Major Hangup Why Your Degree Doesnt Define Your Career Path - Blog Job Hunting Career Management Solutions

Major Hangup Why Your Degree Doesnt Define Your Career Path Picture this: You’ve spent the last four years of your college career honing your skills in a specific major. You’ve taken the classes, you’ve worked internships, and you’ve received shining recommendations from your peers. But when job search time comes along, you have a hard time not only finding your dream job, but locating a job at all. What’s the problem? Here’s the deal. Recent studies indicate that although you may have pledged your allegiance to a specific career space, only 27 percent of college graduates have a job closely related to their major. This means even if you’re gunning for an major-specific job, chances are, you may not end up there. This isn’t a bad thing. Many people don’t work in the field listed on their diploma and still have successful careers. It’s all in the way you use it. Here are some ways to draw career success from your major, without being tied to it completely: Showcase transferrable skills The beauty of transferrable skills is they can be used in a variety of settings. So, let’s say you majored in design, but got a job doing sales. You can apply the skills you gained in school in a new industry. For example, presentation skills can be used in both design and sales work. Knowing how to research a client or product properly is also a necessary skill. And, of course, understanding the needs of each customer is a requirement in both cases. These skills are all broad, meaning they can be used in a variety of settings no matter what you studied in school. Use your accomplishments Sometimes, an employer may not be aware of a particular route to take. In this case, you can use your major, as well as the accomplishments you made in that major, to show them a different avenue. For example, the sales organization you work for may have always used the same methods to acquire candidates. Your design background taught you different, more creative ways to acquire candidates, like using visuals and graphics. If you show your boss the accomplishments you made previously with client acquisition, including how it’s different from their current strategy, you get to use your major while still working in a different space. Hone in on a larger connection base Two is better than one, right? When you major in a particular field, you’re bound to network and gain professional contacts in that field throughout college. However, when you branch out, those networks can be combined to created a larger connection base. How can this help you? There a few advantages. First, a larger connection base means more contacts when you want help, advice, or are confused on which direction to go. In addition, having more connections allows you to merge your interests. For instance, even though you’re now in sales, you can can still go to professional design meetings and brainstorm ways to draw similarities between the two industries. Your college degree doesn’t define you. Even if you’re in love with your industry, don’t shy away from other occupations. You can use your skills, show off your accomplishments, and grow a connection base in order to make the best of both worlds. What do you think? What are some other ways to use your degree? Image: Courtesy of SMBCollege; Flickr

5 Ways to Stay in Touch With Your Old Boss

5 Ways to Stay in Touch With Your Old Boss 5 Ways to Stay in Touch With Your Old Boss Your previous associates and managers are a genuine systems administration goldmine: They know your experience, they work in your division, and they have their own arrangement of expert contacts. They can place a decent word in for you at a new position, keep in touch with you a letter of suggestion for graduate school, and acquaint you with new contacts and openings. What's more, in any event, they can affirm to a potential business that you performed undertakings X, Y, and Z at Corporation ABC.So for what reason would we say we are so terrible at keeping in contact? All things considered, in light of the fact that it requires some investment, and on the grounds that it very well may be ungainly in the event that you don't have a specific explanation behind connecting, it very well may be difficult to tell when and how to do as such. In any case, occasionally getting in contact, in any event, when you're not work looking, implies that when you do need to request a letter of referenc e or contacts in another state, it won't appear to be self-serving and out of the blue.To help you out, we've thought of five simple approaches to keep in contact with those old colleagues. Also, every path accompanies an inherent purpose behind connecting, so your endeavors will look attentive, not random.1. Occasion CardsYou can say All the best for the New Year to anybody. It's collegial, it's expert, and it's on your vacation plan for the day anyway. Added reward: Think about how you feel when you get an occasion card-like somebody truly thinks about keeping in contact with you (at any rate once a year).The most expert decision is a non-denominational card (unless you're sure about what custom the individual in question by and by watches) that avoids humor, which can be viewed as offensive.2. Major (Personal) Life EventsAre you moving and mailing change of address cards? Are your name and email evolving post-marriage? Send a here's my new contact data note to your old partners a nd managers as you would to your loved ones. At the point when you share that you're getting hitched, going to graduate school, or seeking after your deep rooted fantasy about voyaging abroad and composing that novel, it not just shows that you're keen on keeping in contact, it encourages the individual part of your expert connection.3. Major (Professional) Life EventsDid you simply change occupations or get an advancement? Tell your old managers, and express gratitude toward them for the encounters they've given you that helped you get to this point. You can do this for non-work change achievements, as well. For instance, in the event that you've been decided to toss a significant occasion, send a note with the impact of I'm running a 500-man occasion, and it reminded me when you gave me a shot at tossing my first affair. If you're in a similar city, far better if the note is encased with an invite.This can work the two different ways, as well in the event that you hear that a prev ious partner has changed occupations or won an honor, send her a Congratulations card or email.4. Articles of InterestWhen you run over articles about industry patterns or an issue a previous associate chipped away at, shoot over an email with a speedy note saying figured this might be of intrigue. (Note: this isn't an ideal opportunity to send feline photograph tumblrs or the article about Carrie Underwood's ah-mazing legs.) Think something with the impact of: Just observed you refreshed the organization's Facebook page to the Timeline, and thought of you when I read this Mashable article. Remember to adjust the importance and handiness of the article with your longing to remain in touch.Timing-wise, plan to send something quarterly-shooting over articles week after week may put on a show of being an annoyance, while sending them once a year may appear to be an untimely idea. However, remember it might be hard to follow a definite course of events. Two fantastic articles may turn o ut in April, and you probably won't see anything worth sending in June, July, or August.5. Social MediaLinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are clear approaches to keep in contact, yet which are proper for previous managers and partners? Here's a decent dependable guideline: If you had moved however were visiting the area for a couple of days on business, would you meet the individual for an expertly dressed espresso to discuss work, or at a bar to talk over a couple margaritas?If it's the previous, associate over LinkedIn (and Twitter, in the event that you keep your record proficient). In the event that it's the last mentioned, and you see this individual similarly as a companion and associate, you can include them each of the three. Simply recall ­ ­only do as such in the event that you'd really need to see photographs of their wedding or children's birthday celebrations or hear their political perspectives in genuine life. ­ ­ ­A last note: You certainly don't need to utilize every one of these stunts for the entirety of your contacts. Consider your ideal relationship with every individual (Friend? Mentee? Recommendable previous worker?) and your objective (Simply keeping in contact? Expanding your base of expert contacts? Hanging out when you visit?) and settle on your methodology from there.And if it's been a long time since you've conversed with these individuals? That is alright. Start with a Hello, this is what I've been doing note or an occasion card this December.Photo kindness of Stefan Magdalinski.

If others are living their dreams, why not you

On the off chance that others are experiencing their fantasies, why not you In the mission for the perfect profession, numerous individuals think that its motivating to find out about others whove accomplished this apparently incomprehensible dream.My question is consistently, If others are experiencing their fantasies, why not you? As opposed to blowing up or baffled or desirous on the grounds that somebody has an intriguing activity, the ideal calendar, a lot of excursion time, incredible remuneration; why not rather consider it to be a sign this is an opportunities for you too?In another book called, Howd you score that gig? Alexandra Levit talked with in excess of 100 individuals in their fantasy employments to perceive what got them there. She discovered determination was a significant trait.I would include confidence in their fantasies as another key characteristic of individuals Ive trained whove made it to their optimal vocations. Regardless of what naysayers or even their own internal pundit let them know, it was their own confidence in the fantasy that kept them tenaciously centered around accomplishing it.I consider myself one of those individuals in their optimal vocation. Also, still Believe in your fantasies is the message that I put on my cell phone so that everytime I turn it on, that is what I see.We all should be reminded that fantasies do materialized, if for others why not you?

4 Signs Your Job Search Needs to Be Revamped

4 Signs Your Job Search Needs to Be Revamped 4 Signs Your Job Search Needs to Be Revamped Is it accurate to say that you are a tenacious activity tracker or an animal of propensity? At times applicants become so enveloped with the way toward directing a pursuit of employment that they dismiss a definitive objective: an extraordinary new position. Pause for a minute to search for these notice signs that your pursuit of employment might need to be redone. Signs Your Job Search Needs to Be Revamped: 1. You never hear back. Producing a specific number of uses every day might make you feel profitable, however what great do they do if no one reacts? You have to make sense of what is causing the quietness and change your methodology in like manner. Normal reasons include: Applying pell mell as opposed to focusing on occupations that really coordinate your certifications. Submitting nonexclusive material as opposed to making your introductory letter and resume to the current situation. Neglecting to incorporate catchphrases basic to enduring a computerized scanner. Leaving a poor impression with blunder filled or difficult to-understand reports. Showing a quality of distress that turns off bosses. 2. You're experiencing difficulty discovering positions to apply for. Indeed, even the best reference book salesman or VCR technician is going to experience issues making sure about an occupation. Change is a 21st century unavoidable truth, and those declining to move likely will have constrained chances. I have found with various Wall Street customers whose jobs have gotten progressively out of date because of advances in innovation and solidification that they stay focused on seeking after classifications of occupations that have vanished, says Roy Cohen, vocation mentor and creator of The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide. Rather than being stuck in this sort of circumstance, consider preparing that will make you serious in different jobs inside your industry. Another choice is to look at your transferrable aptitudes capacities that can be applied to other workplaces. Also, if topography is by all accounts the obstruction to getting a new line of work, investigate adaptable open doors that permit laborers to contribute from any area. 3. You're getting killed after the primary meeting. Truly, it's superb that you continue making it to this stage, however a congratulatory gesture isn't a bid for employment. Make sense of why the arrangement can't be fixed. Plainly, there must be enthusiasm with respect to the questioner or you would not have been welcome to meet for the activity, Cohen said. Something must separate by they way you present yourself. Are you clear on what you need, why you are qualified, and how the organization will profit by having you in the position? It is consistently a smart thought to audit and practice your incentive and story before each meeting. 4. You haven't been out of the house of late. At long last, recall that while PCs and the Internet have changed the manner in which individuals look for jobs, associations stay an essential way that individuals find openings. Kicking up the social perspective an indent can mix your inquiry with new vitality. Eating with a previous collaborator, chipping in for a reason near your heart, or taking on a class ought not be seen as removing significant time from your pursuit of employment however as similarly basic to the procedure. Start Your Job Search Perusers, have you needed to patch up your pursuit of employment process? What did you do? Tell us in the remarks area beneath.