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Learn how to reach career nirvana; Journal is your one stop shop for advice about all things workplace, productivity and job success.

How To Pants Like a Plotter
If you're a writer, you have probably heard of the "panster" vs. "plotter" debate, but in case you haven't, I'll break it down.
By Hannah Kay8 years ago in Journal
What Skills and Competencies Do You Need to Be an IT Analyst?
A system or an IT analyst designs, analyzes, and implements information systems that are used in solving business problems. Other than that, organizations use system analysis to gather information in the existing system in order to determine its shortcomings and upgrade the systems progressively with help of IT analysts. Since effective solving of business problems is the need of the hour, careers in IT or system analysis have good career prospects. However, there are certain skills and a degree in computer domains that are necessary in order to pursue a career in it.
By Carol Wilson8 years ago in Journal
How To Write a Protagonist
Ah the protagonist, the main character of your epic adventure. Whether they’re good or bad, human or otherwise, they’ve got a goal and that’s why this story even exists. Without a good protagonist, the story just falls flat no matter how much effort you’ve placed in the plot. So here’s some important things to look at while writing and designing your main character.
By Dez Riley8 years ago in Journal
How to Write for Readers
First, I want to draw your attention to my upcoming release, How to Become a Successful Writer. I've been cataloging my experiences from the publishing world, and I've also compiled some of my interactions with other writers, editors, marketers, publishers, and readers, and thusly I have acquired more than enough material to create a comprehensive, easy to understand, and somewhat entertaining manual for writers of virtually any skill level.
By Aaron Dennis8 years ago in Journal
Things To Be Taken Care of While Changing Jobs
Switching a job is not easy. There are numerous things that need to be taken care of. Even if you land in a new job, it doesn't mean you do not have any responsibility towards your previous employer. It is necessary that you fulfill all your duties and abide by the terms of the contract that you have signed with your previous employer.
By Eva Lee8 years ago in Journal
How to Write: A Novel Based Off a Fan Fiction
The world of fan fiction is such a strange phenomenon if you really think about it. I mean, you as the writer are essentially taking things that exist—movies, shows, video games, comic books, manga and anime, even "real" people—and creating your own stories within those worlds and with those characters, or making entirely new ones of either or both. Whether it's a retelling from a different character's perspective or with the "wrongs" of something (like how it ended, what romantic pairings formed, who died or didn't die, and so on) righted, or it's set in an alternate universe or has a crossover with a similar or completely different series, or it's just mindless smut or fluff, fan fiction is a very broad spectrum comprised of every genre imaginable, and every kind of writer—and style—along with them.
By D.A. Baldwin8 years ago in Journal
How (Not) to Write: A Y.A. Romance, Part I. Top Story - September 2017.
Young Adult literature is probably one of the most popular genres nowadays from what I've seen, and it has been for the past few years, perhaps even longer. I think the buzz started with Twilight, and even though it's had its ups and downs, the high that book brought has stayed and only gotten more and more pronounced over time. A lot of this has to do with movies and shows being created based around popular Y.A. books, but I think the books are the things people enjoy the most. I would say the same case works for me, since I tend to be one of those people who believes that 'the book is better,' simply because books tend to have more to them, and movie representations can be, well, hit-or-miss.
By D.A. Baldwin8 years ago in Journal
Make Money on the Side Without Endless Surveys
Here's a few things to make a little bit of cash on the side of your normal job, or to tide you over until you can start one.
By K. Moritz8 years ago in Journal
How To Write a Great Blurb
A blurb is the back cover description of your book, and it may mean the difference between a potential reader buying your book or putting it back on the shelf. So how do you get them to buy the book?
By S. K. Gregory8 years ago in Journal
5 Pro Tips for Starting Your Own Online Business
We live in the age of internet and it’s no wonder online businesses are on the rise. And if you’ve been thinking about entering the world of business, making it web-based is definitely a good idea. The best thing about this is that you don’t really need much in order to get started – a PC, a good business plan and certain set of skills is all your new business will require. Even if you have all of these, getting some help from the pros can’t hurt. That’s why we’ve come up with a list of 5 pro tips that will help you see your online business off to a great start.
By Carolin Petterson8 years ago in Journal
Difference Between Personalized and Customized Cover Letter
As you would take efforts to draft a concise resume, so you must take out time to write a proper cover letter. The aim of the cover letter is to encourage the hiring manager take interest in your application and proceed to scan your resume. Just as the resume has different formats, in the same way, a cover letter can be customized or personalized depending on the job you are applying for. Though both the words mean almost the same, yet there is a vast difference between them. Personalization is taking into account available data, whereas customization occurs when an individual changes the settings as per his/her liking. For example, when you click on some products on an e-commerce website like Amazon, it will likely show you similar recommendations the next time you log in to shop. This is personalization of data as per the search history and preferences. On the other hand, customization occurs when a particular thing is changed to meet the specific requirements.
By Eva Lee8 years ago in Journal
Tips to Write a Technical Resume
There is no dearth of opportunities in the IT sector provided you have the essential skills as the IT industry is experiencing a major change with cloud computing and IoT coming to the center stage. Hence, if you are someone who is looking for a switch or want to start your career in this industry, there is no better time to start than now. However, before you start with a new gig, you have to go through the most frightful step – drafting a concise resume. Limiting your story just to a single or two-page document can look tough if you have no idea of what to include. With an increase in the number of individuals competing for desirable tech jobs, you need to tailor your resume in a better way if you want to be noticed by the hiring managers. The tips below will help you in writing a good technical resume.
By Eva Lee8 years ago in Journal