Career Change Archives - Page 2 of 2 - The Career Success Doctor

The Right Time To Find A New Job

Written by Natalia

Before starting your research to find a new job, you have to be sure that this is the best time to do so. We already know that January is one of the months when job seekers are the most active. If you are planning to leave your employer and find a new job, it’s worth first considering whether you are actually ready for this step.

Whether you are thinking of a career change, or just another job in your current career path, this article in Careerealism, by Alexia Vernon, will help you determine if now is the right time for you to move forward.

As she says, ‘I firmly believe, whatever reasons for leaving a job you have, the way you walk away from your company is the way you will show up to a new one – especially if it’s your own, brand-spankin’ new business.’

She goes on to suggest two top points where you should focus on and the questions you should ask yourself.

Read the whole article here: ” Knowing When It’s Time To Find A New Job “

How To Start Thinking About A Career Change

Written by Natalia

Are you planning to make a career change? As the countdown to the end of the year has already started, this season is usually associated with making plans for the coming year. If making a career change is one of yours, then you might need a little help.

Deciding to change career is a big step, and just like all big steps, you have to be sure that you have thought of everything in order to succeed. If, after careful and thorough consideration, you have concluded that you are ready for the big leap, this article by Jacquelyn Smith, in Forbes, addresses all the things you have to think about next and the questions you should ask yourself.

If you’re bored, burned-out, or your job just isn’t doing it for you anymore, there’s a good chance you’re ready for a change. But before you make any big moves, you must determine whether it’s the job you don’t like—or your career.

“If you’ve had more than one job in your field and it’s pretty clear to you that no matter where you go, things won’t be any better because you don’t like the type of work you do, then it’s time to make a career change,” says Andy Teach, a corporate veteran and author of From Graduation to Corporation: The Practical Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder One Rung at a Time.

But don’t put the cart before the horse and jump right into “shotgun-blasting your résumé out into cyberspace” without any thought to what you are really looking for, says Michael “Dr. Woody” Woodward, PhD, organizational psychologist and author of The YOU Plan. “Diving in head-first without looking is likely what landed you in the situation you are currently in.“

Read the whole article “How To Start Thinking About A Career Change”



Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Career Development Tips: 6 Things You Should Accomplish Your First Year At A New Job

Written by Natalia

If you have finally made the big decision to change your a career and you have just started your new job, you will need to focus on your career development in your new position. Whether you have 15 years working experience or you are an entry-level employee, you will find this article from ‘Ms. Career Girl’ to be truly beneficial. Tanya Kertsman lists six things that should be accomplished within the first year at a new job, in order to help you build your career and establish your future success.

“There are some key milestones that every new employee should achieve within their first year at a new company. How you fit in with your team and your professional growth the first year can determine your success in the years that follow.

Make those first 12 months count. By integrating yourself into the company culture and showing enthusiasm for the work you’re doing, you begin to earn the respect of your colleagues, which leads to more interesting projects and greater opportunities. At least once a quarter, review this list to make sure you’re doing what you need to set up the right foundation for a long and prosperous career.”

Read the whole article here “6 Things You Should Accomplish Your First Year At A New Job”



Image courtesy of ddpavumba, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How Being A Mature Student Can Benefit A Career Change

Written by The Career Success Doctor

Image courtesy of Stockimages FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Career change and career development are among the most frequent reasons cited by mature students for entering higher education later in life. Even then there are a huge range of other factors in play. This article by Julie Cowley, in The Telegraph gives hints and tips for mature students who have taken up the challenge.

The article talks about some of the fears that mature students may have, and discusses how Universities can support them.

Here is the link. University as a mature student

Does Blogging Help You Stand Out From The Pack?

Written by The Career Success Doctor

If you’re looking for a new job, or a new career, one of the suggestions career experts like myself offer is: LinkedIn. Recruitment consultants crawl round LinkedIn like truffle hogs in an oak-wood, and LinkedIn provides an opportunity to showcase your sills and expertise to both speculative enquirers and those with a more serious interest.

In a recent blog post, Tony Restell proposes that, rather than relying on LinkedIn, job-seekers should concentrate their energies on blogging. In his view, LinkedIn doesn’t enable the recruiter to distinguish genuinely good candidates from poor ones. A blog helps you stand out from the pack.

To a large extent I agree with him, but there are a couple of areas where you need to be cautious: consistency and connection.

Consistency and Connection

As far as consistency is concerned, once you’ve started, you need to keep going. If your blogging schedule is inconsistent, particularly if there are large gaps between posts, you may look disorganised, or lacking in focus.

In terms of connection, how will people find your blog? Of course, you can mention it on your LinkedIn profile, and tell your friends on Facebook, but ideally you want to have a range of strategies for encouraging people to come and visit

So, if you are thinking of going down the blog route, what ‘s the best strategy?

Here are some questions to consider before you ever embark on a blogging approach for career success.

What do you want to achieve with your blog? Is it simply a new job, or are you in this for the long haul? Do you want to become an acknowledged expert in your field, or are you content to operate in the void?
How much time, energy and money do you want to spend on creating and maintaining your blog? This will depend on what resources you have available, and what image you want to project.
What help do you NEED in setting up and maintaining your blog? I have an IT background, including IT security, and at first I set up my blogs myself. However, I’ve come unstuck on a couple of occasions, and I’ve finally realised that I was not put on this planet to get down and dirty with the innermost secrets of WordPress.
Even if you have a strong technical bent, how are you with the written word? Most mainstream recruiters will be put off by typos or poor grammar.

There are plenty of ways to set up a blog cheaply and cheerfully with relatively little technical knowledge – for example by using blogger, wordpress.com (this is different from wordpress.org, which I am using) or one of the other free platforms. You can also do video blogs using Youtube. But these might not project the image you want, or give you maximum control of your site.

So, if you want to stand out from the pack, blog by all means, but do it in a strategic way to ensure you achieve your goals.

If you need help with finding your career direction, or help with using a blog as part of your plan to stand out from the pack, then contact The Career Success Doctor for a complimentary Career Quickstart Conversation.

« Previous Page