Careers and Employment | Business Advocate

The Job Seeker?s Dilemma: Is it time to change career direction?

April 23, 2011 By Kate

Today’s job market is tough. Millions of people are looking for jobs for the first time in years. They’re looking for jobs that don’t seem to exist. Recruiters don’t return phone calls. Job seekers are fed up and frustrated. They wonder if all the effort is ever going to pay off and if it’s time to change careers. You might be wondering the same thing. But, it seems so risky in this economy.

If you are experiencing these feelings, it might be time for a career change:
• You’ve always been interested in other career areas but went with the “safe” route and now you feel burned out
• You don’t enjoy your work anymore and you wonder what other options are out there for you
• You feel stuck and stagnant
• You are finding fewer and fewer jobs available in your industry
• You’re over-qualified for the jobs that are available in your industry
• You feel the effort to get a new job in your industry is more than you want to undertake

How do you know if now is a good time to change career direction?

The reality is that job loss and job creation are natural components of the world of work. It happens all the time to varying degrees. So there probably isn’t one perfect time to change jobs or careers. The decision depends a lot on your personal situation.

Before launching a job search or career change, though, there are several important steps to take which I also outline in my career guide and audio program, Fast Track Your Career: Three Steps for Finding Work You Love.

Gaining Personal Insight
Before you change careers, you need to figure out what you want. By assessing your current situation you can determine what you need in your career to be satisfied. Analyze your values, skills, personality characteristics, interests, and lifestyle preferences. It’s also useful to take inventory of your financial situation, especially if the career you’re considering might require additional education and training or relocation.

Getting a Reality Check
A critical mistake in making a career change is making the leap without getting enough career information. By exploring career possibilities you’ll be able to identify options that are best suited to your personal attributes and preferences. There are online and print resources you can use to learn about job outlooks and industry trends. The people in your network can also be great sources for information about trends and opportunities in various career fields. In addition, they can make introductions and give you referrals.

Charting Your Career Path
After you’ve done some self-assessment to learn what you want in a career and done career research to generate options, you have to make a decision about next steps. Your transition and job search plans will guide you to successfully getting the job you want and expanding your professional network. You’ll also need to update your resume, cover letter, and other support materials and fine-tune your interviewing and networking skills.
People change jobs or careers in search of greater satisfaction. By following the steps outlined above, you will increase your chances for finding a career that better suits your personal goals and uses your talents in meaningful ways.

If you’re thinking about a career change, purchase the The Fast Track Your Career: Three Steps for Finding Work You Love career guide and audio program today. You will go through a step-by-step exploration and planning process by completing several exercises, so you can get clear about your career direction.

Special thanks to Andrea Delgado for contributing to this article. For more than 10 years, Andrea, was a program manager at an international development organization during which time she held multiple positions involving program and grant management and administrative support. Andrea has been networking to find employment opportunities and has considered a career change into the private sector. Her dream job would take her into the international financial arena analyzing economic policy and regulations. Andrea has her M.A. degree in International Political Economy and Development from Fordham University; a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Politics & Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and a B.A degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.”

Andrea can be contacted on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/andrea-delgado/10/3b6/717

Markell Steele is a career counselor, owner of Futures in Motion, Inc. and author of Fast Track Your Career: Three Steps for Finding Work You Love. She helps frustrated job seekers find career direction so they can get the job they want in less time with less stress. Request the free SPECIAL REPORT: 6 Tips for Discovering the Work You Love by Working With a Career Counselor- http://tinyurl.com/d9jk8y

How to achieve a better career as a career counsellor

March 19, 2011 By Kate

Securing the help of a career counsellor if you are thinking about changing your career makes great sense. Lets explore what a career counsellor is all about, what she or he can offer in the way of help changing career, and what services are provided.

If looking for a career counsellor to help you in changing your career is fraught with anxiety, consider this. A licensed career counsellor is very qualified to objectively help you find a great career path for you. Each licensed career counsellor is especially qualified for changing career services, with a graduate degree in counselling and a further specialization in career counselling.

Not all career counselling services are the same. There are varying levels of career counselling that including career counsellor fellows, master career counsellors, registered professional career counsellors and master career development professionals. Generally changing a career is exactly what theyre trained to help with. They help folks make these career changing decisions and help get them on their way to the new career. They help people determine the education and skills that are required of the career theyre thinking of changing to, and help them find the educational facilities and tools to acquire that training.

Specific techniques and strategies for career changing that counsellors practice include group and / or individual counselling session that help clients clarify their life as well as their career goals.

Career counsellors carefully listen to the situations and circumstances that bring the individuals to the point in life that theyre thinking about changing their career.

Career counsellors administer tests that help assess career interests and skills. They interpret the results of the tests, and explain to the client what the tests suggest in the way of interests and abilities. Based on the test results, the career counsellor can advise the client on career changing goals.

Career counsellors encourage their career changing clients to complete exploratory assignments and activities that assess career appropriateness. They provide the opportunities that will help their client improve their own skills in decision making. They help the client draw up career plans and teach job hunting and resume development skills and strategies.

Before suggesting changing careers the counsellor may help the client resolve personal conflicts in the current job situation, or the potential for conflict in any new job situation through the improvement of human relations skills.

A career counsellor can also help the client and the clients family improve their work / life balance to the betterment of family and personal relationships. The counsellor can also be supportive to the person who is experience stress due to job loss, changing career due to forces beyond their control such as downsizing or termination, and just the fear of the unknown career and work environment.

To help those changing their career a counsellor must have at least a Masters degree in counselling, which includes the completion of at least two years of supervised counselling experience.

About the Author

James Copper is a writer for http://www.newcareerskills.co.uk where you can help yourself get a better career

Filed Under: Careers and Employment Tagged With: career counsellor, careers

Scope Of Career In Marketing

February 27, 2011 By Kate

The field of marketing is one of the most diverse fields that offer various career options to an individual. Marketing is, today, considered as the most important element that fuels the progress of a company. Sales being the driver of a company’s revenue, marketing is the factor that induces the sales by offering higher visibility and larger reach to the audience. A business may be a small enterprise with limited financial budgets or a large scale company with strong financial backup; it would always need a discreet combination of the two elements, sales and marketing.

Marketing is essential for generating sales, the income powerhouse for all kinds of organization. To leave an impact on the market and to contribute to sales, marketing is a fundamental function. It is so crucial that if done in the right manner, it can lift up the sales and eventually, the revenue of the company but if not, it may hinder even the strength of the enterprise. In Marketing Jobs, companies are providing different posts like Marketing Consultants, Marketing Managers, Marketing Directors, Online Marketing Specialist, etc. For a brief idea on these profiles, read on:

Marketing Consultants
As against the belief that career in consultancy does not have much scope, it holds a lot of potential in long run. From big businesses to small firms, every company seeks advice on handling their image and reputation in the market. They need assistance in drafting marketing strategies; to run suitable advertisement and promotional campaigns; to employ result oriented marketing initiatives and in coming with innovative ways of boosting sales. A marketing consultant is a specialist in marketing mechanisms who helps in all these functions and in answering the related queries.

Marketing Managers
In current dynamic atmosphere, every company needs proper marketing management and so, almost all of them have a separate marketing department. In order to deal with the marketing needs, businesses require managers who can administer and monitor all the activities and the mechanisms strategy that are being built and implemented by them. The marketing manager holds complete responsibility of devising management plans to extend sales and marketing functions further.

Marketing Directors
The Assistant Marketing Director is expected to provide support to the marketing and advertisement mechanisms followed by the organization. The work includes making surveys, creating new and innovative ways of marketing and coming up with new marketing trends. He/ She are also required to document the marketing and sales mechanism progress of the company. One achieves the level of Marketing Directors after acquiring vast experience by spending various years in the profession.

Online Marketing Specialists
There is a huge potential in the field of online or internet marketing as this industry is vast. In current times, internet penetration is very high, thus, making it a very important medium of marketing with a wider reach as compared to other sources of marketing. As marketing is essential for every business offering any kind of products and services, so is internet marketing important to the function of marketing. Internet marketing is an extremely powerful source of revenue generation as it is visited by million of people every day. Online marketing specialists are required to devise new and innovative plans to boost internet sales and are paid incentives and bonuses accordingly.

Marketing professionals are usually involved in marketing of 10 kinds of entities: goods, experiences, services, events, places, properties, persons, information, organizations, and ideas. They are involved in developing marketing campaigns that promote an organization’s product, service or idea.Their responsibilities will vary depending on the size, sector and focus of the company.

Deepika writes on behalf of Naukri.com, the no.1 job portal in India. She writes on topics like Jobs in Marketing, relieving job stress and increasing work concentration.Naukri.com is a recruitment platform & provides products and services like resume writing services,Resume Database Access.

Filed Under: Careers and Employment, Marketing Tagged With: Career, Marketing

Retraining For A Second Career

January 11, 2011 By Kate

With today’s job market, things often look pretty bleak. Lay offs are commonplace and finding a new job can sometimes be more than a challenge when it comes to meeting the monthly bills. Retraining in a new field is often a next-step options for many people.

If your job has been downsized or even removed altogether, taking a decrease in pay isn’t a realistic option. Some businesses offer retraining in-house, or cover expenses for training programs elsewhere. But if not, you may find yourself looking for training on your own. Where do you start?

In Canada, Employment Insurance only goes so far. But if you qualify, at least you have an income while you are looking for work. While on EI, there are many free programs that offer help on finding work or finding retraining relevant to needs in the current job market. Availing yourself of these free programs is highly recommended. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Employment

How to Make a Wise Career Choice

July 20, 2010 By Kate

Choosing a career is a really big decision. It can affect your life for years once you factor in getting the qualifications you need and putting in the experience necessary to become successful. Those first few years are considered vital to your career choice. That’s when you’ll find out for yourself if a career is right for you. Here are a few tips for making a wise career decision.

What are the opportunities and limitations of the career field you’re interested in? Will it tie you to one place, or can you transfer your skills elsewhere? How much power will you have relative to how much responsibility you’ll have? Those in jobs with very limited power but big responsibility (such as a department secretary) often report higher than normal levels of job stress.

Write and look at a list of skills that are required in a given field of work, and compare it to your skills. Do you qualify? Is it a long process to get to where you qualify? Know whether the career you want requires a college degree, or even further education. Many scientific research jobs require a PhD as a minimum.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Careers and Employment