Career planning

Whether you are about to graduate from college, or want to change jobs at a later point in life, career planning is a very important aspect of the process. Before you actually start applying for positions, it is essential to be certain of the areas you would like to work in. The worst thing that could happen is not to take any steps in the career planning process, and end up in a job that you are unhappy with, or do not have the proper skill set for. Career quizzes are often helpful in the career planning process. These are often a great first step when trying to determine what type of jobs you'd be best suited for. Many are available online, and address some of the following areas: identifying your skills and abilities; determining if you prefer working with people, data or things; or summarizing what workplace values are most important to you. By compiling all of this information, you'll usually get a general idea of what fields you should be seriously checking out. The quizzes often list suitable occupations based on your answers. One avenue that would be best to explore is signing up for career counseling. There are many free services, mainly ones offered by the government, or at post-secondary institutions, that will get you started on your career planning journey. Career counselors are trained professionals that will be able to offer you advice and make realistic recommendations on what area you would be best suited to work in. They will look over your academic training, and often administer aptitude tests to see what careers you should be exploring. Researching companies that you could picture yourself working for is another great step in the career planning process. Check out their websites for information, and to see what type of positions they may be hiring for. When possible, try to set up a meeting with a member of the department you'd like to be a part of, so that you may ask them questions and find out about the day to day aspects of the company on a more intimate level. Check the newspapers and magazines to see if the company is mentioned at all, and see if the articles are favorable or not. Although this may seem very simple, it can be a valuable part of your career planning. If you think you may need to go back to school in order to make a career change, obtaining a catalogue from a local post-secondary institution is a good way to kick start career planning. Look through what programs are offered, what skills are required to be accepted to programs of interest, and what type of a time commitment you'd be looking at in order to make this change. See if prior employment or life experience will work in your favor, and give you advanced standing into your selected programs. People often forget to check into educational requirements for certain careers, and may waste time and energy by skipping this step in the career planning process. An often underrated aspect of career planning is talking with your friends and family. Discuss with them in detail what it is they do, and ask them to honestly tell you what they could picture you doing for a living. Who knows? They may see something that you've overlooked, and it could be the missing link to your career planning process. Career planning is something that everyone is faced with at some point in their lives, and it should not be taken lightly, although you can have some fun with it. Most important of all is to be honest and realistic with yourself, and make sure you ultimately choose a path that will make you happy and keep you financially secure.

Facts about searching jobs abroad

Job hunting abroad can be both an opportunity and an adventure. There are hurdles to overcome when searching for the right job abroad. Let's take going to Madrid, Paris, Rome or London for example. It's not enough to just send resumes, the idea should be "get the luggage and get on the plane." Getting a work permit is one obstacle in Europe. To stay there for an extended time, a residence permit is needed. This an only be granted once a working permit has been grantedpanies only provide non-European workers their work permits if they prove that there are no qualified European for the position. This is tough since the European Employment Services allows different companies to recruit prospects in eighteen European Economic Area countries. Remember that an ideal candidate is one who is able to speak the native language of a specific city other than English. If you have your eye on Spain, a typed application letter with a resume must be prepared, including a recent photo and translated qualifications and/or copies of diplomas and other credentials. The letter must be written in a direct formal style citing the vacancy applying for. A must have for the closing should be "En espera de sus noticias, les saluda atentamente." In the United Kingdom, newspapers are good sources of job openings. Assorted prime papers offer complement of job vacancies like "The Guardian," "The Daily Telegraph," "The Times," or the "The Independent" particularize vacancies dailypanies are very particular regarding the reason you are applying. Research on their product offers, location of branches/offices, etc. There must be a reason why there is an interest to work for a specific company. The application for jobs in Italy should also consist of a typed application letter. This should be formal and conventional in form. Using the Italian language is a must when explaining the intriguing reason for application. Diplomas and other credentials including impressive list of references should be handy during the initial interview. There are three to four expected follow-up interviews including a psychometric test. Put emphasis on personal appearance before the interview especially how the dress as this shows the concern in getting the job being applied for. The average job search abroad ranges between six to twelve months. Experts consider searching for a job a full time job itself. Attending career counseling is helpful if unsure on what to do. There are a lot of great career resources who can give advise that best fits ones interests and passion.

What are your career futures with an art degree

: Graduates with arts degrees often feel some difficulties to determine their career goal in the initial stage. In general view, most of jobs seem to suit the arts degree graduates but when come to decide a career goal, it seem like hard to define one. Unlike graduates from science and technology fields, graduates from the arts fields feel that their program of study hasn't necessarily prepared them for specific jobs or careers. Many arts degree graduates become apprehensive once graduation approaches. Are these the facts of art degrees? Is pursuing an art degree a waste of money and will only get you a job flipping burgers? These popular art degree's myths affect many students who are interested in art degrees and they stop moving their step into art fields and force themselves to take science & technology related degrees for a brighter future. The Facts versus Myths In actual, the facts are contrary to the popular art degree myths, a variety of career possibilities await art graduates, almost half of all job vacancies available to new graduates are open to students with arts degrees. These employers are particularly interested in transferable skills. Let review the true facts of these popular art degree myths and you will realize that you are totally employable with your Arts degree and arts degree graduates are really in high demand in the jobs market with well-paying positions. Myth 1: A Bachelor of Arts degree is not enough to find a well-paying, interesting job. You need to go to Law School, the Faculty of Education, or a technical training institute to be competitive for professional employment. Fact 1: Based payscales salary survey conducted in 2006, average salary for bachelor's arts degree graduates in various job fields at United States are ranging from $32,000 to $55,000 annually, without having any further college or university study. Myth 2: A Bachelor of Arts degree will get you a job of flipping burgers. Fact 2: Based recent job survey conducted by a well-known survey company, arts graduates are often employed in a professional or managerial capacity (50 - 81%). This compared favorably with those in Commerce (60%) and those with technical or vocational diplomas from colleges and technical institutes (24 - 35%). Myth 3: A Bachelor of Arts degree is a waste of time and money and does not earn as much money as a bachelor degree in science and technology.

Fact 3: According to a job survey report from "Express News" of University Alberta, Those with a general arts degree do well in the long term, although initially they may not make as much as graduates of professional faculties, what's really striking is the gains they make over five years, the gap starts to close. This is because Arts graduates emerge with highly developed research, communication, creative problem-solving and critical thinking skills that are in high demand because they are difficult to teach in the workplace. Many employers want this type of well-rounded employee, who can be trained for more specific skills.

Arts Degree Students Are In Demand Almost 50% of job markets are opened for students with arts degrees. Many of these jobs are within Arts students' reach upon graduation, particular if they have already identified their unique interests and abilities. Career opportunities for Arts degree graduates are ranging from non-profit, to private business and to government sectors; examples of job titles held by Arts graduates are:

• Manager


• Events Planner


• Advertising Executive


• Program Coordinator


• Counselor


• Marketing Professional


• Facilitator


• Corporate Trainer

In Summary Arts degree graduates are in demand in the job markets, a variety of career possibilities are awaiting for art degree graduates at a well-paying level and expandable career future.