Career Network Plus

Career planning starts with the question: Where am I now?

Successful career planning requires and starts with only one thing: a willingness on your part to sit down periodically and evaluate where you are in their career.

How far along have you come, as well as how far along are you towards achieving any goals you have set for themselves. Start your career planning by first listing where you have come from, where you are, and where you perceive yourself headed within your current job/career.

This list can then serve as a baseline for your future career planning sessions, and will help you trace your progress along you career path. In addition to this mapping, go over your personal ideas for your career and match them up against what you currently like or dislike.

Study the larger trends within your job and company, as well as the career at large, and see if you need to obtain additional education or learn new skills. And finally, review existing job opportunities both within your company as well as outside of it, and outside your career if you can determine that your skills are transferable.

Career planning is an ongoing exercise that pays the best dividends if you realize the planning combined with a well thought out action plan will yield the best results.

Using temporary jobs as your way to successfully changing careers.

A great strategy for you to consider if you are considering a move to a new career is to work with temporary agencies. Temporary agencies are essentially contracted by a wide range of employers who are seeking help that may last anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks or even as as a year of more.

As the agencies receive requests for manpower from their customers, they search through their databases and match particular jobs with resumes that match the qualifications needed for a work assignment. The candidate then goes out on their own to perform the work, and receives paychecks for work done through the agency itself.

If you are still in school, temporary jobs can provide opportunities similar to internships. But since not all internships are paid, temping is a surefire way to get paid, while also building up a resume – when you don’t have a full-time job. Often times the temporary positions themselves become full-time opportunities.

At the very least however, the temporary job can certainly be a source of referrals. At the other end of the spectrum, citing the variety of jobs that are potentially always available, some have even made full-fledged careers out of temporary jobs. There are drawbacks such as being mismatched for assignments, no benefits, and being treated very impersonally by agencies, especially in larger cities.

Making a full-time career of temping can also mean less likelihood of being hired permanently. However, for some, interested in changing careers it can be a great way to build skills in an industry and career they want to break into.

Military experience is both a blessing and a hinderence when writing a resume for a civilian job.

Recently I talked to two long time military men. One a Army Warrent Officer helicopter pilot (22 years in the Army) and the other a Navy Captain, graduate of the Naval Academy (almost 28 years in the Navy).

In reviewing their resumes both were detailed and replete with military jargon, and way to long (4 and 6 pages).

They both went back to the drawing board, and came up with two page resumes, that looked and sounded like civilian resumes. Accomplishements were quantified, and both had about twice as many achievements that would fit a two page resume template. They will cut and paste as necessary depending upon the needs of the prospective employer.

The Army pilot had a strong technical background with extensive training, was an instructor pilot and safety officer.

The Navy Captain, had commanded over 500 Navy personnel, was strong in management of both personnel and million dollar budgets.

Both studied the advantages of networking. They made contact with the many former colleagues. Both had over 100 individuals that could and would help them find the right jobs.

Now they were putting together a list of possible questions they might be asked in the job interview and their best positive answers. Although the retirement of both is several months off, this head start in finding the right civilian job, is now off to a great start.

Ideas on how to make a smooth career change or a career choice that fits your interests and skills.

Changing from one career to another and even choosing the right career can be a daunting task. However, with some well thought out career planning you can start in the right job field or make the transition into another career field with a minimum of fuss.

Why do so many end up in a career where they are downright miserable? The short answer is many think they know the correct way about picking a career, yet there are a number of myths associated with choosing a career that you need to know about.

The number one myth about choosing a career is that the process is relatively simple, takes little time and once the career choice is make the book is closed. Actually, selecting the right career for you should be an ongoing process that involves career and employer research, learning about yourself and effectively using all the available career and job hunting resources available to you.

Once you recognize career planning and selection is an involved continuing process you need to spend the appropriate amount of time to get the best results.

Career ideas can come from many sources. Don’t let a career counselor or a friend tell you what career is best for you. They can give you a level of guidance on new career ideas but it’s never wise to rely entirely on their advice.

Learn about a Career without working in it

Many think the only way you can really learn about a career is to work in it. Not true. If you find a career that interests you, do the research and find others working in the field. Contact them to see if you can arrange a short interview. Or have questions ready for a short phone interview. Many times these discussions will lead to other valuable resources regarding the career. All will assist you in making the right career decision.

Another area where many go wrong is to only look at careers on the latest “hot careers” list. These are many top ten lists of the hottest current and projected future jobs. Although interesting and a possible source for further research you need to focus on your skills, what are your top interests and what excites you about a particular career and not what someone predicts will be the outlook for a specific occupation.

Career Change is in your Future

In the course of a lifetime, if you are typical, you will change jobs and careers several times. The secret of making a successful career change is to spend time every week and month is career planning. A well though out plan researching jobs and employers will keep you attuned to changes in the economy, new careers in which you may qualify and other income opportunities.

Developing career related skills through training and self-study (Do you have an ongoing reading program? If not, now is the time to start.) will make you more valuable in your current career and prepare you to open future doors of yet undiscovered career ideas. 

Typos in your resume or cover letter can torpedo you chances for a job.

One of the biggest turn-offs for a hiring manager is to spot a typo in the resume or for you to send the resume to 101 Main Street when it should be sent to 1001 Main Street. If they don’t get your applciation package you definately will not get the job.

If you have not had your resume reviewed by another set of eyes, you really should do so.  Pay particular attention to names and addresses.

After taking the time to research companies, write a cover letter, and forward your resume to a contact in that company, you don’t want to blow it by spelling a name wrong or getting their title incorrect. A single misspelled work or not carefully proof reading the documents could sink you job chances.

In order to get a professional image across, you have to ensure that what a hiring manager sees first is your impeccable grammar and spelling. Otherwise, you probably won’t even make it the group of candidates who are asked to interview.

Is there any way you can easily tell a good recruitment agency from a bad one?

In this age of instant career choices, a recruitment agency can spring up with highly unqualified people who have been hired for the lure of high commissions. You need know the differences between a good and bad recrutimer agency so you don’t waste your money or your time.

A good recruiting agency should never charge you money for their services. The employer typically pays their fee when you are hired or they are working on a contingency basis.. You will be given a number of different opportunities to interview for jobs and you should be getting feedback on how you did.

If they offer to sell you services for rewriting or reformating your resume to printing copies of cover letters, you are not dealing with a reputable recruiting service, most likely. Recently we learned of an unemployed applicant who paid over $3000 to have their resume rewritten and mailed out to a “select” group of prospective employers. After six weeks and no interviews he took control of his own job hunt. The sad part of the story is that he threw away $3000 that he could not afford to lose but he also lost six weeks that he could not get back.

If you use a legitimate recruiting firm to assist you in your job hunt, don’t rely totally on this source. Use every job hunting source available to you-networking, answering ads, internet job sources, your college career office and of course your own research.

Be proactive, write out you job hunting plan and work the plan every day. Make it a full time effort and you’ll be successful in finding the right job.

Anytime can be back to school: Career planning and development through education.

Improving your career through education and/or training would be something to definitely consider as being a good use of your time. Considering just from a practical point of view, in today’s world it’s almost a requirement for you for to keep pace with new technologies and skills that are constantly coming out or on the horizon, which means constantly educating yourself.

The nature of today’s workplace moreover is such that its hallmark is globalization. Skills that only could be learned through attendance at American or otherwise Western campuses just a decade back even, may now be learned by anyone, anywhere in the world.

All it takes is a few mouse clicks to download training programs, and be on the way to earning online degrees and skills. Today many organizations offer educational benefits such as tuition reimbursement for classes taken at college or even over the internet, or attendance of training programs.

Consider exploring the availability of any educational benefits with your HR representative. In the end, the knowledge that you acquire may not only boost you along your career path, but will very likely open additional opportunities for you.

Self-study is also another route to take to become more knowledgable or to enhance you career related skills. Where do you start? It is not so critical to start with the absolute best career training-because if you wait for this train to arrive it may never reach the station-but rather to get started and refine the career plan as you learn more or the future comes into better focus. The key is to get started, now.

Have you ever thought of moonlighting a second job/income while on the job.

If you’re looking for some extra income on the side, but aren’t looking to outright take up a second job, it may be easier than you think to simply moonlight during your day job.

In order to this however you must first realistically evaluate the amount of time you need to devote to your job, in comparison to the amount of downtime, if any, you have day in and day out.

The last thing you want to do, unless you are looking to quit your current job, is to compromise your current productivity. But with any downtime you find, you can look into working in your external hobbies and passions. (And turn them into income.)

Examples that have been cited in recent years with the growth of the internet include day-trading the financial markets, publishing articles on your blog, and running your own special-interest or commercial website.

In one instance a computer operator who worked second shift, and had considerable down-time between scheduled operations built and ran a series of profitable web-sites.

At the very least use downtime to improve your on the job skills or to prepare for another planned career advancement. Even reading a book during breaks and lunch periods can help you with your career planning.  Small bits of time used productively can build up a big balance in your career skills bank.

Get your job present job done, but also use your ingenuity to do more with the time you have.

Here are the final two of five quick start tips to help control your career and your future.

4. Blaming others for your situation or taking a 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 forthe 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.

5 Quick Tips to Control Your Career and Future

It’s unlikely that anyone today will work for one employer their whole working life.  And as you make choices regarding your career your identity comes from these choices and not your employer.

Who is making a long term commitment to your career? It’s surely not your employer, no matter how benevolent they might be. The person controlling your life and career 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, wakeup 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 a number of 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 require 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 excuses 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. But that is not the case. 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                fastest path to fulfillment and happiness, not ruminating about what you cannot control.

More next time on suggestions on getting your career and future moving quickly toward your future goals.

In the meantime, I have valuable resources on my career related site. I invite you to take a look at each of the career guides.