Category: Careers

Looking For New Career Ideas

Looking for new career ideas? Are you feeling frustrated in your job, but just don’t know what else to do? Have you got a good idea of the kind of work you don’t want but not a clue about what you do want?

Read on to find out about 8 ways you can explore new career ideas and come up with the elusive answer to your career change challenge.

One of the main reasons people struggle with career change is that they fail to think outside the box. Their ideas are really just more of the same. Here are some ways to help you to begin to think laterally. Start by looking inwards and then focus outwards too.

1. Skills. Don’t just look at the skills you have gained at work, but consider what you do in your spare time too. What talents have you been able to grow through your interests and community work? How could you use these in a job?

2. Interests. Given that many people fall into jobs in an unplanned way, take time now to think about what you really enjoy doing. Go right back to when you were a kid. What really gave you a buzz? What jobs would allow you to feel that same excitement?

3. Achievements. What have you done that you are proud of? Again, not just at work. Maybe the part you played in putting on a local drama club production gave you a real sense of satisfaction. What does that suggest about the kind of work that would be satisfying for you?

4. Personality. Just what makes you tick? Do you know what kind of person you are? Being in a job that fits your personal style is like wearing well fitting shoes. What kind of work would allow you to feel truly ‘at home’?

5. People watch. Take a look at the people around you, both friends and casual encounters. What jobs are they doing? Look at aspects of their job, not the whole thing. What parts of their work appeal to you and what do you think you would dislike? What does that tell you about the work that would be right for you?

6. Work shadow. If you have a few ideas that sound interesting, then see if you can fix up to volunteer somewhere where you can get an inside view. Or shadow someone for a day, for an hour or even just meet up with them for coffee and a chat and then pick their brains and dig below the surface of the job to find out more about what is involved. Check whether it is an idea that would be worth investigating further.

7. Be a career researcher. Just watch the world with job seeker eyes. There are 100s of jobs out there that never appear in any careers encyclopaedia. Be alert to the jobs referred to directly or indirectly when you are reading the paper, watching TV or listening to the radio. See if you can identify a dozen new career ideas every week that you never realised existed before. One of these could be just what you are looking for.

8. Turn off your inner censor. Just for a while switch off the ‘yes, but’ voice in your head. Allow yourself to explore ideas uncritically. Open your mind to the enormous pool of possibilities out there and look for something that really captures your enthusiasm. Just what would you do if anything was possible? Once you feel inspired, the ‘yes, but’ responses are much easier to challenge.

Career Marketing Tips

Why do people work? The obvious reason is because they need money to buy anything they want and/or show generosity to their friends and families. Surely, you would desire to put up a business just to provide you with good revenue. However, you can be more prepared in starting a business if you have experienced working under a corporation, firm, or even an organization. Work comes in different types of employments, wherein full-time jobs are the most common. Throughout history, full-time jobs have been important to people all over the world, wherein they would work hard to keep their jobs secure. After all, people do not want to put all the financial efforts of their parents to complete their education turn into waste, right? However, since the commercialization of the Internet in the 1990s, telecommuting, also known as work from home, has become increasingly popular as an employment option. Freelancing has also become a career trend as well since employers can connect to their employees and applicants online. After all, billions of households have computers and use the Internet frequently. The 2007-2009 financial crisis had caused decline of various careers within both the public and private sectors of countries all over the world, especially the United States, when the country had experience the highest unemployment rate. The crisis has changed the trends of jobs wherein most of the existing positions require more skills, especially in computers. This change has been a disadvantage to workers who are born within the Baby Boomer period (1946-1964) because most of them are not as inclined to technological advancements as much as the people within Generation X (born in between 1965 and 1981) and Generation Y (born in between 1982 and 2000). The recent job trends have also changed the way companies’ human resource employees accept curricula vitae (CVs) and application letters from jobseekers, wherein resumes made for their particular jobs can lead to higher chances of getting hired compared to their generalized counterparts. With the changing career trends, it’s time to ask yourself if you can be marketable to companies you applied for your desired jobs. Whether you want to make money online or seeking for an in-house career, follow these tips to help you become an asset to companies.

Marketing yourself towards a successful career starts with creating a resume. Make sure that you put your contact information consisting of your complete name, residential address, email address and contact numbers. Create information about your educational background and work experience, wherein both of them should be relevant to the job you’re applying. As mentioned earlier, job-specified resumes increases your chances of being prioritized or hired than the generalized ones. References can be added too even if they are optional. However, human resource employees can use your references to contact your school or your former company if you are recommended for hire within the job you are applying. Add educational and career accomplishments, wherein they can increase your chances of getting hired.

After you submit your resume, whether online or as a walk-in applicant, you will be contacted for an interview. Interviews can be on the phone, although the face-to-face approach is more common. Do not procrastinate at the day of your interview or you would give your employer a wrong impression. After all, employers do not like being late. To make yourself look suitable during an interview, wear business clothing like polo shirts, slacks, and leather shoes. For women, they should not wear anything sleeveless nor clothing that can expose their cleavage. Proper attire can make you look marketable to your employers. Greet your interviewer and even shake his/her hand at the beginning and after an interview. If the employer decides to hire you, you should complete the requirements given so that you would be able to start a career with the company.

Business Rescue

Since the economic downturn began, there have been some well publicised reports of very high profile national and international companies from diverse sectors who have had to enter liquidation, meaning business bankruptcy. However, many business professionals are still not aware that business bankruptcy is not the only legal way to resolve serious financial problems. A business rescue service should assist companies and sole traders facing insolvency by explaining all legally recognised methods to resolve the more serious business problems. Our guide here outlines one of the more popular legal solutions, the Company Voluntary Agreement (the CVA). It will outline why they have been gaining popularity with many UK businesses recently; discuss ten key advantages they can provide; and how to obtain vital professional support to determine whether they might be a suitable option for your business needs.

When Might Companies Want A CVA?

There are quite a number of reasons why more and more businesses have had to cope with some extremely difficult trading conditions in recent times. Multiple adverse effects from the economic downturn have emerged throughout many diverse UK sectors. One example could be recent record levels of personal insolvencies, which could account for some of the less favourable consumer spending patterns witnessed within certain sectors. The international markets have also seen quite a degree of volatility, the effects of which again can easily lead to adverse conditions for sole traders and firms in the UK. Finally, both these problems have arisen at the same time as greater restrictions have been imposed on everyday business lending.

Ten Key Advantages of the CVA:

1. Businesses with financial problems might be able to avoid business bankruptcy by successfully arranging a CVA instead. It functions as a legally binding agreement on the creditors regarding repayment for all or part of the business debts over a known time scale. There are a number of legal steps required, so it won’t be an ‘in-house’ solution but it should be completely manageable if you gain the support of a reputable business rescue service.

2. CVAs are a relatively flexible solution due to the fact they are formulated with vital input from the directors of the distressed company.

3. Sometimes, the way in which a CVA can create vital breathing space through initiating a manageable payment plan will allow the company’s finances to recover. From this perspective, a CVA can present a genuine rescue strategy in that it avoids the finality of a business bankruptcy.

4. A CVA does not attract the stigma that can accompany a declaration of business bankruptcy. It is a relatively more private option since no names must be published in the newspapers. This is has an obvious appeal for those wishing to avoid any negative publicity in order to protect existing and future trading.

5. Once it is agreed, the CVA means that creditors do not have the option to apply for any new legal action against your business.

6. It tends to be a generally recognised solution as far as larger creditors and the business banks are concerned.

7. It should also set into place a manageable repayment plan to address any crown tax arrears.

8. Providing it is properly arranged, a CVA should not be as costly as either business bankruptcy or administration proceedings. Your business rescue service should be able to provide you with comprehensive details of the likely costs involved and how they compare to other solutions.

9. One aspect many firms appreciate it that it avoids their staff and directors having to take the time to comply with a formal investigation into the business accounts. This affords them more valuable time to promote their actual business activities – which is of course especially welcome for those aiming for turnaround.

10. Finally, throughout the procedure, the company’s directors are still able to receive a regular income whilst the company continues to trade.

A CVA is not going to be suitable for every enterprise experiencing financial difficulties. The most important advice here is to always seek expert advice from a business rescue service before committing to any solution. You do need to be certain that it would genuinely present the best option for your business. Should this not be the case, your should expect your advisor to still take the time to discuss the other legal options open to you, to gain the strongest possible outcome for both you as an individual and for your business as a whole.