Dealing With the Most Important New Career Risk

Making the decision to pursue a new career can be one of the most challenging and exciting times in a person's life. You look forward to the possibility of doing something you have always wanted to do, fulfilling your personal vision, benefiting others, increasing your income, or any combination of these or other benefits. You may be looking to start your own business, move into a new field that has always interested you, or go back to school to get the training needed to allow you to leverage your expertise to teach.

Is making the new career decision enough?

By the time you have made the decision to pursue a new career you likely have done the hard work to carefully think through your decision (If not or to confirm your choice, see the link below). You have spent weeks, months, or maybe years, dealing with the up and down emotions associated with making this type of life change. You have sought career guidance from friends and family, and possibly paid for professional advice. The plan is ready. Time to execute. You are ready to go.

Have you addressed the most important new career risk?

The most likely source of failure in realizing your new career is having insufficient resources to survive until your new career can pay the bills. Let's face it, as a minimum we all need food, shelter, and clothing to sustain our physical needs. How long do you expect your transition take? Even if you planned to go a year without income, what happens if you get sick and cannot work for 3 weeks, or worse? Will you have the resources to bridge the additional gap? Do you need health insurance to cover unplanned medical expenses?

Are you starting a new business? When does your business plan show you breaking even? If it takes two years to be profitable instead of one, do you have access to funding to stay in business while addressing the shortfall in revenue? Like a business that runs out of cash, failing to mitigate this risk opens you up to personal bankruptcy, or worse.

Are there better times to take on the new career risk?

During college, I learned to stretch the income I made over the summer to address my needs for the entire year. I look back and am amazed at how little I managed to live on. This certainly suggests that it should be easier to change your career when you have few obligations and have not gotten used to a more expensive lifestyle.

If you want to mitigate the risk of insufficient resources in transitioning to your new career, make changes in your lifestyle before you execute on your decision. Determine your minimum needs and try living on your minimum budget before starting your transition. This will enable you to establish how long you can likely stretch your available resources.

Have you just lost your job or experienced a major reorganization at work? Believe it or not, this may also be an ideal time to start working a new career transition. Severance benefits from a job loss can provide the additional financial resources necessary to provide the time needed to move into a new career or launch that new business. In addition, it is not uncommon for training and education resources to be provided that could reduce what you need to spend on required education for your new occupation.

Are you able to retire?

If you have established that you can afford to retire, you have already determined that you have the resources to survive, and hopefully more. This puts you in the position to have already mitigated this risk, as long as any new career investment does not substantially change your resource situation. It comes as no surprise that this is a great time to transition to a new career as your resources will allow you work on your new career until you succeed or ascertain that the new career was not what you hoped it would be.

Mitigate this risk to free yourself to focus on your new career

If you are midway through your working career and have responsibilities for other family members, this risk certainly will be a major factor that you should address prior to executing your career transition. With a well thought mitigation plan, you can be confident that you will have the resources needed to address the needs of you and those that depend on you, allowing you to focus on building your new career. Do not let this risk be the item that causes you to prematurely quit on the career of your dreams.

If you need to make or confirm your new career decision, follow this link: http://www.decision-making-solutions.com/Choosing_a_new_career.

Keith is Co-Founder of Decision Innovation, Inc.
Our company is focused on moving beyond collecting data and analyzing information to creating knowledge and providing insight. We will explore the decision making process and provide a unique combination of decision tools, decision and information management methods, and expertise that will give you the power over your personal and business decisions.

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Is Your Career Plan Focused on Personal Aspirations Or Employer's Needs?

When you think about your next career move, are you thinking about your own career aspirations or your company's needs? If your only focus is on your company's needs, you doing yourself a disservice and you might be missing a great opportunity to realize the job of your dreams.

From early on in age we're asked what we want to be when we grow up. As kids we put a great deal of planning into this idea. Through the years our aspirations may change but it's important to remember your ideals. The reality is that you can indeed work towards achieving your career goals.

Career planning is an important process that should be addressed through all stages of adulthood and throughout one's lifetime. Career planning allows us to avoid being sucked into a job that simply pays the bills. Yup, we need to pay those bills, but there are ways to pay them while at the same time having a great career.

A great first step in career planning is to assess your career goals and interests. You can take a couple of free or very affordable career assessments that help you get on the right career path. Also, you can also develop a comprehensive list that matches up your interests with related careers and money-making opportunities.

No matter how old you are it is never too late to make a career change or initiate the process of career planning. If you have never made a career plan, you might be missing out on great opportunities closely aligned with your true calling. Maybe you've got creative interests that you have only considered a hobby rather than a legitimate professional goal. It is essential to remember that there are actually creative jobs out there. Remember, the Internet has given rise to a new set of entrepreneurs who are making their dreams come true and committing themselves to their passions.

If you have only ever focused on what your employer wants and needs, you are probably doing yourself a disservice. You wants and needs are important too. If you are interested in a career that meets your career purpose and fulfills your personal passions, asking for help in achieving these goals is always a good idea. A career planning expert can help you see opportunities you never would have dreamed of otherwise.

There are many people out there who are actually fulfilling their goals and working in their dream jobs. You can be one of them. Taking the steps necessary to reach your personal career aspirations is easier than you would have ever dreamed. Building a new career definitely takes time and effort, but the payoff is well worth it.

You'll love getting up in the morning and going to a job that you truly enjoy. Work doesn't have to be mindless drudgery. It can be a motivating force that helps you get through life in the most interesting way possible. Just plan your career around your own aspirations rather than someone else's.

For great career tips, be sure to visit http://www.avitacareermanagement.com

Are you looking for an outstanding career? Partner with Patricia Erickson to design and implement a step by step plan focused on personal purpose and career aspirations. Be sure to visit Patricia's site at [http://www.avitacareermanagement.com/career_coaching.html]

Ten Career Ideas to Change Your Career Track

(Adopted from Ten Paths in the Woods by H. Figler)

People are often immobilised when they lose their jobs. You may be wondering, "What else can I do?". You will probably look for the job you have left. This commonly leads to frustration.

But there are other options. Just as there are "50 ways to leave your lover", there are 10 productive career ideas and ways to leave your organisation behind. If you limit yourself to looking for the job you just lost you limit your options. Give yourself as many choices to win as you can.

How to choose a career mentor

Career Idea 1. Same Job, New Location

It's okay to look for the work you have done before, especially if you feel a new locale will give you new life. There is competition everywhere, but choose a setting where you fell more yourself. As much as possible, go for the environment which fits your priorities, not the location that has the 'hot' job market.

Career Idea 2. Change Industries

You can apply your same skills to new kinds of employers. For example, if you like dealing with people, choose an industry that appeals to you. Customer services is a highly transferable skill. Any industry needs it. Choose an industry that is entirely different from where you've been before.

Career Idea 3. Do Contract Work

You can earn a living this way. It is a version of having your own business. Most jobs can be done on a contract basis, if that is the employer's preference. This is a way for you to earn income without being committed fully to a particular company.

Career Ideas 4. Change Careers

People are most afraid to do this. "How can I start over, at my age? It'll take me forever to work my way up". Yet people do it every day. Often they take pay cuts, but they do not 'start over'. The better you sell your transferable skills, and the more motivated you are, the more a lateral move is possible. The key - try your career move on a part-time basis, to see if it suits you.

Career Idea 5. Start Your Own Business

There are numerous home-based businesses today and the number increases every day. Advances in business technology, coupled with the low-capital nature of service businesses, puts a home business within reach of everyone. The key, once again - seed your entrepreneurial garden on a part-time basis, to learn if it will grown and if you like what it produces.

Career Idea 6. Have Multiple Businesses

If one business is good, then perhaps five enterprises are better. We used to laugh at the person who displayed five business cards. Now they are our next-door neighbours, and it's not such a silly idea. Each of us has multiple skills. Now, let me see, I can do carpentry in my garage, sell insurance on the weekends, contract work for the local plumber, sell home-made toys by mail order, and get paid to referee football games for the youth leagues.

Career Idea 7. Barter Your Way Through Life

Of course, in a money-obsessed society, bartering never happens. No one ever exchanges what they do well for what someone else does well, which they happen to need. And, in a tax-based society, this is a highly-irregular activity. So, it never happens. But, as a way of preparing for your next life, when it might possibly be legal and acceptable to trade your skills for others', think about how you might do it.

Career Choice 8. Have a Day Job, And Your Real Career At Night

Musicians, artists and theatre people have been doing this for a long time. The 'day' job is usually a salaried one, not especially high in pay, but one that helps pay the bills. The evening work is what gets you up in the morning, your real career, the stuff that keeps you going. Your goal is to eliminate the day job eventually, once the first love produces enough income.

Career Choice 9. Enroll in Further Study

School connects best to career prospects when it does any of these:

" Gives you specific technical skills that are needed in today's fast-changing technological scene;

" Builds your generic learning and communication skills, especially if they are deficient;

" Expands the perspective of your thinking.

One caution: do not enroll in a program until you have sampled it first-hand (observe classes in action) and talked with its graduates.

Career Choice 10. Be An Investor

A pipe dream, perhaps, but possible nonetheless. If you would rather derive your income from the efforts of others, then cast a sharp eye at who you believe has potential and put your money behind them. In researching possible investments, you will do many full days' work, but it's a path toward being paid well without having a job.

Graham Hart has been a HR Manager, Management Consultant, Business owner and Executive Coach. He is currently a Director with the Human Resources Institute Of New Zealand.

Having trouble deciding on your next career move?
Catch his career blog at http://www.bestcareer-4you.com/

To help professional people get the information and resources to help them plan their next career move.
Free career and development advice at http://www.leopard-learning.com/

Career Colleges Stay on Top of Employment Trends

Going to a career college can represent a significant investment of both time and money. If your goal is to get trained for a rewarding career, then it's definitely worth it. But how do you know you're training for a career field that is growing and will have opportunities in the future?

America's accredited career and technical schools have the same concerns as you. They know that their success is measured by how many of their graduates are able to find good jobs in areas where there is growth and opportunity. A high job placement rate means that the college is succeeding in its mission. But if their graduates aren't getting jobs, then the reputation of the college will suffer. When schools train students to succeed in growing career fields, everyone wins.

How do career schools decide what programs to offer? Mostly by studying trends and statistics. The best source for employment statistics is the U.S. government. The Labor Department has a division called the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS publishes vast amounts of employment information and data on its website. It's free and available to anyone.

In the publication "Occupational Outlook Handbook" the BLS tracks and evaluates hundreds of occupations such as medical assistant, truck driver, carpenter, accountant, cosmetologist, motorcycle repair, law enforcement, graphic design, and many more. A description is provided for each job, along with information about training and advancement opportunities.

There's also a section called "Job Outlook." This section gives the BLS projection of the job's future potential. That's what career colleges want to know.

Growing Careers

For example, here's what the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-2011 Edition predicts for dental assisting:

"Employment is expected to grow 36 percent from 2008 to 2018, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. In fact, dental assistants are expected to be among the fastest growing occupations over the 2008-18 projection period."

This is a very positive expectation. It means that despite difficult economic times in which the unemployment rate is unacceptably high, the field of dental assisting is expected to continue to create new jobs. Career colleges use this type of information to help them plan their curricula. Many career schools offer programs in dental assisting because they are confident that their graduates will be able to find opportunities in that field.

Career Fields That Are Declining

Let's look at another example-file clerks. File clerks classify, store, retrieve, and update office information. In many small offices, they often have additional responsibilities, such as performing word processing, entering data, sorting mail, and operating copying or fax machines.

Does training to be a file clerk sound like a good idea? Here's what the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-2011 Edition has to say about opportunities for file clerks:

"Employment is expected to decline rapidly. Employment is expected to decline due to productivity gains from office automation and the consolidation of clerical jobs."

The job outlook for file clerks is terrible! Career colleges recognize this. Chances are the career college or technical training school that interests you will not offer a program in file clerking. If they trained students to be file clerks, their graduates would enter a job marketplace with few opportunities.

Finding the Career College for You

Career schools are not employment agencies, and cannot guarantee you a job. But when you choose a program at a reputable career college, you can be assured that the school has done its research and is offering educational programs that reflect the current job marketplace. And that's good to know!

So how do you choose a career college? The best way is to start online. You can read the Occupational Outlook Handbook online at http://www.bls.gov/oco/. See which careers are expected to keep growing. Then go to a reputable college directory website such as Education-For-Careers. You'll find a search engine that allows you to specify your search terms and get information about schools that are appropriate for you. A good college directory website will have information about online programs (also called distance learning), financial aid, job placement services, and much more.

Choose four or five schools that offer what you are looking for. Compare programs and then contact them. You can apply to as many schools as you want. Once you are accepted, apply for financial aid. When you have all the information you need, then make your choice. One thing is for sure-no matter what accredited career school you choose, it's very likely that the school has researched which careers are growing and has crafted its curriculum to meet the demands of employers.

Thinking about training for a new career? To make the best decision, you need the right information. Log onto http://www.Education-For-Careers.com and compare colleges. Get information about career training programs, degrees, online education, financial aid opportunities, job placement services, and much more.

Career Change Myths Exposed

Have you been dreaming of making a career change? If so, why haven't you acted on your dream? It might be because you are operating under a false assumption. You might be missing out on opportunities because of a career myth - the good news is that there are several career change myths that can be explained away or at the very least worked around.

Career Myth:

#1) There is absolutely no way to make a living doing something you love.

Well hmm... that sounds like fear talking. The reality is that work doesn't have to be something that you dread - you can make a living doing something you love and you can get paid to do it! Don't buy into the myth that your work has to be drudgery. You don't have to sacrifice happiness you can do something that you enjoy.

That said it is not always that simple. Obviously you will have to find a viable career and market. Do some homework.

• Research careers that are of interest to you.

• Interview people who are working successfully in the careers you are interested in and find out how they made it work.

• Know what you need in terms of certifications, licenses, and degrees.

• Develop a plan to go after it.

Why wouldn't you be able to make a living doing what you love if you have done your homework, designed a career plan, and gained the necessary expertise?

#2) It is much too risky to change careers.

Actually there is risk no matter what. Remember, there is no such thing as permanent employment. That went out with gold watch retirements - we've all heard the stories about the gold watches they used to give out at retirement time. And, we know that those stories become rarer by the day.

• Decide whether it is riskier staying in place or moving on to something new. If you're living with a career decision you regret, is it best to stick with it and hate the work you do or is it time to move on? Don't forget your personal sanity is at risk if you hate your job and stay in it.

• Assess whether a career move is right for you. Consider your own aspirations.

• Remember that your career is in the hands of your employer.

• Do you want to have a bit more say about your career?

The bottom line is that any employer you work for will have their own interests in mind rather than yours. If you're okay with that stay where you are and if you're not set some goals and create a plan and then execute your career change.

#3) The job market is too tough to make a change.

You're right; it is a tough job market. The myth is that there are no growth areas. Actually, there are growth areas. Most job seekers look for the same type of job they held in the past, a tactic that is not always effective. Career changers have to be savvy - knowing what areas are growing is essential to their success.

Job seekers will have to be committed to lifelong learning and learn how to project future market needs. Smart job seekers will be ready for anything. That means they will be well educated, they will hold or work towards additional certifications and will be ready for career change at the drop of a hat.

Since the job market is ever changing, it will always be important to keep up with those changes. The job market will be less tough on those willing to embrace change.

Sure. There are lots of career myths. However, career plans are essential to career change success - and that is no myth.

Making a career change truly can be an intimidating process. Patricia Erickson covers all of the ins and outs of career change at length in her new book entitled Career Management Guide: A Practical Approach To Career Change In Any Economy.

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What Exactly IS a Career Coach Anyways?

I've come to find that the term 'Career Coach' somewhat mystifies people. I mean, to be honest, sometimes when I tell people that "I am a Career Coach," their eyes glaze over. And I often get a follow-up question like: So you're someone who places people within companies? Mmmm - not exactly.

Overall, the term 'coaching' has become muddled. There are a lot of life coaches, career coaches, spiritual coaches, business coaches, executive coaches, sports coaches, etc., etc. So, let's look at the actual definition of 'coach' from dictionary.com (I took out the definitions related to traveling coach on airplanes, stage coaches for horses, etc.):

-noun...

5. a person who trains an athlete or a team of athletes: a football coach.

6. a private tutor who prepares a student for an examination....

-verb (used with object)

12. to give instruction or advice to in the capacity of a coach; instruct: She has coached the present tennis champion....

No wonder people are confused! So, here is my definition of a 'coach' operating in a business or life capacity of some sort: A coach is someone who has the experience and tools to guide you through a process to achieve your ultimate goal(s).

So, then, what the heck is a Career Coach? A Career Coach is someone to help you identify and achieve your most ideal career opportunity or 'next step' in your career. A Career Coach serves as an advisor, a mentor, a trainer, and sometimes a consultant, to get you unstuck, thriving, happy, successful, and so on, in your career.

Some people use a Career Coach while employed and some are unemployed. Some people focus on career options, career path, career transition, etc. Some people just want to be happier and more successful. Some want help in 'getting to the next level.' And some are unemployed and want help with true job search strategy techniques for efficient job search results.

Let's face it. You spend a lot of time in your career. For most of you reading this, the majority of your waking hours are spent at work and in your career. Professionals who invest in themselves by using a Career Coaching are saying, "I want more. I want something better. I want the next step. I want tools and strategies for accomplishing my big dreams. I'm tired of delaying what's next for me. Let's get going." They're willing to do whatever it takes to 'get more.'

Some people think you have to be completely lost or miserable to work with a Career Coach but I find it's just like anything else... the longer you are just "okay" or "fine" or "so so" with your career, the longer you delay true success, happiness, and fulfillment. In fact, many of my clients come to me with a great amount of success under their belt. But still, they've reached a point where something is missing for them and they want to get on with figuring it out.

Whether employed or unemployed, most people can benefit from a Career Coach yet most people will never use one. Those who use one are rarely disappointed and are often relieved to get to that next piece on their success path.

As a Professional Career Coach and President/Founder of Career Max Group, I help successful professionals get more. Please contact me to find out if Career Coaching/Consulting can help you to get more of what you want from your career: http://careermaxgroup.com/services/one-on-one-career-coaching/

Hey College Students! Check Out These Best Future Careers

Not surprisingly many websites nowadays will try to say which the best careers offer the best prediction in the years to come. They based statistically on growth percentage in the recent years. However, other people never reflected this concerns base on which careers get the payout, which job are easier to acquire and so on. As long as they have a proper and organized career management though sometimes they need to have career transition inevitably. Despite of all of this, there are some general trends proven true.

Future career fashion

One of the fastest progressing areas of business, employment and communication in recent years are all because of our computer technology. Continued assimilation of IT and digital communication into one package throughout different sectors ensures that this fashion will go on longer. Web developers, systems analysts, computer programmers, designers and developers, consultants and information managers show something of these career spot.

Included also in the career spot are engineers including fiber, cable, satellites and more.

Healthcare career

Health care job also guaranteed in demand due to increasing population - particularly those people belongs to older age groups in which health care services and treatments available extended to farther places. Number of administrative jobs expanded and support roles needed.

Other potential "hot" career in the future includes the spot of scientific advance particularly in "biotechnology". Highlighted on this area are tissue engineers and gene programmers - but all skills on this area are included. Another new technology added is nanotechnology and energy technology.

Due to population changes lots of career arises in addition to healthcare. To name the few are:

Teaching and Tourism, Training and Development and care of the elderly or Care-giving these careers are predicted to be in demand and would increase more as also with Financial Advisors.

Current services would increase as population grows older. Legal sector, Military career, Educators, tutors and a lot more. Consider also the massive return of income sectors of paying for domestic support like house helpers, maids, cleaners and drivers etc. This could not be avoided due to higher level of divorce yield mostly on single-parent families.

New services are developing recognize to another career spot. Many of these services are directly serve to the end users or the consumers itself. Few of those are Counseling, different Complementary Therapies also includes Coaches and Physical Training Instructors.

Fresh Graduates: What is the best career for the future?

One of the biggest problems of the society is the high percentage of unemployed sector.

Obviously this includes the fresh graduates who are still looking where to land a good job.

Lucky are those who properly organized their career management program before graduating because obviously they are first one to succeed in the pool of job searching.

Although some of demand careers already mentioned above, here are some that offer most new job as opposed to future career fashion.

* Accountants and auditors.

* Applications software engineers.

* Computer systems analysts.

* Secondary school teachers.

* Systems engineers.

* Systems analysts.

* Network administrators.

* Employment and recruitment specialists.

Finally, your choice of career may vary on your skills, capacity in whatever field you are confident of delivering it. Create a career management program to let you organize what you must do in your career choice.

You will be confident if you have to assess first yourself knowing your weakness and strength, tolerance level and limitations. If you surely are the master of yourself, no doubt you would be successful in your career.

Finding Your Career Fit

Have you ever had a job that just wasn't a fit? I sure have, and I was miserable. Even when I really liked the work, there were some days I barely had the energy to get up and go to the office. I wasn't happy to be there. I didn't feel like my work was making a big impact. I lost my enthusiasm and creativity. At the end of the day, I was so drained. Then, I'd go to bed and get up to do it all over again. I felt like a hamster on a wheel and dreamed of escaping, but I felt stuck. Maybe you're in that job now and you're miserable.

So, what do you do when you feel stuck and miserable in your career?

Figure out what isn't working. Usually, there is one aspect of the job that isn't working for you. It could be that the work you're doing isn't interesting, you're in the wrong role, or you're in the wrong environment.

When the work isn't interesting, and you're struggling to keep up

Sometimes, the work you're doing just isn't interesting anymore. I see this a lot when people get stuck using skills they're good at but don't enjoy using. For example, I've had highly creative clients, who are also organized, get stuck in project management roles. In those roles, they have to focus on details and information. But, what excites them is coming up with new ideas for products or programs and handing the details over to someone else. Working against your interests is a stressful place to be, often leading to burnout. Before long, your enthusiasm and engagement in the job will go away. That will lead to poor performance and ultimately, you could get fired.

When you're in the wrong role, and you're heading in the wrong direction

Your career could also be heading in the wrong direction. When someone performs well, there is always the pressure of seeking out advancement. But, not everyone wants that level of responsibility. When you advance up the management ranks you become removed from the work you enjoyed to managing people doing the work you enjoyed. It's a very different skill set that doesn't come naturally to most people. At some point, you have to decide if you want to advance or not, or even if you want a traditional career path. For example, many people opt out of the traditional job progression in favor of portfolio careers or business ownership.

When you're in the wrong environment, and you're feeling out of place

This is a little harder to pinpoint, but it's the cause for a lot of frustration at work. It has to do with a mismatch of values and personality. You might be an introvert who likes to get work done alone and in silence but are working in an environment where you're expected to work on groups projects to get work done. Or, maybe you like to have a fun, open environment yet people are often working behind closed doors. Even harder is when you work in an environment where your cultural, religious or personal values are not valued and respected by your co-workers. All of those scenarios and many more often lead to misunderstandings.

If any of this describes your situation, it's time to do something about it. Personally, after a series of bad jobs, I had the chance to go through a career assessment process. It was the best thing I could have done for me and my career. I already knew that I was a helper, and that was confirmed. I discovered that I need a lot of autonomy, independence, and challenge in my career. I wasn't getting that in my previous jobs. I tuned in to my skills and found that many of them were not being used in meaningful ways. Much to my surprise, I also realized the profound importance of being in the right work environment. I always thought that I could do work I loved anywhere. I was wrong!

If you're struggling now and want to know how to change your career situation, I suggest you also take some time to reflect on your current situation to figure out what's out of sync. Go through a career assessment process so you can have a better understanding about how you want to use your skills, what role you want to have and the best environment for your personality. Career tools such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Skillscan, and StrengthsQuest provide good insight. Of course, there are tons of books out there, too. You can work through the process on your own, but I think it's helpful to get guidance and support from a career counselor or coach. When I went through my career assessment process, I had a career counselor and mentor who helped me sort through the reports and come up with an action plan.

What I've come to learn through my bad job experiences is the importance of doing work that is fulfilling, in the right place in alignment with my career vision. While it's not always easy, you have to stay true to your goals and dreams. For me, when I'm working within the right circumstances, I can make the biggest impact, and I'm happier, overall. That realization inspired me to write my career guide, Fast Track Your Career: Three Steps for Finding Work You Love and create my career transition programs. By sharing my experiences and the steps I've taken to stay on the right career track, I've been able to live my career vision.

Other articles by Markell on this topic:
4 Ways to Pursue Your Passion
Getting Unstuck: One Action that Can Change Your Career
The Job Seeker's Dilemma: Is it Time to Change Career Direction
http://www.futures-in-motion.com/article_archive.php

Ms. Markell Steele is a career counselor, owner of Futures in Motion, Inc. and author of Fast Track Your Career: Three Steps for Finding Work You Love. She helps frustrated job seekers find career direction so they can get the job they want in less time with less stress. More career transition and job search resources can be found on her website- http://www.futures-in-motion.com

How Will a Career Counselling Test Help Me?

People often view career counselling tests as the "be all and end all" of career counselling. Such a view however is incorrect. Career counselling tests are not meant to replace the role of a career counsellor. Rather, career counselling tests are actually one of many tools used by counsellor's to help start clients on the path to career exploration.

Although not always a necessary or essential part of the process, career counsellors can find use of a career test useful when they encounter a client that is very "stuck" and who is unable to bring out career ideas or interests. Perhaps for example the client has a hobby which could potentially translate into paid employment or a career, but because they are so stuck in their position they are unable to see this possibility. The role of a counsellor however I often not to provide the answers and tell people what is right for them, but rather to empower them through the process to arrive at their own decisions.

A good quality career test would flesh out and bring to the surface such interests hobbies and factor these into career options to find the persons ideal career path. It's not necessary to see a career counsellor to start this process however. People can take a career test on the internet, and this can be extremely useful if they focus on taking quality career counselling tests rather than any of the many often free and poorly constructed assessments available.

Look for a career test for which you are able to see the reliability and validity data provided by the test developer. Although understanding reliability and validity issues for psychological tests can be quite difficult and complex it's important that any test you are taking is able to back up their claims with solid research, and unfortunately you'll find that for free career quizzes this will usually not be available.

Only not the only tests, two of the more popular career counselling tests that do make their reliability and validity data available are the Strong Interest Inventory and Myers Briggs (MBTI) Career Report. Also available for these tests are sample reports so you can see the level of detail in the assessment and report prior to making a purchase.

If there is one piece of advice I would like to pass on it is this. A career counselling test is often a good way to start the process of career exploration, but don't takes risks with cheap career quizzes and make sure you use only quality career counselling tests such as those listed above.

William Smith holds a Masters Degree in Human Resource and psychology and has extensive experience in the field of recruitment and testing. take a career counselling test such as the Strong Interest Inventory or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MTBI) at CareerSense.com.au

Career Assessments and Coaches - A Powerful Combination For a Midlife Career Transition

Assessment is essential. Gathering solid, dependable data about your midlife career client is the most efficient road to career coaching success. Midlife is said to commence when one ceases to measure one's life in terms of time that has elapsed since birth, and gradually switches to a more interior evaluation of how much time is left. This gigantic shift generally occurs somewhere in one's 40s (the actual advent of midlife is naturally influenced by many factors). Midlife can send psychological 'shock waves' through the client; some clients enter what we blithely call 'mid-career crisis' a frightening period of uncertainty.

Midlife is said to end when one commences retirement (although this maker is also open to contest as well). In any event, midlife opens with a flush of self-life confusion, evidenced by an avalanche of the "big" questions of life: "Where am I going?" How have I done so far in my life?" "Is my life on track?" "Is this what I genuinely want from life?" "Am I in an authentic career for me?" These, and other questions swirl in an almost unending vortex in the hearts and minds of the midlife career seeker.

The midlife career client presents to the career coach carrying all this internal confusion that screams for clarification and reason, direction and priority, as well as organization and the need to "make meaning" of it all. What's a good career coach to do?

The Need for Good Career Assessment

There exists compelling evidence that assessments produce better insights, better decisions, and better outcomes for both career clients and career coaches. Everyday, we career coaches help our clients make life-changing decisions; decisions that we hope will lead to positive outcomes. Quality assessments can immeasurably help support our coaching evaluations and shape the direction of our coaching efforts. The overall benefits of career assessments are no more compelling than in coaching the midlife career client.

Quality assessments, ones that are valid, reliable, cost effective, efficient of time, and where training in their use is readily available, are indispensable for the midlife career client. Assessments have immense benefits because they can produce dramatic results.

Benefits of Assessment

o Allows clients to understand themselves better

o Promotes a more 'scientific' coaching orientation

o Lends clarity to confusion

o Provides hard data evidence

o Enhances deeper self-exploration

o Promotes quality outcomes

o Offers data to help make accurate and more reliable decisions

o Identifies personal strengths

o Enhances client motivation

o Activates time efficiency

o Jumpstarts changing client deficit behaviors

o Gives structure and order without stricture

o Increases coach confidence

Career Assessment: Development Across the Lifespan

The primary goal of career assessments is not to discover deficits, rather it's to identify internal strengths, to deepen the conversation between you and your client, and to help you formulate more powerful questions that can not only motivate your clients but even inspire them. Career assessments motivate your clients in the most personal, practical, and relevant ways possible, to advance their ongoing career/life search across the lifespan.

Quality career assessments have helped literally thousands of individuals grow toward a much clearer understanding of the meaning and purpose of their life. The results give you clear directions for continued growth toward appreciating your client's authentic 'work.' Quality assessments give you added relevance to your coaching profession when they are coupled with educational experiences designed to further personalize and extend the learning that occurred with the assessment itself.

The results of quality assessments give you the coach invaluable information about your client; information you could gain nowhere else. Quality assessments generate a personal report that allows you to dramatically advance on your path toward helping your midlife career clients in ways unavailable to you without them. The information given in assessments enables you to move forward in your work with vastly increased confidence and motivation.

Dr. Johnson is the co-founder of ReCareer, Inc., a coach training organization dedicated to helping midlife career changers find meaningful and purpose-driven careers in the second half of life. He is a nationally recognized spokesperson in the field of retirement, career transition and adult development, having written and lectured extensively in those fields. His fresh ideas and enthusiasm for the wholistic aspects of adult development and maturation have inspired scores of maturing adults to follow their hearts and live more abundant lives. He is a dynamic, engaging, and compassionate teacher who delights in seeing his students grow in body, mind, and spirit. Dr. Johnson is the former president of the American Association for Adult Development and Aging. He is the creator of the ReCareer Success Inventory©, the Retirement Success Profile©, the LifeOptions Profile ©, and the Retirement Options © program, developed from over 20 years of retirement research and dedicated to helping people lead enriched and fulfilling lives in their second half of life.

Exactly When Should You Begin Your Career Path?

Recently I was asked, "When should you begin to think about a career path? High School? College? Graduate School? After working a few years?" Maybe you think you should work between high school and college to explore the world of work. Maybe you should know what you want to study before going to college so that you have your career path established before you spend thousands of dollars on your education. Or maybe you should use your college years as the time to explore career options. Each person is unique and development does not have a straight path. Career development is no exception. What if I said your career development begins as soon as you learn to walk, talk and imitate those around you? Would you think I'm crazy or does that make sense to you?

Career development is part of human development. It begins at birth and continues as you master more and more skills throughout your life. Today is a different day. Years ago, a person would decide on a career and stay with it working for thirty to forty years in the same field for their entire working career. Today, it is not unusual for people to change careers two or even three times in their working years. Career development does not move forward in straight line. You need time to understand who you are, what you enjoy, what interests you, what you feel are your strengths and weaknesses and what kind of lifestyle you want to live. All of these things take time to explore, evaluate and plan. This takes years! When do you begin? You began at birth!

I used to joke that my daughter was forty since she was four years old. As a small child she showed characteristics that could be considered career skills. She liked to be in charge so you knew since she was four she would be a leader and a take charge kind of person. She also loved to help others. She was the eldest of my three children and loved to help her younger sister and brother with whatever they were doing. She was obviously a born leader, a teacher, a helper, a service oriented type of personality. I knew very early on, whatever career path she chose it would include working with people, offering some type of help to others, she would be in charge and I believed she would be in some type of teaching capacity.

As my daughter went through school she was an excellent and hard working student. It became clear by Middle School she was very good in Science and she had a work ethic that was remarkable. When she got to high school it was very evident that she was a great science student. During my daughter's sixteenth year, one of her best friends got a type of meningitis that caused her to be unable to speak or move. She was trapped in her own body. My daughter watched her friend relearn to use her body. She was deeply affected by this trauma for her friend and became interested in the professionals that helped bring her friend back to being a fully functioning person after months and months of rehabilitation. Today, my daughter is an occupational therapist. She was able to enter college knowing exactly what she wanted to study and chose a career path that she had been developing since she was a small child.

So, when should you begin to think about a career path? Whether you know it or not, you have been thinking about and developing a career path since you were a small child playing house, playing roles, playing sports, playing an instrument, drawing, singing, building models, listening to music, solving puzzles, playing word games, playing math games, trying to figure out how things work. All of these activities involve skills you have developed along the journey of your life. Pay attention to how you spend your time. What do you do with your spare time? What actions do you take each day that you enjoy? Do you enjoy working with people? Do you enjoy working with data and information? Do you enjoy fixing things, building things, making things work? What truly interests you? When you have a couple of hours to yourself, what do you do with that time? What brings you enjoyment? Satisfaction? Contentment? What challenges you in a way that stimulates you rather than frustrates you? What activities bring a smile to your face?

When you can answer these questions, then ask yourself, what careers offer me these enjoyable opportunities. You work a lot of years of your life. If you go to work to earn money, your days will be long and hard. You need to be able to go to work for satisfaction in what you do. You need to be able to feel content in your work place. You want to enjoy what you do. You want to feel good about what you do, enjoy what you do, and appreciate the income that it provides you. You also want to afford the lifestyle you know you deserve.

So think back over your life and focus on the activities that brought you satisfaction, contentment and joy. You could be sixteen, twenty-six or sixty-six. Your life experiences have been valuable learning experiences. Think back and explore your own history. If you enjoy working with people, find a career that is social. Maybe you want to help others. Explore the many medical occupations and see if any of them fit. Maybe you would love to teach young people and help them develop their minds and their skills through education. Maybe you would enjoy business fields where you help people build and run successful businesses.

Maybe you love working with your hands. Maybe you've always been fascinated by cars and would love to learn how to fix an engine. Maybe you've always been interested in electricity and would love to be an electrician. If you love working with your hands, then find a career that allows you to satisfy this need in you.

Maybe you've always loved being creative. You've loved to tell stories or draw pictures or build things. Perhaps you would love to write or design or construct buildings. If you are creative, utilize your creativity. Write, draw, design, dance, create and play music, build and create. Nurture your talents. Nurture your strengths. Be who you are in your heart and turn it into your career.

The best advice I can give any young person trying to figure out what they want to do for a career is, concentrate on what you really love to do, how you really love to spend your time and find a way to make your hobby your career. Discover what you love and make it your career. If you spend your time at work doing what you love, you will never feel like it is work. Work becomes an extension of you and what you enjoy in life. Now that's a career! Don't let life just happen and a career happen because it fell into your life. Make it happen. Plan now. When should you begin to think about a career path? Now. If you didn't start at birth, plan for it now.

For more personal development, self awareness and personal growth go to http://www.YourExcellenceWithin.org or contact Ms. Doyle at mdoyle@YourExcellenceWithin.org.

Ms. Doyle is a licensed Counselor who has been working in New York City since 1981. Ms. Doyle can always find a positive spin on life lessons. Ms. Doyle is solution oriented. There are no "problems" only challenges which offers opportunity for growth, Ms. Doyle enjoys helping people find their own power and create their own destinies and welcomes you to her website inviting you to join in her E-Counseling and Personal Growth community at http://www.YourExcellenceWithin.org. Ms. Doyle is the mother of three adult children, enjoys reading, writing, music and dance and simply appreciates the gift of life.

Take Care of These When Switching Careers!

Most often, we get to meet people who are unsatisfied with their present career. Some don't like the low pay package and want more, some other don't like the work culture of their career and many more still don't prefer to part with their values that is demanded in their job. One of these reasons might be enough for individuals to switch their career. And many other special ones are their again who just switch their career to do something they love - something they have thought to do since they were kids unknown of these tough choices. But the decision is truly a tough and risky one, and must be taken with utmost care. Given are a few points to consider when switching careers:

Never make decision with money as the basis: Less pay package can rarely be the deciding factor for a career switch. And if you feel so, have a deeper study into other significant factors like workplace, career path heading nowhere, your interests, etc. to know the real reason of boredom.

Never get into something that doesn't match with your skill set: God has given some skills and abilities to all of us. Some others are there that we build up during our journey of life. Now, don't ever get into something that doesn't match with your inner skills and abilities. Many people try out a career that has no relevance with their skills, just for the reason that the career is booming or has large number of vacancies.

Study to depth and, only then should you jump: Don't take a decision to switch just because you heard from someone about the career, or just by a superficial study of the career. Or you'll again have to meet dissatisfaction Have an in depth analysis of the career and yourself and only then should you change the path.

Never go only by a counselor: Career counselors just follow a few interpretations from your answers and accordingly suggest a career. Try to question their suggestions and make out whether the career suggested suits to you or not. These counselors are just guides who can facilitate your decision making process.

Never go after somebody: Only seeing one of your friends or relatives getting into a particular career and being successful in it is not a sufficient cause for you to take up that career. Somebody achieves success in a career just because they are passionate about that. Now if you know a little about that career and probably have a bit of interest too, doesn't necessarily imply that you'll also be successful there.

Don't stick rigidly to known information: Things change. There might be some career that was having rules unsuitable to you but, with the passage of time, there have been changes in it that have made it very much suitable for you. Therefore, you should try to know the unknown and take a decision only after that.

Remember that perseverance is the key: You should always keep in mind that you won't get a success overnight and you have to stick to the career you choose. Or, you'll meet failure there too. A career switch is really time consuming process and, at times, you might feel like returning to the previous field. But, give time to yourself to adjust to the new job.

But finally, don't hesitate: Lastly, if you have made the decision after studying every possibility, you should kick off all hesitation. Look around and just plunge. Be sure of your abilities and the fact that you'll achieve success in whatever career you are about to try.

A good knowledge of our likes and dislikes can always be helpful while switching careers. It is very significant step of our life and must be taken with utmost care. When taken keeping the above points in mind, a career switch proves to offer long lasting benefits and immense pleasure to you.

For reading more of similar articles and finding jobs of your choice, visit localjobsindia.

Sunny Suman is a content writer who has been writing contents for UG Software. The company plays in various fields like web development, seo works, content writing, logo designing and more. You can visit and contact us at http://www.ugwebmart.com for web designing, development and other site related works.

Careers and Job Search - Should I Get Help?

How can you make the "right" decision about using professional assistance to enhance and accelerate your career change or job search?  This article defines the main questions you need to ask yourself, and provides clear criteria for assessing your needs. To further support your decision-making, the article offers a simple cost-benefits analysis for using a career coach to increase both the probability and the speed of a successful job search. Since this step may influence your direction and career goals, as well as the "landing time" to reach your next job, it is clearly an important decision, with both short and long-term impact on your life.

 

If you are in transition to a new career or a new job, for whatever reason, you may have asked yourself the question: "can I do this on my own, or might I benefit from the advice and guidance of a professional career coach and resume writer?" Even knowing that the job search is a difficult task in today's treacherous economic environment and high unemployment with few new jobs, our sense of independence, self-confidence and the desire to conserve cash all urge us to do this on our own. But for a more reliable answer to this question, set aside your gut reaction and consider the key factors below with tough, business-like objectivity, and decide how they apply to you and your situation.

 

Are you equipped for this potentially difficult battle with:

Clearly defined career goals and objectives?
Significant experience in successfully transitioning to new careers or jobs?
Good networking skills and contacts in the field of your interest?
The skills to promote yourself, conveying your accomplishments effectively, but without boasting?
An understanding of the recruiting process and the opportunities in your field of interest?
Strong resume writing skills?
Clear, concise and persuasive verbal communication skills?
Several job-leads/opportunities that would meet your career goals and needs?
A resume that has generated several job interviews in your current situation?
Interviews that have generated at least one job offer?
Family, financial and geographic flexibility, without limitations on career or job selection?


 

 If you can answer 8 or more of these questions with a firm "yes", you probably have the resources and skills to drive your job search without external help.  But if you answer "no" to  4 or more questions, then you are lacking some key attributes or resources for an effective job campaign in today's unforgiving and competitive jobs market, and should consider some professional assistance.

 

This is not to say you cannot be successful on your own, with a great deal of perseverance and some luck. However, a capable career coach can dramatically improve the odds of success and greatly accelerate transition to new careers or jobs by:

 

 Helping you think through your situation and options in a caring but very objective way
Guiding you to develop a personal career and marketing strategy and an action plan
Helping you to fill in some of the gaps in your "arsenal"
Coaching you to present yourself in the best possible and most competitive position: armed with a powerful resume and well-prepared for job interviews and negotiating job offers
Helping you achieve your defined goals, based on a well-thought through strategic plan

If you decide that external help would be appropriate, then you still need to ask one more basic question: "are the benefits of professional assistance worth the cost?" To answer this, first recognize that using a career coach can often be the key to defining your career goals and strategy, and then in getting the "right job". The great value of this to a job seeker is incalculable, because it tends to enhance initial salary, ultimate job satisfaction, promotability and long term career success. However, beyond this great but qualitative benefit, consider the following more quantitative analysis:

 

Statistical evidence summarized from several sources* indicate that 1) 33.3% of the unemployed are now out of work for 27 weeks or more - a higher level than in any recession since 1950; 2) the average unemployment duration is now about 6 months, with a range of 1 to 12 months, twice what it was a year ago; and 3) higher salary levels and older  age statistically increase "landing time" to reemployment.   


 

 Anecdotal evidence from numerous articles and presentations suggest that a good strategy, a powerful resume and solid interview preparation - benefits that can come from the assistance of a career coach - can accelerate the job search and significantly reduce your personal "landing time", though individual success cannot be guaranteed.


Since "hard" statistics on the benefits of career coaching is unavailable, for the purpose of a simple and very conservative cost-benefits analysis, assume that the result of career coaching is finding the right job just  one month sooner than you would otherwise. If, for the typical coaching cost of about $1,000 (for a strong resume and 5-6 hours of consulting), you find a suitable $60,000/yr job just  one month sooner, then you get a $5,000 return on a $1,000 expense - which is far better than any conventional investment performance! And at higher salary and/or shorter landing time in the job search, the return on your investment is even better! This return is so good, that even if the coaching costs were significantly higher, the benefits would still remain very attractive.


 

After considering the key criteria discussed, if it is clear that you do need professional help, then do your own cost-benefits analysis to convince yourself that the investment in your career, to accelerate your job search, is truly cost effective. As the saying goes, the "view is worth the climb"!

 

 *References

Bureau of Labor Statistics; Household Data, Table A9, September, 2009
Wall Street Journal; Conor Dougherty, The Long Slog: Out of Work, Out of Hope, September 25, 2009
National Public Radio; Planet Money, August 7, 2009
Impaxis - Job Search Duration, May, 2009
Dirk Van Dijk; Daily Markets: US Unemployment Duration Stays Up, June 6, 2009 

Estelle Rauch and Paul Kende are the principals at Career Strategies Unlimited, a career coaching firm specializing in helping people change careers and conduct their job search campaigns effectively. Visit our website [http://www.careerstrategiesunlimited.com] for more information on career and job transition services, including workshops, strategic planning, resume writing, job interview preparation and career coaching. Email: paul.kende@gmail.com or estellerauch.csu@gmail.com

Five Myth Busters of Changing Careers - Breaking Free to Reach Your Dreams

Aside from the statistics about the sheer number of careers across our lifetimes in 2009, there are a multitude of new perspectives on career planning, and career options. Was it an option to be a network engineer in a small office when you were a youngster? How about a nanotechnology researcher? Had you ever heard of international micro-loans? These are a few illustrations of newer trends in occupations and career path options.

Even if you are not changing careers this month or this year, you will still need to adapt to changing job demands and responsibilities. Moreover, you likely know someone who will be helped by this informative and freeing approach. Let's break down the threats of the Changing Career Myths together. Read, consider strategies and options for your future, and share this timely information with your friends and family.

1. Career Bondage: You have to pick one career and stick with it. I did not realize anyone still believed this until I started polling high school seniors and college students. Sure enough, these young adults are convinced that their career choice is an irreversible decision. What pressure they experience in Career Bondage. When people look at the statistics and realize they will likely have several careers across their lifetime, it is a liberating experience. Suddenly they are free to step into the first opportunity. Phew! I have seen this excruciatingly long awaited step happen to 17 year olds and 55 year olds. They have similar issues despite being at very different life stages of course. The freedom to step into your future is always a good thing.

2. Closed Doors: Many careers are closed doors for me because I don't have the correct academic degree. You know I have to use the example of Thomas Edison here, correct? He did not have a college degree and look at the influence he had on our world! It is innovation, dedication and inspiration which make a significant difference in many situations. Today, USA culture expects not only a high school diploma, but also a college degree for professional careers. However, once you have tagged that base, you have a multitude of options available to you. Most careers have entry level positions; consider that as you gain more experience and work up further in the organization and industry it may become even better paid and more exciting.

3. FULL TILT, or not at all: If you are going to switch careers you have to go into it full tilt, or not at all. Indeed, a much more successful approach is to try out your new career as a part-time position while you maintain your current career. If you really enjoy it and find it profitable, determine the best strategy for additional training and career opportunities. Another strategy is that if you are thinking of starting your own business, use the same strategy and research the details, plan your ramp-up to test the waters while you continue your full-time work. This approach often works for consulting services, mail-order, web-based fulfillments, and other home based businesses which can fulfill the needs for products or services during nontraditional work hours. Just be sure your full-time work does not suffer at the feet of your new career exploration. The references and relationships you have now will allows follow you and it is much more advantageous if they are always positive.

4. The Lone Ranger Rides Again: Nobody can help you with your career; you have to go it alone. From the country of the ostensibly self-made person, this myth seems to have become a Golden Rule. Truth be told, it is a Golden Failure when followed.The most successful people realize that they cannot know or do everything themselves and instead surround themselves with sharp, supportive advisers, coaches, and assistants. Use recommendations from colleagues, friends or research people who can assist you. Whichever avenue, be sure to run, not walk, as you begin creating a crackerjack support team. Critical members for this network include a financial adviser, career coach/adviser, proofreader (for cover letters and correspondence), and a lawyer (to review employment contracts, agreements, etc).

5. It's a Matter of Luck. Successful careers are a matter of luck, you have to wait for the right door to open. Upon closer examination,it seems that many people who espouse this myth are not very successful. Successful people have shed too much sweat in their efforts and know better. Early in my 2nd career, I thought I was experiencing a lot of luck; however, when I said this to my supervisor, he said, "You create your luck, Kathy. I watch you do it." I am often reminded of this comment because I find it natural to scan the environment for trends, look for opportunities and seek ways to move ahead. Moreover, I take initiative: I love what I do; therefore, I keep wanting to learn more about it! To the outsider it might look like I am working really hard to create luck. I think it is much simpler. The key to creating successful career opportunities may be initiative.

Whatever your current situation, consider how you can destroy the myths which are holding you back. Reevaluate them, gather new information and slay them one, by one. Where are there opportunities to move ahead? What would you like to be doing for work and recreation in 5, 7 or 10 years? What do you need to do to reach those dreams? Gather your support team and ride on into the world of career change and freedom!

Written by
Dr. Kathleen P. King (EdD)

Certified professional coach, Award-winning author, Professional speaker, Professor of Education Transformation Education, CEO

Transformation Education LLC:Helping Professionals Reach Their Dreams - http://www.TransformationEd.com

About Dr. King
Dr. King is a dynamic, interactive keynoter, and accomplished author who invigorates and empowers audiences on a variety of topics. She specializes in guiding professionals in dynamic and rewarding professional journeys: from coping with changes in the workplace, developing leadership, speaking, writing and time management skills, to navigating organizational demands, meeting the needs of 21st century learners, designing and facilitating distance learning, and "Helping Professionals Reach Their Dreams."

Contact Kathy to discuss availability for in-person and virtual speaking engagements, personalized mentoring/coaching services and educational consulting services.

About TELLC Transformation Education LLC is an educational service organization providing keynotes, seminars, training and faculty development, mentoring, and coaching for groups and individuals. Building upon our extensive experience and success in professional settings, since 1992 we have served a global, but always personal client base. Our primary concern remains to bring the highest quality of work and attention to professionals' learning needs. How? We provide cutting-edge, relevant, and critical support for mastering lifelong professional learning in a virtual age!

Career and Job Planning

Each individual is responsible for building his or her own career. In this ever-changing world, everyone is looking for new ways to earn living. The purpose of career and job planning is to develop strategic plan based on one's talents, aspirations and background, leading to a happy personal and professional life. Career planning involves identifying your choices, and then forming the goals that suit your individual needs, and the realities of job world.

How to Plan Your Career and Job

Planning a career and job is an important step for anyone who is either looking for job, or is already employed. It helps to set clear goals, and map the future career path. This panning helps you determine your weaknesses and strengths, and also helps you learn about your career options in different industries. If you are yet to enter the industry, career and job planning takes the form of interviews with prospective colleges, assessment tests, networking with other students and advisors and then finalizing your plan over a period of time. This will equip you with enough skills, knowledge and tools to enter the work world.

Job and life experiences, educational backgrounds and personal goals can either minimize or maximize the potential target career and jobs. Planning for your career involves doing some deductive reasoning and research about the locality of your job search. The types of jobs that are currently in demand vary greatly depending on the location. Getting the basic knowledge of geographic location and observing the statistics can provide you good information regarding jobs that are most competitive and highest in demand.

If you are already employed, there are certain mistakes you need to avoid so that you can plan your career and job well. Do not look for employment in other field without doing intense introspection, do not enter any field just because someone else is doing well in it, do not look for hot fields unless you feel they are suitable for you, do not go back to school without doing some test-drives in the new field, do not try to make the switch alone, do not make money the only deciding factor, be very careful when seeking services of search firms or placement agencies, do not expect to make the switch overnight and do not expect the career counselor to tell you which field to enter.

The foundation of your job search or career shift is solid, good and honest curriculum vitae. It must describe all your qualifications and entire professional career in detail. An effective resume can help you get your foot in the door and lead to personal interviews.

Knowing your salary range is an important aspect of career and job planning. This helps eliminate the prospective jobs falling outside your salary range. To know your realistic salary range, you need to do some research. The first important step is to know your fixed and variable expenses so that you know how much you need to maintain your current standard of living. While determining your salary range, keep in mind that what you might think you are really worth does not matter as much as what the employer thinks the job is worth.

Another important aspect of career and job planning is to get focused. You need to make real choices based on your career aspirations, skills and background.

Once you have successfully formulated you career and job plan, you need to find the employment through your contacts, friends, recent alumni, networking, professors and so on. If you are a fresher, it is advisable that you have a mentor who can also act as a resource in your job hunt. If you are planning a career move, yellow pages, classifieds, career fairs and employment agencies can be quite helpful.

If you want to change careers but don't know how to, read articles, tips and advice written by qualified careers advisors. You find reliable and relevant information of careers in business at Careers and Jobs [http://www.durac.biz]

Simple Guidance to Make a Good Career Choice

As you can find plenty of career options, you may be confused to select a good career option. It is however not an overwhelming task to determine the best career choice. Before making a career selection, you need to assess your skills, interests and personality traits. This can help you to decide which career would be more suitable for you. It is advisable to make use of some self assessment tools like free career tests available online to get 99% accurate results. You can even opt for a career counselor who can aid you to select a good career option.

While making self assessment, you can get to know various types of occupations available in your locality. However, the occupation list may be lengthy and you need to make it shorter by eliminating the occupations that are not suitable to your interest, skill and traits. You can then mark down the occupations that you feel appealing and write down those occupations separately.

Exploring the occupations in the list is the next important step in making a good career choice. You can try to gather as much information about the occupation on the list as possible. You need to know some basic information like educational and training requirement for that career, salary details and so on. You can utilize some useful online resources like careers by field or career briefs to get some fundamental details about a career. It is then easy for you to eliminate the career types that offer lower earnings than you expect.

After exploring the careers in the list, you would have only a few career types left in the list. You can collect more comprehensive details about such career options. You can seek the help of people who have great knowledge about the career types you are interested in. You can arrange for an informational interview with them to learn about the occupations. It is wise to ask some important questions like the working hours, potential growth in that career etc.

You can narrow down the list of occupations based on the details you gather in the informational interview. If any career type requires putting forth more time and energy to prepare for it, you can consider another career option. It is worth to set your career goals and take actions to reach them. Developing a career plan map can help you to select the right career option and to achieve your long term ambitions. 

John Brady is a career and job counselor, who also owns a blog on job search [http://www.localjobjournal.com]. He regularly writes articles on local and government jobs and careers [http://www.localjobjournal.com/articles].

Teen Quizzes Connect You to Your Future Career Choice

If you do not know which career to choose, or are confused about which career you should be in, teen quizzes can analyze your personality and abilities to see which careers you could fit into. If you are not interested in any careers at all, an interest test can still help, by suggesting careers you may be interested in, because of your personality type. Another way to find out what you like to do, is to take part time jobs in whatever you can get into. For example, if you work at a fast food chain, any experience can be added to your resume, and applied to the next job application.

Working in the fast food industry will tell you if you want to pursue it or not in the future. Experience will teach you what you like and don't like in the working world. A Personality Test can match you to compatible careers, because it is known that people with similar personalities and interests are happy in similar jobs. One test that matches your personality to suitable careers, is the Strong Interest Inventory (R).

This interest inventory test uses the Holland Codes Typology (R), which categorizes your personality into one of six distinct types - There's Realistic, Artistic, Investigative, Conventional, Enterprising, and Social. They are pretty much self explanatory. You want to discover your future? Look at your past and present. It is a good measuring stick to learn what you may be interested in doing for a career later. Someone's personality usually doesn't change, so if you are the Artistic type, you will probably stay that way.

Realistic: You enjoy physical, practical, hands on careers that are possibly outdoors, but do not want to involve yourself with a lot of paper work. You prefer to do, not think it out on paper. You only want the facts and are solidly based in reality. Let's get Moving, is your motto. You have no illusions, you want what's real now, and see things for what they are.

Artistic: You prefer expressing yourself through designing something without a clear set of rules or regulations. You go with your own intuition flow without deadlines. Imagination and creativity is you. You move at your own pace despite the speed of the world. Something in an art career cluster may be your ideal career choice.

Investigative: You like working with ideas and figuring things out for yourself, mentally. You are the pencil and paper kind of guy, or girl. You like investigating and observing. You do the research. You enjoy contemplation and pondering new ideas.

Enterprising: You are a self starter, an independent thinker, and like taking charge, leading people, and taking responsibility. When there's a question to be answered, you're the guy or girl, with all the answers - Just ask you. You are a natural born leader. Hand over the reigns, you will take over. You will direct the entire show. Consider self employment in your own legitimate home business, management, or supervisory positions.

Conventional: You like working by a predictable routine and a specific set of operational rules. You do not mind having to answer to someone, and being directed by an authority figure. You enjoy a predictable career working environment and job routine. You love to go by the rules and want them to be clearly defined. You work well with others within a cohesive team. You perform good as a team player, and like the social interaction on the job. This is the best job environment for your particular working style.

Social: You love people, and have to be surrounded by them. It is part of who you are. You do not like to do much alone. People energize you. You are a social butterfly. You are well liked, because you like people in general. There is no one you can't find something about them to like. Career personality tests show you to be amiable and possibly gregarious.

Take an inventory of all your education and skills. Have you been a babysitter? Take this in consideration too, because it could lead to you being a teacher in grade school, or owning your own day care center. Don't be in an occupation you are not interested in, nor passionate about. Make sure you have the natural aptitudes required for doing the job you are interested in.

If you use aptitudes you are weak in, or do not like using, you will be unhappy in that job. Pick a job where you can be who you are, and use those strongest skills and aptitudes you prefer using. Your personality has to fit the job, or you will not be fulfilled. Discover your abilities and who you are, and match these both to the right career, and you will then have a fulfilling career you will also be successful at.

Steve Humphreys

http://www.free-career-test-online.com

Key to ideal career discovery is self-knowledge. Find, develop, and plan your career choice with our self-help resources. Teens, career changers, or job searchers will find helpful advice and articles about career tests, resumes, interviews, and more. Let us help you find your dream career on your journey.

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What is a Career?

The concept of career has changed over the last 20 or 30 years. Whereas a career used to be a job for life, this is rarely the case anymore. It is no longer the situation that a person is employed in one or a series of jobs with one employer and then comfortably retires at 65.

People now, on average, change their jobs or careers at least 7 times over the course of their life. In addition, there is no guarantee of retiring at 65 and many people are working well into their 70's and 80's.

The impact of the recession, changing technology, globalisation, competition, mergers, stress, increasing change and the pace of life has changed the traditional career.

According to 'Wikipedia', a career is classed by the Oxford English Dictionary as an individual's "course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)". It is a series of successive situations or activities that make up a person's occupation.

A career may be focused around progression in a job or a series of roles, or a process of parallel career changes in the search for greater income and personal satisfaction.

A career is made up of a process of continuous learning and personal and professional development. This enables a person to keep up with changes within the workplace and be competitive when seeking a new job.

A career is often made up of activities outside of the traditional paid working environment. These may include voluntary or charity work or working within the community, such as helping out in sporting clubs. In addition, the skills required in a career can come from other activities such as running a home and raising children or looking after elderly relatives.

A career may be made up of a variety of different roles, commonly known as a portfolio career, where a person carries out a range of different jobs often including self employment and working with different organisations to make a living.

A career is no longer just for people who work full time. Many people, and not just women with children, are seeking increased flexibility, more effective work/life balance and part-time working to have a career that works for them. Also people are driven by different things at different stages of their career, such as when they face a life changing event. It is not unusual to take a career break or change roles to fulfil important values at different times during their lives.

Despite the current economic climate, more and more people are seeking self employment as their values no longer meet the values of their organisation or they want greater fulfilment and personal satisfaction. In 2006, 12% of the UK's working population were self employed with predictions that this could swell by up to 10 million people by 2011.

What is the implication of the changing nature of a career?

For many people, the implication is that there is no longer a career for life, so people need to be flexible in their response to change, whether this is due to redundancy, restructuring or finding a better way to make an income. On the other hand, as there are thousands of career options available today, there is increasing choice, but this can often feel overwhelming as well.

Many people are also finding their is a values shift between their personal values and the changing culture within their organisation. It is when this is out of alignment that many people seek out new employment or a new start to change the focus of their career.

To be successful, workers need to start to focus on their strengths and their skills to develop a plan for their future. In addition, they need to know what else is important in their life to make sure that their choices and decisions are congruent with other parts of their life.

Copyright Karen Williams 2009. All Rights Reserved.

You are welcome to use this article in your website, blog or newsletter, provided that the article is published in tact, the links are live (if it is published online) and you include the information below with it:

Karen Williams is a personal development coach who helps people to re-find direction in their career. If you want to achieve greater success in your career, download your free tips now at http://www.selfdiscoverycoaching.co.uk.

ISTJ Careers - 5 Career Change Tips For ISTJs

Are you an ISTJ?  Are you wondering what the best ISTJ careers might be for you? Well, I guess if you are reading this, you are already a fan of MBTI - or the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, as I am.  As a career change consultant, I have found it to be a great tool when helping career changers work out what direction they should go in next.

So how do you make a connection between your personality type and the careers you could consider? There is no doubt that you will be happiest in a career where you are able to use your preferred style of operating for the majority of the time. So when you are considering new career options, take your type elements into account.

Using your Introversion

Make sure there will be opportunities for you to work in a quiet and focused way and that you will have time to think and reflect on the work you are doing.  If you are constantly required to interact with colleagues and clients, thinking on your feet as you go you will probably find that a struggle.

Using your Sensing

You will probably be happier if your work involves handling concrete facts and processes where you can see an immediate practical application.  You are great with applying detailed systems and may feel less comfortable if your work demands constantly coming up with new ideas and approaches.

Using your Thinking

You are a clear headed, logical thinker and have great skill in weighing up pros and cons objectively.  You will probably prefer a work environment where everyone works to clear principles and standards and will feel less inspired by a setting that has a strong 'people' focus.

Using your Judging

You prefer a planned and orderly approach and you are likely to be methodical and systematic in the way you work.  You just want to know what you are meant to be doing so you can get on with it.  If a job requires you to constantly chop and change, or if the environment is fairly chaotic and unstructured, it is likely that you will find this draining.

Don't just look for a simple match

You are a wonderfully complex creature and many factors will be important in your career choice, so don't expect a simple one-to-one match where ISTJ = x is the perfect job for you.

Looking at the outlines above, it would be easy to jump to a simplistic conclusion eg that accountancy or law would be good ISTJ careers.  Now you will probably find there are more ISTJs in these fields than in areas such as performing arts and advertising, but don't base your career change decision just on your personal style.  Make sure that you take account of your skills, interests and values too as well as practical issues such as where you live or are willing to move to.

In the meantime, if you would like to read more about your personality and your career, then I invite you to take a look at the How To Change Careers website http://www.how-to-change-careers.com/career-change-test.html You can take a simple and free personality quiz to give you an idea of your MBTI preferences and read more about what your ISTJ personality type means for you and your career http://www.how-to-change-careers.com/istj.html You can also access my ebook, Know Your Personality, Know Your Career where you will find more career suggestions for each MBTI type.

From Cherry Douglas - Your Career Change Guide

Preparing For a Life With Multiple Jobs and Careers

In his ASU commencement speech this week, President Obama urged graduates to be prepared for more than one job or career in their lifetime. His recommendation was "to keep gaining new skills - possibly even new degrees; and to keep taking risks as new opportunities arise."*

Although our leaders in various fields have been expressing this for years now, I meet many people who haven't quite stepped into this career paradigm shift. The fact that many aren't sure how to prepare themselves for job and career transitions is understandable since we live in a demanding and transforming culture with few rituals, road maps, instructions, and support for people during or regarding change. There is a growing amount of information, expertise, and support for people IN career transition, but on a foundational level, how do we stand in this new paradigm powerfully so that job and career transitions start to become more organic and fluid?

Acceptance: To prepare ourselves as career marathon runners who'll likely make many stops, we first must step into accepting and absorbing that a career paradigm shift is happening within our culture as a whole. Although it can be difficult to imagine changing careers for many reasons, assessing whether this is likely to be a reality for you is ultimately the more empowering and energizing place to operate from. The problem with ignoring or denying something that is likely to occur is both that we loose the ability to steer our own lives and we often find ourselves ill prepared for change that comes our way.

Preparation: To elaborate on one of the essential points of President Obama's speech - staying in a place of learning and discovery in your day-to-day life is vital. This learning may mean an additional degree, broadening your skills within your desired field, or engaging in extracurricular learning activities. Whatever you choose to explore, the more you connect yourself to learning and growth-oriented activities you love, the more likely you will start to create possibilities for new jobs and careers in areas that you deeply enjoy in your life. In both my work as a business executive and in my work as a Life and Career Coach, I have met numerous people who's thriving careers sprung from a single extracurricular class, hobby, or life-long interest that was initially pursued by carving a small amount of time out of their schedule.

Flexibility & Openness: Getting comfortable with change is vital as well. If you've ever taken a first yoga class, you'll remember what it's like to marvel at the flexibility of others around you while you struggled to sit comfortably. Remaining flexible and open to career development opportunities and career change in general takes practice, practice, practice, but the more you practice, the better and stronger you feel. So, try and embrace new technologies and new ways of doing business, accept new work assignments, and stay open to job and career changes...the more you do, the more one thing will start leading to another naturally, and the more fluid transitions will be.

A Longer Vision: Start to think of your degrees and job experiences as important personal building blocks rather than things that define you within a singular career. In addition, imagine the kind of life and financial security you'd like in retirement and keep this image in mind when you make job and career decisions going forward. A long-term career vision that is rooted in what you really value and desire for yourself will help you plan and strategize for your life.

Risk-Taking: Take calculated risks when appropriate in your career. Whatever shape this takes for you, we frequently make our biggest leaps when we take risks. So, before you run from the risk, think of your long-term vision, enlist support and explore all the possibilities around this. There may very well be a way for you to take action with limited risk, and this risk may turn out to be the best opportunity you've ever create in your career.

*from the transcript posted on "The Huffington Post," May 14, 2009.

Maria McKenna is a Career Coach with the Institute for Coaching.

New Career Ideas - The Top 5 Career Themes to Inspire You

Are you racking your brains for some new career ideas?

Many of my career change clients seem to get really stuck when it comes to generating new career ideas for themselves. They are often find it hard to let go of the idea that any new career has got to somehow connect up with what they have done before.

Well, that can be one place to start and there is no doubt that some career changes do build on previous work experience.

But it doesn't have to be so.

I like to encourage clients to really think laterally when exploring new career options. And one way of doing this is to try thinking about general themes that underline what they really want to do.

What career themes inspire you? What underlying issues are important to you in the work you do?

Themes are important guides to what might be right for you and can be great starting points for more detailed thinking about career change. Here are the top five themes that come up regularly from would-be career changers together with a few of the questions you need to ask yourself to unpack what these themes really mean for you.

I want to work with people

What kind of people? Adults, children, teenagers, people who are ill, those who need advice? And how will you be working with them? Educating or training them? Selling to them? Curing them of physical or mental illness? Managing and directing them?

I want to do something creative

What does creative mean to you? What will you be creating? A novel? Paintings or sculptures? Will you be designing clothes, jewellery, stage sets? Or will your creativity be inventive involving you in coming up with new ways to solve technical or business problems?

I want to travel

Where do you want to travel to? Do you just mean getting out of the office, or do you want to travel locally, nationally or internationally? How frequently do you want to be away from home? Do you actually wan tot live and work abroad?

I want to earn lots of money

How much is lots of money? What will money give you? What difference will that make for you? How long and hard are you prepared to work to achieve this goal? Have you got a particular skill or talent that you can develop and sell?

I want to make a difference

In what way do you want to make a difference? What influence do you want to have and on whom? Do you want to help individuals or change political systems to help many? Do you want to discover or invent something that will change lives?

Do any of these themes and questions ring true for you? Take some time to reflect on what your top career themes are. They can be a great starting point for many new career ideas.

Want to read a bit more about career themes and discover some specific new career ideas that link with these themes? Then I invite you to take a look at the How To Change Careers website. You'll find lots of ideas and inspiration there to get you thinking laterally about your career change and while your there, why not also download my free Career Change Blueprint http://www.how-to-change-careers.com/career-change-blueprint.html which gives you a step-by-step guide to successful career change.

From Cherry Douglas - Your Career Change Guide