Career Advice - where do you get it?

Career advice is certainly something that most people need at various times but getting really good advice is hard. I remember the career guidance counsellors when I was at school, they tried of course, but how does one person give really good advice to hundreds of students? Particularly when they personally have no experience of each of the different professions themselves. It is very very hard, so I remember visiting them once, and never going back. I suppose I was lucky in that I knew what I wanted to do anyway at that time.

Regardless of what people decide they want to do, often careers simply cease to exist in particular locations, companies close down, jobs are outsourced overseas and so people find themselves having to move on. People can move on in many ways of course. They can physically pack up and move towns to where they can get a job in their chosen career and industry, and many many people I know do that. Or, people can move on in a different way.

They can stay where they are physically, but move on mentally. That is they can choose to change career, to try something different, even to go and get some more training. There are a multitude of ways they can do that but I urge those of you considering your options to at least entertain what else you could do without having to uproot your families and move to another town? Just think about it, maybe you will come up with something.

As for getting good advice, recently I came across a great package on offer from the well known Brian Tracy. He has reduced the price on some of his books and put together a package of real value that saves us all some money. I won't say much more here, just suggest you have a look at his site now yourself. Click on the icon below and read on. I hope that helps.




Some more advice for those people worried about their jobs and careers at the moment; stop watching or listening to the news or reading the newspapers for a week. Just try it and see how you feel. Listen to music instead, read a book, watch a movie, take up a new hobby, browse the net (but not the news sites). Go on, try it. I bet you cheer up.

See you

Owen

The Road Less Traveled

As many people including myself embark bravely on new careers and many others are just considering trying something different a famous poem came to mind (and it could just be the red wine :-). Almost everyone has heard the famous saying about the road less traveled. So I just did a quick search and found it. It is a famous poem by Robert Frost, an American poet and the one of the most famous of all.

Robert Frost's 1916 poem: "The Road Not Taken”

Poem

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken_(poem)

http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/51.html

http://www.adamsmithacademy.org/etext/TheRoadNotTaken.html

Just something different for today

Owen

Career Change

In the current financial doom and gloom many people are concerned about their future career and their job security.

It could be now is the time to take the opportunity to make that career change you have always wanted, or to realise that your old career isn't working for you anymore and you want to do something different. Perhaps you love your current job but realise there will be fewer and fewer jobs in that area anymore so you know deep down that you need to change into something else. But what? How? What options are there? Which options are right for you?

That is a tough question we all have to answer but it is important to ask the question isn't it? The answers will be different for each of us.




Owen

What are the top web sites in the World?

Here is a trivial pusuit question for you: What are the top 10 web sites in the World?

What about the top 500?

The answer is interesting, look at the list: Alexa: Top 500 Web Sites

Now that was just the apetizer, what about the top One Million Web sites in the World, yes - I am serious.

Look at Top One Million Web Sites in the known Universe

Now guess how many web pages there are in the World! The answer today is at least 25.38 billion pages! For full details on where that number came from check out World Wide Web Size.

Now somewhere in that lot are the web sites for companies keen to hire you!

That was just a digression, I will be back on topic next time

Owen

Some interesting websites

Hi

The following sites have some interesting information related to being made redundant (your job, not you!) and moving onto your next position and considering your options. Some of these are from the UK and USA. Please post this blog with any great sites you find so others can share.

http://www.thesource.gov.au/find/career/getting_that_job.asp

and

http://www.e2ecoaching.com/

and
http://mashable.com/2009/02/19/laid-off-sites/

and
http://www.prlog.org/10178265-top-tips-for-those-facing-redundancy-over-the-holiday-period.html

And the latest statistics which actually are much better than overseas
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/6202.0

ABC News
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/12/2489494.htm

http://www.positionsvacant.com.au/

Good luck

Owen

Job Sites to try

You may have all these URLs already but just in case you haven't here are a few recruitment sites to check out - I can't comment personally on any of them and they are in no particular order but I believe they are all well known. If you have any others you would like to share please send a post to this blog for others to use.

http://www.engineeringjobs.net.au/

http://www.careerone.com.au/

http://www.seek.com.au/

http://mycareer.com.au/

http://jobsearch.gov.au/

http://www.bestjobsau.com/

http://www.jobs.com.au/

Many also recommend that you use networking groups such as http://www.linkedin.com/
and I certainly have a linkedin profile and have made contact with some old friends using it.

Another good strategy is to go directly to the company websites of interest, larger and more well known companies usually advertise directly on their website.

And last but not least to make sure you do well in the interviews have a look at some interview tips:
Google Search for "Interview tips"

And one more option of course is to consider setting up your own business. Now that is a big step but for some, one worth considering.

All the best for now

Owen

Heard of any companies looking for people?

Unfortunately lots of people are being given packages and are moving onto new things. It is a shame just how much potential is being lost in so many companies at the moment. But that is the unfortunate reality of where we are at the moment.

I know there are jobs out there but not sure how many but wish everyone well in their search. It is certainly scary times, though perhaps if you don't look at the news so often it won't be quite so scary or at least you won't feel it is anyway :-).

On the local scene I have heard on the grape vine of a couple of companies in the Railway signalling area who are looking for people though I can't confirm or deny that. Please let me know if you don't know who they are and I will send you the links to their company website in case they do have something that suits you.

Do any of you know of companies looking for people?

And a good read that some of you may not have come across is
http://www.smartcompany.com.au/

Owen