Krazy Brain

By Tony Jacowski

 Analyze the Reasons for the Change

Deciding to change your career isn’t something that happens all of a sudden. It is something that is the culmination of long contemplation on the possible effects and after effects of the change. The crux of the issue, however, remains that whatever you wish to pursue post-change should be something that you are deeply passionate about and which can give you the happiness you find missing in doing whatever you are presently engaged in.

If the change that you are contemplating is not something that fulfills the above conditions, it is probably not worth doing at all. If you feel discontented with your present job even though it gives you a good salary, it may be a good time to consider switching jobs.

A career change should be about personal satisfaction, fulfillment and happiness.

Don’t Rush Into Things

Any decision on a career change should be unhurried and based only on a thorough research of what other opportunities exist. They should be matched against the skills and other attributes you possess, as also those that you would need to acquire.

The question of what monetary compensation you will be able to make is of lesser importance; but nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out completely. Therefore, your research should encompass all relevant aspects in detail, making everything absolutely clear about what to expect from your new endeavor.

If you find it difficult to do this on your own, you should probably try to work with a career coach before finally making the switch.

Methodically List All Available Options

A career change is something that has far reaching implications and consequences. It can completely change your life, and a wrong decision can lead to damage that may be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to repair. Therefore, it is necessary that you categorize all options you have in terms of careers that interest you.

This can be helpful in letting you segregate options that interest you most and concentrate only on those options. While trying to select what you are best suited for, you need to do some introspection. Pick an option and ask yourself what reasons led you to explore it, whether you need additional education and training, and what risks and opportunities you will come across when pursuing it.

The answers you will get will be extremely important and help to clear up any doubts. A career change is something that is going to affect your whole life - and that of those who are dependent on you. You really cannot afford to make this decision until you are very clear in your mind as to why you need to make the change and what the exact ways in which you are going to act.

The gamut of a career change can involve a great amount of time and expense, and it would be fatal to jump into it without being armed with all necessary information.

Having all available information allows you to focus on the career that suits your skills and abilities like best - and to work towards it to achieve greater satisfaction and happiness in life.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

The Online Directory Of Engineering Career Job Listings

How to Make Your Resume Stand Out
By Ben Needles

 Whether or not youre planning to look for a new job, you should always keep your resume updated. Get into the habit of updating your accomplishments and skills so that your resume is always ready.

Here are some tips:

1. Group your top skill sets into a summary.
2. Create a professional email address (using your name - no nicknames) to include with your contact information.
3. Use past tense - even when describing your current job.
4. If youre posting your resume online, dont encourage identity theft by including too much personal information.
5. Gear you resume towards the job you want, not the one you have now.
6. List your most recent job first.
7. Check spelling and grammar - dont depend on your spelling errors being caught by spell check.

Your resume should not include every task youve performed in every position; instead it should only include your strongest accomplishments. Though its tempting to add all the details about every job youve had, your resume is only a starting point. Use it to get your foot in the door so that you can get an interview. Once you have an opportunity to speak with the hiring manager, then you can go into more detail.

Since you have to catch the attention of the reader right away, stay away from passive-sounding words when describing your accomplishments and responsibilities. Passive sentences are indirect and dont make much of an impression.

Look at this example of a passive sentence: Participated on product development team. Compare that with this example of an active sentence: Created scripts and tested new product.

In addition to using active words and sentences in your descriptions, you also have to show results. Which description would appeal to you as a hiring manager?

Arranged new product development meetings, or Facilitated meetings for new product development team which led to cost savings due to reduced miscommunication between departments.

If you are a freelancer or temp worker, youll probably work for various companies and hold different positions. Even if you had different titles, the skills and accomplishments will show your versatility in different industries and company cultures.

Keep track of the projects youve worked on, articles and documentation youve written, etc. Set aside samples of your work so that you can include them with your resume, if requested.

When youre changing careers playing up your skills is very important. You may not have direct experience in the area youre changing to, but you can show how the skills youve acquired in the old career can be carried over to the new one. Pick accomplishments that show that you are versatile and can think out of the box. Play up training and learning experiences to show that you can adapt to new environments. The person reading your resume is focused on finding the right person for the job. They wont have the time to think about how to fit your skills into their requirements.

Not sure how to show that your skills can be transferred to a new profession? For instance, if youre a project manager and you want to become an event planner, you could play up your organization skills or your communications skills. You could also play up your ability to simultaneously manage different tasks. Look at the work youve done, then find ways to highlight your strongest accomplishments. The person reading your resume should see right away that you can perform the duties the position requires.

Of course if you know what type of job you want, itll be easier to create your resume. However, if youre not sure what you want to do next - or how to update your resume to reflect your varied skills - consider hiring a professional to help. These days you cant take a chance that your resume will be overlooked. If you present yourself to your best advantage, youll have a better chance of being hired for the job you want.

About the Author (text)

Deborah A. Bailey is a professional coach, writer and founder of Deb Bailey Coaching. She specializes in working with individuals as they move through transitions and experience a life beyond their expectations. Learn more now at http://www.dbaileycoach.com.

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Looking for Employment in Europe?
By Ed Murray

 Whether you are a seasoned professional who specializes in business networking, a new college graduate looking for that killer “first real job,” a technological extrovert who wants to get in on the whole social media craze, or whatever, now finding IT or Telecom employment in Europe is faster and easier than ever. Thank those trailblazers from years passed who had the vision to create huge computers, then PCs, then laptops, and of course the global marketplace we have come to refer to as the Internet.

It only makes sense that if you are employed in the technology industry, you should be using technology to land that perfect career opportunity. What person in his or her right mind wants to hire an IT person who uses the postal service to mail in a resume? That is almost akin to writing your resume with a pen. Sounds ridiculous, right? Of course, so if you are searching for IT or Telecom employment in Europe, visit an online job board to get yourself started on those interviews.

The advantages to online job boards are numerous. They are easy to use; they do not require a business suit just to get the resume in the employer’s hands; they are convenient; they allow you to save and post a resume. Probably what is best of all the features, however, is the ability to complete a specialized search. If you are interested in employment only in Ireland, for example, you can choose to search that way. But let’s say you live in Toscana, Italy and have family in Sicily. Since you are on a quest for the perfect career move, you are open to either location. Well, all it takes is a click of the reset button and you can complete your second search in no time. Not only can you categorize your search according to location, though. You can also narrow down your field of expertise. If you are only interested in the Bluetooth industry, for example, or if you are excited about both software and systems engineering, you can so specify. There are no surprises when you are in control of your search criteria. If you have only a specific amount of time you can dedicate to your job search let’s say in the car, with your personal laptop, during the hour your current employer designates as lunchtime then that is no problem, either. Just create and save an account with the specs and information you want, and go back to it later.

Playing online games, buying cool stuff at online auction sites, and paying bills are all really cool, but probably the best use of your technology background is utilizing the online job boards for IT or Telecom employment in Europe.

Telecoms Employment Europe
For more info on job search visit this site.

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