Julia Sullivan asked:

Are you looking to find a new job or a new career? If you are, you may want to give career fairs a try, as they are a great way to not only find available jobs, but also acquire them.

As you likely already know, career fairs are large events where multiple employers come in search of qualified employees. In most cases, career fairs are held in public places, such as shopping malls or hotel lobbies. They are also often free to attend. While career fairs do vary, most employers are able to set up small booths, where they can display information about their company and the type of employees that they are looking for. Most employer booths have a company representative who is able to discuss their company’s opportunities and accept resumes.

Although career fairs are a great way to find new employment opportunities, most individuals are unprepared for them. What many do not realize is that some employers actually interview and hire candidates right on the spot! For that reasons, you need to do more than just attend a career fair; it is something that you need to prepare for. To make the most out of career fairs, you will want to keep some of the below mentioned tips in mind.

Perhaps, the most important tip to remember is to bring copies of your resume with you; the more the better. Although you may not be interested in apply for every opportunity found at a career fair, you should enter into a career fair thinking that you would. If you are able to get an estimated number of how many employers would be attending the career fair in question, you are advised to bring that number of resume copies. Should you not handout all of your resume copies, you can save them and use them at a later date. Career fairs are not only used to educate you on local employment opportunities, but they are also designed to help you find and get a job.

Another tip that you should keep in mind is your appearance. Since many career fair employer participants give interviews on the spot, you may want to be prepared for one, in the physical sense. Wearing a pair or jeans or sweat pants will not make a good impression, but a simple pants suit or dress will work wonders. Many times, the employer representatives at a career fair are the ones who in charge of the company’s hiring. Taking a few extra minutes to “fix yourself up,” before you walk out the door is a great way to make a good impression at a career fair.

As previously mentioned, many career fair employer participants end up giving interviews on the spot. In fact, some actually hire new employees right on the spot as well. That is why it is extremely important that you prepare for an interview, just in case. In addition to dressing the part, you also want to make sure that you know how an interview works, namely the questions that you should ask or the responses that you should give. If you haven’t had an interview in some time, it may be a good idea to refresh your memory. You can do this by asking a friend or a family member to give you a sample interview. Practice is the best way to make a good impression during an interview, even if it is an unexpected one at a career fair.

Another tip that is worth mentioning is going to career fairs alone. Most career fairs are scheduled during the daytime, often during the week. If you are a parent, you should make other arrangements for your child, as you don’t want to be remembered as the applicant who brought their child along. In terms of friends, you may also want to bring a friend along with you for moral support. You are also advised against doing this. If you have a friend is who also job hunting, you can attend together, but be sure to go your separate ways. Employers are less likely to give you an interview if they see you are accompanied by a guest and a partner may unintentionally effect which employers you stop and see.

By keeping the above mentioned tips in mind, you should be able to make the most out a career fair. These tips may increase your chances of walking away from a career fair with a new job.

Higher Career

Integrity Career Transitions asked:

A career development centre can be a service, or a group of programs that provides people with any level of education, whether they are undergraduate, a graduate, or an alumni, to plan for or deal with career transitions that inevitably arise in the life of any person. Each career development centre will have a career counsellor even though the centres may operate differently. All career counsellors provide guidance through personal interaction.

We spend nearly 100,000 hours in our lifetime working. Wouldnt life be different if you loved your work, rather than dreading Monday mornings? How could life be different if you felt energized in your current job or your next career move, so energized that work did not feel like work anymore?

Whether you are currently working or in transition looking for your next job opportunity you do not want to miss this special briefing – a briefing that will change the way you approach work forever.

If todays turbulent job market is creating roadblocks for you that you cannot seem to overcome no matter how hard you try, youve done everything and still cant find the job or career you want, or you are concerned that the next job you take you will just result in another layoff before you know it, then you MUST plan to attend next weeks invitation-only event!

In this exclusive briefing on Tuesday, June 28th, 2009 at 7pm, we will share with you some critical insights into:

* How you can identify your true work passion

* How and why you must consider yourself self employed and manage your career that way even if you work for someone else

* How you can overcome the challenges created by the recent economy and still capture top dollar for your talents

* How living your passion will significantly increase your sense of financial freedom

* Why you cannot afford to wait and must start taking action now due to the changing landscape of the workforce

* The art of the job search has changed how you can uncover the majority of the new opportunities that are never advertised anywhere

* The power of your personal brand and its impact on your career success

* How to not let fear stop you, replacing it with a mentality of limitless possibilities.

* And More..

The fact that you are reading this, means you are ready for a change. 90% of Americans are trapped in unfulfilling careers, find out how the other 10% are living the art of bringing work to life. Visit http://www.integritycareertransitions.com/featured/seminar/careertransformation.htm to know more about Integrity Career Transitions and to join the career transformation teleseminar.

Higher Career

John Groth asked:

Here it is mid-October and the other day I noticed a well decorated Christmas tree in a department store while the leaves are still on the trees and I was still mowing my grass. Talk about rushing the season. But maybe theres another season that needs to be brought to the present. Instead of waiting until the New Year to perform a thorough career check up, when the holidays and everything else is in the way, it now appears to be an excellent time for you to take a careful look at your career.

How is your career progressing? Where are you now, what do you expect in the near future and are you satisfied with your progress? Is it necessary for a new beginning?

Dont be like a lot of people that make job and career decisions based on only one or two factors. These decisions need to be carefully thought out before you change employers or to go into a different career. If you perform a wide-ranging career evaluation you wont be caught up in making career decisions on superficial slights or minor disparities. There are more important considerations that completely outweigh these minor short term distractions.

Instead of making career decisions based on short term factors like did you get the last promotion, is your current pay competitive or even how well you are getting on with your boss, your career assessment should be based on a whole range of factors. Dont make the mistake of hastily jumping into another job or becoming unemployed and later you have to regret the move.

Here are four basic factors involved in a Career Check-up. Take your time to carefully evaluate each factor.

What is Your Employers Situation? How well is your employer performing financially? Are sales and market share increasing or decreasing? Is your employer a leader and keeping up to date with the latest trends and technology? Evaluate your companys reputation in your industry and community, and how does this impact your own career goals.

Is Your Career Marketable? What is the current demand for your skills? Be honest with yourself and consult with others in the same position with other employers. Are you up to date with the professional demands of the job and the job one level above you? Examine this factor critically. We all, at one time or another, tend to inflate our skills and job knowledge. Whats been the recent experience of others in the same field that elected to change employers?

Is Your Own Professional Career Development on Track? Are your skills being used in your current job? What is your potential for future career growth? Does your present job utilize your interests and strengths? Is your current job challenging? Do you have a say in how your job is performed? Are your ideas sought and listened to? What is your potential to advance further with your current employer? And how does your future at your current employer mesh with your career plan?

What are Your Personal Preferences? Do you enjoy your job? Are most days positive? How do you feel about getting up every day and going to work? Is your job personally satisfying? Have you been thinking about changing jobs?

If you decide your current job and career situation is promising and rewarding, even in the face of minor distractions, this assessment will validate your current position. If you uncover areas that you need to improve, develop a plan to address the short fall. However, if youre faced with mostly negative answers, and there are limits on your career prospects with your current employer, you might consider looking at other employment prospects.

Higher Career

Amelia Turner asked:

Most students are getting a general degree to start their career after college graduation. Although many job vacancies do accept degrees without any specialization or degree that is not related to their career fields, they will loss their advantage when comes to job promotion or career advancement in the future.

The job market is so competitive and you must out perform other job candidates in order for you to move your career to next higher level. It will be your wise decision to improve your job credential with a career field related degree if you want to achieve the highest level in your dream career. Today, with the available of online education, you can get a degree just with a click away while continue with your career; online education allows you to focus on both career and study as long as you do some time management to divide your time between these two important tasks.

It is common for students to start their first job with a general degree or get a job that is no related with their degree. For example, you may get a job at hotel as an officer or executive with your art degree. But, in the process of climbing up your career ladder, you will need to compete with your colleagues and out perform them if you want to successfully get promoted to a higher job position. Working experience, job performance, skills and knowledge are among the importance factors which will be reviewed by your boss in selecting the best candidate for the job promotion opportunity. You will lose your advantage if your competitors have a related degree with a strong education background and equivalent job performance.

The internet can be the best channel for working adults to earn their career credential without the need to give up their existing job. If you need a career related degree to help in your career path, you should use the advantage of online channel to earn a degree to support your dream career while maintaining your current lifestyle. Today, online degree programs cover almost any field that is available in the job market. You should find one that best fit your need.

Selecting an online degree program is easy with the available of internet, but you may required to spend some time if you want to choose the best degree program that covers the most courses in related to your career needs. Before you make up your decision, try to request as much information as possible from online universities or campus-based colleges that provide online courses to send you their details information about their degree programs. In most cases, information request from universities are free of charge, what you need to do is simply fill-up a request form from their website and those information will be sent to your email inbox within minutes.

Once you get all the necessary information from your preferred universities, you next step is carefully review the courses from each program to select one with courses that best meet your career needs. Depending on your pace of study and the credit hours required to complete your degree program, you could earn a degree from a few weeks to 1 or 2 years. By improving your career credential with a career related degree, you are putting yourself in the competitive edge to get the highest success in your career.

Summary

The job market is increasing competitive and your need to equip yourself the best knowledge and career credential to out perform your competitors in securing any career opportunity that appear along your career path.

Higher Career

Tony Jacowski asked:

Secret #1 – The Definition of “Job” and “Career”

A fast food position is a job. Being an accountant is a career. It’s important to understand the difference between the two and not just settle for the former. In the beginning, lots of people work at their “job” while also training for their “careers”.

Development Issues: Careers develop over time – and you will realize whether a particular career is valuable and acceptable to you. There will come a time when you will realize the true significance of a career. Generally, career specialists are of the same opinion – that careers are progressive and change over time – what you decide to do at 18, 25 and 30 will sometimes be markedly different.

There will be occasions where you will probably may have quite different views of every profession and still remain in a dilemma as to what career to pursue. Settling down in a particular career is a decision you can make only when you determine the areas you are good at and the activities that you enjoy doing.

Secret # 2 – Be Familiar with Yourself and What You Want

One of best ways to be unsuccessful in your search for the right career is to be unclear as to what you want. In Secret # 1, it was said that it is all right not to have a specific career track (at least in the beginning), since it is impractical to believe that you can flawlessly prepare a career path.

On the other hand, you should be very observant when you are hunting for a job. You should be able to determine that a career you are submitting an application for is heading in the right direction, even though you may be a bit unclear on your long-term objectives.

The Kind of Jobs that are Appropriate for Me: Evaluate your strong points, interests, principles, and character. Make use of career guides and personality tests. Try seeking guidance from a certified career coach or therapist.

No matter what techniques or tools you use, you will be accumulating a private assessment and outline that will direct you on a suitable career path.

Secret # 3 – Identify What You Have to Offer

There is no doubt that you must be able to highlight your skills, strengths and accomplishments when applying for a position. Prospective employers simply want to know what you have to offer. They will ask you the question “What can you achieve for us?” In order to be able to answer this, you must market your skills and expertise well, as well as your ability to adapt quickly to changing environments.

Carrying out an evaluation of yourself, as supported in Secret # 2, is one method to develop your self-marketing plan. Your interests, expertise, and principles form the foundation of your career. They also give prospective employers a good idea as to who you are and how you will be valuable to their business.

Higher Career