Considering Career ReEntry in a Scary Economy

With the unemployment rate of 6.1% and the much publicized job losses on Wall Street, it is a scary time for people who are considering going back to work.

Over the last few months job seekers have increasingly shared their concern that more layoffs have increased competition in the job market. With more qualified workers in the market for jobs, some career reentry professionals fear that competition will make it harder for them to find work.

No doubt that is a significant possibility.

In addition to advising career reentry professionals to stay positive and focus on the advantages they have to offer, here are some concrete actionable steps job seekers should think about:

Revisit and revamp resume writing
Get help with a free resume critique from a professional resume writer. This is not the time to get your career reentry resume tossed for mistakes and errors which can easily be avoided.

Sell current job skills and the need for less training
Employers looking to reduce costs in a tight economy may want to save time and money by hiring workers who need less training.

Be willing to take part-time hours and less benefits
Many career reentry jobseekers who want to reenter the workplace are willing to so on a temporary basis at first. Employers love part-time employees who offer the scheduling flexibility during difficult times.

Consider volunteering to gain new skills
If you were exploring workplace reentry into a new career, where you might not have all the experience you need, consider volunteering. Not only will the experience give you an advantage in your new career, you may parlay this volunteer work into a long term relationship when the economy improves.

Resume and Interview FAQs

Penn Foster Launches Online Medical Assistant Associate Program

Source - PennFoster.edu

Penn Foster College has recently launched its Medical Assistant Online Associate Degree Program!

With the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting significant growth in the need for healthcare workers such as Medical Assistants, it made perfect sense that Penn Foster would add this option to their catalog. New job openings for Medical Assistants will grow 52% in the 10 year period between 2004 and 2014.

The Medical Assistant program at PennFoster will incorporate training about Law and Ethics in Medicine, Medical Terminology and Anatomy and Physiology.

Graduates will be eligible for employment in:

Hospital
Nursing Home
Medical Group Practice
Home Health Agencies

Click here to learn more about enrollment.

5 Signs it is Time to Change Your Major

The National Association of Colleges and Employers is a professional organization of college career centers and employers who recruit entry level new college graduates. Here are some of the results from a NACE survey where 1,218 college students were asked about the influences for chosing a major.

- 66% said they’d picked a major based on their career interests.
- 7% chose their major based on its perceived earning potential.
- 6% picked their major following the advice of friends and family.
- 12% said they just sort of drifted into their major.
- 9% cited other reasons, including inspiration from their teachers.

Once you have chosen a major, it is not unusual to contemplate making a change. How do you know when to go ahead and actually make the change?

Consider this checklist:

1. You are struggling in your current major core courses
2. Your core courses are boring and uninteresting to you
3. You realize that you chose your major for the wrong reason
4. You keep wanting to explore other classes
5. You have taken a class in another major that you found really interesting or where you did really well
6. You have developed a curiousity about other careers

Before you make the decision to change your major, connect with your academic department or the career center so that advisors can help you manage the paperwork required to make the transition.

So take some time to critically evaluate your reasons for choosing the major you’ve selected.

If they don’t add up, don’t be afraid to make a change!

Amazing Careers - Actor Paul Newman (1925-2008)

Paul Newman, a Hollywood favorite with an amazing career spanning several decades passed away on Friday.

Newman's long life is testament to the fact that multiple, successful careers are possible and career highlights can come at anytime in life.

Here are just a few of Paul Newman's career highlights:

- Navy career in World War II
- Recognized and highly regarded film career from 1954 to 2005
- Raced Nissan cars in the mid 70's to 90's
- Winning race car driver at 70 years old
- Started Newman's Own at 57 years old.
- Philanthropist donating $250 million from the Newman's Own brand
- His first movie was The Silver Chalice in 1954
- Last worked on Broadway at 78 years old
- Voice of Doc in the movie Cars at 81 years old
- Politically active and ranked 19th on Richard Nixon's list of enemies
- Nominated for an primetime Emmy for producing Empire Falls at 80 years old

For more on Paul Newman's career.

How College Grads Turn Off Employers

With unemployment rate at 6.1%, the highest in five years, unemployed college grads need to think seriously about what employers are observing from them in the job search.

When asked to identify the biggest mistakes recent college graduates make during the application and job interview process, employers cited the following:

- 69% say that new college grads who are acting bored or cocky in the job search
- 65% say candidates are not dressing appropriately
- 59% candidates coming to the interview with no knowledge of the company
- 57% cited new graduates not turning off cell phones or electronic devices
- 50% are not asking good questions during the interview
- 39% cited candidates asking about pay is before the company considered them for the job
- 23% cited candidates who spam employers with the same resume and/or cover letter
- 20% cite failure to remove unprofessional photos/content from social networking pages, Web pages, blogs, etc

Some recommendations to be more competitive:
-Customize your communications.
- Get involved.
- Leverage the Internet.
- Clean up your digital dirt.
- Read - Looking for a Job? Make it easy for employers to find you. Set up a professional voicemail and email account

The basics still apply as well. Be respectful of the recruiter's and arrive on time. Dress conservatively and turn off your cell phone. Be sure to remind the employer that you are really interested in the job.

Fall Schedules Affected by Gas Prices

Several colleges including 2-year colleges in South Carolina modified fall school schedules to help students save on commuting costs.

Some of the big changes?
- Eliminating Friday classes
- Creating one day schedules so that students could come to campus just one day per week
- Ramping up online classes
- Helping students out with gas cards

One 18-year old nursing freshman, Bridget Morton whose schedule would now allow one less 30-mile round trip to Cheraw school, told the Aiken Standard, "It is a big help. Gas prices are through the roof."

Savings are actually going beyond the gas tank, since some adult students also had less need for childcare programs.

The reaction of schools to gas prices really demonstrate the flexibility in vocational training programs that understand that responsibilities of todays students.

Does Your Career Need a Bailout?

I spoke with a colleague yesterday who shared that his depreciating 401K and disappearing home equity would probably delay his planned career bailout, otherwise known as retirement, in Feb 2009.

He joked that the proposed $700 billion business bailout was the government’s way of forcing baby boomers like him to stay in the workplace longer than planned. He was ready to move on and counting the days to an encore career. His already scheduled 21-day career bailout cruise would give him just enough time to think more seriously about what that encore career could be.

His planned career bailout was at least coming after 15 successful and enjoyable years doing work he liked. His company, like many others, was serious about keeping baby boomers on their payroll and so my colleague didn’t think he would mind working on his job longer than planned.

Our conversation, as it always does with him, made me think.

How many of us wish we could bail out of our own careers right now? How many of us would be devastated if we had to stay in our current job longer than planned? How many of us think our current work feels like a prison sentence and would stress significantly, if we knew we had to stay longer?

If you are considering exploring your career options and executing a personal career bailout you should know that the government will not - I repeat - will not, come to your rescue. No. Your successful career bailout from an unhappy workplace will have to come as a result of your own honest self evaluation; your own decision to no longer be shackled by work that paralyzes rather than excites and your courage to map a new journey for yourself.

As an eternal optimist, always thinking of possibilities, a tight economy or heaven forbid a layoff, could be the career awakening that many dissatisfied workers seek. It has worked for many people. This could be the time to reexamine not only one's finances, but one's life work and make a commitment to move towards more satisfying careers.

So, in addition to planning for life after layoff, we should also be thinking about life if we have to stay in our jobs longer than planned.

Men's Wearhouse National Suit Drive

Kudos to Men's Warehouse on their National Men's Suit Drive in recognition of their 35th anniversary. I have been a fan of Men's Warehouse for years since they started offering discount cards for new college grads years ago.

Certainly to give the best impression in the job interview a business professional suit is necessary.

As their advertisement says, "For many unemployed men, a new suit is the first step toward a second chance." The donated attire will be distributed by local non-profits to benefit at-risk men and youth who are transitioning into the workplace. If you or someone you know is going back to work, one of these donated suits could help you.

To participate, simply visit one of 550 Men's Wearhouse stores to donate gently worn professional attire including suits, sport coats, slacks, ties, and belts. All donations are tax deductible, and participants will receive a 10% discount off their next Men's Wearhouse purchase as a special thank you. They will also contribute a new dress shirt for every donated suit they receive.

The program ends on October 31, 2008.

Financial Careers for College Graduates

MoneyNews.com actually reported that New York City's financial sector lost 2,000 jobs in June 2008. This is as a result of a severe downturn as banks and brokerages see their profits shrink.

If you are still choosing a career direction or choosing a college major, financial careers still offer options. Although there are losses in sector now, analysts are still projecting growth in the number of these jobs available moving forward.

Accountants
Employment of accountants and auditors is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2014. Changing laws will increase the need for accountants. Private companies will continue to need accountants. Accountants who have a lot of special skills, such as certified public accountants (CPAs) and certified management accountants, should have the easiest time finding a job. Learn more.

Financial Analysts
Financial Analysts have a college degree in business, accounting, statistics, or finance. Many will get a master's degree in business administration (MBA) also.
Math, computer, and problem-solving skills are vital as are good people skills and communication skills are needed to work with clients. Learn more.

Loan Officers
There are 3 kinds of Loan Officers. Commercial loan officers work with businesses.
Mortgage loan officers help people buy houses or other real estate and Consumer loan officers work with people who want a loan for personal things like a car. Learn more.

Bookkeeping Clerks
More than 2 million people worked as bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in 2004. They work in all industries and in local, State, and Federal Government. Also, many work in the accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services industry. Those working for employment services firms are growing in number. About 1 out of 4 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks worked part time in 2004. Learn more

Real Estate Agents
Real estate agents help people buy and sell houses. They know what their neighborhoods are like and can know, from reports, approximately how much money a house is worth. Their knowledge includes real estate laws, loans and funding a house and sales/marketing skills. They are paid typically by getting a small percentage of the price of the house they sold. Learn more

Teens and Parents On Technology like MySpace

Teens and parents should know that more and more employers are looking at social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to screen potential employees.

A Pew Foundation survey from late 2007, shows how teens see and use techology compared to how their parents see and use technology.

The research shows that today's parents are staying involved with the online lives of their teens:

- Percentage of parents who check to see websites viewed by their teens after their child gets off the internet? 65%
- Percentage of parents who know whether or not their online teenager has ever created his/her own social networking site profile that others can see at sites such as MySpace or Facebook? 74%

Since employers are paying such close attention to social networking sites to screen candidates, parents have to not only know that teens have profiles on these sites, but know more about the type of content as well.

For curious parents, MySpace Unraveled, could be a great resource.

Electrical Wiring Classes for Unemployed Adults

The Greenwood Career and Technical Center in Mississippi is offering new classes for unemployed adults to get certified in masonry and electrical wiring.

Students become certified at the end of 160 hours. Not only do they receive this certificate, they receive an Occupational Safety and Health Administration card to demonstrate to potential employers that they have received the training.

The program is supported by the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation. In addition to these programs in masonry and electrical wiring the center is also offering shorter programs in welding, automotive repair, brick masonry, basic computer applications, cake decorating, and art.

Greenwood is a rural area in Mississippi where the median income for a family was $26,393 in the 2000 census.