An open letter about regret to Millennials from a Millennial therapist
By Tess Brigham
Thinking about mistakes
You can’t backtrack if you’re unhappy about your choices, but you can pivot to get closer to where you want to be.
Remember, your “mistakes” are teaching moments that taught you about yourself and what you want to be. Reflect often on what you’ve done and make sure to note where things have gone well.
A lot of big questions have been answered
Your current status (job-wise, location, etc.) can answer most of the big questions, right now. This doesn’t mean you need to be satisfied with them. Many are malleable with enough effort.
Value experience
Simply living provides you with wisdom. Make sure to take note. Leverage that aspect as much as you can.
Reverence
You may think you can’t give advice, but you can. You’ve made mistakes, but have prevailed. Resilience can be attractive. The “mistakes” make you smarter; learn from them. Tell others about your experience, when appropriate. Listen to others and be open to what they have to say as well.
Bias to action
Don’t overthink.
Are your finances on track? If so, stop losing sleep over it. Need to pay off debt? Want to buy a home? Save more for retirement? Get a financial advisor to help you figure it out. Want to get paid more? Ask for a raise.
If you need to make a decision, think about the ones that will have the biggest positive impact on your top priorities. If you tap into your instincts and acknowledge the information you have, you’ll know what the next best step is.
Expectations
Don’t give yourself expectations. Long-term happiness involves finding purpose in your actions and investing in meaningful relationships.
It takes work to age well
You will continue to face problems. But take control of the choices you can make. You can make your journey as pleasant or unpleasant as you want.
Take care of your body and mental health. Prioritize sleep. Adopt a healthy diet. Commit to constant learning and self-improvement. Cut out toxic relationships.
No objective section on resumes, please
By Gary Burnison
Assume that recruiters or hiring managers will only spend 6 seconds on their initial pass over your resume. The best resumes concisely illustrate how the candidate made previous companies better. Objective sections are typically too broad and/or too short. And, they almost never show what the candidate can do for the prospective company. In Gary’s case, he won’t even read the rest of the resume if there is an objective section.
The main goal of the resume is to show how you can benefit the company, not list demands of the company for your benefit. Objective statements may also discount you from other positions that the hiring manager may know about.
Create an impact statement instead
For workers with only a few years of experience, create a short headline that best summarizes your experience:
- Award-winning graphic designer
- Marketing associate with experience running online and social media campaigns
- Communications manager for fast-growing Fortune 500 company
- Biochemical engineer with nanotechnology expertise
For workers with a little more experience, a summary that’s a few sentences is more fitting :
Financial executive with extensive experience building and leading teams. Areas of expertise include: Strategic planning, business process reengineering, SEC reporting and governance…