Career Development = Career Advancement

Career Development: A guide for your future!

Today it’s not
uncommon for an individual to change their career choice or to move
into another career entirely at least once in their working lifetime,
and for many they may change careers three or more times. Career
development, therefore, is important to know and understand.

Career
development is the path an individual travels and the procedures they
follow in choosing a career. A career is work an individual does or
plans to do, for a considerable length of time, and something they plan
on becoming good at.

The career development process is the
examining of your basic skills, how well you handle stress, your
abilities and interests in working with others, and schooling or
training that you complete to enter the career. Career development is
the plan you design to assist you in advancing through your career, to
be flexible as needed and to be alert to trends and patterns to help
further advancing your career.

Equally important is a careful
examination of your current job and career situation. Did you jump into
the job because you needed the money? Does the job have a future? Are
you progressing in your career? Or are you unhappy, not motivated and
burdened by stress or other job related problems? This situation may not
be productive for the employee and even less so for the employer.

Now may be the time to do some study about the career
field they have an interest in. Self-study, on the job training,
traditional or online learning may be involved. In addition, the more
you know about a particular career the more focused will be your career
development plan.

Studying career development you will learn it
isn’t just about education. Training and education will always help move
you into the right direction and allow you to fine tune your career
development plan.

However, you’ll learn through self-examination what your interests
are, what you’re good at, how well you have the basic skills to perform
at a high level in whatever career you choose.

Many educational
institutions offer career development classes or assessment centers to
help direct you into the right career. There is a plethora of free
career assessment tests on the internet to help you define your
interests and career goals.

From this wealth of information,
whether you want to advance in your present career or make a career
change, career development planning can be an important strategy to
guide you in reaching your career goals.

Career Test – Taking Career Change Tests and Assessments

Career test is a great tool to define your career choice. If you
are not satisfied with your job this tool can help. Since job
satisfaction is the way to a peak performance it is critical that you
choose a career that offers yourself every opportunity to excel. And
career assessments are the answer when it comes to selecting the perfect
career. Assessment tests use a series of questions about your
interests, about your style of working, and how you interact with other
people. Questionnaires are an important part of career assessment tools.
These questionnaires and their scoring system were rigorously designed
to provide the most accurate results.

Testing methodologies vary
but in general, career tests ask a battery of questions that attempt to
distinguish many things. They clarify your interests as well as match
your skills and competencies to specific fields. They try to identify
your strong points and individual work style to determine whether you
like certain jobs and if you will be successful in that position. One
popular type of tests is career aptitude tests. These tests measure your
skills you have learned so far in life and your areas of potential.

A
personality test is another type of career assessment tests. They help
discover what your work personality is and find a career for you by
performing a research on hundreds of careers. If you spend some time
taking a career personality test or two, you’ll get several career
options to help you consider how they may fit with your personality.

Career testing programs can assist young
professionals, mid-career professionals, seasoned professionals and high
school & college students to find the right career for each
individual. When you take a career quiz you may be surprised at what
your test reveals, especially if you have been in your current career
for many years. Quizzes cannot provide magic answers but they help you
to have a better understanding of your vocational identity and thus to
seek and generate additional career options. They help you scan a wider
range of possibilities than you might be able to imagine on your own.

If
you want to change career, taking some career change tests can help you
choose your ultimate career choice. Using many career options that you
get from various career tests you then search your soul and ask yourself
some tough questions to determine which career is right for you.

Career Objective Examples For Resumes How To Instantly Grab Any Employers Attention

When writing your resume, one of the first things you have to consider is your career objective. Ive been there before and I know how challenging it can be to come up with something note-worthy. In this case, it doesnt hurt to look for outstanding career objective examples for resumes you can base on.

You might wonder why your resume needs to have an attractive career objective. How does a sentence or two affect the long list of achievements in your resume?

Well, for starters, the career objective is usually the first line your potential employers will see once they scan your resume. From that one line, they would most likely recognize which candidates have creativity and spunk; and which candidates are simply just like the rest.

Unless you want your resume to be stuck with the rest of the commoners stash, youd better take these career objective examples for resumes a little more seriously.

Example # 1: To use my graphic design skills in creating attention-grabbing graphics that sell.

Most career objective examples for resumes start out with to rather than I. In a way, this makes your career objective less about yourself, and more about the job and company youre applying for.

Remember, your potential employer is always asking Whats in it for me? So you better come up with benefits that speak directly to their mind and emotion.

If youre a fresh graduate, using to to begin your sentence is a safe choice.

Example # 2: Feature editor offering four years of experience in magazine story line-ups and special reports.

This second career objective example is mostly used by those have been there and done that. They now have the experience and the gall to state their position and what they specialize in.

If youre a reputable person or authority while attending college, and would like to use this particular objective form, you need only to replace Feature editor with something like Former Writers Club President or Cum Laude Graduate. Then show them how they could benefit from your academic know-how and experience.

Example # 3: Seeking an entry-level position in pharmaceutical management to utilize my communication skills and Degree in Pharmacy.

This last example shows how important it is to be specific about what you want and what you can offer.

However, you cant be overly specific, for it might only give your potential employers the impression that your skills are limited to a particular set or limited to operating specific programs only.

Knowing which of the various career objective examples for resumes to base your own ideas on, helps you stand out from the rest of the applicants. It gives others the impression that you know exactly what job you want and how your skills come into the picture.

Why Change Careers Six Good Reasons For A Career Change

Here are some reasons you may have for wanting to change your
career. If one or more of these apply to you, then you may be ready to
make the decision to change career. If your reason for considering a new
career is not on this list of the six most common and best reasons for
changing career, think carefully. You may need a holiday, sabbatical, a
change of job, or to move to a different location. A career change
requires a lot of thought, work and time, so do it for the right
reasons.

1. Your life circumstances have changed so it’s time for a career change:

a) You have children who need more or less of your time than before:

You now have children and want to share more time with them and your spouse than your current career allows.

You
have children and you are the primary carer so you need to be at home
and want a career that allows you to work from home with the flexibility
to work around the hours your children need you.

Your children have started school and you have more time available, so you want to start a new career.

Your
children have grown up and left home, and now you no longer have to
support them, you want to pursue your life long dream of being a scuba
instructor in Hawaii (for example).

b) You have gone through a divorce or break up:

Now
that you are single again, you want to move back to your home town/
state/country which you left to satisfy your ex-spouses needs when your
relationship was flourishing. Now you can get back to your own family
and friends, and find the career that you were meant to do. Your current
career was a compromise that you accepted whilst you were married/in
the relationship, but now you want to pursue your own dreams.

c) You have recently been bereaved:

Your
spouse has passed away. You may have cared for them through a serious
and ultimately terminal illness, giving up your career to be at home.
Perhaps your experiences leading up to your tragic loss have taught you
important lessons about yourself and your own life calling. Now it is
time to rebuild your life, and a new career is in order.

d) You have been, or are likely to be made redundant:

Your
career is no longer in demand. You have lost your job, and the
prospects of finding work again in the same field are slim. You need to
find a different career that will provide you with enjoyment,
satisfaction and a stable and reliable income for as long as is possible
to forsee. Perhaps you have a redundancy package that will help to see
you through the transition. Perhaps you are less fortunate, and need to
earn money immediately, whilst you investigate potential alternative
career options.

Your current career is in less demand and likely
to continue declining. You are working in a career that is being
subsumed by changes in technology or society. It is only a matter of
time before you are made redundant, and you do not want to wait for that
to happen. You have to change career. You have some time to do the
research, or you have an idea of what you want to do in your next
career.

2. You want more personal growth in your new career.

Your
current career does not offer you the fulfillment you need, and you
want to have a career that allows you to learn and grow as a human
being. You want to have passion for your work so that you will be
imaginative and creative in your career. You want to fully utilize your
talents, education, experience and skills to create something meaningful
in your new career.

3. Your want less stress in your next career.

You
are experiencing high stress in your current career. You are not as
young as you once were (who is?!) and you want more calm in your career.
Tight artificial deadlines, reactive “fire-fighting” work and a
pressure cooker work environment are no longer for you – you are happy
to leave that to a younger person. Now it is time to pursue a proactive,
planned, steady new career. A career choice that gives you the
work-life balance you desire and deserve.

4. You want more excitement and challenge from your second career:

Your
career is boring and no longer challenging. It just does not excite you
any more, if it ever really did. You have mastered all the skills you
need, your experience makes your job easy, and you have no interest in
trying to progress further up the career ladder in this particular
sector. You are just not interested in further training in this career -
you feel it’s not worth the effort. You are looking for an exciting
challenging career that will get your adrenalin flowing and your heart
pounding again. Something to make you feel young and alive.

5. Your earning power is limited by your current career.

Your
current career, interesting and fun though it may be, just does not pay
the bills. You need to find something that you can love doing that will
provide you with financial security as well as job satisfaction.

6. You see a new career you want to try because you think it will offer you all the above.

Your
eyes have been opened to the opportunity of a new career in a field
that you had not considered before, or that did not exist before.
Perhaps technology, political or social changes, or a move to a
different city, state or country has revealed a career choice that you
are sure is a better fit for you. If it fits with one or more of the
reasons above, then you should consider it.

Consider all the options, but be prepared to take some risk

Nothing
is definite in life, except that one day it will end. When that end is
near, will you forgive yourself for not taking the risk that might have
made you complete? Look into your own heart, make the decision, and then
let your head work out the details of how to get there.

Career Planning – Are You Following a Planned Career Path or Simply a Series of Jobs

Successfully managing your own career is critical for your
financial and personal well being. Yet it is rarely pursued on a
strategic or informed basis. Career planning, particularly in the
technology field, is more and more the responsibility of the individual.
Particularly, since most people today end up working for many
employers.

The overall basis for more successful career management
includes developing plans that are applicable at different stages in
your working life. And even more important if you plan on a career
change after 50.

Although living in the information age, there is
few comprehensive job information and planning resources available
online. Exploring a career versus job information is more readily
available once you have focused on a career path, such as technology or
even further, within a specific industry.

When employed the
employer generally provides training, successive jobs, and a defined
career ladder to the degree that it unites with the organization’s needs
and objectives. Outplacement counselors generally help people focus on
job searches rather than career plans. Recruiters are looking to fill
job positions with top candidates for employers who are their clients
and normally do not provide career planning services for individuals.

We
can generally fit career planning as having three major phases: early
stage from ages 16 to 33; middle, from 34 to 52; and later, beyond 53.
Many times, early career choices are highly influenced by parents,
relatives, teachers or close friends. The choices of technical schools,
colleges or graduate schools, as well as majors, begin to focus
interests for career paths.

It is important, in the early stages
of a career planning, to carefully make choices, as initial decisions
can have a major impact on longer term career success and ultimately,
happiness.

Mid-stage career planning and effort usually reflects
the initial experiences and jobs one has had with his or her early
career. It generally is an extension of that experience. At this stage,
there may be a thread of a career track, but job moves and knowledge
growth during this phase that are not well planned or executed can
result in important limits to career-growth.

Late-stage career
planning frequently results from the need to find the right position in
one’s career after an early retirement or a reduction in force. After 50
career planning at this stage generally reflects more entrepreneurial,
part time, or flexible working arrangements. This is when traditional
employment limitations as well as long developed interests come more
into focus.

Career planning at each stage of a person’s working
career can best be analyzed by considering the following: (1) Take stock
of your career. Define your career and objectives at regular intervals
preferably at least once a year. Do it in writing. (2) Research and
identify possible career options that could meet those career
objectives. (3) Evaluate your skills, personality, training and
experience. Develop a plan so you can pursue your career objectives. (4)
Make a decision as to which career options are the best. Build a plan
in the near, medium and long term to reach your career objectives. (5)
Be flexible as you monitor your progress. Refine the plan, challenge
yourself.

It’s critical for you to invest in career planning
during each stage of a successful career for short-, medium-and
long-term achievement. Ask yourself, are you following a well defined
career roadmap or simply working a succession of jobs? If you said yes
to the latter, it’s never to late to get started.

Best Career Objectives for your Resume

Career Objective – A statement that presents a vision, guiding principles and future career aspirations for the prospective candidate. It also sets the tone of the entire resume. It tells the reader who you are in a single concise way that encompasses the very essence of your abilities.

Everyone knows the standard resume needs a career objective. But why? Is it because everyone assumes you have to have one? Is it because hiring managers require it? What would happen if you had the most comprehensive and impressive career objective that others were measured against?

The Career Objective should not be:

1. A meaningless set of dribble to fake out the reader
2. A set of words that have no tie to the candidate’s wants, needs or desires for their future.
3. A creation of disconnected terms and ideas that have no business being put together without internal assessment

Companies need to fill positions within their organization with the best qualified individual(s). Hiring managers will review hundreds of resumes with the first 30 seconds being crucial to getting to the second stage. The face to face interview.

What would the be the best career objective for your resume?

Your career objective is a one sentence character representation of who you are and sets the stage for the message you want to deliver. – “This is who I am, who I want to be and how I will make your company successful”

There are many ways to write a career objective that begins to set you apart from other candidates in the eyes of the reader…

Lets examine a sample job description for a Computer Analyst:

Duties and Responsibilities:

Requirements for support specialist include:

Direct support services:

* Plan, create, and coordinate support services in response to office needs.
* Responsible for testing, quality assurance, configuration, installation, implementation, maintenance of all related support services.
* Design, document, develop, test, install, deploy, and teach end users on the use of new and updated support software applications.

Technical assistance services on the standard office applications

* Produce a variety of documentation materials that include tables, graphs and charts
* Provide assistance to personnel in preparation of meeting presentations.
* Provide technical support e.g. enlarging charts and photographs, duplicating tapes and videos, and marking exhibits.
* Operate video editing and duplicating equipment.

These sample career objectives may come from a prospective candidates that may apply:

Technical (1) – To obtain a position within an organization that will allow me to utilize my technical skills, experience and willingness to help others.

Technical (2) – To acquire a position that affords me the opportunity to bring my technical expertise, problem solving skills and willingness to learn to make an organization successful.

Career objectives are the fundamental principles the candidate brings to the table. It enables them to promote their ideals, skills and abilities that an organization can utilize for the sole purpose of growing the company. The better a candidate can articulate the message the better the chances they will be invited to interview.