERYGIRL for 10% off when you’re ready to show the world.

This post is sponsored by Squarespace, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board. More

Do you want to take your career to the next level but are feeling a little stuck? These seven bad habits might be what are holding you back at work. No worries, though—it’s never too late to improve.

1. You’re Overworking & Not Taking Time off for Self-Care
What you do outside of the office is just as important as what you do in the office. In order to show up as your best and brightest self to work every day, self-care needs to be a top priority—and we’re talking quality self-care. Sitting on the couch scrolling through Instagram doesn’t count. Find a self-care routine that feels really good for you. You can start a morning meditation practice, exercise, go for nature walks, laugh, play, take bubble baths—do whatever you need to do to feel refueled when you show up at work every day. This alone will make a huge impact on your performance at work.

2. Your Job Just Isn’t the Right Fit
Of course, not every job you’ll have in your life is going to be one you love with all your heart. Especially when you’re climbing the corporate ladder or job searching in a pandemic, some jobs might simply be a way to pay the bills, and for a while, that’s OK.
But sometimes, a job can be soul-sucking because it just isn’t the right fit. Whether it’s because of the company environment or the work you’re doing, if you’re not happy, it can be hard to ever really feel accomplished at your job. If this is the case, starting a job search when you feel like you’re ready to move on might be your best bet. 

Source: @kateogata

3. You’re Not Truly Believing in Yourself
It really sucks to admit this, but a lot of the time, the only thing holding us back from the career success we really desire is ourselves. You might doubt your abilities and not believe you can take your career to the next level. That’s where feeding your mind with powerful, uplifting content comes in. From my experience, once I fell into the rabbit hole of reading personal development books and listening to podcasts, my career completely transformed. I went from being an intern to a full-time freelance writer in a matter of months. The power of the mind is absolutely mind-blowing, so use it to your advantage.

4. You’re Not Asking for What You Want
In life and in the workplace, we tend to not ask for what we really want because we don’t want to come off as pushy or bossy or we’re afraid of what other people might think. This bad habit is absolutely holding us back from the success we truly desire. How are people supposed to know what we want if we don’t ask for it? You can’t wait for really awesome career opportunities to fall into your lap; you have to be proactive and voice what you want. If you know you deserve a raise, ask for it. If you want to be considered for the promotion, ask for it. If you have too much on your plate and need help, ask for it. You never know where one simple ask might lead you and your career.

5. You’re Keeping Yourself Small
According to this Forbes article, men are confident enough to apply for a job even if they only meet 60% of the qualifications. Women, on the other hand, won’t apply for a job unless they feel they meet 100% of the qualifications. This statistic is wild and brings me to realize that we’re the ones underestimating ourselves by not going after for the jobs that we truly want because we feel unqualified. So the next time you see a job listing that you like, apply for it, and don’t worry about how much you fit the qualifications. At the end of the day, most qualifications are things that can be quickly learned, and what really counts is if you have the confidence to get the job done. If you have that, you’re golden.

Source: Danielle Moss

6. You Complain Too Much
It’s almost impossible to always be satisfied with every single thing about your job. There’s bound to be things that bug you or that you simply don’t feel excited to do, but when you begin to vocalize your complaints, that’s when you start to hold yourself back from thriving at work. The employees that get promoted are the ones who are go-getters and are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Try to focus on finding a solution to the problem instead of pondering over it or complaining about it.

7. You’re Not Managing Your Time Wisely
There are so many little parts of a job that need to get done every day, and often times, they’re not your actual job. It could be things like responding to emails, sorting paperwork, organizing files, etc. And by the time you get back to your desk to actually get the important things done, you’re physically and mentally exhausted from the million other things you’ve already done that day. In order to really excel and shine at work, focus instead on getting the important things done first (ideally before lunch time) and leave the little things for later in the day. More

When it comes to workplace catastrophes, a horrible email mistake sent to the big boss might trump them all. A spelling error, misused word, or God forbid an email sent to the wrong person can make you look unprofessional, and if it’s bad enough, can even put your job in jeopardy.
Sending an email that was supposed to go to a friend to a superior—or worse, your whole office after accidentally clicking “reply all”—can leave you frantically looking up the cheapest tickets to another country, sifting through name ideas to give yourself for your new identity.
Whether you’re emailing back and forth with a potential employer or with the boss you’ve known for years, a certain degree of etiquette is required. Here are the most common professional email mistakes to look out for before you make the mistake yourself—and how to mend the mistakes you do make. (You’re not the first person to do it and certainly won’t be the last.)

1. Sending a misdirected email
Depending on the content, a misdirected email can range from slightly embarrassing to job-ending.
As hard as it is to remain calm and panic-free, stay calm and gauge the situation. Is it something slightly embarrassing, like talking about happy hour plans to someone who wasn’t on the invite list, or is it a worst-case scenario, like sending an email about your boss to your entire office?
Gauge the situation and develop a plan of action for damage control. As hard as it can be to not go and immediately apologize to everyone who got the email, hold off. Things get lost in people’s inboxes all the time (and things can take a while for people to open) so don’t draw more attention to it than necessary.
However, you should immediately apologize if you sent it to a boss. Rather than sending out a mass apology email, seek out your boss and give them an in-person apology. Let them know that the email wasn’t intended for them and you’ll be more careful in the future. Once you do this, assess if more damage control needs to be done. If your boss accepts your apology, move on and try not to dwell on it—everyone makes mistakes, and you can’t undo it no matter how much you want to. (But it’s a good rule of thumb to never send emails bashing anyone on your team, no matter who it is really intended for.) If the email you sent contained confidential info for someone who wasn’t meant to see it, make sure to alert your HR immediately.

2. Not having a clear, concise subject line
While you might be in the habit of sending emails with no subject line or informal ones to the coworkers you’re friends with, make sure that when you’re sending an important email that the subject line gives them a look into the contents — if it’s about an invoice, make the subject line “June Invoice”; if it’s about a project, title it with the name of the project and a short explanation of the update.
Having a clear subject line is not only more professional, but it makes the receiver of your email more likely to pay attention to it.

3. Being too informal
Obviously, some offices are more formal than others. If you’re starting a new job, start off on the formal side and adjust accordingly based on how people are emailing you. Once you get a feel of how people communicate with each other, try to fit the mold — nobody wants super formal emails in a casual setting or vice versa.

4. Using your personal email address
Once you get your work email address, make sure to stick exclusively to that. When you’re going back and forth with your boss or a PR contact, you don’t want to accidentally send it from [email protected]

5. Not including a signature block
Signing your emails with just your name isn’t technically wrong, but having a professional signature with your first and last name, contact info, job position, and if possible, your company’s logo is more professional and will make it easier for people to seek you out if they need to.

6. Going overboard with the exclamation points
This is a huge problem for females and is something we discuss frequently in our office. Women can be paranoid that not ending a sentence with an exclamation point can sound off as rude or critical (guilty), but that isn’t the case — and using too many exclamation points can have the reverse effect and make you come off as unprofessional.

7. Forgetting to proofread
Before you hit send on any work-related email, reread the contents and triple check who you’re sending it to and whether or not you hit “reply all.” Even when you’re in a rush, try to give it a quick scan to avoid any catastrophes or embarrassing moments.

8. Frequent Grammar Mistakes
In work emails, it’s common to reuse the same words and sayings over and over. Make sure you don’t fall victim to these common errors.

Follow-up vs. follow up
I have sat and debated this countless times before sending an email to someone I just interviewed with, convinced that if I chose the wrong one, I’d blow my shot at the job. While that almost definitely isn’t the case, this is a good one to know.
Follow-up is a noun and adjective. Hyphenate when used before a noun.
I sent her a follow-up email.
Follow up is a verb.
I contacted the manager to see if I could follow up.

So…
Email subject: Follow-up to interview
Hi XXX,
It was great chatting with you yesterday. I just wanted to follow up…

9. Relying on these words and phrases
There are certain words that are fine in real life but come off as harsh or unprofessional when they’re used via email. Try to avoid using these phrases.

“Sorry to bother you” — in a work-related scenario, you aren’t bothering them! It’s your job to communicate with your superiors and co-workers, so this isn’t necessary.
“Let’s touch base” — this is overused in corporate settings. Try to swap out for something else, especially if you’re looking for your boss to pencil you into their busy schedule.
“I think” — if you know something, don’t assert yourself less by stating it with “I think” before it. Take away the safety net and continue your sentence without this.
“Hey” — once you’ve honed in on your office culture, it’s totally fine to use this in casual emails (I can’t even count how many times I use it a day in our office). But until then, don’t begin your email with “hey ___” and address them more formally.

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