Month: March 2013

Goals For an Effective Job Search

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Articulate Your Goals For an Effective Job Search

Part of the entire job search process is knowing how to set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely goals to improve your career. If you do not create a positive plan to achieve something, you will probably end up with nothing, or certainly achieve well below your potential. Begin today by setting smart goals to compliment your career needs that will motivate and inspire you. Once you realize the advantages of goal setting you will see things starting to happen and you will receive a great sense of achievement which will create and influence other areas in your life.

Statistical Evidence

Harvard class of 1954 were measured those who made goals and those who did not. Each time they grouped the goal-oriented graduates into finer and finer groups … those who made goals every now and then, on a yearly basis, and on a monthly, weekly or daily basis, each finer subset of individuals ended up making more money, having more free time and far more happiness than the others.

In surveying salespeople they’ve found that 6 out of 10 do not set outcome-based goals at all and this group earns the least amount of all salespeople! 3 out of 10 set earnings goals and as in the Harvard study, this group of folks earns double the income of the no-goals group. Only 1 in 10 people sets specific goals but they earn 3 times as much as those who set no goals at all.

Tip

Any coach will tell you, the first step to success is knowing what you want to achieve. Setting career goals is just as important.After brainstorming and getting a clear objective about what you desire, write down your goal in an inspiring and fun way, that way you will be motivated towards your outcome every time you read it. And be SMART:

Specific:
  • Well defined
  • Clear to anyone else reading your goal
Measurable:
  • Know if the goal is obtainable
  • Know how far away completion is
  • Know when it has been achieved
Achievable:
  • Know when it has been achieved
Realistic:
  • Within the availability of resources, knowledge and time
Time Frame:
  • Enough time to achieve the goal
  • Not too much time, which can let you drag out performance
Tools:

This Goals Worksheet will help you prepare and set your goals

Caution

One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is to start looking for a job before they are ready. Setting goals is critical in all areas of your life – especially when it comes to obtaining a job.

Resources

Links

https://www.careerkey.org/

http://www.studygs.net/schedule/

https://www.goal-setting-guide.com/smart-goal-setting-a-surefire-way-to-achieve-your-goals/

Service Providers

The following service providers can assist you with your job search and employment opportunity goal setting.

Goals Magic

Website: http://www.GoalsMagic.com  (link no longer valid)

Company Description:
The Goals Magic System is completely FREE of charge. If you want more success and fulfillment in your life, if you are looking to achieve more than ever before, then this valuable goal setting system is a must have. Having a clearly established plan for the future is a hallmark skill of all successful people.

Better Choices, Better Health

Website: www.selfmanage.org/BetterHealth/SignUp  (link no longer valid)

Information about Better Choices, Better Health (link no longer valid)

Filed under: Career, Free Tips & Resources, Job Search, ResumesTagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

Identify Careers for Job Satisfaction

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Identify Careers for Real Job Satisfaction

Which job is right for you? To find your perfect career takes time and hard work – you need to research and investigate all options to identify the career that is most suited to your interests, abilities, enjoyment and lifestyle.

No-one will be able to help you if you don’t know where your career is heading. Even if you have a fair idea of the type of work you are seeking and where your target market is, it is essential to be able to identify your skills, knowledge and attributes to demonstrate what you have to offer.

[alert style=”info” text=”

  • There are an estimated 50,000+ different occupations, and this number continually grows because of the technological evolution.
  • At this time in history, the typical person entering the workforce will have more than 10 different occupations by the time he or she retires

“]

Selecting your career is no longer an easy task, with so many options available it is possible to find a path that matches all of your personal criteria, so you can enjoy job satisfaction in a rewarding environment and get paid for it.

Tips

List all career options that: Appeal to you … Suit you … Others have suggested you would be good at (eg family, career advisor, colleagues, etc) … You have checked out in newspapers and Internet for possible options … You have seen in the Yellow Pages categories

Document what you offer: Knowledge (e.g. courses) …  Skills (e.g. what you can do) and … Experience (e.g. what you have done)

Document your personality: Motivations (e.g. ambition to be manager, desire to retire early, etc) … Values (e.g. honesty, open communication, commitment, etc) … Interests (e.g. professional pursuits, hobbies, etc) … Attitude (e.g. hardworking, pessimistic, etc)

Critically evaluate your: Strengths (e.g. why someone would want you on their team) … Weaknesses (e.g. what would prevent someone from wanting you)

Free Tools and Resources

Whether you have carefully outlined your career goals, or still need to develop a plan, we can help. We have three DISC Behavioural Assessment categories available to assist you understand your own behavioural style and to assist you in being content and satisfied in the workplace and your career. All assessments are undertaken online and presented to you in both a colour and bound report and a PDF version.

The following checklists will assist you in identifying your suitable career.

Career Objective Checklist

Career Decision Checklist

Caution!

Do your characteristics compliment your chosen career? Be sure NOT to sell yourself short.

Information and Further Research

How to Identify your Career

http://www.mindtools.com/JobHunting/CareerChoice.htm

http://www.careerkey.org/index.asp

Service providers that can assist you with your job search and employment opportunities.

MAPP Assessment – Providing assessments (tests) and appraisals (reports) that are comprehensive and uniquely personal at Internet speed. We’d like to help each person who visits us reach maximum potential in his or her life work. Our MAPP Appraisals help individuals find work they love. MAPP Match assists organisations to find employees motivated to excel.

http://www.assessment.com/

Filed under: Career, Free Tips & Resources, Job Search, ResumesTagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,

Assess Your Skills For Career Success

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Why Assess Your Skills?

The first step toward making wise career decisions is to assess your skills and job preferences.

Understand what your personality type, aptitudes, skills, strengths and weaknesses are. You need to identify these at the start of any successful job search campaign.

Does it really matter? Yes – if you want to benefit from job satisfaction, personal fulfillment and outstanding career development. Your occupation should suit your skills, knowledge and strengths, and take into account your dislikes and personality traits.

[blockquote author=”” link=”” link_title=”” target=””] Did you know: Well over half of all Australians aged 15-64 years now have qualifications attained out of school? [/blockquote]

How To Assess Your Skills

Finding your dream job starts with understanding yourself and what drives you. Use the following to assess yourself:

Document what you offer…

  • Knowledge (e.g. courses, what you know, what you have learned)
  • Skills (e.g. what you can do)
  • Experience (e.g. what you have done)

Document your personality…

  • Motivations (e.g. ambition to be manager, desire to retire early)
  • Values (e.g. honesty, open communication, commitment)
  • Interests (e.g. professional pursuits, hobbies)
  • Attitude (e.g. hardworking, pessimistic)

Evaluate your…

  • Strengths (e.g. why someone would want you on their team)
  • Weaknesses (e.g. what would prevent someone from wanting you)

Free Tools and Resources To Help You Assess Your Skills

Free and low cost tools and resources to assist you to assess your skills effectively:

Service Providers

Myfuture – Australia’s career information and exploration service with resources to plan your career journey: www.myfuture.edu.au

Career Fit – provides online career assessment kits that identify the careers you are suited to. The kits provide step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow, and that lead you to your ideal career from a choice of 600 career possibilities. www.careerfit-test.com

Filed under: Career, Free Tips & Resources, Job SearchTagged with: , , , , , ,

Why Evaluate Your Career?

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Why Evaluate Your Career?

Evaluating and identifying your career objective will make your job search more effective. To find your ideal job you need to first identify your own knowledge, skills and experience.

To get the job you want you have to convince employers that you have the skills they need. A common mistake many job hunters make is that they don’t know what their skills are or where they can use them best.

Take a step back and closely evaluate yourself. Are you where you want to be in your career right now?

  • Plan your career direction.
  • Identify what kind of job you want.
  • What can you offer an employer?
  • Evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, abilities, education and experience.

[blockquote author=”” link=”” link_title=”” target=””] In the past people could expect to be in the workforce for around 30 to 35 years. With recent changes to retirement age, one can anticipate working for up to 40 or 50 years of their lives! [/blockquote]

Tip

Become more valuable as a professional. Take on challenging opportunities as well as adequate training.

Understand what professional development options come with your new job (or the one you are targeting). What level of training is available?

Keep your skill level current to maintain a competitive edge—within your organization and outside of it. You will more likely be promoted if you’re on top of your game.

Free Tools And Resources To Help Evaluate Your Career

Blog: How To Assess Your Skills To Find Career Success

Mentors, Ventures & Plans – Self Assessment – Assess Your Entrepreneurial Skills: http://mvp.cfee.org/en/selfassessskills.html

Which Career Is Right For You? Free Career Quiz to find out which career is right for you. Test your career IQ and discover the right career for your personality. http://www.quizrocket.com/career-quiz

Helpguide – a trusted non-profit resource. Find the Right Career: http://www.helpguide.org/life/finding_career.htm

Careerpath: Free Career Test: What Job is Right For You? http://www.careerpath.com/

University of New South Wales – Careers and Employment: http://www.careers.unsw.edu.au

Career Fit – Online career assessment kits with easy step-by-step instructions to lead you to your ideal career from a choice of 600 career possibilities. www.careerfit.com.au

This is the first in a series of blogs about Evaluating Your Career

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