CVBUD PRESS RELEASE
CvBud, the brainchild of one of the UKs number one Recruitment Consultants, Sean Smith has been launched. Developed by BamsBoard (UK) Ltd and operating throughout the UK with over 30 job search tool local & regional websites, further expansion plans to follow into Europe later this year.
CvBud is an innovative recruitment tool that allows job seekers to submit their curriculum vitae in a matter of minutes and have it automatically sent out to relevant recruitment agencies and potential employers in a matter of minutes. Once a CV is matched the details of the position, agency and their details are sent to the candidate. This simple yet effective tool saves hours of filling out forms as well as the costs of seeking out recruitment agencies, postage, stationary and travelling. Using an extensive database of bona-fide recruitment agencies and employers that have been verified and vetted CvBud is breaking new ground in the employment sector and looks to be a bigger success than BamsBoard JobBud that became the largest Job Board in Wales in a matter of only six months.
Other products and recruitment tools include a free Video CV service, CV writing services and Interview4; another ground breaking development enabling interviews to be conducted via live video feed with record functionality thus eliminating costly overheads; travel and time consumed using conventional face to face meetings. Furthermore CvBud will be a lifesaver for recruitment agencies who in an aggressive market are struggling to meet quotas due to competition, locale and inability to compete with the larger recruitment agencies.
The major selling point of CvBud is that it is completely free to use for both job seekers and recruiters. Further recruitment and job search tools are under research and development and the future is looking bright for BamsBoard (UK) Ltd as well as the progression of the recruitment sector as we move forward in the digital age of social media recruitment technology. SMRT
Free Cv Distribution & Job Search Tool.
Showing posts with label Job search. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Job search. Show all posts
Thursday, 19 July 2012
Wednesday, 13 June 2012
A Career in Webinar Hosting
If you're still marinating the thought of a second income generating project, how about a job in webinar hosting? Your ebullience and charisma will carry the whole thing, even if you failed a screen test at Fox Pictures. How about trying it?
What is Webinar Hosting?
If you're beginning to be confused about all that jargon calling a webinar by many names then stick to this definition - a webinar is just like your face-to-face seminar but it's on the web. A palette of software tools make it possible to use webinar hosting features like sharing files and exchanging ideas on real time.
What actually goes on during a webinar? During the web based activity, participants or presenters can use audio conferencing just using their computer speakers, show off their computer screen for product live demos and use the recording mode for playback.
Webinar hosting becomes easier when the tools allow for registration and presentation of survey polls and animation. In the workplace, knowledge about the variegated features of web hosting can earn you the admiration and envy of techno-phobics. You can shop around for small and medium businesses needing techies to manage their webinars. See the potential?
For starters, you can tell your potential customers that they need to have a computer, Internet access, and a phone line just for the webinars. Suggest headphones so they can free their hands during the live discussions. At this point, you can also encourage them to avail of promotional discounts on gadgets to save them money - if there are offers flooding the market.
Starting Your Career
Don't be intimidated by the big companies providing hosting services for webinars. Not that you are going to invent a software, you'll just provide technical service for those starting out or testing the viability of web conferencing.
You can smuggle a slice of the pie into your own plate. But how? Enterprising people have great ideas. First, you'll market yourself after you've mastered the software, then sell your ability to small and medium businesses struggling in the technical fog.
You can serve as the webinar facilitator to relieve workers from having add-ons to their already long list of to-dos. Talk to the company head about the advantages of having you around. You can help them reach a larger audience, help them reduce travel cost, and spruce up their PowerPoint presentations.
You can also walk them through the maze to show how they can efficiently streaming files on their desktops and much more. By just showing them around, you'll gain their approval to handle their webinar hosting. By adjusting your schedule you can have that extra income by just staying at home too.
Sometimes business ideas are hard to come by and if you've hit on something it should be new and relevant to the times. Being your own business is appealing but opportunities are far and in-between. Why not strike when the iron is hot?
If the idea of a career in web hosting on the side is appealing, start brushing up on the etiquettes of web conferencing. Go web hopping and look for more great ideas and tips to develop your expertise. You're selling yourself as a consultant and an expert; you can't afford to slip on your first outing.
A Career in Culinary Arts
Many people who choose to explore the culinary arts sometimes have a pre-disposition for Culinary Arts Training, and some do not discover their interest and talents for this field until later in life. It is necessary to have creativity if you want to be a chef. You will need to be creative with the recipes and ingredients as well as plate presentation. One thing a chef is responsible for is coming up with new and exciting dishes. A great sense of creativity can help accomplish this and help you find new ways to prepare old standards. You will also need creativity when dealing with your staff. It is often the responsibility of the chef to manage not only his kitchen staff, but front of the house staff as well.
The only real way that you can become a good chef is to put a great deal of effort into honing your culinary skills. To do this, you must obtain professional Culinary Arts training from an accredited school. You will need to study the art of cooking, preparation, and presentation. In Chef School you will learn from books and practical Culinary Training.
No chef even became "great" without spending a lot of time mastering his craft. Chefs are always mastering new skills with constant practice. As a budding chef yourself, you need to be prepared to put effort into learning the craft, as well as spending a great deal of time doing so. If you want to make the kind of money that goes with any successful profession, you will need to spend long hours to get the experience you need to become a great chef.
Melissa Steele, EducationGuys.com Senior Writer <br>
Find <a href="http://www.educationguys.com/Culinary-Schools.php" target="_new">Culinary Degrees</a> Near You!
A Career in Medical Transcription: Is it for You?
You’ve very likely heard of someone who is making a good living as a medical transcriptionist. He or she might even be working from the comfort of their home. And you’ve probably asked yourself if this might be a career option for you.
It may well be. Let’s take a look at the facts.
What exactly is medical transcription? In the course of their work, doctors and other healthcare professionals make dictated recordings of various things including physical examination observations, patient history, operative reports, referral letters, discharge summaries, observations regarding imaging data and so on.
A medical transcriptionist listens to these recordings and transcribes them into medical reports, correspondence, etc. She listens to a segment of recording, pauses the playback and keys in what is said before moving on to the next segment. She may do some editing for better grammar and clarity.
The transcribed document is sent back to the health care provider who then reviews it for accuracy and gets it signed. These documents become part of the patient’s medical history records and perhaps insurance records.
To be effective at this job, you should understand medical terminology well. That includes anatomy, pharmacology, diagnostic procedures, treatment assessments and more.
Many distance education programs, colleges and vocational schools offer post-secondary training in medical transcription. Having a degree is not essential. With a home-study course, you can usually pick up the necessary knowledge within a year, often in less than nine months.
You can find work in hospitals, laboratories, physician’s offices, firms offering transcription services, government medical facilities and so on. Working from home is also a possibility and many employers offer work-at-home options for transcriptionists. Apart from that, many individuals work as independent contractors.
With experience, it is possible to move into supervisory positions, which include editing work, teaching, consulting, etc.
What equipment would you need, if you wanted to do medical transcription at home? Not very much -- a computer with a medical spellchecker, printer, a transcriber and reference books are about all you need. To help you save on the actual typing, a word expander utility might help. If you are on a tight budget, buy second hand equipment will do just as well.
Medical transcription work does call for certain skills and mindset. Apart from basic computer skills, you must be detail oriented. If detail work bores you to tears, this might not be the career for you.
You must know typing, although speed will come with practice. You should also have excellent listening skills and grammar skills.
If you’re planning to work from home, it is essential to be comfortable with working alone and meeting deadlines. You must be a self-starter who can work consistently without being driven by a boss.
Given the growth in health practices and hospitals and the need for standardization of records, the demand for medical transcription services is likely to keep growing. You should carefully analyze the pros and cons of this field before venturing into it. Medical transcription provides a rewarding and fulfilling career for many people and it can do the same for you too.
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
A new Life A new Career
For many the idea of retirement comes with the automatic translation that it means that you will stop working is just not acceptable. For many, retirement from work is equivalent with no longer living. If you have been a productive worker all of your life and someone asked you what your dream retirement might look like, you might respond “to work” because you may be one of those people for whom work is what gives meaning and purpose to life.
It isn’t fair for us to impose the same standards of retirement on everyone. To say that to enjoy your golden years, you must take up fishing, start sleeping until noon, sit in a rocker and watch the day go by and gradually turn into a senior citizen would to many be the same as sentencing them to life in prison without parole. So for many it’s very possible that working would be the thing that would make your retirement meaningful.
Still others must continue to work into their retirement years because they did not or could not prepare for retirement. Whatever the situation, there are some adjustments that should be made to shift to a retirement career that you can continue to do well into your senior years.
You can get a running start on your retirement planning if you find that a career change is appropriate later in life. Many times we do find that the career we are in may either be changing so fast that it’s hard to keep up, it’s too physically demanding when you are older or in some other way that job has become a “young man’s game”. If that has happened to you, you can get a jump start on finding a career that you can stick with well into your retirement years, that career can be an income generator that might never go away.
It is not at all uncommon for men in their later years to start a new career. Perhaps you just want a career where you can use the creative side of you and one that can be a natural transition into retirement. Perhaps you reached the maximum vesting of your retirement account with a job you held for decades so you can “retire” from that job with full benefits and funding and still start another career that you can take on into retirement and keep doing as you enjoy the fruits of retirement as well.
Many times the skills and knowledge you learned in the business world during your first career can transition you into a lucrative consulting career late in life. One way to explore this option is to think of the venders who sold goods and services to you when you were in your previous career and contact them to see if you might now represent their services as a former satisfied customer. If you had specialized knowledge and training in how to use their software or a technical product, that training which your former employer paid for can now transition into an exciting career as a sales representative or sale support for the very companies who once had you as a customer.
The internet can also open up worlds of money making opportunities that you can use to land work or sell something you may have made by setting up your own web site and learning how to promote yourself online. Many cottage industries have taken off and been hugely successful just getting what you do out into cyberspace. For example, if you are talented at making beautiful artistic pottery, you can create a line of pots that is perfect for sale over the internet. You can work with a skilled internet web developer and marketer to get your product out on the internet and before long, you might have more orders than you know what to do with all flying out through your web site which is collecting the money and filling your back account up with all the profits.
The ways you can create a new business in your retirement years are only limited by your imagination. And once you have a good new career going that you can continue well into your retirement years, you won’t have many of the worries other retired people have. You can enjoy the freedoms of a retirement lifestyle and made plenty of money at the same time. And that’s a great combination.
It isn’t fair for us to impose the same standards of retirement on everyone. To say that to enjoy your golden years, you must take up fishing, start sleeping until noon, sit in a rocker and watch the day go by and gradually turn into a senior citizen would to many be the same as sentencing them to life in prison without parole. So for many it’s very possible that working would be the thing that would make your retirement meaningful.
Still others must continue to work into their retirement years because they did not or could not prepare for retirement. Whatever the situation, there are some adjustments that should be made to shift to a retirement career that you can continue to do well into your senior years.
You can get a running start on your retirement planning if you find that a career change is appropriate later in life. Many times we do find that the career we are in may either be changing so fast that it’s hard to keep up, it’s too physically demanding when you are older or in some other way that job has become a “young man’s game”. If that has happened to you, you can get a jump start on finding a career that you can stick with well into your retirement years, that career can be an income generator that might never go away.
It is not at all uncommon for men in their later years to start a new career. Perhaps you just want a career where you can use the creative side of you and one that can be a natural transition into retirement. Perhaps you reached the maximum vesting of your retirement account with a job you held for decades so you can “retire” from that job with full benefits and funding and still start another career that you can take on into retirement and keep doing as you enjoy the fruits of retirement as well.
Many times the skills and knowledge you learned in the business world during your first career can transition you into a lucrative consulting career late in life. One way to explore this option is to think of the venders who sold goods and services to you when you were in your previous career and contact them to see if you might now represent their services as a former satisfied customer. If you had specialized knowledge and training in how to use their software or a technical product, that training which your former employer paid for can now transition into an exciting career as a sales representative or sale support for the very companies who once had you as a customer.
The internet can also open up worlds of money making opportunities that you can use to land work or sell something you may have made by setting up your own web site and learning how to promote yourself online. Many cottage industries have taken off and been hugely successful just getting what you do out into cyberspace. For example, if you are talented at making beautiful artistic pottery, you can create a line of pots that is perfect for sale over the internet. You can work with a skilled internet web developer and marketer to get your product out on the internet and before long, you might have more orders than you know what to do with all flying out through your web site which is collecting the money and filling your back account up with all the profits.
The ways you can create a new business in your retirement years are only limited by your imagination. And once you have a good new career going that you can continue well into your retirement years, you won’t have many of the worries other retired people have. You can enjoy the freedoms of a retirement lifestyle and made plenty of money at the same time. And that’s a great combination.
A Career in Fashion Photography
We see them everywhere, in Magazines, on the Run Way, in advertisements on TV. They are the slender women strutting their stuff or extra ordinary Beauties with their sultry looks flashing their pearly whites while wearing the newest Styles from the hottest Designers. We are talking about the fashion models of today, yesterday and tomorrow. They are everywhere we look, but who brings them to us? Their images are captures with care and precision, patience and that special look for style, color and lighting composition. I am talking about the fashion photographers.
In the fashion circles famous names like Mario Testino (easily one of the hottest names out there) and Eva Mueller (photographer for Fashion Magazine Allure) are just as sought out if not more then those men and women sauntering their way into our conscious.
High Paychecks and glamour’s Lifestyle of hob nobbing it with the rich and famous might be the dream of many young shutterbug, however it is not easy to reach the golden Staircases of the well-known fashion houses and magazines. For every one talented photographer, hundreds are left panting at the sidewalk, only dreaming about the moment that their photo will be chosen.
Here are a few tips for the novice and dreamer of dreams in getting started in fashion photography. Study your subject. You can never learn enough. Read and look at any fashion Magazine you can get your hand on. There are fantastic books on Fashion and fashion photography available. Amazon.com has a true treasure trove available.
You need one or two good cameras, tripod and a lighting system. Always make sure that you have plenty of film and batteries available. SLR and digital cameras take different photos, so make sure you find the best for your field.
When submitting your work, hopefully to give a chance you have to have a portfolio on hand, just in case the editor of the fashion magazine wants to see samples of your work. I assure you if they consider working with you that is going to be a fact.
The sharp, bright images of a 4X5” transparency show of your work to its best effort. If you have already had a publication, no matter if, it was a small neighborhood magazine/paper or a contest a tear sheet (literally a sheet you tore out of the magazine) works well. If neither is at hand a good high quality 8 X 10 “is acceptable as well. You want to make sure that you have a minimum of 20 photos in your portfolio and preferably different styles. You want to show your expertise in full figure or just partial body parts.
Remember, fashion includes jewelry and accessories. Sometimes a watch from a famous maker on the slender wrist of a beautiful woman is a good fashion shoot. If you are applying for the job, be prepared to leave your Portfolio behind for an extended period of time, sometimes as much as a couple of weeks. I would advice you to make copies and have several on hand. This comes in handy when showing your work to many different people for consideration for fashion work
.
In the time of modern technology, it is good to display your talent as a fashion photographer online as well. Set up a website; submit your photos to contests. Submit them to an online fashion gallery. This helps with getting your work seen and people can see what type of work you actually do and can do for them.
Most editors are looking for your personality in the photos you take. Each fashion photographer captures the soul of the fashion and its model differently. There are a couple of very good “how to get started” websites on the net. Most importantly, if this is your dream, don’t give up. Keep trying and I hope to see your images on the cover of my next hot fashion magazine.
In the fashion circles famous names like Mario Testino (easily one of the hottest names out there) and Eva Mueller (photographer for Fashion Magazine Allure) are just as sought out if not more then those men and women sauntering their way into our conscious.
High Paychecks and glamour’s Lifestyle of hob nobbing it with the rich and famous might be the dream of many young shutterbug, however it is not easy to reach the golden Staircases of the well-known fashion houses and magazines. For every one talented photographer, hundreds are left panting at the sidewalk, only dreaming about the moment that their photo will be chosen.
Here are a few tips for the novice and dreamer of dreams in getting started in fashion photography. Study your subject. You can never learn enough. Read and look at any fashion Magazine you can get your hand on. There are fantastic books on Fashion and fashion photography available. Amazon.com has a true treasure trove available.
You need one or two good cameras, tripod and a lighting system. Always make sure that you have plenty of film and batteries available. SLR and digital cameras take different photos, so make sure you find the best for your field.
When submitting your work, hopefully to give a chance you have to have a portfolio on hand, just in case the editor of the fashion magazine wants to see samples of your work. I assure you if they consider working with you that is going to be a fact.
The sharp, bright images of a 4X5” transparency show of your work to its best effort. If you have already had a publication, no matter if, it was a small neighborhood magazine/paper or a contest a tear sheet (literally a sheet you tore out of the magazine) works well. If neither is at hand a good high quality 8 X 10 “is acceptable as well. You want to make sure that you have a minimum of 20 photos in your portfolio and preferably different styles. You want to show your expertise in full figure or just partial body parts.
Remember, fashion includes jewelry and accessories. Sometimes a watch from a famous maker on the slender wrist of a beautiful woman is a good fashion shoot. If you are applying for the job, be prepared to leave your Portfolio behind for an extended period of time, sometimes as much as a couple of weeks. I would advice you to make copies and have several on hand. This comes in handy when showing your work to many different people for consideration for fashion work
.
In the time of modern technology, it is good to display your talent as a fashion photographer online as well. Set up a website; submit your photos to contests. Submit them to an online fashion gallery. This helps with getting your work seen and people can see what type of work you actually do and can do for them.
Most editors are looking for your personality in the photos you take. Each fashion photographer captures the soul of the fashion and its model differently. There are a couple of very good “how to get started” websites on the net. Most importantly, if this is your dream, don’t give up. Keep trying and I hope to see your images on the cover of my next hot fashion magazine.
8 Types of Golf Course Jobs for Career bound individuals
Many golf enthusiasts decide not to pursue a career in the field because they are afraid there are not enough jobs available. However, the golf industry is quite large, and with such a variety of possible positions that no one who has chosen golf as a career need fear unemployment or underemployment.
The possible positions listed below represent golf course jobs, only a small slice of what is available in the golf industry.
Many golf enthusiasts decide not to pursue a career in the field because they are afraid there are not enough jobs available. However, the golf industry is quite large, and with such a variety of possible positions that no one who has chosen golf as a career need fear unemployment or underemployment. The possible positions listed below represent golf course jobs, only a small slice of what is available in the golf industry.
Golf course training and instruction: Golf is an incredibly popular sport, which means that there is always a wealth of aspiring golfers seeking instruction. Many golf courses keep several instructors on staff. Providing training right there on the golf course means convenience for customers, more money for the golf course, and, of course, more jobs for professional golf experts.
Clubhouse food service crew and management: One of the types of golf course jobs that no one ever thinks of is food service. However, restaurant-quality food and drink is often the cornerstone of a golf course clubhouse, as it offers refreshment and creates a comfortable atmosphere. Golf course jobs focused around clubhouse food service include the kitchen's crew, chefs, wait staff, and management.
Grounds care: The entire existence of a golf course is dependent on the condition of the grounds. Therefore, some of the most important golf course jobs are related to grounds care. Chemical technicians handle the fertilization and other chemical care of the grass, while irrigation specialists ensure that the grass is well watered. A turf manager or groundskeeper oversees all of the grounds care personnel.
Equipment operation and maintenance: The daily business of running a golf course requires the use and maintenance of many pieces of equipment. Golf course jobs usually include equipment operators, who are overseen by an equipment manager. A maintenance team, including crewman and a maintenance manager, keep the equipment in good working order and handle maintenance scheduling.
Golf merchandise sales and store management: A merchandise store is another important facet of any thriving golf course and clubhouse. An on-site store provides a convenient place for members to purchase equipment and clothing. Personnel needed to run the store usually includes sales associates and at least one manager.
Human Resources personnel: As you are no doubt beginning to see, a successful golf course represents a coming together of many different employees. As with any such workplace, a successful golf course usually includes a team of Human Resources personnel. These professionals handle tasks such as the hiring of new employees for available golf course jobs.
Public Relations or advertising personnel: As a thriving business, many golf courses must also manage a great deal of public relations interactions, such as advertising. Golf course jobs therefore include positions to handle the writing of advertisements and video scripts, the photographing of the grounds for colorful ads, and a spokesperson to handle all communications with the press.
Golf course management and ownership: A golf course is a well-oiled machine, but in order for all the moving parts to remain in good working order, there needs to be a manager to oversee it all. The manager may also be the golf course owner in some cases.
As you can see, there are many golf course jobs available. The careers described here are only the tip of the iceberg. The golf industry also includes areas such as pro golfing, tour planning and management, and luxury golf resorts. With the range of positions available throughout the industry, no one trained for a golf career need ever worry about not being able to find a job.
The possible positions listed below represent golf course jobs, only a small slice of what is available in the golf industry.
Many golf enthusiasts decide not to pursue a career in the field because they are afraid there are not enough jobs available. However, the golf industry is quite large, and with such a variety of possible positions that no one who has chosen golf as a career need fear unemployment or underemployment. The possible positions listed below represent golf course jobs, only a small slice of what is available in the golf industry.
Golf course training and instruction: Golf is an incredibly popular sport, which means that there is always a wealth of aspiring golfers seeking instruction. Many golf courses keep several instructors on staff. Providing training right there on the golf course means convenience for customers, more money for the golf course, and, of course, more jobs for professional golf experts.
Clubhouse food service crew and management: One of the types of golf course jobs that no one ever thinks of is food service. However, restaurant-quality food and drink is often the cornerstone of a golf course clubhouse, as it offers refreshment and creates a comfortable atmosphere. Golf course jobs focused around clubhouse food service include the kitchen's crew, chefs, wait staff, and management.
Grounds care: The entire existence of a golf course is dependent on the condition of the grounds. Therefore, some of the most important golf course jobs are related to grounds care. Chemical technicians handle the fertilization and other chemical care of the grass, while irrigation specialists ensure that the grass is well watered. A turf manager or groundskeeper oversees all of the grounds care personnel.
Equipment operation and maintenance: The daily business of running a golf course requires the use and maintenance of many pieces of equipment. Golf course jobs usually include equipment operators, who are overseen by an equipment manager. A maintenance team, including crewman and a maintenance manager, keep the equipment in good working order and handle maintenance scheduling.
Golf merchandise sales and store management: A merchandise store is another important facet of any thriving golf course and clubhouse. An on-site store provides a convenient place for members to purchase equipment and clothing. Personnel needed to run the store usually includes sales associates and at least one manager.
Human Resources personnel: As you are no doubt beginning to see, a successful golf course represents a coming together of many different employees. As with any such workplace, a successful golf course usually includes a team of Human Resources personnel. These professionals handle tasks such as the hiring of new employees for available golf course jobs.
Public Relations or advertising personnel: As a thriving business, many golf courses must also manage a great deal of public relations interactions, such as advertising. Golf course jobs therefore include positions to handle the writing of advertisements and video scripts, the photographing of the grounds for colorful ads, and a spokesperson to handle all communications with the press.
Golf course management and ownership: A golf course is a well-oiled machine, but in order for all the moving parts to remain in good working order, there needs to be a manager to oversee it all. The manager may also be the golf course owner in some cases.
As you can see, there are many golf course jobs available. The careers described here are only the tip of the iceberg. The golf industry also includes areas such as pro golfing, tour planning and management, and luxury golf resorts. With the range of positions available throughout the industry, no one trained for a golf career need ever worry about not being able to find a job.
Criteria for deciding which career test is for you
One of the best ways to determine your career direction is to complete a career assessment. Yet there are literally hundreds of career tests out there. Is a career test the same as an aptitude test? What about a career personality test? This article clarifies the differences and presents 7 criteria for deciding which career test is best for you.
“I used to feel depressed at work, hate my boss, and was sometimes so bored that I actually fell asleep at my desk!” --- career test taker
If this sounds like you, then it’s probably time to consider changing jobs or careers. But before you can make your career change, you need to figure out what you want to do.
One of the best ways to get clear is to complete a career assessment. Yet there are literally hundreds of career tests out there. Is a career test the same as an aptitude test? What about a career personality test? This article clarifies the differences and presents 7 criteria for deciding which career test is best for you.
#1 Career test vs. personality test
Is the assessment specifically designed to provide career guidance?
Personality tests only tell you about your character traits whereas a career assessment gives specific career advice. Of course, it helps to know whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert and perceive by sensing or intuition. Personality tests such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Enneagram are quite useful as background information. Making the leap from simple awareness of your personality type to specific career strategies is very difficult, however. If you want a new job or career, it’s better to take an assessment that is specifically geared to providing career guidance.
#2 Specific vs. general
Does the career assessment give concrete recommendations that you can use immediately rather than vague observations that are open to interpretation and not actionable? Aside from the change itself, the hardest part of changing careers is narrowing down your choices. But if you don’t get specific, you won’t be able to take action. A good assessment should not be general like the astrological horoscopes in the newspaper.
#3 Motivation rules: why motivation is a better indicator than aptitude or personality
Does the career assessment measure motivation?
Motivation is a far better career indicator than skill or personality because what you like to do is what you WILL do and what you will get very good at (if you aren't already). Why force a square peg into a round hole?
When you base your decisions on what motivates you, you'll probably feel much more fulfilled, and be much more successful, too.
#4 Where’s the beef?
Even if you’re a vegetarian, you’ll want “meaty” results! A good career assessment should include hard data, as well as sufficient detail and explanation to help you interpret the results.
#5 Do you believe it?
Is the career assessment scientifically valid? An effective career assessment should have a high predictive reliability. Such things can be measured statistically. Anything over 95% is quite good.
Statistical validity is important for a number of reasons. Obviously, you want to feel that the assessment provides an accurate picture of what motivates you and you don’t want to be misled by grossly inaccurate results. But another point is that when the results are believable this provides a boost to your self-confidence. In my case, I was relieved and encouraged to see from my results that I had chosen the correct career path. It was a kind of confirmation or validation: “Whew! What a relief!”
Remember that ultimately it’s up to you to decide whether a set of results makes sense or not. However, it helps to use a highly reliable assessment.
#6 Can you get from A to Z?
Are additional tools available to help you take your results and develop a clear career roadmap for yourself?
Honestly, a lot of people take career tests and get brilliant insights. Unfortunately, many of these same people are never able to turn their insights into results. What’s needed is a support infrastructure of materials and people to help you apply your results over time.
#7 Is it fast?
Even in the internet age, there still are a lot of tests that you can only take on paper. It takes 30 minutes or even over an hour to take the test. Then you have to wait while the test is scored and processed. You may only get your results after several days or weeks.
Personally I prefer career tests that I can take online and that give me my results immediately.
Conclusion
A career test is just a tool and just one step on your career change journey. Nonetheless, it’s worth spending some time to understand what types of tests are available and which is best for you. Just remember that even the best career test is only a tool. It’s up to you to take charge of your own career.
“I used to feel depressed at work, hate my boss, and was sometimes so bored that I actually fell asleep at my desk!” --- career test taker
If this sounds like you, then it’s probably time to consider changing jobs or careers. But before you can make your career change, you need to figure out what you want to do.
One of the best ways to get clear is to complete a career assessment. Yet there are literally hundreds of career tests out there. Is a career test the same as an aptitude test? What about a career personality test? This article clarifies the differences and presents 7 criteria for deciding which career test is best for you.
#1 Career test vs. personality test
Is the assessment specifically designed to provide career guidance?
Personality tests only tell you about your character traits whereas a career assessment gives specific career advice. Of course, it helps to know whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert and perceive by sensing or intuition. Personality tests such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Enneagram are quite useful as background information. Making the leap from simple awareness of your personality type to specific career strategies is very difficult, however. If you want a new job or career, it’s better to take an assessment that is specifically geared to providing career guidance.
#2 Specific vs. general
Does the career assessment give concrete recommendations that you can use immediately rather than vague observations that are open to interpretation and not actionable? Aside from the change itself, the hardest part of changing careers is narrowing down your choices. But if you don’t get specific, you won’t be able to take action. A good assessment should not be general like the astrological horoscopes in the newspaper.
#3 Motivation rules: why motivation is a better indicator than aptitude or personality
Does the career assessment measure motivation?
Motivation is a far better career indicator than skill or personality because what you like to do is what you WILL do and what you will get very good at (if you aren't already). Why force a square peg into a round hole?
When you base your decisions on what motivates you, you'll probably feel much more fulfilled, and be much more successful, too.
#4 Where’s the beef?
Even if you’re a vegetarian, you’ll want “meaty” results! A good career assessment should include hard data, as well as sufficient detail and explanation to help you interpret the results.
#5 Do you believe it?
Is the career assessment scientifically valid? An effective career assessment should have a high predictive reliability. Such things can be measured statistically. Anything over 95% is quite good.
Statistical validity is important for a number of reasons. Obviously, you want to feel that the assessment provides an accurate picture of what motivates you and you don’t want to be misled by grossly inaccurate results. But another point is that when the results are believable this provides a boost to your self-confidence. In my case, I was relieved and encouraged to see from my results that I had chosen the correct career path. It was a kind of confirmation or validation: “Whew! What a relief!”
Remember that ultimately it’s up to you to decide whether a set of results makes sense or not. However, it helps to use a highly reliable assessment.
#6 Can you get from A to Z?
Are additional tools available to help you take your results and develop a clear career roadmap for yourself?
Honestly, a lot of people take career tests and get brilliant insights. Unfortunately, many of these same people are never able to turn their insights into results. What’s needed is a support infrastructure of materials and people to help you apply your results over time.
#7 Is it fast?
Even in the internet age, there still are a lot of tests that you can only take on paper. It takes 30 minutes or even over an hour to take the test. Then you have to wait while the test is scored and processed. You may only get your results after several days or weeks.
Personally I prefer career tests that I can take online and that give me my results immediately.
Conclusion
A career test is just a tool and just one step on your career change journey. Nonetheless, it’s worth spending some time to understand what types of tests are available and which is best for you. Just remember that even the best career test is only a tool. It’s up to you to take charge of your own career.
6 ways to pinpoint your perfect career
Have you ever felt stuck in your career? Employee stress and burn out can account for a lot of dissatisfaction in your life. After all, you are at work some 8 hours a day or more. That’s 1/3 of your day if you don’t count sleep. That’s a long time to be dissatisfied.
If you feel stuck, here are 6 great ways to find your ideal career:
1. Brainstorm on a sheet of paper - I’ve talked about this before and it’s a strategy I use all the time. Take a pad of paper and write down at the top your objective in question form. Then, simply list out 20 answers to your question. For example, you could write “What should I be doing with my time and life?” Then stay seated for a half hour to an hour coming up with answers to that question. The key to this exercise is coming up with 20 answers - don’t quit until you have 20 answers. You can repeat every day until you get the answer you seek.
2. Ask 3 close friends - Sometimes our friends know us better than ourselves. While meeting with one of your friends, mention you are at a crossroads in your life and career. Ask what they think you’d enjoy doing. You might be surprised at how easily they can zero in to your strengths and abilities and report a perfect job area.
3. Ask your boss and coworkers - much like your friends in the example above, your boss and coworkers most likely see you in a way you do not see yourself. In fact, they are likely most familiar with your strengths and weaknesses in the work environment. Compile all the answers you get from them and see if there are any common threads you can explore.
4. Call a headhunter - If you are searching in your career, it’s likely you have a Cv. Sometimes you can catch a headhunter or recruiter during their slow times and meet with them to pick through what you might be good at. I’ve done this at different times in my life and the people seem open to talking with people. After all, if you don’t get paid, they don’t either. The ideas I get are usually good.
5. Take a career assessment test - There are several sites on the Internet you might be able to take one of these tests for a fee. But using my ‘headhunter’ tip above, many headhunters have this software and don’t mind you taking the test in their office. I’ve taken these tests two times in my life and they usually take an hour or two, but they are thorough. They ask you to answer a series of questions about what you are good at, what you like to do, what you prefer doing over what you don’t. If you take one, you will likely see some new exciting areas to explore in your life.
6. Keep a journal - Do you keep a journal? If so, read through, looking for common threads in your writing. Keep your eyes peeled for trends and activities you like as well as don’t like. In fact, finding examples of what you don’t like and what frustrates you is almost as important as finding what you do like. For example, if you hate an overwhelming boss, you’d probably like a self-directed position. If you hate nosy coworkers you’d probably prefer your own office.
Discovering what you really want to do with your life is the most important decision you can make. We spend 1/3 or more of our lives at work. So figuring out the right career is important to keeping that 1/3 of our lives happy and productive.
If you feel stuck, here are 6 great ways to find your ideal career:
1. Brainstorm on a sheet of paper - I’ve talked about this before and it’s a strategy I use all the time. Take a pad of paper and write down at the top your objective in question form. Then, simply list out 20 answers to your question. For example, you could write “What should I be doing with my time and life?” Then stay seated for a half hour to an hour coming up with answers to that question. The key to this exercise is coming up with 20 answers - don’t quit until you have 20 answers. You can repeat every day until you get the answer you seek.
2. Ask 3 close friends - Sometimes our friends know us better than ourselves. While meeting with one of your friends, mention you are at a crossroads in your life and career. Ask what they think you’d enjoy doing. You might be surprised at how easily they can zero in to your strengths and abilities and report a perfect job area.
3. Ask your boss and coworkers - much like your friends in the example above, your boss and coworkers most likely see you in a way you do not see yourself. In fact, they are likely most familiar with your strengths and weaknesses in the work environment. Compile all the answers you get from them and see if there are any common threads you can explore.
4. Call a headhunter - If you are searching in your career, it’s likely you have a Cv. Sometimes you can catch a headhunter or recruiter during their slow times and meet with them to pick through what you might be good at. I’ve done this at different times in my life and the people seem open to talking with people. After all, if you don’t get paid, they don’t either. The ideas I get are usually good.
5. Take a career assessment test - There are several sites on the Internet you might be able to take one of these tests for a fee. But using my ‘headhunter’ tip above, many headhunters have this software and don’t mind you taking the test in their office. I’ve taken these tests two times in my life and they usually take an hour or two, but they are thorough. They ask you to answer a series of questions about what you are good at, what you like to do, what you prefer doing over what you don’t. If you take one, you will likely see some new exciting areas to explore in your life.
6. Keep a journal - Do you keep a journal? If so, read through, looking for common threads in your writing. Keep your eyes peeled for trends and activities you like as well as don’t like. In fact, finding examples of what you don’t like and what frustrates you is almost as important as finding what you do like. For example, if you hate an overwhelming boss, you’d probably like a self-directed position. If you hate nosy coworkers you’d probably prefer your own office.
Discovering what you really want to do with your life is the most important decision you can make. We spend 1/3 or more of our lives at work. So figuring out the right career is important to keeping that 1/3 of our lives happy and productive.
Friday, 25 May 2012
How to Create the Perfect CV
A strong profile or career objective is the first piece of information that a recruiter will look at. Writing a concise profile is essential as it gets the reader to read on further into your CV. The American’s have an expression that encapsulates this quite well. They call this an elevator speech. Simply, tell someone concisely and accurately what you do, what you can offer them and what sort of job role you are looking for and you will have a good profile to start off prior to sending your CV.
Achievements are probably the most under-utilised element in a CV. If you brainstorm your career achievements, the CV that you end up writing will be more interesting and relevant to potential employers. When you think about achievements, focus specifically on those areas where you have delivered tangible benefits for your previous employers. If you can find benefits that are financial, these are among the strongest ones as employers are definitely interested in what you have delivered in financial terms for previous employers and therefore what you may be able to deliver for them.
A section in the CV for key achievements (five to seven bullet points), followed by the same number of bullet points in your most recent job role is a formula that we have found to be successful over some years of writing CVs for a living. Previous job roles warrant between two and five bullet points highlighting what you achieved and delivered in that job role. Other work that you completed some time ago can be summarised in an “Other Work” section. You can use this for job roles in the past that are no longer relevant or that you did for a short amount of time (for example, part time roles to supplement income during study).
Educational and professional qualifications should be separated out into two distinct sections within the CV. Educational qualifications should include the title of the qualification, the accrediting Educational Institute, the dates of study and any pertinent information that may be of additional interest. Examples include: Thesis or dissertations along with relevant course work. Professional qualifications as well as membership of professional bodies should be also included. Professional qualifications must show the name of the accrediting body, the exact name of the qualification and any dates for which the qualification is valid. For example, a first aid certificate has an expiry date and this needs to be shown or omitted of it is out of date.
Computer skills are increasingly important today. To demonstrate your abilities with a particular software program for example, demonstrate exactly how you have used the program and what you have delivered through the use of the software. For example, MS Powerpoint used to create powerful presentations that I personally delivered to communicate complex ideas, gain agreement and change sales and budgetary requirements and forecasts.
Achievements are probably the most under-utilised element in a CV. If you brainstorm your career achievements, the CV that you end up writing will be more interesting and relevant to potential employers. When you think about achievements, focus specifically on those areas where you have delivered tangible benefits for your previous employers. If you can find benefits that are financial, these are among the strongest ones as employers are definitely interested in what you have delivered in financial terms for previous employers and therefore what you may be able to deliver for them.
A section in the CV for key achievements (five to seven bullet points), followed by the same number of bullet points in your most recent job role is a formula that we have found to be successful over some years of writing CVs for a living. Previous job roles warrant between two and five bullet points highlighting what you achieved and delivered in that job role. Other work that you completed some time ago can be summarised in an “Other Work” section. You can use this for job roles in the past that are no longer relevant or that you did for a short amount of time (for example, part time roles to supplement income during study).
Educational and professional qualifications should be separated out into two distinct sections within the CV. Educational qualifications should include the title of the qualification, the accrediting Educational Institute, the dates of study and any pertinent information that may be of additional interest. Examples include: Thesis or dissertations along with relevant course work. Professional qualifications as well as membership of professional bodies should be also included. Professional qualifications must show the name of the accrediting body, the exact name of the qualification and any dates for which the qualification is valid. For example, a first aid certificate has an expiry date and this needs to be shown or omitted of it is out of date.
Computer skills are increasingly important today. To demonstrate your abilities with a particular software program for example, demonstrate exactly how you have used the program and what you have delivered through the use of the software. For example, MS Powerpoint used to create powerful presentations that I personally delivered to communicate complex ideas, gain agreement and change sales and budgetary requirements and forecasts.
Get shortlisted for interview
Most people put their responsibilities into the CV in the work experience section. The simple truth is that employers have a pretty good idea of what your responsibilities and activities are within a role.
The difference between getting shortlisted for interview and having the CV rejected is demonstrating your worth to previous employers. The way you demonstrate your worth is to show what you achieved in that role.In the current Economic climate, employers are thinking hard about whether or not to actually take someone on or not so you have to show that you can add value to a new employer. A great question to ask yourself is “what benefit did my previous employer gain from my employment with them?”. When you consider the value that you actually delivered, think about the benefit that you delivered for that employer.
The largest and hardest hitting benefits are financial. If you can demonstrate that your employer was better off financially as a direct result of what you did there, a future employer can’t help but be impressed and come to the inevitable conclusion that if you delivered a financial benefit for a previous employer then you can do the same for them.
Examples of achievements that you delivered in previous employments include: increases in sales and margin revenue, increases in numbers of accounts gained plus their sales value, reduction in losses of customers or churn as it is sometimes called. Other areas where you may have delivered financial benefit include the cost area, reduction in costs of goods, transport or warehouse efficiencies and the like are good examples of this.
Don’t overlook the benefits that you may have delivered in cash flow. Reduction in aged debt, increase in the time that suppliers are paid, reduction in the time that customers pay their accounts, reduction in stockholding, reduction in interest paid to the bank are among the benefits that can be included in this section. Improvements in customer service can also be quantified- for example, reduction in credit notes, increase in stock availability, number of on-time deliveries completed, and the reduction in the number of complaints make for demonstrating an exceptional track record.
Simply put, demonstrate the benefit that you delivered for previous employers and you will be well on the way to getting shortlisted for that role. Just don’t tell anyone else about it or you could well be in competition with them for that very same role.
Glenn Hughes writes for CvBud. He runs a successful Curriculum Vitae service and is a professional CV writer
Glenn Hughes is an expert for Jobs in Wales.
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