Careers Advice

Happy New Year

I’ve been quiet for a while – but working steadily in the background in preparation for 2009. Now that it has arrived, I hope you all have a very happy and prosperous new year. I will soon have a gift for you – it’s ready but I just need to test it. So come back soon if you’d like some free software to help you organize your search for a new job.

Once the celebrations are over, it will be a tough year for many, as the recession claims many more jobs. For many of us, this is a time to reassess where we are going and perhaps make changes.

Are you worried about the effect the recession might have on your life? I’ve written a report full of ideas to help you recession proof your career. I understand how you might be feeling, as I lost my part time job in the summer. So I’m keeping the price really low. You can check it out here:

How to Recession Proof Your Career Let me know if you have any questions and all good wishes for 2009.

Waller

Popularity: 68% [?]

How to Survive the Recession

Are you worried about the coming recession and how you will manage to survive it? I’ve created a couple of videos giving you some tips, which will help you work out the best ways to keep yourself employed and earning money, despite the economic downturn. You can watch the first video on this page and then click the link directly below the video to go to the second part. Hope you enjoy it!

Part 2 – The Four Steps You Can Take Right Now To Recession Proof Your Career

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3 Reasons to Change Career Now

Are you thinking of changing career? There are plenty of good reasons to do it now, here are three of them:

Reason One

Your company is cutting back, redundancies are being made and you suspect that your job may be one of them. With the current economic downturn, many employers, simply have no choice. So chances are, many of you are really worried about your current job and your future job prospects. If you think you could be laid off, it’s time to start thinking about a Career change now. so, brush up your interview skills and get your CV or résumé updated right away.

Take a long hard look at the industry you work in. Is it going to be badly hit by the recession? Do you think you can expect long term job security? Of course, no job is ever totally safe, but if yours is likely to be cut, it’s probably going to be hard to find similar work elsewhere.
And recessions do recur every ten years or so. So the coming recession won’t be the last! This is why it is wise to at least consider moving to a career, or a similar career but based in a different industry, that is, one which is less likely to go under in a tough economic climate.

Reason Two

You don’t have enough – or the right – skills to survive a recession. Even if you are an expert in your own field, it may be that your expertise is not in high demand Of course, certain specialists will always be needed, whatever is going on in the economy, but if you aren’t in the right niche or sector, you may need to think about developing some new skills.

Think about the type of skill which will always be in demand. This doesn’t need to be highly technical, although technology is not going away. You could work on soft skills, like communication skills and perhaps find a way of combining them with something like computing to give you more flexibility in the job market.

Reason Three

You hate your job. If you are stuck in a rut, in a job you dislike intensely, don’t think you have to stay there just because the economy is in trouble.It’s easy to think you won’t find anything new and just sit tight, but if you are unhappy, you really should think about making a move. You don’t need to leave your job before finding something new. And you might decide to start a part time training course for a new career. This will give your present job more meaning – it is supporting you as you move towards your new career.

Many people decide to make a career change at forty or some other significant time in their lives. If this applies to you, don’t let the economy hold you back.

If you need help changing career, find out what you really want to do. Or discover how to write a CV and cover letter. If you need help actually finding a job and want to gain interview skills, take a look at Ace that Interview.

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Career Change – Overcoming Fears

One way to get beyond the fear barrier is to look at exactly what you want to change and why you want to change it. Examine your current job and write down all the things you don’t like about it. It may be that you enjoy the type of work but just feel you aren’t being stretched enough. Or it could be that you thought you’d be able to use certain skills and take on specific projects, but the responsibilities promised at the interview haven’t materialized. Read more…

Popularity: 54% [?]

Fear of Change

So, why are we afraid of making a career change? The first step towards getting beyond your fears is to be clear about what they are. Fear of change is very common, but it’s a broad term which covers a long list of possibilities.

Don’t beat yourself up if you seem to be sabotaging yourself in terms of career. Accept that most people are afraid to make career changes, which are, after all, life changing. Read more…

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What’s Holding You Back?

For so many of us, changing careers is a big dream, but how many actually get around to making it happen? Wanting to change careers can happen at any time .

It could be close to the  beginning of your working life, when you feel you’ve made the wrong choice, and perhaps you can see something that you ‘d much rather be doing. Wanting to change career is pretty common in midlife too, when priorities change and you want to focus on family or other interests. Read more…

Popularity: 52% [?]

Stuck in a Rut?

Are you considering a career change but find that fears get in the way and keep you stuck in a rut? Taking the action you need to get out of it feels just too much like hard work. And even though your current post isn’t the most exciting job on the planet, at least it’s very familiar, and that keeps you feeling safe, at least some of the time.

So how can you push yourself out of your own comfort zone? First of all you have to recognize it for what it is. Take a look at the jobs you could do standing on your head. No fears there, you can coast along on autopilot.

Then think of the more challenging things you could be doing and would actually like to do, either in your present employment or in a new career.

Why aren’t you prepared to make the shift? The situation you find so comfortable right now could feel like a trap if you find yourself still there in a few years’ time.

You know there is more to life and more to work than your current experience? So what is it that’s holding you back?

For most people the answer will be fear – it could be fear of failure or perhaps of moving to another job and getting it wrong. Whatever happens, you don’t want to end up in a worse place. Or is it that you don’t feel confident? What might happen if you did something new and weren’t any good at it?

Whatever your reason for being stuck in a rut, you do want things to change. It’s human nature to want to grow, take up new challenges and have new, interesting and exciting experiences.

Accept that you have fears – everyone does – and don’t try to deal with them all at once. Career change is complicated. It will take a while to work out what you really want and then you’ll have to work out how to get there. If you’d like some help to kickstart your efforts click here to download my free ebook.

Popularity: 46% [?]