Always Be Job Hunting

Here’s what it takes to work In the oil industry

Posted on November 2, 2015 by John N. Frank

Most people know companies in the oil industry pay great wages. However, few folks understand the full implications of working for drilling firms. This post will highlight that it takes to start a new career in that area.

For most people, working in the oil and gas industry is not suitable. It’s more a lifestyle than a job, and you’ll have to sacrifice a lot to keep the bosses happy. With a bit of luck, you’ll know for certain if working in the oil world is a good idea after reading this post.

Experience with specialist machinery
While many companies provide training, experience with specialist tools and machinery is a big bonus. Those working on rigs might have to operate a section of the drill, and that’s a big responsibility. Any mistakes could mean you place lives at risk. Those working on land might have to handle a hot oil vaporizer coil or mobile diesel heater. Anyone with a background in engineering should pick things up quickly. Having experience will make your CV stand out from the crowd. Continue reading →

Posted in career switch, finding a first job, job hunting, Job search tips | Tagged Always Be Job Hunting, new job, search tips, skills training | Leave a comment

Profitable career paths For multilingual speakers

Posted on November 2, 2015 by John N. Frank

If you had the foresight to master a foreign language, you open yourself up to dozens of new career opportunities. Better still if English is your second language. The world will always have the need for a foreign language speaker and companies are willing to pay a premium for the service. Here are a few ideas to jump-start your job search.

Teaching Abroad
This is usually the go-to option for native English speakers with fluency in a second language. Living abroad is often the dream for many. Experiencing new cultures, people and food is something we’re willing to pay for. Imagine if there was somebody willing to pay you for the pleasure. Good news; there is. English is the third most spoken language in the world, and most countries have taken to learning it at an early age. That means they need somebody to teach their children – and why shouldn’t that be you? If you have a grasp on their native tongue, you could be the one living out your dreams abroad and be paid handsomely for it.

Translation
With countries like China leading the way in industry, businesses need to stay connected with their trade. Obviously, the language barrier can make this an issue. That’s where you come in. Translating documents, conferences and video calls can be a profitable venture indeed. Better still, joining an agency like MI Translations means no two days will ever be the same. You could be working with countless different businesses. This means soaking up knowledge and ultimately furthering your career. Continue reading →

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The best jobs for gearheads

Posted on October 29, 2015 by John N. Frank

What are the best jobs for people who are obsessed with cars? There are many to choose from, but here are the ones that I think are most interesting.

Car Restorer
Classic cars are becoming more popular with ordinary drivers. That means that people are looking for people who carry out that restoration work. People like the idea of driving a classic car, but they don’t like the idea of driving a car that’s always breaking down. That’s why car restorers are so important. This is the kind of job people can do by themselves, so a lot of self-employed people choose to do it. As long as you have the knowledge and the skills to restore old cars safety, you could make a success of it.

Truck Driver
Trucking is a job that some people truly love. They love the freedom of the open road, and they love the fact that it’s just them, the truck and the road. Of course, it’s not the kind of job for everyone, but it can be a great job for people who love nothing more than driving on the open road. You need to get the right qualifications and licenses before you can take on this kind of job. Once you’ve done that, you can start to search for your very first truck driver job.

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Car Designer
The designers are the people who decide how a car should look and function. Sounds like a pretty cool job, doesn’t it? That’s not to say it’s an easy job though; you have to spend a long time toiling away at the bottom of the chain. And the pay isn’t great to begin with. But if you rise up to the top of the chain, you could be responsible for designing cars for the biggest manufacturers out there. Of course, you’ll be constantly at battle with the money men who run the companies, but it’s still a lot of fun.

Auto Journalist
What could be more fun than being paid to write about the latest cars? Well, that’s exactly what auto journalists get to do. They’re the people who write the articles in your favourite car magazine or website. They get to test drive cars on the track before writing their reviews, and they attend all kinds of car shows, conventions and races. It really is the dream job for a lot of people love cars more than anything else. It’s perfect for people who feel the need to talk about the things they’re passionate about.

Racing Engineer
Within the car racing world, one of the best roles is the engineering role. The engineers are the ones that monitor the performance of the cars and the drivers and make tweaks and changes when necessary. Their job is to make sure that the car is performing as strongly as it should do. Without the engineer, it would be impossible for any race team to win the race. If you ask me, they’re far more important even than the drivers who sit behind the wheel! So, this is one of the greatest jobs in the industry.

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.

Posted in finding a first job, job hunting | Tagged new job, search tips | Leave a comment

Skills to demonstrate at an interview to win your dream job

Posted on October 29, 2015 by John N. Frank

Many people speak about the value of transferable skills. These are the key skills that are needed no matter what job or career you are moving to. Essentially, they are the same skills required whether you are a doctor or a cashier. They are acquired through experience, but also include desirable personality traits. Your interviewer will ask questions and gauge responses to see if you might fit in.

One of the most desirable things you can bring to a job interview is people skills. Employers need to know that you are likeable and easy-going. They want someone who can fit in with the team and take the good with the bad and not fuss about it. An interviewer may ask you a few personal questions. These may be about your home life or what you enjoyed doing at college. Your answers should determine if you make a good team player.

Common sense is something that employers need from their youngest candidates. It doesn’t matter if this is your first job or not so long as you can figure out the basics for yourself. Communication skills are essential. You must be able to answer the phone or compose emails in a professional manner. Your academic successes may help identify your strengths here. You may be asked a couple of ‘what if’ questions to see how you would respond to certain scenarios.

Your interest in the company is key to a successful interview. Find out what the firm does and how it is performing. You need to prove that this job is your dream job and that the company is at the heart of what makes it great.

Image source: Flickr

Image source Flickr

Your interest in the job role should also be evident. Show that you have a long-standing love for the industry and duties you would perform. Detail how you have become knowledgeable and informed. You don’t need formal qualifications for many jobs such as a medical assistant. But acquiring certification from medical assistant schools will show you are determined to make this a career.

Continued training and education look very good on your resume. It demonstrates a thirst for knowledge about your industry. It also shows that you are keen to better yourself. Educational achievements suggest you are good at managing your time. Recent qualifications demonstrate you have the latest information about your industry. Not studied recently? Talk about the relevant journals you read or the trade events you have attended.

If you are looking to change careers, then show where this new passion has come from. For example, if you want to become a medical assistant, talk about how you have been a valued assistant in your previous roles. Demonstrate the skills needed, such as keeping accurate records and supporting your team. Transferable skills really can bridge the gap between industries and professions.

Changing careers or returning to a previous one doesn’t need to be a challenge. You can use the skills you’ve acquired and the positive personality traits you possess to land your dream job. No matter what that is, what you know and what you’ve done can be exactly what your next employer is looking for. Good luck!

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.

Posted in job hunting, Job search tips | 2 Comments

Media Careers You Should Consider Right Now

Posted on October 29, 2015 by John N. Frank

The media industry is massive, and there are jobs available. Bearing that in mind, here are three of the best media careers:

Image via pixabay

Journalist

When people hear the word media, they often think of journalists. It’s arguably the most popular career in the media industry. Partly because there are lots of types of journalist that you can be. You could be an investigative journalist that looks into big news stories. Or, you could be a sports journalist and write about your favorite sport. You can even be a broadcast journalist and work in TV/radio.

All of these jobs sound pretty appealing, right? Well, a lot of people certainly seem to think so. It’s a tough career to get into because there’s so much competition. First, make sure you have plenty of work experience. Ideally, you’ll want it at a pretty big media company, one that’s recognized. When you have experience, you can start forming contacts. That’s my next tip; it’s about who you know. If you can generate good contacts within the industry, you’re far more likely to succeed.

Video Editor

There are lots of media companies that do media production work. This involves things like making videos or filming TV shows. Naturally, they require a big post-production team too. At the forefront of this would be a video editor. The person in charge of editing all the footage and making it ready to be released. This is a very popular job because you get to do a lot of fun work. But, it can be hard to get into, so make sure you’re prepared.

Get your CV up to scratch and do a lot of training to develop your editing skills. Make sure you know about video editing tools like Adobe After Effects. Think about going on After Effects training courses so you learn how to use that software to a professional standard. The more you know, the better your chances are of getting a job.

(Image Source: https://goo.gl/OMc1IZ)

Social Media Executive

This is a fairly new career choice. If you’re interested in the media, then you’ll know social media is massive right now. It’s become a huge part of life and people are almost dependent on it. As a result, jobs in social media are on the rise. A social media executive is someone who runs a social media account for a business. They post content across lots of platforms and are a big part of the marketing campaign. It’s a popular job, particularly amongst young people.

To get a job as a social media executive, you need to be creative. If you can’t come up with creative content, you’ll fail. You also need to have great communication skills so you can talk to customers and answer queries on social media. There are plenty of jobs like this out there; even small companies are searching for people to fulfill this role.

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.

Posted in career switch, finding a first job, job hunting | Tagged career changes | 1 Comment

Skills you’re going to need for a career that involves web design

Posted on October 21, 2015 by John N. Frank

So, you’re at that stage in your life where you need to make a decision about your career. Perhaps you’re going to move down a new career path for the first time. Or, you could be switching from one job to another. It might make sense to consider online jobs.

There are so many careers that are based around the internet. One would be a career as a web designer — someone who designs and develops websites for individuals and businesses. It’s an excellent career to get into because you’re really helping to make a difference. If this is something you’re considering, then here are some skills you’re going to need.

Creativity
Being creative is a must for a career in web design. You’re going to spend your time creating and designing people’s websites. So you need to keep things fresh and original. It’s important to add a little spice and flair into the process. Bear in mind that the website is going to need to reflect the ideals of the business. So make sure you do what you can to encapsulate this during your design. If you are a creative person, you could find yourself thriving in this career path. Continue reading →

Posted in career switch | Tagged new job, web design | Leave a comment

What can you do to get the job of your dreams?

Posted on October 21, 2015 by John N. Frank

Work is not always what you imagined it would be. It is certainly a rude awakening when you complete your formal education and enter the ‘real’ world.

The amount of hard work required and competition for jobs are astounding. And, as a result, you can end up not doing going down a career path that isn’t your first choice.

So what can make you stand out from the crowd?

Polish Your CV And Covering Letter
Your resume and cover letter are what your future employer is going to use to make his or her first judgement. Quite simply, it is your chance to make a first good impression. So, your resume should be well-structured, and there should be absolutely no grammatical or syntax mistakes. Spelling errors show you are too lazy to check your CV thoroughly and that you don’t care about your application. The structure makes it easier to read, so potential employers won’t throw it in the bin at a glance. Continue reading →

Posted in finding a first job, interviews, job hunting | Tagged job hunting, search tips | 2 Comments

Best Jobs If You Want To Help People

Posted on October 17, 2015 by John N. Frank

Many people out there don’t want to be stuck looking at a computer screen all day. They don’t care about making excessive amounts of money. Instead, they would rather know that their lives matter and they are making a difference in the world, helping people. What type of job should you go into if you want to help people and work with them each day? There are a few you could consider going into and the one you choose will depend on your skills as well as your personality traits. Continue reading →

Posted in career switch, job hunting, Uncategorized | Tagged nursing, teaching | 2 Comments

Signs that teaching is the perfect career for you

Posted on October 15, 2015 by John N. Frank

When you’re looking at potential career paths, you need to consider your strengths. There are different attributes needed to be suited to different careers. Check out these signs that indicate you’re probably suited to a career in teaching.

Good With Kids
Some people are naturally good with kids, and this is essential if you want to teach. Children are so fascinating, but they can also be hard work. Some people are just naturally good with kids. They can relate to them and get the best out of them. If this describes you then perhaps you should be targeting a career as a teacher. You can find out more about teaching jobs and qualifications by doing a search online. Make sure you do the proper research before making a career decision though!

Natural Leader
Some people are natural leaders in life, and they often possess confidence and initiative. If you are the sort of person who is often described as a leader, you should do well in teaching. Teachers need to have confidence and lead by example. The have to inspire their students and command respect. And this is exactly what somebody who is a natural leader will excel at being able to do.

Patience is a Virtue
Now, one of the most important attributes you can possess as a teacher is patience. And that’s why you need to be patient with people. Learning can be a difficult and time-consuming process for a lot of people. And some kids will need special attention and care. In this sort of situation, teachers are going to need to be very patient. A lot of teaching involves trial and error, and those who are impatient will not do well. So, if you consider yourself to be a patient person, then teaching would be an ideal career for you.

Comfortable Public Speaker
As a teacher, you’re going to be doing a lot of public speaking. You will be addressing classroom or lecture halls full of people. So you need to have the confidence and ability to speak to people publicly. This is not a career for those who are shy and quiet! If you have always possessed the skills and confidence to speak to large rooms of people you might be cut out for teaching.

Gift for Helping Others Learn
One of the key aspects of being a teacher is the ability to teach. It sounds silly, but it isn’t. Not everybody is a natural teacher, and this is vital. You need to be gifted at helping others to learn because this is what your job entails. If you have always been naturally gifted at this, then you might well have found your calling. Helping people to learn and better their lives in the process is an important part of the process of teaching.

There are many potential career paths you can go down, and teaching is one of the most fulfilling. There are a lot of potential teaching jobs out there, but you need to know if teaching is for you. By using the points on this list, you’ll be able to determine whether you are suited to a career as a teacher. Many of these are skills teachers should highlight when applying for jobs. So if you already have these skills, you’re in a strong position.

This post has been contributed, written by Matt Smith , it may contain affiliate links.

Posted in career switch, finding a first job | Tagged search tips | 3 Comments

Ways you can turn your passion for writing into a career

Posted on October 10, 2015 by John N. Frank

Writing is a passion that many people want to turn into a career. If you have exceptional writing skills, here are some careers that may interest you:

Become a blogger

Blogging is a very modern career but one that is great for earning money. There are a couple of ways you can earn money as a blogger. For starters, you could create your own blog. Set up a blog around a topic that interests you. That’s the key here, don’t create a blog on something popular just because it’s popular. Create a blog on something you’re passionate about, it will make writing a lot easier. When you have your blog, you can sell ad space to companies. They’ll pay you to advertise their sites in the ad space on your blog. The more popular your blog, the more money you’ll make through advertising.

The second way to make money blogging is by being a guest blogger on other sites. Some blogs will hire people to write for them. You can continue with your blog while earning money from contributing to others.

(Image Source: https://goo.gl/EEuwgy)

Become An author

The most successful writers in the world are authors. People who write brilliant books can end up making millions. Anyone can write a book, all it takes is an idea, just a spark of inspiration. If you have good writing skills, why not consider writing a book? There are loads of different avenues you can go down here. You could write a self-help book on a topic that you know a lot about. Or, you could write fiction and create a story for people to enjoy. Whatever you feel like writing about, do it!

The biggest hurdle authors face is publishing. You can write a really good book, but you still need it to be published. Back in the day this meant finding a publishing company and hoping they’ll publish your book. But, if you learn how to self publish, you can do it yourself! Once your book is published, you can start promoting and selling it to the public. Hopefully, you’ll end up making a good deal of money.

Become a journalist

Another popular profession is journalism. When most people are passionate about writing, their dream is to be a journalist. They want to work for a big company and write news stories every day. Naturally, because it’s so popular, journalism is hard to get into. My advice would be to specialise in one particular field. If you like sports, focus on one sport and become an expert at it. This can help your chances of finding a job.

(Image by FirmBee https://goo.gl/yCmV8W)

Also, you could consider a career as a freelance journalist. This is slightly easier to do, as you can look around for any outlets that need work done. You can contribute to various media sites, papers, you name it. The key to being a successful freelancer is promoting yourself well. You want people to know who you are and know how good your work is. If they do, this gives you a better chance of getting work.

This post has been contributed , it may contain affiliate links.