Planning a Career Change?

July 30, 2012

By Helen Burnett-Nichols, BrighterLife.ca
From CareerVitality

While some people are fortunate enough to find their true calling on their first try, for others, finding the job that best matches their strengths, skills and interests may call for a career change – or several as they search for it.

Vancouver resident Fannie Smith made a successful change, with the help of careful planning. After working in the tourism industry for several years, she started questioning her career path, wondering if a more fulfilling profession was out there.

The journey towards her new career began while Smith was watching a wheelchair rugby game in 2010, when she decided her true interests lay in event management for disability sports. She then began to plan her career change. After a year-long transition involving a lot of time and energy, she is now thriving in her new role as high-performance coordinator with the Disabled Skiers Association of B.C.

If a new career area has piqued your interest and you are considering a move into a new job, sector or profession, those who have made the leap say there are a number of steps you can take to help you get there.

4 New Job Search Tools to Check Out in 2012

July 23, 2012

by Joshua Waldman | From Recruiter.com

The year 2012 seems to be the year of innovation around the job search. They say great inventions come when people find a better way to solve a problem. Others say laziness is the mother of all invention. But I say that great innovations happen when millions of Americans are out of work and finding a job sucks.

So in honor of America’s comeback, here are four of my favorite innovations so far this year.

Introducing “Silicon Harbor”: Charleston, SC

June 18, 2012

By Shane Snow
From Fast Company

Despite being the 75th largest metro area in the U.S., Charleston is ranked in the top 10 fastest growing cities for software and Internet technology. Here’s why.

8 Things Graduates Should Know Before Joining the Workforce

June 4, 2012

By Yun Siang Long
From CareerRealism.com

The following career advice is what I believe to be the top eight things college graduates should know before joining the workforce. I am sure there are additional tips you can bring into the workforce but these are a great start to ensure you begin on the right foot.

1. Time Management

Time is finite. Once it is gone you cannot take it back. Once a deadline is missed there is no turning back. If you missed an assignment, you risk a lower grade. But in the working world it can mean losing a job project and the company having to incur financial losses. Learn time management skills and you end up being more productive, effective and efficient.

2. Do More, Talk Less

It’s far too easy to be convinced by people who say you can talk to impress people. And I do not deny that, but eventually your work has to be the proof that you are a good worker and you are dependable. You need to decide if you will do more and talk less or do less and talk more.

3. Being Present

Being present means two things to me. Firstly, it means be on time every time. This ranges from a small internal meeting to meeting your deadlines. It means being there when you are needed. Golden opportunities present themselves when you are present. Secondly, being present means focusing on what is the work that needs to be completed. It also means being mindful and fully aware of your surroundings.

4. Give Your Work a Routine

Develop some form of routine and be disciplined to stick to that routine. This is related to time management but goes beyond the time management that you do in the office. Have a routine for your life. Give yourself time – block off time for yourself to read or even do the chores like laundry, etc. Start to be more organized than when you were in college. Stick to this career advice even though it does not relate to career building. You will soon see the wisdom of it.

5. Be Nice

Learn to be authentic and avoid politics. Of course, sometimes it is tough not to get involved at all. But you can learn to avoid it and be real. Be authentic to your values. These are your anchors that hold you when people change and agendas change. Be nice to people regardless of rank and designation. Smile often. Say your “please” and “thank you.”

6. Compete With Yourself

Compete with no one else. Of course, no matter what is said and done, you will always be peeping at the next guy to see how he is doing in his career.

Sure, peep.

But don’t be overly affected by competition that you forget to look at yourself. Be the best you can be in this long cross country marathon, it is filled with detours and stops. When you focus too much on your competitors you may get lost. It’s one of those graduate career advice you need to experience to know what this truly means.

7. Create, Not Just Discover

Life is as much about creating as it is discovering. I hear far too often fresh graduates saying, “I need to discover myself.” But is life all about discovering yourself? It is and it is also not. Life is as much as creating the you, you want to be as it is in discovering the you that you are.

The truth is somewhere in between. So, when you get a job that is less than satisfactory for you, use it as a pedagogue to discover yourself. More importantly, use it to give you hints at creating the self you want to be.

8. Fun is in Learning

There is a lot of fun in learning. If you understand being present in my earlier advice, then you will know work life presents so much you can learn and be paid for it. Learn to love what you do and learn to love learning. Because the chance to do what you love maybe far and in between. When you find fun in learning then you will be constantly improving yourself. Learn to love books and all sorts of books. There is no need to stick to books in your own industry.

These are the eight things I consider solid career advice for any graduate. A new phase of life has just begun. It’s a long road of work from now on. There is no need to take the whole in one breadth. Take time and enjoy life while honing your skills as you move along.

3 Reasons Your Resume is Keeping the Phone from Ringing

May 29, 2012

From CareerRealism.com
by Jessica Holbrook Hernandez

If you know someone who’s looking for a job—and I’m sure you do—then you may have heard them complain about having sent their resume off to hundreds of employers, only to receive absolutely no responses or acknowledgments. I’ve heard this complaint countless times from friends and colleagues.

Part of the reason this happens so often is because companies really have become much less personal about their hiring processes. They simply can’t respond to every person who contacts them through their online application process.

However, there are still people being hired every single day. So what are they doing differently from those who never get a phone call?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

**Another recent article from CareerRealism worth mentioning: 4 Reasons for Career Gaps and How to Handle Them on Your Resume

5 Ways to Land that Post-College Job (Even if You Graduated Years Ago)

May 14, 2012

by Jessica Kleiman, Contributor
Forbes.com

For college seniors and grad school students, graduation is no longer something on the distant horizon. In the next several weeks, many will be entering a tough job market, although the good news is it’s starting to look up. According to a 2012 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), participating employers reported that they plan to hire 10.2 percent more new college graduates from the college Class of 2012 than they did from the Class of 2011.

However, with many experienced workers looking for jobs and companies still watching their budgets, it can still be quite challenging to land that first post-graduate position. In BE YOUR OWN BEST PUBLICIST: How to Use PR Techniques to Get Noticed, Hired, and Rewarded at Work (Career Press; Jan. 2011), the career guide I co-wrote with fellow Forbes blogger Meryl Weinsaft Cooper, we discuss why it’s essential for job candidates to stand out from the competition and market themselves as a valuable and unique brand. This is especially important for recent grads because many will be interviewing for entry-level jobs along with fellow graduates who have the same basic qualifications.

So what can graduates do to improve their employability in 2012? Here are a few pointers from our book.

2012 Best Places to Work for Recent Grads

May 7, 2012

From Experience.com

Experience invited employers from across the country to participate in the 2012 Best Places to Work for Recent Grads survey, and the winners are in! This exciting initiative is dedicated to identifying and recognizing the best employers for recent college graduates. As a whole, these 10 organizations offered outstanding company cultures, sweet paychecks, and extraordinary opportunities for rapid career growth. Here’s a detailed look at this year’s winners (sorted alphabetically) – including some new and familiar faces to the chart.

To see which employers made the list, please click here.

The 10 Best Job Hunting Apps to Get You Hired

April 16, 2012

Looking for a Job? There’s an App for That!
By Dawn Dugan, Salary.com contributing writer

Today’s tsunami of technology means savvy job seekers have jumped on the app wagon in an effort to give themselves the leading edge in the job search process. Mobile apps allow job seekers to search discreetly for positions — anytime, anywhere — and respond to postings quickly. There are apps that help with career planning, organize the job search process, alert job seekers to compatible positions, and can even upload and send resumes to recruiters.

This article explores the 10 mobile apps (in no particular order) every job seeker should know about.

Who Gets Promoted, Who Doesn’t & Why

April 9, 2012

10 Things You’d Better Do if You Want to Get Ahead
By Wendy Ryan and Aaron Gouveia, Salary.com contributing writers

If you’re a fast-tracker striving for career advancement like a heat-seeking missile then this is a podcast you can’t afford to miss. On this week’s episode of Salary Talk, Aaron flies solo in this interview with Donald Asher, author of “Who Gets Promoted, Who Doesn’t and Why” and “Cracking the Hidden Job Market,” who deals exclusively with career professionals who aren’t happy unless they’re earning a promotion every 12-18 months. You’ll find out why raises aren’t about past performance, being indispensable isn’t a good thing and discover why talent is a distant second to timing. Asher’s insight into the corporate culture of raises and promotions could have you earning more in no time.

To view or listen to the entire podcast please click here.

Class of 2012: More Jobs, Bigger Paychecks

April 5, 2012

From CNNMoney.com

This year’s college graduates are being offered more jobs and fatter paychecks.

Meanwhile, they have more jobs to choose from. Employers expect to hire 10.2% more graduates this year than they did last year, according to NACE’s survey of 160 employers.

These employers have posted 15,767 job openings for college graduates this year — up about 10% from the 14,341 that were posted for the Class of 2011 and more than triple the mere 5,174 job postings for the Class of 2010.

Remarkable hiring stories
But the competition is steep, with employers reporting that they have received nearly 33 applications for every job posting, up from 21 applications per posting last year.

The major in highest demand is engineering, with 69% of employers in that field saying they are hiring graduates. Business majors are next on the list, with 63% of employers hiring. Accounting, Computer Science and Economics are also among the top five most-desired majors.

Members of the Class of 2012 are being offered median starting salaries of $42,569 — up 4.5% from last year, a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers shows.

Skip to toolbar