Over many years working with job-seeking clients, I've learned just how scared they are about putting together a résumé. They fear that one wrong action verb could dash their chances at their dream job.
It typically isn't the case -- hey, if you qualify for a job and can clearly express it, you're likely to win an interview -- but I love helping them finesse their job application documents. After reviewing scores of outdated résumés, I'd say there are eight things you should never include in your résumé.
Read moreAs Plato said, at the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet. And I have one piece of poetry-writing advice that will save you a headache.
Read moreMany writers get far into a project only to toss it. Are you one of them? There's no shame in knowing a piece isn't meant to be; I wish I had a better sense of it for my own work, an inner direction for moving on or digging in.
How do you know when to give up on a piece of writing?
Read moreWhen creativity happens, you're in the flow, and it's a golden moment. You rush to record that freight train's message then sit back in applause for your genius.
That's cute. That's sweet. I could punch something.
Read moreI wrote this headline and immediately gave myself pause, because I think my answer is no, I'm not. There's a big difference between connections (social media followers) and strong connections (selfless relationships). As entrepreneurs, we place a huge emphasis on gaining a following in the hopes of earning clients, but first, we have to earn our community's selfless trust.
Read moreThe first hurdle to jump in content marketing is knowing your audience, even before you have a product to sell, and it doesn't have to be a mystery: Outright asking them what you want to know is the simple solution, and you can do so with a signup form.
Here's how to make sure your signup form isn't turning people off.
Read moreThere’s no wrong way to set up your writing environment for success.
Here are six parameters I’ve found that work for me, and I’d love to hear what’s worked for you, too.
Read moreIf limiting your soul-baring tweets to 140 characters is a challenge, think smaller when it comes to your emails. Much smaller: Smart phones only display five or six words of your email's subject line, so the gist of your message should be conveyed in about 20-30 characters when in portrait orientation.
Read moreIt’s a good thing to have so many ideas, and we definitely don't want to change your creativity, yet perfecting your work's niche is vital to its success. In marketing, we talk about focused calls to action: What do you want your reader to do with what you've told them? You can pick one thing. Okay, sometimes the situation calls for two CTAs, but let's put constraints on ourselves to see what happens: Pick one thing. Here's how.
Read moreAs creatives, the people we surround ourselves with know they’re fodder for our work. We'll conceal their identities, sure, but nonetheless we mine our relationships for content. Yet in addition to our actual work, there's another part of our vocation we often overlook: surrounding ourselves with a community of compatible artists to mine for invoicing advice, web developer recommendations, writer's block solutions and more.
Read more