The employer got the resume through a variety of sources that can be from an ad that was posted, a referral from a friend or a headhunter, or by a person who simply submitted an application by logging on the company’s website.

Here are a few tips that will help in having a successful interview;

•    Before going to an interview, it is best to do some research about the company one is applying to.

•    It is also best to practice with a friend or family member mock up questions that the employer will likely ask so you do not choke during the real interview.

•    When you go for an interview, it is best to always arrive 10 to 15 minutes ahead of time. This shows employers that the person is punctual and serves as a good attribute in a potential employee.

•    When meeting an employer, you should bring an extra copy of the resume and other documents that are needed if asked certain questions. A good example is architects and photographers who are professionals in the respective fields who have a portfolio of the works done which may impress the interviewer.

•    It is always best to dress appropriately. This shows the employer sincerity on the part of the applicant applying for the job. One must have finger-nails and hair well groomed for the interview. The outfit worn should be professional.  This would mean that shoes must be used to match the outfit. If you typically wear a lot of jewelry, it is advisable to remove and tone it down for the interview.

•    When you are in front of the employer, smile and greet the interviewer with a firm (but not bone crushing) handshake  which is always a good start to get the interview moving.

•    During the course of the interview, listen very well to the questions asked. Each must be answered truthfully and confidently to be able to sell yourself to the potential employer.

•    Afterwards, the applicant should thank the recruiter for the time that was given to meet for the interview.

You can make it happen!  if you are determined enough.

Consider the two alternatives, which one works for you?

Arrives late for work on a regular basis, usually chewing gum.  Looks untidy, hair unkempt, nail varnish peeling and skirt very short.  Only smiles and laughs loudly with  her mates.  Speaks to customers as little as possible.  When asked if there is a top in another size.  Answers “I don’t know” or “if it isn’t there we haven’t got any”

Shows no interest on what needs to be done.  Makes excuses to skive off when ever possible.

Does just enough to get by.  Never takes the initiative.  Walks past difficulties, doesn’t see them or want to see them.  A jar has broken leaving glass and jam all over the floor.

Is uncooperative or moody and sometimes both.  Constantly complains that things aren’t right, its not fair, out of order!

Boss sees no potential so takes little interest in her development.  Job remains dead end, she gives little and gets no job satisfaction in return.  Can’t wait to leave.

What lies ahead…..another dead end job

Arrives on time, looking neat and tidy, ready for the days work.  Knows the company policies about dress code and behaviour and follows them.  Is always polite, friendly and professional.

Makes customers feel valued, is helpful and tries to sort out any problems.  “I’ll show you where they are”  “ They are out of stock but I can order one for you”, I’ll go and find out if we have any”

Is interested in how things operate.  Asks relevant questions. Takes on her fair share of the work, offers to help others when it is appropriate.  Takes a pride in doing things well.

Anticipates things, takes appropriate action. Thinks abut health and safety so blocks off the area and clears it up or reports it to the appropriate person.

Comes across as pleasant and professional even when having personal problems.  If there is a problem, she goes to the right person, explains the difficulty and offers a suggestion about how the problem might be solved.

Goes to see the manager, expresses an interest in developing a career in the company.  Asks for the opportunity for training.  Takes each opportunity and makes the most of it.

Manager sees the potential invites her to join the trainee manager scheme.
Undertakes on the job training and rises through the ranks.

Manages her own store.

What do you want out of life?

Opportunities are what you make them.  You have to take responsibility for your  present and your future.  Think about how you behave and how others see you.

If you don’t like your present job think about what you really want out of life.   The choice is yours!

To begin with, some people hate all tests. End of story. Forcing a career tests on your best friend could lead to your premature demise.

Other people like tests, but hate particular kinds of questions. For example, some people dislike “forced-choice questions,” where they must pick between two choices that are equally bad, in their view.

Other people dislike “ranking yourself against others” questions, because, with their low self-esteem, they rank themselves poorly in comparison with “others” in almost everything.

Other people do not like “pick occupations you like” questions, because they’ve learned by experience that all occupations, as commonly practiced, are a mixture of good and bad, and they keep thinking of the bad stuff, when each occupation is mentioned.

Other people do not like questions about how they would behave in certain situations, because they tend to pick how they wish they would behave, rather than how in fact they actually do.

The career test has to feel right to the individual who is taking it.

2. There is no career test that gives better results than others.

You may take a test that gives wonderful suggestions for future careers, but when your best friend takes the same test, their results may be way off the mark. How did that happen?

Tests have personality. With respect to a given test, one person will love its look, feel, taste, and touch, while another person will hate it on sight. Unfortunately, how one feels about a test will definitely twist your results.

3. No career test should be considered to be accurate.

We turn to tests with the hope that someone can definitely tell you who you are and what you should do. A definite no no.

Test results are sometimes way off the mark. On many online tests, if you answer even two questions inaccurately, you will get completely wrong results and recommendations.

There are countless sad stories about people whose lives were sent down a completely wrong path by test ‘results’ that they believed when they should not have. You should take all test results with not just a grain of salt, but with a barrel.

Tests have one great mission and purpose: To give you ideas you have not thought of and suggestions worth following up. But if you ask them to do more than that, you are dreaming. Also do not forget to take several career tests, rather than just one. You will get a much better picture of your preferences, profile, and good career suggestions from three or more tests, rather than just one.

4. Always trust your intuition to be your guide.

You know more about yourself than any career test does. Treat no test outcome as ‘gospel’. Reject the summary the test gives you, if it just seems dead wrong to you.

Trust your intuition. On the other hand, if you really like the suggestions the career test gave you, do not agonize about whether those suggestions are worth tracking down. Just do it and listen to your heart.

Career tests are fun, but reading the results is not enough. You are not done until you have thought hard about what distinguishes you from every other member of the human race.

Nothing wrong with taking all the career tests you can handle until you finally realize that you are a unique individual.

One unique way that you can go about finding information on available jobs is by speaking to those that you know. Word of mouth is a great way to find jobs that you may be qualified for; jobs that you may want to apply for.  What is amazing about this approach is those that you know, whether they are your friends, family members, or neighbors, may not even be looking for a job themselves.  They may have just come across a now hiring sign or happen to see an advertisement in their newspaper’s employment section.  It may seem weird when you think about it, but those who aren’t actually looking for jobs are usually the best sources of information when it comes to finding a job.

Another unique way that you can go about finding a job is by working with a buddy or a partner.  If you know of anyone, like a family member or friend, who is also in need of a job, you and that person may want to think about teaming up.  For instance, you could search for job listings online and your partner could search for job listings in local newspapers.  This approach is nice because it allows you to save time, when searching for job listings.  Yes, you may end up receiving a little bit of competition from your job hunting buddy, but the amount of time that you are able to save will likely be well worth it in the end.  Also, depending on where you live, you may be able to find hundreds of available job listings; therefore, the chances of both you and your job hunting buddy finding a job are actually quite high.

Another unique way that you can go about finding jobs is by using the internet to your advantage, namely online message boards.  Online message boards, as you likely already know, are online forums where internet users can interact with each other.  Although many internet users use online message boards for recreational purposes, there are others who use them for business purposes, like with assistance with finding a job. In most cases, online message boards are great ways to learn about work-at-home opportunities or nationally operated companies that may have a local branch near you.  It is not uncommon for a current company employee to mention that their company is hiring or just outline the fact that they enjoy working for the company in question.  If you happen to comes across these types of discussions, you may want to prod for more information or at least do your own investigation of the company in question.

Another approach that you may want to take isn’t necessarily considered unique, but it isn’t as common as you would think.  Many businesses, even those that are locally owned and operated, now have online websites.  Many businesses have a webpage that is devoted to employment. That employment page may outline whether or not the company in question is currently hiring.  If they are, information on what positions are available or how you can apply may also be touched on.  If you don’t already know the online websites of your local employers or ones that you would be interested in working for, you can easily find them, if they do exist, by performing a standard internet search.

The above mentioned approaches are just a few of the many unique or less common ways that you can go about finding a job.  With the above mentioned approaches, combined with online career hunting or job hunting websites, career counseling centers, career fairs, and your newspaper’s employment sections, you are sure to find a handful of job listings; job listings that you may want to apply for.

1.    If possible, sit near the front and center of the class. You will be less likely to become distracted and will probably find staying focused easier.

2.    Use a binder instead of a traditional notebook. This way you can add, rearrange, or rewrite pages of your notes, insert handouts and assessments in the appropriate chronological order and review the material covered in the chapterunit much easier.

3.    Put headings and the date on all papers. Organize them chronologically in your binder.

4.    Take notes on loose-leaf paper and keep them organized in a three-ring binder. Make sure that you hole punch and add all of the handouts, assignments, quizzes, tests, etc. to your binder. It usually is best if everything for the entire chapterunit is kept in chronological order in your binder.

5.    Think about what is being said before you write anything down. Do not write down everything the teacher says. Pick out important phrases, terms, and concepts to focus on.

6.    Record any examples the teacher may give while lecturing. Examples are extremely important in creating connections in your brain and in helping to jog your memory while studying.

7.    Look for cues that teachers give to indicate that something is important. For instance, they may repeat something a few times, change the volume or tone of their voice, write it on the board or overhead, andor creates lists for you. Be sure to ask them to repeat what they have just said if you miss the initial cue but later realize that you should be writing the material down.

8.    Leave some space between portions of your notes so you can make additional comments as you study or read the text.

9.    Re-write or even re-TYPE your notes. Not only will your notes be much more organized and make studying easier, but the practice of re-writing notes gives you another opportunity to think about the material as you write or type it again. Make sure that you re-write them in a timely manner. The more time that passes between taking the original notes and re-writing them, the less effective this strategy is.

10.    Review these notes often. The more times you see them, the easier it is to commit them to memory and the less time you will spend studying them prior to the test.

Go to www.live-etutor.com to learn more about online tutoring and watch a virtual tour inside of our online classroom. All tutors are screened, qualified and ready to help your child get better grades!

Choosing and Making a Career

To some, choosing a career is as simple as a ready to eat preparation served in a silver bowl, because their career is inherited through legacy. Still they don’t spare a stone unturned in their efforts to just pursue it and make successful careers. For example, Henry Ford, who is the third generation person to carry on the legacy of his parents successfully, has toiled hard to expand the empire beyond the Atlantic Ocean.

Students should start thinking about their careers while in High School. Career exploring in various fields such as Accountancy, Finance, Law, Engineering and Medical, Business Management etc should be given a serious thought while they are still in College level. Well planning and choosing the appropriate line of study will definitely get you a good pick of your own choice.

Career Counselors prove beneficial in personal development and if you need them to, they can double up as career coaches who guide you in choosing your career. They assess your scope of interest, ability, your personality and style of working and accordingly, help you choose your career.

Career development

Did you know choosing a career is much easier rather than developing it? Landing a suitable job may take less than a year but making a career is for the rest of your working life. Once you land up at your chosen career, you must try to manage it carefully by gaining deeper knowledge and skills, working ethically and with integrity, and climb the ladder of success, to achieve your goals by rising to a higher level or position in that organization. Slightest initial complacency would mean a longer stay at the same level for a long time, develop leadership qualities within and rise to higher level. Work conditions and ethics permit that you can have multiple careers to explore your capabilities. Be good at decision-making and this will be the step forward to boost your career. Never give up hope, as the saying goes `In every difficulty lies an opportunity’.

A change of career shifts us from a comfort zone to a zone full of discomfort in the beginning. For a full time production engineer, a change to a career as human resources consultant may need a total about turn, back to school and learning new skills for the new job. Some people change careers so totally that it looks incredible. Let us talk about changes that can be done more smoothly. I am talking about learning about a new career along with the old one and then shifting to the new career slowly. This process also requires mental strength, because it needs lot of extra work.

The first barrier that one encounters while thinking of career change is- how did I get into a wrong career? What if my new decision also turns out to be wrong? What if I continue with my present career? Why should I change my career? Some of these questions need head to answer and some questions are for the heart such as asking why did I chose the wrong career to begin with, may involve damage to self esteem, and acceptance of failure.

Before thinking of changing career, one needs to do analysis of life goals, and deciding about how the present career does not satisfy those goals. Only after deciding that something drastic needs to be done can one think about changing career. One has to develop mental and emotional strength to undergo these changes and emerge a winner again.

If your skills have become outdated in a shrinking market, you must be prepared to retrain if you are to succeed in finding new employment. Progress will not stand still simply to accommodate your need for a job, and there is no Divine Right to employment if you are not prepared to put some effort into it.

You may feel you are too old to learn new tricks. The simple truth is that thousands of people are ding exactly this throughout the country, and the opportunities for retaining or catching up with lost education are expanding all the time. Don’t be put off by your age or use this as an excuse: you are never too old to learn - it might just take you a little longer.

Deciding to knuckle down to update or expand your skills is largely a matter of adopting the right attitude, but deciding precisely what skills should be updated or expanded has to be researched very thoroughly, and has a crucial part to play in your campaign to find the right job.

If you know your hopes of getting back into your old type of employment are slim, this is the time to begin putting your future into sharper focus and to start planning with a clearer understanding of what you are trying to achieve. To do this you will need to build on your past.

The days when you could find thousands of jobs involving semi-skilled or unskilled work have gone. Automation has replaced human labour and taken always great slices of activity which once involved mundane, routine tasks. Information technology is also beginning to take over in some areas of skilled and professional work, such as quality control and printing, design and administration. Transferable or portable skills - skills which can be adapted and shaped to meet the requirements of several different types of job - are becoming increasingly important.

If your skills have become outdated in a shrinking market, you must be prepared to retrain if you are to succeed in finding new employment. Progress will not stand still simply to accommodate your need for a job, and there is no Divine Right to employment if you are not prepared to put some effort into it.

You may feel you are too old to learn new tricks. The simple truth is that thousands of people are ding exactly this throughout the country, and the opportunities for retaining or catching up with lost education are expanding all the time. Don’t be put off by your age or use this as an excuse: you are never too old to learn - it might just take you a little longer.

Deciding to knuckle down to update or expand your skills is largely a matter of adopting the right attitude, but deciding precisely what skills should be updated or expanded has to be researched very thoroughly, and has a crucial part to play in your campaign to find the right job.

If you know your hopes of getting back into your old type of employment are slim, this is the time to begin putting your future into sharper focus and to start planning with a clearer understanding of what you are trying to achieve. To do this you will need to build on your past.

Networking within the company you work for may not seem like the ideal way to spend your time, however, it will ensure that your face fits. Never be afraid to put your best foot forwards and sing your own praises if necessary. When you do something noteworthy let your managers and, if necessary, their managers know. If you come up with an idea that will potentially make or save money then tell the right people about it.

Your career is important and only by taking control of it’s progression can you be sure it will go the way you want it to. Setting goals is a major part of this aim. With short, medium and long-term goals you will be able to micro manage every aspect of your career. Your short-term goals should be geared towards achieving your medium-term goals, which in turn should help you achieve your goals.

Write down your goals and keep track of how you are doing. Always make sure that they are achievable but rewarding. If your goals are too easy and you can reach them with little or no effort, then there is no real point. Alternatively, if your goals are too difficult you will quickly become disheartened and give up. Life can throw the occasional obstacle or unexpected gift your way and so it will be necessary from time to time to re-evaluate your position. Try to only change your short-term goals if you are worse than expected and your medium term goals if better than you had hoped.

Determine why your career makes you stressed out. Maybe its some aspect of your career that makes you anxious or maybe you need a new job. Do some soul searching and determine the main causes of your career anxieties. Once you know why you are stressed, then develop a plan of action.

Maybe it is not your career that is stressful, but instead your job that is the problem. If it is your job that makes you anxious then try to find ways to improve the situation. If this doesn’t work then change jobs.

Sometimes it may be the career itself that is the problem. Do not be afraid to change careers if you have to. People nowadays change careers for various reasons. Many adults go back to school to get the necessary training for their new career. The important thing is to determine which career best suits you.

Remember you have options. There are all kinds of jobs and careers out there so do not feel that your back is in the corner. If you do not know what to do, then take a career skills assessment test which will determine what kind of job or career best suits your particular interests and skill sets.

There are many career coaches that can give you additional advice. Your local college has career counselors that can give you much assistance and provide you with information on a variety of careers.

It is important to find a job or career that makes you feel good about yourself. Do not just take a job because the money is good or because it will impress your friends. You’re the one who has to go to work everyday, so find something that you like to do and also will pay the bills. It will take some work, but eventually you will find something.