Redefine Your Career!

Finding the right job and building a successful career is of utmost importance if you want to succeed in the professional world. And to achieve such success, no effort is too much.
With the expansion of the internet, the web has become an important job search tool that can streamline the process of finding a good job. Here's how -

1) Almost Every Company Today Has A Web Presence - Create a list of Companies you would like to work for and visit their websites to find their Career Page which will list down the kind of jobs they are currently offering. Follow the procedure mentioned to apply (filling out a form or email your resume and follow up by calling up) for positions that match your skills, education and expertise.

2) Job Sites Are Updated Daily With New Jobs & Vacancies Across All Industries - Their are numerous job websites that offer listings of latest Jobs and Career Opportunities with small, medium and large Companies. Visit websites like www.naukri.com or any other job portal site and subscribe to their Job newsletters so that jobs are delivered to your inbox every week.
Spend some time in creating a web friendly Resume / CV that can be easily accessed online.

Some of the most common resume formats include :

- Word document Resumes: created and saved as a word file. Such CV's can be sent as an attachment to your email.

- Text CV: is kept simple and sometimes copy pasted directly into the body of an email.

- Web CV: is a relatively new format now immensely popular with web savvy job seekers. Such resumes can be either hosted on job websites or presented in the format of a personal website and accessed online.

- PDF Format: Such a CV is saved in the PDF format ie, Portable Document Format.
Read the job advertisement carefully and apply accordingly based on the requirements of the employer. Optimize your resume and give it a professional look.

It is advisable to leave no stones unturned in your pursuit of finding the right job. Use all job search techniques in tandem with each other so that one complements the other.

For college students and those about to graduate, internships are of paramount importance, especially if you are in a professional course. The experience of internships stands out prominently on a fresher’s resume while looking for his or her first job. Besides that, an internship gives the student a first hand experience of what working in an industry would be like.

Thus, the importance of one or more internships for college students is quite crucial. So much that internships have become a must for all college students aspiring for good jobs. With an internship, a student gets clarity and better understanding of the field, helps one set clear career goals, and imparts the relevant experience that prospective employers would value.

However, internships are not always easy to come by. One has to exhaust and explore various ways to land an internship. Before discussing tips on how to get an internship position, let’s first define what an internship is. An internship is a small-term, pre-professional work experience for students and recent graduates that gives them an opportunity to gather experience in a particular field. Since it is like a training ground before you start your first jobs and gives you a first-hand experience of the industry and the work experience that you wish to join, an internship is the best way to prepare for your career.

All college students must try to gain at least one internship experience during their college life. Also, there should be a constant effort to get multiple internships. The best way to get an internship is to remain in touch with your college’s career services center. Get yourself registered there and submit a CV that carries details of all your skills and academics. This way, whenever an internship position comes up at the career services center, you will get to know of it and also the recruiters will be bale to see your CV and short list you if you suit their criteria. Also, these career services centers provide free advice, counseling and information about job fairs etc.

The next best place to look for internships is among your friends and family. Inform them that you are looking for an internship and what your skills are. They can pass on the word among their network and acquaintances and that may help you get an internship. Other than this, you can keep in touch with your college faculty and professors. At times, they may know of good internships and chip in a word for you. Sometimes, organizations contact them directly to identify potential interns.

Also, you can go directly to the source, which means that you can apply directly to the companies. Talk to their human resources department and see if there is a suitable internship position for you in the company. Also, you must keep your resume updated. If there is any new skill that you have acquired or any new thing that you learnt, do mention it on your CV. Or, even if you helped organized a college event, do mention it on your resume and get the required visibility. Keep practicing your interview skills and this will help in you in getting freshers job quiet easily. All employers would like to interview you before offering you any internship position. So, keep up your practice. Don’t just confine your search to your locality. Be flexible with the location even if you have to travel. If you keep looking for options nearby, you will limit your search considerably. So, look beyond your comfort zone to get a good internship position.

When you finally get an opportunity to intern in an organization, make sure you make full use of it. Exploit it to the hilt and learn new skills so that by the time you finish your internship, you have upgraded your skills. Set specific goals from the beginning itself and determine what you are looking to accomplish and achieve during the internship period. Not all internships are paid and you might be required to work for free.

However, don’t let this discourage you as the experience that you gain would be invaluable when you apply for your first job. So, be open to accepting both paid and non-paid internships. Try to identify a mentor within the organization who would groom you. Once your internship is over, send thank you letters to all those who helped you find an internship and those with whom you learnt new skills. Also, keep in touch with the key people at the organization. These might be useful when you look for your first job for freshers .

One of the major key elements for conducting a successful job search is the resume. However, a technical resume can generally be a difficult document to develop. The technical resume is the job seeker’s primary document for marketing one’s self. It will encompass levels of education, hands-on experience, areas of expertise, and relevant skills.

An effective resume should grab the reader’s attention immediately, within the span of 35 to 45 seconds. A proper technical resume would extend that attention period to around 60 seconds. Successful resumes prompt the reader to contact the job seeker. Consequently, a successful job search revolves around the resume’s effectiveness.

No one is aware of your experience and background better than you. The majority of engineers and technical graduates can adequately articulate their experiences, though putting it down on paper may be another story. Many technical graduates who do write their own resumes find it difficult to sell them to a potential employer. Here are some tips for preparing an effective resume.

Have the finest organizational format selected

Most resumes are composed in chronological format. However, that does not mean that this is the only choice you have. A mixed format may prove to be better. This format is one that is evenly balanced, and includes achievements, relevant skill sets, and an employment history. The advantage of this is that past projects would be highlighted and have a greater impact.

There may be many reasons why you left or are leaving your current position. The trick is to make your departure sound positive and demonstrate why the new potential employer should be happy that you have left in hopes of obtaining this new exciting opportunity. Here are some basic general reasons of why you may no longer be with your past company: you got laid off, quit, or were fired.

Out of the above three, getting laid off is the easiest to explain. Lay offs are unfortunately a very common phenomena right now, and organizations choose who they let go based on their own specific standards. Some places let go of the most inexperienced employees first, whereas others choose to lay off the highest paid. When asked why you left your last job, simply explain that there were many cut backs, and you were one of the individuals who was let go. However, you did not get discouraged, but instead took this as an opportunity to seek a more fulfilling career with an outstanding organization.

What if you just quit? There are many reasons why a person quits his or her job, for instance no room for advancement, different ideals than the boss, did not get the desired raise, tired of the job, looking for something more rewarding, etc. If you were passed over for a promotion or were turned down for a raise, do not tell the hiring person this.

Making the right career choice can be a difficult decision for most of us. After all, this decision will effect the rest of our work life. Different people are guided by different factors in their career choices.  The common trend today is to opt for a career field that offers the maximum remuneration. There is no doubt that money has become the driving force for most of us.

Personality & Career Choice

Your personality & temperament can be another major factor that can effect your career choice. Here are some of the common personality types and the possible career fields best suited for people having such personality - 

1. Social - Those of you who are social, enjoy interacting with others and have good interpersonal skills can do well in fields such as Mass Media, Therapy, PR, Social Work etc.
2. Intellectual - If you are the intellectual type and goal driven, consider a career in Mathematics, Analysis, Research and Science.
3. Creative - For the artistic, jobs that allow you to show your creativity are often best suited. Avoid choosing careers that curb your identity and do not allow you to show your artistic side.
4. Conventional - The conventional people often opt for jobs in book keeping, accountancy etc.
5. Enterprising - If you are aggressive, enterprising and have a strong mind of your own, you can choose to become a marketing professional, business executive and a public person.

A word of Advice when choosing your career field -

• Do plenty of research into the career opportunities available and their prerequisites. After doing this homework, weigh your options and make a decision.
• Listen to others, take their advice but make the final decision yourself - one that you feel is good for you.
• Don't be afraid to make a decision you feel is the right one!
• During the course of your career, you will get plenty of opportunities to sit back and review your progress and satisfaction levels. Use this time to analyze where your career is going and where it is you want it to go!

What are your favorite stress management techniques?

The techniques described here take time to cultivate, but is well worth your effort. The ultimate objective being to develop a habit of these techniques - so that it becomes second nature to you

As a career builder newbie, I urge you to start developing some of these techniques in order to manage the stress you will experience as you climb the corporate ladder.

Stress Management Technique #1: Greet People Warmly
Greeting people warmly especially in the morning is important to manage stress. You wonder why? Have you ever noticed how some people come in the office grumpy? It is almost as if, they have decided that they will be stressed out that day. When you greet someone warmly in the morning, it says you have decided that you will start a great day. Imagine starting a day on the low and watch it get worse!

Stress Management Technique #2:  Be Conscious Of Our Behaviour
Being conscious of your behaviour means to be conscious of how you feel and act. It is the trigger in your mind that says “I am getting impatient with this discussion. And I am going to raise my voice.” Once you are mindful of your actions you can choose to react in a more positive fashion. Now, you may ask – how can I be conscious of my actions if I am in the middle of an argument with someone? Well, it takes practice. Just as we practice a certain sport prior to an important tournament.

Stress Management Technique #3:  Be Conscious Of Our Breath
Taking deep breaths and counting is a popular stress management technique. In this particular one, my variation is to be conscious of my breath. Whenever I feel stressed, I excuse myself if I am in the company of others and walk away. While walking away to the washroom for example, I concentrate on my breath touching the tip of my upper lip. And I consciously slow my breath down while concentrating on it. It takes the negative thoughts out of my mind.

Stress Management Technique #4: Reviewing The Positive
Create a habit of reviewing the positive that has happened throughout the day. The idea is to cultivate the habit of looking at the positive. Instead of crashing in front of the television when you reach home, spend five to ten minutes reviewing what nice things others have done for you. The kind deed others have done that made your day turn out great. I practice this while being stuck in traffic. It kills two birds with one stone, it allows me to review the positive and takes my mind off the traffic situation at the same time.

Stress Management Technique #5: Letting Go The Negative
Let’s face it - we are but mere mortals. We will make mistakes while trying to cultivate these habits to manage stress. In reviewing the positives, we should also be conscious of the negative that we have done. Maybe we did not realize it earlier in the day. It could be something nasty we have said to someone. Realize this and “cleanse” yourself by flushing away the misdirected actions. Do this by forgiving yourself and remind yourself that you will not do it again.

Admittedly, these 5 stress management techniques take time to cultivate. Make a decision to start today and watch your stress greatly reduced as time goes by

There are many people that dream of getting bachelors degree, but the thought of interrupting their career or family life to attend traditional classes seems impossible. The notion of trying to attend numerous classes when you are already busy with your career and family life is just not feasible. On the other hand, you know that a bachelor's degree would enhance your future job success and earnings. It is in this regard that college and universities are now making it possible to acquire a college degree online.

Once you have made the decision to pursue your degree, take the time to study all the options available. There is a vast amount of information about obtaining your online degree. In addition, numerous colleges and universities now offer degrees and course study online. If you wish to pursue your bachelor degree online, be sure that the school is accredited. An accredited college or university means that the state's guidelines have been met and the degree is deemed credible. Therefore, learn as much as possible about the school and the perquisites for a bachelor's degree.

Advantages of pursuing an online degree are endless. There is no commute to school, no need to shuffle classes or reshuffle your life in order to attend a particular class, no requirement to live on campus, etc. However, you will need to stay disciplined at home to get your course work done. In addition to the discipline, you will need a quite place to work at home.

Because of the importance of this matter, I will repeat again that the school and the courses you select to pursue your bachelor's degree online are accredited. The online degree industry has become a big business over the last 5 years or so and it would be a shame to waste your time and money for a degree that is not accredited. On the other hand, if you wish to expand your education just for the sake of learning, then accreditation will not make a difference.

Now is the time to improve your chances of landing a better job, better earnings or even change your career. Your future and success is in your own hands and there is no excuse for not pursing a college or university degree online. Classes and course material are usually delivered by way of computer, but don't worry if you are not computer savvy. All you will need is a computer and an internet connection to get you started.