Career

Efficiency is the result of mastery, not luck. When someone completes a task quickly and skillfully, it’s not just the moment you’re paying for—it’s the decade of learning, failure, repetition, and refinement behind it. Speed is not cheap. It's earned. Respect expertise, value experience, and recognize that great work isn’t about how long it takes. It's about what went into being able to do something so well and so fast. After all, you're not paying for 30 minutes of work; you're paying for the 10 years it took to make it look effortless. ✅ Here's what it looks like in practice: 1. Design & Creative Work Example: A graphic designer creates a logo in under an hour. Why it matters: That logo represents years of learning typography, color theory, brand psychology, and countless hours refining their creative process. Fast doesn't mean easy—it means refined. 2. Software Development Example: A developer fixes a critical bug in 15 minutes. Why it matters: They’re not lucky—they’ve spent years learning systems, syntax, and patterns that allow them to instantly identify and solve issues others would spend hours on. You're not paying for keystrokes. You're paying for insight. 3. Legal & Consulting Services Example: A lawyer offers life-changing advice in a short meeting. Why it matters: Behind that advice are years of study, precedent analysis, and experience in negotiation or litigation. Their clarity is a product of complexity they've already mastered. 4. Trades & Craftsmanship Example: An experienced electrician diagnoses and repairs a problem in 20 minutes. Why it matters: They’ve done it hundreds of times. That precision comes from practice, not guesswork. Quick work is the dividend of deep knowledge. 5. Medical Field Example: A doctor makes a correct diagnosis in one visit. Why it matters: That moment of accuracy reflects years of education, clinical experience, and refined intuition. You're paying for judgment, not just time. ✅ Bottom line: If it looks easy, it’s because someone made it so—through effort, not shortcuts. ✅ Respect the craft. Honor the journey. Pay for the years, not the minutes. ♻️ Repost if this resonates. ➕ Follow Travis Bradberry for more and sign up for my weekly LinkedIn newsletter. Do you want more like this? 👇 📖 My new book, "The New Emotional Intelligence" is now available for preorder on Amazon. Order now and it'll be on your doorstep on Tuesday May 13th.

No job is worth sacrificing your mental health. Use my 4-4-4 approach to move on: Many people stay in toxic environments. Hoping things will change. But sometimes, the best decision is to move on. Use my 4-4-4 approach to help make a change. 🙏 4 Signs You Should Look for a New Job: 1/ You feel drained every day ↳ Track your energy levels daily. ↳ Notice patterns of exhaustion. ↳ Take action if it’s persistent. 2/ You’re not growing ↳ Identify skills you want to build. ↳ Look for opportunities internally. ↳ If growth isn’t possible, plan your exit. 3/ The environment feels toxic ↳ List behaviors that make you uncomfortable. ↳ Observe how they impact you. ↳ If it’s affecting you, explore other options. 4/ Your values clash with the work ↳ Define your core values. ↳ Compare them to company actions. ↳ If they don’t align, start considering next steps. 🙏 4 Questions to Ask Before Leaving: 1/ “Can I improve things here?” ↳ Have an honest conversation with your manager. ↳ Request specific changes or projects. ↳ Decide based on the outcome of these talks. 2/ “What are my non-negotiables?” ↳ Write down must-haves like flexibility or growth. ↳ Check if these can change in your current role. ↳ Use this list as a benchmark in your job search. 3/ “Am I ready for what comes next?” ↳ Assess your finances for a transition period. ↳ Set clear career and personal goals. ↳ Decide if you can manage a search while employed. 4/ “What does success look like in my next role?” ↳ Visualize an ideal workday in your new role. ↳ Focus on what makes you feel fulfilled. ↳ Use this clarity to guide your job choices. 🙏 4 Ways to Prepare for a Long-Term Job Search: 1/ Set a realistic timeline ↳ Create a job search schedule with milestones. ↳ Break down goals into weekly actions. ↳ Track progress and adjust as needed. 2/ Strengthen your network ↳ Reach out to past colleagues and mentors. ↳ Attend industry events and join groups. ↳ Make networking a weekly habit. 3/ Update your skills and resume ↳ Take a course or workshop relevant to your goals. ↳ Refresh your resume with recent accomplishments. ↳ Tailor your LinkedIn profile for visibility. 4/ Budget wisely ↳ Cut unnecessary expenses during your search. ↳ Build a savings cushion if possible. ↳ Set a monthly budget for stability. Start here to protect your mental health and move forward. What’s your biggest concern about changing jobs? ♻️ Repost for those struggling right now with this. And follow Justin Bateh, PhD for more. 📌Feeling stuck in your career? The Project Management Skill Builder is your answer: ✔ Learn high-demand PM skills monthly ✔ Get practical AI tool guides ✔ Apply with step-by-step instructions Kickstart 2025 with clarity and growth. Join now at 50% off for life—offer ends in 20 days. projectsright.com/upgrade

I’ve reviewed 500+ applications as a recruiter at Amazon, Microsoft, and TikTok. This is the kind of resume that gets rejected in 3 seconds. I'll break down why such resumes fail to create an impact and how you can avoid such mistakes. Problem 1: Too much, too soon Two degrees, 15+ courses, and 30+ tools listed - all in the top half. Recruiters don’t need a tech stack dump upfront. Instead: ➡️ Start with a skills summary tied to impact-driven achievements. ➡️ Highlight tools you’ve mastered, not dabbled in. Problem 2: Responsibilities ≠ results Worked with IT to maintain PC and network health. Okay... but how did it matter? Reduced downtime? Saved costs? Improved performance by X%? Instead: ➡️ Write impact-focused bullets — e.g., “Reduced network downtime by 35% through system upgrades.” Problem 3: Irrelevant experience Amazon Prime Shopper role at Whole Foods is listed in detail. Unless applying for retail or logistics, this distracts. Instead: ➡️ Group unrelated roles under a single “Other Experience” section. ➡️ Focus on transferable skills like teamwork, deadlines, or inventory handling — but keep it brief. Problem 4: Projects without purpose Projects sound impressive but lack outcomes. E.g., “Built an AI model to detect human emotion.” Questions recruiters ask: What accuracy did it achieve? Was it deployed? How did it solve a problem? Instead: ➡️ Add metrics — e.g., “Improved emotion detection accuracy by 20% and reduced processing time by 15%.” Here’s the hard truth: Most resumes don’t fail because candidates lack skills. They fail because they fail to communicate impact. If you're not receiving calls from recruiters despite applying to 100s of jobs, it could be due to your resume. Repost this if you found value. P.S. Follow me if you are an Indian job seeker in the U.S. I share insights on job search, interview prep, and more.

I get a lot of messages asking for career advice. Here are 10 pieces of career advice I wish I knew at 22: 1. Be the person who can figure it out. Early on, you'll be given a lot of tasks you have no idea how to complete. There's nothing more valuable than someone who can just figure it out. Do some work, ask key questions, get it done. People will fight over you. 2. Build a reputation for reliability. You can get pretty damn far by just being someone that people can count on to show up and do the work. Being reliable is entirely free. 3. Work hard first (and smart later). It's trendy to say that working smart is all that matters. Wrong. If you want to accomplish anything significant, you have to work hard. Work hard early—take pride in it. Then you can start to build leverage to work smart. 4. Build storytelling skills. World-changing CEOs aren't the smartest in their orgs. They are exceptional at: (1) Aggregating data and (2) Communicating it simply & effectively. Data in, story out. Build that skill and you'll always be valuable. 5. "Swallow the frog" for your boss. This is one of the greatest "hacks" to get ahead early in your career. Observe your boss, figure out what they hate doing, learn to do it, and take it off their plate. Easy win. 6. Be a "yes" person early in your career. Saying "yes" expands your luck surface area. It may mean you're a bit overwhelmed at times, but the benefits from the increased luck outweigh the downsides of feeling stretched. 7. Wake up early and work out. When you wake up early and work out, you do a hard thing to start your day that sets the tone. You start to self-identify as a winner. That has ripple effects all across your life. There's no such thing as a loser who wakes up at 5am and works out. 8. Dive through cracked doors. I recently had an experience to bring this to life: A young guy saw on my story that I was at a coffee shop working. He messaged me asking if he could come by and ask a question. I said ok. He got there an hour later and we hit it off. Turns out he lived far away and made it work. I'd always bet on people with that kind of energy. If someone cracks open a door that may present an opportunity, dive through it. 9. Show up early, stay late. Showing up early and staying late is a free way to materially increase your luck surface area. The most interesting side conversations come up before meetings start or after they end. When you're in the room, you're more likely to get pulled into a follow-up call, coffee, or discussion. It pays off handsomely in the long run. 10. Do the "old fashioned" things well. Look people in the eye, do what you say you'll do, be early, practice good posture, have a confident handshake. It sounds silly, but these things are all free and will never go out of style. *** Embrace those 10 pieces of advice and you'll stand out and be on the right track. If you enjoyed this, share it with others and follow me Sahil Bloom for more in the future!

I'll forever be grateful to those who took a chance on me. Because they didn’t just hire me for what was on paper. Dan Mian reminded me of how everyone has had someone take a chance on them. When I pivoted from public accounting to tech, my resume wasn’t perfect. My background was different. I didn’t have years of experience in the industry. But someone saw potential and gave me the opportunity. I quickly became the team's trusted point of contact. Hiring managers, here’s why you should take a chance: ↳ The perfect resume doesn’t always equal the best fit. The right mindset, motivation, and transferable skills often outweigh experience. Job seekers, here’s how to stand out when your resume doesn’t check every box: 1/ Do Your Research & Make It Known ↳ Understand the product, the company, and how you can help. Share that in your interview. 2/ Connect Your Transferable Skills ↳ Don’t assume the interviewer will connect the dots for you. Show them how your skills can directly apply to their needs. 3/ Act as a Thought Leader ↳ Present hypotheses on how you could contribute. Offer fresh ideas, even if they’re not perfect. When you show you’re eager, adaptable, and ready to learn, hiring managers will notice. And if they don’t, the right opportunity will. — ♻️ Repost if someone’s taken a chance on you. 🔔 Follow Angela Lau for more. 📌 If you feel stuck in your job search, let’s chat: https://lnkd.in/gWkQmNct

I struggled with work/life balance throughout my career. This is because the world has set a clever, two-part trap for us. I will explain the trap and how to escape it. Part One – Our own goals and ambitions. I wanted to be successful, to get more pay, and to be a part of bigger decisions. If you follow me here, I bet you are the same. You want to “be the best” and have a great career. Part Two – Corporate pressure. Companies have a simple goal of making profits for shareholders. This is most easily done by getting more work from the same people. The Trap: The two parts converge to destroy work/life balance because our healthy desire to do good work, earn a living, and find meaning is easily manipulated by corporate systems designed to maximize profits. Here is how they do it: 1) Most companies give bigger raises to “better” performers. What is better? Usually, doing more work. Sometimes you can be “better” by being smarter or more efficient, but over time even the best of us usually work harder 2) Competition. Since raises and promotions are limited in number, there will always be someone else willing to put in very long hours to come out ahead of you. Some of you will recognize this as “the prisoner’s dilemma” – if only one person works harder, they will get a lot of advantages for only a little extra work. But, when we all strive to be first it becomes a maximum effort race with no winners. Ways to Escape the Trap: 1) Set limits. Recognize the trap and decide what you will and will not give to your work. This may mean accepting some career tradeoffs, but unless you set the limits your body will do it for you over time. It is better to make the choices yourself. 2) Seek work only you can do. We are all gifted at some things, and you get two benefits from focusing on your gifts. First, you can stay ahead of others with less effort. Second, it is more fun to do things that come easily. 3) Choose companies and bosses wisely. Some leaders push you into the trap, some leaders try to keep you out of it. Seek those that keep you out. 4) Work for yourself. If you can be your own boss you can escape the corporate side of profit maximization, or at least have it under your control. 5) Redefine success. There is nothing wrong with wanting pay, promotions, influence, etc. But if the cost gets too high, remember that plenty of people are happy without corporate success. My own path was to climb the ladder, make the money, and then step off. I sacrificed many good years to work and high stress in order to get a set of years without it. A good trade? Time will tell. Readers, what are some other ways to escape the trap?

What if I told you your cover letter's first and last sentences determine whether you get interviews? Recently, I was reviewing cover letters with a client who couldn't figure out why she wasn't getting callbacks for marketing positions. After looking at her application materials, the problem became immediately clear. "Your cover letter is killing your chances." Her opening line was the classic "Please accept my resume for consideration of the Marketing Manager position within your organization" — and she never actually asked for an interview at the end. So, how do you write cover letters that actually get read? Use these powerful techniques instead: S — Use a sticky hook Forget "To Whom It May Concern" or "I'm writing to apply for..." Instead, try one of these attention-grabbing marketing-focused openers: "If your company is struggling to generate qualified leads despite increasing ad spend, I have the solution you've been looking for." "Innovation. Growth. ROI. If these marketing priorities align with your vision for the Digital Marketing position, we should talk." "Do you need a content strategist who can double your organic traffic and boost conversion rates by 35% within six months?" W — What's in it for the employer? Hiring managers are reading your letter thinking, "Can this person drive results?" Make it clear from the start that you understand their marketing challenges and can provide measurable solutions. I — Information This is where you provide brief, compelling evidence of your marketing qualifications and accomplishments. For example: "By implementing a targeted social media campaign for XYZ Corp, I increased engagement by 78% and drove $125K in new revenue within 90 days." F — Fast segue Transition smoothly to your request for an interview. For example: "With this proven marketing expertise in mind, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how I can contribute to your customer acquisition strategy." T — To-Do Here's the #1 cover letter secret that DOUBLES your chances of getting interviews: actually ASK for the interview! "I'm excited about the Marketing Director position with ABC Inc. and would appreciate the opportunity to discuss how my experience driving successful campaigns can deliver similar results for your brand. Please call me at (number) to schedule an interview at your convenience." By simply asking for the interview, you've shown initiative and clarified what you want — something most candidates completely overlook. What cover letter techniques have worked for you? Have you tried asking directly for the interview?

I've reviewed 2,000+ resumes this year. Avoid these mistakes that 90% make. 1. Generic Summaries ❌ "Motivated professional seeking opportunities to leverage my skills..." ✅ "Marketing Director who increased e-commerce revenue 47% through data-driven campaigns and strategic partnerships." 2. Missing Numbers ❌ "Led large team and improved sales." ✅ "Led 15-person sales team to deliver $3.2M in new business, exceeding targets by 28%." 3. Cluttered Formatting ❌ Tiny margins, dense paragraphs, and multiple fonts. ✅ Clean headers, consistent bullet points, and enough white space for easy scanning. 4. Outdated Information ❌ Listing your high school achievements and every job since college. ✅ Your most relevant accomplishments from the past 10-15 years that showcase your career progression. 5. RESPONSIBILITY LISTS ❌ "Responsible for managing client relationships and handling complaints." ✅ "Retained 98% of key accounts and turned 3 dissatisfied clients into top referral sources." 6. ATS-UNFRIENDLY DESIGN ❌ Creative formats with graphics, text boxes, and unique fonts. ✅ Clean, standard formatting with relevant keywords that match the job description. Your resume has 7 seconds to make an impression.  Use these tips to make them count. Share this to help others level up their resume! 📈 And follow me for more advice like this.

I remember I was heading into a board meeting when our office janitor, Mr. Ellis, stopped me. He said, "Your name tag's upside down." My first instinct? → Brush it off. → Pretend I didn't need help. → Protect my pride. Instead, I paused and said, "Thanks for looking out for me." He smiled and replied, "Doesn't matter your title. You represent all of us when you walk into that room." That single moment with Mr. Ellis's big brown eyes shifted how I viewed leadership forever. Six months later, I stood in that same boardroom, presenting a critical strategy. Not because I knew everything. But because I walked in carrying the quiet confidence that comes from respecting everyone who makes our work possible, from the janitor to the CEO. And respect carries more weight than any title ever could, regardless of the room you're in. Here's what most professionals get wrong: They think career growth is about impressing those above them. They forget that everyone, from the janitor to the CEO, sees how you really show up. They underestimate the wisdom in people that society often overlooks. But the highest-impact leaders I've coached share one trait. They lead with respect. → They treat every person like they matter. → They know trust isn't reserved for titles. → They understand influence starts with how you make people feel. That's how careers grow, not just in skill but in humanity. The C.H.O.I.C.E.® Framework makes this real: Courage: Stand for dignity, even when no one's watching. Humility: Know you're not above anyone. Openness: Learn from every voice. Integration: Turn respect into everyday actions. Curiosity: Ask people about their stories. Empathy: See the person behind the role. Here's how to start leading with respect and grow your career: ✅ Start small. → Thank someone whose work often goes unseen. → Respect is built in micro-moments that matter. ✅ Listen deeply. → Instead of dismissing someone's input, ask: → "What do you see that I might be missing?" ✅ Model humanity. → Show others how to treat people well, no matter their title. → Respect shapes culture and careers. The more senior you become, the more your treatment of junior staff defines you. Your peers judge your character not by how you handle power but by how you treat those without it. 💭 Who's someone "behind the scenes" who taught you about leadership? ♻️ Tag someone who leads with humanity. ➕ Follow Loren Rosario - Maldonado, PCC, for career coaching that's human to the core.

Anyone can make a dashboard. But the best analysts don't just display data. They transform it into actionable intelligence. Effective data analysts think critically about every number before it reaches decision-makers. Here are 16 signs of a data analyst who thinks critically 👇 1. They question the data source before analyzing ↳ "Where did this data come from?" is always their first question 2. They investigate outliers instead of removing them ↳ Treat anomalies as insights, not inconveniences 3. They consider what's missing in the dataset ↳ Pay attention to the silent gaps—they often speak volumes 4. They challenge their own assumptions first ↳ Actively seek contradictory evidence to test hypotheses 5. They distinguish correlation from causation ↳ Never jump to "X causes Y" without proper evidence 6. They present multiple interpretations of the same data ↳ Share alternative explanations before conclusions 7. They acknowledge the limitations of their analysis ↳ Transparently communicate what the data cannot tell you 8. They translate technical findings into business language ↳ Convert complex patterns into actionable recommendations 9. They ask "so what?" after every insight ↳ Relentlessly connect findings to concrete business value 10. They design visualizations that reveal, not decorate ↳ Choose clarity over complexity in every chart 11. They test against historical context ↳ Compare findings against past patterns before declaring trends 12. They consider second-order effects ↳ Look beyond immediate impacts to downstream consequences 13. They anticipate stakeholder questions ↳ Prepare answers for the questions not yet asked 14. They recognize when more data won't help ↳ Know when to stop collecting and start deciding 15. They highlight risks alongside opportunities ↳ Present the complete picture, not just the favorable view 16. They revisit past analyses to validate predictions ↳ Close the loop by testing if insights actually delivered value Data analysis isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking the right questions. Which of these skills are you developing as a data analyst? Inspired by César Solís. ♻️ Repost to help your network build critical thinking skills 🔔 Follow for daily insights on data-driven decision making