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How to Find Your Voice at Work (Free Webinar)

Join us for this month’s free webinar on the topic of “How to Find Your Voice at Work.”

While writing my new book (The Invisibility Cure: How to Stand Out, Get Noticed and Get What You Want at Work), I experienced quite a few personal revelations. One in particular has really stuck with me. You see, as a corporate trainer, author and career coach, I talk a lot about how to find your voice at work. But I wasn’t always so skillful in this area myself. In fact, early in my career, I really struggled with this.

I’ve always had strong opinions. That’s just my nature. But, for a long time, I didn’t know how to express them properly in the workplace. Initially, I kept them to myself. I thought it was better to simply blend in. Why put myself out there by sharing perspectives that others might not appreciate or even want to hear? But, of course, that philosophy backfired. By staying quiet, I put myself in a position to be overlooked and, eventually, completely ignored. When I finally tried to speak up, no one listened.

After that, I went to the other extreme—I started sharing my ideas, thoughts and opinions about everything. And I did so in a very intense kind of way, trying to force people to pay attention. Guess what? That doesn’t work so well either.

Over time, I found a happy middle-ground. I learned when to stand up and when to back down. I learned how to express myself in a way that inspired others to listen, and I finally discovered the subtle power of influence.

I think these experiences help make me a better trainer, author and career coach, especially when discussing how to find your voice at work. I know what it’s like to go too far to either end of the spectrum, and I’ve seen many of my clients struggle in similar ways. I also know exactly what works (and what doesn’t) to find that sweet spot, where you can be both vocal and professional, assertive and respected.

This is an important piece of my new book, and it’s also something I’ll be discussing in this month’s webinar. Join us to learn powerful strategies for finding your voice at work. 

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How to List Skills Gained Outside of Work on Your Resume

How to List Skills Gained Outside of Work on Your Resume

Past work experience is, of course, the most important part of your resume. It’s meant to show a prospective employer that you have all the skills required to do the job for which you are applying, and that you’ve used those skills before in a professional capacity.

But what if you’re applying for a position that requires skills you didn’t gain through your past professional experience, but rather, skills you gained outside of work? Can you include those skills on a resume, and if so, how?   

The first thing to consider is this: Are the skills truly relevant to the job you’re seeking? You may be a fantastic pottery maker, but if that’s not a skill needed for this job, you probably shouldn’t waste space on your resume with that information. 

As a professional resume writer, I’ve occasionally worked with people who had very impressive accomplishments outside of work (athletic champions, award-winning artists, etc.). In some cases, I’ve chosen to include these items in the resume, even though the skills themselves were not relevant to the candidate’s desired role. The accomplishments, however, were exceptional and helped to describe the person’s character (driven, hardworking, and so on). So, while I say that in most cases, if it’s not relevant, you shouldn’t include it…you also want to use your best judgement.

Once you’ve determined what outside-of-work activities you’d like to include (and the skills you are intending they demonstrate), you now need to add them to the resume.

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