7 Overlooked Signs That You're Actually Already Successful

If you compare yourself to certain people, it’s easy to feel you’re unsuccessful. If you’re an entrepreneur and you compare yourself to Richard Branson, you lose. If you’re a musician and you compare yourself to Taylor Swift (especially if the point of comparison is earnings), you lose.

That’s the problem with comparisons. No matter how confident you feel, there will always be someone who is more successful. There will always someone better, or smarter, or wealthier, or seemingly more happy.

How to Actually Make Time for Yourself When Your Schedule is Crazy

While there’s certainly something wonderful about the holiday season, it can also make life pretty crazy. Whether you’re wrapping up a semester at school, trying to finish a project at work before the end of the year, or stressing out about what present you’re going to buy for your sister who has everything, it can feel impossible to find time for yourself.

The 8 Cover Letters You Need to Read Now

Cover letters: They strike fear in the hearts of millions, and just uttering the phrase is enough to make a grown man cry. Who the heck writes a good cover letter anyway?

The Ultimate Guide to Researching a Company Pre-Interview

You know that weird feeling between excitement and dread that accompanies an invitation to interview? It’s especially strong when you know next to nothing about your potential workplace.

But, even if the first time you’ve ever heard of the company you’re interviewing with was the day you sent in your application, you can still walk in like you’ve known about the place for years. Here are several ways to tackle researching the company pre-interview.

3 Perfect Ways to Wrap Up Your Answers in an Interview

After submitting your job application and waiting an agonizing amount of time, you’ve finally landed an interview for a position you’re absolutely thrilled about. Congratulations! If you’re serious, you’re probably going extraordinary lengths to research the company, talk to current and past employees, and prepare stories for those pesky behavioral questions you’re likely to get in the interview. That’s great!

5 Ways to Look Confident in an Interview

After the long, exhausting journey of searching for and applying to new jobs, you’ve just been rewarded with a golden ticket—an interview.

But after a brief moment of celebration, the panic sets in: Your heart is already pounding, your palms are beginning to sweat, and you’re wondering: Are hiring managers like sharks—can they smell fear?

Ways to Show the Interviewer You’re the Best Hire in the World

The only thing more nerve-wracking than a job interview is walking into the waiting room and realizing that you’re in a sea of candidates. You know you’re a stellar hire, but how are you going to outshine the rest of them when it’s your turn to face the interviewer?

7 Ways To Show You’re Ready For The Next Step In Your Career

You feel you’re ready for the next step in your career and more responsibilities – but how do you persuade your manager? Let me share with you a few sure-fire tips to impress your boss and prove you’re ready for that promotion.

7 Ways To Show You’re Ready For The Next Step In Your Career

You feel you’re ready for the next step in your career and more responsibilities – but how do you persuade your manager? Let me share with you a few sure-fire tips to impress your boss and prove you’re ready for that promotion.

How to Answer "Tell Me About a Time When..." Interview Questions

You’ve reviewed your resume, practiced your elevator pitch, and reviewed a few stories you can share during the interview. All is well, and you’re feeling confident. And when the interviewer says, “Tell me about a time you disagreed with your supervisor,” you are ready to go and launch straight into a story about that one time you bravely confronted the director of marketing at your previous company about a new campaign you had a bad feeling about.

3 Reasons You Should Swallow Your Pride and Ask for Help in Your Job Search

I’m not sure if we’ll ever figure out exactly why asking for help during a job search makes most people feel so, well, helpless. It’s a straightforward thing, right? If I had to guess, I’d say it has to do with wanting to prove you can do it on your own. But that’s ridiculous.

5 Career Lessons You Only Learn From Being Laid Off

I assumed my life was over when I got laid off.

Within seconds of being told the news, I’d fast-forwarded to moving back home to Egbe in Kogi State, running into secondary school classmates and explaining my new career as a cat sitter, looking at my neighbours through my windows, watching African Magic Yoruba with my mother and trying to remember what it was like to have co-workers (who didn’t use litter boxes).

The Secret Formula to Answering "What's Your Dream Job?" in an Interview

It’s important to be able to articulate your dream job. Not just for personal reasons, but also for when you’re asked about it in interviews. But, how can you even begin to describe your ideal job, especially to someone who’s clearly going to be judging your response? Just picking a place to start is a head-scratcher.

Your Quick Start Guide to Successfully Switching Careers in 5 Weeks

In a previous life, I was a recruiter. In a previous life before that, I worked in ad operations. And in a previous life before that, I worked in account management. But, as cliché as this may sound, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. However, as I got further into my career, I was at a complete loss for a way to do that and still pay my bills. So, to make sure I could at least pay my rent, I used the few other marketable skills I had to make a living.

5 Steps to Submitting a Writing Sample That Will Blow Hiring Managers Away

Your resume is down to one page. Your cover letter is memorable, yet professional, and explains why you’re a great fit for the position. But, you’re not done yet.

You scroll down to the supplemental requirements and see that you’re supposed to submit a writing sample. Now what? Should you submit a research paper you wrote as an undergrad, a persuasive email, a personal blog post, a speech that’s kind of boring (but that you gave at a prestigious event), or maybe a newsletter you co-wrote?

Reasons Why “Take Whatever Job You Can Get” Is the Worst Advice Ever

I still have warm memories of my University graduation. It was a perfect day, my cap stayed on my head, and I managed to score a seat near my friends even though the graduating class was huge,

Then came the hammer from our commencement speaker, who told us that because the job market was so bad, we should all take whatever company would hire us. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to live with my parents in the village forever, or maybe it’s because I’m susceptible to anyone speaking into a microphone, but I took that advice to heart and quickly ended working at a place I didn’t like.

3 Things You Need to Consider if You're Offered a Job on the Spot

The best thing has happened: You landed the job before you even finished your interview. It’s like getting proposed to as soon as the drinks arrive on your first date. Exciting, but also downright crazy.

This can be a pretty tricky situation to navigate, especially when you really need the position. It can be difficult not to promise a response by the end of the day, specifically a response along the lines of, “Great! I can’t wait to get started!”

3 Critical Elements of the Job Search Hiring Managers Will Never Agree On

Man is sending his CV via e-mail. Vector illustration with laptop

Here’s a fun fact that might stress you out a bit: Hiring managers all look for different things when searching for candidates. And sometimes the things they’re looking for aren’t just different, but they contradict each other.

How to Continue Impressing the Company Throughout Every Single Interview Round

You nailed your interview. You answered “tell me about yourself” perfectly, discussed your relevant experience with ease, and established a great rapport with the hiring manager.

And you know you read it right when you hear you made it to the next round of the process. But after all of the excitement, you start to wonder what on earth you have left to talk about. Should you just repeat what you’ve already said? Or, is the hiring manager looking for something new?

The Most Important Interview Question

Selling yourself requires overcoming your negatives, not just stating your positives.

There is one “best” interview question which should be asked by every candidate in every interview.

At the end of an interview, you need to find out how you did in the interview. “Hard sell” proponents suggest asking very direct questions such as, “Is there any reason you would not offer me the job?” or “Will I be asked back for the next round of interviews?” Both of these questions are “sales close”

6 Things Recruiters Look For On Your Resume

The subject of the humble CV or Resume is as likely to start a debate as lively as any discussion around politics or world peace. Everyone seems to have an opinion – and a different idea of ‘the right way’ to write a CV! It’s not surprising that so many senior executives struggle with crafting their CV. With all these conflicting views, how can you possibly know which format is correct? How should candidates know which things recruiters look for on your resume?

3 Mistakes That Are Easy to Make When Describing Your Current Job in an Interview

When I was in elementary school, I asked my dad what he did for work. To make it simple for me, he said, “I’m a civil engineer, which means I design roads.” And even though there’s much more to what he does on a daily basis, that basic description made it crystal clear to me.

4 Ways You’re Being Rude in Your Interview Without Even Knowing It

In my previous life as a recruiter, I mostly had positive experiences with candidates. A lot of them were well-prepared, friendly, and genuinely interested in the role they were being interviewed for, which made selecting the right person a really big challenge.

5 (Mostly) Free Ways You Can Advance Your Career This Weekend

Your favorite company just posted an opening for the position you’ve always wanted. You’re bursting with excitement as you read the job description—the position was basically created just for you! Except for the fact that there’s one requirement you don’t meet.

4 Times You Probably Shouldn't List Your Boss as a Reference (and What to Do Instead)

If a hiring manager just asked you for references—congratulations! You’re one step closer to getting your dream job. But before you officially snag the offer, you’ll need to provide a few names, one of which is supposed to be someone you reported to.

Bored With Your Job? 3 Ways to Get Inspired Again

You used to love your job.
You were one of those people who was excited to get up in the morning, who talked about work all the time, and who may or may not have been slightly obnoxious about letting everyone know how awesome your career is.
And now? Well, let’s just say you’ve lost that loving feeling.

4 Crucial Questions You Need to Ask Yourself When Deciding Between Multiple Job Offers

Fact: If you’re currently toting around a handful of job offers, your friends are probably wavering back and forth between being jealous and being sick of hearing about it. However, what they likely don’t believe is that this really is a hard place to be in. You truly can’t decide what to do—and talking out the options isn’t you humble bragging.

Your Game Plan for Getting Noticed by Your Dream Company

With the growing trend in companies creating a unique company culture with perks like unlimited vacations or nap pods, it’s not so uncommon to have a dream company before you even have a dream job.