Let’s start by clearing out what’s no longer working. We want your career story to be told and catch the attention of those who need to hear it.
For my young professionals out there, keep your resume clean and clear with a one page maximum.
The same goes for your cover letter. It’s tempting to fit every experience into your resume — believe me, I’ve been there and done that. In the words of one of my former teachers, you don’t want the person reading it to be in a bad mood because it’s too long. When it’s too long, most people will skip through it even faster. That’s not ideal.
💡 Career experts agree; cover letters aren’t always required, but a strong one can make all the difference in your job search.
For everyone else, it’s always good to keep the most recent and relevant experiences on your resume and highlight specific instances in your cover letters. Understandably, some people have significant gaps in time in their professional careers. In those cases, prioritize relevant experiences. If there happen to be other jobs or professional experiences since then that can be highlighted, let that job you had straight after your last year of school take a backseat.
Now that we’ve got the main bullet points in place, it’s time to make sure that your resume sounds sleek and modern.
These tired phrases are holding your career story hostage. It’s time to kick them to the curb and make space for what really counts. We’ll give an example about how to revitalize phrases like this in the next section, so keep reading.
What’s still working for you? That introduction might have been collecting dust for a few years, but at one point it accurately described your abilities and career story. Take the tone or a certain word and refresh it.
🕰 Have you always been good with time-management? Update the wording so that strength finally gets the credit it deserves.
Before (dusty old intro):“I am a detail-oriented professional with strong time-management skills and a commitment to teamwork.”
After (much better):“A natural multitasker who thrives in fast-paced environments, I balance deadlines, projects, and collaboration with ease. Busy days become my success stories” (a perfect segue to an example of such a success story)
Of course, there isn’t anything wrong with the first introduction. It gets the job done with no extra fluff. In full transparency, the AI that reads it first won’t notice anything amiss. The only thing missing?
(It’s kind of important.)
It’s your voice. Once your resume and cover letter make it past the initial rounds, which it will, a real person will be scanning cover letter after cover letter. You want to make it stick in their minds. This is your chance to stand out in a clean and memorable way! Make it count.
For more on how to make your resume and cover letter ATS-friendly, click here.
I have an even easier solution for you.
Imagine not going through your cover letter and resume and rewriting every little thing about your career.
You don’t have to imagine it. With Hardly, input your old cover letter and resume along with some key words about what you want your new cover letter or resume to sound like into our cover letter and resume builders. Within minutes, you’ll have a brand-new, clutter-free, and ATS-friendly cover letter and resume ready to submit.
Worried about tone? You don’t have to be. Our AI enhances all text to sound exactly how you want it to. And guess what? All of Hardly’s tools are customizable to your needs. Use what you want, leave behind what you don’t.
Here’s your Hardly toolkit:
Assessments – Use built-in assessments to identify strengths, gaps, and job readiness.
Your career story is not fixed. It grows as you do. Whether you are just starting out or re-entering the workforce after time away, you already have what you need. What matters now is how you tell it.
Clear the clutter. Say what you mean. Let Hardly help you bring your next chapter into focus.
Growth isn’t a straight line to the top. It also isn’t defined by job titles or degrees.
Growth begins the moment you decide to move forward.
If you’re working with a workforce development center to find your next step, growth might mean rebuilding your confidence or figuring out how to talk about everything you’ve learned outside of a traditional job. It might mean navigating a completely new direction. And no matter where you are in your journey, Hardly is here to help you take that next step.
Everyone’s path is different, and that’s the point. Every experience teaches you something worth bringing to your next role.
This section is mostly for our high school graduates, but this advice applies to anyone without a degree looking further their careers without one.
Many of the most successful business men and women in the world don’t have a college degree. Their success didn’t come from a diploma. It came from the skills they built and the way they showed up.
Career success today depends far more on real-world experience than formal education. Every experience you have had has impacted you, whether that’s positively or negatively. It’s up to you to figure out how to channel the growth that each experience has sparked in you into your next steps.
Working in retail or at your local diner has value. It means you know how to work with people, even in difficult situations. If you had a side hustle in high school, it shows entrepreneurship and the ability to take risks responsibly. Volunteering at your local nursing home shows compassion, willingness to give back to the community, and most importantly, dedication.
These experiences matter and important to build true character alongside your foundation. You’ve already built the skills you need. Now it’s time to make sure employers see them.
Hardly works hand-in-hand with workforce development centers. Our tools, like our resume builder, help you tell your story clearly and professionally. If your experience doesn’t look traditional, that’s okay. Tell us where you’ve been, and we’ll help you present it in the best way possible.
Coming back to work after time away can feel overwhelming. Whether you’ve been raising a family, serving in the military, or navigating a major life change, reentering the workforce requires courage and support.
For some, it’s been years since they’ve had to update a resume or apply for a job. For others, like formerly incarcerated individuals, the gap in employment might feel like a wall. And for veterans, the transition into civilian life can be jarring.
You’ve developed highly valuable skills that aren’t always written in the language employers expect to see. These types of skills could never have been gained by someone in academia. That’s your advantage. You have lived a different life, and have grown skills that are necessary for our society.
If you’ve kept people safe, followed detailed protocols, or learned how to make fast decisions in unpredictable environments, you already have what so many employers are looking for. Adaptability. Leadership. Attention to detail. Teamwork.
Can you work well in a high-pressure environment? The question doesn’t even need to be asked with certain jobs under your belt.
The key is helping employers recognize those strengths. That is what Hardly does best. Our resume and cover letter builders help you translate your story into a format employers understand. And this time, you don’t have to spend hours staring at a blank screen.
The job search is grueling, especially when you’re trying to pivot into a new field without a traditional background.
It’s a time filled with uncertainty.
You apply to dozens of jobs, rewrite your resume over and over, tailor your cover letters and still hear nothing back. Eventually, it starts to feel personal. But it’s not.
Rejections left and right are NOT a commentary on the value you can bring to the table. Forbes states that 70% of people are finding it harder to get a job this year than in years past. You’re not imagining things. The market is tough.
Hardly lets you update your resume as you grow, build custom cover letters for every job you apply to, and track all your applications in one place. We help you stay organized and focused so your effort doesn’t go to waste. Our tools make your growth visible to employers.
Don’t make it harder than it needs to be, right?
Here’s a few steps to get you started:
1. Use Hardly’s resume builder to tell your story clearly and confidently.
A well-crafted resume is your first impression. Use our tools to highlight your strengths, your experiences, and your goals in a way that speaks to employers.
2. Track your applications with the job tracker.
Staying organized during your job search helps you stay focused. Hardly’s job tracker lets you see where you have applied, follow up with confidence, and celebrate each small win.
3. Set one new growth goal each week.
Small goals lead to big changes. Whether it is updating one section of your resume, learning a new digital tool, or attending a workshop, consistent progress builds momentum.
4. Keep showing up.
Growth is not about having everything figured out. It is about taking one step at a time, no matter what stage you are in.
Hardly makes those steps easier. We are here to help you stay on track and own your growth with clarity and purpose.
Here’s a fun fact about me: I’m a perfectionist at heart. However, being perfect is not what growth is about. We’re all running the same race but from different places. Your next step will look different from mine. The most important thing to keep in mind is that we’re both moving forward.
Feeling sad? Take a step forward. Feeling tired? Take another step forward.
Each step forward facilitates more growth and more character.
You have to own each step.
Hardly has your back every step of the way.
Today, employers are looking for skills over degrees.
Ask around. Chances are someone in your circle took an untraditional route from high school to their now successful career. If you don’t know someone like that yet, Hardly is here to help you become that person or support others.
The job market is challenging, even on its best day. You scroll through LinkedIn or Indeed and see job postings with qualifications for entry-level jobs like this:
That overwhelming spreadsheet of applications rejection emails and recruiter names that I know you have (don’t worry, we’ve all been there) can be simplified with an effortless job tracker designed by Hardly to keep you organized and focused.
Let’s dive into why skills are outweighing degrees these days.
Some fields like medicine, law, or engineering will always require formal education and hard skills. That’s fair. In recent years, many qualified people have gravitated toward other paths, like those in the trades or other fields like marketing, business, entrepreneurship, and design.
The downside for hiring professionals? Thousands of applicants look nearly identical on paper. They have the same:
degree.
internships.
cover letter rewritten over and over to fit the qualifications.
How do you stand out and differentiate yourself when everyone checks the same boxes?
Employers are shifting their focus from just degrees to actual experience. It’s heartening to see employers begin to focus on hiring the right skills, drive, and passion. Instead of where you went to school, they want to know what you can do.
What have you built, led, designed, managed, or solved? Experience and demonstrated capabilities are what matter in today’s job market. Hardly’s resume builder helps you highlight your skills clearly and use the right keywords to catch recruiters’ attention.
Companies like Google, IBM, and Delta have already removed degree requirements for many roles. Likewise, more are following, because they’ve realized what we’ve always believed:
💡 Your experience matters more than a diploma.
Organizations are finally starting to recognize that traditional education is not the only path to job readiness.
This change didn’t happen overnight. It’s driven by many factors. Here are the top 2 overall factors:
Technology Evolution
Tech evolves faster than most college programs, so degrees can become outdated in record time. Many new job positions today didn’t exist 10 years ago. Equity and access have become central conversations. College isn’t affordable or accessible for everyone. Employers are realizing that talent is everywhere but opportunity is not.
Changing Nature Of Work
Freelancing gig work side hustles remote jobs and entrepreneurship have expanded how people develop and prove their skills. Someone who started a small business managed a family schedule or ran social media for a nonprofit might bring more relevant experience than a recent graduate without hands-on training.
Skills-first hiring also changes how we think about career paths. Gone are the days of climbing one narrow ladder for forty years. Today’s workforce is built on pivots, growth, and reinvention. You can move between industries, start over in a new city, or explore a different role without returning to school each time. That freedom can feel intimidating but it is also incredibly empowering. Your career doesn’t need to follow anyone else’s template. You are allowed to build it your way.
More than anything, this movement puts the spotlight back on people. It recognizes that value does not come from a piece of paper. It comes from action. Value comes from showing up, figuring things out, making progress and learning as you go. That mindset matters more than a transcript ever could.
Electricians, welders, plumbers, and carpenters are all professionals with serious skill sets, and their work is more essential than ever. These are smart, valuable, and often high-paying career paths that deserve the same level of respect as any corporate job. People in the trades build and maintain the world we all rely on. And right now, there is real opportunity. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, skilled trades are among the industries most impacted by the labor shortage, which means demand is high and growing.
Hardly was built with that in mind. Whether you are fixing engines, framing houses, designing websites, or running your own landscaping business, your work has real impact.
Hardly helps you turn hands-on experience into language that speaks to employers. Whether you have been working for twenty years or you are just starting out, Hardly makes it easier to identify your skills, frame your story, and stay organized throughout your search. You don’t need a business degree to prove that you are capable and ready. You just need the right words.
Most of us are our absolute best work selves when we start a new job. Our boss says “jump,” we say “how high.” We show up early, over-prepared, and volunteer for every opportunity for growth. Then a couple of weeks or months go by and naturally as we get more comfortable a few bad working habits tend to rear their ugly heads. Our transition to remote work probably followed a similar pattern. In fact, we might have developed some new unfortunate habits in the process.
I started forgetting all about my body language during Zoom meetings. Being in a room surrounded by people dressed in business attire commands a certain level of attention. Being alone in my apartment with sweatpants and headphones on is a different vibe. I was catching myself mid-doodle, looking down at my paper, and suddenly remembering I was on camera! I hadn’t made eye contact with the current speaker or given any signs that I was engaged in the conversation in ten minutes. While I had been listening, it looked like I was completely zoned out to my coworkers. Realizing my habit could come off as disrespectful and unprofessional, I knew I had to nip it in the bud.
To save you from having to learn some hard lessons on your own, here are our top 5 bad working habits you need to kick in 2021:
He was right! Let go of meticulously going through the small stuff at the expense of making headway on the project as a whole. Instead, create a comprehensive rough draft where all the content or “meat” of the deliverable is there and then go back and make necessary corrections if time allows. Don’t let your fear of criticism keep you from pulling the trigger. The sooner you send it out, the sooner you can receive feedback, the sooner you can make it better.
One of my New Year’s commitments was to be on time for everything. Showing up when you are supposed to says you value your time and the time of others which can be hugely important in business since time is money.
To avoid being late to any Zoom calls, set the alert for 5-10 minutes before the actual meeting so that you have time to go to the bathroom, close out of your email, or get a glass of water before it begins. Shoot for sitting in front of your computer with a smile on your face one minute before the start time.
I am definitely guilty of this one. With good intentions, my default is to say “yes, yes, yes” to everything forgetting that I only have time for so much work. While setting boundaries might be difficult at first, it is better than disappointing others when you have to admit you bit off more than you could chew. Instead, set realistic expectations from the beginning and if you finish early, reach out and offer to take on more.
Laser focus is a valuable skill however, in virtual work environments being accessible via online platforms is key. Coworkers rely on email and Slack to let you know they require your attention. Tuning everything out and working in isolation is not an option— and is definitely a bad working habit. Deeply focusing on one task for an extended period of time can cause you to miss time-sensitive messages from others on your team. You don’t want to be the one that people can never get a hold of.
Prevent this by placing a time limit on your tunnel vision and scheduling email, Slack, and phone checks a couple of times per day so that you are attuned to all your tasks in the background.
Even if a change is for the better, there is always a learning curve. Being a stick-in-the-mud and unwilling to adapt is a sure way to make yourself obsolete. Don’t be the team member that is looking backward rather than forwards. Instead, take on a positive attitude and welcome the opportunity to add a new skill to your repertoire and resume. Just think, it will make you more competitive in the long run!
If you and I can ditch these bad working habits, we will be sure to excel in our current positions. Not to mention, our coworkers and bosses will thank us for being productive, punctual, honest, aware, and adaptable. Let us know if there are other bad habits you intend to improve this year and share your plan of attack!
You may also like…
Tired of feeling stuck with your resume and cover letter? This post walks you through refreshing your career story by removing outdated language, emphasizing your real skills, and using Hardly’s smart tools to streamline your job search. Your story evolves. Make sure your application materials do too!
You don’t need a perfect plan to move forward. Whether you are reentering the workforce, switching careers, or taking your very first job, growth is already happening. With the right tools, you can own it.
A career coach is there to help you figure out what you want to do, explore opportunities for professional growth, and support you through a job search. But… It takes time and money to hire a career coach, so you should do your homework to figure out if working with one will help you reach your career goals. And if a career coach is for you, what kind of coach will be the best? Here are five reasons you might consider hiring one.
It's hard to know what to do next.
When family or friends try to help narrow down your choices, their advice may not always reflect what resonates with you; it may be based on what you’ve done in the past or what’s the “easiest” career or job. Your coach can help you consider career and job options that are different from what you’ve done previously or that you hadn’t considered.
You had a bad experience at another job
If you have or have had a job that caused you anger, sadness, or anxiety, you may be trying to move on from that experience. A lot of people think the next job will fix their negative attitudes, but it doesn’t work like that. A career coach can help you move past those repeated unpleasant experiences and review your assumptions, which may not only impact your job search but also your daily motivation and family life.
If you are unsure that you should leave your job, check out our article on 10 Signs It’s Time to Leave Your Job
Creating a simple, yet substantive resume is challenging.
To qualify for a job at the level advertised, resumes must demonstrate the correct skills and abilities. It’s important to position your skills in the context of a potential role – particularly transferable skills that don’t match perfectly with the job description. Despite how great an accomplishment may be, not every accomplishment belongs on a resume. By focusing your resume and LinkedIn into one message, a career coach can help you better position yourself. This will help you attract recruiters’ attention by determining which experiences are relevant to the job for which you are applying.
If you want a quick fix that isn’t as thorough, look for tools like Enhancv— which will automatically scan your resume and suggest updates.
Not making it past the recruiter screen? You may need assistance when it comes to connecting your experience to each job. Otherwise, you may continue to make it to the next round but you won’t get past the hiring manager. Practicing with a career coach will help you polish your executive presence, answer common questions, and prepare you for interviews.
A career coach isn’t just for finding a job. There are lots of coaches around who can help you figure out why you’re not advancing. You can work with a coach to conduct an objective evaluation or review your performance feedback to determine which behavior you should change to move ahead in your career.
Career coaches can be extremely helpful, but that one-on-one time comes at a cost. Before you take the leap and pay, test the waters with our interactive quizzes and forum-style career coaching. That way, if you do choose to meet with one of our career coaches, you’ll have your motivations, priorities, and career path ready to be discussed.
Tired of feeling stuck with your resume and cover letter? This post walks you through refreshing your career story by removing outdated language, emphasizing your real skills, and using Hardly’s smart tools to streamline your job search. Your story evolves. Make sure your application materials do too!
You don’t need a perfect plan to move forward. Whether you are reentering the workforce, switching careers, or taking your very first job, growth is already happening. With the right tools, you can own it.
The job market is shifting. Employers now value skills over degrees. Hardly helps you stand out by showcasing what you can do, not just where you studied.
See how workforce development nonprofits use Hardly to streamline job support and empower seekers. Review tools, strategies and more!
Discover how workforce organizations can adopt tech while preserving human-centered support for job seekers.
Hardly’s Quick Job Tracker Chrome Extension helps users save job details from job board sites and generate tailored resumes and cover letters using Hardly’s AI tools for efficient applications.
We’ve all been there. When Sunday evening rolls around and you suddenly feel your eyes rolling back in your head. The dread of going to an unfulfilling job is something that makes us all feel isolated and unified, simultaneously. But in the world of the great resignation, you have choices! It’s never been better to be on the hunt for a new job, or even a new career. That’s why we have some handy questions that you can ask yourself to find out if it’s time to say “sayonara” and look to new horizons.
You may love your company, so it’s time that you hear some tough love. If you’ve been talking to your manager for years about a promotion or a change of role within the company, you are not getting it. In their mind, you are glued to a specific type of position and they will never see you differently. If you are certain it is time for a change, you’ll be more likely to get it somewhere else.
Once upon a time, you were surrounded by an amazing group of friends at work, every day. Slowly, those have trickled away finding jobs somewhere else. The new coworkers? They are fine, but you know how work used to be.
You’ll always be comparing your current coworkers to your former work-BFFs. Always. And no one deserves to live in the past like that. It’s time to update your resume, and get going. Plus, doesn’t it mean something if everyone is leaving? If you need a way to track your happiness at work, check out our article on Career Journaling for Success.
Of course, everyone relates differently to their company’s mission, and this is more important to some people than others. But for most professionals, their values need to align with their company. A mission represents where company leadership steers to in the future, and you want to be moving forward on the same road, right?
Want to see if your values align with your organization? Try our free quiz here.
Speaking of not looking back… Your manager is RIGHT BEHIND YOU.
Just kidding. They aren’t (at least we don’t think so).
But seriously, you spend 33% or more of your time at work. If you don’t trust your manager or company leadership to take care of you behind closed doors, that’s a sign that you should leave your job for better opportunities. At the end of the day, you need to look out for yourself, but it’s best if you can trust that your boss isn’t going to screw you over.
We put this at Number 1, because this is sadly what we hear all the time. You filled out a survey, expressing your feedback to management. You also told them the same feedback at your yearly review. And maybe you’ve mentioned it to others at the holiday party. Every time you express your feedback, you are met with nodding heads and complete agreement, yet no one is doing anything about it.
Leaving in these circumstances can be the most freeing! You’ve tried your best, and that is all you can do. Take your great ideas to another company that aligns to your vision of the future, or better yet, create the company you want. Because if the past couple of years has shown us anything, it’s that you have no time to waste on someone else’s bulls*&#.
In the 21st century, “work-life balance” has become a buzz word. ADP states “the term was first introduced in the 1970s and 80s as stressed baby boomers strove to achieve a balance between career, family and other areas of their lives.” Now, work-life balance is promoted as the antidote to burnout. Taking vacation days and leaving work at work used to be a sign of this balance but now, with flexible hours, remote offices, and more opportunities to work in a field one is passionate about, it can be hard to define what work-life balance looks like for each of us. It can be even harder to determine if we are achieving it. While Hardly acknowledges there are a variety of work to life ratios that feel healthy depending on your work personality, here is a list of common barriers to attaining the balance you are looking for:
Regardless of what your work style is, giving colleagues and clients 24/7 access to you can make it impossible to create work-life balance. The scary thing is, most of us don’t even realize we are doing this. While I love the creation of smartphones, one of the huge downfalls is that my work email and slack are always attached to me. I could be at dinner with the family or on a weekend trip with my friends and I still feel the pressure to keep tabs on work because notifications are flying in. Now if you are a person who likes to work on the go, having your work email on your phone might be a godsend, but that doesn’t mean you have to be available all of the time. Instead, make a habit of turning off your notifications for at least part of the day and creating a 48 hour reply rule so that others don’t expect you to be on demand all of the time.
Intimately tied to setting access boundaries, understanding that most things are not urgent is crucial to maintaining work-life balance. Setting priorities and having a plan for executing them will help you keep your boundaries consistent. If your goal is to never work past 5pm, you have to be able to determine tasks for the next 24 hours versus what can wait until the next morning. This way you are confident in your decision to stay offline. Similarly, effective weekly planning will help your boss and colleagues feel comfortable not contacting you while on vacation. It is when they feel out of the loop that panic arises and we are unable to detach.
This next one is more of a mindset rather than a clear obstacle. Either consciously or unconsciously many of us identify work as our primary source of value. If we earn a high salary or work for a prestigious company it in part identifies us and our accomplishments. While understandable, thinking you are your job can be hugely detrimental to work-life balance. Even if work is not attached to your identity, 99% of us need a job to have financial security. If your job feels like it is all you have, you will live in fear of jeopardizing it. So when your boss asks you to take on more, your natural reaction is to say yes without question. Next thing you know, friends, family, hobbies, and mental health can all fall to the wayside. Combat this by keeping your resume and cover letter updated, networking, and knowing your capabilities. Have confidence in your ability to get another job and that your life is full outside of work to prevent your boundaries from being bulldozed.
Another prominent boundary to achieving work-life balance is your company’s culture. While many companies now boast ideals that support employee mental health and encourage time away from work, the reality can look very different. Many times, our bosses and colleagues set the tone for expectations at work so if they aren’t taking a break, we aren’t either. Similarly, if we see that others are praised for staying late or working on weekends, we are likely to follow suit. While we don’t have control over other people’s habits, we can seek out environments where our style of work-life balance is encouraged and at the very least have a candid conversation with our superiors about how our desired balance can be supported.
Lastly, one of the largest barriers to work-life balance is 100% in your control: not knowing what to do outside of work. It is hard to justify time away from your desk when life outside of work lacks purpose or excitement. As adults we often forget the value of having hobbies that don’t bring in money or we aren’t excelling at. Not everything has to be a side hustle for it to be important. Spending time with friends, family (pets included), and nurturing interests outside of work makes you a whole person. Valuing your home life will help you respect it and make work-life balance a priority.
Tired of feeling stuck with your resume and cover letter? This post walks you through refreshing your career story by removing outdated language, emphasizing your real skills, and using Hardly’s smart tools to streamline your job search. Your story evolves. Make sure your application materials do too!
You don’t need a perfect plan to move forward. Whether you are reentering the workforce, switching careers, or taking your very first job, growth is already happening. With the right tools, you can own it.
The job market is shifting. Employers now value skills over degrees. Hardly helps you stand out by showcasing what you can do, not just where you studied.
Last month, we talked a lot about motivation: What type of motivators there are, how companies can keep employees engaged, and what works best for you. We quickly realized understanding motivators is only part of the equation when it comes to finding a company that fits your individual values. Another important aspect that determines whether or not you’ve found your match is your definition of work-life balance. In other words, do you like your work and personal life to bleed together or be kept separate? Lastly, there is the matter of organizational culture. Do you lean towards an individualistic model of management or a collective one? These three aspects combined make up one’s work-life values.
Recently, Hardly’s consumer insights have pointed towards four different work-life value profiles. Based on consumer research, we found many people fall into one of the following categories with slight variations based on where they are in their career trajectory:
If your work is also your passion, you are probably in this category. Discoverers and Trailblazers think outside the box and want to be on the cutting edge of their field. They find themselves motivated at work simply because of internal desires. They love the challenge without a need for additional rewards. Therefore, they allow their work to permeate throughout their lives. While everyone needs money to live, these curious employees are more concerned with whether their work is engaging and purposeful.
Visually, their work-life balance is like a swirl with work and play mixed together. You might find discoverers and trailblazers talking about work with their friends over dinner or reading articles on the topic just for fun. As one survey participant described, work-life balance is “being self-employed, having a daily blend of life and project work.” Others might burn out from a lack of delineation, but members of this group are energized by this style of work.
Discoverers and Trailblazers fit best with a company culture that values adaptability and agility over rules and tradition. Given the freedom to try new things, they love to be a force of change for the greater good. They prefer to be given more freedom and flexibility to make changes as they see fit. When their boss offers them the opportunity to do things differently, they thrive.
This work-life style’s favorite perk is flexible dress codes, business travel, and employee outings so they can continue to blend work and play.
So what’s the difference? Discoverers are still novices. They like to try new things but aren’t necessarily leading the pack with their new ideas. Trailblazers are a bit more seasoned and are innovating at a higher level and willing to take more risks to make their vision a reality.
This group holds the most “traditional” work-life values. Apprentices and Captains are happy to pay their dues in the beginning and earn the benefits that come with being at the top. Their motto is “work hard, play hard.” They separate their personal life from their professional one, believing turning their passion into a paycheck would ruin it. Apprentices and Captains believe structure and clear expectations are required to be productive. They value efficiency and are more inclined to push themselves when stimulated by external benefits, rewards, praise, and above all, respect. Having their hard work acknowledged by other people and/or in exchange for something quantifiable sustains their engagement.
They value giving their all to their job when they are present. Then, checking out completely when it’s time to enjoy friends, family, and hobbies. As one participant stated, work-life balance is when “work stays as work, and my time off is respected.”
Apprentices and Captains fit best with a company culture that respects level of rank and responsibility. They value a chain of command and specific processes. Apprentices and Captains prefer organizational cultures that care less about face time or hours online and more about accomplishing tasks. In addition, praise from the boss goes a long way. The best perks to entice this group are early Fridays, milestone gifts, and performance bonuses.
The difference between the two is that Apprentices are still at the bottom of the totem pole but are eager to climb the corporate ladder. Captains have already worked their way up and are role models for those they manage. To the Apprentice, a Captain’s success represents a promise that hard work pays off in the long run.
Collaborators and Mentors are a bit more nuanced. They are motivated by outside forces, but they don’t mind if their personal and professional lives become intertwined. A survey participant nailed this idea when saying, “[work life balance is…] enough sleep, eating healthy, time to workout/hobbies, but paid enough.” Their balance comes from their sense of duty to others and being able to complete personal tasks throughout the day alongside work.
Collaborators and Mentors don’t mind answering emails on the weekends or entertaining clients in the evening. But, their high level of productivity is dependent on others acknowledging their accomplishments. In addition, they like to pursue goals as a team rather than individually. Their motto is usually “we win together, and lose together!”
Collaborators and Mentors match well with a company culture that functions like a large family or tribe. They love to be surrounded by like-minds and want to make sure there is consensus among colleagues before moving forward with new ideas. Believing each person is a valuable member of the team, they don’t want to feel like they are competing against their coworkers. They flourish at a company where getting to know one another holistically is encouraged and rewards are intertwined with collaboration and socializing outside of work. Their favorite perks are wellness programs, free social outings after work (hello, trivia night), and employee discounts on everything from gym memberships to meals.
Earlier in their career, Collaborators work well with those at the same level as them. On the other hand, Mentors are more focused on facilitating interdisciplinary work across the company. They lead their teams while fostering open dialogue amongst employees of all ranks. Many times, Mentors are protective of their younger Collaborators and invest a lot of time in nurturing their growth.
Strivers and Challengers are highly motivated by internal feelings of autonomy, mastery, and connection to their projects. However, they still value separation of church and state (metaphorically). Feelings of accomplishment and purpose at work drive intrinsic separators, and they like to detach from work and experience these same feelings from friends, family, and hobbies.
Their work provides a great amount of fulfillment in their lives, but it is not everything. They are at their best when they can compartmentalize the two as they see fit. As one participant stated, “my ideal work-life balance would be the ability to have a complete disconnect between work and personal life. I’m fine with talking shop outside office hours with other folks, but I want to be able to control when and where.” Strivers and Challengers are most productive when they are able to dive deeper into their specific interests and have a designated workspace to concentrate.
People in this camp fit best with companies that foster a bit of competition. Strivers and Challengers are very self-motivated and prefer to work for organizations that focus on achievement at an individual level. They typically have tunnel vision when working on a project and hold themselves to a high standard. In addition, they want to work for companies that stress individual accountability and self-promotion. They appreciate it when their boss offers them a challenging assignment and respects their free time. This work-life value profile’s favorite perks are professional development stipends, unlimited vacation time, and stock options. They also value companies that promote employees based on individual performance.
While both prefer working solo, Strivers are still trying to prove their individual value to a company whereas Challengers have most likely either reached the top where they get to call the shots or have gone out on their own. For example, Challengers make excellent solo-consultants, writers, artists, etc. Basically, the more they can tie their own work to their success, the better. Both tend to be successful at entrepreneurial endeavors due to their ambition and intrinsic motivation.
These four work-life value profiles are trending but are not yet set in stone. We would love your input to get a better idea of what other buckets exist and which work-life values are most popular. Click here to check out our app and take the survey to find out which work-life value you’re most aligned with. We look forward to incorporating your answers!
You may also enjoy…
Tired of feeling stuck with your resume and cover letter? This post walks you through refreshing your career story by removing outdated language, emphasizing your real skills, and using Hardly’s smart tools to streamline your job search. Your story evolves. Make sure your application materials do too!
You don’t need a perfect plan to move forward. Whether you are reentering the workforce, switching careers, or taking your very first job, growth is already happening. With the right tools, you can own it.
The job market is shifting. Employers now value skills over degrees. Hardly helps you stand out by showcasing what you can do, not just where you studied.
At Hardly, we’ve been thinking a lot about what drives behavior. What propels us into those productivity windows or makes us want to go above and beyond? Goals are great, but only if we have the motivation to achieve them. Motivation is about increasing your desire or reason for doing something, whereas willpower is about having the self-control to force yourself to do something you don’t want to do.
When I think of willpower, it is better used as a stop system. It helps you refrain from certain behaviors like eating too many sweets or letting distractions get you off track. Motivation is more about what makes you go. Below are some suggestions for how to motivate yourself intrinsically and extrinsically so that you have a variety of tools to pump yourself up when you need it most.
Defined by researchers Deci & Ryan, intrinsic motivation pertains to activities done for their own sake. In a sense, the reward or satisfaction lies in the act itself. You are typically intrinsically motivated when you are doing something you find inherently interesting or enjoyable. Simply put, you are motivated to do it because you genuinely want to even though there is no external reward like money or accolades. Research shows that being intrinsically motivated is energizing, nurtures wellbeing, and boosts our performance. But, not all of us work on passion projects, so how can this concept be translated?
Figuring out how to motivate yourself is not about pretending you like what you are doing, but making the process enjoyable. Marketing toothpaste or managing your boss’s calendar might not be your cup of tea, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be satisfying.
We recommend tapping into the power of choice and autonomy. Post-covid work has become a lot more flexible. Workers are able to design their lives with fewer limitations. Get excited about mundane tasks by relishing your ability to blast your favorite song or sit on the beach while doing it. Take that first call in the morning while hanging in downward dog or soaking in a foot mask while you reply to the last couple emails for the day.
We have all experienced that feeling of doing something to the best of our ability. When you turn in a piece of work that is truly reflective of your expertise it’s magic, you can’t help but smile! Try reminding yourself of this feeling before you start a task you know is going to be challenging and/or time consuming. Feeling competent and that your work is valuable will intrinsically motivate you. All you need to do is think of yourself as the handler. This task was especially assigned to you, because you are the only one for the job.
Learning how to motivate yourself intrinsically is easier when you know what you do like. Make a list of things you enjoy about your job as a whole and about the project you are currently working on. Even if it’s a small detail, it is a lifeline when you fall into a slump.
Now that you’ve changed your mindset to zoom in on the aspects you enjoy, zoom out to understand how accomplishing this task will propel you forward. Look at the big picture to give the task context in your greater plan. Feeling like we are on track helps build confidence in the choices we’ve made and in our future which intrinsically keeps us motivated.
Extrinsic motivation is reward driven behavior. Ever hear of B.F. Skinner? Well, he’s the psychologist who is known as the “Father of Operant Conditioning”. Basically, he found humans either do things or don’t do things based on whether they are rewarded for their behavior or punished for it. Regarding work, external factors, such as money, praise, or not getting fired, extrinsically motivate us to do our job. But, how can you customize extrinsic rewards yourself that are effective?
I personally work best on a reward system. However, it is sometimes hard to have the discipline to deprive myself of the reward when I don’t accomplish what I said I would. After all, only I know I didn’t finish that powerpoint, and no one will call me out for still eating a cookie.
A quick fix for this is to ask a friend or coworker to keep you accountable. In fact, make them part of the reward. Tell a coworker if you send them the proposal by noon, the two of you should go out for a lunch date. Or, schedule a movie night with a friend, but only if you get through at least half of your caseload. You wouldn’t want to disappoint them, would you?
If you are struggling with how to motivate yourself during longer projects over longer periods of time, celebrate your accomplishments. Since the pandemic, we haven’t had office parties or popped champagne when we are selected for a bid. Not only are the celebrations fun to look forward to, but they fuel us for the next big project.
Our advice is to not wait for your manager to celebrate your wins; plan a celebration yourself. Organize a happy hour with your team the day after a project is complete, and definitely go all out when you have risen to a challenge or gotten a promotion. I think you deserve that new gaming system!
One of the reasons extrinsic motivations can be ineffective is because the rewards are given too frequently. If you give yourself the reward often enough, it loses its allure. However, if you are strategic and determine a few rewards that you are really craving they can be highly effective. One of my rules is that the size of the reward must align with the difficulty of the task. For example, it wouldn’t make sense to equate a new pair or running shoes with one day of exercise. I would need to prove consistency and discipline over a month to justify such a reward. Think of it this way, you won’t want what you already have.
Let us know if you prefer intrinsic or extrinsic motivation by commenting below. Also, check out our tips for effective goal setting so that you can put your new found motivation to work!
You may also like…
Tired of feeling stuck with your resume and cover letter? This post walks you through refreshing your career story by removing outdated language, emphasizing your real skills, and using Hardly’s smart tools to streamline your job search. Your story evolves. Make sure your application materials do too!
You don’t need a perfect plan to move forward. Whether you are reentering the workforce, switching careers, or taking your very first job, growth is already happening. With the right tools, you can own it.
At the start of the pandemic, many of us productivity hackers thought, “working from home I can be efficient and effective on my own timeline without the time wasting formalities of the office.” People made Pinterest-worthy to do lists and color coded calendars thinking that these were the keys to productivity. We had high hopes of being able to make healthy breakfasts and take virtual pilates before our Monday morning meetings. The goal was to fit in grocery runs during lunch or be uber focused from 12-3 finishing projects so that we could get off an hour early. But for many of us these expectations of remote work did not become a reality. Instead we found it hard to stay in focus-mode past lunch, snacking throughout the day just because we were bored in the house, and juggling household chores during working hours resulting in everything taking longer to get done. Now that we have come out on the other side, it is time to get back on track and get rid of the procrastination monster. Here is Hardly’s guide to creating a productivity plan that works in reality so that you can meet your expectations:
Expectation: You are going to up your productivity by suddenly becoming a morning person. 5am is your new wake-up time and you will accomplish two or three personal tasks before work even begins. Your new productivity plan also includes taking a break every hour for 10 minutes even though you typically are the type of person who works best when they are on a roll.
Reality: While we are all for making healthy changes, one of the pitfalls many encounter when trying to increase productivity is wasting time trying to do things that are unnatural for them. In reality, if you have been a night owl for 30 years and it’s because you get a boost of energy later in the day, you will be working against the grain for minimal gains. You will take your scheduled breaks but find that they are actually interrupting your productivity, not helping it. Instead, your productivity plan should include understanding your natural patterns. What already makes you productive and how can you capitalize on that? Retraining yourself is time consuming and not always necessary.
Expectation: You set a goal for the end of the month. You think the bigger the goal, the better. You will rise to the occasion and get more done by reminding yourself of the overall objective. You try to stay motivated by thinking about what you can accomplish next month if you stick to your plan for this month.
Reality: You overwhelm yourself and it paralyzes you. The big goal was a good idea but you don’t know what is required of you right now to get the job done. Instead, your productivity plan should be rooted in the present. What do you plan to accomplish in the next hour? How are you going to do that successfully? Focusing on the step in front of you will help you be more productive in the moment and will make you feel accomplished more frequently.
Expectation: Tomorrow is the end of procrastination. You have downloaded all the productivity apps you need to block distractions and read up on the best practices to stay on task for longer periods of time. You expect results immediately and think you will transform yourself into a productivity hacker overnight!
Reality: Two weeks later you are still struggling to stick to your plan and end up working later into the evening despite your efforts to get more done before 3pm. In addition, your way of regaining time is skipping your lunch break which makes it hard to focus later in the day. Giving yourself grace is super important in your productivity plan. Consistency is the name of the game and slow and steady wins the race. In order for your productivity plan to be sustainable, your changes should take place incrementally and you shouldn’t be surprised if you have to establish your new habits for at least one month before seeing results.
Expectation: You believe being productive means getting it right on the first try. If you don’t make any mistakes then you are your most productive self. Mistakes cost time, and more time is the antithesis of efficiency.
Reality: Mistakes happen because we are all human. Your productivity plan should be centered around making progress, not being perfect. The best thing you can do is learn to recover as fast as possible. You will inevitably do something wrong and need to redo it because our work evolves and grows just like we do. We recommend learning how to dive in so that you can receive feedback quickly. If something goes wrong, don’t ruminate on the time lost. Bounce back and think about how learning this lesson will save you time in the future!
Expectation: Everything will be organized to a T, always. My planner will have sticky notes that correspond with my calendar. My desk will be orderly at all times. My emails will be categorized by topic and I will increase my productivity by never having to search for anything.
Reality: Organization is great, but in reality we can let the organization become a distraction. Have you ever finished cleaning your office and feeling great until you look up at the clock and three hours have past? While I do believe it is easier to focus with less clutter, accepting a little disorganization could do wonders for your productivity. Working on the actual projects you need to complete will become the main task and organizing will become secondary rather than vice versa. In fact, some of the best brainstorming or laser focused writing result in a mess of papers and pens strewed about.
Let us know what is realistic about your productivity plan and what is wishful thinking! For more on productivity, check out the 5 Best Apps you can download to get work done a whole lot faster.
You may also like…
Tired of feeling stuck with your resume and cover letter? This post walks you through refreshing your career story by removing outdated language, emphasizing your real skills, and using Hardly’s smart tools to streamline your job search. Your story evolves. Make sure your application materials do too!
You don’t need a perfect plan to move forward. Whether you are reentering the workforce, switching careers, or taking your very first job, growth is already happening. With the right tools, you can own it.
“Productivity” is one of the hottest buzz words in today’s work environment. The word is plastered all over self-help books and is the topic of podcasts and motivational speeches alike. We all aim to be productive, but sometimes we aren’t sure how to get the best out of ourselves. So, I thought it would be fun to choose 9 quotes about productivity to serve as advice and inspiration when we get to a sticking point. Why not take advice from others who have already become uber successful?
“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done” – Bruce Lee
This quote about productivity seems intuitive, but when you say it out loud it’s really powerful. So many of us ruminate over the same idea until we are blue in the face but never actually take the first step towards doing it. An idea person is only as good as their ability to follow through, whether that is on their own or by enlisting the help of others.
“The true price of anything you do is the amount of time you exchange for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
It’s important to remember time is the only finite resource we have. You can’t make more of it, so spend it wisely. How do you do this? Automate and delegate where you can. Productivity is all about knowing what you have to do and knowing what can be done for you.
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort” – Paul J. Meyer
If the pioneer of the self-improvement industry, Paul Meyer says it’s about consistently doing your best, strategy, and purposeful work then it must be true. The key to productivity is partially realizing that you have to consciously make an effort to improve your productivity. Like everything, practice makes perfect.
“The least productive people are usually the ones who are most in favor of holding meetings” – Thomas Sowell
We all know meetings can sometimes be where productivity goes to die. Collaboration or focused brainstorming can be hugely beneficial but meeting frequently to just talk about things that could have been communicated by email. At their best meetings bring coworkers together and help provide greater context to individual responsibilities. But at their worst, they are an interruption that keeps you from doing the real work.
“Never mistake motion for action” – Ernest Hemingway
I am sure this famous author encountered a writer’s block or two that he had to overcome. Hemingway knew the difference between quantity and quality. Just because you look busy doesn’t mean you are making progress. This productivity quote is about efficiency. Remember, it is better to take breaks than waste time pseudo working.
“Simplicity boils down to two steps: identify the essential, eliminate the rest” – Leo Babauta
Prioritization is crucial. We can’t do everything all of the time so it is important to move away from complexity and know how to make cuts. Productivity is best when it is used to get the best result in the shortest amount of time. If accomplishing something is not going to have a big impact, move it to the bottom of the list and don’t stress over getting it done. Instead use your brainpower where it counts.
“While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is buy making mistakes and becoming superior” – Henry C. Link
This is one of the best quotes about productivity, because it rhymes. Just kidding. But for real, I love this quote because it reminds us that the antithesis of productivity (and creativity) is perfectionism. The more we obsess over the details, the less we are able to accomplish. Being thorough is great, but it shouldn’t be crippling. Making room for mistakes might be the very thing that propels you forward.
“All things will be produced in superior quantity and quality, and with greater ease, when each man works at a single occupation, in accordance with his natural gifts, and at the right moment, without meddling with anything else” – Plato
This ancient Greek philosopher states that productivity is all about narrowing your focus and capitalizing on your talents. What we often leave out of the conversation about productivity is that we usually struggle the most when we are doing something we don’t like or aren’t good at. This is where the whole idea about following your passion comes from. You will be most productive when you do the things you naturally excelle at. That doesn’t mean quit your job and pursue your hobby full time. It means to figure out what you are best at and figure out all of the ways you can apply it to your current role.
“When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it – but all that had gone before” – James Clear
This is one of the best quotes about productivity from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits. It highlights the fact that productivity takes slow and steady progress. It is about incremental success due to the development of micro habits and consistency. You might not feel like turning your phone on silent from 9am-12pm is working until after a month when you realize you were able to get through your morning emails twice as fast as you used to. The point is, improving your productivity in sustainable ways is how you plan the long game, so don’t sweat it if you don’t see instant improvement.
We hope you enjoyed Hardly’s top 9 quotes about productivity. Let us know which quote is your favorite!
You may also like…
International team members can provide invaluable perspectives and magically keep business moving while the rest of your team is asleep. Leigh Hall, based in Japan, discusses best practices with international workers.
Remote work has provided opportunities for people to engage who may otherwise not choose to do so in a face to face setting. Join Heather as she shares her story on how the remote environment has expanded the reach of teams driven by more communication rather than less.
In elementary school, I planted trees; cleaned up the beach; and made recycle, reduce, and reuse posters every Earth Day. After a month of learning about “going green” and estimating our own carbon footprint, I remember telling my parents they couldn’t purchase an SUV, and we needed to stop using plastic straws and be more sustainable.
Since then, my environmental awareness has taken a nosedive. However, this spring, I have been thinking about whether remote work supports sustainable living. Are we all sustainable superheroes now that we don’t commute in our pollution producing cars? Or, have we become extra energy consumers working from home?
While the future of work is unknown, we can all agree that going back to a commute would be tough. Eliminating daily commutes to work in gas guzzling cars is a major point for the affirmative side. No commute means better air quality, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and less consumption of fossil fuels. Sounds like sustainable living to me!
Highway vehicles alone put out almost 35% of the total nitrogen dioxide and contribute to the 3.3 million world-wide deaths due to poor air quality every year. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in the USA came from transportation in 2017. Conversely, remote workers in the United States avoid emitting 3.6 million tons of greenhouse gasses every year, which is the equivalent of planting 91 million trees.
While getting to one office might have had a negative impact, working in one might have been positive. Companies were making huge efforts to reduce their carbon footprint before the pandemic. Fast Company shared how Shopify launched a sustainability fund in 2019, committing to invest at least $5 million every year into technology and projects to fight climate change. Since then, they have offered remote work to all of their employees indefinitely.
Whereas before they could control their sustainability by making environmentally friendly choices for one massive building, they are now dealing with “more than 5,000 offices scattered around the globe. All these offices have different heating systems, different energy grids, and each employee making different decisions now that they’re untethered from a central office.” Therefore, sustainability is not only less controllable but also less trackable. Without clear data, the jury is still out on which is better for the planet.
In addition to the inability to track everyone’s home energy usage, where you live and work complicates the questions of whether working from home is having a positive or negative effect on sustainable living. BBC brings up two important factors.
The first factor is workers in other countries, such as Norway, were using electric vehicles at high rates. Therefore, the lack of a commute is far less impactful there than in other countries that are highly reliant on petroleum, including the US and UK. In other words, sustainable living practices were already in place.
Additionally, cities where public transportation is used at large to get to and from work might not see any major changes in energy consumed since buses, trains, and metros are still running.
Secondly, where your energy comes from plays a role in determining whether working from home positively contributes to sustainable living. For example, if you live in Iceland (where a significant amount of clean geothermal energy powers commercial buildings), virtual work is not scoring you many brownie points. Conversely, if you live in a U.S. city where coal power is the main source of commercial electricity but many homes have solar power, remote work could have a positive impact.
Similarly, the temperature varies greatly across the U.S. and the globe. In places like Florida where the heat is treacherous, fossil fuels are pumping from every home all day and required in large office spaces. Therefore, cutting out the cooling of big buildings could be beneficial. Versus if you live in San Francisco where the weather is mostly mild, heating or cooling systems might be turned off when leaving the house so the change is negligible.
Do the small habits of individuals or the big changes at the corporate level make the difference? I don’t have the answer, but here is some food for thought:
On the other side of the coin, I see plastic Starbucks cups on everyone’s desk at the office, a product of getting their morning vice on the way to work. Yet, my guess is most drink the energizer from a reusable mug when working from home.
Also, what about the lights? In my apartment, I get great natural light all day so I don’t use much electricity, while my office is required to power overhead lights from 7am to 5pm.
Not everyone is environmentally conscious. Therefore, minor habits might not hold a candle to the millions of dollars that corporations can put into environmental efforts. For example, Zapier offset 647 tonnes of carbon through reforestation and Microsoft charges an internal fine of $15 per metric ton of carbon emission to encourage its departments to be as sustainable as possible.
At Hardly, we are striving to be environmentally conscious on all fronts. From our commitment to the sustainable packaging of products to our CEO’s use of S’well bottles, Hardly is making sure we do our part as a company of remote workers. Are you doing yours?
You may also like…
Tired of feeling stuck with your resume and cover letter? This post walks you through refreshing your career story by removing outdated language, emphasizing your real skills, and using Hardly’s smart tools to streamline your job search. Your story evolves. Make sure your application materials do too!
You don’t need a perfect plan to move forward. Whether you are reentering the workforce, switching careers, or taking your very first job, growth is already happening. With the right tools, you can own it.
