Wednesday, April 29, 2020

A letter to 2010 me, on my 6th entrepreneuriversary - When I Grow Up

A letter to 2010 me, on my 6th entrepreneuriversary - When I Grow Up Recently I got an email from Upwork, asking me to be part of a collection of stories theyre putting together. They asked, If you could mentor yourself on your first day of work, what advice would you offer, having the knowledge and experience you do today? I told them that this would be perfect for me to reflect on this week, since my 6th entrepreneuriversary is on March 19th. I can hardly believe it! Heres what the current me would say to my former self on her very first day of being a Woman of the World (as I like to call it). Dear 2010 Michelle, Its me! Your future self! Writing to you from the future! Isnt that the coolest?! I know, right? Science. Anyways, I am just so extremely impressed with you. And proud of you. Proudpressed, Ill call it, because Future You still likes to make up words. Do you understand the scope of what youve done? You have taken  31 months to build a super strong foundation for your business while working that dumb Executive Assistant job, and all that time the Nos you had to give to happy hours, the weekend nights spent with clients, the sneakiness at your desk to get in some blogging or twitter time pays off. There is not one single day in the next six years where you have to pull the emergency cord. Even better, the five months severance you saved before quitting goes virtually untouched, because it takes only one month of full-time work to make enough to cover your expenses. And even better than that? You dont question your choice for even a minute. This is kind of insane. You decided, in the middle of a recession, to become The When I Grow Up Coach. Full time. As a grown-up job. Scratch that its not  kind of insane. Its very insane. But know whats even more insane? You made it work. Not only did you make it work, actually, but your dreams came true! You co-authored a published book with one of your best friends, who you wouldnt have met if it wasnt for your business. You raised almost $30K for your Avon Walk team  because of an annual bundle sale youve been co-running, which wouldnt have happened if it wasnt for your business. Youve this-close to twice selling out  a program that was catered around your strengths and preferences, that you run with two of your favorite people, that you never would have met if it wasnt for your business. (Applications are open through Friday!) You have  worked with hundreds of clients personally, allowing you to get your PCC credentials, offering a top-shelf rate for your time, and having a consistent waiting list of six months or more (although you have room right now for 1 more client to start next month and another for May!). You have been published in HuffPo and featured in very large print! in  New York magazine. You have led two multi-day online workshops based on this work that were watched by tens of thousands of people. Your site was named one of the Top 100 Websites for your Career by Forbes. Forbes! FREAKING FORBES! For being The When I Grow Up Coach, of all crazy things. For taking a chance on a new dream. For  staying true to who you are and whats important to you. For continuing to experiment with what you want, clarify what you need, and build on what works for you. These six years also brought two bouts with boob cancer, which was pretty much the most awful ever. But lets not dwell on it. Its  only made you more amazeballs, and brought you the daughter youve been dreaming about. Your life in 2016 is seamless, 2010 Michelle. You wake up in the morning feeling like yourself. You go through the day feeling like yourself. You go to bed at night feeling like yourself. No more looking around and thinking, How is this my life? in a way thats not filled with appreciation. No more being told youre too loud. No more wearing clothes you otherwise wouldnt be seen in. No more feeling like youre wearing a mask for 40+ hours a week. No more commute (NO MORE COMMUTE!). No more being shut inside all day. No more working below your skill level. No more being unappreciated. No more unfullfillment. No more yearning for your days to have meaning. No more resentment for Mondays, Wednesdays, or any-day-that-isnt-Friday-or-Saturday. Right now, in March of 2016, life feels scary thanks to stupid cancer.  You get comfort, though, from  the unconditional love, understanding and support of your family and friends. You get comfort from the work you get to do that allows you to  know you are making a positive impact in the world. You get comfort from knowing your days arent wasted, and that you have followed through and made a success from the passion-based work you are meant to do. 2010 Michelle, youve done good. Youve done so, so good.

Sunday, April 19, 2020

How to Write a Resume For ManiaPality

How to Write a Resume For ManiaPalityWriting a resume for municipality can be both an enjoyable and frustrating experience. On the one hand, it is a testament to your capabilities as a candidate that you have made the effort to work your way through the application process to get to this point. But when it comes time to actually fill out the resume it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact points to emphasize or just what makes the resume stand out from the crowd.With a resume you are essentially giving your candidate's personal information to the employer. You want to make sure that the information contained in the resume is accurate and complete. The next step in creating a successful resume is the writing. Many have found that they simply give a list of skills and accomplishments and call it a day.Your resume needs to show how you are able to perform the tasks you need to perform in order to accomplish the task. This means that you have to list each task you have performed. The in formation you list should include things like the type of job you did, whether it was full-time or part-time, for how long you were there, what specific tasks you performed, the job title, the position held, the date of your last visit, how many people worked for you, the length of your employment, and any other special instructions given to you during your previous employment.Listing information is important when it comes to writing a resume for a municipality. There are various things that you must disclose if you are going to get hired. From the fact that you are in school, to the fact that you have a disability, the last thing you want to do is have an employer come in to find out that you have a disability.When filling out the information, try to go through the documentation procedures that you had when you first applied for the job. Take note of the dates, the locations, the dates of prior work, what the positions were that you filled, and any other information that would be r elevant. These are the types of things that you will need to bring to the employer when you submit your resume.Once you have written all of the information, it is time to actually go through it and make sure that you have the appropriate information. If you have made errors, corrected them, and went through the procedures mentioned above, you will be in good shape to submit your resume. If you see any misspellings or grammatical errors, make sure that you have reviewed the entire document. This is not acceptable to an employer.In the end, it is important to understand that you are not trying to obtain any personal information out of the employer. It is all about making a resume for municipality that will help you land the job you are applying for.

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Abbreviations and Acronyms How to Include them on a Resume (Examples)

Abbreviations and Acronyms How to Include them on a Resume (Examples) Spread the loveOne question that many resume-writers ask themselves is how to deal with abbreviations and acronyms. It’s often tempting to abbreviate and use those acronyms as often as possible, since resumes should never be longer than one or two pages. And since you obviously want to pack as much relevant info as possible into those two pages, why not shorten as many words and phrases as possible?Well, there’s good news and bad news on that front. The good news is that you can abbreviate and use acronyms where appropriate. The bad news is that you need to be careful about what you shorten and ensure that everything is clear to the reader.The Litmus Test for Abbreviations and AcronymsWhen you’re deciding whether to use specific abbreviations and acronyms, there’s a simple test that you can use. Ask yourself whether the shortened version will still be clear â€" or confusing to the reader. With abbreviations, that decision is usually simple. If you use the standard abbreviatio n, there should be no problem. Acronyms can be more difficult, however, since so many acronyms have multiple meanings. However, even that can be overcome if you use them correctly.You will likely want to use some abbreviations and acronyms. After all, you need to leave as much room in your resume as possible for skills, experience, and achievements. Long words and lengthy titles or organizational names could take up space that might be better used to document your value as an employee. We’ve compiled some tips that can help you to properly use abbreviations and acronyms.Tips for Using Abbreviations Properly, with ExamplesFirst, strive for clarity. If an abbreviation could be misinterpreted, spell out the word instead. For example, words like million and billion should always be spelled out in their entirety. That’s because the “M” and “B” â€" or “Bn” abbreviations can either be misunderstood or unrecognized. On the other hand, another unit of measure “thousand” â€" is almost always abbreviated when preceded by a numerical value. So, you would write “7k” instead of “7 thousand.”Examples of other acceptable abbreviations:For the word “management” use the abbreviation “mgmt.” or spell out the entire word.Abbreviate months using the first three letters of the month’s name. Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, and so on. Be consistent.You can also abbreviate degrees in your education section. Use MBA for a Master of Business Administration, PhD for your Doctor of Philosophy, and other common degree abbreviations like MD, BA, etc.You can also use less-common abbreviations, but only if you first list the full name so that readers can learn the reference. Make clarity your overriding concern. If there’s any doubt about whether the reader will understand an abbreviation, spell the word out instead.Tips for Using Acronyms Properly, with ExamplesThe rules for using abbreviations and acronyms in a resume are similar. Like abbreviations, acronyms ne ed to be properly understood by your reader. These simple tips can help you better manage your acronym usage in any resume or cover letter:You should use your acronym in its complete word form prior to shortening it. For example, if you were listing a government position in the defense department, you might not want to write out Department of Defense every time you reference that job. But you should spell that name out the first time you mention it. Each subsequent appearance can use the acronym “DoD” instead.Think about the applicant tracking system when you’re making your decisions. If the acronym is a shortened version of terms used in the job description, use the full version instead. You must make sure that those keywords are properly included in your resume.Do not use apostrophes when you’re using an acronyms plural form. If you worked as a physical therapist, you could use the acronym “PT” and any other physical therapists in your circle would be “PTs” â€" the plural form. You should only add an apostrophe to signify the possessive form of the acronym.Never repeat a word that makes up part of the acronym if it leads to repetition. Customer management services might be referred to as CMS, but they should never be referred to as CMS services, since “services” is already part of the acronym.Always capitalize acronyms. That does not mean that the words that make up the acronym always need to be capitalized as well.Do your homework. There’s nothing worse than using the wrong acronym in a resume. It’s not only confusing, but makes you look unprofessional as well.ATS Resume Test  You can see how your resume performs in an actual ATS scan with our Free Resume Review:Free Resume Review .Use Abbreviations and Acronyms with CareAbbreviations and acronyms can be a useful way to save space for skills and achievements. By shortening those long words, titles, and organizational names, you can reserve more of your resume for those important priorities. However, you must always think through the process and use these shortened terms the right way. Abbreviations and Acronyms How to Include them on a Resume (Examples) Spread the loveOne question that many resume-writers ask themselves is how to deal with abbreviations and acronyms. It’s often tempting to abbreviate and use those acronyms as often as possible, since resumes should never be longer than one or two pages. And since you obviously want to pack as much relevant info as possible into those two pages, why not shorten as many words and phrases as possible?Well, there’s good news and bad news on that front. The good news is that you can abbreviate and use acronyms where appropriate. The bad news is that you need to be careful about what you shorten and ensure that everything is clear to the reader.The Litmus Test for Abbreviations and AcronymsWhen you’re deciding whether to use specific abbreviations and acronyms, there’s a simple test that you can use. Ask yourself whether the shortened version will still be clear â€" or confusing to the reader. With abbreviations, that decision is usually simple. If you use the standard abbreviatio n, there should be no problem. Acronyms can be more difficult, however, since so many acronyms have multiple meanings. However, even that can be overcome if you use them correctly.You will likely want to use some abbreviations and acronyms. After all, you need to leave as much room in your resume as possible for skills, experience, and achievements. Long words and lengthy titles or organizational names could take up space that might be better used to document your value as an employee. We’ve compiled some tips that can help you to properly use abbreviations and acronyms.Tips for Using Abbreviations Properly, with ExamplesFirst, strive for clarity. If an abbreviation could be misinterpreted, spell out the word instead. For example, words like million and billion should always be spelled out in their entirety. That’s because the “M” and “B” â€" or “Bn” abbreviations can either be misunderstood or unrecognized. On the other hand, another unit of measure “thousand” â€" is almost always abbreviated when preceded by a numerical value. So, you would write “7k” instead of “7 thousand.”Examples of other acceptable abbreviations:For the word “management” use the abbreviation “mgmt.” or spell out the entire word.Abbreviate months using the first three letters of the month’s name. Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, and so on. Be consistent.You can also abbreviate degrees in your education section. Use MBA for a Master of Business Administration, PhD for your Doctor of Philosophy, and other common degree abbreviations like MD, BA, etc.You can also use less-common abbreviations, but only if you first list the full name so that readers can learn the reference. Make clarity your overriding concern. If there’s any doubt about whether the reader will understand an abbreviation, spell the word out instead.Tips for Using Acronyms Properly, with ExamplesThe rules for using abbreviations and acronyms in a resume are similar. Like abbreviations, acronyms ne ed to be properly understood by your reader. These simple tips can help you better manage your acronym usage in any resume or cover letter:You should use your acronym in its complete word form prior to shortening it. For example, if you were listing a government position in the defense department, you might not want to write out Department of Defense every time you reference that job. But you should spell that name out the first time you mention it. Each subsequent appearance can use the acronym “DoD” instead.Think about the applicant tracking system when you’re making your decisions. If the acronym is a shortened version of terms used in the job description, use the full version instead. You must make sure that those keywords are properly included in your resume.Do not use apostrophes when you’re using an acronyms plural form. If you worked as a physical therapist, you could use the acronym “PT” and any other physical therapists in your circle would be “PTs” â€" the plural form. You should only add an apostrophe to signify the possessive form of the acronym.Never repeat a word that makes up part of the acronym if it leads to repetition. Customer management services might be referred to as CMS, but they should never be referred to as CMS services, since “services” is already part of the acronym.Always capitalize acronyms. That does not mean that the words that make up the acronym always need to be capitalized as well.Do your homework. There’s nothing worse than using the wrong acronym in a resume. It’s not only confusing, but makes you look unprofessional as well.ATS Resume Test  You can see how your resume performs in an actual ATS scan with our Free Resume Review:Free Resume Review .Use Abbreviations and Acronyms with CareAbbreviations and acronyms can be a useful way to save space for skills and achievements. By shortening those long words, titles, and organizational names, you can reserve more of your resume for those important priorities. However, you must always think through the process and use these shortened terms the right way.