Tip of the Day

Some tips on Career Growth

1. Do more than is expected of you. Prove that you’re capable of handing more responsibility. Volunteer for special assignments.

2. Take initiative and do what needs to be done, before being asked.

3. Learn the skills you’ll need to advance. Take advantage of on-the-job training, but don’t rely exclusively on that. Consider taking (and paying for) skill-enhancing courses on your own.

4. Be loyal to your boss, your team, and your company. (Yes, you can be loyal without being a “brown-noser.”)

5. Be patient and don’t expect to be promoted without demonstrating your abilities over time.

6. View the big picture and understand your company’s mission. Find ways to help them accomplish it.

7. Save money for your company by identifying ways to boost revenues, reduce expenses, or streamline processes.

8. Offer solutions to the problems you must take to your boss.

9. Show respect to everyone — superiors, peers, subordinates, and especially customers.

10. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.” If you don’t know something, say so; don’t try to fake it. Find the answers you need.

11. Take responsibility for your actions. If you’re at fault, admit it and take the blame. If you’re wrong, apologize.

12. Never gossip. Gossip can hurt the careers of two people: the person being talked about, and the person doing the talking.

http://moralsandethics.wordpress.com/2007/02/08/20-powerful-tips-for-career-growth/

Work Abroad Wednesday

10 Working Abroad Tips

1) The first thing you need to do is decide where you want to go and work! This may sound very obvious – but aside from picking a random nation to land in and bestow your skills upon, there is actually a little more thought that needs to go into picking a location.

2) Then pick the region or even town or city that you want to base yourself in. For example, you’ve just finished studying French at university and you want to go to France for the summer and work. Well, do you want to head for the south coast and work in a tourist bar, do you want to end up in Paris working as an au pair.

3) With a nation and a location in mind you have to think about getting a work permit or residency visa – if you’re an EU national and you’re going to work in another EU country then you will not have to worry so much about this side of things. It’s likely that you will have to register your presence in the nation with the local police station of immigration office – but for those going further afield or for Aussies, Americans or Kiwis heading for Europe, there is paperwork to be completed. Contact the nearest embassy to you of the country you want to travel to and work in. Embassies are usually in capital cities and they often have a strong web presence as well which can at least give you a basic grounding in the paperwork you will need to complete to be allowed to work abroad.

4) With the country, the city and the paperwork sorted it’s time to think about actually working abroad and the capacity in which you are hoping to be employed. If you’re simply seeking casual work and you don’t mind what you do, it can be sufficient to just arrive and go from bar to bar, farm to farm or shop to shop asking for a job.

5) Looking for jobs abroad can be done via the Internet – you can contact employment agencies local to the country or even town you’re hoping to head for, you can contact agencies specialising in international recruitment, you can contact agencies specialising in recruiting for the work you’re hoping to secure.

6) Another top tip is thinking about whether you know people who live abroad. If you do, are they in locations that you might like to work in? If so this can be a great way in for you to get acclimatised to living and working abroad. Think about the useful people you know and consider targeting them for advice and assistance with your plans to work overseas – you’ll be surprised how happy people are to help when you show an interest in their lives and their nation.

7) If you want to travel and work abroad, consider getting a qualification or gaining skills in an area of employment that is portable. One of the favourite choices for those hoping to live all over the world and work is TEFL – or teaching English as a foreign language. The best, most recognised courses are those that are accredited by the Cambridge examinations board – steer clear of distance learning or Internet based courses as you will gain no practical experience and employers will not give your resume a second glance.

8) If you have a particular skill or area of expertise and you’re not sure where in the world you want to work abroad, try and find out where your skills or areas of expertise are most in demand.

9) Think about the financial aspect of moving abroad very seriously. Even if you have a job lined up for when you arrive or you intend to bum around and don’t care if you earn all that much, you will have an initial outlay at least for accommodation.

10) And finally – even before you go and certainly when you’re on the road travelling overseas, remember to network actively! It’s not what you know in life but who you know! When it comes to getting on in life, you can never have too many useful contacts.

http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/more/ten-working-abroad-tips

Tip of the Day

Career Building Tips

1. Go out on a limb
If you are still in school, work with the career counselor to set up a "shadowing" program. Contact several business leaders in the community and see if they are amenable to having a student go to work with them for a day. Nothing can compare to following a worker through a real "day in the life." On your assigned day, be respectful and spend the majority of time really listening but assist if you are asked.

2. Build Relationships
Don't hesitate to further establish your reputation by building relationships. Earning your client's and customer's trust will go along way toward shaping who you are and what you hope to achieve.

3. Do Outreach
Who can you possibly help? Anyone who is in a position to learn what you already know. Act as a mentor in your community for those less fortunate. Volunteer and find a way to "pay it forward" for teens who might need some friendly advice.

4. The visibility Factor
Acting as a mentor, working on community projects and building relationships all help to give you a brand---defining who you are. But take your visibility one step further by using advertising, a webpage or writing articles online or in your community newspaper to share more of what you know and what you're up to.

5. In the Loop
Networking is how people find out about the little things. And word spreads fast in our information culture. Look for ways to remain "in the loop." Stay in touch by going to church, joining a rotary club or showing up at job fairs. Pass out your business card, shake hands and find out what others are doing.

6. Stay Motivated
Read management books, listen to motivational tapes, and use positive reinforcement vehicles to keep up your spirits. Bad language, poor attitudes and lack of cooperation can kill branding and your reputation faster than anything.

http://www.ehow.com/way_5154020_career-building-tips.html

Mentoring Monday

Workplace Motivation

1. Know your Goal
It is essential that you and any co-workers understand exactly what you are working towards. Make sure that you have a very clear idea and vision for your business goal, and make it very specific. This needs to be made clear to every person working on the project. Without this understanding it will be difficult to achieve it.

2. Know your Reasons
What are your reasons for reaching this goal? If you do not have a very good reason, you will not be motivated. If you work alone your reasons may be personal, but for your colleagues, your understanding of what motivates them needs to come into play here. This understanding will help you to create powerful reasons for anyone you work with.

3. Know your Strategy
After following the first two steps, the motivation that is created will help you to create powerful strategies for achieving the goal, and those who work with you will be able to contribute valuable ideas because they have a reason for doing so.

4. Review
In order to maintain motivation, make sure that your goals are regularly reviewed by yourself and any others. Check that your action plan is working, and make any adjustments necessary to the goal or the strategy to make sure you are staying on task.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Business-Coaching-and-Mentoring---Workplace-Motivation&id=2115552

Freelance Friday

Easy Steps to start your Freelance Business

1. Develop an online presence as a freelancer.
You can’t get work as a freelancer if no one knows that you are available for projects. One of the best ways to let people know that you freelance is through your blog or portfolio site. If you don’t have a website already, it’s time to set one up.

2. Add freelancing availability to your social media profile.
For many freelancers, one of their best sources of clients is the people they already know. If you keep in touch with friends, family, former classmates, or colleagues through social media then you need to make sure that your social media profile includes the fact that you are willing to take on freelance work. Also, many organizations now use social media to recruit freelancers for projects.

3. Build a professional profile on a bidding site.
While bidding sites may not always offer the best opportunities, if you understand how they work it is possible to land some good jobs there. Remember, many successful freelancers got their start by first finding work on a bidding site. When your profile is complete, don’t forget to bid on some projects.

4. Find freelance job opportunities online and apply for them.
You can use online tools such as iGoogle to search for and find online job postings. The more projects that you apply for, the more likely it is that you will be selected for a project. (Repeat this step of searching for and applying for jobs online frequently.)

5. Offer to do something for free.
While typically working for free is not a very good idea, when you are just starting out as a freelancer taking on a project that you can use for your portfolio and as a sample of your work is not always a bad thing. Also, getting involved in a project (even a gratis one) can help get you into the mindset of a freelancer and give you the momentum you need to keep going.


http://freelancefolder.com/five-ways-to-start-a-freelance-business-right-now/

Tip of the Day

Interview Tips

- Learn as much as you can about the prospective employer by reviewing its Web site thoroughly, reading industry publications and talking to others who may know about the company's culture and what the firm may be looking for in an employee.

- Review your resume. Think about how your skills and accomplishments can be assets to the company.

- Be prepared to answer these standard questions:
1. Can you tell me a little about yourself?
2. Why do you want to work here? What do you know about the company?
3. What are your strengths/weaknesses?
4. Why did you leave your last job and what have you been doing since then?

- Also be prepared for off-the-wall questions, which are increasingly common. Don't be surprised if you're asked a questions such as, "If you could have lunch with someone famous, who would it be?" These questions provide information about your personality and how you think on your feet.

- Practice answering interview questions out loud. You want your responses to sound confident but not rehearsed.

- Prepare your own list of questions to ask the interviewer. Remember: this is your opportunity to learn more about the position and the company's culture.

- Complete a list of two to three professional references, or people who can speak positively about your skills and work ethic. Just be sure to ask if they are willing to serve as your references before you give out their contact information.

- Be prepared to complete a written application, which will likely ask for your contact information and the addresses and phone numbers of your previous employers.

http://www.dressforsuccess.org/careers_careertips.aspx

Work Abroad Wednesday

Work Abroad Tips

The country
The country you choose to move to may well be dictated by your profession and the ability to find suitable employment there - alternatively, if you’re looking for a fairly casual contract of employment your country choice options may be far broader.

Permissions
Depending on the country you herald from and the one in which you’d now like to work, certain visas, permits, permissions and approval may be required to enter the country, reside there and take up a job. Make sure you check out all the requirements before making a commitment to a country and find out whether it’ll be easier for you to get all your permissions if you have an offer of employment already.

Your Qualifications
In some countries many standard university and further education qualifications translate like for like. Some professional qualifications however do not translate and different countries have different standards, working practices and governing bodies that people with certain qualifications operating in certain trades or professions will have to have translated.

Taxation
Don’t forget that some countries have an even more restrictive taxation regime than your own! Check out the rates of tax you’ll be liable for based on the country you’re interested in moving to and the salary you can expect to earn. Remember that as an expatriate living abroad you’re entitled to all the tax breaks offered in your new country of residence and you may also be entitled to more breaks especially if you have to support two households.


http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/more/tips_for_working_abroad

Tip of the Day

Create a plan

The most important benefit of having a plan is that it gives you a sense of direction in helping you reach your goals.
In real life career planning, we choose the paths that we believe will take us to our destinations, but we have to be open to embarking upon new paths which may emerge in the course of our journey.
Just as having a plan is important, so is the importance of planning to be flexible. It will keep you open to a realm of possibilities and help you arrive at your rightful destination.

http://ezinearticles.com/?8-Career-Planning-Tips-That-Work&id=2162515

Mentoring Monday

Mentoring Tips for the Workplace

Knowledge: Be aware of your roles and responsibilities
- Observe: Watch what is going on around you, be aware of the things that are happening, and not happening in the workplace.

- Learn: Be open to the learning opportunities surround us all the time. Try a different method or approach. Model continual learning!

Attitude: Attitude determines how you interpret the things that come your way. Be positive. Choose to see things positively.

- Get to know people: Strike up a conversation during lunch or break. Work on building trust. Find out what interests people...You might have more in
common than you knew.

- Ask questions: Never be afraid to ask a question. If you do not get what you are looking for, try asking the question a different way. Be aware of what you say, and how you say it.

- Listen: Remember that silence and listening are NOT the same thing. If you ask a question, be sure to really listen to the response.

Behaviour: Be patient with yourself and those that you are working with.Do not be in too much of a rush. Do not rush your work.

- Take action: Show initiative. If you see something that needs doing, do it.This sets a great example for others.

- Give your best effort: Do things yourself the way you would want them to be done - Model best practices in what you do.

- Share: Share your knowledge and experiences with others.

http://apprenticeship.nscc.ca/mentoring/Mentoring.Resource.Handout.Tips.pdf

Summer Job Blitz

How to use your summer job to aquire skills to advance your possible career

1. Identify what you like the most- Decide what tasks that you enjoy the most and what tasks you enjoy the least.

2. Skip the rumors- When you finish your summer job, always walk away with a good reputation and reference.

3. Hone your communication abilities- To learn to communcate effectively choose a job that requires lots of interaction with other people.

4. Learn problem solving- If you are given expectations, you know what is asked of you and you can take the initiative to identify problems in the workplace and solve them instantly.

5. Having a summer job is a good way to learn about networking- Hold on to your network by staying in touch with the people you work with after the summer.

6. Look beyond the immediate- Understand that what you do may seem routine, but to the certain company, its key.

7. Recognize the skills your job is giving you- Look at the most complex tasks you have accomplished and understand what it says about you and to what extent you are able to perform.

8. Develop good habits- Learn about being punctual.

9. Go even deeper- If you had a summer job in the past, work at getting even more skills that are complex than you did the previous summer.

10. Because work can be stressful at times, chill out- Managing that stress can be accomplished by exercising and deep breathing.

11. Get Real- Summer jobs are an opportunity to get a realistic expectation of the workplace and to understand that nothing is perfect.

12. Get personal at your workplace- A summer job can create a chance to develop interpersonal skills in a diverse environment.

13. Once you finish your job at summers end, take notes of the skills you acquire, specifically what skills you have honed and which new skills you have developed- Walk away from your job at the end of the summer with better ideas of what your skills are and what you are good at.


http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Your-Summer-Job-to-Acquire-Skills-to-Advance-Your-Possible-Career

Summer Job Blitz

Some Summer Job search links

Check these out for the latest summer job postings

Job Connect-http://www.loyalistc.on.ca/jobconnect/posting/SummerPostings.aspx

Quinte Student Jobs- http://www.quintestudentjobs.blogspot.com/

Job Bank- http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/intro-eng.aspx

Go Jobs - http://www.gojobs.gov.on.ca/Jobs.aspx

For more Summer job postings visit The Career Centre in room 2H3

Summer Job Blitz

How to apply for a summer job

1.Begin your search early
Don't wait until school gets out; if you do, you will be facing a lot of competition. Start your search at least a couple of weeks before school breaks for the summer.


2.Have an up-to-date resume ready A resume simply lists your career objective, relevant experience and education information, along with skills or qualifications that make you a suitable candidate for the job. You can learn how to write a resume that will attract the attention of an employer online.

3. Do a thorough search
In order to get summer work you need to look in many different directions. Look through your local classified section in the newspaper, pay attention when you are out running errands for "help wanted" signs posted, and search online using keywords that will narrow your search down to your city and state.

4. Apply during slow times of the day
If you are applying for a restaurant job, it's best not to visit during peak hours when management staff may be busy. Submit your resume and application during times when there is a lull in business, when you may be able to speak with the person responsible for hiring.

5. Follow instructions in the job ad
If you find a job advertisement online or in the newspaper, pay attention to specific instructions. If the ad states certain hours of the day to submit your application, that is when you should take it in.

6. Be persistent
Employers tend to hire those individuals who show a real interest for the job. After submitting your application and resume, follow up. Wait for a few days, then call the person responsible for hiring. When you are in the area, drop by to check on the status of your application. By simply dropping off your application and never contacting the hiring manager again, your chances of landing the job decrease substantially.

7. Present yourself in a professional manner
Most employers will be turned off by applicants who show up dressed in a sloppy manner, or who have tattoos and piercings all over their bodies. Cover up tattoos, remove piercings and dress in a conservative manner. You want to look neat, clean and polished in order to make a good impression.

When applying for a summer job, always be polite and speak clearly. Those who show enthusiasm for the position and follow up frequently usually land the job.


http://www.sampleresume.net/How-to-Apply-for-a-Summer-Job.html

Summer Job Blitz

How do you keep your job search moving forward this summer?

Here are 5 tips to heat up your job search:

1) Capitalize on Seasonal Events: Summer is a terrific time to network. Using personal and social gatherings to let people know you are looking is an excellent strategy.

2) Keep a Job Search Schedule: Yes, it's summer, but don't be lulled into laziness. Even if it is just an hour a day, put structure in place to keep you going.

3) Build a Network: Form a group of like-minded job seekers to keep your summer job search on track.

4) Take Stock of Your Resume and Skills: Summer is the perfect time to assess and update your resume and skills.

5) Get Outside: Warm weather is the prime time for outdoor home improvement projects, and by helping your neighbors you can help your career at the same time. While you're helping that neighbor, you can share that you're job hunting and tap into someone else's network.

When it comes to your job search, you can use the summer months to find an ideal career fit. Your time and effort can reap big rewards and even land you a new job before autumn.

http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/sizzling-summer-job-search-tips/article.aspx

Summer Job Blitz

Are you looking for a summer job?

If you plan on working over the summer, now is the time to start looking for your summer job!

Many employers have already started recruiting for their summer positions. Don't wait until it is too late. Get ahead of the game and start applying now!

Freelance Friday

Branding Yourself

If you’re not a designer yourself, invest the money in someone who knows what they are doing as the difference is immeasurable and the impact of looking professional can make the crucial difference when your potential client hasn’t yet had the chance to know you by your quality of work.

When it comes to your website, make sure you get a domain name that is:
1.Easy to remember. Really long domains can be confusing, as can ones with odd acronyms or letters in them

2.Easy to spell. If you have to say your web or email address over the phone it’s always better if you don’t have to say it letter by letter with things like dashes or underscores mixed in.

3.Appropriately descriptive. A name that says something or ties in with your name or business name is best. Its easy to remember and immediately identifies you
Make no mistake, having a website and particularly a domain name is essential. Freelancing off a hotmail account just does not come across as professional or serious and impressions count.

When it comes to building your website, there are a few key pieces of information that must be on there, they are:

1.An introduction of some sort – usually just a statement is best
2.Your services, or else how will anyone know what you do?
3.Examples of your previous work
4.Contact details

http://freelanceswitch.com/start/a-comprehensive-guide-to-starting-your-freelance-career/

Tip of the Day

Career Success Tips

Set Goals
The formation of achievable targets is key to increasing career motivation and, upon accomplishment of these goals, furthering career success.The employee should set out a career plan, detailing milestones which are to be achieved within certain timescales. This plan should be updated and monitored regularly.

Expand your Network of Friends
Employees seeking success in their career should endeavour to have a broad social network of colleagues, who will support the employee whilst also providing challenges to ensure that the best is being achieved at all times.The employee should seek not only to broaden his or her social network, but maintain ties with current associates, so that a wide range of qualities can be called upon if required during the lifespan of the career.

Find a Mentor and also mentor somebody
The employee should identify a person within the same industry from whom advice and guidance can be sought, as well as assistance in times of need.As well as seeking a mentor, employees looking to further their career should become a mentor themselves, in doing so building a reputation whilst proving to those in higher authority that management skills are possessed.

http://www.suite101.com/content/top-tips-for-career-success-a201803

Work Abroad Wednesday

Looking for jobs abroad can be done via the Internet

You can contact employment agencies local to the country or even town you’re hoping to head for, you can contact agencies specialising in international recruitment, you can contact agencies specialising in recruiting for the work you’re hoping to secure.

Additionally you can often get hold of newspapers from all over the world on the Internet – and jobs are often advertised therein – or the final option open to you is directly targeting potential employers with an application for employment.

http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/more/ten-working-abroad-tips

Tip of the Day

Reflect on your Likes and Dislikes, Needs and Wants

Change is a factor of life; everybody changes, as do our likes and dislikes. Something we loved doing two years ago may now give us displeasure. So always take time to reflect on the things in your life -- not just in your job -- that you feel most strongly about.

Make a two-column list of your major likes and dislikes. Then use this list to examine your current job and career path. If your job and career still fall mostly in the like column, then you know you are still on the right path; however, if your job activities fall mostly in the dislike column, now is the time to begin examining new jobs and new careers.

Finally, take the time to really think about what it is you want or need from your work, from your career. Are you looking to make a difference in the world? To be famous? To become financially independent? To effect change? Take the time to understand the motives that drive your sense of success and happiness.

http://www.quintcareers.com/career_planning_tips.html

Mentoring Monday

Know your goals

As a mentee, you need to be in the driver's seat of your mentoring relationships-not in the passenger seat while your mentor makes all the important choices about your career. To have that control, you need to do a personal inventory and know your career goals. You need to be able to articulate where you would like to go over the next period of your career and beyond and share what passions you have for a particular research field. Once you've articulated your goals clearly, your mentor will be better able to advise and guide you on possible steps and opportunities.

By knowing your goals, you will be in control of the path that you choose to take-and are more likely to be satisfied with your career decisions.

http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2009_08_14/caredit.a0900101
http://www.google.ca/imgres

Freelance Friday

Tips to keep your freelance business running while your on vacation

1.Work in Advance
For a freelancer, going on vacation is doubly expensive. Not only do you have to fork out on flights, accommodation and spending money like everybody else, you have to account for the money you’re not making while you’re away. If you want to maintain a steady income, spread extra work out over the weeks prior to your departure.

2.Choose Your Dates Carefully
An obvious one, but very important nonetheless–make sure you book your vacation for a time when you have relatively little work to do. If you have seasonal downtime in your industry, identifying the best time for a vacation is easy. If you don’t, try and line up your trip to coincide with the completion of several big projects.

3.Inform All Clients
There’s no use just sticking an Out of Office auto-reply into your email the night before you go away. An auto-reply is essential, sure, but you need to inform your clients well in advance of your departure. Important clients should be informed personally–don’t be scared, they’ll understand. Make sure they know that you’re contactable in an emergency. A short message should be added to your email signature, months before you leave, to inform everybody else.

4.Prepare Email Responses
Whether or not you intend to work while on vacation, you need to be sure that you still have jobs coming in while you’re away, to do on your return. To save time, you should prepare some canned responses for any potential new clients that might get in touch. Something like–I’m traveling until the 25th December, but I’d love to take a closer look at this on my return, please send over all the details and I’ll contact you as soon as I get back.

5.Outsource
If you really can’t fit all the work you need to do into the weeks prior to your vacation, consider outsourcing it to a trusted colleague. You might lose money in the short-term, but they’re bound to send work your way when they go on holiday themselves. Furthermore, it’s better to take on work offered by a client and give it somebody else you trust than it is to turn it down. Turn a client away once and you might never hear from them again.

http://freelancefolder.com/15-tips-to-keep-your-freelance-business-going-while-on-vacation/

Tip of the Day

Career Building tips

Always have an up to date copy of your resume
It’s easier to keep your resume current if you add new skills, projects and achievements to it as you go along. This is a good starting point for your career planning as it helps you to review your career path so far, and provides an at a glance picture of where you are at the moment.

Keep copies of job descriptions, appraisals and reviews, work objectives etc
These will provide the nuts and bolts of your career planning, and you can look back over them to see how you have changed and developed from job to job, and year to year.

Gather evidence of your achievements and times when you have done a job particularly well and received positive feedback
This may be letters or emails from your boss or colleagues praising your work, sales or budget figures, or samples of work you have produced. Not only will this boost your confidence and remind you of your successes, you will have these examples at your fingertips in interviews.

Start collecting copies of job ads that interest you
Even if your longer term goal is to stay within your current company, this will help you to identify the kinds of roles that attract you, and you can start to build up a picture of the skills and qualities you’ll need for those roles.

Think about what motivates and demotivates you
What you like and dislike doing. Try to analyse your strengths and weaknesses, in terms of your skills, qualities and experience –be as objective as possible, and base this on third party feedback where you can. Write all this down, and review it periodically– your motivation and strengths and weaknesses can change, particularly if you are aware of them and take steps to address them.

Set yourself objectives in relation to what you want to achieve, and make sure these are SMART
For example, if your long term goal is to become Managing Director, which could take you ten years, you need to break this down into smaller chunks so that you can see that you are moving closer to this goal. So you might set a medium term goal of gaining two years’ middle management experience, or a short term goal of attending a leadership training programme within the next two months.

http://www.aboutcareereducation.com/pages/practical-building.php

Work Abroad Wednesday

Working abroad after college

Finding Work Abroad that Pays
Most bachelor’s degrees come at a steep price, leaving many graduates with hefty school loans to pay back. If you have financial obligations that make it necessary to find paying work abroad, consider the following suggestions:

Join the Peace Corps. Volunteers are provided with a modest living stipend and receive a transition allowance at the end of their service. They can also defer payment of their school loans and may qualify for a 15 percent cancellation of their outstanding balance for each year of service.

Do freelance work If you have experience where work is often contracted, consider marketing yourself as a freelancer. Extensive research in finding employers will pay off with a flexible schedule that allows for travel.

Plan on Changing Your Plan
Plans sometimes go your way but they can change in the snap of a finger, make sure you have a back up plan.


http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0411/how_to_work_after_college.shtml