So I just posted about a newsletter I received that talked about the idea of switching jobs after being in a field for a while, and the potential financial issues that can come about with such a change. I guess the first thing that you should really do before embarking on a career change is ask yourself why you want to make that switch. This seems like such a basic question, but I wonder how many people don’t really consider why they want to switch from what they are doing to what they think that they want to do before … Continue reading →

I received a newsletter in my email inbox tonight that got me to thinking about changing careers. I’ve written about this before. I know a lot of people that are my age (ahem, heading toward that forty mark) who have burned out on their careers and are now interested in making some changes. At age twenty-five, this may not be such a big deal. If you’re a college graduate you probably just graduated, have not invested a ton of time on the job and have some flexibility when it comes to pay, benefits and the other necessities that at this … Continue reading →

The cover letter is often the first thing that a prospective employer will see when you are applying for a job. Before meeting you, and oftentimes before even looking at your resume, the employer will read your cover letter. What you say and the way that you say it can make or break your chances for landing an interview and, down the road, the job. First of all, consider the cover letter as a sales letter. This isn’t the time to be egotistical by any means, but you do need to know your strengths and match those with the requirements … Continue reading →

You may think that only the young have difficulty deciding what it is that they want to do with their lives. Truth is, I’ve met so many people my age and older who, after spending a lot of money and time on a college education and many years working in the field that they had studied, realize that they are unhappy with their career choice. Many of these people question returning to school or changing careers completely because, of course, they’ve invested so much into the career that they now have. I’ve known teachers who have gone on to law … Continue reading →

So you decided to take a year-or six-off to take care of your children, and now you are returning to the workforce and are trying to figure out a way to explain-and possibly defend-your leave of absence. This seems to be a regular issue now in the workforce. Mothers, some of them who held high paying business positions and climbed to the top of the corporate ladder, are deciding to take a break when the little ones come along. Studies show that once a woman leaves the workforce she may have a difficult time getting back into the swing of … Continue reading →

I recently read an article about networking, and while the article itself focused on one particular form of networking, speed networking, the author of the article made an important point. When networking with others, it doesn’t matter what you do so much while you are there networking, but it is what you do once you leave. How many times have you left an event with a pocketful of business cards, taken those cards home and placed them in your file and then never looked at them again. Networking doesn’t end with the event. Several ways to maximize the possibility that … Continue reading →

I recently read some posts regarding freelance designers who were bidding on certain jobs. During the bidding stage, several of the freelancers wrote in that they had underbid on the job in hopes of getting it to add to their portfolio. The problem? Oftentimes when we lowball bid on a job, the job itself ends up being something less than what we would want to use on our resume. Perhaps you are a writer and you see a content writing position open for a website. The website is going to pay you a whopping $3 a post. The post takes … Continue reading →

Are you a woman considering getting back out there in the career world? Have you just graduated, or taken a break from work, only to find yourself ready to start over again in a new job? If so, check out Women for Hire. This site, which was created in 1999, focuses on career fairs, networking, and seminars-including an online job board-to connect those looking for employers and professional women working in all fields. This fall, Women for Hire will be hosting career expos in numerous cities, including LA, New York, Atlanta, and Chicago. The site writes that since its inception, … Continue reading →

Looking for a job is probably one of the most frustrating things we do. In part, it’s because obtaining a job is crucial to the individual and family survival. Modern corporate America can take as long as two months to call you back after receiving your resume and while their human resource departments may have plenty of time to find an applicant, you don’t always have plenty of time to wait to be found. So let’s talk about some myths associated with job hunting and resume submission in order to help speed your personal process along: Blanketing Every Available Job … Continue reading →