Earning a College Degree How to Make the Right Choice - CareerAlley

Earning a College Degree How to Make the Right Choice - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. True career planning starts before you even begin your post-secondary education. Anyone who applies for college without a solid (yet malleable) career plan will find that it is difficult to choose a degree of study without first deciding on a career path. There are several tools and resources out there that were designed to help students and professionals narrow down their natural talents and interests and guide them to the best careers for their personalities. Before you choose what to study, make sure you analyze your career interests and choices by using the following tools. Job Shadowing If there is a job you would like to know more about, look for someone in your community who works in that field and ask if you can shadow them for a few weeks. This is an excellent opportunity to find out whether or not a particular career is right for you. Make sure you go prepared; bring along a notebook and pen and notate any questions you may have for your mentor. Shadowing is about more than just observation; you need to also interview your mentor about why they chose their career and how they achieved their goals. Career Guides There are literally thousands of books on the market that contain career advice and industry data. Some of the best guides out there provide valuable, in-depth information on types of jobs, education needed, salary paid and outlook for the future. By using these guides, you will be able to learn about all the different types of specialty jobs, many that you probably never even knew existed. You will also be able to compare required education and salaries to see which career fits your needs best. Other types of career guides share important career and job seeker advice that may help you make smarter decisions, in terms of planning your career and setting personal life goals. The true value in reading career books is that they help people realize things that were hidden to them before. Career Interest Tests Some career guides contain tests that help test takers narrow down specific fields of interest. These tests usually question what your preferred working environment is, if you enjoy working in a group or by yourself and what fields of industry you hold the most interest in. Although these tests cant tell you the exact job you should pursue, they do help guide you down the correct path. Most career tests suggest fields or a list of related careers that your personality is in harmony with. To ensure accuracy, take many tests more than once. Career Counselors Most governments provide free career resources for their citizens. In the United States, all public high schools have a career counselor to provide students with the resources they need to make good post-graduation choices. The U.S. government also provides the unemployed with free career resources at local unemployment centers. Career counselors and career centers offer strategic help for anyone looking to make a career plan. Counselors usually provide their clients with free career guides and testing, as well as additional information on how to apply to a college or university and find education funding. Although higher education is valuable, going to school is expensive and time-consuming. The last thing you want is to graduate with a degree that you cant use or arent interested in using. Choosing a degree and career path is a serious decision that must be planned and calculated, lest you end up working a job that is far from your liking. Samantha Gray is a freelance writer/researcher for www.BachelorsDegreeOnline.com.Her articles cover issues related to both online and traditional education, as well as student lifestyle, parenting and careers. Please send any questions or comments her way at [emailprotected] This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook

Want a Promotion You Have to Own the Process

Want a Promotion You Have to Own the Process Want a Promotion? You Have to Own the Process An increasing trend in corporate America today is the feeling of being “stuck” with little-to-slow opportunity for promotion. More executives are staying in place because of economic conditions, fear of the unknown, or valuing what they have even though they may be bored. Fifty-three percent of U.S. adults say that they have held the same job for at least five years. That’s up from 46 percent in 1996, according to a story in The Wall Street Journal. Don’t be one of the “stuck” ones. Cut the crap, get promoted! Here’s how to go about it: Plan for a promotion. Map out your approach â€" who, what, when, how. Write down your target month for promotion (be realistic), put together your plan of action, identify the supporting materials you will need to prepare, and list the staff you will need to engage with. Remember: Nobody is planning your promotion for you. Own it. Do your research. Study your company’s Intranet, HR website, guidelines, and metrics. You will find an amazing amount of material on your Intranet site or available through your human resources department. Most employees don’t read it. Don’t be one of those. Be prepared to cite appropriate company information during your effort to get promoted. Seek insights. Find three people to share your thinking and get feedback. Select three very influential and insightful people who will be direct, yet helpful. Share your written plan and ask for their perspectives. Host a preliminary talk with your manager. What does he or she look for in promotions? Prepare a solid agenda for a meeting dedicated to the topic so you won’t stray into “work stuff.” Listen more than you talk. This is just for investigative purposes; do not ask for the promotion… yet. Secure the promotion form your manager needs to complete. In most companies, there is a form that your manager needs to fill out to justify your promotion. Get a blank form, study the questions, and do more research to complete it. Fill out the form for your manager and hand deliver it, don’t e-mail it. If your company is looking for examples of scope growth, show how you have increased revenue, grown and developed your team, or made an increasing impact on the company’s bottom line. Do not just say what a great employee you are. Book a dedicated one-on-one meeting with your manager to discuss your career. Communicate the purpose, prepare an agenda, and send it to your manager in advance. Show that you are focused on your next career move now, rather than 5 years out. Script your “pitch” to demonstrate why you are ready for a promotion based on concrete examples. Run an amazing meeting. Follow your agenda and discuss the promotion form and the next steps. Have hard copies of the agenda, the promotion form (or a facsimile if it is an online form) and a list of specific questions to discuss after you have made the “pitch.” Take notes throughout! Follow up the conversation with a thank you note, summarizing the discussion and making note of action items. Regardless of the outcome, show a huge dose of appreciation! Be persistent in your follow-up by scheduling actions in your calendar. Your manager may say, “I need to research and I’ll get back to you.” However, you can take the initiative to send a “meeting invitation” for a date 3 or 4 weeks out, depending on your one-on-one meeting. You may need to reschedule multiple times before you get the specific insights you need or get that promotion! The “good old days” are gone; employees are no longer rewarded with surprise promotions! It takes work, deep insights, proactive communications with your manager, great networking horizontally and vertically in your company, and much more. Promotions today are rarer than ever and you need to be that much better to get promoted.

Searching For the Right Resume Writing Services in Duluth, Minnesota

Searching For the Right Resume Writing Services in Duluth, MinnesotaSearching for the right resume writing services in Duluth, Minnesota? Here are a few tips for doing so:Go to the internet to research all the resume writing services available. Read reviews from other potential clients or other writers and figure out which services are reliable. Go to each of the reviews and verify that you are making the right selection. Find a website that has good reviews to that point that it will be convenient for you to visit.There are some easy ways to do this. Look up a website to compare the services and see how many reviews exist there. Go to that review website to see the answers to any of the question you might have for the company.You can also check the fact the documents are in order and the documents are completely authentic. Let's take the legal requirements for the applicant to be admitted to an approved school. One of the questions a school needs to answer is 'Can a person who is no t a citizen of the country to be admitted?' One of the places to see this info would be the HireMinnesota.com website.Using technology for research is an easy and convenient way to do this. Google has a detailed list of relevant topics on it for the writer to research and write on. Visit that site to get started. It is easy to do and will not take much time at all.Next, to make sure that you write your personalized essays you can search on 'personalized essays' to find some places where you can use the process to do that. The easiest and simplest way to do this is to open a web browser and enter the site's address at the beginning of the search. This is a good place to do some research. The search will give you a lot of good information.

Indra Nooyis Departure From Pepsi Leaves Just 23 CEOs

Indra Nooyi's Departure From Pepsi Leaves Just 23 CEOs Indra Nooyi was Pepsi’s first female CEO and is one of the most prominent female chief executives in America. But her departure this fall means the number of female CEOs at top companies will now be even smaller. When Nooyi leaves Pepsi in October, there will be just 23 female CEOs at SP 500 companies, according to a Bloomberg analysis of data from Catalyst, an organization devoted to encouraging more female business leaders. Roman Laguarta, the Pepsi’s current president, will become its next CEO. “These numbers are really poor, and they’ve been poor for a long time,” says Heather Foust-Cummings, senior vice president of research and consulting at Catalyst. “When you’re talking about a handful of women CEOs, that signals there is an issue of moving successfully in the pipeline.” “We’re not able to really point to numbers that give us a lot of optimism for the future at the rate that we’re seeing,” Foust-Cummings adds. Over the last decade, the percentage of female CEOs leading top companies has hovered around 4% to 6%, Foust-Cummings says. The organization, which once measured female representation amongst the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies instead of SP 500 companies, found that there was a 25% decline in the number of female CEOs in these top companies between 2017 and 2018. The stagnant stats show a need to refocus efforts on developing women business leaders and ensuring they thrive in their workplaces, Foust-Cummings says. Nooyi is arguably a prime example of this kind of leader. At Pepsi’s helm for 12 years, Nooyi sustained an annual net revenue growth of 5.5% on average, reaching $63.5 billion in revenue in 2017. She was also one of few women of color to head a major company. “Leading PepsiCo has truly been the honor of my lifetime, and I’m incredibly proud of all we have done over the past 12 years to advance the interests not only of shareholders, but all our stakeholders in the communities we serve,” Nooyi said in a statement on her departure Monday. “Growing up in India, I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to lead such an extraordinary company.” Many female business leaders have detailed the importance of having more diversity in C-suite positions and boardrooms. Women and minorities often face a slew of obstacles in the American workplace â€" like pay inequity â€" and having more diversity in a company’s leadership would better ensure these issues are addressed, advocates say. And seeing diversity in leadership can help inspire women and employees of color to strive for those positions, too. “It’s hugely important to be able to look up at the top of the company and see people who look like you,” Foust-Cummings says. Just as there has been little growth in female representation in the corner office, there has also been little progress on pay inequity over the last decade or so. The wage gap for women in the U.S. has even grown in some years despite awareness campaigns and high-profile efforts from some companies to review and eliminate pay gaps, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy and Research. Additionally, the #MeToo movement has brought the issue of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace to the forefront of conversation â€" spurring high-profile ousters of powerful men accused of sexual harassment or assault, as well as an attempted culture shift in how these complaints are handled. Female business leaders who spoke with TIME earlier this year said having better representation in executive positions would help both close the pay gap and combat sexual harassment â€" creating fairer, safer workplaces where women can thrive. “We need to do more â€" women and men â€" to create workplaces where women can really thrive, all the way through the pipeline from essentially the classroom to the boardroom,” Foust-Cummings says. “We want women to be able to succeed at every level.”

How to Answer the Question Whats Your Desired Job Title

How to Answer the Question Whats Your Desired Job TitleIt may seem like the most obvious thing in the world your desired job title on your resume is the job you are applying for duh, right? Turns out, its notlage quite so simple. Its true that every time you send your resume in for a job application, you should tailor it to match the stelle youre applying for. But that doesnt necessarily mean you should put, verbatim, the job title of the position youre applying for. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Seem counter intuitive? Here are a few things to keep in mind.1. Help the hiring manager out.Remember that your resume is just one of hundreds or thousands the HR department is filtering through. Listing the job title you want at the top of your resume helps them sort you into the right search and get your materials seen by the right people. Dont leave the hiring manager guessing as to what job you are after.2. Reference your target job.Be a l ittle ambitious and list the position title for the job you really want at the company. Not CEO or anything, but perhaps a rung or two up from the position you might be applying in with. This shows your ambition and your commitment to growing and moving forwardhopefully at this company.3. Reference your old job.Unless youre trying to move up or laterally or between fields, you might find it easiest to list your current job title. This only really works if youre going for the exact saatkorn job at a different firm or company. But can be very helpful because your experience ought to match the position title perfectly.4. Dont play it safe by trying to keep your options open.You might think listing a job title on your resume will limit your optionssay the company doesnt have that position open, only one below it? But the risk is much higher if you keep HR in the dark. And you just might get considered for a higher-up position.5. List multiple titles.If you qualify for more than one open position, you might feel the urge to list both. As long as these positions are similar enoughor at least in the same department, with different level gradations, this is fine. Just note, if this is for a resume, write it like this Software Developer/Web Programmer, separating the two titles with a slash. (If you are really applying widely, try not to apply for two drastically different positions at the same company to avoid having to say Front Desk Manager/CPA. That just makes it look like you are taking lazy shortcuts and/or dont know what you want to be when you grow up.6. Be realistic, but strive for the best.Again, you dont want to list a position three pay-grades away from anywhere you could possibly hope to be. But do set your sights on something a little better than your current position, especially if your skills and experience arent far off from reaching that level and you believe youd be well up for the challenge.

Is One Of The Hottest Tech Internship Programs At A Company Youve Known Since You Were A Kid

Is One Of The Hottest Tech Internship Programs At A Company Youve Known Since You Were A KidIs One Of The Hottest Tech Internship Programs At A Company Youve Known Since You Were A Kid?Do you ever feel like a brand is the same age as you are? Well, even for modern tech companies, that can actually be the case.And just like the members of a given generation (such as ours), some of these tech companies have matured faster than others. Theyve switched it up, learned a lot, and emerged as better, fuller versions of themselves.One such company is T-Mobile. Over the past five years, T-Mobile has totally disrupted the wireless industry. Youre probably familiar with how theyve done away with hidden fees, limited plans, and long-term contracts. You might also know that they are building 5G tech with Nokia (they grew up, too) and that theyre starting a TV streaming service as an alternative to cable contracts. T-Mobile has grown from just another wireless carrier into the Wireless Un-carrier.A nd now that youre grown up, too, you can be a part of it.An Internship With T-Mobile Is A Chance To Shake Up The Tech WorldModern tech internships arent just about Silicon Valley startups and electric scooters. Theyre about making an impact on peoples lives. Were a generation who grew up on stories about the power of tech and what the future could look like. And even though we dont have flying cars (yet), we do have some pretty amazing stuff.Wireless connects peopleto their friends, family, education, things they love, and new ideas all around the world. T-Mobile has taken the classic Spiderman advice and turned its great power into a call for social responsibility on the part of wireless companies. And theyre leading the way.T-Mobile is Pushing Wireless AND Tech Culture ForwardForget about companies that cant catch up with modern life. T-Mobile lets you come to work as you are. Dress like yourself. Think like yourself. Just BeYou. One of the best reasons to intern at T-Mobile is it s policy of drawing innovation from every level and department within the company.Whether youre into marketing, analytics, sales, computer science, art, general management, or most any other field, youll likely find a position at T-Mobile that aligns with your interests. And the company cares what you think. Your voice will be heard and respected. Tech companies arent just about hacking and product announcements. If youve got an idea that could make life better for people everywhere, the company you work for should be a venue for making that happenand thats what T-Mobile is.If you want to build the best in 5G, free people from restrictive contracts, and help EVERYONE connect, then you should check out opportunities at T-Mobile on WayUp right now

What Is So Fascinating About Resume Writing Tips College Graduate?

What Is So Fascinating About Resume Writing Tips College Graduate? Be aware the skills you gained, and what exactly you contributed to every job. Skills gained through volunteer work can enable a college grad land their very first job. The job that youre applying to wants to realize that youve got the certain skills theyre searching for. Listing your skills is a way to rapidly communicate your capacity to be successful in the position. Resume Writing Tips College Graduate at a Glance Like many companies, grad programs are given a lot of applications, so they require a nicht weit davon entfernt sein and very clear means to observe why youd be a great fit for their program. Employing a student resume template can help save you time and effort in addition to offer you ideas on which sections to include and the way to complete them so as to pull in the correct employers. If you opt to use high school info, make certain its really robust and appropriate content. You may wish to list your educational information close to the peak of your resume. Things You Wont Like About Resume Writing Tips College Graduate and Things You Will Recent graduates may be experiencing the identical circumstance. Each word on your resume can be a trigger for a question via an interviewer, and youll often be requested to provide examples of the skills youve referenced. Your resume should give them a very clear response to that question. Therefore, abflug early to make sure that you are in possession of a good head start to your career. You dont have to have work experience to get skills. Lastly, you are going to want to incorporate any work experience you may have. You are able to obtain experience before you need to compose your resume and thats the most valuable advice you probably can get. Afterwards, you might get into your professional experience. Resume Writing Tips College Graduate Can Be Fun for Everyone Well, it is going to catch the recruiters attention, and itll make you more memorable in regards to really interviewing in person. Wherever you choose to place your skills on your resume, be certain to tailor your list of skills to the specific job. Generally speaking, higher school students have a tendency to concentrate on their club participation whilst college students often incorporate major class projects. If youre a recent college grad who believes that your best challenge is to locate a job, youre right.