Start a Side Hustle to Get Experience and Land Your Dream Job

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

7 min read • Originally published January 18, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

7 min read • Originally published January 18, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

Lack of job experience got you down? Maybe you’re starting to believe you’ll never get your foot in the door and started on the right career path.

Or maybe… freelancing and side hustling might just be the magic potion you’ve been searching for to get you the job you want.

Does this sound familiar?

You’re sitting at your computer staring at a screen and the number of bullet points on it makes you want to hit the back button before you can say “Underqualified.” You’re looking at your current dream job square in the face but each bullet point on that page feels like a reason not to apply for it.

“Must have 3-5 years experience”
- Translated: You have no idea what you’re doing yet, don’t even think about hitting that “APPLY” button.
“Must have MA or MBA”
- Translated: This job is out of your league. Go back to school and try again in 3-5 years.
“Project management experience”
- Translated: You should already have supervisory experience. And, no, being a camp counselor doesn’t count.
“Knowledge of HTML and Java a HUGE plus!”
- Translated: We will actually only hire someone with these skills.

But did you know there’s a way you can literally (actually, figuratively) pull job experience out of your assets?

Get this: Imagine that a few years ago, maybe while still taking classes or at that job you took just to pay the bills, you got a little antsy and decided to take up a hobby. Not long after, a friend reaches out to you because they have a project that’s actually along the same lines of your new hobby. Maybe it’s building computers, maybe it’s budgeting or setting and mapping out financial goals, maybe you love creating websites. After you help them out, they say, “Hey thanks so much for your help! You saved me a load of money by coming over and helping me with this.”

Then it hits you. People pay people to do what you like doing. Huh.

Now it gets interesting.

It’s pretty obvious that you have an aptitude for this stuff, meaning you can pick it up pretty quickly and, not to mention, you like doing it. So how can we turn this around to create something that 1). will generate a bit of side income, 2). get you some experience in the field you’re interested in (AKA: resume gold) and 3). make you sound like an expert in your field?

The answer: get hustling.

Here’s how:

1 | Get better at what you do

So maybe you got a degree in web design and that’s exactly what you want to do, or maybe you were an English major but you think web design is just the best. Either way, you’ve been doing this as a hobby for a little while now and although you have a feel for what you’re doing, it wouldn’t hurt to learn more. Sign up for some e-courses!

The beauty of a side hustle is that no one makes you do it. It’s your choice and it’s what you want to do, so learning about it feels a whole lot different than taking college algebra… unless you’re into that sort of thing.

Being good at what you do is only half the job of having a side hustle. You’ll also want to take courses (or watch Youtube videos, read blogs, listen to podcasts, attend webinars for goodness sake), on how to market yourself and put yourself out there. (More on that later).

2 | Start doing what you’re good at for others

Say you’ve never actually had a client before. Well, everybody starts somewhere and you’re no different. The key here is to just start doing. If you build computers, do that. Create your own little computer portfolio and maybe even make a buck or two selling them once you’re finished with your creation. If you plan budgets and map out financial goals, do this for yourself, your parents, for your friends, for your friends’ parents! Get them to write reviews on how you did and how they benefited from it and then keep those reviews in an excel sheet so you can share them with future clients and future employers. Ever purchase something based on the reviews? This time, you’re the product, now get yourself some reviews (future job references, anyone?)!

3 | Market yourself

So you’re really good at what you do. Who cares? Not the people who don’t know about you. What do people care about? Their problems. Remember that friend you helped out? Why did they reach out to you in the first place? Because they had a problem.

Now apply that same thought to getting prospective clients to hire you. You need to find people with a problem. Some of your future clientele might not even know they have a problem until they talk to you, which can actually be great!

You might be thinking, “If they don’t know they have a problem, why would they want to hire me?”

The thing is, if you’re the person who points out the problem (in a very helpful, “this may be none of my business, but…” kind of way), then you set yourself up to appear like an expert in your field. People also desire to have a quick and easy fix to their problems. Since you’re the one who noticed the problem, why not be the one to fix it while you’re here? You sound like you know what you’re doing after all.

Here’s an example of what this can look like in real life:

Say you’re trying to find clients who will hire you to develop their company’s website. You search the web for local businesses who have websites that could really use a facelift and are in desperate need of a more user-friendly interface. Once you find a couple businesses who look like they’d be great potential clients with websites that you have several ideas for, shoot them an email. In this email you’ll want to include a few things:

Who you are and what you do.
How you found the company and their website (you don’t have to tell them you were searching for new clients) and what you like about their business (you know, butter them up a little).
Show them what you can do. They most likely won’t commit to meet in person if they have no idea what your skill level is or what you can potentially do for their business.
A specific idea or two for how you can help their website (or whatever are you’re looking for work in).
Ask them to get back to you- sooner rather than later. The faster you can get them to contact you back, the more likely it is that they’ll hire you.

This email might end up sounding something like:

“Hello! My name is Taylor Gregory and I first just want to say that I love Your Business because it’s helped me DO THIS. I’m reaching out because I’m a website/UI designer and while I was navigating your website, I noticed a few areas that could potentially be roadblocks for your customers. For example, when I was trying to fill out This Form, it was a bit difficult to navigate. Since this is something I do, I’d be happy to sit down over a cup of coffee and discuss certain areas of your website that could be improved for the user or any other web development needs you might have. Here are a few websites I’ve designed in the past so you can get a feel for what my work looks like.”

*Be sure to hyperlink your work here.*

“If you’re interested in help with improving some UI features on your website, please let me know and we can schedule a call or meeting this week or next.

Looking forward to talking soon,

Taylor”

*Optional depending on your experience at this point*

“PS. I’ve attached my resume to this email in case you care to look over some of my other qualifications.”

Once you actually meet with a potential client, whether over the phone or in person, be sure to have a few actionable ideas tucked up your sleeve and make sure you’ve done your research on what people hiring services like yours typically expect to pay because the question will come up.

And there you have your first client!

Which brings us to our end game:

Use your freelancing or side hustle experience to land an awesome job

Like we said before, the awesome thing about freelancing or having a side gig is that you do the work on your own time. You can do this while in school or on the side of a day job that doesn’t exactly shine when read on a resume. You can even do it while unemployed and searching for the next thing! Our end objectives here are to:

Gain experience
Gain client reviews and references
Create an awesome portfolio
Appear like an expert in your field
Show your future employer that you can do the job, even with only 1-3 years experience.

We’d love to hear from you! Have you ever started a side hustle that ultimately landed you a job? What are your favorite side hustle tips and resources? Share them with us below and *heart* the post to show us some love!

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

The Right Way to Work During College Without Wasting Your Time

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published January 26, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published January 26, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

Students working through college go together like students and ramen noodles. The two have gone hand in hand for quite some time now. In fact, according to a report put out by Georgetown University, “For the past 25 years, more than 70% of college students have been taking time from their studies to earn a paycheck.”

With over 70% of students working part or full-time jobs, you can bet that if you weren’t missing the ultimate frisbee tournament on Friday night, you probably knew someone who was.

While working during college is nothing new, the notion of working your way through college is actually becoming extinct.

If you’re a freshman reading this while on your 15 minute break from the Arby’s kitchen and you’re thinking, “Hey, my plan was to work my way through school and now you’re telling me that’s impossible? What’s the point??”

There’s a couple, actually.

According to Anthony P. Carnevale who happens to be the director of the Center for Education at Georgetown University (read about it here), working through college builds character, time management, and will help to keep loan debt down (but not pay for college completely).

You might be thinking, “time management?” “whoopdeedoo!” Even if the grandeur of learning time management skills doesn’t make you wet your pants, we might still be able to convince you that working while in school is worth it- there’s just a better way and a worse way to do it.

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1 | Don’t overwork yourself

We get it. As a student, you have a lot of pressure riding on your shoulders, especially if the burden of sponsoring your education lands on you. You can probably see the direct correlation between hours worked and the number of books you’re able to afford next semester. Or maybe you choose to live off campus to cut out room and board expenses and you know exactly how many hours will cover this month’s rent.

That being said, you’re in college for a reason. And while it’s true that most future employers probably won’t take the time to dig up your transcript, getting the most out of your education is critical. The whole reason you’re there is to learn and develop the skills you need so that you never have to work at Arby’s again #amiright?

According to that study we mentioned, “working too much can reduce completion rates for low-income and first-generation college students.” So, by all means, work hard, just not too hard. Stay in school, kids.

[bctt tweet=”Over 70% of college students work while taking classes. Make sure you’re getting the most out of your job so it pays off in the long run. ” username=”_scouted”]

2 | Start a side hustle

There are pros and cons to starting a side hustle while in school.

Pro: You work on your own time, making your job perfectly flexible around your classes.

Con: Your income isn’t set in stone. It could vary or be unpredictable.

Pro: You can choose to work as much or as little as you like. If you want to save up for something, work more. If you have a full schedule with 18+ credits of classes, you can take it easy for a semester and your boss won’t hound you to come in more.

Con: This isn’t the type of job where you can just show up, do the same job you did yesterday, and leave. Side hustles take initiative and can often spill over into other areas of life. A client might email you with something “urgent” while you’re trying to get a project done for school. Or they might not.

Pro: A side hustle will not only give you that extra boost of job experience everyone is looking for, but it will show your future employer that you’re that type who takes initiative, is creative, and has enough drive to get something done by yourself if need be.

Also read: How to Use a Side Hustle to Get the Experience You Need for Your Dream Job

3 | Get a stepping stone job

Again, we get it. Finding a relevant job that also fits perfectly with your class schedule (forget extracurriculars) is no easy task. You might be left with no choice but to just take what you can get, which, for now, might be frying potatoes in the back of a kitchen.

Our advice to you? Try try try to get a job that has at least something to do with that major of yours. Or better yet, the job you hope to someday have. According to the same report mentioned above, “Working and learning can result in better education and stronger career prospects for students, especially when they work in jobs related to what they study.”

Even if you’re a freshman looking to earn your computer science degree, instead of finding a job at Old Navy and hoping your future employer makes the connection between your experience as “floor staff” and the “Excellent analytical skills” bullet point under the job requirements, there are way better jobs out there that are flexible, and will show a future employer that you know your stuff. Job experience anyone?? Why not try finding a part-time helpdesk job? Those positions, especially at colleges, can be split into part-time roles working all sorts of hours that could complement your class schedule. If you’re working towards your communications degree, why not start your own blog or be a part-time social media strategist for a local business.

Even if you have to work as a barista for a couple years, if you do your best to be the best darn barista there ever was, maybe you’ll get into a management role. Promotions always look great on resumes, it’ll just take a lot of initiative from you to get there.

Also read: Do finance majors get the finance jobs?

4 | Don’t feel like you have to use your school’s work-study program

Depending on your financial aid situation, you may be excited to see that you were awarded access to your school’s work-study program. Our reaction: meh.

First of all, being eligible for work-study does not guarantee you a job. You might apply to every single job on the work-study list, but so is everyone else who qualifies for work-study with just about the same amount of experience as you. This means that competition is high and chances of actually scoring a job are pretty low.

Second, a lot of work-study jobs boast the opportunity to get homework and studying done during downtime. Don’t rely on this when trying to budget time for it- the promise is iffy at best. You can be sure there’ll be no apologies if you planned on getting a project done during your downtime but, whoops, it happened to be a busy night.

Thirdly, most work-study jobs, although they may work around your class schedule, only pay minimum wage. Think about it this way, if you get a job working 15 hours a week at the federal minimum wage ($7.25), you’ll earn about $435 (before taxes) per month. If you can find a job that pays $9/hour, you’ll only have to work about 12 hours a week to make the same amount every month, making your schedule more open for classes, homework, and ultimate.

So what’s it gonna be, to work or not to work? Well, according to statistics, we already know the answer to that question. Our question to you is, will you make it count?

Are you one of the 70% who are working during college? In the comments, share the job you chose to work and your best tips for managing the work/school balance!

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

5 Things to Do Immediately After a Job Interview

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published February 1, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published February 1, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

So your cheeks hurt from smiling (whether it was real or fake), you just shook your interviewers’ hand, and you managed not to trip on your way out of the office. Nice work. Sure, the hardest part of making a great first impression might be behind you, but don’t breathe that sigh of relief just yet.You might be thinking there’s no more you can do and your career fate is now at the mercy of your interviewer. We’re here to tell you that it’s not over yet. There’s still work to be done! Want to stand out from your competition and make another positive impression? Or howbout set yourself up for another great job if this one doesn’t pan out? Check out the tips below for 5 things you should do after every job interview.

Ask for next steps

This is where you should be able to gain some clarity on the next steps in the interview process, how long the interviewing and selection period might take, and whether there will be a second or third round of interviews. You may even find out how many others are interviewing for the same position. By asking for a timeline or next steps, you’re also giving the hiring manager the expectation that you’ll be following up somewhere along that timeline if they don’t contact you first. At the very least, asking for a timeline will give you peace of mind and a reminder to not freak out if it’s been 5 days and you still haven’t heard from the company. There is still hope! For what to do when their proposed timeline for next steps comes and goes, skip to point #3.

Write down how you felt about the entire experience

It’s likely that you’re interviewing for more than one job and even more likely that the entire hiring process can take some time. If an offer does come your way, you want to be sure you know exactly how you feel about the company and whether or not you feel like you would be a good fit there. Our advice is, after leaving the interview, grab yourself a cup of coffee and write down in your own words how the entire experience was. What did it feel like when you first stepped into the building? Was it welcoming or intimidating (not that feeling intimidated is a reason to turn down a job offer, but it may be something to consider.)? Were you able to connect with the hiring manager or did it feel like pulling nails to try to make conversation? What was the office environment like- busy? Slow? Write down what you observed, what you felt, and what you felt were the strong points and weak points of your interview. If a job offer is later made to you, review what you wrote to remind yourself how you felt about the company.

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Send a thank you note

This is a must after every single interview. Even if you decide that you don’t want the job after all, it’s still polite to thank the interviewer for their time and for considering you. It’s always great to make a connection! If, of course, you do still want the job, sending a thank you note will not only set you apart from your competition, it will show your prospective employer that you are enthusiastic about the job and coming to work for the company. A thank you note may even give you an opportunity to clear the air about any parts of your interview that you felt didn’t go so well or a chance to bring up something you forgot to mention in person. In most cases, an emailed thank you will do the job quite nicely, but if you’re applying to a more traditional workplace, a written thank you may be your best bet. When it shows up a few days later in the mail, you’ll be brought to the forefront of your interviewer’s memory again while making a classy impression.

[bctt tweet=”80% of HR managers say thank you notes are somewhat or very helpful, but only 24% of candidates write them. Stand out from the competition and write a thank you note after an interview.” username=”_scouted”]

Add the interviewer(s) to your LinkedIn network

Following your thank you note, it may be a good idea to find your interviewer(s) on LinkedIn to make a connection. They may view your profile and find out a new bit of information about you that wasn’t revealed in the interview or, at the very least, you’ll be making another point of connection. It’s always a great idea to try to stay fresh in your interviewer’s mind, (job interviews are not the place to play hard to get) just try not to overwhelm your interviewing by making too many efforts to contact them before or after your interview. They may start to see you as overwhelming.

If you do find your interviewer on LinkedIn, be sure to send a short message along with your connection request simply restating that you’re thankful for the chance to interview, you’re excited about the company, and you thought it might be helpful to make the connection.

Send sample work

This is something that’s great to do when you send your thank you note or connect with your interviewer on LinkedIn. Again, it will refresh their memory of you while giving them something concrete that says you can do the job and you’re willing to work hard and go the extra mile. In the end, most managers looking to fill a position just want to know if you can do the job and if you’re a good fit for their company. Your interview should have shown them if you’re a good fit, now make sure they know you can do the work, too.

Prepare for a second interview

Sure, you might not have any idea yet whether or not you’ll even be called back for a second interview, but it’s always best to be prepared, especially if there’s not a lot of time between the callback and the interview date. Take this time to look up questions that are typically asked during a second interview and do some digging into the type of work you’d be doing if given the position. This may also be the time when salary and benefits are discussed so it’s good to have an understanding of industry standards and what you would like to make working in this position.

Keep job searching

Even if you feel like you knocked it out of the park during your interview, and while we’re all for being confident, you can’t assume you have the job until you have it in writing. Things happen all the time like HR protocols, department, and directional changes, or maybe there was someone who just knocked out of the park a little further. Not getting a job offer could have to do with 100 reasons other than how you interviewed and in that case, it’s best to give yourself some options. If you’re really excited about the role you just interviewed for, try looking for similar roles at competitor companies. They’re likely to have a similar culture and expectations for the position and if you’re lucky, they may also see you as a good candidate for another interview.

Got any post job interview rituals of your own? What are your favorite ways to make a connection with the hiring manager after an interview? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and share with a pal who’s on the job hunt.

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

Smart Strategies for Job Interview Success

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published February 20, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published February 20, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

If you were given 3 wishes before a job interview (and you weren’t allowed to wish to skip it), what would you wish for? Our guess is that you’d wish:

To be completely prepared,
To knock the hiring manager’s socks off,
And for 0 awkward silences.

Well, your wish is our command!

There’s just one catch.

You have to read this blog post to learn how to get those things and completely ace that job interview. Deal?

Have at it.

Update your LinkedIn profile with work examples and endorsements

The best way to start preparing for a job interview is to nurture and build your network before you need it. If a company asks for your LinkedIn profile on a job application, you don’t want to feel sheepish while providing the URL because you only have 3 connections and one of them is that cousin who looks relatively successful. College is a great place to find lots of connections and endorsements! If you’re on good terms with your past managers, ask them to endorse you. A+ if you’re able to get a previous employer, past professor, volunteer supervisor, or freelancing client to write you a shining review that you can include in your profile description! Nowadays, people always read the review before buying a product and a few extremely positive reviews on your LinkedIn profile can make a big difference.

Beside getting excellent endorsements and reviews, LinkedIn is a great place to show off some of the sample work we’ll talk about later. There’s a chance you won’t know who’s interviewing you until the day of, but they may certainly get the chance to look you up beforehand. Give yourself an advantage by showing them you’d be a rockstar candidate before even opening your mouth. In your LinkedIn profile, add links to past work pieces that you’re proud of or compiled metrics that show how you were able to help a company grow within your sphere of influence.

You may also want to take a minute to look over that job description again. Find keywords, phrases, and possibly even experience that you think will be important to the hiring manager and reference it throughout your bio and job experience section. When you walk into your job interview, you’ll know that they know you’re the perfect fit for the job.

Prepare your own questions

A great mindset to have when going into a job interview is that it’s not an interview at all, but more like a consultation. Pretend you’re a freelancer in the role you’re applying for and the company you hope employs you is the client. You know they’re hiring because they have a need and you know the company also has goals. Of course, at this point you’ve already done a fair share of research on the company and you also have a good understanding of what someone in your role would typically do. To take it a step further, you research the company’s competition and what someone in your role at that company is doing or what they’re putting their money into or who they’re marketing to. You might even research new trends that are happening in the company’s industry or in areas that affect your role/department.

Once you have all this information, it’s time to make a game plan. See, if you want to communicate to a hiring manager that you’re worth it, don’t just tell them that you can help, show them how. Don’t show up to an interview empty-handed. Although an interview is a two-way conversation, you’ll at least want to know what you can bring to the table and how you would improve the company if given free rein. This won’t only show that you’re prepared (like, a lot) but also that you’re valuable and you’ll hit the ground running if given the job.

Now, you did your research and you have your (flexible) game plan, but a big part of being a freelancer involves listening, too. Through your research, you’ve discovered some areas that could use improvement, but where does the company think they need to improve? What have they struggled with in the past? Who do they say their target customer is? Their competitors? This is where a notebook and pen will come especially in handy. Come with your questions written and leave with more writing on the page than when you walked in.

Provide sample work

What are employers looking for when they sift through possibly hundreds of resumes? What do they really want?

Someone who can do the job.

If an employer truly knew that the guy who had 3 years work experience was way better at doing X than the guy with 7 years job experience, they’d hire guy number 1 in a heartbeat. Skills and talent will always give you a one up on your competition. But how the heck do you communicate that you’re the better candidate on a resume when the numbers are against you?

Remember that whole freelancing mindset we talking about? Well, this is kind of like that except in this version you’re pretending you’ve already been hired.

Raghav Haran writes an awesome article on how he used pre-interview projects to get hiring managers to do a double-take and step into interviews with an extremely thorough game plan. By narrowing down a specific job he wanted to apply (and be interviewed) for, he was able to outline key responsibilities that job would have. Then, he actually did those things on his own time, created a detailed analysis and report of the product of his work, found the right person to get the report in front of, and sent it in.

#hired

In short, being able to provide real-life work examples from past experience or ventures of your own is a great way to show an employer that you can do the job they need done. The great thing about this is it makes the number of years of experience under your belt matter a whole lot less and gives you a foot in the door when, before, you may have been filtered out by an automated resume screening process. You’ll also get an excellent chance to stand out from the competition because your sample work will be different from any other candidates’, should they choose to provide any at all.

Have you ever impressed a hiring manager? What did you do and how did it make the rest of the interview process go? Share your thoughts in the comments below and remember to share the love! Or just repost this on Facebook.

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

How to Improve Focus and Reduce Stress at Work

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published February 22, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published February 22, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

Every workplace has busy and slow seasons. Depending on where you work, you might even have to wear multiple hats. To-do lists pile up, email inboxes can get flooded, and, inevitably, you begin to feel overwhelmed. We’re here to teach you a few ways to break through the clutter, banish distractions, knock out overly large to-do lists, and make focus your superpower in the workplace.

1 | Stop thinking about how overwhelmed you are

It’s time to chill, take a second, and slow down. Do what you have to do not have a mental breakdown, storm out of the building, or hide yourself in the bathroom until lunchtime. Sometimes, when the to-do list is a mile high, we can easily get caught up on just how massive it is. The thing is, when we spend time wrapped up in our stress or thinking about a massive to-do list, it ends up doing more harm than good. When looking at our responsibilities as a whole, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know where to begin.

Instead…

2 | Break it down

If you feel like you’re overwhelmed and not sure where to start, it’s time to get organized. Begin by making lists that divide your tasks by when they need to be done. Trello is a great simple app that allows users to create boards of lists. An example of a way to break your tasks down would be to create a list titled “Today,” “This Week,” “This Month” and “Eventually.” Over time, your tasks will move their way up your list as the items from “Today” get checked off. This is a great and simple way to know what your priorities are as well as things to keep on your radar for the future. If you’re looking for a more in-depth took like this, try Asana. Asana is great for creating tasks with subtasks and even assigning those tasks to team members.

Another extremely helpful app is Google Keep which is especially great if you’re already using G Suite. Google Keep is a great way to make short lists on the go that seamlessly sync between your phone and computer. Create shopping lists while working at your desktop and then close the list and forget about it. It’s out of your head now and you can get back to focussing on work. You can set reminders by date/time OR by location! For example, if you’re out and know that you’re probably going to forget to make that important phone call when you get home (but you’re not sure when you’ll be home) then just add a location reminder so that as soon as you pull in the driveway, you get a reminder to make that call right on your phone. Nifty, right?

3 | Clean up your workspace

If you have papers scattered all over your desk and have 1000 tabs open in your internet browser, you are definitely going to feel like you have no idea where to begin. Instead, create a few new folders on your desktop, then create subfolders. Name your files so that they are searchable. Grab a couple of file folders and label those too. Do what you have to to clear your space. The more organized you are, the less you have to remember! Once your place is organized, you’ll be able to look at your lists and know exactly where to begin without getting distracted.

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4 | Delegate

Ever think that the task you’re doing should really be someone’s job? Well, maybe it should be! It’s easy to forget that delegation is even an option when stress sinks in. It can be an especially hard skill to learn for those with a “If you want it done right, do it yourself!” attitude. Instead, try to allow yourself to let go of a couple of small tasks that you can trust someone else to handle and then report back to you once those things are done. You might be pleasantly surprised with how much you can get done in an extra hour.

5 | Understand when you’re most productive

By now, you’ve probably figured out whether you’re a morning or night person. In either case, make sure your most difficult task are done when you’re brain is the most engaged. If you take a while to wake up in the morning, then that might be an ok time to go through your email. However, if you’re a morning person who hits their lull by 2 pm, checking emails when you first come into the office might be a big waste of your morning energy.

6 | Figure out what distracts you

It can be so frustrating when you know exactly what you need to do before 4:00 pm, but you just can’t get your mind to work for you. For some people, listening to instrumental music helps them focus. Some need absolute silence. Our advice? When you find yourself distracted or unable to focus, try to call out what’s distracting you and remove it. Seems too simple but most of the time we just try to power through distractions which can make us end up taking twice as long to finish one task. If that’s not possible, move yourself. If you’re a social butterfly and love the idea of working near your coworkers but have a hard time getting into a flow when everyone is around, it might be time to buckle down. If you have an important task to do, try to motivate yourself by working first, playing later. Lock yourself in your office until all the difficult parts of the task are complete. When there’s lighter or less demanding work to be done, save those tasks for times when you want to work in a group.

7 | Tackle two little things, and then one big thing.

In the moment, smaller tasks tend to get pushed to the back burner because they don’t take much time and can always be done quickly- later. Although it’s easy to procrastinate doing the little things, this could mean that important emails don’t get sent, chains of processes get broken, or even that bigger deadlines get pushed back because little deadlines kept getting pushed back earlier on. In his post “How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the “2-Minute Rule,” James Clear writes,

“Most of the tasks that you procrastinate on aren’t actually difficult to do — you have the talent and skills to accomplish them — you just avoid starting them for one reason or another […] If it takes less than two minutes, then do it now.’

8 | No matter how tempting, leave time for free time

When at work, be at work. When at home (or anywhere else) be there. As with delegation, it can be hard to let go of work if you feel overwhelmed. And while your career might have some late nights built in, they shouldn’t be the norm. Having a great work-life balance can actually help you to be productive because your attitude of work will be more positive overall. Outside of work, it’s a great idea to have a creative outlet and hobbies to keep your mental and physical health in check. According to an article by CNBC, “Research that attempts to quantify the relationship between hours worked and productivity found that employee output falls sharply after a 50-hour work-week, and falls off a cliff after 55 hours—so much so that someone who puts in 70 hours produces nothing more with those extra 15 hours.” So if you’re thinking that if you only had a couple more hours in the office, you could get so much more done, it might just be time to head home and get a fresh start tomorrow.

Let us know what focus tips you would add to this list!

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

8 Things to Pay Attention to When Interviewing for a Job

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published February 27, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published February 27, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

Here at Scouted, we talk with a lot of candidates and help them with interview prep to help them feel ready for the big day. One of the things we always remind our candidates is that in a job interview, they’re not the only one being interviewed. That’s right. Not all the pressure is on you! Of course, you’ll want to put your best foot forward and do your best to convince the hiring manager that you’re perfect for the role, but interviews are a two-way conversation that should help YOU understand if the company is a good fit for you and if you would enjoy working there. Besides asking questions about the office you might work in someday (which you should do) we made a list of some other things to be aware of. Read the post below and keep your eyes open for some telling office “body language” that may tell you if it’s the place for you or not.

(more…)

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

How to Explain an Employment Gap on Your Resume

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published March 1, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published March 1, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

Career gaps happen for so many different reasons. Maybe you took some time off to go back to school. Maybe you were taking care of a child, sick family member, or spent time traveling. In any case, we want to tell you our best advice not only for explaining a career gap, but how to make the most of one as well. If you know that a long period of time is coming up where you’ll be unable to work, there are several things you can do to make the most of your time spent unemployed.

Ready? Let’s show employers you still got it!

How to explain your career gap

The first thing anyone with a gap in their resume needs to understand is that employers are also human. Most will be able to understand that life happens and, in some cases, you’ll need to take some time off work until life gets itself together again. So what’s the best way you can explain your career gap?

Simply be honest.

Explain your situation

Whether it was your choice to take time away from work or not, the best policy when explaining a gap in employment is simply to explain the situation. Robin, one of our Co-founders at Scouted, says that if your employment gap lasts for more than a year, it’s a good idea to make note of it on your resume. This way, any employer has the whole story and the right idea from the get-go. This will also make it so that you can put your mind to rest when it comes to explaining an employment gap during an interview. Obviously the company decided to give you a chance anyway.

Explain why you’re ready to go back to work

If you left the workforce to take care of family or complete coursework, are you finished doing that? Are there thing in your life that may divide your focus from your work? If you’re confident that your life is in a good place to begin work again, touch on that with your employer. You don’t need to go into great detail as to why you had to leave work, but putting a hiring manager’s mind at ease and letting them know that you’re ready to return could help to clear the air.

You’ll also want to explain why your job experience is still relevant. Here’s how to do that:

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Stay busy

The golden rule of career gaps is to stay busy. But staying busy does just mean you should be hitting the gym every day between jobs. You know, unless you’re going for a personal trainer type thing. No, your time spent “staying busy” should be time well spent. What does that mean?

Improve yourself

So you had to take a year or two off work. Sure. Employers actually see that a lot for one reason or another, but can you still offer fresh experience and know-how? Any industry can change rapidly and while 2 years might not seem like much, you’re going to want to make sure you still know and understand everything there is about the job you want to be doing. How can you do that? No matter how busy someone may or may not be during their career gap, most can still find the time to take a course in their line of work. The internet is bursting with resources from free to inexpensive online courses, workshops and local meetups, or just really really informative YouTube videos.

Start a side hustle

So you might not be able to commit to working for someone else at the moment, but who’s to say you can work for yourself for a stretch? Starting a side gig and being your own boss for a period of time can actually be a great way to show an employer how you take initiative, get creative, and solve problems on your own. Doing some freelance work between jobs can be a great way to fill a career gap as it gives you the opportunity to gain relevant experience, make some cash, and the flexibility to work when you can and take time off when you can’t. Read our post on how to use a side hustle to get the experience you need to land your dream job!

Volunteer or start a passion project

Much like starting a side hustle, spending time doing volunteer work or managing a passion project can be a great way to show an employer that, even without a boss looking over your shoulder, you love to work and take action. Doing either one of these can also demonstrate that you’re passionate about things and you’re willing to work hard for the things you’re passionate about. If you’re able to convince an employer that you’re passionate about their company and what they do, they’ll expect those traits to carry over when you come work for them too. Not too shabby.

Build your network before you need it

While you’re still employed, do your best to build up and maintain your professional network before an employment gap comes your way. When it’s time for you to begin working again, your contacts could come in handy when it comes to giving you a recommendation or, hey, even a job.

Consider working part-time

Even if working part-time isn’t your ideal gig, it could be the perfect way to make sure your experience stays relevant and up to date while you’re in between full-time jobs. Like we said, many of today’s industries are changing fast and it’s important to show that you haven’t been left behind when returning back to full-time work. The cash you earn could be a great way to invest in some of those online classes we talked about, too!

Has an employment gap happened to you? How did you handle an employment gap in your industry and what did you do to stay busy throughout? Leave your comments below and share with someone who’s found himself with a bit more free time recently.

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

A Day in the Life of a Sales Development Representative

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

3 min read • Originally published March 14, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

3 min read • Originally published March 14, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

There are few careers that test basic abilities and tough skin more so than Sales. Within Sales, Sales Development Representatives are the drivers of the sales team. If a company is a military organization, Sales Development Representatives are the foot soldiers whose basic tasks can tip the scale in favor of success or failure.

Regardless of whether you are B2C or B2B, cold-calling or cold emailing, your job as an SDR is to implement creative ways to acquire qualified leads. Your day will break down into three words: follow leads, follow-through, and follow-up.

Morning Grit:

Your morning mindset should be “Yesterday then today.” Central to a SDR success is following up with leads. Email/Call all of the leads with whom you were previously conversing that displayed interest in your product; I personally follow-up on LinkedIn or call. For leads that did not explicitly say no, send an update about your product in an “informational-styled” email. Depending on your business, leads that say “no” can potentially become referrals (“I don’t need investment advice but my daughter does.”) or re-engagement (We are not hiring right now. Please reach out periodically); ask them. This is also the best time to contact leads given to you by your firm as most people are engaged in the morning.

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Afternoon Scrappy:

This is where the most work takes place; the generation of new leads. Set yourself a goal while being mindful that most calls/emails/leads would not be interested. Based on your lead rate (i.e. how many attempts to get to a qualified lead), figure out how many attempts you need to make. Then, start! I usually take this time to sit with my computer and compile a list on excel from LinkedIn of my general demographic, looking at the trends and subjects they are following in regards to my field. Are they talking about candidates in HR not having enough skills or companies wanting too much experience? Is it International Women’s Day? By emailing them with this in mind, I make my contact more personable and connect it to a current event.

End of Day:

This is the best time of day to write it down! Write down all of the leads that are showing interest in your calls/emails for a follow-up tomorrow. Write down your emails and set them to go out 8:30 am tomorrow for new leads in your sequences. Write down those who have a high probability of closing, a medium probability of losing, and a low probability of closing clients. Write something unique about each of them (this helps build the relationship). Write down your goals for tomorrow and your accomplishments today.

SDRs are crucial to companies because they drive the bottom line and in order to be a great SDR, you must be relentless in your passion for the company to succeed. The most frustrating days are going to be the ones where you are utilizing every avenue possible and nothing is coming through. This can be due to seasons (as with hiring), the reluctance to change (investments) or even a mood. Keep going; every lead you bring in is a testament to your abilities and yours alone!

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

How to Keep Your Resume to One Page

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

4 min read • Originally published March 20, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

4 min read • Originally published March 20, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

We all know it. The competition to snag a high-demand job is fierce and every little bit of resume power helps.

Or does it?

One thing we see a lot here at Scouted is young job seekers, either right out of college or with only a few years experience, applying to jobs with resumes over two pages in length. Even if said job-seeker went to an amazing school, had the best internships, and spent every minute of free time in relevant extracurricular activities, there’s no reason why a recent grad should need a resume over 2 pages. Here, we want to give you a couple reasons for why you’ll want to keep your resume single (paged, that is) and how to do it if you’re having trouble cramming it all in.

Quantity is not always quality

Even if you do have enough qualifications and experience to fill up the whole of two pages, there’s one question you should always ask yourself: Is this information relevant? You know what’s better than 6 years of random experience? 3 years relevant experience. While it might be tempting to list as much work experience as possible, the hiring manager at a tech startup probably isn’t going to be that impressed that you were a barista in college. Instead, try listing on the most recent and most applicable work experience you have. Remember: the more your resume reflects your ability to actually do the job, the better.

You might be shooting yourself in the foot

From those just recently out of college to toddlers in the workforce, be honest about the amount of work experience under your belt. While it might be tempting to try to add as many accomplishments and past work experience as possible in order to look more accomplished and worthy of the job, don’t feel like you have to. Recruiters and hiring managers are expecting young job-seekers to have a short list of relevant work experience. If you put too much effort into adding fluff to your resume, you may end up just looking more silly than experienced.

How to cut your resume length down:

Experiment with different types of resume formats

Thought there was only one way to write your resume? Think again. While many traditional resumes will list education and work experience in chronological order, these can often leave the hiring manager to put two and two together when determining your transferable skills from one job to the next. Instead, it might be a good idea to write a short summary of your work experience at the top of your resume and briefly explain how it transfers to the job you’re applying for. Then, like we talked about earlier, list only relevant work experience. Listing only applicable experience will leave you more room to talk about the skills you’ve acquired and how they apply to the job you’re seeking.

Format, format, format

Now it’s time to get creative. We suggest writing out all the information you’d like to include in your resume on a Word or Google doc. Then seek out some templates (or download ours below), or use a web application like Canva to format your resume in a creative but organized way that will fit all the information you’d like a hiring manager to know about you.

Download our resume template here!

A great way to do this is to segment your resume into sections. At the top would be the best place to introduce yourself, list your career objectives, and relevant experience/summary. Then, in a side column, you could list your soft and technical skills and your references and their contact information. On the main part of the page underneath career objectives, list your work experience and education

The nice thing about using an application like Canva is that it allows you to reshape and format the size and parameters of your text without having to chop, edit, and cut until you’re down to the barest of bones when describing your work experience (see how we do it in the video below). It allows you to be creative (even for those who are not naturally) and share a little bit of your individuality when applying for a job. The key when formatting a resume is to not go overboard. If you choose a color to go with your resume, choose one and make it subtle. Some resume templates will have a place for a photo but we think it’s better to opt out of including a photo. If a hiring manager cares what you look like, they can do the extra work to stalk you on Facebook, otherwise, let your skills do the talking.

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

How to Rock Your Phone Interview

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published March 30, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published March 30, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

Phone interviews have become increasingly common simply because more jobs are receiving more and more applicants per listing. If you receive an invitation for a phone interview, you can pretty much expect it to be round one of a few rounds of interviews before the final candidate is chosen for the job. While you may have more competition at the round of a phone interview, we have a few tips that may help you stand out, even before your face-to-face with your prospective employer.

Smile

While it may sound silly and definitely won’t come naturally to some, remembering to smile, even on the phone, can make a difference in how you sound to your prospective employer. It’s true that the person on the other end of the line really can tell if the person they’re talking to is smiling or not. And while you should feel like you have to smile the entire conversation (try to keep it natural and authentic) you should do your best to put a positive energy in the conversation while conveying your own personality.

Stand

While you probably wouldn’t be standing in a face-to-face interview, this is where a phone interview can be to your advantage. In her Ted Talk, Amy Cuddy shares now a person’s body language (even if unable to be seen) can change the way we are perceived and even change our own body chemistry in how confident we feel. Take a few minutes before your interview to try some power poses and, hey, maybe even stick with them during the interview itself.

Grab all the documents you need

Your resume

It might be your first instinct to bring a copy of your resume to an in-person interview, but don’t forget to have one ready for a phone interview as well! Having your resume in front of you will help you to remember key talking points when it comes to explaining why your experience makes you a great fit for the role.

Any correspondence between you and the company

If you’ve had any email correspondence between you and someone at the company, it might be a good idea to have that open in a tab on your computer or printed out for you to reference. It might come in handy when it comes to remembering someone’s name or details on a topic you discussed earlier.

Be ready to take notes

Even during a phone interview when it might feel more natural to take notes by typing on a computer, we want to encourage you to grab a pen and paper instead. While you might be extremely interested in what your interviewer is saying, if they hear typing on your end of the line, it may give the wrong impression that you’re distracted or not fully present during your interview.

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Take it seriously

Even if you were told that your phone interview is simply a “preliminary” or “screening” interview, it should be taken just as seriously as any other interview. Confidence is great, but don’t go into your phone conversation feeling as though you can just wing it. Think of it this way: If your potential employer is calling you for a phone screening interview, there’re probably several others on his or her list to call, making the competition for the role greater at this stage in the game.

Practice your answers

This slightly overlaps with our previous tip to take your interview seriously. Remember, phone interviews are the time to try to “wing it.” If you like, feel free to even write down some notes or answers to common interview questions to have in front of you during your interview. Just be sure to not read your answers. If you feel like to need to look down and take a quick glance, go right ahead. If your interviewer can tell that you’re reading your answers off a sheet of paper, he or she might get the idea that you’re not too confident in yourself or the fact that you can do the job. Our advice? Sit down with a friend or family member and practice the interview questions that you think will come up during your phone conversation, especially the ones that may be more difficult to answer.

Also read: What’s Your Greatest Weakness and 4 Other Useless Job Interview Questions

Watch the filler words

No “um”s, “like”s, or “evidently”s about it. We get it. Like any other interview, phone interviews put you on the spot and you may get caught with a question you weren’t completely prepared for. If that’s the case, just take a deep breath, think about your answer for a second, and respond clearly and concisely. It might help to repeat the question you were just asked but as a statement.

Example:

Interviewer: “What do you enjoy doing for fun?”

You: *Thinking* “‘What do I enjoy doing for fun…’ Well, I always love a good round of mini golf.”

Just make sure you don’t do this for every question or your interviewer may start to think there’s an echo in the room.

On the flip side, while you want your answers to be clear and concise, you don’t want to sound like an encyclopedia. Remember, you’re talking to a human. And while it’s important to be professional during your interview, a good interview will feel more like a conversation between two people who care about a company. All that to say: watch the filler words, sound professional, but don’t overdo it.

Keep water nearby

Remember all those times you wish you had a glass of water during an interview? Well, your dreams have come true, now you can! Just try not to slurp too loud.

Research the company

This is an important step to take when interviewing anywhere, for any company. Employers want to see that you want to work for their company. Be ready to answer the question, “So why do you want to work here?” Beyond that, make sure you stay up to date on current news on the company or check into what efforts they’ve been making within the department you’d like to work. This article from Forbes says, “If you are not able to state the company’s key figures, strategy and markets, the interview might be over after only three minutes. One of the nice things about a phone interview is that you can have your “cheat sheet” in front of you.” And while it’s great to be able to have the company’s website open on your laptop while you interview, it’s also a great idea to research a company beforehand just so you’re able to reference specifics about the company off the cuff if you need to.

Be sure to listen!

Whether you’re a talker or you just really want to make sure your interviewer understands how great an employee you’d be, make sure to leave some room for listening. Better yet, take it a step further and practice some of your active listening skills. Every so often, stick a subtle “Mmhmm” or a “Right, exactly” into the conversation. Compliment that with a, “Right, so you’re saying that” and then repeat the interviewer’s thoughts back to them in a new way. Of course, if and when you use these phrases, always be sure to make it a genuine part of your active listening. This post also shares how asking questions is a great way to reinforce your interest and investment in a position you’re interviewing for and make sure that you and your interviewer are on the same page.

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

1 | Get better at what you do

2 | Start doing what you’re good at for others

3 | Market yourself

Here’s an example of what this can look like in real life:

Use your freelancing or side hustle experience to land an awesome job

1 | Don’t overwork yourself

2 | Start a side hustle

3 | Get a stepping stone job

4 | Don’t feel like you have to use your school’s work-study program

Ask for next steps

Write down how you felt about the entire experience

Send a thank you note

Add the interviewer(s) to your LinkedIn network

Send sample work

Prepare for a second interview

Keep job searching

Update your LinkedIn profile with work examples and endorsements

Prepare your own questions

Provide sample work

1 | Stop thinking about how overwhelmed you are

2 | Break it down

3 | Clean up your workspace

4 | Delegate

5 | Understand when you’re most productive

6 | Figure out what distracts you

7 | Tackle two little things, and then one big thing.

8 | No matter how tempting, leave time for free time

How to explain your career gap

Explain your situation

Explain why you’re ready to go back to work

Stay busy

Improve yourself

Start a side hustle

Volunteer or start a passion project

Build your network before you need it

Consider working part-time

Morning Grit:

Afternoon Scrappy:

End of Day:

Quantity is not always quality

You might be shooting yourself in the foot

How to cut your resume length down:

Experiment with different types of resume formats

Format, format, format

Smile

Stand

Grab all the documents you need

Your resume

Any correspondence between you and the company

Be ready to take notes

Take it seriously

Practice your answers

Watch the filler words

Keep water nearby

Research the company

Be sure to listen!

Shauna L. Nosler