Posts Tagged ‘Helpful Tips’

PostHeaderIcon Get to Work Finding a Job – Concentrated Career Efforts

Get to Work Finding a Job – Concentrated Career Efforts Pay Off

Anyone who says the current economy has drastically impacted the job market is just wrong. For those who are willing to put in the sincere effort to find a job, providing they sincerely like to work, there’s always gainful employment to be had.

If it takes you longer than two weeks to land a truly great job, you’re doing something wrong.

Heed this handful of helpful tips and you’re sure to get your career swiftly back on track.

Think that being unemployed means you don’t have a job? Guess again. Finding work IS your job. Forget sleeping in and setting a leisurely pace. Get up early and immediately attack the job search. Devote at least eight hours a day to the process.

Have a plan. For example (and this is simply one course of action; you can certainly plot out a strategy that may be even more effective for you);

Day 1.
Get up by 6 a.m. Get online. Search your state’s Internet employment bank and job-search sites such as Career Builder and Monster.com. Make a point of applying for at least ten jobs. Take a break for lunch. Get in your car or on a bus or head out on foot and note the names of at least a dozen (hopefully more) major businesses. Not everyone is going to advertise on the web with an external service. When you get back home look up the company websites and see what positions they are hiring for. Plan to apply for at least 5 more jobs to finish out your day.

Day 2.
Perform a new online search and note the top six opportunities that look most appealing to you. Now call those businesses and get the name of the hiring party and their email address and phone number. Create a more comprehensive cover letter, something that essentially sells your expertise, and email it to the person in charge. Follow up with phone calls later in the afternoon, unless the job ad specially stated “No phone calls.”

Day 3.
Make sure you have a quality, up to date and error-free one page resume at the ready. Get nice looking copies on a professional grade paper stock and take them, door to door, to established companies that appeal to you. Make a concerted effort to get past the receptionist and at least introduce yourself to the HR director or any variety of hiring manager.

Day 4.
Follow up and follow through. Make calls or send out second emails to the top ten companies that you prefer to focus on at this time.

Day 5.
You’re likely to have at least a few interviews arranged at this point, possibly more. Make sure you schedule your appointments with significant time in between. You NEVER want to be late for an interview.

A few more points to keep in mind;

Don’t jump on the first offer. Think about the fit, your goals, the corporate structure and culture. There are many more considerations than wage in the long run. Job hopping is a waste of your time (as well as your interim employers) and ultimately it will have a negative impact on your future ability to progress effectively in your career. Make sure that the position you accept is something you’ll want to stick with for a long time, given the opportunity.

Be realistic about your worth. Don’t demand a salary that’s higher than your expertise and education would warrant, but don’t sell yourself short either. Make sure that your new salary is at least as much, preferably more, than the amount you were most recently earning.

Be honest about your needs. If you’re really uncomfortable about leaving your kids home alone past 5:30 and a job calls for service until 6, getting you home by 6:30 or even later, don’t take it. You’ll only end up resenting it and in the long run that negativity will detract from your work and create an unpleasant scenario at the office. Good companies care about the well being of their workers and will, within reason, make minor concessions to accommodate your personal needs.

Put real effort into your performance once you do accept employment. Do your best to abide by the adage that “a job worth doing is worth doing well.” Don’t be a prima donna; help out where you’re needed and drop the “it’s not my job” attitude. If you’re being paid, anything legal and reasonably moral can be your job. Get busy.

When you’re on the job, remember that the workplace is for work. If you have time to gossip, take frequent breaks, surf the net or text friends, you obviously need more to do. Let your boss know that you’d like to have more assignments. If your work is done early, offer to help with someone else’s. It’s a business, not a playground. Be a good worker bee.

There’s plenty of work to be had and a terrific supply of top-rate employers who are on the hunt for capable, conscientious professionals. If you’re the type who is enthusiastic about rolling up your shirt sleeves and getting things done, it’s likely that getting a good job won’t be too tough. Put in a good amount of effort and you’ll see some great results.

S. L. Robertson is an experienced mountain-region writer. The Northwest transplant has published hundreds of articles offering business advice as well as horse-training tips and suggestions for affordable professional fashion, just to name a few of Robertson’s areas of expertise. You can find her writing on the new blog site http://avonladyslc.blogspot.com/ as well as on the Promo.Utah business blog site ( http://promoutah.blogspot.com ).

PostHeaderIcon 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!

PostHeaderIcon Back Pain and Blue Collar Jobs

Low back pain is one of the oldest occupational health problems in history and one of the most common causes of work-related complaints among adults. Approximately 15 million people visit the doctors each year because of lower back pain. It is estimated that a total of 25 billion is spent every year to treat this form of body ache. For this reason, the back pain relief and muscle relaxant industries are growing by leaps and bounds.

Low back pain is a muscular and skeletal ailment that afflicts millions of people around the world. People with blue-collar jobs or those who are required to do heavy manual work are more prone to lumbar aches. No wonder, construction workers are often diagnosed with low back pain. If left untreated, this ailment can result to absenteeism and decreased productivity. Worse, it could even be the cause of more serious health problems.

To determine the severity of low back pain, you may use the following parameters to see how bad your back is:

lAcute Low back pain last less than 6 weeks
lSub-Acute Low back pain between 6 and 12 weeks
lChronic Low back pain persists for more than 12 weeks

The good news is that there are a variety of treatments for back pain. One of the easiest ways to ease the aches is to use a muscle relaxant. Back pain relief is as easy as popping a pill. However, it is important to get your doctor’s advice since medications for back pain are often doctor-prescribed and cannot be bought over the counter.

These are other helpful tips, procedures and strategies on back pain relief that you may want to consider:

lApply a cold pack to the painful area for 5-10 minutes at time
lUse an heating pad on the painful area if the pain is still there within a few days
lProtect your back. Avoid sudden turning or bending. Go on with your usual activities and try to
avoid bed rest
lGet expert professional treatments
lNonprescription Pain Medications
lSpinal Manipulation
lGet a massage
lTry acupuncture
lTraction treatments
lBiofeedback
lBack Belts and Corsets
lInjections into the back

Certainly, back pain relief goes beyond office furniture and medication. The cause of back pain can also be stress at work, family problems, and other distressing situations that may not necessarily due to work or physical exertion. The build-up of everyday stress can make your muscles tighten up and contribute to the slow but painful tension of the back or lumbar muscles. Self-hypnosis, meditation and guided imagery are also being promoted as tools or techniques to reduce the discomforts association with lumbar ailments. Back pain relief options can be expensive, depending on the specific technique prescribed by the therapist.

But surely, regardless of the severity or degree of back pain, it is always best to consult a doctor or healthcare professional. The back pain may be a symptom of other illnesses or health problems.