When it comes to leading a full, productive life that is everything you want it to be, one of the most important elements to consider is what you do for a living. As many of us know, there is a world of difference between a job and a career. A job is simply something you do to bring in a paycheck, but a career is something that also has an element of purpose and passion to it. It’s something with a real future and plenty of room for opportunity and growth.

Of course, when it comes to living a better life by changing your career, you want your new life to start as soon as it can. However, as always it is important to take time with these decisions, in regards to changing your job should always be made carefully.

Assess Yourself
Take inventory when it comes to your marketable skills, your interests, and your values. Assess your needs as far as schedule is concerned, as well as financial need. What are you good at, and what do you enjoy? When it comes to changing career, what type of environment would you like to work in? Do you prefer something with lots of variety or a position that offers the security of routine and a regular schedule? The answers to all of these questions play an important role when it comes to job satisfaction and will help you pinpoint some career fields that might suit you.

Do Your Homework
Next, you should begin researching the fields you are most interested in and figuring out which ones will be feasible on a practical level. What degrees and qualifications are necessary in order to be able to work in the field you want? Which ones offer the most positions with job security and room for upward movement? Which ones have the most openings available for those that might be new to the field? How do others you know that work in your field of interest feel about what they do? Carefully considering all these elements will help you narrow down your choices make sure you’re changing career in way that will be practical as well as rewarding.

Narrow Things Down
Once you thoroughly research your field of interest, you should next start looking at individual occupations within that field. Evaluate your options, determine which choices will fit your lifestyle, values, and preferences the best, and come up with both long and short-term plans as far as what steps you will need to take to get where you need to be.

In many cases, this will involve checking out your options as far as further education. In this day and age, there are many exciting educational options designed to help those thinking about changing career acquire the skills needed to land the jobs they want. There are a wide variety of affordable courses within those paths designed to prepare you for many of today’s most rewarding and secure careers – everything from IT, to plumbing, to medical assisting. Look into what programs are available in your area for the occupation you want and assess which ones will be doable for you.

Don’t Forget to Think of “Plan B”
When it comes to changing career, it’s always good to have a back-up plan as well. Decide which occupation you’d like to go after if for some reason your first choice doesn’t work out for whatever reason. There are so many exciting careers out there that may be able to offer you the type of change and fulfillment you’re craving.

Job seekers tend to concentrate more on the attire to be worn during interview. They forget those little things that is also being observed by employees. Tiny things that we often disregard of. There is nothing wrong on getting a nice tailored custom dress shirts, or getting a matched dress shirts and pants from your favorite store. It is just a part of your majority appearance. But remember it is just a part of it, there are still few parts that we tend to forget but also being noticed by employers.

It is great to see a guy in a smartly poised mens dress shirts topped with a neatly fitted tailored suit. But what about other aspects such as the hair, jewelry, perfume, tattoos, nails, earrings or piercings, purse or briefcase, wallet, portfolio, and breath mints? 

Keeping your hair nice, neat and well groomed is the only way to flaunt it. You do not need a special hair style for the interview. For men, it is better to trim beards and facial hair, as there are some organization or company that frown in dislike seeing a man with unshaven/ untrimmed beard and mustache.

Nails should also be clean and neatly trimmed. For women, wearing of nail polish is okay as long as the colors are not bright. Go instead for neutral and conservative colors and make sure that the polish is not chipping off.

Minimize your jewelry and go for those that flatter but not overpower. Such as stud earrings instead of chandelier earrings. Obey the “thirteen rule” of wearing jewelries. That means wear not more than thirteen accessory pieces such as earrings, watch, and buttons of the shirts or blouses where we often not think about.

Better have your tattoos and body piercing be removed or have it hidden. Do not let your employers see these, or else it might eliminate you as a candidate for interview.

Always bring with you your portfolio packed with all the documents that you may show during the process. Have a pen or a pencil and a notepad to jot down information. Leave your big briefcase and just carry a small purse or wallet with you. Also, do not forget to carry breath mints that may chewed before the interview starts.

One of the areas to which I insist we allocate sufficient focus with a new coaching client, is  the importance of the “why” in setting any career or workplace goal.

Indeed, the head of an international training organisation I spoke with recently says, “When you know WHY, the HOW will follow.”

So make sure you brainstorm your big objective.

What is it you’re trying to accomplish, professionally  (and personally)?  At this step, we’re trying to get to your highest-level goal, so when you name something, ask yourself, “WHY?”

For instance, if you say, “I want to feel more appreciated at work,” then ask yourself, “Why?” You may answer, “Because I think I’ll be more successful in an environment where I feel valued.” Though that may seem like a logical endpoint, don’t stop there. You need to go further.

Next, ask yourself WHY you want to be more successful, and you’ll soon find that there are a variety of possible motivators. You may hear yourself say something like this:

• Because I KNOW this department can be so much more effective and I can contribute to that.
• Because I want to acquire enough money and experience to fund a start-up of my own in the future.
• Because I’m feeling stifled now, and I want to fulfil my potential.
• Because I know the new product we’re developing will be the best in the marketplace.
• Because I want to earn more money to pay off debt and provide my family with greater security.
• Because I want to become the CEO one day and I know I have that capability.
• Because I want to be able to develop and use my strongest skills more.

Each one of these higher-level objectives is slightly different, and is going to result in a slightly different goal or path to success. Knowing your “WHY” helps you determine your “HOW.”

Keep going until you get to the logical endpoint, state each goal in well-specified, quantifiable terms and you ill find achieving them much easier!

The country’s brightest female students are rejecting careers in the City as they see the Square Mile seen as unethical and rife with discrimination, a survey has shown.

Source: Recruitment and talent management: News from People Management 22 March 2010

More and more employers are pulling credit reports on potential employees. Why? For many reasons. If the employee will be handling money, the employer wants to know whether the potential employee might be tempted to
commit fraud, to embezzle, or be vulnerable to a bribe. In addition, employers might want to check whether the job candidate has a past due account with the employer; if you’re trying to work for Bank of America but are 90 days overdue on a Visa card you have with that company, the conflict of interest might lose you that job offer.

No one wants to lose a job prospect because of lousy credit. And yet–if you’re out of work and the bills are piling up, how can you manage to keep a decent credit score?

The first step in deciding to boost a credit score involves knowing what the current number is. Request a copy from one of the major reporting agencies, like Experian. Once you have the number, examine the credit report for any mistakes. Mistakes can mean the difference between a good and a bad score.

Then, take the following steps:

1. Pay every single bill on time. Of course this is obvious, but even one lapse in a 60 day bill can mean the difference between a few points.

2. Pay down any “maxed-out” credit cards. A boost to your number cannot happen when you have maxed-out cards. Credit scores are calculated in part based on the ratio between available credit and used credit. Get your cards down to 50-60% usage.

3. Call to explain your current work status. Negotiate lower payments. This will help you to retain a decent credit score.

4. Try getting someone with a high rating to cosign a credit card or loan with you. Once the loan is paid off, your rating will get a nice boost. Use the money to consolidate other debt, to improve your credit rating and your appearance to employers in your job search.

A person’s credit score has become so important in recent years in the United States. No longer used solely for getting house loans and car loans, the
credit score is now used to smaller credit cards, consumer accounts, and many employers even use this information as part of the job interviewing and hiring process! An increase in your credit score is key to your home, your car, and your work at this point in time.

Dr. Paul Lanthois

As I came back from the business meeting, my wife noticed the glazed and drained look upon my face. “How did the business meeting go?” she asked with a knowingly grin upon her face for she had seen that look on me before.

“No wonder the guy’s business is struggling.” I replied.
“Why is that?”
“What was meant to be a meeting on how to boost his business, ended up with him going on about how his wife has left him and how his business partner has left him. When I offered some suggestions and strategies to improve them, he would just come up with reasons why it wouldn’t work. It was as if he just wanted to complain and wasn’t open to any help.”

I’m sure you all know people like that or have had to endure such draining meetings like I did. The way they choose to manage stress may make them feel better but it is often at the expense of those around them.

But recent research is showing that such stress management methods are not only draining for other people but are also draining on their wallet. A study of the lives of 268 Harvard Sophomores for 70 years found that the way that you coped with stress had a definite impact on your income potential.

They assessed the participants’ ability to manage stress as either mature or immature. Displays of these skills were regarded as having mature stress management skills:

• Suppression (patience and stoicism)
• Altruism (doing unto others as you wish to be done for yourself)
• Anticipation (allowing painful emotions coming to mind before the actual event)

Immature stress management skills were shown to be:

• Externalising blame
• Complaining but not accepting help
• Acting out emotions (e.g. throwing a tantrum)

These immature ways of coping with stress often make the offending feel better at the time but often generate unhappy working environments and relationships. The research shows that ranting and raving doesn’t pay.

According to this 70 year study, people who were shown to have mature stress management skills earned 233% more the subjects shown to have immature stress management skills.

So if you ever notice yourself bitching about how the Global financial Crisis is to blame for your woes, you may want to go and look at the real cause in the mirror. You then may want to tell that person in the mirror that it is time to grow up.

This study puts paid to the old adage, “Nice guys finish last.” It shows that being pleasant to work with and associate with is one of the key ingredients to a successful career and business.

Article Source: http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com | http://leadership.bestmanagementarticles.com | About the Author: Dr. Lanthois is the director of the Work Life Balance Foundation (www.WorkLifeBalanceFoundation.com ) offering health, stress relief and work life balance programs designed specifically to boost morale and productivity in the workplace.

Some hard-working people should ask themselves why they don’t want to go home,
writes Stefan Stern on ft.com

Or are long hours essential to modern business success?

In his article, Stern considers what sort of person you have to be to succeed in the 24/7
world of global commerce that characterises the 21st century.

He argues that it is no longer enough to just be really good at your job. Drive, hunger,
ambition: today’s workplace seems to demand more and more of such stuff. And if you
are serious about getting on in your career or leading your organisation on to greater
success, a strong sense of urgency is required.

But, in our world where the celebrity is king and where reality TV has even invaded the
board room, you now have to have a real sense of identity.

As Stern puts it, you have to “front up… put on a good show… create the right
impression”. If you’re looking to move up the ladder, it is not enough to just do a really
good job, you have to be able to tell a good story about yourself too.

Using Big Brother as an example, Stern points out that never before have so many people
spent so much effort on creating an appealing self-image or a winning identity.

He quotes the distinguished sociologist Anthony Giddens and his talk at a half-day
symposium called “Humanising Work”, held under the auspices of the Lehman Brothers
centre for women in business.

“You have to work on your identity today,” Lord Giddens told the packed seminar room
at the London Business School. Lifestyles are now enormously diverse, he explained. We
have to choose who it is we are going to be.

But we all know there must be more to successful business people than the superficial
qualities that make a celebrity. Hard work, for instance.

Stern believes that TV celebrity and former chairman of leisure group Granada Sir Gerry
Robinson is being a touch disingenuous when he suggests that there are really only 10 or
12 key decisions you have to get right every year. Concentrate on them, Sir Gerry says,
and then delegate and relax.

Hard work, high levels of commitment and, even, obsession are likely to help you
succeed.

Stern refers back to Lord Giddens’ wide-ranging talk at the “Humanising Work”
symposium, where he considers the relationship between the highly committed, obsessive
professional and the more troubling phenomena of addicts and those trapped in
compulsive behaviour patterns.

New technology helps feed some people’s addiction to work. Lord Giddens jokes about
the hard-working types who, getting up in the night to go to the bathroom, seize the
chance to check their e-mails. This presupposes that the BlackBerry is not still buzzing
away on the bedside table or under the pillow… and that said executive has even gone to
bed in the first place.

But as Stern’s article points out, these compulsive characteristics are also linked to
depression. So there’s the rub. Addicts are obsessive and compulsive. The characteristics
of obsession and compulsion are associated with depression or, equally, high
achievement.

So, are obsessively long hours just part and parcel of success? Maybe. But, Stern argues,
to find out whether long hours are essential to you, the best question you can ask yourself
is just why don’t you want to go home.

Read the full article at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c22d5128-3bb3-11dd-9cb2-
0000779fd2ac.html