In an interview, worrying about your perceived inadequacies, or what can be viewed as negative items on your history of employment, will get you nowhere. In fact, having a negative focus on things often comes through in the way you answer.

interview questions, and even in your body language. An applicant who shifts, plays with things like their shirt cuffs, or who loses track of the subject under discussion, is sabotaging their own chance at success.

Okay, so you have some weak points. Maybe there was a time two years ago, that you were out of work for eight months. Or the job that is open demands a certain skill level that you haven't quite achieved yet. Neither of those things can knock you out of contention like a lack of confidence in yourself.

We have a simple, two-part solution: First, make the best out of your "worst", and then make the company's priorities, your own.

Study the weak points in your resume and build on them. If you've had a period of unemployment, think about the experiences you had during that time, the businesses you visited, and what you learned about the current economy and job market. Show that you are attentive to detail, and enjoy learning from unexpected opportunities.

Express enthusiasm for the chance to expand on your present skills. Apply the same strategy to any other "weak" points you may have. Even a job that you left due to a personality conflict, can be given a positive light by emphasizing the experience you gained. Whatever you do, leave bitterness and pity at home. An employer wants someone with the desire to move onward and upward.

That brings us to the second item: presenting yourself in a way that makes you compatible with the company's needs, and highlights how you can benefit their present or future plans. Study the company's general business, and the department where you are applying, in particular. Find out why they are hiring someone (Did an employee quit? Retire? Are they expanding?) then emphasize the skills and experience that make you not only capable of filling the position, but of bringing new ideas and a positive attitude to it.

Find an "up" to every down point in your work history or resume. Then sell your skills and personality with an eye on the company agenda. The combination of competence and enthusiasm is often the formula for a successful interview.

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Not investing in yourself is like floating down a fast river without a paddle, map or knowledge of what's around the next bend. Things may go fine for a while, but at some point, you're going to realize you made a giant mistake.

To avoid such unforeseen disaster in your career, you need to invest in it to proactively and thoughtfully create a plan for achieving your career and life goals.

And if that doesn't convince you, here are 10 reasons why investing in your career is a must.

1. The Greatest Return on Investment, Anywhere The return on investing and improving yourself is astronomically higher than any financial investment you could make. From increased lifetime earning power and unimagined opportunities, to protecting yourself from unemployment and the satisfaction that comes from personal growth and success -- the returns are enormous.

2. You're the Boss of You If you're the president and CEO of You Inc., then it's your job to ensure you don't go out of business. It's your job to nurture growth and prosperity. You do this by carefully planning, performing consistently, operating true to your mission and investing in You Inc.

3. Become More Valuable Draw up two balance sheets for yourself. The first one should be a list of your financial assets and liabilities. The second should be a list of your skills, ideas, knowledge, marketability, personal networks, passion and ability to make things happen. Increase your personal net worth by investing in your second list ? that's how you'll increase the assets on your first list.

4. Become Great You are capable of greatness. Most of us settle for just getting by, using a fraction of our capabilities. This is tragic. Realize your greatness by identifying your talents and investing in your potential.

5. Achieve Your Goals Your career and life goals are far too important to be just wishes. A mismanaged career can derail your life goals. Investing in yourself dramatically increases the probability of achieving your goals and is a real demonstration of your commitment to achieving them.

6. Create Your Own Future Your career is yours to mold. Investing in yourself gives you the clarity, power and tools to create your own future and take the path less traveled. Sometimes, investing means taking a risk, but that's the price of entry for success and happiness.

7. Because the World Is a Complex Place You cannot know everything you need to know or do everything you need to do alone. You can't be your best without help. Find and invest in those who can teach you, show you the way and help you achieve your goals.

8. Life Is Too Short for Mediocrity You don't have the luxury of being mediocre -- period. Whether you opt for self-improvement or outsourcing your weak areas to someone who can do them better, determine where you are mediocre and get help.

9. It's a Cliche, But on Your Deathbed? The reason we hear this often is that it is so true. The passage of time will provide a perspective we don't have now. One day, you'll look back at your problems and successes and see them as bumps in the road. Your focus will be on the big picture: the life you led, opportunities pursued or abandoned, how happy you were and the legacy you left behind. Investing in yourself will give you the courage and determination to be happy and do your own thing.

10. Who Else Can You Count On? Let's face it: You're alone on this. No one has as much to gain or lose as you do. No one else is going to make those consistent investments in your development to maximize your career and life.

How to Invest in Your Career Invest in understanding yourself better and developing your goals, plans, professional skills, knowledge, career management skills, networks, and your personal brand and profile. Do it yourself, or work with experts like career coaches.

Try thinking, planning, self-assessment tools, goal development, reading, consulting experts, getting coached, taking courses, upgrading or acquiring skills and proactively marketing yourself. Recognize that investing in you often requires that you don't play it safe.

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A teen job search is very special. However, no matter what your age or experience, a hiring decision about you is made only after a face-to-face meeting.

That means you have to look employable. If you're in a teen job search and this is your first job, all this can really work to your advantage.

Since you don't have a work history or at best a thin resume, much more credibility will be placed on how you come across when you meet with a decision-maker. There, it's up to you to represent yourself assertively and with enthusiasm.

Here are 6 tips that can move you toward employment success:

1. Get your ducks in a row. Write down the specific talents and capabilities your bring to the table. For example any work experience including volunteer work, school and church activities, family projects, athletic or team prowess . . . anything that demonstrates that you have contributed to helping an organization or individual. Be sure to include any work for neighbors including raking leaves, baby-sitting, shoveling snow, etc.

2. Write a script that details how you'll present yourself to a prospective employer. Remember, first impressions count BIG! If you stumble around and can't look an interviewer in the eye, you just lost. You must be prepared to speak with authority.

3. Practice what you want to say with some friends. Let them ask you tough questions so you can learn to respond intelligently without getting rattled.

4. When you've done all your prep work, then you can write a resume recapping what you've done in the first three steps. It has to be brief and to the point (maximum one page.) Remember--your resume won't get you a job. Only a face-to-face meeting results in serious consideration.

5. Dress appropriate to the position and according to company standards. Be polite. Have an opening comment to make so you can be the first to speak. Prepare in advance some intelligent questions to ask.

6. Be open to employment options. For example, an internship, starting out part-time, offering to work free for a week, a probation period, etc. Incidentally, the holiday season is a great time to get your foot in the door with retail businesses. Very often part-time holiday employment turns into full-time after the holidays.

Teen job search can be an enriching experience. It can seriously prepare you for a lifetime of satisfying and lucrative work.

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Education is a fundamental of any industrialized nation, and so it is natural that qualified teachers remain in demand throughout the world. In the U.S., there were over 3.8 million teaching jobs for 2004 including preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle school, and secondary school teachers. If you are seeking a career that will see good growth and with high employment availability, then becoming qualified for teaching jobs may be a proper career choice for you.

If you find pleasure helping people learn, then becoming qualified for teaching jobs may be in your best interest. Teaching jobs are found in a number of environments, each of which has different requirements for working in those particular teaching jobs. In some cases, you may have to obtain a two to four year degree and pass a certification exam, and in other cases your job experience may qualify you for certain teaching jobs. There is no federal requirements for teaching jobs that occur in schools, so often requirements for teaching jobs in schools are dictated by local or state laws.

If you are considering teaching jobs in schools, it is likely that your state requires that you obtain a four-year degree and pass a certification or licensing examination. Teaching jobs in early childhood education, though, will sometimes only require a two year degree with certification. If you do not want to take a certification exam to obtain licensure, some school districts will allow you to become substitute teacher with only a baccalaureate degree. There is also the option in some areas that have difficulty finding qualified individuals to fill teaching jobs, where you can obtain a teaching job in an area of expertise as long as you have a degree in that area. If you are considering teaching jobs in schools, you may also need to understand that you will be subject to a background check.

If you are not necessarily interested in traditional teaching jobs in schools, there are other kinds of teaching jobs available to you. You can work in areas of training, tutoring, adult education, and more, which are teaching jobs in non-traditional settings. However, the greatest area of growth in teaching jobs will continue to be in schools.

As student enrollment in schools slowly increases, older teachers will be moving out of their positions at the same rate, so growth in teaching jobs is expected to be fairly steady over the next 10 years. The teachers who are able to be mobile will have the best chance of finding teaching jobs. Vocational teaching jobs are also expected to grow in the coming years, as schools are now offering many specialized programs to their students.

If you are interested in teaching jobs in school administration or policy development, you will need to prepare by getting a master's degree. Getting the advanced degree, though, is usually made simpler through teaching jobs that offer tuition reimbursement as a benefit alongside health insurance and pensions.

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Targeting your portfolio, (resume and cover letter) can get you any job you desire! The purpose of targeting is so you can find your perfect match, your dream job!

To target successfully, you need to calculate the position, do this and you will be sure to hit the mark.

When targeting the job you wish to apply for, ask yourself,"Am I responding to this position because I really want to do this job, or am I merely responding because the position is available?" Remember, there are always vacant positions to fill, but finding an open position that you truly want to perform every day, is going to take a more committed search. If you are just responding to classified ads just because they are there, you will never find a job in which you do not have to work. It is like the old adage, "Find a job you love and you will never 'work' another day in your life."

It is also important when targeting your desired employment opportunity that you take some time to build a reputation within the particular field you want to work. You do this by getting to know the 'players'. Let's use this example: Say you want to manage the Italian restaurant down town. Would it be better if you knew the owner? Would your dream of managing this restaurant have a better chance of coming true, if you had eaten at this restaurant several times before and have made yourself known as a friendly, professional and familiar face?

If you have taken the time to talk to the proprietor and you've gotten to know the staff, then you have built a reputation. Now, if an opening for a manager at this same restaurant comes up, you will have a much better chance of getting the position than the applicant whose resume does not bring a personality to heart and a face to mind.

Remember that the longer you've been in the same field, the more likely you are to be well known. Also, the more you network with professionals from your field, the more opportunities you will have to climb the ladder of success.

Once you have fully targeted your position, and began to build a solid reputation it is time to calculate the position you are targeting. Calculating the position means that you must figure out exactly what the employer is looking for in her ideal job candidate. You must take your time to research the specific aspects that the job entails.

Now that you have calculated your position, it is time to hit your mark. You do this with your cover letter and resume. Knowing what the person looking at your resume wants to read will help you to get an interview.

When you are granted an interview, you again have to do research before presenting yourself. Figure out exactly what the employer not only wants, but, actually expects from his perfect employee.

Just as you wrote the words that would appeal to the reader of your resume, you will want to think of the words that the person interviewing you needs to hear. It is so important to communicate through your words. Hit the mark by saying the words the employer wants to hear from a perspective employee.

"Skill in the art of communication is crucial to a leader's success. He can accomplish nothing unless he can communicate effectively." Norman Allen.

By doing your research (targeting), building your reputation, and calculating your position, you will hit the mark and land your perfect job!

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Advisement or Career counseling in any area can be conducive in assisting students in the process of decison making. But it is absolutely cruicial in the world of academics and career choices relative to students success in college.

Students are sometimes unaware or do not understand the importance of getting excellent counseling or advisement when problems start to ocurr academicially or during the close of graduation for employment. When students work closely with professors and their academic advisors it creates ease and encouragement from both areas.

Advisors can provide an array of resolutions that are affective to students success. Below is a short list that may be helpful. See your Advisor, Career or Academic Counselor if...

1. You have a problems choosing a career or questions concerning interniships, graduate assistance or work study, they usely work close with departments in this area and know the current trends of the job market or academic status and requirements for employment.

2. Career counselors provide such services as resume writing, critiques of resumes, role playing, mock interviews, job fairs and assist in future employment selections.

3. Academic counseling helps students to stay on track and provides academic support when they are not on track.

4. Academic advisors also help students with choices of majors, double majoring and minors specifically business, math, science and computer science majors.

5.They also provide an audit of classes and advises students on remaining classes to take to complete their degree of study.

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Ask yourself this question: "Do I like what I do for a living?" If you answered "no", what are you doing about it? Maybe you have a "good" job, but it's not very rewarding to you personally. Maybe you have job with good pay, but bad hours or worse – a job with good hours, but bad pay. Perhaps you've just done your job for too many years, or are excited to work in some of the new careers that just weren't available when you finished school.

Whatever the reason is for you wanting to switch careers, there are some practical considerations to take into account.

How long will it take?
How will I find the time to do it?
How much will it cost?

This article will answer these questions and point you towards a more fulfilling career.

How long will it take to train for a new career?

The answer to this depends on what you want to train for. But, the majority of well paying careers that are currently seeking workers, take two years or less to train for. For example, becoming a machinist takes about 10 months. Training to become an X-ray technician can be done in a year. There are other training options that can get you a new job in only six months!

Your experience can also count. For example, if you work with computers on your job now, you won't have to take word processing and spreadsheet classes if you want to be a medical coder. If you tinker with computers in your spare time while you're working a retail management position, you'll be ahead of the class when you train to become a help desk technician. Also, if you like working on projects around your house more than your job in an office, you'll be more likely to obtain employment as an HVAC tech or electrician.

How will I find the time to go to school?

If you decide you want to train for a new career, there are many educational options. Traditional universities and colleges are one option, but tend not to offer a lot of flexibility in their class times. Community colleges are a better option since they have flexible classes, but due to limited resources, some of the most in demand training programs like nursing and dental hygiene have several year waiting lists in many markets across the U.S.

The educational option many working adults choose is a career college. Career colleges offer flexible scheduling and have the proper resources to greatly reduce waiting lists, if they have any at all. The biggest drawback is they cost more to attend. Consider a career college to be like a private community college. However, the flexible scheduling and the shorter time to graduation compensate for the higher initial cost of a career college.

How much will career training cost?

This is probably the most difficult question. If you're like most working adults, you don't have an eight month emergency reserve fund stashed away but, you do have credit card bills, a car payment, possibly children and that nagging monthly rent/mortgage payment. Chances are you're not in a position to quit your existing job. Due to flexible class schedules you'll still be able to work and keep that income. Student loans or grants are a possibility to pay for tuition. Also, check if your company has a tuition reimbursement plan. Even though you're thinking about leaving your job, your company may have a need for the career you're interested in training in.

The bottom line is if you don't feel satisfied with your current job, you don't have to stay with it for the rest of your working years. There are a number of great careers available that pay well and require less than two years of training time.

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There is an end to the job search tunnel!

It has been a long, hard road: layoff, unemployment, fear, depression, and occasionally panic or despair. Beyond the trauma of losing your job stretches the uncomfortable, stress filled nightmare of looking for work. Emotionally reeling from the blows of joblessness, you picked yourself up and cast yourself out into the mind-numbing, ego-destructive, judgmental world of the job seeker.

Now the nightmare is over. The offer has been made and accepted: you are going back to work.

Do you feel elated? At times, probably so. Do you also feel deflated? Again, probably so. When we are actively involved in looking for work, we tend to feel that once we are offered a position, all will be right with the world, the long-borne burden will be off our shoulders, and our mental outlook will be bright and positive.

Don't be surprised or upset if you don't experience an unalloyed sense of joy and optimism. It is not unusual to encounter feelings of disappointment and apathy, Your family and friends are totally delighted for you, so you develop feelings of guilt for not being as happy and relieved as everyone else appears.

Be kind to yourself. Become aware of what you are experiencing so you can accept it for what it is and become your own primary source of support. Consider these events:

1. You have just been through a harrowing ordeal that required you to marshal all your resources to focus on one goal: finding employment. You harnessed your anxiety by pouring out adrenaline to keep yourself active and fighting fit. You buried your concerns about other aspects of your life in order to concentrate on one single priority. Now that you have attained your goal, there is no more focus for your emotional and physiological energies, they simply swirl around in disarray. When such an all-encompassing goal is accomplished, there is suddenly a temporary vacuum. For the moment, you don't know what to do with yourself, a predicament that leads to mood swings, a sense of loss, a vague but powerful restlessness that is as unpleasant as it is unexpected.

2. Although most of us abhor the agonies and drudgery of looking for work, there are emotional elements that are provocative and pleasant. We may hate being jobless and yearn to have a known routine and a specific position, but the unknown with its endless possibilities and immense potential can be seriously seductive. No one job is ever going to fulfill all of our fantasies. It can only circumscribe our limitless dreams.

It is rather like planning a major vacation trip. The excitement is in deciding where to go and what to see, as if the whole world were our personal oyster. Once we have selected our destiny and then completed our trip, we look back in enjoyment and treasure the memories but never quite recapture the level of excitement of that initial anticipation.

Confronting the unavoidable limitations that any one position will impose on our inner vision leads to a nagging sense of having been cheated out of some of our expectations. No matter how wonderful the Christmas present we receive may be, it never quite matches the thrill of seeing it sitting under the tree, brightly wrapped and incredibly desirable necause it could be absolutely anything.

3. A period of time without work destroys much of the ordinary structure of our lives. Despite the unexpected free time it provides, we tend not to make productive use of much of it. One reason we lose time is our emotional distress which leaves us drained, listless, and disconnected. Another cause is that there are no time pressures or deadlines. If we don't get it done today, there will be time tomorrow. We no longer have to squeeze in extra chores between the demands of work and our everyday lives so we don't fit them in at all.

If we reproach ourselves for our lack of action and poor motivation, we rationalize that our energy needs to be conserved for the demands of job search. Once the job hunt ends, we are confronted with the knowledge that we have squandered vast amounts of time and will now have to take action when our available time will be limited by work demands. Guilt and self-disgust further deflate our mood.

Give yourself time to gradually wind down. Allow yourself to get rid of the tension by refocusing on relaxation: sleeping, exercising, shopping, walking, meditating, just doing nothing -- whatever seems to work for you. Accept that your intermittent distress is a natural consequence of your unemployment experience. Watch your changing emotions with understanding and affection. View your inner turmoil with patience and compassion and with the sure knowledge that your own industrious efforts led to your success and have earned you a well-deserved period of self-indulgence.

As you gradually regain your physical and emotional balance, you can start to truly bask in the enjoyment of reconnecting with the world of work.

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Paralegal jobs in the United States have steadily been on the rise these past few years. The US Department of Labor also projects that in the next several years, paralegal job opportunities will continue to increase. As law firms continue to expand and new ones are being established, paralegals are progressively more in demand than ever before.

Some paralegal positions do not require extensive training and provide it on-the-job. However, most employers prefer applicants who have had formal training in a paralegal school. These law firms need paralegals who already demonstrate proficiency. On-the-job training calls for a commitment of more resources and time, which may not be cost effective for the firm.

Because of the increasing demand for paralegals that specialize in particular fields, paralegal training courses and paralegal schools have also gained popularity. For those considering a career in this field, enrolling in a paralegal school is a good decision. A paralegal school will provide extensive training on the duties and functions of a paralegal. The training that a paralegal school provides is very advantageous to the student compared to on-the-job-training. In a paralegal school, future paralegals can complete paralegal training programs and even proceed to taking additional classes in a specialized area of study.

General paralegal training in a paralegal school usually consist of special courses that cover key areas of importance. Paralegal training programs in paralegal schools include classes in legal terminology as well as the operation of the US Justice System. Paralegal schools also train students on the basics of conducting an investigation and interviews. Some other key courses that paralegal schools offer include legal writing and conducting legal research. Students will also learn about legal ethics and professional responsibility. Paralegal schools are excellent training ground for future legal professionals. Some paralegal schools provide affiliate programs with law schools, universities and colleges that could further improve the skills and knowledge of its students.

Paralegal schools also offer elective course that are geared towards specific areas of study. Today's paralegal schools have introduced new courses and classes that cover the newfound duties of paralegals. As demand for paralegals increase the duties that a paralegal performs also increases. Many law firms expect paralegals to perform duties that only lawyers used to do. These duties are offered as training courses in most paralegal schools. Thus, enrolling in a paralegal school greatly benefits the future paralegal. By completing the advanced courses that accredited paralegal schools offer, the future paralegal can acquire skills and knowledge that will give him the edge when applying for a legal professional job. Paralegal schools can also open the opportunity of specialization that will further improve the chances of employment as more law firms favor applicants with specialized skills.

The internet revolution also offers a new, more convenient way for potential paralegals to obtain formal training and instruction. Online paralegal schools now offer distance learning courses that students can take in their own homes and at their own pace. Students can now take paralegal courses at their most convenient time. This further enhances the rising popularity and demand for paralegals in the country.

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