February 22, 2012

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3 Things to Consider Before Quitting Your Job

January 8, 2012 By

Carrollton Job Seekers – Considering quitting your job? Read this one…

3 Things to Consider Before Quitting Your Job

By Clay Andrews

These days there are a lot of people unsatisfied with their line of work. It’s not uncommon to feel a soul-sucking feeling as you head in to work at something that just isn’t rewarding for you.

Is this what you were meant to do with your life? Is this all that there is? Just do this day-in-and-day-out and live for those magical 48 hours we call the weekend?

Thoughts like this can lead to feelings of creeping dread as you stare down a depressing path that you may just end up calling “the rest of your life.”

But things don’t have to necessarily be this way. There are quite a few people who have quit their jobs and found meaningful employment or started their own businesses.

However, before you take the plunge and hand your letter of resignation to your boss, it is important to think things out a bit.

First, ask yourself if this is a chronic problem or if this is just something you’re feeling in the heat of the moment after getting chewed out at a recent meeting. If this is a long term problem that has haunted you for a long time, on the other hand, then perhaps this is something you might want to do.

Second, understand the situation better. What specifically don’t you like about your job? Is it the fact that you aren’t in control of certain things? Is it that you don’t feel respected for what you do? Is it that what you do isn’t aligned with your strengths?

Don’t just identify what you’re moving away from though. Understand what you want to move toward. Moving away from what you don’t want doesn’t guarantee you that you’ll get where you want to go, it only pushes you out of your current situation. Do you want more free time? Do you want more responsibility? Less responsibility? An outlet for your creativity? Something more logical? Get specific about what you truly enjoy doing with your life.

Finally, develop a plan for leaving your job. Yes, action is important, but blind action can be dangerous. Once you figure out what you’d rather be doing than working at your job, get a realistic roadmap to taking you from point A to point B. If you can, get the foundation laid before actually quitting your job. Start that blog, get the business license, find the perfect retail space, or whatever you need to do.

Then once you have a reasonable plan and maybe even a little bit of cash-flow, then consider handing in your resignation so you can strike out on your own and peruse the living that your truly want.

If you want to learn more on quitting your job, stop by my lifestyle design blog for advice and tips on how to start your own business and make it profitable.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clay_Andrews
http://EzineArticles.com/?3-Things-to-Consider-Before-Quitting-Your-Job&id=6783730

 


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How To Really Move Forward In Your Career

January 7, 2012 By

Carrollton Jobs Seekers – Here is an excellent article on preparing to take on career change!


How To Really Move Forward In Your Career
By Deborah Brown-Volkman

People come to me all the time because they are unhappy in their careers and are not sure what to do about it. They tell me the reasons they don’t have what they want; the economy, their company; some are even honest enough to blame themselves. They are all facing tough challenges, either internal or external.

When you have an unresolved challenge in your career, it affects your whole life. You think about your challenge all the time, and in many cases, it consumes and defines you. You want more and are willing to do the work; you just don’t believe it’s possible. Or, you don’t how to get there.

I believe that people do not move forward in their careers for 2 reasons. Once you overcome and push past these 2 items, you are ready to go.

So what are these 2 items? See them below.

1) FEAR

Everyone is afraid of something and fear is normal. Actually, fear can be a good thing, because it protects you from harm or getting into damaging situations. But, fear is negative when it paralyzes you and keeps you from taking action. For example, fear of making a mistake will keep you from trying something new. Fear of looking bad in front of friends and family will keep you from expressing your true career wishes to the people in your life. Fear of failing will keep you from succeeding.

It’s important to recognize fear for what it is; a scary thought that turns into an emotion, that in turn, stops you. If you can remember that a thought is just a thought, without judging it, then your thought does not have to keep you from moving forward anymore.

Many people believe they will act when fear goes away, but fear doesn’t disappear on its own. You eliminate fear by talking yourself through it. That’s how you push past fear, you become your own savior and tell yourself that it’s ok to be afraid, but it’s not ok to stay where you are. Fear goes away when you switch your mindset to pro-active, rather than re-active.

2) LOGISTICS

While fear covers the thinking portion of your problem, logistics is the set of steps you take to move your career forward.

Say to yourself, “here are the steps that I’m going to take” and then take them. If you take these steps on a regular basis, you will reach your career goals. If you don’t take these steps, you won’t. If you take these steps here and there, you may reach your goals, or you may not. And, if you do, it will take a long time.

Some people stop at logistics because they don’t know what steps to take. Again, this is normal. Write down what you do know and begin there. Put these steps in your calendar and start moving forward. What you don’t know turn into a question. For example, “I don’t know who to call” becomes “who can I call that will point me in the right direction?” You are not supposed to have all the answers, so expect that you will be reaching out to people who do.

Logistics also is about taking one step a time. Small piece by small piece. You may want to rush to the finish line, but slow and steady wins the race.

***Deborah Brown-Volkman, PCC, is the President of Surpass Your Dreams, Inc. a successful career, life, and mentor coaching programs for those who want a new job, new career, or a new way to flourish in today’s hectic workplace. She is the author of “Coach Yourself To A New Career”, “Don’t Blow It! The Right Words For The Right Job” and “How To Feel Great At Work Everyday.” Deborah can be reached at http://www.surpassyourdreams.com or at (631) 874-2877.***

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deborah_Brown-Volkman

http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Really-Move-Forward-In-Your-Career&id=6790879


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5 Tips to Draft an Impressive Resume

January 7, 2012 By


 

 

5 Tips to Draft an Impressive Resume
By Jennifer Joe Parker

Paper resumes gave way to online applications in the last decade. The new trend settling in this decade is to create your own resume website. One thing remains constant throughout the years in all forms of job applications – resume. You are free to adopt any method of job application as long as you are equipped with an impressive resume. Here are the 5 tips to draft an impressive resume and use it to present hard copy or add it to the resume website.

1) Use titles and sub headings

Organize the content under suitable titles. It is important to sort data and club relevant information under one heading. This helps to present a well structured resume that makes it easy for the reader to find out required information. Also, it breaks the monotony of reading vital chunks of information in one go.

For example: Common titles used in resume are career objective, work summary, experience details, educational qualifications, achievements, personal details, references etc

2) Professional Format

Whether you send a hard or soft copy, make sure the resume is designed professionally. Use white for background and black for the wordings. Using Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial of 12 font size is considered ideal for resume writing. Most resumes should be limited to 2 pages to keep the interest of the recruiter intact. However, executive resumes can go up to 3 pages. Do not use any pictures within the resume. Those planning for a resume website are allowed to be creative and use pictures or colorful backgrounds as long as it is professional.

3) Keywords Usage

Using keywords is essential to make your resume noticeable. Most recruiters adopt the practice of searching candidates based on the certain keywords. The computerized systems select only those profiles that contain the buzzwords. Hence, make sure the words are well placed within the objective and responsibilities segments.

For example: The buzzwords for an accounting profile would be accountant, bookkeeper, accounts receivable, accounts payable, benefits specialist, and payroll specialist

4) Quantified Terms + Action Words

Quantify your achievements to give an exact idea of the work performed to the recruiters. Instead of putting a generic description, mention the actual quantities of work performed. Make use of action words to present the facts. Common examples are implemented, improved, practiced, formatted, devised, trained, conducted, etc.

For example: One may say… ‘Improved the quarterly sale turnover significantly’. A better form of expression would be to say…. ‘Implemented policies that increased the quarterly sales turnover by 10% from the past quarter’.

5) Targeted Resume

Update your resume every few days and add details of the advancements of your career to the resume. Tweak the resume contents to match the job requirements. Drafting a resume relevant to the recruiter’s expectations will certainly improve your job prospects. You can alter your career objective and role as per the requirements. Tweaking a resume is about emphasizing certain details of your career more prominently than rest of the information. It does not include providing false information.

For example: As per the recruiter’s requirement, you can name your profile as customer service executive, customer attendant, client coordinator, retail management officer, etc to describe your profile.

We hope these resume tips help you draft an impressive resume.

Read Jenny on resume website and top resume website

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Joe_Parker

http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Tips-to-Draft-an-Impressive-Resume&id=6791989

 


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Overlooked Job Interview Tips

December 28, 2011 By

Carrollton Job Seekers – An excellent article on tips for interviewing!

 

Overlooked Job Interview Tips
By Kurt A Allan

The job interview is often your first chance to meet and make an impression on a potential new employer. Though many people have been through these in the past, they often forget some key elements that are easy to overlook. In today’s job market you need to pay attention to every detail to compete for jobs.

One of the easiest things to do before an interview is do some research on the employer. Though it seems obvious, many people overlook this step and show up to an interview without any knowledge about the employer besides what was posted in the original job opening. When you interview with a company you are demonstrating what kind of employee you’ll be if hired. Do you want to show that you’ll be disorganized and uninformed or that you’ll be prepared and competent?

The good news is this type of research is incredibly easy! Almost every potential employer probably has an online presence with lots of readily available information including company history, management, and current news releases. Just an hour or so of reading can give you enough knowledge to give you an edge in the interview process.

Though one of the main points of the interview is for the company to learn about you, being a good listener is a crucial aspect to any job interview. You want to understand and be able to answer the question accurately and succinctly. Most interviewers are not only looking for the specific answers, but also the way that you answer a question. Extra words (or rambling) or off-topic answers are often an indicator that you don’t either know the answer or how to clearly answers the question.

Coming prepared to an interview can help you give clear and precise answers. The internet has many websites that offer some interview questions for you to practice with. Though you probably won’t get the exact same question, preparing will help give you confidence to answer a bunch of different questions and you’ll have many practice answers in your head to work from.

The last tip is to always send a follow-up thank you letter or e-mail. It’s surprising how many people forget to do this little last step int he interview process! Sending a thank you note will give you one more chance to briefly reaffirm who you are and why you’re a great match for the open position. It also demonstrates that you appreciated the interviewers time and effort, and what type of employee you’ll be if hired. One again, take every advantage you can get.

So remember, the little things count in job interviewing today. Take just a few extra minutes to show up prepared, be a good listener, and send a follow-up thank you note and you’ll help yourself get the extra edge you may need to get that job. Good luck!

Kurt Allan publishes the Minnesota Job Bank HQ, the one source MN Job Bank for your Minnesota job search.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kurt_A_Allan

http://EzineArticles.com/?Overlooked-Job-Interview-Tips&id=6776377

 


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