May 2008
Quick Changes
By
President of Workforce Associates
May 2008
Quick Changes
By
President of Workforce Associates
A recent study by outplacement consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that nearly 40% of all job seekers in 2007 weren't just looking for a new employer. They were also hoping to switch into brand new careers based on their hobbies, interests, and/or current "passions." There are several ways to make the transition with the least pain to your pocketbook and the quickest way to get your new career launched:
1) Volunteer at a place that closely matches the career path that you would like to pursue. This will build your experience, and you will network with folks who work in your proposed field. It will also provide you references when you make the big step. Craigslist lists plenty of volunteer experiences by city to check out. Local newspapers are also terrific sources of groups looking for volunteers.Hope that these websites provide you helpful information to jump start a new career. Let me know how they work for you. All the best during this lovely month of May.
2) Work through a staffing agency that has contacts in your proposed new field. Many staffing agencies are the de facto "front doors" to major companies locally. By working through a staffing agency, you'll have a paycheck and the opportunity to try out a company by taking a temporary position. Often, if you and your new employer like one another, you'll find yourself in a new position with that company itself. The easiest way to find which staffing agency "fronts" for a specific company is to check out HotJobs, CareerBuilder, or Indeed. You'll note that jobs in your proposed field are often advertised by staffing firms.
Another related staffing agency is PEO that stands for Professional Employer Organization. These agencies take over the entire HR function of a company. To find out more about PEO's in your city, check out http://www.peo.com for details.
The American Staffing Association (ASA) covers the most important points for job seekers to follow. Check out the American Staffing Association, for their helpful hints. You'll find that Dr. Jane's advice is roundly supported by the ASA! In particular, their comments about how to present yourself via an electronic resume were excellent. I also thought that their comments about what should be included in a cover letter perfectly applied to first paragraphs of the body of an email to introduce yourself before pasting in your targeted resume.
ASA also has an excellent database of staffing agencies around the country and multiple categories of jobs that staffing agencies handle. For example, I found more than 100 job openings in the "professional-managerial" category through agencies on the north side of Indianapolis. I'll bet that you're as surprised and delighted as I was to learn about this valuable resource.
3) Talk to career counselors at your local community college or adult education program at a local high school about classes to take. Check out the American Association of Community Colleges for a list of community colleges.
The alumni office at your university also has valuable information about fellow alums in jobs that may provide inside tips and inside information about upcoming job openings in the new field of your choice. For example, the University of Michigan Career Services offers a wealth of information.
Librarians are another wonderful resource for career changers. They have access to business journals, local business websites, and plenty of reading material for you to research new possibilities. BizJournals is an online source of weekly business publications in major cities across the U. S. with up-to-date information about new businesses and business networking groups to take advantage of.
Margaret Riley Dikel, a librarian in Maryland, started developing resources for online job searching in 1994. Her Guide is still highly regarded as she has expanded the numbers of websites and resources. Her vetting of sites is also exemplary.
In my town, there are monthly workshops conducted by business librarians re how to use the Internet successful to prepare yourself for the world of online recruiting. I'll bet that there is an Internet job seeker librarian guru in your town, too.
4) Research labor market information in your town and state to find out what the salary levels, benefits, and upward potential (or the reverse) may be for your proposed field. Each state's Department of Workforce Development (or related name) is a wealth of information about present jobs and new and emerging ones.
One Stops around the country also are helpful. Your taxpayer dollars fund these public/private partnerships where counselors are available throughout the business week to give you workshops, information about local employers, and layoffs. They also have labor market information so you can find out what the "Hot Jobs" are in your state. Check out CareerOneStop for details.
5) Start attending lunches and chapter meetings that the professional association that closely matches your new interest has. This is a wonderful way to learn about courses, seminars, guest speakers, credentials, and workshops in your field. After just a few meetings, you'll quickly determine if your latest passion is a fad or indeed a new interest that you can become committed to - along with its ups and downs. Check out this invaluable website to learn about the thousands of associations in every field and industry around our country.
I can always be reached at jlommel@WorkforceAssociates.com
Jane M. Lommel, Ph.D.
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