The trend has carried over to resumes. For example, this resume includes quotes in the left column to provide evidence. If you would like to update your resume to align with this new practice, you don’t need to look far to find these recommendations. Review your graded assignments, performance appraisals, internship evaluations or customer satisfaction surveys for feedback. If a client thanks you for your assistance, inquire about their willingness to provide a quote for your credentials. Be sure to identify if and where these comments will be published.

Establish a LinkedIn profile and use its recommendation feature to invite others to share their feedback. Be selective of who you ask. Quality is often more important than quantity. Personalize the request. Specify the attributes you would like him or her to cover and provide more than enough time to write it. Be sure to thank these individuals, and return the favor when another colleague makes a similar request. Karma has a way of sneaking up on all of us in an era of social media.

Once you have secured these recommendations, add them to your resume. You have a variety of formats to choose from. If you have only one noteworthy quote, add it to your qualification summary. You can also have a standalone “professional endorsements” section. Quotes from professors could go in the education section, while statements from employers could go in your experience section. Recommendations can also serve as a powerful conclusion to a resume or cover letter.

Learn more about resume writing and job searching.

 I’m sitting in a quiet room at the Milcroft Inn, a peaceful little place hidden back among the pine trees about an hour out of Toronto.  It’s just a past noon, late July, and I’m listening to the desperate sounds of a life-or-death struggle going on a few feet away.

There’s a small fly burning out the last of its short life’s energies in a futile attempt to fly though the glass of the windowpane. The whining wings tell the poignant story of the fly’s strategy: try harder. But it’s not working.

The frenzied effort offers no hope for survival. Ironically, the struggle is a part of the trap. It is impossible for the fly to try hard enough to succeed at breaking through the glass. Nevertheless, this little insect has staked its life on reaching its goal through raw effort and determination.

This fly is doomed. It will die there on the windowsill. Across the room, ten steps away, the door is open. Ten seconds of flying time and this small creature could reach the outside world it seeks. With only a fraction of the effort now being wasted, it could be free of this elf-imposed trap. The breakthrough possibility is there. It would be so easy.

Why doesn’t the fly try another approach, something dramatically different? How did it get so locked in on the idea that this particular route and determined effort offer the most promise for success? What logic is the in continuing until death to seek a breakthrough with more of the same?

How does this relate to studying? When students fail an exam, they often presume that they should try harder. They then use the same study techniques, without considering that this may have indeed caused the problem in the first place. You should study hard, but you should also study well. It is easy to overlook this distinction. Many students dismiss the information I share with them or are reluctant to try new techniques. Like the fly, students could find success if they simply tried a different strategy.

Do some experimenting this week. Use study techniques that provide instant feedback on your comprehension and retention. Put information in your own words. Create and answer fake test questions. Use flashcards to quiz yourself. Researchers use the term self-regulation to describe your ability to not only set goals, but also your ability to refine your techniques to achieve them. If you learn that you do not fully understand the information, be persistent and try something different.

Learn more about effective study techniques.

Marshal is able to study on a Friday night because he has found that he is intrinsically motivated. His passion for environmental law creates a constant current of energy. So when it comes time to study or make what he calls “a responsible choice for his future,” he does not need to flip a switch to motivate himself.

What’s the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation? Intrinsic motivation is long lasting because it is rooted in joy. Tasks are performed for the simple satisfaction that they provide. Homework, classroom lectures and research projects become engaging. Learning is deeper, more meaningful and eternal.

On the other hand, extrinsic motivation views motivation as tied to rewards such as money or grades. Remove these rewards and the motivation does not last. For example, if you study in college and your only goal is to earn an A, you will only push yourself to that point. At its worst, this sort of learning is superficial. Once you have satisfied the professor’s criteria, what incentive would there be to continue in your studies?
So instead of focusing on fleeting grades and money, find your flow. Like Marshal, figure out what evokes your passions. What activities engage you and cause you to lose track of time? If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to engage in active career exploration.

Learn more about this process and the resources that exist to help you.

Subbing does indeed expand your network and is a viable option if you have no other alternatives. If you find yourself substitute teaching, strengthen your rapport with other teachers by attending conferences and joining professional associations. Although you will incur some expenses, the return of investment could be significant. When you apply for subbing in a large district, be strategic. Indicate your preference for specific grade levels or a subject. While this may initially reduce the volume of your calls, the schools will ask for you by name once you accept all their requests and build your reputation.  This will deepen your relationships with students and provide more opportunities for the principal to observe you. It also provides richer experience for your resume in the areas that interest you.

Finally, if you are feeling stuck in your job search you might also consider expanding the geographical parameters of your search to increase your number of job prospects. You should also contact your local career services office or education department for assistance. They can help you identify and address the unique challenges that you facing.

*This post was originally published by the American Association for Employment in Education.

1. Start the conversation early.

The longer you wait, the more shocked your parent(s) will be. They might also be hurt that you did not seek their input. If you think you can wait because you view them as aloof and disinterested, be careful. They could just be acting this way because they do not want to directly influence your decision. Make no assumptions, and take the initiative to begin the discussion.

2. Focus on your common ground and understand that they have good intentions.

Both you and your family want you to be successful and happy. If they ask tough questions, it is only because they want to confirm that you are making an informed decision. Reframe this as a valuable resource rather than lecturing.

3. Lead with the facts instead of emotional appeals.

Identify the reasons you disliked your initial major. Then share the research you have collected about yourself and your options. If you met with or shadowed a professional in the field, share the information you acquired. This dispels the misconception that you made the decision impulsively, while also helping them learn more about your new program of study.

4. Celebrate the experience.

Mention that nearly half of all college students change their major before they graduate. This will help them understand that this exploration is not only common, but it is also beneficial. Tragically some college students ignore their dissatisfaction, only to have it surface later when it is too late. You, however, have had the courage to proactively look for alternatives, which will improve your motivation, concentration and chances of securing satisfactory employment after graduation.

5. Be realistic.

No career or academic program is perfect. Identify any disadvantages that surfaced in your research to demonstrate that you have examined it from every angle.

6. If some concerns still remain, identify the course of action you will take to address them.

For example, if you learned that the job outlook is only growing at an average rate in your new occupation, outline the internships, employment or co-curricular activities that you will pursue to gain a competitive edge.

7. Provide some peace of mind.

For instance, share that you will be meeting with an advisor to develop a plan of study to ensure that you do not need to extend your graduation date. This again conveys your careful analysis of the decision and reassures your family members that you will not incur additional tuition expenses as the result of the change. Also emphasize the activities you will pursue to verify your decision, such as finding a part-time job related to your new major or enrolling in an introductory class. Continue to share your confirmation over time in case they fear that you will be dissatisfied or change your mind again.

8. Provide specific examples of how they can learn about your new major or career.

Share with your parent(s) the websites that you have visited, such as your university’s catalog, O*Net or the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

9. Ask for their support.

Emphasize that you value your family’s input and hope that they can come to share your enthusiasm about the new career you have chosen.

10. Assess the importance of your own voice and the voice of others.

More than likely, your culture and background will influence your perceptions. Some Americans value independence, while others value communal decision making. Only you can determine the role and importance others will play in the process.

If you have shared with your parents that you changed your major, how did the conversation go? What tips or suggestions would you add to this list?

*This post was originally published at USAToday College.

What is this simple technique? Whether you are writing your resume, writing a cover letter or answering interview questions, it all begins with the needs of your readers. The secret lies in decoding the job description and researching the organization.

Customize your application materials to captivate your audience and highlight your qualifications. The people who are the most qualified may not land an interview unless they appear qualified. For this reason, the content for the experience section should change depending on the organization and position that you are seeking. Do not write your resume or cover letter with a “one size fits all” philosophy. Review the position description (PD) to identify the preferred knowledge, skills and abilities.

If the PD is long, look for themes and repeated words. If this is difficult, focus on the essential functions or bullets that are listed first.  If the PD is short, guess the needs of the employer. Enter the job title in a commercial search engine (e.g., CareerBuilder or Monster) to identify the qualifications of similar positions. Locate the position in the Occupational Information Network (O*Net). Spend some time reading about the organization on its website, publications and social media profiles. Network with its employees and attend area job fairs. Learn more about researching organizations.

As you write your resume, list all the activities and accomplishments for any position that you have held. Save this as your “experience template.” You can then select from this list for each application and save it under a different title.

Once you have secured an interview, you can also use the PD to predict interview questions. You can easily anticipate behavioral based questions by identifying the skills the organization is seeking and converting these attributes into questions. For example, if problem solving is essential for the position, describe a time you faced a challenge and how you overcame it. If it is teamwork that they are after, identify a time you collaborated with your colleagues to achieve a common goal. Read more about behavioral based interviews.

Finally, return to the needs of the employer at the conclusion of the interview. One of my favorite questions to ask is “What are the top three qualifications you are seeking in candidates?” You can then confirm that you have addressed all of these attributes and provide any additional information that will verify that you possess these qualifications.

Good luck!

Now that you know your brain has a bottleneck and can only process so much information at once, develop your study strategies with this in mind. The following techniques will help you avoid overwhelming your brain.

Distribute your learning over time instead of cramming. Coaches require athletes to practice on an ongoing basis. If they waited to practice until a day or two before the game, they would probably lose. Your brain is like any other muscle. It needs to be engaged over a period of time. This can be as simple as arriving at class a few minutes early to review your class notes. Learn more about this mental workout.

Use mnemonic devices. Creating acronyms or acoustics are effective because they chunk information.

Be selective. Identify and focus on the main points to reduce the amount of information you are processing. If you need help, check out the introductions or conclusions in textbooks. They also use headings and subheadings throughout the book to organize information.

Minimize distractions. When I drive in stormy weather, I turn off the radio and focus intently on the road before me. The same applies to your studying. If you are attempting to understand complex material, turn off the radio, television, Facebook or anything else that may distract you.

Overlearn information. When it comes to learning, practice makes perfect. When you were children, you used a lot of cognitive energy to learn to ride a bike or to multiply numbers. Now, these tasks are automatic. You immediately know that if you multiple two by two, you arrive at four. You could also probably maintain your balance on a bike while you talked on the cell phone or even read a book. These tasks have become automatic, which reduces the cognitive limitations that generally exist and provide more energy for other tasks.

This is another reason why you should focus on comprehension and long term retention instead of grades when you study. Your objective is to permanently store and recall information. For example, if you are an accountant, you will often not have the luxury of retrieving tax law information when you are consulting a client. Your clients will expect you to immediately know this – for it to be automatic just like riding a bike. You could probably perform other tasks while you are on a bike, but this would have been challenging when you were first learning to ride it. Similarly, you may need to complete extra problems or review information even when the professor does not require it of you to foster competency. Retrieving information automatically will ultimately permit you to focus more on the client and avoid any “my brain is full” moments.

Image Source: The Far Side

The fact that you procrastinate does not mean that you are inherently lazy or inefficient. Your procrastination is a habit that has a specific origin, and it is a habit that you can overcome. This list below will help you begin to understand why you procrastinate and give you some strategies for turning things around. For most procrastinators, however, there are no quick fixes. You aren’t going to wake up tomorrow and never procrastinate again. But you might wake up tomorrow and do one or two simple things that will help you finish a task a little earlier or with less stress.

Myth #1: I can’t function in a messy environment. I can’t possibly begin this task until I have cleaned my apartment.
While cleaning and filing are indeed worthy and necessary activities, if you only do them when you have an approaching deadline, then you are procrastinating. Avoid this self-defeating behavior by creating a productive, organized environment long before an assignment is due. Try leaving your work out in full view to remind yourself that you are in the middle of a paper or project.

Myth #2: I know it’s time for me to start writing, but I just haven’t done enough research yet. I’ll spend one more night at the library, and then I’ll start writing my paper.
Truth be told, you will never collect all the information you possibly could for your paper. Better to write a tightly-crafted argument with the information you have now, than to keep doing research and risk drafting your paper at the last minute.

Myth #3: I do my best work under pressure.
There are lots of other ways to create pressure for yourself, besides waiting until the night before the paper is due. You can set a time limit for yourself—for example, “I will write this paragraph in ½ hour”—or you can pretend that the paper is a timed essay exam. If you do this a week or two before the paper is due, you’ll have a draft in plenty of time to revise and edit it.

Myth #4: In order to work on my paper or project, I must have six uninterrupted hours.
Your brain performs better in shorter study sessions. Break the task into smaller pieces, thereby making it seem more manageable. Create a weekly calendar of all your scheduled events (e.g., class, co-curricular activities, meals, etc). This will help you accurately predict your amount of free time.

Myth #5: But, I don’t know how…I would if I could.
Assess if this is truly the case. If it is, identify if all parts of the task are difficult or only specific pieces. Seek help. There are many resources on college campuses that can help you acquire or improve your skills. Make yourself accountable. Set a deadline for yourself by making appointment with a Writing Center consultant, the Math Center, the instructor or a tutor.

Myth #6: This stuff is just plain boring.
Evaluate your attitude. Some tasks are unpleasant and less than exciting for nearly everyone, but they still need to be done. Let go of the expectation that “everything in life must be interesting” or that “I have to like all my classes for them to be worthwhile.” If succeeding in the boring class seems to be a necessary step to achieving your larger goals, that fact alone may motivate you.

Myth #7: I don’t feel like doing it.
Reverse the order of things. Psychologists continually demonstrate that doing comes first, and the motivation comes after. Often just taking the first step, regardless of how small, can induce further action. Once you have started, it may become more interesting. If not, at least you will have more guilt-free time to do the activities that are more enjoyable

Myth #8: But what if I can’t cut it?
Identify your fear of failure. Psychologists call this self-handicapping. It goes something like this: If I really try hard and fail, that is worse than if I don’t try and end up failing. In the former case, I gave it my best and failed. In the latter, because I really did not try, I truly did not fail. Refute these thoughts. Stop catastrophizing and remind yourself that your self-worth is not rooted in your performance.

Myth #9: How can I top this?
You may be procrastinating because you fear success and the consequences of your achievements. Perhaps you fear that if you do well, even more will be expected of you next time. Procrastination may be how you cope with this pressure. If you find yourself having this thought, examine its truth and consequences. Visit with your campus counselor to liberate yourself of the tyranny of never being good enough.

Myth #10: You can’t make me.
Delaying tactics can be a form of rebellion against imposed schedules, standards, and expectations of parents, teachers, and friends. If you examine it closely, however, you will see that you are still letting these individuals control you by procrastinating. Rebellion and resistance are reactions not actions; thus the control of your behavior still rests with whatever or whomever you are rebelling or resisting. Freely examine your goals and priorities. Decide what you want for your own life rather than reacting to someone else.

Myth #11: I don’t know where to begin, so I can’t begin at all.
Identify the part of the project that you do understand and start there. Seek help from your instructor or a tutor.

Myth #12: I should be able to work full-time, be the president of a student organization, spend time with my friends and enroll in 17 credits.
Be realistic! You have limits. You can take on fewer responsibilities and still like yourself.

Myth #13: This is so big. There’s so much to do. It’s overwhelming!
You don’t have to do the whole project at once. There are separate small steps you can complete. Set small, specific goals with self-imposed deadlines. If you feel inspired or ambitious at the end of this time period, continue working. If not, reward yourself and identify another time frame for you to return to the project.

Myth #14: I can’t take any breaks until I’m completely finished. I can’t get started unless I have a big chunk of time to finish it all.
Telling yourself “I must finish” keeps you focused on the product somewhere in the future, without ever telling you where to start. Instead of focusing on the end result, identify one thing you can do to get started. Then reward yourself when you have accomplished this task.

Myth #15: Sorting through my research and creating an outline of my paper will only take 30 minutes. I can do this anytime.
Learn to estimate your time effectively. You could be sabotaging yourself by underestimating the time you need. Procrastinators tend to be self-critical. As you develop different work habits, be gentle with yourself. Punishing yourself every time you realize you have put something off will not help you change. Rewarding yourself when you make progress will. Remember that greater energy is required to start change than to sustain it. As you begin to overcome your procrastination, you will develop habits that make it easier to manage in the future.

When you think about Nike or Payless, chances are you have different perceptions related to price, quality or functionality. This occurs because each of these organizations has built a unique brand. You, too, have a brand whether you are aware of it or not, and you begin to communicate it immediately in your resume.

If you use the resume templates that are often available through Microsoft Word or Apple Pages, your resume and personal brand will not captivate your readers because it is not unique. Recruiters view hundreds of resumes every day, and all of these applicants have access to the same templates that you do. Microsoft has done a good job expanding the number of templates over the years, but you still assume the risk that your competition will select the same style as you.

In addition to their overabundance, employers can often identify resume templates because they are generic. Templates are by their very nature pre-formatted and difficult to modify. If resume templates communicate anything about your brand, it is that you did not spend a lot of time preparing your application, like to take fast shortcuts and are not proficient enough in technology to design a unique document yourself. All of these assumptions could jeopardize your candidacy, especially the perception that you phoned it in. As a result of their passion and ambition, your competition is agonizing over the quality of their resume. You should be, too.

To enhance your marketability, create your own document. Preview some of the templates to get some ideas and a sense of structure. After a while, you will pick-up on their use of tables, bolding, heading, lines, bullets, white space and font size. Then you can create a professional, original resume to reflect your accomplishments, creativity, initiative and mastery of technology.

When you have prepared your first draft, give it the 10-second test. Quickly scan it to confirm that your audience can immediately assess your qualifications and capture your most noteworthy accomplishments. Before you submit it, visit your campus career center and receive personal feedback on the techniques you used. This will maximize your ability to market yourself and build a unique personal brand that helps you stand out among your competition.

This post was originally published at USAToday College.

1. Grammatical errors & typos: Your resume is a writing sample. Carefully proof your resume to avoid the impression that you are lazy or inattentive to details.
2. Disorganized formatting: Employers initially skim resumes. They do not have the time to read them. Use font size, spacing, horizontal lines and bolding to increase employers’ ability to identify your qualifications. Bullet your descriptions to avoid lengthy paragraphs. Avoid Microsoft Office templates that prevent your resume from being unique. They are also difficult to modify and imply that you are unable to format the document yourself.
3. Using the same standard resume for every job: Focus on the needs of the employer instead. Decode the job description and look for keywords. Provide evidence that demonstrates that you possess all the qualifications they are seeking.
4. Minimizing your experience: Do not limit it to paid employment. Include volunteer work, study abroad, research, professional memberships, service-learning, student activities, publications and certifications.
5. Useless skill sets: Focus on transferable skills. Ask yourself if your past accomplishments are relevant to your future position. If not, remove them. It only forces your readers to search through fluff to find your relevant qualifications.
6. Missing information: Employers will quickly assess your work history and education. Include all the information they need. List your degree and job title first, followed by the institution or organization. Everything should be listed in reverse chronological order and begin with the most current information.
7. Vague activity descriptions instead of accomplishments: Present your personal attributes in a context. Don’t just say “I work hard.” Prove it. For example, you could state, “During my annual appraisal, my supervisor described me as . . .” Be specific, use numbers and emphasize results. For example, you could state that you “Contributed to a 15 percent increase in sales by launching a customer rewards program.”
8. Weak words: Replace vague words such as assisted, responsible for, and helped with words that produce powerful imagery. View a list of strong action verbs and synonyms. Remember to use past tense for previous positions and present tense for current ones.
9. Including irrelevant information: If it does not meet the need of an employer or is outdated, remove it. Items that frequently need to be removed include transfer institutions, references, high school achievements, personal hobbies, salary requirements and demographic information.
10. Unprofessional voicemail and contact information: Employers do not want to “enjoy the music while their party is reached” or contact someone at Iluvgreysanatomy@fakeemail.com. Create a strong first impression with a professional voicemail and e-mail.