The Do’s (staffing) and Don’ts of Changing Careers
No commentsBy Tony Jacowski
Changing your career will require careful planning and determination. Before you make the leap to another job, let’s first take a look at the do’s and don’ts of a career change.
Here Are the Do’s
DO Jot down a plan for a change in your career. Be clear and honest with yourself as to what you want and where you want to be. Clearly think about what you are passionate about, where your interests lie and come up with a strategic plan. Be confident and project yourself positively.
DO Research the field you are interested in getting into. Ask yourself if you are ready to take on new duties and responsibilities. You need to put a lot of effort into executing your plan.
DO get some advice for the career change from experienced professionals. There are many books in the market that can guide you during this stage in your life. You can seek out for a mentor who can point you in the right direction.
Changing a career is a challenge and must be undertaken carefully.
DO get a part-time job in the field you wish to enter while you are still with your current employer. Doing so will help you learn and understand more about the new field and if you really have what it takes to succeed in it.
By doing this, you will get a clear and better understanding of the work and expectations of that field. You can also take a course that will give you in-depth knowledge about your new career. By taking a part-time job and an educational course, you will gather both knowledge and experience that will help you land a better job.
DO Get in touch with people in the same line of work. Increase your professional network by attending events and letting people know about your search. While doing so, let people know that you are looking for a job within that field.
Once you are sure what kind of job will suit you best, DO start looking for top employers in that industry. Gather as much information as possible. Tailor your resume towards this new industry.
When you are looking to change careers, you need to focus more on your skills as well as convince the potential employer that you will be an asset to their organization.
Here Are The Don’ts:
DON’T make a career change because your friends or colleagues have. Give careful consideration to your motivation for changing careers. Never make a change because you do not get along with your colleagues or boss.
DON’T let insecurity hold you back from exploring a new career. Do not forget to take the advantage of your previous qualifications and work experiences. Also, don’t make the change if you are not sure about it
After considering the above do’s and don’ts you will find it easy to make your decision. It will require hard work and determination - but you can be successful!
Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.
Job Seekers Go Online in Credit Crunch
By john mce
The social networking website LinkedIn, has seen a 25% increase in registering users since the credit crunch hit in September, as worried professionals hoard contacts and look for backup jobs. It is a website which many recruiters use to find specialist employees, and contacts on the site can recommend each other and spread information about each other.
The site claims that the downturn has boosted sign-ups and activity as business people hedge their bets by ensuring they stay well networked in this uncertain time.
Through spring and summer, LinkedIn held a growth rate of one million new users every 20 days. Kevin Ayres, the European managing director of LinkedIn said “Economic issues and uncertainty has highlighted the importance on networking and information exchange”.
“We have seen a significant increase in the rate of sign-ups and in the amount of activity our users have been conducting on LinkedIn over the last two months.”
Since the latest financial crisis began with the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the rate of growth has increased to one million new users every 14 days. This is attributed to massive job losses among the financial services sectors as well as some advertising-dependant media companies.
There has been a 15% increase in activity in the last two months on LinkedIn, mainly in the issuing of invitations to get users to join business networking groups. There has also been a 14% increase in the recommendations made by users endorsing other users.
LinkedIn makes its money from job listings, subscriptions for premium services, advertising and a corporate service Recruiter.
Kevin Ayres also said that the LinkedIn user group and highly targeted advertising opportunities had made the website immune to the economic downturn. Many recruiters use LinkedIn to find highly qualified or experienced individuals.
He argued the company had “very, very little wastage” for recruiters who used the site as advertising on the site could be so targeted. “As companies review their advertising spend they will look to put budget in places where there is the most impact. It is about finding the right individuals and we are highly targeted”.
He also said that despite the global economic downturn, LinkedIn was still on target to achieve its full-year revenue forecast of between 75 and 100 million dollars. It seems that in the credit crunch, the internet could be a good way for the career minded to stay ahead of the pack.
In total LinkedIn has 30 million users, with 7 million of those located in Europe.
John McE writes articles on a number of subjects including job seeking and job searching. For the best Job Search site see Check4Jobs.
Your Network For Employment Opportunities Online
Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 10:00 pm and is filed under Your network for employment opportunities online. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
