“There’s always two voices inside: there is one telling you that you can’t do it, that it’s done, it’s finished. That voice was pretty strong after the second set. So I felt that that was a time for me to actually vocalize the other voice and try to suppress the first one that was saying […]
Organizing Your Remote Workday — the LOA! Way
“If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good.” Deion Sanders Today’s blog post is directed toward those working or job searching remotely, but there is plenty here for those who have returned to the office. Though we look to be inching toward […]
To Return to the Office or Not – What Every Young Professional Should Know
“Go West, young man, go West!” attributed to Horace Greeley, Editor, New York Tribune, in an 1865 editorial Never minding the sexist nature of the advice (which should of course have been “Go West, young person, go West”), it was offered the year the Civil War ended, and Horace was advising what he thought best […]
Using the “Recent Graduate” Label to Your Advantage!
“Labels are for filing. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people.” Martina Navratilova, winner of 59 grand slam titles, including 18 singles, 31 doubles, and 10 mixed doubles The LOA! team (all two of us) are avid tennis fans, so it’s time that we opened one of our blogs with a quote from […]
Mastering Business Email for Young Professionals
“I do love email. Wherever possible I try to communicate asynchronously. I’m really good at email.” Elon Musk Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to write a business email (and why it is so important), let us posit this question to our gentle readers: Are you, like Elon, a fan of asynchronous communication? What […]
Recovering from a Mistake at Work
“I think making mistakes and discovering them for yourself is of great value, but to have someone else to point out your mistakes is a shortcut of the process.” Shelby Foote, American writer and historian Thank goodness then for supervisors who “shortcut” your learning process — how helpful they are! So you’ve made a mistake […]
Your Performance Review Following a Year of Remote Work
“If your work does not speak for itself, no words will vindicate it.” Anonymous Noble thought, perhaps, but not true when it comes to your performance review. If you don’t advocate for yourself, who will? Your manager is unlikely to remember all the ways you contributed over the past year, especially with everyone working remotely. […]
My Child Graduated from College – Now What?
“So, what’s it like in the real world? Well, the food is better, but beyond that, I don’t recommend it.” Bill Watterson, Kenyon College Commencement (1990) Songwriter Steve Goodman believed he had penned “the perfect country and western song.” Entitled, You Never Even Called Me by My Name and released on Goodman’s 1971 debut album, […]
The Definitive 2021 College Graduation Gift Guide
My dear terrified graduates, you are about to enter the most uncertain and thrilling period of your lives.” Lin-Manuel Miranda, University of Pennsylvania Commencement speech 2016 Is it ever too early to start thinking about a graduation gift for the young scholar in your life? We think not. So, despite it being mid-February at the […]
Magic Words to Further Your Career
“Words to me were magic. You could say a word and it could conjure up all sorts of images or feelings or a chilly sensation or whatever. It was amazing to me that words had this power.” –Amy Tan You likely haven’t thought about him in a while, but recall Jack from Jack and the […]