Cover Letter Examples for 2019 [+Writing Tips]

Cover Letter Examples for 2019 +Writing TipsCover Letter Examples for 2019 Cover Letter Examples for 2019No matter what stage you are at in your career, a cover letter is an important document to demonstrate your experience and fit for the position you are applying. Its a way to explain specific scenarios and call out essential skills that arent already covered in your resume. When crafting the content for your cover letter, its critical that you keep it concise, even leveraging bullet points to point out key messages. The hiring manager does not have time to sit down and read a memoir, they may only have a few short minutes to review your application in its entirety.When you are a recent graduate applying for an internship or early in your career, your cover letter should contain appropriate scenarios that demonstrate your ability to perform the responsibilities listed in the job description. Refer to a time you took the lead on an important project or how you introduced a new syste m to improve productivity. Once you get more experience, your cover letter is a great place to call out key statistics and sales growth numbers, because youll have more measurable results to draw upon.Your cover letter is your opportunity to set yourself fremd from the competition. Use this coveted space to demonstrate your experience, knowledge, and performance. Leave the hiring manager with no doubt that you could perform the job duties at the highest level. To help you craft the best cover letter, were providing you with some examples to review. Let the content inspire your own cover letter. Think about the most important things you have done in your career thus far and use these experiences to your advantage in your cover letter.Its essential that you customize each cover letter to the job that you are applying. After all, each position values different experiences and responsibilities, and you will want to showcase different situations and career highlights based on the specifi c job you are seeking. This will only increase your chances of securing that coveted interview.Follow these basic guidelines and get inspired by the following Cover Letter Examples to grab the hiring managers attention and give yourself a better chance of landing an interview.

How to Deal With Catty Co-workers - The Muse

How to Deal With Catty Co-workers - The MuseHow to Deal With Catty Co-workers Second to having a terrible boss is having terrible co-workers. It makes going into your job day in and day out unappealing at best, anxiety-inducing at worst. But what about co-workers that you neither love nor hate but whom you find unpleasant for other reasons?Condescending co-workers are brutal, but catty ones arent much better. Their vicious or spiteful comments make you cringe and you wonder how no one else has noticed how obnoxious these people are. If youre lucky, you dont have to work with these people regularly. Your interactions may be few and far between, but, nonetheless, when someone rubs you the wrong way, it can be hard to get past it. That one time you hear one of your colleagues say something insulting about another co-workers outfit is the moment that you stop seeing that person as a whole, imperfect human being who misspoke. Now all you see is a unhappy, one-dimensional person whos obvio usly so insecure that shes taken to criticizing someone elses choice of clothing. If you know for a fact that the offending party is really, truly hateful, and a lost cause, theres not much you can do besides avoid the mean person. Of course, if the behavior is unarguably egregious, you may want to find a way to speak to someone higher up at the company whos better equipped to handle it. This doesnt make you a tattle-tale. If the situation is toxic and you think someone will listen, you should seek that person out.But, if your catty co-workers are simply that and are fruchtwein likely harmless apart from a few inappropriate comments or insults, theres a way you can deal with it without driving yourself mad thats always worked wonders for me. What I like to do is start with a look. I call it the raised eyebrow. Know what Im talking about? When someone says something unbecoming about someone else, either to me or within my earshot, I fix him with a look that says, You did not seriousl y just say that? without actually saying anything aloud. I do that and walk away, and Im telling you, I have a 99% success rate of making my point without ever opening my mouth. I started doing this because like a lot of you, I wasnt comfortable speaking up in the face of cattiness. Even now, Im still not great at it. I worry what the other person will think. Im concerned about seeming like a goody-two-shoes. And, sometimes, Im honestly happier avoiding conflict and workdistribution policy drama. And so, the easier, albeit less courageous move is silently expressing my discomfort.But, by all means, if youve had it up to here and are comfortable vocalizing your dismay, go for it. Lets say Donald and Leah are chatting over a cup of coffee in the kitchen when you walk in to get some water and happen to overhear Donald say, Yeah, Jason could do so much better. Hes so out of her league. Leah responds, Totally, shes not even that pretty.Jason is another co-worker, and youre pretty sure th eyre talking about his fianc, who you all just met at the company happy hour. Youre so appalled that you stop in your tracks, turn to the offending speakers, and say, Im sure you didnt mean for me to hear that, and, truthfully, I wish I hadnt either. Its not nice.You can say this without assuming a position of authority or place on a pedestal youre speaking up because youre a compassionate person and you know those kinds of remarks have no place in your office. If you receive an apology, accept it and move on. You dont need to deliver a diatribe (have you never, ever said something about someone else that you know you shouldnt have?). More often than not (hopefully), your co-workers are only guilty of occasional cattiness. Give them the chance to show you that its not their M.O. And as for you? The next time your own insecurity creeps in, threatening to have you opening your mouth and saying something regrettable, think again. Being known as the catty person in the office whos best avoided is not a reputation you want. Photo of catty co-workers courtesy of Martin Barraud/Getty Images.

US Military Enlistment Standards for Single Parents

US Military Enlistment Standards for Single ParentsUS Military Enlistment Standards for Single ParentsSingle parents are not allowed to enlist in the active duty military. Except for the Reserve components of the military and Army National Guard, waiver approvals are rare, and most recruiters wont even submit one. Prior to 2000s, some recruits would try to get around this restriction by giving up legal custody of their child(ren) until after basic training and job school, then regain custody. If they did not have a solid Family Care Plan when stationed at their first duty station, it would be evident to the chain of command as it causes major problems for everyone. The military has since banned this practice. As a result of wartime deployments in the early 1990s, the Department of Defense (DOD) published DOD Instruction 1342.19,Family Care Plans, to standardize the requirements for all of the military services. Enlistment for Single Parents Isnt Possible Without Custody Transfer Additionally, themilitary servicesstopped accepting single-parents for enlistment in the military because they saw the problems that long-term combat deployments caused. After the attacks on monat des herbstbeginns 11, 2001, with more than 15 years of sustained combat action, the chances for single parents joining is impossible without custody transfer. And, if already in active duty and you become a single parent, you have to have a Family Care Plan that guarantees someone local (nonmilitary) is basically on call (in writing) 24 hours a day 7 days a week to take care of your child in case you cannot.Failure to comply with these Family Care Plans can (and does) result in an immediate discharge. Joining the military with a child and no family care plan can lead to difficulty for the military member, child, and the chain of command. The long hours at work, periods of travel, and long deployments are not conducive to a single parent family. Someone has to be responsible for taking care of the children at all times. If it is not the parent, it has to be given to a trusted member of the family (typically) by court buchen. Single Parents in the Marine Corps and Navy In the Marine Corps, one must give up legal custody (by court order) of their child(ren), and then wait one year or more before being eligible for enlistment. For Navy enlistments, the waiting period is six months and the court order must make it very plain that the transfer of custody is permanent. Typically, custody given to grandparents of the dependent child is an acceptable option. Single Parents in the Army and Air Force In the Army and Air Force, single-parent military applicants for enlistment must indicate they have a child or children in the custody of the other parent or another adult. They are then advised and required to acknowledge by certification that their intent at the time of enlistment was not to enter the Air Force or Army with the express intention of regaining custody after enlistment. These applicants must execute a signed statement testifying they have been advised that, if they regain custody during their term of enlistment, they will be in violation of the stated intent of their enlistment contract. They may be subject to involuntary separation for fraudulent entry unless they can show cause, such as the death or incapacity of the other parent or custodian, or their marital status changes from single to married. The militarys refusal to accept single parents for enlistment is a valid one. The military is no place for a single parent. In the military, the mission always comes first. Absolutely no exceptions are made in assignments, deployments, duty hours, time off, or any other factor for single parents. In general, an applicant who has joint physical custody of a child by court order or agreement, and the applicant does not have a spouse, he/she is considered a single parent. If a local or state court allows modification, if the other parent assu mes full custody, the applicant is usually qualified for enlistment. In the Army National Guard, a single parent may enlistif they receive a waiver from the State Adjutant General of the state that individual is enlisting.

Leveraging Co-Creation for a High-Tech Career

Leveraging Co-Creation for a High-Tech CareerLeveraging Co-Creation for a High-Tech CareerIn recent posts I recalled the grim outlook for traditional high-tech innovation that welches presented at the World Innovation Forum and World Business Forum in 2009.One of the speakers at the innovation conference was Vijay Govindarajan (VG). I have written several posts about his theory of reverse innovation, which has a significant impact on the international high-tech job market.One of the other speakers at the World Innovation Forum in 2009 was C.K. Prahalad (read Vijay Govindarajans tribute written about Prahalad shortly after his death in 2010).In C.K. Prahalads book, The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, the author discussed the economic opportunities available in developing countries, especially for those countries that are experiencing poverty. He often referred to the poor as value-conscious consumers. Their strong desire to improve their lot can result in a tremendous drive when they are engaged in the innovation process. CK referred to the engagement of these consumers in the innovative process as the process of co-creation.Prahalad presented a framework for poverty eradication. Interestingly enough, this framework can also be applied as a strategy for in aller herren lnder profitability for any corporation willing to adopt a new approach to innovationWhat is needed is a better approach to help the poor, an approach that involves partnering with them to innovate and achieve sustainable win-win scenarios where the poor are actively engaged and, at the same time, the companies providing products and services to them are profitable. (pp. 27-28)This philosophy is especially true in the high-tech field. Consider the built-out, high-tech infrastructure currently found in the United States versus that found in developing countries. In the United States, millions of homes have hard-wired network connections and sophisticated power grids. A desperate need for inno vation in high-tech products is not found in the United States because the country already has an advanced infrastructure.Prahalad explained that technology is readily consumed in developing countries that currently have little to no high-tech infrastructure. In India, the use of cheap wireless devices spread when it was shown that Indian farmers could check prices at local auction houses (as well as the Chicago Stock Exchange), allowing them to make decisions about how much to sell and when. Inexpensive forms of solar technology are being used to heat water in remote areas of Asian countries where electricity is scarce or prohibitively expensive.In both India and China, high-tech products are being widely adopted when they meet customer needs at affordable prices.How does the need for co-creation with value-conscious consumers impact job seekers in the high-tech industry? Clearly, a framework for globally-distributed intrapreneurs must exist at any corporation that wishes to take a dvantage of global growth.Job seekers should ensure that this framework is in place. If it is in place, then an international career becomes much more feasible than a similar career opportunity at a startup.In my next post I will examine how C.K.s concept of co-creation impacts the formation of a distributed network of intrapreneurs.Steve http//stevetodd.typepad.com Twitter SteveTodd EMC Intrapreneur

How Per Diems for Music Tours Work

How Per Diems for Music Tours WorkHow Per Diems for Music Tours WorkA per diem, or P.D. for short, literally means per day. Its the daily expense money payments for a touring band. The idea itself is uncomplicated, but the details of these payments reveal significant differences in the amounts paid and what they cover and, sometimes in whether the band members ever get them. Per Diem Payments in the Music Business The music business employs large numbers of highly-qualified itinerant workers. If youre soon to be one of them, you probably have some questions. Musicians whove spent most of their lives on the road can tell you stories about incredibly caring management and band-leaders, and even more, about touring experiences, they wish theyd never had. A lot of thebadeanstalt stuff happens because musicians didnt ask essential questions before they went out on the gig. P.D.s are paid to each band member and almost always to members of the crew to cover basic personal expenses whil e on tour. So far, so good. But P.D.s can vary dramatically depending on how much money the tour has behind it, the attitude of the bands frontman, and, equally, the character of the bands management. If You Dont Know, Ask Often that first touring gig is a big step up. You may have been putting together arrangements for low budget local radio commercials one week and the next week Mr. Big, who happened to see you playing for little money in a local club, has decided youd be the perfect addition to his national tour. Theres a history of this in music, and often the narrative includes a cryptic comment from Mr. Big as hes leaving the club Here, call this number. The next thing you know Mr. Bigs management has asked you to drop by the office where itll become official Mr. Big wants you to join the band. It is seldom perceived by most musicians at this point in their careers as the best time to ask penetrating questions about money, among them What does it pay? It is perhaps the on e question you dont need to ask - the bands manager will normally tell you that. The rest of the questions on this list, however, may or may not be brought up and answered voluntarily by managers. If not, scary as it sounds, these are the questions you need to ask before you accept the gig, not after How often will we be paid?Whos paying my cartage?Whats the per diem amount?What does the per diem include and, just as importantIs my gasthaus room paid in addition to the per diem or is it a part of the per diem payment? No Blood From Turnips Sometimes that first touring gig wont be with Mr. Bigs band it may be with a band led by a musician, like yourself, who hopes to be Mr. Big someday - but presently is not. If thats the case, per diem payments may be small. Your hotel room costs might come out of the per diem payment. Back in the crazy 1970s, one musician I know found out after hed joined the band on the road that there were no per diem payments at all. As it turned out, that band welches losing money, and the bandleader was making up the difference out of his substantial music publishing income, so the absence of the per diem, if not entirely wonderful, was at least understandable. In such cases, you have to take a deep breath and assess the situation. If the band is playing small clubs, inadequate per diems are more likely than not. And really, what can anyone do about that? As the saying goes, you cant squeeze blood out of a turnip. But where the tour is with an established act or a rising star - be sure to ask the questions about per diem beforeyou accept that gig - no matter how much you want it. If nothing about per diem has been mentioned before youre on the road, its likely that when you finally get the news about it, it wont be good.

The Ugly Side of Work Skills for Resume

The Ugly Side of Work Skills for Resume Life, Death and Work Skills for Resume At the very least, you may look for connections at organizations youd love to work for. Social workers aid their clients function better in society. It is a profession that requires a variety of emotional and psychological skills in addition to formal academic training. It is not a field where you can succeed without a real sense of mission. A persons skill set is comprised of an assortment of personal skills that theyve acquired through education and employment. Social Worker Advice As a social worker, youre going to be working not merely to earn money, yet to improve the caliber of peoples lives. So, among the initial things that you should do is research the agency. To compose a strong social worker resume, you will need to offer evidence of your capacity to help others. How to Find Work Skills for Resume on the Web You want to find work. A good way to show employers it is possible to offer the things that they need is to highlight your skills throughout the work procedure. Whenever you place a job which you like, have a peek at the job opening upon LinkedIn to discover more regarding the gelegenheit and apply. You ought to make terrific ones should you would rather find the job that you want. Soft skills are the skills that are relevant to every job. They are extremely valuable to employers and are some of the most sought after qualities interviewers look for in potential hires. Military soft skills will work as an extra bonus to the particular experience you will be in a position to list on your resume. Perhaps its your networking abilities. The Advantages of Work Skills for Resume You really need to work for Kierra. Your email is likewise an important inclusion and also should be one which you check regularly. Ensure that your email address is ideal for a social resume position. Make sure it is appropriate for a social services position. What Does Work Skills for Resume Mean? Should you look close enough, you will locate target keywords that you ought to include in your professional experience. An expert profile summary is nearly always best. The best way is typically to choose the support of Resume builder for writing an application so that you may not loose the work prospect. Provided the easy actuality that the vorlage is something which gives ready-made outline to find a resume, somebody may think that the nature of it isnt actually flexible, but this isnt accurate. Its possible to work to any of all these types based on your want, but just be certain the format you select will require to market your skills in the ideal approach. The perfect format for your resume is shown in the example that you will just need to adjust for your own personal situation. Selecting the right resume format is critical if you want to get the desired job. Hence, its critical to choose a suitable format for an IT professional CV. Therefore, you can follow certain guidelines or ideas to provide the best resume, considering all relevant facets of the optician work. A project may be an experience building stepping rock in the contest you previously understand what kind of livelihood you want to make later on. For instance, the essence of the agency usually provides you a notion of the customers presenting issue, as would the identical information offer you a thought of the employers needs. Your job search might take a while and theres not a reason why it shouldnt It is quite a bit easier for a hiring manager to discover that value in a brief paragraph than attempting to piece it together from a lengthy history of expert experience and education. See our guide on how best to check your on-line presence before employers do. After identifying the character of the problems experienced by their customers, social workers utilize critical and creative thinking to create practical solutions. Up in Arms About Work Skills for Resume? Many times, a fresh eye will catch things you could have missed. Your resume should always contain indications that you will create the organization better youve got something large to contribute. Your resume ought to be set up in a simple, professional method.

Financial Managers Need to Be More than Just Finance Experts

Financial Managers Need to Be More than Just Finance Experts Specialization in any field has long been seen as a good thing because employees can develop their skills to a high degree and find innovative solutions to their employers needs. The problem with specialization when it comes to career advancement is that it can lock you in a position. Being a valuable member of a financial team is important, but you also need to be valuable as a manager. In order to move up from accounting clerk or financial analyst to CFO, you need to develop more than just your financial analysis skills. Of course financial analysis skills are important. Good financial analysts are in demand, and companies are asking for professionals who can work analytics, create models and uncover hidden costs or opportunities for profitability. If you have a high degree of analytics skills, you can develop new solutions for your co mpanys needs and make yourself valuable to your employer. Many financial analysts have become stars in their company for uncovering hidden profitability and developing innovative models. However, when it comes time to move up from financial analyst to financial manager, you could be passed over for a promotion because you havent proven that you have other skills.In order to be an effective financial manager, you need proven business skills like leadership and communication. You need to be able to effectively communicate about more than just financial matters with people in marketing, research, IT and other departments. Financial management isnt just about accounting or internal audits. As a financial manager, you will have to work with business professionals of many different disciplines to find solutions to their needs and provide them with the best tools to do their jobs well.Financial managers also need to be able to see past the models and metrics and understand what drives busi ness. Its not enough to create a model for the marketing department that helps them negotiate prices and payment terms with clients. You need to be able to understand how your company as a whole works in order to become a successful financial manager and possibly CFO.In order to develop your business skills, you should look for opportunities in professional development outside financial skills. Your company may offer leadership training or management seminars, or you can find outside training in these skills from business organizations or even colleges. When searching for financial professional development such as seminars or conferences, see if there are special programs for financial professionals that focus on business skills like leadership or management.

Here is the best way you can study self-discipline

Here is the best way you can study self-disciplineHere is the best way you can study self-disciplineThe best way is yur way.And you dont study self-discipline, you practice it.Its like swimming, you cannot learn it. You must get into the water and try to swim. Otherwise, you will never learn it.You must start some daily disciplines and keep doing them day after day after day. Thats how one becomes self-disciplined.However, you of course, should watch what others are doing and listen to their advice.Be a student, not a follower. Dont just go do what someone says. Take interest in what someone says, then debate it, ponder it and consider it from all angles. - Jim RohnJust dont follow them blindly. Draw your own conclusions.I will give you a handful of tips that worked for me. By any external metric, Im a self-disciplined man.For example, for the last 1532 days, every single day I did my short but insanely intensive (always to failure) morning workout. I never aimed to be self-discipli ned per se. It just happened.But I was much worse in the past, so I think I learned some self-discipline without my conscious effort on this specific trait.Change your personal philosophy about self-disciplineFor most people, self-discipline is a drudgery. Its something to abhor. Its hard.If you approach self-confidence with that attitude, its fricking hard to develop it.Self-discipline is not hard at all. The lack of self-discipline is hard. Take a look at the chart belowThe Slight Edge chart.95% of people choose the path of little to no self-discipline. They automatically choose the path to failure as well. I have some life experience. While failures are very enlightening, they are nothing pleasurable. Especially, the whole full-out life failure is not pleasurable at all.I experienced what self-discipline is, and the lack of it. I tell you, the self-disciplined life is so much better. For 33 years, I exercised self-discipline only on a whim or when my back was to the wall.Neglect vs. disciplineTake my finances, for example. For years, it was a source of misery for me, because I didnt exercise self-control and self-discipline in managing my money. I was able to save 23% of my salary a month, and then some major unexpected event occurred and I gelbkreuzgas it all. Buying an apartment, buying the first car, repairing the car after I hit a tree, purchasing the first house Each of those events put my balance back to zero or below.I was sick of it. Finally, I found two small disciplines that taught me to save paying myself first and tracking my every expense. This second discipline was particularly pesky. I had to buy a grocery item, take out the notepad and jot down what I bought and for how much. Every single time YikesMy savings ratio over the yearsHowever, 5 years down the road of practicing this discipline, I have the most money in the bank account Ive ever had. I can quit my job if I want and live comfortably for 10 months from my savings. I can buy a new ca r for cash. I can invest $1,700 into myself by joining the mastermind. Oh, wait a minute, Ive just done it the last monthInternalize delayed gratificationIf you lack self-discipline, you let neglect slip into each area of your life. Your health suffers, your relationships suffer, your finances are in shambles, and you blame God for all this (your spirituality suffers).Lack of self-discipline, in plain terms, is stupid. Self-discipline is smart. Do you want to be stupid?The stinky thinking about self-discipline comes from ignorance. When you are not disciplined, you know only the one part of the equation immediate gratification.Delayed gratification is so much better, but you dont have the relevant experience to realize that.If you say I realize, but, you dont really realize. You need internalized experience to understand what self-discipline can bring you.Nowadays, tracking my spending is not a nuisance its something Im looking forward to. I know the disciplines reward, and its so m uch better than neglect.ExtrapolateIf you dont know the reward yet, and you simply have no relevant experience to get to like self-discipline, leverage what you know. Extrapolate your current situation. This is what I had done with my finances. I had no idea what abundance meant, because I had never experienced it.But I knew exactly what financial struggles meant. So, I extrapolated my current situation 40 years into the future. I assumed that my current situation would last for the next few decades.Man, this was unbearable. The most optimistic scenario told that when I would be about to reach retirement age, I couldve paid off our small apartment and have an equivalent of $20,000 as the funds for the rest of my life.The realistic scenarios were much worse. I could envision our savings wiped out multiple times by some life drama and being an old bankrupt, one of those guys who need to take a McJob to survive at retirement.ImagineIf you have a rich imagination (I dont), you can imagi ne instead of extrapolate. Visualize and taste the fruits of self-discipline.What could you have achieved if you work hard every day? If you exercised every day? If you studied every day? How well your life would have looked? Would that be enough for you to put yourself together today to achieve a better future?Self-discipline is NOT an vorkaufsrechtIts not an option, of course, if you want anything worthwhile from life. I never aimed to be self-disciplined. I wanted several different outcomes in my life (more money, freedom, health, better relationships, etc.) and I knew I need relevant habits to achieve those things. My train of thought was you wont have a habit if you dont show up every day. You wont have results, if you dont have a habit.You do what you have to. If self-discipline is an option for you, it will remain an option forever. Fix your personal philosophy.Be ready to pay the priceYesterday, I ate too many cakes. They were delicious. Ill pay the price. Tomorrow, I will f ast the whole day.Self-discipline is always about the price.There are two types of pain you will go through in life, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. - Jim RohnAnd the relevant reward.An immediate reward for lack of discipline is a fun day at the beach. A future reward of discipline is owning the beach. - Jim RohnYou cannot have the cake and eat the cake, but this is what we all have in mind when approaching any activity. Thats why people still spend millions on research on a weight loss pill.Can you imagine what a business such a pill would make? People could have eaten all the greasy and sweet stuff, take a pill and be thin. A wet dream of a marketer.But life doesnt work that way. If you want to eat a cake, you will pay the price in your self-image or at a gym. If you want to get better grades, earn more money or have better marriage, you need to pay the price as well.HabitsMy self-discipline has its root in my habits. I guess its the same for most other people.You see, our habits make us who we are. Its their fault if we are cowards or heroes, fat or thin, wise or dumb, persistent, or we drop a towel too quickly.Its not some mystical blabber. The etymology of the wordsays that.Sages since ancient times were saying that. And current scientific research concluded that changing ones habits is the most reliable way to change yourself and your life.Developing self-discipline via daily habits is so natural. If you have something to do every day, excuses and procrastination wont cut the mustard. You have to show up. Self-discipline stops to be an option and becomes a must.SummarySelf-discipline was necessary for me. I didnt ruminate about it. I didnt try to learn it. I exercised it every single day to get my habits done. I had to show up. There was no other way to get what I wanted.Accept that there is no other way. Ditch instant gratification. Embrace delayed gratification. Focus on doing daily habits.For every disciplined effort, there are multip le rewards. - Jim RohnMichal Stawicki isa coachand self-published author writing about how to expand beyond your limits so you can regain control over your life (based on my personal experience).Thisarticlefirst appeared on Medium.

Rapid growth can cause chaos. Heres how to create a strong plan for scaling your team

Rapid growth can cause chaos. Heres how to create a strong plan for scaling yur teamRapid growth can cause chaos. Heres how to create a strong plan for scaling your teamWhen starting our latest venture, my co-founders and I knew that we wanted to scale fast. But Im really grateful we all agreed to sit down and figure outhowwe were going to do that in advance.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreIf you dont plan ahead, youre going to bring on the wrong team members, upset your current customers,ruin your cash flow, and wind up in a worse position than when you started scaling.I learned that the hard way several years ago while trying to scale a supplement business. Our business ramped up in an instant, going from 100 orders a day to 10,000 a day. And initially, that seemed like an amazing accomplishment- until it all came crashing down because our ordnungsprinzip couldnt handle that v olume. Customers werent getting their orders on time, and the product wasnt in the right packaging. It was a mess.The silver lining was that I realized foresight is crucial for growing both quicklyandsustainably. Heres how to make aya your business can handle the boom you have in mindCreate a flexible plan for scalingYou need a roadmap of where youre going before you start gassing up the car.Your map needs to include the milestones that you want to achieve at reasonable intervals Heres when we hire a project manager. Heres when we expand our marketing efforts. But it should also be flexible enough to accommodate the unknown.Youll inevitably haveups and downs- situations you never expected.At ShipChain, for example, our team has a five-year plan for scaling. Weve also pivoted several times already and had to change our focus as we started getting feedback from customers. Sometimes, a goal that was on next years list needs to get done in the next three months- and vice versa.But we al ways have a workable plan in place that we adjust when necessary.If you dont know the route, find someone who doesOne of the best decisions our team made early on was hiring a tech lead before hiring any developers.She sat down and worked out a plan for scaling immediately, which included everything we needed to do to hit the milestones wed laid out for ourselves. Then, she hired the right specialists to help us reach those goals.If we hadnt hired her first, we probably would have wound up hiring a Python programmer, a back end developer, and a web developer all at once, just because we didnt know the best route to take.Entrepreneurstend to have the ready, fire, aim mentality. They realize they need to do more marketing, so they think, Okay, lets go get a bunch of marketers. But that kind of haphazard approach leads to chaotic, unsustainable growth.If you dont know exactly who you need to help you scale quickly, then your first step should be hiring someone who does.Make time to fin d a talented team that works well togetherFinding talented individuals isnt always difficult. The tough part is finding talented individuals who can workwelltogether.If you put together a massive team of highly-trained specialists, but theres no chemistry between them, youre going to have a problem. You need people who click with each other for true collaboration and an efficient work environment- two things you absolutely need to scale effectively.To check for the click, its a good idea for a candidate to meet some team members during the interview processIt gives you a chance to see how everyone will interact and whether or not that person will be a good fit for your company culture.Skills can always be taught. A mindset is very hard to change.Set up a strong training programYou cant scale unless you train all the new faces you bring on as you grow.It often takes weeks to get people into the flow of a new company and really understand their roles and their place on the team. So, m ake sure you have a program in place on day one for new hires to follow. Also, try to get them involved in activities and get-togethers outside of work to cut down on the amount of time they feel new.Youll need a plan for the people doing this training, as well. If you dont have a formal HR department, then the task is going to fall to current employees. Its asking a lot of people to train someone while still keeping up with their role, so make sure you figure out ahead of time how thats going to work.Have a strategy for sprintsRunning a high-growth company comes with a never-ending checklist. Sometimes, theres simply more work than can be handled in an eight-hour day.But you have to be careful about when and how you ask people to go the extra mile.People willburn outif you push them too hard for too long. Sometimes, you just need what developers call a sprint. Lets say somethinghasto be done by Friday, and its going to take 18-hour days for the next three days to make it happen. If thats what you have to do, thats what you have to do. But you also want to give people equivalent time off to balance that sprint. Give them a long weekend. Let them take Monday and Tuesday off if they just busted ass for 70 hours last week.You need to be strategic about when you step on the gas or your rapid growth may end up sputtering out as people start looking for other jobs.Scaling quickly can be exhilarating, but it has to be sustainable. If you havent spent time creating a strong foundation for growth, then you arentbuilding a business- youre building a house of cards.This article first appeared on Minutes.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

The 3 Most Common Mistakes People Make in Work Documents

The 3 Most Common Mistakes People Make in Work DocumentsThe 3 Most Common Mistakes People Make in Work DocumentsThe world of work requires excellent writing skills. However, many of todays professionals spaced out during their high school English teachers lessons regarding the art of diagramming a sentence or how to write an effective persuasive essay.Like it or not, how you convey yourself in writing can make or break your message and the impression others have of you. Here are some of the most common mistakes in business writing, including how people write their rsum and cover letter. Take note now, and be prepared to make up for those schwefelyperit lessons. 1. Inconsistent spacing. You most likely know someone (probably your boss) who can look at a document, and in less than a second announce Something is wrong with this. This person has been gifted with Inconsistency Spotting. This ability to notice and correct the extra space after a word or the errant use of two lines betwee n paragraphs can supercharge the impact of written work.The good news is that you dont have to be born with this power you just need to stop before you send a document and do the followingSelect Show/Hide Codes on your document so that you can see every space and return. In Word, it is the icon that looks like a backward P in your toolbar.Verify that you have handled like items in the document consistently. For example, intentionally have a space (or dont have a space) on each side of every dash used. In a rsum, dates are one of the most obvious dash spacing pitfalls with one entry of August 2012-June 2013 followed by July 2013 March 2014. Notice the difference? Neither one is right or wrong, but using both formats in one rsum shows a lack of attention to detail.Have a plan for how many lines or returns are between related sections of a document. For example, you may want to use one line (single-space) between each paragraph but two between sections in a contract.Verify alignment of text. If you aligned left in one area but accidentally selected justified (meaning lined up on both the left and right) in another, the spacing between characters will vary. Mixed alignment on one page can distract the reader.2. Fanciful fonts. A selective reader can spot a cut-and-paste document a mile away. Often, it will have excerpts from different documents, but the author has not gone back to verify that all text has the same font and point size. In todays crowd-sourcing world, business professionals often draw from multiple sources to create sales collateral, write informational letters and even write their rsums.However, it is critical that these items come together in one cohesive document. Make sure you verify that the fonts, point sizes and treatment of things like headers and titles are harmonious before hitting Send. 3. Sloppy spelling. I am sure we have all heard about the importance of spell checking. However, even when you andrang spell check, two issues can remai n. First, spell check may have changed your incorrect word to a similarly spelled word that has a different meaning. You need to reread your document for both spelling and message after spell check. Just a little change from of to if can dramatically alter the message.The second issue is that spell check does not do well with names of companies and people. If you mindlessly accept the recommendations of spell check, you may accidentally change Collegial Services, for example, to Collegiate Services and Robin Reshwan to Robin Reshawn. Trust me that no matter how great the content of your letter, you lost me when you messed up my name or my businesss name.In summary, there is a reason why so many job descriptions include Must be detail-oriented. With the ease of forwarded emails and attached documents, writing mistakes are not only detrimental with the first recipients, but the pain lives on each time your message is sent to someone else.Successful business correspondence requires tho ughtful planning and careful editing. The good news is that anyone can master the skills necessary to send a visually consistent document if they stop to assess before sending the message.