Career Choices - 4 Steps to a Fulfilling Career

By Lisa McGrimmon


Understanding how to make smart career choices is a life skill that everyone needs. The decisions you make about your career have a profound effect on every aspect of your life. The more good knowledge and resources you have to make informed decisions, the more control you'll have over your career and your future.

Unfortunately, plenty of people believe that career choice is a one time event that happens naturally, without a lot of thought, some time in early adulthood when you're about to leave high school or apply to post secondary programs. Smart career management actually happens across your lifetime, and we continue to make consequential career choices over the years.

Whether you are looking for a new job, aiming to take the next step in your current job, completely changing your career or planning your retirement options, you are making career choices, and using good resources and the guidance of a career counselor can help you to make those decisions well.

So often when people find themselves at a career crossroads, the first thing they do is jump right in and create a new resume without putting any thought into what their next steps should be. Smart career management and job search is about so much more than writing a great resume. If you take the time to learn about, think though and act on the four main areas of career management, you will be rewarded throughout your career.

1. Understand Yourself

Your interests, abilities, values and personal needs and realities should all be taken into account in any career decision making process. You spend hours at work, and it impacts your life in many ways. It makes sense that you should be fully informed and aware of your personal needs, strengths and possible challenges before making such profound decisions.

2. Understand Your Options

Do you know how many different career choices are available to you? Both The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (American) and The National Occupational Classification (Canadian) list well over 20,000 different job titles. Unless you have actively explored a variety of career choices, there is a very good chance that there are great career options available to you, and you don't even realize they exist.

3. Connect Your Information

Match your self knowledge with your understanding of the labor market and possible career options. Once you have developed a good understanding of yourself, you will be able to combine that self knowledge with your career and labor market research to determine potential career choices that are a great fit for your strengths, preferences and personal needs and goals.

4. Make it Happen

Finally, now is the time to start applying all of your job search strategies. You actually don't get to the resume writing stage until step four. When you have made a well informed career choice, then you're ready to make it happen. Making use of good career guidance and resources will help you to acquire the education, skills and experience needed to get the job and learn and implement effective job search strategies.

Avoid taking the "ready, fire, aim" approach to making career choices and job searching. Time spent understanding your needs, researching your career options and developing outstanding job search skills, guided by great career resources, is a powerful investment in your future.

Career Choices - How to Choose Your Ideal Career

By Lisa McGrimmon

A big part of making smart career choices and gaining control over your career lies in understanding yourself. That means having a good sense of how your personality, abilities, and values work together to impact the type of career that is ideal for you.

Career and Personality Match

Ensuring a good career and personality match is an important step in building a satisfying and fruitful career, while a poor career and personality match can hold you back in your career success and happiness.

Imagine the difference between a sales professional who is extroverted and agreeable and one who is introverted and indifferent. Sales jobs tend to require an extroverted, agreeable personality profile, so that person would be more inclined to be a top performer on his or her team and truly enjoy the work. On the other hand, the introverted and indifferent individual would more likely struggle with inferior job performance, job dissatisfaction and possibly even career burnout.

A simple and effective strategy for understanding the ways your career choices and personality interact is through a valid personality assessment. Unlike simplistic, just-for-fun tests you may see in popular magazines, valid personality assessments are developed through vast amounts of objective scientific testing and volumes of psychological research to ensure they are a truly accurate measure of your personality and career options.

Match Your Career Choices with Your Natural Talents

An aptitude test can be used to assess your capacity to learn a variety of different skills. It can help you to understand the types of skills that you will likely learn easily and those that will be more challenging for you to learn.

Depending on the test that is used, aptitude tests can be used to assess everything from spatial perception to verbal ability to finger and manual dexterity. Most commonly, aptitude tests are used to assess general learning ability (your overall ability to learn and understand), verbal ability (language) and numerical ability (math).

A career aptitude test does not rely on skills that you have learned in the past. Although skills and aptitudes are related, your skills are things you have learned to do in the past. Your aptitudes are things that you have the ability to learn. So, even if you have not studied math at an advanced level, an aptitude test could still predict that you have the ability to learn math without undue difficulty.

Like interest tests, good aptitude assessments are developed using extensive objective scientific testing and research. A valid career assessment can provide useful information if you are considering training for a new career. The test will help to show areas of strength and forewarn you of areas where learning new skills may be more challenging.

If you do decide to take a career assessment test, it can help you to build a career around your strengths. You will understand yourself better, and be able to work with, promote and feel confident about your strengths.

Match Your Career Choices with Your Values

Matching values and career choices is an often overlooked aspect of career planning. Considering that the leading cause of job burnout is a mismatch between your personal values and the realities of your job, it's important to assess your values and the ways they will be expressed in your career decisions.

It can be easy to slip into pursuing career rewards that do not fit with your own value system. Society tells us to value prestige, power and a high income. If those career accomplishments are within your own personal set of values, then pursuing those things will likely contribute to your happiness and career satisfaction.

However, if you value family friendly flexibility in your work schedule, creativity and helping others, then you'll find more career satisfaction in pursuing those career goals. That doesn't mean that you're destined to be unhappy in a high paying job if high income is not one of your core values. However, it does mean that if earning a high income is not one of your primary values, that income will not make up for the shortcomings a job that goes against your own personal values.

If you decide you use a values inventory test to help you think through your important work values, keep in mind that, unlike interest and aptitude assessments, a values inventory is not a formal tool that has been validated through objective research. However, a values inventory is a great brainstorming tool to help you to assess things that motivate you and your needs as they are related to your career choices.

Often people struggle to state what they want out of their work (beyond an income), so a values inventory can help by prompting you to think through many possible work related values.

As you make your career decisions, keep in mind that some factors affect career choice in ways that are profound, but not immediately obvious. Matching your career choices and your personality, aptitudes and values is a smart step towards your career success and satisfaction.

A Positive Approach to Redundancy

The current economic environment is a tough one to navigate through, with cuts seen in public funding, the double dip of recession affecting many private companies across the sectors, and a high level of unemployment hanging over the country. For many, this means having to face the prospects of redundancy. Everyone is affected differently by redundancy. For many people it can be highly traumatic, but as with most things in life; there are two ways to try and look at redundancy if the situation arises for you; see it as a case of victimisation or take it as an opportunity to re-evaluate your career.
Even the most positive individual will feel some form of denial, anger and loss of confidence if they find themselves facing redundancy. This is perfectly naturally. But after a period of feeling low, try to regain some focus and work towards seeing this as 'an opportunity to re-evaluate your career path'. Here are some top tips:
- Treat your new job search as a project - it will require that much full time dedication anyway!
- Draw up a plan of action; include important actions that need to take place, review dates, and an anticipated 'end date' for the project.
- Take stock of the resources that are available to you, and use them as much as you can. Do you have access to an outplacement scheme? Fantastic! Engage with it early. Is it worth investing in a career coach? Think about each of the resource options available to you, even if you just dismiss them all at least they have been considered.
- Review your finances. Think about what you 'need' to earn as oppose to what you were earning. This can make you re-assess your priorities, values and even your preferred career path.
- Try not to just take up the first role that you are offered, 'just because' you are happy to have been offered something, to feel valued and to have a sense of security again. As Steve Preston says, "if you plan your campaign right, you will get offers of jobs you really want or you may decide to set up your own business or develop a portfolio career."
- Think outside the box when it comes to sourcing job vacancies. Don't just use publications, job websites and agencies; also try online and offline networking.
- Think about the individuals you have around you, and use them to as a support network; after all they will only want the best for you so surround yourself with their positive vibes, knowledge and experiences.
Above all, keep focused and motivated and learn to overcome knock backs. Good luck.
By Josie Kehoe

Five Career Decision Making Secrets

We live in a black and white, yes or no society. Often when faced with a big career decision, that built-in bias causes us to stop at two either or options. That's a mistake.
Hindsight proves that there are often multiple options available to us and just by looking at your career change in different ways and from different approaches you'll see more of those options.
Here are five decision-making secrets that will help you to see your optimum choices in foresight rather than until it's too late.
1). You know far more than you think you do.
You've been recording observations subconsciously for your entire life. You've taken in and retained much more than you think you have. You're also connected to all the wisdom in the universe. So, you often don't need more analysis or research. You do need to pull everything together that you already know and make your best decision possible from where you are with what you have.
2). Readiness to act on a new direction is more based on the existence of confident feelings than on any group of facts.
Where does confidence come from? It comes from remembering your competent experiences. Let go of your career change mistakes and look at your accomplishments. They will put you in a much more confident and hopeful frame of mind. Examine all of your options from that frame of mind.
3). Engagement clarifies. Action intensifies clarity.
By choosing your best bet and getting into action you can't go wrong. Perspective is enhanced via movement. Often you won't see your best career options until you take a couple of small steps forward. Look for ways to do that without fully committing to a new direction.
4). Write down multiple options and sleep on them.
When we live with a good question even for 24 hours our n mind seeks a solution. Often by coming back the next days and asking these questions you'll see what you couldn't see the day before. What am I missing? What else? How would a genius arrive at the optimum choice?

5). Decide on the day and time that you will commit to one option.
It's not decision- making that bothers you and causes distress but the lack of making decisions. All unmade decisions eat away at your sense of self-respect and drain your energy. By setting a firm decision date and following through, you will make the decisions and increase your feeling of competency.
ANY decision that you can see in hindsight was there and available for you to see in foresight and you'll increase the probability of seeing it by expanding your options to at least five viable options before you make the decision.
Actively use these secrets to increase the probability of making the right decision for you, the first time.
But also know this. Making decision-making mistakes is a normal part of the self-actualization process, the business building process and yes of the career decision process.
It's actually valuable to recognize our mistakes. Without mistakes we would have nothing from which to adjust and make follow-up decisions. It really is all good and by deciding and acting frequently you'll get better and better at doing what's right for you.
By Tom Volkar 

Determination Makes the Difference in Personal Development

Today I want to focus on the role determination plays in your personal development. There are many factors to being successful as you well know, but determination is one of those difference makers (one of those elements that distinguishes those who succeed from those who fail).
Have you ever put together a particularly challenging puzzle? One with a thousand or more pieces that took many hours and several days to complete? One that you wanted to keep together once it was finished?
I can remember working on a few puzzles like that with my wife and children. At the time I don't think I realized the connection to personal development, but now I do.
When the puzzles were finished we would leave them out on the table for a few weeks so we could admire our handiwork each time we passed by. Sometimes we discovered there were pieces or whole sections of pieces mysteriously out of place (possibly moved by our curious cat, or one of the kids). After a few careful reconstructions we would decide it was time to glue the puzzle onto some cardboard to make sure the pieces would stay in place.
Well, working to achieve a goal is kind of like putting together one of those puzzles. Whether it's working on a degree, setting out on a new career path, improving a relationship, building a business, losing weight, or training for an ironman, it takes a lot of hard work and time to make all the pieces fit. Once you're well on your way to achieving the goal, it's nice to step back and admire your handiwork and feel proud of yourself. But then, as time goes by, some of the pieces get out of place, and some can go missing completely, resulting in more time and effort picking up those pieces and making them fit once again.
Determination is the glue that holds the pieces of your puzzle together. Determination is what keeps you in the action mode, consistently doing the tedious, unpleasant or difficult, daily tasks that move you closer and closer to the achievement of your goals. Webster defines Determination as "the act of coming to a decision" and a "firm or fixed purpose".
When you put your pieces together, if you want them to stay there, you'll need to add the glue. Make a decision to secure those pieces together permanently. Fix your purpose and remain in the action taking mode. Determination is a difference maker - let it make a difference in your personal development
George Morse

What Are You Worth? Career Salaries Determining Your Worth

Have you ever tried asking your employer how much you are worth? They would most likely say '50k' or '70k' or '150k'. They are telling you you are worth what they are willing to pay you. Do you feel like you are worth more? Of course - it's because you value your time greatly. And you should. Time is all we have, and before you know it, it is all gone.
Your employer is determining your worth - but is this right?
Should you be basing your worth on what other people are willing to pay you? Should your time be worth your career salaries?
The answer is no - you are worth what you think you are worth. But what does this mean? It means that if you think your time is too important to be sweating the small stuff - it is. Every time you have missed an event because you were working your day job, or you have looked out the window and realized that time is marching on - and you are still trying to schedule time in to smell the roses - you need to value your time more.
But is it that easy?
No - you need to learn to value your time. You have to work out how much you need to earn to live, and then spend the rest of the time doing the things that you want! Your career salaries may be a status symbol, but all you really need is money to live - and then the freedom to live!
You need to pay yourself a wage - pay yourself to live! You ask any small business owner, any person who works from home. They will tell you that the benefit for them is that they own their own time. They have the freedom to live and do what they want to. They get paid any amount they earn - rather than what other people tell them they are worth. They decide their own career salaries!
In 2010, people are not choosing the traditional route - in fact it is only one route of many! Choosing to work from home enables you to live each day - enjoy the sunshine and feel like you have really lived!
Choose you as the number one person in your life - and determine your own worth.
Clare Sharples

5 Tips to Help You Write an Effective Resume

Applying for a job is not an easy task. You need to have a perfect resume. A resume is a concise document, which summarizes all your achievements for a particular job. A resume can be considered as a candidate’s first impression as it lists all your qualities and it is your resume, which can get you the job. A prospective employer looks for a well designed and professional looking resume. Therefore it is very essential to properly organize your resume to get your dream job. I will provide some essential tips to help you create an effective resume:
Tips to Help You Write an Effective Resume
1. Firstly you should tailor your resume according to your job needs or career field. When you begin writing your resume, you should thoroughly work on its content and composition. For this you should first make a list of all your strengths and career goals and add these relevant points in your resume and highlight it. The use of appropriate language is also very important. You must make use of positive language with short phrases and do not elaborate all your details. If you have recently made some successful accomplishments or added value to your skills then update all this in your resume. Your resume is basically a picture of yourself and the better you tailor your resume the better it portrays your personality.
2. The most important part of a resume is to mention how much you know your employer. If you have enough information about the prospective employer you can accordingly tailor your resume. This helps the candidate to get familiar with the job requirements and the company’s background and accordingly customizes his resume by including the experience relevant to the job. You must make sure that your skills, qualification and capability must match the job requirement and any irrelevant data can spoil your resume.
3. A resume’s proper format must be followed. After gathering all relevant skills and information about yourself, you should make sure to put all this in order. You must prioritize your duties and basic details for it to look more presentable. Employers look for a strong position in the resume therefore it is necessary to list your strongest position first. Avoid using long paragraphs. Instead use a bullet list to place your accomplishments as it is eye catching. Candidates should always remember to make their resume in such a way so that it is easily readable. Your resumes should grab the attention of the reader.
4. It is essential to bear in mind that including irrelevant facts will only spoil the image of your resume, for example your hobbies or activities, religion and your number of children and their ages. All this information is not what an employer is seeking in your resume. Do not mention false information or anything negative which may sway an employer’s decision in hiring you.
5. Do not use one single resume to be sent out to every other employer. It is important to modify your resume according to the company and their job needs. Although you might be looking for one single position in different companies, every company has different goals, missions and culture and thus resumes should always be modified.
By: Anna Stewart 

Grab right job with right attitude

Finding your dream job in this competitive age is really a hard nut to crack. One of the most important hurdle that come in fresher life is to find a right kind of job for their self, there are no dearth of job but the important question are you working at the right place? You could find a highly paid job but if your work profile fails to motivate you to give your best at professional front you will not be a satisfied with your career.

Searching a job in any part of the country is almost same and thanks to modern facilities and free job postings hunting for a job is not very difficult now either you are looking for part time job options in India or IT jobs in India. Online job posting is an easy way to find the right job opportunity suiting your qualification and attitude.

Be prepared with your powerful resume. Your resume should reflect all your qualities and abilities. Your resume gives your first impression to the interview board so work on it thoroughly and don’t write fake things in it. Prepare a genuine, impressive and informative resume.

Try not to be over dominant: this is one of the biggest mistakes that a fresher make at the time of interview session, just to impress the interview board or to show your leadership ability it is not required to show your dominant side be polite , impress them with your knowledge.

Don’t keep looking at your watch during the time of interview it is one of the silliest mistake you can make at the time of interview.

Try to collect some relevant information regarding company, show the interview board that you are serious about the job and you are the right person for the job.

It is not important to answer every question, if you have any doubt or not sure about the answer don’t put irrelevant points to prove your answer, just say sorry and move forward.

By: John JK Smith

Career Planning: Why is It Important for Successful Future?

Your college life is finished and now it is high time to think about future career and job. First of all, it is necessary to start with the career planning that is making some plans for future related to your future job. Career planning is necessary if you want to attain success and avoid some difficulties that you may face in the very beginning of your career path. Determine your career goal that will help you to make career planning faster and easier.

1.This goal will help you to forward your career in necessary direction. Moreover, this is some kind of motivation for you that will help to attain your preferable target. Despite the field of work you choose, career goal will become very useful in this case as it will help you to disclose all your talents and helps to apply them correctly. Career goal may be regarded as something that you wait from your future career; it is the first step that you have to take while preparing your career plan.

2.Secondly, career goal is a motivator. In order to make your career planning more successful it would be better for you to find an ideal that is the person whose success and achievements you consider the most preferable for you. This person will be your example and ideal result to strive for. Moreover, setting a career goal can help you to develop some personal skills such as self-discipline, self-assurance and respect to one’s labor.

Still, it is necessary to keep in mind that career planning is not only bright success but also some kind of disappointment and frustration. While making your career plan be ready for both, benefits and losses that are inevitable part of any process, at least at the very beginning. Try to be patient to other people and your own failures and, finally, you will be awarded with success.

By: Randy Wheeler

What is Work Appropriate Clothing? Shedding Light on the "Business Casual" Work Environment

Sounds like common sense to some, but many of us twenty somethings don't know what type of clothing is work appropriate. One thing that our parents didn't focus on was teaching the millennial generation how to dress for work. For instance, my first professional interview back in 2005 was for a part time office position. I went to Charlotte Russe and purchased a $25 capri pant grey suit set, a low-cut party top, chandelier earrings and a pair of strappy sandals. I set out to my interview with my face full of makeup looking very cute, but far from conservative. I walked in to meet my interviewer, watched her look me up and down and sat down for a 5 minute interview from which I received no call back. I didn't figure out that there was a problem until a year later when I sat down with the career services office at my college to learn interview tips. Now that I've learned the err in my ways I'd like to take the time to teach other women my age what they could be doing to miss out on job opportunities.
How to dress for an interview: Unless you have specific instructions on how to dress for this particular company you should always dress in a business suit just to be safe. Wear a pantsuit or skirt with jacket. If the mood is more dress-casual you can remove the jacket during the interview to match the interviewer's dress. Make sure that you wear a button down shirt or nice sweater underneath your jacket so that if you take it off your outfit is still appropriate. Always keep everything covered! No shoulders or cleavage revealed. Also, stick with the traditional skirt or pants. Until you know if capris are accepted by the office executives don't wear them. Capris are still on the iffy list for now. For your accessories try to stick with either no jewelry or minimal jewelry. This includes post earrings (no chandeliers or large hoops), necklaces with small pendants, and stick with a 2 ring maximum. Wear your hair in a soft, professional style without much hairspray. Stay away from styles that are high or overly attention grabbing. You want your talents and personality to get the attention, not your hair.
After you get the job: On your first week of the job you want to stick with a similar look to what you interviewed in until you get a good idea of what is acceptable or not. If they say business casual stick with slacks, with button downs or sweaters. Watch around the office at the general appearance of the crowd and you can eventually start mimicking their style of dress. It is generally appropriate to ask your supervisors about specific articles of clothing such as wearing capris or strappy sandals. Cleavage is never acceptable in an office. Stay away from low-cut blouses and anything that you would feel comfortable wearing to a party. Also make sure that any skirts you wear to work are almost touching the knee. Anything too high above the knee is inappropriate. 1 inch above the knee is best. Large earrings are only appropriate if you see your bosses wearing them. Otherwise, stick with small earrings that aren't too flashy.
Attitude: Your attitude is one of the biggest things that employers notice about you. If you are a hard worker with an excellent attitude and take every opportunity given to you, they will be less likely to critique what you are wearing and more likely to accept you for who you are. If you're not doing your job or showing a negative attitude you can be sure that they will notice every big pair of earrings, every peak of cleavage and any skirt above the knee and hold it against you. Make sure that you cover all of your bases and you will be sure to be a prized employee at your job.
By Krystal Covington

Being Judged by Your Appearance in a Job Interview

Whether it may seem fair or not, interview candidates judged not just by how they answer questions, but also how they look. How someone dresses is shown to be a reflection of who they are and how they will work as an employee. It's important to recognize some simple ways of making sure you are dressed to impress on any interview. Here are some simple rules to keep in mind.
1. Use the iron! Ironing is not a task loved by everyone, but having a clean pressed suit, shirt, dress, skirt or blouse will show that you've taken time into making a clean appearance.
2. Clean clothes, please! Make sure that your shirt or blouse isn't the one that's been sitting in the corner of your laundry pile for weeks on end. Your clothes should be clean and stain-free
3. Break out the needle and thread! If you've found that your blouse is missing a button, or perhaps your pants or skirt has a loose hem, sew it back to its rightful position. Mend your clothes before walking through to an interview.
4. It's in the shoes! Make sure that your shoes are polished and scuffs or scratches are cleaned up as best as possible.
5. Your hair! Your hair should be well groomed, brushed or combed. Women should style their hair and men should too! Bring a comb or brush with you to do any last minute touch-ups before heading into the interview.
6. All about the face! While makeup doesn't exactly apply to men, they should make sure that their skin is ready to go. They should make sure that their 5 o'clock shadow isn't saying "hello" at 9am, and that they are clean shaven or at least have their mustache, beard, goatee, etc. trimmed and presentable. Women should wear conservative but well applied make-up with a good foundation and/or moisturizer.
With these simple tips, you are on your way to having a presentable and positive interview, no matter what job you may be applying for.
By Joy C. Harrison 

Interview Technique - 6 Tips on What Not to Do

We get asked a lot to help with interview technique: The things you should do and shouldn't do when preparing for an interview. Here are a few tips and tricks outlining what not to do for your interview:
Turn up late
Never turn up to an interview late. Imagine you are the interviewer for a moment. If you were kept waiting by someone you have never met before and by someone who is meant to be trying to 'win' the job - would you be impressed by their lateness? Turning up late will reflect badly on you as it suggests that you are disorganized and bad at time keeping - which can be important qualities for certain roles.
Waffle or talk too much
Talking non stop in an interview is a bad move. This is bad interview technique. No-one wants to be talked at! An interview is a two-way conversation and so make sure that it stays that way. Make sure that what you have to say is relevant and has a point to it otherwise it's just waffle i.e. a lot of noise but without much in it.
Criticise your current employer or boss
Criticising who you currently work for is not a good idea. Even if you do not like them, do not talk badly of them or put them down. Describing them in a negative light will only look badly on you. Your interviewer doesn't want to know that if things don't work out with them you are going to bad mouth them to everyone you meet! Your interviewer will know that you want to leave your current job because you're in an interview. Whether it's because you hate your old boss or company or not - is irrelevant and isn't something you should dwell on.
Answer your phone
Turn your phone off when going into an interview. Having it ringing in the middle of an interview is not only distracting but is only rude. What is even worse is answering a call in an interview. It is disrespectful to the interviewer and implies that you are not serious about getting that job nor do you respect the person who has taken the time to interview you.
Express bad humour
Humour is a funny thing! Some people will find things funny when others will not so tread carefully here. Anything that could be construed as cruel, racist, sexist or discriminatory is a no no. Having someone try to be funny when they're not, is not a pleasant sight or experience.
Sit in silence
Being overly quiet is not a good move in an interview. Again - bad interview technique. Responding with basic yes and no answers isn't what the interviewer is looking for. They want to see energy, enthusiasm and passion for the role. They want to get to know you and see that you are interested in it. Short responses or just sitting in silence won't get anything across or give the interviewer anything to work with.
By Nisa Chitakasem and Simon North 

Answering Tough Interview Questions - What Can You Tell Me About Yourself?

This is one of the most popular questions which is usually used by employers in order to open a job interview. You should know that you do not have to consider this question as an invitation to tell your life's history. What you need to understand is that this question actually means: " Please tell us a few things about your professional experience and point out some qualities that make you the right person for the job."
You should always know that the employers do not want to hear the story of your life and this is why you should not share too much information about yourself, your personal experiences or your family. There are people who come to interviews and tell the employer where they were born or where they went to school. What these people do not understand is that the interviewer only needs a summary which can last a minute or two, otherwise they can become boring! You can prepare this summary before going to an interview in order to point out the most relevant skills that you have. You should know that your future employer wants to know where have you worked before, which were your previous jobs and which were your main tasks. Employers usually ask this questions in order to see if your previous experience is useful for your new job.
Before going to the interview, you should read the job advertisement again and choose the key words that are mentioned and the skills that the employers are looking for: a certain experience or some human qualities that the perfect candidate should have. For example, if in the advertisement the employer says that he needs " a supervisor who has great communication and management skills", then you should prepare an answer in which you should mention the experience that you have as a supervisor, which were the skills that you needed in order to be able to do your job and the goals that you managed to achieve together with your team.
Try to speak about your strengths and your weaknesses in order to let the interviewer see that you know and accept yourself really well. This will be helpful because usually, people who know themselves are confident people and companies need them in order to achieve their goals. Try to speak about your past experiences in order to point out all the qualities and the skills and which are needed for the new job.
By Adrian F Alexa

Top 20 Common Interview Questions and Answers

First and foremost congratulations if you have an interview! That in itself is commendable, so now you just want to make sure you come across in the best possible light. I have been asked numerous times what to do in preparation for interviews. Whilst there is no way of predicting exactly what you will be asked, here are 20 common questions that tend to come up. This is by no means an exhaustive list. The purpose is to illustrate the importance of preparation and refreshing your memory regarding specific projects and situations.
1- Tell me about yourself.
This is probably the most asked question in an interview. It breaks the ice and gets you to talk about something you should be fairly comfortable with. Have something prepared that doesn't sound rehearsed. It's not about you telling your life story and quite frankly the interviewer just isn't interested. Unless asked to do so, stick to your education, career and current situation. Work through it chronologically from the furthest back to the present.
2- Why are you looking for another job (or why did you leave your previous job)?
On the surface this appears to be a simple question, yet it is easy to slip. I would suggest not mentioning money at this stage as you may come across as totally mercenary. If you are currently in employment you can say it's about developing your career and yourself as an individual. If you are in the unfortunate position of having been downsized stay positive and keep it brief. If you were fired you should have a solid explanation. Whatever your circumstances do not go into the drama and detail and stay positive.
3- What do you know about this organisation?
Do your homework prior to the interview. Doing the background work will help you stand out. Find out who the main players are, have they been in the news recently? You're not expected to know every date and individual yet you need to have a solid understanding of the company as a whole.
4- Why do you want this job?
This questions typically follows on from the previous one. Here is where your research will come in handy. You may want to say that you want to work for a company that is x, y, z, (market leader, innovator, provides a vital service, whatever it may be). Put some thought into this beforehand, be specific and link the company's values and mission statement to your own goals and career plans.
5- Who are our main competitors?
This shows you really understand the industry and the main players. Think about a few and say how you think they compare; similarities, differences. This is a good opportunity to highlight what you think are the company's key strengths.
6- What would your previous co-workers say about you?
This is not the arena for full disclosure. You want to stay positive and add a few specific statements or paraphrase. Something like "Joe Blogs always mentioned how reliable and hard working I was" is enough.
7- How do you handle stressful situations and working under pressure?
There are several ways of addressing this one. You may be the sort of person that works well under pressure; you may even thrive under pressure. Whatever the case may be just make sure you don't say you panic. You want to give specific examples of stressful situations and how well you dealt with them. You may also want to list a few tools you use to help you, such as to do lists etc. It is alright to say that if you feel you are way over your head you will ask for assistance. It is equally acceptable to say that you work best under pressure if this is indeed the case and relevant to the particular role.
8- Are you applying for other jobs?
If you are serious about changing jobs then it is likely that you are applying to other positions. It is also a way of showing that you are in demand. Be honest but don't go into too much detail, you don't want to spend a great deal of time on this. If asked about names of who you have spoken to it is absolutely legitimate to say you prefer not to disclose that information at this stage.
9- What are you like working in a team?
Your answer is of course that you are an excellent team player; there really is no other valid answer here as you will not function in an organisation as a loner. You may want to mention what type of role you tend to adopt in a team, especially if you want to emphasis key skills such as leadership. Be prepared to give specific examples in a very matter of fact sort of way.
10- What sort of person do you not like to work with?
This is not an easy one as you have no idea whom you would be working with. Even if you can immediately think of a long list of people you don't like to work with, you could take some time to think and say that it's a difficult question as you have always gotten on fine with your colleagues.
11- What is your greatest strength?
This is your time to shine. Just remember the interviewer is looking for work related strengths. Mention a number of them such as being a good motivator, problem solver, performing well under pressure, loyal, positive attitude, eager to learn, taking the initiative, attention to detail. Whichever you go for, be prepared to give examples that illustrate this particular skill.
12- What is your biggest weakness?
A challenging one, as if you so you have no weaknesses you are obviously lying! Be realistic and mention a small work related flaw. Many people will suggest answering this using a positive trait disguised as a flaw such as "I'm a perfectionist" or "I expect others to be as committed as I am". I would advocate a certain degree of honesty and list a true weakness. Emphasize what you've done to overcome it and improve. This question is all about how you perceive and evaluate yourself.
13- What has been your biggest professional disappointment/achievement so far?
If asked about disappointments mention something that was beyond your control. Stay positive by showing how you accepted the situation and have no lingering negative feelings. If asked about your greatest achievement chose an example that was important to you as well as the company. Specify what you did, how you did it and what the results were. Ideally pick an example that can relate to the positions you are applying for.
14- What kind of decisions do you find most difficult to take?
There is no right or wrong here. The logic behind this type of question is that your past behaviour is likely to predict what you will do in the future. What the interviewer is looking for is to understand what you find difficult.
15- Tell me about a suggestion that you have made that has been successfully implemented.
Here the emphasis is on the implemented. You may have had many brilliant ideas, but what the interview is looking for is something that has actually materialised. Be prepared to briefly describe how it went from an idea to implementation stage.
16- Have you ever had to bend the rules in order to achieve a goal?
Beware of this type of question! Under no circumstances is it necessary to break company policy to achieve something. Resist the temptation to answer and give examples, as what the interviewer is looking for is to determine how ethical you are and if you will remain true to company policy.
17- Are you willing to travel or relocate if necessary?
This is something you need to have very clear in your mind prior to the meeting, if you think there is any chance this may come up. There is no point in saying yes just to get the job if the real answer is actually no. Just be honest as this can save you problems arising in the future.
18- Why should we hire you?
This is an important question that you will need to answer carefully. It is your chance to stand out and draw attention to your skills, especially those that haven't already been addressed. Saying "because I need a job" or "I'm really good" just won't cut it. Don't speculate about other candidates and their possible strengths or flaws. Make sure you focus on you. Explain why you make a good employee, why you are a good fit for the job and the company and what you can offer. Keep it succinct and highlight your achievements.
19- Regarding salary, what are your expectations?
Always a tricky one and a dangerous game to play in an interview. It is a common mistake to discuss salary before you have sold yourself and like in any negotiation knowledge is power. Do your homework and make sure you have an idea of what this job is offering. You can try asking them what the salary range. If you want to avoid the question altogether you could say that at the moment you are looking to advance in your career and money isn't your main motivator. If you do have a specific figure in mind and you are confident you can get it, then it may be worth going for it.
20- Do you have any questions for us?
This one tends to come up every time. Have some questions prepared. This will show you have done some research and are eager to know and learn as much as possible. You probably don't want to ask more than 3 or 4 questions. Try and use questions that focus on you becoming an asset to the company. A generic one might be "how soon can I start if I were to get the job". Another idea is to ask what you would be working on and how quickly they expect you to be able to be productive. Remember to ask about next steps and when you can expect to hear back.
Bare in mind that the interview starts from the minute you walk into the building until you leave and are out of sight. Don't think that just because you have left the meeting room, you are "off the hook". You need to maintain an image of confidence, enthusiasm, competence, reliability and professionalism throughout.
By Ana Antunes Da Silva

Keep Practicing

You've probably heard the saying 'tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand'. This is true for all knowledge and training; doing the course is all well and good but you need to be involved in doing whatever it is to really understand and become skilled in something.
You've started your self-improvement and are doing a professional qualification. Now you need to 'do' the thing that you are learning for real, to get the necessary experience. If you are in a role and this is the training that will enable you to step up into that promotion it may be that your company will let you take on some or all of the responsibility for your new skill within their organisation. Whether you are going to get paid more or not, take the chance to grow yourself. Making yourself more valuable will pay you cash dividends in the end, if not immediately. If you are moving direction completely market yourself as a voluntary worker. If your new skill is to develop a website in WordPress, find someone that needs one and do it for them; no charge. The benefit to you is the experience you will gain; the benefit to them is the finished product. When you hand over the reins of the new site to it's rightful owner ask for a testimonial; see if you can get one both on email and posted on LinkedIn. The next one, charge a nominal amount and repeat the request for a testimonial at the end. When you have completed five, start charging a regular rate and possibly at that point you will be able to think about making your hobby into a business!? Never stop asking for testimonials.
Now add some persistence to the mix. Napoleon Hill lists it as one of the essential steps towards riches in his book 'Think and Grow Rich'. Having interviewed more than 500 successful people over a twenty year period, this was one of the defining characteristics of successful people, including; Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Rockefeller and Thomas Edison. You may be familiar with the expression of it taking someone ten years to become an overnight success. He quotes a number of actors and singers during the early 1900's who gave their talents freely until someone snapped them up and offered them significantly large sums to perform in paid roles.
Couple persistence with experience in moving towards your dream and you will be successful too. Persevere to use your new skills. Keep offering them until someone accepts your offer and then build from there. Few people have achieved success without experiencing numerous setbacks. Harry Potter was rejected by twelve publishers before being published! Apple, Harrison Ford and Simon Cowell all have their own stories of making it, no matter how it seemed it was going to be otherwise at one point in time.
Remember; 'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit ~ Aristotl
By Julie Holmwood

Employment Guidelines For Fresh College Graduates

You are fresh out of college and wanting to get that first post graduate job. Do not make the mistake of filling your resume with fluff. Keep in mind these points when making that first resume.




Take the time to draft an objective statement for each job to be included in your resume. This shows the potential job meets your goals. It will also be looked at by hiring employers.



Stick to an objective statement that is on target for the job you are submitting your resume for. Sell them on how much you know about the job and how you plan to contribute to the company.



Experienced workers can start their resumes with an experience section. You most likely cannot. You have to sell yourself in other ways. Down the road a few years you can switch your experience to the top.



The top of your resume will cover your academics. This will include the college you attended, grade point average, honors, and achievements. If you did any volunteering or community service you can list it here.



Employers are notorious at skimming resumes. It may not seem fair but in the busy work world that is the facts. They are not going to want to read more than one page even of someone with experience. You want to keep yours to one page. Hit the important parts of your academics and experience and this should be easy goal to meet.



These same people who will not read over one page will also throw your resume out for spelling or grammar errors. It makes the wrong impression to have these errors. Check your resume several times before submitting it.



Errors make the impression you are not professional and can land your resume in the discard pile. The extra time you take perfect it will make a good impression on a potential employer.



Robert Shorn

How to Create the Perfect CV or Resume

Given the financial climate and the increased competitiveness for jobs it is essential that you do everything in your power to give yourself the best possible chance of succeeding. CVs are what get you the interview, so make them as perfect as they can be. If you are to create a positive impression then your grammar, punctuation, spelling and expression must be perfect to show to the potential employer that you can be relied upon in the workplace, that you have a close attention to detail and that you really want the job. Writing your CV takes much longer than most people think, therefore try to spend 10 hours at the very least on making sure that it is faultless. You will probably need many more hours of research before you actually start writing it, however, when you have a completed document that really showcases your skills you will realise that it has been worth it and will inevitably open up a lot more opportunities for you.
CV Effectiveness
You can only really know how effective your CV is when looking at it in relation to the sector you are hoping to break into. There are many things that you can do to ensure that your CV is targeted well to your industry, for example, you should mention the key skills needed for being a winner in that particular sector. For a CV to perform for you it should not be general but must completely highlight all of the relevant skills that each job involves, this will make you a success. If you decide to target another industry then your CV would need to be rather different and I would suggest re-writing the whole thing. A good idea is to write up to 3 different CVs if you want to apply for three slightly different jobs. This is to optimise your probability by being specific and using existing experience in a manner that can illustrate your suitability for the job. They basically have the majority of the same information but it is written in a completely diverse way and some skills were emphasised for a distinct role. This will serve to make all of your experience and education as relevant as it can be to the job in question.
Does the business have a website? Have a look at it and ask yourself these questions.
· What is their ethos?
· Who do they employ?
· Would you feel comfortable working for them?
· Do you have the required skills and experience?
· Are you able to talk about the business?
· Are you excited about their plans?
Another tip is to look at the job advertisement and the things that the company expects from an employee. You must note that it is essential not to make things up as this is dishonest and will catch up with you in the end. You must always be truthful about your qualifications and experience, but this method of checking all job requirements on an advertisement is effective as it may have mentioned some things that you wouldn't have thought were important, but you know you can do. It may additionally inspire you to think about more of your attributes that would tie in with that particluar role.
You should not copy and paste the job requirements into your CV either in an struggle to be the most appropriate candidate, this will become glaringly obvious to an employer and make you seem lazy and like a fraud. If you find it difficult to express yourself in a different way and are trying to say the same thing, you could try a good thesaurus to make your sentences 'active' and full of buzzwords. Or perhaps you could get one of your friends or your family to read over it and give you their opinions. Having lots of criticism here will be of great benefit to you as you can see what ideas and methods will work. Try to not take advice personally or to heart, it will only do you a disservice. Look at it like it is something that you must pick apart thoroughly, be as negative as you can as this will only help you enhance it and be of better advantage to you in the end. Omitting as many weak points as you can at this stage will guarantee that your chances of gaining an interview have increased substantially. Be as critical as you can with yourself to succeed.
When asking friends or relations to read over your CV, get them to answer a few questions that will help you to comprehend the strengths and weaknesses of your CV better.
· In what respects is this CV different to others that you have seen?
· How would you make it stand out from hundreds of others?
· What are the negative and positive aspects of my CV?
· What was your initial impression of my template?
· How relevant is it to my chosen industry?
Fashion sentences that really appeal to an employer and illustrate your passion for the vacancy. There is nothing a potential employer hates more than picking up a new monotone and predictable CV, especially if they have over 300 of them to read! Show the reader that you are confident, enthusiastic and proficient. display that you are someone that they would love to work with and be part of their team. If the overall tone of your CV represents someone who has no self confidence an employer will likewise have no confidence in you. Don't supply them with reasons to doubt your passion or sincerity, make them realise that you are a extraordinary candidate that they must hire before someone else does.
Kathryn Peters

Move Up in Your Career With a Resume That Says "Can Do!"

Do your career ambitions include a promotion to greater responsibilities? Are your efforts to move into management getting you no where in the job market? You are not alone. One of the most common career challenges is moving up the corporate ladder. As a career coach, one of the most frequently asked questions I get is "how can I make my resume convince employers I can do the job when I don't have management experience?" Let me share with you three tips for transforming your resume into a tool to help you move up in your career.
1. Emphasize strategic activities.
Transitioning into management generally means going from tactical responsibilities to strategic planning. Meaning those in management plan the work of others. Employers want to know how closely you have been involved with strategic activities. Perhaps you've worked with a team that came up with strategic solutions. Maybe you've assisted your boss in devising a better way of doing something. It could be that you took initiative to develop a more efficient system of operations. Use these examples in your resume to show that you understand what it takes to be a strategic thinker.
2. Emphasize your accomplishments.
Employers are always looking for individuals with drive and initiative to promote into management roles. What better way to illustrate your potential than through your accomplishments. Think back on the challenges you've met on the job. What problems did you fix? How did you contribute to corporate bottom-line objectives? Can you prove your worth by the time you've saved or the costs you've cut or procedures you've streamlined? How well have you contributed to the income or revenue growth of your company? These are issues on the minds of all hiring managers. Include accomplishments in your resume that illustrate your ability to solve the problems of potential employers.
3. Emphasize your leadership skills.
The hallmark of great management is the ability to lead others. You don't have to have had the role of manager to have opportunities to lead. Challenges represent opportunity to exercise leadership. Anytime you were able to motivate others, you practiced leadership. Mentoring is another example of leadership. Training others is yet another form of leading. Taking part in a team that solved significant problems is a great way to show your leadership potential.
So, you see, there are many ways to illustrate in your resume your ability, skills and drive toward management. Remember, employers look for potential as well as actual management experience. Write your resume with these three tips in mind and you'll soon see career growth opportunities knocking at your door.
Deborah J Walker

Career Ambitions and Objectives

Working on with Career Ambitions and Objectives means necessarily arranging and evaluating one of the most profound and important aspects of starting and continuing with a career. There will be several things that will come up in front of you when you start deciding your career objectives and working parameters. However, it is very important to hold the planning of objectives at the beginning of everything else. One small wrong step can really change a lot, so try to focus on your own interest and passions and thereby access the job scenario and try to overlook the future just to find out the coming economic situations. The best way to plan your career on objectives is to find out your own inclinations and focus on the job that you want to do by keeping all the factors considered as best as possible.
The primary focus should be on you
While deciding on the career ambitions and objectives try just to keep in mind that you are opting for a job. Thus, it should be based on your own interest and natural urge. You should first evaluate what you like doing the most and what you have actually wanted to do since childhood. Your satisfaction holds the key to how you will possibly do in a job. When you are unhappy, it is very natural to fail and not achieve anything at all. Try not to compromise with your interest rather try to suit and frame other factors within this to build up better job objectives.
Work on your strengths and learning capabilities
When it comes to finding out objectives in a career it is better to keep yourself focused and hold on to your patience. Just do not jump into a job and rather try to clear out all doubts and build up on the various factors in a slow way to fit the jigsaw better. Sometimes though you work hard and find out a very suitable job, which actually considers your skills there still might be some requirements left. You actually would need some career help then that is just trying to get in touch with a few good places and thereby acquire a training to be placed better on the job. Thereby you must possess quick learning capabilities and get all geared up to learn fast and get what you deserve through proper career ambitions and objectives.
The economy and your financial needs
Deciding on the career ambitions and objectives also includes an assessment of the future from before hand. Once you are working with your skills and various other work objectives be sure to keep an eye on the future. Analyze the past and the present and thereby chalk out how the economy is going to turn out in the future. You are definitely working for job satisfaction, but money is really a big requirement so focus on this area and try to plan for a good paying job that will look after your future whatever circumstances may come.
When you are deciding the career ambitions and objectives be sure of every aspect and try to cross check every detail. There is no place, where you can go wrong, from your skills and strengths to the other governing factors everything is to be given equal weight age to achieve better jobs and successful careers in the future.
Silas Reed

What Skills Do I Need For Career Planning?

When you are looking forward to plan a career for yourself the first and the most important thing that you will need is to highlight your strengths and skills and thereby plan projecting on them. Understanding your own interests and inclinations will help you plan the career better and more judiciously. Firstly, you will have to work with the factors that govern your career choice or your decision. Then just work on the suitable skills that you feel will help you work the best and attain great heights in the path you choose. Just sort things within yourself, as to what career you want for yourself then just put forward the skills that will help you.
Assessing yourself and others
When you are thinking of career planning just remember following a few steps will help you to not only assess and plan your own career but help others as well once successful. There are definitely a few skills needed for career planning that will help you work better irrespective of the path you choose. That is assessing your skills and the requirements of a particular job. Firstly, you will have to work on the skills and the strengths that you possess thereby deciding on the job that you want to work in. once you have chosen the job and the position that you want to apply. You will have to concentrate now on your positive points once more to see how well you will fit intro the position you are considering. This is the primary assessment to begin with.
Leadership qualities and the ability to handle situations
Just wondering -what skills do I need for career planning, is not going to help you achieve anything. You will have to possess certain job planning skills as well to help you work better on the day-to-day basis and achieve better results. This is the leadership skills that you need. To be organized and present yourself in the best possible way, where you are ready with your strengths every time will help you achieve better with the subordinates and even the superiors. Practical knowledge is thus very necessary to bring out the best in you on the regular basis rather than a very high educational background.
Communication is the key to success
When you have worked on the main two parameters of career planning, you will still ponder over the question of what skills do I need for career planning? Never mind there is still quite a bit left before you can say you have actually perfectly handled the planning part. This is the employment planning skills, which becomes important in a moment. Yes when you are looking forward to a regular job the most important skill in fact, that will surpass and cover up all other strength of yours is the communication skills. Being able to talk to people with confidence and handle the worst of personalities in minutes and also speaking and sorting the best way is the key to success when it comes to handling a proper position.
When you have worked exactly with these ways in the best possible way there is no loopholes left to keep wondering, what skills do I need for career planning. You have almost most successfully handled your career and planned it the best way to get a job and survive in th9s competitive professional world. Once you have worked, the best for yourself try to plan for others and who knows soon you will become a successful career planner yourself.
Silas Reed

Can You Help Me Find a Job?

When are you going to find me a job? Can you help me find a job? Why haven't you found me a job? Those are the questions many job seekers want to know when they follow up with a recruiter or a staffing firm.
Recently, there have been cases in which job seekers have experienced what is known as Job Hunting Depression because they have tried so hard to find a job, and have interviewed with multiple staffing firms, yet did not receive any requests for job interviews. Additionally, some of those same individuals have applied online for several jobs, only to experience rejection, and in many cases, no responses at all.
As their job hunting frustration grows, those questions might become more agitated and they might ask: Will I ever find a job? Am I capable of being hired? Why won't anyone hire me? The sad thing about this scenario is no one should ever solely depend on a recruiter, a job board, or any person for that matter, to find a job.
If you are searching for a job, or wondering how to find a recruiter, you must realize that most headhunters/professional recruiters receive hundreds of applicants each week. While many do their best to help each person, it becomes nearly impossible to give individualized attention to most of the applicants.
Some staffing firms waste job seekers time by having them come into their office, fill out a ton of paperwork, and still do not have any jobs for them, nor return their calls. That's a shame; however, it happens. How can you avoid this and get the help you need?
First of all, by the time you contact a staffing firm, you should be miles ahead by establishing a job hunting plan for yourself and marketing yourself to employers. Contacting a staffing firm should only be used as a way to ensure you have covered all your bases by allowing an agency to take a look at your skill sets to possibly present you before employers you have not contacted as of yet.
Job placement agencies should not be used as your primary method of finding work unless you are in a situation in which you are already working, you have a well established relationship with a trusted, experienced recruiter, and you simply want someone to keep their eyes opened for opportunities.
Secondly, when you talk with the recruiter, make sure you communicate that you are willing to meet with them and discuss your skill sets in greater details; however, you need to know if they have a position available for you before you spend one half of your day meeting with them.
If a recruiter can't tell you that there might be job openings in your field of expertise, and he/she only wants you to come and complete an application to find out what's available, you have to weigh you options because it could be a complete waste of time.
If extensive travel is involved, and/or you have to take off from work to make that interview, I would warn you to think twice before going. At the very least, the recruiter should be able to tell you this statement: "I do have some potential openings in your field; however, I can't guarantee you will be considered as a candidate until I conduct an in-person interview with you and discuss your background in greater detail."
Quick Job Tip: The best way to use your time as you search for jobs in a tough economy is to develop a list of potential employers, and contact them to set up your own job interview without a resume.
Remember, not all recruiters are bad and many do their best to help people; however, you never want to find yourself depending on others for your financial stability.
The next time you are tempted to ask someone: Why can't I find a job? You may want to turn the question back to yourself and ask: Why am I waiting for someone to help me find a job? It's time to become a proactive job seeker and become less dependent on others to find work.
Zenja Glass

Top 5 Ways to Make Yourself More Marketable While You're Unemployed

Does this sound familiar: you've been out of work for more than a few months and you're at your wit's end. Your resume is posted on all the social networking sites; you've contacted every former colleague and old high school buddy you can think of; and you've applied to every job posting in your field since last November.
You're stuck and don't know what to do next.
While you're obviously going to keep job hunting, here are some out-of-the-box ideas that will not only keep you busy, but they'll help build your resume while you're out of work. Who knows--they may just even lead to your next job.
Live and Work Abroad
Maybe once upon a time you dreamed of packing up your things and moving to another country, but you were worried about what it might do to your resume. If you're out of work and looking for what's next, now might be the perfect time to work and live abroad.
Living abroad will not only give you a chance to experience another culture and learn another language, but if you play your cards right, you can get paid to do it. Working as an au pair, or working for one of many English-teaching programs, for example, can provide you the funds you need to live and work in Japan, Korea, France, and a whole host of other countries.
Volunteer
One of the worst things about being unemployed is being stuck in the house all day. Get back into the world by volunteering. Helping out at your local animal shelter, homeless center, or religious organization will get you out of the house and around people.
In addition, it will help fill that gap on your resume, give you a sense of personal fulfillment, and it may even introduce you to a potential contact, client or colleague.
Freelance
These days, many companies would rather hire a short-term consultant than hire another FTE (full-time employee). You may not realize it, but you probably have marketable skills that could help you work you way to your next job, and bring in some serious cash while you're doing it.
Think about what experience you have, and how you can market yourself. If you worked in marketing, advertising, public relations, or communications, you probably have the writing skills to work as a freelance writer and editor. If you're a former IT/computer science professional, try offering your web design services to smaller companies and start-ups who can't afford an in-house webmaster. If you once worked as an art director, take your skills and start a freelance graphic design business.
In addition to earning a few extra dollars, freelance projects can help grow your personal network and portfolio, and may even lead to a relationship with a future employer.
Brush Up on Your Skills
If you graduated from school awhile ago, chances are your industry has changed slightly since you last hit the books. Take your time off as an opportunity to get up to speed on the latest technologies, software products, and paradigm shifts in your career field.
A fast, inexpensive way to update your education is to take a certification class. Certification classes can range from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the level of commitment and information you are seeking. Best of all, they can show a future employer your personal drive and motivation, as well as add a continuing education component to your resume.
Find Temporary Work
If a full-time position just isn't presenting itself, consider employment at a temp agency or staffing firm. These organizations will test your skills and then match them to a company who needs a worker to fill in for another employee who's out sick, on vacation, or on maternity leave.
While some positions are short-term and may only last a few days, other "temp-to-permanent" positions can segue your temp job into a full-time career. Either way, these opportunities give you a chance to network, add to your resume, and put some money in your pocket
Noel Rozny 

Tell Me About Yourself - 7 Key Strategies to Sell Yourself in an Interview and Land That Job!

So you have landed an interview for a job and want to sell yourself well. When attending an interview be aware of these 7 key strategies so as to deliver a great interview and land that job. Preparing for an interview can be hard, however it is advisable that you put in the time and effort if you want to stand out.
1: Do not digress from the question asked. Keep it brief and relevant
When asked a 'Tell me about yourself' question, the tendency is to oversell ourselves however be aware of not talking too long or digressing from the question. What the employer wants to know is how useful and suitable are you for the role not the ins and outs of your daily life or personal history from way back, so keep your answer 'short and sweet' or else the interviewee will lose interest and become bored.
2: Good eye contact
If faced with one interviewer or a panel remember to give eye contact to all members it demonstrates confidence and creates a good impression.
3: Over gesticulation
During an interview gesticulation is sometimes needed but be aware of not using it to cover up nerves or over emphasizing a point. It can be annoying to the interviewer when an interviewee is constantly over gesticulating.
4: Prepare for the interview
What do I mean by 'Prepare for the interview?' Re-read the job description and specification and ask yourself what sort of person is required for this role. If it is a customer facing role sell all the skills you have which show that you are a people person, that you can build a rapport with customers, and that the customer is valued and important. This requires you to read in between the lines of the job description and have your answer tailored to it.
5: Show keenness and motivation
When asking interview questions show keenness to learn new skills and where you may be inexperienced in a particular area demonstrate how your transferable skills fit in with the role. Demonstrate that you are willing to learn, can adapt quickly and complete what's asked of you. Do not forget, you will be one in a number of people being interviewed for that role so show spark.
6: Self belief, all round skills and experience
Self belief is so important as well as all round skills. What do I mean by this? An individual who has a Degree may not be hired over a person who has none. This is because experience is sometimes placed higher than qualifications as employers want someone who can demonstrate a 'Can do' practical attitude. So when asked 'Tell me about yourself' sell your experiences whether paid or unpaid, as well as relevant work experiences carried out at home/personal life.
7: Reach out
So you have applied for a job and were fortunate to have secured an interview. Great! Now you are concerned about your lack of relevant experience of that role and believe you won't get it. Yes, it is annoying to get selected for an interview then later find out that your transferable skills will not work for that particular interview so what you should do is to speak to someone working in that firm who can tell you not only about the role you're going for but can answer the questions that are on the personal specification. Their time may be limited however, so let them know you appreciate their time and help. Also, read up about the firm for which you have applied for and make sure you get an all round grasp of what the role entails on a day to day basis. Yes, it is a lot of research but it'll pay off.
By Samantha Elutilo 

Career Advice: Five Reasons Communications Fail

No one doubts that effective communications are essential to the success of any organization. But not everyone succeeds at this critical task. There are five reasons for this failure.

Organizations spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on employee attitude surveys, newsletters, brochures, videos, audio cassettes, face-to-face meetings, and other tools of internal communications. Big bucks are invested in training managers to be better communicators.

Yet large numbers of employees at every level give internal communications poor grade despite all the investments of time, money and effort. The result is a "trust gap" between employer and employee.

Many managers have no idea that their communications efforts are not working. In a survey for Fortune magazine, 8 out of 10 chief executive officers said their corporate strategy is understood by "everyone who needs to know." To the contrary, it was found that less than one-third of employees think management provides clear goals and directions.

Less that fifty percent of employees approve of their employers' efforts to communicate what's happening with their jobs, according to a survey by Opinion Research Corporation.

Another study found that when top management does put out information, only about half of the employees have a positive response to what they are told.

The result of all of this is a loss of direction; a declining sense of loyalty between employer and employee; sagging morale; and loss of productivity.

Internal communications fail for five basic reasons.

1.Failure To Listen

Despite career advice to the contrary, most management efforts are made in sending messages rather than listening. This ignores the fact that communications is a two-way street.

Management sends out a blizzard of communications without ever taking the time to listen to see if the messages are being received, to say nothing of understood.

2. Sporadic Communications

Organizations cripple their ability to communicate and lose credibility with a program that is "on again-off again." This condition usually manifests two ways.

Employers are frustrated when employees fail to understand what is expected of them. Furthermore, they don't care. The solution is "We need an internal communications program". There is a flurry of activity; the situation shows some improvement. The communications program dwindles and dies, to be resurrected only when another crisis in employee attitudes develops.

In another scenario, things are going along in good shape for the company and management is actively communicating the good news to the troops. Suddenly there is bad news ... Sales and profits decline or the company is subjected to a class-action lawsuit. The iron curtain drops and all communications stop, to be resumed only if and when things get better.

3. Dishonest or Misleading Communications

Some companies are foolish enough to believe they can outright lie or mislead their employees. That never works for long.

4. Actions Don't Jibe With The Words

Management sends out messages that are contrary to their actions.

Such managers write articles saying, "We are all in this together ... one big happy family." Then they push their salaries to astronomical heights while holding pay raises for the rank and file below the rate of inflation.

They forget that actions speak louder than words.

5. Communications Are Confusing and Irrelevant

Management fails to communicate in clear and effective languages that everyone can understand and can relate to.

Fluff instead of facts fills the communications media: news of brides, babies and dead fish, plus canned cartoons and fillers. A warm and fuzzy climate is induced while the issues that deal with the health of the business are ignored.

It is very difficult to change these conditions. However, if this is the case in your workplace, you can make a start toward improving the situation by being sure you are communicating with your associates and your boss. Open a dialogue with your boss about the problem and suggest ways to open the lines of communications.

Your performance and that of your organization will improve with effective communications. 

Ramon Greenwood

Factors Affecting Career Choices

To secure life with a good job is probably what all of you look forward to. Choosing a career is only a small step towards that, whatever career you choose at the end of the day it is security and money. Then again, several factors come up as soon as you try to opt for a career. As you are seeking for security, you will be lead into a gamut of factors ranging from personal to financial to professional that will decide the career you choose. You cannot really avoid anything and have to follow the laid out path to achieve the right career for you, yet taking the right decision is necessary.

The qualities within you
The decision of a career is firstly based on what educational qualification you have or is looking forward to having. It is based on your personality and the path or field you have inclination in that will decide the job for that you will apply. Your ideas and your skills play the basic factors affecting career choices. But then again several things will come up along the process of career selection that will actually result into molding your original inclination or choice. However, you will have to remember one thing along the whole procedure that is keeping your confidence level high. There will be certain factors that will really be very important and you will have to give them importance to select the career. Then again try to select the path which best fulfills every need yet makes you happy working on it.

The personal bends
Most of you those who have parents working will try to select the path, which you have seen them following for so long. Whereas there will be other factors that affect careers cropping up for the others as well. Like the financial conditions at home, or the pressure of opting for a particular job created by your parents. In either case, not hurrying through the options for sheer easy success will only lead you to more trouble. Just try to make the best of your wishes within the things that affect job options. The personal factors affecting career choices will always prevail in the society but every individual have to make there way out for the best.

The society and the economy
Sometimes it might be sheer luck that, while looking for a career and a job you will land up within favorable economic conditions. However, there will be times when the conditions are truly unfavorable. How to make good career choices within these circumstances is a big question. Just defying the things that affect job opportunities will only lead you to more problems. Thus, what you require is clear understanding of the situation and working extremely patiently within these situations. Take decisions very carefully and keep in mind the way you want to work. Do not compromise the work satisfaction in any way.
Do not chose a career in haste however, bad the conditions around you might be. There will always be various factors affecting career choices, prioritizing your requirements and staying firm on your decision of career will only help you adjust within any circumstance. Financial worries or even sheer pressures will be enough to push you out of your chosen path. However, stay strong and opt for some career option that will grant all your wishes yet fulfill all other requirements. This is bound to take time so keep the patience meter on.


Silas Reed