Career Choice Guide Blog

The Most Common Mistake When Making a Career Choice

allie2002ca — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:02:46 +0000

Did you know that most people make career choices in a way that is quite random? Instead of investing some time researching career options and developing the self knowledge that will help people to make a career choice that is a good fit, most people simply accept the first job that comes along when they finish [...]

After the Job Interview - What to do if You Don’t Get the Job

allie2002ca — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:49:21 +0000

After doing your best to make a great impression at a job interview and getting your hopes up, it can be deflating to discover you weren’t selected for the job. Even at this stage of the interview process, you can gain valuable information and possibly even open up future job opportunities with that employer. After [...]

Multiple Sources of Income

allie2002ca — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:27:10 +0000

Consider creating multiple sources of income for your household. Just as financial planners tell us to diversify our investments to minimize risk, and smart business owner seek out several sources of income (i.e. they don’t rely on a single customer for all of their business income), it can also be smart to establish multiple [...]

Making a Career Change - Determine the REAL Requirements of the Job

allie2002ca — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:55:37 +0000

When you’re thinking about making a career change, it’s crucial to determine the real requirements of any new career you are considering. Some types of jobs are regulated professions, which means that there are very specific qualifications which are legally required for anyone who intends to work in the field. Determining the real requirements of [...]

Blank Employment Application Forms

allie2002ca — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:31:42 +0000

Staring at a blank employment application can feel daunting. Usually you’re asked to provide a lot of information on a job application form, and, unfortunately, they are not always completely clear. These tips will help you the next time you’re staring at a blank application form: 1. Dress to make a good impression. This advice [...]

Choosing a College

allie2002ca — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:15:06 +0000

When you’re choosing a college, it can be helpful to speak with program coordinators. These people can provide you with very good, detailed information about their programs. They can tell you exactly what’s required to get into a program (not just basic minimum cutoffs, but the real grades you’ll need to be accepted), [...]

Career Planning - Beware of Biased “Advice”

allie2002ca — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:48:30 +0000

It would be nice to think that everyone who provides you with career planning advice has only your best interests at heart. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Many people, from college program coordinators, to private school managers, to school counselors have biases and agendas that may not be obvious to you at [...]

Be Competitive in Your Job Search

allie2002ca — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:24:46 +0000

In order to stand out from the crowd when you’re job searching, ask yourself how you will add value to a company. Don’t simply present a list of your basic qualifications to do the job. Instead, whether you’re writing your resume or at a job interview, demonstrate to employers how your skills and [...]

The Most Effective Job Search Strategies

allie2002ca — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:24:31 +0000

Job search success is directly related to the number of techniques a job seeker uses. That is, the more different strategies a job seeker uses to find job leads, the more likely he or she will find appropriate work in a reasonable period of time. The fewer job search strategies an individual [...]

Avoid Isolation when Job Searching

allie2002ca — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:18:22 +0000

It’s absolutely crucial to avoid isolation when you’re job searching. For many people, a job brings structure, friendships and social interaction as well as an income. So, when you lose your job, you also lose day to day structure and opportunities for social interaction. It can be so easy to end up spending a [...]

Be Remarkable and the Job Offers will Follow

allie2002ca — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:48:36 +0000

In the book Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, author Seth Godin talks about the importance of being remarkable. He’s talking about building a business and marketing a product, but this advice applies to job searching too. After all, when you’re job searching you are marketing a product (you) to employers. According [...]

Job Interviews - The Easiest Way to Stand Out From the Competition

allie2002ca — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:12:21 +0000

In the book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, authors Chip Heath and Dan Heath describe the core qualities of memorable ideas. While this is not a job search book, a lot of their concepts can be applied to your job search. Specifically, the authors assert that “sticky ideas” are often [...]

Career Decision Making

allie2002ca — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:10:19 +0000

Decision making is a very personal process, and there is no single correct way to come to a good decision. You may be tend to use very tangible, concrete information for your decision making, or you may be more of an intuitive person who uses information that is abstract and theoretical to inform your [...]

How to Email Your Resume

allie2002ca — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 22:58:39 +0000

If you are emailing an unsolicited resume to an employer, never, ever email the resume as an attachment. It simply won’t be read. It’s fine to email a resume as an attachment if the employer has asked you to send a resume (ideally, in this situation, you’ll ask the employer what format he [...]

Effective Job Searching is All About Marketing

allie2002ca — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:08:01 +0000

Effective job searching is all about marketing. If you know anything about how to market products and services, you know how to job search. One basic tenet of marketing is that you should never try to be all things to all people. Find a target audience and speak directly to those people. Show [...]

Making a Career Change

allie2002ca — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:28:29 +0000

Making a career change can feel pretty daunting. You may feel that you have limited options, or you may feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of possible directions you could take. You may have no idea where to start, or you may have a good sense of what it will take to change [...]

Choosing a College Major

allie2002ca — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 01:27:40 +0000

When choosing a college major, keep in mind, if you are like the majority of people, the nature of your career will vary throughout your life. So, you’re probably not choosing your job for life when you choose a college major. Knowing that can take the pressure off of a lot of people [...]

Three Resume Formats

allie2002ca — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:00:43 +0000

While there are certain guidelines and conventions for setting up your resume, there is also some room for flexibility. You may choose to use one of the three styles of resumes: the chronological resume, the functional resume (I’m not a fan of this resume style) or the combination resume (my favorite - this resume [...]

How Facebook Can Impact Your Career

allie2002ca — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:33:30 +0000

Social networking sites like Facebook can have an impact on your job search; whether the impact is positive or negative depends on how you choose to use the site. Your Facebook Friend List Facebook can be a fantastic networking tool. Adding colleagues, particularly former co-workers or acquaintances to your friend list and sending a quick note [...]

Do What You Are - Book Review

allie2002ca — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:28:34 +0000

Do you want to find a job that you love? Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger can get you well on your way to choosing a career that’s a great fit with your personality with their book Do What You Are - Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type. When it [...]