Javasia Joseph, Author at Pucker Mob

It's Your Job and You Should Be Happy To Do It. 10 Signs You're Not

Many of us have watched our parents work hard at a job they expressed hatred for. Their drive is knowing that their children will have the opportunity to say ‘I love what I do.’ We start our journey with that on our mind, but sometimes due to life, we forget why we started.

Of course not everyone will like their job. And many will choose to stick it out nonetheless. Having a job provides income and independence. Two very important things to have in order to live at all. That doesn’t mean you should sacrifice your joy. Work takes up a big part someone’s life and it’s one’s right to be happy. Sometimes it’s just you. Don’t wait until you’re 10 years and into you position and lacking expandable skills to find out. At least 10 reasons should provide a signal.

Behind Your Smile is a World Full of Negativity

A fake smile, catering to an unwanted conversation is all a part of the professional game. Constantly being on the defensive while trying not to offend anyone else and becoming an office outcast is an implausible balance while working. Stepping on eggshells may cause callouses.

The Professional Front Conflicts with Personal Morals.

Setting your personal feelings aside many times throughout the workday is necessary. Don’t confuse simple feelings with strong beliefs and don’t sacrifice a belief for a job. An employer doesn’t have to have criminal skeletons in order to be a wrong fit.

You Love What You Do BUT:

The commute is horrendous and you’re constantly late;

Your work-life balance has changed with negative effects on your surroundings;

You and your co-workers just can’t seem to connect;

Other needs are constantly placed above yours.

What’s the point of having a dream job when the rest of your life is miserable?

Still Feeling Incomplete.

Some people are content with working just so they can sustain a living. Others need more than just a form of income. Their job should have some sort of fulfillment. Feel like you need to make an impact? Find a role that gives you the force.

Everyone’s Winning On Your Behalf

You know you’re good at what you do and you really enjoy doing it. Some employers appreciate it. Some may want to see how far they can use you before you break. Employment is not a one-way street and you should benefit from positive results too. I’m sure they would be quick to provide honest feedback if proven the other way around.

No One Cares What You Think

Constructive criticism is always important for improvement and sometimes your ideas will suck in comparison to others. But you went after this role because you knew your concepts would benefit the employer’s mission. However, no one else thinks so. Ever. So your voice goes silence. Remember that it’s meant to be heard and there are jobs willing to hear it.

Someone's Playing Favorites

We’ve all met that co-worker that makes you question the hiring process. We can’t exclude the compassionate managers who keep employees on for the mere fact that they couldn’t picture them struggling to pay bills. It’s when you watch that same person constantly advance even though their performance proves otherwise that makes your eyebrow rise. You don’t deserve management that puts feelings over performance at the risk to your career.

Passed Up For Promotion After Promotion

No one wants to stay in the same position feeling they are dedicating hard work towards a goal that seems to be constantly out of reach. Find a company that sees your worth and willing to invest in your work.

Office Interaction Avoidance

Avoiding the small talk occasionally is normal because too much in unprofessional. But having a ready plan of action of evading is extreme. Communication is healthy and necessary in most work environments helping to provide cohesiveness while working as a team. Dodging co-workers shouldn’t be on your to-do list.

Finding It Hard To Get Comfortable

Where you work can be compared to a second home. It’s important for your health to be comfortable in a place where you spend much of your time at. If you are having a hard time finding comfort, it will begin to affect your productivity and we know how important that is to company goals.

Parents spend years instilling the right to be happy with career outlooks. So why are you sitting at a desk wondering how you got there? It’s been proven that a negative work atmosphere can have a severe impact on someone’s life and well-being as well as it has been proven that a job doesn’t have to feel like work. Have a role that satisfies more than your pockets. Sometimes it’s OK to be selfish.

If You Feel Like Your Mental Illness Holds You Back from Love, Read This

Those who struggle mentally need love too, and shouldn’t feel like we will die not knowing love.

We've created a community of not allowing people to feel alone because of their mental illnesses. I for one was faced with the elephant in the room. Hell, even Kanye West could tell you a few things about love and mental issues.

Each of our challenges are just a tad different. Good thing being different has been a steadfast trend for years.

There's nothing easy about putting yourself out there.

Most of the time you want to avoid the conversation. Fortunately, most people have secrets they are not ready to share. Who feels like they can be like themselves in the beginning? The first couple of dates are usually not the best time for that.

But in the long run, the more you get to know someone the more they are going to accept every issue and every flaw you have. For whatever their reason, people hold back in the beginning and that’s ok. We’re not alone and we will get there.

Through Sickness and in Health: We May Not Have Said It, But It Was Implied.

Someone who says your issues are too much, doesn’t deserve the love you are ready to give.

‘Oh wait. I have to put effort into this? Pfft. Not this guy.’

When partners commit, they are ready to take on the good days with the bad no matter how cliché that sounds. So your bad days aren’t the same as your neighbor’s.

Should the physically handicapped let go of love? Those who can’t see, hear, or face atypical challenges should expect loveless lives too? Why should we? Why should anybody?

Why are we so trained to concede to what we see on social media? Obstacles aren’t boxed into click-bait. If your partner didn’t expect the relationship to have some sort of adversity, again, why are you with them?

Mental illness does not mean you can't be intimate… not being ready does though.

Having a mental illness in itself has an effect on your ability to trust in intimacy including your own, but an inability to submit and be close to someone may be a clue that you may not actually be ready for a relationship and shouldn’t be taken as a failure to find love.

Everyone has been a situation where they want a relationship but is just wasn’t the right time. It's not always about your assumptions.

Believe me, not everything is about your mental illness.

Just because you are having relationship issues does not mean that it’s automatically related to your condition. At the end of the day, you may just be incompatible with each other.

Relationships don’t always end because of something awful. Dating doesn’t always end up with marriage so to assume your illness was the deciding factor is like assuming the marriage was only for the sake of the baby.

Sometimes, it really isn’t meant to be.

Most of us have something hiding in the closet that we may not want to share at the moment. It’s when you still feel like you can’t share after time has passed should you wonder if you are ready for a relationship or if the person is even worth the effort.

Mental illness is not the end to love. Possibly a new direction.

11 Types of Men to Avoid While Dating

There are all sorts of men out there. Some of them are the kind we want to bring home to mom. Some are the kind we just want to bring home. And still others are the kids we want to avoid at all costs.

If you are one of the millions of women looking for a guy you could see a future with, check out this list of guys you should steer clear of:

16 Signs You Are Not Ready to Commit

It can be hard to watch friends brag about their ‘perfect’ relationship and not want the same for yourself.

You may already have your eyes on a few people that have potential.

Unfortunately, just because they seem happy with their relationship, (that’s a whole other article) does not mean you may have the same results in yours. Not that you don’t deserve to be happy in a relationship, but settling down may not be ideal for you at the moment. Here are some signs that you may not be ready to commit to a serious relationship:

It’s Your Way or the Highway If you feel like this when it comes to most of the decisions you make, you may not be ready to accept someoneelse’s perspective. Relationships can be compromising. A willingness to put aside how you feel in order to satisfy all parties involved is necessary. If you hate input in any decision you make, you may want to rethink involving yourself in a serious relationship. And why would you need input if you’re always right?
You Enjoy Variety People sleep around. Accept it. When you decide to commit to someone else, you are committing you being with only them. No more one-night stands to brag about with your friends as they will know you go home to same person every night. You want to diversity? Say no to a monogamous relationship.
But What About Your Career? Humans have found a balance between work and personal life. But that doesn’t mean everyone wants that balance. Some are pushing a little harder for their career which can get in the way of growing a strong and successful personal relationship. If you rather longs hours at work, followed by long hours focusing what’s next at work after booking your flight to the seminar helping you further your success at work, you tend to leave little time for relationship dedication. This leads to cancelled dates and broken promises. Why start something you can’t really give focus to?
Up is Where You’re Always Turned If partying is like a second job to you minus the income, maybe you need to rethink settling down in a relationship. While couples still party, it will never be like how singles do it and it’s much more infrequent. Settling down? Get ready to turn down as well.
You’re Not Ready For More Responsibilities While there shouldn’t be a worry for this in the beginning, the deeper into a committed relationship you are, the more responsibility you have to support a successful one. Most people will tell you that relationships aren’t always smiles and happy posts. At some point someone may have to take on more responsibility than they would like and if that’s not something you want to deal with, don’t promise a commitment to someone else.
You Like Doing What You Want When You Want In a relationship, there will always be room for independence however, there is an expectation of openness and must be a willingness to discuss things before taking action. You cannot assume because you’re okay with your decision your partner should be and if that is the case, stay by yourself so it is only you dealing with the consequences.
You Don’t Like Being Judge You may fall in love with someone, but that doesn’t mean everyone else will. Same goes for the approving of you. While it’s always important heed meaningful advice, many will scrutinize your relationship without full knowledge. If you can’t stand people’s judging looks and sly comments, there is no way you are ready to be in a relationship.
The Thought of Marriage Frightens You Nobody is saying the next person you date is the one you will spend the rest of your life with. But if your intention is a serious long-term relationship, you should be okay with the notion of marriage. Everyone gets cold feet, but if you are making an effort to find excuses why you are not marriage material, it’s ineveryone’s best interest than you remain single.
You Don’t Like Sharing The biggest thing about a serious relationship is everything becomes ‘ours.’ Bought those bag of chips with the intention of only you eating them? Well expect another hand to plunge into that bag with you since in a relationship it’s okay to assume they were bought for the two of you to enjoy. Unfortunately, many things shared in a relationship aren’t as simple as a bag of chips. It also doesn’t have to be physical. If you are not ready to share yourself or what you have with your partner, think again before trying to leave the single life.
You Have a Hard Time Committing to Anything If you have a hard time committing to a job or any type of goal, a serious relationship isn’t that much different. All take dedication and courage to push through any obstacle put in the way. If you find yourself flaking out on things that aren’t too serious, those traits may follow you in any situation and flaking out in a relationship can have serious consequences…like becoming single.
You Just Got Out of a Relationship Whether it ended on good or bad terms, jumping into another relationship before reflecting on the failed one is irresponsible. I don’t care how yummy they look. Your baggage may seem light to you since you’ve been carrying it for so long, but may weigh a ton to your mate. Is that really fair for them? Stay single and have fun while you wonder what went wrong.
You’re Not Ready to Say Goodbye to Your Privacy As any relationship progresses, bits of privacy is chipped away until you mate decides to take a crap in the same bathroom you are brushing your teeth in. If you can’t stand your space being invaded and your diary metaphorically open on the dining room table, stay to yourself.
You Like Being Alone Some people love to be around silence only allowing sound to enter when they are ready for it. Cooking for one and spreading out like a starfish in bed is essential to end a good day. It would be tragic for someone to ruin that wouldn’t it? Keep it simple and single.
You Don’t Like Being Alone I know it’s kind of confusing. Keep reading. It will make sense. Being with someone just because you don’t like being by yourself is the wrong move. It can lead to tolerating things that most people wouldn’t. Before you proceed in committing to someone else, make sure you can survive yourself mentally and emotionally as they play a big part in a committed relationship.
You Like to Move Around Who wouldn’t want to see the world? Unfortunately, when you bring someone else into the equation, the answer becomes more difficult to sway towards you packing your life and moving. You may want to move, but your partner may not be able to. Then it becomes a choice between your love and your love of exploration. If you just pictured yourself hiking on some random trail, it’s best to stay single.
You’re All About the Money No need to begin your research. It has already beenproven that a significant increase in spending begins once a relationship starts. While it’s usually spent to build a life together, more money in your bank account is extremely tempting…especially thinking about that big move you are currently planning in your head.

The 30 Worst Things You Could Ever Say During Sex

You’re in bed, undressed and under the covers with your significant other, a friend with benefits or even just a one night stand. Of all the things you can put in your mouth, your foot shouldn’t be one of them. Saying the wrong thing can just bring all the grinding to a grinding halt:

“It is in yet?” …And if it is?
“Deeper!” …I already feel your pelvis – there’s not much deeper for me to go
“Are you done yet?”…I am now
“You’re doing it wrong”…Thanks, as if this wasn’t awkward enough
“It’s soft”…Okay, I guess I’m not doing it for you
“Is that it?”…Were you expecting there to be more?
“You were too good!”…Yeah, sure. We know that wasn’t the reason
“What’s that smell?”…Hope it’s not me.
“The condom broke”…Well, you’d better fix it.
“Oh [insert someone else’s name here]!”…No explanation needed
“I’m a virgin”…Great, no baggage or pressure here…
“Smile for the camera”…Um, do you know what the word “consent” means?
“I hope I get pregnant”…Shouldn’t we have talked about this first?
“Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz”…Nice to know I’m interesting
“Awww, it’s so cute!”…Wish I could say the same thing for you
“Let’s turn out the lights”…Saw something you didn’t like, did you?
“Is that a rash?”…Even if it weren’t, I am now too scared to continue
“This used to be fun”…How did you know that everyone likes to be compared to the past?
“Have you done this before?”…Yes, sorry if I’m not living up to your standards.
“Huh, that wasn’t what I was expecting”…Nope, me neither
“It’s burning”…What the hell are you giving me?!
“It was okay, I’ve had better”…So have I, but you don’t see me bragging
“This is a mistake”…Maybe, but let’s not waste a good mistake!
“I wish my friends could see this”…What kind of kinky crap are you into?
“Get off me”…This ended on a good note…
“Shit! My parents just came home!”…I knew you couldn’t afford this place on your own! Check out the real estate photography.
“I win!”…And I didn’t know we were in competition
“Wow that’s wide”…Wow, you’re small.
“But my last partner let me do that”…I guess they were so wonderful that your relationship transcended into oblivion.
Nothing at all…Just say it was awful It would end the process much quicker

Have you said or heard any of these? If you have, please share this list with the buttons below!

Baby Gammy's Case Raises Surrogacy Law Questions

You may or may not be aware of the ongoing situation going in Thailand which includes surrogacy and adoptions. Adopting parents from outside countries are now being considered human trafficking criminals and if they try to return to their country, could run the risk of being captured and prosecuted.

Some may also have heard about Gammy, a twin born with Down syndrome, a congenital heart condition, and a lung infection. His surrogate mother has claimed that his adoptive parents, David and Wendy Farnell deliberately left him at the hospital while taking his twin sister.

The story itself is extremely confusing and the fact that a helpless infant is in the center of the debate makes this story heartbreaking. As authorities and hospital officials try and sort out the situation, multiple stories are arising.

According to The Guardian, the Farnell’s didn’t acknowledge that they ever had twins. When asked if they would take a paternity test to clear things up, they immediately got defensive.

Media outlets are also saying that couple knew about baby Gammy but deny abandoning him, claiming they wanted to take him home. Their argument is that the surrogate mother, Ms Pattharamon refused give up both children, demanding to keep Gammy and forcing the Farnell’s to bring healthy daughter back to Australia in an effort to “make sure she was safe” according to Australia’s Sixty Minutes.

The most confusing part about the situation is while they claimed they never left the baby, they were willing to take a refund in an effort to resolve the problem.

That statement right there should raise a few red flags. Most mothers are willing to die for their children. It’s hard to believe that parents who have been 1. struggling to have children and 2. claiming they were forced to leave their sick child with minimal treatment strategies, would be willing to take a refund instead of fighting for their child. Moreover, during the interview when discussing the idea of leaving Gammy with the surrogate, his response was relief, almost as if he was happy that she wanted to take him. But remember, they were forced to leave the baby.

More importantly, what happened to him not knowing about the baby? Multiple news outlets have stated that the couple was only told about the healthy daughter.

Besides the previous mentioned, there are a few other blatant issues with the couple’s claims.

Let’s focus on the initial argument: The Farnell’s were never told about the baby boy. Who benefits from that? The surrogate mother cannot afford to take care of sick baby as she became a surrogate to gain some needed income. The hospital had to perform series of tests and treatments to keep this poor boy stable. A disabled child would definitely be looked at as a burden rather than a joy. Sad, but definitely undeniable. Telling the Farnell’s to take the healthy baby and leave Gammy seems unreasonable.

The next argument was the fact that the surrogate mother refused to give the baby away. This may be believable since in an interview, David Farnell said he was aware of the potential disability but was hopeful it would not happen stating “no parent wants a son with a disability.” If Ms. Pattharamon, felt this child would not get the love and care he needed, the idea of a refusal may be plausible.

But then what was the surrogate mother’s plan for the baby? Did she demand the baby on a whim hoping that things would work out?

Since the truth has not come out yet, we can assume all we want. What can’t be misread is the fact that the Farnell’s were willing to accept a refund in exchange for Ms Pattharamon keeping Gammy. Their story has changed multiple times since it went viral. It’s also odd that their story changed right around the time donations started pouring in to help save this child.

Extreme Couponing: Put Your Money Where Your Account Balance Is

When you think of extreme couponing, the thought of some crazed person running around staring at items with coupons falling out their pockets is not far behind. The word “extreme” alone triggers a sort of intensity. A normal person would try to avoid it at all costs, but I’m here to show you that extreme couponing is a lot easier and more beneficial than you think.

If you place yourself in a position to benefit immensely when you are shopping, extreme couponing will seem more of a fun challenge rather than another helpless chore. The trick is to know what you are walking into when you are ready to save a few bucks:

Every week, you receive something that you probably assume is just junk mail in your mailbox. Most people toss them before they even leave the mail area. But inside that junk lies hundreds of dollars’ worth of savings.
You will probably never need all of the coupons, so it’s important to take a few minutes to go through them. Clip the ones that you really think you will use before the expiration date. Also, you may not know it, but there are many websites, including nuleaf naturals coupon. Coupons.com and Smartsource.com, that offer legitimate coupons with just a few clicks. Many of them don’t prohibit you from using them with other coupons either.
And that’s not even the best news. Most chain stores offer advantages for becoming a member of their store. It takes two minutes to fill out the information, but once you do you will be privy to additional, often unadvertised coupons and deals. This is on top of their regular sales. Take advantage!
Before you enter a store, you really want to have a list. This may sound a bit cliché, and I’m sure you met a few people who claim ‘it’s all in my head.’ While that may be true, that imaginary list can get lost when in the view of variety. More importantly, when you make the list, don’t think about brand unless you have a useful coupon to coincide with.
Brand is not important at the moment. This might be hard for some people, as I know it’s still something I fight with every time I shop. Extreme couponing may mean straying away from your favorite brands from time to time. I look at is as venturing out to try new things. Being strong for saving $2.00 on a product that costs $2.50 is way cooler than saving $0.50 on something that cost $3.00. Trust me, your bank account will thank you for it.
Finally, one of the greatest ways to save a buck when shopping is using multiple coupons on multiple items on sale. Have you have seen a sale sign the reads ‘4 for $6.00?’ Wouldn’t it be awesome if you had two coupons that gave you $0.75 off two of the four items? Now, on top of grabbing a sale, you just snagged a few more cents back into your account.

Don’t look at extreme couponing as a chore. It can really benefit your pockets. I remember a point where coupons were not worth the time. Who wanted to cut coupons only to save $3.00 on a $200 order? But if you do it the right way in the right place, you’ll leave the store dancing rather regretting the fact you walked in in the first place.

Goodbye to These 4 Sexual Taboos

Taboo. Something that society has deemed unacceptable and forbidden. While the term may not be used often in conversation, if you have been following social media lately, society likes to forbid people from doing a lot of things. Especially when it comes to their sexual actions.

Most people have no clue what “forbidden” really means on a personal level. Not too many years ago, your sexual rights would have constantly hovered if not crossed the rights violation zone. Fortunately, we’re moving in the right direction and becoming more open in terms of our sexuality. Of course, there’s still a pretty good chance your friends and family will never accept the fact that you may have sexual feelings toward your sibling or pet – it’s probably in your best interest to always assume those will be taboos and illegal forever. Nevertheless, there are a few sexual preferences that have evolved from being taboo and secret, to being more accepted and openly discussed at the coffee table, including:

Homosexuality

For decades, those who were attracted to the same sex were persecuted by most people. They were shunned by society and many were beaten and killed just because of who they were and which gender made them excited. This taboo on their sexuality forced many to keep to themselves and ignore what made them happy. Today, while there is still a fight for equality, the taboo that plagued homosexuality for generations is definitely clearing up. At most time, someone’s sexuality will not stop a person from being accepted.

S&M

Inflicting pain during sex wasn’t looked at as a pleasurable experience until the recent years. If it was, no one would ever admit it out loud. That would have been completely unacceptable. Today, we realized that no one has the right to tell people what is supposed to feel good. Sadomasochism has gone from someone’s depraved pleasure to a top hit single with many people wanting to experience the sensation. Sex is no longer hidden behind someone’s shadow. With the openness of sexual experience becoming more and more popular, it’s only natural that certain fetishes were brought to light as well. So feel free to walk in that shop and grab that whip you’ve been thinking about for years.

Masturbation

It’s ok if you blushed. Some people still do. But that taboo is long gone. In fact, some doctors prescribe it as a natural stress reliever. Of course, that wasn’t always the case. Masturbation, while it only produces self-pleasure has always been looked at as someone’s dirty little secret. Even though most people did it, because no one ever wanted to admit it out loud, no one really knew how common it actually was. Some adults testify to being spanked on their genitals as kids for performing such action. It was often never talked about in the house and when you were old enough to not worry about the punishment, admission to it was admission to not getting the real thing. Most cases, peer pressure did not allow that. Good thing people now understand that a reason for masturbation is more than just loneliness and not because we are disgusting people. Keep in mind it will still be weird if your family or friends walk in while you are performing. That will never go away.

Swinging/Multiple Partners

For some people, it’s difficult to express themselves sexually. So many stigmas revolving around sex that people who need to keep a conservative reputation dare not challenge what society accepted. Some people decide to become sexually repressed rather than open about what they want. Not today. Today, some people are so sexually sure, they don’t mind sharing. Removing the secrecy from sleeping with someone other than your partner has allowed many relationships to flourish. The option of satisfying your sexuality completely is now available without most of the ridicule. Tabulifestyle.com openly accepts the fact that it is still considered a taboo, however, is confident to know that their success proves that a significant weight has been lifted. There are many websites to search thousands of people who openly want to be with other people. You will also find thousands of people who openly accept and respond to it. We are far away turning unnecessary taboos into an open discussion. Don’t wait for the courts to okay your union to your dog. But if certain situations were taboos because of some bias opinion, history has taught us that these taboos will no longer be.

How to Date when You are Broke

When I pictured my first date as an adult, I confess, I set the bar high. I wanted flowers at the doorstep, a shiny car to take me to an elegant restaurant, and the ability to order some classy champagne and anything on the menu. It would be a magical evening to remember. That’s what all the movies I saw growing up told me it would be.

Too bad the reality is much different and many people are scraping money to find meals for themselves let alone finding some to satisfy someone else’s hunger. Lets face it. Life is just too expensive!

Yet, life has also granted us an opportunity to take advantage of wavering businesses and its need to draw people in. Even better, your date may actually understand why you suggested the 2-for-20 and go right along with it (that you’ll have to feel out yourself…don’t blame me if it goes wrong). Have no fear, there is still a chance to catch a mate!

Obviously, the most logical dates involve some kind of food. But before I get into that, I just want to make things clear. Places like McDonalds will not work in your favor…it may actually punch your favor in the face and cause your favor to leave. Dating is about impression so you must focus on that. But a good impression doesn’t need to require a lot of money.

There are many websites sprouting everywhere that give good ideas for great restaurants at discounted rates. Many times, these deals put you at the door of places you would’ve never even known about had you not gotten that random email. At the end of the day, what would have cost you a chunk of your paycheck, just got sliced in half. Don’t worry! People actually get paid to shove those discounts down your throat!

Now that you’ve shown your partner you have good taste in food, it’s now time to entertain them. With everything to experience in the world, why eat every time you went out? Websites like the one I described will definitely help you reduce the costs, however, if you really want to save your money, find something free!

Many areas have attractions that cost little to nothing. I will admit, they aren’t as popular as the costly ones, but if you put your own personal spin on it, you may be able to turn something that is looked upon as a chore into something that can be adventurous.

An example would be when my now fiancé and I first moved to North Carolina. Although we were together for years by then, we still wanted to be able to enjoy a day or a night out.

Too bad we both were broke. But we didn’t want that to stop us. So he went on the web to search for something cheap to do. Little did we know there were a bunch of stuff to do for free in our area!

You read correctly. Free! While it wasn’t a night on a yacht sipping some bubbly, it was something to entertain us. So the museum it was.

I have one more admission. Museums wouldn’t be the first thing on my mind when thinking of a day out, but Michael made sure I enjoyed my time. This was something he enjoyed and he used his talents rather than money to keep me entertained. I had more fun than I expected and would definitely go back!

If you have the money to spend but don’t want to spend ALL of your money, those websites that gave you your dinner options, also provide you with discounts to new adventures all around. Ever go rock climbing? No? I bet you could find a discount somewhere around you. Now you have something to do and most likely a new adventure to tell your friends about.

Don’t let low funds prevent you from having a date life. Doing so will allow your potential mate to assume a lack of effort because…well most people know about the deals too.

6 Tips for Standing Out Amongst Hundreds of Other Job Seekers

Yeah it’s tough out there. I can almost hear the groans coming from people at their computers filling out application after application just thinking: all this work just to get an email later telling me in nice words I’m not good enough.

With so many different jobs showing up and thousands of people across the world applying to them, it seems impossible to stand out. Even when you do stand out enough to get an interview, you have to work even harder as now the best of the best are alone to compete. But have no fear! There are ways to keep your name in the front of the line and next are six of the most reliable ones I know that will keep you a step ahead.

1. Don’t limit your résumé to just one page

I know that one-page résumés have been the rule for years. But seriously, why bound your capabilities upon first impression? Why shouldn’t the hiring manager know you were interested in the field since your first internship? If you think that your experience will work in your favor and the only thing that is stopping you from showcasing it is an extra page, go for it. No manager is going to throw away your résumé because they have to turn the page or scroll down.

2. Be careful who you take job advice from

(Who am I? I know right!) But seriously, it’s a different time. How your father got his job may not help you get yours. In fact, it may hinder it. Either way, someone who has had the same position for 20 years can’t confidently tell you how to land a job now. More importantly, some people make a lot of assumptions based on a single experience and as many of you know, there are definitely different scenarios. Make your own determination fit for the direction you’re heading.

3. Do your research about the role and the company

This may be obvious but you’d be surprised how many people I have interviewed who did not really know the job requirements or much about the company. Don’t assume because you were a Marketing Coordinator at one company, you know exactly what they are looking for in the current Marketing Coordinator position. Find out a few key points about the role and the company you can relate to. Not only does this let the manager know that you are prepared for the interview, it makes for good conversation and if you are still in the beginning stages of the hiring process, a good cover letter.

4. Have confidence in yourself

It is very easy to differentiate someone who is just nervous and someone who lacks the confidence in surviving the interview. It’s also very telling. Nobody expects you not to be nervous during an interview. That’s natural. But when you lack confidence it shows in your answers, response time and even in a handshake. Know yourself, and more importantly, know what you went there to do.

5. Follow-up email

This usually gets forgotten because people find themselves too busy to send a brief email. Find time. This is another way to stand out. Thank them for the time because in all reality, they didn’t have to call you and you may not be as special as you think. Saying thank you shows the hiring manager that you appreciate the fact that they picked you to compete for the role. Making them feel good, makes you look good.

6. Keep in contact

It is simple to get your foot in the door. Even if you did not receive a business card at the end of your interview, all you have to do is some research. When you keep in contact, you’re harder to forget about. It may seem a little annoying but it’s worth it. Recruiters and managers could possibly go through hundreds of résumés while hiring for a specific role so no matter how you doll up your résumé, there will always be a chance it can become part of the haystack and not the needle. Best advice that was given to me years ago: all you need is the company’s email format and a person’s name. After that, the door is open.

We have to accept that the job market is extremely competitive. No longer can we walk into a random office throw some charm its way and expect to start work the next day. Follow these steps and I am sure that you will start seeing better results.