Changing Careers
Clues for Changing Careers: Answer Love It, Hate It, Tolerate It
Sunday, July 13th, 2008To get clues to potential careers you might enjoy when changing careers, it is helpful to go through the process of identifying the type of work (skills and tasks) you enjoy, what you don’t enjoy, and what you tolerate.
As you think about skills and tasks, do not limit yourself to your current job. Include your past […]
Defining Transferable Skills for your Job Change or When Changing Careers
Sunday, June 15th, 2008There are four steps to identifying and translating your skills and experiences when you are writing resumes and cover letters for making a job change or changing careers:
Step One - Brainstorm
Brainstorm a comprehensive list of all of your skills. Use your resume or a cover letter to jumpstart your brainstorming.
Step Two - Basic Elements
Take each […]
Why Your Career Criteria is Critical
Sunday, May 25th, 2008One of the reasons people get stuck when thinking about a career plan, changing careers, or choosing a career is they know what they do not want, but they have not identified what they do want. The process of creating your criteria is focused on what you do want.
Without a clear set of criteria, lots […]
Get Over the ‘One Career for Life’ Myth
Saturday, May 17th, 2008It used to be that people chose their careers in high school or college, and expected the choice to shape the rest of their lives. They would get the education, training, or experience they needed, find an entry-level job, prove themselves, move up the ladder, make more money, get a better title, and finally, retire […]
Functional Resumes for Job Changes and Changing Careers
Saturday, April 26th, 2008Functional resumes are organized by function or category, rather than time (chronological). The advantage of a functional resume is that you can highlight the most relevant experience, even if it was volunteer work, a hobby, or three jobs ago.
Some very conservative organizations/industries (e.g., banking, Wall Street), do not like functional resumes, so be sure to […]
Track Your Job Search Contacts
Saturday, April 12th, 2008Whether you use a spreadsheet or a low-tech paper system, you need some kind of system for tracking applications, conversations, interviews, contact information, and so on, and for reminding you to follow up on your contacts.
These are the types of information you will want to track:
-Organization Name
-Contact Name
-E-mail Address
-Telephone Number
-Mailing Address
-Source
-Date Of Contact
-Description Of Contact
-Date […]
How to Explore Your Dream Career
Saturday, March 29th, 2008Whether you are changing careers or choosing a career, exploring your dream career can take some work. Luckily, there are plenty of resources, both online and offline, to find out about careers.
Online Resources
Someone compared the internet to the Library of Congress, only with all of the books on the floor in no particular order. While it is getting easier […]
Dream Career or Fantasy?
Monday, March 24th, 2008Can you really create your dream career? Yes, you can, IF your dream career is indeed a dream and not a fantasy. What is the difference?
You can make a dream career come true through planning and execution. With a fantasy, you are completely at the mercy of chance. And you are usually dealing with outrageous […]
Dream Career or Fantasy Answers
Monday, March 24th, 2008Answers:
1. Dream
2. Fantasy
3. Fantasy
4. Dream
5. Fantasy
Where is Your Dream Career?
Saturday, March 1st, 2008What you do is only part of the equation for your dream career. In addition to what you do, there is the question of where you do your work: the organization you will work for (even if it is your own business), and the role you will play within that organization.
The organization, or where you […]
The New Dream Career Model
Saturday, February 23rd, 2008The new dream career model emphasizes two major focuses: what you do (what most people call a career) and where you do it (the organization). In this model, I call the “what” your primary criteria and the “where” your secondary criteria. Both sets of criteria are important, but your primary criteria is the most critical […]
Lower the Risk, Get Your Dream Job
Monday, February 11th, 2008Whenever an employer is making a hiring decision, they are taking a big risk. When you are making a job change, get your dream job by lowering the risk for a potential employer.
How do you do that? Primarily, by demonstrating credibility.
Obviously, it is easier to demonstrate credibility in your current field, especially if you have […]
What’s on Your Dream Career Bucket List?
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008Do you have a bucket list for your dream career? A bucket list, as in the movie starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, is a list of things to experience before ‘kicking the bucket.’
A career bucket list would include the career experiences you want to have before you retire. For some people, those experiences might […]
What’s It All About, Alfie?
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008Meaning is a much more significant part of career decisions, career plan, changing careers and choosing a career today that it was in the past. Meaning includes elements such as what you are passionate about, what is important to you, what you value, and the impact you wish to have on the world.
The trend of […]
Stop Asking the Wrong Career Question
Saturday, January 26th, 2008If you have thought about changing careers or about making a job change, but you keep getting stuck, you are probably asking the wrong question.
Chances are, you are endlessly asking yourself, “But, what else can I do?”
How do I know? I have worked with hundreds of professionals on career issues and those considering a change were […]
Rich Career, Poor Career
Thursday, January 17th, 2008What makes for a rich career? It is so much more than just the salary and benefits. A rich career is one that suits your talents. One that provides an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution. And one that provides the right compensation.
A rich career is one with a rich Career Return on Investment (Career […]
Get Me Out of This Place! New Year’s Career Resolutions
Monday, December 31st, 2007For some reason, the new year brings extra pressure to change jobs or change careers. We make it through the holidays and then the urgency to make a career change returns with a vengeance.
What to do when ‘Get Me Out of This Place’ tempts you to tell your boss to: Take This Job and Shove […]