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5 Steps Toward Overcoming Challenges of a Career Change
December 31, 2009 by Candice ACareer change has been the buzzword ever since the recession hit hard across the globe. There have been reports and articles talking about the new shift in the job scene in this century and a career change might be likely for many of us to get moving with the flow. Well, easier said than done, transitions can be stressful and traumatic too.
What is the difference between job change and career change? Let’s first look at the definition of job, according to the dictionary:- A piece of work, esp. a specific task done as part of the routine of one’s occupation or for an agreed price
- A post of employment; full-time or part-time position
- Anything a person is expected or obliged to do; duty; responsibility
A Career according to the dictionary is:
- An occupation or profession, esp. one requiring special training, followed as one’s lifework
- A person’s progress or general course of action through life or through a phase of life, as in some profession or undertaking
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Top 3 Ways to Find a Job in 2010
by Candice AAs 2009 draws to a close, most job seekers can only say, “Good riddance.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average job search as of November 2009 took 28.5 weeks — more than 7 months. That’s the longest since record keeping began in 1948.
But there is good news: People are still finding jobs, often faster than average.
How are they doing it?
From what I can see, talking to and counseling hundreds of people in 2009, successful job seekers do three things that can get you hired faster in 2010 …
1. Start with clarity
Here’s the best predictor of job-search duration: To the extent that you can clearly describe your target job title and a shortlist of 10-20 ideal employers, you will find work fast.
To the extent that you can’t, you won’t. -
Should Auld Aquaintance Be Forgot?
by Candice ATonight we will celebrate the end of 2009 and herald in a new decade. From private parties and entire city celebrations to safe home celebrations, we all have our own way of saying “goodbye to 2009″. Somewhere in the activities you are bound to hear the song “Auld Lang Syne“. It’s an old Scottish poem meaning “times gone by”. So, should be forget acquaintances from times gone by? Not if we hope to be successful in the new decade.
Extracting your brand is important. Expressing it in a way that is authentic to your personal strengths is vital. Yet, without cultivating and nurturing your acquaintances then who and how will anyone know of you or your brand attributes? -
Personal Branding Interview: Emily Bazelon
by Candice AToday, I spoke to Emily Bazelon, who is a senior editor at Slate and co-editor of DoubleX, Slate’s site for women. She is also a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and the Truman Capote law and media fellow at Yale Law School. In this interview, Emily talks about how she first got into journalism, the importance of controversy, global freelancing, how she landed her current job and where she believes journalism is heading.
How did you first get into journalism and how did you make a career out of it?
I worked on my high school newspaper, and then in college on Yale’s general news magazine, The New Journal. In the spring of my senior year, I had the chance to intern at a local alt weekly, The Advocate, and that experience really made a difference to me. I worked on meaty stories and got to work with extremely talented people who took me far more seriously than I deserved. -
New Year resolutions: why do we set ourselves up for failure? Here is an alternative point of view.
by Candice AI don’t like New Year resolutions. You see most of the time I think we fail to keep them.
We set ourselves up for failure – and often we choose resolutions that are really demanding of us and wonder why by the middle of February we have failed to keep to those promises we made to ourselves.
Or am I alone in that?
And no I don’t like New Year either – probably because it was never a happy time in my home when growing up as it’s the anniversary of my Dad dying (I was just 7 years old and my sister was 4 years old when he passed away just after New Year). Though I do try to make sure that my lack of excitement for New Year is not picked up by my children.
Yet while I dislike New Year I do like a challenge. -
Who’s Hiring Recent College Grads: Resources for Entry-Level Job Seekers
by Candice A“Education is what remains when one has forgotten everything he learned in school.” – Albert Einstein
You graduated when? It’s already January 2010 and you still don’t have a job?
Have you heard these words lately (like from your parents)? Okay, so it’s been months and you’ve been looking for a job (just like the millions of other job seekers out there) but you just haven’t found your thing yet. Maybe you played a few video games while searching on the web for your job, but mostly you’ve been job hunting.
So, what next? Unless you’re thinking about starting a snow shoveling service for the winter, it’s time to refocus your job search. -
Green Jobs: Your Future Career Path?
by Candice AGreen jobs are predicted by many to be one of the fastest-growing segments in the US economy for the future decades (Global Insight, 2008, report to The United States Conference of Mayors and the Mayors Climate Protection Center). In fact, the O*NET Center (US Department of Labor) has identified 215 “green” occupations in 12 major industrial sectors, with more to be added.
These facts came to my attention as the result of reading “Building Windmills in the Green Economy” by Dr. Janet E. Wall in the most recent NCDA Career Developments publication (Winter 2009). Her article is available to NCDA members exclusively. -
The Benevolence of Confrontation
by Candice AI know it’s not often that you hear confrontation referred to as a gift but when used properly it is a powerful management tool. If you are in any type of leadership position, you know there are times when confrontation is essential to your business. So with all the talk about avoiding confrontation, why is confrontation good?
We spend a lot of time talking about how to avoid confrontation. On the flip side, we rarely talk about how to confront people to create positive outcomes in the workplace or in your business. We fear confrontation so that we don’t hurt people’s feelings or rock the boat. When it comes down to it, it’s much easier to be the “so-called” nice guy/gal rather than be the jerk. However, let me run you through a couple of scenarios and you can judge for yourself which you would prefer. -
Guilty of UnPersonal Branding?
by Candice AAre you guilty of relying on your company’s name and presence – and not working hard to establish your own personal brand? Unless you have an infamous past to hide, you’ll do yourself and your company a big favor by relentlessly communicating a clear, consistent and compelling personal brand. Then, you may leverage your brand so it functions as a 24/7 ambassador, not just for yourself, but also for your organization.
People who don’t “get it,” always ask: “Why would my firm want me to be personally recognized – shouldn’t the company brand be the be-all and end-all of my identity as an employee?”
Those folks don’t know that “human assets” is the new term for “human resources,” and has even replaced the more recent moniker “talent,” when it comes to describing employees. Frankly, most companies don’t want to spend much money on developing employees. Like getting dressed in the morning and showing up on time, your responsibility for the basics of self-management rest with you, not the company. Personal branding ranks above getting dressed and below speaking at the next TED conference, when it comes to desirable self-management. -
10 Reasons Why You Have to Manage Your Personal Brand
by Candice AThe concept of personal branding came way before social media. Everyone has a personal brand, whether they like the concept or loathe it. It’s inescapable. The issue most people have once they discover their authentic brand is how to manage it from the “big idea” to the execution of that idea and then actually protecting and marketing that brand for the rest of their life. Sure you can call yourself the “musical magician” or “the best doctor in Chicago for baby boomers” or “the social media surgeon,” but without managing that brand over time, it will lose it’s luster and visibility. In a sense, without brand management, all of your efforts will be for nothing.
Here are the top 10 reasons why you have to manage your personal brand:
1. If you don’t manage it, it will be managed for you
Taking ownership of your personal brand is extremely important because otherwise, people will categorize you based on a first impression. That first impression might not align to your branding strategy and the brand attributes that you selected might not be displaying. People can freely communicate about you behind your back and if that word-of-mouth isn’t accurately portraying you, then it will be much harder to reposition your brand in their minds. Brands of all capacities have lost a lot of control online (corporate, product, personal), but they still can stand for something and have a web presence that communicates what they are in business for. Without any time investment, you will start to find others who are branding you for better or worse.
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