Job Transition Tips And Advice

If you believe that the time has come to change your job, it is important to go forward with determination and a clear vision. It is natural to start to feeling stuck in a rut when having been employed in the same position for a prolonged amount of time. Although the economy may not appear so buoyant as it once was, there are still ample employment opportunities available for suitable candidates. Before you hand in your resignation notice, it would be in your interest to familiarize yourself with advice in relation to undertaking a job transition. Continue Reading

How Recruiters and Hiring Managers can Help Candidates Make an Informed Career Decision

Joe Murphy of Shaker Consulting Group

Candidates are decision makers too. Patty Van Leer of NAS Recruitment Communications understands that.  I had a chance to speak with Patty at Taleo World.  I asked her what we can do to help candidates make a more informed career decision.  She offers three clear suggestions on what can be done to the candidate experience.  Click PLAY below and hear what she has to say.  Then scroll down to read more. Continue Reading

Job Interview Techniques: Re-entering The World of Work and Changing Careers

Carole Martin, The Interview Coach

Creating a self-inventory and doing some basic preparation can make a big difference in the way you view yourself and as a result how others see you.

1. Focus on your “transferable skills.”

When you change careers the focus will be on your “transferable” or “portable” skills. These are skills you have used at any and every job or situation you have been in, including volunteer work and school. Continue Reading

3 Key Resume Changes You Need to Make Now if You’re Changing Careers

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

Going through a career change and wondering what you need to do to make your resume right?  Here are three key areas of your resume that you need to make adjustments to when switching careers:

1. Your Job Target/Job Title: Make sure you’re not falling into the trap of listing multiple job targets or titles at the top of your resume.  I know it can be tempting when you’re qualified for more than one type of role—or you’re seeking something … anything … different from what you’re doing now.  Instead, focus on one position at a time, and put this at the top of your resume: Continue Reading

Take Control of Your Career

If you are not satisfied with your current job, it may be time to consider a change.  However, not necessarily changing jobs within the same career field, but moving to a different one altogether.  While you might be hesitant at first to do so, making a career change could be what you need not only for success in the workplace, but your happiness.  Here are some tips to help you make a career transition: Continue Reading

Left Behind – Making Your Move in Your Job Search

“Change before you have to.” – Jack Welch

The other day I had to start my day in a different building for my company. While I’ve visited this building many times, I never started my day there. As luck would have it, the building is the same subway stop as my previous job (some 3 years ago). So I headed directly to the corner coffee guy and, believe it or not, he not only remembered me from 3 years ago, but also remembered how I liked my coffee! We chatted for awhile and it was as if time was turned back to 3 years. I then realized that, although I had moved to a new job and my little world changed, everything that existed in my previous routine continued on as if in some parallel universe. So, I’m sure you are wondering, what’s the point? Changing jobs is a big deal. Your entire routine changes, new people, new responsibilities and new pressure to perform (maybe a new city or country). So often we forget that the “change management” aspect of a new job. There are many reasons to change your job: new opportunity, more pay, job loss, etc. And, while everything changes, everything also stays the same. Today’s post is about managing the change. Continue Reading

Changing careers and have no or little experience at the new career.

Carole Martin, The Interview Coach

1. When you change careers the focus will be on the “softer” skills – referred to as “transferable” or “portable” skills.These skills include communication skills, ability to work with a diversity of people, ability to plan and organize, time management, etc.

2. Each candidate is unique. What makes you unique? Think about your personality and your personal traits. One of the things that the interviewer is looking for is “someone to fit in” – who is likeable – will work well with the other team members. Personal traits could be the tie breaker between two equally qualified people. Think of at least five personal traits that make you unique – friendly, flexible, quick learner, reliable, responsible, easy to get along with. Continue Reading

Washingtonians Concerned Over Job Security Despite Improving Employment Picture

A recent report suggests that workers in Washington fear losing their jobs, even though unemployment has made a little progress.

Washingtonians remain cautious about their job security, despite steady improvement of statewide hiring trends, according to data released today in the 4th Annual Washington State Workplace Confidence Survey.

The survey, conducted by Harris/Decima on behalf of Everest College, revealed that 33% of Washington workers were concerned about losing their job, similar to 2011 where 30% of respondents said they were concerned about losing their jobs.

Washington State’s unemployment rate remained flat at 8.3 percent for the months of February and March 2012. This equates to approximately 289,000 people who were unemployed and looking for work during that period, down from a peak of more than 365,000 in February 2010. Continue Reading

Reinvent Your Career and Job Search – Part 2

“A great wind is blowing and that gives you either imagination or a headache” – Catherine the Great

In Part 1 of this article, we covered reinventing your career (Reinvent Your Career and Job Search – Part 1). Today’s post focuses on reinventing your job search. Similar reinventing your career, there countless reasons why you would (and should) reinvent your job search. Maybe you’ve been our of the job search market for a few years (or longer) and need to adjust to the ever changing online job search process. Or maybe your current job search is not yielding results. Possibly you don’t need to totally reinvent your search, maybe just tweak it. Whatever the reason, today’s post will provide some advice and links to the “how” part. Research – Where do you want to work? – First thing you should do is decide where you want to work (as in the company). You should make a list of the companies where you would love to work. This is, of course, the end result of lots of research. While you probably have an idea of your short list, you will (and should) need to do additional research to build out your list. There are tons of resources for your research. Following are a few links. Continue Reading

Reinvent Your Career and Job Search – Part 1

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

I ran into an old friend (metaphorically speaking) that I used to work with very early in my career. We hadn’t been in contact for probably 12 years or so even though we spent 11 years (across two companies) working together way back when. When we worked together, he was not your average guy. He was a very successful business man, near the top of his field. A typical “type A” personality, but if he liked you he would go out of his way to help you. Anyway, long story short, I spotted him on LinkedIn and he then sent a message letting me know the new things he was doing (very different from what he was doing when we worked together). I pressed him a bit for more information on one of his new ventures (because it seemed so different from what I would expect) and he told me that every so often you need to reinvent yourself. And you know what? He’s right. Sometimes we are forced to reinvent ourselves (industries change, companies disappear, skill sets become irrelevant due to changes in technology, etc.) and sometimes change is just part of our natural progression. So, whether you’re reinventing yourself because of your own personal “evolution” or are changing due to a forced “revolution”, take some time to map out the best way to get to your destination. Reinvent Your Career:Before you reinvent anything, the first question you should ask is “why?”. There are millions of reasons why, but in the interest of time, I’ve tried to narrow it down to some of the most common reasons. The second question you should ask is “how?” and there are a few links below to cover that as well. Continue Reading