Career Paths - Choosing between Trade School and Traditional University - CareerAlley

Career Paths - Choosing between Trade School and Traditional University - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. By Katherine Gredley Deciding a career path is difficult, and not the least among the necessary decisions is the education necessary to get the job you want. College is expensive, but its hard to know if a trade school is the better decision for you. Here are some considerations to make your decision easier. You should consider traditional university if: Youre not sure what career you want to pursue You want a well-rounded and diverse education Your desired career specifically requires a certain degree You want your learning to focus on theories You value knowledge more than just employability You should consider trade school if: You want a specific job that has a trade specific certification. Some careers like this are: Beautician Massage Therapist Culinary Arts Welder Automotive Careers Medical Assistant Practical Nursing You want a shorter education so that you can start work sooner You want your learning to be practical training, rather than theory-based You want to focus on learning the skills for your specific desired job Youre more concerned with employability than general knowledge Typically, vocation-specific schools are faster paced, more specific, and involve more hands-on training than traditional bachelor degree programs. Because they are shorter programs, they are often less expensive. They usually are very job-focused, providing career placement services for students, and honing the skills necessary for immediate employability. Some jobs, however, absolutely require college degrees. Careers in research, education, and high-level business often require a lot of background knowledge in order to be successful. There are also traditional education opportunities that help offset the cost, such as local public schools, community colleges, scholarship programs, and grants. Traditional college does not have to be more expensive than trade school. Ultimately, the best program for you will depend on your desired career path, as well as your learning style. Make sure you research the requirements for the field you want to enter, the cost for all your options, and talk with people who have gone through the programs youre considering. Most schools can put you in contact with students and alumni. Byline: by Kate Gredley This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search.Joey Trebif

Applying for Jobs Introducing the Cut the Crap Job Description Profile

Applying for Jobs Introducing the “Cut the Crap” Job Description Profile Applying for Jobs? Introducing the “Cut the Crap” Job Description Profile I’m going to teach you a new way to win a job. Right now. Todays reality: I’m a hiring manager and I have taken the time to write my job “spec” or job description, and now I need to rifle through tens or hundreds of résumés. Your résumé, like all others, is a chronological output of your background, but does nothing to tell me if you have the skills to do MY job. For those of you who know the children’s book series “Where’s Waldo”, that’s what it feels like. For the few applications that have cover letters, they just summarize their résumé and still don’t help me connect the dots between you and what I need. Solution: Write your one page Cut the Crap or CTC Job Description Profile (JD Profile) for each specific position. The revolutionary new JD Profile is going to compare your background, skills, and experiences to the exact job in a very compelling way. It is the single most critical document that will determine your job search success. And its one page! I designed this proprietary practice 5 years ago and it has delivered results for job seekers I have provided it to. How to: In Microsoft WORD, create a simple table of Column A on the left and Column B on the right. Remember, your résumé is not organized to match the hiring manager’s job description list. Therefore, you are going to provide the right elements of your background as the “answer to their question.” More importantly, you can quantify your specific successes or results in each of the specification categories. Job Title, #: Your Name: Job Specifications from JD My Qualifications, Experience 1. 1. 2. 2. etc. (have 6-8 rows) It’s simple but do it well! You will fill Column A of your JD Profile with the contents of the job description in an abbreviated format. Bullet-point phrases are preferred. Remember, the audience wrote that job description so they will know what you are referring to. Group various requirements together, as appropriate. As an example, you can put all of the education specifications in one row. If you don’t have a job description, create the information as best you possibly can by looking up similar positions on Monster.com or Indeed.com to get a sense of the requirements. A hiring manager won’t mind if you take a guess at his/her job requirements. If you had any type of information-gathering meeting with the recruiter or hiring manager, be sure to ask clarifying questions about the job description or secure the job responsibilities if a job description doesn’t exist. Column B of your JD Profile is the most important. In each row and next to each job description skill or requirement, you will put concise and relevant information that shows your qualifications. If the Column A entry says “8-10 years in outside sales,” your column B may say “12 years in outside sales: 5 with IBM, 7 with Kodak, exceeding goals 11 out of the 12 years.” The key is to answer their requirements and add a bit more information than requested on their job description. You are sourcing the content for Column B of your CTC JD Profile from your résumé or from recalling key experiences in your background. Job seekers, here is your chance to draw out relevant experiences from your résumé and match them with the hiring manager’s needs. Always be truthful, do not embellish as all facts can be checked out. Use excellent grammar, punctuation, spelling and avoid acronyms they will not understand. Do not write long sentences or go two pages or 8 point font. Bullet points for concise points. There may be 6-8 rows in your table, and you need an answer for each one. In some cases, you do not have that experience or skill set. Do not lie or fill it with “fluff.” Simply say “No experience but will learn on the job.” It’s good to be humble. In “Cut the Crap, Get a Job! A New Job Process for a New Era”, on Amazon in April, 2013, I will teach you how to utilize another proprietary practice, a Cut the Crap or CTC Candidate Packet with this new JD Profile. Best of luck!

5 Steps To Negotiating Your Salary

5 Steps To Negotiating Your Salary Negotiating salary is a scary proposition for some people. Its also quite difficult if you are rusty on your negotiation skills. Ive put together a few tips for helping you get through the process with less sweat and more leverage. Step 1: Dont discuss salary until the employer makes an offer A good rule of thumb is to refrain from mentioning salary expectations in your resume. If the the ad you are responding to requests past salaries as some do, then comply. Otherwise, dont bring up salary at all. If asked during the interview, try to avoid the question. Respond in a manner such as: If you decide Im right for the position, then Im sure youll pay a fair and competitive rate, right? Id love to discuss salary with you, but before we get to that, Id like to know more about the position. Tell me more about ______. Is this a formal offer? The going salary range for that level of responsibility is between _______________ and _______________. You pay in that range, correct? Step 2: Allow the interview to make the offer She who speaks first loses. In salary negotiations, the first figure mentioned is the starting point. You dont want to sell yourself short. Let the interviewer make the offer and you go from there. That way, if the salary they offer is way off base and you dont see any way to meet in the middle, then you can gracefully bow out. Step 3: Do the research Dont negotiate in the blind. After your potential employer makes an offer, do a little research to determine the going salary range for your level of skill and experience. Check a variety of sources for the sake of comparison or you could end up getting less than you deserve. One useful source of information is the U.S. Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics). They publish annual salary data by occupation. You can also perform a Google search to find other salary information online. Be aware that salaries can vary according to location and whether or not will be employed in the public or private sector or in a profit or non-profit organization. Step 4: Let negotiations begin You want to get the highest salary possible. Your employer wants to pay the lowest amount to increase their bottom line. You should strive to be fair while maximizing your own value. Determine your value to your company and make an offer based on that. Step 5: Close the deal and keep negotiating Your salary is only one component of the negotiating process. You can also negotiate perks and benefits such leave time, profit sharing, bonuses, etc.

The Lost Secret of Compare Cprw Resume Writing Services

The Lost Secret of Compare Cprw Resume Writing Services What You Need to Do About Compare Cprw Resume Writing Services Choosing a professional resume writer is a worthwhile investment and might even prove to be among the best decisions in your career. For example, you must finish no less than a two-year course to go for a career in finance. Our career experts explain all you want to learn about locating a job without a degree here. Another benefit is you do not want a Bachelor's degree to be a freelancer. The New Angle On Compare Cprw Resume Writing Services Just Released In a nutshell, resume services and resume writers that are simple to work with. You might not be in a position to charge high fees at the beginning of your freelance work, but if you're determined to be successful in freelance, you will observe results in next to no moment. Most jobs don't ask for a particular education. There are several benefits of full time freelancing. Selecting a Professional Resum e Writer is a superb idea for the majority of professionals since resume writing is a distinctive skill. The Resume Station also painstakingly monitors the quantity of clients to guarantee expedient and personalized support. Resumes also tell you a good deal about yourself. They tell an employer a great deal about you. Here's What I Know About Compare Cprw Resume Writing Services To force you to get confusion-free, there's a service readily available in the work market which is the service of job consultancies. Complete the basic info and experience, so you may browse jobs by function and location. Dead End Jobs Dead End JobsMost jobs are in reality dead end jobs, compare it using a tunnel, if you're able to discover the light at the close of the work tunnel, that's the start of a career. Though the beginning can be exceedingly challenging, there's always success at the close of the tunnel. Writing your own resume with a small amount of research might seem to be an excell ent idea at the time as you're saving money and being creative. Based on your unique conditions, the procedure may take as few as two months or more than a year. The difficult situation you're in may become your time to shine. If you're a resume writer thinking about a certification, don't expect to get an immediate influx of business on account of the certification. In bigger companies, the recruitment and hiring process usually contains multiple stages which include a string of interviews, in addition to an HR screening process where educational certificates are verified, and wherever your referees will be reached. Simply due to the fact that hardly any individuals looking for resume writing services actually search for certifications. In order to be a certified professional resume writer, one has to take a totally virtual, online test. In fact, you may be ruining your odds of getting your dream job. In work, what you're earning may be decent, your colleagues could possib ly be cool, and the work could be fun, yet you might not be living your fantasy career. If you find work that you might not feel just like you are qualified for, that is all in your head. Though there are numerous people out there still searching for a new job. If you need assistance getting clarity on the following career move, you could be interested career path clarity coaching. Resume formatting is just one of the most influential aspects affecting your resume's capacity to create interviews.

6 Tips To Trimming The Length Of Your Resume - Work It Daily

6 Tips To Trimming The Length Of Your Resume - Work It Daily Yes, many of today’s resumes go through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before getting to the human reviewer, but keeping the resume down to one or two pages is still advised when possible. The ATS may not care for resume length, but ultimately it will get in the hands of the hiring manager for review and no one wants to read more than that. Use these tips to trim your resume. Related: 4 Quick Ways To Improve Your Executive Resume 1. Play with the margins It’s important to maintain white space on the resume so it’s appealing to read, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep the margins to 1 inch. Adjusting the layout so you have .75 or even half-inch margins all around will give you more space to include important content. 2. Utilize your lines effectively This applies in Contact Information and under Work Experience on your resume. Under your Contact Information section, rather than have one line solely dedicated to your phone number and then another line for your e-mail address, put them on the same line so you have “Phone Number / Email.” And rather than have one line for your job title followed by another line for your employment period, revise it to be on one line like “IT Help Desk Technician, 1/2010 â€" Present.” 3. Check your paragraph settings The spacing between lines may also be adjusted to save space on your resume document. While you don’t want text to appear jumbled, you also don’t need extra spacing between lines. Look under Page Layout and adjust the Spacing for Before and After for lines to 0 pt. 4. Avoid lengthy bullet points If you can’t keep a bullet point to under two line lengths, it shouldn’t be a bullet point! Bullet points on the resume are used to help highlight information, so when it runs longer than two line lengths, it loses its power to have impact. You’re better off keeping the information in paragraph form in that case. 5. Ask if it’s relevant Hiring managers only care for information that is relevant to the job, so ask yourself if all the information you have on your resume is relevant. Also consider your work history. Most employers only care for the last 10-15 years of your experience, so you don’t have to include information about your summer employment as an intern from 20 years ago. Keeping the content relevant not only helps you keep your resume to one page, but it also makes it stronger because your message on the resume isn’t diluted by irrelevant information. 6. Take out “References available upon request” If you have an old school resume, it probably will have “References available upon request” at the bottom. Today’s resumes don’t need to include that. It’s standard that employers will ask for references to complete the screening process before extending a job offer to you. Remember, the resume is like a piece of marketing. If you won’t read an advertisement that runs three pages long, the hiring manager isn’t going to do it with your resume. And even though the ATS works differently, the key is to only include what is relevant in the most succinct manner. Related Posts How To Customize Your Resume 3 Tips For Flaunting Your Value On Your Resume How To Make Dates On A Resume Work For You About the author Don Goodman’s firm was rated as the #1 Resume Writing Service in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Don is a triple-certified, nationally recognized Expert Resume Writer, Career Management Coach and Job Search Strategist who has helped thousands of people secure their next job. Check out his Resume Writing Service. Get a Free Resume Evaluation or call him at 800.909.0109 for more information. Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

10 Worst Reasons to Quit Your Job

10 Worst Reasons to Quit Your JobWeve all been there so fed up it seems the only option is to quit and departure afresh. But situations like that call for very careful consideration. If your reasons for the grand gesture happen to include any of the following, it might be best to reconsider. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Here are the 10 worst reasons to quit your job1. Youre boredYour job involves a lot of repetition. You feel like Sisyphus rolling his boulder up and down his little hill. But any jobno matter how glamorousinvolves doing something over and over again until you get better and better at it. Remember every job will involve some level of repetition. Ask yourself whether your work is challenging or ultimately satisfying, rather than whether its repetitive.2. You feel under-appreciatedYou know youre awesome. So why is no one tooting your horn? Where are your accolades? Recognition isnt something that happens overnightand it c ertainly cant accompany every little good thing that you do. Get over yourself keep working until you have something really worth celebrating.3. Youre still bedrngnis rich and famousMost people will never reach that level. Its not a great reason to quit your job. Perhaps you could do a bit of financial stock-taking and strategizing instead to see how you can maximize your time and talents? But quitting because youre not raking in the dough? Bad call. You have to work to earn that money, you know.4. Youre dauntedYou can see success. But its an uphill slog and about 5to 10years in the future. Just thinking about it makes you tired. But remember if you quit, youll be that many years and that much hard work behind plus the time and work it takes to get a new job. Better to put your head down and get abfluged.5. Youre not koranvers its worth itYoure weighing all the compromises and hard work against the possible eventual reward. Thats actually smart. Just make sure you run this by an obj ective third party whom you trust enough to tell you the hard truth and help set you (or keep you) on the proper path.6. Its not about youA little soul searching is in order here. Make sure youre not quitting for your partner or a parentor worse, because you want to rebel against someone. Listen to the voice in your head about whether this job is on the right track to who and where you want to be in five years. If it is, stay put and do the work.7. Your inner jerk tells you what to doThat meaniein your head is whispering to you that it isnt worth itthat you arent good enough. That you might as well not try. Your job sucks and you suck, right? Wrong. Tell that voice to shut up.8. You dont feel importantThis is like a little kid deciding to run away because he doesnt think anybody would miss him if he left. Its emotionally immature and unprofessional. Instead start distinguishing yourself in such a way that you never feel this kind of self-pity. Make yourself indispensable to your com pany and your coworkers.9. You covet your neighbors careerYoure not as successful as the billionaires you read about in Forbes. Or your next door neighbor. Or your high school boyfriend. Stop spending so much time comparing yourself to the next guy and do your work instead. Youll stand a better chance of actually succeeding if you devote yourself to what youre doing.10. You dont know enoughMissing a crucial certification or skill that you think your field requires? Thats not a reason to quit Its a reason to go out and earn that brde scout badge. Go out and finish whatever education you need in your free timeyou might even be able to get your company to pay for your training process. If you dont know something, learnThere are lots of great reasons to quit. But these 10are actually warning flags that the problem is with you, not with your job. Dont stress. Just get back to work.

1 In 4 Think Well Colonize Mars Before Women Hit This Miles

1 In 4 Think Well Colonize Mars Before Women Hit This Miles A recent report and survey by the Rockefeller Foundation found that among over 1,000 American adults polled, there is a strange combination of defeatism regarding the female leadership in Corporate America paired with the belief that things are actually better than they are.90% of those surveyed thought that there were more women CEOs in the Fortune 500 listof companies than there really were. At the saatkorn time, 26% percent thought that it was unlikely there would be gender parity in the C-suite before humans colonized Mars and 40% thought that it would be more likely that space travel would become routine in their lifetime than women representing half of Fortune 500 CEOs.Whats encouraging about the poll is the fact that the respondents didnt believe this gender disparity was justified. Those polled overwhelmingly said that men and women are equally qualified to lead businesses (96%) and its important that men and women h ave the same opportunities for career advancement (82%).Perhaps those surveyed were cynical about the possibility of change because of their personal experiences in the workplace. Among those surveyed, a full 25% said there were no women in leadership positions at their current jobs and only 34% said their workplaces put a high priority on having women in leadership positions. When asked about why women were held back in the workplace, survey respondents said that social assumptions and perceptions played a large role in gender inequality. 92% said that traditions and expectations for male leadership in workplace cultures contributes to womens lack of representation in top positions, with other reasons being that women are perceived as prioritizing family over career (89%) and that women are perceived to be less effective leaders than men (78%).Most Americans understand that there are some gender issues in the world, and in particular, in the workplace. And heres no denying that wom en have a made a lot of progress. Women have had the right to vote since the 1920s, we now outnumber men in college, and of course we enjoy many more legal protections against workplace discrimination than we had just a generation ago.But in an election year where one of the front-runners for the U.S. Presidency is female, it may be tempting to dismiss gender equality in the workplace as a historical problem. The Rockefeller survey shows that not only is the problem far from solved, but that its also more socially nuanced and complex than we might imagine.In response, the foundation is launching a campaign calling for 20% of the Fortune 500 companies run by women by the year 2025 under the hashtag 100x25. You can follow them at RockefellerFdn and join us in sharing your untersttzung for the campaign on social media.Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women. Join us by reviewing your employer