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Career Choices
In this quickly changing competitive market it's important to make
the right decisions in career choices for your life goals.
Question you
need to ask yourself:
1.
How can I advance my career in the
position that I now hold?
2.
What are my options to change employers
in the future?
3.
Will the employer
I work for offer me the same dedication they expect from me?
4.
What are the
possibilities the position I now hold will be outsourced to
another organization or country?
5.
Will the salary I
make allow me to enjoy retirement in the future?
6.
Is my career choice in an industry that
is growing or shrinking?
7.
Is my career choice
something I am willing to do for the next 20-30 years?
8.
Where can I find more information about
career choices?
9.
What are the Top 10 outsource safe
careers in the market today?
10.
How do I market myself to achieve my
career goals?
11.
Career
and Personality Assessment Tests.
How can I
advance my career in the position that I now hold?
Knowledge is Power, but Networking builds
opportunities. Both of these is true, getting a firm
understanding of your companies goals and needs and being
available to help the company achieve its' goals is by far one of
the most important areas to focus on. However making sure
people understand you are the one contributing to the achievement
of those goals can make you stand out in the crowd, don't me shy.
Also making sure that the people around you, know you, know your
contributions and know that you are willing to take on new
challenges and responsibilities will usually get you in the
attention you need.
Networking-Networking-Networking
Not only within your organization but with
outside groups as well will help you build your reputation.
Several executives have said they hated golf, but the CFO, CEO,
and other leaders played it on a weekly basis, don't be afraid to
take up a activity that you may not like, it may get you around
the people that can really make a difference in your career
achievements; one comment this writer has heard over and over
again is that more decisions have been made on the golf course
than have ever been made in a boardroom.
What are my
options to change employers in the future?
Is your career specialized or generalized?
Will the
employer I work for offer me the same dedication they expect from
me?
Usually this is a questions that may be
answered from simply understanding the company philosophy and its'
true actions. Unfortunately, there are many companies out
there that spout “We Promote and Hire from Within” this can
usually be determined very quickly at any organization by just
being aware of the changing personnel in an organization. Be
aware of your surroundings. If you notice a constant change
in the employee structure at your organization, you may be at a
“Churn and Burn” company, unless you own the company or are one of
the executives, get out now.
What are the
possibilities the position I now hold will be outsourced to
another organization of country?
This is one of the scariest areas of a
career decision in today's market. With companies constantly
looking for new ways to save money and cut costs, look at your own
position and ask these questions. Can my work be performed
at a remote location on the other side of the world, if the answer
is “Yes”. Then your position could be outsourced and you'll
have to face the fact that many companies don't have the
dedication to the US market when it comes to cutting costs.
Sadly enough, it can be a “no brain er” for some decision makers
to think; if we can get the same result by paying someone in a
third world country paying $250 per week compared to paying $1200
per week in the US, why shouldn't we outsource. This will
and is coming back to bite many organizations, because they are
finally seeing that they are also losing there customer base due
to the current high unemployment.
Will the salary
I make allow me to enjoy retirement in the future?
This is one of the biggest mistakes people
make in career choices, if a company is not willing to care for
your future; you're the only one that can make a difference.
Learn to live within your means. This might mean not having
all the pretty things the stores have to offer, set aside a
savings plan for retirement, if you can't pay cash for the things
you want; maybe you really don't need it. Remember life in
most cases is a long race, follow the example of the “Rabbit and
the Hare”, you're the one who has to cross the finish line.
Is my career
choice in an industry that is growing or shrinking?
With technology advancing the way it is
this can be a very difficult question to answer. Like the
alternate energy areas, this industry has expanded and contracted
partly due to public opinion and the grip the oil industry has
placed on price fixing, when oil prices hit $126 per barrel in
June of 2008, many were talking about and investing in alternate
fuel sources, when the price drop to $33 per barrel in January of
2009 investor quickly recanted their positions. Today, due
to the group conscience of most Americans alternate energy sources
and efforts are probably here to stay. You are the only one who can really
determine whether your industry is on an upswing.
Is my career
choice something I am willing to do for the next 20-30 years?
This is an area you really have to look at
hard. What is your goal, what excites you, and what you love
to do?
A lucky man once
told me about his job and said
“I love every minute of it, I'm
excited to go to work every time, its' fun”
Hopefully you can find a position much like this one, but you have
to answer several questions for yourself. Do I really love
what I am doing? Does it excite me? Does it challenge me?
Hopefully you already found that position, if not, dig deep into
your mind and heart and find what really excites you. Even
if can't make the money you would like to make, would you be
happy? Sometimes, LESS is MORE.
Where can I find
more information about career choices?
We have listed several career areas you
can research; some of the best areas for reference material is the
Bureau of Labor
Statistics ,
The Daily Galaxy , and
Career Guides for the Future .
What are the Top
10 outsource safe careers in the market today?
This is a very difficult question to
answer, and none of the answers have a true guarantee. Here
are some questions to ask; can the job be performed sitting at a
desk, can the job be performed working at a computer, can the work
be performed answering a phone, does the position require no face
to face interaction. If any of the answers are yes, the
position has the ability to be outsourced. According to respected organizations the
following career areas would least likely be outsourced to other
countries; CEO, Medical, Teaching, Security, Government, Defense,
Restaurant and Catering, Retail Sales, Automotive Service,
Electrician, HVAC, Plumber, Veterinarian careers and real estate
sales. For the sake if being informative here is a link that
offers information on some of the US companies that are the
biggest outsourcers in the industry today at
LovetoKnow .
How do I market
myself to achieve my career goals?
As mentioned earlier in this article
Networking is one of the keys to acquiring the position you want.
As in the past 20% of positions are filled through job posting and
classified ads, the other 80% are acquired though people you a
acquainted with, so get out and meet people in the same industry
you are interested in. This can be accomplished by going to
social events, user group meetings, religious and volunteer
organizations, online social networks like LINKEDIN, SPOKE and
others. Secondly, don't be shy when it comes to writing
about your accomplishments in your resume or CV, the one thing
most employers do not what to see in the intro statement or your
resume is that you are seeking a position that will allow to
expand on your past experience, yawn. Their requirement are
“What can this person do for our organization”, do your research.
Finally, to really be a mover and shaker in industry today it is
imperative that you stay abreast of the changes in your market and
always seek new and better ways to keep yourself educated.
Career and
Personality Assessment Tests.
IMapMyLife
Myers-Briggs
Your Lifes Path
CareerTest
CareerTest.net
Scott Christianson
Copyright 2010
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