Bad habits are enjoyable in the short-term, but having good work habits leads to success, and success is big-F Fun. Hitting six figures was Fun. Realizing I had the power to negotiate because I was a stand-out employee was Fun. Running my own business, finishing and publishing my book, and being my own boss are Fun.

Hitting snooze, watching that extra hour of TV, and thinking of an excuse of why you couldn’t turn in your report today are not accomplishments that will make you, or your ten-year-old self, proud. They’ll keep you spinning your wheels, wondering why you can’t ahead.

Only good work habits, applied consistently over time, will get you where you dream of going.

Great Habits Won’t Go Unnoticed

With so many habits to choose from, how do you know which ones are the most important? These successful entrepreneurs, executives, and career coaches discuss their favorites and how you can apply them to your work life.

1. Know the “why” behind your work.

Career strategist Jasmine Escalera said she, like many people, used to cling to the idea that hard work equals success. However, applied like a blunt instrument, this belief led to overworking and burnout, damaging her quality of work.

“What I have recently learned is that your intention is really what leads to your success,” she said. “Knowing what you are working toward and, more importantly, why is pivotal to gaining the success you want in work and life.”

Get specific with yourself and write down your career goals, earning goals, and lifestyle goals so that you know exactly where you’re headed and why. It will impact your work ethic, helping you focus and stay on track even on the days you don’t feel like it.

2. Track your progress.

Business coach Amanda Abella echoed the need for a clear goal, but added that you need to track your progress towards your goals. If you don’t know how to track your progress, your goal probably isn’t clear enough. It needs metrics like numbers and dates.

“When I don’t do this, I fall off the wagon, and when I do this, I feel really on it,” she said.

Tracking your goals helps you not only stay focused, but it helps maintain motivation. “What happens when people don’t do this is they have a tendency to think they’re doing worse than they actually are, so then they lose momentum,” Abella said.

To track your goals, she advises to keep it simple. A journal or spreadsheet will do. Measure the most important metrics, like dollars in the bank or sales calls made.

Related: 15 Ways to Maximize Your Productivity and Earnings

3. Clarify your goals with your manager and stay focused.

Sometimes we think saying yes to everything is the way to get ahead, but career success coach Michelle Gomez said sometimes that can only keep you stuck.

“When we say yes to everything in a chase for validation,” she said, “we’re only going to overcommit.”

She advises picking three to five areas where you want to focus and grow in your job, and review them with your manager. If they ask you to take on a project that’s outside of those skills, don’t be afraid to push back.

“Otherwise you become the office workhorse,” she said.

If you’re not sure how to approach the conversation or what to say in these circumstances, she suggests the phrasing, “I feel like it would take away from my ability to give full capacity in my other tasks.”

4. Plan out your day.

One key work habit is to spend time each night before your workday to plan out your tasks and schedule, suggests Andrea Woroch, co-founder at One Take Media Coaching.

“If you wait until the day of, it’s easy to lose track and lose focus and not be as productive as possible,” she said. “Not only do I write out all the tasks I have to get done the night before, but I also block off time in my calendar for each task, even small things like sending invoices to clients or even personal items that can take up time, like calling my health insurance company.”

She advises to get the most important tasks done as early as possible in the day, so if there are any surprises, you’ve already handled the most essential goals. If you’re not sure which ones are most important, you can speak with your supervisor or list them by deadline, working on the ones with the soonest deadline first.

5. Create moments to recognize your accomplishments.

Sometimes we get in the habit of focusing on all that we have to do without looking back to congratulate ourselves on what we’ve done.

“Have a ‘Did do’ list in addition to a ‘To do’ list,” said Caroline Tien-Spalding, chief marketing officer at Aptology. “Not only does it give you a sense of what you’ve accomplished for that weekly report, it highlights any large deltas between what your priorities are and what ends up taking over.”

By looking back on what you’ve accomplished, it will help you realize how much progress you’ve made. This will motivate you to accomplish more before your year-end review, providing you with tangible evidence of all the value you’ve provided that year.

Related: How to Stand Out at Work (in the Best Way Possible)

6. Always be learning.

Did you think your education stopped at your high school or college graduation? It hasn’t. In fact, the most successful people are life-long students. With the world changing as rapidly as it does, a little studying should be part of your daily schedule. Your office should also be your school.

“The most important work habit that has helped me is to set aside time for learning,” said Sarah Li Cain, finance writer and host of Beyond The Dollar. “Circumstances, rules, regulations, jobs, etc. will change, so it’s important to find time to identify what piques your curiosity and can help you further your professional development.”

If you do 15 minutes a day of reading, listening to a podcast, practicing a skill, or even taking a class, you’ll have 65 more hours of education than you otherwise would, every year. You can take that education with you no matter where you go.

7. Protect your focus.

Every little ping, ding, and buzz costs you time, focus, and quality of work on your most important projects.

“Understanding how to stay focused is exactly what it takes to get things done and get ahead,” said Nir Eyal, author of Indistractable.

He suggests “slaying the messaging monster” by consciously removing distractions. Turn off notifications on non-essential apps, schedule time to check email (and refrain from checking it beforehand), and block tempting websites with programs such as Freedom.

You can even use your phone’s autoresponder, the one you usually use while driving, simply to focus.

8. Learn to follow through.

It can seem so easy in theory, but so many people have a hard time mastering the art of doing what they say they will.

“Whenever I’ve had to hire paid interns and freelancers (and even award scholarship funds), I’ve also seen firsthand how many just drop the ball. Emails unresponded to, projects left partially completed — literally leaving money on the line,” said Lauren Keys, who managed to semi-retire in her 20s and create a travel blog called Trip of a Lifestyle. “Showing up, as simple as it sounds, really is a huge part of the equation.”

Keep a journal with you at all times and write down any project, meeting, or task you commit to as well as anything you should follow up on. Then review the journal daily, checking off what’s done.

By following through, you’ll demonstrate you’re reliable and someone clients, managers, and coworkers can trust.

Related: 11 Skills Employers Look for That Most People Never Think About

9. Prioritize your to-do list.

Not all tasks are created equal. You’ll have to choose sometimes. But how do you know which ones to do first?

Robyn Ireland, career coach at Robyn’s Couch, provided a list of questions to ask about each task:

• Have I been given a clear deadline? If yes, when is it? If no, who do I need to follow up with to get clarity?
• Who is waiting for a response from me right now?
• Who will be impacted by me not doing this task during my workday?
• How will completing this task quickly improve my career aspirations?
• What on my list has a higher priority?
• If no deadline has been assigned for a task, what deadline will I give myself?

Use your answers to these questions to prioritize your to-do list. If you’re still struggling, talk with a coworker or manager to help you. You also want to make sure the time frame for your list is appropriate.

“I understand that not everyone likes the pressure of a deadline, that is why you need to be reasonable with yourself about getting things done,” she said. “You never want to be the person who breaks trust with the boss or clients by over-promising and under-delivering.”

Prioritizing tasks will help you feel less overwhelmed and it will help you focus and concentrate on the most important ones.

10. Always over-deliver.

Back when business strategist Rebecca Cafiero worked a corporate job, she knew her clients would get a survey. She told them that her goal was to give them stellar service, and she asked them to tell her if they ever felt they weren’t getting it.

“You have to ask to understand what the expectations are,” she said. “But also understand: an expectation is a bare minimum. You’re not going to get a raise for getting there on time. Look for areas where you can excel past that.”

According to Cafiero, the secret to providing amazing quality of work is not assuming you know what over-delivering means to your external customers, like clients, and internal customers, like your boss.

“You want to make sure you’re over-delivering in areas that actually matter,” she advised. “It’s a little like love languages for business.”

When you’re asking for expectations, clarify with your boss what areas are most important. Also, go to people who have had your position and moved up. Ask what they felt were the five most impactful actions they took that led to their success.

11. Create healthy work-life balance habits.

You can only bring your best self to work if you take time to care for yourself. So an important work habit is actually taking care of yourself, even in your off time.

“Scheduling personal time to care for myself and husband is always prioritized,” says Colleen Simo, a Director of Human Resources who also runs her own coaching practice. “I maintain a twice-daily 20-minute meditation practice and yoga a few times per week and if I didn’t put this first it would slip away. Maintaining my meditation practice makes everything easier.”

You may want to put a daily recurring 15- or 30-minute appointment with yourself on your calendar for mindfulness exercises to train your focus to take on the day.

Related: Is Working from Home Bad for Your Mental Health?

Good Work Habits Can Make or Break Your Career

This far into my career, my days are structured on the building blocks of good work habits. Learning them takes away some of the decision fatigue of deciding what to do every day. They make my schedule easier, my days less stressful, and my work more rewarding.

Leveling up with your work habits will feel like changing gears on a bike. You’ll climb larger hills faster, and arrive less out of breath.

The post 11 Good Work Habits for Becoming a Stand-Out Employee appeared first on DollarSprout.

Many emailed resumes came with a short note, if anything. More than one used smiley face emojis. And while they’re great for texting, using emojis in a cover letter comes across as unprofessional. 

Cover letters may be more often emailed rather than printed these days, but you still need to follow basic cover letter etiquette. Without it, you might find yourself struggling to get the job you want. 

What Is a Cover Letter and Is It Still Relevant?

“Should I include a cover letter in my application’ is the number question I get asked,” said career strategist Jasmine Escalera. “And my response back is filled with the facts. Almost half of applicants get rejected for not including this critical document.” 

A cover letter is a sales pitch for an internship or a job. It sells you to the company you want to hire you. Your resume provides proof of your claims. 

When writing your cover letter, you want to sell your excitement about working for the company and make them excited to meet you. 

Related: How to Make a Resume from Start to Finish 

10 Tips for Writing a Cover Letter That Employers Will Read

If you’re new to writing cover letters or need to brush up on your skills, here are ten tips from hiring managers, recruiters, and career coaches so you can get it right and land your dream job.

1. Know who (or what) might be reading your cover letter.

In the same way Google crawls the internet looking for keywords when you search for them, Applicant Tracking System Software, or ATS, looks for keywords in your resume or cover letter that match the job description. 

By using the same keywords the company uses, you improve your chances of your application passing on to a human reader.

That’s why Al Smith, aka “The Hired Guy,” suggests knowing your job title and paying attention to the keywords for that title, and making sure they appear throughout your resume and cover letter at least three times each. 

2. Start with an attention grabber. 

Be unique and avoid boring the reader. Try to be more creative than starting with “I am writing this cover letter to…” 

“Get personal. Your cover letter can be slightly more casual than your resume,” said Chelsey Opare-Addo of Not Your Mother’s Resume. “This is your chance to use personal pronouns, tell your story, and explain your passion.”

Keep it simple and get to the message quickly; taking too long to get to the point might make them skip over the rest of your application. Some options Chelsey suggests include starting with a compliment to the company, a statement of why you admire their mission, or recognition of their thought leadership in the industry. 

“The reader should know why you’re interested in working for that company,” she added. 

3. Write it as a problem solver for the company.

Read up on the company, or glean it from the job description, to see what kinds of challenges they’re facing. Then, use that information to customize your message in the cover letter. 

“Make sure to mention the company’s name, the challenges it’s currently facing, and how your unique blend of skills will help address them to make your introduction more personalized and attention-grabbing,” suggested Max Woolf of ResumeLab.

For example, if the company just started a new social media account on a particular platform, you can talk about your experience growing audiences with that platform.

Related: How to Stand Out at Work (in the Best Way Possible)

4. Use numbers, samples, and results to leave an impression.

Anyone can use adjectives to describe themselves. Instead, rely on facts. And rather than stating you’re a devoted or eager employee, show that you are. 

“When explaining yourself in the cover letter, use samples and several performance results,” said Noa Aziz, CEO of Zentern. 

Instead of saying you’re a great salesperson, Noa advises, use an example such as: 

“In my previous job at [Company], I was promoted within three months to project manager as a result of increasing sales by 20% and creating over 10 new partnerships.”

If you’re struggling with this part of your cover letter, ask a trusted coworker or friend to describe you or your accomplishments in your position. 

5. Keep it short and don’t repeat your resume. 

“The biggest mistake most candidates make is to make an excessively long cover letter,” said Yaniv Masjedi, CMO at Nextiva. 

You want to respect the hiring manager’s time by keeping your letter succinct and enjoyable. 

Describe the things that aren’t shown on the resume, such as challenges you faced, decisions you’ve made, or the results of your work. 

As Branka Vuleta, founder of legaljobsite.net puts it, “The cover letter should be short and exciting. It should show your enthusiasm and sincere appreciation of the company’s work. Writing a cover letter of up to 300 words is perfectly fine.”

If you’re struggling with keeping your cover letter short, have a friend look at, or consider hiring an editor who specializes in resumes and cover letters. You might even be able to use a service like Find My Profession.

6. Convey your passion for the role.

Employers want someone who really wants the job. 

“Make your cover letter stand out by showcasing your passion for the role with a personal story,” advises Samuel Johns from Resume Genius.

He says, for example, that someone applying to become a make-up artist might start their cover letter with a story such as: 

“Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved transforming my friends and family through the art of make-up. My proudest achievement was doing the make-up for my sister on her prom night — she was selected as prom queen that evening.”

It doesn’t have to be a story conveying a major accomplishment, but it should be one that demonstrates your proficiency and passion for the job. 

Related: 11 Skills Employers Looks for That Most People Never Think About

7. Use a professional email address.

Present yourself as professionally as possible. That includes using a good, professional email address. 

“Not ‘CrazyCatLady@xyz.com,’” said Deb Geller, author of Building Talent Pools: A Professional Development Model for Succession Planning, “and don’t use fancy paper or fonts.”

It may seem boring, but your resume needs to be easily copied and scanned, and you want to make that as easy on the hiring manager as possible. 

8. Make it specific to the job.

It’s tempting to write one cover letter and submit it with multiple applications, but the effort to personalize it will pay off. 

Find the company’s mission, vision, and values, and look for ways to work those into your cover letter. 

Jana Tulloch, Founder of Tulloch Consulting, said that her company looks for the effort potential candidates put into their cover letter. They look to see if it’s tailored to the job, uses keywords from the posting, and if it highlights how they match the requirements.

“It’s important for candidates to research not only the role they are applying for, but the company as well, and to speak to how their individual values and achievements align with the company’s values and goals,” Tulloch advises. 

Since your cover letter should answer the question, “Why should we pick you?” it needs to show that you are the best candidate for the position. This is hard to do if you use a canned or recycled cover letter.

Related: 10 Resume Mistakes to Avoid (and What to Do Instead)

9. Follow the instructions.

This is your first test: did you follow the instructions for the application? 

“Read them carefully,” said Jon Hill, CEO and Chairman of recruiting company The Energists. “This may sound glib, but, especially when you’re applying to a lot of different jobs, it can be easy to start glossing over the details in the applicant guidelines because they’re often quite similar.”

For each job, create a checklist from the paragraphs of information they give you, and check off each item as you include it. Remember to pay attention to the details they request and the format in which they request them. 

For instance, if they want you to provide your cover letter as a Word document, make sure you submit it as a Word document rather Pages or a Google document. 

10. Proofread it, and proofread it again.

Typos give the wrong impression. And thanks to spell check, grammar-checking software like Grammarly, and your grammar-savvy friends, you can create a typo-free cover letter. 

“If your letter is full of mistakes, you’re speaking volumes about your attention to detail,” said Timothy G. Wiedman, D.B.A., a retired Associate Professor of Management & Human Resources. He remembered that he once received a cover letter from an applicant who mentioned they graduated from a top tier “collage.” 

“I was not impressed,” he said.

To avoid gaffes like that, Wiedman advises having someone with solid writing skills proofread your cover letter. You can also have your cover letter read out loud by software. 

You might also consider learning the mail merge function in Word, which will help ensure the email address you’re using matches the correct manager’s names. 

Using all available resources will ensure you submit an error-free cover letter. 

Related: How to Write a Resignation Letter that Leaves a Good Impression

Sample Cover Letter Format

Matthew Warzel, President of MJW Careers, provided a template cover letter. You can use this exactly or as inspiration to create your own.

[DATE]

RE: [TITLE] Position

Salutation:

Dear [NAME OF HIRING MANAGER],

Opening Paragraph

Congratulations to you and the team at [NAME OF COMPANY] on [RECENT SUCCESS]. I can only imagine that given [NAME OF COMPANY]’s rate of growth, your sales team is in need of help to continue this expansion.

Body Paragraph

As I currently own and operate a powerhouse insurance office, I was able to secure142 sales in FY14 to earn #2 agency ranking for all of Houston and with only 4 of us. We had to keep our customers happy while continually pursuing new business at the same time. We grew sales to earn #1 ranking for dual/special need program sales by building high-performance teams and training agents on sales efficiencies, product benefits, and business development.

If you have a need for district sales management and a minute to chat, I’d love to learn more about [NAME OF COMPANY] and share a bit of my story with you.

Thank you for your valued time,

Writing a Good Cover Letter Can Set You Apart

Writing a good cover letter takes time. Each one is an investment, so you have to be smart about it. It’s better to take your time and apply to fewer jobs with a quality cover letter than blast your resume with a generic note to as many jobs as you can find. 

Every job application is a bet placed that you have what it takes to get the job. Show that you’re the best candidate by writing a stellar cover letter.

Related: Not Sure What to Bring to a Job Interview? Don’t Forget These 10 Things

The post How to Write a Cover Letter That Gets Noticed (with Example) appeared first on DollarSprout.

While those are all fair options, your best bet is to write a resignation letter. However, that’s often not as easy as it sounds. The chances for error or misinterpretation are high, and you run the risking of offending someone if you’re not careful.

One way to solve that problem is by sticking to a formula. Following precise criteria helps you provide a written record of intent to leave your company while doing so clearly, concisely, and professionally.

How to Write a Good Resignation Letter: 7 Key Elements

The recipe for a resignation letter is fairly simple. It doesn’t need to be wordy, overly complicated, or spiteful, but it does need to be prompt and sent at least two weeks before you plan to leave. You’ll also want to include these elements in your resignation letter:

1. Make it short.

To serve its purpose, a resignation letter doesn’t need to be long.

“A resignation letter serves as formal notice that you’re leaving your position at a company,” said Samuel Johns, HR specialist and hiring manager at ResumeGenius.com. “It doesn’t need to be particularly long or use flowery language.”

When writing yours, try for no more than a single page at the longest. In fact, half a page should suffice. If you have more to say, you can save it for your exit interview with HR or a formal meeting with your supervisor.

2. Keep it professional.

Your resignation letter becomes part of your HR file, and it should reflect well on you. This will help you in the future if you want to reapply to the company or if they’re called as a reference for a new position. 

“It is very important to remember the importance of keeping your resignation letter professional and in a positive tone no matter why you are leaving your job,” said Belinda Wee, Ph.D., an associate professor at Husson University’s School of Business and Management.

Related: 10 Tips to Quit Your Job in the Most Professional Way Possible

3. Put it on paper.

Don’t write an email for your resignation, and don’t give your resignation verbally without following it up in writing. 

Hilda Gan, president and chief people officer at People Bright Consulting, recalls an incident when an employee gave a verbal resignation. “I asked for a resignation letter. She was surprised why this is needed but complied,” said Hilda. “She goes to the bathroom, takes a paper towel, and returns with it saying, ‘I am resigning effective [date]’ and signs her first name. That is the worst resignation letter I ever received.”

When submitting your resignation, type the letter on actual paper, preferably with personalized letterhead. If you don’t have that, you can find a free template through design programs like Canva to create your own.

Make sure you keep a copy of the letter in your files as well. 

4. Detail your exit. 

Make sure your resignation letter outlines all the specifics of your departure, including a time frame for your last day.

The most important thing to include in your letter is your exact last date at work, even if you’ve already discussed it with management, said Isaac Hammelburger, the owner and founder of Search Pros, who handles human resources for his six employees. He added, “It should also clearly state that you’re quitting. You’d be surprised how many resignation letters I’ve read that never actually include the words ‘I am resigning’ or any variant of it.”

Putting the details in your letter ensures everyone is on the same page about your resignation and eliminates any questions or speculation.

Related: How to Make a Resume That Lands You an Interview

5. Give a reason. 

Your employer should know the reason you’re resigning, but take care not to make it too specific.

“You don’t want to get too specific about your reasons for leaving,” said Adam Sanders, director of Successful Release, an organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged populations find financial and professional success. “The more reasons you give, the more likely it is that the reader will take offense and you end up burning bridges.”

Rather than providing every reason why you’re leaving your job, he recommends you focus on a couple of high-level opportunities that the new job provides instead. For example, “I’ve accepted a new position at X company that will allow me to have more time with my children and lead a larger team.”

Reframe your departure into a positive opportunity for you. Choose your words and your reason carefully, and have a friend or colleague read it over to make sure you didn’t miss anything that might come off the wrong way.

Related: What to Do When You Hate Your Job and Want to Quit

6. Demonstrate appreciation for your job. 

Even if you hate your job, it helps to find some positives and include those in your resignation letter.

“You want the overall tone of a resignation letter to be one of gratitude,” said Matt Erhard, a managing partner with the recruiting firm Summit Search Group. “Even if you’ve had issues with your current job or employer, you should focus on the things you appreciated about your time working there and thank them for the opportunity to gain skills and experience.”

Examples of things you can show appreciation for include any training, mentoring from experienced coworkers, scheduling flexibility, or even any hardware or software the company purchased for you.

7. Offer a plan. 

One thing your letter should definitely include, according to Nakisha D. Hicks, president of The ElevateHer, is an offer to assist with the transition of your duties. Your leaving will create a bit of chaos, and anything you can do to alleviate that will have you remembered fondly.

“This could be training a replacement, helping to find your replacement and/or creating a document that can be used for knowledge transfer,” said Nakisha. She adds that you should also include your contact information, just in case they need to get in touch with you later.

While you don’t have to do this, it does help to maintain a professional relationship with your former employer and might help you in the future.

Related: How to Negotiate Your Starting Salary

Resignation Letter Examples

You do not have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to resignation letters. There are plenty of templates you can use to write a polite, clear, and concise letter.

Making a career change

If you’re leaving your current position to change careers, you can use this template, provided by Matt Erhard, managing partner with the recruiting firm Summit Search Group:

Dear [supervisor’s name],

I’m writing to inform you of my intent to resign from my position as [your positions]. My final day of work will be [date].

My work with [company name] over the past five years has been both enjoyable and fulfilling. After careful thought, however, I have decided to take my career in a new direction and open a consulting business. I would not have been prepared to make this transition without the experience I’ve gained with this company, and I will forever be grateful for the mentorship and training I’ve received here. 

I would love to discuss ways I can help the department through this transition. To ensure a smooth transition, I look forward to training my replacement and am available to aid in the search if that would be beneficial for you.

Thanks again for the opportunity to work at [company name]. I have appreciated my time here and wish the entire staff the best of success. If you ever need to get in touch with me, you can email me at [your email address].

Best regards,
[your name]

New job or pursuing other opportunities

You can follow this template from Nakisha D. Hicks of The ElevateHer when writing a resignation letter for a new job:

Dear [supervisor’s name],
Please accept this letter as a written notice of my resignation from my position of [your position], as I have accepted the position of the [new position] at [new company]. My last day of employment with [current company] will be [date].

I greatly appreciated having the opportunity to be a part of the ABC family for the last seven years. The experience and connections that I have made over the years have been priceless, and I will miss this incredible place.

I will spend the next few weeks wrapping up various tasks including [insert specific ones] and getting [your replacement’s name] up to speed to successfully transition to her new role.
Please know that I will always be invested in the success of this organization and the team. Therefore, should you or others need my assistance after I depart, do not hesitate to call [your phone number] or email [your email address]).

I am extremely proud of this organization and will be forever grateful for the opportunity that was given to me.

Sincerely,

[your name]

Example of a bad resignation letter

Now that you know what a good resignation letter looks like, Samuel Johns from ResumeGenius.com offered an example of a bad one so you know exactly what not to do.

Dear [supervisor’s name],

Tomorrow will be my last day working as a [position name] at [company name].

I have realized that working for you has been a huge waste of my time. You clearly have no vision for the company, and my talents are wasted here.

I would wish you the best for the future; however, instead, I think the kind thing to do is warn you that your business is doomed for failure if you continue to lead it.

Thank you for opening my eyes — in the future, I will be able to recognize a failing business and incompetent CEO immediately.

Sincerely, 

[your name]

While this is a more obvious example of how not to write a resignation letter, there are a few more notable things to avoid, including:

• Criticism or negative comments
• Listing reasons you didn’t like your job
• Providing too much information about your career plans
• Spelling and grammatical errors

Related: 11 Skills Employers Look for That Most People Never Think About

Make Sure Your Resignation Letter Gets into the Right Hands

After going through the trouble of learning how to write a proper resignation letter, you want to make sure it gets to the right people. Our experts recommend you first notify your boss. Be sure to do so in writing rather than an email. You’ll also want to make sure your human resources department gets a copy of your letter, and hand copies directly to the appropriate parties in person.

If you work remotely, send the letter with a mailing service that will provide you with delivery confirmation so you know when it arrived.

Handling your resignation with dignity, respect, and professional courtesy will allow you to leave your job feeling like you can successfully close that chapter of your career.

The post How to Write a Resignation Letter (with 3 Examples) appeared first on DollarSprout.

Not all companies are cut-throat, but in some way, you’ll usually be competing with your coworkers, whether for a promotion, a raise, or choice assignments.

To make sure you’re at the top of your boss’s list for those, you want to stand out at work. Although some people naturally stand out, it’s not always for their best qualities. You want to be known for the good work you do, but it can be difficult to know what supervisors are looking for in a quality employee.

10 Ways to Stand Out at Work

How do you strike a balance of wanting to do your best while not coming across as a suck-up? Here’s advice from ten CEOs about how to stand out at work, and in a good way.

1. Take time to understand the office culture.

What’s fun at one job may be considered inappropriate at another. If you move from a comedy writer’s room to an accounting firm, chances are your wardrobe, attitude, and vocabulary are going to need some adjustments. Not every move is that extreme, but even among the same jobs, cultures vary.

“You might have been a rockstar in your previous workplace, but the rules of earning respect will be different in your new company,” said Will Ward, CEO of Assistive Listening HQ. “Once you understand how the place works, then you can see how to fit in.”

It may take some time to figure out the culture, but once you do, it’ll make a huge difference in your ability to connect with your coworkers and supervisors. This, in turn, will help improve your job performance and help you stand out.

2. Start strong right away.

You don’t have to know exactly what you’re doing when you first start, but you should show a sense of ownership and responsibility. Demonstrate that you’re there to work by actively taking notes and learning.

“Many people begin new jobs with the idea that for the first few months they’ll be shown the ropes and not much will be expected of them (or given),” said Stefan Chekanov, co-founder and CEO of Brosix Instant Messenger. “By instead embracing new challenges, volunteering to take on assignments, and generally demonstrating a sense of responsibility for your work, you’ll easily stand out from the crowd.”

Make sure you follow up with colleagues after meetings, show a willingness to learn, and help out when needed.

Related: 11 Extracurricular Activities to Make Your Resume Stand Out from the Crowd

3. Ask questions.

Although it may feel uncomfortable or awkward, asking questions is a great way to make yourself stand out at work.

Madison Campbell, CEO of Leda Health Company, agrees. “By asking questions,” she says, “you are displaying your commitment to learning more about the company and how you can better excel in your position. Asking questions creates conversations that may not have happened otherwise.”

Additionally, it lets those above you know that you genuinely care. You’ll seem interested, engaged, and willing to take in information before you make suggestions. It also demonstrates that, rather than pretending to know everything, you have the confidence to ask for help where you need it.

4. Offer advice on improving processes.

Sometimes a company is so accustomed to their old processes and ways of doing things, it takes a new employee to point out how it can be done more efficiently. If you notice an area for improvement, suggest it to your boss.

“One of the true signs of a leader is somebody who goes out of their way to identify which processes are due to be optimized,” said Jacob Dayan, CEO and co-founder of Community Tax.

He says that those who can provide useful feedback up the ladder (and not just down it) demonstrate a fundamental understanding of the importance of feedback. In addition, it shows that they can spot inefficiencies.

“That’s a skill that’s difficult to teach, so it always stands out to those in leadership positions,” says Jacob.

Related: 11 Good Work Habits for Becoming a Stand-Out Employee

5. Increase your value by increasing your skills.

If you learn something new and get faster and better at what you do, you increase your value. Take the time to research and seek out training and other opportunities to improve your skills.

“Don’t wait for your organization to send you to training or to give you development opportunities,” said Halelly Azulay, Founder & CEO of TalentGrow LLC and author of Employee Development on a Shoestring. “It’s really great if they do,” she says, “but it is not their job only to take responsibility for the product of you. It is your job. And by upping your value, you become more indispensable.”

Increasing your skills and value also provides support when you ask for that raise. It shows you’re worth it.

6. Help others.

If you only offer help to those higher in the organizational chart, your coworkers might gossip about you behind your back. But if you’re known for helping everyone, it will earn you respect.

“That way, you naturally become the go-to person anytime there is an issue that needs solving,” says Reuben Yonatan, Founder and CEO of GetVoIP.

For example, if you master a skill like Excel formulas and you see a coworker struggling, offer to help them. They won’t forget how you gave some of your time to make their life easier, and it won’t seem weird if you do it for the boss as well.

Related: 10 Tips to Negotiate Your Salary for a New Job

7. Don’t be afraid to argue productively.

Arguments and disagreements at work are bound to happen. But how you handle them is what’ll get you noticed. Participating productively and helpfully in these conversations can position you as an up-and-coming leader in the company

“Early in my career, I shied away from disagreements at work because I saw it as confrontational,” said Michael Alexis, CEO of TeamBuilding. “Over time, I realized that disagreement can actually fuel career progression.”

This is because strong managers and leaders are used to giving direction and having it followed, but great leaders know their perspective is limited. When you respectfully challenge a status quo, you add value to the leadership team. You can help a leader reflect on questions they might not have thought about, or show problem areas in their plan before they have to experience issues.

8. Be a connector.

How well you get along with your coworkers is something else leaders tend to notice. You don’t have to be the most social, but if you miss every birthday celebration or company outing, you could be missing out on valuable face time.

Andrew Roderick, CEO of Credit Repair Companies, says, “Getting everyone involved is a great way to be noticed and stand out straight off the bat at a new job.”

He suggests organizing events or meetings to meet your coworkers. You’ll be seen as someone outgoing and be associated with fun. If you’re introverted, try to do a one-on-one coffee once a week instead of a group event.

Both create opportunities to bond with those who might help you advance in your company. At the very least, you’ll be seen as someone who gets along with coworkers and makes an effort to get to know everyone.

9. Don’t wait to be told what to do.

If you have a light week, tell your boss you’re ready for more responsibility. If you’re bored with your work, tell your boss you want to learn more by experiencing different tasks.

“I love hearing that from someone and they will always be the one that comes to mind when I need to hire someone at a higher level,” said Chanda Torrey, CEO of Gifter World. “It shows drive, ambition, and the willingness to do what needs to be done.”

If you’re worried about your coworkers perceiving you as a kiss-up because you’re asking for more work, don’t be. You know what your goals are at work, and if this will help you accomplish them, what others think of you shouldn’t matter.

10. Be a servant leader.

You don’t have to be a manager or an executive to practice servant leadership. Even as a new employee, you can work to help others.

“Our servant leaders in the firm do not follow the traditional leadership styles that are built upon a culture of intimidation and threat,” said Michael Hammelburger, CEO of The Bottom Line Group. “Instead, they serve others, who in turn are more inspired to serve the entire organization at large.”

The people who stand out at work as servant leaders also focus on not only setting themselves up for success but everyone around them as well. Servant leaders make sure everyone else’s needs are met before their own, encourage collaboration instead of competition, and keep the attitude positive on the team.

Related: How to Quit Your Job in the Most Professional Way Possible

It Takes Effort to Stand Out From Colleagues

While it’s easy to come to work, meet the minimum standards required for your job, and go home, it won’t make you stand out. And if your goal is to get a raise, a promotion, or become CEO one day, being mediocre and lazy won’t get you there.

Fortunately, you don’t need to do anything extraordinary to flourish at work. You simply need to do your job well, ask questions when needed, communicate with your coworkers and supervisors, and support the people around you.

If you do those, your bosses will take notice.

The post How to Stand Out at Work (According to 10 CEOs) appeared first on DollarSprout.

From SEO to affiliate links, content to distribution, there’s a lot to learn if you want to earn a living from your blog.

Preparation Is Key to Earning Quickly

With as many 500 million published blogs out there, getting traction on your own may not come easy. These millennial bloggers started their blogs within the last year and are already making money blogging — $1,000 or more a month, in fact — and have some advice for how to quickly go from zero to thousands per month in revenue. 

1. Find your niche (and sub-niches)

Ahmed Mir created SipCoffeeHouse, a blog about how to brew and drink the best coffee. He said it’s important to figure out your niche before you start.

By knowing your niche, you can take advantage of content hubs. Once you’ve tagged multiple posts with the sub-niches they’re in, you can gather them onto a page that serves as a center to learn about that subtopic. Search engines love content hubs, and they can be a big source of traffic.

Ahmed earns money from affiliate links through Amazon by recommending coffee-related items such as electric gooseneck kettles, K cups, and Keurig coffee machines. This earned him $1,000 a month around the sixth month of blogging.

He said bloggers should write posts that relate to each other and offer internal linking opportunities. For example, he writes about coffee, which includes the sub-niches of coffee gear and beans. Those became his two key hubs to develop content around.

Keywords serve an important part of your blogging strategy. A keyword is the search term you use as the bait to bring someone to your blog. It’s what a person might put into the Google search box to find you. To optimize your blog posts for search traffic, you have to make sure these words are included multiple times throughout the post.

When you’re looking for topics, Ahmed suggests finding what are called “long-tail keywords.” They have a more focused search intent, meaning that someone is looking for something specific.

Usually, the search volume for these is lower than shorter keywords, but they offer higher conversion if you can nail the search intent or answer the query perfectly, Ahmed said. These terms can also be easier to rank for in Google.

“For example, a search for ‘best low sugar chocolate’ indicates the searcher is looking to buy but wants a specific type of chocolate,” he said. “It’s also probable they care about their health.”

This would be different from a keyword with a higher search volume, like ‘best chocolate.’ That keyword probably has 10 times more search volume.

“But you’re less likely to convert someone due to the amount of variability in how someone perceives chocolate — dark, white, with nuts, fruit, low sugar, caramel, and so on,” Ahmed said.

Instead of “dog leashes,” which would be broad, you might opt for something like, “dog leashes for dogs that pull.” Instead of “Mexican recipes,” you would want to go for a phrase like “Mexican recipes for people with diabetes.” Instead of “blinds,” try, “blackout blinds for people who work night shift.” Niche down as much as possible.

He recommends using SEO tools to find these keywords and analyze the difficulty of ranking given your site authority. His favorite tool is Ahrefs, but it costs $99 per month. It does have a 7-day trial for $7 to test and gather an initial batch of keywords to go after.

Related: How to Generate Unlimited Blog Topics That People Are Actually Searching For

2. Be you, with passion

Emilia Lewis started her blog, Pursue Today, focused on “tips, opinions, tutorials, and action items all geared toward helping you get the most out of motherhood,” in April of 2019. She was making more than $1,000 a month by November.

Her income comes mostly through Mediavine ads, though she also does some affiliate marketing for products such as diapers and sleep sacks.

She has a background in engineering, which gave her the problem-solving skills she needed to figure out blogging as she went along. What she didn’t have was any training in digital media. She just turned what was really happening in her life into the content for her site.

“My biggest tip for new bloggers is to just write about what you live and what you love,” she said. “Too often new bloggers get hung up on what’s popular on Pinterest or Facebook and try to be something they are not. Find your passion and just write, write, write. It’s better to be a great blogger in a small niche than an average blogger in a huge niche.”

She also recommends trying to find the smallest niche you can serve well as far as your audience goes. There are thousands of bloggers who write about personal finance. You can be the blogger who writes about being a proud cheapskate. A million people are writing about travel. You can be the only one who writes about traveling Thailand as a single woman in her 40s. Think about what makes you you, and focus on that for better or worse.

3. Try and try again

Elle Meager makes 100% of her profits from affiliate marketing with her blog, Outdoor Happens. She started this blog, her second, in September of 2019, and hit her $1,000 a month mark six months later.

“My first exposure to websites was for our plant nursery, which we operated from a remote location,” she said. “Going to markets every weekend was a chore, so I decided to start selling the plants online. It was a huge learning curve.”

Elle bought a book about Joomla, a content management system, and Virtuemart, an e-commerce software, and read those cover-to-cover.

She and her husband ran that business for 10 years. She later started a blog that never took off, and started over in September as a part-time editor and full-time mom.

“Every spare minute went into the website,” she said. Meager estimated she spent about 20 hours a week working at night, on the weekends, and during the early morning.

Through a previous work experience, she was aware of the Authority Hacker course and used some of its resources.

“It’s basically a blueprint for setting up your own affiliate blog from scratch, and I used a lot of the tips offered in that course,” she said.

She invests in her blog with paid WordPress plug-ins, such as Elementor, Thirsty Affiliates, and AAWP.

Related: How This “Mom Blogger” Makes $2,000 per Month From Her Blog

4. Think of your structure ahead of time

Stacy Caprio, a blogger at Deals Scoop, uses both ad revenue and affiliate links to make money. It took her a year to get to $1,000 a month, working about one to three hours a day, six days a week.

“Structure your blog carefully,” she tells new bloggers. “Plan out what the main theme of your blog is in advance, and section that into high-competition, high-volume category sections that you can write buckets of articles around, and then plan out the lower competition keywords you can target with individual articles.

Doing this will help you properly plan out how you’ll structure your blog for optimal user experience and SEO to help you have a chance to rank higher for both category and page-level keywords.”

For example, do keyword research in your niche to find the highest volume keywords, even if they are higher in competition. Then, Stacy advises, create a category section or page in your home menu for each high-volume keyword. This way, you can tag posts as part of those categories.

Let’s say, for example, that you’re writing in the fitness niche. You could create category tags for the popular searches of how to lose weight, weight-lifting tips, healthy eating, and healthy living. Next, you’d create clusters of 10 or more articles to go under each category. This will give your site authority in that niche and helps it rank well. Stacy says it will also build trust when readers see you have multiple posts under each topic.

Stacy should know. Before starting a blog, she had a day job in online marketing, running ads, and SEO for various companies.

Related: How to Become a Paid Influencer and Make Money on Social Media

5. Don’t give up, even if you mess up.

At Pawleaks, Danielle Mühlenberg, a dog behaviorist and blogger, said she had to make a lot of mistakes before figuring out how to reach her goal of $1,000 a month in revenue.

She finally figured out that the best way to find topics is to research keywords and consider carefully whether the search intent has already been served.

“If you don’t think that you can create a better post than the number one result in Google then don’t bother with it,” she said.

Once you have your topics, you have to stay consistent.

“Content is definitely king,” she said, adding that you should have 10-30 posts already published when you start a blog. “You can do all the research, all the analyzing you want, but if you don’t put out regular, high-quality content, you won’t show up in any search results.”

Danielle said that much of her traffic comes from interlinking and people browsing her categories. That means the more you publish right away, the more traffic you can get. Same with Pinterest, she says, since you need fresh pins on a regular basis.

It can be hard to keep up the pace, especially for someone like Danielle who posts 2-3 times a week, because it takes a while to gain traction. Sometimes you feel like no one is watching.

“Definitely don’t give up even though you won’t get traffic at first,” she said. “In April, I doubled my traffic which was the first big boost after nearly a year. It will happen to you. You will grow with your blog and you will become better over time.”

Danielle says that it takes time and testing until Google ranks the articles properly. A common statistic she hears among bloggers is that it takes 3-6 months until a blog post is at its final ranking position.

Making Money with a Blog Does Come with a Time Commitment

When you’re just starting out, making the time to write those blogs can be so hard, especially when your affiliate earnings chart looks like it’s charting inches of rain in Arizona. These bloggers have learned that you have to make a plan, know why it’s your plan, serve a small niche, and hang in there.

The post These 5 Millennials Make Over $1,000 per Month Blogging. Here’s How appeared first on DollarSprout.

But, in my 20s, I had my own tough experiences. I let myself get caught in the consumerist wheel of lifestyle inflation and financial insecurity, and then had relationships – one with a boss, the other with a boyfriend – turn abusive. Looking back, I imagine how differently those scenarios might’ve played out if I’d had a few thousand dollars in the bank.

I could not have imagined those experiences until they happened. We humans have what’s called an optimism bias. We think our lives are going to go better than they likely will.

Nothing truly prepares you like an actual experience. Experience changes you.

How Experience Affects Your Mind

Once those events happened to me, the thought of having less than $1,000 saved left me feeling vulnerable.

That’s what’s happening right now as we’re dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic. We are all being changed, and our idea of what we need to feel comfortable is being challenged.

During the first two weeks of the lockdown, my mind was numb, watching a world that before could have only been a Photoshop trick: an empty Times Square, car-free LA freeways, mass graves that could be seen from space.

The world, on pause. No one knew it was possible on this scale. The only thing that truly expands what we think is possible is experience, and we are all having that experience now.

Chances are, you’re not as financially prepared as you’d like to be for this pandemic. I know I’m not. We all know we should save that three- or even six-month emergency fund, but nothing makes that more urgent than the dystopian scene outside our windows.

Imagine how differently this would feel if you had half a year’s worth of rent payments in the bank.

Understanding Your Biases

You can use this experience to make sure you’re more prepared next time, even if next time isn’t a global pandemic, but any of a million other reasons you might need a few extra grand.

Optimism bias is one bias in our brains that’s being studied by the relatively new field of behavioral economics. Not every bias that helped us as cavemen helps us now, but not all of them hurt us, either. There are a few that can help you prepare for the next unimaginable upheaval.

Right now, what you’re experiencing is called salience bias, according to Dr. Vic Matta, Associate Professor at Ohio University’s College of Business.

This is the fact “that individuals are more likely to focus on items or information that are more prominent and ignore those that are less so. This creates a bias in favor of things that are striking and perceptible.”

We see this in the fact that everyone is talking about COVID-19. It’s in our faces right now, reminding us of the importance of having an emergency fund.

The reason we might not have saved one (if we were otherwise financially able to do so), is because of a present bias, also known as hyperbolic discounting, which means that “when most people make decisions, they often prioritize immediate benefits over future gains.”

If you had extra money to save, you might’ve spent it. You might’ve gone on vacation instead of putting the money in a savings account. You might’ve put money toward upgrading your furniture or home-improvement projects that increase the value of your home. Now, you may wish you had stashed your tax refund instead of buying a new laptop.

Instead of assuming everything will work out just as it has, use your present self to nudge your future self into good behavior. One way to do this is to set up automatic transfers into a savings or 401(k) or Roth IRA retirement account.

“I set up a regular deduction of funds from my salary to fund my son’s college education,” said Dr. Matta. “That way I don’t have to repeatedly fend off the bias.”

As time goes on, availability bias will take over. Availability bias is the tendency to use the most recent example as a reason to do something instead of using all the relevant data.

In this case, availability bias may be helpful. If you ask your brain – “Should I save?” It will say, “Yes, remember that pandemic that just happened???”

Dr. Dan Pallesen, a licensed clinical psychologist and a financial advisor, sees this in his work as Chief of Investor Behavior for Keystone Wealth Partners.

“Our older clients still remember living through [The Great Depression and WWII], and you still see the impact in their financial behaviors 70-80 years later,” he said. “Many are still extremely frugal because frugality was a matter of life and death during these difficult times. If you were not smart with the little resources you had, you may not be able to eat.”

Thankfully, the coronavirus will likely be a shorter and less deadly crisis, so the feeling may fade over time.

Using Biases in Your Favor

So what are some ways that you can bottle your panic and use it to create a future in which you’re better prepared?

Live within your means, said Dr. Pallesen. One way to help you do that might be to give yourself a visual reminder to keep the memory available.

Keep a journal of what you’re going through. Write down what you’re worried about and how the financial situation of the quarantine is affecting your life. You may be worried that if you do contract COVID-19, you won’t be able to afford to take time off work.

Then, make a contract with yourself. Write down that you will never again feel the way you do now, adding in specifics. Something like, “I will never again wonder how I will feed my kids if my store shuts down.” Put it in your wallet, hang it on the fridge, or keep it near your laptop.

Remind yourself of how you feel now by changing the name of your bank account to the Pandemic Fund. Do a monthly money check-in with yourself.

Living during a pandemic is often about surviving from one day to the next, but taking steps toward future financial goals is essential as well. Create a system for yourself, and make it much less likely that you ever have to feel this way again in the future. Use the way you’re feeling today to start a system of saving and automate it for when the feeling fades.

You’ll most likely never be exactly the same, just as my grandmother wasn’t after WWII. She saved and stocked up in a way I never did.

“I do think the effects of this pandemic will live on well after COVID-19 is taken care of,” said Dr.  Pallesen. “I think people will remember how suddenly things became uncertain and how that felt.”

Related: 74 Creative Ways to Save Money in Everyday Life 

The post Optimism Bias May Be Hurting Your Finances: Here’s How appeared first on DollarSprout.