Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Adapting to Change in Your Office

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Adapting to Change in Your Office Over at the Fast Track blog, we received the following reader question: I work in an organization that has frequent changes in policies, which requires ongoing adaptation to our assessment and decision-making processes. How do I manage older employees who are struggling to learn to use new processes and technology, resulting in significant time lags in completing their work? Many of these employees have had an excellent track record in their work but are unable to adapt to new systems and skills. I get so frustrated that I wind up doing the work for them, but then too much burden is on me! In addition, how do I deal with employee resistance to and frequent anxiety around constant systemic changes? Heres my answer: The good news is, you are not alone. In fact, the issues you describe are so common that we recently addressed them in two recent Fast Track posts, How to Cope with Uncertainty, and 6 Types of Change Resisters Who Are Holding Back Progress. Beyond the advice given there, I would say to make sure that you are explaining the big picture rationale for undertaking each new process, move to a new technology, etc. Employees, understandably, are less fond of change for change’s sake. Why is the organization moving in this direction, and what will the negative consequences be if the change is not implemented? Next, you need to establish a clear deadline for incorporating the change into everyday operations. Do not allow employees to stall and do not take on their workload, as this will only prolong everyone’s pain. If necessary, secure mentors for the struggling employees to help get them on track, or take an afternoon to sit down with them yourself and go through the new processes step by step. Once this additional training has occurred, consider using a project management system like Quickbase to ensure compliance. When faced with resistance of this nature, it’s always a good idea to motivate employees by turning the discussion to why adaptation of these new processes and skills is good for them in addition to being good for you and the organization. For instance, you might tell them that 100 percent of employees on the job market today are required to at least understand the cloud, and they will be neither marketable nor competitive if they don’t keep current. If your employees seem genuinely anxious, show empathy. It is, after all, difficult to change your approach after you have been doing things a certain way for dozens of years. Let them know that you are a sympathetic ear and suggest stress management techniques to lessen strong emotions â€" but still insist that they get with the program. Your team’s productivity depends on it. For answers from the other three experts, have a look at the full post on Intuits Fast Track blog.

Guest post How to make life more interesting

Guest post How to make life more interesting This is a guest post from Fabian Kruse. His blog is The Friendly Anarchist. May you live in interesting times, a Chinese curse goes. Its true: Interestingness is a dangerously broad term. Having a chronic illness can be interesting but it sucks. Wars can be interesting â€" but they suck even more. And maybe you too have used the classical It tastes interesting -excuse when your dinner host didnt really have a clue about cooking. Not as bad as wars and chronic illnesses, but still kind of sucky. But interestingness in general is a lot more positive. Interestingness is finding the experiences that shape us as human beings, and enjoying them to the max. What we really dont want is the bullshit part of life. As far as I can see it, most of us want to live our lives something like this: Sure, a bit more interestingness would be nice, but lets be realistic, right? At least well avoid the bullshit. 1. You can never make everything all nice, so stop trying. Or thats that we think. Because when we want to avoid bullshit so hard, we decide to play it safe. But play it safe  too much and youll suffer: Play-it-safe is what keeps us in our boring job. Play-it-safe is what keeps us in our houses. Play it safe is what keeps us from building a business. Play it safe is what keeps us from writing about controversial topics. We end up with a pretty normal, uninteresting life. But notice that you dont ever get rid of bullshit completely. Stress at work, a flooded house (my windows arent the best, it seems), a stolen car, a break-up after a long relationshipyou cant avoid these things completely. But because we try so hard, because of attempting to play it safe , we unintentionally drown our interestingness levels, and end up with a life like this: 2. Dont mistake worry for reality. The problems that really happen in our lives dont account for the full 20% of bullshit. Realistically, its more like 2% bullshit and 18% worries: Its not losing our job, its worrying that we might get fired. Its not really that the house floods, its worrying that it might get flooded; and then, worrying about what insurance to get, and where to earn the money to pay for it. Will the same insurance cover the car? And should we really park it in that dark alley, or rather take it to a supervised parking lot, paying $5 an hour for someone to look after it? Worrying too much is just not helpful. Especially if we consider that weve only got this one life. I am great at worrying. For example, as a dogsitter I permanently worry that one of the dogs could get seriously ill. Even though these worries are exaggerated, Ill be happy once my wife comes back to look after them again. As kids, we still play freely and explore the world as if it was a big and beautiful Wonderland. Sometimes we fall down, sometimes we rip our clothes, sometimes we scratch our elbows. And still, we continue to explore, we continue to live an interesting life. But then, over the years at school, we become more and more serious. And worried. The older we get, the more we learn to focus on avoiding bullshit and becoming upright citizens. Normality grows, worries grow, interestingness almost disappears. We go from Wonderland to Worryland. 3. Use people with interesting lives as role models; pay attention to what they dont do. I have some friends who live a very different life. I live it myself at times, and I see a couple of people on the web that seem to be living it, too. This other model looks something like this: You see this? Thats a 50% increase in interestingness! Bullshit levels are down, as is normality. And while normality makes us comfortable, it also leads to the boredom. So if we ever feel that theres a bit too much normality in our lives, we could maybe learn something here. The mistake when trying to find out about interestingness is to look at what interesting people are actually doing. Because this only leads to even more passivity on the side of the spectator: Oh, Tyler Tervooren can jump out of an airplane, but I couldnt possibly do that because I dont fly. Climate change is more important than having fun.  Oh, Sean Ogle is traveling to South East Asia and checking off the points on his bucket list, but I couldnt possibly do that because I love my home and wouldnt want to leave.  Oh, Karol Gadja is building a business around his Ridiculously Extraordinary blog, but I couldnt possibly do that because I havent got any idea of internet marketing and writing.  One thing is for sure: You will always find reasons not to do something interesting, even if other people are doing it. Often enough, these reasons will be pretty good. Sometimes, they wont. But youll definitely find some! I believe we have to look at what these people are not doing. And then we have to stop doing that, too. For example: Stop worrying 18% of your life. Stop overthinking everything. Stop remaining seated comfortably. Stop accepting things as they are, even if they suck. Stop taking the path of least resistance. Stop living the life other people planned for you. Stop worrying 18% of your life. (This comes twice, as its really the basics.) Interesting people get rid of unnecessary worries and accept that a little more real bullshit might turn up in their lives once they start stepping out of their comfort zone. If you do a lot more interesting things, from time to time you risk a bit more bullshit. 4. Make yourself uncomfortable. The good thing is that interestingness doesnt always have to be jumping from airplanes. Try unknown food at your supermarket. Go to a new restaurant. Watch a recommended movie from a genre you normally ignore. Engage in a street fight. Quit your boring job. Sell everything you own. Raise five children. Theres one thing interesting lives have in common, though: you feel at least a tiny bit uncomfortable. Anxiety is the perfect indicator. Instead of worrying about or trying to ignore it, maybe we should let it be our guide.

The Career Advice My College Advisor Told Me That Sucked

The Career Advice My College Advisor Told Me That Sucked One of my college professors, who also doubled as my career advisor, gave me terrible career  advice. Instead of listening, I chose to do the complete opposite of what he said. I told my advisor that I wanted to get my MBA. My advisor told me to get married and have kids before going to grad school.  He assumed that I would be a stay at home mom first, and going back to grad school would help me improve the  networking skills  I would lose after having kids. According to him, going back for my MBA after being a stay at home mom was the best path for my future success. If women continue to be fed this advice, we will continue down the same path of not making it to the top of any industry. Advice like this is telling women to quit climbing that ladder.  In this video by Sheryl Sandberg, we learned that we cannot quit before we quit. We cant pull back from work opportunities when we think of starting a family. There is nothing wrong with being a stay at home mom or going back to grad school as a mom. There was one mom in my MBA program who was juggling work, school, and her three kids! I dont know how she did it.  She faced the daily guilt of hardly seeing her kids or husband day or night for three years. I cringe as I think that this is the path that my advisor wanted me to take. Moral of the story: Not all career advice is good advice. I am glad that I did the opposite of what he said. With my MBA in hand and a job that I am proud of, I am glad I didnt listen! Have you received bad career advice? Please share!

The Outsiders By SE Hinton, A Deep Book Review - Algrim.co

The Outsiders By SE Hinton, A Deep Book Review - Algrim.co The Outsiders is a modern classic was written by SE Hinton in 1967. She was 15 when she wrote it, and it was a Young Adult novel, but also a coming of age story that anyone could relate to. During that time, popular teenage books were mostly about the perfect high school girl meeting the perfect high school boy, a spat occurred, they split up, and it was a will-they-or-won’t-they-get-back-together story. Okay if you like those kinds of stories, but The Outsiders changed all of that. The Outsiders is a gritty story told by 14-year-old Ponyboy about teenagers on the wrong side of the tracks being left to their own devices. This group of friends practically raised themselves, with the help of older siblings. There wasn’t much parental guidance, and neglect, abuse, and juvenile delinquency abounded. But you forgave and forgot all of that once you got close to the characters, each drawn perfectly and with yearning vulnerability by SE Hinton, who was a female writer under the impression that her book would be more accepted if readers thought she was a male writerâ€"hence the initials. The book is full of pathos and angst and violenceâ€"things that readers were aware ofâ€"maybe even livedâ€"but had never been represented so honestly and ruggedly before. Finally, a new generation had a voice. The book’s characters leap off the screen, and you root for all of themâ€"even Dallas, the bad boy. Hinton plays fair with all of the characters, even the rich kids, who reveal that they don’t necessarily like playing the part of the bully snob but do so because it’s a role that’s expected of them. Hinton’s writing is colorful and simple. She places you in a scene and carries you through each chapter with sympathetic dialogue and situations of conflict and angst. Her emotional writing connects easily to Young Adult readers everywhere, generations after the first printing of the book. The book spawned sequels and a movie adaptation directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Who better to direct a movie about a family of baby softcore gangsters than the Godfather director? Some critics say that Hinton’s story is a little sappy, but perhaps that’s because they’re looking back at it through modern eyes. In the late Sixties, it was peeling back the canvas of teen culture to take an honest look. The relationships and situations ring real for most people. Who wouldn’t want friends who cared enough about you to fight for you, die for you, or protect you? It’s easy to see how wayward and misguided stick together in a gang-like mentality. They look out for one another, and it’s total acceptance. The characters try to do the right thing, from Sodapop to Johnny, and Hinton does a good job making you feel for them, even understanding why they’re motivated to do some of the less savory activitiesâ€"“They don’t know any betterâ€"it’s their upbringingâ€"they have no guidance.” Abused children often grow up in the juvenile court system. Jails are full of people who may or may not have gotten the good breaks. Abused children often turn out to be abusive toward others. And even when a bad boy does good things, the negative often outweighs the positive. The book even delves into the division of social and economic classes, meaning “The Greasers” which were the poor boys, and “The Socs”, which were rich high-society boys. These two gangs were rivals, and the book shows what happens when things go over the edge between the two sets of kids. These are the ideas that aren’t exactly spelled out so much in the book. These are ideas you think about as an adult thinking back on the book, or reading it with an adult mindset. The story is told from Ponyboy’s point of view, a kid just trying to get along in a household ruled by his older brother, who works too hard but tries to do his best for his brothers. The story is propelled forward when Ponyboy is jumped by some rich kids, and revenge always follows. There is an intermingling between The Greasers and the Socs at a movie theatre, and both sides see the similarities in each other. Ponyboy doesn’t come out and say it, but you know he’s thinking, “If we could all just find more things in common, we wouldn’t fight so much.” One revenge fight leads to another. Some critics say that Hinton’s characters are too simplistic, but I find them to be well-rounded. You have the antagonistic Dallas, the quiet Johnny, the popular Sodapop. But in a way this makes the story engaging. The nuances are actually there if you read close enough. Hinton’s breezy style carries you through scenarios with just the right amount of angst and fairness. She doesn’t overdo it, she lets the characters and scenes tell the story. Things get tougher when Ponyboy runs away after an argument with the oldest brother and guardian Darrell go too far. Ponyboy meets up with his good friend Johnny, an abused boy who can’t take it anymore, and they run away from home. Several darker scenes follow, and please skip if you don’t like spoilers, but Johnny stabs a Soc when they jump him, Dallas (played by Matt Dillon in the movie) is shot and killed by the police, and Johnny dies. Because of the violence and gang-related themes, this book was banned in several schools and libraries and is considered controversial in some literary circles, but is still a favorite and is often taught in the classroom as literature. Some critics in educational circles refuse to teach it because they don’t want to condone or encourage violent tendencies in their students, and others think that their students won’t connect with the characters or find much in common. Should this really be how a book is judged? A student can’t read a book because they aren’t in a gang? A student can’t relate to a character who is rich/poor? What does a student have in common with a shark hunter, yet readers connect with the book Jaws. Does this make sense? Has education and literature gone too PC? I can see the concern if the book were about a school shooter, or glorifies gang violence. But The Outsiders does a great well-balanced job of presenting the consequences of violence. If anything, this book is a deterrent to violent behavior. Some teachers see the positive aspects of the book. They find students of all backgrounds relating to the characters, and this is one book that students want to read above many others on their reading lists. The fact that the book is deemed banned and off-limits in some circles is actually enticing kids to read. Not bad. It’s safe to say that the kids won’t be disappointed, as this is one book that is recommended from generation to generation. Adult fans who read the book when they were young say that the stories and characters have stayed with them through the years, and have re-read the book many times. They also have a few complaints about the movie version, which does an admirable job sticking to the book, unlike a lot of book-to-film projects. It’s probably wise to note that the gangs of the Sixties-era were a little tamer than those of today. They fought with fists and boots mostly, and a chain was crossing boundaries. They were fair fights most of the time. Today’s gangs are completely different, where guns and drugs rule. There are many lessons to be learned from The Outsiders: That everyone hurts no matter which side of the track you’re from, friendships are precious, the family is sometimes unavailable or non-existent, and bad things can happen to good people, and vice versa. Hinton is great at writing about relationships, families, tensions, and heartache. Her descriptions make you feel as if the characters could walk off the page and walk around the room talking to you. If you’ve ever had siblings, friends, and the conflicts of growing pains, you can relate to this book. Even though these were supposed to be “at-risk” kids or kids from the wrong part of town, they had more heart and integrity than most of the Socs and adults around them. You can really learn about yourself and how you feel about the world when you read this book. You can learn not to be non-judgmental, tolerant, and fair. When it comes to the characters, they’re multi-dimensional and have realistic ups and downs. They face trials, tragedies, and good times together. They also at times realize that they follow the norms in their lives because it’s expected of them, and they really are aware of no other way of being. Ponyboy does see a way out, and there is immense hope that he can escape the self-imposed role of us-versus-them. If you read the book, make sure you give it some breathing time afterward before you watch the movie.

10 Easy Tips to Make Your Resume Stand Out CareerMetis.com

10 Easy Tips to Make Your Resume Stand Out For every job profile that is posted, recruiters receive dozens, even hundreds of resumes.The sheer number of applicants makes it impossible for them to spend a lot of time analyzing your resume. In fact, a study has discovered that, on average, hiring managers spend just about six secondsto screen your resume in the initial stage.evalIt is, therefore, obvious that only crisp, unique, and eloquent resumes make it through primary assessment.f you often find yourself wondering why how you can stand out, take a second look at your resume to understand how you can increase your chances of fetching a job interview by refining your resume.Here are 10 Ways Through which You Can Make Your Resume Stand Out Among the Rest1) Create a HeaderevalOne of the best ways to make your resume stand out is by creating an eye-catching but concise header.Strategically placed on the top of your resume, the header contains your personal as well as professional information. Not only does that help the recruit er understand what your professional goals are but it also lends your profile some visual appeal.Here are some pointers you must keep in mind while creating a header for your resume:Use formal spacing and font size.Write the name of your designation, not the function.Provide only one contact number and one email address.Give your current address.Refrain from writing the word ‘resume’ or ‘curriculum vitae’.Remember, first impressions are long-lasting. Since the header is the first thing a potential employer will notice in your resume, make sure it leaves an impact.2) Modify Your Resume As Per The JobWhen it comes to job searching, one size does not fit all. In other words, you must edit and modify your resume in accordance with the job you are applying for.evalYou do not have to be a resume wizard to do so. To tailor your resume, start by paying attention to the job profile, job description, and company profile. Then, highlight the keywords, skills, and experience and update relevant information in your resume.The intention behind this is to make the resume recruiter-friendly and subtly highlight your expertise â€" without having to create a new resume every time. Modifying your resume also gives you a chance to proof-read and edit your resume, avoiding those pesky spelling or grammatical mistakes.3) Add a QR Code to Your ResumeSurprised? Don’t be.We all need that X factor to get noticed, right?evalAnd a Quick Response When recruiters screen profiles, they are also on the lookout for interpersonal skills apart from technical skills.Thus, the skills section forms a crucial part of your resume. Apart from listing down your skills, training, and experience, this section also helps the recruiter analyze whether you are a suitable match for the role without having to read the entire resume.To decide which skills to include, first read the job description, explore the company and its core values and note down the skills the recruiter is looking for.Then, li st the important abilities that you feel could get you that second round of interviews.Here are some tips to help you create an effective skills section:evalList your skills in bullet points.Instead of writing wordy phrases, go for specifics.Divide your skills into subsections, such as communication, creative and analytical.5) Emphasize Awards and RecognitionThe job market has become quite dynamic, and recruiters prefer individuals with diverse skill sets.To make your resume and profile appear distinctive, highlight the awards and recognition you have earned. However, keep in mind to include only relevant information that has enriched your personality, helped you learn new skills or added value to your employment history.For example, if you are applying for a managerial position, you could mention accolades such as ‘Best Team Player’ but listing an award you won in school does not make sense in a professional resume. You can also include the dates of these achievements to help t he recruiter probe the relevancy and frequency of your achievements.6) Incorporate Keywords from the Job PostingKeywords are, essentially, words or phrases that a recruiter looks for in your resume.evalThese keywords could be skills, qualities, credentials, abilities, or a cumulative mixture of them all. By including keywords in your resume or additionally in your cover letter, you increase your chances of getting noticed. Take a thorough look at the original job posting and jot down the keywords.Then, use these keywords subtly throughout your resume. If you are not sure how to determine the keywords, watch out for words/phrases used in the job requirements section, such as skills and competencies.While most keywords vary as per the role and competency, there are a few styles of keywords that can be used in all applications:Skill related keywords: analyzed, planned, designed.Results-oriented keywords: increased, redesigned, implemented.Recognition keywords: awarded, promoted, select ed.The added benefit of using keywords prominently is that if the recruiters are using an applicant tracking system (ATS) to filter resumes, your resume will make it to the next round.Image Source7) Create a Visually Appealing FormatGlobal attention spans are shrinking,and the same goes for recruiters as well. Since most resumes have a similar format, you could make yours appear unique by using a visually appealing format.Once you’ve gathered and streamlined the information that you intend to add to your resume, shift your focus on creating an engaging format. Try using different styles, fonts, columns, infographics, etc. to create a unique resume.You can easily find sophisticated resume templates online on Canva or choose from the ones available in Google Docs as well. You could also use aesthetically suitable colors to draw the recruiter’s attention; try not to be too artsy, though (unless you’re applying for a design position).8) Keep it Crisp and PreciseIf Elon Musk’s re sume can fit on one page, so can yours!Remember, your resume is simply a medium to deliver only the most relevant information so that the hiring manager can consider your application for a role.To find out which information to remove, read your resume multiple times â€" but from a recruiter’s perspective. Eliminate any information that is not relevant to the job you are applying for. Also, do not forget to correct any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or ambiguity you spot.Once you have created the final draft, you could ask your friends and family for feedback on how to make it more focused.Here are five easy ways to create a crisp resume:List only pertinent contact information.Keep sentences short but meaningful.Use bullet points or chronological order wherever possible.Use headings and subheadings.9) Quantitative and Qualitative InformationIdeally, your resume should have a mixture of both quantitative and qualitative information concerning your education, job profile, and other accomplishments.Too many numbers or too many adjectives could confuse the recruiter before they’ve had a chance to consider your application.Thus, make a conscious effort to balance out the information. Handled late payments worth ‘$5000 USD’, received team player reward for increasing sales by ‘10%’, and availed a grant of ‘$50000 USD’ â€" all these are an example of quantitative information.On the other hand, ‘organized’ the library, ‘interacted’ with global client base, ‘maintained’ cordial relations with the vendors are examples of qualitative accomplishments.10) Use the Reverse Chronological OrderThe reverse chronological resume format means listing your employment history, starting with the most recent one, and then going backward. The same goes for your educational qualification.The reverse-chronological resumes show dates, as well as the names of the employers and educational institutions. A majority of recruiters prefer this format because i t helps analyze the work history of the candidate. The recruiters can take a quick glance at the work history and experience and ascertain the suitability of your candidature. Being one of the most traditional formats, it is suitable for all job profiles and industries.Wrapping UpWhether it’s your very first job or if you’re applying to one after decades of experience, starting a new employment search can be a little intimidating. But you can make the odds work in your favor by creating a stellar resume that leaves a lasting first impression. Although your resume, regardless of its quality, does not guarantee that you will get the job, it can surely help you get one step closer to your dream job.Apart from following the tricks mentioned above to keep your resume up-to-date, ensure you effectively showcase your education, knowledge, experience, abilities, and capabilities in your resume. Don’t forget, your resume represents you and you must always put your best foot forward.

6 Practical Steps for Your Job or Career Change - Sterling Career Concepts

6 Practical Steps for Your Job or Career Change 6 Practical Steps for Your Job or Career Change Once you decide to make a change â€" be it a new company or a new career â€" here are six practical steps for a smooth transition: 1. Get your financial house in order. You’ll be in better shape to make a change if you’re on sound financial footing. As you start this process, make sure a financial evaluation is part of your plan. Are there expenses that you can cut out â€" even temporarily â€" that will help you stockpile cash in the short term? Maybe you need money for additional training or certifications. Identify how you can save that money so that you have it ready when you need it. If your research shows that you may need to take a pay cut initially in order to make a job or career move, start cutting back now so that it’s not as big of a shock later. 2. Decide on a job target. What do you want to do? How will your next job â€" or career â€" be different from what you’re doing now? Take some time to identify what you want. Invest in career testing and/or meet with a therapist or career coach who specializes in helping with job change/career change. (This will also help you identify whether you may be suffering from anxiety or depression, which can affect your work, your decision-making ability, and your choices.) 3. Research your new career. Talk to people who are actually doing the job you want to do â€" especially if you’re moving into a new career field. Research the qualifications for candidates who do what you want to do. Again, consider the idea of creating a Personal/Professional Development Plan (PDP) so you are prepared to make the transition. 4. Start slowly. Begin compiling the information you need and slowly start disengaging yourself from your current job/current employer. You don’t want to take a full box of knick-knacks home at once, but you may start decluttering your files (both paper files and on your computer) and taking some personal items home so that you don’t have to pack them up all at once. Be careful when doing this, however, as it may tip off co-workers â€" or your boss â€" if too many personal items start disappearing. 5. Take calls from recruiters. Reach out to connect to them as well. However, keep in mind this strategy will only work if you’re staying in the same industry. Recruiters specialize in placement, so they want to put “round pegs in round holes.” They won’t be interested in helping you make the change from being a computer software developer to a teacher. 6. Consider hiring a résumé writer. Once you have a job target in mind, one of the best things you can do is to engage a professional résumé writer to help you develop a résumé for your desired job. Especially if you are considering a career change, this can help you identify transferable skills that you have to offer and boost your confidence when you see the evidence of your qualifications on paper. Your résumé writer can also help guide you in collecting the information you need to develop your new career documents. Be prepared to invest in yourself and in the development of this document, because your résumé writer will have to spend a considerable amount of time to prepare a résumé that demonstrates how your skills, education, and experience are applicable to your new career path. But it can be a worthwhile investment as a tool as you make a change in your job or career. This is the fourth and final article of a four-part series designed to help you assess and plan a job or career change. If you’d like more personalized assistance deciding whether to change jobs or careers, email Laurie today to set up a complimentary 20-minute Job Search Breakthrough session. You’ll get one good idea to move your search forward and determine if working one-on-one with Laurie is a good match.

Writing Your Resume Writing

Writing Your Resume WritingResume writing, as a profession, is in a sense a layman's occupation that takes up time and patience. The requirement for knowledge and experience is now more difficult and thus requires that a lot of research is undertaken in an individual's career, organization, and self. This is reflected in the attempt of every one who has the desire to excel in resume writing to follow closely the conventions of conventional resume format.English has an inherent limitation in its words, which makes it all the more important to know what the words you are using are and where and how you can spell them without hurting the working relationship with your future employer. For starters, one can easily see the full definitions of synonyms in the dictionary. Words like 'referring to', 'in reference to', 'sufficiently prominent', 'characterized by', 'conducive to', 'accepting with ease', 'communicated or expressed by', and 'pertaining to' have every one of these meanings.Try to look up those words that you've written and find out if they can be used in any other manner or have any meaning at all. Take the opportunity to look up synonyms in books and magazines, online, and even ask the help of a friend who knows much about the writing. In all, there are a few hundred million synonyms in the English language, but it is possible to get around this problem when they have been classified by the organization that publishes the dictionary.The first place to start is by looking up the word that you'd like to refer to. There are a lot of good synonyms to choose from, as these are those terms that are typically used in the body of the text. For example, take the synonym 'sufficiently effective' to express what the word implies in less than a hundred words.When it comes to verbs, the main thing to remember is that there is a distinction between the verb form and the noun form. In other words, for example, 'I am learning Spanish' would be termed as a verb and as a no un, a verb.For example, 'I am learning Spanish' would be termed as a noun and as a verb, a verb. Use this fact whenever you refer to a person, place, or thing in a sentence. If you can't refer to a person or a place in fewer than five words, consider using the adjective form to reflect the same idea.In general, the verb form of any word is also referred to as the common form and the noun form is the inflected form. These two forms are combined in the same way and can be found in the dictionary under the different categories.