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How to Decide Which Career is Right for You
Tweet Share on Facebook December 8, 2010 Comment (5)U.S. News’s Best Careers of 2011 package showcases jobs that are packed with potential for 2011. But to pick your personal best career, that path where you can confidently say, “This is the career for me,” it takes some additional work on your part—work that’s well worth it.
In a post earlier this week, Tim Tyrell-Smith offered some specific questions to help you identify the best career for you. Here are a few more to help you develop a unique and individual perspective, so you can recognize your own personal best career.
To evaluate a possible career, ask yourself:
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Tips for Hiring a Professional Resume Writer
Tweet Share on Facebook December 7, 2010 Comment (11)If tweaking and revamping your resume hasn’t helped you land a single interview, your resume may no longer be cutting it. Maybe it’s time to call in the big guns: a professional resume writer.
But hiring a writer over the Internet is a scary task. In a world of scams and horror stories, how can you know you’re hiring someone who will help—not hurt—your job search? With a million “accredited” resume writing associations out there, how should you cut through the clutter?
Here’s how to make sure you hire a quality resume writer:
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How to Choose a Career That’s Best for You
Tweet Share on Facebook December 6, 2010 Comment (33)As U.S. News unveils its Best Careers of 2011, it makes sense to think about whether one of the jobs on the list is a good fit for you.
Of course, since we all have different skills, interests, experiences and expectations, there’s no one career that’s best for everyone. So how do you choose the career that’s best for you?
Whether you’re trying to decide where to look for your first job or pondering a possible career change, here’s what you should consider when thinking through this important decision:
What are your natural talents?
We all have natural talents, certain tasks that come easy to us. When we use our natural talents, time moves fast and we tend to receive compliments for our abilities. Knowing where your natural talents lie is key to choosing the right career. Of course we’re capable of doing other things, but those other tasks usually feel more like work. What do you always enjoy doing, and how can those skills be applied to a job?
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Choose an Employer That Meets Your Social Needs
Tweet Share on Facebook December 3, 2010 Comment (1)As you look for the right job, don’t forget to consider your social needs. Think about how much socializing and human interaction you’d like at work, and what types of socializing you enjoy. How important is it to work at a company that puts a premium on talent and intellectual property versus one that values capital investments? How much social interaction do you need to feel appreciated and valued as an employee?
As you consider different potential employers, compare your needs with the level of human capital appreciation they offer. Which companies value sociability?
Here are some clues to help you find an employer that lies within your range on the social-needs scale:
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For a Thriving Career, Ask Yourself These Questions
Tweet Share on Facebook December 2, 2010 CommentConsidering how busy most of us are, it’s easy to slip into autopilot in our careers. But if you want to really thrive—both financially and emotionally—autopilot is the last place you want to be.
To continue opening doors to opportunity and possibility, make a habit of asking yourself these twelve questions:
What do I love about this job? Why?
Always start with this question, because the more you understand what energizes you, the more potential you have to incorporate that into your work. And the more energy you get from your work, the more energy you have to put into both excelling at what you do and overcoming inevitable obstacles.
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10 Reasons to Step Up Your Job Search Over the Holidays
Tweet Share on Facebook December 1, 2010 Comment (3)It’s tempting to put your job hunt on hold during the end-of-year holiday season. “I need a break,” you may tell yourself. “No one’s hiring this time of year anyway. I’ll double down on my efforts in January.”
It doesn’t help that everyone else seems to be having fun, and job hunting is—for most of us—not fun.
But contrary to popular belief, many employers do hire over the holidays. Personal lives may get more hectic this time of year, but many businesses slow down, giving the powers-that-be breathing space to think about staffing and even conduct interviews. Many companies are putting the pieces in place for 2011 projects and want to bring new people on board before then.
In fact, in some ways, the holidays are the best time to find a job. Here are ten good reasons why you should ramp up your job search during the holiday season:
