Vocational and Career Counseling Forum

I found this Article in the National Seminars Training Webiste and decided to share it.  Two people I know (myself not included) recently ended an office romance.  One of them is making life at work a living hell for the other.  Although some office romances workout, the majority don’t as in real life.  Unfortunately, at work, one has no choice but to deal with the other, like it or not. Here is the article:    

Office Romance: Career Perk or Career Suicide?

Whether it’s Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Desk Set, Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant in Bridget Jones’ Diary, or Demi Moore and Michael Douglas in Disclosure, Hollywood has provided us with decades’ worth of examples of office romance — the good, the bad and the ugly.

In real life, office romance is a controversial topic that’s not resolved in 90 minutes of screen time and a box of popcorn. As professionals, we tend to send a “mixed message” when it comes to how we feel about romance in the workplace.

In a survey of 1,000 American adults, for example, about two-thirds indicated that workplace romances “cause favoritism and poor morale.” But the exact same percentage - 66 percent - also believed such relationships are “personal, private and shouldn’t be regulated by employers.”

In other words, the majority of us believe office romance is bad for morale and leads to trouble, but we still don’t want our employers to “outlaw” these relationships.

Education pays.  It translates to higher earnings and lower unemployment rates.  Most of us have known there is a correlation between the level of education and the level or earnings in the U.S.  That is to say, the higher the level of education the higher the level of income.  Now, here is the proof. Of course, this does not hold true in each individual case, but, overall, the relationship holds true.  What is welcome news for individuals with higher education levels, is that they will experience less unemployment in their lifetime.

The data above is provided courtesy of the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, as indicated in the Current Population Survey for 2007. Data are 2007 annual averages for persons age 25 and over. Earnings are for full-time wage and salary workers.

Have you considered furthering your education or training in these tough economic times?

Sticks of Fire: The Turning Point, a novel of recovery and redemption.

Available at www.TumiPublishing.com

Brooklyn Bridge

A job search can be isolating, and coming home empty–handed day after day can be difficult to deal with. So find another person looking for a job, for mutual support, or join a job search group in your area (just Google it). If this is not for you, find a job search Blog or two and share your experience with others while reading about others’ trials and tribulations: you are not alone.

It also helps when you see your job search from a different perspective. Think of yourself as a Sales Rep. The product you are selling is you, and you are working on a commission only basis. As with any sales occupation, you have to foster a lot of prospects before you make one ‘sale’. For you that ‘sale’ is getting hired. Many sales professionals sometimes go months before they make a sale that will set them up for the year. They keep up it because they know it will come. Once you make that ‘sale’, you can not only be set up for the rest of the year, but, hopefully, for many years to follow.

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Now available: Sticks of Fire: The Turning Point; a novel of recovery and redemption

Central Park, NY

We live in very difficult economic times.  As a consequence, we must be more diligent and thorough in searching for the right job or career.  Recently, I met a man who had not had success returning to work in the printing field.  He had plenty of printing press experience, but no one needed him.  It so happens that digital printing has taken a big bite out of the market that used to belong to ‘traditional printing’.  As a consequence, he decided to make a career change.  

The following are the top 20 fastest-growing occupations in the U.S. according to the U.S. Department of Labor.  Also, please find the training required, in most cases, for these occupations.  Is your targeted occupation among them?

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Now available, Sticks of Fire: The Turning Point, a novel of recovery and redemption

New York, NY

Knowing community resources available to help you find work is essential.  Are you familiar with the Department of Labor Workforce Center?  It’s an agency located in every county in the U.S. whose purpose is to assist individuals find work.  Here is the address: http://www.dol.gov/dol/location.htm.  First, you need to click on your State to be taken to that site.  At your State, identify your city/county and to see what services they have to offer.  They may be listed under ‘Job Seeker’ or ‘Job Search’. 

Depending on your county’s population, you might have a full service center and satellite offices in your area.  At the full service center, you may search for employment on the internet and/or in their job bank, print copies of your resume, fax your resume to employers, and make job search telephone calls, all at no cost to you.  You may also work with a job counselor to assist in your return to gainful employment.    

Give them a call and see how they can help you.  You might have to attend and orientation first.  It’s a brief meeting where they inform all first-timers to the Workforce Center what services they have to offer.   Good luck.

www.TumiPublishing.com

 Now available, Sticks of Fire: The Turning Point, a novel of recovery and redemption

Soar High

Before you walk into an interview, you should know as much about the company and the position you are applying for as you possibly can.  If you found the job through an employment agency, they should be able to provide you with the information.  If not, search the web.

In today’s world of mass communication, there’s no excuse for lack of research.  After you have studied the company, write out a list of questions to ask the interviewer.  Here are some sample questions that apply to all occupations:

Why is this position available? 

Will there be opportunities for training?

What obstacles will I have to overcome to succeed?

How will my performance be evaluated?

Are there opportunites for promotion?

Do you anticipate growth in the near future?  

Remember, you are also interviewing the company to determine if it’s somepalce you want to work; it’s a two-way street.  So buckle up and happy hunting.

Ric Estrada, EdS

www.TumiPublishing.com

No one can predict the exact questions an interviewer will ask, but you can have a good idea.  Of course, the interviewer will ask about your work experience and training, and how they apply to the job you’re seeking.  At the same time, the interviewer will be interested in how you relate to the working environment, your co-workers and supervisors, as well as what are your aspirations, assets and liabilities. To prepare, think about how you would answer the following questions:

Tell me about yourself? (Work related: work experience, education, training, and other strengths)
What do you know about our organization?
Why are you interested in this position?
What are your most significant career achievements?
Describe a situation in which your work was criticized?
How would you describe your personality?
How do you perform under pressure?
How have you improved yourself over the past year?
What did you like least about your last position?
Why are you leaving your present company?
What is your ideal working environment?
How would your coworkers describe you?
What did you think of your boss?
Have you ever fired anyone?
What was the situation and how did you handle it?
Are you creative?
What are your goals in your career?
Where do you see yourself in two years?
Why should we hire you?
What kind of salary are you looking for?
What other types of jobs/companies are you considering?

Have a happy Halloween.

Ric Estrada, EdS

www.TumiPublishing.com

Paco the llama

John Holland’s model holds that different personality types are best suited to different careers. He proposed six basic personality types and then identified careers they were best suited to enter. Holland’s model is a modern trait-factor theory that has been very influential in vocational counseling. It is employed by popular interest inventories such as the Self-Directed Search, Vocational rreference Inventory, and Strong Interest Inventory.  

Holland’s six personality types are arranged along a hexagonal model with opposite work environments across from one another on the hexagon and more closely related work environments next to one another. The Realistic type contrasts most sharply with the Social type, the Investigative with the Enterprising, and the Conventional with the Artistic.  

REALISTIC: these individuals deal best with an environment that is objective and physical. They like stereotypical masculine, outside and hands-on activities. They are most comfortable in work environments dealing with machines, equipment, tools, nature, athletics and crafts. They tend to dislike SOCIAL.

 INVESTIGATIVE: these individuals deal best with an environment that is intellectual. They enjoy working with ideas, words or symbols. They prefer scientific and theoretical pursuits that can largely be pursued through their individual effort. They tend to dislike ENTERPRISING occupations.

  SOCIAL: these individuals deal best with an environment that involves working with people in some helping, teaching, or serving capacity. They enjoy social interaction and being around others. They tend to dislike REALISTIC occupations.

 CONVENTIONAL: these individuals deal best with an environment that is concrete and predictable. They enjoy structure and routine, and often like office practices and computational work. They tend to dislike ARTISTIC occupations.  

 ENTERPRISING: these individuals deal best with an environment that is adventurous, energizing and challenging. They are extroverted and enjoy power, dominance, and persuasive communication. Business and supervisory occupations are chosen, and they tend to dislike REALISTIC occupations.

 ARTISTIC: these individuals deal best with an environment that allows for creative self-expression. They like music, drama, literature, fine arts, and other self-expressive activities. They tend to dislike CONVENTIONAL occupations.

  Ric Estrada, Ed.S.

www.TumiPublishig.com

Statue of Liberty

When composing a resume, Work Experience is the preferred category over Employment History to capitalize in all the work you’ve done, paid employment, volunteer work, and unpaid internships.

Volunteer work is just that, work.  So if you have volunteer experience, you have Work Experience.  Also, anyone who’s done unpaid internships knows internships are hard work, often comprising of work the staff would rather shift to someone else.

 If you have unpaid work experience in your work history, then categorize that section Work Experience and place (Volunteer) or (Internship) next to the job title.  And even if you happen to forget, you’re still covered, listing the section as Work Experience.

 How do you categorize your work experience?

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Now available, Sticks of Fire: The Turning Point, a novel of recovery and redemption