Career Planning and Job Search

Why is it so important to plan a career?
People tend to lose sight of their career path as the years go by. And many never had that career plan to begin with.
This reference page consists of links to the most read articles on the topic Career Development and Planning.
These articles are good for almost anyone:

Those who are looking to further assess their options and create an effective/useful career plan – to advance their current career goals.
Those who are just starting out, changing careers, or seeking new job opportunities.

Career Development: What Makes Up Your Career Development

Over time, the definition of careers has changed. Today a career does not refer to one single career path. Throughout your life you will make a series of choices, which will all be considered part of your career development.
Think of your career as a lifelong process. It can involve a number of different paid and unpaid work roles, which you embark on throughout your life. These are all considered as part of your career development, so take advantage of every opportunity you find yourself in and consider it as skill building in your lifelong career development. You should also ensure you use these not so obvious opportunities on your resume or interview.

Your career development includes a number of different settings that will help you gain more skills, knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes. This is an excellent way to effectively manage your career. Career development is nothing more than the way you think about your life when it relates to your employment, training, and education, all of which place you in control of decisions that affect your future.

Why Your Career Development is Important

Career development is always important regardless of whether you are currently in the market for work, or you are already employed. The workplace is ever changing and with that each of us continues to grow in complexity.
Your career development never ends. It is a lifelong process, and while it doesn’t have to be the focus of your doings, you should always keep it in the back of your mind relating to how what you are doing now can help your career.

You will continue to grow and build your experiences, skills, and abilities, drawing on them throughout your career. The process of career development is a unique experience for each of us. Different people require different assistance depending on a number of life factors, such as work history, society, labor market, and family.

Professional Development and Your Career Goals

Have you been working at a job for a while now and feel that it’s about time for you to get promoted?
You have to work at a company or in a certain position for a certain amount of time until you can expect to be considered for a better position, right? Wrong..

Professional development is important to your career.
It’s really just a combination of all of the knowledge and skills you have achieved, both in your personal and career development. It encompasses all of your informal and formal learning opportunities throughout the different life stages.

Learn how to Balance Work and Life

A good balance between work and personal life is key to improving ones career. Your career is important but in order to stay on top of your game you also need to have a life outside the office, which is why it is so important to balance work and life.
Balance covers a broad-spectrum including leisure time activities, family, physical and emotional well-being, and spiritual health are all important.

The balance between work and life is more important now than ever before because we are all much busier. Between your career, spending time with your friends, your family commitments, and other commitments you may not have time to breathe, but it’s important to develop a healthy balance as it will benefit your career.
Career development continues throughout your life and it can lead to healthy career advancements and career changes for you, so don’t underestimate just how important it is.

How a Career Coach Can Help You

using-career-coach-for-career-advancement

Your career takes up a larger part of our life.
Career coaching helps guide us so that the career we choose fulfills our personal needs and ambition. Your career should be challenging and satisfying. A career coach can assist you in identifying what it is you need, and they can help you identify what it is that makes you feel fulfilled.
A career coach is an outsider and therefore they can help you identify and appreciate your experience and skills that you have accumulated over time, which you might not identify. Once your skills and experiences are identified you can then move on to identify the opportunities available to you.

Using a Career Coach to Advance Your Career

How to Find a Job

Today’s job search is far more difficult than that of 10-20 years ago.
In our fast-paced economy, there are fewer jobs, and more individuals looking for those jobs. Today’s unstable economy makes it more challenging for you to find a job, and it creates a great deal of uncertainty as to how long you might be able to keep that job since layoffs commonly occur.

Your Skills are Very Important in Your Job Search

In a highly competitive, global job market, your skills are going to be key for landing that job you want so badly.
The more pertinent your skills and experience, the more chance you have of getting the job position. Soft skills are also very important in your job hunt. Soft skills include skills such as conflict resolution, inclusion, creative thinking, personal accountability, and coaching skills. These skills are very important in your job searching.
The more of these skills you have, the more opportunities that will open up for you, and the more likely you are to be hired.

Best Tips for your Job Search

You may be surprised to learn that the majority of positions never make it to the official posting stage. Instead, these positions are often filled much earlier as a result of networking. Today, the majority of job applications are submitted using technology, either sending via email, or by applying directly at the company’s website.

Online Job Search Advice

While you are looking for a job, make sure you take advantage of the many connections that will cross your path.
There are important people within an organization that you have the opportunity to connect with before ever learning about a job posting.

Online Job Hunting

Job hunting today differs from a decade ago.
If you are trying to land a job today, it is going to be much different from just a decade ago. You now have a number of online tools that were not available 10 – 20 years ago, such as:

Company’s websites are also good sources of job listings.

Winning the Job Hunting Competition

The highly competitive global market has changed the dynamics of employment, and this means you really have to be able to stand out, especially since many times you are now competing on a global level.
The global component can benefit you too, because now you can globally see positions that are available and easily apply as a result of technological advancements.

Entry Level Job Search

Some good tips for college graduates and people who are looking for jobs for the first time in their life.

Most entry-level jobs require no experience. However, as a first-time job hunter you’d want to know what employers are looking for.

Learn how to apply for entry level jobs, how to create your resume, and how to prepare your best answers for the job interview.

Social Networking: Understanding the Importance of Networking

Networking is so important.
The ripple effect of networking can broaden your reach and bring to you some opportunities that you might otherwise not have had. For every single relationship you build, there is the potential for 20-25 additional contacts that you can make. Each one of these contacts will have the potential for another 20-25 contacts, and so it goes. You can see how the ripple effect exponentially expands your connections.

Social Media, such as LinkedIn, for Your Job Search

Networking is not just business associates. It can involve virtually anyone that could be helpful, so don’t close any doors along the way. If you have a good relationship with a previous boss, this can be an excellent person to include in your networking strategy. LinkedIn, Facebook, and even Twitter are all social networks that can be beneficial in your networking strategies.

Job searching should involve using all the available tools so that you are able to get the best exposure and increase the likelihood of getting the job. Knowing how to use these tools puts you ahead of the competition.

Personal Branding

Take Advantage of Promoting Yourself Online.
Online social networking sites, like LinkedIn are an excellent way for you to promote yourself, your skills, and your experiences.
Post your profile on LinkedIn and your resume online. It’s important that you take the time to think about what type of positions you are looking for. Use proper keywords that are related to the type of work you want. Relevant keywords will allow potential employers to find your resume.

Promoting yourself online isn’t just about posting your resume. Be sure to take advantage of other tools at your disposal such as online networking, connecting with people in the same industry, and carrying on a dialogue with those who can help you further your career.