In this clip, Brian Kurth, the author of the book “Test Drive your Dream Job“

These are the list of possible careers that Vacation Vocations can help you fulfill:

* Actor
* Alpaca Rancher
* Animal Therapist
* Animator & Digital Designer
* Animation TV Producer
* Architect
* Artist & Gallery Owner
* Artist & Studio Owner
* Artist
* Artistic Director - Theatre
* Arts Center Director
* Baker
* Baseball Announcer
* Baseball Radio Anouncer
* Baseball Team General Manager
* Bed & Breakfast Owner
* Bison Rancher
* Boat Captain
* Book Store Owner
* Brew Master
* Broadway Director
* Broadway Producer
* Cake Decorator
* Car Critic & Writer
* Catamaran Captain/Owner
* Caterer
* Cattle Rancher
* Cheese Maker
* Cheesemonger
* Cheese Retailer
* Chef
* Chocolatier
* Chocolatier & Pastry Chef
* Choreographer
* Clock Restorer
* Coffeehouse Owner
* Comedian
* Comedy Club Owner
* Composer
* Costume Designer
* Dance Studio Owner
* Dog Daycare Owner
* Dog Daycare Owner & Dog Trainer
* Dog Kennel Owner
* Dog Sled Trainer and Kennel Owner
* Dog Trainer
* Dude Rancher
* Ecology Tour Boat Captain
* Farmer
* Farmer and Dairy Owner
* Fashion Buyer/Retailer
* Fashion Designer
* Fashion Stylist
* Film Score Composer
* Fishing Guide
* Fishing Outfitter
* Florist
* Fly Fishing Outfitter
* Franchise Restuarant Owner
* Golf Instructor
* Golf Pro
* Guitar Maker
* Guitar Repairer
* Hair Stylist & Salon Owner
* Hobby Store Owner
* Home Inspector
* Horse Adoption Agency Director
* Horse Breeder
* Horse Trainer
* Horse Trainer and Rancher
* Hot Rod Manufacturer
* Hotel General Manager
* Ice Cream Retailer
* Illustrator
* Interior Designer
* Jewelry Designer
* Karate School Owner
* Kayak Outfitter
* Luthier
* Make-Up Artist
* Martial Arts School Owner
* Meteorologist
* Model
* Museum Curator
* Music Club/Cafe Owner
* Music Club Owner
* Music Composer
* Music Producer
* Music Publisher
* Music Therapist
* Natural Food Store Owner
* Not-for-Profit Director
* Pageant Producer
* Park Ranger
* Perfumer
* Photographer
* Pit Crew Member
* Potter & Gallery Owner
* Private Investigator
* Production Manager
* Professional Speaker
* Pro Wrestling Color Commentator
* Pro Wrestling Live Event Coordinator
* Pro Wrestling Personal Assistant (PA)
* Pro Wrestling Ring Announcer
* Pro Wrestling Ringside Manager
* Pro Wrestling Sponsorship & Promotions Coordinator
* Public Relations Firm Owner
* Raceway Manager
* Radio Personality
* Radio Sports Announcer
* Real Estate Broker
* Resort Owner
* Restaurant Critic
* Restaurateur
* RV Campground Owner
* Sailing Boat Captain
* Schooner Captain
* Self Publisher
* Shoe Designer
* Soapmaker & Retailer
* Songwriter
* Songwriter/Music Publisher
* Songwriter/Singer
* Spa Owner
* Sports Broadcaster
* Stained Glass Artist
* Sword Maker
* Symphony Composer
* Talent Agent
* Trucker
* TV Producer
* TV Production Designer
* Veterinarian
* Voice-Over Artist
* Voice-Over Producer
* Wedding Coordinator
* White Water Rafting Outfitter
* Wildlife Preservationist
* Wildlife Rehabilitator
* Wine Maker
* Wine Bar Owner & Retailer
* Wine Retailer
* Wine Sommelier
* Yoga Studio Owner

• How much can you really make?
• What to look for in a legitimate work at home offer?
• What you really need to put in to make it succeed?

1. Addressing the resume to the wrong… company / person

So you think that this does not happen? This is the most common mistake: addressing the resume to the wrong person or even to the wrong company. This is a surefire way to hit the bin. Make sure to check the contact details before you send your resume out.

2. Proofread your resume before sending it out

Another very critical error is not proofreading your grammar and correct spelling of what you write. How to expect an employer to give a responsibility in his company to somebody who does not even care to write correctly something for himself?

3. Having a “crappy” objective statements

Many candidates lose their readers right in the beginning. Whenever we find a statement such as “looking for a challenging position to enable me to contribute to organizational goals while offering an opportunity for growth and advancement” we just play office basketball with these resume as these statements are overused, general and do not focus on the major element: your employer.

4. Not adding value to your employer

Your objective must be “adding value to your employer”. Go through the web site, collect information about the company and the position you are applying for even before you send the resume and match your skills to what your future employer is really looking for.
One of the resource you will find extremely valuable to avoid such blunders and to learn how to make a resume is a book wrote by my friend Kevin Donlin who did not only compile the most effective tools to help you get hired but also make available a 30 minute audio recording called “How to Find a Great Job Fast”.

This audio book is on sale for $29.00 and he graciously allowed all my friend who want to learn how to make a resume and follow this link to listen to it for FREE online or to download it in MP3.

As a professional recruiter & owner of a staffing firm www.usatechsearch.com, it certainly is not the way we conduct business. In fact, if we did, we would be out of business in a matter of months!

A good recruiter would never send in a candidate’s resume, then sit and wait for a response, and repeat the same process over and over again with minimum results. A good recruiter would call his client (or potential client), pitch the candidate’s experience, and arrange an interview (or at least a tentative interview) before submitting a single document.

Maybe it’s a hidden secret amongst recruiters. Maybe it’s a general rule only experienced recruiters seem to follow. Either way, it time for the general public to start doing things differently and dramatically increase their job interviews instead of waiting by the phone for it to ring.

It’s quite simple. Professional recruiters do this all the time. There are FIVE easy steps:

I. Decide which positions you are interested in

II. Create a list of potential employers

III. Source the names of the hiring authorities you wish to speak with

IV. Call them and create an interest by “selling” your experiences

V. Set up the interview

I. Decide Which Positions You Are Interested In:

This is an essential step in this process because most people are pretty vague when communicating what kind of positions they are interested in. This annoys hiring authorities quite a bit. In fact, it is a primary cause for applicants being turned down for positions. I discussed this in great detail in my book, 25 Reasons Why I Won’t Hire You! What You Did Wrong Before, During and After the Interview- 2nd Ed, which can be found at www.25ReasonsWhy.com or www.Amazon.com

Remember, always have a focus and be as specific as possible when calling a potential employer about what kind of work you would like to do, or which position you are applying for.

II. Create a list of potential employers

There are several ways to create a list of potential employers. One way (the most obvious way) which is probably what you are most comfortable with, is to search the internet and/or job section of your newspaper or employment magazines. Do not send in your resume, simply record their name.

A second way to source names is to contact your local Chamber of Commerce and talk with them about local businesses– who is coming to town, who is expanding, etc. You would be surprised at the resources your local Chamber of Commerce might have to offer.

I recommend that you create a spreadsheet of all your potential employers so that you can keep your list organized. This is a necessary step to stay on task and document your results.

III. Source the names of the hiring authorities you wish to speak with

This is where some skills and creativity are going to have to come in. In most cases, you can’t just call a company and expect the receptionist to give you the name of the hiring manager, but in some cases (with less experienced receptionists), it does happen. If the name of the hiring authority (not HR contact person) is not listed in the ad, one effective way to get his/her name is to call the company and simply ask for that particular department.

Note: Often times, the HR representative is the name listed in the ad. This is not the person you want to talk to (unless you are applying for an HR position).

For example, if you are trying to reach the person who ran the ad for an engineering position, you might first start off by asking for the engineering department. It doesn’t matter who answers the phone in that department, because you simply want to ask for the engineering manager.

You can run into some objections with this technique, and I discuss how to handle those objections in greater detail during private career counseling sessions. However, for the most part, this technique alone will give you some immediate results. Don’t get discouraged if you hit a brick wall a few times, keep trying… the results will happen.

IV. Call them and create an interest by “selling” your experiences

Here is where you really need to shine! Once you get that key person on the phone, you need to sell yourself. Take heed- do not go overboard with rambling on and on (out of nervousness) and talk too much (Ch. 9 25 Reasons Why I Won’t Hire You! - 2nd Ed.) However, it is your time to shine!

There are a variety of scripts that will work depending on the position you are applying for and your years of experience. In my one hour counseling sessions, I discuss this in greater detail and help you to develop a script specifically for your field and years of experience. Here is one script that should help most of you:

Script:

Hi Mr. Baxter, my name is John Doe. I wanted to contact you directly because I noticed you were looking for a mechanical engineer for the new California division. I have over 10 years of experience in this field, and I worked for one of your competitors (name drop if you can) for three of those years. I also have my BSME.

Mr. Baxter: Yes, we have been looking for a few weeks now, and we have interviewed a couple of potentials. However, I decided to run the ad for another week or so.

John Doe: I noticed you said that you already interviewed a few people, yet you decided to continue to run the ad. If you don’t mind me asking, what is it that the other applicants are missing or lacking? (Note: This is good to say because now you are engaging him in a conversation, and whatever skill sets they are missing, you can tell him that you have that experience… if it’s true).

During this dialogue, you will need to highlight more of your accomplishments and do the best you can to convince the hiring manager that you are a great candidate. By the end of this dialogue, you conclude by saying:

John Doe: I would like to stop by there some time tomorrow to give you my information. Will you be available to talk for a few minutes, or would a later time be best? (Note: Don’t say, “Can I stop by there.” Tell him you would like to stop by there. Phrasing your question this way makes it more difficult for them to say no.) Mr. Baxter: Well, normally I do require to see something first before I set up anything. You can come by around 3pm, and hopefully, I should be available. (At this point, he may ask you a few more industry related questions so that he knows he is not going to be wasting his time).

John Doe: Great. I will see you then.

Guess what? You just arranged your own interview without a resume! Welcome to the wonderful world of professional recruitment!

Fact: The proof is in the numbers. Don’t give up after your first try. In most cases, you will have to talk with 10-20 people before you get your first interview. Either way, it’s better than waiting for the phone to ring!

Note: Be wise with the information you decide to place on your resume. Read 25 Reasons Why THEY Won’t Hire You! and learn how people of all ages and nationalities are discriminated against on a daily basis because of simple mistakes they make on their resumes, and during the interviewing process.

Put these simple techniques to work, refuse to give up, and you should be able to set up 3-5 interviews in less than a few days. Trust me, experienced recruiters do this every day, and it works!

I strongly encourage you to consider scheduling a one hour career counseling session. I have over 16 years of experience coaching and developing jobs for people in positions from skilled labor to the executive level positions.

Some of the things we will discuss include, but are not limited to:

1. Your career objectives

2. Your resume

3. We will perform a mock interview

4. Various scripts to use when arranging your interviews

5. How to handle objections, such as: a. Just send me your resume first b. We don’t see any applicants without first seeing a resume c. We don’t know when we are filling that position d. We already have a lot of applicants e. You seem overqualified f. You do not have enough experience, and much more

6. How to get past the receptionist when you call the company

7. How to walk into a company and get an interview on-the-spot

8. How to create a job opening. Forget about the ads!

9. What to do if you were terminated or fired from your previous employer

10. What to do if you have a criminal background

11. What you must do if you are:

a. Pregnant and searching for work

b. Over the age of 40

c. Have an “ethnic” name

d. Been unemployed for 6 months or longer

e. Have a physical disability

AND SO MUCH MORE…

To schedule a one hour career counseling session today, send your request to: jobs@25ReasonsWhy.com

Be smart. Get educated.

Z. Glass www.25ReasonsWhy.com

Recommended Reading:

25 Reasons Why I Won’t Hire You! What You Did Wrong Before, During and After the Interview- 2nd Ed.

25 Reasons Why THEY Won’t Hire You! How to Overcome Unfair Hiring Practices AND Get Hired

About the Author

Zenja Glass has over 16 years of experience as a corporate employment specialist, professional recruiter, and business owner of a job placement firm serving clients in the USA and abroad. She has interviewed thousands of people for positions ranging from general labor to presidents of some of the leading corporations in the USA today. To view her books, visit www.25ReasonsWhy.com.

Why dress for success?

Dressing has always been one of the higher priorities in the history of man. Since the Stone Age, dressing was an essential part of survival, as well as eating. The social evolution of man has now changed our priorities: if you’re satisfied with food and body protection, you’re now looking for social acceptance; dressing is one of the most important factors in defining the first reaction other people are going to have with you.

Also nothing nowadays is the result of a single person effort; our social life is now part of our survival as eating and sleeping. And how we look at a fist glance will set the tone for our interaction with other people we meet for the first time.

So should not come out as a surprise that a nice share of the success is the direct result of the way you dress and behave; this is why this topic has been studied thoroughly since very long topic. I’ve resumed here the top 4 tips from the experts.

Modern dress for success tip #1: Dress with quiet elegance

In order to dress for success in your day-to-day life you will need to develop a sense of quiet elegance. It’s not necessary using your wage to buy expensive clothes. And even if you do, you have not to be loud. Simple elegance will do the trick: exploit colours and accessories.

Modern dress for success tip #2: Dress with nose

Don’t be offended by this obvious principle: your body odour adds to the way you look.

Hence, investing in some good perfume (plus an effective deodorant) will go a long way to promote a positive first impression. Maybe you had experience of being near someone with a bad smell: every time you are going to meet him, this is the first thing you’re going to remember.

Modern dress for success tip #3: Understand the social etiquette

It is very important when you cultivate the dress for success habit, to develop the required etiquette as well.

Every social context has its own etiquette. You should know how to address an interviewer when you enter the room, you should know how to offer a chair to a woman in a restaurant; you should know how to dance at a formal party and so on.

Etiquette is not just “good manners”, but refers to the correct social formal behaviour in a social context. In other words, you can never dress for success without having the right attitude and correct etiquette.

Modern dress for success tip #4: Dress according to your counterparty expectations

If you want to create a positive impression on your counterparty, the dress code will be very important. It will set his or her judgement base and will imprint their first impression about you. This is equally important with personal relationships (are you going to a date?) and social relationships as well (are you going for a job interview?).

The more formal the context, the more formal the dress. This is a simple rule. So for a job interview the safest bet would be a business suit, tie, and black shoes.

From modern dress for success tips to action

These dress for success tips will help you in getting started on being quickly accepted in your social goals. Of course they are just tips and you have to find your own twist. But the first success principle is that nothing happens without action.

So exploit these dress for success tips to make reaching your social goals easier. If you are dressing for success, you’ll get through your path more easily, but you have still to follow through. These tips are just the start: you have to learn taking action and going ahead. You can learn how the power of action after these modern dress for success tips will help you reaching your goals.

About the Author

These modern dress for success tips are just an appetizer. Supporting your action with proper easy tips on a daily basis will keep you focused and will help you enjoying big and small results in your life. Get Mark Tern’s free 101 daily success tips ecourse and start getting results the easier way.

Visit: http://success-strategy.thesolution2.com

But that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on the web entirely. Here are my favorite ways to strategically use the web in your job search and boost your chances of success.

1. Google yourself. See what comes up. Some employers are doing this, so it’s best to know what they might see. Clean up any blogs, youtube contributions, myspace sites, etc that could diminish your professional image. You can also google potential bosses, coworkers or companies to learn more about them.

2. Set Google Alerts (http://www.google.com/alerts) on the focus of your career search. You can set an alert for articles about a specific company, specific job title, or just a set of keywords related to the work you want to do. You can set local, regional or national alerts.

3. Target Specialized Job Search Sites. I like www.RileyGuide.com for links to specialized job search sites such as Non Profits, Political, Women, Over 50, Religious careers and more.

4. Expand Your Network. A great online networking site is www.LinkedIn.com.

5. Expand Your Possibilities. Use sites like Monster, CareerBuilder, and Indeed.com to help you research job titles you may be a fit for. Search for keywords using skills you have or want to use in a new job and see what titles surface. Then begin searching for similar titles in your preferred city or state. Sample job postings can also be great tools to figure out what the most important skills and abilities are for the type of job you want. Then you make sure to orient your resume around these themes.

6. Research Jobs or Careers. O*Net Online is a great database that describes jobs in detail . You can run searches using keywords to find out about job titles that fit your skills, experience or interest or you can look up detailed job descriptions of specific titles. Visit it at http://online.onetcenter.org/.

7. Find Out What The Going Rate Is. Visit www.Salary.com to research salary ranges for common jobs.

8. Add pizzazz to Your Resume. www.VisualThesaurus.com can help you find just the right words for your resume and other job search materials.

9. Research Potential Employers. Get the inside scoop on what employees really think (versus what the company website says). Visit www. Vault.com to read up on companies of interest.

10. Considering Relocating? Find cities that may suit you (and your family) best by taking the online quiz at http://www.findyourspot.com/.

These are my top 10 sites for supporting you in finding a fulfilling career that fits your priorities and goals. I’d love to hear what sites you like to use and why. I may feature some of your spotlight sites in future newsletters.

About the Author

© 2006, Shawn Driscoll, Succeed Coaching & Development. This article is provided courtesy of Shawn Driscoll, Career Success Coach and owner of www.succeedcoaching.com. Professionals: upgrade your work life today! We provide products and services to help you succeed at work, in business and in life. Sign up to receive your free Success Wise ezine–and get success tips, inspiration, and resources to skyrocket your success–at www.succeedcoaching.com.

Dear HR Guy,

I was laid off from a company back in November, they laid off 20
employees. I was a team manager and I had one staff member that went also. Now the company is doing better and I’ve noticed ads in the paper for different positions. One of the last is an HR recruiting position. Are there any guidelines that companies follow in regards to calling back employees in a different position. Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Laid off and waiting for the call

Dear Laid off,

Sorry to hear about that. Getting laid off is no fun.

On to your question, do companies have guidelines they follow to call back on employees in other positions that they’ve previously laid off? I have found that only in rare cases do companies have any strategy for rehiring after taking an economic dive (unless they do it often). Even more so, considering other people for different positions.

The real question is whether working for a company that is just recently recovering is a good idea for you personally. Or whether or not being an HR recruiter for a company regaining momentum is a risk you’re ready to take. If this company has the risk of hitting the ropes again, an HR recruiter can be the first person to go. Even though HR is seen as a relatively secure area in the corporate field, recruiters are sometimes seen as expendable during economic downturns.

If you feel comfortable with all of that though, I encourage you to contact the hiring manager by phone to show interest in the position. Bypassing the standard application method is probably appropriate at this point.

Originally
from YourHRGuy.com

by Your HR Guy

on May 17, 2007, 1:30AM

A: Dear Faye,

Today’s technology helps make remote job hunting easier than ever before, and so will these handy tips. Even though changing towns, homes and jobs at the same time can really tilt the stress scale, millions of people do it every year-and you can, too!

Do your homework. Do as much research about your target market as you can, including identifying major area employers, traffic and commuting patterns, mass transit options and any dominant industries in the area.

Leverage your contacts. Do you know anyone who already lives and works in your new location? If so, ask them about potential job opportunities, best places to network, top employers in the area and any useful local knowledge they may have.

Subscribe to the paper. Call the newspaper in your target market to obtain a short-term or Sunday-only subscription so that you can read the local classified ads-or try to access them online through the paper’s Web site. You may even find job fairs that you might be able to attend.

Contact a staffing company. Submitting your resume and application to a recruiting and staffing company in the area can get fast results. They may offer temporary positions at some of the area’s top employers, temp-to-hire positions that can lead to full-time work, or even place you in a permanent position immediately. Spherion®, for example, has more than 650 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. For an office in your target market, visit our Web site at www.spherion.com/corporate/offices.jsp or call us toll free at 866-456-4357.

Plan a premove visit. If you can, visit your new location before you move-to conduct informational or initial interviews with potential employers or attend a significant job fair. Mention the dates of your planned trip in your letters or e-mails so that, if the employer is interested, they can arrange an interview during your visit. Make sure you pack as many interviews as possible into your trip.

Most importantly, if things don’t fall into place before you move-don’t worry. Finding a job is usually easier once you actually live in a place. And, of course, you’ll have the added advantage of having done your homework already!

Good luck to you!
Seymour

Originally
from Spherion Career Blog - The Big Time

by Seymour Jobs

1. Put first things first. As with traditional job hunting, update and polish your resume. Revise your resume weekly so that it appears higher in an employer’s search results. You can create “confidential” resumes, which allow employers to see your experience but not your name. Label your resume appropriately - how you name your resume can impact how often it is viewed. An employer is much more likely to click on a resume title “Senior Financial Consultant” than on one titled “Sam’s Resume.” Most resume postings must be made in ASCII (plain text). Online sites can help with this.

2. Use proper ‘netiquette.’ Think before you send a message, and realize the impression you are making. Electronic correspondence requires the same level of professionalism as traditional methods. Avoid being too casual when online. Keep the length of your message reasonable, and use correct grammar and spelling. The way you communicate using email is just as important as the way you communicate face-to-face. You must have an acceptable email address (i.e. your name/initials@xxxx.com). Do not use email addresses that are unprofessional, too casual or just have no relevance (like BigMomma@yahoo.com).

3. Mega sites. Start browsing mega career sites that offer multiple resources and services for free. Network through bulletin boards , newsgroups and user groups . Set up job search agents on all the sites you visit to receive the latest openings as soon as they are listed. Job search engines alow you to search many of the major job databases at once. Though helpful, don’t limit yourself to posting your resume or applying only to jobs you find on these major job sites.

4. Niche sites. Search the niche job sites in your respective profession. Search local job sites and Chamber of Commerce sites. Check the newspaper Help Wanted ads, both online and off. Some employers still only use the classifieds offline to advertise job openings so be sure to use every available resource.

Using technology when job hunting helps, but is should be used as a set of tools. The most effective strategy is to use a variety of job seeking methods. Make finding you as easy as possible for the employer whether that is through technology based or traditional methods.

Originally
from Spherion Career Blog - The Big Time

by Karen Person