When you want to take your studies to the next level, there’s no better place to head to than grad school. The best and brightest from around the world will be put through their paces and come out with a qualification that sets them up for a great career. So, how do you join them? As well as knowing your subject, you need a great resumé. It’s the foot in the door that every bright student needs. Take a look at the following hints and tips on how to write a graduate school resume. See how you can write a resume that will get you into any graduate school in the country. #1 Write it specifically for the program you’re applying toThere’s nothing worse for an admissions officer than reading a stack of generic copy-and-paste applications. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. They have two dozen applications and only a couple mention the program by name. Who do you think is going to stand out more? Mentioning some of the key details of the program is a great way to show that you’ve done your research. You don’t want to regurgitate the syllabus as that won’t impress anybody. But try and drop in 2-3 specifics to show you’re interested in this particular course. Otherwise, it’ll look like you’re applying on a whim or at the last minute because you don’t feel ready for the world of work. #2 Add a work experience section so that it shows you’re preparedWork experience is more important than you might think. Colleges don’t decide on who to accept based on grades and academic references alone. They’re looking for people who can enrich the campus environment and add to the collective spirit in various ways. If that sounds like you, then shout about it loud and proud. You want to show that you’ve been able to function in the real world and that there’s more to your skills than simply sitting and passing exams. Of course, you need the work experience to be relevant, too. It’ll show some long-term planning on your part. If you’re applying to a Physics program, then you might want to think about any summer internships you can do in the lab. Then, detail what you enjoyed about it and what you did. It’ll strengthen your chances of being accepted. #3 Highlight your academic skills and achievementsAcademic grades are really important, so make sure they’re present for all to see. Of course, you wouldn’t forget to include them, but how much noise were you planning to make about your most relevant classes? If you’ve studied Mathematics at the undergraduate level and came out with a top grade, that’s great. But are you just another fairly smart undergraduate applying for a Math Ph.D. for the sake of it? Here’re three things the admissions officer will be wondering about you:
If you’ve done a module that introduced you to the topic you’re applying to study at the next level, be explicit about it. Don’t assume that the person reading knows what makes you tick. The chances are you’ve never met and yours is one of the dozens of submissions they’re reading that very afternoon. #4 Show your enthusiasm and always avoid boastingNo one likes a boaster, but everyone loves some passion and enthusiasm. You want the writing to really do a great job of getting across your passion for the subject. It’s about using it as a platform to show that you’ll be in it for the long term. Shying away and being overly modest might just make you come across as rather indifferent to the whole process. If it’s then a choice between you and someone else, you can bet the person who seems to have a real passion for the program will come out on top. Take a look at these 3 reasons why program managers love enthusiasm:
#5 Concise and precise language is all you needIt’s tempting to leave it at that given the subheading, but let’s delve into the detail a little more. If you want to be able to show that you’re the right person for the program, then you need the writing to reflect the way you talk. Long, wordy sentences can be fun to write, but they can be confused with a rather scattered thought process. Concise and precise language, on the other hand, is always a strong indicator that you know your own mind:
#6 Focus on the programEveryone loves it when a prospective student has a grand plan, but don’t focus on it too much. Otherwise, you might give the impression that you think the program is a formality. If you want to become a career academic, then avoid saying it explicitly. Instead, talk about how you’ve always had a passion for the subject and why you’re driven to study it further. It is all about balance. On one hand, you have your enthusiasm and drive to succeed and on the other, you have the need to portray yourself with humility. If you strike the balance too far in the direction of the latter, then the reader may think you’re underestimating the challenge you’re signing yourself up to. See Also: 100+ Ways to Write a Great Resume Cover Letter Final ThoughtsThe most important things are to do your research, write about what you know, and be enthusiastic. Don’t go overboard with it as you don’t want to give the impression you’re overconfident. Take the time to tailor your resumé to the specific program as well. This will demonstrate that your decision to apply is based on long-term planning and that you’re going to be highly motivated to make progress as the difficulty level of your studies increases. The post How to Write a Winning Graduate School Resumé appeared first on Dumb Little Man. from https://www.dumblittleman.com/how-to-write-a-graduate-school-resume/
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Imagine how different your life could be with a little more confidence. Would you finally approach that girl you’ve been eyeing? Would you go after that promotion you deserve? Could you get more out of life than you are right now? When it comes to confidence, most of us could use a boost. Think about how many opportunities you’ve missed out on as a result of not having enough. Your life could be in a much better place if you had more of it to back you up when you need it. The good news is, no matter where you are on the confidence scale today, you can learn to be a more confident person. Think of it like a muscle that grows as you exercise and put in the work to shape it—there’s time and effort involved, but it is doable. So if you feel that you could benefit from a confidence boost, give the following tips a try. Appearance is everythingThis isn’t about vanity. This is about feeling. The saying “when you look good, you feel good” holds true when it comes to confidence. So put some effort into your daily self-care routine. Practice good hygiene habits, groom yourself and dress in clean clothes that make you feel great so when you step outside your door, you’re presenting the best version of yourself. You’ll feel better and, as a result, see a difference in the way you stand. Posture makes perfectSpeaking of standing, if you find yourself slouching throughout most of the day, it’s time to perk up because it’s not doing you any favors. Think about it: if you see someone walking with his head down and back hunched over versus someone standing up tall with proper posture, who looks like they have more confidence? Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy—especially when you spend most of your day slumped over a desk. However, it’s important to make it a habit of catching your bad posture throughout the day in order to correct it. So roll your shoulders back and sit (or stand) up tall! Exercise regularlyIt’s simple: get your body moving. Yes, getting yourself to work out can be a struggle at times. But have you ever noticed that once you complete a workout, you feel great? Not only is there a sense of accomplishment and pride in getting the job done, but your overall mood improves in the long run. The process of setting a small goal and accomplishing it (along with the physical benefits of working out) can drastically improve your level of confidence over time. Whether the goal is to lose a few pounds or to simply manage your health, you won’t just feel stronger on the outside but on the inside as well. Start small and work your way upWhen you’re lacking confidence, the thought of accomplishing a large goal can be daunting. Instead of trying to tackle large goals right off the bat, start with small goals to help build up your confidence. The goal could be as simple as making your bed every morning, but the key is to have a series of small goals that you can accomplish throughout the day in order to get the momentum going. And when it comes to larger goals, break them down into smaller, more manageable steps so the process of completing them becomes less overwhelming. It’s a mental game that creates a snowball effect once you get the ball rolling. The importance of rest and relaxationAs you’ve probably noticed from the previous points, self-care is extremely important when it comes to building confidence. That’s because when you take care of yourself, you’re mentally and physically in a better position to handle whatever life throws at you. So make sure you’re getting an adequate amount of sleep and incorporating a self-care activity into your daily routine. Whether that’s journaling, yoga, massage or whatever else piques your interest, even if you only have 5 minutes to do it, adding a self-care habit into your life can make all the difference. Focus on your breathIf you’re approaching a task or activity that you’re not totally confident about, your nerves may get the better of you. Your heart starts racing, your breathing gets shallow, your palms start to sweat and, before you know it, the anxiety has taken over and it becomes difficult to think straight. Before you get to that point, catch yourself falling into these patterns early on. If you can feel a lack of confidence building up into anxiety, focus on your breath. Take a few moments to breathe in deeply through your nose and out through your mouth until you can feel your body relax into a calmer state. Surround yourself with supportive peopleWe all need encouragement from time to time, which is why having a strong support system is so important. When you’re surrounded by positive people who stand behind you through thick and thin, it’s hard not to have confidence. Take stock of the company you keep and make sure you have people in your life who have your back. Get to know yourselfWho are you and what do you want out of life? When you don’t have a strong sense of who you are as a person, it can take a huge toll on your confidence. So if you don’t have a clear answer to the question above, it’s time to figure it out. There’s no fast and easy fix to figuring out who you are, but some steps you can take include daily journaling and meditation practice in order to facilitate the process of discovery. Experiment, look inward and dig deep to find that out. Say “no” oftenSaying “no” is all about setting boundaries. Yes, it’s scary when you first start doing it—especially if you’re a people pleaser. But this goes back to knowing who you are and rejecting the things that don’t fit into your values, goals, and ambitions. The more you do it, the easier it is, and you’ll be much better off for it. Reflect regularlyIf you don’t have much confidence, you may look back on your life and feel like you haven’t accomplished much. That’s why it’s important to reflect on the goals you’ve achieved from both the distant and recent past. Daily reflection serves as a reminder that you do have something to be proud of, whether the achievement is big or small. See Also: 16 Great Reasons to Meditate That’ll Convince You to Start Now Challenge yourselfThe comfort zone is just that—comfortable. There’s no growth and, as a result, your confidence may start to dwindle because you’re not in the practice of challenging yourself. You end up falling into a routine where stepping outside of what you know becomes scary. When you tackle a new skill, you’re pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. This, in turn, helps build up your confidence because you start to realize that you can overcome challenges and accomplish things if you set your mind to it. It doesn’t matter if you end up being bad at the new skill because you learn a lot through both success and failure. What matters the most is pushing through limiting beliefs and realizing that you can face challenges head-on. Fail frequentlyHow can you have confidence if you never put yourself out there? For many, the mere thought of failure can be crippling. So instead of attempting something new, they avoid the potential for failure altogether and suffer because of it. The refusal to put yourself out there and try new things does nothing more than brew insecurity and fear. There’s a lot to learn from failure—many would even say you learn more from failure than you do from success. The reason being is that failure challenges the confidence you have in your abilities. Failure is a part of life and is essential in the development of your confidence. More often than not, the thought of failing is worse than the failure itself. See Also: How To Find Inspiration After A Big Failure Be prepared when you canSay you have a class presentation and you’re not confident in your public speaking abilities. Would you feel better if you had prepared a speech and practiced it before the delivery or if you just winged it in front of everybody? Chances are, you’d feel a lot better about speaking in front of your class with some practice and preparation. You may not be the best public speaker, but knowing your stuff can be the difference between building your confidence and crushing it. Sure, you can’t prepare for every situation life throws at you but, when you can, prepare in advance. Be mindful of negativityNegativity in any form can have serious effects on your life. Whether you’re dealing with a negative situation or a negative person, the presence of negativity can have major implications like bringing down your mood and killing your energy. If you’re in a negative situation, find positive people to surround you with or, better yet, find a way out of it. If you’re dealing with a negative person, limit your time with him or her as much as possible. It’s hard to be confident in yourself if you have a person or situation bringing you down so don’t take the matter lightly. Identify projectionIf you have a fear of putting yourself out there because you’re scared of judgment, then this is the section for you. It’s impossible to read another person’s mind, yet many of us still attempt to do it in the form of projection. We make assumptions about other people’s thoughts, opinions and feelings toward us and, more often than not, they’re not true. We’re our own worst critics. So the next time you’re worried about the judgment of others, take note and realize that you’re projecting your own insecurities onto other people. Take a break from social mediaThe FOMO is real. When you see friends and acquaintances painting these idealistic depictions of their lives on social media, it can feel like their lives have something yours is missing—and that doesn’t feel good. It’s easy to compare yourself to others when you look at their lives through a lens like social media. And, more often than not, you feel “less than” as a result. So when you start to feel like social media is affecting the confidence you have in yourself, take a break for an hour, a day, a week or even a month. You’ll most likely feel better because of it. Thoughts, attitudes, habits, and people can all affect your level of confidence, which is why it’s important to be mindful of the way these factors influence your life. If you’re not as confident as you’d like to be, only you have the ability to improve it. There’s no magic pill or quick fix. It takes time, effort and energy, but it can be done, and you’ll be better off for it. The post 16 Simple Ways To Build Confidence From The Inside Out appeared first on Dumb Little Man. from https://www.dumblittleman.com/how-to-be-more-confident-about-yourself/ “In case no one told you today: You’re beautiful. You’re loved. You’re needed. You’re alive for a reason. You’re stronger than you think. You’re going to get through this. I’m glad you’re alive. Don’t give up.” ~Unknown I was fourteen years old and it was a holiday of firsts: my first holiday away from my family with my school and my first holiday abroad, where I had my first real crush. For the two weeks I was away, I was caught up in a flirtation with a boy from one of the other schools. I had to pinch myself when he said yes after I’d struck up the courage to ask if he would meet me at the disco on the last night. The disco was everything I wanted it to be; we laughed, we danced, and I had my first kiss. If there is such thing as cloud nine, that’s where I woke the next morning. Still in a romantic haze (well, as romantic as a fourteen-year-old can get), I went to wave off the boy I’d begun to think of as my “Prince Charming” for what would be our last goodbye. But the fairy tale romance didn’t work out the way it had played out in my fourteen-year-old imagination. As I walked up expecting an embrace, he didn’t even want to make eye contact, then he turned his back on me. I’ll never forget the feeling of rejection. It was like my whole being was blocked off and cast aside. Still hoping for that dream goodbye, I waited until he got on the bus, thinking maybe I had been mistaken. That’s when it happened: surrounded by his friends, looking through the window, he was pointing at me, pretending to stick his fingers down his throat, implying being sick, and making gestures about my weight. “Prince Charming” had actually led me on as a bet, as a joke to his friends. I was the joke. I don’t know how, but somewhere inside I had the strength to keep my tears in, probably because I didn’t want to deal with the humiliation of what had just happened in front of everyone (including my friends). Twenty-one years on, and for as long as I can remember, when I recall the experience I feel the exact pain—the feeling of rejection and not feeling good enough—as I did at that very moment. That, right there, was the beginning of my low self-esteem, which later manifested into an eating disorder, anxiety, and being in toxic and abusive relationships. I accepted physical, emotional, and sexual abuse because I didn’t want to feel the feeling of rejection again. It was only recently, when I retold the story to my therapist, that I realized what a life-defining moment it had actually been, and recognized the narrative I had given myself. As I began recalling the experience, I started “When I was fat, ugly, and spotty I had this experience… No wonder he didn’t like me.” There it was: that one life-defining moment had played out a narrative that all my being wasn’t good enough. As a result, I sought acceptance and approval from others, and accepted their opinions of me as my truth. As I’ve started to process not only what happened but also the huge impact it’s had on my life, these are the things I have learned and what has helped me to begin to heal: 1. We are good enough, and what really matters is how we feel about ourselves.At first I found it difficult, but I had to start believing that I was lovable, good enough, and that the only opinion of me that really mattered was my own. As I began practicing telling myself “I love you,” my whole body would tense, and I’d feel wrong for saying it. As I kept practicing, I slowly began to realize that I could love myself. I even had a small ceremony sealing my commitment to myself! Having struggled with self-love for nearly thirty years, I found it easy to slip into seeking approval from others at times. On the days I felt weak I looked at my commitment ring as a reminder of my love and acceptance for myself. On these days I gave myself the permission to feel whatever emotion I needed to feel. I’ve learned that we are each are the one person we are guaranteed to wake up with for the rest of our lives, so we need to make ourselves our main priority. Instead of putting others on a pedestal and seeking their approval, we need to instead change our hierarchy of love so that we’re sitting at the top. We deserve love, but that love needs to begin within us. 2. What would your present self like to say to the hurt person from long ago?As I sat with the pain of my fourteen-year-old self, I had an overwhelming urge to hold myself tight, providing a force field of safety where no one could hurt me. As the tears began to flow, I told myself how beautiful I was compared to the boy who had ridiculed me; any person who feels the need to humiliate a person for a joke is not deserving of my love or respect. As I stayed with the moment I felt every emotion I could feel—sadness, fear, anger, and then, just as the feelings flooded through me, the weight of the emotions I had held for so many years began to dissolve. Talking to our vulnerable self may seem a bit weird at first, I get it, but it’s worked for me. By going back in our minds and being there for our vulnerable younger self, it’s like having a superhero swoop in to protect us, only even more empowering because we are the superhero, minus the spandex and cape. No matter what has happened in our pasts, we have the opportunity to give ourselves the wisdom and words of hope we wish we had heard at the time. If it’s difficult to do this, think about what you would say to a best friend if they had a similar experience. We’re often much more compassionate toward our friends, so try to see yourself in that same loving light. 3. Where has the need for validation from others come from?Having committed to love and accept myself, I knew I owed it to myself to go deeper to work out why I had relied so much on others for approval. My reflections led me to think of my upbringing, growing up with parents affected by alcoholism. Following violent outbursts I felt I was to blame for what had happened; I felt that I deserved the abuse. In fear of further violent outbursts I began people-pleasing and seeking approval from others in order to feel safe. At my core I felt unlovable. I then realized that when the fourteen-year-old boy had ridiculed me it had only reinforced how I had felt inside, and made me further believe that I was unlovable. I was then able to look at how I had acted and behaved from then onward, reinforcing those core beliefs. I realized I had accepted poor behavior and abuse from others because I felt I “deserved it.” I also engaged in self-sabotaging behaviors in the form of an eating disorder and drinking to excess. Delving deep inside may not be an easy task, and it may be something that we put off, or don’t do at all. We may be connecting to a part of ourselves that we may have kept hidden for years, even decades, for fear of being rejected. But, when we have the ability to do this important work, we are finally giving that vulnerable part of ourselves a voice and an opportunity to say what it needs to heal and finally get its needs met. 4. Nourish, nourish, nourish.For close to three decades I had hidden that vulnerable part of myself and turned to my eating disorder for comfort, believing that others would reject me for being fat and ugly if I let it go. I now know I need to connect to the part of myself that has been abandoned for so long. I need to nourish it, and give it the love it has deserved all this time. While hard at first, when I’ve eaten, I’ve reminded myself how the food will nourish me. When I’ve exercised, I’ve remembered how the exercise is nourishing my body. When I’ve sat in meditation, I’ve reflected on how good it has felt to nourish my soul. These small acts of kindness have already had a positive impact. I haven’t found the need to emotionally eat or purge. I have more motivation, as I’m doing things from a compassionate place of self-love. I am also finally able to look in the mirror and utter the words “I am enough” and “I love myself” (and mean it). -- No matter what has happened to us in the past, we have the opportunity to rewrite our narrative for our future. We have the opportunity to love and accept ourselves as a whole, including the vulnerable parts that we may have hidden as a way of self-preservation. With each day we begin to meet our own physical, emotional, and spiritual needs the layers of self-loathing will be replaced with self-love and acceptance. Be kind to yourself. xx About Hayley BrooksHayley is a social worker who has dedicated her career to empowering and advocating on behalf of others. She is also a survivor of domestic violence and, as part of her recovery, takes what she is learning on her journey to self-love and shares it with others in her writing. Get in the conversation! Click here to leave a comment on the site. The post Facing Childhood Pain: How I Began Healing My Vulnerable Self appeared first on Tiny Buddha. from https://tinybuddha.com/blog/facing-childhood-pain-how-i-began-healing-my-vulnerable-self/ We all have a place in the world that we want to visit more than anywhere else. Usually, it’s a far-flung place, steeped in history and a culture that is the complete opposite to our own. The one problem though is funding it. Holidays of a lifetime don’t come cheap and if you want to enjoy the most memorable of experiences, you’re not going to be able to scrimp. There are many ways in which you can fund the ultimate getaway- from innovative ways to make money to playing the lottery and crossing your fingers. Here’s our guide on how to save money for dream vacation. Find The Best Value Credit CardCredit cards are the most common way of funding a huge trip. Booking flights and accommodation by credit card is not only sensible in terms of finance but will also cover you more should anything happen to your booking. Many of us just use the credit card we’ve got and don’t make the most of 0% interest offers or cards that offer travel rewards. There are tons of great cards out there that’ll help to cut the cost of your travels. And paying on a 0% card makes good sense if you plan on paying the card off within the period the card is offering it. You’ll find some great no interest credit cards on the market, perfect for high-value payments. It’s well worth exploring if you’re planning on paying with a credit card. After all, nobody wants to be paying huge amounts of interest. Secure a LoanAnother option is to secure a loan. If you can similarly get one with low-interest rates, it really can be a worthwhile move. At various stages in our life, there are things we need to do. If it’s before you settle down with children, for example, a loan can give you that opportunity. It gives you the chance to pay your holiday back at a reasonable rate. It’s an option many take but it can be difficult to acquire if you have bad credit. You also must be sure you can afford the monthly payments. Otherwise, you could end up in trouble. Review Your FinancesIt’s likely we’re all paying more than we should be in one way or another, whether that be on our utility bills or the gym membership we haven’t used in over six months. There are dozens of ways in which you can cut your daily running costs, and you really can save hundreds of dollars in the process. One of the best ways to do this is by looking at utility bills and deciding whether you could save by switching provider. In some cases, you could cut costs by £300 which is a significant chunk in flight or accommodation costs. Other methods include changing the way you travel to work, cutting branded products in your weekly shop, and selling anything you have wasted capital in. Create a PlanFirst and foremost, you should create a plan and map out your finances. You’ll find this more helpful than anything else as it’ll allow you to break down your income and expenses and realistically budget and forecast how long it will take you to save. This will then give you a clear idea of when you can take your holiday. It will give you clear dates of when you’re going and even the right time to book the trip. It’ll help bring you a firmer purpose for saving and all in all, make it much more effective. Within the plan, if you can set up a direct debit plan for saving, this will also hold you in great stead and help avoid spending what you should be saving. The post How To Fund Your Holiday of A Lifetime appeared first on Dumb Little Man. from https://www.dumblittleman.com/how-to-save-money-for-dream-vacation/ “The most confused we ever get is when we try to convince our heads of something that we know in our hearts is a lie.” ~Karen Moning It’s painful and stressful to feel like you’re living a lie. Like you’re hiding how you really feel, saying what you think other people want to hear, and doing things you don’t actually want to do—just because you think you’re supposed to. But sometimes we don’t recognize we’re doing this. We just know we feel off, or something feels wrong, and we’re not sure how to change it. It makes sense that a lot of us struggle with being true to ourselves. From when we’re young, we’re taught to be good, fall in line, and avoid making any waves—to lower our voices, do as we’re told, and quit our crying (or they’ll give us something to cry about). And most of us don’t get the opportunity to foster or follow our curiosity. Instead, we learn all the same things as our peers, at the exact same time; and we live a life consumed by the mastery of these things, our bodies restless from long hours of seated study and our minds overwhelmed with memorized facts that leave very little room for free thinking. To make things even worse, we learn to compare our accomplishments and progress—often, at things we don’t even really care about—to those of everyone around us. So we learn it’s more important to appear successful in relation to others than to feel excited or fulfilled within ourselves. This was my experience both growing up and in my twenties. A people-pleaser who was always looking to prove that I mattered, I was like a chameleon, and I constantly felt paralyzed about which choices to make because all I knew was that they needed to be impressive. I never knew what I really thought or felt because I was too busy suffocating my mind with fears and numbing my emotions to develop even a modicum of self-awareness. This meant I had no idea what I needed. I only knew I didn’t feel seen or heard. I felt like no one really knew me. But how could they when I didn’t even know myself? I know I’ve made a lot of progress with this over the years, and I have a mile-long list of unconventional choices to back that up, and a number of authentic, fulfilling relationships. But I’ve recently recognized some areas where I’ve shape-shifted in an attempt to please others, and in some cases, without even realizing it. I don’t want to be the kind of person who panders to popular opinion or lets other people dictate my choices. I don’t want to waste even one minute trying to be good enough for others instead of doing what feels good to me. I want to make my own rules, live on my own terms, and be bold, wild, and free. This means peeling away the layers of fear and conditioning and being true to what I believe is right. But it’s hard to do this, because sometimes those layers are pretty heavy, or so transparent we don’t even realize they’re there. With this in mind, I decided to create this reminder of what it looks and feels like to be true to myself so I can refer back to it if ever I think I’ve lost my way. If you also value authenticity and freedom over conformity and approval, perhaps this will be useful to you too. You know you’re being true to yourself if…. 1. You’re honest with yourself about what you think, feel, want, and need.You understand that you have to be honest with yourself before you can be honest with anyone else. This means you make space in your life to connect with yourself, perhaps through meditation, journaling, or time in nature. This also means you face the harsh realities you may be tempted to avoid. You’re self-aware when faced with hard choices—like whether or not to leave a relationship that doesn’t feel right—so you can get to the root of your fear. You might not always do this right away, or easily, but you’re willing to ask yourself the tough questions most of us spend our lives avoiding: Why am I doing this? What am I getting from this? And what would serve me better? 2. You freely share your thoughts and feelings.Even if you’re afraid of judgment or tempted to lie just to keep the peace, you push yourself to speak up when you have something that needs to be said. And you refuse to stuff your feelings down just to make other people feel comfortable. You’re willing to risk feeling vulnerable and embarrassed because you know that your feelings are valid, and that sharing them is the key to healing what’s hurting or fixing what isn’t working. 3. You honor your needs and say no to requests that conflict with them.You know what you need to feel physically, mentally, and emotionally balanced, and you prioritize those things, even if this means saying no to other people. Sure, you might sometimes make sacrifices, but you understand it’s not selfish to honor your needs and make them a priority. You also know your needs don’t have to look like anyone else’s. It’s irrelevant to you if someone else can function on four hours of sleep, work around the clock, or pack their schedule with social engagements. You do what’s right for you and take care good care of yourself because you recognize you’re the only one who can 4. Some people like you, some people don’t, and you’re okay with that.Though you may wish, at times, you could please everyone—because it feels a lot safer to receive validation than disapproval—you understand that being disliked by some is a natural byproduct of being genuine. This doesn’t mean you justify being rude and disrespectful because hey, you’re just being yourself! It just means you know you’re not for everyone; you’d rather be disliked for who you are than liked for who you’re not; and you understand the only way to find “your tribe” is to weed out the ones who belong in someone else’s. 5. You surround yourself with people who respect and support you just as you are.You understand that the people around you affect you, so you surround yourself with people who respect and support you, which motivates you to continue being true to yourself. You may have people in your life who don’t do these things, but if you do, you understand their issues with you are just that--their issues. And you set boundaries with them so that they don’t get in your head and convince you there’s something wrong with you or your choices. 6. You focus more on your own values than what society deems acceptable.You’ve read the script for a socially acceptable life—climb the corporate ladder, have a lavish wedding, buy a house, and make some babies—but you’ve seriously questioned whether this is right for you. Maybe it is, but if you go this route, it’s because this plan aligns with your own values, not because it’s what you’re supposed to do. You know your values are your compass in life, and that they change over time. So you check in with yourself regularly to be sure you’re living a life that doesn’t just look good on paper but also feels good in your heart. 7. You listen to your intuition and trust that you know what’s best for yourself.You not only do you hear the voice inside that says, “Nope, not right for you,” you trust it. Because you’ve spent a lot of time learning to distinguish between the voice of truth and fear, you recognize the difference between holding yourself back and waiting for what feels right. You might not always make this distinction immediately, and you might sometimes be swayed by well-meaning people who want to protect you from the risks of thinking outside the box. But eventually, you tune out the noise and hone in on the only voice that truly knows what’s best for you. 8. You do what feels right for you, even if that means risking approval from the people around you.Not only do you trust that you know what’s best for you, you do it. Even if it’s not a popular choice. Even if people question your judgment, vision, or sanity. You recognize that no one else is living your life, and no one else has to live with the consequences of your choices, so you make them for you and let the chips fall where they may when it comes to public perception. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have everything you want in life. It just means you hear the beat of your own drum, even if it’s silent like a dog whistle to everyone else, and you march to it—maybe slowly or awkwardly, but with your freak flag raised high. 9. You allow yourself to change your mind if you recognize you made a choice that wasn’t right for you.You may feel embarrassed to admit you’re changing directions, but you do it anyway because you’d rather risk being judged than accept a reality that just plain feels wrong for you. Whether it’s a move that you realize you made for the wrong reasons, a job that isn’t what you expected, or a commitment you know you can’t honor in good conscience, you find the courage to say, “This isn’t right, so I’m going to make another change.” 10. You allow yourself to evolve and let go of what you’ve outgrown.This is probably the hardest one of all because it’s not just about being true to yourself; it’s also about letting go. It’s about recognizing when something has run its course and being brave enough to end the chapter, even if you don’t know yet what’s coming next. Even if the void feels dark and scary. But you, you recognize that the void can also feel light and thrilling. That empty space isn’t always a bad thing because it’s the breeding ground for new possibilities—for fulfillment, excitement, passion, and joy. And you’re more interested in seeing who else you can be and what else you can do than languishing forever in a comfortable life that now feels like someone else’s. -- As with all things in life, we each exist on a spectrum. Every last one of us lives in the grey area, so odds are you do some of these things, some of the time, and probably never perfectly. And you may go through periods when you do few or none of these things, without even realizing you’ve slipped. That’s how it’s been for me. I’ve gone through phases when I’ve felt completely in alignment and other times when I’ve gotten lost. I’ve had times when I’ve felt so overwhelmed by conflicting wants, needs, and beliefs—my own and other people’s—that I’ve shut down and lost touch with myself. It happens to all of us. And that’s okay. The important thing is that we keep coming home to ourselves and we eventually ask ourselves the hard questions that decide the kind of lives we lead: What am I hiding? What am I lying about, and why? And what truth would set me free? About Lori DescheneLori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She’s also the author of Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal and other books and co-founder of Recreate Your Life Story, an online course that helps you let go of the past and live a life you love. An avid film lover, she recently finished writing her first feature screenplay and is fundraising to get it made now. To get daily wisdom in your inbox, join the Tiny Buddha list here. Get in the conversation! Click here to leave a comment on the site. The post 10 Signs You’re Being True to Yourself appeared first on Tiny Buddha. from https://tinybuddha.com/blog/10-signs-youre-being-true-to-yourself/ Now, we can officially say that spring has sprung. The pressure is on to get dusting, hoovering, and feng-shui-ing your home. A big spring clean can be a surprisingly rewarding experience. However, finding the time, energy, and enthusiasm to start can be tough. Here, we’ve come up with a simple list of ways to get excited for your big spring clean. Check out the following amazing spring cleaning hacks you can try this season: Take inspiration from the silver screenIf you’re slumped on the sofa surrounded by mess, even reaching for the dustpan can be hard to fathom. Watch cleaning scenes from some of your favorite movies and television shows to motivate yourself to get up and start dusting. Take inspiration from Mrs. Doubtfire and Freddie Mercury and dance around with your hoover. Make sure you have a place for everything like Monica Geller in Friends. If you’re still struggling to pry yourself away from the remote, focus on this film-inspired spring cleaning brainteaser by Attic Self Storage to get you going. This puzzle features 9 characters famous for dipping into a spot of cleaning and asks you to name the films which they are from. Make a deal with yourself to start your chores once you’re finished. If you can’t think of them all, try to think of the answers as you clean your home. Your mind may be distracted but you will still be completing the job at hand. Put together a cleaning-based playlistJust like Mrs. Doubtfire doing it with her famous dancing moves, upbeat and fast-paced songs can help you turn your spring cleaning into a full-on dance routine. With music blasting at full volume, suddenly, the idea of peering beneath your sofa cushions doesn’t feel quite so horrifying. Create a playlist to get you pumped for a deep clean. You’ll be surprised at how quickly a song can boost your spirits. It can turn a tiresome household chore into something joyful. Take a good hard look at all your clutterMany people believe the key to a proper spring clean is not just to rearrange and categorize, but to get completely ruthless and have a big clear out. Simply moving things into neater locations isn’t sufficient, you need to get rid of the stuff you’re not using or enjoying. Force yourself to look through your cupboards, wardrobes, and bursting-at-the-seams boxes hidden under the bed. Hopefully, the sheer embarrassment you feel at the sight of all that junk can kick you into action. Kit yourself out with the best products and toolsRemember, when you were a kid and the only way to ease the pain at the end of the summer holidays was a brand new pencil case? Well, you can apply similar logic to your spring clean. With a brand new pair of marigolds, a bottle of the least offensive-smelling floor cleaner, and a shiny new bucket, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can get into the cleaning spirit. They say you have to fake it ‘til you make it. Donning the appropriate gear is the first step to becoming a ninja spring cleaner. See Also: Easy Cleaning Hacks For The 5 Dirtiest Kids’ Items In Your House Embrace Mari Kondo maniaWe’ve all heard of the tiny, smiley cleaning powerhouse that is Mari Kondo, but have you actually ever read her book or watched her surprisingly binge-worthy Netflix series? If you haven’t, it could be just the inspiration you need to leap off the couch and get scrubbing. Her method involves keeping items that bring you joy and politely thanking the ones that don’t before ruthlessly binning them. Her series makes for compelling viewing and should get you in the mood to surround yourself only with what you truly love. Try the two-minute rule and share the load with a pal!An all-consuming spring clean extravaganza can feel like a daunting task, but get your enthusiasm up by dividing the challenge into manageable chunks. The ‘two-minute rule’ suggests quickly beginning by doing any tasks you can finish in two minutes or less. Next, do two minutes’ worth of a bigger task. Once you get started, you’ll realize that it’s not as scary as you thought. You’ll get much more done than you set out to. A simple list of all your tasks helps you see what you’ve got to get through. It’s really quite satisfying to check off when you’re done. If you’ve got a willing friend or family who’s around to help, get your playlist on, have a cleaning party, and celebrate with a takeaway in your spotless abode when finished. Happy hoovering! The post How to Get Motivated for This Year’s Spring Cleaning appeared first on Dumb Little Man. from https://www.dumblittleman.com/spring-cleaning-hacks/ “An open heart is an open mind.” – Dalai Lama Do you want peace everywhere around? Deep in our hearts, we all want world peace. Everyone wishes to live in a harmonic sunlit world where we could always have what we desire without having to compete and fight each other. Yet, most of us were taught that a peaceful world is nothing but a dream. Coincidentally, the more suspicious we become, the more betrayal we experience. Poor us. But is it the only possible way? Not necessarily. The Old-Fashioned Origin Of Our Win-Lose ApproachHappily, cooperation has a huge force at its side. And sadly, competition has one, too. These two contradicting forces are present inside any of us as two parts of our brains. We all have a stem primitive brain and a bigger, new analytical brain. Even the most brainless people have these two powers, though they don’t necessarily use them very often. Our old brain, the reptilian one, is interested only in survival, food, and reproduction. We all know the type. We do have to thank this brain for keeping our breathing, heart rate, and keeping us alive in general. When we’re scared, tired, hungry or stressed, this is the brain which automatically takes control, quickly and forcefully. It’s excellent when we have to run away from a tiger, but not that excellent when we have to respond to our irritated spouse. Regrettably, tigers are not very common nowadays while domestic quarrels are. So more often than not, the old brain’s decisions are not that beneficial for us. The new brain is the one responsible for conscientiousness and contemplating. As we can see by the length of the words it manages, this is the wiser brain. Indeed, research proves that it makes better decisions, if only we make the effort of letting it work. Unfortunately, it’s very easy to stress or scare us into automatically moving the control to our survival reptilian brain. Since birth, our benevolent caretakers traditionally teach us, by exclusive stressful competition games, that our success must come at the expense of others. Thus, our loving educators can conveniently use competition to manipulate us to do whatever they want. Then, programmed to compete, we become excellent pawns in the hands of whoever knows how to push our buttons. Schools, workplaces, advertisers, and politicians use competition and rivalry to maneuver us. Some politicians, not naming any names, build their entire political capital by spreading hatred and fear. If, by the way, it causes violence and wars, it’s surely not their fault. They did nothing but provoke the stressed reptilian brains of their audience. Still, these brains are ours. With some awareness, we can choose to examine situations with open minds. We can lull our reptilians and let our new brains make the decisions. It will help us significantly because, as researches reveal, trusting cooperative people are more successful. The distrustful truths we grew upon are, regrettably, nothing but a bunch of lies. Success, in fact, comes with trust and cooperation. Remarkable, isn’t it? But there is more to that. Researches prove likewise that countries with a high level of trust are not only more flourishing. They are also happier. And you can become that blissful and successful, too. By using your brains properly. The Novel Origin Of Our Win-Win ApproachOur new brain evolved after the age of reptiles when the new warm-blooded creatures could no longer lay eggs and leave them conveniently to their fate in cold blood. The new warm creatures had to take care of their cool offspring relentlessly. As any hot-tempered parent knows, raising descendants is insanely unbearable. Our ancestors had to evolve an enormous power to connect the parents to their cubs nevertheless. And they did. They created one of the mightiest forces in the universe. It’s called love. Some of them, us included, took another step forward and developed entire groups to support one another. Our evolving brain learned what the reptiles don’t know: that being alone is bad, and being together is good. Or, in the somewhat wiser words of the Dalai Lama, “Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek.” Our new brains know it deeply, physically. Actually, they have an area of neurons, called the mirror neurons, which identifies with other creatures’ feelings. That’s why movies and stories about others touch our hearts (or, as a matter of fact, our brains). That’s why extreme suffering of someone else nearby causes us trauma like it’s our own suffering. Also, it’s the reason why, to your inner self, benefiting someone else is benefiting you while hurting someone else is hurting you. As mediator Zohar Roimi says, a win-lose solution can’t deeply satisfy us in the long run. Somewhere in our hearts (and brains), we keep carrying the pain of others with us. There’s another, more prosaic, reason for the failure of win-lose solutions. We frequently stay in touch with the other sides and their resentment can eventually harm us in reality, too. Sometimes, we don’t even know where this result is coming from. My best friend, for example, was once accused by a boss who wanted to fire her without paying the due severance package. I felt helpless but several years later, this boss wanted to join a group I participated and I refused. He never knew why he was rejected, but I felt that some justice was done. We’re all connected to one another. It’s clear and irritating when it comes to couples and divorcees, to families, communities, and ecosystems. It’s less clear, but still irritating when it comes to companies, countries, and the entire world. This is the big truth. As the Dalai Lama says, “The creatures that inhabit this earth – be they human beings or animals – are here to contribute, each in its own particular way, to the beauty and prosperity of the world.” We all live on the same planet and we all affect one another. We all depend on one another. The law of karma is fundamentally a law of nature. Killing a butterfly on one end of the world, may it rest in peace, can cause a hurricane at the other side. Using gasoline in the Western world causes melting of icebergs in Antarctica and a war over water in Syria. We have nowhere to run away from it. We’re all connected. United we stand, divided we fall. And your brain knows that. You can count on it. Why Win-Win Is The Approach You Actually WantThe hardest time to remember our connections is when we fight each other. Not only when our country fights foreign ones or when our sports team fights the bad ones. Even when we fight our most-beloved, we feel as lonely and disconnected as an astronaut left alone in space. More lonely, in fact, because the astronaut surely has a family to mourn him, but we have no one who really loves us — or so we feel. Yet, fighting is also the most critical time to remember our connection. When we fight with our partner, remembering that we’re on the same boat can help us realize that there’s no real power struggle going on. That if one of us gets what he wants and the other doesn’t, we, as a couple, will both be miserable. Remembering that our strength as a couple is in making the two of us pleased can help us communicate and ensure that the needs of both of us are answered. It can make us happier in the short run and more loving in the long run. It works in the same way with our blabbermouthed parents or our closemouthed children. No one can win fights here alone. We want the happiness of our relatives and we have to work together on a solution that satisfies us all. It’s clearly the same with our over-righteous neighbors, our erroneous co-workers, and the judgmental people in our community. Our justified fights with them follow us everywhere. We better do without these resentments, even if these people unquestionably don’t deserve our cooperation. When it comes to the rest of the world, the connections seem blurred. But they aren’t. We carry them forever in our brains. And we carry them forever in our environments. The boat we’re on is indeed big, but still, together we’ll drown or together we’ll live. We’ll all lose or we’ll all win. How To Use Win-Win Approach To Win What You WantKnowing the connected nature of ourselves and of the world can help us get what we want and (accidentally) what we need. It can change our attitude from competition to collaboration. Sure, there will always be a minority of hurt people who’ll violently try to distract us. We should stop them but we mustn’t put our focus on them. Our focus should always be on our shared goals and our cooperative vision. Thus, our win-win approach can help us get peace and prosperity in life, our home, society, and the world. A win-win approach can turn our struggles into support. It can turn us from lonely ones into loved people. It can help us protect what’s most important for us all – our world’s resources, ecology, safety, and peace. And it includes our future, too. We all wish to live in a peaceful world where we can have what we desire without having to compete and fight each other. And we can. It’s up to us. By adopting a win-win approach. One fight at a time. Starting now. The post Why You’ll Never Win What You Want Without A Win-Win Approach appeared first on Dumb Little Man. from https://www.dumblittleman.com/win-win-approach/ “The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.” ~Lou Holtz I spent a devastatingly large part of my life trapped, blaming others for my troubles. I felt like I was bumbling around aimlessly and my life was out of my control. I was working a soul-sucking job, with a huge amount of student debt. I was surrounded by fake, unsupportive friends, in a toxic relationship, and had extremely low self-esteem. All of this was everyone else’s fault. I didn’t take responsibility for anything in my life that was causing me pain. I became a victim, and my sorrowful existence felt like too much to handle. So I entered a nightmarish tailspin and turned to food, drugs, and alcohol to escape the suffering. I rationalized that nothing about my circumstance was my responsibility and spent years playing the blame game. I was the victim. But because I blamed everyone else, I never took any steps to improve my circumstances. This mindset got me nowhere. I was stuck. I’ve since realized the only person who can change my life is me. Through mindfulness practice, meditation, and coaching I began to understand that I’d gotten myself into my situation and I was the only one who could get myself out. Everything in my life, regardless if I am to blame or not, is my responsibility. We all have the power to change our situation. The first step is take responsibility for our lives and make conscious decisions to steer ourselves in a new direction. Today I present to you three reflections I’ve had when it comes to taking responsibility for my life. I hope these reflections can help you take responsibility for creating the life you want to live, and take action to get there. 1. No one else is responsible for our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions.Accept that you are responsible for your own thoughts, feelings, words, and actions, and no one else can make you think, feel, say, or do anything. No matter what they say or do, you are still responsible for how you respond to them. Thoughts happen in your mind, which triggers feelings in your body, which leads to words coming out of your mouth and actions coming from your body. What part of this process involves anyone else? None. When I was in an abusive relationship, I constantly felt like I was the victim—and I was, in the relationship, but I didn’t have to remain a victim in my life. I would mope around the house feeling depressed, and I refused to take responsibility for my choice to stay in the relationship. This mindset rendered me powerless to change things for the better. Eventually, I came to realize that although I may not be responsible for my boyfriend’s actions, I was responsible for how I responded to them—and I then decided to take action and leave this relationship. I shifted from out-of-control victim to empowered, resilient, and in control of my life. I’m in the driver’s seat now! 2. Blame only keeps us stuck.Blame is a glorious defense mechanism. It can seem much easier to blame someone else than accept responsibility for something that has gone wrong. The problem is, blaming keeps you in victim mode. When you blame others, you give up your power to change. When you stop playing the blame game and accept responsibility for your role, you shift from fearful victim to supreme victor. When stuck in blame mode, I ask myself, what role did I play in the situation? Like the time I acquired thousands of dollars in student debt. I spent years blaming my parents for “forcing” me to go to University when I wasn’t sure of my career aspirations. The truth is, though they influenced me, it was my choice to go to school and spend that money, and it is my responsibility to pay the money back. I spent many years angry with my parents, blaming them for my financial troubles. Eventually I understood my role in the situation and I was able to let go of the anger and focus my energy on repaying my debts. I became empowered to focus on what was in my control and that enabled me to proactively address the problem. 3. No one else can make us happy.I’ve come to see that happiness is something that comes from within, and it’s not dependent on circumstances, people, or possessions. Our situations can change, our relationships may end, and we’ll likely lose things we own. If we pin our happiness to any of these things, we’ll always be at their mercy. No one feels happy all the time, and that’s totally normal. However, we can be happy with our lives on the whole if we make a conscience decision to work on happiness every day. The biggest gateway to happiness, for me, at least, is gratitude. When I view the world through the lens of gratitude I notice things in my life to be happy about. When I’m low I often ask myself, what is there to be grateful about right now in this moment? When I was feeling completely shattered and broken after a recent breakup I had lost all hope in the world and myself. At this time the only thing I could find to be grateful for was breathing. That’s totally fine. At least it’s something! I also make time to do things that make me feel good, like listening to music, dancing around the house, and expressing my creativity. Another thing that helps is my morning self-care routine, which gets me energized and in the right headspace. This involves one hour of time dedicated to activities that nourish the mind, soul, and body—things like exercising, listening to informative podcasts, and meditating. And I look for opportunities for random acts of kindness throughout the day because giving to others is a joyful experience. Lastly, I try to search for a benefit from my suffering. There is always something to be learned from a situation; it’s just a matter of looking for the lesson. Take my abusive relationship as an example. I was completely broken with zero self-esteem, and I was a mess. Constantly crying. I sobbed so hard I threw my back out for weeks! It was intense. But that situation is what drove me to discover mindfulness and meditation, and it’s allowed me to understand myself in ways I never thought possible. Ironically, it forced me to build myself back up to become a confident, resilient person. Had this relationship never happened, I wouldn’t have written this article and I wouldn’t be here connecting with you today! -- I’ve found taking responsibility to be a transformative experience because it enabled me to change what wasn’t working in my life. If you’re stuck in blame, waiting for someone or something else to make you happy, I am confident it will be helpful for you as well. About Timothy JamesTimothy is a health coach focused on using simple mindfulness strategies to build habits and achieve weight loss goals. He’s created a free course to create your own self-care routine and get your mind and body in shape with simple strategies you can use today. Click here to get instant access and discover how to stop anxiety, kill stress, and eliminate exhaustion with your free self-care planner! Get in the conversation! Click here to leave a comment on the site. The post How to Take Responsibility for Your Life and Change What Isn’t Working appeared first on Tiny Buddha. from https://tinybuddha.com/blog/how-to-take-responsibility-for-your-life-and-change-what-isnt-working/ CBD, shorthand for cannabidiol, is one of the fastest growing yet most misunderstood cannabis products. Largely unregulated by the FDA and derived from a substance which has been federally illegal for decades, this compound has medicinal effects often denied by big Pharma. It’s no wonder there are massive amounts of misinformation and blatant lies surrounding CBD. Plus, there’s a near complete lack of scientific research into it. Today, 69% of all “CBD” products aren’t labeled correctly. Amidst the sea of mislabeled products, hidden THC content, and flat out fakes, how does one find high-quality CBD? Look For Availability, Gauge Your Own NeedsWhen considering CBD, the first step is to know thyself, so to speak. What exactly will you take it for? What methods of dosage are you comfortable with or will be effective? And how important is the source of extraction? Should it come from hemp or marijuana? The decision to use marijuana-derived may come down to a state law level and availability. Cannabidiol is a natural extract from naturally occurring cannabis plants. This includes both hemp and marijuana. Though the CBD extracted from each source is comparable, there are some important differences in legal and usage levels. Hemp is classified as cannabis strains with less than 0.3% THC content. This constitutes legal levels of THC within federally legal CBD products. On Different CBD ProductsHemp-derived CBD is legal in all 50 states to sell, buy, possess, and consume with no prescription required. However, states and localities may have differing laws on the books. Marijuana-derived CBD is extracted from cannabis strains with higher than the federally legal amount of THC. It is only legal in selected states and may or may not require an accompanying prescription. CBD isolate is CBD crystals that are 99% pure and THC-free, but may not offer the same relief and effects as full spectrum. Full spectrum CBD includes additional cannabinoids, may contain traces of THC and has been shown to be more effective than CBD isolate at treating inflammation and pain in mice. CBD products come in many different forms. The first fork in the road is fast-acting or long-lasting. For headaches or insomnia, rapid relief from fast-acting effects is a good choice. While for chronic pain, inflammation or arthritis, long-term effects may provide the best course of action. Oil concentrates applied orally via a tincture or liquid vaping from pen or e-cigarette are among the most popular and effective means for rapid relief needs. Gel caps, infused edibles, and even skin patches that slowly release CBD through the skin are favored by those seeking steady, long-term effects. Targeted treatments for specific pain respond to CBD lotions and salves. They also work best for skin conditions and localized pain. Meanwhile, vaping is the most popular method of dosing CBD but among the less discreet options. Oils and sublingual tinctures are more portable and often just as effective. Treatment needs aside, it’s often a personal preference that helps guide product selection. Lack of Oversight Means Nearly Anything GoesWithout the FDA labeling safeguards, content regulations, and legal uncertainty, it’s up to the manufacturers to keep their own products in check. Nonetheless, it’s still the consumer’s responsibility to make informed choices. But how? If this were any other variety of vitamins, supplements, prescription medication or even over-the-counter drug, it would be simple to visit the corner store and pick up something that was as labeled. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case with CBD. Without the watchful eye of the FDA, industry standards are not subject to the strict rules of government agency beyond legal levels of THC. It’s this confusion that is passed on directly to the consumer and it’s the consumer’s job to find a manufacturer and retailer they can trust. Again, nearly 70% of CBD products are mislabeled and this could mean anything from misprints to unlabeled contaminants. Fortunately, many reputable manufacturers of oral CBD products choose to follow the FDA guidelines for supplements and vitamins, much to the benefit of consumers. However, there are still some best practices to keep in mind when browsing products:
See Also: How CBD Has Improved the Medical Industry Just last year, the 2018 Farm Bill legalized the cultivation of hemp and its cannabinoids for CBD products and manufacturing. But it’s still up to the consumer to stay informed, know the difference, and find quality products on their own. Here’s where to begin. The post Is It Possible To Find High Quality CBD? appeared first on Dumb Little Man. from https://www.dumblittleman.com/high-quality-cbd/ It is no secret that average hiring authorities spend less than 10 seconds reviewing a resume. That means your main marketing document has very little time to prove to employers that you are the right fit for the job, especially if you are talking about 10-20 years of work experience. However, there are some things that will likely make employers pay a closer look. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make resume stand out: Step 1: Make sure it is passes initial ATS scanMore and more companies use applicant tracking software (ATS) which allows them to filter out candidates at the initial stage, making the life of hiring managers much easier. A study reveals that majority of job seekers are rejected by ATS. So, before employers can pay a closer look at your resume, they have to see it first. And they will be able to see it only after it passes the Applicant Tracking System. To make that happen, you have to do a couple of things:
Step 2: Make it easy for employers to skim through the documentThe truth of the matter is that no prospective employer will be carefully reading your resume. Spending about 5-10 seconds, they will only skim through the document to see if there things that they need. A well-structured document with a clear heading separation and some white space will significantly help recruiters and employers skim through your resume faster. When a resume looks cluttered and one can hardly navigate through its different sections, hiring authorities simply go to the next one. One of the most common resume writing mistakes is trying to squeeze everything onto a single page. As a result, employers need a magnifying glass to read that tiny font. But will they bother trying? Not a chance. Although identifying an ideal length for a resume is quite a challenge, job seekers should use common sense when choosing a font size. Leave some white space, keep bullets under two lines, go with one font size, use capital letters sparingly. These simple tips should help you create a document that will be easy to skim. Consequently, it means that employers will be able to quickly find the information they are most interested in and take a closer look. Step 3: Show that you can meet their needs and wantsNow, whenever you see a job opening, that means that the company has a position to fill in. Obvious, right? The need is specific though – the company is just looking for a good person. There is a set of specific duties that they need someone to be responsible for. That means that they will evaluate all candidates through the lens of those duties and job requirements. That is why relevance is incredibly important when it comes to resume writing. If you are serious about a particular job opportunity, you have to understand the company’s needs first (position requirements). After you realize what the company is looking for, you can develop an effective resume that will demonstrate your capability of meeting the company’s need. Showing employers that you can give them what they need or maybe even more is simple. All you have to do is draw a straight line between your work experience and skills and the job. Don’t be afraid to leave out those things that are irrelevant to the position. Make each statement earn its place on the document. This way, your resume will be concise and to the point. Ideally, you should also demonstrate your career progression. For example, you can mention how you took on increased responsibilities with each new role. Step 4: Prove you can achieve resultsWith the current job competition, one has to stand out. It’s one way to have the hiring authorities pay a closer look at your resume and eventually hire you. The problem is that every project manager, customer service associate or teacher will have a similar set of responsibilities just as others with identical or similar professional title. As a result, most resumes look very similar as job seekers often put their duties upfront. How do you think hiring managers like it? Any chance of paying a closer look to then lists of generic responsibilities? Not a chance. To get noticed by employers, you will need to show that you can actually achieve results as opposed to just performing routine responsibilities. Therefore, the focus should be on how you contributed to your previous employers as well as how you added value. It is best if you do it with facts and figures (i.e. “Increased sales by 41% within 4 months through implementing new customer retention program”). The more numbers and facts you use to demonstrate the impact, the better. The real benefit behind what you did is what employers are after. If you manage to highlight that in your resume, employers will likely be happy to spend some extra time on your main marketing document. Step 5: Proofread your resume so that it doesn’t contain any errorsNow, this is very basic. Everybody knows that having errors on a resume can become a turn-off for prospective employers. Nevertheless, there are thousands of applicants who never bother to proofread their main marketing documents. Despite the fact that employers realize that all people are subject to making mistakes, they want their future employee to be able to eliminate easy predictable errors like typos. If you really want your resume to last longer than 10 seconds, then you should make sure it doesn’t contain grammatical mistakes and typos. It is better that you give your final document to one of your friends or relatives after you proofread it. A fresh look may spot mistakes you could miss. See Also: 3 Atypical Life Hacks To Improve Your Resume Key TakeawayYour resume doesn’t have more than 10 seconds to impress a prospective employer. That means your initial job search goal is to develop a resume that will generate an instant interest of hiring managers. When interested, employers will spend more time analyzing a candidate to see if one will be a good match for the job. Here is how you can stand out and get some extra time for your resume:
Following these simple recommendations doesn’t guarantee you an interview the next day after you send you’re your application. What it does mean is that you will stand out against the crowd of other candidates. Plus, employers would want to read your resume more carefully, increasing your chances of getting hired. The post How to Make Employers Pay a Closer Look at Your Resume appeared first on Dumb Little Man. from https://www.dumblittleman.com/how-to-make-resume-stand-out/ |
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