Archive for February, 2009
How to Find Your Dream Job
When you were a child or a teenager, did you dream of what you would be when you grew up? Most of us had dreams when we were young, but how many of us actually fulfil them? Most of us set our dreams aside when reality kicks in and unfortunately for many, those dreams stay buried forever.
Although the dream may be buried, the feeling that things could be different, that there must be more to life, never really goes away. So, its not surprising to find you have reached a point in life where you are looking for something better, but not sure how to go reach it. Perhaps the original dream is still there, or perhaps it has been replaced by a new one.
Reality, however, looks very different. You feel stuck in a boring job, which might have been interesting once, but no longer holds much appeal. But you have bills to pay, responsibilities to meet and there seems to be very little you can do to change your situation.
Change can seem overwhelming in the face of mortgages, household bills, debt and the responsibilities of bringing up a family. This is particularly true if the change of career or job which we are striving for requires further study or training. However, it isnt necessary to do everything at once. It is possible to break down the necessary steps into manageable chunks and move gradually towards our goals.
If you are in a what feels like an impossible situation, its important to analyse your skills and ambitions and then find a way of moving towards your goals, one step at a time.
Research the jobs and careers which interest you and look at exactly what needs to be done to reach your dream. What is the first step, something which you could do today?
If you need to move to a different type of job, is there anything you can do to prepare yourself? Perhaps you need to read up on the industry or talk to people already working in it.
If you need to retrain, consider starting with a short introductory course. This will get you back into the habit of studying and will also help you decide if the subject is for you before you invest a lot of cash in a lengthy course. If you do have a considerable amount of study in front of you, look at ways of doing it part-time or by distance learning, which will enable you to stay in your present job.
Look at ways in which you can create more time so that you can focus on your studies or research your options. Cut out unnecessary activities and see if you can persuade other household members to help out more with daily tasks.
Moving towards a new career may involve short-term sacrifice, but if the alternative is spending the rest of your life in a job you dont enjoy, the decision to change will be easy.
Waller Jamison 2006
How to Find the Tour Guide Job of Your Dreams
How to Find the Tour Guide Job of Your Dreams
Have you always dreamed of traveling to interesting places and getting paid to do so? As a professional tour guide or tour director, this dream can become a reality. But how do you get started as a tour guide? How do you find travel jobs? Where is work available for this type of work? Below are some helpful tips to help you find the tour guide job of your dreams.
What is a Tour Guide?
Before seeking a job in this field, you should have a clear understanding of the job and its requirements. A tour guide is not merely someone who leads a group of people around at a particular site. They are highly skilled at what they do. They understand how to communicate and work with people. They know the rules and expect the group to follow those rules. Tour guides study hard to learn all they can about the site or attraction so they can answer questions along the way. They understand the importance of safety and are trained to handle emergencies when they arise.
Types of Tour Guide Jobs
Tour guide duties vary according to the type of job. There are adventure travel jobs where you’ll go along with a group of travelers by bus or plane to adventurous places and remain with the group for the entire trip. With this type of job, you must study about many different sites and attractions in the destination area.
As a tour director for multi-day tours, you’ll be responsible for managing arrangements and services as well as providing relevant information and commentary. You might become a tour director for African safaris, mountain hiking, winery tours, walking tours – whatever your desire.
So, whether you want to travel abroad or find a tour guide job or tour director job in your local area, there are plenty of opportunities.
Tour Guide Training
A smart first step in finding the travel job of your dreams is to take a tour training course. Training is available for tour guides, tour directors, and even professional tour management. With tour training, you’ll learn about safety procedures for various travel methods and destinations. You’ll also learn about working with suppliers, handling emergencies, documentation, delivering informative narration, and more.
Both tour guide training and tour director training will help you prepare to work with people, become a great speaker, get organized, and be able to act immediately when emergencies arise.
Online Tour Jobs
You can use online resources to find the tour guide job or tour director job that will fit your personality and desires. Determine the type of position you would like and where you would like to work. Do you want to travel to exotic places and return home on the weekends? Or, would you rather be a tour guide in your local area so you can be home at night with your family? Once you decide which job is right for you, search online using your criteria.
There is also online tour training offered through over 1,300 colleges worldwide. So, you won’t even have to leave your home to learn these valuable skills.
No matter what your career goals, there’s a travel job waiting for you!
How to find Scuba Jobs
When you find yourself tired of the same boring life you can start wondering how to begin a more exciting job and way of life. If you enjoy scuba diving, then the question is : why not working in the diving industry. Finding a diving job is not very difficult, the key point is to know what sort of certifications do you need and how to apply for the vacancies around the world.
To become a professional diving instructor you need to complete many scuba diving courses, get a lot of experience and dive a lot. It always help if you can speak another language of have experience in other fields, like First Aid, Management, boat skills, mechanics, etc.
To become a dive professional you need to do 2 vital courses the Divemaster and the PADI IDC . The Divemaster course will give you the option of working as a guide, this is a nice job, but the salary is usually lower that the salary a scuba diving instructor makes. To become a scuba diving instructor you need to do your www.choosingidc.comPADI IDC course.
One you complete these courses, you need to apply to scuba jobs around the world. Before you go straight to scuba diving jobsites, try to think carefull about your objectives and about the kind of employement conditions you want and the countries you are willing to travel.
Not all the jobs are the same and working in Australia is very different than working in Honduras or Egypt. You need to be smart and think with your head, and work towards getting the best diving certificates that will give you the highest chances of finding that ideal www.diversjobs.comdive job.
My best advice is to contact people by phone first, there is nothing better than speaking to people, and once you get the proper information then send your application via Scuba Diving jobsites or directly to the dive center.
You need to remember that finding job is not impossible, but it can take time, and once you get the ideal dive job, you need to work hard to keep it. Always be aware that sooner or later you will want to go back home,so when you travel to your diving location, have a plan B. Medical insurance, work insurance and current teaching status is important to improve your chances of finding job.
Try to be patient and don’t think your new www.diversjobs.comdiving job will be a holiday, some days can clearly difficult, but always remember that any day diving is much better than any day at the office!
So, I know what you are thinking… where to start? Well, like any other diving jobs, start by diving a lot, talking to people and check divers jobs websites, where you can get yourself a clear idea of where are the vacancies around the world. Central America, the Red Sea, Australia and South East Asia are great places to start your dive job hunting.
So good luck and see you underwater
How to Find a Trucking Job
The demand for truckers is very high, and it is relatively easy for most qualified truckers to find steady work. Nonetheless, some researchers estimate that as many of 15% of drivers, even those with extensive experience, get disqualified when applying for a trucking position. Why are so many truckers getting turned away if the need for trucker is so high? It all has to do with being organized.
The key to landing a trucking job is being prepared and knowing what to expect when seeking a trucking job. Most often, truckers start the hiring process by speaking to a trucking recruiter. Recruiters frequently hire only for one company (the company they work for themselves), so it may be to your advantage to shop around and talk to a number of different recruiters to find the position that is the best fit for you. If you do speak with a number of recruiters, be sure to take notes so you can keep track of who said what.
Never lie to a recruiter when seeking a trucking job. The truth will come out eventually and it is much better that you be completely honest from the beginning, even if it means disclosing some negative information, than to lie and get caught for it later. Recruiters will ask you for a variety of information, so be sure to have the following on hand:
- A current, non-expired CDL with an accurate home address
- Your work history for at least the last 3 years (some recruiters may want 5 or 10 years of history). If you have been unemployed for some of this time, you will need to provide solid professional references to account for this period.
- The names and contact information for all of your former employers.
- Proof of your work history including old W2 tax forms, reference letters, or DOT numbers. This information will be especially helpful if any of the companies you worked for previously have since gone out of business.
- A copy of your driving record or MVR
- Proof of eligibility to work in the United States. You will be required to complete an I-9 form upon hire, so be sure you have valid documentation to show that you are eligibly for hire.
New Homeland Security regulations require that al commercial truckers undergo a background check prior to being hired. As part of this check, companies will pull any criminal records and copies of your Motor Vehicle Driving record from all states in which you have a drivers license (commercial or non-commercial). Companies will also see a copy of your DAC report which will reveal previous driving jobs, any accidents in which you were involve, and notes of any problems with former employers.
If there is anything on your record that might be questionable, it is very important that you disclose this to the recruiter right away. It is much better to be professional and proactive upfront than to have the recruiter undercover some nasty information on their own. A potential employer is going to need to know about any incidents, or accidents, for at least the previous three years. Be sure to hold onto all incident records, including accident reports and tickets, so that you can provide this documentation if needed.
Nearly all reputable companies will also require that you undergo a drug screening, so be prepared to certify that you are drug-free and take a drug test on the spot if you are offered a position. Your offer will be contingent upon the successful results of the test.
If there is anything about your past (or current) medical health that might bring up concerns about your ability to perform your duties as a trucker, be prepared to show a doctors note that releases you to work. Although, by law, recruiters cannot ask about your medical health prior to offering you a position, an offer can be rescinded if you are not able to certify your ability to do the job. If you have recently had a medical ailment, surgery, or are taking any sort of prescription medicine, chances are high that you will be required to present a medical doctors release noted that you are cleared for commercial tractor trailer driving with no restrictions.
Finally, be prepared to a road test and pass the necessary DOT physical upon receiving an offer. If you havent been behind the wheel in a while, make sure you brush up on your driving skills. You will not get a second test to take the test if you fail it so you want to be sharp the very first time to step into the companys cab.
Although the hiring process to secure a trucking job may be long and tedious, the payoff is well worth your effort. So if youve made it though all of these steps successfully, congratulations. Youre hired!