Dariako Valko Business News

Archive for the ‘Careers’ Category

A job search can be hard and sometimes frustrating. In case you are considering changing your job you should consider using an online search. This will help you expand your horizons and your search for your next job can become world wide and not restricted to any one area.

1. If you are keen in continuing in your present line of work with say a better location or opportunities. Then explore the web sites of companies similar to yours. Check out their human resources pages or career links. Employer web sites are often listed at sites like Academic360, a directory of employment opportunities.

2. Undertake a search engine search. Ask any major search engine like Google to help you locate possible employers or job sites that specialize in your field of work.

3. Explore the web sites of professional associations. Being a member of an association is a great way to network with peers and many a time it is successful networking that can land you your next job.

4. You can register at an online employment site like http://www.job-hunt.org or Monster.com and reap the many benefits. They will send you possible opportunities to your e-mail, blast your resume to several recruitment personnel all over the world, offer you a professional evaluation of your resume, and you will be able to browse through all the postings on their site and apply to vacancies that interest you.

5. By opting for an online search you can be sure your application is not lost in the post or courier. When you click apply, the resume immediately goes to the email box of a possible employer. And, the job site will give you a confirmation message of your application.

6. The convenience of online means you can store your resume as well as several versions of a covering letter for use. The site will also maintain a record of applications made by you with details. This means that you will never make the mistake of applying for the same job twice.
Read the rest of this entry »

Copyright 2006 Paul Arinaga

“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.
Read the rest of this entry »

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 resume. 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.
Read the rest of this entry »

Enjoying the anonymity of the internet in social networking? Are you revealing a bit more in Orkut, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, or BlogSpot? Extreme political opinions, photos, college pranks, weekend preferences and more?

An increasingly popular trend, graduates stepping out of universities and looking ahead for their first interviews are closing their social networking pages. Reason: Big brother is watching. Job hunters are increasingly conscious of anything they put into the online sphere-even e-mail, which, of course, can be forwarded to anyone.

These are not entirely paranoia. There is anecdotal evidence and some HR reports talk about corporate recruiters are Googling potential employees, having interns log onto social networking sites to check out an applicant’s profile, and using the online world as another way to check references. This trend, combined with the growing population of sites like Orkut, Facebook and MySpace, has many young people uneasy and unsure about how to navigate a new world.

B-school administrators and professors are beginning to advise students on maintaining a professional presence on social networking sites, in e-mail, on personal Web sites, and blogs. Even if it’s password protected, recruiters have profiles, too, and can get into your groups.
Read the rest of this entry »