3 Things to Consider Before Changing Your Career Path

3 Things to Consider Before Changing Your Career Path Changing your career path can be a very daunting prospect, especially for people that have been in a similar role for a number of years. Before taking this huge leap into the unknown, it’s definitely worth weighing up your options and considering everything properly. In many cases there are other factors that make you think that changing your career path is the only solution. I personally experienced this dilemma back in 2005 when I had a comfortable five years of advertising sales underneath my belt and decided to take the leap to recruitment. I know what you’re thinking and admittedly this wasn’t the biggest transition, I wasn’t going from a ‘run of the mill’ role to Brain surgery, but it was still a difficult decision nonetheless, as online recruitment was completely alien to me. Lucky for myself, a lot of the skills were transferable, which proved very helpful. My reason for the change of career was that I could see that the recruitment industry was adapting to the online model and newspaper advertising was proving to be static; therefore progression for me into an online recruitment agency felt like a logical forward step and I have never looked back. Many people facing this question might be considering this for a number of reasons, some of these are below: 1) The salaries aren’t good enough in my industry Salary is a huge motivator for anyone in any type of role. Why wouldn’t you want to be paid more money for the job you do every day? Many people consider a change of career because of this reason; however if you enjoy the job you do then why would you want to change this? It would surely be best to stay in your industry and look to progress your career within it. Take social care for example; a Care Worker or Care Assistant has a starting wage between £6.14 £8.03 an hour and many people are unaware that there is a lot of potential for progression within this amazing industry. Once you gain experience, qualifications and take on extra responsibilities you can see your salary rise to £21,000 as a specialist Support Worker or Team Leader.  Once you have all the relevant qualifications under your belt, you can then progress to an Assessor role in which you could earn up to £30k! So there’s no need to move away from an industry that you love. This is a similar story for a lot of industries and if you do some research, I’m sure that you will be pleasantly surprised. 2) I’m fed up with my role… Are you fed up going to that place you call ‘work’? Dread Sunday nights when the Monday morning gloom is looming? You’ve come to the conclusion that only a change of career can rejuvenate your working life? Well. This isn’t always the case. It might not be the role that is the issue and the first questions that you need to be asking yourself are: Is it your Manager who’s the issue? Sometimes when an employee is stuck in the same role with no progression then the job can become stale. Looking for more responsibility in a higher position might be the answer. Why wouldn’t you want to use the skills that you have already gained as a stepping stone for your career? It’s always important to remember that by changing your career path you are going to be most likely starting from the bottom of the pile again. Is it the employer who’s the issue? Often a company can make you doubt your role and resent your job. Picture yourself at another company and if you see yourself in a similar role, then it might just be a case of finding a new job in a different company. 3) There really arent  many opportunities within my industry/role If you enjoy your job, but you struggle to find any roles within your profession then this can be disheartening. Try to remain positive and be as proactive as possible. There’s no point moving away from a role that you are good at and enjoy. Unless you’re the highly successful salesperson for chocolate fireguards, then it might be worth reconsidering â€" by that, I mean if you are in a sector that is on the way out then it would definitely be worth reconsidering or adapting your skillset to something more future proof, like I did! Recruitment trends come and go and you never know, your current industry could be on the climb. Take out a bit of research and see what you find out. Who would have thought years ago, that Cloud and Distributed Computing would be the most desirable skillset in 2016? (According to LinkedIn) or that there would be an upcoming risk to delivery roles from pilotless drones! The other option would be to find out what qualifications are desirable in your industry and take a course. This will make you a more attractive proposition for the hiring manager and put you ahead of the competition. Try not to give up and stay strong if your role and profession is a good fit. If you are currently going through this dilemma, please share your comments below.

How to Write a Resume That Gets You Hired!

How to Write a Resume That Gets You Hired!So, you've decided to do your own research on how to write a resume. You want to put your best foot forward and impress your future employer with a well-crafted document. Well, I'm not sure what to tell you. This may be the most difficult step of the process, but it is also one of the most important.Your best bet in the process is to keep it as simple as possible. The title of your resume is going to be the first thing that an employer will see. It's very important that you make this the first thing that he or she sees. If your resume starts off with a long, drawn out description of yourself, chances are the employer is going to skip right over it. If you had your potential employer working for you right now, would you hire you?Take your time. Think about what your best qualities are and what job positions you would be best suited for. These are going to be the building blocks for the rest of your document.Your resume can also benefit from fo cusing on your skills and achievements. A resume can be the difference between getting an interview or getting turned down for the same position. Write about what you're good at and where you can apply your skills.One other important element to include in your resume is any education or training that you have received. Even if your degree has nothing to do with your current career, be sure to list it in your resume. If you went to school to learn how to read sales books, be sure to list it.What you don't want to do is just toss in a list of your training and education and call it a day. This is not how to write a resume and it's not how to make your resume stand out from the rest. Think about the style of writing you're used to and decide whether you want to write in a more formal or informal style.Research your favorite job search topic and see if you can use that information to help you write your resume. Remember that if the job description is short and sweet, the job you're appl ying for is likely to be as well. Use your knowledge of the industry and your skills to write about your career path in a way that tells the employer why they should hire you.Hopefully these tips on how to write a resume will help you get through this important first step. The next step will be figuring out which areas of your life to emphasize. Knowing how to write a resume will get you where you want to go, so get started now!

How successful people deal with Aspergers

How successful people deal with Aspergers I get an incredible amount of email from people with Asperger Syndrome. Its all really similar. Heres a sample: Im 45 and a lawyer and I have Aspergers. I dont know what is appropriate, and not appropriate some of the time, such as talking too much about very personal info, or saying something that offends someone. Ive gone through many friends in life. Most cant deal with me, Ive never been married, relationships get complicated, but luckily Ive had a few who hung on regardless of my flaws. How do you feel and deal with the fallout when you say things that cause more problems than you would have had if you just kept your mouth shut? I want to take the attitude that if I say something inappropriate and its held against me, screw em, Im not going to worry about it, life is short. Do you think there a way of saying inappropriate, blunt things into an asset even though others dont approve of your behavior? I respond to everyone. I dont even know why Im writing this in a postâ€"that I respond to all my emails. Because it just means Ill get more. But I think, even though I know its terrible time management to respond to all emails, I must like it because look: I launched the Mailbag section. The emails are probably human contact that I need. I was going to respond to this guy via email, and then I thought how we all have problems that we dont know how to solve. Aspergers is interesting to people in part because its just one version of the bazillion versions of personality flaws that each of us has to deal with about ourselves. I am similar to the guy in the email above: I go through friends fast. I piss off colleagues. I feel lucky when people hang onto me. Honestly, I get frustrated with trying to fit in. Its really hard work and Im really bad at it and it makes me want to give up. I keep myself from giving up by making rules for myself. I cant make the problem go away, but I can manage myself to limit how often my deficits will show. Here are three rules I have: 1. Dont talk if possible. Ryan Healy once told me that the only time I sound normal is when Im giving an interview to a journalist. This is probably true. Because its not really a two-way conversation. Its lecturing. In non-lecture situations I try very hard to say as little as possible, especially when situations seem like they have social conventions tied to them. I assume I do not know the rules. I try to tell people what Im feeling so they know that I am trying hard to say the right thing even if I am not saying the right thing. 2. Dont use the phone. For some reason, people feel that a phone call does not have to stay on topic. In fact, people open up a phone call by talking with you about the thing that is not the topic. For example, How have you been? This question is disconcerting for me. Is the person really calling to talk about our mental state? Or do they mean our physical state? Or is that a fake question and the real topic is coming. I get nervous immediately because I dont know what we are talking about. In an email, though, I can read through the whole thing, get to the topic, and respond directly to the topic. Email is so straightforward, and even if its not, its asynchronous, so I can ask for help. 3. Dont tell jokes. It will surprise you, I think, that I am very shy about making a joke. I do not understand jokes other people make, and I have been told that I make the kind of jokes a ten-year-old makes. (I love puns, for example, and I make pictures of people in Legos.) I know that people think this blog is funny. I know people think Im funny. But the Farmer once explained me this way: She is funny, but she doesnt know she is being funny. She is sitcom-funny. I make rules like those three but I still get into lots of trouble. The truth is that the only thing I am good at when it comes to dealing with Aspergers, is controlling my environment and getting help when I cant. For example, there was tons of stupid stuff in this post that my blog editor cut. When I have an email to answer that I think is complicated in the social rules department, I will forward it to a friend to ask if my answer is going to be okay. I have a small group of friends that will edit me. I know which one will edit which thing, and when is a good time to reach them without bugging them. When I want to throw a fit at work, I have a board member whose major job on the board is to keep me at bay. And I love him for helping me. If I could give one piece of advice to everyone with Aspergers it would be to surround yourself with people who will help you and then trust them; do what they say. And parents, if you have a kid with Aspergers teach them to ask for help. Posing the question is so difficult. Its so much easier to spew information than ask for information. And for all of you who do not have Aspergers, I think there is a lesson here as well: We each have a deficit that could hold us back. Get help for it, on a regular basis. No one can get through life as a lone ranger.

Money Makeover Series Wrapping up Ready to Launch

Money Makeover Series Wrapping up Ready to Launch Three months have come and gone in a flash, and it’s time to see how our Money Makeover participants fared. First up: Ready to Launch! Read on to find out the astonishing changes Mimosa has gone through and her exciting new plans for the future! When we first met Mimosa, she was a highly motivated young professional on track to pay off her student loans and preparing to save enough money to move out on her own. But she also had some big dreams in play, including the desire to move to Europe someday. That meant Mimosa needed a plan in order  to stick to her debt payoff goals, so she could achieve her dream of moving  across the pond sooner rather than later. So how did she do on her plan? If At First You Don’t Succeed When Mimosa and I sat down to create a spending plan, we knew we were in for a challenge. Mimosa has been using her young professional salary to  make triple the minimum payment on her student debt each month, while paying for graduate school out of pocket, and dealing with the high cost of commuting from her town to the city where she works. Then there’s the fact that Mimosa is working full time while attending school. This all adds up to a lot of costs and little money to cover those costs. On top of that, one of Mimosa’s favorite hobbies is fashion. Even with a challenging schedule and challenging goals, Mimosa started off doing great at sticking to the planuntil a friend of her’s came into town and a trip to the mall ensued. By the time Mimosa and I had our next follow up call, she was clearly feeling some intense guilt over the trip and not much that I could say  consoled  her. The thing is, when you lose track of a plan, it can be harder than ever to get back on the horse and that’s the problem Mimosa was having. The one time slip up  could have been no big deal, but it led her to avoid her financial situation altogether. She stopped tracking her spending because she didn’t want to be reminded of her slip up. Essentially, she was paralyzed mentally and couldn’t move forward. Try Try Again I completely understood how Mimosa felt and didn’t think she deserved the guilt she was carrying. We all slip up on our plans from time to time, but the most important thing is to pick ourselves up and keep truckin’. I would knowmy frugal side leads me to avoid spending, but it also makes it hard to turn down a good deal if I see one. It’s a catch-22! Mimosa and I talked it out and realized that part of the problem was not that we were unrealistic on her budget, but we didn’t do the best job optimizing her tracking. She was using the cash envelope system and also keeping track of receipts at night. However, her busy schedule made this system a bit too much work  to follow habitually. So I told her about a few phone apps that would allow her to enter her purchases as she makes them. That means it’s easy to keep track of her spending and to turn down a purchase in the heat of the moment (with the tracking tool playing the part of the accountability buddy right at the counter). Turns out, this made a lot more sense for Mimosa’s lifestyle and was just  the thing to finally get her to forgive herself for her past slip up and get excited for her next steps. Fail Fast What’s the lesson from all this? The lesson is that when you create a spending plan and realize it’s not working, don’t keep pushing forward. This will only dig you deeper into a hole. Rather, analyze what’s not working and why, then decide how you can tweak your plan and build one  that makes more sense. Fail fast so you can succeed faster! Next Steps The conversation between Mimosa and I took an unexpected turn into career territory something that seemed to be a new trend as I get further into financial talks with each participant. We started to brainstorm about a way to look at her favorite hobby fashion and turn it into something usefulinstead of a detractor on her budget. She mentioned that her other two passions were nonprofits and communications, and the next thing we knew the wheels were turning! Could there be a way for Mimosa to merge her love of fashion, nonprofits, and communications into a business so that she could sustain her spending plan, even in the future, and cultivate the career of her dreams? Stay tuned for the conclusion of the series in one month to find out!

A Basic Guide to Resume Career Objective Writing

A Basic Guide to Resume Career Objective WritingWhen you are writing a resume career objective for the first time, it can be quite confusing to figure out what to write and where to start. There are plenty of tips to help you, but only so much advice you can take in from them. Here are some basic tips that can help you.Career objective writing should start by defining your career objectives. You will need to define what you hope to achieve in your new career. What do you want to achieve by choosing your new career? Think about what you like doing, or why you are interested in this field. Your career objective should explain why you feel it is right for you to choose this career path.Careers that appeal to you will be the easiest to describe. The second part of your career objective should tell about your current position, what you hope to achieve and how you plan to get there. This could be in two parts: you would expect to gain more experience, develop more skills, learn more or you hope to gain more freedom. You can then describe the methods you plan to use to reach these objectives.An example career objective might be 'To develop new skills to meet my career objectives.' When developing your career objective, you could write down your goals and then list any achievements that are relevant to achieving those goals. When you have done this, you should add details about where and how these skills will be learned.When writing your resume career objective, you should focus on the positives, if you have any. You should not mention any negative things. You should also write down your strengths so you can apply them to your new career.When completing your resume career objective, make sure you include all details about what you are looking for in a job. List the company, industry, and level of education you are looking for. It is important to include details about what you are looking for in your job.Writing a resume career objective is about providing information t o the potential employer, and it is a crucial step when applying for a job. If you do not put this information into your resume, then you may be wasting your time and your potential employer's.During your resume career objective writing, do not just copy and paste the same information over again. You need to go back and edit to make sure you are providing your employer with relevant and useful information. It is important to remember that this part of your resume is to show your value and to demonstrate your previous accomplishments to your potential employer.

Jobs May Appear Closer than they Actually Are - CareerAlley

Jobs May Appear Closer than they Actually Are - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. I dont know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby How many times have you felt as if you were so close to getting a job and then it just doesnt happen? Sometimes its a recruiter leading you on, sometimes you go on a few interviews and then hear nothing and sometimes you get caught in the only applying online syndrome. And then there is the very frustrating situation where you get all the way to the finish line, only to get a lousy offer. There are lots of reasons for each of these (see more below). Sometimes the competition is too tough, sometimes you are just not the right person for the job. 10 Reasons Why You May Not Be Getting a Job Offer There are lots of reasons why you may not get a job offer, and 10 of them are listed in this article from Thinkenergygroup.com. From the most basic you are not qualified to the not so obvious poor personal appearance, each item has a brief description. This particular site is focused on the energy industry, but there are some great job search resource links on the left hand side of the page (like salary trends, cover letters, resumes, etc.). Check out their job search if this is your field. How to Get a Job Interview You cant get a job if you cant get an interview. This article, from Forbes.com provides some real life advice on how to get a job. From Resume review to Interviewing, this article is an interesting read if you are not getting any interviews. There are related links on the right hand side of the page. How To Get a Job Interview Another View No, this is not a repeat of the article above. This one is from Hubpages.com and talks about some of the alternatives out there. Ideas such as Targeted Resumes and Buy Lunch are two of those mentioned in this article. There are other great tips and it is worth thinking about trying something different. Take a look at the related links on the right hand side of the page. Top 10 Interview Blunders Sometimes you need to know what not to do in order to get it right. This article, from Alison Doyle and posted on About.com lists some great advice as to what people fail to do either prior to or during the interview. There are some easy picks (like not being prepared) and then some that you might not have thought of (like fuzzy facts). If this list is not enough, there are additional related links at the bottom of the page as well as some great links at the top of the page. Job Interviews 101: How to Ace 5 Key Questions Every Recruiter Will Ask This article is from ABCnews.com and will help you prepare for an interview. The article lists the must know questions you should be able to answer. Some of these are basic, but others are not (like what are some of your weaknesses). This article provides some good advice and definitely is worth a read. Good luck in your search.Visit me on Facebook

So You Want To Become An Actor - CareerAlley

So You Want To Become An Actor - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Its the dream of many youngsters, but for some, the dream never goes away. The stage and screen are calling, and turning your back on it would be a travesty. But in such a competitive industry, how do you get an edge? The three most essential skills you need are experience, knowledge, and confidence. If acting is your calling in life, heres how you can achieve your dreams. Start young The younger you start, the more time you have to become comfortable on stage and in front of an audience. If your school drama department puts on regular shows, be sure to be in the cast. Here you will learn the basics of what it means to act performance, different schools of acting, screenwriting, and even stage and costume design. What you learn from high school drama classes is the basis of your experience when you start applying for college. Seek out work experience While your high school drama classes and shows are good experience, if you want to get an edge over the competition, seeking out more work experience is the way forward. Look for small playhouses and acting troupes in your area, and get involved. Even small roles are a great place to start, and with each new role, youre building a new skill set. Find your education A formal college education is not essential for entering the world for acting, but it sure can help. A formal university or college drama or theater degree program helps to draw together your experiences into a cohesive understanding of the subject. Drama schools, such as those found on Auditions HQ, can also be a great place to find your feet, and get a formal certification to include in your applications to casting directors. The difference is whether you want your education to focus more on the theory of theater, or just the stage side of thing. Keep on practicing Auditions are probably the hardest part. Getting over the nervousness to pull out your best performance to wow the casting director is difficult, so practice makes perfect. Take any little role you can, just to build up your skillset and your confidence on stage. The more practice you have, the better youll be. Build your resume Practice also helps you to strengthen your image to potential employers. Your resume is the first thing about you that theyll see, so having an impressive list of experiences is a great way to reassure casting directors that you know your stuff. Dont typecast yourself though build up experience in a variety of performances, including commercials, theater, television, and whatever else you can get your hands on. While youre trying to get experience, theres no time to turn your nose up at opportunities. Once youve built up momentum, developed a great resume, and finally started to find regular work, its time to find an agent. Theyre the key to finding more work, as they have all the contacts and theyll help you to make decisions which will further your career, and find you some great casting call opportunities too. Becoming an actor is a lot of work, but when its your dream, putting the work in feels like a hobby, rather than a job. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+