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      10 LinkedIn Hacks to Dazzle Recruiters and Grow Your Network

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      You may have heard it before, but it’s true that your network is your net worth, and the best time to build it is is long before you need to leverage your network for a new job. Since things are hyper-virtual in 2020, making the most of your digital first impression is essential.While there are a number of new platforms emerging to make career connections, LinkedIn remains one of the critical pit stops recruiters will make while scoping you out. Put it to work building new relationships and showcasing your best self with these hacks.

      1. Manage LinkedIn like your other social platforms
      This may feel straightforward, but for some reason many of us think of LinkedIn as a mystical career platform separate from our other digital footprints. To get the most value out of it, you need to actively engage, post, comment, connect, and authentically like and curate the virtual network through your profile.
      Promote yourself to the Head of Digital Strategy for You, Inc. Spend 30 days being extremely strategic about your content. For example, find interesting articles to pull in and comment on, schedule a block of time to crank out peer recommendations, or use the platform to message and introduce people.

      2. Make use of analytics
      Surprised? Yes, LinkedIn has relatively slim analytics for personal profiles, but it can give you some sort of insight about the demographics and sources of your followers and visitors. Instead of a casual skim through who last viewed your profile, pull up the more detailed monthly reporting and get a better understanding of the key words you’re come up against over time, or how connections are interacting with your content.

      3. Think SEO strategy
      Debate rages over whether LinkedIn has SEO implications in the same way we think about other web searches, but good SEO strategy can only help. Clean up language in your job descriptions and use powerful words you’d want on your next role’s description. Maximize the impact of the initial “About” section. It should be a compelling story, not a resume. Name your head shot or any other imagery, and consider adding video or other types of media where relevant.

      4. Use hashtags
      If you aren’t yet convinced that LinkedIn is the working girl’s Instagram, their addition of hashtags last year should do it. Appropriately adding relevant and curated hashtags to your content can definitely up your engagement and get you seen. One study found that inclusion of at least one popular hashtag received almost 30 percent higher impressions than a comparable post without them.

      5 . Connect it to the rest of your social world
      A good cadence of activity on LinkedIn becomes easier if it’s part of your digital routine. Consider connecting it to your other social accounts like Twitter or Facebook to get more bang for your buck. This connectivity can also help you more easily re-share and authentically engage on content.

      6.  Add your LinkedIn URL to your email signature
      If you’re outside of a creative field where you might not have your own portfolio website, fake it with LinkedIn. Include your page as a hyperlink in your email signature. This is especially helpful if you end up sending a lot of emails to external colleagues. It definitely ups the chances of someone engaging with your page, and also prompts an easier way to connect!

      7.  Time it like a banker
      Since LinkedIn serves the business crowd, post in the windows where folks are routinely phone scrolling for the greatest impact. No secret here—we tend to do our work-related reading between 7-9am and 5-6pm.  
      The first hour can be the most important time for your posting activity. And, how much people engage with it determines if the content will be pushed to the second and third degrees of your network so schedule content deliberately.

      8. Update your headshot
      For all the ways LinkedIn is like our other favorite social platforms, there is one big way it’s not. If your LinkedIn headshot is a blurry selfie from the car passenger seat or you’re hugging a friend at a party, but she’s mostly cropped out, it needs an update. (And sadly, I’ve seen all three of these examples on a recent recruiting spree.)
      No need to get fancy or spend a lot of money here. There is a perfectly acceptable wall in your living room facing some fabulous natural light that will do just fine. Dress for the job you want and set your timer. Gals in creative industries have more flexibility—think  professional, but not sterile.

      9.  Stop saying you’re good at everything
      I’m so guilty of this. A laundry list of different types of jobs over my career means that I feel perfectly justified loading up at the LinkedIn “skills buffet.” Be selective and thoughtful about including the skills where you truly shine. Even more, it’s worth reinforcing the idea that you should only select skills that you want future employers to notice you for. It’s not worth crowding your profile with historical skill sets that don’t have any relation to your future dream job.

      10. Give to get
      Start getting generous with recommendations. You can do these unsolicited, so it’s an easy way to check the box on some routine networking engagement. And this year, couldn’t we all use a nice surprise endorsement in our inbox? Make your recommendation three part; introduce how you know the person, give a tactical example of why they’re great, and close with a positive punchline. Many folks will be compelled to return the favor without you even asking.

      How have you improved your LinkedIn profile and digital networking habits?  More

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      in health and weelbeing

      What Elaine Welteroth Taught Me About Identifying and Pursuing Your Purpose

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      I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a writer. I can recall the day that I came home from elementary school, beaming with excitement over a story I wrote in my 2nd grade class. I remember racing to my parents’ room, eager to share my story with them, watching their eyes as they read over the tale of a young Black princess and her evil parents. I realize now that the story I wrote was nowhere near a New York Times bestseller, but in that moment, you couldn’t tell me otherwise.As an adolescent fantasy writer, I had very clearly used my personal experiences to shape my characters. Although, this story was a little too close to home, and even with my dad’s displeasure over the inspiration of the narrative, I was so pleased with my work. I had this intrigue with storytelling and continued to feed that hunger as I grew older. That passion for writing and storytelling never left and felt more and more like a calling than just a hobby. I knew I had to spend the rest of my life writing, telling stories and sharing my experiences with the world. 

      Thankfully, I discovered that there are others who share in this experience as well. Not too long ago, I found myself feasting on Elaine Welteroth’s new memoir, More Than Enough. There I witnessed the retelling of Elaine’s journey to success. This is important because most of us view the most notable of celebrities as people who just make a lot of money and are famous. But, as Elaine so eloquently puts it, “The truth is, job titles are temporary. But purpose is infinite.”

      As she reminisces on her journey from childhood aspirational magazine editing to real-life Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue, Elaine draws a distinction between her career and her purpose, placing all of her value on accomplishing goals and making career decisions that are linked to her passions and what she would define as her purpose rather than chasing after the stereotypical “American Dream.” She believed her presence in the publishing industry served a greater purpose and was more valuable than simply collecting a check or gaining celebrity; it was an opportunity to educate and to amplify the voices of people from historically marginalized communities on the greatest platforms in media. Here are three lessons I learned from Elaine about pursuing, as inspired by her wonderful book, More Than Enough.

      1. Your purpose will call you (not literally, but in a figure sense).
      Because we live in a society that is all about “securing the bag,” the idea of pursuing purpose seems outdated. I mean, after all, how do you even know what it is? Much like Elaine, I believe that I discovered my purpose at a young age. Or, rather, it found me. Not only was I saturating pages of my notebook with fairytale-like adaptations of my life, but I was also always found with a Junie B Jones or Romona Quimby novel on hand. My natural interests in literature and writing were evident. Sometimes, when we think about our purpose and what we were put on this Earth to do, we feel as though we have to go searching for it. We must experiment with different trades and different majors in order to land on the career that is exclusively ours. But, no one ever tells us to examine our history and to maybe even look within for the purpose that has always been there, written on our hearts, burning deep inside us from birth. Identifying your purpose takes introspection—to look back and remember the things that used to drive us as children, the dreams, aspirations and passions that we had when we were young. It requires us to use those moments as our launching pad for insight into our purpose. This is one way we can start to identify it: remember the passions that called you when you were young.

      2. Pursuing your purpose will challenge you. 
      The other side to pursuing your purpose is that it will challenge you. In my experience, finding a job was never difficult, but landing a job within the realm of what I believe I am meant to do was no easy feat. I think Elaine would concur. With the end of her college career drawing near, she found her future hanging in the balance as she contemplated her next steps post-graduation. She says, “Trying to figure out how to pursue your passion in ninety days sounds like one of those bestselling self-help books or a viral TED Talk, but ultimately, in practice it was more like being lost in a dark room and not knowing if I’d ever find my way out.” Let’s be real, opting for a quintessential lifestyle that ends with the white picket fence is easy. However, pursuing a path that is greater than yourself is risky and actually takes quite a bit of faith. Contrary to Elaine, I had to face the music long after college. I had already opted into the traditional 9-5 safe zone, but my purpose kept calling. It wasn’t until a few years after college graduation that I fell in headfirst in pursuing my writing and haven’t stopped yet. I’m just bold enough to believe that because this purpose is linked to my natural-born passions and my very existence, I will always find a way to operate in it. While you may encounter obstacles and challenges as you pursue it, persevere. After all, the greatest things in life never come easy. 

      3. Your purpose will change you (for the better, of course). 
      Though the journey of identifying and pursuing your purpose may be turbulent, it doesn’t compare to when you’re finally able to operate in it. Every moment that you spend fulfilling your purpose feels like confirmation that you’re doing what you were created to do. Not only do you begin to impact the lives of other people (because purpose is also about changing the lives of the people after you), but you are changing as well. Your perspective begins to shift, your priorities change, your values evolve and that’s what’s meant to happen. In Elaine’s story, shifting the paradigm in the publishing industry, especially in regards to beauty, was always her goal. But, as she continued to climb the corporate ladder, arriving at the front doors of Teen Vogue offices, her vision extended beyond Black representation in media to also stirring up and equipping the next generation. Her role at Teen Vogue radicalized the content of the magazine, taking it to new heights that no other teen magazine had reached, while simultaneously changing her. 

      For most of us, career success has been our life’s ultimate goal. We go to college to earn a degree or two—arriving at our final destination of a great job that makes us a lot of money and comes with a little bit of fame. For others, we may find ourselves in an endless pursuit of this form of success. But, at some point, we have to ask ourselves if that is really all there is to life—money, success, and fame. Or, is there more? Can we pursue careers that allow us to leave a real impact on the world? Can we pursue passions that are linked to a greater calling on our lives? Does that even exist for all of us? I think Elaine’s answer would be, yes. Those convictions, passions and intrinsic motivators are all linked to the very reason you have graced this earth. Don’t suppress them. Take that leap of faith and chase after them. They are calling you. They will challenge you. And, best of all, they will change the world while also changing you.  More

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      in health and weelbeing

      Daytime Routine: How I Stay Productive, Happy, and Healthy During the Day

      by

      I’ll be the first to admit that working-from-home is not my strong suit. I live in a 300 sq. ft. box, get distracted easily, and have way too much to say during the day to be alone (and it is way too easy for my coworkers to ignore my hilarious messages all day long). It has also been hard for me to stay healthy (my fridge is just so close) and active while I’m home all day. But we’re on month #5 with months to go, and I’ve somehow figured out how to manage doing something I hated.We often discuss nighttime and morning routines here, but now that I do basically the same thing every single day, it was high time I started a routine for during the day too. I wanted something that I could loosely follow every day to create some healthy, productive habits while also not absolutely hating my life all day long. Am I the most productive person ever? Absolutely not. There are days when I look at the clock at 2:30pm and realize I’ve ticked off nothing from my to-do list. But I’ve noticed these simple steps have helped me stay on track throughout the day with work and make my evenings a lot better too! Here are a few things I’ve implemented into my day that have made going through the motions of stay-at-home life a little easier. 

      Do chores
      As you can tell, I basically do anything I can to add little breaks in my day. Sitting at my desk and cranking out a ton of work for eight hours a day just isn’t feasible for me; I have to keep myself excited by working toward breaks and timing myself. One way I build that into my day is by doing chores. I’ll tell myself I’ll write for 45 minutes uninterrupted, and then I’ll wash the dishes. I am not normally one who looks forward to chores in any capacity, but knowing that I’ll be able to get up and listen to music and do something else for a little bit of time keeps me moving, regardless of the task I’m convincing myself is fun to do. 

      currently reading The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai!

      Take a full lunch break
      When I was working in an office, I almost never took my entire lunch break. I would work through lunch to keep my productivity up. But even on my busiest days now, I make a point to give myself that full hour-long break every single day. It’s not much, but it’s the oomph I need to keep going throughout the day. Some days I’ll go outside and read, and others I’ll go for a walk. Sometimes, I honestly just watch TV. But I make sure to close my computer and do something else.

      Make lunch
      Now that I’m at home, it’s rare that I fully meal prep a lunch to go straight into the microwave. I might cook all of my ground turkey or chicken breast on Sunday, but that’s about it. While prepping your entire meal might help a lot of people, I find that taking the time to prepare lunch is a good break in my day. Some of my favorite lunches to make include salad with some kind of protein (I always buy the salad mixes at the grocery store and add extra veggies and protein), sandwiches, bowls, and more. 

      These leggings are from Girlfriend Collective—they’re made from recycled water bottles, go up to a 5X, and have a secret pocket for my keys. I own in two colors, and I’m obsessed!

      Workout/Go for the walk
      I won’t lie and say I get a workout in every single day (LOL, most days is even a stretch), but simply walking anywhere is something I try to accomplish every day (at least when my day isn’t an intentional Saturday binge-watching Selling Sunset, of course). I’ll try to take my lunch break or a short coffee break to go for a walk around my neighborhood. Or if I know I need to go to the grocery store or pick something up for dinner, I’ll walk a little farther just to get some more steps in.
      When I first switched to full-time WFH, I was getting maybe 2,000 steps a day, and if you’re someone who tracks their steps, you’ll know that is basically nothing. I had a hard time feeling like I could be productive all day long and move my body. Adding a couple of different walks throughout the day made it a lot easier, and I’ve even noticed that I sleep better and feel less drained at the end of the workday. 
      If I’m working out, it’s almost always on my lunch break and includes either an Obé Fitness workout or something from YouTube! I’m obsessed with MadFit’s dance workouts (this One Direction one gave me life), and POPSUGAR Fitness is also great for HIIT and barre workouts. I am still getting back in the habit of working out (I am a big “paying for a gym and having to walk somewhere motivates me to workout” person; I have little to no motivation to workout at home), but it helps to have a few workouts on hand that I know I enjoy.

      Prioritize to-do lists
      I make a to-do list every morning (sometimes the night before!), but I get to a point in my day where I have to prioritize what gets done and when. I’ll message my supervisors or anyone who’s waiting on something from me to ask if they need anything ASAP or let them know that I might get to something later in the day. While this maybe helps them, it’s more about keeping myself productive throughout the day and holding myself accountable. At home, it’s easy to say I’ll work on a project at 3pm, and then find myself invested in pop culture drama once 3pm rolls around with no end in sight. By telling someone I’ll have something to them at a certain time, I know I have to get it done. 
      Once I’ve done this, I’ll go through my to-do list and schedule when I’ll do them and what needs to get done versus what I’ll work on next. My to-do lists tend to get pretty lofty, which is likely a nightmare for anyone with perfectionist tendencies, but it actually keeps me motivated so I can have more time at the end of my day to get more done. But I make sure to mark which need to get done first by using the ABC system. A tasks need to get done immediately, B tasks should get done today but can be pushed, and C tasks are extras in case I have time. I used this before working-from-home, but it’s especially helpful now that my to-do list now contains random life tasks that I can now do during the day (is this my silver lining to WFH? perhaps). More

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      in health and weelbeing

      The Morning Routine I Follow For the Busiest Work-From-Home Days

      by

      Before the chaos of 2020 ensued, I would have laughed at the idea of a “morning routine.” Y’all, I was spending an hour putting my makeup on and doing my hair every day; I didn’t have time to do yoga and make some elaborate smoothie bowl and make my bed and journal and meditate in silence for 20 minutes and write affirmations. I could barely get out of the door in time for the Starbucks *I* ordered. But then, life imploded and I needed something to quite literally fill my time so I wouldn’t wake up with existential dread every single day! I know what you’re thinking: this girl needs a therapist, and yes, I just made an appointment on ZocDoc. 
      Because every day is different (despite the Groundhog Day memes floating around), I can’t have one blanket routine that works for everything. My days are different and revolve around various meetings, deadlines, and ~personal engagements~ (I am not as important as I’m making myself out to be right now). So throughout the last few months, I’ve been slowly perfecting a few different morning routines to get myself in the groove, and the most important one as of late has been my Productive Busy Day Get Sh*t Done routine (trademark coming soon). For the days I have a to-do list that’s an entire page long and it seems like there’s no end in sight, I prepare myself with this morning routine. It gets me up and at ‘em and ready to pull through a day of endless list-making with ease! 

      Wake up early
      OK, I’ll admit that this isn’t hard for me. My internal clock wakes me at about 6-6:15am—I have no idea why. But on the days I’m tempted to sleep in a little longer, I make sure I get up at least by 6:45. Knowing I have about two hours to do what I want before I really have to work makes me much more excited for the day than when I grab my computer from my desk at exactly 8:29am.

      Schedule my day
      One aspect of this morning routine is that I write my to-do list before bed. I am a #bulletjournaler, so I track my habits and mood in a notebook at night which is also when I write my to-do list. We use Asana to track tasks for the day, so I look at all my tasks and brain dump what I want to get done the next day, both for work and my personal life (things like “call the Internet company because they raised your rate $20 a month!” and “walk to the library” make the list). 
      Then, in the morning, I actually put all of that into a schedule. Some days, I do it right on my iCal. Other days, I’ll write it in my notebook. And sometimes, I’ll be honest, it simply lives in my head. But knowing that I want to write this article at 10am, schedule Facebook at noon, attend a meeting at 1pm, and take my lunch at 2 keeps me on a schedule. It also forces me to work even when I want to procrastinate. Because I know I need to take my lunch at 2, I have to get all those other things done before that time.

      Scroll on my phone
      I know you just audibly gasped. Does this girl have any concept of wellness? You know, not really. When I know my day will be full, I allow myself that scrolling time in the morning. If I get out my Twitter fingers first thing in the morning, I’m less tempted to pick up my phone at all the other lulls in my day. I’ve done my liking, sharing, retweeting, Story-ing, and following for the day, so I can wait until later to get ahead. Also, I’m sure I’m in the minority here, but social media motivates me sometimes. I see a cute picture that inspires me to read a new book, or I see a hilarious tweet that I absolutely want to reference in a story (here is my favorite from this morning).
      This is also the time I catch up on news and current events. I get NYT news alerts and always read those, but I also love getting my news from Instagram and Twitter. I follow a lot of news outlets and creators who share a lot of what’s going on in the world (the good and the bad), and I enjoy that kind of news coming from #OwnVoices (a term coined in book publishing that describes books authored by someone who identifies with the marginalized community expressed in the work) sometimes even more than 2,000-word long-form articles about a community (shoutout to the journalism degree I’ll be paying off for the next 15 years!). 
      If this will affect your mental health (which it absolutely does to me sometimes), then it’s probably not the best for you. Know yourself. 

      Eat a big breakfast
      On a day that I know I have a gazillion things to do, I make a big breakfast. I know what you’re thinking. “She makes a big breakfast because it gives her energy and electrolytes and brain power!!!” Not one bit. I wish that was why. In actuality, I make a big breakfast because it’ll keep me full until lunchtime so I’m not spending my entire morning thinking about when I can take a break and eat something. Instead, I eat at breakfast, and then I’m full, alert, and ready to work until I take my scheduled lunch break. 
      This breakfast looks different sometimes, but right now, I am absolutely addicted to these breakfast wrap/burrito/too-big-so-I-make-it-a-taco situation. Just a wrap, scrambled eggs, cheese, two strips of bacon (I buy the pre-made that you just heat up in the oven or skillet because LOL, I don’t actually know how to cook bacon at 23 years old), and veggies or salsa! I also go the easy route with savory oatmeal, eggs and hash browns, or basically any variation I can cook an egg in! 

      Listen to music
      Again, I’m showing that I’m weird, but on days that I’m busy, I rarely listen to music and prefer to either work in silence or ASMR videos (LOL, guys, give it a try—watching this woman gently sanitize her groceries will soothe your germ-anxiety). It just is calming and soothing for me, and when I listen to music, I want to sing or dance and feel like I can’t focus my thoughts. So, before I start my day is when I like to shuffle a Spotify playlist and get all of that out. Music is another thing that really motivates me, so I rarely listen to soothing, soft music and almost always listen to “Frat Rules” by A$AP Mob at least once a day! 

      Get ready
      If my hair and makeup aren’t at least somewhat done or I’m wearing gross clothes, I will mess around and stare at myself in disgust all. day. long. I’ll usually put my hair in some kind of bun or braids so it’s out of my face and I can’t fidget with it all day (because I’m basically a child!). Then, I’ll just apply the basic makeup (tinted moisturizer, mascara, brows, bronzer, and highlighter). I look good enough for any meetings that come up (they almost never do, but a girl can hope) or walks around the neighborhood, but most importantly, I feel better and won’t worry about my appearance all day. 
      As far as clothes, it’s pretty strategic. I’ll usually grab a dress (the one above is sold out, but all of our editors have been loving this one all summer!) because it’s one piece and no pants. I wish I could say it’s because I want to look nice, but that’s mostly it. I just hate pants. Otherwise, it’s leggings or shorts and a blouse or tank! Pretty basic, but most of all comfortable for me. 

      How do YOU get ready for a busy day?! Tell us your tips in the comments! More

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      in lifestyle and culture

      How to Start a Blog This Weekend + a Free Worksheet

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      I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried to start a blog about a million times. From all the way back in middle school when I made a custom Tumblr dedicated to Evan Lysacek (honestly thankful this was never published) to many, many graphic design blogs I almost launched over the past few years. Something trips me up every time: I don’t think my photography is good enough, I’m too caught up in agonizing over design decisions, I didn’t narrow down my topic far enough, and I have no idea what I really want to say. But these days, launching a blog doesn’t have to be a huge production. In fact, I’m positive you can do it all in a weekend (or less!). Thanks to our platform of choice, Squarespace, the design and setup of your blog will be a breeze. Which just leaves finding your niche and actually writing your initial posts. Sounds way more doable, right? Follow our five steps below and you’ll be launched in time for a celebratory glass of champagne on Sunday night. 

      Pick your niche
      Before you start building out your blog and writing your posts, narrow in on a specific area of expertise. What topics excite you? What do you want to write about and where do you feel you’ll add value? 
      If you don’t know what niche or topic you want your blog to focus on, pull out a blank piece of paper and take a few minutes to write down everything you’re interested in. Seriously, write down everything that comes to mind. Then, look over your list and think about each item you wrote down. Why are you interested in that topic? What drew you to it? Do you have a lot of opinions surrounding it? Do you want to further your own knowledge regarding it? Remember that you can combine areas of interest as well—you might want to write about travel and fashion, so key posts could focus on what to pack, what you wore where, city-specific capsule wardrobes, etc.
      It’s also helpful to recognize that your blog niche doesn’t have to stay the same forever. You might start out writing only about freelance career tips, but once you’ve cultivated an audience, find that you want to write more about yourself and your day-to-day life. Choosing an initial niche is helpful because it gives you (and your audience) a solid road map for where to start. 

      Secure your domain + build out your site
      Now for the fun part. Once you’ve narrowed in on your niche, it’s time to choose your blog name and template. It’s easy to get stuck agonizing over which name to pick, but my advice is to keep it simple. You can’t go wrong with blogging under your name—either just to get going or as your forever blog identity. A few things to keep in mind when choosing a name: 
      Check that the domain for that name is available 
      Check that any social handles you’ll need are available (Instagram, etc.) 
      Do a google search to ensure no other blogs have a similar name. You want to make sure your readers will be able to find your specific site.
      When you’ve landed on a name, it’s time to design your site. Squarespace is our platform of choice for websites and blogging—with beautiful, plug-n-play templates, you’ll be up and running in no time. Plus, you get a free domain name with any Squarespace annual plan. Win, win. 
      The niche you decided on earlier will help determine what your site design should focus on. If you’ll be writing long-form posts with lots of emphasis on text and links, you’ll want a template that is easy to navigate, read, and explore and isn’t too image-heavy. If you’ll be blogging about your favorite recipes, you’ll want a template that lets you easily add ingredients and cooking instructions. If you’ll be blogging about your style, you’ll want an image-friendly template with space to add shopping links. And so on. 
      Squarespace offers tons of pre-built templates with demo content in place to help you see how your blog might look when you’re finished. Start with one of their designated blog templates or browse all the templates and build something totally unique. 
      Our favorite text-forward templates: Harman, Foundry
      Our favorite image-foward templates: Souto, Brower, Stanton
      Our favorite magazine-style templates: Haute, Rally, Skye

      Pro-tip: Don’t get too hung up on the design initially. I’m a perfectionist (and a graphic designer) and sometimes I get so wrapped up in what something looks like that I spend way too long tinkering with it … and it never actually gets published. Luckily, Squarespace’s pre-built designs are already minimal and visually arresting, so there’s not much you’ll need to do. Don’t worry about having a logo just yet, update your site title and then use one of the hundreds of pre-loaded fonts in Squarespace to create a text-based logo that will work perfectly for your launch. Here, I used Bennet Banner for a striking, serif look. 

      Write your first posts
      Now that you have a site backend to work with, it’s time to start writing and uploading your posts. I prefer to write my posts directly within Squarespace so I can test how they will look with images, links, and text callouts. 
      When writing your posts, keep your target reader in mind. What are they looking for? What are they coming to this post hoping to find? Think about these questions as you write each post to ensure that you’re presenting your information in a way that is helpful to your readers.
      Design-wise, make use of visual hierarchy to organize the layout of your posts. Have you ever landed on a site or blog, saw a huge block of text, and just navigated away immediately? Same. Reading one long, never-ending paragraph can be daunting and you don’t want to lose readers before they even get started. Squarespace has built-in hierarchy for text, so all you need to do is label text you want bigger as “Heading” (either “Heading 1” through “Heading 4” based on your desired size) to create bigger, bolder text and draw your readers’ eyes. Break up your text with bold calls to action and tips. Add value with freebie downloads and further resources. 

      Optimize for SEO
      Once you have at least five posts ready to go (you’ll want to ensure that readers landing on your new blog have more than one post to read), optimize each post for SEO to take advantage of any organic Google searches for your topic. Key SEO features to add for blogging: 
      Add SEO descriptions (also called meta descriptions) SEO descriptions are usually 300-500 words that describe your page to a search engine (like Google). Add your page description to all pages on your site and include keywords to get your pages in front of more people. 

      Create custom blog post URLsYour URL is the exact address of a page that shows up in a search bar. Add keywords from the title of your post to your blog post URLs to ensure your posts are showing up in those keyword search results. 
      For more SEO tips: 
      READ: Ready to publish your website? Read this SEO checklist first.
      READ: Squarespace’s SEO Checklist 

      Launch! 
      Now that your blog posts are in and your SEO is finalized, you are ready to launch your blog. Announce your launch on social media to get readers excited and be upfront about your posting schedule so they know when to tune in for new posts. Start by promoting the posts you already have uploaded within the site and start tracking how your audience is responding. What posts are getting the most views and engagements? What posts do readers seem the most excited about? As your blog grows, you’ll have more and more data to utilize to create the most interesting and helpful posts for your readers. 

      Further reading from TEG:

      This post was in partnership with Squarespace, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board. More

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      in lifestyle and culture

      The Emotional Labor of Being the Only Black Person on Your Team

      by

      What would it feel like to walk into a room and be the only one who looked like you? How comfortable would you feel to be asked your opinion on a marketing ad that lacks diversity and inclusion if you were the only person of color being asked? What would you do if you were frequently asked to participate in conversations where the expectation is that your opinion speaks for all voices from your community? How would it feel to not be able to talk about specific shows, favorite foods, family traditions that are important to your culture because no one around you can relate from personal experience?Welcome to the life of being the only Black person on your team at work.
      Up until about a year ago, I have been the only Black person on my team in most of the professional jobs I have held. These jobs have varied in industries from being a server at several restaurants while in college, pharmaceutical marketing, to athleisure retail store manager, digital marketing coordinator at a small agency, and many more. Each time I started my job, I always had a pit in my stomach because being the only Black person on a team involves a lot of emotional labor that no one really signs up for.
      Growing up, my three older sisters and I were always taught to do our best, as most children were. The difference is, that when my parents said that, they meant: do your best and make sure it’s better than your white peers. For Black people, we have to put in 110 percent to get half the amount of opportunities, rewards, congratulations, or promotions than our white counterparts. For Black people, from the moment you’re in school all the way until you retire, there is very little room for error. The amount of pressure we feel to do everything perfectly so that we look half as good as our white peers to leadership is overwhelming.

      What is it like being Black in the workplace?
      We are proud to be in the professional roles that we have, we are excited about the work that’s in front of us, and we are determined to put our best foot forward and represent our departments and companies well. Unfortunately, there is more to our workday than projects and presentations—when you’re the only Black person on your team (or one of few), your work starts the moment you wake up. 

      When Black people wake up to go to work, we must think about:
      What we’ll wear—because many of us are born with curves, we’ve been shamed for wearing clothing that shows off those curves, whether it’s is a pair of jeans, a maxi dress, or jogger pants.
      How we’ll style our hair—because for years (and even still now), we have been judged for wearing our natural hair and being told it’s unprofessional, “different,” fun, or exotic.
      What makeup we’ll choose—because bold lip colors or eye shadows can look  “unprofessional” on darker skin, and we feel pressure to tone it down.
      How we’ll speak—because we have been shamed for our loud and boisterous laughs, our directness when correcting or addressing leadership, or being told we’re aggressive when what we’re actually doing is just speaking the truth.
      What we’ll eat or bring for lunch—because the looks you’ll get for heating up your mom’s collard greens and chicken from her infamous Sunday family dinners can make us feel like we’re perpetuating a trite stereotype.
      We’re thinking about most of these things before we even leave the house that day. But these things need to be considered each and every day so that we can make sure we’re doing our part to be seen as close to equal as possible as our white counterparts. 

      Source: Retha Ferguson | Pexels

      Tokenism is rampant in workplace culture
      Right now, as Black people in our work environments, we are going through an incredibly difficult time. Many of our companies are choosing to stand for or against the Black Lives Matter movement and many of the executives are pulling us, Black people, into those conversations for our opinions. What white leadership fails to understand about doing this is that it is not our responsibility to teach white people how to do the right thing. If we have been left out of important conversations in the past, it is very telling to just now be added to conversations and to feel like our voices finally want to be heard.
      Many companies are also tasking Black people with leading organizational initiatives to make their company seem more “woke,” diverse, and inclusive. To be clear, many companies are actually moving in the right direction, taking the necessary steps, and appropriately asking Black people if they’d like to be involved or not. On the other hand, there have been countless stories of companies who have gotten these steps wrong and unfortunately, the Black people in those organizations continue to feel the pain and dismissiveness that comes with those actions (or inactions).
      At work, we are often feeling so much societal pressure and are on such high alert that by the end of our days, we are absolutely spent. All day we have had to codeswitch—a term used to describe what people of color do when they leave their cultural language, style, or demeanor at the door to better fit in with their white counterparts. It is stressful and sometimes anxiety-inducing, to be honest. 

      All day we have had to codeswitch, a term used to describe what people of color do when they leave their cultural language, style, or demeanor at the door to better fit in with their white counterparts.

      Recently, I have noticed many companies making a change to their observed holiday calendar by adding in Juneteenth moving forward. This is a great change and a positive step forward, but up until now many Black people have felt like holidays that supported Black people and Black culture have gone unnoticed. I have worked for companies that have not acknowledged Martin Luther King Jr. Day but believe Columbus Day is worthy of recognition. I have never seen a company honor Kwanzaa, and of course as previously mentioned, it wasn’t until June 2020 that any company I worked for acknowledged and recognized Juneteenth.
      This matters. It is important to recognize as an organization that people from all different walks of life, cultures, religious faiths, and backgrounds may work for you or with you. And while I do understand that a company may not be able to grant a day off for every single important holiday in a calendar year, sometimes an acknowledgment email can go a long way to say, “We know this exists, we believe it’s important, and we want our organization to know.”

      Source: @christinajonesphoto

      What can workplaces do to affect change?
      If you are a leader, reach out to your Black employees and employees of color. Ask to meet with them and to listen to not only how they can help your organization, but also to what they need personally and professionally from you and other leaders. Maybe they’d like a resource group where other people of color can meet, create events or fundraisers, or maybe be a mentor. Listen—truly listen—to them, and do your best to implement real change to improve their career path and working environment.
      Do your own research to become more informed on Black history and how it pertains to your company—think about what discriminations or biases might be occurring at work. Promote Black people just as much as you would promote a white worker and put Black people in places of power and pay them what they are worth. When you’re having conversations that impact the company, make sure Black people and people of color are present in the room and are listened to.
      If you are a coworker, speak up when you don’t see a Black person present in the room for important conversations. Voice your opinion when you notice marketing or brand presence lacks diversity and inclusion. Fill out those yearly surveys leadership often sends around and ask about their diversity and inclusion plans. Take the initiative to learn about racism and racial inequality in the workplace. Stay curious about Black history and Black culture and ask questions if you’re truly interested in being informed. 

      Being the only Black person on a team is an emotional role to play. It is great that many companies are waking up and recognizing that they need more diversity in their teams and within leadership. The next time you have a conversation with a Black employee know that there is often way more going on behind the scenes for them than what meets the eye. 

      This article originally ran on The Everymom. More

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      in lifestyle and culture

      The App That Will Help You Finally Master Your Personal Finances

      by

      I’m ashamed to say that healthy personal finance has felt out of reach for the vast majority of my life. Discussing money has always seemed like a social taboo, I was an English major who never took one finance or business course my entire college career, and the extent of my financial knowledge when I started my first adult job was identifying how much I can allot to a seasonal clothing budget. Unfortunately, I’m not the only woman who feels confused about personal finances. There’s certainly a gender gap when it comes to money, and it’s not just about wages.But aren’t you tired of feeling confused about your money? If we’re going to smash the glass ceiling and destroy the patriarchy, we have to be as confident with our money as we are with our voices. Saving for retirement and having an emergency fund are just as crucial to self-care as taking baths and a yoga routine. Therefore, I knew I needed an easy-to-understand tool to take control of my finances and grow my money intelligence. Enter: The NerdWallet app, which makes mastering money easy. Not only can you keep tabs on all your cards, accounts, and bills in one place, but NerdWallet will also help you discover ways to grow your wealth, pay off debt, and be the financially confident badass we all should be.

      I’ve tried a lot of different financial recourses, but this app made the most difference because it not only helped me understand where my money was going when I first looked into my finances (AKA how much I was spending on UberEats, which was a true wakeup call), but has helped me grow my money and make smart moves for my future (you’re welcome, 2030 Josie!). Discover how to master your money with NerdWallet’s free app (available on the App Store and in Google Play), and read on to find out why this app can transform your finances.

      Stay on top of your money, all in one place.
      Does anyone else have financial fatigue with all the different websites, tools, and apps? Even with an organized app folder on my phone and a comprehensive spreadsheet, I was honestly confused. NerdWallet helped me get a handle on my money because everything is in one place. You get the big picture of your finances but can still focus in on the specifics (like cash, debt, loans, and investments). Plus, NerdWallet sends you alerts and assessments of your spending and savings across accounts, so you always know exactly what you have, how you’re spending it, and whether or not you can afford that trip to Mexico next spring (asking the important questions here). 

      Maximize the money you have.
      I’ve tried many different tools to understand my finances better, but NerdWallet is the only one I’ve found that will not only track my money, but help maximize it. Using expert, tailored insights and personalized recommendations, NerdWallet lets you know how to get the most from cards and financial products that you already have and recommends opportunities to upgrade them. For example, the app recommended a credit card based on my priorities and spending habits. Now I earn points on groceries (which is good because I regularly splurge on those bougie, vegan snacks) and feel less guilty about my afternoon iced coffee habit because I earn even more cashback (although if we’re being honest, I’d find any reason to justify an afternoon coffee).
      If you already have a good understanding of which credit cards are best for you, NerdWallet also detects and recommends tangible methods to grow your existing savings, like more interest, reducing fees, and finding extra cash you can transfer to give your savings a boost. It might suggest you could earn more interest on your money by opening a high-interest online savings account (and will give you options to find the best one for you). Basically, the NerdWallet app is not only convenient, but it’s free and offers comprehensive financial advice. Any level of financial knowledge and any income can benefit from the money-maximizing perks. 

      Get a thorough understanding of your credit score.
      NerdWallet analyzes your credit score and offers suggestions on how you can improve it. Not only do you get your credit score number (and what that number means, for the other credit score newbies out there), but the app displays credit history, shows updates, analyzes payments, and sometimes, it even lets me know that my accounts are “aging like fine wine” (now this is an app that speaks my language). Feeling confident with my money not only feels like a (very expensive) weight has been lifted off my shoulders, but I feel like I’m doing what I can to close the financial gender gap. After all, knowledge really is power. Thanks to NerdWallet, knowledge is not only powerful, but it’s convenient and comprehendible too. 

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