Your Jobs is Not Your Career

Career Change - Develop The Mental Strength To Bring the Change

2011-03-12T06:28:00.001-08:00

Advising others to change career sounds very simple and a workable proposition. When it comes to us, it becomes one of the toughest decisions to implement. A career change needs lot of mental preparation. If you have a family, that may get disrupted by your career change. The income may stop for some time. The decision itself may turn out to be a wrong one. It needs mental strength to change career. Let us see what it requires.

A change of career shifts us from a comfort zone to a zone full of discomfort in the beginning. For a full time production engineer, a change to a career as human resources consultant may need a total about turn, back to school and learning new skills for the new job. Some people change careers so totally that it looks incredible. Let us talk about changes that can be done more smoothly. I am talking about learning about a new career along with the old one and then shifting to the new career slowly. This process also requires mental strength, because it needs lot of extra work.

The first barrier that one encounters while thinking of career change is- how did I get into a wrong career? What if my new decision also turns out to be wrong? What if I continue with my present career? Why should I change my career? Some of these questions need head to answer and some questions are for the heart such as asking why did I chose the wrong career to begin with, may involve damage to self esteem, and acceptance of failure.

Before thinking of changing career, one needs to do analysis of life goals, and deciding about how the present career does not satisfy those goals. Only after deciding that something drastic needs to be done can one think about changing career. One has to develop mental and emotional strength to undergo these changes and emerge a winner again.

Career Apparel: Dress for Success

2011-03-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

Ever wondered why you didn't land your dream job? You rehearsed for your interview, researched the company, and appeared to be a qualified applicant at the interview. Perhaps, it was your career apparel choice that made that man behind the desk turn up his nose.

Even if it is just a restaurant or thrift store in which you are applying for, showing up in casual street clothes is always a no-no. Selecting the appropriate and classy career apparel could make or break your chances of getting the job.

The first thing you should do is analyze the atmosphere of the company that you're applying to. Is it a laid-back atmosphere? Are there a lot of cleaning duties or stocking tasks involved? Or, is it a high-class establishment where employees are consistently dressed in Sunday best career apparel? Do some investigating by popping in one day to observe what other employees are wearing. Talk to former employees about the expectations of the business's supervisor.

If you are applying for a position with a big-league business (such as a bank, high-class retail store, investment company, etc.), wear nothing short than high-class polished career apparel. Even if you are in your 20s, dressing as if you are 10 years older will give you a mature and professional air.

For women's career apparel, you might choose to wear a white button-down blouse, a long black skirt or dress pants, panty hose and black flat shoes. This may be a far cry from your usual clothing, but remember, you are trying to present your best professional image--not your personal tastes.

If you wear contacts, put your glasses on. Your hair should be tied back in a bun or tightly-secured pony tail. Make-up should be minimal, wearing no bright eye shadow or lipstick. Career apparel is all about looking smart and sophisticated, and being able to pull it off.

For men, depending on the company's reputation, a nice knit sweater with a collared shirt underneath might suffice for career apparel for the interview. If not, stick to the traditional pin-striped button-down shirt with a solid tie and khaki or black dress pants. No tennis shoes! Try loafers or polished dress shoes.

If you are interviewing for a more relaxed establishment (like a pet store, newspaper delivery or fast-food restaurant) or for a physical labor job, dressing in black tie career apparel may be a bit over the top. Instead opt for comfortable career apparel- within reason. Wearing blue jeans is an interview taboo. Go for casual tan corduroy or cotton pants and a long-sleeved knit top. Keep it simple, but make sure you appear clean-cut, well put together and polished. For women, add a pair of small gold earrings. For men, flourish with a nice wrist watch.

While career apparel is important in impressing your prospective boss, be sure to adlib extras that will make your face memorable: smile a lot, speak clearly and concisely, be knowledgeable about the expected work duties, and above all, be courteous and polite.

Inspirational Thoughts On How To Find You Dream Career

2011-02-28T22:23:00.001-08:00

Are you still waiting for your dream career to come? How do you find it in the first place? Do you believe that if you wait long enough, sooner or later your dreams of success will come true?

When it comes to your dream career, you are better off spending your time working toward being successful than losing precious moments thinking of ways to find it. Maybe just even waiting for it to happen.

What are the traits of successful people? They have drive and a belief in themselves. They are confident. They seem to have the touch of gold.

Instead of trying to emulate the qualities that made them successful, people sometimes assume that "they must know someone." or, "they were lucky." They forget that these people worked hard to get where they are today.

We did not see they struggle to find that dream career. We just saw the result. But we want what they have, quickly.

Dream careers are not just for the lucky. It is for those who want it and are striving hard to get it. There is no mystery or magic in the process. Follow certain steps and you will be successful.

So how do you find your dream career? Follow these steps.

1. Believe that you will succeed.
Self-belief is such a crucial and sometimes overlooked element. You have to believe that success is within your reach.

If you do not believe it, who will? The persons who make their career dreams come true are those who believe in their goals.
How can you become a believer? Sit down with a piece of paper in front of you. Write your ideal career and life. Create a picture you can look at every day. Does it inspire you? Belief comes from within. You just have to dig it out every once in awhile.

2. Get the facts.
Once you are a believer, back up your beliefs with facts. Find out specifically what steps you need to take to make that picture real. This way, you will be comfortable taking action.

Do you need more training? Do you care about money, or are you more interested in a better quality of life? Write down your questions and get your answers. Then you will be ready to act.

3. Commit to your success.
Successful people say "I will". There is something powerful about making a commitment. First of all, the decision to be successful is made, and the back and forth is done.

Second, you have focus and direction that transforms your outlook and gives you purpose. As human beings we do not always like to make commitments. We feel that we need to keep ourselves open to all opportunities because we are afraid that we may walk away from something better.

Commitment gives you something greater; a reason to get out of bed every day and look for ways to find your dream career.

4. Put a plan in place.
Once you are committed, map out how you will succeed. Use the facts you gathered. Break down your success plan into smaller pieces. Put these smaller pieces into your calendar. Make to-do lists.

Manage your priorities and say yes only to those things that will bring you closer to success. Delegate and eliminate those tasks that take up your time.

Career success comes to those who keep moving. Take small steps every day. These small steps now lead you to finding that dream career in the future.

Wonder Why a Hiring Company Wants to Check Your Background?

2011-02-23T21:47:00.000-08:00

Your Job is Not Your Career - Over 90% of companies run some type of background check on their job applicants. Pre-employment screening can be expensive and time-consuming, but most companies feel it is an essential part of the hiring process.

Here are the top five reasons why a company will take a good look at you before making a hiring decision:

1. Fraud – It’s estimated that over half of all job applicants lie on their resumes and job applications each year. Education leads the list, with over half a million people in the U.S. falsely claiming to have college degrees. Many people enhance their job titles, stretch dates to cover employment gaps and even invent employers. By running a complete background check, a company can quickly verify if an applicant is telling the truth.

Veritas asked CFO Kenneth Lonchar to resign following the discovery that his claim to an MBA from Stanford University was phony. George O’Leary, hired as Notre Dame’s head football coach, lost his job when it was revealed that his resume contained falsehoods.

2. Criminal Activity – No company wants to hire an individual who will bring crime into the workplace. Some two million Americans are victims of workplace violence every year. Many companies face theft, embezzlement and drug use by employees on a regular basis. In addition, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 have caused many employers to take a more careful look at their hires.

A complete background check will usually let a company know if an applicant has a criminal record. Not all people with criminal records are hiring risks, but pre-employment screening allows the employer to make an informed hiring decision.

3. Negligent Hiring Lawsuits – A company can be held responsible for the actions of it’s employees if it fails to conduct a background check prior to hiring someone. Lawsuits for negligent hiring are one of the fastest growing areas of litigation. Industry experts say that employers lose almost 80% of these cases.

Seeking to protect themselves from multimillion dollar jury verdicts and enormous legal fees, companies are now very cautious about who them hire. They know that one bad hiring decision can dramatically hurt a company’s finances and reputation.

4. Recruitment Expense – Finding qualified applicants for a job costs time and money. Managers who are looking for new employees must spend their valuable time developing and placing ads, sorting through resumes and interviewing applicants. After a long recruiting process, a company wants to be sure that they have selected the right applicant. They don’t want to repeat the process all over again.

5. Federal & State Laws – Background checks are required for many state and federal jobs. For example, most states must run a criminal background check on anyone who works with the elderly, the disabled or with children. Many federal jobs require an extensive investigation for those trying to get a security clearance.

Whatever the reason, the chances are excellent that a hiring company will want to look into your past. The best thing you can do is to be prepared when it happens.

Are You Ready For The Next Level As A Professional?

2011-02-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

Are You Ready For The Next Level As A Professional? - A fully competent professional is someone who has mastered and outgrown his or her job. Are you a fully competent professional? Do you believe you have outgrown your job role? Are you looking to move up to the next level in your profession? If you answered yes to these questions, you are due for a promotion and/or it is time to progress to the next level or two in your profession.

Right now you may be feeling as though you are in a dead end job. In truth, however, there are no dead end job, since all jobs act as a stepping -stones to get to the next level. Rather, it is usually your own thinking and self-doubt that are haunting you and causing you to feel that you are stuck with this job for life and there is no way out.

But yes, it is true that you can get stuck in a job if you have nothing new to offer an employer. Does this apply to you? You can easily find out by evaluating what new skills, experiences and attributes you have acquired since taking on your current or last job role.

If you are serious about moving up the ranks, you will need to learn how to stay a step ahead of your competition. Ensure that you do not leave your industry self-development to your employer; rather, make sure that you are active in continuously working on improving yourself when it comes to the latest trends, terminologies, training and specialization schemes required in your industry. Those who do this are the ones who effortlessly get jobs and set the standard by which all other job applicant candidates are evaluated and judged as competent or not for a specific job role.

Remember, it is an employer’s market. You therefore need to develop industry-specific and job market-specific highly tuned skills to ensure you gain the edge over your competitors. To evaluate how advance your job market skills are, take this free job market performance assessment.

Points You Should Negotiate When You Are Losing Your Job

2011-02-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

Points You Should Negotiate When You Are Losing Your Job - You work for a company that has been going through a lot of changes and upheaval. Word is going around about lay-offs and you worry you will be next. If you’ve been an exemplary employee and the lay-off is not because of anything you’ve done, be sure you ask these three questions as you are being handed your Pink Slip:

1. Ask for a Letter of Reference.

You can use this to help you land that new job because it will be beneficial to have a letter that praises you and your accomplishments. This will show future employers that your termination was a business decision and not because of any wrong-doing on your part. Most people forget to ask about this, and it is difficult to try to go back later and ask for one.

2. Ask about severance pay.

You are not automatically guaranteed this unless it was stipulated in your employment contract when you were hired.. Typically, one week of severance is given for each year of service to the company, but this can be negotiable. And, especially if you’ve recently finished an important project, been honored or achieved a major goal, be sure to remind them. It may buy you another week of severance pay they weren’t planning on giving.

3. Are you entitled to unused vacation pay?

In most cases, the answer is no. Some companies allow you to roll over your unused time from one year to the next, while others have a use it or lose it policy. Most companies will explain their rules in the employee handbook, but asking to be paid for your unused vacation pay just may earn you a few extra dollars you could use right now.

You may not get any severance or vacation pay, and you especially won’t if you don’t ask for it. Don’t forget, this is a very difficult situation for your boss, too, so he or she may be willing to give you more than had been planned on. You’ll never know unless you try, and the worst they can do is say no. If the moment passes, chances are you won’t have another opportunity to ask these questions again. Knowing ahead of time what to ask for may give you the confidence to speak up for yourself at this difficult time. Good luck!

No Knowledge No College GOODBYE Career

2011-02-21T04:18:00.000-08:00

Wondering what to give the children for Christmas, wondering what gives joy, wondering how to educate/occupy and provide fun at the same time. Well stop wondering because we now have the eighth wonder of the world, and that is the Internet.

The best ever present that you could give to your child is the opportunity to further their education. We all know how the biggest majority of our kids hate school and teachers. How do you expect your child to learn when in a rebellious stage between the hours of 9am to 3pm? Yes you got it one, school time.

Let us go back to our schooldays, how much did you learn on subjects that did not interest you? If it had been a topic you enjoyed then it was a hop skip and jump through the corridor to that class. You don't see our kids doing this today.

It is only right that children should be given the chance to choose what subject it is that they would like further education on. If this course of action was put to use then expect more pass results.

Let's say your child loves science and his/her typical Monday studies consist of 6 hours of Maths, English, Religious education and 1 hour of Science

So if he/she is looking for a career in the scientific world what chance do they have of achieving this?
Studying for six hours on subjects that are of know interest you will always have failed exams. If the education system was to take into account the child's feeling and give him/her 3 hours of the taboo subjects as they see them and 3 hours of science then you have one happy pupil with a ticket on the road to success.

With online education the odds are in your child's favour to excel because they now have control of their own destiny. Online education is a difficult gift to tinsel up but the sparkle in child's eye is enough glitter on Christmas morning when presented with a computer.
Thanks will allways come later in life when the kids have grown up.

By doing this mum/dad you have just given your child a lifeline to surviving in the 21st century.

Great prospects wait for those with a good educational upbringing but sadly the ones without may find themselves standing alongside Worzel Gummidge in fields of green. The grass is always greener on the other side with the help of a little knowledge.
The internet is a place where from toddler years upwards to pension age where learning is made so easy. Online education offers so much and is the only way forward.
The internet is teacher tutor listener a friend, get more involved with the worlds biggest information centre and learn. All this can be done in your own time not when others tell you too.

Children have to make certain grades to qualify for a place into college/university. So this is the importance of further education to secure them a position to advance forward with their chosen career.

No knowledge No College

All stories you hear about the internet should not give you reason for concern, because you the parent calls the shots and have complete control of your child's presence when surfing the web. Let the internet teach your children the difference between right and wrongs of the world.

How To Find Alternative Employment

2011-02-21T04:13:00.000-08:00

There are many people who are in a position where they are not happy with their current role of employment. They would love to be able to find alternative work but may be scared or unsure of how to proceed. This could be because they have worked for the same company for a large number of years and feel that they have lost touch with where to look for work or about the daunting task of attending an interview.

There are many places where people can go to in their quest to find alternative employment. If you are one of these people who have worked for the same company for quite a long time, you may actually be pleasantly surprised at the amount of help and opportunities that are out there. Most of the governments around the world are trying to help people to gain employment which helps them in turn to announce lower unemployment figures for their country.

Job centres

For many, the first port of call would be to go to their local job centre. In my opinion most of the vacancies that are available here are not for exactly well paid positions, however in general the staff are normally very friendly and helpful.

The internet

Since the birth of the internet there have been an increasing number of websites offering job finding services and many of the larger companies advertise their vacant positions on the web. If you have access to the internet this is a great place to look when attempting to find work and I know of many people who have found a new career in this way.

In the future, I think that the internet will become one of the main places to go to when looking for work. In the UK, job centre plus already has a superb website which means that in reality there should be no requirement to physically go to the job centre itself, as all of the vacancies it has are shown online.

Many of the websites offer a service where you can upload your c.v to their database. They can also offer a you a job alert system, this is where they e-mail people all of the new vacancies that suit their requirements. This of course saves you time as you therefore do not have to keep checking everyday.

Friends and family

It is also a good idea to ask friends and family if they know of anywhere that is looking for new recruits. This could even be at the company where they work. Many people find employment in this way.

Recruitment agencies

I think my personal favourite place to attempt to find work is via a recruitment agency. This is where they basically do all of the leg work for you. They basically contact people who are on their books with what they believe to be a suitable role and then set up the interviews as well. Recruitment agencies can also offer advice about how to write a professional looking c.v and advice about interview techniques.

There are many places where people can go to look for alternative work, therefore there is no need to be daunted by the whole process or to continue to be stuck in a dead end job.

6 Factors Of Career Success

2011-02-17T00:58:00.000-08:00

6 Factors Of Career Success - What do employers look for in potential employees? That was the question that was posted recently on a career discussion forum online. Naturally, for each different position, the particular answers to that question would be different. However, there are some common skills that employers look for in all employees, whether the employee happens to be a network engineer or a fry cook.

In-Demand Skills for Success

1. BASIC SKILLS‚ Reading, writing and arithmetic! Believe it or not, a good portion of high school graduates (and some college grads) do not read at an 8th grade level and cannot do multiplication in their head. Employers are seeking employees who can read well, can write coherently, and who can calculate mathematics in a business environment (fractions, percentages, etc.) Add to that the modern basic skills of keyboarding skill, basic computer knowledge, and ability to use most computerized tools (e.g. fax machine, basic word processing program, etc.) to round out the basic skill sets needed for employment success.

2. PERSONAL SKILLS‚ Can a potential employee speak well? Can he/she answer questions of customers in a positive, informative manner? Can the prospect provide good customer service? While not everyone has an outgoing sales' personality, successful employees can communicate in a non-confrontational, positive manner with their coworkers, team members, subordinates, management, and customers. Being able to work well with others is a vital skill for success in all jobs.

3. JOB ATTAINMENT‚ Job search is a process that requires a great deal of dedication and attention to be conducted successfully. It follows the old principal that many veteran programmers refer to as GIGO ‚ Garbage In, Garbage Out. If you put lousy effort in, you will receive lousy results. Employers are seeking employees who know how to present themselves in a positive manner and who display enthusiasm and knowledge about the companies they approach. Not only do candidates get evaluated on their skills and experience, but also on how they are approaching the job search. Enthusiastic candidates with fewer skills have an even chance of getting the job as dull candidates with better skills.

4. JOB SURVIVAL‚ Now there's a hot topic in this period of layoffs. Who gets the ax and who doesn't is often a matter of numbers, but it is also often a matter of performance. Employees who have consistently demonstrated their worth, taken initiative, and made themselves a valuable asset to the company have lower incidences of being downsized than employees who put forth mediocre or average effort in their jobs. Surviving within a company through layoffs or moving up the career ladder is a success skill that is learned and is consciously cultivated among successful professionals.

5. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT‚ As all high tech and engineering pros know‚ it's learn or burn in today's work environment. Attaining new skills, applying new concepts, updating established skills is an absolute necessity to succeed in today's work force. The successful individual is constantly attending seminars, taking classes, attaining training on new products or releases, and otherwise learning new skills that will keep them marketable in their careers. Successful people are lifelong learners. Employers are looking for people who have the training necessary to fulfill their needs.

6. CAREER DEVELOPMENT‚ Career Development differs from Professional Development. Professional Development is learning while Career Development is a planning and goal setting process. Successful individuals design a career plan with written goals for short term and long term. They lay out the steps needed to move their careers from Point A to Point B within Time Frame C and plan how they are going to achieve those steps. Successful people have someone to whom they are accountable for their progress and who will monitor their success in achieving their goals. Employers are seeking individuals who (believe it or not) wish to commit to the company for a long period of time. Good career progression is a high selling point of candidates to prospective employers.

How do you measure up? Do you have the 6 In-Demand Skills for Success? Feel like you need some help? Give us a call!

The Basics of Freelance Jobs

2011-02-11T23:03:00.001-08:00

The Basics of Freelance Jobs - Freelance jobs have attracted the masses due to their benefits such as being able to be their own boss, flexi time working schedules, spending valuable time with the family, and income can be unlimited.

Before taking up freelance jobs, the person has to decide if his business needs an Internet connection. The best known home based jobs are by selling home made products.

Once it is decided to go for an online job, he or she has to choose a freelance job, which compliments his experience, knowledge and expertise. Internet has created umpteen opportunities for freelance professionals in almost all the fields like web development, telemarketing, copywriting, proof reading etc.

Time management is very important in freelance jobs. The person needs to be very organized and focused to deliver the services and goods on the said time. Although doing a freelance job will facilitate spending a valuable time with the family, it should not hinder with the execution of the job.

The basic requirements of the freelance jobs are the resources and tools. They need to be in place like the high speed internet connection for downloading and uploading information etc. The person has to set a target to achieve the monthly income desired and work towards attaining it.

When working independently doing freelance jobs, there is a possibility to get diverted easily; as there is no manager or boss to monitor the actions and behavior. This calls for self discipline and finishing the job before the deadline to succeed as a freelance professional.

The work place for doing freelance jobs has to be quiet to do the work in a focused manner and free from distractions. Also, it should give a feeling of a work area than of a home atmosphere. Cluttering of materials should be avoided, as it has a tendency to irritate the person doing job.

When doing freelance jobs, the freelancer should be on a lookout for new projects constantly. Also accepting too many offers beyond the capability should be avoided. Projects which can be completed within the time frame should be selected to be got and delivered on time and then he can accept new projects. Work should be comfortably done rather than done in a stretched manner.

Suggestions To Enhance Your Career

2011-02-11T23:02:00.000-08:00

Suggestions To Enhance Your Career - Career enhancements are hard to dream up even for the most creative of minds. The following suggestions are meant to give you some hints and tips on how you can enhance your career without spending a fortune doing it.

• Use the internet to enhance your career. If you need to market or advertise your business or service, there is no better place to start than the virtual world.

• If you are in a service-oriented business or career, use the power of visual media to gain customers. Television is a powerful way to enhance your career. You can find more customers than you ever thought possible if you use the power of television. Infomercials and standard television advertisements are great ways to enhance careers providing the best way to locally enhance your career.

• Print media such as newspaper or color brochures are good ways to enhance careers. Color brochures are especially effective in self-promotion for real estate agents as well as insurance sales and other sales. Newspaper advertising is also effective and can be a great way to enhance career opportunities.

• Billboards offer an effective way to promote jobs, enhancing your overall exposure as a business or service. Getting yourself in front of your local area through large, colorful billboards will help you to become recognizable within your immediate area.

• Telemarketing campaigns can occasionally enhance careers if a lot of forethought goes into the planning of the campaign. For instance, you can give your career an extra boost by calling people up on the phone with a personal invitation to stop by and visit you or your business. Offer them something special when they do. For services such as real estate and insurance, you can simply put together a canvassing package and let the person you call know you are targeting their general area. Career enhancement fellowships and campaigns take a lot of effort in planning but often require little effort in initiating once you have a plan in place and once you are ready to work your plan.

Career enhancement begins with the desire to increase your overall business and with a plan of strategies to initiate the best way to enhance job opportunities. You want to be able to lure customers and clients in by offering them friendly service and great customer care but they must know about you first in order for you to enhance your career and in order for customers to find you. The power of self-promotion must be used to enhance careers and knowing how to do this is one way to ensure customers and clients find you.

A Closer Look At Two Interview Questions

2011-02-10T01:05:00.000-08:00

A Closer Look At Two Interview Questions - A job interview is stressful. The person who hasn’t made a lot of changes isn’t practiced at what is involved (nor should they want to be), and the person who has made a lot of changes doesn’t have any idea as to what’s involved either, or they wouldn’t be making so many changes!

Preparing for the interview de-stresses the situation considerably. Yet, 78% of all candidates - regardless of the level for which they are interviewing - wing it! And frequently cause themselves to be weeded out in the process.

Like so much of the interview, seemingly innocent questions can trip you up. You think you are answering them in a way that puts you in the best light, but you'd be surprised at how many people completely miss the boat. Merely to hope an interview has a positive result is not enough. That's basically forfeiting your ability to drive up the percentage of a positive outcome.

For instance, in response to the question, "Why do you want to work here?" some people will say things such as:

"I've worked in this industry for 15 years and been very successful. I feel I can make a difference in your organization. I have a proven track record of leadership. I've read in the paper that your company is having some problems, and with my experience as a Director of XXXXX, I can help straighten those out."

That answer may sound good and appear to suffice, but on a scale of 1 - 10, it ranks about a 4!

Why? The answer shows no research, no thought, no consideration. It sounds stock and could suffice for any number of companies. Overall, unimpressive.

In my experience as a recruiter, I've found that while mid level management tends to UNDERanswer the question, upper level management will often OVERanswer the question. One group doesn't provide enough information because of a limited lack of experience. The other group has been around, worked their way up the ladder in more than one company, and in their attempt to sound thoughtful, intelligent, and wise, end up saying very little at all.

Let's look closer.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK HERE?
Here's where you get to show off your research. Tell the interviewer what you've learned about the company, and why it's appealing to you. SPECIFICS are the key here.

Relate those specific examples from your experience to what you've learned about the company, their focus, and their market. Look to your personality and what motivates you and how that relates to any details you learned from the ad, your recruiter, your friend who referred you, or from where you learned of this opportunity.

For instance, perhaps their ad stated that they were looking to establish a marketing department from ground up. If you thrive on growth, challenges, making things happen - there's your answer - along with examples of how you have grown, established, or done market research in a parallel situation.

And you might ask, "What if it's not a high profile company? What if it's on the small side and local?" Right. Not every company is the size of General Electric or even a regional public powerhouse that you can look up in Dun & Bradstreet.

But most librarians are more than willing to help you find any information that might be present in any of their research books. Local newspapers may have done stories on the company, and the library would have those too. And these days, most companies have a website.

Share what you can do and why you feel you can make a contribution and benefit the company. This question is about how YOU can benefit the company, not how the company can benefit YOU.

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF
Some interviews are lost right at this point. This is not an invitation to go on ad nauseum about everything that has happened to you since you were five years old or since your first job out of college. Nor is it the time to shrug your shoulders and give an unplanned, one-sentence answer.

Some people, especially those who haven't prepared and have a tendency to talk when they get nervous, find themselves rambling. Put together a nice little 2 - 3 minute verbal bio about your career, your qualifications, and why you are interested. Know what you're going to say in advance.

A FEW POINTS TO REMEMBER
In recruiting we used to say, "'A' candidates for 'A' companies, 'B' candidates for 'B' companies and 'C' candidates for 'C' companies," and a 'B' candidate is not only some one who's talents and track record is only so-so, it's also an 'A' candidate whose poor interviewing skills MAKE him a 'B.'

Knowing who you are, what you want, what you have to offer and what you've accomplished - and having it all on the tip of your tongue - can make or break you for a job offer - not just for your perfect job, but sometimes for even finding ANY job.

Being able to sell yourself, your skills, how you can benefit a potential company and then being able to close the deal necessitates taking the time to research and learn the company. It means knowing yourself well enough that you can apply aspects of your capabilities to the individual facts and details of that INDIVIDUAL company - and that you can do it smoothly without groping for words or just winging it.

And last, but not least, the words of Peter Handal of Dale Carnegie Training, echo the importance of interview preparation, including what strikes most people as silly - role playing. But as he said, "you only have one chance to make a really good impression," and if you don't take it seriously enough to study and thoroughly prepare, someone else will, and that's the person who will get the job!

Do your homework before EVERY interview! There's no chance to make a second good impression!

Be A Performer In You Job

2011-02-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

Be A Performer In You Job - Over the years I have been able to maintain as a performer in my jobs. I have work for more than 5 years and I had work in a few companies before. I am able to maintain between the results of above average and outstanding every time when comes to annual performance review. Below are some of the attitude and mindset that I adopted in my job:

1. Do more than expected. When you are expected to solve 1 task, don’t only solve that 1 task. Solve more than 1 task. A lot of people are not willing to do more. They thought that if they do more, they will lose out. This is not a correct mindset. Only by doing more, you will learn more. By doing more, you create additional value for yourself. And a boss likes subordinate who willing to do more.

2. When you finish your task, don’t just sit there and wait for your boss to assign you the second task. Go and ask for more, be proactive. Your boss will be impress.

3. Act and think that the company is own by you. If you are the owner of your company, I am sure that you will be 100% commited when you do your work. You will do your best for your own company.

4. Learn to like your job. Like what you are doing. If you really not able to like your job, then change to a job that you like.

5. Willing to share your knowledge with others. Many people are not willing to share what they know to others because they want to keep the knowledge to themselves. They don’t want other people to know that so that they can become more valuable to the company. Indeed this is not true. If you continue to keep the same knowledge to yourself, then you will not be going far. One of the important criteria to be promoted to a bigger role is that you need to know how to coach your subordinate. If you don’t share what you know, then you won’t be given that bigger responsibility. If you are willing to share your knowledge and you are good enough, people will know and they will respect you as an expert.

6. Don’t try to challenge your boss. I’m not asking you to be a yes man. You need to show your boss that you can think. But you must be professional even you don’t agree with your boss. You still need to follow their order even if you don’t agree with them.

7. Team work is important. You must know how to work wells with other as a team.

8. Strive to be the expert in your industry. Read and learn more about the industry.

If you have the correct mindset, no matter where you work, you will always get recognized and you will always be the performer.

Tips Apply For Job by Searching On the Internet

2011-02-08T01:53:00.000-08:00

Tips Apply For Job by Searching On the Internet - If you are looking for a job in today's world ? there is no better way to do that than through the Internet. It can offer you the widest range of possibilities in all walks of life anywhere in the world. Many people, even today, find the Internet intimidating mostly because it is so vast and it has so much information that you do not know where to start and where to end. In order to find a online job you need to master the skill of searching on the Internet. You would need to know where to look and what to ignore.

1. Searching job on the Internet ? before you go for the actual search, you would need to narrow the search focus as much as possible. For this purpose, you need to identify what exactly would make you happy to have as a career.

In case you are undecided yet, list your strength and past experience and this would guide to what should be your career focus. If by any chance what you see is not exactly what you want ? do not despair. You could attempt a change in career by focusing on your aptitude and soft skills.

Once you decided what you want to pursue then start your online job search . You will almost instantly receive thousands of possible websites where such job listings are posted. Choose maximum four such websites and submit your application.

2. Posting your resume on the Net ? your search for job can be delegated to the Net. You could identify excellent job sites and post your resume there. For websites such as this one, the moment you upload your resume, it would be available to thousands of employers as these days majority of job sites are following social networking by allowing employers to post jobs for free and connect to job seekers

A word of caution ? you need to upload a separate CV for every type of job you are looking for; for example if you are looking for a job in marketing and HR ? you have to draw up different resume so that each would have different keywords highlighted in it. Since the employer would search the data base by keywords ? so pickup the best ones relevant to your skills and job you aspire

Appearing For the Interview
Once you get the call letter, you are in the second phase of the job acquiring process. Here you need to understand and prepare yourself thoroughly for behavioral interviews, psychometric interviews, technical interviews and so on. You also need to learn in depth about the company you are appearing the job interview for as well as what exactly the job requires of you. Before you appear for the interview you would need to match your skill and strengths as closely as possible to what is required for the job. Also do some research on internet about job salary and employment guidelines for similar kind of positions

If Your Resume is the Cake, Your Cover Letter is the Icing

2011-02-06T22:47:00.001-08:00

If Your Resume is the Cake, Your Cover Letter is the Icing - Cover letter writing is almost as important a skill for a job seeker to learn as resume writing. The cover letter accompanies the resume at all times as the primary support document. Whether you use traditional mail, email, faxing, or another type of electronic submission, this should always be sent with the resume. There are, of course, other tools you’ll use when job seeking. Your cover letter and resume come first of course, followed by follow-up letters, thank-you letters for after the interview, reference sheets, salary histories, and job acceptance letters. If you have good cover letter writing skills, and good resume writing skills, the other written tools should be a snap to compose.

Your goal in this is to get the attention of the hiring manager, just as it is with resume writing. The method and format are a little different however. Your resume will cover all, or most of your professional career, and will be from one to two pages. Your cover letter will be a very brief page serving as an introduction to the resume. Cover letter writing style must be direct, to the point, and able to grab the attention of the reader quickly, with a goal of making the reader want to read the attached resume.

Many people, when engaged in this type of writing, have a tendency to say too much. Good cover letter writing is short and punchy, and will take two or three key points from the resume and emphasize them. The old adage “tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them” holds true in both resume writing and cover letter writing.

As an example, let’s assume that you are a materials handling manager for a defense contractor, seeking another position. In your line of work the buzz words are MRP, lean manufacturing, ISO 9000, and cost savings. Your writing efforts should reflect these buzz words to show your value to your current employer and any future employers. Your resume will go into more detail about how you accomplished these goals. The cover letter will simply point out to the hiring manager that you accomplished them.    An example of this would be two bulleted paragraphs in the body of the letter that say….
•    Experienced in quality assurance and quality control, MRP, ISO 9000, QS 9000, and Lean Manufacturing.
•    Demonstrated results in saving significant money for employers through cost savings, inventory level reductions, and on-time supplier delivery.

The hiring manager, according to many surveys, devotes only about fifteen seconds to each resume and cover letter he or she reviews. With that in mind your writing skills need to be top notch to get this person to look at your resume. Your resume writing skills need to be just as good to get the reader to want to grant you an interview. In turn, your interviewing skills need to be excellent to get the hiring manager to offer you the position. This long, and hopefully positive chain of events begins with good cover letter writing skills and ends with job satisfaction and a nice paycheck.

Your Job Is Not Necessarily For Life. Should You Switch Careers?

2011-02-05T06:42:00.000-08:00

Your Job Is Not Necessarily For Life. Should You Switch Careers? - Executive search firms regularly come across people who have decided to switch careers. There was a time where you chose your profession and stuck with it until retirement and many people still follow that path. An increasing number of people, however, are deciding to give up their first choice and try something new. For many, it is a move to a new country, or an exploration of a new skill, but for others, it’s moving the skills they already have to a new sector.

If you’re taking the plunge and switching careers, can you convince an executive search agency that it’s all for the best? How do you demonstrate that you haven’t lost any of your abilities?

Switching careers is a brave thing to do. It can affect your income, your working hours and even where you live. It’s not a decision that people take lightly, and it’s one that’s viewed differently by everyone. If you take a career break to travel or to study, you should be prepared to turn that experience into positive ways you can contribute to your new company.

Executive search firms look for the right candidates for the job. If you have switched careers or taken a break and want to sign on with an executive search firm, then it’s a good idea to make an appointment to go and see them. This will allow you to sit face-to-face with the consultant and explain why you took a year out, or why you decided to change from medicine to law. Whatever your experience, you should be able to use elements of it to illustrate how you could be valuable to a company in a senior position.

For example, if you spent your time volunteering for a charity and working in Africa, you will have gained better communication and diplomacy skills than most people. If you were involved in a building project, you can illustrate how you managed to project, getting people to work together as a team to achieve a common goal. Whilst sorting out a problem business area isn’t the same as building a school, the things you learned from your project can be applied in any situation.

It’s not whether you have changed careers that interests an executive search firm; it’s why, and what you’ve learned that could benefit their clients. It could be that your career switch gives the client exactly what they’re looking for. It’s up to you to turn it into the positives that could win you your next job.

Salaries By Profession - Choose Wisely

2011-02-05T06:31:00.000-08:00

Salaries By Profession - Choose Wisely - Salaries quantify a price that the system is willing to pay for a skill. But what it does not take into account is your potential. Your potential comes into play as you experiment and evolve. To get into the highest paid brackets you obviously need to be highly proficient with your skill, identify gaps in the markets, identify emerging trends and create your presence in those areas. Your experiences, time invested and ability to adapt and expand will all count in your choices.

More often than not, the ones who have a natural inclination, flair or liking to a certain path, fare better in that area. This makes life easy once we identify what we have a flair or liking for and though most of us modestly look around and wonder what we have a flair for, each of us have it within us and need to honestly find it because there is a profession or career choice for everything. Choices are limitless and you must exercise your power of choice wisely and honestly. From financial geniuses to movie moghuls, from industrialists to rich farmers, from computer experts to writers, from engineers and doctors to ice cream or chocolate manufacturers – career choices are wide and boundless.
Salary wise, the job market is fairly structured – i.e. it pays so much for this standard skill set (identified through your academic training and experience). Which means that if you are good at maths, science and are analytical enough, engineering could serve as a fine profession. With a penchant for science a desire to heal and a profession that deals with sick people, then medicine is an apt choice. If you like adventure you could choose to be a pilot. The corporate world pays well for managers who deliver results in financial terms and you could equip yourselves with skills of an MBA, or be a financial expert if you like figures, accounts, investments and portfolios. If you are good at analyzing, deducing and are articulate then you could become a lawyer.

The riskier the profession, the more the fame and wealth of course. There are many who laugh at the creative professions such as acting, music, writing etc and say that one cannot make money in such professions but it is a fact that the ones who are among the wealthiest hail from these professions. Similarly starting off business enterprises is also not seen as a great career choice because of the risks involved but then the wealthiest people around are successful industrialists.

It does boil down to one thing. Choose well and intuitively. By doing what you love to do, you will certainly have no limits to you canvas. You can fly as high as you wish!

The Job Interview From Start To Finish

2011-02-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

The Job Interview From Start To Finish - The questions you ask are usually used by the interviewer to evaluate your fitness for the job. You should research enough to be able to ask questions that are not found in obvious places such as the organization's annual report. Find out about the job and the company when it's your turn to ask questions. Ask the questions you prepared in advance. Feel free to ask for specifics about who you would report to and the duties involved. Be prepared to ask at least three questions in areas concerning the job, the company, the industry, external influences.

Do not ask questions that raise red flags
By asking "Is relocation a requirement?" the interviewer may assume that you do not want to relocate at all. If you do not mind relocating, try asking "I understand that most companies like their executives to spend time at their various major locations. Could you tell me how often I might be asked to relocate over five or ten years?"

Answer a question with another question
If the interviewer asks you what salary you expect, try answering by saying "That is a good question. What are you planning to pay your best candidate?"

Rehearse your interview
Role play with a friend. You should be able to convey all pertinent information about yourself in 15 minutes. Videotape the interview to identify unwanted gestures. If videotape is not available, use your telephone answering machine to record an interview: listen to your diction and speaking speed.

Avoid negative body language
One purpose of an interview is to see how well you react under pressure. Avoid these signs of nervousness and tension:

Frequently touching your mouth
Faking a cough to think about the answer to a question
Gnawing on your lip
Tight or forced smiles
Swinging your foot or leg
Folding or crossing your arms
Slouching
Picking at invisible bits of lint

Another purpose of an interview is to see how well you communicate. Remember that communication is a two-way street; you must both listen and talk. If you are talking too much, you will probably miss cues concerning what the interviewer feels is important.

Make a connection
The purpose of the interview is to see how well you might fit into the organization. Successful interviews are one that concludes as if you and the interviewer are long lost friends. Tips to make a connection include:

Be optimistic and try to make others feel comfortable
Show openness by leaning into a greeting with a firm handshake and smile. When appropriate, give examples through short, interesting, and humorous stories about yourself. Try to envision what functions you would perform that would benefit the organization and discuss those activities.

Dress properly
One component of the interviewer's job is to make a judgment concerning your ability to fit in the organization. One factor influencing that judgment is the attire you wear for the interview. Find out about the company's expectations for personal appearance--dress expectations, hair length, facial hair, etc.

Be on time
Most organizations look at hiring, at the entry level, prospects who will become professionals. If you are a professional, you work until the job gets done--which may be longer than 8 to 5. Being on time (or early) is usually interpreted by the interviewer as evidence of your commitment, dependability, and professionalism.

Send a "Thanks for the Interview" note
After an interview, send a thank-you note. After the final interview, time the thank-you note to arrive during the week you believe the hiring decision will be made. These notes serve as a reminder to the interviewer concerning your appropriateness for the position. You may mention a topic discussed during the interview.

When the job contact was made through the Internet or e-mail, send an e-mail thank-you note immediately after the interview. Mail a second letter timed to arrive the week before the hiring decision will be made.

5 Creative Ways To Find A Job

2011-02-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

5 Creative Ways To Find A Job - You have posted to every internet job board and every job on Monster, CareerBuilder, and HotJobs. You’ve followed up with calls and networked until you are blue in the face. Each Sunday you take the newspaper and apply for every job in your field with little to no results. Well try some unique ways to find a job.

Send Half of Your Resume
Find a company you want to work. Write a great cover letter on why you are a good fit, pointing to the enclosed resume. Don’t seal the envelope and don’t enclose a resume. They’ll think the resume fell out in the mail. They will call and engage in a conversation. Sell yourself shamelessly.

Write A Prospecting Letter
Make use of the power of direct mail. Locate 5-10companies. Write up a letter to your contact network and ask them if they know anyone who works at any of the companies on your list. When a contact says they know someone on your list, send them your resume and ask them to forward it their contact or ask permission to send it yourself.

E-Mail Chain Letter
Create a list of 20 companies you want to work for and send an email to everyone you know to see if they know anyone who works at these companies. Ask them to contact you if they do, so that you can ask for a referral. Finally, ask them to forward your email to 10 more people. However don’t do this if you’re currently employed!

Distribute A Booklet
Write a booklet with information relevant to your industry and give it away. Everyone loves free information and this demonstrates your expertise. Give the booklet away electronically and advertise it to newsgroups where hiring managers will see it.

Call Human Resources
Sounds crazy, right? Call the human resources department. Ask them what outside agency or third-party recruiting firm they use. They will ask you why do you want to know. Tell them that their company is not currently looking for someone with your skill set right now the agency may be dealing with other firms, so you are looking for a recommendation. They may very well ask you for an interview. If not at least you do get a lead. They would love to save the agency fees. Also being recommended gives you special attention. Send them a thank you note.

These are guerrilla tactics that can give you better results. Be sure to stay toned for another 5 creative tips.

Can I Work At Home With No Experience?

2011-02-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

Can I Work At Home With No Experience? - I see this question asked pretty frequently, and today I'd like to offer some tips about how to get started working at home when you have no experience.

- Consider the experience you do have, whether it's work or life related. Chances are you know how to do SOMETHING, even if you haven't done it in a job capacity. See if you can find jobs that would use the knowledge you have, or at least touch on them in some way.

- Aim for "easier" jobs to begin with, like outbound telemarketing. Most of the ads I see for those jobs don't require experience, they will teach you everything you need to know. Granted, these are usually commission-based jobs, but sometimes they do offer a small salary too. If anything, you could work this job for a few months to get experience, and then apply for other jobs later.

- Start your own business. Some people do incredibly well by finding a home business that matches their interests and life experience. While you may be tempted to search for a regular "job," know that that is not your only option! Give some thought to your strongest interests and passions in life. Then start looking for a home business that reflects them. There are hundreds (even thousands) of direct sales companies with great products out there. You just have to find the one that works for you.

- Educate yourself. Sign up for some adult education classes to expand your education. Take courses on Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint. Learn about accounting software. Do a search online for "free tutorials," and see what comes up. You can also include the type of tutorial in your search, like "free Paint Shop Pro tutorials," if you need to learn a certain program. Whatever field you want to be in, seek out affordable classes to learn about it. Then, even if you don't have experience, an employer might be willing to train you because you have the basic knowledge needed for the job.

Just don't give up, and don't let your lack of experience stop you! Everyone has to start somewhere. :-)

Search With A Career Search

2011-02-03T08:19:00.001-08:00

Search With A Career Search - If you are looking for the perfect career for you but are unsure of where to look or what to look for, then don't go any further without doing a career search. A career search is a great way to learn about potential careers without making any commitments or signing any contracts first.

The basic idea of a career search is two-fold. The first main purpose of doing a career search is to learn about all the possible careers that are available to be had as great professions. For example, you may know that some people make a great career out of being a chef, but have you ever considered being a chef that gets to travel the world and cook on cruise ships? Or maybe you have considered nannying as a career choice for you. With a career search you may learn that you can be a nanny in another country and make just as much money if not more.

The possibilities for making money and for enjoying your career are nearly endless. Do not let yourself get sucked into a job you hate simply because you haven't taken the time to find a career that is right for you. As a career counselor, I meet with far too many people each week that are stuck doing jobs they hate simply to pay the bills because they didn't know that other careers were really possible. So take my advice and do a career search before you make any other job commitments. You just may be missing out on a career you could love.

A second main purpose of doing a career search is to learn more about yourself. You may not even have a good idea of what kinds of careers would fit your personality and skills until you do a career search to learn more about yourself. Take time to do some of the personality and skill tests that accompany career searches and see what is right for you. If you are going to spend the majority of your life working, as most people do, than why not take your time and through a career search learn what is truly the best career for you.

Having a career you love is one of the most rewarding things in life. Doing a career search can be one of the easiest ways to discover what careers will bring you the best rewards.

Career - Are You In The Right Seat?

2011-02-02T02:12:00.000-08:00

Career- Are You In The Right Seat? - We all have a chair that designates a position in our career. For most of us the position, the responsibilities, the growth prospects and many such factors decide if we are happy in our seat? Sometimes, we may be unaware that another seat may send us much higher in the hierarchy and satisfaction level. Sometimes we are frustrated with our job for no easily identifiable reason. There are many such factors that determine if we are on the right seat. Let us examine some of them.

Involvement
How involved we are with what we do? Are we so engrossed with our job, that we have no time to think of anything else? Or we are so less connected with our job that having it or not makes no difference to us? Albert Einstein, the great scientist was so involved with his job of thinking and finding solutions to mysteries of physics and cosmos that he had no time left for anything else. His involvement was total. Do you have such an involvement?

Joy
Do we feel joy in what we do? I have taken this right near the top, because if we are dissatisfied for any reason, we will never get joy. If we get joy then most of things are going in the right direction. So think if you are getting joy in your job?

Respect
If you are working with the right people and doing the right job, you will always get the respect of your colleagues. If the respect is missing, please take that as a red signal telling you that something might be amiss.

Skill
Do you find your skills and aptitude matching the job requirements? You might be made for greater things in life. Please get your skills assessed and find out if you are wasting time with a low skilled job, when you should have been working with something requiring great skills and abilities.

There are other factors such as vision for the job, future growth potential, learning opportunities and such other factors that decide if you are on the right seat. The right person for the right job - are you the right person for your job and more importantly, is the job right for you?

I have given some pointers for thought. Ultimately, it is your life goals and values that will always decide if the job fits you. That can be done only by you. What is most important is that you review your job and your satisfaction level at frequent intervals and bring changes to create a more meaningful life. So find out today if you are in the right seat in your career.

Careers – The Choice Of A Lifetime

2011-02-01T00:03:00.000-08:00

Careers – The Choice Of A Lifetime - Wheeee! Schools out and now it’s time for surging ahead in a career! But which career? How does one match their fantasies and ambitions with the realities of today’s world? How can one even narrow down their own cherished dreams into one logical line of action?

Another group of people looking for the right career are those who are already employed and dread going to work each day. They truly need to find a spot where the thought of going to work fills them with delight. Life is too short to allow oneself to be trapped doing work that isn’t meaningful or fulfilling.

We’ve come a long way when it comes to determining which career we want to spend our lives in. Until the last few decades, and still in some countries, a person followed in the footsteps of their parents. If daddy were a lawyer, there was no question about the son also being a lawyer.

If daddy were a carpenter, the son was also a carpenter, and he trained at his father’s footsteps from the time he could walk and understand.

In some cultures today this tradition has a real value. In India, where the chanting of volume-long books is done by memory, only by being exposed to the sounds from an early age could one become a true master. These masters are called Vedic Pundits. Other religions also have this tradition.

Experts who act as career counselors often use a battery of tests to help someone fit into one of approximately 25 major industries.However, what one does within an industry is more important than which type of industry it is.

Many tests have been devised that indicate whether it is your basic nature at this time of your life to be a leader or a follower,whether you are very artistic and creative or whether you want to follow someone else’s designs, whether you are exceptionally good at detail work or whether precision just isn’t your thing. These tests are well worth taking and then considering the results.

However, these results should not be taken as written in stone and being unchangeable. While education reflects that one has been exposed to knowledge and experiences that not everyone else has had, it also indicates that a person has possibly endured some very boring lectures and learned how to beat the system in order to get good grades and a diploma.

What many employers want these days is experience – experience of any kind that shows initiative and thinking and survival skills.If you don’t have a college degree or two, don’t despair.You may be better off in finding your true career.

One inexpensive way to determine which type of career might be most fulfilling for you is to make a list of at least twenty-five people that you know. Then write out a paragraph for each one that states what type of work and which kind of company you feel that person is best suited for. Set these aside for a day, then go back and find the common qualities that are in each one.

You just might be amazed at the similarities. Because psychologists say that what we see in others is only a reflection of ourselves, and what we think others should do is really more true for our own actions,you will possibly find a very accurate description of your ideal career and how to obtain it.

Career Growth - Optimism Helps

2011-02-01T00:01:00.001-08:00

Career Growth - Optimism Helps - What helps in growth of our career? A good plan, ability to do the job effectively, improving the existing methods, increasing the efficiency, increasing the returns, and performing the job to satisfaction. What else? The title of this article talks of optimism. What about that?

What is optimism? Optimism means to feel that things will turn out Ok. Not to look at every situation negatively, but hope for the best. Keep hope and feel good that somehow everything will be all right.

When you want to grow in your career, this optimism helps quite a lot. During our career, we come to many stops where situation looks bleak. Everything looks gloomy. One feels like giving up. All of us begin with great energy and hope. As we encounter obstacles, our energy gets depleted and our hopes turn sour. We slowly start going downhill and a time comes when we are left with nothing but hopeless ness.

Optimistic outlook helps during such times. In every situation, we have two choices- hopes for the best or to worry about the worst. Can worrying help? Thinking of what can go wrong will only further deplete our strength and outlook. Positive thoughts will at least give us hope to fight. Optimism is a great asset. Those who feel optimistic at worst of the times, still have a chance of coming back. Please bring optimism at every moment.

Career Enhancement Basics

2011-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Career Enhancement Basic

Career Enhancement
Choosing a career is a hard decision to make. The decision and choice you make will impact you for most of your life because it sets a course for you for decades.

How do you make such a choice?
First, realize that since you make that choice you can always make another one. In other words, you are not locked into a single career for life. You can change your mind and your direction at any time.

Whether you change your mind or stick with your original decision, you will want to advance and refresh your job and career often. It’s called Career Enhancement and should be a part of any career plan and path.

Most professions require constant enhancement of skills called continuing education. Professional organizations typically advertise programs and allocate credits for enhancement courses.

If you are not in a professional organization set up your own career advancement program. It can be a simple class taken once a year or a complete program over several weeks. What ever your choice study your options and make judicious choices.

Then, do at least one class a year. If your employer does not pay for career enhancement programs, pay for them yourself and attend.

After completing a class, update your progress and resume regularly. Keep a log of your classes, instructors and where you attended them. The real value in this will unfold as you prepare for your annual review, ask for a raise or promotion or search for a new job.

It comes down to setting goals, planning a path to those goals and accomplishing them. Even if you are alone on your path you can grow in your career.

Finally, take action. Make the first step toward your career enhancement goals even if you feel uncertain. Action opens all kinds of unseen opportunities and clarifies issues once you get going forward. Set your sights high, aim for your goals and take action to move ahead towards successful career enhancement.