Building a Brand

Just like large corporations, it is important for individuals to develop their brand.

In the last three years, the term “personal branding” has gone from buzzword to must-have career requirement. We’re now expected to be able to convey our uniqueness in a powerful way that validates how we save and/or make companies money. Personal branding is about being memorable for the value we can bring to an organization. Easier said than done, right?

Here are some articles from Careerealism that can help you develop your brand.

Step by Step Guide

3 Steps to An Outstanding Branding

The Perfect Recipe for a Great Personal Brand


To your powerful branding

Fran Watson


P.S.  You can also find out who is looking at your Linked-In profile here

New Year, New Beginnings

If you have been job searching for a while, perhaps it is time to re-evaluate your job search techniques, to review your resume to see if it is up to what the employers are looking for.

Does your resume include a "Highlights" section which relates to the job for which you are applying?

Do you list your job history in reverse chronological order?

Are you using keywords from the job ad to demonstrate your skills?

Get more tips here:  https://www.facebook.com/banabu.ca/

Fran Watson

Looking for Work? What Methods Are You Using?

Not many people realize it, but the job-hunt is one of the most studied phenomena of our time. It is amazing what we know about it.
Acquainting yourself with this research can pay rich dividends to any job-hunter, and especially if your job-hunt is running into trouble. Let me illustrate what I mean.
Most job-hunters think there are basically only three ways to go about their job-hunt: resumes, ads, and agencies. Actually, there are fourteen:

1.	Using the Internet to look for job-postings or to post one's own resume.
2.	Mailing out resumes to employers at random.
3.	Answering ads in professional or trade journals appropriate to your field.
4.	Answering local newspaper ads.
5.	Going to private employment agencies or search firms.
6.	Going to places where employers come to pick out workers, such as union hiring halls.
7.	Taking a Civil Service exam.
8.	Asking a former teacher or professor for job-leads.
9.	Going to the state/Federal employment service office.
10.	Asking family members, friends, or professionals you know for job-leads.
11.	Knocking on the door of any employer, factory, or office that interests you, whether they are known to have a vacancy or not.  )
12.	By yourself, using the phone book's Yellow Pages to identify fields that interest you, then calling employers in those fields to see if they're hiring for the kind of work you can do.
13.	In a group with other job-hunters, using the phone book's Yellow Pages as above.
14.	Doing what is called "the creative approach to job-hunting or career-change": doing homework on yourself, to figure out what your favorite and best skills are; then doing face-to-face interviewing for information only, at organizations in your field; followed up by using your personal contacts to get in to see, at each organization that has interested you, the person-who-actually-has-the-power-to-hire-you (not necessarily the human resources department).    How many of these have you tried?   To your job search success   Fran Watson

Communication Skills Vital to Your Job Search

A recent study conducted by Stanford Research Institute, Harvard University and the Carnegie Foundation discovered that “85% of the reason people get a job, keep that job, and move ahead in that job has to do with their people skills and people knowledge. Only 15% is the result of a technical skill.”

How are your communication skills?  Do you know how to confidently handle yourself in an interview situation or do you become tongue-tied?  Are you able to make small talk at the company office party, or do you stand in a corner with a drink in your hand hoping no one comes over?  Can you confidently approach someone you don't know and begin a conversation? 

If not, then you might want to check out a local Toastmasters Club where you can begin to develop your communication skills.  In addition to developing confidence in communication, you will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, another skill needed for employment.

Want to find out more about Toastmasters?  Click here 

I have been a member of Toastmasters since 2002 and I continue to learn and grow as a speaker and a leader.  Why not give it a try?  You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain!

To your successful job search

Fran Watson

P.S.  For more help with your job search, click here

Hidden Jobs

You have probably heard the term "Hidden Job Market".  Perhaps you have wondered where it is and how to access it.  The hidden job market is a term used to describe jobs that aren't posted online or advertised. Job seekers can tap the hidden job market by using networking connections to help find unadvertised job openings.

Do you have a company that you'd love to work for that hasn't advertised job openings? Whether you have heard through the grapevine that a company is hiring or if you don't know for certain, one way or the other, you can reach out to the organization to express your interest.

If you are aware that the company is hiring, but hasn't advertised the job you're interested in, or, if you have a company in mind that you would like to work for and don't know if they have job openings, the cover letters you write will need to have a different pitch than the letters you write to apply for an advertised job opening.

To your job search success!

Fran Watson
Career Counsellor

Bad Interview?

I am a recent college graduate, and I totally bombed my first real job interview. I was not prepared for there to be a group of interviewers. There were 5 interviewers, from different departments of the lab. The lab manager was the one who had called me in for the interview, but when she asked if I had true work experience besides my internship, I answered "no" and she seemed surprised, even though this was clearly stated on my resume. Also, I did not bring the correct paper to show my certification, I brought another (maybe less official) paper showing that I had passed the exam and was certified.

How Did the Interview Turn Out?

I was EXTREMELY nervous, and after their questioning my certification I was flustered. They told me then that they would not be offering me the position. If I was in their position, I would not have hired me either.  (Info from About.Com)

Have you had a bad interview lately?  Did you think you were prepared, but fell apart when they started asking questions?

Click here to get more information on how you can be successful at your next interview.  Pick up a copy of my Interview Planning Form.

To your job search success

Fran Watson
 

Your Prescription For A Healthy Career

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that eight of the 20 fastest growing occupations are in healthcare. In fact, more new healthcare jobs will be created by 2014 than in any other industry.

Why are healthcare careers so hot? Here are some of the major reasons:

§  Baby Boomers turn 60 this year. The population of elderly persons, who have greater healthcare needs, are increasing faster than the overall population.

§  In addition, Boomers' aging parents, whose life expectancies have increased in recent years, have caused the demand for home healthcare and residential care workers to increase significantly.

§  With the recent advances in medical technology, lifespans have increased, and new technologies make it possible to treat illnesses and injuries that in recent years may not have been treatable.

§  With federal law requiring that the healthcare industry technologically update its record-keeping practices and with health insurance becoming more complex, the need for administrative support in healthcare will also grow.

On top of these facts, many of those employed in healthcare will soon be retiring themselves, leaving vacancies in the industry. Now you can see why people interested in pursuing a healthcare career can be virtually ensured a lifetime of secure employment.

The Path to Healthcare

While it's not always necessary to complete a four-year degree program to work in the healthcare industry, the majority of occupations require completion of some kind of training program. Nurses, for example, may begin their careers with an associate's degree and Registered Nurse (RN) certification program.

According to a CareerBuilder.com job forecast, nearly one in five hiring managers in the fastest growing industries, including healthcare, will be hiring administrative and clerical staff. That's especially true in healthcare. Medical assistants, pharmacy assistants, dental assistants, and other administrative positions, which only require training programs of two years or less, will be among the fastest growing occupations.

With such a healthy future in the industry, the prognosis is good for those considering a career in healthcare.

To your job search success

Fran Watson
Career Coach

Job Search Stuck?

As a Careeer/Employment Counsellor/Coach, I try to keep ahead of what is going on in the job market, this involves reading articles and chatting with people.  Here is an excerpt from a recent article I read...

 

"If your job search is stuck, and it can happen regardless of how qualified you are and how many jobs you are applying for, one question that you should be asking yourself is "What can I do differently?"

Regardless of the type of job you are applying for, just sitting at your computer and applying for jobs isn't going to work. I've heard from job seekers who have submitted hundreds of applications and have heard nothing.

Whether you are applying for an hourly retail store position or a top level management position, there are things that you may able to do differently to get your job search back on track." (read more)

If you need help with your job search, I am available.  I do counselling/coaching via the internet and telephone, so it doesn't matter where you live. 

To your job search success

Fran
http://www.franwatson.ca/bio.html

Contact Point

Hi

I am always on the lookout for ideas to help people with their job search.  Recently while surfing I came across a site you might want to check out - Contact Point

Wondering about the Labour Market - what's growing and what isn't?  They have a section on Reports and Trends.

Looking for some articles on careers?  Check out the section entitled "Career Wise" where you will see such things as:  Top 5 Career Regrets, Virtual Offices are Altering the Future of Work, Job Stability & Job Satisfaction, and many more.

Blogger Central contains many more interesting and informative articles.

In The Bulletin, I noticed that they have some extensive information on Social Media, Career Advancement, Career Development and more.

Why not check out Contact Point today?

To your job search success!!

Fran Watson
P.S.  For more tips or some help with your job search, check out my webpage - Click here

Finding A New Job

Finding a New Job: Using Career Training to Your Advantage


Are you interested in changing careers or changing jobs? If you are, your first impulse may be to quit your current job and go out and apply for new jobs. Of course, the decision is yours to make, but I would suggest that you may want to refrain from taking this approach, as there are no guarantees that you will find something right away. Instead, you may want to take the time to find the perfect jobs to apply to, as well as use career training to your advantage.

Career training comes in a number of different formats and caters to a number of different careers. For instance, if you are looking for a career in healthcare, there are part-time and full-time options.  If you are interested in working as a secretary, your career training may involve courses that teach typing or office management skills. Colleges are offering more online and evening courses to accommodate people who are working full time and learning something new can dramatically improve your chances of successfully changing careers or jobs.

Career training, no matter what classes or courses you take, is designed to help educate you on one particular career field, such as nursing, accounting, or office management. Although career training courses can vary greatly, you often walk away with a large amount of skill and knowledge. In fact, depending on the career courses or classes that you take, you may be able to walk away with a degree or a certificate of completion. These are documents that you can give all prospective employers access to for verification of your training, knowledge, and skills.

One of the many reasons why career training can assist you when you are looking to change careers or even just jobs is because it can help you stand apart from your competition, as not as many job seekers take advantage of it. This means that you can really use career training to your advantage. For instance, if you are interested in applying for a job as a secretary, you can take a few office management classes, typing classes, or computer software classes before you start applying for new jobs. By taking this approach, your job training is new and fresh. This not only gives you an advantage over those who do not have career training behind them, but it also gives you an advantage over those who received training a year or more ago.

As ideal as it is to hear that career training can offer you assistance, when looking to change jobs or careers, you may be curious as to how you go about getting that training, especially if you are still currently employed. Career training is offered through a number of different centers, which are commonly referred to as career centers or vocational training centers. You may also be able to receive career training at your local community college. What is nice about many of these establishments is that they offer affordable and flexible training classes and courses. In fact, you will likely find that a good percentage of career training classes are taught at night or on the weekend. This is what essentially enables to you receive career training while still holding down your current job.  There are lots of online courses available as well.

As outlined above, it is relatively easy for you to go about enrolling yourself in career training courses, for a wide variety of different career fields. There are also a number of benefits to doing so. Of course, the decision as to whether or not you want to use career training to your advantage is your decision to make, but if you are serious about changing jobs or changing careers, it is something that you should seriously consider. In all honesty, what do you have to lose by at least examining all of your options first?   To your job search success   Fran   P.S.  If you need help with your resumes, cover letters or other aspects of your job search, click here