Author: Muse

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30% of Americans Lose Sleep Over Work—Here Are 11 Things That Might Help

When you’re so focused on your career, it can be easy to forget that what you do after work might be just as important as what you do at the office. That goes for hobbies, exercise, and especially sleep. Written by Stav Ziv for The Muse But even if you know that...

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Want to Be an Effective Leader? Stop Saying “I Feel Like…”

Clear communication is all we want in the workplace. It’s what leads to successful emails, effective feedback, and productive meetings—all of which are pretty great things. Written by Stephanie Nieves for The Muse But clear communication can’t happen until everyone removes this three-word phrase that’s getting in the way: “I feel like.”...

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It’s OK if You Like Your Job Because the Money’s Good

I was seated at a dinner with a group of people who were, for all intents and purposes, highly successful. Written by Kat Boogaard for The Muse One woman who worked as an ophthalmologist was explaining the ins and outs of her career—including the daily stresses that come along with being a...

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A Person You Don’t Like Applied to Your Company—Do You Tell HR the Truth?

It’s a small, small world in professional circles. That can be great for you as you prove yourself and work your way up. It can also turn your work life into a horror movie sequel as the villain, Toxic Boss or Colleague Who Makes You Pick Up All the Slack, strikes again....

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Ask a Real Recruiter: How Do I Prove That I’m the Best Candidate in an Interview?

Written by Jessica Vann for The Muse Dear Real Recruiter, What’s the best way to answer when the interviewer asks why they should choose you over another candidate who has the same qualifications? Signed, Not Just Another Number Dear Not Just Another Number, Standing out in your job search is crucial, but...

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Three Better Ways to Say `It Is Actually Not My Fault´

When something goes wrong at work and you’re not to blame, how can you explain that it’s not your fault without sounding unprofessional? Originally written by Kat Boogard for The Muse Your boss makes a seemingly innocent stop at your desk, but it’s not long before he’s pointing out something that recently went wrong—and he’s...

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How to Realistically Deal When Nobody Listens to You at Work

Tired of being disregarded in the office? There are a couple of approaches you can try when your ideas are ignored at work. Originally written by Kat Boogard for The Muse You’re in a team meeting, hashing out how to resolve an issue that everybody has been repeatedly battling with. “What if we changed the...

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4 Ways to Test Whether You’re Cut Out for Remote Work—Before You Start

You’re probably hearing more and more about people who work remotely and companies that want them to. But even though “flexible location” and “remote work” seem like a tempting and highly coveted benefits, it’s not a good fit for everyone. Originally written by C.J. Feehan for The Muse Sure, it’s easy to be charmed by...

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Ask a Real Recruiter: Should I Express My Interest Even When a Company Isn’t Hiring?

Simply expressing interest in working at a company does little to help you stand out as a candidate. Instead, try to make a genuine connection while also establishing some name recognition with that employer. Originally written by Lydia D. Bowers for The Muse Dear Recruiter, If there’s a company I’m really interested in...

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Staying Present in the Moment Is the Most Underrated Leadership Habit

Originally written by Alyse Kalish at The Muse. When I was in high school, my mom started banning phones from the dinner table. To this day, whenever I pull out my cell to check my inbox when we’re eating, my mom shakes her head and tells me to put it away. And as...

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4 Phrases to Shut Down Unsolicited Advice From Your Co-workers

Sometimes we want advice from our colleagues. Other times, we desperately want them to stop talking, leave us alone, and trust us to handle things on our own. Originally written by Alyse Kalish at The Muse. We can dream that this will come true and we’ll be able to bask in our quiet...

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5 Better Ways to Talk About the 5 Most Common Resume Gaps

Written by Sjoerd Gehring for The Muse So, you’ve got a gap in your resume? Maybe you decided to travel, or go back to school, or maybe you looked after a sick relative, or you took time out to be a parent yourself. Whatever the reason for your resume gap, you’re probably feeling like your...

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Dear Smart People: You’re Allowed to Keep Your Mouth Shut

Written by Kat Boogaard for The Muse Think about the last time you were in a meeting. The conversation was being bounced back and forth like a ping-pong ball—with different people sharing their opinions on a particular subject. What did you do? If you’re like most of us, you jumped in with your own...

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30 Buzzword-y Phrases You Should Cut From Your Vocabulary (Like, Right Now)

Written by Kat Boogaard for The Muse I clicked open an email from a client and was met with a note that looked like this: I’m hoping you have the bandwidth to take on an additional project. We’re trying to make sure our messaging is aligned with the sales team. We think that will...

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What to Do When People in Your Network Won’t Stop Bugging You

Originally written by Alyse Kalish at The Muse. Recently, one of my coworkers was telling me about a problem she was having. She’d offered to help a former colleagues with their job search, but even after referring them to a few positions and offering suggestions for breaking into her field, they still...

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How to Deliver Bad News in the Worst Way Possible

Originally written by Jenni Maier at The Muse So, you have to tell your colleagues some bad news. And you want to do it in a way that gets everyone’s heart rates up and ensure no one sleeps well that night. We’re talking tossing and turning. In fact, your goal is to...

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Is it OK to Take a Sick Day When You’re Not Sick?

Written by Alyse Kalish at The Muse Quick poll: Have you ever lied about being sick when you were a kid to get out of going to school? OK, clearly I can’t hear your answer, but I’d take a guess that you answered yes. But as we’ve all realized, when we enter the working...

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How to Get Back on Track After the Holidays (Without Working So Hard You Need Another Vacation)

Written by Alyse Kalish at The Muse It’s fair to say that people hate the beginning of January almost as much they love the end of December. No more holidays to look forward to, vacation days to relish, company parties to attend, or social gatherings to pencil into our calendars. I feel your pain—after...

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4 Tips for When You’re the Only Person of Color in Your Office

Written by Natasha Nurse for The Muse   It is 8:55 a.m. on a Monday morning. I walk by the office of a coworker who always seems to “know” what is going on in the office. She steadily checks her clock before greeting me as I walk to my office. I put my...

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Why Did My Less-Experienced Coworker Get Promoted Over Me?

Written by Shannon Fitzgerald for The Muse Dear HR Professional, I’ve been at my company for over two years, and while things are good for the most part, there’s one issue bothering me. One of my colleagues (different boss, but same team) just got promoted and he hasn’t even been here a year!...

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34 Words and Phrases That Scream ‘I’m a Leader’ on Resumes

Written by Jenny Foss for The Muse One of the most common types of people I work with are those aiming to elevate their brand messaging to more loudly announce, “I’m one hell of a leader!” as they change jobs. It’s one thing to be good at tasks, projects and areas of specialization, but...

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How You Can Use a Coworker’s Competitiveness to Your Advantage

Written by Gloria Larson for The Muse We’ve all been there: Your big idea’s stolen by a colleague at a meeting, or you were upstaged in front of the boss. Competition happens in most work environments, whether friendly or intentional. People from different backgrounds are working closely, which can lead to great collaboration, but also...

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5 Coping Strategies for When You’re Feeling Anxious at Work

Written by Melody J. Wilding for The Muse Gina, a former colleague of mine, spent most of her career dreading work. She constantly worried about her performance and often felt overwhelmed by the pressures of her job. As Gina’s anxiety began to interfere with her work, causing her to lose focus and miss...

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5 Science-Backed Reasons Why Readers Do Better in Their Careers

Written by Jesse Wisnewski at The Muse I’m not someone who’s ever gushed about my lifelong love of books. The first book I remember reading was when I was 20 years old. However, from working as a retail store manager and in a call center, to working as a content manager and now a senior...

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3 Interview Mistakes You Probably Can’t Recover From

Written by Sara McCord at The Muse Nervousness goes with interviewing like scrambled eggs goes with hash browns. You pretty much always find them together. In other words, everyone I know—myself included—walks out of the conversation feeling a little iffy. Even if, on one level, you know you did a great job; there’s...

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The Tough Love Talk You Need If You’re Struggling to Cut Your Resume Down

Written by Richard Moy at The Muse I’d love to be wrong about this, but I have a feeling that people will debate the “appropriate” length of a resume until the end of time. But here’s the tough love truth: A one-page resume’s more than sufficient. Before you start telling me that you’re the exception, let...

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This Is Nuts: It Takes Nearly 30 Minutes to Refocus After You Get Distracted

Written by Stacey Lastoe at The Muse De-stressing at work with a walk around the block, a few minutes of meditation, or easy do-at-your-desk exercises is essential for productivity. If I don’t get up from my desk or move my eyes away from my screen at some point during my workday, my brain will feel...

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11 Things to Do the Night Before an Interview (If You Want to Land the Job)

Written by Alyse Kalish at The Muse The night before an interview can be a stressful time—usually one filled with “what if’s?” What if I don’t know the answer to a question? What if I trip and fall on my way into the office? What if I sleep through my alarm and miss...

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5 Rules for Turning Work Friends Into Real Friends

Written by Alyse Kalish at The Muse If you’re lucky, you don’t hate your coworkers. In fact, if you’re really lucky, you probably like them a lot, and maybe you even want to turn the relationships into full-on friendships (ah, scandalous!). After all, you see these people all day, every day, so it...

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4 Things Truly Confident People Never Do at Work

Written by Sara McCord at The Muse Imagine that two people are pitching their visions for an upcoming project. While their ideas are equally interesting, one person seems confident, while the other comes off as nervous and unsure. Who are you going to choose to run point? I’m guessing you’d pick the...

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3 Follow-up Emails You Think You Should Send When You’re Interviewing, But Definitely Shouldn’t

Written by Richard Moy at The Muse There was once a job I wanted so badly that any amount of radio silence from the employer was agonizing. So I thought it’d be a good idea to take matters into my own hands. A dozen follow-up emails and an embarrassing phone call to the...

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3 Rookie Mistakes Smart Managers Avoid

Written by Kristi Hedges at The Muse You thought being a leader would be straightforward. You worked hard, learned a career, paid your dues, and then you moved into management—leading others to create even greater things. You follow the rules about good leadership, and your preparation pays off perfectly. If only that was...

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Here’s How to Succeed When You’re Not an Early Bird or a Night Owl

Written by Jenni Maier at The Muse I’m not a morning person. I don’t jump out of bed when my alarm goes off, run through my favorite sun salutations, and dive headfirst into my work. If anything, I’m that “Don’t talk to me before my coffee” cliché. The catch is that I’m also...

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Here’s What’s Going Through a Hiring Manager’s Head When You Bomb an Interview

Written by Stacey Lastoe at The Muse After hours of researching the company, reviewing the top interview questions (and your own resume), and role-playing to ensure that your body language demonstrates confidence and poise, you are so ready for this. Seriously, you’ve got this. Until you don’t. The interview starts out OK, and...

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3 Times Bragging Will Get You Ahead in Your Career (if You Do It Right)

Written by Sara McCord at The Muse While “Here are the top three reasons why I’m amazing…” is no way to start a conversation, bragging often gets a bad rap. But that’s not fair. Bragging in itself isn’t bad, it’s often how people go about it. So with that said, if you...

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The Cover Letter Formula That Skyrocketed My Interviews From 0% to 55%

Written by Lisa Siva at The Muse When I first moved to New York, I was a cover letter machine. I wrote to every sir or madam with a job opening. I expressed my interest in positions for which I had none. I waxed rhapsodic about companies I’d never heard of. My...

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Being Scared Is a Great Sign You’re About to Do Something Amazing in Your Career

Written by Christie Mims at The Muse Have you ever desperately wanted to quit your job and find something you love, but then—fear. Desperate, overwhelming, soul-crushing, stop-you-in-your-tracks fear. Maybe you’re ready to quit or maybe you’re just thinking about it. Maybe you’re thinking of putting in your name for a promotion at...

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The 1 Percent Rule That’ll Make Reaching Big Goals Feel Easy

Written by Alyse Kalish at The Muse It’d be pretty nice if you could snap your fingers and get what you wanted, just like that—get in shape, land a promotion, finish 20 books. But, as life goes, it doesn’t work this way. Change takes time—getting in shape means a lifetime commitment to...

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3 Not-So-Obvious Signs Your Communication Skills Might Need Work

By Nina Semczuk at The Muse As humans, we often default to the path of least resistance—for just about everything we do. Unfortunately, if you opt for that with your communication skills—assuming they’re as good as they’re going to get—you risk holding yourself back in your career. Not only does it prevent you...

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5 Real Reasons You’re Getting Radio Silence After a Final Interview

Written by Dorianne St Fleur at The Muse When it comes to the interview process, there are pretty much three realities: You get an offer. You don’t get an offer. You spend an insane amount of time waiting to hear if you’ll get an offer. Unfortunately for many people, the last scenario’s...

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5 Classic Career Rules You’ll Be Forced to Break

Written by Alison Cardy at The Muse We’ve all heard those tried-and-true cliches meant to guide your career decisions. They come from people whose experience and advice you respect. They’re supposed to make your life easier, functioning as givens you can fall back on. But that’s not always the case and you...

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3 Scary Moments You’ll Experience After You’re Laid Off (Even if You Saw It Coming)

Written by Richard Moy at The Muse. Two years ago, I lost a job I didn’t love. I immediately felt relieved. Not only did the thought of going into that office every day keep me up at night, but my wife and I had a decent amount of money saved up. And...

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3 Lessons I Learned From Bombing an Interview That I Thought Was a Sure Thing

Written by Richard Moy at The Muse. Early in my career, my boss made the terrible mistake of telling me that I was the best interviewee he’d ever met. “It was evident from the beginning that we should hire you,” he said, “and the only thing I’d tell you to do differently...