Friday, December 19, 2008

TAKING YOUR CAREER QUESTIONS

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What percentage, of both a new and a well seasoned job candidate, are the credentials and the connections part of the importance of acquiring a particular position?

Is it 50/50% based on what school you went to, whether you have a masters/phd or not, or is it just that one person who already works there that can put in a good word for you the difference?

Patty DeDominic said...

Dear Ilya,
Your college degree and professional certifications or credentials as they are often called are often just the essential "admission ticket" to interview and compete for the job! Depending on your line of work they are more or less critical but in many fields, like education, medicine and science they are essential or even legally required.

Next, your contacts and your personal/professional network are critical. There are literally millions of other people out there, sometimes we had as many as one thousand applicants in a month for certain jobs! Imagine how much a good word from a well connected friend can mean.

Friends and professional connections cannot often "Make or Break" your deal, as there are many objective factors to be considered when a complicated larger organization makes a hire, but they can indeed push virtual points your way. So if you recall that one of Michael Phelps Gold medals was won by fraction of a second and just inches.......Now imagine that your friends just added a virtual advantage to your candidacy.

That's the power of being prepared, conducting a thorough job research search AND building your professional network. Remember to build a network of colleagues you would run into a burning building for....and hopefully vice versa. AND make sure those colleagues are the type who will not cheat on exams or lie to make an extra buck. When you surround yourself with integrity, capability and resiliency your own personal innovation can shine!

Anonymous said...

A great Career in Therapy


Today's rehabilitation therapy jobs are a rewarding career choice due to the excellent prospects they promise. A number of rehabilitation therapy job openings are available in the United States for qualified personnel in the fields of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology.

A variety of healthcare settings in the United States such as clinics, hospitals, facilities, nursing homes, rehab centers and long term acute care centers are looking for professionals who are talented to fill the available job vacancies. These jobs guarantee the best employee benefits which will help to improve your lifestyle. Due to the existing high demand for rehabilitation therapy professionals, most of these facilities offer employment opportunity to candidates from various geographical locations.

For professionals who are looking for career advancement in speech language pathology, occupational therapy or physical therapy can select an appropriate career in the U.S. You will have to work with mentally and physically retarded individuals and therefore the job demands great patience and understanding on your part. If you wish to see exciting places in the United States, then traveling jobs are the most appropriate choice. Jobseekers can work in the U.S as rehabilitation therapists on long term or short term basis, full-time or part-time basis and temporary or permanent basis.

Qualified therapists with or without experience can work as rehab counselors, counselor educators, therapists or therapy assistants in their specialized area, be it physical therapy, speech language pathology or occupational therapy.

The rehabilitation therapy job opportunities in the United States bring you excellent benefits such as:

• Section 125 Cafeteria plan
• Additional state license
• Healthcare insurance
• Immigration processing
• Continuing education
• Short-term disability insurance
• Professional liability insurance
• Paid housing
• Relocation expenses between assignments including U-haul or temporary storage, gas and motel stay and meals

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Anonymous said...

I graduated last summer from business school and I am finding it difficult to get offers from companies that I actually want to start my career at. What tips do you have to get me a great job at a company that I can actually be proud to work for?

Anonymous said...

1. Communications Consultant Lois Phillips PhD* suggests that anyone, but particularly career changers, spend some time in a course or with a coach improving their presentation skills. Public speaking both is and isn’t about interpersonal communication, which happens when we are speaking to someone privately but we can build on a few of the same skills. Any person delivering presentations – whether technical, motivational, or persuasive- needs to be attentive to the audience. Where are they coming from? What’s on their minds? Today’s busy people are wondering: “What’s in this (presentation) for me?” Delivering a presentation to a small or large group with poise and self-confidence is a critical skill If you are changing your career and want to move into a supervisory, managerial, or a political role.

2. Of course, any presenter needs to know the topic well enough to be seen as an expert who has ‘done their homework’ and to have a single overarching message, but I’ve seen dynamic speakers fail because they didn’t predict what was inevitably going to happen when they were finished speaking. Predict the tough questions, whether the questions are coming from skepticism, competitiveness, or resistance to the change you are proposing. People are impressed by speakers who are ready for the Q & A and who can bridge from even the most irrelevant question back to the main message.

3. Speakers tend to over-prepare, wasting their own time and the listeners. It’s not necessary to share every single idea or bit of research on a particular topic. It’s best to be selective and focus only on the information that will be useful to your listeners. Are these people on the staff of a company about to be acquired or merge? Do they need reassurance about the process of change? Are you pitching a new extraordinary product or service that will require risk and new capital? Are you wanting to build trust in your ability to lead the change effort? Whatever your purpose is, after all, you’ll want the listeners to leave saying “that presentation changed my life.”

*Lois Phillips is the co-author of “Women Seen and Heard: Lessons Learned from Successful Speakers,” Luz Publications, 2004.

Anonymous said...

SMART GOALS
It was Conrad Hilton the founder of the world famous Hilton chain of hotels who said, “Success is made to order.” He was right – for an achievement is a sum total of many things – talent, aptitude, knowledge and desire. If we analyze each of our achievements we will soon discover that it all started with the goal that we wanted to achieve. Well-defined goals, tackled with competence and confidence through a proper plan of action are the building blocks of achievements. They are our escalators to tomorrow, a vehicle that takes you to success.

What are some of the important points to remember when you go about setting goals and planning for them?

1. Your goals should be “SMART”.
It is very important that your goals be:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timebound
2. What ever you do, put your whole mind to it.
In America, Swami Vivekananda saw some kids standing on a bridge, shooting eggshells floating in the lake. The children were always off the target. Swamiji took a gun, stood still for few minutes and then fired twelve shots. Each time it hit an eggshell, Swamiji turned around and told the awe-struck boys, “What ever you do put your whole mind into it. If you’re shooting, your mind should be on the target. If you’re learning, think only of the lesson.”

3. Be and act enthusiastic.
The worst bankrupt is the person who has lost enthusiasm. Let one lose everything but enthusiasm and that person will come through to success. Of course, there will be difficulties and obstacles. There are two possible attitudes to take at such a time. One is to let it discourage you, making you feel helpless and hopeless. That attitude is disastrous. The other way is to cultivate a positive attitude towards what you can do to solve the problem in the best manner possible.

4. Take effective decisions.
Most people have no idea how much stress they can create through indecision. If you are the kind of person who cannot decide between two courses of action, afraid that the course you choose might turn out to be a mistake, it is important to bear in mind that indecision is expensive and nearly always the worst mistake you can make.

Of course, some decisions require a great deal of thought and maybe some more information. But once all the facts are available, the successful individual will reach a decision and stop thinking about the various pros and cons, so that he can devote all his energy and effort to making the decision work.

5. Avoid Procrastination
Procrastination is the greatest disease that afflicts mankind. Although the disease is wide spread, it is important that we do not ignore it. Successful people do not procrastinate especially in matters they know are important to them. Someone has rightly said, “People don’t fail because they intend to fail. They fail because they fail to do what they intend to do.”

To sum up, setting “SMART” goals, putting your whole mind to the task at hand, being enthusiastic, taking effective decisions and avoiding procrastination are five keys to help you climb higher in life.

Nikhil Desai is an international trainer, motivator and speaker.