10 Factors to Weigh When Defining Your DREAM Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Factors to Weigh When Defining Your DREAM Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Ask most people to define what their DREAM job would look like and you’re likely to get answers such as these: “I would make more money and get a significant promotion.” “I would work for a company that gives me considerably more responsibility and authority and my skills and talents would be genuinely appreciated. “My ideal company would be far more respectful of its employees and their contributions than my current company.” While more money, greater responsibility and authority and how employees are treated are certainly key factors to consider when either defining your dream job or considering other employers, they are hardly the only factors to be considered. While by no means an exhaustive list, here are TEN key factors to seriously weigh when defining your DREAM job and/or considering a new employer*: Company Size. What size company is the best fit for you, based upon current or previous experience? Are you most comfortable being a BIG fish in a little pond or satisfied being a little fish in a BIG pond? Or, would you actually prefer something in between, i.e., a medium-sized company. There are both advantages and disadvantages to all sizes of companies. Larger companies generally tend to offer more and greater career opportunities, but they can also be stodgy and slow moving. Smaller companies can be more nimble and more innovative, but salaries and benefits can also lag behind the larger companies. Company Culture. Every company, no matter the size, has its own distinct culture, and if for some reason you don’t fit in to that culture, your work days can indeed become long and tedious! If you are someone who tends to be rather quite and reserved at work, you probably won’t feel very comfortable in a company that has a “rah-rah” sales-oriented environment. Similarly, if you thrive in such a super-charged sales-oriented environment, you probably won’t fit in very well at all in, say, an accounting firm! Pace and Tempo of Company. Do you sometimes feel like the proverbial racehorse tied to a plow in your current job? Or, conversely, does the pace at your current job often leave you feeling anxious, overwhelmed and sometimes depressed because of your inability (or unwillingness) to keep up? Make sure that the pace and tempo at any company you may consider for future employment match your preference and are a good fit for both your personality and your work style. Company’s Competitive Position within its Industry. Everyone likes to be associated with a winner, and usually, though certainly not always, the winner in any industry and/or business segment is the one that has the most market share, or at least is among, say, the Top Ten. And typically, market leaders tend to be more innovative and more creative than the also-ran companies within the same industry. If you’re currently employed by one of the also-rans, how is this affecting your morale, your desire to be innovative and/or creative? Company’s Financial Stability. Many companies, including some market leaders, were adversely affected by deteriorating economic conditions during the Great Recession. Thankfully, most have regained (or are steadily regaining) a sound economic footing in recent yearsâ€"but not all! Make sure that any company you may be considering for future career opportunities is economically sound. If it’s a public company, research current and long-term stock prices. Read annual reports. Research third-party articles in the financial news for clues. While you may not be completely satisfied with your current position, few things in your career could be more disastrous than leaving an economically sound company to join a company that is essentially a sinking (or even a listing!) ship. Company’s Salaries and Benefits. Rare indeed would it be for an employee, any employee, to say that they are being paid what they are “worth.” Plus, many men and women have little or no awareness of the value of their current employee benefits as part of a total compensation package. Indeed, the grass almost always seems greener on the other side of the fence! But is it indeedactually greener? Don’t make that assessment based strictly on “gut feel.” Do your homework and research to accurately determine if, in fact, you are not now being paid a fair and competitive salary or that your benefits are inadequate or not competitive in the current job market. A good place to begin your research is at www.salary.com. Company’s Management Team (including your boss). You could currently be working for a GREAT company, but if the man or woman who is your direct supervisor, leaves something to be desired from a leadership standpoint, you probably are considerably dissatisfied with your current job. Make sure that any man or woman you interview with (if that person would be your new boss) when considering new career opportunities doesn’t have the potential of becoming merely a carbon copy of your current boss! And remember this: Bad bosses rarely exist and operate in a vacuum. Top management has to allow such an environment to exist in a company either because they don’t care how employees are treated, or they tacitly approve of such behavior by line supervisors or managers. Geographic Locale of Company. Where one lives and works can have a tremendous, dramatic effect on both quality of life and overall job satisfaction. Not surprisingly, and as a general rule, the more populous an area the greater the number and variety of jobs, the higher the salaries, the better the benefits, etc. The trade-off, however, can be a higher crime rate, more traffic, a higher cost of living, etc. If single, the trade-off may be at least tolerable; if married with children, not so much. Your personal background can also be very influential when it comes to choosing the locale of your dream job. If, for example, you grew up in a medium-sized city in the Midwest and you are considering a position in New York City, you should be prepared for significant culture shock! Likewise, though, if you are a New York City guy or gal, you may experience similar culture shock if you’re considering a position in a medium-sized city in the Midwest! Work-life Balance. Very few people, when they are approaching the end of their life, are likely to regret not having spent more time at the office or on the job. To be sure, in order to survive in today’s still challenging job market, one usually has to put in more than the “normal” eight-hour days. Still, there is a reasonable limit and you should determine what that means to you. After all, every hour (or weekend or holiday or special occasion) spent at the job is an hour you cannot spending with family and friends! Career Growth Potential. Almost no job offers virtually unlimited career opportunities. Eventually, everyone reaches his/her career ceiling, as the result of being at the top of a pay grade, for example, or simply as the result of there being no place within the organization to move, in order to have the opportunity to advance to the next level. Make sure that you accurately read the career landscape, and your potential place in it, of any companies you might consider for future employment. Otherwise, you risk trading one set of chains for another! If you are one of the tens of millions of men and women who say they are yearning for the right opportunity to advance their careers, there hasn’t been a better time since 2007 to do precisely that! And that’s particularly true if you can count yourself among the TOP job candidates in the market today. But, as I’ve shown you in this post, you need to carefully weigh any and all relevant factors involved in potential career opportunities you may explore. Make sure they are indeed the best fit for you as a unique individual! *An excellent source to begin learning a great deal about potential employers isGlassDoor.com. This site includes candid reviews from current and former employees of a wide variety of companies in numerous industries. _____________________________ This post is an excerpt from Career Stalled? How to Get YOUR Career Back in HIGH Gear and Land the Job You Deserveâ€"Your DREAM Job!, Skip’s latest book in the “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets Series of Career Development/Management Publications. _____________________________ Going on a job interview soon? Know someone who is? Download Skips FREEHow to ACE the Job Interview! publication by clicking HERE. Learn how to interview the way Superstars do!

From High-Tech Training to High School Teacher, and Why I Left. [Podcast] - Career Pivot

From High-Tech Training to High School Teacher, and Why I Left. [Podcast] - Career Pivot Episode 40 â€" Marc discusses the pivot that took him to an inner-city high school, and how he decided that his career pivot was not yet over. Description: Copyright: razvanphoto / 123RF Stock Photo Marc discusses his career changes and the traumatic events and job conditions that led him to resign, and turn to teaching high school. That pivot taught him a number of things, most of which were different than what he had convinced himself about his motivation. He explains how he got into teaching, how it changed him, and how he got out of it. Listen in for a look at a career pivot that turned South quickly, and caused a major rethinking of a life. Key Takeaways: [2:37] Marc begins his story of going from high-tech training to teaching high school math in the inner city, and why he returned after 18 months. Marc was very successful but seduced himself into thinking he was something he was not. [2:56] In 1990, while working for IBM, Marc moved to a technology transfer group, to prepare for selling a leading-edge product, by developing curriculum, and delivering it to over 1,000 salespeople and sales engineers. Marc did that for three years and was really good at it. He spent the rest of the decade presenting. [3:36] Marc had transformed himself from being an introvert to appearing to be an extrovert. In the late 1990s, IBM started layoffs. After a bad pension deal, Marc left in 2000 to be a trainer for a startup. He developed curriculum, had a small team, and taught leading-edge router and communication companies how to use a network chip. Download Link |iTunes|Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast|Podbean|TuneIn|Overcast [4:26] The team developed very sophisticated curriculum and taught the class about twice a month. Marc spent much more time preparing than he did delivering. He is a much better curriculum developer than a presenter. After the dot-com boom, he flew to Asia regularly to meet with manufacturers. [5:28] On July 11, 2002, Marc was riding with his bicycle club on a difficult route. Going at 25 mph downhill, around a blind turn, Marc found himself slamming head-on into a ‘96 Toyota Corolla. His body and bicycle totalled the car. Marc was taken to the emergency room. He spent five days in the trauma center with various injuries. [6:30] Marc was walking on crutches in three days, and back on a bicycle in 10 weeks, and flying back to China in four months, right into the SARS epidemic. Marc wondered what he was doing! The company was bought, and his stock options were worthless, but he received six-figure retention bonuses, and paid off his house and debts. [7:26] Marc decided he would teach high school math. This was his MSU moment. In 2003 the company was laying off, and Marc was pursuing teaching certifications. He went for the alternative certification for teaching, and saw several signs he didn’t quite fit the mold of the ideal candidate, but he proceeded. [10:29] He took the THEA test in English, and had to write a 600-word essay in pencil and paper. He hadn’t written with pencil in 25 years. While he was going for his certification, Marc volunteered to take a layoff, and got a severance. Then he got his rejection letter from Region 13 of the Texas Higher Education Assessment. [11:08] Marc wondered what next. He saw Austin Community College was launching an alternative certification program. Marc applied and was accepted. The programs was of low quality, and didn’t prepare him to teach math. He took the test anyway, and passed. Then he, and other men over 40 with the certification, found they couldn’t get interviews. [12:56] The schools didn’t want guys over 40 because they don’t do what they’re told. However, one week before school started, an opportunity came up at Akins High School, and he applied and was hired. His five-day new teacher orientation was useless. For a week he couldn’t access the attendance system. [14:13] Marc was assigned two sections of Algebra 2 and three sections of Algebra 1. That put him ‘on stage’ for 25 hours a week, which was exhausting. As a first-year teacher, every lesson was new to him, so he spent hours prepping. By Thanksgiving his morale was low. Marc found out, he does not get his energy from being ‘on.’ [15:46] Marc got lesson plans for Algebra 1 from the lead teacher, and that helped. Algebra 2 lesson plans were harder. He borrowed from another teacher, staying two days behind her. Then, he was challenged by students that were nothing like him, by background culture, or financial class. Most were poor, and many had probation officers. [17:49] Marc had never dealt with a culture of poverty. He finished his first year exhausted. He had about 100 people that he emailed every week about the classes, and one student, Julio, who was a hard worker. People wrote him back like a fan club. [20:01] Marc spent the summer preparing for the next year, with about 10 weeks of lesson plans. When the year started, he got in and got going, with five sections of Algebra 2. Marc has a lot of stories, but the year was really sad. Grace was pregnant, kicked out of her home, and her baby was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. [20:56] Marc went downhill fast. Once the time changed in October, it got worse for him. He discovered that being ‘on’ just wore him out. He’s not an extrovert, and he doesn’t get energy from presenting. He was really struggling, and moderately depressed. He turned in his resignation in early December, for the end of the semester. [22:02] The school accepted his resignation. By the way, the first year, all but one of his junior students passed their exit TAKS test in one or two tries. The school average was 30%. No one noticed. [22:50] Marc has learned by reflecting back and realizing how much he had conned himself into believing he was something he was not. It took six months after leaving teaching for Marc to feel normal again, it so wore him out. [23:14] How are you really different than what you think you are? Marc is a closet introvert. He was a very shy kid. Seeing him on stage, it does not show. He will be on, on stage, then walk off and collapse, almost exhausted. Who Marc is, is not what he appears. Think about that for yourself. [24:07] Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. In 2016 Marc wrote a post, “What Skills Will You Use in the Second Half of Life?” Read that post to consider what skills you want to carry forward, and, more importantly, what skills do you want to leave behind? [24:38] Please pick up a copy of Marc’s book, and write an honest review on Amazon.com. He is working on the audio version next. Marc is also working on the Career Pivot Community membership website. Watch for updates in the coming months. Mentioned in This Episode: Careerpivot.com Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey The paperback and e-book formats are available now. Marc is recording the audio version of the book, and he plans to have it available in September 2017. Marc is taking on new clients. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me or call at 512-693-9132, and leave a message with your email address. Marc will respond with a link to his calendar, to find a time to talk. IBM Lucent Austin Community College Akins High School “What Skills Will You Use in the Second Half of Life?”, blog by Marc Miller on LinkedIn Take a moment â€" go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Interview Preparation How To Spend The Night Before

Interview Preparation How To Spend The Night Before The night before an interview is a confusing and difficult time. While most people understand that the night before their interview is an essential part of the interview preparation process, many of them just don’t understand how to use the final night to their advantage. Whether they are nervous and try to cram too much knowledge in, or too relaxed and fail to prepare at all, this is a huge hurdle for candidates to overcome. In this blog, we’ll give you our top 4 interview preparation tips on how to spend the night before your interview.Interview Preparation TipsTip Number 1: Get plenty of sleepThis is extremely obvious, but remains our number 1 interview preparation tip. Without the right amount of sleep, you will struggle to impress the interviewers. The more rest you get, the more information you can retain and the better you can convey this information to the employer. Although it might sound superficial, appearance also makes a difference in an interview. If you turn up to the interview with huge bags under your eyes, clearly tired, it will be noticeable to the interview and they will likely judge you accordingly. By all means conduct your interview preparation as best as you can, but don’t sacrifice sleep to do it.Tip Number 2: ResearchBy the time of the night before, you should have spent a great deal of time already going over your answers. Now, it’s time to conduct some thorough research. You might have already done this, but take it one step further and go out of your way to find out as much about the company as possible. Look into any awards that they’ve won or anything they’ve been nominated for, and work out how this links with your own values and motivations. Employers will be flattered by your interest, and this will show that you really care about working for them rather than just wanting money.Tip Number 3: Think of some questions If you’ve read our other blogs on interview preparation, you’ll know that the period at the end of an interview, when the interviewer asks, ‘do you have any questions for me?’ is extremely important. A failure to ask questions will show a distinct lack of interest, and risks putting the employer off you altogether. With this mind, it’s vital that you have a selection of 4 or 5 questions that you can fall back on, in case any of your initial questions are already covered during the interview. Don’t be afraid of asking bold or leading questions either, the employer will appreciate your interest. Some good examples of questions that you can ask are:Do you have any concerns over my ability to do this job?What opportunities are there for progression within this company?Will on-the-job training be provided?During my interview preparation, I saw that you won/were nominated for *award*. This is really impressive to me. Can you tell me more about that?Tip Number 4: Work out what you are wearing Again, this might seem superficial, but the fact is that when it comes to an interview â€" appearance matters. You cannot afford to be scruffy, and in line with this, you cannot afford to be late. Organisation is more than just having your things in the right place at the right time, it’s a state of mind. If you are running around the house looking for the last clean sock, all in a desperate attempt to make it to the interview barely on time, then it stands to reason that you won’t be calm or composed during the interview. In contrast, if you know exactly what you are wearing and where everything is when you get up in the morning, you won’t have to rush and you’ll attend the interview in a much clearer and more relaxed frame of mind. You’ll come across as confident, and stand more chance of getting the job.For more top interview tips and advice, check out our YouTube Interview Channel! This entry was posted in Interviews. Bookmark the permalink. Jordan Cooke Supermarket Jobs: The UK Selection ProcessHow To Pass The Police Interview 2016

Blast off towards your ideal career... - Hallie Crawford

Blast off towards your ideal career... Are you lost about what you want to do in your career? Are there so many career ideas in your head that you can’t choose just one? Do you feel stuck where you are? Would you like to have a career youre passionate about? Then sign up today for our brand new group coaching program! Its called Identify Your Ideal Career Path, and it covers the exact same 5 step program that we use with our individual clients at a fraction of the cost! In this group you will: Uncover your values and priorities Define what would be most fulfilling for you in a career Explore the 6 things you need to consider in your search for your ideal career path Learn how to combine these and put them into action Discover how to overcome the obstacles that hold you back from defining your ideal career Create and implement a transition plan to land your ideal job The benefits of group coaching? You save money! Plus youll receive support and feedback from 3 different sources your coach, other class members, and your group buddy. Well all be there to help you through your transition. And the best part? You get all this for only $150/month for 6 months less than half of our individual coaching rate! Go here to read more and to sign up for the complimentary introductory call on January 22nd. The coaching program begins on February 5th and is over the phone so you can participate from absolutely anywhere. Rock on! Have a great weekend! Atlanta

Add an Additional Language Experience to Your Resume

Add an Additional Language Experience to Your ResumeIf you've just finished a five-year language program and you're looking for employment, you may be wondering if you can add an additional language experience to your resume. There are many reasons why it is beneficial, so take a look at these. You may find that some of the reasons you haven't included it before could actually help you with your job search.First, think about the number of extra languages you have used. The number may seem large, but when you look at the total number of years you've spent in school, you'll see that there is no way you can possibly have learned everything from one language. The real numbers will probably not turn out to be as high as you would like them to be, but the point is that you may not have spent enough time in the classroom to include a language experience on your resume. So make sure that the extra languages you've used do show up on your resume.Second, you'll find that languages with multipl e meanings often allow for more than one writing experience on your resume. Sometimes you'll need to write a statement, while others you will be required to write a letter or have to write in two or more languages. When you have the additional experience under each of these types of workloads, you may find that the ability to write in multiple languages come across very clearly on your resume.Third, your job interviewers or hiring managers will most likely check the list of language experiences on your resume. Once they get to that point, they'll quickly notice that you don't meet their requirements. So if you don't include it on your resume, they can easily decide whether or not you're qualified for the position.Fourth, if you use an English version of your language experience on your resume, then you will have to take care to make sure that it is readable. Sometimes there is a tendency for employers to focus on the writing experience in their own language, rather than looking at w hat the writing is saying. If you don't want to alienate your potential employer with a poorly written English experience, include it in English.Fifth, the language experience may seem small, but think about the rest of your resume. If it is possible, include it on your resume along with any awards or honors you've earned, along with any certifications you have. In other words, it's best to put it on your resume as a line of demarcation between you and your competitors. So it's good to create a strong writing experience, but make sure that it has everything to contribute to your professional success.Finally, if you have this language experience on your resume, make sure that it shows up. You may need to emphasize it in order to make the impression of your strong writing skills. This may mean that you have to spend some extra time writing the English version of your experience.

How Much Doctors Make in 2016

How Much Doctors Make in 2016 We all know doctors make a decent livingâ€"but new numbers shine a spotlight on exactly how much money your physician is taking home (hint: it’s a ton). Over 19,200 physicians in over 26 specialties responded to Medscape’s annual compensation inquiry, detailing how much they make, how many hours they work per week, the most rewarding parts of their job, and more. The website combined salary, bonus, and profit-sharing contributions. Here’s how they stack up: Phyisican Specialties Average Compensation Orthopedics $443,000 Cardiology $410,000 Dermatology $381,000 Gastroenterology $380,000 Radiology $375,000 Urology $367,000 Anesthesiology $360,000 Plastic Surgery $355,000 Oncology $329,000 General Surgery $322,000 Emergency Medicine $322,000 Ophthalmology $309,000 Critical Care $306,000 Pulmonary Medicine $281,000 Ob/Gyn $277,000 Nephrology $273,000 Pathology $266,000 Neurology $241,000 Rheumatology $234,000 Psychiatry $226,000 Internal Medicine $222,000 Allergy $222,000 HIV/ID $215,000 Family Medicine $207,000 Endocrinology $206,000 Pediatrics $204,000 Pediatricians, who receive the least compensation of any doctor on the list, make over $200,000â€"putting them in the top 5% of earners in the U.S. The site notes that orthopedists and cardiologists were numbers one and two in 2015 as well, with compensations of $421,000 and $376,000, respectively. Aside from pathologists and plastic surgeons, who saw no change in compensation, and allergists and pulmonologists, who saw a decrease, all other physicians were better compensated this year compared to 2015. Doctors in the Southeast and North Central (which includes the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri) take home the most money on average. One depressing note: Female physicians make significantly less than their male counterparts, whether they are primary care physicians or specialists. Medscape does note, however, that women’s earnings increased more in the last four years than men’s did. Overall, though, female physicians make 24% less than men. (And all of the earnings are for full-time positions.) Interestingly, there are significantly more female physicians in pediatrics than men, which is the least compensated specialty. Does mid-six figures sound appealing? You’re in luck: Healthcare is adding the most jobs of any other industry.

9 Ways To Tune Out Office Distractions - Work It Daily

9 Ways To Tune Out Office Distractions - Work It Daily Office distractions are all around us. And they are getting increasingly more difficult to tune out. There are so many ways our boss, customers and teammates can reach us to break our focus, it makes it challenging to get things done. Related: 7 Ways To Stay Productive At Work Maybe this is why we are all so very busy each and every day. It makes it challenging to get anything done. You get emails, texts, phone calls all day long for so many different people. There are countless meetings on the schedule, so much so that when you are done with calls and meetings it seems you have two hours to get eight hours of work done and mathematically, that just isn’t going to work. Despite all of the demands and distractions, there are ways to tune them out when you have to get something done. They are not easy and some of them are not for the faint of heart (#1), but I can attest, that these do work. When emails and browsers and phones are on, I get less done. When I am not thoughtful about my plan for the week, I am less focused and productive and when I spend too much time chit-chatting with my boss, clients, or co-workers, I am sure to not meet my missions for the week. When I am on deadline with something, I am more rigid with this list. When I have more free time, I am less rigid. It’s not perfect, but I can tell you that it works. The first three usually make people shudder (especially the people on my team with two monitors!). But nonetheless, it is important to know what you can do to tune out some of those pesky office distractions. And by the way, it is not rude to have your door closed… Just sayin'. Related Posts How To Be Assertive In The Workplace How To Stand Out: Define Your Strengths 4 Ways Young Professionals Can Stand Out In A Crowded Job Market About the author With passion and an innate curiosity, Tracey strives to push the envelope to create great experiences for talent. Tracey has been developing digital, mobile and social solutions for nearly 20 years in the talent acquisition space. Currently CredHive’s CEO, she is dedicated to changing the way hiring is done to create a more level playing field for talent. Visit CredHive to learn more.   Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!