Latest Job Trends

by: Christine Zafra

Is helping others your thing? Well, you don’t need to be a philanthropist before you could reach out a hand since not all help is material. Do you wish to do it as a career? Then might as well try applying as a social worker.

A social worker is someone who contributes his or her service to others (whether he or she is being paid or not). As a social worker, you can actually serve your community (local) or a larger community (national) as a police officer, street sweeper etc. With the growing number of senior citizens, monitoring of services are needed by the government and other private companies and/or non-profit organizations to make sure that the welfare of these people are put to priotity.

Photo taken from http://newatwurz2.blogspot.com

It’s not easy finding a career you like. You may go through so many careers before finding what you want. While others may be able to find that their first job is their dream job. A dream job is something that you enjoy and love and doing.

You need to determine what is your dream career. Have you always wanted to work in the medical field? Or in a corporate setting? How about marketing and sales? What are your interests? Knowing what you want makes it easier for you to be able to find your dream job.

As soon as you know what you want, then you can start exploring available job opportunities. You can start by browsing online, newspaper classifieds, networking. You can ask your classmates and friends for recommendations. Your dream job can be anywhere in the world.

It may take a long time before you find your dream job or you may not find it at all. Your job right now might not be your dream job but you can learn to embrace and love it and be thankful for the opportunity that you have been given and who knows it will turn out to be your dream job after all.

by: Larla

by: Christine Zafra

If you’ve graduated from a computer course, then congratulations. Most of the companies need you (you can be an up for grabs, do you know that?). Technology had made its way to the top; it’s the “innest” thing right now and almost everyone is using it.

Companies do too. Sometimes their data needs to be updated and input into different sources and so, as a network specialist, this is your job. Integration of the technological devices like mobile phone, PDAs, laptops and so on and so forth to their databanks make the company’s life easier. You are asked to install and perhaps, maintain the system from crashing or from hacks.

Photo taken from http://www.mineduc.gov.rw

by: Christine Zafra

When you hear the word engineer, what comes into your mind? Probably wires or maybe geometric figures. MATH perhaps? Everything about that most dreaded subject of the kids. But what is not known to many is that, there is another kind of engineer that is hitting the latest job trends by storm: the environmental engineers.

They have a different purpose and goal. If the company wants to put up a new commercial building in an area, will it not bother the people living there? Or perhaps, if the company wants to put up a factory that discharges toxic outputs in an isolated area, how far is that factory to schools, rivers, seas, residential areas and the like? Being an environmental engineer is a very notable job. Kudos to the environmental engineers that protect the environment’s welfare.

Photo taken from http://www.globalhealth.gov

by: Christine Zafra

If a company is nearing bankruptcy, the management needs to cut down on their budget. They may do a lot cutting measures like saving on electric costs by turning of the air conditioning 2 hours before office hours end, or maybe relocating their office into a cheaper business space.

However, the most common approach these companies do is to cut off employment. Yes, laying off employees. Even though it’s actually hard for the management to execute that approach, they do it for the sake of the company.

They can go to employment specialists to ask for guidance about what to do and who to lay off.

Photo taken from http://www.praoplacement.com

Sometimes, but not always, job interviewers suddenly turn the tables on the applicant. Don’t let the, “Do you have any questions?” freak you out. If you really have no questions, then it’s fine to say so. But this is also an opportunity that you should never miss out on. Here are some questions you can ask:

1. What is the advancement potential?
2. Does the company provide seminars and training programs?
3. What is this company’s employee turnover rate?

These questions will show the interviewer that you are a serious individual who will also take his or her job seriously.

The first thing an interviewer will notice about you is your appearance.

For the ladies, keep your hair away from your face. You may wear make-up but remember that anything in excess is always a bad thing. For clothing, make it clean and well-pressed. You may wear a pantsuit or a skirt as long as it’s not too short, too tight, or too flowy. Be careful not to ruin hosiery.

For the men, be sure that your hair is well-trimmed and your face is clean shaven. Please be sure that you smell clean though. Wear a clean and well-pressed suit.

For both, no jewelry except wedding rings. Polish your shoes if they need it. No perfume, cologne, or strong aftershave.

Oh, don’t be misled by the post title. What I meant about it is that, you should be careful on what you say during a job interview. You may think you are just being honest when you say that “my last boss was an *ss” but that statement alone can cost you the new job you’re after. Think before you speak. Be careful in your word phrasing. You don’t have to tell the whole story if it’s unsavory. A little white lie in this case would be a good idea. Try, “After three years, I have decided to look for a position where I could use my creativity.”

This is how I get jobs. Seriously!

I basically use good old networking. When I was a fresh graduate and desperately wanted to join the yuppie (do people still use that word?) band wagon, I merely got hold of my trusty cell phone and texted friends a message that I was actively looking for a job and if they knew of something that might interest a BA so-and-so fresh graduate. One of them replied and within a week I already had a job.

If you wish to build your own network, try including relatives, friends, classmates, former co-workers, supervisors, colleagues from professional and hobby groups and organizations, and former teachers.

Aside from text messages, better yet to use e-mail as you may be able to perfectly state your specific needs and wants. Remember that even if you are e-mailing people whom you have known for a long time, you are still asking for professional advice. Make sure that the wording and tone of your e-mail is professional and appropriate.

Don’t forget to keep the information sent to you in a file or any kind of system you have to avoid from being confused just in case people’s replies come pouring in.

If you do get a job through networking, a token of gratitude is always appreciated. Even if you don’t get the job, or if you got a job that is recommended by another friend, never forget to thank those who replied to your inquiry. And if an opportunity comes to return the favor, be ready to help the people in your network too.

Career coaches are people who specialize in career counseling. They provide advice to help job seekers identify the perfect career for them. They are also called career consultants, career advisers, work-life coaches, personal career trainers, and life management facilitators.

Career coaches are professionals serving the role of an advocate, mentor and partner on all issues related to your career search. They can be found in schools and in private clinics that offer guidance counseling to people as part of their range of medical services.

While hiring or consulting a career coach is not an assurance for career success, they still are a great help when it comes to educating job seekers in dealing with the complicated world of careers. Hence, it depends on the values and beliefs of job seekers if they really need a career coach or not.