Careers Employment

Power Job Hunting - 5 Ways to Improve Your Chances

2009-06-10T02:58:00.001-07:00

Job hunting is a lot like fishing. You might get lucky and land the big one on your first attempt. On the other hand, you could invest a lot of time and effort casting out numerous applications and end up having nothing to show for it. No one can guarantee either will happen, but there are ways to improve your chances.

When I was a kid I did a lot of fishing in my summer holidays. For years it was all about luck. Find some water, bait a hook, cast the line ... and hope. When an uncle of mine started joining us on our holidays, he taught me how to be a bit smarter about my fishing. Later, as a recruitment consultant, I realised that much of what my uncle had shared with me is relevant to the typical job search.

Be clear about the job you want

Effective fishing means using the right bait with the right equipment - especially the right-sized hook - for the type of fish you are trying to catch. The same applies to job search.

The tone of your application letters, the detail and emphasis in your resume, the way you dress for, and answer questions in, the interview. All of these will be different, dependent on whether you are going for a CEO role or a junior administrative role, or something in between.

Target specific industries and companies

My uncle taught me the importance of finding good spots to fish: rock-pools, deep water channels, sheltered areas, and so on. Job hunting is the same: the more targeted you can be, the more chance you give yourself of landing the ideal role.

Find out which organisations are most active in your desired industry and approach them. Read trade magazines to become familiar with what is going on and who's who. Apply directly to your 'dream' employers: whether they are actively advertising or not.

Ask around

Perhaps the most important thing I learnt from my uncle was the importance of local knowledge. We were always asking the locals where we should fish. Sure, they may have sent us to the second-best place and kept the best to themselves, but we were still better off than all those 'random' fishers.

The lesson: don't be afraid to ask. Ask former colleagues, customers and others in your industry what they know. Ask people who report the news in your industry. Ask friends and neighbours.

Advertise yourself

Fishing was a topic of camping conversation whether we were actually fishing or not. My uncle would always be chatting to people and he would always, in these chats, turn the conversation to fishing. Nearly every time, he was able to glean additional local information as a result.

You can use a similar strategy when searching for a new job, particularly if you've been made redundant. The important thing is not to keep your situation to yourself. Let people know, when the chance arises, what your situation is. Your local community, former bosses, pretty much anyone. When you do this, you effectively gain an army of job search assistants and increase your chances of finding out about the plum job that hasn't even been advertised.

Use technology to help

Walk into a modern fishing supplies shop and you'll realise that the pastime has moved well past the era of a hook hanging from a stick. While it's easy to go overboard, the fishing experience can be made much more pleasant through use of some quite inexpensive, readily available tools.

The modern job hunt is no different. There are job search websites, networking tools like LinkedIn and Twitter, and all sorts of resume-building and personality-testing widgets out there to try. You may not use them all, but do spend some time getting to know what's there so you can make a considered decision about where to invest your time.

Job hunting need not be a completely random hit-and-miss affair. By using the proven strategies of others, you'll greatly increase your chances of catching a prize-sized job in a short time.

How to Give a Great Interview

2009-06-10T02:57:00.002-07:00

Chances are if you are getting bored during your interviews, so is the audience and the interviewer.

One of the most common and dreaded (I might add) attachments I am prone to receive as an interviewer, are Questions that either my guest or publicist has diligently typed up thinking that they are being prudent as well as thoughtful of me, the host.

Now don't get me wrong. I appreciate anything that makes my job easier, a good bio goes a long way, but when it comes to questions, well, I want to ask questions I want to ask!!!. Ones I don't even KNOW I am going to ask.

You see, I think it's my job as an interviewer and radio host, to get curious about my guest. I take great pride in reading the books I am sent by authors, and I love to explore the depth of their work, the author behind the book as well as said book might change/help the reader.

I want to ask the question I think my audience wants to know the answers too. I figure that if I am curious and conversational, then my listeners are being entertained as well as educated.

Now Listen UP. There is a big difference between being well prepared for an interview, knowing your material inside out, and just reading answers off a sheet of paper.

The more interviews you do this way, the more you will begin to resent them.

I am often told that my guests had the best time, it was the BEST interview they've had so far. What a wonderful host I am, etc.

I believe they feel this way because there is energy in the room. It isn't the same old same old routine.

Like I said earlier, I have a conversational style that lends itself to opinions, differing points of view, while at the same time, making sure that my guest is the important person in the room and that they are well taken care of. It's my job to make them look good.

I prefer to engage my guest in a transformational conversation, one that is interesting to all of us, guest, listener and host.

The way I see it, if I am supposed to ask a series of questions that are put in front of me, then I don't need to listen to the answers. I am just waiting to ask the next question.

I think it's better for all of us if I Listen to what my guest has to say, and then proceed with curiosity and sincerity to find out more about them.

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Top 10 Things You Should Do Before an Interview

2009-06-10T02:57:00.001-07:00

1. Obtain the name, title, correct spelling and PRONUNCIATION for all interviewers. This information will come in handy when you mail or email your interview thank you letters.

2. Know the position for which you are interviewing and review relevant duties and responsibilities. Be sure to ask about short and long term goals for the position during your interview.

3. Note the location/address of the interview. Find out where to park; the best way to get to appointment by train, car or bus; where you should check-in when you arrive; and if any barriers exist.

4. Secure interview schedule and agenda in advance, if possible. Be sure to confirm the time, location, and contact person at least 24 hours in advance. To be safe, take down the name of the person you are going to interview with as well as their assistant or HR contact.

5. Research the organization and/or job. Check the company's website for information or go to the library and research industry and corporate relevant publications, look in the newspaper, and/or ask friends/colleagues/family/professional networks. Also, by researching the company you will be able to ascertain the professional benefits, stability and growth potential of that company and what that means to you. Be prepared to answer the question "Why do you want to work here?

6. Prepare and practice for questions you may be asked. Have "prove it" answers ready. Practice linking soft skills (work traits) to some answers. Begin to recall major achievements. Memorize your resume. Interviewers will ask you questions based on information provided in your resume.

7. Compile questions you need to ask and write them in your note pad. You should always have three questions prepared. One of the questions should recap the key responsibilities of the position.

8. Collect and have handy information for completing an application, including full addresses and phone numbers of employers and schools.

9. Pack for the interview (briefcase or folder): extras résumés, reference list, pens, company card file, note pad, tissues, mints, application information, certificates of training and any items you were asked to bring. You should always have a minimum of two resumes on hand.

10. Dress conservatively and practice good grooming. Avoid heavy
make-up and scents. Remember to clean nails, shine your shoes and clean your eyeglass lenses.

Keep in mind that an interview is similar to a sales call.

You must distill VALUE.

Show an employer that you are a wise investment worth their time in training and development. Let the interviewer see who you are as a manager, problem solver, team member/builder and resource developer/manager with humility. Remember, you're an intelligent, innovative and proven professional and with lots to offer but at a fair price.

How to Handle Losing Your Job

2009-05-28T22:42:00.002-07:00

You can not open the newspaper or watch a news broadcast without being aware of how many Americans are losing their jobs. As devastating as this can be how you handle it is very important for both your financial security and peace of mind. If you follow some of the steps below hopefully we can make a very difficult time a little easier.

First, make sure you collect all of the wages that are owed to you by your former employer. Not just your salary, but any vacation and sick pay owed to you should be collected. If you were promised a bonus or are owed commissions make sure you collect those also. Don't let the employer intimidate you.

Second, check into your health insurance to see how you can take advantage of COBRA. It is now more important than ever to make sure you have coverage in case of an emergency. Going to the doctor or the hospital without insurance, could cost you all of your savings.

Next, check with your states unemployment to see if you are eligible. If you are fill out the forms as soon as possible so you can receive your first check quickly. The basic amount of time for unemployment is 26 weeks. But now with the high rate of unemployment extensions are being given. Make sure you check all of your options.

In addition, don't be embarrassed many people are losing their jobs today through no fault of their own. Tell people, talk about it. Don't isolate yourself. You never know when you are talking to someone they may know of a position for you.

Lastly, take this opportunity to evaluate what you want to do with the rest of your life. This a perfect time to consider starting your own business. Many folks are looking to online home businesses. Even if at first it is only part time it can grow into a full time profitable endeavor. Most important, don't get down on yourself, keep a positive attitude and think of this whole experience as a new beginning.

How to: Handle Job Loss
Advice about: Landing Perfect Job

Bryan Burbank is an expert in the field of Great Jobs and Careers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bryan_Burbank

Bryan Burbank - EzineArticles Expert Author

Things to Consider When Thinking of Changing Your Career Path

2009-05-28T22:42:00.001-07:00

During troubled economic times, many companies are forced to lay off employees in order to maintain profitability. Whether you suddenly find yourself unemployed, or you are no longer satisfied with your current career, a change in your career path may be just what you need to make a fresh start.

When thinking about making a career change, it is important to consider the following points:

Career Skills: You should find out what skills you will need for your new career. You need to know if you will have to go back to school and the type of education that is required for the job. As well, you will need to determine if your current job skills will be useful in helping you obtain the job. You may have to acquire new skills and training. You should also make sure your strengths and weaknesses complement the new career. Personality testing and skills assessment will provide insight into your personal characteristics. Look for ways to develop new skills in your current job

Alternative Career Ideas: Discuss your personal values and skills with coworkers, friends, and family. They may be able to offer advice on what type of career would best suit you. You could also visit career centers, online resources, and libraries.

Job Satisfaction: Do not choose a job just because someone you know finds it rewarding. It is important to obtain a job that makes you happy, Do some research and talk to others in the field. You may even be able to spend the day job shadowing. Volunteering is another option. You will learn more about the job and also make business contacts. Because so much time is spent in the workplace, it is important to have an enjoyable and rewarding career.

Research Employers and Businesses: Learn all about the industry and employers in your interested field. You should find out about such job prospects as whether it is a growth industry and if you will have to relocate. Talk to employees to get their opinions about the job. Determine what career prospects will be like in a year or five years.

Self Employment: Many people are turning to self employment. Freelancing is becoming quite popular. Find out if you can be successful as your own boss and what you have to do to become self employed.

Salary: It is important that your new career gives you financial stability. Compare your current job salary with the average salary of the new career. Make sure you research such benefits as health insurance, dental insurance, pensions, etc. It is great to pursue your dream job, but you have to consider the financial implications. A reduction in pay may not be a problem for a single person, but if you have a family, a drop in salary will affect their lifestyle.

Consider Another Position: If you are unhappy at your current work level, ask your employer if there may be another position available. For instance, if you are a manager in a clothing chain, check to see if there any corporate positions available.

Ask for Assistance: A career counselor can advise you on what you need to do to change career paths. They will offer helpful advice regarding your career options and whether you are making a good decision.

Changing career paths can be a difficult life decision. Taking the time to research and explore all options will make the decision much easier. Identifying what type of job will make you happy and fulfilled is a vital step in charting a new path. Whatever the decision, going through the process will help you learn a lot more about yourself and your own personal needs.

Halifax college provides hands-on career training for business management and medical industries and the most reputable Account schools

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_Nutt

Top 3 Basic Types of Work at Home Employment

2008-09-02T04:10:00.000-07:00

In the past few years the interest in being able to work from home has increased dramatically. The reasons for this trend vary but it's obvious that having a work at home business has many advantages. Some people simply want to work at home to be closer to their families; others prefer the freedom they gain to become their own boss, etc. Whatever the reason, it looks as though work at home employment is becoming a fast growing market, especially in today’s Internet age. If you are planning on working from the comfort of your home, you might be interested to know about the three basic types of home-based careers available right now. Having a basic knowledge about them will give you a better idea on what best suits your needs.

Work at Home Employment Type # 1: Telecommuting (also called Teleworking)

Telecommuting is not a complete work at home employment; you don't own your own business. Basically, as a telecommuter you work for someone else. However, the big difference from a traditional job is that you do the majority of your assigned work from your own home. Of course you get some great benefits with this type of work at home employment career: you usually have the advantage of company benefits, such as health insurance.

Work at Home Employment Type # 2: Freelancing/Consulting

If you want more independence, freelancing might be a good option for you. Freelancing can be considered as something between a work at home employment and a work at home business. You could almost regard it as telecommuting employment. And in a way it is. However, based on the independence you are generally afforded, it is much closer to having your own business. For instance, as a freelancer you have total control over the people you want to work with. Among the most common developed skills you should have if you’re considering a work at home employment career as a freelancer are the ability to write, business advice, counseling, and others.

Work at Home Employment Type # 3: The Home-Based Business

A home-based business gives you full independence and control. There's nothing more rewarding than being your own boss. As a home-based business owner you are self-employed; you own the product, and the income is 100% yours. However, by starting a home-based business doesn’t always mean that the product you sell is your own. It could be that you’re selling a product with resell rights, selling products as an affiliate, and so on.

The above are the most common types of work at home employments. Although different, they all have something in common: you need to impose personality in order to have any success. If you want to work at home you have to make sure you're ready for that. If you think you have the right temperament and the discipline needed then you might be able to work from home. Explore each of the above-mentioned work at home employment types to find out more about which would be better for your personality.

Hector Morales is the owner of the Exclusive Work at Homes Tips Web Site. Check it out to learn about other work at home tips including tips for those looking for legitimate work at home jobs, how to avoid work at home scams and other work at home tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hector_Morales

International Freelancing - How to Overcome the Language Barrier

2008-08-25T22:26:00.002-07:00

As an international freelancer, you're bound to face endless obstacles while trying to get your work done, such obstacles include: language barrier, time zone differences, and payment difficulties. The language barrier, however; is one of the top reasons why international freelancers feel intimidated 24/7.

The Language Barrier

Most clients assume that your country of birth determines your language fluency or intelligence for that matter. You'll come across many clients that will make fun of you for not understanding a "cultural" reference or they'll question your fluency in English the moment you apply to the job. Many clients assume that just because English is not your first language, then you can't possibly complete the task at hand.

So how can you solve this?

* Do not be provoked by such remarks, focus on the task at hand instead.
* Provide professionally formatted and spelled checked proposals or samples.
* Politely explain to the client the cultural differences and how references vary.

What happens if this fails? You have to understand that some clients will not stop ridiculing your work for the shear fact you're from a third world country or a non-native English country. The thing to remember is that you started freelancing to avoid work bullies and annoying bosses. Don't let the client step all over you, since such abusive behavior will only put you down and leave you unable to finish other tasks at hand. Not to mention, your client's experience is likely to put your reputation at risk. This is the time when you should consider canceling the job and giving the client a refund.

Amino Zawawi is a full-time freelancer, internet entrepreneur, and playwright.

For more freelancing tips visit: Freelancer 2.0 - Make Money Online Without a Fulltime Job Today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amino_Zawawi

Freelancers Beware - 3 Signs Your Client is a Bully

2008-08-25T22:26:00.001-07:00

As a freelancer, it is only natural to work with hard-to-please clients every now and then. However, sometimes the client's behavior is an indication of what's to come in the future. So when should you consider your client's behavior a red flag? Here are 3 signs to tell you it's time to cancel the task at hand:

1. Client Criticism is not Constructive

One sign that your relationship with your client is abusive pertains to constructive criticism. While notes are necessary to get the job done, unconstructive remarks such as "Haha, you don't know that..." or "Of course you wouldn't know because you're not...." are a definite sign of a bully. Constructive criticism is all about pointing out bugs that can be actually fixed or improved, not about ridiculing such mistakes.

2. Client's Refusal to Reason

If you've tried to reason with the client about a point with no success, you should know that clients that are insensitive to other opinion are mostly likely to give you a hard time later on. A freelancer's relationship with a client should be that of understanding and reasoning, don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

3. Client's Tone & Attitude

If the client approaches you in a condescending way or constantly snaps at you, this is definitely a red flag for you. Angry clients culminate in a stressful period of your life: never satisfied with the outcome, impatient, and nagging. If a client is demanding the work although your deadline is still weeks away, you should know the client is pushy and impatient, and will probably keep on nagging till you get the work done.

It is only natural to spot these traits in most of your clients, however; you should be alarmed if any of the signs look severe or abnormal. Depending on your intuition in such cases is crucial, since it will be the best judge!

Amino Zawawi is a full-time freelancer, internet entrepreneur, and playwright.

For more freelancing tips visit: Freelancer 2.0 - Make Money Online Without a Fulltime Job Today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amino_Zawawi

The Qualities Needed to Become a Private Detective

2008-08-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

If you like to choose your professional career in private investigational field, then you must know the qualities needed to become a smart private detective. Different types of qualities will be needed for different nature of investigation. You can call a person as private detective if he is working to unearth truth for some others. If you have the zeal for exploration and the needed courage to face any difficult situation, then you can choose this field. There are plenty of centers providing full range of training to desired people who wants to become a private detective and if you join such training, then you will get a clear picture about this profession.

Even if there is no higher educational qualification needed to be a private detective, it will be nice if you have basic educational qualification. But in this profession, only intelligence and not qualification will count. In the past only retired military and police people use to join in this field, but in this day and age in some countries even many youths are attracted in this career. When I interviewed one such youth, he told me that he wants to be a private detective because he is fascinated with the thrill associated with detections. That young man also told me that he got inspiration referring articles in this subject.

There are lots of private agencies providing detectives to needy people and business organizations. Few years back I met my friend Mr. George who is working in a life insurance company as the head of the branch. While talking, he told me that a gang of five has committed some forgery in a policy amounting millions of dollar and he urgently need an experienced and smart private detective to investigate that complicated case. He knows that my uncle is running a detective agency in the heart of the city and the agency is well know for its track records of detecting complicated and sensitive cases.

Immediately we both visited my uncle's detective agency and Mr. George narrated the story to my uncle in detail. Patiently hearing all details my uncle assured him to provide a superior private detective, a black belt in karate who had recently shot into fame by establishing the truth in the court of law in a convoluted murder case. Happy with my uncle's word Mr. George straight away gave the advance in cheque. Recently I met Mr. George incidentally from a restaurant and when I enquired about the status of the old case, he told me that the private detective from my uncle's agency successfully completed the task with in no time and the gang of five got imprisonment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Padmakumar_Theyyunni

Don't Be Fooled by Low SOA Consultant Bids

2008-08-04T22:19:00.002-07:00

I began to suspect I was in the wrong business about 13 years ago, when I was an entry-level reporter at a semi-daily newspaper. Sure, I'd been warned I wouldn't make money as a journalist - but I should have asked for specifics.

Vague comments about enough money are meaningless to a 20-year-old. Real examples, such as "You won't be able to pay your rent and make your car payment," or "Pick one: Food or running water" would've been more helpful, I think.

After reading a recent ZapThink report, it occurs to me that I'm still in the wrong business. If only someone had said to me, "Loraine, forget writing. Go learn about SOA," life would be good. Real good.

How good? According to ZapThink, senior SOA consultants can charge up to $500 per hour. A typical onshore SOA architecture team will cost around $200-300 per hour as an average per-person cost for the team as a whole, it notes. You'll get a slight discount for offshore consultants - the price drops to a "mere" $100-200.

But as this article explains, many bids for SOA consultants may not reflect the true costs. In fact, you're likely to get widely different quotes from SOA consultants and, oddly, the big firms are likely to bid incredibly lower than mid-size and boutique SOA consultancies.

You'll be tempted to think that there's some sort of efficiency of scale going on there, but ZapThink says that's not the case.

ZapThink contends large firms are pulling a bait-and-switch on clients by bringing in top-notch SOA consultants to sell the service, but when it comes time to deliver, these big companies bring in college graduates to do that actual work. And, as you might expect, they tend to lack the experience and training needed to deliver a full SOA.

Just as I should have asked for more specifics when I started journalism, companies should ask for more specifics before hiring a SOA consultant. It's not enough to ask, "How much?" You also need to ask:

Who will do the work for that rate? Will it be you, Mr. SOA expert - or a team of junior architects?
What is the experience level and credentials of the actual team who will work on my SOA?
What are the deliverables I can expect and when can I expect them?

The ZapThink article explains the problem more fully and offers a few tips for how you can get around this problem. The first tip, of course, is to realize any bid that's less than the going rate is not a real bargain at all. In fact, you'll probably wind up short-changed, according to ZapThink.

This can be tricky advice to follow, since some government agencies must accept the low bid. Recognizing this, ZapThink suggests you move to a per-project bid price with identifiable deliverables, rather than an hourly rate.

The article is well worth reading, and goes into some depth about why this is happening and why both onshore and offshore SOA consultants can charge so much.

You might also want to check out these past pieces about hiring a SOA consultant:

10 Tips For Resume Writing

2008-08-04T22:19:00.001-07:00

Searching for, and landing that one special job is going to require you to write a well prepared resume. Yes, the thought of writing about yourself can be very intimidating, especially not knowing where to start or what to include. Here is a list of 10 tips that will help you in writing that perfect resume.

1. One of the most important things to remember is that you are marketing yourself. The resume is only going to enhance your best qualities. That being said, you need to focus on one specific objective, or bull's-eye. This is what is going to make you stand out from the crowd. With out having a plan, or objective your final product will not be clear, it will seem unfocused. So take some time before you start to write, and focus on a objective, or bull's-eye.

2. As mentioned above you are marketing yourself to a prospective employer, and the resume is the marketing tool that is going get you; the product in the hands of the employers. This is where you want to put your best-self at the for-front. You are going to market your self through your resume. This is where you list your benefits and features. Show what makes you unique, these benefits and features should resonate through your resume.

3. Remember this tool is used to get you an interview, it is not intended to get you the job. Avoid going into detail about every accomplishment you have achieved. You want to be clear and concise. Tease the employer, peak his or her interest with your resume in order to get the interview. The interview is where you will go into more detail about yourself.

4. The construction of your resume is very important. First of all you want to make sure that you make it only 1-2 pages long, and the reading of it flows smoothly. Use proper grammar, and please make sure that your punctuation is correct. Also make sure that you leave white space between paragraphs, and your font size should not go any lower /higher than 10.

5. Next you want to choose your words carefully, Remember it takes the employer anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute to review your resume. This is a short period of time, so you need to make sure your strong points are at the beginning, and they capture the attention of the employer. You can do this simply by accenting your strengths with bullet points. When using bullet points make sure you use short strong sentences.

6. Now you want to show that you know what you are talking about. Stay away from only one strong point. Show the depth of your knowledge, highlight the different strengths that you have and just touch on them. You will want to accent the positive, and leave off the negative if you feel they will prejudice your chances of an interview.

7. This next step is very important, as mentioned above you want to make sure that your resume flows smoothly. By this I mean that the reading has to be smooth, not choppy and going in different directions. Remember you are writing around your bull's eye so everything has to be relevant, and flow from one step to the next.

8. Once you have a finished product you want to review it and make any changes that are warranted. You want to make sure that you read it as if you are the person making the decision as to who will get interviews. If it does not make sense to you, then it will most likely not make sense to that person.

9. Another good idea would be to let other people read it. They will probably see things that should be changed, plus they will not be as easy on you than you would be on your self. this will make for a better, and higher quality finished product. Remember to make changes based on the input you get from the other people's input.

10. Now it's time to submit your resume to prospective employers. When submitting your resume remember that your odds increase with the number that you submit. Do not be afraid to submit them. You want to submit to jobs that are what you are looking for, some that are just below what you are looking for, and some that seem to be a bit out of reach, You never know where you will find that jewel of a job,

By following these few steps you can create a resume that will point out your strengths and get the attention of the prospective employers.

7 Career Success Secrets

2008-08-04T22:19:00.000-07:00

In a competitive world every employee seeks to increase his/her job success skills and thereby increase their promotional prospects. These seven success secrets will help you.

Be early or arrive 10 minutes before time!

Let your employer know you are valuable. Doing an excellent job is of no help if the boss who promotes you doesn't know it, or thinks otherwise! It may even hinder your promotion. You'll feel good to do a good job, but unless it's backed by a promotion you'll feel frustrated and let down. So let your employer know by volunteering for any problems in the office and let your boss know who did it. Collect the credit to your account!

Show initiative. Be the new idea bringer! And then offer to take charge and implement them. Show leadership qualities here. Go the extra mile, even the extra millimeter. It's all sometimes you'll need to stand out from the pack! And do this all with a smile, let it be a joy, not a burden. Come up with fresh concepts and ideas and convince your colleagues to support your ideas. Never shy from a good challenge and when your colleagues say it cant be done, show them its possible and do it. Believe and bet on yourself, but always be accountable. Value yourself. When your boss looks out for a new project leader, guess who he'll choose!

Keep personal problems at home and personal. So if your boy/girl friend has dumped you deal with it outside of office hours and talk. Remember business is business and personal is personal. Some the most effective business leaders have been those who have successfully separated the two.

Never say words like "IT'S not my job" to a co-worker or the customer. Be prepared to work and when given a task give it your all, whether big or small. Be flexible and try to assist wherever possible to the best of your ability. This attitude will not go un-noticed in the long run.

Show an attitude of follow-up for all jobs undertaken. Delegate well to show good leadership skills. Collaborate with all the company's methods, goals, new working policies and generally play the team man. Be a team player but an inspiring leader at the same time. Keep your inbox to a minimum and keep all pending jobs to an appropriate folder. No employer likes to see a huge "pending" tray.

Keep up with the latest by reading books in your field. Keeping abreast of new ways to work, operate will show your boss you're seeking to improve your 'on the job success skills'. Be like a sponge and always keep a open mind. Observe, listen, read and ask questions. Know all you can about your company, its history, and its mistakes. Know your brand how it's made, what goes into its production. Otherwise, study you job in all its aspects. Above all know your goals or aspirations. Knowing them will give you a strong reason to excel in whatever field you choose and rise up.

When you deserve a promotion go to your boss with an updated list of proof and reasons to support your appeal. Don't be afraid to show the progress you've made the projects you've put together and your accomplishments. Otherwise these may go unnoticed. In other words. SELL YOURSELF!

How to Look For Part-Time Jobs

2008-03-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

Looking for part-time jobs is becoming a national past time. With the rising cost of living, full-time wage earners are looking elsewhere to earn extra dough to pay the bills. Here's how to find the jobs that will fit into your schedule and your expertise.

Can't Pay the Bills?

Even with a two-income family, finances can be tough, especially with little children. Professionals with college degrees are no longer averse to looking for part-time jobs to pay the bills. There's the mortgage hanging over your head, credit card bills that are long overdue, and food to put on the table everyday.

A part-time job is the only way out of the pickle, especially if you've got no money to put up a little business. For an extra $500 a month, you can work 8 hours a week, depending on the type of job you have found. Sometimes those jobs on the side can give you more money if you work extra hours.

Job Search

Landing a part time job may take awhile. For online searches, try CareerBuilders.com or MonsterJobs.com. You can narrow down the search to location and type of part-time job. The available jobs are from various industries like hospitality, pharmaceutical and medical, construction, maintenance, insurance, research, retail, science, and accounting. A job search in the neighborhood can begin with a casual conversation with your local grocery store or pharmacy. Or, if you find a help wanted sign in a bar, restaurant, or bakery, check if you are fit for the job.

The newspaper is another good source for 'help wanted' ads. Don't give up hope scanning the classifieds daily. There is always bound to be something that will catch your interest.

The grapevine or the network is always a reliable and faster route to find part-time jobs. Talk to friends about your job search. There is always someone who knows someone who needs an extra pair of hands for a shop. Always make sure your business card holder is filled with extra business cards just in case.

Always apply in person if you find a help wanted sign. Dress appropriately for the interview and be ready with your resume and cover letter. It pays to have a little background information on the business establishment that is hiring. This will help you ace the job interview. However, not all jobs will require a resume, but the employers will always do a quick background check on all job applicants.

Extra Jobs and Family

You should discuss the implications of working more hours away from home with your partner. You can always talk things over your partner to balance the household chores and bank account. If the extra compensation can pay the bills and a babysitter, that would be ideal.

The children should be prepped for a change in daily routine. You will have to adjust to the changes too, and as a couple, you'll take on additional responsibilities to make the home atmosphere as normal as you can. For the sake of the children, couples should work in shifts. One can get weekend jobs, while the significant other can take on a weekday job.

Looking for part-time jobs should not be a daunting task. When extra money is needed, you have to be persistent when looking for that additional source of income. Nowadays, people have to work double time to live decently.

Get on the Employment Career Networking Bandwagon

2008-03-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

Networking for your job advancement in your career development path offers big benefits and outstanding career employment advancement opportunities that in most cases would never come your way otherwise.

Why network? Networking in the employment and career field offers the number one source of finding employment and job advancement. It is often stated that the vast majority – estimated as high as 80 – 90 % of jobs are filled inside organizations rather than outside. Generally in life people do not like risk and change. Better to deal with someone you know, can judge and trust. As well someone who recommends a future employee to an organization should have a vested interest in recommending a person who will be of good benefit to that organization. As well it should be noted that the person who does the recommendation has their own self interest to consider in case things do not work out well with the prospective hire.

In fact many employers will pay an employee who recommends a future hire a “finder’s fee” or other reward. Better to reward someone in your organization for growth than to reward an outsider such as a commercial “head hunter”.

It may be said that sometimes a firm will look outside of the norm to hire someone – especially management to shake the organization to be a “whipping boy”. This does occur. However these are not situations where you would place yourself for serious career advancement.

Networking is in actuality the process of developing relationships with people who can assist you with job search strategies and in finding strong job leads. Often people you seriously network with (including those you ask as valued references on your job resumes or applications) will become your best proponents. It should be noted that networking should be distinguished from simple hobnobbing and name dropping. Networking in its true sense is a sincere, two ways relationship not a shallow one way activity. The distinction can not be stressed enough. If you are unable to comprehend the difference between the two - then this activity of career networking is not currently the right path for you.

The benefits of networking are great. Networking will focus your job choice and career direction. You will be tapping into jobs that you would most likely not have access to otherwise. You should be in a position to gain information and perspective about your chosen industry and firms or organizations that you would not be privy to or be able to comprehend or appreciate the significance otherwise. Specialized information such as industry and geographical trends, job search structure and protocols and hiring processes in your chosen fields will avail itself to you in your employment search.

It is a wonderful trait in interviews to be confident with industry perspectives as well as privileged information about the going ons of firms that you are making job applications for. The biggest percentage of most job interviews is based on preparation before the interview, not during it. Networking will be your best tool for successful pre interview preparation and planning.

As well networking affords self promotion in a socially acceptable manner without bragging rights to those people in the hiring stream who ultimately matter the most to you in your employment search. In effect you are practicing your communication and interviewing skills as you successfully navigate the network streams.

Remember that for all the serious work you do in your job search in the end you never know who can be of the most help to you. Be sincere and appreciative in all that you do.

Medical Billing Careers

2008-03-02T21:28:00.001-08:00

Since time immemorial, a career in medicine has been looked upon with prestige, and people consider it humanitarian and noble. A career in medicine calls for a lot of responsibility and the ability to update one’s knowledge on the evolving medical technology. With the passage of time and innovation in the field of science, the medical profession is becoming very challenging. There are a number of fields within the medical career, such as Healthcare Administration, Healthcare Management, Medical Insurance Billing, Medical Office Billing and several others.

Basic Requirements For Medical Billing

The job of medical billing involves a lot of hard work and vast knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, coding and proper completion of forms. In addition, you need to have basic computer knowledge and a typing speed of at least 35 words per minute. A good temperament is another important characteristic that the person needs to possess, since he is required to deal with a number of patients, their attendants, doctors, medical representatives and other office personnel.

Job Outlook And Employment Opportunities

Medical billing is one of the fastest growing careers in healthcare. The importance of medical billing personnel is on the rise, since several insurance companies and the government are continuously spending substantial time and money to nix fraud and abusive practices. Due to this demand, various companies and practices are constantly on the lookout for trained and experienced medical billers. Personnel could find positions with doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, insurance companies, legal offices, rehabilitation centers, legal offices and consulting firms or they could also work independently.

They could set up an electronic billing system through their personal computers. Independent medical billers can also work as insurance specialists and consultants. The job is lucrative and revolves around helping patients and medical professionals calculate their insurance bills.

Some of the other job opportunities that are included within medical billing are as follows:

• Billing Specialist
• Coding Specialist
• Medical Collector
• Patient Account Representative
• Claims Analyst
• Claims Processor
• Reimbursement Specialist Claims Reviewer
• Electronic Claims Processor
• Billing Coordinator
• Claims Assistant Professional

Work Culture

The work culture of medical billers is usually part of an office setup. More often than not, the personnel do not work in close proximity to where patients are diagnosed. They generally have billing offices and services in large corporate buildings, in small suburban offices and in the offices of doctors. They usually work during the day, from Monday to Friday, forty hours a week. However, there are times when, in insurance companies, they are required to work late at night. They are paid well for working overtime and their services are much appreciated by the medical establishment and patients alike.

Switching To A New Career

2008-03-02T21:27:00.000-08:00

Whatever the reason that you want to switch careers, the fact is that you are going through a change, and you are not the only one. Studies show that the average person changes his or her career several times before things settle down. There are certain steps that you can take to make switching careers just a bit less stressful.

1. It's all about likes and dislikes: Being happy with your career is all about your personal choices. It is easy to identify what you dislike but it is that much more difficult to identify what you like doing. While identifying your likes think of all the things you would like to if money was not an issue. Delve deeper and you will know what it is you really like. Most people's likes revolve around teaching, healing and creating. If you can't identify your likes, then you should get online and take an online personality test that will help you figure it out.

2. Research: After you have identified your likes and dislikes and what you like doing, what you are passionate about, the next step is to spend some time researching. It is a part of the process to feel intimidated and unsure of yourself, but there is no need to back out or change your plans because of this. Just do your homework and you will be fine.

3. Skills: There are some skills that can be used irrespective of your career choice. Skills such as communication, leadership, planning and motivation are just a few of them. These can be used in your career switching process.

4. Education: If you are changing your career, you need to make sure that your education and training are adequate. You could enroll in a night class or online courses and acquire the education and training that you will need in your new career.

5. Network: The world now functions on the basis of networking. Make sure you have a good network of people you can use during your career change. With the right amount of networking you can get job leads, advice and useful information.

6. Experience: Since you will be starting a new career altogether, you may not going to be credited with lots of experience in the new company. If this is the case, consider taking a part-time job or doing some volunteer work that is relevant to your field to gain experience.

7. Mentors: Getting a mentor is the best thing you can do for yourself. Your mentor will help you get though those difficult times. You and your mentor together can work towards building your network that will help your career changing process.

8. Basics: If you haven't been job-hunting for a long time, then you need to get all your basics in place. Make sure that you have your resume updated. Know about interview skills. Research the companies. These are all things that will ensure smooth sailing during your job search.

9. Flexibility: Flexibility is of utmost importance while switching careers. There needs to be flexibility about everything...from employment status to salary and benefits.

Switching careers mid-life may be stressful - but by following the tips above, you can make sure that it doesn't become overwhelming.

Psychic Jobs - Word of Mouth is Best Strategy

2008-03-01T02:10:00.000-08:00

One who truly has a gift for clairvoyance is a valuable asset in the market of phone psychic jobs, which is very competitive. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to establish yourself in the field of phone psychic jobs, which also includes psychic chat online as well. These jobs can be quite difficult to obtain.

For psychic employment individuals must have the gift of clairvoyance and an uplifting, concerned demeanor. Legitimate phone psychic providers evaluate possible hires closely for psychic jobs, both during initial steps for hiring and during a probationary period when customer feedback is used to demonstrate the presence of the necessary skills.

The strengths of each psychic with regards to different types of readings are evaluated by psychic supervisors and managers. Some psychics excel at guiding people through love and relationships, while others are best at interpreting dreams or reading Tarot cards. Applicants for phone psychic jobs are asked to take a test to determine what they are most adept at.

To ensure that a prospective psychic is not faking their way through a reading or using memorized material, the test is extensive, lasting as much as an hour, and requiring a great level of detail. Those who apply for phone jobs will have their references checked thoroughly. Prospective psychics are often referred by their colleagues, and most prefer to work with reputable employers.

There are several tests to pass before you are allowed to go "live" with customers. The first is a simple examination. Once through that, you may be asked to try a reading or two with management. Such testing guarantees that callers will be led down a path filled with approved information. Should you enter the profession, you may join a group uniting telephone soothsayers. Your most important skill is to come across as trustworthy and truthful.

For those that are interested in phone psychic jobs, there are several organizations that they may wish to join: American Association of Psychics, American Association of Professional Psychics, Association of Certified Psychics, and the Association of Spiritualists and Healers. The only non-profit association is the Parapsychology Association, which includes several of the phone psychic reading methods, but not all of them.

Atlanta Dental Jobs

2008-03-01T02:08:00.000-08:00

Dentistry is a dynamic and rewarding profession offering a variety of career options. The dental industry has undergone many changes recently. It has created a lot of job opportunities for dental professionals. Atlanta dental jobs play a vital role in the state. Anyone who has passed the D.D.S. (Doctor of Dental Surgery) or D.M.D (Doctor of Dental Medicine) degree can apply for the post of dentist in any one of the Atlanta dental clinics.

Plenty of exciting dental job opportunities exist in Atlanta for individuals seeking employment or a change in careers. There are several websites that list a variety of career opportunities offered in the field of dentistry. These websites list dental jobs in every specialty. They provide salary information, too, which help job seekers find a better a job. These websites list dental jobs by area so that job seekers can search for jobs in a particular area. Also, there are several employment agencies and job banks that offer Atlanta dental job opportunities. These agencies help applicants save money and time hunting for a job. Atlanta dental jobs include an orthodontist, associate dentist, dental assistant, dental assistant trainee, dental hygienists, and more.

Orthodontists have several openings in Atlanta, as the beauty industry is flourishing there. Many people seek the services of orthodontists to treat the misalignment of teeth and for facial development with braces, headgear, retainers, and other methods. Openings for dental assistants are also on the rise as orthodontists always need the help of a dental assistant for cleaning and sterilizing dental instruments and educating patients on the various aspects of good dental health. Dental hygienists are required to clean teeth, examine oral parts for signs of oral disease, educate patients on oral hygiene, and take X-rays.

Photography Schools Pave The Way To Picture-Perfect Careers

2008-02-26T02:06:00.000-08:00

Picture this: You're fresh out of school, and you already have a packed portfolio and plenty of freelance opportunities. Sound too good to be true? That can be your real-life career image with training from top-notch photography schools like Brooks Institute of Photography. Peruse these picture-perfect photography careers.

Do you have a keen imagination and your own original style? Consider a career as a commercial, industrial, or scientific photographer. These on-location photography careers allow you to take pictures of subjects such as buildings, models, merchandise, artifacts, and landscapes. The photographs are then used in media such as books, reports, ads, and catalogs. Industrial photographers take pictures of equipment, machinery, products, workers, and company officials for the purpose of project analysis, publicity, or equipment records. Using knowledge of scientific procedures, scientific photographers take pictures to illustrate or record scientific or medical data or phenomena. When you major in commercial, advertising, or industrial/scientific photography at photography schools like Brooks, you'll be fully prepared for this in-demand career. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), growth of Internet versions of magazines, journals, and newspapers will require increasing numbers of commercial photographers to provide digital images.

If you prefer to photograph moving subjects in a fast-paced atmosphere, you could be cut out for news photography careers. Photojournalists take pictures of newsworthy people and places as well as sporting, political, and community events for newspapers, journals, magazines, and TV. Beyond camera expertise, news photographers need a solid understanding of current events so that their pictures match the story. With the proper training from photography schools, such as Brooks Institute's visual journalism program, you'll acquire an eye for quality photo opportunities along with the ability to capture them all with artistic precision.

Bismarck Employment Services

2008-02-26T01:59:00.000-08:00

Employment Services in Bismarck have grown rapidly due to its huge potential in human resources. The agencies in Bismarck allow the job seekers to hunt through thousands of currently available jobs and apply online. This offers the job seekers a quick and simple way to get their vital statistics in front of thousands of companies that the agencies serve. The online version of a newsletter provided by some of the agencies help their associates get the most out of their careers.

The city of Bismarck has been conducting job hunts, loaded with powerful tips and tricks that are very helpful for job seekers. The staffing agencies provide information to the candidates regarding education and skills and training that are needed to achieve maximum success. The emerging staffing agencies in Bismarck are built on a policy of helping quality individuals achieve their employment goals. The agencies help the job seekers in everything from temporary projects to direct hire (permanent placement) positions.

Most of the agencies in Bismarck have separate divisions for recruiting professionals in Finance & Accounting, temporary, full-time, administrative, IT, full-time staffing of attorneys, paralegals, legal support personnel, creative, web design and marketing. The city has also some local and low salaried jobs. These jobs are served by people having no degrees. KoreOne has built a reputation as a respected source on career, staffing and management trends. Organizations turn to KoreOne for advice on hiring and employment, while candidates have come to rely on us for tips on navigating the rapidly changing job market.

Careers With Animals

2008-02-25T02:40:00.001-08:00

So, you want to work with animals, do you? How is your education? You need at least a high school diploma to get into most programs. If you don't have a diploma, but have your GED, you can still do most veterinary work. Even animal grooming needs a certification - and many of these careers need licensing as well. For veterinary college you will need the high school diploma and college - lots of college!

Everyone, no matter what program they pursue, needs to know the business of running a practice. Whether that's a veteinary practice or as a pet groomer, you need to be able to reconcile your checking accounts, make appointments and deal with customers. In most places, a little selling is desirable - up-sell to the next size food or adding on an in-between grooming treatment, for instance. If you can master bookkeeping, so much the better. Perhaps running the office will be in your future.

Different careers with animals include certified trainers, veterinary assistants or technicians, holistic animal practitioners and veterinarians. There are also groomers, petsitters and others who work with animals in various capacities. Did you know that many employees of your local animal shelter need to be certified veterinary technicians?

What about veterinarian itself? What does a veterinarian make? How much education is needed and how hard is it? I heard it's easier to become a human doctor than a veterinarian, is that possible?

How much does the education cost for these careers? Is there anything you can do without going to an expensive school? How much will you make when you complete the program and finally get to go to work? What is the outlook for these careers? Will there still be a position for you in 5 years? What about 10 years? All this and more is covered in this lengthy piece, Careers with Animals.

Morgen Marshall, a cat lover and trainer, invites you into her world of cats. She created a website dedicated to making the relationship between cats and people harmonious and healthy. For the Love of Cats is a place for people facing difficulties in their relationships with cats to come and find the answers they need from someone they can trust.

Naturopathic Careers Today

2008-02-25T02:38:00.000-08:00

Find Naturopathic Careers in the United States and Canada. Individuals who enter naturopathic careers have a promising professional outlook as today’s patients have begun to seek noninvasive and natural health treatments in lieu of traditional medicine.

To work in naturopathic careers, prospective candidates should investigate the field prior to pursuing the profession. It is essential that appropriate education is met before attempting to practice as a naturopathic doctor. Today, students desiring naturopathic careers must first apply and participate in a naturopathic degree and/or diploma program offered through various naturopathic colleges and alternative healing schools.

For example, in Canada, naturopathic careers require a certain level of training and education through an accredited naturopathic school. Prerequisites include a basic education that often includes a bachelor’s degree comprised of coursework in biology, chemistry, psychology and humanities. These prerequisites generally mirror many of the requirements set forth in U.S. schools.

In addition, naturopathic careers require up to seven years of training and education. Typical curriculums involve basic science studies in anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, preventive medicine, botanical medicine, naturopathic history and philosophy, nutrition, hydrotherapy, Oriental medicine, homeopathy and pharmacology – to list a few.

Furthermore, candidates who attain naturopathic careers discover that while this is an integrative medicine practice, many naturopathic doctors (NDs) act as primary care physicians in clinics, hospitals and other healthcare facilities. In addition to noninvasive therapies, naturopathic practitioners provide natural healing alternatives to traditional medicine including holistic modalities like mind-body-spirit therapies (e.g., massage therapy, energy healing, holistic nutrition, etc.).

According to the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges, licensed practitioners in naturopathic careers report a 71% satisfaction in income. And with the growing trend of acceptance in the alternative medicine community, the likelihood for growth in naturopathic careers is positive. As with any professional aspiration, it is important that potential students carefully review licensure regulations in the state or province in which they reside. (States and provinces vary in licensing requirements.)

Travel and Tourism Jobs - What You Should Know Before Seeking Employment in Travel and Tourism

2008-02-19T01:44:00.000-08:00

Employment in Travel and Tourism is a wise choice to be involved in during this prime time of growth. In my professional opinion, it is a great time to get started, if you haven't already. You have many options to choose from, but before I go into those, I would like to tell you a little about what is currently happening in this $7 trillion gold mine industry.

The statistics are in and they speak for themselves when it comes to choosing a job in a hot industry with potential to grow. In 2007, Travel and Tourism is expected to post US$7 trillion of economic growth activity (total demand), with expectations to grow to US$13 trillion by the 2017. Not only is this a true reflection of how strong this industry already is, but how much opportunity it holds for it's future. As far as employment goes, 1 in every 12 jobs held in the World is within Travel and Tourism alone. With high demands from tourists everywhere, the chances of encompassing your very own successful niche within the business to serve them, is very great.

There are many careers out there to choose from, and you've obviously chosen travel for a reason. Maybe you have a strong desire to travel yourself. It's possible you just enjoy serving others in satisfying their interests. Either way, there are unlimited possibilities to choose from. You could work as a travel agent, a tour guide, a person who sales tours or local activities, you could even work for an airline or in a large luxury hotel or resort. What I have learned is that, although all of these jobs or careers are great, they don't ultimately bring you very much money. Plus your still playing the infamous game of trading your valuable time for money, which most often leaves you feeling unsatisfied with either your income or your lack of free time. There are many ways to generate a substantial amount of money by simply applying your creative efforts with technology... aka working independently online.

Careers in Acupuncture - Scope of Practice

2008-02-19T01:43:00.000-08:00

Explore Careers in Acupuncture in the United States and Canada. Don't let needles scare you away from rewarding careers in acupuncture. According to the American Association of Oriental Medicine, professional acupuncturists typically earn $40-$70 per session; but the monetary benefit is not the only reason why students might want to pursue careers in acupuncture...

Based on a unique system of healing and energy healing, acupuncture and Oriental medicine address the body holistically; treating the whole person and not just the symptoms. Though careers in acupuncture do involve specific needling techniques, the method of this system is not nearly as scary as it may sound. Using thin, hair-like needles, licensed acupuncturists insert these precision, healing instruments lightly beneath the skin along the meridians of the body. (*Meridian pathways are "energy channels.") The philosophy of acupuncture is that when these meridians are stimulated, the flow of "Chi" or "life force" is allowed to flow freely; removing blockages from the meridians (that may be affecting correlating organ systems).

But careers in acupuncture aren't just about acupuncture...a matter of fact, almost all acupuncture programs teach future practitioners about various therapies that are facilitated as complementary medicine; in addition to acupuncture. Graduates of Oriental medicine programs, who have achieved careers in acupuncture provide complementary treatments like Chinese herbal medicine, acupressure/Shiatsu, Tuina (Chinese medical massage), and nutritional consulting to help in healing.

For students new to the field of alternative medicine, successful careers in acupuncture can be achieved through comprehensive training at one of several acupuncture and Oriental medicine schools and colleges throughout America. Core curricula is comprised of about 3,000 credit hours, and involves training and education in the history and philosophy of Oriental medicine, acupuncture, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), Chinese herbal medicine, biosciences, anatomy, Tai Chi, Qigong, and clinical internship, among other subject matter. Upon successful completion of all prescribed courses, graduates must attain licensure to practice and to enter careers in acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

Employment: Unfair Dismissal – Award – Polkey Reduction

2008-02-18T03:07:00.000-08:00

FM Fabrications appealed this decision to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) and claimed that the Employment Tribunal had erred in law by not considering a Polkey reduction. If a decision is held to be procedurally unfair, the Employment Tribunal will ask itself whether this failure would have ultimately made a difference in the outcome. If not, then compensation will be limited to the period it would have taken for a proper procedure to take place before a fair dismissal could have occurred. This is commonly known as a Polkey reduction.

The EAT ruled that:

▪ The ET had not considered whether a Polkey reduction should be made;

▪ The ET must address a two stage question when calculating compensation for unfair dismissal:

1) Would an offer of employment have resulted had the proper procedure been followed?; and

2) If so, what would that employment have been and what wages would have been paid?

▪ The appeal was allowed and remitted to the Employment Tribunal for a new judgment.

Comment: Please contact us if you have any questions about assessing compensation for an unfair dismissal.

Career Watch 2007: Assisting Careers Are Hot

2008-02-18T03:06:00.000-08:00

The results are in: Assisting careers are projected to be among the fastest growing occupations through 2014. Rather than wrestling with resolutions you'll never keep, why not spend the new year completing your vocational education and launching an in-demand career?

Read on for an overview of the hottest fields you can break into this year via short-term study, complete with salary and employment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2006-2007 Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Work some magic with medical assisting careers. In this critical field, you'll record vital signs, collect lab specimens, administer medications, and much more. Though short-term study is all that's required, you can increase your marketability by earning the Certified Medical Assistant credential through the American Association of Medical Assistants, or the Registered Medical Assistant credential through American Medical Technologists. Medical assistants held about 387,000 jobs in 2004, with median annual earnings of $24,610, and the highest 10 percent earning over $34,650.

Perhaps you'd rather get fit with physical therapist assisting careers. This occupation encompasses the prevention and treatment of conditions associated with loss of mobility. With targeted vocational education, you'll learn how to teach patients exercises for mobility, strength, and coordination; you'll also learn the art of massage. Physical therapist assistants held about 59,000 jobs in 2004, with median annual earnings of $37,890, and the highest 10 percent earning over $52,110.

Why not sink your teeth into dental assisting careers? With vocational education, you'll acquire the skills needed to take dental X-rays, remove sutures, make casts of the teeth and mouth from impressions, make temporary crowns, and more. Dental assistants held about 267,000 jobs in 2004, with median hourly earnings of $13.62, and the highest 10 percent earning over $19.97. Plus, according to the American Dental Association, nine out of 10 dental assistants receive dental coverage.

Consider improving others' quality of life through occupational therapist assisting careers. Through vocational education, you can learn skills to help people achieve independence in all facets of life. You'll work with patients to improve their basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, and compensate for permanent loss of function. Occupational therapist assistants held about 21,000 jobs in 2004, with median annual earnings of $38,430, and the highest 10 percent earning over $52,700.

Not content to sit on the sidelines? Be part of the drama with legal assisting careers. Short-term study will prepare you to investigate and analyze cases, and prepare reports to help attorneys determine how to handle each case. And, if you want to up your career ante, consider earning the Certified Legal Assistant designation from the National Association of Legal Assistants. Legal assistants held about 224,000 jobs in 2004, with median annual earnings of $39,130, and the top 10 percent earning over $61,390.

Career Change - Tips To Writing The Winning Resume Cover Letter!

2008-02-13T02:23:00.001-08:00

In any job hunt where you are changing careers skillful drafting of the resume cover letter is a must. Almost without exception a career change cover letter will accompany your resume. The only exception is if you are applying for a job electronically-but even there you can find a way to get your point across.

An effective cover letter is often the deciding factor as to whether you are called in for an interview. It is not necessarily read until you reach a short list. Then it is vital to present a good career change cover letter, to prove your skills and abilities along with writing and reporting skills. It is a good idea to personalize each cover letter for each employer. With word processing you can tailor the cover letter to reflect what aspect of your experience and skills match what the employer is looking for.

A career change cover letter must concentrate on your skill base and expertise. The cover letter will show all the necessary information to give the prospective employer a specific idea of your ability and how your previous work experience will fit the needs and requirements of the position.

The career change cover letter should immediately catch the attention of the prospective employer. The idea of the career change cover letter is to give you a chance to prove your adaptability and give you a chance to show good reason for changing your previous career field.

The successful applicant will demonstrate in their career change cover letter, their related experiences and skills in the new field of employment. You will detail the relevant education for the new career choice. Don't forget seminars attended, workshops completed and relevant self-study.

The career change cover letter should emphasize transferable skills from previous employment and other skills and interests that will benefit the new career choice.

The career change cover letter gives you an excellent opportunity to show how they can contribute to the success of the newly considered company or organization. It is in the cover letter that they can prove you are keen to take on a new role.

At this stage of the career change cover letter you should dwell on the company or employer you seek to impress rather than on their own merits. Show that you are vital to the future of the new industry, and impress them by their knowledge, research and interest in the new position. This is a chance to concentrate on the employer, and the job opening.

The cover letter can show the new skills you will bring to the table, because of your previous training and experience. Highlight the fact that experience in diverse fields and careers can bring unique skills to the prospective employer.

One other vital piece of information, if appropriate at the job interview, if the employer has misgivings because you do not have the required direct experience, is to offer to work as a temporary employee until you have the required experience. This offer can be reemphasized in your thank you letter that you send after the interview.

Naturopathic Careers Today

2008-02-13T02:21:00.000-08:00

About Employment Insurance

2008-02-11T03:12:00.001-08:00

It has often been said that bad things can happen to you even without your cooperation. That can also be said about jobs and careers. Shortage of available work, mass lay-off and retrenchments, reorganizations and mergers, in today fast pace anything can happen. When it comes, the experience can be devastating for many, made worse when savings are not enough, debts are high and payments are in arrears.

Being prepared is always the best way to cushion the effects of loosing income. Having insurance employment makes you continue to enjoy the benefits of income. Employment insurance can aid you on receiving maternity, sickness compassionate care services, provide support for a member of the family who is ill, caring for an infant, even fishing benefits and many more.

To apply for an employment insurance all you have to do is submit an application online. Employment insurance is paid even when the applicant will receive money when unemployed.

When applying for an employment insurance a "Record of Employment" will be required from you that you will have to get from your last employer or a proof of employment like pay slips, pay stubs and certification.

Other documents that you will need when you apply for an Insurance Employment will include:

Social insurance Number. If your SIN number starts with a 9, that means that you are an immigrant and will need to also supply your immigration status and work permit. You will have to supply a record of employment covering the past 52 weeks When claiming for medical and sickness benefit, a medical certificate will have to be furnished. When applying in person, prepare your driver’s license, passport or a birth certificate. Furnish also complete bank information.

Checks or voided checks from your current personal account will be required, as payments will be made direct to that account. When applying for parental benefits, the Social Insurance number of the other parent will be required.

If you are applying for compassionate care benefit, a medical certificate has to be supplied. You will also have to provide your version of the facts surrounding the cause of your unemployment. Together with this is a statement of the total salary before deductions, including commissions and other income benefits, the total amount that you will receive including severance pay, vacation pay, pension etc.

Do not delay when applying for an employment insurance, delaying the application beyond four weeks can cause penalties or loss of benefits.

If you receive financial assistance form the social services while waiting to get the Insurance employment claims, you will have to reimburse the amount out of your employment insurance benefit.

If you are indisposed and can not apply for your employment insurance, an appointment representative can be assigned to do the application on your behalf,

After you have applied for your employment insurance, you will receive in your mail a benefit statement including an access code and the date for your first report. Having an access code does not yet mean that your claim has already been decided on. Together with this will be an instruction on how to complete your report.

Some Emerging New Economy Careers

2008-02-11T03:11:00.000-08:00

Effect Of New Economy Careers

Some of these emerging careers may require higher skills and educational qualifications and are accompanied by higher compensation packages. An increase in such jobs has also seen a parallel growth in the number of colleges offering courses that are relevant to them. For years, people have found it exceedingly hard to find a career path that strikes a balance between personal passions and lucrative career growth. The discontent this caused has also led to the development of newer and better job opportunities. These new economy jobs aim at offering a good working environment along with substantial pay packages.

Modifications In Job Fields

New jobs in the 21st century will revolve around the information, health care, energy and financial industry. The jobs created will primarily focus on computer science, robotics, biotechnology and fiber optics. With the dawn of the information age, there is an increasing reliance on technology than ever before. The rapid advancement in technology has resulted in the clash of new thinking styles with the traditional and orthodox ones.

Science And Technology

The fastest emerging careers today relate to fields like forensic science, health care, homeland security, case management, life care planning, geriatric care management, genetics, and cyber security. These fields are now gaining popularity and proving to be the fastest emerging new economy careers as compared to several years ago. Until recently, in the United States, the automobile and related industries accounted for a major part of employment opportunities. However, employment avenues in these fields have declined as a result of increased automation.

Medical Prospects

Nursing informatics is an upcoming career that involves skills in nursing, computer science and information technology. New medical imaging techniques have given rise to radiological specialties and improvements in data management have led to geographic information systems.

Other Opportunities

Computer security is another emerging specialty that is gaining popularity. Improved computer graphics have led to a variety of animation specialties. Other emerging job positions include Internet development specialist, multimedia specialist and wireless communications technician. Occupations that may emerge from unforeseen technological breakthroughs include artificial intelligence technician, aqua culturist, automotive fuel cell battery technician, benefits analyst, bionic electron technician, computational linguist, computer microprocessor, cryonics technician, dialysis technologist, electronic mail technician and space mechanic.

Reason For New Economy Careers

Demographic trends like increased immigration, aging, higher educational levels, changes in consumer needs and tastes are creating a need for more skills from employees. The opportunities for people are limitless and if tapped correctly, this trend is sure to bring economic stability and job satisfaction around the world.

About Employment Insurance

2008-02-08T02:50:00.000-08:00

Dangerous Careers May Call for More Life Insurance

2008-02-08T02:49:00.000-08:00

How many cars do you have in the driveway? One, two, maybe more? Do you use them all? Are they all really necessary? While it may seem that you need each car, it may be that having more than one is actually costing you more than you think.

Consider how much the insurance is costing you on that second car. Couldn't that money be better spent elsewhere? Do you have children? Will they be going to college? The money that you are spending on insurance could be saved for a college education. College isn't getting any cheaper; in fact, the prices are climbing more every year.

Here is a crazy idea, why not donate a car to a charitable organization?

Are you too busy to try to sell the car?
Is there any use for the old car?
There are organizations that would be willing to tow it away for you for the donation.

What are the incentives to donating a car?

Helping people in need (obviously).
An excellent chance that you could write off the resale value of the car as a tax deduction.
The organization would more than likely be very willing to let you know what price they received for the car when they sold it.
You in turn, would supply this information to the person who does your taxes so it could be put in your tax return.
In other words, this helps you as well as the organization.

A car donation works basically the same as any other donation with the exception that the organization will sell the car and then use the money that they receive for the car for something good. The organizations can be for anything. They can be cancer organizations, homeless organizations, Make a Wish type organizations, etc.

When you donate the car it is considered a donation for what the current Kelley Blue Book value is. The mileage is also considered in the value of the car. When you donate the car the organization will give you a receipt for the car with the current Blue Book value on the receipt. This helps in showing that the donation was a legitimate donation especially if the name and address of the organization is on the receipt. Another situation where a couple of bad apples have spoiled the whole bunch, some people have made up deductions so it is always a good idea to have proof.

If the person would sell the car and get more than the Blue Book value for the car they would have to report that as a gain and then report that on their taxes and actually have to pay taxes on that gain. But, if the person would get less than the Blue Book value the person would not be able to report that as a loss unless of course they were in the business of selling cars. In other words, a car salesman could report that as a loss but a grocery store owner could not.

About Employment Insurance

2008-02-07T02:45:00.000-08:00

Some Emerging New Economy Careers

2008-02-07T02:41:00.000-08:00

You Just Might Benefit From Taking a Look at an Online Employment Guide

2008-02-06T02:37:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Those who have been searching for a job without much luck just might benefit from taking a look at an online employment guide. This useful resource can help you locate jobs in the immediate area as well as in any other area of the country. An online employment guide is also packed with information including helpful tips and advice for landing the position you want. Online employment guides allow individuals to create their profile, post their resume and browse through numerous helpful articles. Because it is an online venue, it provides a place for those seeking employment to network, offering each other first hand advice on a number of topics.

A Diversity of Online Employment Guides to Cater for Your Job Search Needs

When opting to use an online employment guide, individuals have the choice to use one of the larger, well known websites or a smaller venue. Often, cities or counties will create their own employment guides, allowing individuals to concentrate their search on the immediate or neighboring areas. However, larger websites may offer more features and more activity. Others simply prefer the better localized knowledge of smaller websites. Larger websites are also a good choice for those seeking employment in other countries. Career centers found both locally or on a college campus may also offer their own employment guides for those who use their services.

Online Employment Guides Offer a Wide Range of Services

An online employment guide can offer not only job listings but newsletters, salary guides according to state, links for online education programs, skill assessments and even relocation services. As a vocational resource, these sites are meant to be full of information helpful to those in every level of employment, from finding a job to planning a retirement. Along with a number of other high tech features, some sites even offer blogs that give an insider's view on the current job market. The informal voice of a blog is a welcome change to jobseekers that are constantly surrounded by proper job interview skills and other forms of decorum.

Helpful Advice For the Self Employed and Information on Work at Home Opportunities

An online employment guide can also offer helpful advice for the self employed. As more and more individuals leave the job search to work for themselves, the need for information on the subject has greatly increased. The self employed worker needs a place where he or she can network with other and get their own tips and advice. Many employment guides may also offer information on work at home opportunities. Whether looking for a hands on job or computer related vocation, one will be able to find information on a number of home based careers.

Conclusion

More and more employees and employers are using the internet for their employment needs. All the information you need is at your fingertips at no cost and it is always up-to-date. It makes sense to visit an online employment guide.

Employment Branding - What Is It? Why Do We Need It?

2008-02-06T02:36:00.000-08:00

In 2008 there will be an estimated 450 million job seekers worldwide using the Internet... There will be an estimated 50 million employers worldwide competing for the industries top talent...What's your strategy to standout?

The answer is easier than you thought..."Employment Branding"

In today's market place, human capital is an organization's most significant competitive advantage. But while many corporations will have a big budget to brand and market their products and services to their clients, many still do not fully understand the value of actively branding themselves to potential recruits and current employees.

In other words, when you have a headache you use Tylenol, when you clean windows you use Windex...runny nose... reach for a Kleenex. You get the point...there is an expectation associated with every brand. A strong brand is the differentiator in a consumer's decision to buy.

Employment Branding is the same principle. Employment Branding is the perception that current and prospective employees have of your organization as a place to work. Your employment brand is the essence of your organization. It conveys a promise about your culture, organizational values, vision, business expertise, and employee and customer relationships.

The fact is, the illusive "passive candidate" is interviewing your company long before they ever apply to an open position.

Therefore, it is critical you pay careful attention to how and where you're representing your brand online in 2008. When developing your 2008 recruitment strategy and budget don't forget "Employment Branding".

Often, the best careers (just like products) need to be branded, marketed and sold. Clearly, the stronger this image, the better the company's ability to find and retain quality candidates to meet its employment needs.

About MYJOBENGINE: MYJOBENGINE is the internets first "Employment Branding" job board and marketing tool designed specifically for Corporate Staffing professionals seeking effective and efficient ways to promote their "Employment Brand" and corporate career site.

Using Employment Newsgroups in Your Job Search

2008-02-05T01:03:00.001-08:00

Employment Newsgroups Job Search Resources

Newsgroups are online, message-based communities of people with common interests. Each newsgroup is dedicated to a topic, and you may write, search, read and reply to messages about that topic. Several newsgroups are job and career related.

Some groups are dedicated to employment advertising, while others are dedicated to resume submissions, job wanted messages, or general discussions about employment and careers. The Usenet Employment Newsgroups are a very productive source of job posting. Thousands of jobs are posted to the various Newsgroups each day and these opportunities are often overlooked by most online job seekers. Many Employers, Recruiters, and Job Sites automatically post their positions to the Newsgroups, and the groups serve as a Meta Job Search Engine. Unfortunately, since these are all free postings and anyone can post to newsgroups the groups are filled with off topic posts, scams, and other worthless junk.

Tips for Your Job Search

Most online job seekers do not use the employment newsgroups. Most job seekers concentrate their efforts on the large commercial job sites and the employment newsgroups require some time and effort to investigate and use efficiently. Use the JobMetaSeek Newsgroup Directory to determine if any of the employment groups could be useful in your job search. Look for employment newsgroups serving your industry, occupation or locations of interest.

If you decide to incorporate one or more of the newsgroups into your job search, you will want to use a program specifically designed for newsgroups. Web site interfaces, such as Google or the newsgroup function in Outlook Express are not the best methods to access this material. One of the best Newsreader available is Agent. It is available free of charge or can be upgraded for a small fee. The program comes with complete installation instructions and it includes excellent filtering tools. Once you configure the software, the process of retrieving and reading the messages of interest is more or less automatic.

Employment Services - An Excellent Job Hunting Resource You May Not Have Thought Of

2008-02-05T01:02:00.000-08:00

Finding the right job is hard work. Many do not approach the effort full time or neglect to get the basics right. So it is sometimes not easy for people to find the job they desire. This is why there are employment services in almost every community to help and counsel job seekers to make the proper efforts to get the right job. Of all the services in the world, LDS Employment Services is an organization that you might consider in assisting you in finding employment.

LDS Employment Services is an employment service program offered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This is an employment service that centers on helping people who wish to become self-employed as well as those who need to train and improve their skills. The service functions to provide employment at both the local congregational level and in more than 200 employment centers located around the world.

A typical local congregation of the LDS Employment Services helps both the members of the church and other people seeking employment find work. These church leaders are able to run this employment services program with the support it receives from centers in the vicinity. The service uses the required resources, materials and other forms of assistance for different job opportunities from these centers.

It is mainly because the church and its members strongly believe in being self reliant and independent that they came up with the concept of their employment service. The church believes that people should learn to be self reliant in their careers. This in turn helps them provide for themselves, and their families.

LDS Employment Services have helped more than 160,000 people find jobs. In addition to providing employment to jobseekers, they also help provide additional training to those who want to improve their skills in different jobs. In addition it also helps business people start and expand their small businesses.

With the help of LDS Employment Services, it is workable for people to seek employment or change their jobs for better opportunities. LDS also helps you identify potential opportunities that suit your skills. It also offers assistance to people who are looking for scholarships and those who wish to join various educational and training programs. If you intend to start or strengthen a small business, you can approach these services for resources and information on self employment.

So if you are one of those who have faith in the church, and you are looking for a job, then LDS Employment Services is the solution for you. You can find out more about LDS Employment Services on the internet as there are many websites that offer valuable information about this great employment services provider.

Careers Through Culinary Arts Program

2008-02-02T02:38:00.000-08:00

Don’t you just love going into a restaurant that boasts of impeccable service? Have you experienced tipping more than the usual amount because you were totally impressed of the food and the level of service? Don’t you wish you’d experience this every time you go into a restaurant?

Actually, the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), is exerting a lot of effort to help raise the quality of service in restaurants. And how do they do this? Careers through Culinary Arts Program provide opportunities for the underserved youth. The program includes education on culinary arts, internship, and employment.

This non-profit organization offers the biggest culinary scholarship program in all of the United States. Careers through Culinary Arts Program presented a whooping $2,000,000 scholarship fund to student chefs in 2004.

The organization does not only focus on the youth. Careers through Culinary Arts Program also encompass other services like teacher trainings, jobs and internships, volunteer industry professionals, college and career advising, after-school programs, product and equipment donations, and scholarships to post-secondary culinary programs.

Careers through Culinary Arts Program give out awards and scholarships ranging from $1,000 to the full-tuition. The organization also extends its assistance to students to help them make the right decisions in terms of college and career. Careers through Culinary Arts Program also provide C-CAP high school students to compete in its Cooking Competition for Scholarships. The competition which are divided into the Preliminary Competition and the Final Competition, aims to provide able students the chance to make the culinary arts a profession. Juniors and Seniors from any Careers through Culinary Arts Program high school who have been through any culinary, cooking, or home economics class are welcome to join the Preliminary Competition. The Seniors who succeeded in the Preliminary Competition are the ones who will be advancing to the Careers through Culinary Arts Program Competition for Scholarships.

The private and the public sector have joined forces to organize Careers through Culinary Arts Program. The efforts of both of these sectors have attracted donations from different companies. Schools which lack the resources to teach more than the basic of food preparation are now being assisted by the organization. Careers through Culinary Arts Program has now acquired a long list of sponsors which have contributed more than $1 million in food and equipment.

Lately, the organization has started a new program involving restaurant internships for the students. This program prepares them for jobs in the culinary profession. This worthwhile program of the Careers through Culinary Arts Program is also driven by the objective of improving the service competence in restaurants. Even if some people insist that a person should be born with the skills and talent to be in the industry, the organization believes that there are those who never knew they had it in them.

Careers and Recruitment

2008-02-02T02:37:00.000-08:00

A major part of every working person’s life is their career and career progression. It ranks alongside family, health and finance as the most important considerations of almost the entire population. Therefore, many people need and use every tool, help and piece of advice they can get in order to further their careers. As well as progression through a pre-defined career path such as the medical or law industries, people can stay within their own sector or have a complete career change and tackle something completely different. The choice of career and employment throughout the world is huge, with increasing opportunities to work abroad and in various sectors throughout someone’s employment lifetime.

The internet is becoming an increasingly important part of career advice for many, many people. Lots of information on careers and job vacancies is available on the internet as well as the fact that people can get advice and help on the next steps to take in their career progression online. The use of search engines to look for specific jobs, employers and recruitment agencies is very helpful. Almost all recruitment agencies in the UK have an online presence and advertise all their vacancies online on their websites. Users of these agencies and websites can browse all careers that match their skills and some sites even have skill matching tools that does this automatically. This helps people hugely with time management when searching for a new career. Many of these websites also offer online career advice such as how to construct a curriculum vitae correctly, how to write a cover letter and also interview tips and techniques. These websites can be used as the first step in the procedure and can be followed by contact with recruitment consultants or prospective employers, in order to further the process.

It is possible for some people to train online using remote study areas such as the Open University. Establishments such as these allow people to obtain qualifications as advanced as a degree through studying completely online. E-learning is an area of huge potential with a lot of room from growth and expansion. As with many aspects of the internet, online learning will help people who have tight schedules and little time to devote to training.

Another benefit of the internet for people who are looking at progressing or changing their job is that they can easily and quickly gain other peoples opinions and ideas. Recruitment consultants, business leaders and people employed in many disciplines use online job forums to discuss aspects of employment, recruitment and career progression. Through these forums and discussion points people can find out the advantages and disadvantages of various jobs and careers and also what the reality of working in a particular sector is like. They can also gain help and advice on how to tackle a particular recruitment or career issue.

Career Education Institutes

2008-02-01T02:12:00.000-08:00

Career education essentially means vocational education that develops basic skills required to execute jobs in technical fields. There are many career education institutes that guide students who are looking for the right opportunities to enhance their careers.

Individuals exploring different fields of work, changing professions, or simply looking for a career description are briefed about different vocational careers. The counselors or qualified specialists at career education institutes inform potential students about various colleges and institutions imparting vocational courses that can prepare them for fruitful careers. They also enlighten students about financial aid programs from various sources and summer job programs - both locally and nationally.

Career education resources that offer an extensive assortment of circulating books, pamphlets, audiovisuals, electronic databases, software and periodicals. They assist students in dealing with job search strategies, resume and letter writing, making the right career choices, employment and academic test preparation. They conduct pre-employment tests to determine the skill and personality of the candidates to analyze whether they are fit for a particular job.

Career education institutes also provide assistance to people who are unhappy with their career or job choice. An assessment is done using a series of questions. Answers to the questions are evaluated and students are giving the appropriate advice to help them take effective steps in planning for a job or career change.

There are websites of vocational centers that provide details on career exploration, career and education, work opportunities, trade and technical schools and career related reference resources. People can register and seek necessary guidance from professionals. The sites also provide information on several career descriptions. They also give information on educational sites relating to a particular career such as tutorials, directories, industry news, glossaries and associated academics. Career education institutes have proved to be a boon for people on the look out for suitable jobs.

Careers and Recruitment

2008-02-01T02:11:00.000-08:00

Newspaper Carrier Under Age 18 Is Exempt from the Self-Employment Tax

2008-01-31T03:16:00.001-08:00

The income of a newspaper carrier who is under age 18 is not subject to the self-employment tax (Sections 1402(c)(2)(A) and 3121(b)(14)(B)). This rule also applies to carriers of magazines who are under age 18.

The carrier must distribute the newspapers or magazines to the ultimate consumer for a fixed price. The compensation of the carrier must be based solely on the difference between what the price the carrier sells the newspapers or magazines to the consumer and their cost to the carrier.

The newspaper or magazine may guarantee a minimum amount of compensation to the carrier or credit the carrier with unsold and/or returned newspapers or magazines. The newspaper or magazine may not pay the carrier an hourly wage or a fixed salary. A written contract must provide that the newspaper or magazine will not treat the carrier as an employee for federal tax purposes.

If a teenager makes over $400 in adjusted net income from most other self-employment activities, the teenager would be subject to self-employment tax. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3 percent. The adjusted net income from self-employment is the net income from the business multiplied by 92.35 percent. Therefore, to have a self-employment tax liability, the net income from the activity must exceed $433.13 ($400 / 0.9235).

Once the self-employment income exceeds this amount, the self-employment tax rate applies to it until the amount of the self-employment income reaches the maximum amount for the 12.4 percent old age, survivors and disability insurance (OASDI) portion of the self-employment tax. This maximum amount is $94,200 for 2006. Because this amount represents the amount after multiplying the net self-employment income by 92.35 percent, the unadjusted amount of self-employment income subject to the OASDI portion of the self-employment tax is $102,003.24 ($94,200 / 0.9235).

The unadjusted self-employment income is the amount of the net income reported on Schedule C of Form 1040 (Schedule F for a farmer). No ceiling applies to the 2.9 percent portion of the self-employment tax for Medicare purposes.

The exemption from the self-employment tax for newspaper or magazine carriers who are under age 18 makes the choice of doing such work more attractive to such teenagers who need a part-time or summer job.

Choosing The Right Part Time Job In College

2008-01-31T03:15:00.000-08:00

Fast-food restaurants, retail outlets, and movie theatres are all common places of employment for many college students. Though these places may be fun hangout spots for the who’s who of the college community, is it the best part-time employment choice students can make to increase their competitiveness when applying for full-time employment after graduation?

Every industry, be it fast-food or retail, can provide valuable experience and job qualifications to college students. Basic qualities such as being dependable, being responsible, and being a reliable worker can be acquired or enhanced in almost any industry. But potential employers are not recruiting for individuals with only the basic employment skills. Employers also value knowledge, skills, and abilities that are specific to their industry. Hence, while in college, students should put more emphasis on obtaining a part-time position that is as closely related to their desired future careers as possible.

There are ways to match part-time jobs with its full-time counterpart. On one hand, students may set out to find a part-time job that will gain them specific job qualifications, no matter what the industry is. On the other hand, students may set out to gain non-specific job qualifications in a select industry.

Job qualifications are skills and abilities that, if possessed by an applicant, qualify that applicant to fill a particular position. Part-time jobs in college are great opportunities for students to increase their employability after graduating by gaining some job specific qualities. For example, what if a student’s career goals include teaching underprivileged students? That student’s experience at a movie theater will not make much of an impression on the hiring principal. But by taking a different path by accepting a part-time job mentoring or tutoring academically challenged students would be an asset that many principals will value when considering filling a teaching position for such students.

Both positions, the mentoring and the movie theater, do not require any previous experience. It is just a matter of selecting a job that will come in handy in the future, when students want to get serious and start their careers.

Also, looking for employment opportunities in a particular industry can be a good move on the students’ part when preparing for their careers.

Personal Training Fitness Careers Today

2008-01-30T01:39:00.001-08:00

Find Personal Training Fitness Careers in the United States and Canada. Currently, there are a variety of vocational schools and personal training schools from which to choose should you desire to pursue personal training fitness careers. In addition, there are a number of certification programs that are offered through traditional colleges and universities that help candidates get on track for successful personal training fitness careers.

Sometimes, personal training fitness careers may require a bachelor’s degree for various hiring institutions; however, the greater part of employers seeks candidates who have at least achieved certification from an accredited school or college.

Once individuals have made the active decision to pursue personal training fitness careers, it is wise to review potential training academies for prerequisites, tuition, curriculum, and whether the school meets all certification credentials (with regard to educational programming).

Common academics for personal training fitness careers include exercise science, physical education, anatomy and physiology, first aid and CPR, kinesiology (muscle testing), nutritional counseling, and business training. In addition, while many training courses like this focus primarily on personal fitness, some degree programs integrate additional coursework in business administration and management, as well as general training in communication, humanities, and other health sciences.

The great prospect of personal training fitness careers is that according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "opportunities are expected to be good for fitness workers because of rapid growth in the fitness industry." Also, depending on education and experience, professional personal and fitness trainers have annual median earns of about $25,000 but may well exceed that amount.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in achieving personal training fitness careers, let professional training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore career school programs near you.

Chiropractic Careers In America

2008-01-30T01:37:00.000-08:00

Find Chiropractic Careers in the United States and Canada. Common chiropractic careers include doctors of chiropractic or chiropractic physicians. These professional fields of holistic healthcare require a substantial amount of education and training.

Applicants interested in chiropractic careers will find that there are various chiropractic schools across North America offering extensive curriculums in human anatomy, chiropractic theory and application, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, pathology and radiology. In most instances, students that are pursuing chiropractic careers will discover that most chiropractic colleges require a minimum of 4,200 class, clinical and laboratory hours; in addition to educational prerequisites equivalent to a 4-year degree. Typically, chiropractic careers can only be entered once all educational and state requirements have been met; in addition to licensure and annual continuing education courses.

Chiropractic careers are as individual as the professional practitioner. Some doctors of chiropractic go onto attaining specialized postdoctoral training in pathological subjects such as pediatrics, neurology, orthopedics and other related studies. In addition, chiropractic physicians may work independently, in partnerships with other chiropractic doctors or in integrated medical clinics with conventional doctors and/or massage therapists.

As a progressive line of work, candidates pursuing chiropractic careers can anticipate promising professional options. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "employment is expected to increase faster than average as consumer demand for alternative health care grows." Depending on education, experience and reputation, professionals working in chiropractic careers can expect lucrative earning potential as well. While "median annual earnings of salaried chiropractors were $69,910 in May 2004,"[1] salaries in chiropractic careers can be as high as $118k annually.

3 Types of Resumes That Will Land You the Job

2008-01-29T01:40:00.001-08:00

There are three main types of resumes: chronological, functional and combination. Of these types of resumes, the chronological is the most popular.

A chronological resume lists employment history in reverse chronological order with your current or most recent job first.

When using this format, include the name and address of the company, dates of employment, job titles within the company and a description of your responsibilities in order of importance or relevance. This format is excellent for people with strong employment histories that are relevant to the targeted position.

A functional resume is used to emphasize skills and experience as opposed to employment dates, employers’ names and job titles. This is an excellent format to use if you are seeking to change careers, have had gaps in employment or are not able to show a strong work history with career progression.

A combination resume has elements of both the chronological and functional resumes. It is a particularly useful format if you have a long work history and wish to only emphasize some of it or to summarize your skills and experience under functional headings while still providing basic details of employment history.

Since chronological resumes are the easiest to write and generally preferred by employers, it is the format of choice unless:

** You have a very long or erratic employment history.

** You are seeking to return to a former career.

** You need to emphasize a particular skill mix that is not likely to be apparent to someone scanning a chronological employment history.

** You have had gaps in employment due to caring for children or a family member, illness, extensive travel or other reasons.

** You have never worked full time before but you have gained skills and experience from other sources.

** You wish to change careers.

The functional format is best when:

** Your past employment is more impressive than more recent jobs.

** You are a recent high school or college graduate.

** You are seeking to re-enter the work force after a long absence.

** You are a mature worker and wish to take attention away from your age.

** You have worked in a number of unrelated jobs.

** You are changing careers.

The combination resume tends to be well regarded by employers and is an excellent choice when:

** Your employment history is steady and shows progressive development of your career.

** You are targeting your resume to a specific job and wish to effectively highlight skills that match the job specifications.

** You are applying for a job in an industry where the chronological format is expected but you want to emphasize experience, skills and qualifications that you gained earlier in your career.

How To Get Started With A Career In Copywriting

2008-01-29T01:38:00.000-08:00

Careers in copywriting are booming. Could it be that the new and ever growing market on the Internet has helped to fuel this demand? You can bet your sweet keyword that it has! With so many businesses looking to the internet for their freelance copywriters the demand for employees keeps growing. Likewise, careers in copy writing are being filled more and more with freelance or independent workers. Even those who work right from their home are jumping onto the bandwagon. But, copywriting careers are not all fun and games.

We have found that the more people looking for careers in copy writing, the more stringent the guidelines have become. Since there are more employees looking for a career in this field, those offering employment can be more demanding of the people they recruit. What is the average person who is interested in getting into the copywriting world to do? Should they hope that someone will see their worth? By all means, you can try this. But, a more effective approach to becoming a copywriter is to become trained. First, learn what needs to be learned, grab an associate’s degree from the community college if nothing else. Prepare a good, strong resume and distribute it.

What is most important to freelancers about getting and keeping careers in copy writing is to know your stuff. Know what the client or your boss wants. Always present yourself as a reliable, trustworthy individual. And, of course, it is very important when in copywriting to ensure that you take criticism seriously. Learning from mistakes you make is the best way to gain the experience you need to succeed. No matter if you are looking for freelance opportunities or steady employment as a copywriter. You need to treat each and every one of your jobs with serious, devoted calculations. In the end, copywriting careers are growing, with vacancies throughout the internet. The key is to get a good foot in the door and shove it all the way open by proving your worth from the very first job on.

French sociology of work and labor: from shop floor to labor markets to networked careers

2007-09-12T00:32:00.000-07:00

Concentrating mostly on France, this paper considers the changing interests and the renewal of academic alliances in the sociology of work and labor over the last 50 years. Three periods result from the combined dynamics of sociology's internal agenda and societal changes: (1) analysis of blue-collar labor as the downgrading process of complete work in taylorist industry; (2) sociology of labor markets and employment, and analysis of the bargaining processes of rules, identities and the value of work; (3) reconciliation of work and labor in distributed and flexible organizations, based on mobile and involved workers.

Keywords: hidden agenda, interdisciplinary alliances, science and advocacy, shop floor, employment, work content.

Sociologists of work have at least one idea in common: work is not a standard factor of production, as capital or raw materials are. Management experts, social psychologists, specialists in ergonomics, as well as historians and some economists would also agree. The whole historical drama of capitalism is rooted in this idea. Organizational practices and scientific theories approach labor from two different conceptual angles (Biernacki 1995): either they try to reduce the labor of wage earners to a pure commodity status, or they consider it as the ex post action induced by an ex ante contract which promises the future delivery of a labor force. In both cases, labor involves three dimensions: skills, exchange value of skills, and work content.

The sociology of work and labor may be perceived as having developed in an erratic manner. At first sight it seems to have become more and more vulnerable to centrifugal dispersions of topics, methods, conceptual frameworks, and academic alliances, if not to parochial micro-debates. Observation nevertheless suggests that it has been and remains focused, that its agendas keep dealing with one major issue: the tensions between the two antagonistic or complementary facets of work and labor, namely, human work as personal creation, and labor as pain (for a seminal contribution, see Arendt 1958). According to the specific period considered, scientists, who are also influenced by the evolution of the real world around them, allocate more attention to one facet or to the other. Agendas can only be defined ex post. They are hidden because they emerge from composite effects involving economic, political, and social changes or innovations as well as endogenous conceptual and methodological creativity in scientific comm unities. Because they are historical sciences, social sciences develop knowledge under the combined dynamics of their internal agenda and societal changes.

Looking backwards and adopting a chronological perspective, I shall argue that hidden agendas have driven the sociology of work and labor as a domain over the last 50 years or so. Putting the emphasis mainly on French sociology (which has often been identified as critical and creative), I shall identify three distinct periods. From the 195 Os to the 1970s, social scientists questioned the reduction of creative work to labor disutility, by emphasizing the loss of skills involved in taylorist designs of work content. From the 1980s to the mid 1990s, they transferred their research interests from work content to exchange values of skills on the labor markets and employment norms. After the mid-1990s, they tried to reconcile work and labor, by handling the creation of skills, norms of employment and work content in integrated theoretical frameworks (Pouchet 2001; Jeannot and Veltz 2001). Though in different ways, each period raises the same set of basic questions already addressed many years before by Marx about industrial capitalism in its early stages. How far do hierarchies and markets destroy work as creation by handling labor as disutility? How do workers get organized to resist such a process of destruction? Are they able to overcome the asymmetric nature of authority in organizations or the pressure of markets? How do they protect or improve their working conditions, and how do they gain benefits from the organizations as wage earners or from the markets as independent workers?

1 From Work to Labor: Science and Advocacy

After the Second World War, in France as in most industrial countries, most sociologists dealing with work and labor embraced a Marxist perspective while concentrating on industrial blue-collar workers, the so-called 'direct producers'. Empirical research consistently linked labor conditions and collective action forms to the struggle between capital and labor, technological change providing the linkage by downgrading independent craft work.

In a capitalist economy, workers are postulated as being defined merely by the measurable quantity of human energy they contribute to direct production. Industrial organizations divide labor to favor exploitation by the extortion of the added value of labor by capitalists. They induce alienation of the workers, who are deprived of the meaning of their jobs (Marx 1857), and expelled from the core of society (Halbwachs 1912/1970). Blue-collar labor is reduced to the unavoidable pain of people whose only marketable resource is their physical strength. Capitalism is rooted in the antagonism between two classes. Alienated industrial worker and capital owner are struggling about the appropriation of the added value produced by the former and confiscated by the latter. Therefore, industrial organizations at the bottom line are the stage for empirical investigation. Nevertheless the theoretical target of sociology should remain the working class itself, not the firm or the market as specific social constructs. While the future of capitalism occurs within actual organizations, it can only be understood through the lenses of social production relationships, which determines the struggle between capital and labor from the outside of single organizations.

The large industrial firm (in sectors like mining, metallurgy, or automobiles) provides the single location, meant as the advanced post of modernity. Through the evolutionist lenses of Marxism, other types of organizations appear to be either archaic vestiges of a lost society (for instance small companies) or devoted to the organization of exploitation (for instance administrative units), thus supposed to be non-productive. Within large industrial firms, interest concentrates on the very center of the exploitation of labor, the workshop. Single time means that the actual situation of labor as observed within the workshop defines the empirical object of inquiry. The workshop is considered as a microcosmic settlement of modem exploitation and alienation. It provides the best location to observe the struggle between capital and labor. What happens at the level of the shop floor is relevant for society as a whole. Single action refers to the fact that analysis deals with the consequences the mechanical rationali zation of production generates for work. Sociologists therefore observe actual properties of industrial labor, such as the separation between conception and execution of work, the standardization of operation stations, the development of time-based payment and skill loss, feelings such as class consciousness, satisfaction or deprivation, behaviors like apathy, resistance or collective action, etc. Watching the physical locations where people interact with their environment through tools and machines, scientists are able to describe the inherent tensions between on one side the individual needs of workers and their rights, and on the other side the abuses or constraints their employers enact.

Such a posture induces ambiguous consequences. The sociology of work and labor relates to the rising demand for scientific results and approaches emerging from the organizations themselves, while scholars feel entitled, relying upon their scattered empirical observations, to discuss in a critical way the future of industrial society. This classic tragedy appears today as the prisoner of an old-fashioned framework. What was taken for granted by the sociological community even in the 1 960s appears today as rather biased. The cast of the social tragedy was made up of males, working in large industrial firms, mostly engaged in industrial manufacturing. The labor conditions that exist in the workshop at a certain moment in time are supposed to explain all of their feelings and behaviors. Women, skilled or non-industrial workers, clerks, white-collar workers, professionals, etc are left outside the frame. Supposedly they are not direct producers, therefore do not matter. Scientifically, they are not worthy of any interest.

Work is not a common factor of production exchanged on a market. Because they strongly endorsed such a postulate, early sociologists of labor and work simply dismissed the labor market as a legitimate field of inquiry. They settled in a vacuum left by economists and entered the black box of productive organizations. Their academic territory included four main topics or sub-themes: identities and changes of the working class as a social grouping, conditions of labor and social action, social psychology of needs, and excluded products and markets. Focusing on how skills were downgraded by technological development, they paid attention to the changing characteristics of both labor and commodity markets, but forgot about any theoretical alternative.

PAThS to employment

2007-09-12T00:23:00.000-07:00

Employ-Ability is a charity promoting employment opportunities for disabled and disadvantaged people in Harlow and the surrounding area. Phil Edwards describes how use of the cognitive behaviourial PAThS programme has helped many people with mental health problems find and hold down a job.

Employ-Ability has been offering a supported employment service to disabled and disadvantaged people since 1992, starting with one member of staff and expanding in 2003 to a small team of two full-time employment advisers with part-time management support from a specialist agency called Realife Partnership.

During the last five years we have been developing expertise in supporting people with mental health conditions, and the majority of our referrals now come from mental health services - community mental health teams, the local hospital and GPs.

The basic methodology we use to support people into employment is termed supported employment - a process that begins with getting to know a person's strengths, interests and support needs. Having developed a thorough picture of what might be a good job match, we will then work with the person and local employers to identify a suitable vacancy. As the person settles into their new role, ongoing support is provided, inside or outside the workplace as required. This support can also extend to providing support for a job change if the initial placement doesn't work, or if the person wishes to develop their career further.

Supported employment principles state that anyone can work, regardless of impairment, if they are motivated to do so. The issue of whether someone is motivated is complicated and controversial. Sometimes failure to turn up reflects anxiety, rather than lack of motivation. This observation led to research for a programme that could address patterns of helpful and unhelpful thinking, because these thoughts are what ultimately enable or undermine progress.

The programme - Positive Attributional Thinking Skills, or PAThS - is based on the principles of cognitive behaviourism, and was developed and piloted by Judy Proudfoot at the Maudsley Hospital in south London. We decided at Employ-Ability to purchase the programme and pilot it with the help of a grant.

PAThS is a short course run over six weekly sessions, with each session lasting about three hours. The course is subtitled the Psychology of Success and has been designed to help participants increase optimism and the ability to deal with setbacks during job search.

The focus is on learning a positive and helpful style of thinking that will support job seeking behaviour. A key aim is to increase participants' chances of securing a suitable job. However the course demonstrates strategies that can be used in all aspects of life to deal more effectively with rejection and setbacks and develop personal optimism and resilience. The course includes, for example, modules on the 'ABC of success', 'Personal motivating activities', 'Changing unhelpful thoughts' and 'Putting it all together - the winning formula'.

The programme includes short, practical activities, small group work and practice between one week and the next to reinforce the messages delivered during the course.

Having piloted the programme, we secured a Jobcentre Plus contract to run it from June 2003 to June 2005. The contract was to achieve 30 starts and 18 jobs. Our client group were all people who had been unemployed for long periods of time, mostly for more than two years. Twenty-eight had a mental heath condition (some with additional physical disabilities); 19 were men, 11 were women, and their ages ranged from early 20s to mid 50s.

We achieved the 30 starts and 15 people got jobs, with one person going into higher education. Two dropped out because of worsening physical conditions and five because of worsening mental health conditions. Nine of the 15 are still in work - predominantly in fulltime posts.

Success stories

Two of the people still in work were in their early 20s when they took the programme and had never worked, because of their mental heath conditions. One has now qualified in childcare and is a team leader in a children's nursery; another has gone from strength to strength in a retail role (and was recently voted employee of the month).

Another woman in her 40s with an enduring mental heath condition initially dropped out of PAThS because of her anxieties at the thought of a return to work. She then chose to return and completed the programme and we have since supported her through a paid training placement and three different jobs. She is now training as a classroom assistant in a primary school and fulfilling her goal of working with children.

A typical comment from participants when asked why they joined the programme was:

'To improve confidence, and help to find right job'.

Some comments on problems identified during the programme were instructive:

'A couple of participants were very negative and unhelpful.'

Group dynamics were an important factor, and several people did experience setbacks that interrupted, or ended, their involvement in the programme.

Looking back at the programme, there were a number of barriers to success. There was no screening of clients for suitability, either in terms of health condition or educational ability. This is in line with our principles, but it did mean some were not able to complete the programme. Also, some participants did struggle with the need to understand and apply the concepts to their own situations.

Benefits came up on many occasions as a key anxiety when considering a return to work. This is not without foundation, and we have had to advocate strongly for people whose benefits have been cut on spurious grounds.

Long-term mental heath conditions undermine resilience to a significant extent and some people could not move back into work. For instance, one middle aged man with a background in engineering was placed in a large store assembling bikes - a perfect job match. However the job lasted only three days because he was unable to cope even in a very supportive environment.

It is also difficult to believe some people really want to work, given the evidence. However, this is contentious, and sometimes people do return a year later with more interest in being employed.

It is important to maintain a positive feel within each group, and it can be necessary to challenge group members who are consistently pessimistic. If not challenged, people who are making progress may leave because of the impact on their mood.

The programme had an immediate impact on most people, and the first couple of sessions tended to be very lively, with lots of positive thinking. With some people this enthusiasm did wane, and programme assignments were not completed (the assignments are not complicated). However, some of the key ideas, images and metaphors did tend to stay with people - eg. the Reservoir of Resilience - and we could refer to them when people were struggling during their job search.

The programme went through several changes in terms of length of sessions, accessibility of ideas and group activities. The aim was to engage people without diluting the ideas, and to encourage them to try out new ways of thinking and behaving.

The programme gave us a structure and an opportunity to engage with people in a group so they could see, for example, that they are not the only ones feeling as they do.

Supported employment

The PAThS programme on its own would have enabled very few of the participants to progress into work. The supported employment advisers were crucial to progress, and their Effort and Persistence, reinforced with Resilience and Optimism (key PATh programme concepts) had at least to match that of their job seekers.

The supported employment process combines very well with the PAThS strategies and offers many opportunities to reinforce positive work and encourage improved self-image. This is also practically reinforced through the development and implementation of action plans.

Conclusions

It is worth noting that we achieved a 50% return to work rate for a group of people who, without support, usually achieve about a five per cent return rate. The PAThS programme is one of several innovations we have tried to progress people into work, and most have benefits. However, the core principles and practices of supported employment are vital as a framework for these methods, and also to ensure that, while it is legitimate to encourage people towards work, ultimately they remain in charge.

Talents Alone Are Not Enough For Life Accomplishments

2007-07-09T02:14:00.002-07:00

Opportunities for jobs or use of ones talents do not just come to someone just because one is highly talented, knowledgeable or learned. Many have died with awesome talents and vast knowledge without having used them. Sad indeed!

Social mobility as a movement from one social position to another would mean that one may either move up or down the social scale. In today’s world, the mobility tends tend to be characterized more by a movement down scale. The talented, knowledgeable and learned are among the mass movement down scale. Social mobility tends to result more from structural changes rather than industrial success or economic developments.

According to Theodore C. Wagenaar of Miami University Ohio, in his book on sociology published by McGraw Hill publishers, the United States has long been an upwardly mobile society, primarily because of the dramatic rise in the labor market and in technological developments. He wrote that widespread immigration also has stimulated occupational advancement because immigrants usually may help to create more and better jobs. But according to Wagenaar, there has been widespread downward mobility in the United States, caused by deindustrialization, transformation of the economy from one based on manufacturing to one service.

He also observed that of the new service jobs are at low-wage end of the scale and that white-collar workers have been hurt by economic shifts, particularly in the face of massive corporate downsizing. It is so interesting to note, according to Wagenaar that today young Americans are the first American generation to experience widespread downward mobility, yet among this group are most talented, knowledgeable, and learned and aggressive persons! Wagenaar observed that to understand status attachment, one must take into account the structures of opportunity within which individual social action (i.e. occupational achievement) can occur.

In Africa, those who were first to take-up management positions in private sector, government, non-Governmental Organizations are known to have preserved job opportunities for their family members, friends and kinsmen. It is even particularly hard for the talented, knowledgeable and learned to be considered for jobs or even voluntary work with the NGOs. One talented and learned job hunter who went knocking at doors of some NGOs got similar responses that the employees of the NGOs were also looking for opportunities for their children, and if an opportunity was there, they would immediately hand them to them.

Many talented people, with no one to help them, and no finances would just wed their pillows crying. It is painful. And when the they seize an opportunity for a job, especially in the third world, they do not last. Other employees, including ones in senior management would become jealous and hostile to them. Though they are highly gifted, the talented are frustrated, are not given opportunities to further or explore their talents, and are not given opportunities for further training and time for self-development. And the talented would soon find themselves out of the companies or the public sector, dejected and demoralized. But who or what can come to their aid. Perhaps micro-finance institution may help them, but for a start, most of the talented in the third world may not even have what it take to qualify as a member of a micro-finance and be an effective member. It may help if more micro-finance and non-governmental organization that are transparent and that would target talented persons are created.

Accounting Career Tips

2007-07-09T02:14:00.001-07:00

In the past several years, the accounting industry has transformed itself from one perceived as stodgy and static to a diverse, vibrant field that includes everyone from tax advisors to FBI agents, from CPAs to environmental activists. The business world's growing focus on strong, reliable, honest accounting practices has also led to an incredible spike in available accounting jobs, a renewed respect for the field, and steady salary growth. Here are some tips on how to stand out in the competitive field of accounting.

1. Be a Spreadsheet / Data Ninja - You'd be surprised, most accountants only have mid-level knowledge of Excel. As an accountant, you'll have a serious advantage over your competition by knowing arcane spreadsheet formulas. Master Excel VLookup and Pivot Tables until you can be proud to call yourself a Spreadsheet Ninja.

2. Make Time Management a Priority - Read up on the latest time management and productivity blogs and books. Put into practice tips such as going in to work early and defining your priorities for the day. It makes a difference and your boss will notice. By being laser focused at work, you'll get more done and feel more accomplishment.

3. Put Yourself Out There - Find a mentor or identify a role model. Join local accountant organizations. Attend networking events. Develop friendships with people at work. Continuously seek to understand what’s happening in the world, the economy and your organization.

4. Earn a Reputation for Being a Team Player - Learn about the business from the ground up. Make a point to talk to people face to face . Ask for ways to improve communication and process. Be proactive and anticipate needs of your manager.

5. Continue Your Education - Branch out. Accountants with a graduate certificate in consulting or accounting information systems rise to the top. There is high demand for accountants who have broader knowledge that encompasses areas such as sales, insurance, legal, and risk management.

Free Resume Tips To Improve Your Chances

2007-07-06T02:15:00.001-07:00

Free resume tip anyone? Struggling to write an effective resume is something that holds many people back in their search for career success and employment happiness. Luckily, it’s not really that tough at all if you know how, so check out these 5 free resume tips to make your resume more effective!

Free Resume Tip 1-
Make sure your resume fits the bill. Far too many people just draw up a quick resume and submit the same thing to every vacancy they find. Needless to say, this is not usually too effective. Instead, rewrite it for every job you apply to, making sure all your stated skills and accomplishments match up with what the employer is looking for.

Free Resume Tip 2-
Show them what you can do for them. An employer is making a big investment in you when they take you on, and like anyone they want the biggest return on that investment. Show them what their returns will be by mentioning giving examples of your past achievements.

Free Resume Tip 3-
Don’t mention your current/previous salaries unless they specifically ask for them. If you do mention detail like this, quite simply you may be putting an upward limit on your earnings, or even worse may price you out of the running completely. Leave stuff like this for when you get the interview, or better yet, for when you get the job offer, as only then do you have some real leverage.

Free Resume Tip 4-
Go for a simple style. The number one problem facing most job applicants is time-employers simply don’t have time to give every application the time it may deserve, so you have to make it as easy as possible to read your resume. If you go for some outlandish or elaborate style with the hope of standing out, you will likely lose out because the employer will not make the effort to read it, and instead will move on to something simpler.

Free Resume Tip 5-
Try not to give too much work history. It’s unlikely that every single position you have had is relevant to the one you are applying for, so try and cut it down to an easily digestible amount. In reality, most employers really won’t care to know every single job you had since you left high school 25 years ago-with the time constraints faced by many businesses, it’s simply not practice to go into every candidate’s work history at such a depth.

As you can see, writing a resume is more about making the biggest impact you can in the least amount of time possible than it is about qualifications. Use these free resume tips to get ahead!

Need A Free Job Interview Tip? Six of The Best Right Here

2007-07-06T02:13:00.000-07:00

Need a free job interview tip? Contrary to popular belief, there is no big secret to being successful in job interviews. It’s not about who you know, or being super enthusiastic, it’s just about some clever preparation. Check out these free job interview tips for more details...

Free Job Interview Tip 1
Be ready for more than one kind of interview- standard interviews, behavioural interview, group interviews and roleplays all require different sets of skills to come in to play. None are particularly tricky to master, but it’s a good idea to at least be a little prepared for what each one has in store.

Free Job Interview Tip 2
Dress well. The first impression in a job interview carries far more weight than it probably should. If you don’t make that all important good first impression, you will already be behind before the whole thing starts! Wear a freshly pressed suit, leave the jewelry at home and go easy on the perfume/cologne/makeup!

Free Job Interview Tip 3
Research research research- The research you do, or lack thereof can make or break your employment aspirations. Who will they employ, the guy who shows up asking about last year’s stock price drop, or the guy who asks how long he gets for lunch?

Free Job Interview Tip 4
Learn some terminology. Again, this can create a great impression of you, most employers will be nicely impressed by someone who shows up and is able to speak to the interviewers on their level about their company.

Free Job Interview Tip 5
Focus the interview on the employer. Although they may seem all smiles and handshakes, they really aren’t concerned with what the company can do for you. They want to know what you can offer their company, and they want to know that above anything else. If you can illustrate exactly the benefits you will bring, you will be earmarking yourself as one to watch.

Free Job Interview Tip 6
Prepare some things to say. I don’t mean write any after dinner speeches or anything, but at some point you will likely be asked some very basic interview questions, so it would be a good idea to prepare for them. As an example, they will probably ask you for a little information about yourself. This can be truly painful-if you don’t have anything prepared, you will most likely end up rambling on and on, creating a terrible image of yourself as the nerves of the situation gradually overrun you. Instead, keep it to a few concise sentences and come to a definite stop. This will be much better!

As with many aspects of the job hunting experience, a job interview is nowhere near as terrifying as you first imagine, and hopefully these free job interview tips have helped you realise that!

Our "Doctor" Need to Be Right Could Be a Drag to Creativity

2007-07-02T02:37:00.000-07:00

Ever had the experience of wanting to jump into a conversation or meeting and assert your opinion because you can barely stand it that people are soooo obviously going down the wrong path and it's making you boil? Unfortunately your need to be right could throw a monkey wrench into the creative process of the team.

If I hadn't learned this lesson the hard way over and over myself I wouldn't be bringing it up, but ....

As physicians, we're smart and we think we're right a lot of the time. And we're verbally pretty tough on other people during meetings.

(If you immediately said to yourself, "but we usually are right", then you must go directly to doghouse for a short time out.)

What is the True Objective of a Meeting?

I'm bringing this up in the context of meetings, because that's where most of the trouble occurs.

Contrary to popular thought, the objective of most meetings is not trivial: We gather in order to make something happen, to create something out of nothing, to make decisions that affect the future of many lives, to bring together people with different perspectives and hammer out a solution to a complex problem.

Key point: Hammer out a solution, not each other.

It's not about whether you are smarter or know more than the other person, but can you collectively create a breakthrough? Can you launch a project, improve safety, automate your office, initiative a new service, reduce the budget, design a product, form a joint venture?

Key point: Being smart is not enough.

Your end-result is highly dependent on: a) The collective brain power in the room, and b) Your ability to meld your thoughts and perspective with others.

Key Strategy: You can be vocally and visually passionate about your ideas and opinions and still be productive and collaborative.

It's the melding of ideas that's a challenge for many physicians, so here are some suggestions for being passionate without shutting down everyone else.

Three Ways Be Constructive in Group Settings And Still be a Strong Vocal Advocate for Your Ideas:

#1 Manage your passion by using the phrase "this is something I feel strongly about" or "as you can tell I feel pretty passionate about this." By signaling that your emotional crescendo reflects your passion, not disdain for the other, you foster melding of ideas. #2 Listen to other ideas (this is so obvious I almost cringe at writing it down) and give them the benefit of being right by saying "that could work" before launching into your own ideas. Practice that phrase before your meeting. #3 Take frequent breaks as a group. During the break it is likely that smaller side-bar "idea-melding" conversations will occur that will not happen in front of the larger group. This is a good face-saving in preparation for compromise.

I can recall many loud, high-powered, highly charged, and YET productive meetings, where all the participants felt excited to contribute their ideas and where something new was created or accomplished. It is like watching ideas elbow each other for air-time and dominance. Rather than being a "drag" on us the participants, these types of meetings foster creativity and solution-development.

Being smart is good, and in fact it's real good. Now learn how to apply your smarts for the greater good. Toss your ideas into the ring and let the ideas slug it out without your personal need to be "right."

Executive coach, consultant and author, Francine R. Gaillour, MD, MBA, FACPE is the "Career Strategist for Doctors." Dr. Gaillour delivers strategies, tactics, and tools that physicians never learned in medical training to achieve professional fulfillment, career advancement, and life abundance.

After practicing medicine for over ten years, Dr. Gaillour transitoned into healthcare technology marketing and management consulting. Her physician clients' struggle to cope with the dramatic changes in healthcare inspired her eventual journey to executive coaching. Dr. Gaillour works with physicians who are transitioning into leadership roles within healthcare, or expanding into non-clinical career paths that are aligned with their passion.

Keeping Your Boss Happy

2007-07-02T02:36:00.000-07:00

If your boss is constantly giving you a dirty look, you have a problem, and you must get it solved before u get fired. Your first task is to establish a positive report, and that will take more than a polite smile. The common sense way to build a positive rapport with your boss is by first finding out what your boss expects of you. If you understand those expectations there is a good chance that you can meet them through a focused effort.

Do you job, and, do you job well, you will see the dirty look on the bosses face turn to a smile. . But you must remember that the needs of any boss can change as the business climate does, and the good rapport you once had with your boss might have to be re-established, it is again that you have to find out what is expected of you as an employee, and if you can meet those new expectations you can keep the job.

The function of a boss is a mechanical one, and a well run concern has parts like a clock; its parts are its boss and its employees. The best way to get along with your boss is by doing your job well, and trying to be in synchronization with all the parts of the company. Trying to establish a good rapport with your boss when you are not doing your job is a wasted effort. Unless the boss is in love with you, it is a must that you do your work. If you won’t----you better be looking for a new job.

If you are the type of a person that is never good at any work that you do, you are not alone. There are many workers that are either slow to learn, or plain clumsy. If you fit that description there is still hope for you. If the boss is not satisfied with your work and is continually giving you dirty looks, ask for a moment of time where you two can be alone. Explain to you boss how difficult it is for you to do the work, and that you are willing to take a cut in pay in order to keep the job. Most bosses will appreciate your concern for his needs and will make a proper adjustment.

Never try to hold a job that is beyond your capabilities, you not only will make yourself unhappy, but also your superiors. Find a new job, one that you can handle, you will again be smiling and so will the boss.

Interviewing Tips to Get that Job! Improve Your Body Language in One Minute 5

2007-06-28T04:21:00.001-07:00

When you use the right body language, it helps you to appear confident during the interview. Always greet the interviewer with a handshake, and a smile. A smile says, "I like you and I am glad to be here." After being seated in the interviewer's office, try to lean forward in the chair for good posture. You know that leaning forward is considered a “good” gesture to use when talking to people. If you practice leaning forward on a regular basis, it will come natural to you during the interview. Leaning back and looking too relaxed may imply that you do not like the interviewer.

You use positive body language when you show “open” body gestures. Positive body language sends the message that you are receptive to things. On the other hand, when you use negative body language, you show “close” body gestures. Close body gestures send the message that you are not receptive to things. Therefore, you should not sit with our legs crossed, or stand with your arms folded during the interview. These are a few gestures that show closed positions that often send the message that you are not open to information and ideas.

When your body language is negative, it may communicate to the interviewer that you are nervousness. Some negative signs to avoid are holding your hands behind your head, tilting the head to the side, and laughing too loud. Try to refrain from nervous tensions such as biting your nails, or scratching your head. Make it a point to stay calm by maintaining good eye contact with the interviewer and avoid looking at the floor or ceiling, while talking to him. Do not look down. When you shift the eyes too often, it may send the message that you are not listening, or paying attention. The perfect eye contact to make lies somewhere in between too little and too much, when looking at the interviewer.

You should be conscious of your response to questions, and how it relates to what you are saying with our body. For example, when the interviewer ask you about your interest in accepting the position, you may respond by saying, "I need a little more time to think about it," or "yes," or "no."

Do attend seminars on interviewing to learn more about improving your body language. Start now minimizing the wrong messages sent to others by using the positive body language on a daily basis.

Are you interested in taking my online courses?

To the new and experienced entrepreneurs, getting help with your small business is very crucial to your success. Getting the right help will cause you to avoid costly mistakes, and it can also help you to save a lot of time, money and energy. You will need to get the right help to form the legal structure of the business, financial, management, procurement/certification, marketing, pricing products, preparing a business plan, and more. If you are a business owner who is wondering if you can take your business to new heights,

3 Mistakes to Avoid at the IIM Personal Interview

2007-06-28T04:20:00.001-07:00

1) Having an unclear objective in mind: This is by far the biggest mistake to avoid, and this fact should be drilled down to your mind. Have a list of 3 things that you would like to achieve through your MBA. For example:
- I want to build a career in Finance, specifically in Investment Banking
- I would like to use this MBA in learning the basics of understanding how to evaluate a business and its worth
- I want to utilise this knowledge to then join a fund house specialising in mid caps investing as India presents a lot of growth stories and there are many companies that have the capability to turn from Rs 20-50 crore net worth to Rs 750 - Rs 1000 crore net worth.

2) Not being clear about your hobbies: This is one of those overlooked areas that college graduates often underestimate and mention for the heck of it. Hobbies are meant to be done with a lot of passion. If you state that you have a hobby, then make sure you have a detailed idea about your hobby.

3) Not being clear about how you learnt from your mistakes: Every one makes mistakes, even the IIM Personal Interview panel made some mistakes at some point of time and so you are no exception. Most B-School Personal Interview panels will ask you to recount an example of some crisis or mistake you committed in life. The key to answering this point is to state how you tried to rectify the situation and what steps did you take from preventing their recurrence.

Career Tests Are Just Tools To Help You Find The Ideal Career

2007-06-25T03:57:00.001-07:00

Career tests are amongst many different related tools that can help make the early part of your job-search manageable, and thus set you on a shorter path to your ultimate goals. Career tests are essential tools in opening up new possibilities and helping you to make important career decisions at key points in your life. Most of these tests are used to provide an indication of which jobs match your personality type and which will provide maximum job satisfaction.

Whilst there is a wide variety of tests available, some are proven and some are not, so you may need to take some 'with a pinch of salt'.

By completing a variety of different career tests, many of which will give you a free report, you'll get a wider profile of potential career options. You can follow up with buying reports only when they appear really relevant to your understanding. Career tests have one simple purpose: to provide ideas you might not have considered and suggestions that may be worth following up. The twist is that personality tests can give you ideas about what you should do rather than you simply pondering what you want to do. There are many types of assessments and career tests that all seem to be put under the same title of "Career Tests".

Personality tests assess your traits, values and attitudes that describe your character or personality profile. These are the type of tests employers typically use to screen candidates for employment. If nothing else, you will gain information on potential careers that you can explore to see if they really are a good fit. The other important aspect of this is you gain a better ability to talk about and describe your own personality - how many people have been floored by the question "what sort of person are you?" or "describe your personality for me"?

Whereas aptitude career tests try to determine how well you are likely to perform a role in future, that is one of the reasons that more and more businesses are using personality tests before hiring their new employees. It eases the burden of decision-making.

Career tests can be fun for some and agonizing for others but all in all, they are good springboards for future possibilities. On-line personality and career tests are useful tools to help you evaluate your interests, values, skills, personality, and then match these characteristics with careers that fit the above criteria.

Truck Driving Schools - Your First Step To A Rewarding Career!

2007-06-25T03:56:00.001-07:00

Truck driving schools have had to meet the demand of the growing number of young drivers who are entering into one of the most in demand professions there is. By deciding to enroll at a truck driving school in any state of the USA, you have already made the decision that truck driving is the profession for you, but you are most probably confused at the number of truck driving schools, the different costs and programs, and wonder which one you should choose. Quite often truck driving schools can be quite costly, and if you are in other employment it may be difficult to arrange your tuition around your present work.

Finding a truck driving school location that is near where you live is the first thing to do. Then you will need to check on their courses, and how accredited they are and what other options they have. Some of the truck driving schools are run through local colleges so make sure you check these out as well. It can cost from $1400 to well over $5000 to receive your training at a truck driving school, of course this varies depending on how much training you need, and what sort of truck you want to drive. Some trucking companies will assist you with the cost of going to a truck driving school, but you would have to have an agreement with them to work for an arranged amount of time after.

There are also financial programs in place by many of the truck driving schools in which will assist with the costs, and these will then usually be payable over a certain period of time. If you find a truck driving school that offers just what you need but the costs are high, then look to see if you can implement one of these options. Many truck driving schools also will have placement programs in place. This is where graduates of the truck driving school are found employment in the trucking industry. There is also plenty of help available for new drivers from truck driving schools from the various recruiting and placement departments.

Finding the right truck driving school in America, is such a small investment in your future. Once you find a truck driving school that meets your budget requirements, location and course structure, then you will be well on your way to earning big bucks.But, make sure you've done your job correctly, and selected the truck driving course that fits your individual needs.You've three main categories of educational facilities:- College and university based vocational courses.- Industry based (transport companies) truck driving training.- Professional schools for commercial drivers.

Make sure, that the program you're going to attend, is accredited with the Professional Truck Drivers Institute,. This is your guarantee of the high standard and good employment prospects after the graduation.Once you obtain your Commercial drivers License, your long term career is assured. There were never better prospects for highly qualified truck drivers, to serve the growing American economy.

How To Write Your Resume and Market Yourself for an International Assignment

2007-06-21T02:50:00.001-07:00

Do you dream about working abroad? Do your short or long-term career goals include an international assignment? Maybe you want to practice your ability to speak multiple languages. Perhaps you completed coursework or a degree in international business. Or maybe you just want to broaden your corporate qualifications with a more global perspective and multicultural experience.

With an increasingly diverse workforce and global economy, international business experience -- whether that involves frequent international business trips, short-term overseas assignments, or longer-term relocation to foreign locations -- can certainly be valuable as a building block for your entire career.

With more and more multinational firms transferring employees between global locations, your chances of winning a coveted overseas assignment have never been better. But, how do you market yourself for these positions?

As with most job searches, one of your first steps will be to develop your portfolio of personal marketing documents. In other words, you must prepare your resume/CV and job search letters. Do the terms resume and CV (curriculum vitae) confuse you?

The first thing to understand is that different countries use different terms to describe what is essentially the same type of document. In fact, in international circles, the terms "resume" and "CV" are often used interchangeably. But, to complicate the issue, depending on the country you are applying to, the requirements of what to include in your resume/CV and in what format to include it may be very different.

For example, in the U.S. you should never include a photograph of yourself in your resume (unless you are a model or an actor/actress). Likewise, you should not include any information about your birthday, marital status, family status, or other similar personal details. In fact, if you do include photos or personal data, most U.S. employers will simply discard your resume rather than risk a potential discrimination lawsuit. On the other hand, personal photographs and data are expected and often required on CVs meant for European or Asian employers.

In U.S., Canadian, and some other job markets your work experience should be included in reverse chronological order (most recent to oldest). In many other job markets around the world, your experience should be listed in straight chronological order (oldest to most recent).

Clearly, it is crucial that you be aware of the requirements and expectations of the job market you are applying in. You must take the time to research and learn these differences before preparing or adapting your resume for international employers.

In some cases, when you are applying to the overseas location of a multinational company, the decision-makers for the position will be of a nationality other than the location in which you are applying. For example, you may be targeting a position in Hong Kong, and know that the person making the decisions for that position is an American expatriate. In this case, you may want to submit a resume written in the U.S. style which will be more familiar to the decision-maker.

Our expertise is in creating resumes in the U.S. style. However, our client base is worldwide and our resumes have been used successfully by people all over the globe seeking international assignments based in the U.S. or targeting positions worldwide when they have determined that the U.S.-style is most appropriate. The lesson: do your research and know your audience, then tailor your approach to the expectations of the audience.

Regardless of the job you are targeting, and what country that job is in, if your goal is to go global you definitely want to emphasize and highlight your international travel and multicultural experiences, your foreign language abilities, and any coursework you have completed that is relevant to international business. You can weave all of this into the body of your resume/CV and may even create a separate section to call it out in greater detail.

Finally, above all, be open-minded and flexible. Your eagerness to learn and your adaptability are key predictors of how successful you will be on international assignment. So, don't be afraid to ask questions and adapt to new ways of doing things. Your international job search is not the time to hold tight to your own cultural preferences. Be flexible! If you don't know what is expected or required of job candidates in a particular company or foreign location, ask! Then adapt your approach.

Here is a checklist to help you prepare your international career marketing portfolio:

The content and format of my resume/CV has been modified to conform to the requirements of the international job market I am targeting.

The content and format of my resume/CV has been modified to conform to the expectations of the decision-maker for the position I am targeting.

I have paid particular attention to requirements regarding photographs and personal data and have adapted my resume/CV accordingly.

My resume/CV has been translated into another language if necessary and has been reviewed by a native speaker of that language.

My resume/CV emphasizes and includes information about all of my previous multicultural and international business experience and qualifications.

My resume includes a thorough listing of my foreign language abilities.

My resume/CV includes detailed descriptions of my education and training (educational requirements and degrees vary around the world, so it is often helpful to describe your degrees in terms of their local equivalent).

The design of my resume/CV had been modified to fit on the paper size that is the standard in the international location I am applying in.

My resume/CV has been proofed and is completely free of errors.

My resume/CV uses simple fonts and a classic, easy-to-read design.

The electronic files of my resume/CV are prepared in standard formats, including Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, and plain text ASCII.

I have researched and scrupulously followed any guidelines for submission of my resume/CV as described by the company I am applying to.

Things To Know Before Looking For A Plumber

2007-06-21T02:48:00.000-07:00

It will never be easy to find a plumber, especially in the big city. Looking through the phone book will get you a lot of plumbers’ names but not their capability as good plumbers. In an emergency plumbing situation the plumber you get on the other end of the line needs to be not only fast, he has to be good as well. Consider yourself lucky if after finding this miracle worker he can even see you on the same day as you call. If you are in desperate need to have your problem solved, follow these tips to help you contact a plumber quickly.

Agree To Be Flexible

In an emergency, you may have to try people who are moonlighting. You will almost assuredly have to adjust your timetable to fit their availability schedule. In some cases, the plumber has a regular job and a full work schedule for the day and may only be able to help you in his off-hours. However, given little choice in the matter of your emergency, your best bet is to accept whatever time slot the plumber can fit you into on his schedule.

If the only available appointment is after dinner or very early in the morning, it would be in your best interest to accept the small inconvenience to your schedule and allow him to come and fix your problem. Your only other option is to stick to your guns and keep trying to find available plumbers willing to work around your schedule. It is always going to be hard trying to find an available plumber when all you hear is water dripping within your walls or basement.

Agree To Pay A Bonus

You can always bet that the best way to ensure the job gets done is to offer a bonus as an incentive. Put away your pride and your thoughts about your budget and try to focus on the importance of getting the problem fixed and over with. In the end, if you wait too long searching for a plumber, the cost to clean up the water damage will far outweigh any bonus you might have offered. Provided the plumber you find is reputable enough and can come right over, the bonus is always going to be worth it to pay. Always remember, the longer you wait, the more expensive the water cleanup costs will be.

7 Outdated Myths That Will Kill Your Career Change Before You Start

2007-06-13T03:28:00.000-07:00

If you're a Baby Boomer who's trying to change careers, you may feel like you've stumbled into Wonderland or gotten lost with Dorothy in Oz. You've achieved success in your career. You've built skills and a strong work ethic. And now you're ready to move on...and it's not working.

Many of my own clients tell me, "I haven't had to look for a job for 20 years."

Twenty years ago, you probably didn't have a cell phone or an email account. A worm was something you put on a fish hook and a virus was something you caught from visiting friends. You could bring your whole set of kitchen knives onto an airplane and gas prices...well, we won't go there.

And career counselors were handing out tests that promised to predict our aptitude and attitude.

Today as many as 90% of workers wish they could find a new career, but few actually succeed. Most are held back because they're still guiding their progress by what they learned when they begin their careers, 20, 30 or 40 years ago.

Myth #1: Science supports the traditional linear career change model: test for interests, identify careers and go find a job.

Reality #1: You probably discovered this idea in a self-help book. Maybe you hired a career counselor. But it doesn't work. Clients often call me because they're stuck in the first stage: looking inward for guidance. They take tests and contemplate "what I really want."

But researchers at Stanford and Harvard have found that career exploration proceeds in a zig-zag trial-and-error path. The word "serendipity" has been used in mainstream career research journals. Action, not introspection, is the key.

Myth #2: Starting a business is riskier than seeking a new job.

Reality #2: I would never tell anyone, "Stop job hunting and start your own entrepreneurial venture!" But these days, I recommend moving in parallel paths. Keep looking for a job but get serious about self-employment.

If you have a high profile in your industry or community, you may have trouble getting hired - but you might find yourself in demand as a self-employed business person. And if you're above a certain age, you may meet resistance from the traditional job market.

Myth #3: Skills that brought you career success are the same skills you need for career change.

Reality #3: Career and business achievement calls for football skills: teamwork, planning and playing your position. You get rewarded for being in the right place at the right time.

But career change typically happens like playground basketball. Your biggest successes will be unplanned. The rules change and if you want a team, you will have to find them -- or even hire them.

Myth #4: Ignore unexpected thoughts like, "Maybe it's time to move." They'll soon go away.

Reality #4: These hints come from your intuition, which is not a woo-woo concept but a reliable source of insight that has been recognized by mainstream psychologists and scientists. When you ignore these whispers, you may find yourself sabotaging your own success.

Myth #5: Make tough career decisions like business decisions: run the numbers.

Reality #5: In my experience, career decisions follow their own logic. You develop scenarios and stories. You ask, "Can I live with my worst case scenario? If not, what can I do now to avoid having this scenario unfold?"

Myth #6: Fear is a signal to stay where you are, not challenge the status quo.

Reality #6: Contemporary psychologists recognize that fear can be your friend, especially when you're moving outside your comfort zone into a new adventure. Fear means you're taking care of yourself as you move into the unknown.

Sometimes you will work in and through the fear. And sometimes you experience fear for a good reason: time to gather more information before moving ahead.

Myth #7: Career change means feeling stressed and miserable.

Reality #7: Career change can become a source of meaning and growth. Most people look back with gratitude on this time in their lives.

As you progress, you begin to feel strong and powerful. You recognize more and more of what you want. The magic happens when you connect with a glimpse of, "This could be good."

Federal GS Levels Exposed

2007-06-13T03:27:00.000-07:00

When you are seeking a Federal Job, half the battle is understanding the terms. I want to clear up a big one for you in this article.

The term "GS" stands for (General Schedule) General Schedule is simply a pay-scale. It is the scale used for most of the "white collar" workers in the Federal Government. You will hear people tell you that GS stands for Government Service or Government Servant and I am sure a few more colorful phrases as well.

The GS exists to make it simple and easy and equitable to manage the rate of pay amongst Federal employees in all the various agencies of the Federal Government.

Can you imagine if every worker in every agency got a different salary even if they did the same job?

The government would be even more confusing than it already is! Yikes!

I've included a breakdown of the "current" Gs grades so that you can look it over. There are 15 levels with 10 grades each. This is accurate as of the end of 2006 and represents a "base" pay grade. There are other factors that can affect pay but this is a good reference point for you to have.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
1 16630 17185 17739 18289 18842 19167 19713 20264 20286 20798
2 18698 19142 19761 20286 20512 21115 21718 22321 22924 23527
3 20401 21081 21761 22441 23121 23801 24481 25161 25841 26521
4 22902 23665 24428 25191 25954 26717 27480 28243 29006 29769
5 25623 26477 27331 28185 29039 29893 30747 31601 32455 33309
6 28562 29514 30466 31418 32370 33322 34274 35226 36178 37130
7 31740 32798 33856 34914 35972 37030 38088 39146 40204 41262
8 35151 36323 37495 38667 39839 41011 42183 43355 44527 45699
9 38824 40118 41412 42706 44000 45294 46588 47882 49176 50470
10 42755 44180 45605 47030 48455 49880 51305 52730 54155 55580
11 46974 48540 50106 51672 53238 54804 56370 57936 59502 61068
12 56301 58178 60055 61932 63809 65686 67563 69440 71317 73194
13 66951 69183 71415 73647 75879 78111 80343 82575 84807 87039
14 79115 81752 84389 87026 89663 92300 94937 97574 100211 102848
15 93063 96165 99267 102369 105471 108573 111675 114777 117879 120981

People of all levels work for the Federal Government, from Phd's to unexperienced high school grads.

Just like in the Real World Some positions require a Degree or specific college credit. Some jobs require just experience. But there are many jobs that require no experience or higher education to start.

To find out about these requirements you have to study the Vacancy Announcement. It will tell you all the requirements.

You can gain increase in GS level with Job experience as well as furthering your education.It is an accepted rule that 1 year of work related experience can bump you one GS level in some positions. In some positions the bump is two levels until you reach the GS-12 level.

Here is a (rough) breakdown of GS levels by your level of formal education

* GS-1: No high school diploma

* GS-2 (GS-3 for clerk-steno positions): High school diploma

* GS-3: 1 year of full-time study after high school

* GS-4: Associate degree or 2 years of full-time study after high school

* GS-5 or GS-7: depending on agency policy and applicant's academic credentials Bachelor's degree or 4 years of full-time study after high school

* GS-7: Bachelor's degree plus 1 year of full-time graduate study

* GS-9(GS-11 for some research positions): Master's degree or 2 years of full-time graduate study

* GS-9: Law degree (J.D. or LL.B.)

* GS-11(GS-12 for some research positions): Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate or advanced law degree

There you go these are the basics of the GS system. I hope that helps. Bookmark this page and use it while you are conducting your job search.

Life is Like a Box of Golf Balls?

2007-06-08T03:05:00.001-07:00

Did you ever open up a large box of golf balls? They're quite plain, right? A big box of white, 1 ¾ inch diameter balls. The only distinguishing feature is a slightly different number stamped on its indented surface.

For those of you who saw the movie "Forrest Gump", did you think at the time that your life was like a box of chocolates ("you never know what you'll get")? Or did you think your life was far from being like a box of chocolates?

How about your work life? I can think of several times when my work life was a lot more like a box of white golf balls: boring, unchanging, and I knew what I was getting every time.

Making positive changes to my work that fit "who I am" took risk and persistence. Sometimes I received support and sometimes I didn't. Sometimes certain people cheered me on from the sidelines, and sometimes other people boo'ed or were silent. There has been feast and there has been famine.

The point is that you need to take charge of your work life and career. What kinds of things do you want to be doing? What environment do you want for your work?

Be creative. Brainstorm. Meet with people who know you well (people who can dream) to brainstorm with them. Network with people you know and with people who know the people you know. Find out what people do for a living. Begin to tell them about the kind of work you want to do. Is anyone doing something similar to what you want to do? Is anyone in a related field?

Continue to hone in on a description of what you want to do. Write these things down.

If your work life is more like a box of plain white golf balls, these are some steps to take to change those golf balls to multi-color.

Meanwhile, if someone knows where I can buy some pink golf balls, please let me know.

Create Your Own Self-Brand For More Success

2007-06-08T03:04:00.000-07:00

When I originally published this article, there was a picture next to it of three well-known name brand products. There was Tide laundry Heinz ketchup, and Pepsi cola. Even though the pictures of the ketchup and cola bottles were small, you could still easily determine their brands from the colors of the packaging and the shapes of the bottles.

The managers who manage those brands at their respective companies have worked very hard over many years to make certain that you (in the U.S. and certain parts of the world) recognize these brands and, hopefully, purchase them. Even though they appear as tiny little pictures on your screen, it’s likely that you were able to identify them very quickly because their managers have focused on getting their images into your mind for years.

Companies brand products all the time. So why not brand people?

In fact, famous people become brands: actors, professional athletes, and others define themselves using branding techniques, and then market their brand for success.

The fact is, if you don’t brand yourself, someone else will, and it probably won’t be the brand you want for yourself.

I’ve been studying personal branding for business for a while and I’m putting together a series of talks and a coaching program based on this topic.

Branding yourself is for executives, entrepreneurs, and those who aspire to be either. It will help you re-think where you have been, where you want to be, who you really are, how that fits into the marketplace, and how to market yourself for the rest of your career.<

Branding yourself helps you think of more (and better) possibilities for yourself in your career or business, while remaining true to who you really are. This is not about creating a “fake you.” It’s about digging deeper to find more business possibilities that ring true to your authenticity.

This self-branding thing can get really involved: there are a lot of steps to discovering, creating, and marketing yourself as a brand successfully. To help you out, I've created a "Brand Yourself! Coaching Program". It is a self-paced coaching program you can purchase directly from Borgeson Consulting. I'm very excited about this program! Since it is self-paced, it is very affordable - less expensive than traditional coaching by telephone, and you complete it at your own pace.

Sample Information Technology Resume

2007-06-05T03:30:00.003-07:00

If you're looking for a great sample Information Technology Resume, you can view the one below as your reference - STOP! - Make sure you do not just blindly try to imitate the format of the resume below. Why? Because you're not that guy. You're you! And I know that your assets and individuality will be what separate you from a run of the mill resume format like the one below. That's why this article is going to get your resume into more managers hands than any one of your job market competitors. You'll also get interviews three times as fast by heeding some of the advice below. Don't believe me? You've got nothing to lose but another job interview by not following a very basic and crucial tip. I know that every IT candidate is different and so do employers, so how do you differentiate yourself from the mass competition flooding the market?

Your cover letter!

Believe it or not, your cover letter is what will get your phone ringing off the hook with job opportunity phone calls. It's what separates you from every other stiff with the same skill set. So why is the cover letter so important? It's your sales pitch to future employers. It's your 2 minute spotlight time where you can coax your employer into picking up the phone. Make them want to find out what the voice behind such a persuasive and ambitious letter sounds like. Your cover letter opens the employers ear to your skillset and capabilities within the company

Do NOT make every cover letter the same. Just don't do it. That's right I'm talking to you lazy bones. Don't write one cover letter with one detailed line about the company and a standard paragraph following your intro. Don't plan to just cut and paste your cover letter contents until your mouse clicker drops dead from exhaustion. It won't work. You've got to be personalized and fresh with every cover letter. I know writing can be difficult for some people. Especially if you plan on sending out 5 or 10 resumes a day. At the bottom of this article I've provided a link to a web site that will automatically create your cover letter for you. Don't you just love computer automation! Basically, you'll provide some details about the company you're applying to (Position, Title, Company Name, Manager Name etc.) and the service will do its thing. The link is below and again this will completely automate the cover letter writing process.

Even if you decide to manually write every cover letter, make them as unique as possible and don't forget to be as energetic as possible with your writing. The link below explains what I mean by that as well. Best of luck to you in your job hunt. I know (from much proven experience) that unlocking the power of a good cover letter will have your phone ringing off the hook, get you in that interview chair, and land you that dream job. As motivation, think of it this way. Your well thought out cover letters equal a big fat paycheck in your pocket twice a month. Go for it and make it happen today. Below is also a link to your Resume Sample and Automatic Cover Letter Writing site.

A Day In The Life Of A Registered Nurse

2007-06-05T03:30:00.001-07:00

You arrive at work, ready to take on the task at hand. Your job entails helping other people. As you make your rounds, you ensure that each person has what he or she needs and is as comfortable as possible. You cater more to those that require your attention with special TLC. You must be patient and possess a certain level of understanding and compassion. Although tired, you leave work with a sense of accomplishment. You've completed the day in your life as a registered nurse. And that's just what Tamara Washington does.

Nursing School
After obtaining her bachelor of science in nursing from the Chamberlain School of Nursing (St. Louis, MO), Washington sought her first job. School had been a demanding front, but she was thrilled and triumphant at the completion of her studies and hard work.

"I was really stressed [throughout school]," she explains. "When you're done, you feel better." Freshman year at the Chamberlain School of Nursing entailed many general education classes, including art, sociology, and algebra, she says. Then there were the nursing and science core classes, including bedside manner, anatomy, and biology.

Sophomore year is when Washington was exposed to valuable hands-on training. She started her clinicals, in which she had class on the hospital floor with about six to 10 other students. She got to hand out medication to patients among other smaller tasks, with supervision. Washington explains that most universities don't give you this opportunity until at least your junior year. She felt that the Chamberlain School of Nursing gave her the chance to acquire great experience.

After Graduation
Once out of school, stresses different from schoolwork began to confront the new graduate. "Right after school, the pressure of taking care of six to seven patients [at once hit me]," she says. But she was able to get it all done in the 12-hour shifts she does three days in a row each week.

Night shifts, that is. "My sleep schedule is awful!" Washington jokingly admits. "I get to work at 7 p.m. and then work 12 hours. Nurses work, you sleep, work, sleep... and eat somewhere in between."

Washington doesn't mind this, however. She goes home and sleeps right up until she needs to go back to work and loves that she has four other days to herself. This opens her up to taking on another job if she were to choose to do so and also to return to school. She plans to begin working on her master's in nursing this fall so that she may teach one day. She explains that a master's can also enable her to become a nurse practitioner.

Job Outlook
With an increasing number of aging baby boomers, the demand for health care is expected to rise. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) cites that nursing is the largest of all heath care occupations, with 2.4 million jobs. The number of students in nursing has increased dramatically because of demand and stable employment. And it will continue to rise. In May 2004, the average salary of registered nurses was $52,330, according to the BLS.

Washington explains that working as a nurse can often be difficult . "There are many different personalities - patients, the staff, and doctors," she says. "And the whole time you're thinking, 'I need to keep this person alive.'" But it's not all negative. The reason most go into the field is because of a desire to help others. And it's most rewarding when the work a registered nurse does is acknowledged. "I love when a patient says they feel much better or when they tell me how nice I am," she says. "It sounds so simple and cliché, but it really makes you feel good."

Advice
"The start of the journey is a huge mountain. You start out at the bottom and it sounds like you'll never get through," says Washington. "Stay positive, even under stress. It can be done and it's worth it." But the general experience of her nursing school days was the greatest part. "The experience you get and the friends you make at school are all so important," she says. "The best time I ever had was undergrad."

Career Reality Check - The Four Types of Jobs

2007-06-05T03:29:00.003-07:00

In reality, no job is ever perfect, but there is nothing wrong with fantasizing about your ideal job. In fact, it may help you set goals for current employment and your future career. Your fantasy job can help you evaluate real jobs. Real jobs come in three forms: Survival Jobs, Bridge Jobs, and Career Jobs. All three require skills and the ability to describe your skills.

Fantasy Job
Have some fun and think about your dream job. If you could create your perfect job, what would it be? What would you be doing? Think about your skills, interests and values. Think about the location, work schedule, wages, benefits and level of responsibility you desire. What types of people do you want to associate with, and how? Consider your interests and values. Think about the physical surroundings, size of the business, management style, social atmosphere and whether it's for-profit or non-profit. To help you out, think about the questions below.

* What would you be doing on your ideal job?
* What skills are you using in your ideal job?
* For what activities and tasks are you responsible? What is your work role?
* What are your co-workers like? How about your supervisor?
* What are you wearing (jeans, suit, dress, uniform, etc.)?
* What hours are you working?
* Where is your job located?
* What words would you use to describe your dream job and work environment?

Write down your thoughts. If it helps, find a good listener who will also help you "think out loud." Describe your dream job on a blank sheet of paper.

* Do you have the skills, right now, to get your dream job?
* Is this type of work available in the area you live or where you plan to live? How do you know?
* In reality, are you currently qualified for the work you described above?
* If your answer is "No" to any of these questions, consider the most important qualities of your dream job that you might find in other types of work.

You should have plenty of stimulation to help you think through your fantasy job. Now for the reality check. What is it about your fantasy job, if anything, that you could realize or accomplish in the next three months? The next year? The next three years? The next five or ten years? Do you have a plan to get from where you are to where you REALLY want be? Understanding the three types of "real" jobs may help you.

Survival Jobs -- these jobs pay the bills. They are probably less than ideal and may not really fit your personality and interests. Sometimes you need to take a Survival Job while you continue looking for a work opportunity with more potential, or look for a job that better fits your personality and interests. Survival Jobs can be useful in other ways, too. The references you receive from Survival Jobs may determine whether you get any other kind of job! And there is nothing wrong with surviving, after all.

Bridge Jobs -- these jobs are a step in the right direction. They may be necessary for a variety of good reasons. They somehow put you closer to your ideal kind of work. The key ingredient of a Bridge Job is that it helps you become more qualified for a Career Job. For example, a Bridge Job may provide experience and the opportunity to develop key skills. Bridge Jobs are the difference between just "having a job" and "pursuing a career."

Career Jobs -- these jobs have most of what you are looking for -- and working toward. They may include opportunity for advancement, further learning and skills training, if those things are important to you. The pay is satisfactory; you are proud of what you do; you go to work each day with a big smile on your face. You are comfortable with your lifestyle and can provide for your family. Career jobs are as close to your ideal job as you may find. Career jobs will help fulfill your sense of purpose.

Many people get stuck in a survival rut because they are not aware of other options (we call this underemployment). Others do not spend enough time learning about occupations they are considering. Most people, however, get stuck because they never take time to consider what they REALLY want. Others fail to devise a plan on how to achieve their career goals. Others just fail to execute because they lacked the courage necessary to do something that is difficult in order to get something they truly desire.

Several factors may influence the kind of job you need to find right now. What real or imagined barriers do you face? How long can you afford not to work? Once again, are you qualified, now, for a career job? You may need to take a job to survive, for the time being. Or you may need to find a job where you can build your skills and responsibilities enough to enter the career of your choosing. Try not to expect too much, or certainly too little, from your next job. Learn to make the most of every opportunity.

Mark A. Sturgell, CBC, is a Certified Business Coach and Certified Career Specialist, as well as president of Performance Development Network. Mark coaches individuals to discover their hidden potential and achieve more. He helps organizations develop cultures where continuous learning and improvement, higher levels of achievement, standards of excellence and exceeding customer expectations prevail…because organizations don’t fail, people do.

Who Is Managing Your Career?

2007-06-05T03:29:00.001-07:00

I was reminded of this story by Trish, a former colleague. I hadn’t forgotten, because it was the catalyst for a new career advancement strategy I developed. In my various human resource roles I always advise my clients to consider a range of self promotion strategies to advance their career. As a result of the case study below, I developed a new strategy to take the initiative to keep their own company employee file updated by ensuring the Human Resource Department received and recorded in their employee file a précis of any new skills, qualifications or experience they had gained. This is important if they don’t want to be overlooked for promotion, considered for special projects, receive appropriate remuneration, receive a good and accurate reference, and as we will see in this “real" case study, to keep a job.

Case study

Jill completed a degree over an 8 year period. She graduated with a double major in commerce and information technology. However, she is a very private person and no one in her company knew she was studying. After graduation Jill stayed in the same job where her skills were not utilised, although she did apply for some jobs outside her company

Amalgamation and a new service direction for the company had been mooted for a year, and retrenchments seemed inevitable. Jill thought she would be retained; in fact she seemed confident and would never discuss it. Then one day the bad news came. She was being retrenched.

The decision was made by looking at the application forms and other data in the employees’ files, such as professional development courses attended, higher duties performed and attendance records, for instance. Further, Supervisors were consulted and employees were rated against new criteria. Jill was deemed to be amongst the least qualified to fit in with new organisation structure and to work with the new computer system. Trish and I questioned Jill about this unfair process. Surely appeals should be heard. We were outraged, saying “they can’t do that". But after questioning Jill further, several damming facts emerged.

When Jill told her supervisor about her qualifications the supervisor was very surprised. She reminded Jill that employee files were discussed at meetings, and employees were given the opportunity to update them. Not only did Jill miss this meeting, a memo had come around reminding employees that updating their employee file was in their best interest and Jill took no action. Now arbitrary decisions had been made and there were no appeals.

We agreed with her supervisor’s opinion that she had been given every opportunity to secure her place in the new system, but made absolutely no effort to promote herself and demonstrate that she could make a positive contribution to the “new order", as it were.

Incidentally, we asked about performance appraisals, and apparently the company didn't conduct them.

Soon after this event I undertook research amongst my contacts in Human Resource Management and discovered that although most HRM’s kept employee files updated when their employees undertook training and development provided by the company, they hadn’t given any thought the advantages an employee would gain by self promotion by keeping their own file updated.

Human Resource Managers in smaller companies did not think it was important. However HR Managers in larger companies, thought this was a good idea as the powers above occasionally called for an audit on current employees’ skills and experience and also wanted statistics from performance appraisals, based on certain criterion.

Most of my contacts agreed that it would be useful to have a comprehensive employment file when asked for references or particulars on past employees. A couple of people thought that many former employees had lied about qualifications, skills or experience, that didn’t correlate with their job description and other data in their files.

Surprisingly, 50% of the personnel from larger companies confirmed that employment files were often used when employees were being considered for a salary increase and before they would be considered for a promotion.

Jill may have had a future in the new company structure if she had been proactive and ensured her employee file was regularly updated to reflect her qualifications, professional development or any achievements, in and outside work that were relevant to her employment status.

Although the company could have practiced better human resource management by conducting regular performance appraisals, which may have uncovered Jill’s degree and other relevant information, ultimately she was solely responsible for her retrenchment by not proactively managing her career and leaving it to others to decide her future.

Iris Wood has owned and operated Pro-Active Human Resource Management for over 6 years. The company offers professional resume writing, career development and job search services. Iris is a qualified Human Resource Manager, with a post graduate degree in HRM and has over 15 years experience in Job Search, Career Development/Training and Change Management and Employment Consultancy. Services are delivered online so distance is no barrier.

Is Your Job Cramping Your Style? Consider Trading Down

2007-06-05T03:28:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered why people trade down for a job when they are already settled in a high-profile job that pays them quite well? Many people trade down for a variety of reasons that include long-term career opportunities, change in lifestyle, job security, less stress, family reasons and so on.

Choosing to take a new job that pays less but offers advancement possibilities and a chance to learn new skills can be a tough call. However, some people view losing a bit of compensation a small price to pay when taking into consideration long-term career and lifestyle benefits.

When looking at a new job opportunity, always consider the complete compensation picture – not just the salary. Instead, look at the new job’s smaller salary package in light of the new role that it offers and other such benefits such as vacation, paid time off and other lifestyle-enhancing advantages. Here are some of the reasons that people may trade down for a job:

• Long Term Career Opportunities – In many cases, the long-term career opportunities in a new position might be better than your current one. If the new company is providing you with an opportunity to excel and if you will end up in a better financial condition over time, then it makes sense to consider trading down.

• Lifestyle – When changing jobs, most people are willing to trade compensation for a better lifestyle. For example, some people wouldn’t mind getting paid less if they could live in their preferred area. This is very important for professionals who are looking to settle down in a particular area and who are okay with taking a pay cut to do so. Having more time for family also plays a big role.

• Less Stress – Many people have started accepting jobs that pay less or offer them lower positions so they don’t have to deal with constant pressure and stress. Stress is one of the biggest factors why people leave their jobs and choose lower-profile jobs. Stress can lead to health problems and is directly related to low job satisfaction.

• Job Security – Most people leave jobs that are not very secure - and they accept jobs that may pay less, but offer greater security. If your current company is outsourcing a lot of work and is losing money, a new job at another company might have brighter long-term prospects. Most people would rather work for less money than be unemployed.

• Over 50 And Wanting ‘Less’ In Life – There are many 50+ citizens who are trading down for jobs that are less stressful, more convenient and give them more job satisfaction. Most of them say that at that age they want less in life and are happy with taking a job that pays less and keeps them happy, rather than dealing with a high-paying, high-pressure job.

If you are unhappy in your current position, or simply want more time to live the lifestyle that you want, trading down might just be the answer you’ve been looking for. It might be the best decision you’ll ever make.

What Makes A Great Manager Great?

2007-05-21T02:37:00.001-07:00

A great manager is someone who can provide direction for a team in a results oriented environment and due so with ease. There are many managers in positions of authority who are terrible managers and certainly not great managers. Because of this the truly great managers are always in high demand and can expect to earn more than their peers.

I believe there are three types or categories of managers.

You obviously have the bad managers, whom typically don’t last long in any position of power. They are erratic in behavior and cannot or don’t understand how to be effective and produce results in a leadership role. They cannot separate their ego from their job functions and have very high turnover rates for both their careers and their team members.

Surprisingly enough there are many bad managers in senior level positions, which mystifies me to this day. Perhaps that is the reason we have corporations that make many operational mistakes that a business 101 graduate wouldn’t dream of making. Just because someone has tenure doesn’t mean they are efficient directors of talent or know how to effectively manage people. The bottom line is they snuck under the radar somehow and their deficiencies will be discovered sometime in their career guaranteed.

The Mendoza line for managers would have to be the good managers. These are your “B” and “C” students in the professional arena. They know enough to get the job done effectively and produce results, but they could do better if they wanted to. True, they are a notch above the bad managers and their turnover is not as alarming, but they will never clearly embrace the overall big picture or exceed the long-term goals.

They are often content in the position they have and are comfortable where they are in their career. They are very reliable and absolutely necessary for a fully functional team in any organization. Their biggest downside is the extreme compassion they show for everyone and sometimes this can get them distracted for caring too much about the wrong things in operations. Everyone loves these managers and they are a valuable tool to boost morale and team building.

The highest level of any manager is the great manager. This is the manager that consistently exceeds expectations because they have a clear perception of what they can deliver and when. These are the rock stars that produce time and time again and are the envy of all their peers. Because they understand how to delegate, motivate and follow up, they can achieve the bottom line results far quicker than their counter parts and with much less energy expended. They are always awesome coaches and leaders, but they can be misunderstood in their practices. Not everyone understands the whys behind their actions and great leaders are often forced to make quick decisions, which could be unfavorable but necessary.

Without the great managers it would be impossible for any production to exist and the long-term goals accomplished. They are the captains, which sail their ships into uncharted waters and somehow still know where they are going. They know what it takes to get the job done and how to succeed. They are the winners and have the mindset that any mistake or misjudgment can be overcome with the right action plan.

They are the rare and valuable assets that many corporations need to be successful and generate most of the company revenues. They will not falter in any given situation and are unafraid of taking new actions or thinking outside the box. They also aren’t fearful of ruffling a few feathers to get things done. Without them we would have no economy or existing businesses to speak of. They are truly a diamond in the rough!

In conclusion, if you are a manager, which type are you?

A truly great manger is a master of self-assessment and would already have this question answered with little thought or hesitation.

GreatMgrs.com is a restaurant management recruiting firm specializing in the placement of managers in all capacities of the restaurant industry. From quick serve to casual and all the way up to senior level area supervisors or district managers, we can find the right candidate for any situation or job order.

We also help the right management candidates find great and new opportunities that are not advertised to the public. We eliminate many unnecessary steps in the hiring process and get the candidate in front of the hiring manager more quickly than using the conventional wait and see tactics. The best part is it is FREE for the candidates!

Reworking Work Ethic - How Our New Employees are Reshaping the Workplace

2007-05-21T02:36:00.004-07:00

“What’s going on with kids these days? They just don’t have the same work ethic we do.” Many have uttered these words in frustration and confusion, expecting it will change eventually. Reality is setting in that “kids these days”, known as the Millennial Generation, don’t have the same work ethic that their older managers and supervisors do. They’re not conforming to Boomer ways; instead they are the catalyst to reworking work ethic altogether.

Millennials, in their early to mid twenties, are entering our companies in massive numbers, and they simply don’t view work in the same way we do. The “we” in this case, are representatives from the Baby Boomer generation, likely the ones to be at the helm of today’s organization in management and supervisory roles. We Boomers have been in the majority, enjoyed strength in numbers, and built work-rules and codes of conduct that were clearly understood by our own. But our rules and codes are as cryptic as Morse Code to the younger crowd - here’s why.

The Boomer Work Ethic
A typical workweek could be sixty hours, and we often bring work home. We had to compete viciously to get to where we are today, and climbing the corporate ladder is an important driver in our success. We have high expectations of ourselves, and others, for contributing 110% or more to the job. Sound familiar? Let’s take a stroll down memory lane to see why.

Work ethic was formed long before we got to our first jobs. Our families, schools, neighborhoods, and society molded us into the competitive and driven creatures that we’ve become. We came into the world in big numbers, which meant that we had to frequently compete for the attention of our parents, teachers, and other adults in order to get noticed. We lived with structure and rules and respected authority. We got our first job at a young age, and learned early on what it meant when our bosses said, “it’s my way or the highway”.

As we developed in our careers, we found that if we didn’t work harder and smarter than the next person, we could easily be replaced, or eliminated altogether. Therefore, we always worked with our noses to the grindstone and struggled to pull ourselves up to the next rung of the proverbial ladder.

Baby Boomer Babies = Millennials
Millennials, the children of Baby Boomers, are a completely different animal at work, and we have ourselves to thank for it. Like any parent, we want more for our children than we had ourselves. One of the most obvious displays of this is the amount of attention Boomer parents have paid to our children. We coined the phrase, “quality time, not quantity time”. We’re still working sixty-hours, but also making opportunities to tend to and focus on our children. Since we had to struggle for individuality, praise, and doting on, we laid it on thick for our precious cargo (remember the Baby on Board signs we proudly displayed in our cars?). As a result of our abundant encouragement, our children grew up confident, involved, and applauded for their efforts (not necessarily achievements). Parents praised their children for running the field, not necessarily for scoring the goal. Everyone on the soccer team got a trophy, not just the Most Valuable Player.

So now we have these tended-to individuals in our workplaces, and we wonder why they’re so praise-needy and sure of themselves. Once we recognize why they are who they are, and that they’re unlikely to change with our version of “my way or the highway”, we’ve won half the battle. The other half is changing work rules that better suit the new work ethic.

The Millennial Work Ethic
Millennials do have a lot to offer their employers, but they’ll only deliver under the right circumstances and in the right environment. The alternative is taking the highway, which they do without hesitation. Because they had significant attention, guidance, and kudos growing up, they expect it at their job as well. Boomer managers are not necessarily the best praisers of their employees (ironically since they’re so good at it at home), and giving it freely for everyday tasks is a tough pill to swallow. But those who “get it” and can deliver it genuinely are the ones seeing results: happier employees, more productivity, and less turnover. Millennials will commit themselves to people, not companies. That means that if they report to a mentor (“boss” is a dirty word) that nurtures them, gives them meaning in their work, and thanks them often, they’ll stay (longer than the average 16 months they’re statistically known to). Here are some other key characteristics to consider for better understanding “kids” these days:

1. They need to hear from you. This group does not subscribe to the notion of “no news is good news” from their managers. They need feedback, and they need it often. They won’t accept waiting for the annual review to hear about their contribution. Remember, they were raised by parents who directed and redirected them regularly. If delivered in a way that is positive and constructive, Millennials will respond well to your verbal check-ins on a frequent basis.

2. Be prepared for dual feedback. They’re confident in their abilities and will make a point to let you know about it. When giving feedback or advice, you best be prepared for some in return. They’re used to their opinions counting; so if you ask for their thoughts, and really listen, you’re sure to see a favorable response.

3. The don’t care about the corporate ladder. They’re not as interested in putting extra time and effort in to achieve promotions and titles like Boomers are. They enjoy the flexibility of a corporate lattice, not ladder. They want to move up, down, or laterally when it suits their life.

4. They get bored easily. These kids grew up with a lot of stimuli. They were provided computerized, interactive toys since early childhood, not the Slinky that entertained a Boomer for hours. A Time Magazine article in March of 2006 reported that kids are hardwired to some devices for more than six hours a day on average. Therefore, when they get to the workplace, if they don’t have variety of tasks, high-tech equipment, and the opportunity to switch things up, they get bored and frustrated – fast.

5. They’ll do the meaningful and interesting work first, and best. If they can understand the meaning of their job - and tasks - and feel they contribute in an important way, they’re likely to stick around. They need to understand their role within the organization, and feel good about it. Gone are the days of “job descriptions”. Forward-looking organizations are writing “role descriptions” and finding it to make a difference.

6. They have a life. They won’t wait a year before getting one week of vacation time. They need to have some flexibility in their schedule, even if it means taking an unpaid day or week off. They have busy lives, and unlike Boomers and our parents where work came first, they focus on their personal interests and recreation wth more zest and zeal than their jobs.

7. They like to have fun. You might hear, “Lighten up, it’s just a job.” from this group. They expect work and fun to be interconnected. They’re social, used to working in groups, and like to break up a day with an entertaining diversion.

8. They’re connected. With a few clicks on their myspace profile, or comment in their blog, they can let hundreds – even thousands – of their peers know just what they think about their employer. This could be a very powerful recruiting tool for the company that “gets it” and embraces the expectations of their group.

The bottom line on the newest members of our companies is that their work ethic is very strong, but different, than what Boomer employers have grown accustomed to. Millennials are quick studies, goal oriented, and loyal to individuals. They have a lot to contribute to the workplace. Just ask one.

Physicians Assistants Are Top Healthcare Career

2007-05-21T02:36:00.003-07:00

In the United States, Physician Assistants (PAs) are non-physician clinicians licensed to practice medicine with a physician's supervision.

With over 13.5 million jobs in the United States, the healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing in the nation. The demand for certain health-care workers is growing faster than the supply. There are more people needing more health care, and the numbers will only grow.

What Does a PA Do?
PAs are formally trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services, as assigned by a physician. Working as members of the health care team, PA’s take medical histories and perform physical examinations; order and interpret lab tests; diagnose and treat illnesses; and assist in surgery. They also treat minor injuries, by suturing, splinting, and casting. PAs take notes on progress, give patients’ instructions and counseling as well as order or carry out therapy.

Training
Physician assistant programs usually last at least 2 years, but admission requirements vary by program, but many require at least 2 years of college and some health care experience. All states do however require that physician’s assistants complete an accredited education program and pass a National exam to obtain a license. You will need to go to school full time to earn your degree as a Physicians Assistant.

Why Become a Physicians Assistant?
Being a physician’s assistant is one of the best jobs in healthcare according to Money Magazine. Money Magazine, in conjunction with Salary.com, lists physician assistant as the "fifth best job in America" based on salary and job prospects, with an anticipated 10-year job growth of 49.65% for the profession. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics reports that employment of physician assistants is expected to grow "much faster than average for all occupations through the year 2014, ranking among the fastest growing occupations.” Our aging baby boomer population and a growing healthcare industry are major factors for large growth in this field.

The American Academy of Physician Assistants reported that first year graduates in this field can expect to earn about $65,000 per year with the average salary of a physicians assistant being $74,264. Salaries will vary by specialty, training and geographic location.

What Kind of a Job is Best for a Creative Genius?

2007-05-21T02:36:00.001-07:00

Everyone should be in a job that they like and that they are good at and the better that society places people in jobs that they are good at, the more we will all enjoy the productivity of our civilization. This is one of the basic tenets of Plato's Republic.

What type of degree would a creative genius wish to get? A creative genius will create in just about any endeavor that they are thrust into as long as they feel at home and enjoy it or if it challenges their mind. But why does a creative genius need a degree to get a job?

After all, they could be self-employed too, as 10% of the population is and 75% of the population works in a small business and most of those folks do not have any advanced degrees. Not all creative geniuses choose to pursue an academic career, although many do.

So if we are looking for the best place to find creative geniuses in society we have to look beyond academia and people in corporate America. Where should we look?

Well, I suppose some end up at the top of the food chain and thus socially speaking this is a good place to find the imminent achiever creative genius. Other creative geniuses probably allow them selves to be walked on and taken advantage of, because they see the game as perhaps not worth playing.

Maybe they are simply not interested in the sound and fury of mankind and all the emotional sound bytes on the TV or the myriad of gossip topics that prevail in normal conversation. Therefore it appears a creative genius can be found just about anywhere and they probably do enough to fit in and join in the benefits of strength in numbers and rewards of socialization and hopefully find something they really like or excel at and go do that.

Plato warns us about this and tells us that each person is good at something and should do what they are best at and be alleviated from those things they are not good at. For instance, I am an entrepreneur, I should not have to sit in an office and do paperwork. I hate paperwork, accounting and such. So that is what I should be doing - building, creating, achieving, winning, etc.

Someone else who is good at something should be doing what they do best right? Perhaps you can hear what I'm saying and see the reality too. We can teach children at an early age to work on their self-esteem and allow them to taste success in something and then use those successes to transfer into other aspects of their life.

If children learn an early age the types of things they are good at and excel in those regions and in work on the things that they are not good at to better themselves they should have no problem finding a job later in life if they are a creative genius.

Career Coaching - Importance Of Work Values

2007-05-21T02:34:00.001-07:00

It is crucial to know your work values if you want to find your ideal job. Your work values are those things in your work life that you consider to be important. When you design your career based on your values, your motivation will be greatly increased and your chances of success and fulfilment improve hugely. Otherwise you’re faced with spending 1/3 of your life doing something that doesn’t fulfill you.

Are you aware of your work values?

Taking the time to think about the things that really matter to you is a good starting point for finding your ideal job.

Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Relax your body and mind. Look at the values listed below. Make a note of the top ten values which are most like you and the five that are least like you. Take as much time as you need.

• Independence
• Helping others
• Risk taking
• Change and variety
• Stability
• Making a difference
• Prestige and the social status
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Advancement
• Material benefits
• Security
• Artistic creativity
• Work environment
• Self expression
• Adventure/excitement
• Working outdoors
• Recognition
• Competing with others
• Influencing others
• Work-life balance
• Sense of achievement
• Intellectual stimulation
• Challenge
• Structure and predictability
• Making decisions
• Supervision
• Public contact
• Working with… (children/data/machines/numbers/ideas/hands/tools, etc)
• Working alone
• Working for a good cause
• Physical work
• Traveling often
• Being an entrepreneur
• Working in a fast-paced environment
• Having regular work hours
• Setting your own hours/having flexibility
• Location
• Having fun at work

Now that you’ve discovered your values you should be starting to get a sense of what is important to you in terms of your career plan.

Write a few sentences describing or summarizing how your values translate into your ideal job.

Consider how each is reflected in the work you currently do. Don’t assume that to find your ideal job you have to change careers completely. If you like your job but you are not happy with long working hours, is there scope for you to negotiate fewer hours? Maybe your job allows you to work from home a couple of days a week? Be imaginative! Changes don’t always have to be drastic to be effective.

If you are happy with your career but find yourself working for a company whose values are totally different from yours, you are in the wrong place. In this case, you might consider applying for another company whose values align with yours.

If work-life balance is very important to you but you spend 4 hours commuting each day, this will take valuable time away from your family and the ability to pursue other activities that you would normally enjoy. Start looking for a job close to your home.

If you are sure that changing careers is the only way you will be happy, then start preparing yourself for the transition.

Remember : Confucius said, "Find a job you enjoy, and you'll never work a day in your life."

Do You Want To Get Into Goldman Sachs?

2007-05-16T05:05:00.002-07:00

All the recent talk about earning big money by becoming bankers…has caused a rush by everybody (be it fresh grads, experienced professionals, etc) into the financial services industry. It is true that the money is in this industry now.

However, to be earning the top dollars (i.e. to be in the front line) one need to be a certain calibre and I hope most of you agree with me that not everyone in this world is top calibre. And also, one got to look at what are the sacrifices for such money and prestige.

Personally I would recommend most of us who are not of such calibre and who wants to have a comfortable life, to not chase after all the “glamour” that has been reported in the media about the financial service industry. The media are just reporting people who make it but not those who have fallen.

Some words of wisdom …”When people are rushing into something, it’s time for the wise to get out or stay away…” Just think, the financial services industry has its own ups and down. Companies around the world are cutting costs…job cutting can come anytime..beyond any employee’s control.

After some thinking about the situation, I would still think that for people who are not of the top calibre, they should try out and plan for sources of passive income. These allow the average Joe or Jane to exihibit his or her potential to the fullest (without trying to impress bosses). The best thing is, you do not need to slog and work ridiculous hours (try checking out an investment banker’s working hours) for these types of income. That’s why I call them “passive income”.

How to Get a Better Job or a Raise Quickly With Just a Few Simple Changes

2007-05-16T05:05:00.001-07:00

Want more money from your job?

Want a better higher paid job?

It won’t come to you if you don’t take the right action. By action I don’t mean going back to school, retraining or getting more qualifications – the world is full of highly qualified low paid people. It is also equally full of well paid low qualified people so what gives?

The greatest misconception people have with getting ahead and making more money from your career is that being better qualified makes you worth more.

Wrong!

In the world of business where money talks and everything else walks it’s results and productivity that win the game. You can have a PHD in your chosen field but if you can’t deliver constant outstanding results you won’t be moving up any time soon.

I’m not saying that education and qualifications are bad – they definitely help in the long run and are essential if you’re job hunting – but once you’re in the door and you want to move up you have to be a ‘doer’.

If you want to get ahead and make the maximum amount of money you can for doing what you do you need to focus on results that have a positive impact on the company’s productivity and profits. And the good news is – it’s not hard to transform yourself into a high achiever with a solid reputation for ‘getting things done’.

What is without a shadow of doubt the best investment you can make in your career right now? Develop some time management skills. The ability to get more done in less time without expending any more energy than you would otherwise producing a ‘normal’ output.

Delivering 150-200% does not mean working 60 hours a week and driving yourself into an early grave (although a lot of people do that as a means to get ahead). Becoming a true high achiever involves operating on the right side of the 80-20 equation (where 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts).

The beauty of managing your time correctly means you achieve a lot more in less time which in turn enables you to get even more done in the time you have left over. And if you’re contributing 200% more than is expected of you then bet your employers won’t let you go to a higher paying job without a fight.

Do you want more out of the time you spend at work? Get on the fast track by learning time management and watch your career, income and life shift up several gears.

Have You Lost Control Of Your Career?

2007-05-16T05:02:00.000-07:00

Have you lost it? Your career, I mean... Well it's time to find it and take control to create the excitement, fulfillment and success that is meant for you!

Where do you start to regain control? Start here...

What are you doing today to manage your career? What does it mean to manage your career and not have it managed for you? How can you take the reins and direct your career?

These are great questions that successful people ask themselves every day. Because you see, managing your career is part of your day to day activities. Each meeting you attend, each conference call you lead or participate in, each one-on-one interaction are all steps to managing your career.

Where you spend your time and who you spend your time with will either position you to stay put or move forward. This gets to some of the more tactical ways in which you manage your career.

From a strategic perspective, are you on the path that brings you the greatest amount of energy and satisfaction? Are you moving toward your vision of success in your chosen field or profession? Or someone else’s?

To begin to regain control, it starts with your vision for success in your life. Every professional has a strategy for what their next 1, 3 and 5 year plan will be for their career. But is this vision leading towards your definition of success for your life or towards what is expected? If they are one in the same, congratulations! If they are not, that’s ok too! The mere awareness of it enables you to look at it with different eyes and to take inspired action to bring it more in line with who you are and what you want.

Talking with someone you know and trust or journaling can help to capture your thoughts. You could also consider meditation or visualization techniques. Clarity in this area can have a profound affect on your actions and sense of accomplishment. So give it the time and focus it deserves.

Remember how exciting is it with each new position or promotion to start something new? You get to bring all that you are to this new adventure – creativity, innovation and growth. What would it be like to have that same excitement and challenge in creating and driving your career? Are there new people in your circle as a result of the new job? Does this bring you closer to an area of interest that you’d like to explore? Are you being sure to keep site of the who, what and where of your next career move? Are you doing the things necessary to prepare for the next position? This doesn’t always mean a move up – but it does mean a broadening of your skills, expertise and career choice.

Take control and create that new job excitement and drive your career to success!

Here’s my two part challenge to get you started…

Part one, I challenge you to within the next 7 days, to spend quiet time with yourself and using whatever tools or resources that inspire you (e.g. journal, visualization, meditation, etc.) and see and feel what it would be like to fully and deeply be at the helm of your career.

Part two of the challenge; communicate that vision, feeling to a close, trusted and supportive friend with all of the passion that accompanies it By giving voice to it, you will make it your own! I want you to experience the joy and freedom of taking care of your own – your own life, your own career and your own self-satisfaction! You deserve it!

Working With Numbers - Temporary Accounting Job

2007-05-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

If you have taken a college course in accounting then you may well be considering a career in that specific field. When you weigh up your options, you should take into consideration that everyone needs an accountant at some stage and so the demand for your services will often outweigh the supply! There are various ways to break into the accounting business, one of which is a good temping agency. There is much to be said for looking for a temporary accounting job and if you read on you will realise why!

Most jobs are actually now offered on a temporary basis and a temporary accounting job is no different. There are temping agencies specifically for those individuals that are looking for accounting jobs, whether they have just graduated or are looking for a change of career. There are many varied opportunities that can be taken advantage of any many of those will offer the right candidate a full time position at the end of their month’s contract.

There is a temporary accounting job for you whether you are a licensed or non-licensed accountant. The former can deal with the auditing of any business and the latter can handle taxes so there is a job for you out there regardless of your qualifications. A temporary accounting job therefore may just provide you with that window of opportunity that you need. It can be hard to get an initial foot on the ladder via conventional means now as a result of the high demand for jobs, but this is definitely a good way to go.

Many companies now outsource their accountancy issues so that they have a specialist firm at their beck and call. As a result, there are many temporary accounting jobs out there. Outsourcing has increased the demands on the industry and so more firms are willing to take on people for a temporary accounting job during the busiest times of the year. If you get a job that way and do well then it may lead to a permanent position, which would be no bad thing if you are looking to break into the industry on a full time basis.

You can find a whole variety of opportunities on the Internet as agencies tend to advertise temporary accounting jobs on there so it reaches a wider audience. If you are dedicated and talented then that will shine through on your application thus it may actually take very little time to secure your first temporary accounting job. It is actually a vital tool in learning the trade because you can take on several temporary accounting jobs to get a good idea of how different firms work. This experience will ultimately be invaluable to your career aspirations so take every opportunity that comes your way

Getting an Accountant Job – 8 Accountancy Networking Tips

2007-05-16T04:57:00.000-07:00

By having a good network of accountants and other people working within the financial sector you are likely to find getting a new job much easier. Though the recommendation of good networking is simple often the actual practice can be much harder. We’ve identified eight tips which will help you network like a pro.

Identify good contacts – it might sound a little cynical but just some people are better friends than others. When networking it’s important to find people you get on with, the better your friendship the more likely they are to recommend you, so there’s no point wasting your time with people who aggravate you. Some people make the mistake when networking to try to approach the most ‘important’ people, this can end up being counter productive, you are better off speaking to people who are likely to have the time and attitude to engage with you on a meaningful level. It’s better to have come away from an industry event with one friend from a small firm with a less illustrious job title than a loads of brief conversations with the big cheeses.

Ask Questions – it’s important to engage people in conversation and then respond to what they are saying. Don’t just use a question as an opening gambit then go off about how great you are. Listen to what other people are saying and ask them questions you are interested to know the answer. The person you are speaking to will appreciate the attention and are far more likely to remember you in a good way than the accountant who only talked about themselves.

Do Your Homework – if you know certain people will be at an event it might be worth doing a little homework on them. Knowing who they work for, certain clients they have or even which football team they support can give you the perfect ice breaker.

Be Honest – there’s nothing worse than a suck up. Too often when people are networking they think they primary goal should be to agree with everything the person they are talking to says and generally being sycophantic. If you are honest it’s much more likely the person will take you seriously as a professional.

Help People – once you’ve got a bulging contacts book it’s important to remember to help people. Friendship relies on the relationship being mutually beneficial, especially in business. So help people in your network out, if you have a client and your too busy point them in a friend’s way. If you see a job that would suit them, let them know. There has never been a truer adage than you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours.

Return Favours – nobody likes a one sided friendship, if people within your network of friends do you a favour make sure you return it. It doesn’t take long for a new contact to realise your aren’t going to be helpful to them if you don’t go out of your way to help them.

Stay in Touch – networking isn’t just a case of getting someone’s business card and waiting until you need there help to give them a call. If you meet anyone interesting, be sure to follow it up with a phone call or email. The fresher you are in someone’s mind the more likely they might think of you when an accountant job opportunity arises.

Be Social – It’s important to remember when you are networking you are ultimately trying to find some new friends. Don’t get too bogged down in the dos and don’ts of networking. Just think of it as a normal party where the benefit of being social might be a new accounting job.

10 Strategies To Getting That Promotion You Want

2007-05-10T05:12:00.003-07:00

You've been faithfully toiling at your job for the past number of years and you are actually good at it. The pay isn't that bad but you feel that it's high time to move up that corporate ladder. Getting promoted isn't as simple as sitting back and letting your achievements speak for you. The corporate world unfortunately doesn't work that way. If you have been passed over countless times here are some tips to finally get your well-deserved promotion.

#1 From the fat into the fire. Do you even know what you are getting yourself into? Do you just want that promotion just for the heck of it? Before you even think about going for that promotion, research on the position and the skills needed for it. You may want that VP position but you could be woefully inadequate for it. Getting a promotion means more responsibility and it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get any added perks. If you feel that you are indeed qualified for the position and you are up to the challenges of added responsibilities then start your campaign.

#2 Be the Best that you can be. If you want that promotion then you have to prove to others that you actually do deserve that title. Perform your job to the best of your abilities and then some. If you make yourself invaluable to the smooth performance of your division then you increase your chances of your boss rewarding you with that promotion. And at the risk of being too much of a brown noser ask if you can do more tasks within the office. You'll get your boss' attention and additional experience with new challenges.

#3 Be positive. A defeatist attitude will get you nowhere in this campaign. Try not to think of being passed over for a more accomplished colleague. If you think your job is a mere stepping to better opportunities then this attitude won't get you a promotion. On the other hand if you do think this way why would you even bother with a promotion. A promotion is for people who see their work as a position rather than just another job.

#4 Friends are important. The power of friendship is truly an important resource for anyone. You may not want to admit it but your promotion rests on knowing the right people. Broaden your knowledge of the different departments and the people who are in charge of them. Remember that getting the respect of your peers will help your boss see that you are a capable leader and much loved by those under you.

#5 Fight fair. Getting a promotion often means that you have to fight for it. There is no way to avoid civilized warfare against people you worked with. You all want the same position but that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to back stab your co-workers to come out on top. You can be aggressive in your campaign but try not to be Attila the Hun. You may not win points for being everybody's best friend but you can at least be well-respected.

#6 Review your past accomplishments. It's not what your company has done for you but what you have done for the company that counts. When the time comes for your boss to deliberate on the person for the job, be sure that he or she knows the great deeds you have done. Develop your personal career portfolio to present to your boss. Make sure you add letters of commendation, samples of exceptional work and other certificates of achievement. Of course you should actually have done these things. Lying about past accomplishments can have dire consequences.

#7 Catch your boss in a good mood. Sometimes it's not what you've done but when you did it that matters. It's important to make sure that your boss is not stressed or too busy when you pitch yourself. You should try to catch him or her in a relaxed, social situation. Invite him or her for coffee and subtly pitch your willingness to accept a promotion.

#8 Expand your knowledge. Keep ahead of the competition by learning important skills. Join any seminars or classes that can add to your skill level and knowledge about your job. There are numerous courses and books available in your library or the internet for self-study. Or if your company offers to pay for classes take advantage of it.

#9 Express yourself. The promotion won't fall in your lap like manna from heaven. You have to sell yourself, your skills, and your accomplishments to your boss. Often people are passed over because of the simple fact that their boss didn't know they wanted the promotion. Come the job appraisal, be sure to say that you want a more challenging role in the company. State that your skills are underused in your current position. Highlight all your selling points and how you can do a smashing job with the position you are angling for.

#10 Where there's a will. Your boss may reject your promotion but this is no reason to feel dejected. There may not be a budget for the position or you haven't been in the company that long. For whatever reason think of this failure as an opportunity to work harder. Your efforts were not in vain and your superiors will remember them.

10 Step Approach to Career and Personal Development Planning

2007-05-10T05:12:00.001-07:00

Step 1: Set a vision
Get a clear vision of what you want. Ask yourself at the pinnacle of your career: What role do I want? How much do I want to earn? What type of organisation you want to be working for? When do you want to achieve it by? What impact do you want to leave behind at the end of your career?

Step 2: Identify what you are willing to do to achieve your vision
Life is all about choices. By saying yes to career you are saying no to another area. Make a list now of: What you are willing to to achieve your vision What you are not willing to do

Step 3: Identify what it is worth to you to achieve your vision
Get connected to What it will give you What values your will be honouring How it will feel to achieve it? What will be the cost to you if you don't achieve?

Step 4: Identify the help and support you will need along the way
Start to make a list of all of the people and resources that you will need along the way to achieving your vision.

Step 5: Assess your skills
In assessing your skills you need to identify: Skills that you currently have Skills that need to be developed

Step 6: Assess your knowledge
Similar to skills consider areas where you have specific knowledge such as Finance, Marketing, IT and also the knowledge you will need to develop to be a leader.

Step 7: Assess your personal qualities
Read any research or speak to anyone who has reached a leadership role and they will probably tell you that softer skills were the most important attribute. Rigorously assess and review this area.

Step 8: Prepare a personal development plan
Use the results of the steps 5 to 7 to set out your personal development plan for each of the next 5 years. Be specific about what you want to do, the outcome you are seeking, how you will do it and when you will do it by. Consider the accountability you need to say on track.

Step 9: Prepare your career plan
In developing your career plan consider the experience you need to acquire, type of roles you need to do, specific industry experience you want, time in each role, support and help you need.

Step 10: Monitor, evaluate and adapt
If you don't monitor you are likely to go off track. Set up accountability. Set review dates. Be honest about what is working and what is not. Be ready to adapt to reach your final destination. Remember that many people have the potential but fail to realise it. Use this 10 step approach to get you off to a flying start.

Your Greatest Tool- Career Services

2007-05-10T05:11:00.001-07:00

Career services are often overlooked by students, but they actually offer some of the most important services at your university, and generally, the service is absolutely free. Why do they get so little attention? Some students don't know about them while others believe that they can only help if you haven't chosen a major. In fact, they can be your greatest tool for success.

Career Choice Assistance

First, let's talk about the most well-known role of career services. They help people who don't know what they want to do figure it out. They offer self-assessments and interest batteries in order to help confused students choose a career. Career services can also help set up shadowing opportunities so that students can see whether they would really enjoy a specific career or whether they should keep looking.

Learning Assessments

Career services is also the department that generally takes over study skills and learning assessments. They are available to help you determine how you learn and strategically create study plans and help you develop study skills based on the results.

Job Fairs

Career services also host school wide job fairs. Employers from all over the area, and maybe even all over the country, show up at these job fairs to recruit the best and brightest students. They also conduct interviews on the spot many times, so if you head to one of these career fairs make sure that you look your best and that you're prepared to interview if asked.

Interview Training

One of the more interesting jobs that career services takes on is that they host interview training. They will actually walk students through practice interviews and train them in proper etiquette and style. If you know exactly which company you will be interviewing with, they may even make sure the information fits the possible job opportunity.

Workshops

Career services usually offers free workshops and seminars on a variety of topics. Whether they talk about writing a cover letter or creating an effective resume, these workshops are certainly worth your time. The career counselors have worked in the field long enough to know exactly what you need to do to be successful.

Career Coaching Finds Your Motivation When You Can't

2007-05-10T05:10:00.000-07:00

Sure, we've all had those days. You head for work in a foul mood, dreading another eight hours of monotony and tedium. There's nowhere to go within the company and your boss is no help, so you fight the urge to tell off your manager and quit on the spot, just like in that old Johnny Paycheck song.

Ever wonder, however, if it's not the job, but your perspective?

For many people, getting stuck in a rut on their career path is a common occurrence. Lacking goals, motivation, or an ability to shake loose the ties that bind them, many workers simply play out the same routine day in and day out, living a life that includes a career that leaves them unfulfilled and wanting for more.

Whether you're one of those people, or just know someone like that, it may help to know that "stuck-in-a-rut" behavior is so common that an entire career field has grown by leaps and bounds in response to a perceived need to help people find the motivation to move on to bigger and better things. Building on the popularity of life coaching, career coaching is an increasingly popular way to help people dig themselves out of a career hole.

Setting the bar
Career coaching isn't therapy, nor is it hiring a professional referee to navigate you through the trials and tribulations of your daily workplace. Career coaches are professional motivators, people who help you to identify your strengths, skills, and values, and to define your career goals and professional aspirations.

Many of us recognize how important goal setting is to our personal and professional growth, but it is a deceptively hard thing for many people to pull off. Career coaches are skilled at helping you identify what you want to achieve, and then, most importantly, assist you in devising a plan for achieving those goals. They go beyond pumping you up and making you feel good - they provide the support and motivation that many people need to get jump started on making a change.

Finding your true calling
It's much easier to define what we don't like than to know what it is we really want to do. Many people work at jobs simply because it is "what they do" and it pays the bills, but for most, their jobs are not something they're particularly passionate about. You may know what you like to do, but finding a career direction that fits in with what you like to do may seem down-right impossible. A job coach won't be able to meld your engineering strengths with a love for fly-fishing, but they may be able to help you find a job that enables you to balance your life better and give you more time for those long weekends with nature.

Getting it together
A common problem for many people is just simply staying organized between the demands of their jobs and their personal lives. For some, particularly working moms and single parents, it's easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged. A career coach can teach you more effective work habits, show you how to stay organized, and coach you on how to be more efficient in both realms of your life. By staying in control of your life, rather than letting it control you, your job may seem less like a burden and more like something you can look forward to.

Moving on up
With your efficiency on the job improved, your motivation jump-started, and your goals at the forefront, you're much more likely to be an efficient, productive, and competitive worker. Such a positive state will more likely result in a better chance of success at scoring promotions or better yet, a job that you really want, doing something that really interests you.

Career coaching is all about helping you reach your potential, rather than staying trapped by your own thoughts, fears, or insecurities about change. Career coaching isn't designed to drudge up your past, but it is about planning for your future. If you're feeling trapped, overwhelmed, or just in need of a change, it may be the right thing for you.

The Secret Ingredient of a Great Job

2007-05-10T05:09:00.000-07:00

A cartoonist, a magician, and a dolphin trainer walk into a bar…

Certain job titles seem to ooze fun. But I have a hard time imagining very many jobs that can’t be made fun with just a little bit of effort.

My wife Kim and I were in California for a series of speaking engagements. We were able to spend a few days out and about in the San Francisco area before hunkering down and getting some work done in our hotel room. We saw many examples of people who had fairly ordinary (and even mundane) jobs, but who interjected a level of fun into their work.

We bought an all-day pass for the cable cars, giving us many opportunities to witness quite a few different operators. First of all, as romantic as it may sound to be a cable car operator in San Francisco, it’s a pretty monotonous job. You’re collecting fares, handling the grips, traversing the same route back and forth, all day long. But one guy really stood out. He offered some interesting trivia, witty banter, and patiently paused at various interval so tourists could get the perfect picture of the Golden Gate Bridge or Lombard Street. His cheerfulness added to the experience for everyone aboard, and I’m sure it made the time fly by for him.

While strolling Fisherman’s Wharf, another tourist haven, we spotted a bakery that specialized in sourdough bread. It also specialized in fun. Besides offering free smells, it also offered free views of the bread making. One guy was making some very unique loaves of bread. He sculpted turtles, alligators, and crabs out of the dough. A crowd of people had gathered to watch the culinary art show. It was hard to tell who was having more fun: the bystanders or the baker.

The main ingredient used by both the baker and the cable car operator was fun.

So why bother? What difference does it make if you have fun while you work? Well, it makes for a more productive workplace (people aren’t so lethargic), keeps us healthier (75% off all our doctor visits are stress related), helps minimize employee turnover (they’re enjoying themselves too much to look for a new job on Monster.com), and can even add to the bottom line (wanna bet animal bread guy sells more bread at higher prices than regular loaf bread guy?)

I am reading a book about the great promoter, P.T. Barnum. One of the things he knew quite well was that the one thing people would spend their last nickel on, even during a period of time as tough as the Great Depression, was…fun.

Whether you spend your days in a wet suit in Orlando or in a dry suit on Wall Street, I challenge you to try and interject a little childlike fun into your workday. Not only is it good for business, it's good for you.

Essential Information About a Career in Banking

2007-05-08T04:14:00.004-07:00

Careers in banking and related fields are hot careers today, but before you decide on your career path, you may want to learn a bit more about the banking field and what it has to offer you. This particular field offers a great deal of diversity and is well paid as well, but the field is not for everyone. Read on to find out the essential information about careers in banking and decide whether or not a career in banking is the right choice for you. Career Choices in the Banking Industry

While you may only think of bank tellers when you think of the banking industry, there are actually a variety of different career choices available within the banking world. Of course, probably the most obvious is the bank teller, who deals with cash and customers. You may also want to consider a career as a customer service representative or a new accounts clerk in a bank as well, which involves opening and closing accounts, answering customer questions, and dealing with any customer concerns.

Another side of the banking industry includes those who deal with the loan process. There are loan clerks, loan officers, and loan processors that deal with various parts of loan processes within a bank. There are also banking jobs available in collections, accounting, and support areas like office managers, secretaries, and data entry.

The careers that many people have in their sights when they think about banking are management positions. There are many different management careers in the banking industry, including bank managers, financial managers, investment managers, and trust officers. While these types of positions may be better paying, they also require a great deal more work as well.

Education Needed

The education that you will need for a career in banking will highly depend on which particular career you are planning on pursuing. Some jobs, such as bank tellers or customer service managers only require that you have a high school diploma or a GED. Other jobs, such as loan officers, and investment officers, will require that you become certified within your state to sell special products such as IRA's and Annuities. Some careers in this field may require that you have a degree in business or another similar type degree as well. The great thing about a career in banking, is that once you start out in this field, many times the bank you work with will help you get the education you need to advance in your career, which can save you a great deal of money and make you an extremely valuable employee.

What You Can Expect to Earn

The earnings that you can expect in this field are quite diverse, and depend on your specific job within the field. Tellers are generally the lowest paid people in the banking industry, but still they usually will make between $8-11 per hour, and sometimes more if they have been with the same company for a long time. Clerks and secretaries can expect to make between $10-12 an hour, while customer service reps and bookkeepers will make $11-13 per hour. If you are able to climb the ladder to become an executive secretary or even an administrative assistant, you will see a significant rise in pay and will probably make between $15-17 per hour. Loan officers and financial managers usually make the most in this field, with loan officers making around $20 per hour and financial managers making about $30 per hour.

Quality Companies

If you decide that you would like to pursue a career in the banking industry, you will want to be sure that you find a job with a quality company that will pay you a competitive salary and offer you quality benefits, such as health insurance, vacation days, and 401K as well. If you are looking for jobs in banking in the United States, several companies to consider are Wachovia, SunTrust, Chase Bank, Morgan and Stanly, and Bank of America. In the event that you are looking for a banking job in Canada, some companies you may want to check into include The People Bank, Bank of Canada, and the National Bank. Once you find a quality company to work for, you can start working on advancing your career in banking and working your way up towards success.

Essential Information About a Career in Banking

2007-05-08T04:14:00.003-07:00

Career Advice - You've Been Passed Over, Now What?

2007-05-08T04:14:00.001-07:00

You sincerely believe you are the best qualified among the candidates for the promotion to manager of your department. You believe you deserve it. Your friends agree.

But, wham! The rug has been pulled out from under you. The position you would have given an eyetooth for goes to someone else. Your ego is trampled. You are mad and disappointed. You want to march in, tell the boss where to go and leave the place.

But hold on. Apply a little common sense before you go off the deep end. You've still got your job and this is a good time to consider where you want to go with your career. Force your chin up. Congratulate the winner right away. This will be painful, but it actually will help you regain your balance. Moreover, it will strengthen your position as a team player.

This is a dangerous time for you. Simmer awhile before you act. Brood and grieve a little in private if it makes you feel better. Reject bitterness; it's poison. Look beyond your ego. Sure, your feelings have been bruised. No need to be ashamed of that.

But really has all of this been damaging to your long-term career goals?

Time To Be Objective

Your greatest need at this is to understand the "why" behind the situation.

Start with a discussion with your boss. Remember, you are there to gain information, not to argue your case. Don’t beat around the bush. Admit you are sorely disappointed. Assure your boss you are not bitter or resentful. Pledge 100 percent allegiance to the team. Admit, however, that you are concerned about what has happened and what it may mean for your future.

Focus on the critical questions about what happened and why. Has your past performance and your preparation for the next step been at least up to par? Are you as qualified or better than the competitors? What might you have done to improve your chances to win a promotion?

Did you miss some signals from your boss, telling you to improve you performance? Were there any bonafide indicators saying you were a candidate for promotion? Or have you been engaged in wishful thinking?

What qualification did you not have? Will there be other chances to win promotions? What can you do to improve your qualifications for advancement?

You must listen as you have never listened before to both what is said as well as what is implied between the lines. Be aware that you will be strongly inclined to hear the best side of the story. And don’t forget, it is the most natural thing in the world for the boss to try to soften the message. Besides, if you have been doing an adequate job in your present slot he will want to keep you around. Or he simply may be testing you for a bigger assignment.

Now you are ready to get to the bottom-line. Review all of the facts. Do you agree with what you learned from your review with the boss? Have you been treated fairly? Were there legitimate reasons you were passed over? Do you care enough to take the necessary action to win the next time? Do you have a reasonably secure future in the organization? Can you be happy where you are? What are the acceptable alternatives? Do you want to find a more rewarding situation elsewhere?

Being passed over may be a blessing, although if it is, it appears to be quite will disguised. You have an opportunity to gain a more realistic view of where you are, where you want to go and what you have to do to get there. Or you may conclude you are satisfied with your present position, so you can relax with more time to smell the roses.

Secrets of a Winning Job Search

2007-05-08T04:13:00.002-07:00

It’s quite common that new graduates look for a job painfully after their graduation. The main reason behind the difficulty is their lack of real work experience. However, there are more channels than they may expect that can help them track down great job opportunities.

Post resume online

With Internet users increasing, more and more employers choose to post jobs online. You should use a reliable online recruiting website to post your resume. Thousands of employers using this service every day to search jobseekers’ resumes, so with a well-prepared cover letter and resume you will have lots of chances to have their attention.

You can visit the section “Entry level/Internship” on VietnamWorks.com where you can find many job openings suitable to new graduates.

Visit Company Web Sites

Many companies and organizations post their job openings right on their own Web sites (usually under an Employment or Career Opportunities links). Don’t lose this valuable channel to have access to interesting job openings.

Apply Directly to Companies

If you want to work specifically for Company A, send a well-written cover letter and resume directly to the company. Address to either its human resources officer or to the person who would likely make hiring decisions. As it isn't always easy to find the right person to address to; you may have to use your networking to find out.

Networking

Networking is generally the most effective job-hunting approach. Networking means you talk to your friends or acquaintances who know job openings that may not be widely advertised on newspapers or other channels of recruitment. Let everyone in your life know you're looking for a job, and give them an idea of what type of job you want. To our experience, with good networking, job seekers can win an interview overnight since the time they learn news of the vacancy.

Attend Job Fairs

A job fair is a rare opportunity to meet with employers. Many big cities host job fairs throughout the year. In HCMC, large job fairs are held every year at Universities of Technology, Economics or Agro-Forestry etc. So make sure you attend whenever possible.

Take a temp job

Often, by working as a temp for a company, you can position yourself to be hired for a full-time, permanent position that opens up later on. Even if that doesn't happen, temping can help you see various companies from the inside, meet people in your field of interest and earn some pretty good money as well.

It’s true that the more diverse your job-hunting channels, the better you can find your dream job.

VietnamWorks.com is the largest recruitment Website in Vietnam, matching jobseekers with jobs and employers with top talent via the Internet since 2002. We provide richly featured recruiting services for more than 3,000 companies and nearly 400,000 jobseekers who utilize our job-posting and candidate resume databases.

For employers, VietnamWorks.com provides the fastest and most effective way to recruit top talent. Our services include online job posting, a searchable database of freshly updated CVs, and print job advertisement in popular Vietnamese and English newspapers.

For job-seekers, VietnamWorks.com provides free access to the most jobs, the best companies, and the best resources for career advancement.

Career Decisions - Charting Your Own Destiny

2007-05-08T04:13:00.001-07:00

Being grown up and having the freedom to ‘decide’ is a goal that most of us have. However, once we have reached our early twenties, and we realize that we are actually getting a little freedom, it is not such an exciting prospect. Why? Because along with the freedom comes the need to make responsible decisions, ones that are likely to dictate the course that our lives will take.

Getting Closer To Graduation Day

As we get closer to graduation day, whether it is for our first or second degree, or continuing education courses, most people are faced with a bewildering question – “What do I want to do?” It is now time to be proactive and take life by the horns. The course of your life has already been decided by the courses you took and your experience – for better or for worse, they have narrowed down your choices.

The key to figuring out where you fit in professionally is to put your academic or previous working life on paper and send your resume to prospective employers. It is then that you will see how it measures up in the real world. When it comes to your employment-related skills, ask yourself - how do they compare with the jobs available on the market? Do I have what employers are looking for? If your answer is ‘no’, ‘maybe’, or if you answer your own question by the fact that you are not getting any calls for interviews - then it’s time to do some reassessment – and decide if you need to bolster your skills with additional training, courses or meaningful work experience.

Once your skills are solid, you should compile a list of employers that you could approach. Why? Because jobs don’t grow on trees – you have to go after them! ‘Proving your worth’ is the name of the game. Once you get a few interview calls, (and with any luck, a subsequent job offer), you need to decide if you are going to take the job or not. At this stage, it is imperative to make the right decision – weighing salary, potential for advancement and the type of company – to be sure that it is the right job for you. If you have to wait a while longer for a suitable job to come along, then do it – it will be better for your career progression in the long run.

It Is Wise To Seek Wise Counsel

Whatever stage of your career you are in, a sound piece of advice is to seek counsel from the ‘experts’, such as a career coach. Run your ideas and career options by them. A good career coach is likely to be well-informed about the current trends in the job market and is also likely to be able to tell you how a particular job choice will (or won’t) help you. A career coach works for you, so you will receive sound advice.

Whether you are changing careers or just starting out, this phase of your life is likely to be scary - but it needn’t be traumatic. By taking advantage of additional training, education and the right career guidance, you should be just fine.

Career Joy - Step Two in Aligning Body, Mind, and Work

2007-05-08T04:12:00.000-07:00

Step Two to Achieving Career Joy - Go Back to What You Love

Much of my work with individuals focuses on the desire to appreciate, nurture, and strengthen the mind-body connection and therefore, whenever I speak with someone who feels very stuck, trapped in their current situation, or entrenched in old and unproductive ways of thinking, I often suggest a very simple exercise that allows them to move, if ever so slightly, to a different place.

When people are unhappy in their jobs they often find this unhappiness permeating other areas of their life. Their relationships may suffer, they may not feel as healthy and fit, and they may make choices (unknowingly) that take them further away from who they want to be. So, instead of worrying about a complete career change or how overwhelming it would feel to take on something new, take out some time each week, and preferably each day, to spend time doing something that makes your heart sing. Maybe it is getting back to your daily yoga practice or heading out for a daily run on the trails. Maybe it is painting or woodworking. Whatever it is, decide that you are going to spend that time enjoying everything about it every minute you are doing it. Focus on the present moment and remind your body what it feels like to feel fantastic and how great it is to experience a genuine mind-body connection.

I have been amazed at how effective this is. Sometimes people spend so much time doing things that they don't enjoy that they forget what it is like to feel really good. And sometimes all it takes is a few moments of that high to remind yourself that you deserve a whole lot more.

So, don't worry about changing your life or your career if it is too much to contemplate right now. Just make sure that you spend time right now doing what makes your heart sing. The rest will come.

Choosing A New Career In Your 30's

2007-05-04T03:15:00.001-07:00

You may be wondering if a new career is what you need to get yourself more prepared for your future. Your 20’s were rough enough. You had to go to college or just start a new job. It may have been a lot of bouncing around for you to get the type of job that you really wanted. Perhaps you had multiple careers at the same time and maybe you couldn’t figure out which one was for you. Now that you are in your 30’s you are probably looking for a career that’s going to make you happy and something that will be more rewarding and fulfilling. You have to understand that your spirit will continue to grow and change no matter what age you are at. You also have to shake the old time mentality which said that you had to choose just one career and stick with it until you retired. That old mentality was great when companies were not firing people that had too many years invested in the company and actually gave you a pension. Today’s work place is entirely different. Many companies are laying off workers that spend too much time in their company because they are obviously paying them too much money. Many companies today would rather let go of a good employee that makes big bucks because they want to replace them with a cheaper employee.

Today’s work force is entirely different than what it was in the 1950’s. The older generation seems to have given their workers pensions, yearly pay raises and retirement packages. Today’s businesses usually want to give the worker little pay, no benefits and actually fire you or “lay you off” when you are making to much money. The best way to secure a financial future is to make you extremely unique. You can do this in several ways.

You must first understand yourself completely and ask yourself, “what am I good at?” Once you figure out that question, you can learn to understand that what you are good at can be expanded on. If you are a musician that plays a piano and you are good at it, it may be wise of you to see if you can play another instrument just as good. The reason for this is because you will make yourself twice as marketable because you are not easy replaceable. The more knowledgeable you are in any profession, the more that you will be sought after. Every company wants to make good money. They may decide to hire you based on the fact that they can make more money with you because they know that you have knowledge in certain areas that others do not. The more marketable of a person you are, the more job security that you will get. Make sure that you have mastered your job no matter what it is. Ask your friends to test you in what you know because they are often our best critics. If your friend would hire you to do something, then a job would also.

In today’s work force, don’t worry about changing careers because most companies will not be loyal to you anyway. They are usually looking for workers that are willing to do the job at a cheap price. What you have to do is find a company that is willing to pay you what you think you deserve. Don’t worry about holding that job for life because it most likely won’t happen. You have to live for today and save some money for tomorrow. Don’t try to find job security because it’s just not there in today’s modern day society.

More Employers Embracing the Concept of Telecommuting

2007-05-04T03:14:00.002-07:00

Just a few short years ago, telecommuting was a rare benefit for a select few. Employers were reluctant to give up the belief that employees needed watching, and that working from home really meant a day of watching soap operas, devouring chocolates, and catching up on the laundry. The traditional 9-to-5 in the office was the accepted standard for assuring that employees were where they were supposed to be and doing what they were supposed to do. For most, proof of productivity was measured by hours in the office, rather than by results.

However, with the help of laptops, PDAs, and high-speed internet, the practice of measuring productivity with time seems to be taking a few hits. More and more employers have begun to realize the benefits of telecommuting: lower overhead, less infrastructure, more productive employees, and greater retention. Some who already had programs in place for a few are expanding the programs they have to include more employees. Large employers such as the federal government are setting new standards for telecommuting by embracing the concept rather than rejecting it. There's even a new term for it now that covers not just those working from home, but those working on the road, or from satellite or client offices — "telework."

The government leads the way
Telework is viewed favorably enough that the federal government, through its Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the General Services Administration (GSA), conducts an annual survey of its own agencies to ensure that telework opportunities are offered to employees as appropriate, and that the number of employees allowed to telework continues to rise. Telework Centers are maintained as satellite office space for teleworkers, and there are extensive policies governing the use of telework as a work option. Both agencies joined together to create a joint website dedicated to their telework programs. The willingness of the OPM and the GSA to accept and utilize teleworking seems to be successful, too - the number of federal employees allowed to telework at least part time has increased by nearly 40 percent since the surveys began in 2001.

The federal government is often the forerunner in adopting new insights on the American workforce, and with the Fed setting the pace for making telework an acceptable means of conducting business, it's logical to conclude that the American workplace as a whole may adopt the same outlook. For some industries, it could mean a whole new definition of what it means to "go to work."

Telework isn't for everyone
As appealing as it may sound, however, there are those who find telework to be less than they had hoped for. Interestingly enough, this dissatisfaction isn't coming from the employers, but from employees who find themselves lonely and feeling disconnected from the office culture. Granted, it's not a majority, but for some, telework brings a sense of feeling "left out," perhaps to the extent of missing opportunities for advancement, or to influence the opinions of others with a viable presence in the office. For a few, they just miss the structure of an office and find working at home to be more distracting than inspiring. Some employers willingly welcome these folks back into the fold, while others address this by providing resources, support, and training to their telework forces that help them adapt to working from home, enable them to make better use of technology, and learn how to interact effectively and productively in an electronic environment.

The changing workplace
Today, there are more than 12 million Americans who telework full-time, and another 10 million who telework part-time. However, given the diverse nature of the workplace, telework won't be an option for many types of businesses but certainly, it's becoming a much more viable option for jobs that entail computer work, thinking, or perhaps working with numbers. You won't see manufacturers sending their product assemblers home to put things together, but you may see their accountants working at home a few days a month…or a week. Telework isn't such a foreign concept anymore. It may have once been thought of as an ineffective approach to managing work/life balance, but modern workplaces now know that happy, less-stressed employees means employees that stay longer and get more done — and cost them less in the long run.

What You Need to Know About Careers in Media

2007-05-04T03:14:00.001-07:00

When you are thinking about a career in media, you may be only thinking about the person who anchors the morning news; however, there are many more careers in media that are less obvious, but very challenging and rewarding as well. Media and the right and want to know is very important in this day, and this had made work in the media business competitive and in high demand. While working in this field is not easy, with looming deadlines and odd hours, it is a great career to consider. Various Media Careers

There are many different careers available in the media industry, and some are very high profile, while others blend into the background. One of the most prolific careers in media is as a news analyst or a news anchor. This career involves taking the news from various sources and interpreting, examining, and even broadcasting this news. Usually within this type of job there are specialties, such as Sports and Weather. Reporters have very similar jobs; however, they are usually out doing the footwork and finding the stories that anchors use on the news.

Behind the scenes of the media industry are some very important people. There are excellent careers as video technicians, audio technicians, sound engineers, radio operators, and broadcast technicians as well. While they are not as visible as reporters and news anchors, without these careers the rest would be a flop. These careers are very important and are highly technical as well, so they are in great demand.

Another career in media that many people overlook is a career as a writer. Writers often write script for newscasts and other types of news broadcasting, and they often write newspaper articles, magazine articles, and even books as well. There are great media careers in editing as well, since someone has to edit the writing of these writers. A few other careers in the media industry include photographers, announcers, translators, public relations specialists, and video camera editors.

Needed Education

The education that is needed for jobs in the media industry is dependent on your specific career, but most of these jobs do require that you have a bachelor's degree. The various technicians in this field will need to have specialized training to deal with the very technical equipment that is used in media broadcasting today. Reporters, anchors, and correspondents usually need to have a degree in either communications or journalism, although at times employers will consider those who have other majors in college as well. Writers usually are required to have a degree in literature, journalism, communications, or English. One of the most important qualifications that employers look for in this field is experience such as activities and internships in the field of your choice.

Possible Salaries

How much you make in the media industry is also going to depend on what specific media career that you have chosen. The salary spectrum is quite diverse with many average paying jobs, and a few jobs that pay extremely well. Writers and editors can usually expect to make between $25,000 and $60,000 each year, with a few making more than $100,000. Reporters and correspondents generally will make between $20,000 and $50,000 each year, while news anchors and analysts are higher paid and usually make between $25,000 and $70,000, with the occasional anchor making in excess of $100,000 per year. Various technicians, such as sound, video, and broadcast technicians usually can expect to make between $20,000 and $50,000 depending on their experience and the company that they work for.

Excellent Employers

No matter what type of career you choose in the media industry, you want to work for an employer that is fair, offering a good salary and great benefits. There are many great companies that you can work for in this industry, and a few in the United States include CBS, Fox News, National CineMedia, and Cumulus Broadcasting. Not only are there great employers in the United States, but there are many excellent ones in Canada as well if you live or want to work in Canada. Some excellent employers to consider in the country of Canada include Hollywood Canada Communications, CBC Radio Canada, World Vision Canada, and TeleToon Canada Inc.

Things To Do With Your Criminal Justice Degree

2007-05-04T03:13:00.001-07:00

A lot of students considering a civil service career think that a criminal justice degree is only good for being a law enforcement officer or, in combination with a legal degree, a criminal lawyer. Here are a whole range of criminal justice career choices that many degree-holders overlook, but are well worth consideration:

Social Work/ Personal Cases
These may include child support and child protective services, missing persons, domestic violence and spousal or elderly abuse. Domestic legal social work is often identified as having extreme pros and cons to it. On the one hand, you're working to make everyone's home life better. On the other, the work can be stressful when confronting a perpetrator or heart-wrenching when confronting a victim. Social workers will work with law enforcement officers to assess a domestic situation, monitor a case to ensure that the desires of the court are carried out, and make further recommendations to the court for the disposal of cases.

Criminal Investigators and Special Agents
Also known as "the Feds". Working in federal investigations is a whole new ball game compared to municipal police work. As for special agents, these are not limited to the FBI; nearly every federal agency has some type of special agent. These include the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division, the United States Marshals Service, the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the National Park Service. Special agent work is a way to combine a criminal justice career with many other fields of government work and specialty interests.

Immigration and Customs Inspectors
These are the public servants who control access of persons and property into and out of the United States. Quite a high-profile job lately, with today's concerns over terrorism. A challenging job, with being able to speak multiple languages fluently a big plus (in some cases a requirement). Sometimes your biggest concern will not be stopping a terrorist, but preventing a confused, but innocent person from being mistaken for one! In addition, you maybe on the spot to check or clear visiting diplomats and dignitaries from other lands.

Police Detectives
This is usually an after-the-fact officer. The law enforcement officer does the arresting; you just solve the crimes. Be aware that it's hardly the glamorous job Hollywood movies would have you believe; your reality will be day-to-day mundane tasks such as collecting forensic evidence, checking background records, interviewing witnesses, and testifying in court. Police detectives are of course categorized into many department specialties. Robbery and burglary alone accounts for a very large portion of police detective work.

Correctional Officers and Jailers
Well, that's pretty self-explanatory, isn't it? You'll be responsible for the care, custody, and control of inmates, whether they have been arrested and are awaiting trial or have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to serve time in jail. A prison or jail is a controlled environment which in many ways is a microcosm of a society, with it's own challenges to face. While the controlled environment of the jail or prison will seem a more secure niche, unexpected surprises can develop - particularly in the intake zone. And when things get out of hand in a prison, they tend to escalate quickly.

Homeland Security
Responsible to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism. Currently a high-profile job to say the least, and not for the faint of heart, but you can count on lots of federal support during this time of national crisis. You'll be working with other federal agencies as well, such as the FBI and CIA, military counter-intelligence, and the NSA. The specialties with the Department of Homeland Security include collecting and sorting data on potential threats, surveillance, investigation, and assessing and alerting other agencies to potential threats.

Private Detective/ Investigator
The number-one most mythologized profession, misrepresented in movies and television about equally with spies. As opposed to the high drama and dangerous intrigue portrayed in fiction, your typical jobs as a private investigator might include tracking cheating spouses, gathering evidence for private attorneys in civil cases, or investigating spurious claims for an insurance company. Leave your Magnum, your Porche, and your nubile blond mistresses home - but always carry a notepad and pen.

Criminal Intelligence
Well away from any street work, the criminal intelligence agent works behind the scenes, gathering data on gang members, fugitives, and organized crime and logging it into databases where it will be accessible to officers and detectives in the field. This is often an under-recognized profession but obviously essential; when the officer types a gang member's name into the computer in his patrol car and discovers the identities of the other five members of that gang, a criminal intelligence worker at the base made this possible.

Computer Crime
Not a specific specialty just yet, but dealing with the cyber-side of criminal justice is one of the most in-demand fields as the number of computers in society grows each year. You'll of course need to combine your criminal justice degree with a computer science degree. Crimes committed through or with a computer may include fraud, offensive content, harassment and hate groups, drug trafficking, and cyberterrorism. If you imagined computer viruses or email scams were perpetrated by individual kids, think again: Computer fraud and data theft is actually an international organized crime operation and a multi-billion dollar per year industry! Police departments also need forensic data analysts on hand to find and recover evidence which may be on a suspect's computer and may have been encrypted or deleted. In the future, a special department may be created within the criminal justice system to deal with this special category, as currently many police departments have to outsource their computer-related work.

This list hardly scratches the surface of every career opportunity available in the criminal justice field, but should provide a broad sample of what's out there. Far from regular street police work, there are career opportunities to satisfy every interest and skill set.

Things To Do With Your Criminal Justice Degree

2007-05-04T03:13:00.000-07:00

Forensic Accounting The Detective Breed of Accounting Careers

2007-05-04T03:12:00.000-07:00

When you ask people to give you a list of exciting careers, accounting is never near the top. The accounting career field tends to draw the sedentary folks: steady, analytical types who value security above all else. You're basically there to keep the wheels of business turning; a plumber directing the flow of money instead of water.

However, the growing shape of the global business market and the scandals wracking the business world have highlighted the increasing need for a rare breed of accountant; the forensic accountant is either an internal or external auditor who is brought in to investigate the scene of a fraud, bankruptcy, securities scandal, or other conflicted situation and prepare a report identifying what happened. It is called a forensic function primarily because it's results can be used in a court of law.

What's the job like?

There are actually many scenarios in which a forensic accountant might be needed: disputes and litigation, insurance claims, personal injury claims, construction audits, insurance fraud, royalty audits, or Wall Street scandals are some of the specialties in this field. Most accounting firms have a cabinet of forensic accounting specialists. These people are sent in the aftermath of a fraud to assess if the numbers in the books reflect reality, and if not, then identify what's really going on.

A forensic accountant does not have the luxury of being able to disregard anything that doesn't happen on a spreadsheet. They have to take the big picture into account, dealing with the whole reality of the business situation. A forensic accounting procedure will usually include investigating and analyzing financial evidence, using computerized applications to present the financial evidence, delivering the findings in the form of reports, collecting and exhibiting documents, and perhaps testifying in court as an expert witness. In addition to knowledge of accounting, a forensic accountant must also be familiar with legal concepts and procedures.

The two sides of forensic accounting - investigation and litigation support, break down into several smaller steps:

In the investigation, you might review the situation and suggest possible courses of action, assist with the protection and recovery of assets, and work hand-in-hand with private investigators, forensic document examiners, and consultants. People may lie. The books may be cooked. Keep your eyes open!

During litigation support, you may be responsible for providing the documentation necessary to support or refute a claim, presenting the initial assessment of the case identifying areas of loss, assisting with the examination for discovery, reviewing the testimony, reviewing the opposing expert's report, and assist with the settlement discussions and negotiations. Attorneys and witnesses may contradict you. You might have to keep digging deeper into a cover-up. Most of all, you will have to convince one judge and twelve jurors that you're the right person to be testifying about the case.

By no means are forensic accountants confined to an office or a courtroom. There are a wide range of industries which retain the services of a forensic accountant. Matrimonial disputes, in which a divorce proceeding needs mediation to verify the state of disputed assets, is one area you might not expect. Other scenarios might be investigating claims of business negligence, or personal injury claims.

Business economic loss investigations might cover expropriations, product liability claims, trademark and patent infringements and losses stemming from a breach of a non-competition agreement. The growing technology industry is an example of an expanding need for services relating to product liability claims and patent infringements. It's easy to show whether or not a car's defects could lead to an accident, but how would you prove that the bugs in a computer operating system led to the loss of assets when the business which used it was hacked? It's easy to show that a competitor copied your patented design for your camera, but how exactly do you defend a patent on a cursor?

A forensic accountant combines the skills of a record-keeper, paralegal, and a detective rolled into one. To be good at it, you have to have a good dose of curiosity, persistence, creativity, and discretion. You'll need sound professional judgment and confidence that you know your job so well that your knowledge and discoveries will stand up under cross-examination. Companies will live or die and defendants may go to prison based on the work that you do, so you are challenged to be at your best. It is the most challenging of accounting careers.

Some facts about Business Fraud Detection:

Small businesses are the most vulnerable to occupational fraud and abuse. Larger businesses will have a broad number of employees preventing losses and performing internal audits, while smaller companies are more trusting of their own employees.

Surprisingly, the average fraud at a small company nets more money than the average fraud at a large company! This is due to the fact that there are fewer people watching and less control over who has access to the bookkeeping. Put yourself in the place of a start-up entrepreneur: Starting your own business already requires you to work so hard that you might as well be three people already. You won't have the time to check up on every action of everybody you hire when your business is small. You have no choice but to start out with a handful of people you trust, and hope you can go on trusting them!

Companies with fraud hotlines or other ways to report anonymous tips tend to cut their fraud losses by a flat fifty percent. And more frauds are uncovered by anonymous tips than any other source. As a fraud investigation accountant, you may have to rely on the occasional "deep throat". If you have someone tipping you off to a shady practice, you will need to be sure that the information is detailed enough to give you a good lead.

Losses due to an employed perpetrator aged 50 and above are usually much higher than the losses caused by an employee in their 20's or 30's. This is obvious considering that older employees have obtained a higher level of trust and responsibility within a company. In addition, an employee nearing retirement feels that they have less risk, since they may be out the door by the time their fraud is discovered.

The Importance of "Preparing For a Job Interview"

2007-04-30T02:39:00.001-07:00

No doubt you’ll have heard the phase “failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. This is as true for interviews as anything else. Prepare well and you will improve your chances of success.

Research shows that people who prepare well for interviews:

* Feel more relaxed
* Know what the job is about
* Anticipate most of the questions they will be asked
* Have answers prepared for those questions that show them in their best light
* Sell themselves most effectively
* Come out of the interview feeling they did their best

Here is our list of things you need to cover:

* Research the Company and job and make notes. You would be surprised how many people arrive for interviews knowing little and sometimes nothing about the Company or what they will be doing day to day in the job for which they are applying. Not only will you be prepared, but you'll look professional too, right at the start. Ask to refer to your notes in the interview just to show you have prepared!
* Plan your arrival and your clothes/appearance. Do not create a bad first impression. What you say will count for more with most interviewers, but why give them anything to worry about.
* Write down likely questions and suitable answers. This is key. Too many interviewees fail because they do not expect and are therefore not prepared for certain questions.
* List some questions to ask. Even if you have none, ask at least 1. It shows you are genuinely interested and serious about choosing the right position.

Don't Fail to Follow Up

2007-04-30T02:38:00.000-07:00

You took the time to carefully craft your resume. You secured an interview. After all the time and effort you have expended in looking for a job, don’t fail to be attentive to the small details. Many people don’t consider the follow up letter to be important. They intend to send one but do not or they assume that a company will call if interested.

The job market is competitive and hiring managers may have spoken with several candidates. After several interviews, the hiring manager may forget key details of your discussion or your strengths. A follow up letter is another opportunity for you to sell yourself and reinforce your value to the organization.

A follow up letter can also help you to recover from any missteps in the interview. Even if the interview went exceptionally well, the follow-up letter can set you apart from other candidates. You should send the follow up letter within 24 hours. Depending on the company culture, this can be done by email or hard copy. If the company does not allow or encourage outside email, you can type or handwrite a thank you note. You can also use this opportunity to add other nice touches – attach an article that addresses a topic you discussed, or pass along information of interest that was uncovered during the interview. Your follow up should indicate:

1) You were attentive. Include details about what you learned in the interview – about the company, or industry.
2) You are excited about the company and want the job.
3) You have the skills/experience to contribute to their goals/outlined major projects.
4) You were listening and understood the importance of the interviewer’s comments.

Quick tips:
1) Mention names of the people that you met and any topics that solicited general interest.
2) Was there a particular topic that seemed to be a bonding moment? Include it in your letter.
3) Express appreciation for the interviewer’s time.
4) Do you want the job? Many fail to make the close. Ask for the job in a professional, positive manner.
5) Show enthusiasm for the company and the job!
6) Don’t be afraid to sound confident (talk about the challenges and how you will meet them; let the interviewer know that you will do well).
7) Even if you do not want the job, you still want an offer so follow the same protocol. At the very least, you have made an important new contact.

Good Phrases to include:
“Upon reflection…”
“I recognize the importance of…”
“Listening to your thoughts on….”

Keep the letter short, less than one page is sufficient. Add this tactic to your job search tool kit and you will not only be successful but well thought of in the process.