Wouldn’t it be nice if you could simply try a job, without making a long-term commitment, or just take a test run to evaluate whether the work and company culture are a good fit. If you’re intrigued by these ideas, you might be a good candidate for an alternative work arrangement like one of the following:
Contract Work
Many companies look for contract workers who have specialized skills or experience to support a specific project or increase in business. Contractors work for a specified length of time—from several months to even a year or longer. Many successful contract workers function independently, contracting for and billing their services directly to the company. Others work through a temporary (i.e., temp) agency or a staffing firm that manages placements and contract arrangement details.
Temporary Work
Temp or staffing agencies also place temp workers, typically to compensate for a short-term employee absence or to support a project or a business spike. These assignments may last from several weeks to several months, but unlike contract work, they don’t typically require specialized expertise.
Consulting
Consulting is similar to independent contracting work in that a consultant usually has specialized knowledge or expertise. However, consultants are different in what and how they deliver that knowledge/expertise. A contract worker may contract to work for a set period of time performing a particular job function—for example, graphic design work. On the other hand, a consultant would more typically focus on helping a client get up to speed in a particular business methodology, process or industry standards—for example meeting new industry quality guidelines.
Internship
An internship is a great way to gain work experience while exploring a company and/or an occupation of interest. These are often geared toward college or university students in exchange for college credits. Internships are also popular among those looking to change careers or re-enter the job market.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Top 3 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Fail and What You Can do about it
So, here we are on day 5 of 2012. If you decided, like
millions of people, to set a New Year’s resolution, I hope your new behavior
changes are going well. In my previous two blog posts, we discussed the first 2
of 3 reasons why New Year’s resolutions often fail – as often as 77% according
to a 2007 survey. The third and final reason can be the most challenging,
which relates to our own failure to commit to changing our habits.
Reason #3 – You are
not committed to your resolution and you don’t believe you can succeed
This reason is related to reason #1, if your resolution is
centered on something for which you have no commitment, you will not succeed.
Your resolution must have personal relevance and meaning to you. The only way
to maintain your motivation beyond that initial burst of enthusiasm to become a
long-term lifestyle or behavior change, is to find something that is very
important to you.
Self control is very dynamic and changing. There is a saying
that whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you are right. It is
easy to make excuses for ourselves – I can’t stop smoking because all my
friends do it and they tempt me. When you are fully committed, and you believe
you can succeed, nothing can get in your way.
The challenge for successfully upholding your New Year’s
resolutions is three-fold:
> Find something that has meaning to you that you really
want to change. Clarify to yourself the reason WHY you want to make this
change.
> Make a measurable goal that includes a step-be-step
plan. Also, build into the plan what you will do when you have a set-back and
how you will re-motivate yourself to get back on-track.
> Believe in yourself and commit all your efforts and
motivation to success!
New Years Resolutions For Post Grad Job Hunters
It is finally 2012. A new year and a fresh start is wonderful, especially for post grads who are looking for work. Take this time to reflect on past mistakes, make new goals or resolutions for the year ahead and keep learning what you need to land yourself an amazing job in 2012.
Here are some possible resolutions to get you started:
1. I will go to companies in person and inquire about their needs, hiring process and look professional doing so.
2. I will meet one new person a week to network with. This could be through other networking contacts, a club, a class, etc.
3. I will consider meeting with a recruiter or job hunting expert if I have been having trouble finding a job for some time now.
4. I will volunteer with organizations related to my desired job field.
5. I will make job searching my top priority and consider it a full-time job until I find myself a real full-time job.
6. I will buy myself a planner if I do not already own one to schedule my activities and keep track of contacts, company information and much more.
7. I will set a goal of applying to x companies per week and stick to it.
8. I will have my resume and cover letter read by at least three people and consider taking it to an expert.
9. I will not apply to jobs that I am definitely not qualified for.
10. I will never blow off an interview. Even if it may not be the job I want, interviews are great experience.
Let us know your goals, resolutions, or job hunting tips for the New Year by commenting on this post!
Here are some possible resolutions to get you started:
1. I will go to companies in person and inquire about their needs, hiring process and look professional doing so.
2. I will meet one new person a week to network with. This could be through other networking contacts, a club, a class, etc.
3. I will consider meeting with a recruiter or job hunting expert if I have been having trouble finding a job for some time now.
4. I will volunteer with organizations related to my desired job field.
5. I will make job searching my top priority and consider it a full-time job until I find myself a real full-time job.
6. I will buy myself a planner if I do not already own one to schedule my activities and keep track of contacts, company information and much more.
7. I will set a goal of applying to x companies per week and stick to it.
8. I will have my resume and cover letter read by at least three people and consider taking it to an expert.
9. I will not apply to jobs that I am definitely not qualified for.
10. I will never blow off an interview. Even if it may not be the job I want, interviews are great experience.
Let us know your goals, resolutions, or job hunting tips for the New Year by commenting on this post!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
New Year: New Career Goals
Whether you’re happily employed or searching for a job, the New Year is an ideal time to set or “reset” your career goals. For many, the holidays provide some much needed time off to rejuvenate, refresh, and re-focus, which can help you to hit the ground running, professionally, come the New Year.
Reflecting on 2011
Carve out some time to reflect on 2011—what went well and not so well, professionally. If you set annual goals for 2011, did you meet those goals? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? Did you already add these accomplishments to your resume, or do you still need to do that? Can you identify areas in your career that need improving? If so, these can turn into career development opportunities and goals for 2012.
Setting Career Goals for 2012
A year shouldn’t pass without you learning new things and growing professionally, and it’s these experiences that should be factored into renewing or tweaking your career goals for the New Year.
To generate the best results, approach your goal-setting task diligently and enthusiastically. Your goals should be specific and attainable while still causing you to stretch a bit. For example, you might set a goal to create a professional profile on a social networking site, like Linkedin.com, by February 1, 2012, or complete a project management course within the first quarter of the New Year.
Whatever goals you set for yourself, you’ll want to develop a tactical plan broken down into incremental, actionable steps to help you achieve each goal.
Goals—both personal and professional—require your commitment of time and effort. Your New Year career goals should motivate and excite you and advance your professional success.
Reflecting on 2011
Carve out some time to reflect on 2011—what went well and not so well, professionally. If you set annual goals for 2011, did you meet those goals? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? Did you already add these accomplishments to your resume, or do you still need to do that? Can you identify areas in your career that need improving? If so, these can turn into career development opportunities and goals for 2012.
Setting Career Goals for 2012
A year shouldn’t pass without you learning new things and growing professionally, and it’s these experiences that should be factored into renewing or tweaking your career goals for the New Year.
To generate the best results, approach your goal-setting task diligently and enthusiastically. Your goals should be specific and attainable while still causing you to stretch a bit. For example, you might set a goal to create a professional profile on a social networking site, like Linkedin.com, by February 1, 2012, or complete a project management course within the first quarter of the New Year.
Whatever goals you set for yourself, you’ll want to develop a tactical plan broken down into incremental, actionable steps to help you achieve each goal.
Goals—both personal and professional—require your commitment of time and effort. Your New Year career goals should motivate and excite you and advance your professional success.
Financial Help For Post Grads
As a post grad, the world can seem like a scary place. Especially in these times of financial hardship and when your parents may be struggling as much as you are. You may have never had to pay any bills. You may have had a car payment and that's it. Now you're faced with possibly living on your own and all the bills and expenses that comes with it. So how do you deal?
1. Use websites and programs like Excel to your advantage. As a freelancer, it can be tough to keep track of my income. I use Excel to track my monthly income from each client and keep track of how much I make per month and year as a total.
There are also websites like Mint.com that allow you to add your bank accounts and keep track of your income and what you spend and make budgets and goals for yourself.
2. Set up different savings accounts with different goals in mind. For example, if you have to save up for a vacation or a new car, make a specific savings account for that goal. Determine how much of your paycheck you want to add into the savings account each month and stick to it.
3. Use cash. Try to hold off getting a credit card for as long as you can. When you use cash, it is often harder to let go of and you take a hard look at what you're really spending and what you're buying.
4. Find extra ways to earn money. Times are tough and there is no shame in babysitting on the side or finding odd jobs to help pay the bills. Under the table jobs can be the most fun and give you some extra money to help pay your expenses or simply give you some shopping money.
Good luck, post grads!
1. Use websites and programs like Excel to your advantage. As a freelancer, it can be tough to keep track of my income. I use Excel to track my monthly income from each client and keep track of how much I make per month and year as a total.
There are also websites like Mint.com that allow you to add your bank accounts and keep track of your income and what you spend and make budgets and goals for yourself.
2. Set up different savings accounts with different goals in mind. For example, if you have to save up for a vacation or a new car, make a specific savings account for that goal. Determine how much of your paycheck you want to add into the savings account each month and stick to it.
3. Use cash. Try to hold off getting a credit card for as long as you can. When you use cash, it is often harder to let go of and you take a hard look at what you're really spending and what you're buying.
4. Find extra ways to earn money. Times are tough and there is no shame in babysitting on the side or finding odd jobs to help pay the bills. Under the table jobs can be the most fun and give you some extra money to help pay your expenses or simply give you some shopping money.
Good luck, post grads!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Top 3 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Fail and What You Can do about it
Happy New Year! Chances are, if you set a New Year’s
resolution, you are now on day 3 of your resolution. I hope things are going
well. Let’s examine the second reason that New Year’s resolutions often fail.
In last week’s post, we discussed how people often lack the motivation they
need. The second reason resolutions fail is due to a lack of clarity and lack
of planning.
Reason #2 – Your
resolution lacks clarity, focus, and realistic expectations
By nature, resolutions are often very vague and represent
huge changes. According to a 2007 FranklinCovey survey, some of the most common resolutions are I am going to lose weight, I am going
to exercise more, and I am going to get out of debt. These vague, grandiose
goals are not only overwhelming, they can make coming up with an action plan an
extremely difficult process.
The solution:
The best solution for this issue is to ensure you are
setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. This is an acronym for setting goals that are specific,
measurable, attainable, reaching and timely. When we have a plan and a strategy
for how we will achieve our goals, they become much more manageable and
therefore more easily attained. Let’s re-examine one of our vague goals from
earlier – I am going to get out of debt.
The first step is to examine why you want to achieve this
goal so you can find your motivation. Next, you apply the S.M.A.R.T. principles
to the goal and it transforms into the following; I would like to pay off
$6,000 in credit card debt by the end of 2012. I will reduce my monthly
expenditures by $500 by lowering my cable bill, cutting out going out to eat
every weekend and taking my lunch 4 days a week.
By creating a plan, you can break the goal into bite-sized
chunks that enable you to monitor and measure your progress along the way. The
specifics of the goal and the step-by-step planning will make your resolution seem
less daunting and therefore more realistically attainable.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Take Control of Your Time in 2012
I was running late.
I knew that I was in trouble after I hopped out of the shower and looked at my cell phone to see it frowning at me, lambasting me for being so slow to get out of bed in the morning. I pulled double time, though, and quickly dressed, gathered my things, and rushed out the door to make my bus before it pulled away. As I sat on the bus, I felt relieved. I was particularly nervous because every time I checked the clock I knew there was a possibility that I wasn't going to be able to make it.
Then it occurred to me: why did I keep checking the clock? What was I accomplishing by doing so?
We are all busy people: there's no debate about that. But there's a difference between what we do that takes up our time and what we do that's important to us. Here are some tips to make 2012 the year that you reclaim your time.
Prioritize what matters: In his book 18 Minutes author and consultant Peter Bregman recommends that you take 18 minutes every day to prioritize what matters to you. To increase the feeling that you have an impact on your world, focus your time on those things that resonate most with your values.
Be honest with your time wasters: Are your time wasters Facebook or CNN.com? Or are you distracted by a television while doing work that you feel "helps you focus" while really distracting you? Perhaps when you're late you keep glancing at the clock in a vain attempt to stay on time but doing so makes you later (*ahem*)? Whatever your time wasters are, get in touch with them and be honest with yourself about how they impact your productivity. Then work to correct them.
Try "Robot Mode": Create a list of your to-do items, and then-as dispassionately and unemotionally as possible-tackle that list with gusto, your only objective to remove the item on the list. Going into Robot Mode will diminish the cognitive dissonance that's associated with creating a list ("Look at how big that list is! I'll never get it done!") and help you get things done.
Let 2012 be the year that you take control of your time.
I knew that I was in trouble after I hopped out of the shower and looked at my cell phone to see it frowning at me, lambasting me for being so slow to get out of bed in the morning. I pulled double time, though, and quickly dressed, gathered my things, and rushed out the door to make my bus before it pulled away. As I sat on the bus, I felt relieved. I was particularly nervous because every time I checked the clock I knew there was a possibility that I wasn't going to be able to make it.
Then it occurred to me: why did I keep checking the clock? What was I accomplishing by doing so?
We are all busy people: there's no debate about that. But there's a difference between what we do that takes up our time and what we do that's important to us. Here are some tips to make 2012 the year that you reclaim your time.
Prioritize what matters: In his book 18 Minutes author and consultant Peter Bregman recommends that you take 18 minutes every day to prioritize what matters to you. To increase the feeling that you have an impact on your world, focus your time on those things that resonate most with your values.
Be honest with your time wasters: Are your time wasters Facebook or CNN.com? Or are you distracted by a television while doing work that you feel "helps you focus" while really distracting you? Perhaps when you're late you keep glancing at the clock in a vain attempt to stay on time but doing so makes you later (*ahem*)? Whatever your time wasters are, get in touch with them and be honest with yourself about how they impact your productivity. Then work to correct them.
Try "Robot Mode": Create a list of your to-do items, and then-as dispassionately and unemotionally as possible-tackle that list with gusto, your only objective to remove the item on the list. Going into Robot Mode will diminish the cognitive dissonance that's associated with creating a list ("Look at how big that list is! I'll never get it done!") and help you get things done.
Let 2012 be the year that you take control of your time.
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