Enhancing Your Career With Specific Career Education

Writen by Tony Jacowski

Education is said to be a lifelong process; it is a journey rather than a destination. However, many people having once acquired a basic degree and a few years of work experience pay little attention to enhancing their prospects with specific career education. Hectic professional schedules and personal commitments weigh heavily on their minds and the challenge of starting on an educational course all over again is a daunting one. In the competitive environment that exists today, this attitude of maintaining a static state of affairs with respect to one's education could mean a string of missed opportunities when it comes to job hunting or even growth in the current organization. As the job market is cluttered with many thousands of qualified job applicants, employers are constrained to apply stringent screening processes when recruiting. What this means for job seekers is that there is really no alternative to enhancing their career with specific career education. Pursuing a degree relevant to the business needs of the industry and the function of their specialization is critical.

Stand Out

When there are limited job vacancies in an organization and multiple applicants who meet most of the specified eligibility criteria, the employer looks out for special skills in the candidate in terms of specific career education. An additional qualification can serve to make your candidature stand apart and tip the scales in your favor. Any practical exposure that you have acquired in a previous job or any knowledge you have acquired through a specific career education course, speaks well of your ability to learn continuously.

A specialized career-training course that helps hone existing skills and develop new ones is something every professional should seriously consider, irrespective of their years of experience. Prior to enrolling in any such education program, it is advisable to take a career aptitude test that helps ascertain your existing skills and interests. If you are already employed, it may not be possible to attend regular college and you could consider enrolling in online career education programs. The emergence of the Internet has created endless opportunities in online and virtual education programs.

Education Types

As a result, enhancing your career with specific career education programs is a very feasible option today. You could choose programs that are offered at universities in different states and even countries; this permits you to study during your free time and at your own pace. You can even choose to study along with fellow students and opt for joint sessions via web-based technologies. Most specific career education institutes have a number of college-based forums, discussion groups and chat rooms, which helps fellow students in collaborating and discussing course related projects.

Dedication And Hard Work

Though there is more flexibility available in terms of time, location and pace in the case of specific career education, it still calls for serious effort from the student in order to acquire the certification. Typically, specific career education programs, much like regular college degrees, require students to submit journals and projects, and attend examinations. Though these requirements might make a working professional feel pressured, overall, it makes good sense to invest time in career education specific to the field of expertise.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes You Can Fix Yourself

Writen by Cathy Goodwin

A career consultant can diagnose and overhaul a troubled resume. But you can check off the basics yourself.

Mistake #1. "The mystery applicant." No contact information.

Fix: List a daytime phone number and email address, right at the top of the page. Create a professional-sounding message for your answering device.

Mistake #2. "The scrunchie." Loads of detail crammed together in eight-point type.

Fix: Add lots of white space, avoid tiny type and use bullet points instead of long paragraphs. If you've got a story to tell, most reviewers will happily turn to a second page.

Mistake #3: "List of tasks and duties." Obituary of a boring employee.

Fix: Sell yourself by focusing on accomplishments. Demonstrate the impact of your achievements. Describe actions, not obligations.

Mistake #4: "The expressionist." Sets off alarm bells.

Fix: Choose chronological rather than functional form, especially if you use traditional job-hunting sources: HR departments, recruiters, and advertisements. Off the beaten path, use a sales letter or network your way to in-person presentations.

Mistake #5: "Creative language." Spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

Proof-read and ask a friend to help. Computerized spelling and grammar checks won't catch everything. A carefully-prepared resume will stand out more than you can imagine.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.

"Ten secrets of mastering a major life change" mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com

Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294

Finding Employees For Insurance Industry Jobs

Writen by Barbara Krueger

Finding the right employee for any job opening can be a challenge to say the least, and this is no truer than in the insurance industry. With considerations ranging from experience and education to their personal skills, the decisions faced by recruiters and employers can be of critical importance.

When hiring employees for insurance industry jobs it is important to take many factors into account. Summarized, these factors include:

1. Education & Certification
2. Experience
3. Personal Skills

Education & Certification
Obviously one of the first criteria you will be looking for in a candidate will be their education. Whether the employee is applying for a one of your insurance sales jobs, customer service, risk management or some other position you will want to make sure that their education matches the criteria of the job. With this in mind an employer will often find him/herself in a position when multiple candidates are well educated and/or certified. While it may take additional time, looking into the schools themselves may yield significant differences.

A certificate from the "University of Phoenix Online" is worth significantly less than the same certificate from an accredited educational institution but unless you look into the credentials you may be tempted to consider them all equal.

While education cannot be considered the end-all-be-all of hiring any qualified candidate, a solid education from an accredited institution reflects more than a knowledge of the industry – it also reflects the job applicant's ability to write and present ideas clearly and also to stick with something they have started.

And isn't that a key feature in a candidate, whether the education is necessary in their job function or not?

Experience
This is perhaps the most important factor in filling jobs in the insurance industry (or any industry for that matter). What you should be reading into their experience is not simply the number of years they have worked in the same or similar roles however. While experience in a specific field lends itself to a strong understanding of the ins-and-outs of it can also have its downside that must be taken into account.

The value of experience in the insurance industry comes primarily from the reduced training that will be necessary to get the employee functioning. Knowing how to perform a specific function, especially a complex function such as risk management or loss control, can save a company countless dollars in training.

The downside in experience that must be considered is that an employee may not fully understand the processes and procedures unique to your insurance company. No two companies perform all their tasks the same way and an employee who has performed a specific role for one company may assume (incorrectly) that you do or should do it the same way. This can lead to bottlenecks and sometimes even conflict.

An additional drawback to experience that must be addressed when filling insurance jobs is the knowledge that the prospective employee has worked in insurance industry jobs and has chosen to leave an employer. The last thing you want is to fill one of your vacant jobs with an employee who has a history of leaving related positions.

Both of these drawbacks can be addressed with a few simple questions of the employee and to past employers.

Personal Skills
Personal skills are arguably one of the most important criteria when filling insurance industry jobs. While the importance of personal skill is obvious when hiring for insurance agent jobs, these skills are equally important when considering employees for administration and more technical positions as well. While these people may not necessary be dealing with the public on a regular basis they will play a key roll in developing a productive work environment.

Although the primary objective in any businesses is to insure profitability, developing an enjoyable work environment in which the various parties can communicate leads to new ideas, higher productivity due to a willingness of all employees to work together, and perhaps most importantly – a lower employee turnover rate.

For some insurance jobs, personal skills are more important than others however for every position they should be considered. You may even want to consider having the current staff who will be working closely with the new employee meet during the interview process and provide feedback. If your staff work well together their productivity will naturally increase.

Conclusion
While every company and position within that company is different, as long as the above three areas are considered when hiring for any of the various insurance industry jobs available, you as the employer are far more likely to foster a positive, productive and in the end, more profitable company. You will end up with a staff that is properly educated, has good experience if applicable, and works well together. Like any well-oiled machine – this is the recipe for success when filling insurance related jobs.

Credits InsuranceWorkForce.com is an established, nationally recognized insurance and financial services 'You-Post-It' job site. If you're looking to fill insurance jobs or are seeking employment in the insurance industry visit InsuranceWorkForce.com. A virtual one stop employment site, linking employers and recruiters with qualified job seekers having the experience, skills and specialized training necessary to get the job done! Employers and recruiters, submit your insurance jobs here.

Job Search Lessons From The 2006 Super Bowl

Writen by Jeff Altman

The Super Bowl is a game but, like sports in general, it offers useful life lessons that we can take with us . . . if we only look below the surface. As I watched the game, I saw a number of things. How many did you see?

1. As I pointed out last year, winning is a team effort. That was never more obvious than this year when the Steeler offense was going no where for most of the first half and the SeaHawk offense was moving the ball almost at will. All of the focus prior to the game was on the offenses and, in particular, the match up between the quarterbacks. But Pittsburgh's Roethlisberger started horribly, piutting pressure on the defense. Seattle moved the ball against the defense but could not "seal the deal" with points as John Madden said diuring the game.

In his post-game comments, Coach Cowher spoke about the team effort that went into winning, in particular the coaches who put in an enormous effort all season long to adapt to the chages that kept occuring all season long.

Who are your coaches or are you trying to do everything by yourself? Champions take coaching from the staff who are able to look at their performance and offer good advice that the pro adapts to. Wouldn't that be helpful in your career planning?

2. Excitement is a great motivator; fear isn't. Pittsburgh came out "jumpy" and unsettled. Penalties and poor execution on offense and on the defensive side of the ball almost put them in a big hole. Fortunately for them (but unfortunately for Seattle), each time Seattle moved the ball, the Steeler defense would hold. Pittsburgh scored right before the half making the score 7-3. Seattle had dominated the play through most of the half but was trailing.

When you interview, it is OK to be excited but arriving fearfully can cause you to make mistakes that can cost you the job you're well qualified to perform. You don't execute well on the interview and you go home to explain what happened. It's a horrible feeling.

3. Critical mistakes will keep you from winning. Seattle arrived as a team who had not turned the ball over for several weeks and left as a team that dropped passes, threw a critical interception, fmbled at a critical juncture, committed costly penalties that cost them 14 points (or enough to win).

4. Try not to be predictable. The team that runs the same plays over and over again will be defeated. Pittsburgh buried Seattle with an end reverse becoming an option pass touchdown to Hines Ward. In their playbook all season, they only ran the play once all year.

5. Planning for next year started 72 hours after the teams left the field. That should be true oof how you start planning for your next career move. As someone once said, the person who gets ahead isn't always the smartest and doesn't always work the hardest . . . although those are great qualities to have. The person who gets ahead is the one who remains alert to opportunity. Sometimes that's within an organization; sometimes it's outside of it.

Good luck! Can't wait for next year's game. Giants vs. Colts.

That would be fun!

Jeff Altman

Concepts in Staffing

jeffaltman@cisny.com

© 2006 all rights reserved.

Jeff Altman, Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, has successfully assisted many corporations identify leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines as employees or consultants since 1971. He is a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.

To subscribe to Head Hunt Your Own Job, Jeff Altman's job search e-zine, go to http://www.sayhi.to/JeffAltman enter your email address in the subscription box and lick to subscribe.. While you're there, sign up to receive a daily digest of jobs emailed to you as we learn of them and read additional job hunting or hiring tips.

If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you're looking for a new position, include your resume).

Job Searching During The Holidays

Writen by William Werksman

A common misperception on the part of job seekers is that the holidays are a poor time for job hunting prospects. As a professional recruiter, here are three reasons why the holiday period is in fact an excellent time to seek a new opportunity:

1. New budgets generally call for hiring additional resources. The budgeting process for the coming year generally takes place the final quarter of the year. With new business strategies mapped out, senior management aggressively begin to look for prime talent. This is an excellent chance for candidates to passively market themselves through networked contacts or recruiters. Make yourself available for coffee, lunch or an after hours meeting to discuss possible opportunities and sell yourself to prospective employers.

2. Holiday parties present exceptional networking opportunities. Traditionally, we are taught not to mix business with pleasure. But, in today's competitive employment market, we counsel candidates to do just the opposite. Holiday office parties are an excellent chance to network with other internal department heads, outside vendors, and even specific competitors. These settings are an excellent chance to meet and greet people and thus expand your network.

3. Create momentum going into the New Year. Above all else, job searching is a mentally taxing task. You alone are responsible for putting yourself in a position to succeed. Part of that process is staying motivated to completing the task. The holiday period is an excellent chance to create positive momentum for your job search both now and going into the New Year. Tune up and revamp that resume, calls network contacts to wish them Happy Holidays (and stay on their radar), and meet and greet new people at networking events. Positive thoughts and actions today will create positive momentum in the future for your job search.

Don't let this holiday period catch you unprepared. While others are busy shopping at the malls, take advantage of this opportunity to advance your career for today and tomorrow.

Executive recruiter William Werksman is a frequent columnist to job boards including http://www.NevadaJobBoard.com addressing both the candidate's and employer's perspective. Werksman's expertise has been featured in business magazines, national newspapers and television news segments. His firm, Resource Partners, is recognized as the leading source of specialized and executive talent in the Casino and Gaming industry. He manages a staff of recruiters out of his firm's Las Vegas, Nevada headquarters. He may be reached at: Bill@CareerInsider.com

American Workforce Do They Lack Work Ethic

Writen by Lance Winslow

Many employees do not wish to work hard; some are disillusioned and others feel the pay and benefits are substandard. Indeed although the unemployment is below 5% some feel that they are under employed. Some employees feel that the illegal immigrants have driven down pay and benefits in America.

All this may be components of the issue and whereas it is not a simple issue, there is more too it, as some believe that the American work force lacks ethics. Many business owners often complain about this fact. And although it is not all workers it is an ever growing percentage of the over all work force. Personally, I have done business in 4-countries, set up franchises in 123 cities and 23 states. I have also been to every city in the United States over 10,000 population and talked with workers, middle managers, executives and run companies and had franchisee team meetings, over saw operations and did many sneak checks. We have had franchisees come from other companies to work with us from all sets of blue and white collar. And from what I can tell there are some issues work ethic in the United States.

Here is a summary of a conversation with a striking Boeing Company worker not too long ago and you can see there are two-sides to each issue.

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Some workers complain that they do not make enough each month to pay the bills and this is why they do not feel they should have to work hard. However true this maybe I have to ask; What does honesty and work ethic have to do with pay? If you promise when hired to do your best and compete for that job, you ought to hold up your word once you get the job. Otherwise you lack integrity, that is dishonest and no excuse can be made for failure to make good on that promise when you got hired in the first place. When we discuss this topic of work ethic, we must consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

The Six Master Keys To Landing A Job

Writen by Ronald K. Armstrong

I've listed the most successful techniques used to land a job in just about any field imaginable. Most people believe that getting a job relies upon a good resume and interview skills. Well, that is just not so. I have found that there is a formula that if applied correctly works almost every time. In fact, through research I have discovered that the common denominator among people who consistently got work was due to them incorporating The Six Master Keys in their presentations. Let's take a look at them.

1. AUTHORITY: Become an authority in your area. Write articles, post notes in forums, joins groups and chat rooms. The more people recognize your expertise in your field the more they will seek you out. Make sure that your resume and website conveys the fact that you are one of the leading authorities out there. Most people in today's world never do any research or read any trades publications on their jobs. Take a few minutes out of your day to do this and it will put you one giant step ahead of others. This simple technique alone can greatly increase your chances of not just getting work but getting consistent work!

2. SOCIAL PROOF: It means nothing if you say it. However, if others talk about how good you are then it is taken with more weight. Make sure that you include testimonials from satisfied clients in your blog, website, and resume. This will go a long way in building trust and rapport which are the very foundations of the entertainment industry. Keep in mind that testimonials are not references. References are passive and require someone to contact your previous employer. Testimonials are active marketing tactics used to brand you and make you stand out.

3. QUALIFY: Typically when going for a job you must answer a serious of probing questions from the employer. But all that now changes. As someone who is an Authority, who has Social Proof, you will now question them. You must qualify them to see if their project or position is something YOU are interested in and is worthy of your involvement. This is not the same as the popular Questions That Sell sales technique as qualifying is a way of demonstrating your value and communicating that you have standards. Qualifying gets them to meet certain objectives and criteria that you set. Remember, you have the pick of the litter. You are in demand! Always convey that you can walk away at anytime. Never seem desperate for the job even if you are.

4. URGENCY: In our industry jobs are highly competitive. Therefore it is important that hiring decisions are made quickly before his or her uncle or cousin is hired for the position. Let them know that you are in demand or are considering other offers but are very much interested in their project. In all of your communications such as the cover letters, blogs, websites and resumes you should have embedded commands which lets them know they must act quickly. This can be done by using verbs and sentence fragments to communicate expediency.

5. FEAR: Create a sense of fear in their minds. This is best done when you have established yourself as an authority. Let them know in an indirect manner and without the inclusion of names, that just hiring anyone for the project could cost them dearly. Let them know that if not done right, it could destroy the entire project. Now here is the atomic bomb guaranteed to increase your chances of getting that job. Tell them what they should be looking for in a candidate! That's right! Give them advice on how to pick the right person for the job. Act as a consultant. This shows a number of things. That you care. That you are unbiased That you are not hungry for the work. If you don't get the job after that then go back and review everything from the beginning because chances are you missed something.

6. DESTROY THE PARADIGM: Let them know that the conventional way of thinking is incorrect and show them a new way to go about things. Destroying the paradigm positions you as having something to bring to the table and adds value to yourself. This is best done by conveying to them the truism or norm by which things are done or how the industry operates. Then in a sweeping statement let them know that the assertion is totally incorrect! This raises your status and gets them supplicating to you. However, you must then demonstrate the truth about what you are stating through an actual situation, fact or case study. This also serves to illustrate that you are innovative in your approach and on top of changes in the industry. Be warned though. This is not a technique you would use when going for a position where they want you to just fit. In other words, you would be just another piece in the factory oiled machine. But why would you want a job like that anyway?

Now you don't have to include each one in your communications with perspective employers. However, you should make an effort to incorporate as many as necessary depending upon the situation. Keep in mind that this is a skill which takes practice. Work on the Six Master Keys until it becomes natural and easy. You don't want it coming off cocky, scripted or insincere. You'll find that once you get it right it works like magic!

Ronald K. Armstrong is a noted author and filmmaker. He is President of the RKA Cinema Society which is an organization dedicated to helping aspiring actors and filmmakers. Mr. Armstrong is also the founder of the revolutionary Kamitic Acting System. http://www.rkacinemasociety.com