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You’ve made it through the rigorous interview process successfully, and the organization has extended you an offer for employment. Congratulations! This is an exciting milestone, but before you accept, it’s important to carefully review the details of the offer.

Beyond the salary, your job offer letter outlines key terms of employment, including benefits, responsibilities, and potential contingencies. Understanding each component will help you make an informed decision and ensure the role aligns with your expectations and career goals.

Here are some tips for reviewing your job offer letter:

The offer letter should include information about how you will be paid. This may state the frequency of paychecks, whether you will be paid hourly or on a salary basis, and whether you will be eligible for commission or bonus payments. In most cases, your compensation will be stated before taxes, so your take-home pay may differ greatly from what is stated in the offer. If you need help determining how much you will be bringing home in each paycheck, you may want to consult an accountant or ask your HR representative to help you with the calculations.

For commission-based positions, it’s wise to ask about draws and how often commission checks are issued. Some companies only pay commissions one time per month, so it’s important to know this information up front for budgeting purposes.

In addition to understanding your base pay and commission structure, be sure to review any details about overtime eligibility, pay differentials for working nights or weekends, and potential salary increases over time. Some companies also include signing bonuses, relocation assistance, or stock options in their offer packages, so it’s important to clarify when and how these payments will be made. If you’re offered equity or stock options, take the time to understand vesting schedules and tax implications.

Lastly, ensure you are clear on any deductions that may come out of your paycheck, such as benefits contributions, retirement plan deductions, or union dues, so you can accurately estimate your net income.

A job is much more than just a title, so many companies include information about daily responsibilities or provide a job description.

You should understand the schedule for the job and what will be expected of you, including any potential overtime, travel requirements, or flexibility in work hours. If this information isn’t included, ask the hiring manager for a copy of the job description. This doesn’t mean that it’s written in stone and you will only be required to do those tasks listed, but it serves as a foundation for understanding your role.

Additionally, reviewing the job description can help you identify any gaps between your expectations and the company’s, allowing you to address concerns before accepting the offer.

If your position is full time, it’s likely that you will be offered some type of benefits package by the employer. You should pay careful attention to what is included because these benefits can add significant value to the overall compensation package. Look for information on insurance plans, 401(k) or other retirement savings plans, and additional perks that may be available to you.

Employer-based benefits plans can make a substantial difference in your total earnings and quality of life. Some companies offer retirement savings plan matching, employer contributions toward health insurance, and even tuition reimbursement. Other valuable benefits might include stock options, wellness programs, paid parental leave, or commuter benefits.

Be sure to evaluate not just the immediate financial perks but also the long-term advantages these benefits provide. Taking full advantage of these offerings can make your position far more lucrative and rewarding than it might seem based solely on salary.

Some employers include information about the next steps in their offer letters. For example, if you must undergo a background check or drug test, that information may be included in the offer letter. The letter may also indicate when you can start or how to determine your start date. Additionally, it might outline any paperwork you need to complete before your first day, such as tax forms or benefits enrollment documents. Some companies also include onboarding details, such as orientation schedules or required training sessions.

Now is the time to ask questions if something is unclear or if you need additional information to ensure a smooth transition into your new role.

Don’t accept the offer if you’re unsure of what the position entails. The recruiter or hiring manager should be able to answer these questions before you start. Take the time to carefully review the entire offer, including salary, benefits, and any contingencies. If something doesn’t align with your expectations, don’t hesitate to negotiate or seek clarification.

Making an informed decision now will set you up for success in the long run. Good luck finding your next job, and make sure you fully understand the job offer before you accept it!

Need more help with your job search?

Get access to our Free Resource Center today (no credit card required!).

There are three mistakes that people are making on LinkedIn right now that are costing them job opportunities, and I bet you haven't heard them before.

For the past 20 years, I’ve helped thousands of people secure better-paying jobs, and as one of LinkedIn’s original influencers with over 2.5 million followers, I’ve seen firsthand what works—and what doesn’t—on the platform.

One major shift you need to be aware of is LinkedIn’s algorithm update. Once the platform reached 1 billion users, it changed how it ranks and displays profiles to recruiters. Previously, LinkedIn would pull the top 50 candidates based on keyword searches in profiles. But this system became ineffective because many profiles were incomplete or outdated.

Now, LinkedIn prioritizes engagement. The platform rewards users who actively participate—just like other social media networks. This means that simply having a great profile isn’t enough; you need to be consistently visible. If you’ve noticed a drop in recruiter inquiries, your LinkedIn strategy might be outdated.

Here are three LinkedIn mistakes that could be holding you back:

The first mistake is not updating your profile every two weeks, especially the headline. Your LinkedIn headline is one of the most critical elements of your profile. It should include the right keywords that recruiters use when searching for candidates. However, many professionals make the mistake of setting their headline once and forgetting about it.

I teach all my clients to make a calendar reminder to update their LinkedIn profile once or twice a month. All you have to do is change a couple of keywords in your headline.

Now, your headline must have all the keywords that you want to be found for by recruiters. So, you have to select the keywords carefully, and then swap them out every two weeks. Why? Because each time you change it, LinkedIn rescans your profile, making you more likely to appear in search results. However, don’t overdo it—daily changes can trigger negative signals in the algorithm. A biweekly refresh is the sweet spot.

The second LinkedIn mistake is not posting on a daily basis. Many job seekers underestimate the power of daily activity on LinkedIn. Your feed is that social media aspect of the platform, and your visibility increases when you post articles or videos or even your own thoughts as they relate to your area of expertise. LinkedIn wants you to serve your network by providing them with information and value.

When you consistently share relevant content, it signals your engagement in your industry and increases your chances of being discovered. So, you should be curating and creating content on LinkedIn every day. Pull together some really insightful stuff and share it in your feed. That way, the people who follow you will learn from you.

Also, recruiters are watching. If you're posting every day, it will show them what you care about and highlight the type of value you bring to organizations. You want to be really intentional about what you put in this feed in order to be found by those recruiters.

The final mistake job seekers are making on LinkedIn is not focusing on posting quality-driven content. Simply reposting articles or commenting on other people’s posts isn’t enough. LinkedIn values original content. If you’re not sharing your own thoughts and insights, you’re missing an opportunity to showcase your expertise.

For every piece of content you post, whether it's a video, an article, or a graphic, you have to share your point of view—and you also want to use the right keywords to optimize your posts. Again, the algorithm is reading everything in your feed and figuring out what you talk about the most and what your area of expertise is. Quality content is now the key to showing up in recruiters' search results.

If you’re not updating your headline, posting daily, and ensuring your content is high quality, you’re significantly reducing your chances of being found by recruiters. This is what I teach my clients every single day. My clients go from being invisible to receiving recruiter inquiries simply by tweaking their LinkedIn strategy. And with these tips, this can happen to you too.

Good luck! Go get 'em.

Need more help with your job search?

Get access to our Free Resource Center today (no credit card required!).

So, you think you know everything about writing a good resume? That's great, but a lot of people really don't—and even the most experienced professionals can make mistakes.

The job market is constantly evolving, and what worked a few years ago might not be effective today. A resume isn't just a list of past jobs; it's a marketing tool that needs to highlight your value in seconds. Let’s clear up a few things.

Here are three essential tips every job seeker needs to know to write an effective resume today.

If your resume has any adjectives or any other subjective terms, you need to hit the "Delete" button ASAP. Employers and recruiters are looking for hard facts and skills. They are not looking for subjective statements like "hardworking team player" or "results-driven." Why should the employer believe you? They don't know you. You haven't given them any evidence, any quantifiable accomplishments to support those statements.

Employers don't care who you say you are. They want to know what you've done in your career that makes you a good fit for the job. Instead of saying you're "detail-oriented," prove it by highlighting how you caught a costly error before it impacted your company. Don't just claim to be a "strong leader"—show it by mentioning how you successfully managed a team through a major project or exceeded performance goals.

So, let's stick to the facts, shall we? Only list hard skills and quantifiable accomplishments, please. Numbers, percentages, and concrete examples speak louder than buzzwords. Your resume will be much better just after following this first tip. Trust us—recruiters will take notice..

Each role you apply for likely has slightly different requirements, so it's crucial to tailor your resume to align with each job description. If your resume lacks the right keywords or doesn't meet the necessary keyword density, you risk being filtered out by the mysterious (and flawed) applicant tracking system (ATS). Even if you’re highly qualified, an ATS may not recognize your value unless your resume is formatted and written strategically.

Instead, create a master resume with all of your work experience, skills, and achievements. Then, copy and paste the most relevant details into a new resume that’s customized for each position. This approach not only keeps your information organized in one place but also makes updating your resume for different job applications quick and efficient.

By following this method, you'll improve your chances of getting past the ATS and into the hands of a hiring manager. Plus, you'll feel more confident knowing you're submitting a strong, targeted resume that highlights your best qualifications for each role.

A huge misconception is that creating a flawless resume will get you the job. Hate to break it to you, but that's just not the case. The purpose of your resume is to present your qualifications and hard skills. Recruiters and employers don't have time to waste interviewing applicants who don't showcase the right skills on their resume from the get-go. Your resume is a way for them to filter candidates based on their credentials alone.

So, stop spending so much time and money on resume writers or filing up every inch of your resume yourself, believing that is the key to getting hired. A resume just needs to get employers to say "yes" instead of "no." That's all it needs to do.

What will get you hired is your personality, aptitude, and experience, which will shine through in the interview process. Your ability to communicate, solve problems, and demonstrate cultural fit matters far more than having the "perfect" resume. Instead of obsessing over every word on the page, focus on building the skills and connections that will open doors for you.

Many job seekers don't know these three resume tips, and it often hurts them in their job search. We hope you use these resume tips as you look for your next job or make a career change. Remember, it's all about listing your hard skills and quantifying your accomplishments!

Need more help with your job search?

Get access to our Free Resource Center today (no credit card required!).

Do you think age discrimination is affecting your job search? Do you feel like you are losing out to the competition because you're older? If so, you're not alone in this thinking, and I'm going to share some information with you that will help you overcome this challenge.

I have been getting a ton of questions lately on the subject of age discrimination, and I want to start by breaking a huge misconception: It's not technically age discrimination that you're experiencing. It's experience discrimination.

What do I mean by that? Well, let me give you a little history. Right now, baby boomers and Gen X make up 46% of the workforce. These are people in their fifties and beyond, and all of them have decided to stay in the workforce a lot longer than the generations before them.

The problem is that, over the last 10-15 years, millions of people from younger generations have also emerged and entered the workforce.

Millennials and Gen Z make up over half the workforce today, and many of them are now in their late twenties and early thirties. This means that they have enough years of experience to be relevant in the marketplace, and given the fact that they cost a lot less—and oftentimes have fewer bad habits and are more technologically savvy—more and more employers hire them over older, more seasoned, more experienced workers.

Again, it's not really age discrimination. It is a case of the law of supply and demand. If you think about the world of business, there is too much supply—too many seasoned workers—and not enough demand for their skill sets (even with low unemployment rates).

So, what do you do about this?

Well, first understand that this situation isn't only affecting baby boomers. Eventually, millennials are going to be impacted by this as well. This is due to globalization, and every single day the geographic and economic boundaries to getting affordable help are lowering around the world.

In fact, I was working with a client recently who told me how he could hire one PhD here in the U.S., or hire three PhDs for the same price in Europe. This trend is going to continue. Believe it or not, here in the U.S., we all live in the 1% in terms of income and opportunity when compared to the rest of the world.

So, start thinking about how you're going to change your strategy with respect to your career and your relevance in the marketplace. Again, it's a supply and demand concept. What you want to do is build a way where your skill sets and expertise are in less supply, so that you are higher in demand.

Now that you understand this whole concept, focus on the fact that you are no longer an employee. You are a business-of-one, and your job is to sell and market your services to employers.

For a business to stay in business, it has to stay relevant in the marketplace. And there are three specific things that we suggest people do to make that happen for themselves.

The first thing you have to do is define your personal brand.

You have to understand what you're the go-to person for, what your specialty is, and specifically what problems you solve/what pain points you alleviate. This is because employers can only hire you when you save or make them enough money. When you solve their problems, you alleviate their pains to justify the cost of hiring you.

So, it's on you to get very clear about what your unique value add (UVA) is, and to do so I suggest you check out my Free Resource Center. Inside, you'll have access to my AI tools that will help you unlock your UVA—the things that you like to do, the tasks that you like to accomplish, and how you like to deliver value in the workplace.

Understanding your workplace personas is the first step in building a very clear personal brand that will help people understand why they should hire you.

The second step in the process is to follow a smart career strategy. Today, every job is temporary, and we know that school has taught us everything except how to manage our careers.

Now that the marketplace is always changing, you can't build a 5-, 10-, or 20-year career plan. You can really only do one or two years out at a time. Your career strategy has to be agile, but it has to be very succinct and focused at the same time.

So, at any given time, you should know exactly what you're trying to achieve, both in your career overall and specifically about relevant skills that you're trying to grow and leverage.

What you don't want to do is plateau. Again, I've seen a lot of seasoned workers in their fifties and sixties who got to a certain level in their career and thought, "This is good enough. My skills are good enough." Meanwhile, the whole world around them was changing.

This kind of works like a bell curve. They go up, they plateau, and they start to go down. Now all of a sudden they're trying to get any job they can—but they've also outpriced themselves in the market.

So your job is to always keep focusing on growing your skills, and being able to tell the world specifically what you're doing to upskill every single year.

The third step is to work on your career as much as you work in it. The truth is that we can easily get caught up in the day-to-day aspects of our job and kind of grind through our week, our months, and our years without ever really thinking about the strategy of our career.

One of the biggest components of this is networking. These days, your network is your net worth. It's all about who you know.

There are tons of studies that show the best way to get your next job is through a networking connection. If you haven't checked out our video on networking, we've got some great resources on networking that can really help you start to understand this strategy—especially with regard to online networking tools like LinkedIn.

A lot of people don't understand that there are protocols you need to follow in online networking that are very similar to offline or in-person networking. Unfortunately, people have been short-cutting these protocols and making some terrible, terrible mistakes in the process.

So, please make sure that you're digitally networking the right way—growing your network, nurturing your network, and serving your network. This is the best way to have a healthy network. If something happens and you suddenly need to look for a new job, you'll be able to tap into your professional network without having to start from scratch.

No matter your age and experience level, building skill sets and having smart strategies in place are vital to a successful career. And they're especially important if you're trying to overcome experience discrimination.

Again, you are a business-of-one, and you need to stay on top of these trends in order to stay relevant. Remember these tips and you'll successfully overcome age discrimination in your job search.

Need help staying relevant in today's job market?

Get access to our Free Resource Center today (no credit card required!).

If your resume has made it into the "yes" pile, the next step is often a phone screening. This initial conversation allows employers to quickly assess your communication skills, confirm key details about your experience, and determine whether you’re a good fit for the role before investing time in a formal interview.

While phone interviews may seem more casual than in-person meetings, they are just as important.

Your ability to make a strong impression can determine whether you move forward in the hiring process. To ensure you stand out, preparation is key.

Here are six important tips that will help you ace your next phone interview.

Basic preparation steps include having your resume in front of you, making sure you have a good phone signal, and allocating enough time for the phone interview, even if it goes beyond what was scheduled.

Additionally, find a quiet, comfortable space where you can speak freely without background noise or interruptions. Have a notepad and pen handy to jot down key points or questions that arise during the conversation. Finally, ensure your phone is fully charged and consider using headphones for clearer audio, allowing you to focus entirely on the conversation without distractions.

The first question I used to ask job seekers was, "What do you know about us?" If I did not think they had spent the time to do their homework, they were immediately downgraded. So, spend some time researching the company before your phone interview. Check out their website and social media accounts, and see what employees say about them on Glassdoor.

Also, go to LinkedIn and review the background of the person conducting the interview. Check if the manager you will be reporting to participates in LinkedIn groups and discussions, and see if you have anything in common.

The words you use account for only 15% of the effectiveness of your communication. Intonation and body language play a much bigger role, and since a phone interview eliminates body language, your voice becomes your most powerful tool. Put energy into your tone and demonstrate genuine enthusiasm—it makes a lasting impression.

An old telemarketing trick is to keep a mirror in front of you and smile while speaking, as this naturally brightens your tone and makes you sound more engaging. Standing up while talking can also help project confidence and keep your energy levels high. Additionally, using hand gestures, even though unseen, can add natural inflection to your speech, making you sound more dynamic and conversational.

People hire people they like, so it is important to turn the interview into a conversation by asking intelligent questions. Show off your expertise by following up their question with an insightful question of your own. Those who just answer questions and wait for the next question will lose here. Use a conversational tone, as if you are having lunch with a friend, telling a story, instead of just responding to questions.

For example, here are two ways to respond to, "Can you tell me about your experience at Bank of America?"

"At Bank of America, I was hired to oversee the integration of systems that were the result from acquisitions."

Or...

"You know, that was a really challenging experience because I had to integrate all the different systems that were the result of acquisitions. You can just imagine how tricky that would be since there were so many differences between them, and I had to research and document the trade-offs from an integration of each one."

Which is more interesting? I did some interview coaching with a highly accomplished technical manager at Intel who was getting interviews and no callbacks. It was immediately clear that he was just responding to questions in a fairly monotone manner and was about as interesting as a memory chip. After some coaching on how to build rapport using the above technique, he had three offers in four weeks.

Companies have a reason they are looking for talent and it is your job to find out what their chief source of "pain" is. Do this by asking:

"What is the biggest challenge someone will face in this job in the next six months?"

This lets you target your responses and demonstrate how you have successfully handled these challenges before.

Don't just end the call wondering how you did. Ask them directly. If you’re interviewing for a sales position, this is especially important, as it demonstrates confidence and the ability to close. Say something like:

"Based on what we discussed today, do you think I am a strong candidate for this position?"

Their response will give you valuable insight into where you stand. If they hesitate or mention concerns, this is your opportunity to address any doubts and reinforce why you're the right fit. Plus, expressing genuine interest and seeking feedback shows initiative—something hiring managers appreciate in any role.

By using these six simple techniques in your next phone interview, you'll be sure to make a strong impression on the employer and, hopefully, move on to the next step in the hiring process. Preparation, professionalism, and a confident yet friendly tone can set you apart from other candidates. Remember to listen actively, ask thoughtful questions, and follow up with a thank-you email to reinforce your interest in the role.

With these strategies in place, you'll increase your chances of turning a phone interview into a job offer!

Need more help with your job search?

Get access to our Free Resource Center today (no credit card required!).

Every time you interview, your main purpose is to convince the employer to hire you. The job search is a sales process. The hiring manager (your future boss) is the "customer," and you are both the sales rep and the product. Why should they choose you over all the other "products" out there? What makes you the best investment for their team?

During the interview process, the hiring manager might ask you, "Why should we hire you?" It’s a high-stakes question designed to assess your confidence, qualifications, and fit for the role. Your response needs to clearly highlight your unique value, align with the company’s needs, and leave a lasting impression.

Here are some tips for how you can effectively answer this tough interview question and stand out from other job candidates.

This question is actually a fantastic opportunity for you to summarize why you'd be a great hire.

Always focus your answer on what benefits you bring, what problems you can solve, and what solutions you can provide. Never, ever say that they should hire you because you need the job or because you really want it—or anything remotely related to your reasons for wanting the job. This is your chance to connect the dots and help the employer see why you're the best person for the job.

Think about things you know the hiring manager (interviewer) is looking for—skill sets, background, character traits, personal qualities, education, experience, or anything else that will make you successful in this role. This is your unique value add. Relate your answer to these things.

To craft a compelling response, try structuring your answer around three key points that align with the company's needs. Highlight specific examples of past accomplishments that demonstrate your ability to excel in this role. Be confident, concise, and focused on the impact you can make.

Your answer should be framed like this: "You should hire me because you've said you want someone with A, B, and C. I fit all of your requirements. I have A (say what that is), B (maybe give an example), and C (elaborate further)."

This will help you stand out from the other candidates and it gives the employer a reason to hire you.

Typically, this question will come toward the end of the interview, so you can refer to what you've already talked about, or mention something new that you know they'd be interested in. If it comes in the beginning, use the job description and your research to answer:

• Will this job require long hours? Mention your work ethic.
• Will this job need someone with great communication skills? Give an example of yours.
• Will this job need someone who can learn on the fly? Tell them how you're going to get up to speed quickly and how you've learned and adapted before.
• Does this job need someone with a particular background? Mention yours.
• Do you have the skill set they want? Talk about your skill set and how you have been successful with it.

Give them examples of what you have achieved in the past. If you haven't done this job before, talk about similar things you've done or qualities you have that will make you successful in this new role.

Answering "Why should we hire you?" may feel daunting, but with the right approach, you can turn it into an opportunity to shine. By aligning your experience with the company’s needs, clearly showcasing your skills, and confidently communicating your value, you’ll leave a lasting impression on the hiring manager.

Remember, this question isn’t just about proving you’re qualified; it’s about showing why you’re the best fit for the role. With preparation and a compelling response, you’ll set yourself apart from other candidates and increase your chances of landing the job.

Need more help with your job search?

Get access to our Free Resource Center today (no credit card required!).

Third-party risk is a major concern as organizations increasingly rely on external vendors, software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers, and cloud platforms to drive business efficiency. Reliance on this expanding digital ecosystem introduces new risks. Each third party that has access to your systems, data, or networks, and their vulnerabilities, becomes a potential entry point for cyber threats to your organization.

Do you remember the SolarWinds supply chain attack in 2020? SolarWinds provides system management and monitoring tools and was compromised by attackers who inject malicious code into an update of its Orion software. It triggered a much larger supply chain incident that affected over 18,000 organizations including government agencies and Fortune 500 companies (including Microsoft, AT&T, and MasterCard), unknowingly installing the back door allowing attackers access to sensitive networks. It is believed that the attackers had access for at least eight to nine months before being detected and cost SolarWinds $18+ million to investigate and remediate the incident.

There are several types of third-party risk including cybersecurity risk, compliance and regulatory risk, operational risk, financial risk, and reputational risk. A vendor failure can lead to critical operational disruptions, financial losses, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage.

What are some of the common challenges? Many organizations do not have insight into the vendor’s security controls, or traditional point-in-time assessments such as security questionnaires become outdated quickly and do not reflect ongoing risks. As the number of vendors increases, so does the third-party risk. Some large organizations work with thousands of vendors, which makes it difficult to track risk effectively.

What are some best practices for managing third-party risks?

1. Develop a Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) framework that establishes a structured approach aligned with industry standards such as NIST, ISO 27001, and laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

2. Pre-Contract Due Diligence – conduct thorough security and compliance reviews before onboarding any vendors.

3. Contractual Safeguards – enforce clear security expectations, incident reporting obligations, and data protection requirements in vendor contracts.

4. Risk-Based Vendor Categories – classify vendors based on their level of access to sensitive data and/or critical business operations.

5. Continuous Monitoring – leverage automated tools to monitor vendors’ security in real time.

6. Incident Response – ensure that vendors are included in your cybersecurity response plans to facilitate rapid action if/when an incident occurs.

Third-party risk management isn’t just an IT concern so build a culture of risk awareness. Foster an organization-wide mindset that third-party risk is everyone’s responsibility and not just a “compliance checkbox.” Third-party risk impacts IT, security, legal, procurement, and compliance teams requiring cross-functional coordination. For example, leadership should prioritize security and compliance in their procurement decisions.

Third-party risks aren’t going away so having a TPRM is a business imperative and not just optional. And with things such as supply chain attacks, AI-driven threats, and other high-profile breaches, these vendors can become the weakest link and create new third-party risk challenges.

What can the future of third-party risk management look like? More organizations may adopt zero-trust security models to limit vendor access. Other organizations may shift from annual vendor reviews to real-time risk tracking using AI. Organizations that invest in secure vendor relationships, and robust governance with real-time risk intelligence will be better positioned. So, assess your third-party vendors, strengthen your controls, and make third-party risk management a priority and competitive advantage!

For more information about making third-party risk a priority, follow me on LinkedIn!

As a 20-year career coaching veteran, I work with job seekers every day who come to me when they're at their lowest, stuck in a state of depression or anxiety, or oscillating between both. It’s more common than you think.

Job search depression often comes with a sense of sadness and helplessness. You feel stuck, like you have no options. It’s as if you're wearing golden handcuffs, trapped and unable to move forward.

On the other hand, job search anxiety brings an overwhelming sense of stress. There’s so much to do, so many tasks demanding your attention, and the weight of it all feels physically exhausting. Some people oscillate between the two—one day, they’re feeling hopeless and lost; the next, they’re paralyzed by the sheer number of things they need to get done.

Or maybe you oscillate between the two. I've had clients come to me and say, "One day I feel sad and depressed like there are no options for me. The next day, I wake up and feel like there's so much I have to do as a job seeker. I've got anxiety." They go back and forth between feeling depressed and feeling anxious in their job search.

I know how difficult it is to struggle with job search anxiety and depression. The good news is there are solutions.

If your struggle is primarily depression—where the lack of options makes you feel hopeless—the antidote is knowledge. Knowledge is power. When you learn something new, gain fresh perspectives, and open yourself up to different strategies, doors begin to open. You start seeing pathways that were previously hidden from view.

If anxiety is the main challenge—when too many choices and tasks make it hard to focus—the solution is structure. You need a single path, a step-by-step checklist that helps you feel a sense of progress every day. Instead of feeling like there’s an endless list of things to do, you have a clear roadmap, making it easier to take action without feeling overwhelmed.

In order to cure anxiety and depression in your job search, you need the right resources. I know that when you're feeling stressed and overwhelmed, the last thing you need is more complexity. That’s why I focus on microlearning—small, manageable learning moments that help you take action without adding to your stress.

If this approach resonates with you, take the first step today. Check out my Free Resource Center, and start working toward a job search that feels less stressful, less overwhelming, and, ultimately, more successful.

Remember, you’re not alone in this. With the right knowledge and structure, you can break free from job search anxiety and depression—and take control of your career future.

Good luck! Go get 'em.

When you're really nervous for a job interview, it can work against you. You might not realize it, but your nervousness can actually make you overcompensate and appear arrogant, which can hurt your first impression.

Confidence is important, but there’s a fine line between self-assurance and coming across as dismissive or overly self-important. Interviewers want to see that you believe in your abilities, but they also value humility, authenticity, and a willingness to learn. Striking the right balance can help you build rapport and demonstrate that you’re a strong candidate and a great team player.

Instead of risking looking overconfident during interviews, apply these tips.

If you're worried you'll sound like you're bragging during an interview, take some of the focus off you by talking about your mentors. Show them that you're open to new perspectives and respect the expertise of others. This will take some of the pressure off you and highlight that you're willing to learn from others (aka you're probably not a know-it-all).

You can also balance confidence with humility by sharing stories of challenges you’ve faced and how you overcame them with the help of a team. Acknowledge the contributions of colleagues or mentors who guided you along the way, emphasizing that success is rarely achieved alone.

Using phrases like “I was fortunate to…” or “I learned a lot from…” follows our "Experience + Learn = Grow" method for answering behavioral interview questions. These phrases also frame your achievements in a way that feels collaborative rather than self-congratulatory, helping you avoid appearing overconfident and cocky.

One sign of looking arrogant is talking too much about yourself. Yes, you're expected to talk about yourself during interviews, but the best interviews are two-way conversations between the interviewee and the interviewer.

By asking great questions, you appear more interested and genuinely excited about what they have to say. It also helps establish a natural rapport and makes the conversation feel more collaborative rather than one-sided. So, pepper in some insightful questions about the role, company, or interviewer—and don't forget to be mindful of your tone and body language!

The truth is, if you're overcompensating, you're trying to make up for that lack of self-confidence. And that lack of confidence contributes to that overwhelming nervousness and anxiety you're feeling. So, find ways to increase your self-confidence. Whether it's showcasing your strengths or passion for the industry, find a way to boost your self-confidence.

One of the best ways to boost your self-confidence is through preparation: research the company, practice your responses, and have examples ready that highlight your skills and expertise. Remember, confidence comes from knowing your value and presenting it naturally!

Don't let "accidental arrogance" kill an opportunity. Use the tips above to nail that first impression and avoid appearing overconfident in your next job interview!

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Ever wonder what having LinkedIn skills endorsements says about you to employers? Endorsements are supposed to help your profile. Yet, in some instances, they may be hurting your efforts to come off as that “perfect" candidate for the job.

It is important that your LinkedIn endorsements support your personal brand and overall career goals. The more skills endorsements you have for your core skills, the higher rank you will get when recruiters are looking for talent.

To ensure your profile is not coming off as though you're a candidate with a mishmash of all talents endorsed by everybody in the world (including people who know diddlysquat about you), follow these tips.

As previously stated, make sure your LinkedIn endorsements are aligned with your career goals. Being strategic about your endorsements ensures that your LinkedIn profile tells a clear and compelling story about your expertise. If your "Skills" section is cluttered with unrelated endorsements, it can create confusion for recruiters and hiring managers who are scanning your profile for relevant qualifications.

Instead, prioritize endorsements that reinforce your strengths and align with your professional narrative. If you receive an endorsement that doesn’t fit, consider reaching out to colleagues and connections to endorse you for the skills that truly reflect your expertise. This way, your profile remains polished, focused, and effective in attracting the right opportunities.

For example, if you're focused on writing for the financial services industry, but you get an endorsement for IT troubleshooting because you did a bit of that in your last job, that's not really helping you. While it's nice to know things outside of your field of work, there's little point in including IT troubleshooting when your focus is opportunities in financial writing.

Evaluate whether the endorsement suits the work you want to be involved in rather than simply adding it and diluting the message of what your real talents are. Remember, accepted endorsements cannot be removed. The only option would be to hide them.

You can offer direction to people who want to endorse you for skills by setting up your "Skills" section. Add skills for yourself, and this will help tell people what you want to be endorsed for.

As you receive endorsements for the skills, the one with the most endorsements will automatically rise to the top of the list, and the next most popular ones with endorsements will follow after it. This is another reason why you need to be selective with what endorsements to accept.

Encourage your colleagues and connections to endorse the skills that matter most to your industry or role. Also, remember to periodically review and update your "Skills" section to reflect your evolving experience and career focus.

LinkedIn endorsements are great, but a recommendation is stronger. LinkedIn recommendations are presented as more credible information to employers reviewing your profile. While endorsements provide a quick validation of your expertise, recommendations offer context, detailing how you’ve applied those skills in real-world situations.

After a credible contact endorses you for an important skill you value in your career, follow up with a thank-you note, and send a reminder of any shared experience you've had that may serve the basis for a recommendation as you politely ask if they have the time and would like to expand on the endorsement with a recommendation.

Your LinkedIn profile is only as strong as the information you choose to showcase. By actively engaging with your network, getting clear on your career goals and personal brand, and reciprocating endorsements and recommendations when appropriate, you can build a more compelling LinkedIn profile that stands out to potential employers and connections.

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To answer this question, we asked those who have successfully implemented changes and driven innovation on the job to share their knowledge with us.

In this article, professionals from various industries outline how they drive innovation in the workplace. Whether your goal is to streamline processes, adopt new technologies, or simply rethink traditional approaches, these insights from real-life experiences will encourage you to find innovative solutions for your organization.

Protecting personal health information (PHI) remains a constant challenge. While I worked at RevSpring, our clients asked for our assistance in preventing employees or would-be attackers from accessing PHI through our data automation and print composition processes; however, we faced an additional challenge of composing the hospital statements without PHI, and ensuring the statements were already formatted for printing.

While this may not appear to be a complex problem, each statement could contain multiple PHI elements, such as name, account number, address, etc. in various locations on the statement and in different sizes. For example, you need to have enough space to display a name like “Steven Johnson,” but not have extra space when displaying “Bob Smith.” How can you guarantee the statement does not appear with overlapping words, excessive spacing, or word wrapping issues?

Our team developed a concept for a software service that would replace PHI elements with tokens. Additionally, it would be able to reverse the process we called “de-tokenization” on demand, such as at the time of printing the statement. Given my team’s existing client commitments, I dusted off the cobwebs of my engineering skills and spent a weekend developing an API (application program interface) to implement the tokenization and de-tokenization capabilities.

This innovation enabled our organization to quickly modify the automation and printing processes to ensure the protection of PHI at the time of receipt, and throughout the remainder of the workflows. While all technology is at risk of sophisticated attackers gaining access, adding this additional layer of protection reduces risk significantly. If there were a case of attackers accessing the PHI elements, they still wouldn’t be able to associate it with the statement or any healthcare related information.

We successfully secured a patent for this innovation, which can be found here: Sensitive data attribute tokenization system.

—Eric Martin, Director of Software Engineering

Experimentation, creativity, and having an open mindset have helped me create and deliver workplace innovations. Finding capability solutions by focusing on the learner, similar to when using built-in GPS or an old-school compass, has helped me narrow in and test out new learning tools and inspired new ideas for any audience or problem I needed to solve.

A quick win at the end of last year was when I came across some newer AI-powered learning tools, including within LinkedIn Learning, after being posed with a problem from one of our areas that was trying to build a learning culture within a high-pressure environment. The internal client was only expecting a slide deck on what programs we had, but I pitched the idea to demo a key tool that I tested out and provided additional ideas to experiment with. They loved it! Immediately following this, usage of this learning technology increased, and a behaviour change was sprouting as the seed had been planted.

Having a continuous improvement mindset also acts like a magnet for ideas. Whether it’s helping a company move away from using manuals and guides over to online microlearning solutions, or my inner need to improve ways of supporting clients that led to streamlining a process that saved five or more hours of work per week at TAL Insurance. If you open yourself up to this type of mindset, great workplace innovations will take place for you and wherever you work.

Through individuals, impactful innovations can take place, but by bringing people together, the impact can be magnified. We can all find more workplace innovations by ensuring we bring everyone along who needs to be at the table and create a psychologically safe and supportive environment that sprouts new ideas.

Imagine talking about what behaviour change or upskill a group needs when the impacted audience is not represented. Guess what? That does happen, and it happened at my last workplace. I ensured they were included at the next project meeting, and they recommended a simpler idea that led to implementation success! Ensure you bring people in, as their ideas may surprise you and lead to an innovative solution that transforms your workplace.

—Jon Le Breton, Learning and Development Consultant

Workplace innovation might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about FP&A (financial planning and analysis). When most people hear “finance,” they think of accounting processes like invoicing clients, writing checks, and pumping out financial statements. But in FP&A, we’re doing so much more. We are not just looking at what has already happened; we’re also looking toward the future and considering how decisions made today will affect the company’s future.

Translating data into a narrative that can be easily digested by decision makers is critical. And rolling out innovative strategies to streamline that process can both speed things up as well as provide additional insights. I saw this firsthand when I was working on a team that was consolidating massive datasets each month. Each analyst tracked client renewals for their respective products and then the data was consolidated at the end of each month. This often led to a day-long exercise to get everything reconciled before we could produce summarized reporting. I knew there had to be a better way.

I approached the team and asked for their thoughts. We tossed around several solutions and landed on a tool that was already available to us but rarely used. We assigned a project leader and got to work. But we quickly ran into roadblocks and realized that our tool of choice was not going to be a winner without an investment.

At that point, we decided to take a step back and reassess. We floated our challenge by several colleagues in adjacent departments, and found one who was particularly interested in our problem. As the admin for a finance tool we already used, he understood our problem well. Within a few months, we rolled out a new solution using the existing tool. There was no additional cost to the company, it cut down our consolidation time by 50%, and it increased our reporting capabilities.

Often, I think leaders hear the term “workplace innovation” and think “expensive.” It doesn’t have to be that way. Sometimes the best solution is not a new tool. Leveraging existing strengths and technologies in new ways maximizes the value of investments already made. Work smarter, not harder.

—Lindsey Martens, Finance Director

As a 20-year communications professional, I’ve seen workplace innovation take many forms. From the simplest tweak to a process that saves hours of labor to bringing in technology that aligns an entire corporate communications team around a single source of truth editorial calendar, innovation can come from anywhere in your organization.

Over the last six months, my workplace innovation has been heavily focused on bringing AI models into corporate communications to help generate creativity and new ideas—and save time.

This does not mean AI is doing heavy writing or replacing people; we’re not ready for that yet. Rather, AI can help save time on some key tasks that help improve your processes and kickstart your thinking on key topics.

If you’re unfamiliar with AI, getting great results is all about prompt engineering, which is simply the art of crafting the right request to get the output you want. Here are a few prompts that I’ve been working to perfect to help in the corporate communications world.

• From the perspective of an employee communications director, please search for five people-focused topics to communicate about for the month of March. [Purpose: build your editorial calendar]
• If you were CEO of a pharmaceutical company, what would be the pros and cons of working for your company? [Purpose: kickstart thinking for talent acquisition copy]
• Provide an analogy to explain “inflation” in simple terms. How can I visualize this analogy in a simple image? [Purpose: brainstorm ideas for an article to explain inflation to your employees with an accompanying illustration]

In addition to developing prompts that can help kick off brainstorming, topics, and analogies for complex topics, I have also been looking to use AI integration with email tools to help personalize messages in ways beyond [INSERT NAME]. It wouldn’t have been possible five years ago to customize messages based on title, role, location, or interests in a meaningful way. Now, you can personalize messages in new ways, with only your imagination—and time—as the limit.

Workplace innovation can come from anywhere if you keep your employees engaged and informed about your company purpose, vision, and goals. When engaged people understand where you want to go, you’ll see workplace innovation appear in the most unlikely places.

—Jerry Rice, Employee Communications and Engagement

It is apparent from these responses that innovation is not confined to specific departments or roles. In fact, driving innovation in the workplace mostly comes down to creating an environment where experimentation, creativity, and collaboration can thrive and providing the right tools and mindset for success. As an employee, if you focus on continuous improvement and leveraging existing tools and technology in new ways, you'll naturally drive innovation in your workplace.

What do you do when the company you worked for has changed names multiple times? What should you put on your resume? How should you list it on LinkedIn?

This is a common issue, and handling it incorrectly can raise red flags for recruiters. If the company name isn't recognizable or doesn't exist anymore, hiring managers might question your work history—or worse, disqualify you from consideration.

To ensure your resume and LinkedIn profile are accurate and optimized, follow this simple strategy.

When a company is acquired, rebranded, or merged, it’s crucial to present the most current name on your resume and LinkedIn profile. Here’s the right way to format it:

• Use the company's current name as it appears today.
• Include previous names in parentheses to provide clarity.

Example Formatting:

If you were a marketing manager at a company that went through two name changes, list it like this:

Marketing Manager, ABC Company (formerly 123 Company and DEF Company)

This format ensures recruiters can verify the company's legitimacy while preserving your work history.

Recruiters fact-check company names to confirm your experience and credibility. If they can't find the company you listed, they might assume the information you provided is inaccurate or fabricated. By clearly stating the current company name and its former names, you eliminate confusion, authenticate your experience, and maintain trust.

• Don't waste bullet points explaining the name changes. Instead, use that space to highlight your achievements.
  
• Don't include unnecessary company background details. Recruiters can look up company history if they need more context.
  
• Only list quantifiable accomplishments in your bullet points. Focus on results, not job descriptions.

Your resume and LinkedIn profile should be optimized to make a strong first impression. If you want a step-by-step guide on how to craft a standout resume and LinkedIn profile, check out my Job Search Bootcamp. It’s free, and you’ll find expert resources to help you navigate today’s job market successfully.

Get access to my Job Search Bootcamp by signing up for my Free Resource Center today (no credit card required!).

Small mistakes can cost you big opportunities. Make sure you're listing the right company names on your resume and LinkedIn profile—and optimizing them for success.

Good luck. Go get 'em!

Got a touch of the "weekend flu" or the "Monday blues" this week? You're not alone. However, you shouldn't let that get you down!

Mondays can be tough, but you can get through them—we have faith! The good news? With the right mindset and a few simple strategies, you can make Monday mornings better and start the week off strong.

Don't let Monday get the best of you. Here are some tips from J.T. O'Donnell, LinkedIn Influencer and founder and CEO of Work It DAILY, on beating the Monday blues.

When you know exactly what you're going to be doing on Monday morning, it's easier for you to mentally prepare and ease into the workweek. Otherwise, you can walk into the office frazzled, confused, and unorganized, which can set you back a few hours.

One of the best ways to make Monday mornings better is to plan ahead on Sunday or Friday. Set priorities, outline key tasks, and leave yourself clear notes to jumpstart your productivity. A structured start prevents that dreaded feeling of overwhelm and helps you hit the ground running.

Try to avoid people who are being "Debbie Downers." You don't need that extra gloom and doom on a Monday. Focus on spending your time with positive and upbeat people. Positivity is key! Surrounding yourself with optimism can set the tone for a productive start to the week.

If you're wondering how to make Monday mornings better, start by engaging in uplifting conversations or listening to motivating podcasts. A little inspiration can go a long way in helping you shake off the Monday blues and step into the week with confidence and a smile on your face.

There's no better way to feel good about yourself than to cheer on and support others. That's why Mondays are a great time to endorse your colleagues on LinkedIn. (In fact, we call Mondays "Endorse Day.") When you reach out and tell someone that you think they're special, they will likely return the favor. Is there a better way to stay positive than to get compliments?

But making Monday mornings better isn’t just about spreading positivity; it’s also about setting the right tone for your week. A quick act of kindness, like endorsing a colleague, can boost your mood and remind you that work is about connection, not just tasks. Plus, when you start your Monday mornings with a feel-good ritual, you create momentum that carries into the rest of your week.

There you have it! The key to making Monday mornings better is setting yourself up for success the night before and starting the day with positive habits. Remember, small changes can have a big impact, so experiment with what works best for you and build a routine that makes Monday mornings something to look forward to.

We hope these quick and easy tips help you crush Monday mornings and finally beat those Monday blues. You've got this!

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Which one describes your morning more accurately?

a) Waking up excited to head into work and do what you love.

b) Waking up dreading work and seriously considering calling in sick.

If the second scenario sounds more like you, it's time for a change, don't you think? Whether you're looking for a fresh start, a new challenge, or simply a renewed sense of purpose, these five tips will help you reclaim your career and find the happiness you deserve.

What is it that you hate about your job? Why do you dread going to work? Is it the work itself or the people you work with? Is it a specific task or a specific individual that is making your life miserable?

Once you determine the cause of the stress/misery, you can take steps to fix or eliminate the problem. Maybe there's more than one problem. That's okay. The key is to identify where the real pain points are in your career. Only then can you make the changes you need to make to ultimately find career success.

I'm sure you've heard this term before, but what does it really mean to "manage up" anyway? Well, it means that you need to step it up a little bit with your work and go above and beyond what you're being asked to do.

Managing up will help others recognize your value within the organization, making you an asset. Don't know your unique value add (UVA)? Try our J.T. AI assessment tool inside our Free Resource Center to unlock your UVA today!

When you know your unique value add (UVA), you can better position yourself to contribute in meaningful ways at work, focusing on efforts that save or make your company money. By going the extra mile with your work, you take stress off your manager or boss, which can help you build a better working relationship with them.

Remember, your job is to make your boss's job easier and save or make your company money. If you're not doing that, you're not doing your job—and you're not showing your value as an employee.

Your career is yours and yours only. Reclaim it by giving 110% in all aspects of your professional life. When you start making progress, you'll realize the secret to career growth and happiness starts with intrinsic motivation.

Find some online or local workshops and seminars that will help you enhance and develop your skills. By attending these events, you'll not only learn new, valuable skills, but you will prove that you are willing to take that extra step in order to get ahead.

Figure out what areas you think you should improve in to accomplish your career goals. Do you need better time management skills? Would it help to learn how to use AI in your current workflows to increase productivity and efficiency? Maybe you just want to brush up on your business writing or public speaking skills.

Whatever your interest, there are workshops and seminars for everything! Attend one and see how much it impacts your confidence and happiness as a professional.

It's always nice to have a little extra guidance and support. Find someone who has extensive experience in your field and ask them if they would mind being your mentor. They can provide valuable insight and contacts that will help you get ahead.

Never underestimate the power of a mentor. Building a close, professional relationship with someone you admire can do wonders for your career. Most professionals are happy to share their knowledge and experiences, and you might be surprised by how willing they are to help. A mentor can offer perspective, challenge you to think differently, and keep you accountable as you work toward your goals. Plus, having someone who believes in your potential can boost your confidence and motivation.

If you already have a colleague in mind, what are you waiting for? Reach out today!

If you really want to take control of your career, you need the right people in your corner. Are you going out there and meeting the right people?

Like it or not, your network is your net worth. Although networking with people outside of your industry has its benefits, it's important to have a focused networking strategy that builds a solid network of contacts.

There are several ways to connect with the right contacts. Here are a few:

• Attend industry-specific events (they don't have to be networking events!)
• Join industry-specific organizations and clubs
• Use keywords and hashtags to find potential contacts on LinkedIn

We all have highs and lows in life. The same is true for our careers. If you're feeling unhappy in your career, you have the power to change that. Every hurdle you face, you can overcome.

Follow the tips above and you'll not only reclaim your career but find career happiness as well. We believe in you!

Need more help with your career?

It's not uncommon for job seekers to spend almost all of their time scrolling on their phones or sitting behind a computer searching through online job postings. If your job search has been unsuccessful up to this point, your time behind the screen could be a major factor in your lack of success.

Engaging in a well-rounded job search strategy is essential to maximizing your chances of landing the right opportunity. While online applications are part of the process, relying solely on them can lead to frustration and burnout. Also, endlessly scrolling and applying to open positions is simply not the most effective use of your time out of the workforce.

Here are some tips for balancing your activity during your job search.

The old adage, "It's not what you know, it's who you know," really is true. In most cases, a friend or colleague won't be able to get you a job for which you're not qualified, but they may be able to get you an interview when your resume would have otherwise been overlooked.

Anything you do that involves talking to other people about your job search counts as networking, whether it's lunch with a former co-worker, coffee with a recruiter, or a formal networking event in your area. Some people are apprehensive about networking, but like anything in life, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. The key is consistency; even a few intentional networking efforts each week can make a big difference in your job search.

Whether you're inquiring about a submitted job application or following up with a colleague you met while networking, these intimidating tasks often get pushed to the back burner as you prioritize your time. Scheduling them into your weekly agenda ensures that you will set aside adequate time to close the circle with various activities that you've started.

Blocking out specific time slots for follow-ups helps you stay organized and prevents important connections from slipping through the cracks. Consider setting reminders or using a task management tool like Asana, Todoist, or Monday.com to keep track of pending responses and next steps. Making follow-ups a routine part of your schedule will maintain momentum in your job search and demonstrate professionalism to potential employers and networking contacts.

If you've taken the time to optimize your LinkedIn profile, you should be logging in at least once a week, and preferably more often.

The various groups on LinkedIn offer a never-ending conversation on topics from looking for a job to news relevant to your industry/field. Following and connecting with people who work at your bucket list companies gives you the opportunity to build your professional network and get referrals. A fully optimized profile also allows recruiters and hiring managers to find you when they search for job candidates with specific skill sets.

To further increase your visibility on LinkedIn, engage with posts, share content (articles, videos, etc.), and comment on discussions. Regular activity like this demonstrates your expertise and proves your relevancy in the job market, making you stand out to recruiters.

The candidate who walks into a job fair or interview knowing who they are and what they can provide has a remarkable edge over a candidate who's still figuring these things out. Spend some time developing a personal branding statement, printing business cards for yourself, and engaging in activities that support your personal brand—whether that means volunteering, blogging, consulting, or posting on LinkedIn.

When you walk into a room and say, "Hi, this is who I am and this is what I do," it makes a powerful statement.

A polished resume is essential to your job search, but simply submitting it to online job postings shouldn’t be your sole focus. To truly maximize your opportunities, balance your efforts by networking—both in-person and online—connecting and following up with industry professionals, and engaging in meaningful conversations. Attend events, reach out to former colleagues, and leverage LinkedIn to build relationships and manage your personal brand, all of which could lead to hidden job opportunities.

By diversifying your job search strategies, you’ll increase your visibility and improve your chances of landing the right role faster!

Remember to stay positive during your job search and know that there are resources available to help you through this challenging process, including the resources at Work It DAILY.

In many professional settings, the ability to lead and drive outcomes doesn’t come from a job title or formal authority. It comes from influence—the ability to build trust, align stakeholders, and guide teams toward solutions, even when you don’t have the final say or favorable, commanding position. This is especially true for those who work in matrixed environments, where success depends on people who have competing priorities.

The ability to influence without authority is an essential skill for any professional who has a leader's vision and ambition. So how can you start influencing without authority in your job?

In this article, professionals from various industries share how they influence without authority at work. Read on to discover expert strategies for building consensus, cultivating strong relationships, and driving results.

As a production manager, you don’t have formal authority over key decision-makers, including directors, executive producers, and clients. You can’t simply instruct them to move faster, give fewer notes, or align their opinions. When disagreements stall progress, you don’t have the authority to make the final call. So how do you influence without authority? The best approach is to build consensus by acting as a bridge between parties and guiding them toward a solution.

On a feature project, we were falling seriously behind on character design. By this stage, we should have had about half of the designs approved, but we had only approved a handful, creating a deep hole that threatened to derail our schedule. Despite repeatedly flagging the delays, I couldn’t get the stakeholders to take action. I noticed that the teams involved were siloed, not communicating their concerns directly, and instead blaming each other for the holdup.

Since I couldn’t force a decision, I focused on what I could control. I scheduled a meeting to bring both sides together and lay out the reality of where we stood. Instead of assigning blame, I framed it as a challenge we all needed to solve together and asked for their input. That shift in approach made the difference. By openly discussing roadblocks and priorities, we identified key solutions and compromises that helped us catch up and improve collaboration moving forward.

—David Portner, Producer

If you’ve led project teams, you no doubt have had to work in a matrixed team structure—where you, as the project manager, have ultimate responsibility for the successful delivery of the desired outcome, but very little authority over the people that you are relying on to make it happen. Whether it be contributions of subject matter expertise, completing tasks, or both, your success is totally dependent on a group of people who have other priorities that may not be your project’s success. Influence without authority can be challenging, but in my experience, greatly rewarding!

So how do you establish positive influence without authority? I have always found that cultivating strong relationships is the key to successful project teams. I take the time to meet with each member of the team individually to help them understand the goal of the project, why it is important, how it could benefit them personally, and setting clear expectations around what is required from them for the project to be successful. I assure them that they can rely on me to support them, and then deliver on that commitment, providing support and encouragement along the way, and removing obstacles for them when necessary.

Once the project has concluded, recognition is incredibly important—tailored to the individual’s preference—for example, do they prefer public or private recognition? Where possible, I build financial recognition such as project bonuses into cost models up front. Something as simple as pens, mousepads, and T-shirts with project or company logos create a sense of unity and camaraderie with team members. Most importantly, I make sure the direct line leaders of those resources are aware of how each person contributed to the project’s success and provide feedback that can be used as inputs to their performance reviews.

This approach is supported by the Prosci ADKAR change management framework—providing the team members with awareness of the need for change, cultivating the desire to make it happen, providing knowledge and ability to bring about the change, and reinforcement to sustain the desired outcomes.

Over time, the return on the investment of my time ensured that these valuable team members wanted to work with me in the future and helped me establish a reputation that made others ask to work with me! Influence without authority can be positively powerful!

As I expanded my role from leading only matrixed project teams to include that of people leader, I found that these same practices worked in building a solid foundation for strong teams, creating an environment of openness and trust, and attracting diverse talent eager to work with me because they knew they would be appreciated for their unique contributions!

I was so pleased to find my experience supported in an article posted on Forbes in 2023: Council Post: Are You Leading The Wrong Way? Why Influence Beats Authority.

—Rebecca Schoonmaker, Strategic Program Management

Ultimately, according to our experts on this topic, influencing without authority requires a deep understanding of team dynamics and a desire to cultivate strong relationships through communication, collaboration, and trust. When you consistently act as a reliable partner—one who listens, removes roadblocks, and recognizes contributions—you build a reputation that makes people want to work with you and prove you have what it takes to be a successful leader.

According to The Wall Street Journal, a personality test could cost you your dream job. As a career coach with over 20 years of experience, I can tell you this is not surprising. Every year, thousands of job seekers lose out on opportunities because they don't understand how to navigate these assessments.

If you’ve been asked to take a personality test for a job, don’t panic. I’m going to break down why companies use these tests, what you need to know before taking one, and how to approach them strategically—so you can pass with confidence and land the job you want.

Companies are struggling to verify that candidates are who they claim to be. With AI-generated resumes and cover letters becoming more common, hiring managers are turning to additional screening tools—like personality tests—to get a clearer picture of a candidate’s true qualities and way of working.

But it’s not just about honesty. Employers want to ensure that your mindset, communication style, and work approach align with their existing team. The wrong personality fit can disrupt team dynamics, reduce productivity, and create workplace tension.

This is why personality tests have become a critical step in the hiring process. However, many job seekers overthink their answers or fail to approach these assessments correctly—leading to missed job opportunities.

Let me be blunt: refusing a personality test for jobs is a guaranteed way to lose out on an opportunity. Employers hold the power in this situation, and if you decline, there are plenty of candidates willing to take the test in your place.

Instead of avoiding these assessments, you need to understand how to pass a personality test for jobs by identifying and leveraging your unique strengths.

The secret to passing a personality test for jobs is self-awareness. You need to understand how your personality is perceived in the workplace and how you create value within a team. This is known as your workplace persona—the unique combination of traits and skills that define how you operate professionally.

To help job seekers unlock their workplace persona, I’ve developed a free tool called JT AI. This AI-driven assessment helps you uncover your unique value add (UVA)—the combination of your personality and skills that make you a strong candidate.

Inside my Free Resource Center, you can access the JT AI tool in just two minutes—no credit card required. After completing the assessment, you’ll receive customized videos that explain:

• How your personality is perceived in the workplace
• The strengths and weaknesses of your workplace persona
• What employers are really looking for in personality tests

Once you understand these insights, you’ll be able to recognize what personality tests are measuring and how to reflect your authentic self in a way that aligns with the job.

A personality test shouldn’t stand between you and your dream job. By unlocking your workplace persona and understanding how employers evaluate candidates, you can confidently approach these assessments and improve your chances of success.

Ready to take control? Visit Work It DAILY and access the JT AI tool for free.

Don’t let a personality test decide your future—equip yourself with the knowledge to succeed.

Good luck! Go get 'em.

If you are going to an interview, there are a few key things you will want to consider. Many people think that knowing how to accurately answer questions is the only thing that needs to be practiced. In reality, you also need to master your nonverbal communication to demonstrate your best attributes to the interviewer.

Nonverbal communication is one of the most important aspects of an interview. This includes factors such as your gestures, body language, facial expressions, and more. These communication signals are important because they send a multitude of messages to the interviewer. Many times, nonverbal communication is subconscious, but it is still something that people will notice. Just as you will control what you verbally say, you will want to control what you communicate nonverbally too.

It is a good idea to have your verbal communication match your nonverbal communication. This means if you say you are confident that you can give the business what it needs because you have years of experience, you do not want to come off as timid, shy, and unsure of yourself. Instead, you want to exude confidence.

Here are a few tips to improve your nonverbal communication in your next interview.

One of the best things you can do is to practice your interview ahead of time. You can do this by yourself, though you will want to have a mirror or video recording so you can evaluate your communication signals, or with a friend via a mock interview.

When practicing for a job interview, you should be conscious of what you appear to be saying nonverbally and think about how you can change it to give the impression you are looking for. Pay attention to your posture—sitting up straight conveys confidence, while slouching can make you seem disengaged. Maintain steady eye contact to show attentiveness, but be careful not to stare, as that can come off as intimidating or just plain weird and unsettling.

Also, nervous habits like fidgeting, crossing your arms, or avoiding eye contact, can send unintended messages. Instead, use purposeful gestures to reinforce your words and exhibit enthusiasm.

Practicing these small adjustments can make a big difference in how you're perceived during an interview.

You should be aware of how you are communicating during the interview, but be sure not to overthink and become distracted from the interview questions. For example, if you want to demonstrate confidence, then you need to think about having excellent posture, keeping eye contact with your interviewer, and making sure to keep a calm demeanor. Additionally, avoid fidgeting, as it can make you appear nervous or uncertain.

Subtle gestures, like nodding occasionally to show engagement, can help convey active listening. Also, remember to match your facial expressions to the conversation; smiling appropriately can make you seem approachable and enthusiastic.

By being mindful of these nonverbal cues, you can reinforce the message that you are a confident and capable candidate.

A big issue many people face when they are in an interview is that they do not know what to do with their hands. Individuals should avoid fidgeting and touching their hair and face because the interviewer can read these communication signals negatively. These nervous movements and fidgets may be a sign of anything from uncertainty in your qualifications to lying about something.

It is also important to give the interviewer an open body position without crossing your arms, which shows that you are comfortable and open to discussion. By crossing your arms, you are sending the message that you are closed off, which makes an interviewer think you may have something to hide or feel negatively about the interview.

You can keep your arms at your side or on your lap. Using your hands when you explain something is fine as well, and it is seen as a very open gesture to show your palms to the other individual while explaining.

While thinking about the right thing to say both verbally and nonverbally, you need to think about the message you are getting from the interviewer. For instance, if you see them lean back or look uncomfortable, you may be in their personal space.

Pay attention to their facial expressions and body language—are they nodding along in agreement, or do they look distracted? If they seem disengaged, it may be a sign to adjust your tone, pick up the pace, or bring more enthusiasm into your responses. Likewise, mirroring their energy and maintaining good eye contact can help build rapport and create a positive, comfortable, and memorable interaction.

Small adjustments in your delivery can make a huge difference in how your message is received.

Improving your nonverbal communication can boost your confidence, help you build rapport with interviewers, and ensure that your message aligns with your words. Small adjustments—like maintaining eye contact, using open body language, and controlling nervous gestures—can make a significant impact on how you're perceived.

Remember, practice makes perfect, so consider mock interviews or recording yourself to refine your nonverbal cues. Mastering these skills can give you a competitive edge and help you leave a lasting positive impression.

Need more help with your career?

If you are going to an interview, there are a few key things you will want to consider. Many people think that knowing how to accurately answer questions is the only thing that needs to be practiced. In reality, you also need to master your nonverbal communication to demonstrate your best attributes to the interviewer.

Nonverbal communication is one of the most important aspects of an interview. This includes factors such as your gestures, body language, facial expressions, and more. These communication signals are important because they send a multitude of messages to the interviewer. Many times, nonverbal communication is subconscious, but it is still something that people will notice. Just as you will control what you verbally say, you will want to control what you communicate nonverbally too.

It is a good idea to have your verbal communication match your nonverbal communication. This means if you say you are confident that you can give the business what it needs because you have years of experience, you do not want to come off as timid, shy, and unsure of yourself. Instead, you want to exude confidence.

Here are a few tips to improve your nonverbal communication in your next interview.

One of the best things you can do is to practice your interview ahead of time. You can do this by yourself, though you will want to have a mirror or video recording so you can evaluate your communication signals, or with a friend via a mock interview.

When practicing for a job interview, you should be conscious of what you appear to be saying nonverbally and think about how you can change it to give the impression you are looking for. Pay attention to your posture—sitting up straight conveys confidence, while slouching can make you seem disengaged. Maintain steady eye contact to show attentiveness, but be careful not to stare, as that can come off as intimidating or just plain weird and unsettling.

Also, nervous habits like fidgeting, crossing your arms, or avoiding eye contact, can send unintended messages. Instead, use purposeful gestures to reinforce your words and exhibit enthusiasm.

Practicing these small adjustments can make a big difference in how you're perceived during an interview.

You should be aware of how you are communicating during the interview, but be sure not to overthink and become distracted from the interview questions. For example, if you want to demonstrate confidence, then you need to think about having excellent posture, keeping eye contact with your interviewer, and making sure to keep a calm demeanor. Additionally, avoid fidgeting, as it can make you appear nervous or uncertain.

Subtle gestures, like nodding occasionally to show engagement, can help convey active listening. Also, remember to match your facial expressions to the conversation; smiling appropriately can make you seem approachable and enthusiastic.

By being mindful of these nonverbal cues, you can reinforce the message that you are a confident and capable candidate.

A big issue many people face when they are in an interview is that they do not know what to do with their hands. Individuals should avoid fidgeting and touching their hair and face because the interviewer can read these communication signals negatively. These nervous movements and fidgets may be a sign of anything from uncertainty in your qualifications to lying about something.

It is also important to give the interviewer an open body position without crossing your arms, which shows that you are comfortable and open to discussion. By crossing your arms, you are sending the message that you are closed off, which makes an interviewer think you may have something to hide or feel negatively about the interview.

You can keep your arms at your side or on your lap. Using your hands when you explain something is fine as well, and it is seen as a very open gesture to show your palms to the other individual while explaining.

While thinking about the right thing to say both verbally and nonverbally, you need to think about the message you are getting from the interviewer. For instance, if you see them lean back or look uncomfortable, you may be in their personal space.

Pay attention to their facial expressions and body language—are they nodding along in agreement, or do they look distracted? If they seem disengaged, it may be a sign to adjust your tone, pick up the pace, or bring more enthusiasm into your responses. Likewise, mirroring their energy and maintaining good eye contact can help build rapport and create a positive, comfortable, and memorable interaction.

Small adjustments in your delivery can make a huge difference in how your message is received.

Improving your nonverbal communication can boost your confidence, help you build rapport with interviewers, and ensure that your message aligns with your words. Small adjustments—like maintaining eye contact, using open body language, and controlling nervous gestures—can make a significant impact on how you're perceived.

Remember, practice makes perfect, so consider mock interviews or recording yourself to refine your nonverbal cues. Mastering these skills can give you a competitive edge and help you leave a lasting positive impression.

Need more help with your career?

When you think about personal branding, a few questions might come to mind: What is a personal brand? Why do I need to develop my personal brand? How do I create a personal brand? Of course, you don't really “create" a personal brand. You already have one.

Your personal brand is the unique combination of skills, experiences, and values that define how others perceive you. Simply put, it's what people say about you when you're not in the room.

There's something you need to understand about personal branding before reading any further: As a professional, you're not an "employee." You are a service provider, a business-of-one. And every good business has a brand.

Your personal brand is reflected in the way you communicate, the expertise you share, and even your online presence. Whether you actively shape it or not, your personal brand influences your career opportunities, professional relationships, and overall reputation. The key is to take control of your brand and ensure it aligns with your goals and aspirations.

Don't think you have a personal brand? Google your name followed by your hometown.

If you have a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile, your name probably comes up on the first page. Perhaps you have more social media profiles. Maybe you've recently been mentioned in a local news article.

All of these things are part of your personal brand. You could think of your personal brand as your online reputation—your digital first impression. Scary? Get over it. It's already out there and you can't do anything about it. What you can do is manage your personal brand so what people see about you is what you want them to see.

Personal branding was popularized by an article by Tom Peters first published in Fast Company Magazine ("A Brand Called You") over 25 years ago.

He starts out the article by writing, "Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You."

When I read that 25 years ago, I implicitly knew he was right but I didn't understand how a person could go about creating their own personal brand.

The only brands I knew of were huge corporations with hefty advertising and marketing budgets. What could a lone individual do to create their own personal brand?

Then along came the internet, and social networking, and web 2.0, and Google, and then blogs, Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and many other applications entered the scene and made it virtually impossible for anyone to keep from creating a personal brand, whether they wanted to or not.

With that in mind, here are a few things you can do to manage your personal brand.

1. Make Your Personal Brand Clear

Be clear about the image you intend to project. If you have more than one message, you run the risk of confusing people about what you are all about.

2. Make Your Personal Brand Consistent

Make certain your brand message is consistent across all platforms. For instance, your resume and LinkedIn profile must be in sync.

3. Back Up Statements in Your Personal Brand

Back up any broad statements with objective proof via quantifiable information. Show numbers of what you have done to back up your claims.

4. Keep Your Personal Brand Short, Sweet, and to the Point

Your personal brand isn't your life story. Keep it brief. Can you state your value proposition (your UVA) in 10 words or less? If not, you run the risk of being forgettable—the death knell of any brand.

Having a great personal brand will help you stand out from others and make you more marketable as a job candidate. Knowing who you are, what your goals are, and what message you want to send to employers is crucial for keeping up in the competitive job search.

Do you need help crafting your personal brand?

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