Taking the time to research careers can be an invaluable experience.  If you decide that you want to jump right into another job immediately after leaving your last one, it will probably be even more difficult to leave and change jobs again. You may decide that you really would like to continue in a similar career or industry or you may realize that this is a time when you want to make a complete break and do what’s necessary to establish  a totally new career.

Making a career change can be scary.  I don’t know of anyone who finds it easy to change jobs.  The biggest problem I see people grappling with is their fear of the unknown.  Even though we may not be happy in our current job at least we know what to expect. For any kind of major life change, I recommend reading, “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” by Susan Jeffers.  This is an easy to read book that provides motivation and inspires confidence when we are in a situation where we need to face the unknown.

If you are finding yourself stuck and don’t know which direction to go, perhaps career counseling can help.  In career counseling we can assist individuals in completing a career assessment as well as providing resources for exploring career options.  Career counseling is a highly individualized process and depends on each individual’s personal goals and objectives.  Career counseling can provide just the right knowledge and support for individuals looking to make a career change.

Develop Your Resume While in College

Students shouldn’t wait until after graduation to think about the experiences and skills that they need to begin their careers. Here are some ways that you can develop your credentials while in college so that you are prepared to submit your resume as soon as you receive that diploma.

Academic Accomplishments

As a student you may feel like going to school is a full-time job. If this is the case, you shouldn’t hold back when it comes to your academic accomplishments that you are particularly proud of. And I’m not talking about listing that you an A on a particularly difficulty final exam, you want to list accomplishments that are unique and set you apart from the typical student. This could include a professor choosing to enter your research paper in a contest or your painting being selected for a student art showcase. You can also list other accomplishments that are common but still impressive, such as number of times you made the dean’s list, maintaining a high GPA, or being a member of a honor society.

Work Experience

Even if you don’t need the money, working can benefit you as far as experience goes. Keep in mind that it will be harder for an employer to believe that you will make a good employee if you have never worked a day in your life. Having a part-time job or internship in college will ensure that your resume doesn’t draw a blank when it comes to the “Professional Experience” category. Being able to show that you held down a job while in school is a good indicator of you work ethic and level of responsibility. Internships can also be particularly valuable as they can help you gain experience in an area that is relevant to the career you want.

Leadership Positions

Employers want to see that not only were you a good student in college but that you were able to apply that your knowledge and efforts out of the classroom. Becoming involved at school and obtaining a leadership position within a student organization is one great way to sharpen your leadership skills and abilities to manage, organize, and motivate. This doesn’t always mean being elected president of an organization, you can obtain experience through many types of positions such as student chair, council member, or group leader. If you can’t commit to a position for the entire year take on a short-term leadership role by volunteering to organize a community service project or be in charge of planning a social event.

In addition to all of the people you know and who you may have met while doing your job search, social networking has become a major force in the world of networking.  Using social networking sites is a way to build your personal brand and help you market yourself to prospective employers.  Social networking sites are a great way to connect with many people from a variety of industries and career fields.

 A professional online presence will give you a chance to showcase your skills and experiences and can put you in contact with people who are in a position to hire.  LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are social networking sites that you’ll want to become familiar with.  Joining groups on LinkedIn can help connect you to other professionals in your field and having an online presence can make you easy to find when hiring managers are seeking people to fill current and future job openings.

So if you have not yet gotten into social networking, I recommend that you give it a try.  It could make a big difference in the time it takes to land your next job.

The US Department of Labor’s December report

For those Americans who are still unemployed, this is excellent news.  It’s also a good indicator that if you have become somewhat lenient in your job search pursuits, it’s time to take a more proactive approach by getting your resume out there and begin engaging in some active networking with professionals in the field.  I know many people have become discouraged over the course of the past few years since all we heard was bad reports from the media on how difficult it was to find a job.  I encourage you to develop some concrete career goals for the New Year and be ready to make this year the one where you will turn yourself around.

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy, & Prosperous New Year!

I’d also like to suggest that you put the past year behind you and begin to take action on whatever it is you would like to accomplish for 2011.

Sample Starter Goals for the New Year -

If you don’t know what you want to do, you might try getting some career counseling…

If you’ve been laid off and have not yet found a job, you might set some new goals for your job search…

If you haven’t received any callbacks from employers, you might try updating your resume…

AND you might just want to see what my colleagues from About.com have to say about:    

Ringing in Your Happiest,

 Most Successful New Year!

(click above)

Looking for a job can be unduly frustrating for those individuals who have held responsible jobs for the past 20, 30, or 40 years but don’t seem to be getting much of a response from all of the resumes they’ve sent out or online job listings they’ve most recently applied to.  Of course we all know that the competition for many jobs is fierce right now; but the fact is that the current job market is causing a great deal of frustration and stress among many of the more mature job seekers who may be feeling that they may never get another job. 

Fellow About.com Guide on career planning, Dawn Rosenberg McKay, offers some excellent tips on how to stay positive in your job search. Dawn’s tips are relevant for anyone who has devoted many hours to the job search possibly to the exclusion of doing those things that provide for a healthy and balanced lifestyle.  I also recently wrote a similar article for college students on stress, that you can find on my About.com site.

Focusing all your energy on finding your next job, can end up zapping the  energy required in maintaining an effective job search.  By taking time to engage in some relaxing activities (reading, hiking, meditating, meeting up with friends, watching a funny TV show or movie, or taking up a new hobby), you will be re-energizing your batteries and creating a more positive approach to helping you be successful in current job search.

Unemployment is still extremely high (9.6% in August) with a large number of discouraged individuals who aren’t currently looking for work and who are not even counted in these figures.

Whether you are currently looking for a job or have temporarily stopped looking, Alison Doyle offers some great job search tips on her About.com – Job Searching site for you to consider.

If you are currently unemployed or seeking a new job because you’re miserable going to work each day, here are some suggestions I often give my clients:

1. Create a 30 second elevator speech to introduce yourself to everyone you meet
2. Begin networking with family, friends, acquaintances, and alumni from your college
3. Join social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to connect with old colleagues or to meet new professionals in the field
4. Join social networking groups to meet like minded individuals
5. Check out members of  your local Chamber of Commerce
6. Review the Classified Ads in your local newspaper
7. Prospect with companies you’d be interested in working for
8. Visit job boards and online job sites on a daily basis, but don’t make this your only job search strategy

By changing what you’re currently doing and engaging in some new and different strategies, you may find yourself getting a more responses from employers from all of those resumes you’re sending out.

The most important decisions we make often occur while we are relaxing on a beach, enjoying a calm weekend with loved ones, taking in the beauty of nature, or in the peaceful hours of our day. Living a life of balance requires determination and persistence to really make it happen. It also requires letting go and enjoying what we have already accomplished.

For more information on work-life balance, please take a look at the resources put together by my colleagues at About.com.

Combining your career with other meaningful experiences you want to accomplish in your life, is what work-life balance is all about.  To achieve work-life balance you must develop strong organizational and time management skills to keep yourself on target. Creating balance in our life will help to make our lives less stressful and more enjoyable in the long run. 

If you are in the process of leaving your job or have recently lost your job due to downsizing or company lay-offs, stress management is particularly important to maintain the vital energy and positive frame of mind that’s crucial for an effective job search.  You may want to try Herbert Benson’s ‘Relaxation Response‘ technique for some quick relief from stress.

1. Keep Motivated & Maintain a Positive Approach in Your Job Search

Being proactive in your job search requires a conscious effort in maintaining a positive attitude especially after you’ve just received several “personal” rejections.  

2. Focus on Your Goals yet Remain Flexible in Your Job Search

Establishing and developing strategies in reaching your individual career goals will help you achieve success in the job search process. 

3. Create Targeted Resume & Cover Letters

With the fierce competition in today’s job market, it is crucial to develop a resume and cover letter that stands out above the rest.

4. Increase Your Professional Network

Learning how to network early in your career can be beneficial no matter where you are in the career process.

5. Prospecting for Jobs

Checking out company websites, researching employers with potential jobs in your field, and networking are all excellent ways to uncover unadvertised jobs.

6. Become an Entrepreneur

Do you have advanced knowledge in a particular area (math, English, foreign languages) or possess a special skill (playing an instrument, art, martial arts computer programming) that you could use to tutor others? 

Best of luck in your job search!

A successful job search includes much more than browsing through the Classified Ads of your local newspaper each day and posting your resume on one or two job search sites online. Since 85% of jobs are never advertised, other strategies are required to get results. 

Networking with family, friends, previous employers, faculty and alumni from your college can often lead to amazing results.  Even if they don’t know of any open positions immediately – you can ask them to keep you in mind should they hear about something opening up.  Prospecting with employers of interest to see if they have any current job openings is another technique you might also want to try.

Today I am going to list some of my favorite job sites on the web.  Each day many people contact me saying that they’ve tried everything possible and still haven’t been able to land a new job.  In addition to networking and prospecting as we discussed above, here are some of my top resources for finding a new job.

• Indeed.com
• SimplyHired.com
• LinkUp.com
• Idealist.org
• Job-hunt.org 
• usajobs.gov