Nate Wylie

Tie the knowledge you obtained from completing the degree to the value you will add to the position. You have to convey the value the formal education will contribute to the role. Also, if your degree is listed on the job description as "preferred" or a bonus qualification... call that out during salary negotiations.

Concisely provide context for a completed project, mention the collaborators, partners, and stakeholders plus your specific individual contribution and the impact it had.

First, you must determine if the team member is interested in exceeding expectations. Many employees are perfectly comfortable meeting the expectations and avoid taking on more challenging work or expanding their scope. But if you want to motivate someone, I've found it's important to find out what they value. Helping a team member understand their career trajectory, and pointing out the areas in their current role, that if mastered, would increase their value and align with their career goals typically works as an incentive, as it's clearly defined "growth".

To accurately assess the gap and understand the needed skills is key. Often, an organization will try to fill a gap by simply replicating the person who left, or they might have unrealistic expectations about what's really needed. Using internal recruiting smartly can be a great move. There are folks within the organization who have skills that aren't being used to their full potential, or who have hidden talents that could perfectly fill those gaps.

The majority of people want to be known as a high performer within their workplace, but oftentimes, if a team member feel as if their contributions aren't appreciated they will choose to do only what is asked and not stretch themselves into other areas of the business. If team members can receive consistent recognition/feedback, they will know they are actually making an impact within the organization and be incentivized to continue growing and learning.

Ah! This is always a tricky one but it's helpful when you are able to volunteer with an org/cause that can utilize the skills you use to earn money. Donate your marketing services, coordinate events for free, create budgets and forecasts, etc. Volunteering isn't always about doing what is asked but what can be offered as well.