Every social circle has that one friend who occasionally “stalks” people online. Don’t be alarmed. It’s more common than you might realize and can give you greater perspective on your career path. You mention someone’s first name to the group, and moments later . . . voila! Your friend has found that person’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts.
In my group of friends, that investigative person is me.
I aim to use these powers for good. But having this level of social media awareness comes with consequences. It means that, when I’m trying to operate online in stealth mode, I trend toward the paranoid end of the spectrum. What if I want to update my LinkedIn profile, network privately, or investigate future employment opportunities? Is there someone at my company that can uncover these items as efficiently as I can?
To be safe, I always assume the things I type online are public. Regardless of privacy settings, medium, or channel, I know I’m one screenshot away from any information becoming public. But when it comes to professional “research,” I do have a few tips to make your networking, job search, or plans to exit a company more discreet.
1 LinkedIn Profile Evaluation 101
In order to get a sense of the level of awareness you need on LinkedIn, let’s start by viewing LinkedIn from a curiosity perspective. With its emphasis on searchability, transparency, and public perception, LinkedIn is the ideal social network for would-be stalkers, from potential contacts to your current manager.
The first thing you should know is that LinkedIn will notify someone any time you look at their profile, if you are logged in and in a non-incognito window. This essentially makes a “profile view” like a first point of contact with a person, so if you aren’t ready to engage with a potential customer, partner, or employer, don’t initiate contact this way.
Here’s a tip: Pro Tip: Want to look at someone’s LinkedIn profile without letting them know you “viewed” their profile? Search them in LinkedIn’s native search, then right click and copy-paste their LinkedIn profile URL to a new incognito window.
Searching for potential new contacts in LinkedIn is deceptively easy, with extra filters and searching functionality for users with LinkedIn Premium. When a LinkedIn user pops up in your search results, it won’t count as a “profile view,” unless you click through to their actual LinkedIn profile. This may seem small, but it’s something to keep in mind if you simply want to find a specific person in a specific role at a specific company.
Here’s a tip: Pro Tip: LinkedIn also provides insight into the other side of the search experience. Check out this link to see who has been searching for your profile.
2What LinkedIn Information Is Public?
Unless you have edited your settings, most of your LinkedIn profile is public. Information like your name, company, summary, and experience can be viewed by other LinkedIn users and the general public. In fact, LinkedIn recently updated their platform to make all status updates public, meaning that they’re picked up by search engines like Google. This can be helpful from a “research” perspective, but it also means you should be careful what you post.
In general, this means that you should be careful about what you update, when you update, and how you update on LinkedIn. LinkedIn has a default setting that notifies your LinkedIn connections (including coworkers and your boss) if you update your profile. If you’re actively searching for a new job, you will want to turn this off.
3How to Make Parts of Your LinkedIn Profile Private
That’s the bad news: most of LinkedIn is public by default. The good news is that you can update your settings to be as public or as stealthy as you like. You can adjust these settings depending on your needs. Need to promote your personal brand? You probably want your profile to be public. Want to look for a new job? It’s probably a good idea to increase the level of privacy on your profile. Here’s how you can do that:
1 First, you’re going to want to turn off that pesky “update everyone I know when I edit my profile” feature. To do this, first click the “edit” pencil icon.
Next, switch the option at the bottom marked “Share profile changes” to “No.”
Voila! You’ve officially entered stealth mode.
2 Now, what if you want to make your profile less public? It’s time to take a long, hard look at your privacy settings. To reach these, just click the top-right menu option that says “Settings & Privacy.”
Then, click on “Privacy,” and you’ll see a host of options to make your profile less publicly-accessible. This is where you can specify whether you show up in search results, news results, on your company’s page, etc.
After this, you can also check out the “Job seeking” menu, which allows you to turn on “job seeker” mode. This stealthily lets recruiters know that you’re open to new opportunities. Although LinkedIn has said they block recruiters from your company from seeing this feature, it’s always possible for a bug to show up in the system, so be wary. You can learn more about how LinkedIn built “job seeker” mode here.
How do you sneakily update LinkedIn? Any tips I missed?
You haven’t clinched your new job yet, but getting this far is encouraging. You may already be excitedly imagining life in your upcoming role, but the more immediate task at hand will be nailing the interview. That means it’s time to prepare for an array of tough potential interview questions you may have to field.
Besides knowing how you want to present your background and experience, it helps to research the place you’re applying. What challenges are they facing? How are they evolving? How might someone with your resume be an asset in that process? Knowing how to couch your answers in that context is essential to crushing whatever tough questions an interviewer might throw out.
To help you get ready, we’ve put together this list of challenging queries worth rehearsing for. While not all are guaranteed to come up—and unforeseen curveballs from “who are your heroes?” to “what’s your favorite food?” have sometimes tilted brilliant minds—considering these questions in advance can help you steer the conversation with grace and aplomb.
We’ll start, as many interviews do, with a deceptively simple doozy:
Can you tell me about yourself?
The key here is to be succinct and not get overwhelmed with the multitude of possible answers. Seize this opportunity to give a quick career overview that highlights relevant strengths and accomplishments.
Wrong approach:“I grew up in North Alabama, or upstate Alabama as my mom likes to joke, aheh. But it’s funny, I never really got into outdoorsy stuff until I discovered beer, so as a kid I always…” NO.
Right approach:“While majoring in journalism I began developing a portfolio by writing and editing for the student newspaper and volunteering at my college radio station. That helped me secure an internship that set me up after graduation to…” SOLID.
Ideally, this dovetails into one particular accomplishment that’s easy to summarize—a recent project you successfully spearheaded, or an award you won, perhaps—before you stick the landing with what you hope to do next, and how that aligns with the position you’re applying for.
That last part is worth thinking through, lest you get caught flat-footed by this little peach:
How does this job fit into your life plan?
Another variation on this theme is “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
Wrong response:“I… I have no idea! I’ll be so much older then—So many doors will have closed, augh!”
Also the wrong response:“Sleeping on the same futon, looking at a fancier phone.”
To knock this one out of the park, understand the basis for asking it. The interviewer wants to know what motivates you, in order to better gauge what kind of match you might be for the position, and what potential you and the company have to grow together. The last thing they want is to hire someone who, in a few short months, will feel like they’re at a dead end and want out.
Remember, you’re not etching your fate into stone with your answer so much as explaining why you’re a good fit.
What’s your greatest weakness?
That sound you just heard was a thousand potential hires gulping in unison. There are a few ways to handle this without taking yourself out of the running:
Make it about something that doesn’t particularly matter to the job at hand. Having a clear grasp of what the position entails can help here. Just beware—not everyone has the luxury of deciding some aspect of a job is outside their wheelhouse and not their problem.
Describe an area where you’ve improved, and explain how. Why was it a challenge, what did you do to improve it, and how can you illustrate your success?
Frame a weakness as an asset. For instance: “Before sending out copy, I always find myself triple-checking to make sure it’s free of errors. I realize that’s not something anyone can afford to spend all day on, so I’ve pushed myself to manage my time deliberately, so I always have a chance to look back and polish my work well before my deadline.”
You want the focus of the interview to be everything that makes you a strong candidate; don’t let this question derail that emphasis.
What does your ideal company look like?
Questions in this vein range from “Why do you want to work here?” to “Describe your dream job,” and they can blindside an applicant who hasn’t prepared.
Again, advance research is crucial so you can connect your answer to your prospective role in specific terms. As ever, you don’t want to remove yourself from consideration by essentially telling the interviewer you’d hate working there.
Wrong response:“My ideal company is small and nimble, so ideally I wouldn’t have to work under the managerial bloat this place seems to suffer from.”
Right response:“I think the value of agility is hard to overstate, so the way this company uses the divide-and-conquer approach to tackle problems resonates with me. I think my skills with pair programming could really shine in that respect.”
And finally:
Why should I hire you?
This is your chance to give the interviewer FOMO—a fear that if they don’t offer you the gig, they’ll miss out. You want to emphasize your uniqueness—the value you alone can offer, which no other candidate could rival. And you don’t want to water down your sales pitch by droning on, so it needs to be straightforward.
It’s worth spending some time to think through an organized response beforehand, so based on everything you know about what your prospective employer needs done, choose a few specific qualities to underscore. Think through why they make you the standout pick to do the work and enhance the team. Then practice explaining as much out loud, so it comes naturally; these are your strongest attributes you’re talking about, after all.
You’re going to do great in there, by the way. Good luck!
Your perfect job with the perfect company may not be advertised. So, how do you find gigs from within the hidden job market? You ask about them. Here’s how to write a letter of interest that will get you noticed . . . and maybe even result in a job.
Years ago, before I was the full-blown word monkey that I am today, I relocated to a new city. I’d left a job I loved—doing marketing for a dog grooming school. I knew I wanted to keep working in a field related to both marketing and pets. But I also knew that, in the small city I’d moved to, that was going to be a pretty slim job search net to cast. I’d have to get creative.
I set my sights on a large, upscale pet boarding kennel. I wrote the kennel’s owners a letter of interest, including clips from a portfolio of marketing materials I’d created, and asked them if they needed some help from an experienced pet industry professional to build their brand even further.
Although the kennel didn’t have an opening, or any role related to marketing, they did call me in to chat. Two weeks later, they created a position for me and I was employed doing something I enjoyed in an industry I loved.
Why Write a Letter of Interest?
The letter of interest is a job prospecting tool. Job hunting legend has it that 70 to 80 percent of open positions are never advertised. Although that figure is probably way higher than it should be, the truth is there are potential job opportunities out there that you’re not hooking as you troll the waters of Glassdoor, Indeed, and Monster.com.
Say you’re intrigued by a young startup and you wish they were hiring for a position that fit your skills. You could haunt the careers page of their website and hope for the best, or you could write a letter of interest to introduce yourself and begin the networking process. Which do you think will yield the best results?
A letter of interest may not get you immediately hired, but it has many advantages. It shows you have both interest and initiative—two things employers are always looking for. It also demonstrates your ability to market yourself through personal branding. In many cases, your letter will be regarded as a formal request to be considered for employment, so it will become part of a human resources file. When a position does open, guess whose letter and resume will be at the top of the pile instead of buried under a mountain of applications?
Your goal is to find out exactly what the company of your dreams looks for in an employee. Then, you’re going to become that person—the mythical Ideal Candidate.
How to Write a Letter of Interest
1 Write it like a business letter.
The first and most important thing to remember about writing a letter of interest is that it’s a business letter—treat it like one. Use the standard business letter format. Be professional.
Here’s a tip: Being professional doesn’t mean being stuffy. It’s always a good idea to try to match the communication style of the company you’re reaching out to. Look at their marketing copy, job postings, and website. If their approach to communication is more casual, yours can be, too.
2 Find the right contact.
Even if you have to call the company, get the name (and possibly the email address) of the best person to contact with your inquiry. If you do call or email to ask for a contact name, be direct. Say, “I’m interested in learning more about employment opportunities in your [department]. Would you tell me the name of the person responsible for hiring those positions and the best way to contact them?”
3 Research the company.
I scored that marketing job in a long-ago time before the Internet was mainstream. When I wrote my hard copy letter and prepared my clips, I didn’t even know what a letter of interest was. I was operating on instinct. You have the advantage of a ton of information right in your pocket anytime you need it. Let’s use it!
Your goal is to find out exactly what the company of your dreams looks for in an employee. Then, you’re going to become that person—the mythical Ideal Candidate. Check the company’s social media feeds and the careers and culture pages on its website for clues about the type of people they hire. Read job descriptions for their open positions; they’ll give you insight even if the jobs aren’t a fit for your talents.
Learn about their brand style—are they funky and fun or conservative and all business? Mirror that style to show that you’d be a good cultural fit.
4 Show how you’d add value.
Unlike a cover letter, where you’re homing in on skills and traits for a specific position, a letter of interest should demonstrate to the employer that you have a variety of skills that would make you a great fit in lots of different places. Think broadly and you’ll open more doors. What skills would make you an asset to the company?
The key to a successful letter of interest is not in showing off what you can do, but in showing what you can do for the company. Demonstrate excitement, not arrogance.
5 Keep it short, but write it powerfully.
Hiring managers and department heads don’t have a lot of extra time to read your magnum opus on why you’re awesome. The key is to be brief but memorable. Make every word count.
Avoid filler words and phrases. Keep your writing lean and clean. Use some power words to make your writing pop.
Letter of Interest Structure
Date
Let’s start with the simple stuff first! (You do know what day it is, right?) You’ll need this only for hard copy letters; in email, the date stamp is fine.
Contact Information
In a hard copy letter, put your contact info here. Include your phone number and email address. In an email, include your contact information after your signature, instead.
Here’s a tip: You don’t have to put Phone: and Email: in front of your phone number and email address. That’s just clutter. The hiring manager probably won’t have trouble figuring out what that ten-digit number and the thing with the @ symbol are.
Salutation
Greet the hiring manager or department head by name. And please do your best to find a name. (See Tip #2!) Avoid To Whom It May Concern. Nobody ever got truly concerned with, or even interested in, an email that began thus.
Opening Paragraph
Briefly introduce yourself and tell the hiring manager why you’re writing. Share your enthusiasm for the company—why do you want to work there?
Qualifications/Experience Paragraph
Talk about what you bring to the table. Let the hiring manager know why hiring you would add value to her team. Demonstrate the qualities you have that mesh well with the company’s mission and culture. (This is why you did all that research!)
The key to a successful letter of interest is not in showing off what you can do, but in showing what you can do for the company. Think in terms of excitement, not arrogance.
Close by casting a networking net.
You’re not going to close by saying something like “I hope you’ll keep me in mind if you have an opening in the future,” right?
Never! You’re better than that.
Close by asking for something. Use a call-to-action (CTA) to encourage the hiring manager to connect with you. You might ask for an informational interview—an opportunity for you to sit down with the hiring manager and learn more about the company.
Letter of Interest Example
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
I’ve been following the Alpha Beta Company’s trajectory since it launched in 2007. When the company reached 10 million active users last month, I thought about how exciting it would be to be part of a team with the potential to grow that number to 20 million and beyond. I’m writing you to express my interest in joining your team and to learn more about upcoming employment opportunities.
I’ve been a user acquisition manager at XYZ, Inc. for five years. At XYZ, I developed the go-to-market strategy for new apps and performed analysis to calculate how our campaigns influenced user engagement. As you may know, XYZ operates in a smaller niche market. Even so, during my time with them, XYZ’s user base grew from just five hundred beta users to over 3 million today. In the ten years since I graduated with a bachelor of science in business and marketing from Great Big University, I’ve managed and launched hundreds of successful marketing campaigns on channels ranging from print media to social media to videos.
I’m excited by the idea of working in a larger market and for a company that is constantly innovating and recognized as an industry leader. I’ve enclosed my resume, which outlines my experience and skills. I’d love to sit down and talk with you about Alpha Beta’s explosive growth and new user acquisition strategy. Would you be open to meeting with me at your convenience?
Affect and effect are easy to mix up. Here’s the short version of how to use affect vs. effect. Affect is usually a verb, and it means to impact or change. Effect is usually a noun, an effect is the result of a change. Watch out! There are certain situations and fixed phrases that break the general usage rules for these words.
Now that the basics are out of the way, the time has come to learn the intricacies of how to use affect and effect effectively. Or is it affectively? If you’re lucky, it may well be a little bit of both. (For the curious, effective would mean successful in this context. And when it comes to grammar, success is the goal.)
The Difference Between Affect and Effect
Is it affect or effect? In a nutshell, affect is a verb and effect is a noun. At least (spoiler alert!), most of the time. In the majority of cases, you’ll encounter the words as these parts of speech.
So, if A affects B, B experiences the effect of A’s action.
Huh?
Imagine Ruby (A) pushes Raphael (B) into a pond. Ruby affects where Raphael is standing. Raphael being wet is the effect of Ruby’s irresistible urge to push him into a pond.
Because Ruby performed an action, that signals the use of a verb: affect. The result, or effect, of that verb is “wetness,” a noun that is probably causing Raphael a whole lot of discomfort.
Affect and effect are different parts of speech, but they sound almost identical. Sound-alike pairs like affect vs. effect are tricky because many people pronounce them as homophones, which means, well, that they sound alike. Bear/bare, here/hear, and write/right are other examples. So when it comes to writing the right word, here are the rules to help you bear the struggle.
When to Use Affect
Affect means to influence or to produce a change in something.
The tornado affected citizens within forty miles of Topeka. The medicine will affect your eyesight for at least an hour. Winning the swimming medal affected Tina’s performance in school, too.
Here’s a tip: Here’s a mnemonic: A is for action. Verbs are about action. Affect starts with an A, so it’s a verb. Presto.
Examples of Affect
Gravity affects everything in the universe, but the amount of gravity affecting an object depends on two things: the masses of the objects being attracted and the distance between the objects.
(Study.com, “The Effects of Mass Distance on Gravity”)
To avoid ecological issues, scientists and governing agencies consider how sustainable development affects the environment and its place in deciding future environmental issues.
(Bright Hub, “Sustainable Development for Affecting Environments Positively”)
And we could do nothing to help them; Dunham was crying quietly beside me, and all the men were affected by the piteous cries.
(John Keegan, The First World War)
Note that in that last example, the men are “affected” because they are changed by the disturbing events of war, but that this change has an emotional factor, too. When a person is affected by an event, that often means that the effect is mainly on the level of emotion or psychology. More on that in the exceptions section.
When to Use Effect
Effect is a noun, and it means the result of a change. So, if an event affects your life, you will feel the event’s effect.
The effect of the tornado was devastating. You’ll feel the effect of the medication in the next twenty minutes. Tina’s big win had an effect on her confidence level overall.
Here’s a tip: Think of the common phrase cause and effect. Cause ends with an E, and effect begins with an E. So not only does a cause lead to an effect, but also cause’s E leads to effect’s E, giving you a handy noun bridge to step across and remember which spelling to use.
Examples of Effect
Climate change may actually benefit some plants by lengthening growing seasons and increasing carbon dioxide. Yet other effects of a warmer world, such as more pests, droughts, and flooding, will be less benign.
(National Geographic, “Climate Change: 5 Ways It Will Affect You”)
With this measure, Lincoln effectively isolated the Confederacy and killed the institution that was at the root of sectional differences.
(History.com, “The Emancipation Proclamation Takes Effect”)
And the bell had the effect of releasing us all from the paralyzing tension we had just survived—but only for an instant.
(John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany)
And here’s a twofer, just for fun:
The most common side effects of antibiotics affect the digestive system.
(NHS Choices, “Antibiotics: Side Effects”)
Affect vs. Effect: How to Remember the Difference
In sum: keep your eyes on the prize. In this case, the prize is the first letter of each word. Don’t forget: “Affect” starts with A for Action—meaning it’s a verb—and with “Effect,” you can jump straight from “Cause” to “Effect” over that convenient E.
If you get that letter trick memorized, it should affect your spelling of these words immediately. In other words, make sure you spell them correctly.
Watch out for Exceptions!
Now that you’ve mastered the basic difference—effect as a noun and affect as a verb—it’s time to shake things up. In some contexts, effect is a verb and affect is a noun. Thanks a lot, English.
Effect as a Verb
Effect as a verb means to bring about. It usually shows up with nouns like “change” or “solutions.”
The protesters wanted to effect change in the corrupt government.
In other words, they wanted to bring about the effect of change—maybe by getting the government to change its policies or even step down.
If you use affect here, it would mean “to have an effect on change” or “to impact change.” Protesters who want to “affect change” would be trying to impact existing changes. That’s nice, but not as powerful as creating change, especially when there’s a corrupt government on the line.
It doesn’t have to be quite so revolutionary, either. This one is about social media:
What once seemed like a trivial way to keep in touch with friends, sharing photos and jokes, has become a force for societal change, […] empowering citizens of the world to unite and effect change in a number of ways.
—The Huffington Post, “Social Media as a Formidable Force for Change”
If this discussion about social media had to do with citizens trying to “affect change,” that would probably mean that they’re trying to speed up, slow down, or totally stop all forms of change that have to do with social media. Ironically, it might be easier to effect change with a really powerful Facebook movement than to affect the changes that are happening to society because of the widespread use of social media. Funny how that works, right?
Affect as a Noun
Affect as a noun means feeling, emotion, or specific emotional response.
The patient had a flat affect throughout the therapy session.
Sounds like the patient was in kind of a blah mood. Not too complicated (except maybe for the patient).
Here’s another:
Understanding more about the primary innate affects and the plasticity of the brain has important clinical implications.
—Psychology Today, “Affects, Language, and Cognition”
Say what? This is a great example of complex psychological jargon you might find in a psychology clinic or journal (like, for example, Psychology Today). It’s great if you’re studying basic feelings and brain activity—which is what this sentence is about—but if not, you’re probably safe with the knowledge that “affects” means “feelings” here.
If you think that’s a bit complicated, no hard affects. That is, no hard feelings. You probably don’t have to worry about this one too much unless you’re in the field of psychology.
But now if you come across a line about a graduation speaker having a huge affect on her audience, you can piece together whether the writer misspelled “effect” or the entire graduating class was moved to tears.
Affected as an Adjective
Well, this one comes out of left field. But affected can indeed be used as an adjective to mean pretentious, artificial, or designed to impress. It usually isn’t a compliment, and means that someone is acting stuck-up or trying to look like they’re more important than they actually are.
Note that when someone acts affected, it looks very different from when people are affected by something on an emotional level, like the soldiers above.
Here’s a literary example:
‘And yet’—the regent scratched one ear gently in affected abstraction—‘I wouldn’t call myself exactly incompetent.’
—Isaac Asimov, Foundation
See what the regent did there? His scratch is “affected” because this guy clearly knows he is not incompetent. In fact, he is very competent. He may even think he’s the most competent person around. Think of it this way: the regent’s behavior is affected by his own arrogance and sense of superiority.
What kind of effect do you think that has on the people around this guy?
Recap: When to Use Affect or Effect
Let’s recap exactly how and when to use which word.:
Use “affect” as the verb in a sentence when you’re talking about producing change or making a difference. For example, a new discovery can affect a scientific theory, and failing a test can affect someone’s mood.
Here are some synonyms of affect: alter, change, influence, modify, and impact (the verb version). That list should affect your understanding of the word. In this case, “affect” would mean “improve.”
“Effect” is a noun, and it is the outcome of an event or situation that created a change. The effect of the change can be big or small, but the fact that something changed is what makes the noun form of effect so important. For example, you can feel the effects of a cold or an earthquake, and the sun coming out can have a positive effect on your mood.
Some synonyms of effect include words like result, repercussion, consequence, outcome, aftermath, and the noun version of impact.
Affect vs. Effect Grammar Quiz
Let’s test how effective this explanation was! Test your understanding of affect and effect with our short and fun quiz. Keep track of your mistakes and comment on any questions that come up.
Do you need more details? There’s no more effective way to get to know a word than to see it in print.
Additional Information
What makes these two little words extra tricky is that they sound pretty much identical. Yes, that’s the homophone thing we mentioned earlier. For the most part, people will pronounce affect and effect almost exactly the same. But, every once in awhile, they won’t.
If you listen closely, in some cases you’ll be able to hear a slight difference in the first syllable of the two different words. So, “effect” has a slightly stronger “eh” sound, like in “red,” while affect is pronounced a bit more lazily, as “uh-ffect.” But don’t count on those slight differences to tell one word from the other. Only a very careful enunciator will make the distinction at all, and it’s a very subtle distinction, anyway.
On top of pronunciation, there are a few other phrases and unusual uses of these two words that deserve a glance. Here goes:
There’s a whole scholarly field called affect studies, which studies affect—the emotional kind. You can even read all about how emotion is a big, academic deal in The Affect Theory Reader.
Personal effects is an idiom: in this case, effects essentially means belongings. Chances are, your belongings have had some effect on your wallet, closet space, or personal life. Hence, personal effects.
Effective means successful in bringing about a desired result.
Affective means producing affect, in the emotional sense. If The Affect Theory Reader affects how you feel about affect, that would make it an affective book.
So, if this article was affective, you were emotionally moved by learning the difference between affect and effect. If it was effective, you’ll use those words correctly from now on. It’s pretty much a win-win situation.
All across America, it is performance review time — the annual ritual of nervousness and wincing when everyone from interns to executives gears up to receive critical feedback about their work. In addition to the evaluation of performance and success, this is the time when managers and HR pros decide on bonuses, promotions, and raises.
While employees probably cannot turn the tide of a poor performance streak, there are behaviors you can practice that will improve your chances for a raise this review cycle or next. For insight, we turned to Joel Garfinkle, executive coach and author of Get Paid What You’re Worth. “Your manager will most likely never come to you and simply give you a raise. You need to ask for the pay increase. Don’t be afraid to ask for the raise,” Garfinkle says.
Here he weighs in on the ten simple ways to show your boss you’re ready for a raise.
1. Practice good communication early and often.
“Great communication skills are critical in every aspect of your career. Whether it’s communicating with your superiors, fellow team members or those you’re directing, effective and efficient communication will help ensure you’re seen as a valuable asset.”
2. Show your ability to motivate and inspire those you work with.
“Being seen as a great team motivator is typically key to moving up any company’s organizational chart. Great leaders don’t tell people what to do, they inspire them to do their best.”
3. Consistently push the boundaries of what’s possible.
While you may not be able to invent the next big app or revolutionize your industry, showing that you are proactively thinking about business solutions and ways to innovate will make all the difference come review time.
“Whether you’re developing innovations within your industry, your company, or just within your specific job duties, showing that you can think outside the box to help take your organization to the next level is going to really make a good impression on those who’ll be determining the fate of your promotion.”
4. Think about what contributes to the bottom line.
“Hard work is always a great start to securing that raise, but definitely not all that it takes. Your value as an employee, which is determined in both qualitative and quantitative measures, are areas your manager can put a number to and are often easier to use as leverage when talking about a raise. Remember, improving a business’s bottom line is a primary goal of for-profit businesses. For this reason, if an employee consistently is contributing effectively and efficiently to this goal, it’s going to be more likely these efforts will develop into a raise.”
5. Be mindful of timing.
Timing is important for these two reasons:
“The timing of the company’s fiscal health and future plans. How is the company doing, financially? Are they in a position where they can afford to give you a raise? What are their development plans and how important is the work you are doing to the success of those plans? This can increase your value significantly if they feel like they ‘can’t afford to lose you.’”
“Secondly, the timing of your supervisor. Where your supervisor is on that oscillation of employee worth can affect whether or not he or she can get your raise approved. Even the mood they are in (both due to personal and professional reasons) can impact your effectiveness on negotiating a raise. ”
6. Get buy-in from your colleagues and mentors.
“Endorsements and recommendations can be the deciding factor when it comes to getting a raise. When your peers or supervisors praise your work, definitely keep track of that as supporting material for the raise discussion.”
7. Be a risk taker.
“In order to negotiate, you must be willing to take the risks to ask for what you want. Your fearless and courageous attitude will help you take the necessary risks to get the upper hand.”
8. Be confident in yourself and your own self-worth.
“The #1 reason most people get less in a negotiation is due to lack of self-worth. People under-earn because they undervalue themselves. Be confident in yourself so you can believe that you deserve the amount you are asking for.”
9. Have the right amount of patience.
“Most concessions occur at, or even past, the deadline. Be patient in order to get your desired amount. You will be tempted to give in and accept the offer, but this is where the real negotiation begins. The more patient you are throughout the process, the greater your chances are for getting what you want.”
10. Stay ready.
“Employees should never wait for their periodic review to discuss their raise and/or promotion aspirations. Instead, they should be having these conversations with their superiors throughout the year. Oftentimes, raises require budgetary changes, and this means that it needs to be planned and budgeted for by your supervisor. Letting your supervisor know of your desires also allows them to give you more responsibility so you can take on opportunities to earn that raise. When you do take on additional responsibilities and are successful, definitely keep track of these accomplishments so you can use it as supporting evidence for your raise request.”
A version of this post originally appeared on Glassdoor’s blog.
Critiques must be handled with a deft touch, somewhere between soft-pedaling and soul-crushing. This advice will help you give constructive feedback that will leave the writer excited to make improvements rather than looking for the nearest rock to crawl under.
As a managing editor, I’ve helped writers produce more readable content. I thought I had a knack for giving useful writing feedback. That is, until a writer friend asked for my thoughts on her novel-in-progress. I gave them, pointing out where her plot seemed to lag and the characters felt flat. Surely she would be grateful for my insight and go forth to make her book even better, wouldn’t she?
Not so much. In fact, she eventually confessed that my comments caused her to shut down and stop writing for months, convinced she was doomed to fail and that her writing career was over.
Most people have good intentions and don’t want to give blistering critiques. (Well, there are a few surly critics, but they’re not the audience for this article.) You’re here because you want to learn how to give good, straightforward feedback that won’t make the writer defensive or, worst of all, deflate his or her spirit. Here’s how to make that happen.
Remember that creatives may experience imposter syndrome
We’re fragile people, we creative types. And, ironically, the more talented we are, the more likely we are to think we’re complete frauds—wannabe hacks undeserving of success.In fact, some creatives rack up impressive achievements all while feeling certain that, at any moment, someone’s going to expose them as nothing but a poseur.
This psychological phenomenon is called impostor syndrome, and it strikes writers who produce anything from poetry to fiction to monthly marketing reports. It may well be what you’re up against when you start giving a writer honest feedback. Even if she’s not outwardly admitting it, the writer may feel like she has no business writing and should give up and make way for the real talents.
The first problem of any kind of even limited success is the unshakable conviction that you are getting away with something, and that any moment now they will discover you.
—Neil Gaiman, author
Keep the writer’s psyche in mind when you’re preparing your feedback and make sure you acknowledge what they’ve done right as well as what needs improvement. Every piece of writing has some strengths, so look for them and be prepared to point them out.
Read the whole thing. Thoroughly.
Give the manuscript a thoughtful read-through (or two) before you give feedback. The writer is in a vulnerable position. He’s just handed you his baby and before you even hint that his newly minted child may not be attractive, you owe it to him to prove that you’ve invested more than a quick glance and offered a snap judgment.
Don’t skim. Read deeply. Take notes. If you can’t commit to this, don’t give feedback.
Forget about the compliment sandwich
You may have heard of the compliment sandwich, a technique for sandwiching criticism between praise. It’s often used by managers when giving their employees feedback, but it’s recognized by many professionals these days as ineffective. Think about it. Would this help soften a critical blow?
“I read most of your article and liked it, but your spelling awful and your grammar sucks. Are you sure you graduated high school? You did lay the manuscript out really well, though—good job!”
Instead, of sandwiching harsh criticism between empty positives, be honest. Don’t sugarcoat, but don’t trash the writing, either. “Diplomacy” is your watchword.
I’d hate to see spelling and grammar mistakes distract from a promising article. Have you tried using Grammarly as a second set of eyes to help with proofreading?
Ask questions that lead the writer in the right direction
The goal of a critique isn’t to show how much you know; it’s to help the writer expand on his potential. The best feedback leaves the writer feeling he’s had an awakening and knows what needs revision to make his writing work. Here’s an example:
Do you think there’s a way to simplify this paragraph? Shorter sentences could do the trick. What about reading it out loud to see where you can improve the flow?
via GIPHY
Don’t nitpick
Feedback is really about the quality of your suggestions, not the quantity. If the writer’s work needs proofreading, suggest a thorough line edit rather than picking at every little grammar, spelling, and punctuation nit. If passive voice or weak language choices are a theme, recommend that the writer take a closer look at those things.
A mountain of feedback, no matter how constructive, can be overwhelming. Choose a few of the most important things the writer can do to improve the manuscript, then point out an example to help them understand what you’re referring to.
Too many “to be” verbs can take the energy out of your writing. Perhaps you could identify some and rewrite them. Here’s an example:
He was walking walked to the market to meet Mary.
It’s a critique, not a review
Don’t treat feedback the same as you would a review. In most cases, when someone asks you for feedback, you’re looking at a work-in-progress, not a finished product. Giving feedback is about finding ways to suggest improvements, not declaring the work flawed and walking away. Share your ideas and tips.
via GIPHY
When you critique writing, your job is to determine whether the writer accomplished what they set out to do, whether that goal was to tell a good story or to write a convincing sales pitch. Focus on what the writer can do to improve the next draft and you’ll help them create a winning manuscript.
English uses the definite article, the, in front of some geographical names but not in front of others.
Geographical Use of the Definite Article (The) With Country Names
Typically, the article the is not used before the names of countries and territories:
Our flight to the China was canceled.
Our flight to China was canceled.
However, theis used before countries whose names are plural in form:
Have you ever been to Netherlands?
Have you ever been to the Netherlands?
The is also used with countries whose names include the words states, kingdom, or republic:
My sister lives in United States.
My sister lives in the United States.
My brother lives in United Kingdom.
My brother lives in the United Kingdom.
Other Rules for the Geographical Use of the Definite Article, The
Do not use the before the names of
continents (North America, Asia, Africa)
mountains (Mount Rushmore, Mount Everest)
islands (Saint Lucia, Antigua, Grenada)
streets (Broad Street, Wilson Avenue)
cities and towns (Birmingham, Seattle, Las Vegas)
states (Alabama, Washington, Nevada)
lakes (Lake Erie, Lake Kissimmee, Lake Rabun)
Do use the before the names of
points on the globe (the Equator, the North Pole)
mountain ranges (the Smoky Mountains, the Andes)
island chains (the Florida Keys, the Pacific Islands)
geographical areas (the East, the Midwest)
rivers, seas, and oceans (the Mississippi River, the Atlantic Ocean, the Nile River)
deserts and peninsulas (the Mojave Desert, the Balkan Peninsula
groups of lakes (the Great Lakes)
Language is always changing. Fifty years ago, Argentina was known as “the Argentine,” and the Balkan Islands always had the definite article in front of it. But Argentina is now perfectly standard and you may even hear people say “I come from Balkan Islands.”
