Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Building a Career


Today, and more than ever, most people are responsible for building their own careers.

Whether you are just starting, or you have several years of experience, these paragraphs might help you advance your career.

The 9 most important career planning tips is listed below:


1. Never Stop Learning

Life-long learning is your keyword.

The world is constantly changing, and everybody is looking for new ways of doing business.

If you have decided that your current skills are good enough, you have also decided that your current job is good enough.

But if you want a career in the future, you should add regular updates to your skills and knowledge.


2. Ask, Listen And Learn

A good listener can learn a lot.

Listen to your co-workers, your boss, and your superiors. You can learn a lot from their experience.

Ask about issues that interest you, and listen to what they say. Let them tell you about how things work, and what you could have done better.

Most people will love to be your free tutor.


3. Fulfill Your Current Job

Your current job might be best place to start your career.

It is often very little that separates successful people from the average. But nothing comes free.

If you do your job well and fulfill your responsibilities, this is often the best way to start a new career.

Talk to your supervisor about things you can do. Suggest improvements. Offer your help when help is needed. In return ask for help to build a better career. It is often possible - right inside your own organization - especially if you have proved to be a valued employee.


4. Build Your Network

Your next career step might arise from your contact network.

Did you know that more than 50% of all jobs are obtained from contact networks?

If you have a good contact network, it is also a good place to discover future careers, to explore new trends, and to learn about new opportunities.

Spend some time building new contacts, and don't forget to maintain the ones you already have.

One of the best ways to get serious information from your network is to regularly ask your contacts how they are, what they do, and what is new about their careers.


5. Identify Your Current Job

Your current job should be identified, not assumed.

Make sure you don't work with tasks you assume are important. This is waste of time and talent.

When you start in a new job, talk to your superior about your priorities. If you're not sure about what is most important, then ask him. And ask him again. Often you will be surprised about the differences between what you assume, and what is really important.


6. Identify Your Next Job

Your dream job must be identified.

Before you start planning your future career, be sure you have identified your dream job.

In your dream job, you will be doing all the things you enjoy, and none of the things you don't enjoy. What kind of job would that be?

Do you like or dislike having responsibility for other employees. Do you like to work with technology or with people? Do you want to run your own business? Do you want to be an artist, a designer or a skilled engineer? A manager?

Before building your future career your goal must be identified.


7. Prepare Yourself

Your dream might show up tomorrow. Be prepared.

Don't wait a second. Update your CV now, and continue to update it regularly.

Tomorrow your dream job may show up right before your nose. Prepare for it with a professional CV and be ready to describe yourself as a valuable object to anyone that will try to recruit you.

If you don't know how to write a CV, or how to describe yourself, start learning it now.


8. Pick The Right Tools

Pick the tools you can handle.

You can build your future career using a lot of different tools. Studying at W3Schools is easy. Taking a full master degree is more complicated.

You can add a lot to your career by studying books and tutorials (like the one you find at W3Schools). Doing short time courses with certification tests might add valuable weight to your CV. And don't forget: Your current job is often the most valuable source of building new skills.

Don't pick a tool that is too heavy for you to handle!


9. Realize Your Dreams

Put your dreams into action.

Don't let a busy job kill your dreams. If you have higher goals, put them into action now.

If you have plans about taking more education, getting a better job, starting your own company or something else, you should not use your daily job as a "waiting station". Your daily job will get more and more busy, you will be caught up in the rat race, and you will burn up your energy.

If you have this energy, you should use it now, to realize your dreams.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Chronological Resume: Administrative/Management

Roxanne Schroeder
84 Stoneybrook Court
902-459-9663 (w) Halifax, NS
902-459-9663 (H) B3J 3G6 E-mail:
roxy@dal.ca
___________________________________________________________________________

Highlights of Qualifications

* Over 10 years progressively responsible administrative/management experience
* Proven ability to manage effectively in complex environments
* Demonstrated ability to supervise in a team environment
* Completed MBA while working full-time
* Effective communicator, motivated problem-solver

WORK EXPERIENCE

1997-present ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, Department of Medicine
Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS

The Department of Medicine at Dalhousie encompasses an administrative office and 13 divisions, is situated in 6 locations and employs over 200 faculty, 65 secretarial/support staff and 50 grant paid/technical employees. This position coordinates the administrative management of the department, including teaching and research programs, and:

  • participates in the development and monitoring of departmental goals and objectives;
    manages and administers all aspects of financial management;
  • coordinates personnel management of 80 employees in two bargaining units; direct supervision of 12 staff;
  • assists in the screening, selection and orientation of residents and undergrad medical students;
  • manages the practice plan for a group of 50 physicians;
  • serves on Department and Faculty Committees;
  • liaises between the Director, Dean's Office, Committee Chairpersons, university and
    government officials;
  • manages a variety of special projects, conducts research, writes reports, implements recommendations.

Recent Accomplishments

  • developed and implemented personnel, financial and management guidelines which were accepted at the Faculty level;
  • computerized and streamlined financial management system, resulting in more effective control and analysis;
  • implemented a comprehensive selection process for students and staff in consultation with faculty and human resource development;

ROXANNE SCHROEDER Page 2
_________________________________________________________________________

  • implemented quality initiatives as a component of regular departmental meetings; developed and monitored project teams within Department;
  • drafted a comprehensive report for government on financial needs of the Department which was approved by the Department Head and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.

1992-1997 ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, Faculty of Medicine
Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

  • monitored the finances of 30 departments within the faculty;
  • provided assistance to Departmental administrators;
  • managed accounts receivable/salary recovery data information system;
  • administered Dean's Office accounts payables; monitored finances of restricted/endowment accounts for the Faculty;
  • processed payroll information at the Faculty level;
  • prepared detailed financial reports for government on monthly basis;
  • participated in budget projections and year-end financial operations.

EDUCATION

1996 Masters of Business Administration
Dalhousie University

1990 Bachelor of Business Administration
Mount Saint Vincent University

CURRENT COMMITTEES

Finance Committee, Faculty of Medicine
Employee Relations Committee, Victoria General Hospital
Employment Equity Advisory Committee, Dalhousie University Administrative Group Representative

MEMBERSHIPS

Halifax Board of Trade
Human Resource Association of Nova Scotia

REFERENCES

To be supplied upon request

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Benefits of a Résumé

The Résumé has become an essential part of the work search process. A Résumé is:

  • A systematic assessment of your skills in terms of a specific work objective

  • A marketing device used to gain an interview

The purpose of the Résumé is to get an interview. It is like an advertisement: it should attract attention, create interest, describe accomplishments and invite a person to contact you. The average amount of time an employer takes to initially scan a Résumé is 30 seconds. It is very important that the Résumé be brief, one page if possible and two pages the limit. The Résumé tells a potential employer what you can do and have done, who you are, and what you know. It also states what kind of work you seek. The key is that the Résumé must provide enough information for the employer to evaluate your qualifications and interest the employer enough to invite you for an interview.

The Résumé is a more concise presentation of credential than a curriculum vita (CV), which is prepared for a teaching/research position in a university or for inclusion in an application package for graduate school. If you need help writing a CV, contact Career Services.

Life is a mirror and gives back to us the reflection of our own self.

~ Joseph Batten

The Steps to Writing Your Résumé

  1. Make detailed self-assessment notes and keep them together in a file.

  2. Obtain detailed job description information for the type(s) of work you want to do.

  3. Prepare a draft of a Chronological, Modified Chronological, or Functional Résumé.

  4. Organize major sections in order of importance, with Job Objective or Career Goal first and Summary of Qualifications or Skills Summary second.

  5. Have someone else proofread a draft of your Résumé.