Career Tests - Taking a Career Test

By Alison Doyle


Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Taking a career test is a little like playing "what do you want to be when you grow up?" with a twist. The twist is that career tests can give you ideas about what you possibly should do rather than you simply pondering what you want to do. A personality test can give you an indication of which jobs match your personality type and which careers you may have an aptitude for. You do need to remember that the test results are only an indicator and should not be relied on as an absolute assessment of which career is best for you.

Take a Career Test

That said, spend some time taking a career test or two, conduct a career assessment, review career options and consider how they may fit with your personality. Evaluating your goals and life style can provide insight into what types of jobs you are best suited for. You may also get some information on career options that you hadn't even thought of before. Also some of the tests are actually fun to take. If nothing else, you will gain information on potential careers that you can explore to see if they really are a good fit.

A variety of career tests are available online. Some are complicated, others are quick and easy. There are fees for some assessments, others are free. Start with the free tests to see how they work for you. Then consider the more in-depth analysis provided by the top rated assessment instruments like Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Strong Interest Inventory or the Keirsey Temperment Sorter which do charge a fee for products and services but may be well worth the investment.

Job Stress

By Dawn Rosenberg McKay

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, stress, in general, is “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation.” One type of stress is job stress. With job stress, the stressors involved are work-related.

Causes of Job Stress

If you can figure out the cause of your job stress, then you can find a cure. Here are some possible causes:

• Overwork: working late, taking work home, not taking vacation

• Impending layoffs

• Being in the wrong career

• Conflict with boss or co-workers

Early Warning Signs^*

If you catch symptoms early, you have a better chance of fixing the problem so you don't end up with more chronic and serious problems. Here's what to look out for:

• Job dissatisfaction

• Sleep disturbances

• Short temper

• Upset stomach

• Headache

• Disturbed relationships with family and friends

• Low morale

• Teeth grinding

• Increased use of drugs or alcohol

Long-Term Problems

If left untreated, job stress can lead to some serious problems. They are:

• Cardiovascular disease

• Musculoskeletal disorders

• Psychological disorders

Cures

You'll need to be proactive if you want to cure your job stress. Here are some fixes that address the causes listed above:

• If overwork is your problem, take a vacation, leave work on time as often as possible, and avoid taking work home.

• If you're worried about layoffs, all you can do is make sure you're prepared should that happen.

• If you find that you made the wrong career choice, or your career is no longer fulfilling, it may be time for a change. Make your choices carefully.

• If you are having conflicts with your boss or co-workers, try to work them out. Although it may be difficult to resolve personality differences, you can try to figure out a way to get along better.

• If your stress is having a profound effect on your life, don't be afraid to get professional help.

Workplace Bullies

By Dawn Rosenberg McKay

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

What To Do About Workplace Bullies

Bullying is something we all hope not to have to deal with much beyond the eighth grade. Unfortunately workplace bullies are a problem many people face. Unlike playground bullies who often, not always, resort to using their fists, workplace bullies generally use words and actions to intimidate their victims.

A workplace bully may be your boss or your co-worker. No one should ever make you feel uncomfortable at work. If you are a victim of bullying in your workplace consider speaking to someone in the human resources department for help in dealing with it.

If you would like to try to deal with this situation before you report it, here are some tips. If you are being physically threatened don't waste a minute before you report it to both your employer and the police.

If you are dealing with a workplace bully:

• Seek the advice of a trusted mentor who may have dealt with this situation before.

• If you can, confront the bully in a professional manner, but only if your physical safety isn't threatened. Don't sink to his or her level. Stay as calm as possible. Don't yell or threaten. Often bullies are looking for this type of confrontation and it will encourage them to come back for more. Don't cry or show weakness either. That's usually what the bully is after in the first place.

• Don't try to win over other people to your side. The way in which you handle the situation will allow them to make their own judgements.

• Don't allow the bully to intimidate you or make you feel bad about yourself. You know your true worth. Don't forget what that is.

• Do your job and do it well. The workplace bully wants you to fail and when you don't he or she will be defeated.

• Make sure your superiors are aware of your work. Workplace bullies often try to spread the word that your are not doing your job well and will even go as far as to report the smallest infractions to your boss. Your actions will carry more weight than his or her words.

• Don't allow the bully to isolate you from your colleagues. Keep up your workplace friendships.

Women and Work: Then, Now, and Predicting the Future for Women in the Workplace Part III

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Business Women in Science and Technology

"According to 2001 Current Population Survey (CPS) data, one out of ten employed engineers was a woman, while two of ten employed engineering technologists and technicians were women. Among engineering specialties, industrial, chemical, and metallurgical/materials engineers were the only occupations in which women were more highly represented than the overall percent of total women engineers.

Among natural scientists, women represented 51.6 percent of medical scientists and 44.4 percent of biological and life scientists, but accounted for a smaller portion of geologists and geodesists (24.0 percent), physicists and astronomers (7.7 percent).

"Employment of women has lagged in most of the high-tech occupations that show promise for future growth. Software and hardware providers have gained acceptance as mechanisms for preparing high-technology workers for employment opportunities in the field. The challenges for women are to find more pathways into high-tech occupations, and into opportunities in the new certification universe. They also need to enter high-tech occupations in greater numbers."

An increasing number of colleges are enrolling more women than men in their medical schools. "Women comprised just over 45 percent of applicants and new students at U.S. medical schools in 1999-2000. The proportion of women medical residents increased from 28 percent of all residents in 1989 to 38 percent in 1999 according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Women in US Academic Medicine Statistics 1999-2000."

In the field of veterinary medicine, the progress of women is even further along. "Now most students at veterinary schools are women, and by 2005, women will become the majority in the profession, says the American Veterinary Medical Association. While the number of female veterinarians in the United States has more than doubled since 1991, to 24,356, the number of male veterinarians has fallen 15 percent, to 33,461.”

Prediction:

Here's the challenge. Traditionally, career fields that became the purview of women became marginalized in terms of pay, prospects, and status. It's not the purpose of this article to trace that history, but think about careers that were once male dominated that are now overwhelmingly populated by women: clercal positions, administrative jobs, nursing, teaching, social work, and retail positions. Will veterinary medicine and the medical field follow the same path?

The answer, unfortunately, is 'yes.' I do believe when women dominate a field, the field becomes less appealing and attractive as an occupation.

Additionally, while we are making progress, as a society, the statistics I have seen show the percentage of women moving into education for high technology and hard science careers declining in 2002. (See the Wired News article below, as an example.

What Employers Can Do:

This is a tough area in which to make recommendations for employers. So much of an individual's set of interests and values is formulated early in life via the home and peer environment and school experiences and successes. While I'd like to believe we are making progress, as a society, girls and boys are still raised, counseled, and treated very differently. (This article, Why Girls Don't Compute, from Wired News, highlights some of the challenges.) There are, however, efforts employers can make.

Offer women training and education opportunities that will prepare them for promotion to positions in technology and science.

Hire an equal number of women into employer-sponsored training and education programs that will prepare them for a career path in higher paying, technology-related positions.

Expose women to technology and work with computers. Many have just not had the opportunity and may have an unrealistic understanding of the skills and knowledge required to successfully operate a computer.

Work with your local elementary school, middle school, high school, community college, and college to ensure that programs and educational opportunities are in place that expose girls to technology, math, and science, in addition to the helping careers, early. Ensure that clubs, science project competitions, and all other opportunities, reach out equally to girls.

In this work environment, given the challenges employers face in creating flexible work environments and promoting women in careers with high pay and high status, is it any wonder that women are starting their own businesses in droves.

Women and Work: Then, Now, and Predicting the Future for Women in the Workplace Part II

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Business Women's Earnings and Education

"The median weekly earnings of women age 35-44 as a percentage of men’s increased from 58.3 percent to 73.0 percent from 1979 to 1993, a rise of 14.7 percentage points.

There also was an increase in the female-to-male earnings ratio among those age 45 to 54 from 1979 to 1993."

"In 1998, women in managerial and professional occupations earned much more per week than women in other occupations. Their median weekly earnings were 56 percent greater than those of technical, sales, and administrative support workers, the next-highest category."

"A look at women’s earnings over the past 20 years shows a mixed picture of progress. Women’s inflation-adjusted earnings have increased nearly 14 percent since 1979, whereas men’s have declined by about 7 percent. But while women’s earnings have improved relative to men’s, full-time working women found themselves making only about 76 percent of what men earned in 1998. Earnings for women with college degrees shot up almost 22 percent over the past two decades but, for women without a post-secondary education, there was little advancement."

"Women employed full time in professional specialty occupations earned $682 in 1998, more than women employed in any other major occupational category. Within this occupation group, women working as physicians, pharmacists and lawyers had the highest median earnings.

"Women's share of employment in occupations typified by high earnings has grown. In 1998, 46.4 percent of full-time wage and salary workers in executive, administrative, and managerial occupations were women, up from 34.2 percent in 1983, the first year for which comparable data are available. Over the same time period, women as a proportion of professional specialty workers rose from 46.8 percent to 51.6 percent.

"In contrast, there was relatively little change in women's share of full-time wage and salary employment in the remaining occupational groups. In 1983, women held 77.7 percent of administrative support occupations; in 1998, they still held 76.3 percent of those jobs." Women represented 7.9 percent of precision production, craft and repair workers, in 1983 and in 1998.

Current:

"Among 1998 high school graduates, more women than men enrolled in college. As of October, 938,000 young women who graduated from high school in 1998 were in college while 906,000 young men were enrolled." The trend of more women attending college continues.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor: Women's Education

Prediction:

Pay to women will continue to lag the pay men earn in similar careers, even when the woman has more education. The trend of more women attending college will continue, although I'll look at the majors they are pursuing later in this feature. Chosen studies are affecting both their pay and their employability potential.

What Employers Can Do:

Employers, most importantly, need to be knowledgable about the pay gap that still exists between men and women doing comparable work. Managers, at all levels, who control salaries and budgets, need to make a commitment to paying people, regardless of gender, the same amount of money for comparable work.

Women need to stay in touch with their own workplace. If a woman knows she is making less money than a man, and all other issues appear to be equal, she owes it to herself to take the case to her boss and to Human Resources. She can help to create a more gender-friendly workplace and promote her own worth.

Employers need to pay more attention to the Equal Employment Opportunity guidelines. They exist to create equity and too many employers are still working them as if they are a numbers game because of tracking and reporting requirements. I'd be so happy to see a genuine commitment to paying people equitably based on contribution.

As recommended by the Women Employed Institute, make women more aware of careers that offer higher pay opportunities. Most women's jobs are clustered in "female" occupations that pay poorly. Promote and educate women about these opportunities so women pursue opportunities for education in these higher paying opportunities. Catalyst, which monitors the progress of women in the workplace, reported that as of 1998, only 2.7 percent of the highest-paid officers at Fortune 500 companies were women. Women continue to dominate lower paying domestic, clerical support, and administrative-type occupations.

{p}Next, let's take a look at current numbers of women in science and technology careers, predicted to offer great opportunities in the next decades. Then, we'll consider what employers can do to encourage the participation of women in these careers.

How to Make a Potential Employer Fall in Love With Job Searcher Part II

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Looking for more ideas about getting your foot in the door for the face-to-face interview? You're unlikely to obtain a job offer without a highly effective interview. You have a couple more hurdles to cross, however, before you get that coveted opportunity to impress a potential employer.

• Not all employers may feel this way, but I hate fishing phone calls that have absolutely no purpose other than to make you notice an applicant. Wonder how many people call me each week to see if I have received their resume? Lots - and only the people I rarely call back. It's a wonderful opportunity for you to make a lasting bad impression. I said to a recent caller, "You are calling to ask me to look through this pile of 200 resumes to see if I have received yours? If you are that uncertain, why don't you just send it again?" Fishing-for-attention phone calls rarely help and usually brand you as a pain. They steal the company's time, irritate the resume screener and generally, accomplish nothing in your favor. In one of my client companies, callers, and especially repeat callers, are known as "stalkers."



• If you want a call from a recruiter or potential employer, give them a number at which you can be reached. The majority of resumes I receive list only a home phone. Big mistake. I gave up on ten candidates with whom I played phone tag for days. No, I'm not advocating you give a potential employer your number at your current job. But, in this day of inexpensive cell phones, you really need to honor the potential employer's time by giving them your cell phone number. I need to reach you to set up a time and date for the phone screening.



• Yes, I said, "phone screening." Forward thinking employers don't waste their time or yours these days without an initial telephone interview. Be prepared to schedule a date and time, usually during the 8-5 p.m. work day. (Your potential employer is already working ten hour days.) The phone interview eliminates most of the "yes" resumes from contention.
  
  Be prepared for a mini-interview and to give the interviewer your salary expectations. People who play coy when I ask about salary are not invited to visit in person. Why would I waste our time interviewing an applicant who is making $70,000 or more, currently, for a $50,000 job? And no, you are not going to be such a wonderful candidate that I blow away the salary range. In nine out of ten situations, the salary range is set with a large number of variables in mind including the local job market and the salaries of coworkers.



• Preparation counts for both the phone screening and the potential face-to-face interview. If I have set a time with you for a phone screening, research the company in advance. Visit the website to see what the employer does. Many organizations even describe their company culture on their websites these days. If you take just a few minutes to do your homework, the quality of the interview goes up exponentially.
  
  Think about my time, too, as your potential employer. Imagine the decisions I make about you when you ask me for directions to the company, while driving your car and talking on the cell phone. "Wait a couple of minutes," one candidate said, "while I get somewhere so that I can write this all down." Research the company location online first; call the company for directions as a last resort.

Top 10 Ways to Be Happy at Work

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Working at Google sounds very cool. I'd be the first to tout Google as a motivating employer: free food, engineers who are enabled to spend 20 percent of their time on their own projects, and a work environment that fosters play and creative thinking. At Google, Genentech and other Fortune magazine top 100 companies, employers provide the best workplaces. At the same time, perks that enable employees to spend all of their time at work exploit people and destroy work - life balance. So, even the best employer may not be best for everyone. These are the factors that will help you find happiness at work.

1. Choose to Be Happy at Work

Happiness is largely a choice. I can hear many of you arguing with me, but it's true. You can choose to be happy at work. Sound simple? Yes. But, simplicity is often profoundly difficult to put into action. I wish all of you had the best employer in the world, but, face it, you may not. So, think positively about your work. Dwell on the aspects of your work you like. Avoid negative people and gossip. Find coworkers you like and enjoy and spend your time with them. Your choices at work largely define your experience. You can choose to be happy at work.

2. Do Something You Love Every Single Day

Image Copyright Jacob Wackerhausen

You may or may not love your current job and you may or may not believe that you can find something in your current job to love, but you can. Trust me. Take a look at yourself, your skills and interests, and find something that you can enjoy doing every day. If you do something you love every single day, your current job won't seem so bad. Of course, you can always make your current job work or decide that it is time to quit your job.

3. Take Charge of Your Own Professional and Personal Development

Image Copyright Noel Hendrickson / Getty Images

A young employee complained to me recently that she wanted to change jobs because her boss was not doing enough to help her develop professionally. I asked her whom she thought was the person most interested in her development. The answer, of course, was her. You are the person with the most to gain from continuing to develop professionally. Take charge of your own growth; ask for specific and meaningful help from your boss, but march to the music of your personally developed plan and goals. You have the most to gain from growing - and the most to lose, if you stand still.

4. Take Responsibility for Knowing What Is Happening at Work

Copyright Stock_IMG Business

People complain to me daily that they don't receive enough communication and information about what is happening with their company, their department's projects, or their coworkers. Passive vessels, they wait for the boss to fill them up with knowledge. And, the knowledge rarely comes. Why? Because the boss is busy doing her job and she doesn't know what you don't know. Seek out the information you need to work effectively. Develop an information network and use it. Assertively request a weekly meeting with your boss and ask questions to learn. You are in charge of the information you receive.

5. Ask for Feedback Frequently

Copyright Jacob Wackerhausen

Have you made statements such as, "My boss never gives me any feedback, so I never know how I'm doing." Face it, you really know exactly how you're doing. Especially if you feel positively about your performance, you just want to hear him acknowledge you. If you're not positive about your work, think about improving and making a sincere contribution. Then, ask your boss for feedback. Tell him you'd really like to hear his assessment of your work. Talk to your customers, too; if you're serving them well, their feedback is affirming. You are responsible for your own development. Everything else you get is gravy.

6. Make Only Commitments You Can Keep

Image Copyright Jacob Wackerhausen

One of the most serious causes of work stress and unhappiness is failing to keep commitments. Many employees spend more time making excuses for failing to keep a commitment, and worrying about the consequences of not keeping a commitment, than they do performing the tasks promised. Create a system of organization and planning that enables you to assess your ability to complete a requested commitment. Don't volunteer if you don't have time. If your workload is exceeding your available time and energy, make a comprehensive plan to ask the boss for help and resources. Don't wallow in the swamp of unkept promises.

7. Avoid Negativity

Copyright Stefanie Timmermann

Choosing to be happy at work means avoiding negative conversations, gossip, and unhappy people as much as possible. No matter how positively you feel, negative people have a profound impact on your psyche. Don't let the negative NeAnd, keep on singing in the car on your way to work - or start.

8. Practice Professional Courage

Copyright Diego Cervo

If you are like most people, you don't like conflict. And the reason why is simple. You've never been trained to participate in meaningful conflict, so you likely think of conflict as scary, harmful, and hurtful. Conflict can be all three; done well, conflict can also help you accomplish your work mission and your personal vision. Conflict can help you serve customers and create successful products. Happy people accomplish their purpose for working. Why let a little professional courage keep you from achieving your goals and dreams? Make conflict your friend.

9. Make Friends

Image Copyright Nancy Louie

In their landmark book, First, Break All The Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently (Compare Prices), Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman list twelve important questions. When employees answered these questions positively, their responses were true indicators of whether people were happy and motivated at work. One of these key questions was, "Do you have a best friend at work?" Liking and enjoying your coworkers are hallmarks of a positive, happy work experience. Take time to get to know them. You might actually like and enjoy them. Your network provides support, resources, sharing, and caring.

10. If All Else Fails, Job Searching Will Make You Smile

Copyright Pali Rao

If all of these ideas aren't making you happy at work, it's time to reevaluate your employer, your job, or your entire career. You don't want to spend your life doing work you hate in an unfriendly work environment. Most work environments don't change all that much. But unhappy employees tend to grow even more disgruntled. You can secretly smile while you spend all of your non-work time job searching. It will only be a matter of time until you can quit your job - with a big smile.

Sample Human Resources Director Job Description

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

The Human Resources Director guides and manages the overall provision of Human Resources services, policies, and programs for the entire company. The major areas directed are:

• recruiting and staffing;
• organizational and space planning;
• performance management and improvement systems;
• organization development;
• employment and compliance to regulatory concerns;
• employee orientation, development, and training;
• policy development and documentation;
• employee relations;
• company-wide committee facilitation;
• company employee and community communication;
• compensation and benefits administration;
• employee safety, welfare, wellness and health;
• charitable giving; and
• employee services and counseling.

(Note: Depending on your organization's needs, the Human Resources Director often directs administration, including reception, and may even be responsible for facility security and upkeep in addition to space planning.)

The Human Resources Director originates and leads Human Resources practices and objectives that will provide an employee-oriented, high performance culture that emphasizes empowerment, quality, productivity and standards, goal attainment, and the recruitment and ongoing development of a superior workforce.

The Human Resources Director coordinates implementation of services, policies, and programs through Human Resources staff; reports to the CEO and serves on the executive management team; and assists and advises company managers about Human Resources issues.

Primary Objectives:

• Safety of the workforce.
• Development of a superior workforce.
• Development of the Human Resources department.
• Development of an employee-oriented company culture that emphasizes quality, continuous improvement, and high performance.
• Personal ongoing development.

Sample Human Resources Assistant Job Description

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

The Human Resources assistant assists with the administration of the day-to-day operations of the human resources functions and duties. The HR assistant carries out responsibilities in some or all of the following functional areas: departmental development, HRIS, employee relations, training and development, benefits, compensation, organization development, executive administration, and employment.

The HR assistant has partial responsibility for these areas:

• recruiting and staffing logistics;
• performance management and improvement tracking systems;
• employee orientation, development, and training logistics and recordkeeping;
• assisting with employee relations;
• company-wide committee facilitation and participation;
• company employee communication;
• compensation and benefits administration and recordkeeping;
• employee safety, welfare, wellness, and health reporting; and
• employee services;
• maintaining employee files and the HR filing system;
• assisting with the day-to-day efficient operation of the HR office.

The Human Resources assistant contributes to the accomplishment of Human Resources practices and objectives that will provide an employee-oriented, high performance culture that emphasizes empowerment, quality, productivity and standards, goal attainment, and the recruitment and ongoing development of a superior workforce.

The Human Resources assistant helps with the implementation of services, policies, and programs through HR staff; reports to the HR director, and assists company managers with HR issues.

Primary Objectives:

• Safety of the workforce.
• Development of a superior workforce.
• Development of the Human Resources department.
• Development of an employee-oriented company culture that emphasizes quality, continuous improvement, and high performance.
• Personal ongoing development.

How to Develop a Job Description

By Susan M. Heathfield


Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Develop job descriptions to help you articulate the most important outcomes you need from an employee performing a particular job. Develop job descriptions as a communication tool to tell coworkers where their job leaves off and the job of another employee starts.

Develop well-written job descriptions to tell an employee where their job fits within the overall department and the overall company. Develop well-written job descriptions to help employees from other departments, who must work with the person hired, understand the boundaries of the person's responsibilities. Finally, develop job descriptions as an integral piece of the performance development planning process.

Your goal in hiring is to find the brightest, most competent, flexible, reliable, multifaceted employees you can find. A job description, if not viewed as a straight jacket, helps your successful recruiting in several ways. A job description:

• causes the manager of the position and any other employees already performing the job to agree on the responsibilities and scope of the position,
• helps Human Resources know the knowledge, skills, education, experience, and capabilities you seek in your new employee, so an effective recruiting plan is formulated,
• informs candidates about the duties and responsibilities of the position for which they are applying,
• informs employees who are assisting with the interview process about the questions to ask candidates and what you seek in the new employee, and
• may protect you legally when you can demonstrate why the candidate selected for a position was your most qualified and culturally suited applicant.

Steps to Develop Job Descriptions

Use these steps to develop your job descriptions.

• Gather the appropriate people for the task. The manager to whom the position will report takes the lead to develop a job description, but other employees who are performing similar jobs can contribute to the development of the job description. Additionally, if the position is new and will relieve current employees of work load, they should be part of the discussion. A first position? The manager or company owner can develop the job description on his or her own.

• Perform a job analysis. You need as much data as possible to develop a job description. The job analysis may include:
  • the job responsibilities of current employees,
  • Internet research and sample job descriptions online or offline highlighting similar jobs,
  • an analysis of the work duties, tasks, and responsibilities that need to be accomplished by the employee filling the position,
  • research and sharing with other companies that have similar jobs, and
  • articulation of the most important outcomes or contributions needed from the position.
  The more information you can gather, the easier the actual task to develop the job description will be.

• Write the job description. Your company may have a format for job descriptions so check with Human Resources. Often, however, all Human Resources expects is a list of the responsibilities and they prefer to develop the final format congruent with job descriptions across the company.
  
  These are the normal components of the job description:
  • Overall position description with general areas of responsibility listed,
  • Essential functions of the job described with a couple of examples of each,
  • Required knowledge, skills, and abilities,
  • Required education and experience,
  • A description of the physical demands, and
  • A description of the work environment.
  Your company and your process may vary, but these components give the employee clear direction.

• Review the job description periodically to make sure it acurately reflects what the employee is doing and your expectations of results from the employee.

• Use the job description as a basis for the employee development plan (PDP) An employee's job description is integral in the development of his or her quarterly employee development plan.

An effective job description establishes a base so that an employee can clearly understand what they need to develop personally, and contribute within your organization. Develop job descriptions to provide employees with a compass and clear direction.

Human Resources Job Prospects and Earnings

By Susan M. Heathfield


Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Job prospects for various Human Resources positions vary by position but they range from growing as fast as the average of other occupations to growing faster than average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Sample Human Resources Job Prospects and Earnings

• Human Resources Assistant: expected to grow by 11 percent between 2006 and 2016, as fast as the average for all occupations.
  
  The median of wages paid to HR Assistants was $33,750 in 2006. The range was $22,700 to more than $48,670.

• Human Resources Generalists, and Training or Labor Relations Managers: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment is "expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations. College graduates who have earned certification should have the best job opportunities. Overall employment is projected to grow by 17 percent between 2006 and 2016."
  
  --Compensation and benefits managers made a median income of $74,750 in May, 2006 with a range from $55,370 to $99,690. The lowest paid 10% were paid less than $42,750; the highest 10% earned more than $132,820.
  
  --The median earnings of training and development managers were $80,250 in May, 2006. Salaries ranged from $43,530 to $141,140.
  
  --The median annual earnings of human resources managers in other specialty areas were $88,510 in May, 2006. The range was $51,810 to $145,600. The middle 50% made between $67,710 and $114,860 annually.

How to Research Human Resources Jobs and Careers

You can research any job title at the the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Here's a hint to save you research time. While most Human Resources jobs including managers, generalists, training specialists and labor relations specialists, appear under "Human Resources," higher level jobs, such as Vice President and Director, appear in the index under "Vice President" and "Director."

The site provides the most current information about these job occupation areas.

• Nature of the Work
• Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
• Employment
• Job Outlook
• Projections Data
• Earnings
• Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Data
• Related Occupations
• Sources of Additional Information

More About Potential Salary and Earnings in Human Resources

My only cautionary note, as you can see from the above examples, is that the range within a specific occupation for salaries is broad. You can obtain more specific salary information for your occupation, level, years of experience, region, market competition, skills, and education by researching at job boards, in your Human Resources office from salary surveys, and at sites that provide market research and salary calculators.

The pay for Human Resources jobs generally ranges from around $30,000 for an entry-level job to millions of dollars for a corporate executive with leadership responsibility for thousands or hundreds of thousands of employees, and often responsibility for multiple departments.

Summary of Human Resources Career Opportunities

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the three key points for people who want to work in Human Resources include:

• "The educational backgrounds of these workers vary considerably, reflecting the diversity of duties and levels of responsibility.
• "Certification and previous experience are assets for most specialties, and are essential for more advanced positions, including managers, arbitrators, and mediators.
• "College graduates who have earned certification should have the best job opportunities."

Human Resources is a field that offers multiple job opportunities: see these descriptions of the range of jobs in Human Resources. Human Resources jobs also offer the opportunity to make significant income and to contribute to business culture, business strategy, and the overall happiness and motivation of employees.

More About Pursuing a Career or Job in Human Resources

Looking for information, in addition to job prospects and earnings, about pursuing a career or job in Human Resources? Here are the resources you need to take your career development or job search to the next level.

Key to Balanced Success

By Uzo Onukwugha


Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Your heart condition is the most important determinant of your authority and destiny on planet earth. This is because your spirit nature is the foundation and essence of your being and existence. Everything within and without you rises or falls depending on how you program your spirit-nature. The human spirit is like your hard drive Just as the hard drive drives every data in the computer, your heart runs the affairs of your life. The computer hard drive stores information in the form of electromagnetic energy. The same applies to your spirit man. Therefore this repository of energy can create, attract or lead you to whatever your core desire is or whatever you are programming for life. Everything in life is created first in the invisible world of the spirit before it materializes in the natural world of matter. In the same way, God has placed eternity in the hearts of men. "As it is within, so is it without," says an Oriental maxim. Some people call this the law of correspondence.

The key to success is being (what you become) which will determine doing (or what you do) and have (what you possess). Success, therefore is the ability of a trained spirit to dominate the body through a renewed mind. And the Holy Spirit dominating the human spirit which is now free to create. Genius is nothing but the Spirit of God working in an open and programmed heart. Thus, your heart condition is the core of your success quest. By the way, know that you can train your human spirit just like you can develop your intellect or your muscles. You grow on what you feed on. Therefore, the best way to develop the human spirit is by using the Word of God and performing spiritual exercises outlined below.

Here are five cardinal ways to train your human spirit:

Meditation--This is akin to storing and rehearsing the Word of God in your mind again and again. It is like planting the seeds of God's thought in your heart and let your consciousness grow it. This is like the cow chewing the cod. Take five to ten minutes thinking over the word of God especially the areas that is related to your goal. Find Scriptures that relate to your challenges and soak yourself with the ideas of God concerning those areas. Do it at least twice a day--morning and night. In meditation, God talks to you but in prayer, you talk to God. Whatever you program into your heart is what comes out of your mouth.

Positive confessions--After charging and activating the word by meditation, it is time to speak it out. You only change situations when you first speak to it. That's how God created the universe by the law of spoken word. Confession or affirmation is the most powerful way of turning your faith loose. Your self-confidence, personal power, self-direction and achievement start with words. It is also your words that conditions your spirit and renews your mind. This is because spirits respond to sound energy with emotions. Every time you say the same thing you reinforce success language. There are two types of confessions: auto suggestion and proclamations. Auto-suggestion is the conversation or running commentary between you and your spirit. This is unconscious programming beyond human awareness. The conscious one is the speech everybody hears from your mouth. Confessing what you want is the beginning of deliberate creation.

Prayer--Prevailing prayer is the life wire or the breath of human existence. The best prayer that gets result is praying God's Word concerning you back to Him. Prayer is the most powerful 'atomic energy' known to man. The human spirit soars in the place of intensive prayer. It is one of the most powerful way to release energy and supercharge your spiritual battery. Prayer is how you generate power, attract grace, provision and protection from the Almighty. Effective prayer is prayer that gets results. Praying the word of God in the spirit is the most effective, direct and powerful form of prayer. It is like building your spirit 'building your spirit brick by brick.'

Fasting--This is another powerful way to build your human spirit. You must live a fasted life if you must see success with your fasting. The flesh and its desires are what causes our failures. When the spirit dominates as in fasting, there is increased business intuition, revelation knowledge,opportunity awareness, money making ideas, creativity, breakthroughs, protective aura, favors, and breaking of demonic strongholds and bad habits. Thus, roadblocks to success are removed. Fasting brings the body under subjection and let's the spirit nature dominate. When the cravings of the mortal body go down, the spirit gains ascendency. "A praying believer is a confident believer; but a fasting believer is an overcoming believer," says Mahesh Chavda.

Praise and worship--Worship is the reason of our being. That's why God created man in the first place. The human spirit soars in the place of worship. We are transformed in His Image at the altar of worship. Human are judged in God's scale of preference according to their capacity to worship. Worship is the shortest distance between your breakthrough and God's throne. In praise, you extol the Lord for what He does; but in worship, you ascribe worth or value to God for what He is over your life. Worship is the most powerful way of cultivating a heart of gratitude. In God's presence is the fullness of joy and in his right hand is pleasures forevermore. "When you cultivate His presence, you enjoy His pleasures." This is called practising the presence of God or developing God's consciousness. Because God does things in dimensions, there are two types of God's presence in any believer. The Holy Spirit presence is the abiding presence and the one that comes and goes is the shekinar glory. There is no true worshipper of God that lacks anything. And those who know this does not trade worship for any silver or gold. Overall, prosperity always flows from a heart of gratitude which in turn determines your altitude.

Practicing the word--Application of what you meditate on is what brings manifestation or results. One of the most important ways to get power is in doing, not meditating or talking about it. "It is the law of nature that those who do have the power and those who don't have no power," says Waldo Emerson. When you take action you get satisfaction. Your thoughts create your desire but it is your action that brings it to you. Taking action is the most powerful way of programming the human spirit for success. The Word only works when you work it. Doing nothing is sure way of going nowhere. When your trained spirit ask you to do something, do it immediately. In the spirit realm and in life, timing can be everything. Business is all about opportunity and opportunity hinges on time. Money always flows to where there is opportunity. This is why taking action is critical to manifestation as the law of attraction kicks in.

If you can apply these cardinal steps, success in any endeavor is assured. Often, you have to combine the steps if you must train your spirit quicker for immediate result. You must have a goal to direct the above named psycho-spiritual exercises.

Entrepreneurship Is for All People

By Cakil Mbeling

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Entrepreneurship Is for All People - There are many reasons for saying that. First, everyone has ideals, dreams, or at least hope to improve quality of life as a human. This is a kind of "intuition" that encourages people to work and try normal. "Intuition" is related with one of the potential of humanity, the power of creative imagination.

Humans are creatures of God who endowed power of imagination creative, so he can use it to think. That thought can be directed to the past, present, and future. By thinking, he can look for answers to important questions such as: Where I come from? Where I am right now? And Where I'll go? And what shall I pass on to the world?

Searching for a personal history of the past can give an idea about one's strengths and weaknesses. In it there are a number of life experiences, obstacles and difficulties we've ever faced and how do we fix it, failure and success, pleasure and tenderness, and so forth. However, because everything has gone, then not much else that can be done to change all that. We must accept it and give it a meaning and put it right in a perspective of the present and future.

Tell the real situation today where we are, what we have, what we do not have, what we enjoy and what not can we enjoy is. What are the duty and our responsibility and what who become our birthright as human beings, and so forth? With aware of our existence today, we can be grateful or complain, we can be complacent or determine the next target, and so on.

The future is hopeful, at least not so proper for those who believe. If we had an unpleasant past and still find themselves in situations and conditions that have not been in accordance with the ideals of or our dreams, it is reasonable if we expect future better, brighter, more fun. For as long as Future, all possibilities are still wide open.

It is clear that the past, present, and future related with our imagination. And in the days that all obstacles (Obstacle), difficulty (hardship), and pleasure or joy (very rewarding life) mixed into one. So, if Poppy King, young entrepreneur from Australia said that the three things that faced by an entrepreneur in any field, and then is not it means that entrepreneurship is for everyone? Who is man in this earth who have never faced obstacles and difficulties for achieve the ideals and dreams?

Stress Reduction and the Entrepreneur

By Darren Hamels

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Regardless of your particular business or business endeavors, the importance of reducing stress in your life couldn't be more important. Stress can simply destroy your productivity and even kill you. As a society we under value the impact and importance of stress on our day-to-day lives. Yet in the end, stress couldn't be a bigger player in the way we live and ultimately even how we think.

Stress Cloud's Your Judgment. A little stress for a short period of time can actually serve to heighten one's senses and reaction time. If you stay under stress for a prolonged period of time, the result can be just the opposite. Too much stress for too long will erode your decision making abilities and, in the process, open you up towards making an assortment of mistakes. Just think back to times in your own life when you have been under too much stress for too long. Eventually stress will catch up to you and hamper your decision making process. You have likely seen this in yourself and others.

If stress is hampering your decision making, it will hamper your business decisions, whether you are looking for a China manufacturer, new web designer or a new employee your decisions could suffer. Addressing your stress related issues will not just help you feel better it will help your business as well.

Illusions. You might have grown to believe that you do your best work when you are stressed out. This is simply a convenient illusion. The fact is that, while this may be true on occasion, it is certainly not going to be true in the long run. Stress hormones, such as cortisol, fundamentally change the way that your mind and body work. Too much of these stress hormones for too long will hamper your performance. Moreover, they will have a serious impact on your health. Stress, as it turns out, does in fact kill.

Taking the time to relax and de-stress from the pressures of work will have a series of long term benefits for your health, your career or your business. In time, you will discover that your best work. Your most innovative ideas come after you have decompressed.

Global trade between individuals, companies and nations creates opportunities for prosperity and Darren Hamels covers all foreign manufacturers of wholesale products and commercial goods.

Entrepreneur Success Stories - Benjamin Franklin and the Spirit of Achievement

By Robert Britt


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What is an entrepreneur? Are you one, or are you even cut out to be one? In the strict sense of the word, we are all entrepreneurs of a sort. It means (to quote Webster {the dictionary, not the old TV show with Alex Karras and Emmanuel Lewis} "to undertake an enterprise" or more in detail, someone who organizes and manages an enterprise. So basically we are all there. But in today's society this has become more associated with capitalism than anything else.

I was reading an autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, and he said (paraphrased) that getting money was a means to an end, not an end in itself, so his enterprises weren't really so much about making money as about making a difference. Take for example the famous Franklin stove, it made heating homes much more efficient than anything else that was available at the time, but it wasn't about the money. He was just pleased that it was more efficient than a fireplace and saved a lot of fuel. He declined to patent it, saying that so many inventions over the years have benefited mankind. He just figured that this was his contribution.

So this is the crux of this article. You decide what you are going to do, following your dreams and forging your path. Taking that sort of view, deciding what makes you come alive and working at that thing, is your entrepreneurial future. Take the money out of the picture for the moment. Begin to put together whatever you are doing, and as you move along that path keep yourself open to opportunities to make money with that thing that makes your blood flow.

A personal example: I started making videos for my own amusement. These were silly comedic videos, which led me to one of my passions, improv comedy. I made the videos and released them to the world through the internet. I never expected to make anything but laughter with them, but after a time, I got a request from Google to add advertisements to the videos. I said OK, and voilà, I started seeing deposits into my bank account.

The point being made is, being an entrepreneur does not have to be about making money. That can be a result, and hopefully it will be, but concentrating on the money can pollute your output. Work at quality and the result will be amazing. Your achievements are all about keeping your standards high and then, people will find you.

In order to make progress in your life you have to commit to making change. If you don't make changes tomorrow is going to be very similar to yesterday, with the exception of you being a day older. Do you really want to improve your situation? 10 Minute Transformation Is ten minutes too much time to spend to live better?

Preparing Interview

By Dawn Rosenberg McKay

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Answering Interview Questions

When answering questions, speak slowly and clearly. Pause slightly before you answer a question. Your answers will seem less rehearsed and it will give you a chance to collect your thoughts. Keep in mind that a very brief pause may seem like an eternity to you. It's not.

Prepare answers to some basic questions. Use the list of attributes you put together earlier. There are several books on the market that list questions and sample answers.

Asking Questions

When he or she is finishing questioning you, the interviewer will probably ask if you have any questions. You should have some ready. As in every other aspect of the job search, you want to demonstrate how you can fill the employer's needs. Ask about a typical day on the job or special projects you would be involved in. Also ask questions that will help you learn more about the employer and will let the interviewer know you are interested in working there. Use what you learned about the company through your research as a stepping off point. Don't ask about salary, benefits, or vacations, as those all imply "what will you, the employer, do for me?"

Dressing For a Job Interview

By Dawn Rosenberg McKay

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Appearance counts whether we like it or not. It's the first thing people notice about us. That is why how you dress for a job interview is so important. You don't want your appearance to take away from your performance or from what you can bring to the job.

Dress appropriately for your line of work. If those working in your field wear suits, then that is what you should wear to a job interview. Even if the typical work attire is slightly less casual than that, you should still wear a suit for the interview. However, if very casual dress, for example jeans, is the norm, wearing a suit will make you seem out of place. Still, you should get a little more dressed up and wear something nicer than what you would wear for a day at work. Still unsure about what to wear? Stake out the employer's front entrance a few days before your interview to see what people are wearing to work.

Good grooming is essential. Your hair should be neat and stylish. Your nails should be well manicured and clean. Men's nails should be short. Women's nails should be of a reasonable length and polished in a neutral color. Women shouldn't be heavily made up. Avoid perfume or cologne since people find certain scents offensive

The Job Interview

By Dawn Rosenberg McKay

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A job interview is your chance to show an employer what kind of employee he or she will get if you're hired. That is why it is essential to be well prepared for the job interview. Preparing means knowing about the industry, the employer, and yourself. It means paying attention to details like personal appearance, punctuality, and demeanor.

Knowledge is always your best weapon and so you should arm yourself with plenty of it. That starts with the very basic bit of knowledge regarding job interviews. Before you research the industry and the company and even before you practice answering the questions you might be asked, you should have some general information about job interviews. Let's start by going over the different types of interviews you might face.

Types of Job Interviews

The Screening Interview

Your first interview with a particular employer will often be the screening interview. This is usually an interview with someone in human resources. It may take place in person or on the telephone. He or she will have a copy of your resume in hand and will try to verify the information on it. The human resources representative will want to find out if you meet the minimum qualifications for the job and, if you do, you will be passed on to the next step.

The Selection Interview

The selection interview is the step in the process which makes people the most anxious. The employer knows you are qualified to do the job. While you may have the skills to perform the tasks that are required by the job in question, the employer needs to know if you have the personality necessary to "fit in." Someone who can't interact well with management and co-workers may disrupt the functioning of an entire department. This ultimately can affect the company's bottom line. Many experts feel that this can be determined within the first several minutes of the interview. However, more than one person being interviewed for a single opening may appear to fit in. Often, job candidates are invited back for several interviews with different people before a final decision is made.

The Group Interview

In the group interview, several job candidates are questioned at once. Since any group naturally stratifies into leaders and followers, the interviewer can easily find out into which category each candidate falls. In addition to determining whether you are a leader or a follower, the interviewer can also learn whether you are a "team player." You should do nothing other than act naturally. Acting like a leader if you are not one may get you a job that is inappropriate for you.

The Panel Interview

In a panel interview, the candidate is interviewed by several people at once. Although it can be quite intimidating, you should try to remain calm. Try to establish rapport with each member of the panel. Make eye contact with each one as you answer his or her question.

The Stress Interview

The stress interview is not a very nice way to be introduced to the company that may end up being your future employer. It is, however, a technique employers sometimes use to weed out candidates who cannot handle adversity. The interviewer may try to artificially introduce stress into the interview by asking questions so quickly that the candidate doesn't have time to answer each one. Another interviewer trying to introduce stress may respond to a candidate's answers with silence. The interviewer may also ask weird questions, not to determine what the job candidate answers, but how he or she answers.

According to Interviewing by The National Business Employment Weekly (John Wiley and Sons, 1994), the job candidate should first "recognize that you're in the situation. Once you realize what's happening, it's much easier to stay calm because you can mentally re-frame the situation. Then you have two choices: Play along or refuse to be treated so poorly." If you do play along, the book recommends later finding out if the reason for conducting a stress interview is legitimate. That will determine if this is a company for whom you want to work.

Recommendations About Communication for Effective Change Management

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Develop a written communication plan to ensure that all of the following occur within your change management process.

• Communicate consistently, frequently, and through multiple channels, including speaking, writing, video, training, focus groups, bulletin boards, Intranets, and more about the change.



• Communicate all that is known about the changes, as quickly as the information is available. (Make clear that your bias is toward instant communication, so some of the details may change at a later date. Tell people that your other choice is to hold all communication until you are positive about the decisions. This is disastrous in effective change management.



• Provide significant amounts of time for people to ask questions, request clarification, and provide input. If you have been part of a scenario in which a leader presented changes, on overhead transparencies, to a large group, and then fled, you know what bad news this is for change integration.



• Clearly communicate the vision, the mission, and the objectives of the change management effort. Help people to understand how these changes will affect them personally. (If you don’t help with this process, people will make up their own stories, usually more negative than the truth.)



• Recognize that true communication is a “conversation.” It is two-way and real discussion must result. It cannot be just a presentation.



• The change leaders or sponsors need to spend time conversing one-on-one or in small groups with the people who are expected to make the changes.



• Communicate the reasons for the changes in such a way that people understand the context, the purpose, and the need. Practitioners have called this: “building a memorable, conceptual framework,” and “creating a theoretical framework to underpin the change.”



• Provide answers to questions only if you know the answer. Leaders destroy their credibility when they provide incorrect information or appear to stumble or back-peddle, when providing an answer. It is much better to say you don’t know, and that you will try to find out.



• Leaders need to listen. Avoid defensiveness, excuse-making, and answers that are given too quickly. Act with thoughtfulness.



• Make leaders and change sponsors available, daily when possible, to mingle with others in the workplace.
• Hold interactive workshops and forums in which all employees can explore the changes together, while learning more. Use training as a form of interactive communication and as an opportunity for people to safely explore new behaviors and ideas about change and change management. All levels of the organization must participate in the same sessions.



• Communication should be proactive. If the rumor mill is already in action, the organization has waited too long to communicate.



• Provide opportunities for people to network with each other, both formally and informally, to share ideas about change and change management.



• Publicly review the measurements that are in place to chart progress in the change management and change efforts.



• Publicize rewards and recognition for positive approaches and accomplishments in the changes and change management.
  

Additional Signs of an Impending Layoff

By Susan M. Heathfield

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Robert Half International offers these additional signs that you may be targeted for a layoff:

• "Cost-cutting measures are being implemented throughout the organization.
• Your workload is lighter than usual or projects are being reassigned to others within your department.
• Your work is cyclical in nature, and you have significant periods of slow time.
• Your position or department isn’t viewed as a revenue generator.
• You are no longer included in meetings in which you have typically participated.
• Your manager is showing increased interest in the status of your projects and the procedures planned for completing them."

Observe all of these signs carefully, however, and don't jump to wrong conclusions; these can also be signs that your company is well-managed and poised to survive an economic downturn.

Practice constant awareness of your environment. Listen and learn to read between the lines. Consider what your managers are not saying. Heed the rumor mill; employees in sales or accounting may have information you need to prepare for your future. Don’t let an employment termination, for whatever reason, catch you unprepared.