Career Advice For New Graduates

Once you have graduated from college or university, the hard work begins, and for a lot of graduates, this can be a challenging time, especially with a worldwide recession, and lots of competition to contend with.

You have finally calmed down from the helter skelter of your graduation and the party afterwards. Your relatives are asking you what you are going to do now that you have graduated and you are still waiting to hear back from a couple of job interviews.

Although you are not totally sure that you have given an employer the best impression you are confident that you will have the job of your dreams. Your friends and relatives want to give you career advice but much of it seems unrealistic.

Now is not the time to worry that something is wrong or that you have done something wrong. When you begin your first career search it can be a bit daunting and a little scary but this is because you are acquiring a new skill that you didn’t know you had.

To get you started on that job search here are a few tips:

Tip 1: You don’t have to do this alone. When you are looking for your first job it is a good idea to talk to as many people as you can about the jobs they have open and how your skills meet their openings. Do some job interviews but also do information interviews where you are just looking for information. This can gain you more career advice than you ever imagined.

Tip 2: Dress like you already have the job. Students who dress for success and wear the clothes for the job they want will always come out on top. You want to dress in the way you imagine the top level job you want will require. Present yourself in the best light by dressing professionally no matter what the job you are interviewing for and someone will notice.

Tip 3: Get experience if you don’t get your job right away. If you don’t find the job the first time, look for ways to get experience. Hopefully you found a career that you liked in college and you are leaving with some experience. If this is not the truth, then now is the time to get the experience you need for the job that you want. Take a part-time job in the field or do some volunteer work.

Tip 4: Check with your recruiting office for career advice. Most colleges have recruiting offices and they help their students get jobs. Check out the job boards because these will be jobs that are friendly to new graduates. Ask your recruiting office about opportunities for paid internships because these can be a way to get started in your chosen profession quickly.

Tip 5: Be flexible – This is probably the best career advice we can give you because first jobs are usually made for those people who will step into a lesser job in order to get to the job they want. Don’t be afraid to do this and keep your eyes and ears open for more opportunity. The final career advice we have for you is to be as relaxed as possible when you go in for the interview.

Career Advice for Hot Careers

Most people don’t search for alternatives when it comes to choosing a career. They just find it interesting in one-go and narrow down to be with it for the lifetime. Then comes the time when they start finding it bore. Is the same happening with you? Is your present job not filling your cup of delight? Well! If your answer is yes, you need a good career advice. However, ensure a set course of action this time.

A lot of contemplation and homework is necessary before you change careers. First and foremost, you should be well acquainted with your strengths and weaknesses. Spend some time with yourself and see what interests you the most.  Can you leverage your skills and hobbies for a better career? Never act on gut reactions. Always double check the facts before implementing them in making your career. Also, research and identify future growth areas and opportunities.

Most job seekers already know the answers to these questions, but don’t realize it. You just require to focus on the things that motivate you the most and that you enjoy the most! Also think of the challenges that you would require to accomplish while being in your chosen field. You can be a beginner in your line of business. There are employers that offer training before putting you on the job. Alternatively, you can also enroll yourself for the training at local colleges and vocational institutes.

Then there is another set of people who like their present choice of career, but do not want to be in the department they work in. If this is the case with you as well, talk to your seniors and try to get placed in a department which will offer you to make the most out of your skills.

Job is not something that you have to do for the mere sake of doing it. Turn it into something that you truly want to pursue. Americasjobexchange connects you to numerous experts who will answer all your career queries and offer you the best career advice for a successful livelihood.

Career Advice are you being paid the Respect You merit?

Most of us have career issues in life we are unable to understand. We don’t know how to deal with them or what’s the solution to overcome them. The career we chose doesn’t give us satisfaction or it didn’t turn out to be what we had expected. It may also happen that one feels a lack of interest in everything and thus, is unable to understand the career he/she should choose. A career that doesn’t feel like a burden to be carried forever. A career one would not want to run away from.

Most of the times, the reason because of which one chooses a particular career is actually wrong. Things that were on priority while deciding for a career become extremely unimportant after a point of time. We, at Career Analysts, make sure to bring to your view the things that are actually important to you and are close to your heart. Your likes, dislikes, and your decisions are clouded by emotional pressures that seem too heavy at the moment. We do not claim to know you better than you do yourself, but we promise to give you a detached advice to bring things in to perspective and to give a better sense of direction.

We believe that everyone is born with a gift and is meant to make a career in a particular field -a career that is based on the strong foundation of extreme satisfaction. One is sure to do well in the field one loves. It is no more a job then. It is a hobby that pays.

Many of our clients say that we have changed their lives. The exceptional caliber of our consultants and the depth of our psychometric assessment produce a profound catalytic effect for individuals. Clients are invariably astonished at the accuracy, insight, and detail with which our consultants assimilate the career and personal issues they face. The whole process is a real confidence booster, as you get to unearth your dormant qualities and talents. All in all, it is an extremely positive process. It is all about getting to know yourself better.

How will you benefit?

1.    Career Analysts is one of the few career advice services in the UK that combines counseling by fully qualified psychologists.

2.    An extensive range of cutting edge profiling and assessment techniques.

3.    Essential interpretation of the assessment results by a qualified psychologist, unlike other firms that rely on restricted range of assessments without any interpretation as it is expensive.

Career Advice for Job Seekers

Career Advice for Job Seekers

The economy is rough nowadays, and with mass lay-offs and plenty of discouragement, its a good idea to look for career advice to change your focus to something you can be passionate about. The difference between a job and a career is that the first option is labor oriented and usually does not have much advancement involved, and the second option is passion oriented, allowing you to advance and grow using skills that you have learned through some kind of formal or technical education. If you do not know what direction to go into, seeking an advice is an excellent first step to organizing your goals while helping you head down a path that will encourage and motivate you to succeed.

As you begin your quest for a career, you may not have an idea about what kind you should be pursuing. An easy way to determine what direction to take, and the first bit of advice to edge you forward, is to think about what you have always loved to do with your time. There are activities that you take part in because you enjoy them as hobbies, and activities that you take part in because you could see yourself doing them to make money seriously. Those activities that you could see yourself turning into a career should be your first stepping stone to paving the road to success for yourself.

The second point of advice for is to consider going back to school or taking some kind of training to help enhance your skills. You may not be equipped with the necessary skills and education to begin your future plans right away, and finding a job without the right skills will be nearly impossible. It is best to research what colleges and institutions you can attend that will allow you to get a degree, certification or license in the field that you are interested in. Choose a college or program that you will enjoy going to in a location that makes you excited to be there. This will help to motivate you to continue on with your studies.

The final point of career advice is to learn how to negotiate your salary so that you can live a lifestyle that is enjoyable. Research the high, average and low incomes for your career so that you know what kind of base salary to expect with your experience and skill set. The skills you have obtained my be high end skills that allow you to select a salary that compliments what you have learned. Be confident when you negotiate your salary, but not cocky. It is always better to be humble than to come off as obnoxious or snobby, so keep your attitude in check and enjoy making the money that reflects what you are worth.

The Impact of Career Advice Towards Home Based Business

Several aspiring businessmen nowadays are trying their best to excel in the marketing world. Some of them have even managed to obtain a business degree even though they have already acquired a certain degree from college. They are thinking that it is the most sufficient way for them to become successful in life. However studies shows that a business degree is not the only way for a person to succeed when it comes to business. A career advice can be as rewarding as a business degree.

Career advice is often given by professional individuals in their own respective fields. They usually give plenty of advice to those who choose to consult their own perspectives or point of views in a certain topic or scenario. They mostly base their ideas on the experiences that they gain from school and even from their own work.

However there is also an effective way to solve their problems without having a degree from a business course. Free Career Test is one of the best methods used to orient or inform a person about the possible results of his or her plans. It is very much advisable to have this kind of consultation because it will become certain with your decisions.

Using this type of method you will be then aware with the different aspects of the business world. It is very much helpful for those who are still planning to conquer the business industry because it will determine if they are already capable to raise and run a business or not. It can surely assure the future of a certain businessman. It is even often used by those who are still having problems when it comes to their career.

Often times it is very much important to know what you really want. You must be clear with your objectives and your goals as well. Most of the business psychology people nowadays recommend their clients to take a Free Career Test to evaluate their current strengths and weaknesses when it comes to business. It will allow them to identify the innate skills of their clients. They can also give their clients suggestions about the suitable career for them.

Career assessment test is very important and essential for the success of a person especially if he or she is not yet quite sure about his or her ambition in life. When this type of test is coupled with a career advice from an expert in the business industry it will surely result into a positive one.

There are different forms of career advice. Most of the experts of this type of field suggest their clients to try setting up their own small scaled business or even home based business. They believe that it is good for their clients to experience and learn the basic concept of marketing. It will then determine their interest in business if they manage to improve or develop their home based business. Since most of the people nowadays are looking for an extra income it would be good for them to understand its basic principles first before jumping into competitive and risky world of business industry.

It is really difficult to land a descent job especially if you don’t have any experience when it comes to job hunting. The best way for you to cope with the demands of the society is by checking and evaluating your innate capabilities by taking the<a target=”_new” rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.Free-Career-Test.org”>career advice programs</a>. Learn more on how you can get ideas about this matter online! You can gain additional insights once you know how it works. <a target=”_new” rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.Free-Career-Test.org”>Click here</a> for more details.

Career Advice: How To Be One Of The Top 20 And Gain Job Security

 

Eighty percent of the work is done by twenty percent of the people employed. This rule of thumb proves to be true no matter the type or size of the organization. 

 

Common sense career advice says work your butt off to be sure you are among the top 20 who are getting the job done. That’s a major step toward job security in these times of economic uncertainty.

 

Here are some career tips on how to be in the top 20.

 

Know where your job fits in the scheme of things and what is expected from you. If you and your boss haven’t agreed on a clear picture of your career path, ask for directions.

 

Monitor and document your on-the-job performance month-by-month. Gain strength and confidence from your achievements. Learn from your mistakes.

 

Make sure you are receiving regular performance appraisals, so you can make mid-course corrections on your career path, and your employer recognizes the results you are producing. Assure your boss you want to assume more responsibility. Seek additional training to improve your value to your current employer and increase your chances of landing a new job if the pink slip comes.

 

Work with a plan that sets career goals with specific actions and timelines.

 

Prepare a fallback plan covering actions you would take if you were to lose your job.  

 

Find out what challenges your boss is facing. Make his job easier, not harder. Demonstrate you are helping him to reach his career goals.

 

Stay up to date on what’s happening with your company and the business sector in which you work.

 

Do more with less. Go above and beyond the call of duty.

Take the initiative; come up with new ideas. Come in early, stay late.

 

As added insurance, refresh and extend your contacts within and outside of the organization that employs you.

 

Solve problems, don’t create them. Don’t require special attention from your boss and your co-workers.

 

Be a team player. Share the workload, as well as the credit.

 

Recognize there are no shortcuts to career success.

 

Don’t Let Negative Nellies Block Your Career Path

 

There’ll always be Negative Nellies who will try to distract you from maintaining your top 20 position.  If you let them, they can throw you off your career path.

 

Here are five steps you can take to thwart the negativists who inhabit all organizations.

 

1. Distinguish between negativism and analytical questioning. The former is destructive; the latter is constructive.

 

2. Don’t waste time and energy arguing with those who are habitually negative. Overlook them. Avoid gossiping and spreading rumors.

 

3. Act quickly and decisively to examine and reject wanton negative doubts.

 

4. Take action to advance your career plans when the odds are reasonably in favor of success despite those who deal in negative thoughts.

 

5. Avoid the company of negative thinkers. Their attitudes are contagious. Don’t engage in I-told-you-so when the negative thinkers turn out to be wrong. That only invites more of the same from them.

 

Career Advice for College Freshman

Once upon a time, college freshmen arrived on campus excited to meet their roommates, cheer on their football teams, and attend a frat party or two.

Not anymore. Today’s freshmen are heading straight for the career center.

According to the AP story “Colleges: Freshmen looking for career advice now” by Kathy Matheson, campus career centers are becoming more popular with college freshmen than tailgating and late-night pizza delivery. Whether it’s due to the slow economic recovery or their already jam-packed schedules, this generation of college students (aka the Millennials) are ready to jump-start their post-college careers now.

And they are on the right track.Getting a college degree is expensive and time-consuming. The more college freshmen can learn about possible career paths, and which ones are right for them, the easier their transition will be into the working world.

No matter what stage you are at in your college career, here are some tips you can take to prepare yourself for the future.

Talk to a Professional
One of the best ways to learn more about a potential career path is to talk to someone who’s actually living your dream. Talk to your friends, your parents, and friends of your parents to see who knows someone in your field. Then ask if you can take them to coffee or lunch, and pick their brain. (If a face-to-face meeting doesn’t work, email is a good option.)

The more questions you can ask him or her about what your career will entail, the better. Find out about education requirements, typical work hours, and advancement opportunities. Ask them what’s most challenging about their jobs, and what’s most rewarding. From their answers, you should have a better sense of whether or not this career is right for you.

An added bonus: meeting with a career professional can help you network for a job down the road. (Just don’t forget to write them a thank you note or email afterwards, and to stay in touch throughout your college years!)

Work, Intern or Volunteer
You’re going to learn some great things in the classroom—there’s no doubt about it. Writing skills, critical thinking skills, and research skills are all part of a college degree that will be invaluable in the future. But what you can learn by working, interning, or volunteering, particularly in your chosen field, will be equally important after graduation.

For starters, you’ll learn the computer programs, business processes, and office etiquette rules that you’ll need when you enter the workforce. Knowing how to use the entire Microsoft Office Suite, how to deal with a gossiping co-worker, and how to administer and run a meeting on FUZE are skills you won’t learn in lecture, but that will come in handy throughout your career. Little details like how to answer a phone and administer a meeting may not seem like a big deal, but they’ll make an impact on future employers.

Working, interning, and volunteering can also be a great way to build your resume and begin building a professional network. Many college graduates land jobs directly with their college employers or through their recommendations, so this is a great way to get a jump on your competition.

And don’t underestimate the impact a college job can have on your future career. Getting exposure in your field, even if it’s as a temp or assistant, can give you insight into that career and what it entails. It may reaffirm that it’s the right choice, or you may realize it’s not what you thought, which will save you a lot of time and money you might invest pursuing that path.

Consider a Double Major (or Minor)
Are you on the fence about what you want to do? Are you thinking about becoming a doctor, but you also really want to learn Spanish? Why not major in biology and spanish, or consider a foreign language minor?

Double majoring or minoring can be beneficial to your future career for several reasons. First, it gives you versatility, and shows potential employees that you have a wide variety of skills they can put to use at their companies. Two, it can be a perfect fit for a careers that don’t have a clear-cut degree path. (For example, if you want to own your own PR firm someday, you might benefit from a journalism or communications degree with a business minor. Or vice versa). And three, it can give you the flexibility to change your mind about your career and what you want to do in the future.

Visit Your Career Center
Most schools have a career center dedicated to one purpose: helping you find a job. In addition to providing counseling and insight about what career is right for you, they’ll help you with the nitty gritty of the job search: how to prepare a resume, how to write a cover letter, where to conduct your job search, and much more. Plus career centers often get a heads up on job opportunities, so being dialed in to their email groups and websites can give you a jump on potential job openings. Some career centers even host job and career fields throughout the school year, giving you the chance to meet directly with future employers.

Check in With Your Advisor
In addition to the career center, your advisor can be a valuable resource in your career search. It’s a college advisors jobs to know the ins and outs of every class option available, as well as what you need to graduate with a particular major.

So if you’ve got a question about which classes will best prepare you to become a rocket scientist, ask them. If you’re thinking you might want to become and architect and want to know the difference between the B.Arch and a Master’s of Architecture, ask them. If you’re a business major and want to know if you’ve completed enough prereqs and business classes to graduate, ask them. That’s what they’re there for.

Do Your Research
The field you choose to pursue, whether it’s medicine or law or teaching, should be something you love. (The more you love it, the better you’ll be at it, and the more satisfaction you’ll get.) But it doesn’t hurt to do some research first, and find out which careers in that field offer the best compensation, potential for growth, and job outlook. If you’re interested in medicine, for example, but aren’t sure about going to medical school, it may help to know that registered nurses and physicians assistants are seeing unprecedented job growth in their respective fields.

Non-Traditional Career Advice . . . Start Job-Hopping!

Remember when job-hopping was anathema? Well, you better take today’s hot new non-traditional career advice . . . start job-hopping!

Things have changed. The economy is booming, Younger job seekers are much more ambitious and almost instinctively understand that if they want to get ahead,. . . if they’re heading for the top, they have to job hop.

It’s really all part of the 21st Century job market and the dramatic changes that have occurred especially since 9/11 and Katrina. The old-fashioned job search approaches simply don’t work anymore. If you’ve been busy writing a traditional resume and then mass distributing it to job sites, job listings, a bunch of companies, some agencies and recruiters . . . well, you already know what I mean.

You’re probably sitting around nervously waiting for the phone to ring. Or hoping today’s mail will bring that priceless invitation to an interview instead of the more usual TNT (thanks-but-no-thanks) letter.

Non-traditional career advice is the solution to your job search dilemma. It makes you get in tune with today’s sophisticated job marketplace. You need to understand the employers aren’t interested in what you used to do for someone else (as outlined in your resume). They expect you to come forward with some understanding of the corporate goals are.

And they are impressed when you’ve done your research and come up with an ability to address your next boss’ personal requirements. This evidence of your commitment to excellence goes much further than a resume. It’s just another piece of non-traditional career advice.

So does a commitment to job-hopping. Curtis Crawford, author of “Corporate Rise: The X Principles of Extreme Personal Leadership,” advises that the more versatile you are, the more likely you are to move up.
What’s more, he recommends:

1. Don’t be afraid to be visibly ambitious. In the past, ambition was confused with arrogance and ruthlessness–getting to the top at any cost. Ambition is achieving your goal the right way–honestly, ethically, all the while gaining the respect of your subordinates, peers and management.

2. Avoid getting stuck in one job. Avoid becoming a specialist which means you’re pigeonholed as being able to do only one thing well. That specialist thinking flew years ago–but not anymore.

3. Make significant contributions. Just moving through different jobs is not enough. Take jobs that provide platforms for you to make significant contributions. It means getting involved in critical areas such as product development, financial management, technological improvements, or improving production or distribution.

This departure from old-fashioned thinking is just one of the many exciting pieces of non-traditional career advice. It’s part of the amazing new alternative thinking that is consistent with expectations in today’s job marketplace!

Career Advice: Why Do People Make Bad Decisions?

 

By

Ramon Greenwood

Common Sense Career Advice

 

It is wise to spend some time examining the question as to why people make bad decisions because there’s an inescapable correlation between the quality of one’s decisions at work and the total of one’s career success.

 

“Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How To Keep It From Happening To You”, a new book co-authored by Sydney Finkelstein, a professor at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, provides some keen insight on the issue.

 

Mr. Finkelstein and his co-authors studied research in neuroscience and psychology and concluded there are four reasons good managers make bad decisions.

 

1. They tend to rely on past experiences. Situations seldom are exactly like what’s happened in the past.

 

2. Decisions are driven by self-interest. That force is always at work even when it is not recognized.

 

3. Decisions are based on judgment made before all the facts are available and sticking with them even when later findings indicate a chance of course.

 

4. Decisions are strongly influenced by attachments to people, places or things that managers are reluctant to change or give up.

 

The reader of this book will be made aware of steps managers can take to avoid making bad decisions along their career path.

 

One is to be aware that there is no such thing as complete objectivity. Managers can shift in favor of making good decisions by recognizing biases and guarding against them.

 

Another step that will help assure good decisions is to avoid the trap of the yes man syndrome by encouraging open debate by people who have differences of opinion.

 

Other career coaches teach that bad decisions are made because the right questions are not asked in the process. Another obstacle is that more information is assembled than is needed. Fact gathering is confused with decision-making. This often occurs because no one wants to step up and make a decision.

 

A contributing factor to bad decisions is that the wrong mode has been employed in the process.

 

Decisions are usually made in one of three ways, each of which can lead to a sound conclusion if used in the proper context. 

 

1. An immediate decision is required so the person in charge “commands”.

 

2. Time permits assimilating opinions and reaching a decision.

 

3. Arriving at a consensus so as to help assure support by those who participated in the decision.

 

The key is to make sure the correct mode is put to work.

 

Each decision carries with it some degree of risk as well as reward. Traveling a career path to success requires the courage and ability to make good decisions. To be a good manager one doesn’t have to be right all of the time, just most of the time to reach his career goals.

 

Stop Feeling Guilty! . . . Some Alternative Business Career Advice

Here’s some astute alternative business career advice you won’t get from your boss.

Are you sitting at your desk dreamily imagining yourself on a South Seas vacation? Or maybe on a rollicking holiday with the family? Or maybe you would just prefer to stay home and watch some DVDs.

Wanting to take some time off should not make you feel guilty. In fact, in her new business career advice book, “Time Off for Good Behavior,” Mary Lou Quinlan writes that seven out of 10 people fantasize about leaving work for a few months.

What’s more, she has some good alternative business career advice that taking a break can help you feel less burned out. It can help you organize your life goals. Most people don’t realize that taking time off-guilt free-isn’t as difficult as it might seem.

So don’t feel like you’re condemned to remaining chained to your desk. Here are six alternative business career advice options you can check out:

1. Make a plan. Think about why you want time off. Do you just need a few days to relax? Or are you looking to completely re-assess your career?

2. Figure out how much time off you’ll need to come back fully refreshed.

3. Count your days off. Figure out how many vacation days you have. Add in any remaining sick or personal days.

4. Check out company policy. You may be eligible for a sabbatical with full or partial pay. Or you may have the option of re-entering the company after an unpaid leave.

5. Talk to your employer. If the company doesn’t have a policy or doesn’t spell out the details of flexible time off, now is the time to find out what the company can offer you.

6. Negotiate for what you need.

The point of this alternative business career advice is that you shouldn’t be afraid to take some needed time off. It may be just what you need to get your life back in focus and prioritize what really important.

Furthermore, if you are a valued employee, your boss expects you to come forward with recommendations that show how the company will benefit from your time off.

Taking the time to spell out your ideas in a way that shows both concern and awareness of your expectations can result in a mutually advantageous arrangement.

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