Archive for September, 2008

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Once you find that there is no job satisfaction and need a change it is better to do so as you will not be happy doing a job that you do not enjoy. You should ensure that the new job is something that you are happy doing and that will give you more satisfaction than the previous one. Do not just opt for a change without doing some research on the new job and then find that it is not suitable for you.

Get enrolled in a career transition program

To make this transition easier you should get enrolled in a program that assists career transition. An expert will evaluate the kind of job that you should change to and with their guidance you will be able to make the right choice. There is no point in trying to get into something that you have no knowledge about and where you will feel de motivated soon because of lack of any information in the field. Instead it is better to get into a line where you are sure to succeed and further your career. A second choice would be to change your job description but remain in the same field so you already have an idea of how things work here. This kind of a change would make it easier for you to handle as you have prior working knowledge in this industry. Once you have good information on the working structure in any field you will be able to adjust to a new job description much faster and with more ease. Read the rest of this entry »

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That uncomfortable feeling … A self assessment of when to consider a job change.

I spoke to a friend yesterday, who asked for some advice. It seems her sales job wasn’t going as well as she had hoped. She wasn’t making enough money to cover her expenses, and she was "starting to feel uncomfortable". Feeling uncomfortable is our internal warning system. Remember the Robot from "Lost in Space", who would announce "Danger, Will Robinson!" We all have that Robot inside us, that internal gauge that tells us if everything is good, or not. But how do we tell if this bad feeling is temporary, or something that we can overcome?

My friend has a dilemma that many people see in their career. She had moved 4 months ago to a sales role, after 3 months of training. On one hand, she’s getting negative feelings from her boss….On the other hand, she’s only been in her new role for 4 months. New and heavily commissioned salespeople often struggle and feel this way at the 90 day mark, and don’t start seeing results for 6-12 months, depending on the company/product/service. Veteran salespeople know that the start-up phase of a new job is challenging.

Should I Stay or should I go?
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Hiring practices, from job screening to interview construction, have undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade. Despite all the changes, common resume myths continue to plague job seekers’ strategies at all levels. This article attempts to debunk some of these myths.

Myth 1: It’s all about the number of pages.

The one-page rule is probably the most common resume myth. Candidates, even senior executives, use microscopic fonts, leave off important information, use 0.1 inch margins, and resort to a myriad of unhealthy practices — all in an attempt to restrict their resume to just one page.

Many well-meaning college counselors advise their students to be concise and limit their resume to one page. That was important when you were a student with little or no experience, but why subscribe to the same wisdom after rising to the ranks of senior executive?

However, there is an opposing viewpoint. Some job seekers mistakenly believe that if they can somehow balloon their resumes to four or five pages, then they will be considered for higher-paying positions. What? Will someone offer me $250,000 simply because my resume is ten pages and redundant?

No. In every instance, content rules. The quality of experience should influence the length of the resume. If you have held only one job, then don’t try to create a five-page resume. If your background merits a lengthier resume, then don’t use eight point fonts in a desperate attempt to fit everything on one page.

Myth 2: Make up that degree - no one will know.

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Your Multi Pronged Job Search

Conducting a job search when our news is mired in negativity regarding topics such as failing economy and unemployment rates higher than they have been in five yeas can engender resignation.

Jason Mannino specializes in helping people live the life they were born for through Wholeness Coaching. Wholeness Coaching supports people in realizing full potential.

However, I encourage you to engage in practices that are nurturing and that support you in keeping a positive attitude.

Do whatever it takes to maintain an “attitude of gratitude” and state a clear positive intention.

Also, keep in mind that there may be fewer jobs available this year than there were last year. But intrinsic in this statement is that fact that jobs are indeed still available.

Companies are experiencing cutbacks, but they still need talent to function.

Finally, the job market will pick up again. Companies don’t downsize indefinitely. In no time they’ll be expanding.
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The highest paying occupations demand leadership. Are you a leader? Leaders are not born. They are developed over a period of time.

Learning, growing and developing are some of the hallmarks of success. They are the blood, sweat and tears that all developing people must experience.

When you learn, grow and develop, the fact of whether you succeed or fail comes with the total package. Mind you, we all pursue success, but we all don’t attain it.

Get Rich Quick Schemes

The important ingredient here is the journey. Your growth and development are far more important and richer than success. In fact, they are priceless. Get that under your belt and success will eventually be yours for the taking.

This is the price to be paid for success. Are you beginning to see why get rich quick schemes have no place among the highest paying occupations?
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OK, so you’ve written your resume, you’ve done 3 versions for specific job criteria, and you’re drinking the Koolaid of sending fewer, but more targeted resumes. You’re on the right path to searching for a new job.

TIP #1: A high page rank on Google Searches is a simple reason why LinkedIN is a must for any Job Seeker today.

Your resume will help you reply to job listings, but it doesn’t help employers FIND YOU very well. Job Search 2.0 is about getting found, and getting noticed. It’s more than just creating a brand…it’s creating Subject Matter Expertise (SME), then publicizing your SME, amplifying your SME, and virally marketing your SME.

Wouldn’t it be nice if your job search consisted of evaluating numerous job offers, consulting gigs, and overtures for your help? Who wouldn’t enjoy the attention and the validation of your life’s work? When you’ve successfully virally marketed your subject matter expertise, is gives you such an unfair advantage…because employers seek YOU to solve their specific problems.
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How to ace telephone interview

Make the most of a few seconds to create a great first impression.

The Internet has made it so easy to apply for jobs that most hiring managers are inundated with hundreds of applications for every position they post. “But hiring and selection is ultimately a process about people talking to each other,” said John O’Brien, managing partner of Hire Direct, the sales and call center division of Hire Dynamics, a Georgia staffing company. Once the human resources department has whittled down the list of resumes, most companies turn to an old, but reliable, form of communication the telephone.

“The telephone interview is used to further screen out candidates from the face-to-face interview,” said Jenny DeVaughn, senior talent consultant with Talent Connections LLC, an Atlanta executive-search and consulting company. “The person will be checking for any red flags that came up on your resume. You must be able to present yourself and articulate your strengths in a polished manner.”

Whether the call comes from someone in human resources or an initial screener, “What you want to do is confirm that his or her instincts were right to call you that you are as good as you look on paper and a great candidate for this position.”

With less than 30 seconds to make a great first impression, and about 10 to 20 minutes to sell yourself knowing how to pass this hurdle in the hiring process is crucial, O’Brien said. “You need to know your goal, know your audience and know yourself,” O’Brien said.
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If you want to move on or up in your career then it is time to get noticed. Women in particular don’t always realise the importance of increasing their visibility at work and think that by working harder and keeping their heads down they will eventually get rewarded. Men tend to be better at letting others know what they are working on, what they have achieved and take the time to form strategic alliances which help position them for interesting opportunities and projects.

It is true that it is not just what you know but who you know that counts and it really is that easy to be passed over for a job if you don’t raise your visibility. If you have your nose to the grindstone from 9 to 5, and are rarely seen other than at your computer, now is the time to step out and make yourself know. Follow these 10 tips to get recognised at work.

1. Get to know the bigger picture and learn about other parts of the business so that you can spot opportunities, make connections and be proactive in problem solving.
2. Attend company networking events and after hours drinks. This is a great way to form connections with others in a more relaxed setting.
3. Ask or join colleagues for lunch rather than munching a sandwich alone at your desk.
4. Physically get up and go and talk to someone in another department. It is too easy to blast off another email or leave a voice message. Even if the person is not at their desk you may get the opportunity to talk to others along the way. The cliche of the water cooler being the place to learn about what is really happening in the business is valid.
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When you learn how to find hidden jobs or unadvertised jobs that no-one else knows about you give yourself an immediate and massive advantage in the jobs market. By applying the principles which I explain below, you eliminate the competition for jobs, especially now when statistics tell us that recruitment is falling rapidly.

Did you know that for every advertised vacancy in the ‘help wanted’ columns or in job banks on the internet, it is reckoned that there are at least two unadvertised jobs?

When you think about it, organizations prefer to recruit as cheaply as possible so if they can avoid advertising, so much the better. If their own people can introduce new recruits, or if a well targeted resume and cover letter arrive at the right moment, they save money.

Of course that sounds fine in theory, but if these jobs are not publicly advertised, how do you get to know about them?

You can easily learn how to find hidden jobs, which include unadvertised or unannounced jobs using these 4 key ideas below. The great thing is that once you understand how to apply these techniques, you can soon identify jobs that no-one else knows about and create a shortlist of just one - you!

1: Identify companies that are of interest to you:
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Giving future employers references on your resume is a great way to build trust. References are testimonials about you as a person, they’re a credit to you. Let’s just say that a reference page is the most crucial aspect of the whole resume. This doesn’t mean you should include the references within the resume however. It’s much more effective to say that references are available upon request, and have them ready on a separate page.

In seriousness it depends on what type of job you’re applying for. Saying that references are available on request can be effective and are quite common amongst job seekers of today. But in some markets, the employers may see it as lazy and that you’re trying to hide something. So use some common sense, and have a think about the role you’re applying for then address the references section accordingly.

Typically the rule of thumb when creating a resume reference page is to include 3 professional references and 3 personal ones. Again it all depends on the role you’re applying for. But you can’t go wrong with 6 decent references. Usually your future employer or anyone interested in your resume, will always pay attention to the professional references. Because most of the time the references are former employer’s or employee’s.
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