Choosing A Career: A Guide for Students and Parents

The time between high school and college is an exciting period for young adults. During this time, they are required to make decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. Selecting a career is one of these decisions. Although young adults entering college may have an idea of what they want to do, college students usually change their majors several times during college. The following suggestions are tips while making this important decision. 

1. Know yourself. 
Each young adult, as well as anyone making a career decision, should consider their talents, weaknesses, and interests when setting career goals. Desired lifestyle, earning potential, and work settings are other important factors that must be considered when making career decisions. After these factors are considered, meet with career counselors, professors, and professionals to determine whether your interests and goals are compatible with the career you’re considering. 

15 TIPS FOR WRITING WINNING RESUMES

The thought of writing a resume intimidates almost anyone. It's difficult to know where to start or what to include. It can seem like an insurmountable task. Here are 15 tips to help you not only tackle the task, but also write a winning resume. 

1. Determine your job search objective prior to writing the resume. Once you have determined your objective, you can structure the content of your resume around that objective. Think of your objective as the bull's-eye to focus your resume on hitting. If you write your resume without having a clear objective in mind, it will likely come across as unfocused to those that read it. Take the time before you start your resume to form a clear objective.

10 Tips to Boost Your Interview Skills

Even the smartest and most qualified job seekers need to prepare for job interviews. Why, you ask? Interviewing is a learned skill, and there are no second chances to make a great first impression. So study these 10 strategies to enhance your interview skills.  

Starting or building a career in computer networking

Many view computer networking as one of the best and "hottest" career fields available today. Some claim that a serious shortage of qualified people to fill these networking jobs exists, and these claims may lure some people into the fray hoping for an easy position with a fast-growing company.

Don't be fooled! Debates over the actual extent of any "shortages" aside, networking involves mostly hard work, and competition for the high-quality positions will always be strong. Continue reading to learn more about beginning or expanding a career in networking, and pick up some valuable job-hunting tips that also apply to many other types of technical careers.

Career Planning Tips

Career planning has three steps that you will cycle through and repeat throughout your working life.

By following these steps, you can make career decisions that are right for you. You'll know what your options are and what it will take to reach your goals.

First, take a realistic look at your strengths, weaknesses, and interests.

Consider:

• What do you think about yourself?
• What can help you achieve your goals, and what obstacles could get in your way?
• What types of work and school courses and activities appeal to you? What interests you?
• What do you do well now, and what skills have you gained through experience?
• What values do you have regarding work?

10 Tips for College Students Looking for a Job in a Tough Market

Many students are worried about how they'll finish college, and some students are even more worried about how they'll find a job after college—especially given the current employment situation for recent college graduates. Here are 10 tips for finding a job in an economic wasteland.

1. Know what it takes. Different fields have different application requirements, and you need to know what those are for the field you are interested in. Do you need a résumé, a cover letter, a writing sample, a portfolio, etc.? You also need to know what these materials look like in your field and which skills and experiences you need to emphasize. A legal résumé is different, both in form and content, from a management résumé, which is different from a marketing résumé. Don't have a clue? Try to arrange an informational interview with a professional in the field to which you aspire to learn what it takes.

Tips to Create Career CV

Your CV is your "advert" to sell yourself to an employer.

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What is a CV?

• CV stands for "Curriculum Vitae"
• Curriculum vitae is Latin for "Life Story"
• A CV is also often called a "Resume"

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What to Include in a CV

A CV should at least include the following:

• Your personal information
• Your work experience
• Your skills
• Your education
• Your personal profile and interests
• Your references