Should You Lie on Your Resume?

Would you dare to lie on your resume? What would motivate you to bend the truth? Perhaps you saw an ad for an ideal job but you were missing just one little qualification. You are so close that one small lie won’t hurt. People get away with little white lies all the time. No matter what your reasoning though, you and I have likely wondered if you should lie on your resume.

If you’ve had the situation where you look at an ad you know you have the aptitude or the skills but you don’t have the official work experience, it’s tempting to lie. It’s also tempting to exaggerate.

Lying About Your Accomplishments and Qualifications

Imagine seeing a job for a marketing assistant and you almost fit all the qualifications. They need someone with tech industry experience. You helped out your cousin for two weeks on a product launch. Should you include that project as actual work experience if all you did was give some advice? Should you consider that as an advisor role?

Maybe you believe in karma and you believe that one day, someone will expose the truth about you. Lying about where you worked, your education, your job titles, and your skills could result in your losing your job after you are hired. It also shows a lack of professionalism if your employer discovers your lie.

You might be thinking, well, that’s not fair. I would have developed those skills or worked on those types of projects if I had the chance.

I understand your pain. I came second place during a job interview at which I was asked about experience dealing directly with stakeholders. They asked me this question more than once, so I assumed this experience was an important part of the job. I replied I was confident I could handle these situations because I handled similar situations with internal teams. However, that wasn’t good enough.

The tough part was that I didn’t have a chance to work on that work experience, not because I wasn’t qualified, but because in that company, it fell under another employee’s job description. If I wanted to develop those public relations skills, I would have had to take over someone else’s work tasks. I’m sure my teammate would have thought I was trying to steal his job, not work on my professional portfolio.

Lying About Your Skills and Experience

Lying about your education and job titles is not a smart decision. Potential employers can check up on these details during and after the hiring process. You can however, re-word your skills and accomplishments in a more favorable light.

For example, if you see several companies are looking for someone with proficiency at specific software, you can develop that proficiency on your own. You could sign up for a free trial of that software and then complete a few projects with it. Those projects would became part of your portfolio. This extra project would build on your skill set and show that you have initiative.

Similarly, if you lack the official education credentials, you can learn about the skill on your own by reading books or taking free courses on your own time. You won’t have the degree, but you will have the knowledge. For example, if you don’t have a degree or certificate to show your skills in IT, you could design your own project, such as building a website.

You won’t have to lie about your skills and experience. Instead, work on them on your own and add them to your career portfolio and resume.

Summary

It’s tempting but not advisable to lie on your resume. Lies are unprofessional and you could get caught in them. Instead, if you see a pattern of required skills and experience, work on them on your own time if you don’t have the opportunity to develop these as part of your job.

A comforting fact is that most companies don’t require you to have every skill and depth of experience that they list on their ad. They are describing their ideal candidate. It’s your job to convince them that you are the closest they will find to that ideal.

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Skills Insight of the Day #8 Investments

Where do you find the best investment advice? Everyone wants to increase their income, their savings, or their assets… especially if they still worry about their finances. If you look online, there is no shortage of investment experts. Ultimately, the advisor you want to listen to is the one who best understands your situation. But who should that mentor or expert be?

There are so many social media posts advising you to set aside 20 percent of your income for savings. They also say that rich people put the majority of their wealth in investments, assets, and savings, and only a small portion in expenses. However, they aren’t telling you the real investment secret.

When you’re making six figures, you’re able to afford a basic cost of living. In most cases, you can have a decent place to live, food to eat, and money to spare after paying for basic necessities. True, if you’re buying a mansion and a supercar a week, you might be living hand to mouth, but let’s say that you’re wealthy and not living above your means.

For most people, however, setting aside a good chunk of their income for savings or investments is difficult or just not possible. They don’t make enough to pay for housing, food, and a basic living. Or, they do make enough but there isn’t much left to set aside for a rainy day.

When you look at the numbers this way, it makes sense that the rich can afford to set aside a large portion of their wealth to build investments and assets – buy real estate, shares, stocks, etc. It also makes sense that there are people who don’t set aside much money for investments or assets. They spend money on liabilities (items that lose them money and debts) because they are barely surviving.

For those who can’t afford to set aside 20 percent or more of their income for investments and assets, start with building your skills. You can pay for courses or take them for free. You can also learn skills from a mentor.

A lot of education is available online through online courses or YouTube videos, or you can borrow books from the library. When your skills can command you a higher paying salary, you will be in a higher income bracket. When you have that higher income, then you can start following that investment advice that you keep hearing about and grow your wealth even more.

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Should You Become a Freelancer and Start a Freelancing Business?

Have you heard of terms like gig economy, freelancing, and side business? It seems to be the trend these days to make a side income if you aren’t making enough income at your regular job. The idea of becoming your own boss and working when you want at the beach does have its dreamy appeal, but is that life for you? Should you become a self-employed freelancer?

If you’re on the fence about starting a freelancing business, ask yourself the following questions. You may surprise yourself with your readiness to take your career in a new direction. Or you may need more time to re-evaluate your options. Either way, these questions will help you decide if freelancing is for you.

Are you aware of the challenges and risks of freelancing?

If you’ve always been an employee, the sudden income instability may be a little frightening. Before you start, make sure that you have three to six month’s savings set aside to pay your bills. You’ll be taking risks that you didn’t take when you had a job.

As a freelancer, it’s your responsibility to find work for yourself, either by networking or creating a profile on a gig platform such as Fiverr. When you first begin working on your own, you’ll need to manage your time and goals wisely. Even if you have a job that lasts three months, you’ll be looking ahead to line up the next gig to start four months from now. Otherwise, when your contract finishes, you could find yourself without an income.

When you first start freelancing, you may have some months with a lot of income, and other months with less. Setting aside savings will help with unforeseen expenses during months of less income. You’ll also need your savings because the holiday pay, sick leave, and medical and dental benefits that you may be accustomed to isn’t provided to freelancers.

The abrupt change in income stability may be too much of a difference in lifestyle for some people. Some people freelance for a side income, working in the evenings and weekends while still working at a full-time job. Others work at a part-time job while supplementing their income with a freelance business before transitioning to freelancing full time years later, when they have a stable client base.

Related: Why You Should Leave Your Comfort Zone

Do you have the skills as a freelancer?

Your success as a freelancer will also depend on your skill set. You can freelance as a writer, social media manager, virtual assistant, or video editor, to name a few jobs. If you’re just starting to build your skill set, you’ll be charging beginner level rates. If you already developed a skill and you’re transitioning to freelancing with that same skill, you’ll be able to charge much higher rates.

Other factors that will determine how much work you get as a freelancer and how much you make include:

  • Whether your skills are in high demand. If many clients need someone with your skills, then you will find many opportunities.
  • Whether your skills are general or niche. Writing, for example, is a general skill, and there is an abundance of writers. If you have a niche, such as writing grants or writing for tech companies, you will be higher demand by those clients that need that level of specialization.
  • Quality of your clients. Your relationship with your client as well as their financial situation will determine how much you can charge for your services. For example, if you are just getting started, you may accept a contract with a small company that hasn’t been in business very long. Their budget would be limited, but you would be able to gain some work experience.

Do you have the mindset to start a freelancing business?

The most important factor to consider about freelancing is your mindset. You’ll be your own boss, setting your own work hours. You can sleep in on a weekday or only work three hours a day if you’re feeling lazy. Those are some of the perks.

It also means you need a lot of self discipline to set your own income goals and work hours, and to get work done by the deadline. People you know may discourage you from freelancing because of the risks. They’ll tell you to stick to the stability of having a traditional 9 to 5 job, and maybe work two jobs if you want to make more money.

As a part-time or full-time freelancer, however, you’ll be able to decide what projects and work you want to take on, and you’ll be able to negotiate your own rates. Yes, you’ll have bad experiences with clients who don’t pay or take advantage of you. It’s a learning process, and as you gain experience, you’ll have the chance to find great clients who appreciate you. When you become highly experienced and in demand, you’ll even be able to turn down jobs to do only the work you enjoy.

Summary

Freelancing, either part-time or full-time, can be a dream come true for those who want to make an extra income, or take on work opportunities they want. Being your own boss and working where and when you please has its appeal. However, freelance work isn’t for everyone. You need mental discipline and a desire to always work on your skills.

Still considering working as a freelancer? What gigs would you like to try?

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Why You Must Leave Your Comfort Zone

You’re standing at the front of the room, aware that every pair of eyes is on you. Palms clenched and sweaty, your heart thuds so hard it will crash out of your rib cage. You open your mouth to begin your presentation, but just a breath of air leaves your lips. You want to die to escape, but then you remember a horrible, universal truth.

Fear itself kills no one.

Never be afraid to leave your comfort zone.

When I gave my first presentation in front of two hundred people, all strangers, I did an excellent job of bombing it. I could blame it on the fact that I hadn’t been properly informed about the audience. The material I presented wasn’t challenging enough and they complained it was too simple. Throughout the painful, 3600 second duration of my talk, I could feel impatient eyes pushing me off the stage. I wanted to do what they asked, to escape, but their dislike alone couldn’t make me melt under the spotlight and die.  

The comments I received on the feedback forms afterward I would never frame on my wall, but I don’t regret the experience. It has become my war story about how I spoke while on hostile territory and survived.

When you get uncomfortable, you grow.

Humans can live through a lot of things, and with each experience, we stretch that elastic band that defines our comfort zone. I redefined the boundaries of mine when I gave that work presentation. I fear bombing a presentation a lot less because I’ve told myself that it’ll never be that bad ever again.

A little bit of anxiety = a little bit of adventure.

If you’re considering leaving your comfort zone, you should start with something small, like changing your routine to or from work.  Instead of taking the main road, take a detour down a neighbourhood to check out the types of buildings and people that are there. Instead of keeping to the sidewalk, venture into the corner store to discover what they sell. Don’t let metathesiophobia – fear of change – get the better of you. Get uncomfortable just a bit at a time.

Fear of the unknown, fear of disappointment, and fear of failure are just three phobias that prevent people from trying something new.

Fear of the unknown can be terrifying. If you look down a long, dark tunnel, and cannot see the end of it, you may not venture in. What if there’s a beast living deep inside? What if entering that tunnel causes you to lose ten years of your life for every minute you spend in it?

What if?

But what if I told you that anyone who enters the tunnel will have one of their dreams granted after they reach the other side? Would you enter then?

Take chances and leave that zone of comfort.

Traveling to a new country used to be out of my comfort zone. I was taking a job in a country I’d never been to, in a city where I didn’t speak the language, and the only person I knew would be a friend from my home city. I chose to leave my comfort zone because I needed a job that paid well, but more importantly, my friend was going to leave me to live in a place where I’d never been. I didn’t want to be apart from him, and if he were going with me, I wouldn’t be alone.

The adventure didn’t quite turn out the way I had intended. My papers came through more quickly and I ended up in Tokyo, Japan, before he did. I was in a city of strangers, armed with only a few weeks of Japanese lessons. My assessment of the situation: highly uncomfortable.

Time passed. He joined me eventually, after I was settled in. Then I got homesick and left, and an ocean separated us for many years after that. Long distance phone calls became more sporadic, and ten years later, when we were reunited, we were strangers struggling to complete a conversation.

My fear had come true – our friendship had fizzled away, but I had no regrets. I wasn’t wondering if our friendship would have lasted if only I’d had the courage to follow him on his travels.

The upside of the experience was that I was more comfortable with visiting new places. Focusing on all the positive of what could happen inspired me to keep trying something new.

Leaving your comfort zone is like learning to walk.

Imagine if all babies in the world never leave the crawling stage because walking is scary. You could fall on your bum. You could sprain a finger. “Walking is hard! I give up! I’ll crawl for the rest of my life!” But at some point even babies decide to take one step at a time to leave their comfort zone and try that new way of moving that’s so efficient. It starts with standing up and putting one foot forward at a time.

Everyday, entrepreneurs try to challenge themselves to do something they haven’t done before. It’s easy to feel safe and secure.  However, you attain success only when you change, and only when you change do you grow into a new you.

For me, becoming an entrepreneur was not an overnight process. It involved a lot of slow growth mixed with plenty of setbacks (one step forward, two steps back) before I started to enjoy a smooth ride. Each day now, I get closer to my destination.

So how about it? How will you challenge yourself today?

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Self Care Tips Based on Your Personality Type

These days, more people are not just working from home – they’re working longer hours. Home and work life are blurring together, affecting mental and physical health. This trend is not a positive one and needs to change. You deserve a break, so here are self care tips by personality type to help you avoid burnout.

Why self care by personality type? Some people by nature work harder out of a need for competition, while others find it more difficult to maintain focus. My business mentors told me about the four basic personality types, which I describe here but with different names (to avoid copyright issues).  Which personality type are you, and what will you do for self care?

Self-Driven Hard Worker

The self-driven hard worker runs on never-ending batteries. They will forget to eat while they pursue a goal for the day. This personality type are often leaders and like to get straight to the point because they don’t like to waste time. They enjoy the finer things in life, desiring a lifestyle of luxury and wealth as an ultimate goal. If they are on vacation, or playing a game, they tend to be competitive and need an objective for the activity. They can be extremely focused.

Taking a moment for self care is most challenging for the self driven, hard worker. They will ask questions such as, “Why take the night off to watch a movie when I can keep going and hit my next milestone?” Achievement after achievement is its own reward.

Unfortunately, these hard workers could burn out and suffer from health problems. They need to take a much-needed break to eat a proper meal and enjoy some fresh air with friends or family! Having a little fun will not result in disaster or an episode of laziness, and this is hard fact for them to accept.

Detail-Oriented Analyst

People who fall under this personality type tend to over analyze and be very critical of many aspects of their life. Unlike the hard worker, who will take risks, the analyst needs to know all the facts up front before making a decision. They love details and keep meticulous records. They can be very tidy and organized, and they feel safest when they can anticipate what their future holds.

A detail-oriented analyst will take the time to pamper themselves or take a vacation if they know that everything is under control and carefully planned out. They will take the night off after they have planned out their day for tomorrow. They will try out a new spa treatment or yoga class if they have researched it first.

You can count on the analyst to thoroughly research your vacation destination, to plan out activities, schedules, and prices. It may intimidate them a bit at first but encourage an analyst to leap into something without knowing what they are getting into. Ask them to join you for a night about town and tell them your destination will be a pleasant surprise. A little adventure can be fun!

Devoted Humanitarian

The humanitarian puts friends and family first. Their objectives in life and career tend to revolve around what they can do for the people they care about, as well as humankind in general. They tend to be shy and quiet in personality (but not all of them are introverts), and they like to play it safe. They will work hard if it means their paycheck will cover the cost of hockey practice and uniforms for their child, or ensure that their parents have a nicer place to live. They tend to be selfless.

Self care can be a challenge for these humanitarians. They are so focused in giving and caring for others that they will sacrifice their own time, well being, or finances for another person. They need to try to put themselves first occasionally to avoid burn out.

Instead of giving their spouse a day off, for example, they should take the day off themselves and not feel guilty about it. Even if family members don’t show appreciation for what a humanitarian personality does, these personality types can give themselves a well-deserved time off.

Big-Picture Enthusiast

The big picture enthusiast is social and gets along with people. They can be the life of the party and the team member that coworkers consider most amicable. If there is a project at work, they tend to focus on the bigger goals and encourage people to become involved. However, they are sloppy with details and find it difficult to stay focused, especially if a task isn’t fun. Their biggest motivator is fun. If they like an idea, they will jump in and try it out, often without weighing the consequences.

For a personality type that likes to enjoy life, they too need some time for self care. They need to set goals and check in to make sure that these goals are achieved. Did they reach their income goal for the month? Did they complete all the mundane paperwork?

Taking the time to ground themselves in these less exciting aspects of life is important. Otherwise, they may find themselves missing out on important deadlines or stressed out and dealing with the aftermath of bad decisions because they didn’t do enough research. Enjoying life is good, but everything needs balance.

Summary

No one is exactly 100 percent one of these personality types. You could be predominately one of these types when you’re working and another when you aren’t. You could be a combination of any of these types, like a combination pizza of multiple flavors. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each type will help you focus on what you can do for your own health and well being. What self care will you work on this week?

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