Decide On a Career First, Then Get a Job

With a US unemployment rate hovering at 9% and millions of other American workers under-employed, the question many people are asking is "Where can I get a job?" The answer is "Decide on a career first, then get a job." Although a slow economy will limit the number of overall opportunities available, people who are clear about what they really want for a career will ultimately have an advantage over people who are just looking for a job. Here are six good career-building tips that explain why focusing on career first makes sense:

Start with a vision: "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there" so says the old adage. Almost every human endeavor starts with a vision, and a career is no different. Whether you are a recent graduate looking for your first job or a displaced older worker, you must first decide on a career path. What type of work? What industry? What is your passion? These are the kinds of questions that you must answer first before you can begin a focused job search. Just "looking for a job" is not good enough. You must decide on your career field first, and only then can you begin to set the goals that will lead you to a job.

Set some short-term and long-term goals: Goals are the discreet milestones, the objectives that you plan to achieve. The best goals are specific, measureable, attainable, relevant, and time-bounded (SMART). When you have decided on a career path, you can more easily set goals to advance your career and find a job. Knowing your career field first, you can assess your skills and decide if you need to have short-term goals around education. If you already have the skills, then you can set goals around finding target companies. You can also set long-term goals around career advancement for the next five to ten years.

Be a life-long learner, an expert: Even if you have the immediate skills required to get a job, you still must be a life-long learner. Almost every career field is constantly changing. New technologies are coming online and old ones are constantly being upgraded. Every day, there are more new markets, new products, and new customers who need new solutions to their problems. If you don't stay current in your chosen career field, you will be less attractive to employers. On the other hand, if you are viewed as an "expert" on the latest trends, then you will be sought out for your expertise.

Build your brand: Your reputation is your personal brand, and it is just as important as your technical skills. The technical skills may get you hired, but your brand will keep you there and get you promoted. What kind of team player are you? Do you deliver on commitments? Do you get things done? Are you innovative? Do you always do the right thing? The answers to these types of questions define your personal reputation in the workplace, your brand. Building a positive brand will help you build a successful long-term career; however, it takes time to build a brand because it is defined by many interactions with lots of people over a long period of time.

Build your database: Every successful business has a database of customers and potential customers (prospects). If you think about managing your career in the same way as managing a business, then you need a personal database. The good news is that this has never been easier to do this. There are internet based tools like Linkedin which make keeping track of your professional contacts easy. Track your current and former colleagues, peers in your industry, former classmates, and others who can help you with your career. Paraphrasing noted author Harvey McKay: "The time to dig your well is before you get thirsty." So, build your network over time so that you can tap into it when you need it. Also be sure to connect with these people periodically so that you build relationships and not just have a list of people. It is the number of people with whom you have a relationship and not the number of people on your list that will be most important to your career.

Find a mentor. Everyone can use some special help in getting ahead, especially if you are in the early stages of your career. Find someone who has "been there and done that." They have experience, and if they are willing to share it with you, then you can avoid some basic career mistakes. A mentor can be your coach, and a mentor who is in a senior position at your company, can also help you get promoted by using their influence. How do you find a mentor? Get to know people who have experience, arrange a meeting, and then ask them for their help. Most senior people are genuinely willing to help others in the same career field and they will often be open to your request. Ask, and you may be pleasantly be surprised.

So, if you are unemployed or under-employed, then begin your job search by thinking about your career field first. Once you decide on what you want to do, then finding career opportunities will become an easier task. Thus, the best advice for career success is "Decide on a career first, then get a job!"

Leonard Kloeber is an author and leadership consultant. He has extensive leadership experience as business executive and as a military officer. He has been a hands-on leader in a variety of organizations large and small. Most recently he was a human resources executive for a Fortune 100 company. His book - Victory Principles, Leadership Lessons from D-Day - illustrates seven bedrock leadership principles that all successful leaders use. Download a free summary of the Victory Principles at: http://www.victoryprinciples.com and find other bonus materials for leaders. Contact him at staffride@gmail.com or find his book Victory Principles at http://www.leadershipthebook.com

How to Decide on the Right Career

Defining Career

In general career is defined as a kind of progress through life or at least certain periods of life mostly with the aim of reaching a higher or the highest possible position in a company, an organization, an institution, the society or others. Career is a very individual matter and choosing a career is treated as one of the most fundamental life choices any individual should make. Career is often distinguished from terms like "job" or "occupation" because it emphasizes the possibility of moving forward and climbing up the social ladder. One can have a job but this doesn't mean automatically that this job can guarantee a career - this is what is said. In this sense career stands higher than just employment and implicates a conscious and aware decision making and acting of an individual.

Career Models

Though career is mostly associated with "being employed", this is not the only path one can follow and not the only field one can make progress in. The question of how income is made seems to be a better criteria and therefore we can differentiate the following career models:

career as employee
career as entrepreneur
career as business owner

Employee Career

Employee career means climbing up the career ladder within a certain structure, mostly a company, by getting promoted. The employee career is predefined by the company structure and only certain points of the career ladder can be reached by an employee (for instance it's rather unlikely that a simple employee can reach the position of a chairman). This model is true for the majority of people, but only if they start seeing the job they do as a basis for improvement and only if they understand the need for activity and aware decisions.

Entrepreneur Career

The difference between employee and entrepreneur is that in contrast to an employee working for someone an entrepreneur owns the job he does working only for himself. This means of course a difference in career possibilities as well. An entrepreneur doesn't have a predefined career ladder as there is no structure / company to be bound to. And therefore progress depends on the individual development of the entrepreneur. A reasonable criteria for assessing an entrepreneur career is the level of customer popularity and the made income.

Business Owner Career

A business owner doesn't own a job but a kind of business system working to generate income. This means that there are either employees or entrepreneurs working for the business owner or there is a to some extent automated income system requiring only a small level of engagement from the site of the owner. In this model career is of course directly proportional to the economic relevance of the business

Georg Baer is passionate about finding the right career path for himself and others. He loves the idea of financial freedom through the Internet but is still enough realistic to know that there can be many possible ways.

See and profit from Georg Baer's Encouragement Words [http://www.timeforgiants.com/portal/] and Expert Knowledge at Time For Giants. Remember that each career activity needs to follow a path.

(c) - Copyright - GEORG BAER. All rights reserved.

So Many Career Choices - How Do You Decide Which Career is For You?

You're not satisfied with your current career. You've done some research, and there seem to be so many exciting possibilities! How do you decide what is right for you? Here are five important factors to consider when choosing a new career.

1. Your Interests

When deciding on a new career path, one of the most important considerations is knowing what you like to do. Your career should reflect your interests. Many people just like you find themselves in jobs that are boring or do not relate to their passion. With the right training, you could leave that dull job behind and get started on a career that you love. After all, if you have to work nine-to-five every day, why not spend the time at a job that is rewarding?

2. Your Lifestyle

Different careers require different time commitments. For example, long-haul truckers must spend days away from home, and are often alone. Cosmetologists work closely with the public, and interact with their clients. Graphic artists often work from home and have flexible hours. The career that you choose should fit your lifestyle. You may want to consider your family commitments, whether or not you enjoy travel, or if you want to work directly with the public or behind the scenes.

3. The Skills Needed For Your Chosen Career

Having a passion for a certain career is one thing... being qualified is another. You may be working in the job you have now simply because you had the skills the employer wanted-but the job has nothing to do with your personal interests! Be honest. Do you really love your job? If not, then you should consider getting trained for the career that you're passionate about. There's no reason to spend year after year in a dead-end job that doesn't interest you when there are many opportunities to get career training.

4. The Job Market

The fact is, in today's global economy certain careers are growing quickly and others aren't. This doesn't mean that you should choose a career only by its expected growth-but you improve your odds of getting hired when you're trained in a career field that's growing. Education-For-Careers uses the very latest U. S. Government Department of Labor statistics to bring you the inside scoop on which careers are hot. Check out the numbers and see which growing career best fits your career passion!

5. Expected Earnings

Money isn't everything... but it's very high on the list! Some people are happy with low incomes (think starving artist), but most of us want a good paycheck that gets bigger every year. Some careers pay more than others, and the pay rate often depends upon the level of training. According to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Digest of Education Statistics 2005, a person with an associate degree can expect to earn nearly 25% more than someone with a high school diploma alone. A person with a bachelor's degree can expect to earn nearly 60% more than someone with a high school diploma or GED. That's real money!

When you think about a new career, you'll want to consider these five factors that will affect your decision.

Thinking about training for a new career? http://www.Education-For-Careers.com can help you compare colleges. Get information about career training programs, online education, financial aid opportunities, job placement services, and much more.

How to Decide Which Career is Right For You

Whether you're a college freshman about to leave home for the first time or an experienced worker who just got laid off, deciding which career is right for you can be a daunting task. With so many to choose from, how do you know which career will be a good fit, which will bring you the most personal fulfillment, and which will allow you to pay the bills?

When you're choosing a career, it helps to think about a variety of factors, not just how much money you'll take home at the end of the day. Check out these top five 5 career decision-making factors:

Career Decision Factor #1:

What do you like to do?

This is probably the most important factor to consider, because if you don't like what you do, you could very possibly end up hating your job and quitting within a few years to do something else.

If you're feeling stumped about which job is right for you, consider your personal interests, passions, and hobbies and how you can turn one of them into a career. Do you love animals and science? A veterinary technician career might be perfect for you. Are you more of a people person with an eye for fashion? A career as a fashion buyer, fashion merchandiser, or sales rep might be the way to go. Make a list of your favorite things and use our career profiles page to find careers related to that interest.

Picking a career that plays to your natural talents and interests is key to long-term success. As H. Jackson Brown, Jr. said, "Find a job you like and you add five days to every week."

Career Decision Factor #2:

What industry is right for you?

Picking the right industry can be just as important as picking the right job. Different industries grow at different rates, and can therefore offer different opportunities for growth and advancement. Finding an industry that fits with your career needs can ensure your happiness at work, as well job security for the future.

Healthcare, for example, is an industry that is growing by leaps and bounds, and it's not just for nurses and doctors. Growing healthcare facilities are in need of communications specialists, computer technology experts, and human resources professionals, making it a good industry for a wide variety of career professionals.

Career Decision Factor #3:

What degree is right for you?

As you consider different career choices, you may also want to consider the educational and certification requirements that accompany different jobs. Think about how long you want to be in school, what you'd like to study, and how much you're willing to spend on your education. These factors can be a good guide in helping you find the right career.

Consider a career in medicine, for example. Maybe you've always dreamed of being a surgeon, but spending thousands of dollars (literally) and 11 (or more) years in school doesn't sound right for you. There are many other healthcare careers, from nursing to physician assistant to EMT, that will allow you to save lives without investing that level of time (or money.)

Career Decision Factor #4:

Where do you want to live?

Where you live can also affect your career. If you want to be a financial trader, for example, you're most likely going to need to live in a large city close to the markets. But if you want to be a social worker, you may actually have better luck finding employment in a more rural area.

Before you choose a career, think about where you want to live. Are you a city person or a country person? Do you want to live somewhere warm, or do you want to be close to your family? Once you have a good idea of where you want to live, do some research and find out which careers and industries offer opportunities in that state or region.

Career Decision Factor #5:

What kind of lifestyle do you want?

Different careers come with different levels of commitment and expectations. Doctors and lawyers, for example, may take home some serious paychecks, but they're also expected to work long, irregular hours and devote a majority of their lives to developing their practices.

Teachers, on the other hand, also have a lot on their plates, but are able to enjoy nights, weekends, holidays, and summers with friends and families.

Before you choose a career: think long and hard about what is most important to you. Do you care so much about your career that you're willing to sacrifice personal and family time for work? Would you prefer to have a less demanding career that allows you to travel, be at home with your children, and pursue other interests?

By finding the balance between work and personal life that's right for you, you'll be sure to start a career that keeps you fulfilled both in and out of the workplace.

Noel Rozny writes the bi-weekly career blog mypathfinder for the myFootpath website. myFootpath is a resource to help you in your search for a college, degree program, career, graduate school, and non-traditional experiences. Visit www.myfootpath.com to start your college or degree program search.