Rational Career Planning - Understanding 6 Career Vs Job Differences

To undertake a rational career planning approach, we need ask ourselves and acknowledge the answer to the following two similar questions.


Are words career and job synonyms of each other?
Does looking for a job mean the same as charting your career path?
The answer to both the above questions is a big 'No'. The terms career and job cannot be used interchangeably. Searching for a job and charting ones career does not mean the same thing. Let us try and appreciate the differences.

The Differences Between Career and Job


Career and job are two different concepts. Career is an all encompassing, broader concept whereas job is a narrower approach.
The search of a job begins when you complete your education or when you need one, whereas a career needs to be managed. It needs to be planned right from the stage of high school.
It is not necessary that a job or for that matter a good job may be a stepping stone towards achieving your career goal. Extending it further, it is not necessary that the promotions in your job may take you closer to your career goal.
Both career management and job search require a network. Practically, these days' networking is very essential. In the case of a job the network is very superficial. Your interest in the network and the networks interest do not have a depth. On the other hand, in case of a career, your network comprises of strong relationships. In a career you and your network add value to each other.
In the case of a career, you would time and again do a SWOT analysis (analysis with effort or determination) of skill set. You aspire to enhance your skill set and continuously work on yourself. Working on your skill set takes you closer to your career goal. On the other hand in the case of a job, you try to acquire skills which help you perform your job better, or help you to seek a promotion.
In a job your success is governed by what other people think and perceive but in the case of a career, you measure your success in your own terms. You measure your success against the time line that you decided for yourself.

Rational career planning goes hand in hand with understanding, but most of all acknowledging, these differences. People who have a job and are hired to accomplish a task set to accomplish someone else his goal. when the task is done, the job is done. People who have a career, work on it ever day. It is an ongoing process.

Just look up the descriptions of both terms in a dictionary.

Career

"an occupation or profession, especially one requiring special training, followed as one's lifework"

Job

"a piece of work, especially a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price"

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Career Planning After 50 - Find the Right Career!

You've reached the point in your life where you're over 50; you've worked in several careers perhaps some by choice some just by circumstance and you're looking for a change. The problem is where do you start?

Recently, a fellow who lived near an airport at the end of a busy runway went into the airline HR department and asked to fill out an application for a job as a pilot. When asked his qualifications he said, "Well, I've watched thousands of planes land and take off and I'm sure I can do the job."

If this sounds like you looking to change careers after 50, it's time to go back to the drawing board and do some serious career planning.

Every career, except the most basic jobs, has threshold qualifications and requirements. Some are easy to qualify for, others like airline pilots take years of training and flying experience. If you're 55 and could pass the physical requirements, and it would take you five years to qualify for the entry level pilot's position, and the airlines have a mandatory age 60 retirement, you probably wouldn't take this route.

On the other hand if you are 55 and your desire is to be an attorney, and it requires three years of additional schooling and passing the bar exam, go for it. But it requires along with the career planning after 50, the necessary financial planning carrying it off.

How then do you find the right career? First, do a self-assessment of you interests, skills, what you enjoy and what you do not want to do.

If a particular career does not jump off the page don't worry as you do your career research the right career will come into focus.

Now we find individuals working in the proposed career field or fields. Find the individuals in local associations, Linkedin.com, alumni associations, and networking with friends and associates. Develop a short 10-15 minute interview, with questions that will provide you with the following: career educational requirements, necessary experience, employers that employ individuals in this career, where the employers are located and referrals to others to talk to regarding the proposed career.

Since you're over 50 and thinking about making a career change you'll be looking to short cut some job requirements. Like education, for example, you may through self-study and online learning speed up the education qualification requirements.

Also, through volunteer work with organizations and non-profits many times you can gain valuable work experience that translates well to meeting job experience requirements.

Additionally your research will provide you with salary ranges, promotional opportunities and if the needs for the career are growing.

All of this will now be reflected in your rewritten resume and cover letter. You'll have a good start on preparation on good answers to tough job interview questions.

Career planning after 50 can be a time for reflection, to reassess your financial future and find the right job in the right career. Hopefully, this short article will get you started in the right direction in your career planning.

To find out more detailed information on all aspects of career planning after 50, go to http://careersafter50.com. Further, discover the stories of others over age 50 who found their dream careers through a variety of Career Planning Ideas.

Career Planning - How to Choose A Career Path

With the great number of career opportunities that abound, a lot of individuals are left perplexed in making the final decision on how to choose the right career for them. However, there is always a way that can be pointed out as a career planning advice to help you get away from the pressures of picking the career that is rightfully for you. The first thing that should come into your mind is the reality that sometime during your lifetime you may across with the day that you feel that the career you chose earlier is not suitable for you. This is something that you should not frustrate about because it is normal to make mistakes being human that you are. The most important thing is that you keep away from playing to be "Jack of all trades and master of none!" This article will try to provide you with some useful career planning tips to make the task of choosing the path to a career a less overwhelming journey.

The first step to take as part of your career planning guide is to identify your strengths, abilities and what interests you. To do this appropriately, you need to write down all your interests in a sheet of paper. Spend time going over it and arrange them according to your preference. With each of your interest, write down the skills that you have for each interest. This would provide you an idea on where you stand best. You see, being interested is not enough; you should also have the skills and abilities so as to be successful in that particular career.

If you are quite unsure on where to start seeking the guidance of a career counselor would help you come up with a better career planning strategy. These professionals are trained in this aspect and can help you discover where the right path you should start on. You need to understand that being talented in a particular area is not surefire guarantee that you are destined for it. It is also important that you have enough understanding on what are the essential career requirements for that particular choice of you. You might not be clearly aware of this but a career coach or counselor is armed with sufficient information about requirements of different careers.

Once you have clearly identified the career you want and should pursue, it would be worthy if you could take up an internship in that field prior to immediately plunging on it full time. In doing so, you will be given the chance to have sufficient exposure to the field and widen your network with people of the same career. This would give you a clearer and wider spectacle making you decide if this is something you really want to do or something that you could face doing. In the event that you feel you are not happy with it, you can simply beg off and quit instead of immediately rushing things and then find yourself trapped into it.

Career planning may be easy on some while it can really be cumbersome for other groups of individuals. However, failing on your first career choice does not mean the end of the world, you can always opt for a career change and learn from your mistakes until you get to the career that you love and know you would excel in.

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Strategies for Efficient Career Planning

Selecting the right course of career is one of the most important decisions of your life. This is why you should give significant amount of time before choosing your career track. Unfortunately, several people make few common mistakes while choosing the right career for themselves. This wrong decision is usually made due to the lack of career advice, lack of awareness or due to certain unavoidable circumstances.

In order to make a right career decision, it is important to plan your career path considering all the important factors. Choosing a career path is extremely important and can well be a life changing step. Therefore, it needs a thorough brainstorming. Good thing is that you can turn your dreams into a reality by following a systematic yet flexible approach.

Following are few guidelines that can help you in bringing your career on the right track:

- Career planning should start at a very initial stage, i.e. during the school-level education. It's the duty of parents to educate their children about the importance of education and career. This will help the children being mentally prepared to handle the job related pressure at later stages. Children need to be matured enough to explore their options and proactively learn about the career paths aligned with their interests.

- You can take career guidance from a well qualified career planner. The career planners inform you about all the available career options as per your educational qualifications. They also consider your ability as well as interests while short-listing the career options suitable for you. They also analyze the market and emerging trends, and can provide you with details about all the prospective career options, which can help you frame a rewarding career for yourself.

- You should not completely rely on anyone's advice regardless of how close they might be to you. They might be your well-wishers but chances are they aren't aware of the possible career options you can opt. It's always better to keep yourself updated with the latest trends and career options available as suitable for your line of education.

- Performing sufficient study and research about the company and your work profile before you join a company. You should learn about your prospective roles and responsibilities before you join the organization.

- Relying on any placement agency that guarantees a job and asks you to pay for it is simply worthless. Reputed placement agencies are paid for their efforts by the employers.

- It is also important to remain employed with one employer for a long duration. Most of the reputed companies avoid employing people who have switched their jobs very frequently without good reasons.

As mentioned earlier, a systematic career planning considering all the possible options and opportunities definitely pays off. It will not only educate you about the ongoing trends in the market, but also will help you to increase your marketability in the line of career you've chosen for yourself.

This is Diarmuid Haughian, writing articles, blog and exploring on new interesting topics such as job, education, career etc. You can find more details about Career Planning and new career.

Career Planning: The 10 Minute Solution!

Career planning for a successful future takes time. Yet this is precisely what too many people cite as why they don't have a robust career plan. And if they have a career plan it languishes in the closet gathering dust. Why, because somehow they do not have the time to take proper steps to turn their career plan into action.

Are you taking enough time to properly build your career plan. Taking only about 10 minutes a day to build your career plan will mean you'll save additional time over the life of your career.

Proper planning will make the implementation of any project go smoother, with fewer surprises and a greater chance of reaching the project's goals. The same can be said for a career plan. Still think you don't have the time?

Here are some ideas to get your career planning on track-at only 10 minutes a day.

Let's look at the price you'll pay for not spending the time in planning. You'll spend an inordinate amount of time going from crisis to crisis putting out fires, things will be out of control, deadlines will be missed or things will not be completed as well as they could. Not a pretty picture.

Without a well thought out career plan in place your ability to change things plummets to close to zero.

It's clear that planning is critical both for your career success and more efficient use of your time. How about if you believe you just don't have the time?

Is this the real reason or is something else holding you back? Perhaps you think it will take additional time or you've observed others spending way to much time in planning the most mundane activity.

What it boils down to is not the length of time required in your planning but making it as useful as possible. A smaller length of time, say 10 minutes a day, with the purpose of building the best planned career you can will pay long-term dividends.

Once you get in the habit of setting aside a little as 10 minutes a day you'll find yourself making progress. Don't look upon building a career plan as a huge project, but take it step by step and you'll find by adding information to one area that you'll naturally open avenues to consider other options.

Your planning does not have to follow some formal progression but can move from point to point. Start with a notebook to jot down ideas and thoughts.

With 10 minutes a day set aside to plan your career let's look at a productive technique to get you started. Ask yourself a series of questions to get the thought process working. Write down your thoughts and the answers to the questions, possible additional questions, and options to resolve the questions.

Your answers to the questions will be added to your career plan. At 10 minutes a day you'll soon find a list of ideas that you can prioritize and then build out the most important ideas.

If, for example, you ask yourself, "What career related skills do I need to improve to move ahead in my career?" If your answer is the most critical skill to improve is developing and make more effective presentations, you can start from the beginning.

Plan to improve your power point design skills by attending a workshop or short course at a local college or reading several relevant books. Add to your speaking skills by reading and studying and taping your presentations and having others critique you. Perhaps joining a group like Toastmasters would be productive.

Measure your progress against a planned timetable and in a relatively short period of time others will be coming to you asking for your help in improving their presentation skills.

Asking yourself probing and challenging questions does not take a great deal of time and will lead you developing a range of career building solutions.

Here's some additional questions you can ask yourself to get you started in the planning process:

"What are the top three job related things do I need to achieve this week, this month and this year?"

"What obstacles are keeping me from achieving my career related goals? How do I overcome them?"

"How can I better prioritize my activities every day?"

"How can I improve my time management (people, leadership, etc.) skills?"

With 10 minutes a day budgeted for this activity, one question may take several days to work out a best answer. Don't be concerned as you will be spending 10 minutes a day, every day on this productive activity.

In a relatively short time your career plan will take shape, with an action plan implementing your ideas. You'll find the 10 minutes a day will be time well spent.

John Groth has changed careers seven times during his working life. Learn more about changing careers and career planning at http://careersafter50.com. Discover how others over age 50, built winning career plans and found the right careers by after 50 career planning.

Career Planning Insurance: What Is It?

We have insurance on almost everything. If you are holding an outdoor event you can even get insurance for the event if it rains.

So what about career planning insurance? No one that I'm aware of can sell you an insurance policy to protect your career. What you have to do is self-insure. That is you have to take responsibility for you own career.

Others are not going to make sure your career is moving forward and is becoming more valuable to you and to your employer. It is rarely productive to blame others for where you are or what you are doing. So it's up to you to insure that your career is moving forward on the path that you planned.

We all know about the annual performance review. Yet there is a more important performance review than one done by your supervisor. It's the personal review you do on your own performance.

This review should be done at least every three months or sooner if you are just starting out in your career. First update your resume. No need to rewrite the resume just add the appropriate information to the accomplishments, education and personal sections. If you have nothing to add to any of the sections it should tell you to start planning what you are going to do over the next three months.

After you've completed your performance review, take a close look at your work and your career. Do this analysis on a piece of paper. List what you like about your present job. Also list what you don't like. Now ask yourself, "What can I do to do more of what I like?" And "What can I change about what I don't like?" From the answers to these two questions you can add additional actions to your career plan.

Remember change is always difficult but if attempted in small steps you'll notice the improvements at your next planned performance review.

We are all living longer. Some long living retirees receive retirement benefits longer than the time that they worked to earn the pension. Social Security as we current know it will be changed or it will go broke. All this means, in addition to your career plan, you need a well thought out financial plan.

You need to develop income coming in from a variety of sources. Multiple sources of income spread over a number of asset classes will also tend to reduce risk.

Of course you must take advantage of the 401k offered by your employer. Roth IRA's or regular IRA's should be added to you financial plan. Opportunities to invest in real estate can also be considered. Everything starts with having a financial plan.

Second jobs can bring in extra income to invest. A neighbor works most Saturday nights as a bartender at a local country club. He earns more in tips and wages in six hours than he does working eight hours at his regular job. Another neighbor buys, fixes up and sells four to six cars a year. It has allowed him to buy real estate that provides him with additional income.

When you create additional sources of income you are adding career options that will be a benefit to you if you decide to change careers, retire early, or continue generating income when you do retire.

Moreover, your career plan will give you the flexibility to explore other careers or invest in a business and move to be self-employed. Career planning insurance mean you take some of the risk out of your career.

Things happen in which you have little control, companies go broke, bad decisions are made, you get the boss from hell but with your career insurance in place you reduce the overall risks. And isn't this what insurance is all about?

John Groth has changed careers seven times during his working life. Learn more about changing careers and career planning at http://careersafter50.com. Discover how others over age 50, built winning career plans and found the right careers by career planning.

Career Planning After 50: Making Career Planning Work For You!

Almost everything we do starts with planning. Can you imagine a wedding, or building a house or going on an overseas vacation without planning? To achieve a high level of benefit and overall satisfaction all these and many other life events require a high level of meticulous planning.

It's clear to get the most out of an event a level of planning must be undertaken. The effect and risk of failure is what really drives the importance of planning.

Career planning is commonly thought of as working hard in your career and good things will happen: you'll get the promotion and the accompanying increase in earnings. This idea is only part of what a good career plan really is.

Moving ahead in your career also requires planning. It goes beyond a road map. Planning will highlight important mile posts along your career journey. And, importantly your plan will keep you on the right road without getting sidetracked from your overall career objectives.

The heart of a good plan is the method to oversee your career progress. A well designed plan for your career helps you understand you progress or lack of progress. It guides you in building your strengths, expanding your skills, monitors your abilities and watches over your unique talents.

Designing a well thought out plan will show you what career opportunities, both internal and external, are available. It will spotlight your chances of taking advantage of new jobs and new careers.

The keys to successful career planning are your proactive actions in building your skills and knowledge. If you have a gap in your skills or a new opportunity shows on the horizon your plan will give you the tools to build your skill set. In addition, your plan will point you toward added opportunities to systematically build your strengths and skills.

Any good plan has built-in methods to assess your progress toward your overall career goals. For example, if you find you need to add to your skills to update your abilities to work with new software or systems your career plan will have signposts to gauge your progress in completing the required training and experience. Of course as you observe new skill building opportunities, you must remain flexible and adjust your interim goals as appropriate.

Once you build your overall career goals into your career plan you can gauge your activities and training in a more objective and productive manner. Decisions regarding your career or a proposed career change will now be made based on a full range of objective evidence and not at some whim or snap decision.

For information and background in building a career plan to better prepare you for moving up in your current career or for a planned career change go to http://careersafter50.com. Learn the stories of others who build robust career plans changed careers and found the right job.

Career Planning After 50 - Spring Cleaning Ideas for Your Career Plan

Spring cleaning for your career plan here are 15 tips to get you started.

Career planning after 50 should not be a one time transaction, but rather career planning at any age, should be a lifelong process.

If you need to jumpstart you after 50 career planning, now is the time to start on spring cleaning out your career closet. Spend you time and effort now in building your career future-it will be time well spent.

Here are some actions you can start right now-get a head start on your spring cleaning:

1. Update your network. Make contact with everyone you haven't talked to in a while. If they have some career or job hunting issues offer to help.

2. Build an "atta-boy," file. Go back over the past year or more and start a file on performance reviews, thank-you letters, seminars and workshops attended, samples of work, projects managed, accomplishments and memo's outlining results. For the future keep the file up to date.

3. Draft a personal training and educational plan. What are your training needs? Books you need to read? Plan on reading at least two books a month-one about your career and another to stretch your knowledge. Other gaps in you skills that need to be filled?

4. Discover 10 or more people working in your career, or working in a proposed new career. Make arrangements to meet with them and share ideas. Add them to your career network and keep in touch.

5. Find 6 or more blogs or forums related to your career and industry. Visit them on a regular basis to stay up to date. Share the list with others in your career and ask for their favorites.

6. Review your overall systems and computer competencies with someone knowledgeable in IT. Make arrangements to add to your learning in this area. Get one related problem solved that has been vexing you.

7. Become more active in you local professional association. Add contacts to your network.

8. Volunteer you time in a cause or organization you admire. You'll realize a variety of rewards along with the chance to meet new people. Add contacts to your network.

9. Search for additional ways to add value to your job and department. Find ways to become more efficient and more responsive to both your internal and external customers.

10. Carefully analyze you own performance. Did you meet the goals you set for yourself last year? What went right and what went wrong? Plan to do better in the coming year.

11. Whenever possible look for opportunities to use a skill or interest working temporarily in another function or in a task that will give you the opportunity to work with another department or different group of people.

12. It's spring so give your wardrobe an updating. Look for sales and donate everything you haven't worn for-awhile.

13. Schedule a physical check-up. Get approval to start an exercise and diet program. Set your goals in short chunks and celebrate achieving each goal.

14. Build your coaching skills. Help a subordinate or co-worker advance their skills.

15. Draft your resume in a functional, chronological and targeted format. The exercise will help you respond to possible opportunities.

Now after your spring cleaning you've got your career planning after 50 back on track. With any plan it should not be ignored and put back in the closet. Put each action item in writing and work on your career plan every day.

You'll now be prepared for any and all after 50 career opportunities.

For information and background in building a career plan to better prepare you for moving up in your current career or for a planned career change go to http://careersafter50.com. Learn the stories of others who build robust career plans changed careers and found the right job.

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]

Job Tips - Planning A Career Sabbatical? Factors To Consider Before Taking The Career Break

So, what are the factors to be considered before taking a Career Break or Job Break?

Taking a break from job or career is a big career decision. And one needs to ensure all options are weighed properly before taking the decision.

Well, most people write to me to ask How and When to take the career break? What I hear them ask is:

"How do I know When is the right time to hang the boots temporarily?"

You would agree that its one of the toughest career decisions to take a break whether it is designed or by default. I am going to try to make it easy for you if you are considering a career sabbatical or career break.

Below are the key factors you need to consider before you decide on taking a break from your current job:

1. Deal with the insecurities

If you have worked for a while, suddenly deciding to quit may not be easy. One needs to be prudent about this decision and deal with the insecurities it brings along with it. Whether you admit it or not, your mind somewhere thinks about it and it is better that you deal with this before taking the break rather than deal with it later. The manifestation of this insecurity can be quite detrimental to your overall peace and mindset. Whatever may be the reason ( the career break being designed or by default), you need to think through it objectively considering an aspect of your life will not be the same going forward. Look up for career advice to get guidance.

2. You don't need the money

Most people hold on to their jobs because of the stable income flow at the end of every month. Whether the money is spent to meet personal commitments or to buy the latest gadget or to invest in being the 'fashionista' in office, the money that flows in, increases the independence. It not only makes the wallet but you happy too. That is a big one to let go.

Have you thought about it? You may not need the money but you may still want to protect your purchasing power and independence.

The important think is to ensure that you have made provisions in your mind that month ends will not look and feel the same anymore. A proper career consultant can help you ask and answer the relevant career questions before plunging into a career sabbatical.

3. You have a bigger reason to say NO

The fact that you have decided to call it a day at work (albeit temporarily) would mean you have a bigger reason to say to YES to.

The key is to have that bigger reason spelt out loud and clear

You will have conviction to deal with the change once you are clear about the reason why you want to take a career break. Whether for further studies, learn a new skill, cultivate a full- time hobby or spend days in leisure, the reason for the career sabbatical should be clear. Usually, I advice professionals to discuss with a Career Consultant to help zero in on the reason for taking a career break. While it may seem that you know why you are taking a career break but often the reason is much-deep rooted than you think and manifests very differently once you have taken a career break.

4. Failure in an assignment should not be the reason for taking a break in career

Lot of professionals make this career blunder by deciding to take a break in their career if an assignment or job does not work for them. It is a gross error and a sure career limiting mistake. Not only is it a weak moment to take this important career decision but also professionals are not in a state to deal with this crucial change in their professional and personal lives post the break. The critical timing of a career break can multiply the problem and challenges or an enjoyable and fruitful career break depending on when one takes the break.

Like a career start helps one build a successful career, a well planned career break re-shapes the career. If you are planning a career sabbatical, plan it well.

Whether one gets back to the same career or changes the course of the career, impressing upon the factors to consider before taking the career break will help you make an objective decision about your career.

A Career Sabbatical has help people surge in their careers upon return.

Sudakshina Bhattacharya is a practicing HR professional for over a decade in various organisations in Telecom, Hospitality, Entertainment and Financial Services industry. She is currently leading the HR team for a reputed Financial Services Company. Visit HRCrest.com for more on Career Tips and Career Sabbatical, views, suggestions and contributions.

Career Planning - Why You Must Do It

It's a simple equation; higher quality careers planning = a higher quality lifestyle. How happy are you right now with your lifestyle? I'm talking about your waking hours, between getting out of bed and getting back in to bed. How do you feel for most of that time? Do you feel happy, energized, and fulfilled with how you use your time, or could you use some major improvements? Whatever your answer, consider the quality of the careers planning process that you went through to get in to this position.

If you're lucky, you will be earning a living already in your ideal career doing what you love and being good at it. But many people are currently not working in their ideal career. Many people know that there must be some other way to earn a living that brings many more rewards, perhaps higher earnings, more variety, respect or recognition. And these rewards of course impact your lifestyle.

Somewhere out there is a way for you to earn a living without it even feeling like 'work'. And when you identify and get in to this ideal career, you enter a very positive and life changing cycle. Because generally in life, we tend to get good at the things we enjoy doing. And we tend to enjoy more the things that we get good at. So the better you get at your career, the more you enjoy it and the more you enjoy it the better you get. This of course points to more rewards, be it financial, mental, physical or emotional.

Most people who have not gone through a high quality careers planning process are unfortunately in the opposite negative cycle to this. Many people simply don't like what they're doing, or don't feel that they are very good at their job. If they don't feel good at it, they are less likely to enjoy it, and if they don't enjoy it, they are less likely to get good at it (until that is they make an active decision to get better at it).

So which cycle are you in?

If you're in the positive cycle, great. Why not ramp things up even more by purposefully getting even better at your career in order to enjoy it even more? If you do, you'll reap more rewards and an even more fulfilling lifestyle. It's simple cause and effect.

If you are in the negative cycle, then you can enter the positive cycle in 1 of 2 ways. You can either stay in your current career and create a plan to get better at your job. Your first step here which I highly recommend anyone to do is to look into upgrading your learning ability. Most people go about learning new skills, knowledge and behaviors in a very ineffective and inefficient way. If you want to get better at anything fast, look into accelerated learning, learning how to learn fast, and then use this skill of learning fast to get better at your job or career quickly! This should increase the enjoyment of your career significantly.

Alternatively, and I would strongly recommend this entry point to the positive cycle, you must find a way of earning a living doing what you naturally enjoy. Then you can enjoy getting better at it (both naturally and by using accelerated learning techniques). You need some serious dedicated time to the careers planning process. So, if you're ready to enter the cycle here, where do you start?

When I went through this process about 6 years ago, I studied every resource I could find on the subject of finding your ideal career. I read plenty of books on the subject, until I was confident that I would approach the process in the right way (and I know I got it right because I'm happily working away in my ideal career now!)

There's plenty of advice online too, but be careful. You can try Googling 'careers planning' but check the credibility of what you find. Remember many careers advisors are not in their ideal career themselves! If they haven't got it right yet and they advise you, you're open to heading down a similar path. You want to find a proven system - a recipe that works.

Finally, here's what I did to kick start the process for me. I made the DECISION to identify my ideal career and get into it by a certain date. I set a goal. This is something you can do right now. You can either finish this article and get on with experiencing the same lifestyle that you currently have day in and day out. Or you can grab a pen and paper right now, choose a date to have identified your ideal career by, write your goal down, leave it where you will see it daily, and start planning out some steps to take (with deadlines) that will get you there. This simple step is easy and will set the ball rolling to a more rewarding life style. Remember, it's simple cause and effect.

Mark Moore - Director of Excelerated Performance International - http://www.epi-learning.com

Visit http://www.careersplanningkit.com for more help from Mark on careers planning.

Mark Moore and EPI provide proven systems and programs to help organisations and employees increase their performance, results and enjoyment of their work surprisingly fast. He specialises in helping employees to find a career which they will naturally excel in, and then to learn how to reach the top of their field fast. Mark's approach is intelligent, professional, straight talking and avoids the common fads and 'fluff' that have flooded the internet. He works mainly with smart people who are serious about making a career change and reaching the top of their game through faster learning approaches and better self management.

Mark has achieved exceptional results working closely with graduates, PhD students, corporate trainers, University lecturers, business owners and managers, right through to Directors and CEO's of organisations in the UK and Australia.

Survive and Thrive - Extraordinary Times Call For Extraordinary Career Planning

The future is not the past. In the famous words of Yogi Berra, "The future ain't what is used to be." And in the famous, although often misquoted, words of George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." These are extraordinary times in the financial markets. Some experts are using the "D" word. Most of us haven't had first-hand experience with the stock market crash of 1929, but we have all heard the horror stories ... people losing everything and jumping out of windows on Wall Street. The windows on Wall Street today ( as in most other modern office buildings) don't open, so it's unlikely we'll see the same scenario ... but there is the possibility of the economy crashing with resulting severe impact to those on Wall Street as well as to those of us on Main Street America. Career planning is probably the furthest thing from your mind right now. Maybe career panic is a more accurate description? Some thoughts you may be having are: Will I still have a job? How will I pay my bills? What about college tuition for my kids? The answers to all of these questions are the same: We just don't know. But we do know that we need to have a plan for whatever may happen. So ... to begin the process, let's talk about junk.

Junk collecting is not an option. We Americans are great junk collectors. Let me first define what I mean by "junk". Junk is anything we don't really need, and our lives are full of it. Just look around you. Maybe you've never thought about what you really need. To get a handle on it, let's make a list. Start by drawing a line down the middle of a sheet of paper. Label the first column "Needs" and the second column "Costs". Remember Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs pyramid? What's at the bottom of that pyramid? Food, water, shelter, clothing. Moving up the pyramid, what's on the next level? Safety and security. Think about your needs in this context. Some examples of needs are: Your home: paying your mortgage or rent, utilities (heat, lights, phone ...) and maintenance (fixing the roof, etc.), Your car: gas and maintenance, Groceries - well, you get the idea. Now figure out what it costs for you to fill each of these needs. Note the cost of each need in column 2. Then, total column 2. This is your financial survival level - everything you're spending money on that isn't on this list may be considered "junk". Is this mind-blowing or does it sound okay to you? For some people, listing their needs can be a very difficult exercise. Some people believe they need two homes, four cars, private school for the kids, several vacations each year, designer clothes, etc. And maybe in some way they do ... that is for them to decide. For most of us, however, this list is short and simple, and it provides us with a solid framework for decision making ... it gives us the opportunity to choose wisely. As we consider the "junk" that isn't on the list, we can either add more things to our list of needs, or we can choose not to spend our money on those things. We can instead put that money aside to build a more comfortable cushion for the future. Financial stability is an important factor in career planning, especially in this unstable economy with its far-reaching consequences. And among these consequences are changing career paths.

Career paths are dead - long live career directions. Many of us have set out on the "yellow brick road" career path. We have hopped, skipped and jumped along this path, heading toward the Emerald City shining in the distance. But ... what happens when we reach the Emerald City? We may see the wizard behind the curtain and discover that Oz isn't at all what we expected. Or, there's another possible scenario ... before we even reach the Emerald City, Oz may fade away. The truth is that specialized career paths today are like the yellow brick road, leading us toward a goal that may in the end not satisfy our needs. A career path may in fact become a career dead end. So what's the alternative? Identify a career "direction" that matches your capabilities: your interests (what you want to do), your strengths (what you do easily), and your competencies (what you do well). A career direction is broader than a career path. It contains many intersecting paths. If one path "dead ends", you can follow another. One example of this is the project manager career path. Many people think about the role of project manager only in the context of Information Technology, but the skills of a project manager can be applied to a variety of industries and functions. For example, an I.T. project manager with capabilities in home carpentry may become a project manager in the construction industry.

Plan A, Plan B ...? Career scenario planning is the way to go. Changing our thinking about career development from a career path to a career direction can help us to identify possibilities we may not have considered before. Most of us have a Plan A, a career path we're already following. But what will happen if that career path goes away? There's always Plan B ... that is, if you already have a Plan B already in mind. What if Plan B disappears ... then what? Rather than trying to identify other paths to follow, begin with what is happening in the business world. What industries may decline? What industries may flourish? What roles will be in greatest demand in these industries? Which of these roles match your interests? Can you leverage your strengths in these roles? Are your competencies among those required for these roles? If so, add these career paths to your overall career direction.

Generalists, specialists, versatilists ... oh my! Let's look back in time to the American frontier. To be successful on the frontier, many different skills were needed - and if you didn't have the needed skills, and no one was around to help you, you were in deep trouble - possibly in a life or death situation. To survive, frontiersmen and women became "generalists" - Jacks and Jills of all trades - hunting, building, farming, cooking, etc. As the population grew and towns sprung up, people began to specialize... blacksmiths, bankers, shopkeepers, etc. There was still a need for generalists, and some people were both. These people might be referred to as versatilists. Today people are playing multiple roles: generalists, specialists, versatilists - but there is another role we should all consider adopting - the role of "survivalist". I'm not referring to the people who have retreated from society and are preparing for Armageddon. I'm talking about those who are adept at surviving and thriving in a world that is rapidly changing and highly unpredictable. Financial stability helps, but the best survival tool you can have is to understand what you can do and, even more important, who you are.

Who are you - really? "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". Remember this quote from the historical novel: Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens? Character is forged in the worst of times. In the novel, the disreputable English barrister Sydney Carton learns who he is through deciding to make the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life for the disenfranchised French nobleman, Charles Darnay. Carton says "It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done ..." Most of us have found ourselves in difficult, though far less dramatic, circumstances in the past, and in these circumstances we, too, learned who we really are. We learned what is most important to us ... we found our values. This is a time to reconnect with those values. So what is it going to take for you to survive and thrive in these extraordinary times? Three things: Understanding and stabilizing your financial situation as much as possible, understanding who you are (your values) and what you can do (your capabilities), and identifying a wide variety of scenarios and possibilities for your career. Oh, yes ... and being open to new opportunities when they come along - and they will.

I wish you extraordinary career success!

JOANNE DUSTIN, Executive Consultant and Coach

Joanne Dustin is a organization and career consultant and coach focused on leadership development, career development, organizational change management, and talent management.

Joanne is the founder and principal of Synergy Consulting Collaborative http://www.SynergyConsultingCollaborative.com an association of independent consultants, focused on strengthening organizational effectiveness through employee engagement.

Teen Career Planning - Help Your Teen To Start Early

Teens have to decide on the career that they want to pursue and their college major, not necessarily in that order. Deciding upon a college major is a difficult task by itself and takes time. Similarly, deciding upon a career path is a process that should start when the teen is still in high school and continue as that person moves into college. The reason being that career choices are fluid and young people are bound to discover new things about themselves, their likes and dislikes and skills as they go along though studies.

Selecting the right career is never an easy matter. Career planning is a process that involves several steps, particularly when it is for a teen. Both universities and business organizations have designed programs for teenagers to assist them in identifying suitable options and making a right choice of career. Such guidance can be obtained by making a payment from a university, by a student as well as any member of the public. The guide can include a questionnaire and information about several careers. The questionnaire helps the person to narrow the choices based on several criteria. A program that has been designed well could also throw light on several career choices that the person may not have known about, effectively broadening his or her horizon. Also, as young people are not clear about the growth path of different careers, they also gain clarity on this issue.

Career counselors and teenage counselors have always said that young people and college students must select a career based on their own interest and skills, not due to pressure of family or peers or some image that may have of a particular career. Thus the so called 'best' careers may not always be the right choice. Career planning for teens is a process that will try to dissuade them from such a career unless it suits the individual for reasons mentioned earlier. So many websites and magazines may list hottest jobs, best jobs for collegiates and those with highest salary and perks. However, this is not the right way to decide upon a career and hot jobs should not become an automatic choice for a teen or a young job seeker.

The process of career planning for teens exists to make sure that they select the career path and college program that is best for them as an individual. A lot of young believe, quite wrongly, that they will be stuck with the career choice that they make now, through out their life. Nothing could be more different. People change their career at several stages during their life. So, a career that is chosen now due to a college major or a training program can be changed later. However, career planning for teens goes a long way in ensuring that there is not much heart burn later.

Abhishek is a Career Counselor and he has got some great Career Planning Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 71 Page Ebook, "Career Planning Made Easy!" from his website http://www.Career-Guru.com/769/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

Career Planning - How To Choose Your Path

Career planning entails choices. This means you have to choose a path you would want to lead your life to. A job or the work you do does not only help you financially but also has a great effect on your personal life-psychologically, emotionally, and physically. which is why it is imperative that you give career planning your full serious attention. This holds true, more so today that many new fields and opportunities are available.

Career planning entails having a good understanding of the terminologies of job and career seeking. Try looking and reading at the following words:

- Employment

- Position

- Job

- Occupation

- Career

Reading them for the first time you'd think that they all mean the same thing. There are, however, slight differences. A manager and a machine operator are both employees in one company but the manager would more often refer to his work as a position, while the machine operator sees himself as an employee. Thinking of getting a career? Then it is also of importance that you familiarize yourself with these terminologies:

- Career development

- Career management

- Career counseling

- Career guidance

These are all steps to a systematic approach at making certain that you find the best career path and to progress satisfactorily. Career planning entails that you gauge your own planning capability. It's you who will have to figure out and identify your short term and long term goals. You do your own decisions, choose your own options, and evaluate your resilience and flexibility. These factors are going to be very important when it comes to meeting career challenges. In the long run, all you have to rely on are your own personal management skills. Career planning involves life changing decisions, and different survival skills as well as role and work-leisure integration. Career planning would also mean acquiring good marketing skills. Do you know your skills and strengths? How about your weaknesses? Can you conduct an effective and efficient job search? Do you know what image you project and should project? Can you sell yourself to the employers? How do you make yourself more marketable? Career planning means taking your own steps at being aware of the opportunities available out there. You should keenly investigate labor trends and get hold of training opportunities. There is a high probability that you will be taking on more than 1 job in your lifetime, and by means of a well designed career planning system, you have a better chance of succeeding at your chosen career path. Through these, you are able to gain skills and experience, making you an even more productive and marketable employee.

Abhishek is a Career Counselor and he has got some great Career Planning Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 71 Pages Ebook, "Career Planning Made Easy!" from his website http://www.Career-Guru.com/769/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

Career Development And Planning - Tips To Land A New And Better Career

Individual career planning development is centered on current skills, future personal growth and training. In these modern times, more and more individuals take it upon themselves to get the best possible education available and the work required for them to be successful in any given profession.

When employees put more emphasis on their career development and planning, they become better prepared to enter the workplace, climb higher up the professional ladder. Career development and planning is implemented in various stages. Some people purposefully shape theirs towards each given stage, while some simply are easily motivated and are prone to choose what's currently required and maybe needed in the times ahead.

Career plans based on short term planning may force the individual to think objectively and realistically about the accomplishments for a period of five or more year's timeframe. Location, skill, schooling and other costs come into focus during this period.

Long term based career development and planning usually keeps the individual inspired. It is a continuous process of reviewing current skills and the desire to enlarge and utilize them in advancement.

Counselors of career planning and development can be useful in helping individuals stop an on going behavior or the guilty conscience that comes with changing career course. For a person to be successful, he's expected to ignore the subjective and objective forces that may try to (either deliberately or non-deliberately) to impede his progress. Pressures from the family can be a big barrier for that matter; this may include family members who expect you to join up the family business, or believe that your career is below them. Absence of motivation, mediocrity and postponement of major decisions is another big barrier. An individual may postpone a decision to drop that job he dislikes for a better one because of the security the current one provides, and the doubt involved in looking for and starting a new career. This especially holds true if the full-time worker has a family to feed and cater for.

Many people feel immobilized by the thought of steering their careers in a new direction the fear factor plays a major role here, especially the fear of failure, of leading their families down a path and maybe losing all that they have strived to achieve. Such fears, though mostly rational, can force a talented individual to change his mind. Career Development Planning Counselors come I handy at such moments, because they can offer valuable guidance to enable an individual decide on what's best for them. This in turn removes worries and pressures associated with career change.

Sites dedicated to career development and also conferences offer interested persons information that deals with the various classes and types of courses they provide, tutors available, and the class environment requirements. Brochures and other related articles on career development and planning stages and worksheets are accessible in the internet at no price from many institutions. These worksheets incorporate checklists and goals for specific career choices, or just broad questions for anyone's use.

Abhishek is a Career Counselor and he has got some great Career Planning Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 71 Pages Ebook, "Career Planning Made Easy!" from his website http://www.Career-Guru.com/769/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

The Key To Career Planning - Define Your Career Values

Career planning is something that you need to do on a continuous basis. What helps the most in career planning is to understand your skills, abilities and your talents.

When these things are clear in your head, then career planning is easier.

Career Planning Questions That You Need To Ask and Answer

Before you start your career planning and goal setting, you need to know what your career values are. You need to understand what is important to you and what matters the most. These can also be called your career principles. You also need to ask yourself some questions. These questions will help you enormously with your career planning.

What are you passionate about? What would you like to do every day? Do you find your current career or job fulfilling? When you answer these questions you will get answers to some important aspects of your career. Are you happy with your current career? Would you be happier doing something else? These questions are on the same lines, but they also help to define your career satisfaction, which is important to career planning.

Another aspect of career planning is the environment you work in. If you are unhappy with the environment in your workplace, then you can work towards changing your career. This again becomes easier with some strategic career planning. The last and most important question you need to ask yourself is: does your current career allow you to satisfy your dreams and goals in life?

If it doesn't, then you need a change immediately.

Setting Goals for Career Planning

It is important that you set goals in your career planning effort. Without goals and targets, you are most likely going to be lost and confused. Realistic goals are important because it doesn't help to set goals that are unreal and unachievable. The key here is when you set some realistic goals and achieve them, you will feel good about yourself and work doubly hard at your career.

Career goals need to be manageable. If you are working as an executive and your goal is to become CEO in the next two years, wake up my friend and smell the coffee. This is not going to be possible unless you are related to the CEO of the company, and even then it is not going to be easy. Set small and manageable goals where your career plans are concerned.

You need to work at your goals systematically. Keep working at one goal at a time; do not be disorganized and chaotic, as this will get you nowhere. Systematic planning is the key. Also have some strategy in place to help and guide. Without a plan, you will find it harder to achieve success.

Career planning isn't rocket science; follow the tips above and you'll be well on your way!

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals such as, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Career Planning - 5 Quick Start Tips to a Better Future!

Career Planning:5 Quick Tips to Control Your Career and Your Future!

It's unlikely that anyone today will stay with one employer their whole working life. As you make choices regarding your career your identity comes from these choices and not your employer.

Who is making a lifetime commitment to your career? It's surely not your employer, no matter how benevolent they might be. The person controlling your life is you, so if you take responsibility for your life and your future you'll be far ahead of most people. It's counterproductive to blame circumstances you cannot control or to blame your employer, your supervisor or co-workers.

If you feel powerless because of where you work, or the career you are in, wake-up and get started on your future. Everyone, with a bit of planning has the ability to quit their jobs and start with another employer, another career or start working for themselves.

The job market is relatively soft right now, but the economy will change and if you plan for a job or career change you future success starts now.

Five Ways to Quickly Get Control of Your Career and Your Future.

1. Research job opportunities all the time.

This doesn't mean you need to send out five resumes every day. What is does mean is you are constantly looking for opportunities. Some may be internal-with your current employer-some may be external.

Some opportunities may be additional education, self-study, networking with outside organizations, and becoming a player in a career related organization. All will provide you with a constant stream of valuable career information.

If you get stuck and don't see a way out, work hard at getting help. Career coaches are everywhere, how about a mentor or someone from your network.

Build up your support team and soon you'll have a group of people working on your behalf.

2. Don't use money issues as the reasons holding you back.

If you use this as an excuse for making a career or job decision you are shortchanging yourself. If you think you need a certain income to live well, there are many families living better but earning 10%, 20% and even 50% less than you do. How do they do it? Do some research.

After your research then make your plans and you'll soon find that financial issues will drop off your worry/excuse list.

3. Honestly assess where you happiness comes from.

If it were money, millionaires would be the happiest people on the planet. And earning 25% more may or may not increase you level of happiness. Probably not as there is always 25% more, and 25% after that.

After you've built your career plan and you take action this is the fasted path to fulfillment and happiness, not ruminating about what you cannot control.

4. Blaming others or taking a routine negative approach to a situation is a lose-lose proposition.

How you view situations matters. If a problem becomes framed as an opportunity you'll be well on your way to controlling the situation. Search for the best in every situation, taking the optimistic approach will put you more in control of your career and your future.

5. Do the best presenting in your "brand."

Looking your best starts with physical conditioning. What is your ideal weight? Do you regularly exercise? Do you go out of your way to build in some physical activity into your daily routine?

Working in a three story building-how often do you use the stairs? Going shopping? How about parking at the edge of the parking lot and getting in some extra walking. You get the idea.

What you wear can make a difference. Recently I meet with a manager who was dressed in what looked like Goodwill castoffs. He didn't impress any member of my team and he had to work extra hard to get his points across. This is not to suggest that he had to wear a $2000 designer suit, but freshly pressed khakis, with a shirt without a frayed collar and shined shoes would have made at least a neutral impression.

Need assistance with the rest of your appearance? Get help, get a regular haircut, etc.

Also, as part of your career planning work hard to improve your ability to communicate, both in writing and in making an oral presentation. Improvement in this area will also improve your "brand" and will pay big dividends.

Controlling your life, career and future is no easy task. Once you make the decision to start, work through one thing at a time. Keep it up and before you know it you will put together a record of personal achievements and career advancement. The time to start is now.

John Groth is a Career Coach and former HR executive. On his site find Career Planning Ideas valuable articles and exciting ideas to build a successful career plan. Discover up to date career and recruitment strategies at Careers After 50 Blog all to assist you in advancing and managing your career.

Midlife Career Change - Proper Financial Planning will make the Career Change Successful

Making a mid-life career change is a lot harder than making a career change when you are young. You've got a lot more to lose because you may have already worked your way a good bit up the ladder of success at the career you are in today.

Many who have remained in jobs they didn't like longer than they should have because the job seemed "good enough." Many times that's a mistake. When you are forming an assessment as to whether a job is "good enough," you usually focus on whether the pay and benefits are good. That sort of analysis misses the mark.

What you earn is only part of the total pay package you obtain from the work you do. Your paycheck represents your day-to-day profits. The skills you develop are the result of your long-term research and development project. A company that ignores research and development because today's profits are acceptable is a company with a less than favorable future. Don't fall into this trap.

There is a good bit of wisdom in the "Do What You Love" maxim. It really is true that the most financially rewarding jobs go to those doing work that so motivates them that they possess the energy to become the absolute best at what they do.

When planning a mid-life career change, you need to answer the question: When will the money follow? If you don't get a reliable income stream in place in time, you might not be able to stick it out long enough at the new career to see the benefits of doing what you love ever generate real-world financial profits for you.

You need to have a plan in place before making a mid-life career change. Not just a career plan. You need a financial plan to protect you from the downside risks you take on in making such a dramatic life transition.

There are lots of work issues that need to be taken into account in putting together a plan for a mid-life career change. You need to take tests to learn what sorts of things you are best equipped to do. You need to talk to people now working in the career you hope to enter to see whether jobs in that field are as enjoyable to those on the inside as they appear to be to those on the outside.

Doing that sort of thing is not enough because, no matter how much you plan; you will never be able to anticipate every possible future development that will affect your job satisfaction years down the road. Jump to a new career without putting a financial plan into place to smooth out both the current and future transitions, and there is a good chance that a few years down the road you will be back in the same sorts of circumstances that caused you to want to make the first mid-life career change.

Even career changes that are successful in the short-term are often not so successful after a number of years pass by. You must explore new career options if you are dissatisfied with the career you are in today.

But you must also accumulate the financial resources that will open up options for future changes. Otherwise, you may find yourself five or ten years from now as dissatisfied as you are today but also five or ten years older. Not a good plan.

John Groth is a former HR executive and career coach. Find Career Changing Ideas, valuable articles and a Free seven day career planning guide. Discover up to date career and recruitment strategies at our Midlife Career Ideas all to assist you in advancing and managing your career.

Planning a career change? Thinking about a career portfolio?

For years, creative professionals such as architects, designers, artists and writers have used career portfolios, also known as the job search portfolio or "the book", to communicate their skills. These portfolios with being used to display the previous work, whether done for employment or for leisure and special projects. In the competitive job market, based on modern knowledge, other professionals are discovering the value of a well put together career portfolio.

If well thought out, the Act of putting together a portfolio career help candidates from any industry reflect on their skills and create a focus on work for future employment. Can help employees develop a marketing tool that is strategically placed to influence the selection of a potential employer. These career portfolios can also help existing employees or employees with career transitions or get promoted by identifying transferable skills. Not just the portfolio works well as a marketing tool, also serves as a reservoir of professional highlights.

Career coaches and professional consultants are increasingly recommending the career portfolio as a job search tool to help candidates stand out from the competition in a competitive job market. Of course after you have made the decision to go ahead with your career portfolio the next big decision is about what to include. In short, for your first step-include everything you can find about your track record as a competent professional. Over time you may choose to retire obsolete items from your career portfolio or you can also choose to create one on the line.

What to include in your wallet?

The overall aim of the portfolio is to provide support for the information included in your resume. In other words, don't just talk about what you did; You can also show what you have done. To do this effectively, the career portfolio should be conveniently designed for travel and material shall be easy to retrieve and attractively displayed. In the selection of items for your portfolio, make sure that the item has a clear purpose is tailored to suit the audience. Also, remember that the Visual presentation will reflect your professional standards so categories should be clearly defined and with special attention paid to the fundamentals such as font and layout.

Some of the key elements to include in a portfolio of effective career might include:

1. Current resume that includes details about education, jobs and functions performed. You can choose to use a chronological or functional resume.

2. Prizes, honors, degrees, diplomas, transcripts unofficial or any other document that verifies education or an overtime that might have been recognized.

3. cards, licenses, training or technical certifications or any other documents that support your qualifications is a great resource for a portfolio career.

4. letters of recommendation, performance reviews, evaluations of employment, "job well done" email or letters and surveys of customer satisfaction are all perfect examples that will showcase work ethic or express other opinions about your work.

5. work samples and research output to demonstrate specific skills for the job for which they apply.

6. Publications, reports and documents of the specimen or presented are always a good add for your career portfolio as well.

7. the various tests and completed projects may include event programs and photos of events that helped to plan and coordinate.

Now that you know what to include in the portfolio, the following are some general tips to keep in mind to complete and submit your portfolio:

1. make copies of articles for use in your wallet-do not use originals. Heaven forbid that your wallet gets lost or ruined. Replacing the original work of your life will not be easy.

2. When viewing or showing your career portfolio-be sure to keep it so the viewer can see clearly. You know already what is there, so I do not hold directly in front of you. It's a good idea to practice your portfolio to share with friends, colleagues or professional career and look for content that fall as you open and view.

3. Explain the elements of the portfolio to talk about "why" or the "back story" behind your work. Be sure to insert these elements not only in historical context of what you have done, but in the context of what you can and will do for this new potential employer.

4. If you choose to create your online portfolio in the first, a medium-sized binder and sheet protectors as an easy way to start using.

5. remove, reorder or move materials such as lose their relevancy or changes of interest. Even if your career portfolio is cataloguing of your past, it is also important for your future.

For more information about assembling a portfolio career check out the following books:

Creating your career portfolio: at a glance guide, 2nd Edition by Anna Graf Willams and Karen j. Hall

Workbook portfolio career from Frank and Gary D Satterthwaite Bears

marcia Robinson trains on management issues, workplace, employment and human resources career and writes. She publishes to BullsEyeResumes.com and TheHBCUCareerCenter.com. Robinson has a BS in human resources and management and a Master's degree in Business Administration.
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Business Education-Start your career planning early

Starting a business career is easy. Start early and keep your eyes and ears open. How lemonade stand when you were 11? Cutting lawns or when you were 14? Or Babysitting jobs? All are basic training for a career in the world.

What about that first "real" job when 16 or 17? What you learn about business? How about customer service? Did show an initiative? What did you do with your earnings? Was some saved and invested in your future? Have you read the business section in the newspaper? How about the Wall Street Journal when I went to the library?

Business career training is available in many sizes and packages. All help prepare to become one day a business entrepreneur. It outlines several subjects and training involving corporate finance, marketing, and commercial law. During the training, start having a more detailed idea of what you want to do when considering a business career.

There are a number of specialized fields in almost every activity. Finance, marketing, operations, technology and sales lead to different career paths. This is the main decision that you must make before your business career training begins. Another decision that you need to consider is the aspect of the business that you want to get in. We go beyond the benefits and tips to take a career training program.

1) Business concepts are concepts of life: the business concept is reflected around you to include very basic ideas. It was applied to almost all aspects of our life and work. General problem solving skills and work well with others is more useful that learning can gain from training entrepreneurial career.

2) after better credentials mean more money and other options: If you have an advanced business education career, you are allowed more freedom in choosing your career path. Most of the top companies in the world prefer to interview and hire graduates of business courses and degrees. And the wages offered are definitely higher. With a degree in entrepreneurial career training, many job opportunities are open to you.

Find the ideal 3) advanced education: find career training business ideal is a necessity. A good school that fit your personality and owning things that you are interested in part by corporate career training programs that they offer. One reason for this is for you to balance career development with your lifestyle and interests.

4) interaction with different types of people: In a career training program, business is more likely to experience to interact with different types of people concerning the activities of the programme. With this interaction, you need to understand individual motivations and interpersonal and behaviour of each person, performing in business. You must have the ability to read a person's personality, as well as the dynamics of the group.

5) Expand your rolodex: business in making your career training program, you need to learn the art of expansion of the corporate network. Through the corporate network, you will have an established system and precise introduction that is essential in the creation of your business career.

The above listed benefits and ideas are just the beginning. Going to a life long learning programme. You will find as you develop your career with additional options will appear, keep and open mind and you may be surprised and happy to where it may lead.

John Groth is a former Executive coach and professional HR. Find career planning Ideas , valuable articles and a Guide to career advancement of seven days. Discover the career to date and staffing strategies at our career tips blog; all to help you advance and grow your career.