Most people look forward to job reviews about as much as they do a root canal. No matter how well you think you’re doing, there’s always the possibility that your supervisor will see things differently and call you on the carpet for your actions-or inactions. But there are steps you can take before, during, and after your evaluation to boost your career and actually help you look forward to reviews in the future.

Before the Review

Get on the boss’ calendar. While most people don’t enjoy a performance review, they are crucial to your career. So if your boss doesn’t conduct them on a regular basis (annually or semi-annually), the best thing you can do is ask for one. Why? First, you really do need to know what your supervisor thinks of your performance so that you can continue the good stuff and change the bad stuff. Unless you want to spend the rest of your career exactly where you are, that is. Second, reviews are typically when employers hand out raises and promotions. Not a bad incentive to schedule one today.

Come prepared. Sure, performance evaluations mostly consist of your manager telling you how she thinks you’re doing, but it should include some two-way communication. You should be prepared to share important information-such as your sales numbers, praise from satisfied clients, and projects you’ve spearheaded-so that you can lay out the positive contributions you’ve made.

During the Review

Stay calm. You may feel as jumpy as a kid in the principal’s office, but you need to force yourself to stay cool and professional at all times. And if the boss turns the conversation into a list of all the ways you’ve fallen short over the past year, don’t argue. It is okay, however, to respectfully point out the strengths you’ve brought to the organization. This is where your list of accomplishments comes in handy. And remember to never, ever take what your supervisor says personally. It’s business.

Iron out a plan for the next year. To avoid any surprises in future reviews, you need to know how your success will be measured. Ask your boss to work with you on a plan for the coming year (or six months) so that you both know how your progress will be measured. If there are markers in place-and you meet them-you’ll never fear a review again.

Ask for her input. You want to make sure your manager knows how committed you are to doing a good job for her. It may become crystal clear what skills she thinks you need to work on, but if not, ask her to share with you the areas in which she believes you need to improve. You’ll not only score major points for asking, but this may be the most valuable information you get out of your review.

Thank him. Especially if you feel like you’ve been raked over the coals, you may not want to express gratitude. But think about it this way: your boss has just given you very powerful information. He’s told you where he believes you have room for improvement, and, assuming you can make changes in those areas, you’re on your way to serious career growth. More money, more responsibility, a new title-it all starts with knowing where you stand with the head honcho.

After the Review

Determine a course of action. You should come out of your review with an action plan for the coming months, and there’s no time like the present to begin working on your goals. If your boss indicated that you need to acquire more skills to advance, begin looking into that computer or marketing class now.

Start looking around. If your review was more of a blood-letting than a constructive conversation between employer and employee, you may have to face the fact that your boss either doesn’t like you or doesn’t like the work you’re doing. If you think you can change one or both of those things, by all means, give it a try. If you don’t think that’s a possibility, start putting out discreet feelers for other opportunities.

This is a guest post. About the author:

Jason Kay recommends that you learn more job search strategies at JobGoRound.com

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This weekend I ran across the best job search tip I’ve heard in months. It’s so completely simple, I’m a bit embarrassed to say I had never thought of it before.

You know the old saw about how your resume has to make a good first impression in a matter of seconds or the employer might overlook you. That’s the worry that motivates all of us to tweak our resumes endlessly, hoping to make the right, professional first impression.

But if you’re lucky enough to pique the employer’s interest, what’s the first interaction you’re likely to have with them? That’s right: when they call you back to set up an interview.

Shouldn’t you take some time to make sure your voicemail makes the same, professional first impression? Sure you should.

I’ve spoken before about how you want a professional email address on your resume, not something like sexxymamma51@aol.com that might be embarrassing. In the same way, you don’t want your voicemail to simply be “WAAAZZZUP!?”

I’ll tell you the whole story over at my other blog, ResumeWriting.com. And I’ll give you some tips on how you can make your voicemail compliment your resume. Click through below:

Don’t Neglect Your Voicemail. It’s A Supplementary Resume!

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It’s such a common job search refrain:

“I’ve sent my resume out hundreds of times and I’ve heard nothing back!”

9 times out of 10 though, there’s a simple reason. Want to know what it is? Well, you’ve got to go a bit into the psychology of the hiring manager.

In this job market, when an employer posts a job, she’s likely to get dozens – nay – hundreds of resumes for that posted position. So if you’re that person doing the hiring, you’re looking for any reason to cut that stack of resumes down to size. I mean, realistically, you’re only going to call 3-4 or 10-15 people for interviews, right? So when that stack of resumes hits your desk or your inbox, you’re looking for the quickest and simplest reasons to cul the herd, right?

Now, there are dozens of ways that a hiring manager might weed you out and throw your resume right in the trash. Your resume might be garbage. You might be unqualified for what you’ve applied for. You might even just be too far back in the pile.

But do you know the quickest way your resume hits the trash bin?It’s simple: if you didn’t follow the directions of the job ad.

Every single job ad, be it online, in a newspaper or whatever has 3 components:

1. The description of the job
2. The description of the sort of candidate they are looking for, and…
3. Instructions on how to apply.

Over the years, I’ve seen job seekers fail again and again for no other reason than the fact they they ignored component 3.

The employer will tell you how they want you to apply. Online? Through their website? Through Monster? Via LinkedIn recommendation? Via email? In person? Over the phone? They will tell you in what format, in what time frame and how often you can apply.

If you simply don’t apply in the way they have explicitly asked, I can almost guarantee that your resume and your application will immediately go in the trash.

It’s basic human nature.

I mean, the hiring manager must be thinking this:

“If this job seeker can’t even follow the directions we laid out explicitly in our job ad, then how would I ever assume they’d be good at following directions on the job?”

So don’t make the first (worst) mistake possible when applying for a job. Don’t ignore the instructions in the job ad regarding how to apply.

I know, it seems so simple… so simple as to be stupid. But, especially with online job search, people tend to take a shotgun approach. They apply in every way possible. They submit via monster. They submit via the company website. They email. They call.

Please… for your own sake… don’t.

SIMPLY APPLY IN THE WAY THEY ASK YOU TO.

If spamming people worked for job searching, then it wouldn’t be viagra spam you’d be getting in your email spam box. It would be job applications. In the same way you don’t like spam, which is a solicitation you didn’t want, in a format you didn’t request… it’s just the same for the hiring manager. If a job ad tells you how to apply for a job, follow those instructions to the letter, otherwise you risk giving the hiring manager the easiest reason in the world for deleting your resume.

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The extent of growth and success of an organization depends on effective leadership of the managers or other key employees. Leadership is not just managing things. It is actually doing right things at the right time in a right way. Being a good manager is, therefore, different from being a good leader. However, managing with effective leadership is important. This article helps managers to know what makes an effective leader at workplace.

Qualities of a good leader
A manager should possess distinct leadership qualities to motivate and develop subordinates. This is very much essential to promote a proper work environment. Here are some qualities of a good leader:

Good team player
A good leader is always a good team player. Successful implementation of a project is possible only through collaborative or team work. As an effective team player, a good leader knows strengths and weaknesses of the team members. He will have the competency to organize and assign the work properly among the group. In addition, the leader contributes to build a successful team and represents self on behalf of the group. The leader will not only try for excellence in team performance, but also encourages and rewards the members for their contribution.

Stand up for his beliefs
It is often difficult to stand at one’s beliefs when working with a group of people. Many undesirable situations may arise at workplace that disturbs these values and beliefs. However, a good leader does not leave his faith in such situations. He will have self-stated (or organizational) values and beliefs to solve issues at workplace. A good leader delivers whatever is promised maintaining his self-respect.

Ability to absorb challenges
Risks and challenges are common at any level of an organization. Accomplishing the task in difficult situations even under pressure is a special art of great leaders. When others fail, they win as they have the ability to absorb challenges at any time. Their desire and passion towards the work makes them ready to take the risk and finish the job.

Lead by example
True leaders do lead by example. Their conduct and actions, indeed, influence their peers in workplace. They will set and follow the established principles. This encourages team members to follow the principles. Being a right role model, they create a positive and professional work atmosphere in the organization.

Concern for the future of the organization as well as the team
Good leaders at workplace are more focused on development of the organization than their own financial benefits. They build up the vision of the company’s future and find new ways to be part of its success. They always strive to build the organization as they know that if it grows, the manager will automatically grow in his career. When it comes to his team members, a good leader knows that they are valuable resources to the company. So he supports them to perform better and grow in career.

Servant leadership
One of the most important characteristics of an effective leader at workplace is ‘servant leadership’. A dynamic leader inculcates the belief ‘To lead is to serve’ and does not wish to increase self-authority or power. His or her main attitude is to primarily serve the team and the organization. Such quality brings in valuable characteristics like trust, honesty and respect in the team members. Servant leadership stresses on moral and principled use of power. Its main purpose is to develop the growth of people in the firm and build team work.

Emotionally intelligent
Emotional intelligence is the ability to monitor and manage self-emotions at workplace. A good leader develops self-awareness, motivation, empathy, social and self-management skills to be emotionally intelligent. With such distinct behavioral characteristics, he meets the organization’s demands such as growth, challenges, glory and team spirit. It enhances the ability to take right decisions and also promotes to maintain a good relationship with the peers.

A combination of these qualities should be inculcated by a manager. With these leadership traits, a perfect leader makes sure that the following things are achieved.

Getting best out of the team members
A good leader at workplace finds ways to receive the excellent output from the team members. He sometimes involves in informal chat with the team members, but at the same time ensures that their productivity is maintained. He gives proper training to the subordinates and helps them build the required skills. He motivates the team to achieve the productivity targets of the projects.

Making the team members think through the issues
No accomplishment is successful without team work. A good leader expects opinions and suggestions from the team members. He provokes them to think through the work issues and find innovative ways to get better solutions. This not only creates interest among the team members but also promotes their skill development.

Creating broad framework in which team members can get their jobs done
A clear and effective framework is developed by a good leader to help the team members get the job perspective. He makes it easy for the team members to finish the job. He makes them think through the company’s viewpoint and encourages them to work whole heartedly for the progress of the company. He also inspires them to stretch when required.

Inculcate the above-mentioned leadership qualities to be an impressive leader at workplace.

This is a guest post from Peopleconnect.

Peopleconnect’s startup recruiters provide a full service high tech executive search connecting outstanding candidates with wonderful clients. Providing contingency search and contract recruitment solutions to clients. Peopleconnect’s Los Angeles recruiters will help you in finding the right people in New York.

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An article about quitting in today’s economic climate may seem slightly oxymoronic, but an increasing number of people are discovering that it is actually more monetarily advantageous to create their own small business and work from home.  Small things like being able to eat three meals a day in your home, no longer needing weekly dry cleaning service, cutting down on childcare costs, and reducing the necessity to pay for gas or other commuting fees, can have a large impact on a family’s economic health.  Branching out on your own requires a lot of planning, and if you have a number of monetary responsibilities it is advisable to achieve a certain level of stability with you small business, before leaving your primary position.  If a level of stability has been achieved, and leaving your current work environment is an option, there are appropriate ways to go about giving your notice, and a couple of actions that should avoided.

1.  Start at the Top

Even if all of your friends know that your custom cake business is a huge hit and that you have so many clients you can barely keep your eyes open during the day, do not tell your best office buddies that you are quitting.  Start the resignation process with the person who hired you.  That person took a leap of faith in inviting you to join their business, so they should be the first person to know that you are leaving.

2.  Write a Letter of Resignation

Writing a letter of resignation allows your boss or supervisor to read the letter when they have a moment.  Knocking on your supervisor’s door and announcing that you are leaving in a few weeks is a recipe for disaster, as they may have their mind and energy focused elsewhere and your news will seem quite jarring and unpleasant.  The letter should be positive, clear, and devoid of lies.  If you feel that you need to give a reason for leaving, make the reason about the new opportunity as opposed to how much you dislike you current situation.  Thank them for their understanding and be prepared to do refuse any counter-offers or incentives to stay.

3.  Give Appropriate Notice

Two weeks notice is standard and anything less is rude, frankly.  Unless an emergency necessitates a quick exit, two weeks from the day you hand in your resignation is appropriate.  If you hold a job with a number of responsibilities, or a position that is highly specialized, consider giving a few more weeks notice, so that a smooth transition can be made.  Work until the agreed upon date and maintain an appropriate work standard during your last few days with the company.

4.  Formulate an Exit Strategy

Leaving positively is extremely important.  If you go off on your own and it does not work out the way you planned, you may find it necessary to return to your previous position.   Do not drop everything and walk out.  Try to wrap up any projects and open-ended discussions that have not been resolved.  If you have the opportunity to train your replacement, leave notes about everything.  The notes should give information about the history of a project or client, but not instruct the newcomer as to how things should be done.  Your replacement will most likely find the working process that is most appropriate for them.

5.  Check Back-In

A few months after you leave, check-in.  Ask how everyone is doing.  Find out if your replacement has any questions.  Maintaining a positive relationship with your former job is very important, as you may need a recommendation from them in the future.  Also, good friendships can form at the office and it would be a shame to quit those along with your former position.

Leaving the stability of a corporate environment is certainly not for everyone.  No matter whether you have a small business that is thriving, or you have chosen to focus on childrearing, or maybe you have just decided to pursue one of the millions of online degrees available, leaving your current job with a modicum of finesse is extremely important.  Be clear, concise, honest, and above else, committed to your decision.  Best of luck!

This is a guest post from Terri Lambert, from OnlineDegrees.org.

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Most of us make the mistake of telling ourselves that our lives will be great, just as soon as we find the perfect job. As a result, we end up defining our ideal situation based on some arbitrary set of rules around job title, level of pay, amount of vacation time, and whether or not we have an office with a window. We say in our minds, once we find these things, our lives will be perfect. Life will be filled with passion. Life will be incredibly great. Life will be filled with happiness!

There is one big problem with this line of thinking- it is incredibly flawed. Even if we did find that “perfect” job, after a period of time it would probably become stale and unsatisfying. You see, passion exists within us. We create our own passion- the excitement, enthusiasm, and emotion that we feel towards something. It is not our environment that creates that passion. It is our thoughts and feeling towards something that creates those feelings.

It is also the thoughts and feelings that we carry with us that create our own “dead-end,” lifeless situations. We spend so much of our time thinking about what we hate and what doesn’t work that our lives become miserable. We repeat and reinforce the same story over and over in our minds- this sucks, this isn’t working right, this is miserable, I won’t be happy unless I find the perfect job. We become stuck in a downward spiraling cycle of negativity and with that there certainly is no passion.

So, how do we break that cycle of negativity and pull the passion that is inside of us to the forefront?

1) Take an honest look at what you’re focusing on while you are at work. Do you spend most of your time focusing on what you don’t like about your job? If so, change that around. Look for the things you do like- maybe it is the people or the flexibility of the work hours. Focus on those things instead.

2) Make a list of at least 10 things you like about your work. When you are having a “poor me” moment at work, pull the list out and reflect on those things you like.

3) Out of the list of 10 above, find one thing that you can spend a considerable amount of time focusing on each day. Maybe there is a certain customer that you like working with more than others. Find a way that you can focus more on that relationship, or think about what it is you really like about that customer. Spend your time focusing on how you can replicate that with other customers, and not how much you dislike the other customers.

4) Practice “mindfulness.” Be aware of where you are in the present moment. Direct your mind away from the negative thoughts you have about your job and instead focus exclusively on the task at hand.

5) Ask yourself, is this really so bad? Chances are- it’s not. Otherwise, you would be in a different job already. Remember, we are not really as “stuck” as we wish to think we are. There are always options available to us.

The key is to get out of the downward spiral of negative thinking.

This is a guest post. About the author:

Lori Bell is founder of Creating Powerful Change, LLC and creator of http://www.help-me-change.com which offers tips, tools, and techniques for implementing successful change in to your life. As your Personal Change Agent, Lori will provide you with an easy to follow step by step process that allows you to tap into your hidden potential, to grow personally and professionally, and to create a life that finally feels right and works great for you! To receive other free articles and the no cost product- “Are You Ready for Success?” visit http://www.help-me-change.com now.

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It’s a tough world out there. The economy’s struggling, the job market’s fluctuating and unemployment keeps hovering at recession levels. People who have worked for 20 years are suddenly unemployed and struggling to find new work. That’s hardly the environment that a recent college grad wants to be thrust into, yet that’s just what’s happening. Still, all is not lost, college grad. Relinquish your death grip on your diploma and heed the advice of those who have gone before you. Whether you got your degree from a traditional brick-and-mortar university or an online school, you’ll find that by maintaining your dignity and determination, you’ll be able to find a job and keep the independence you’ve come to treasure, and avoid moving back in with mom and dad.

Boost Your Resume’s Power

You fretted away nights studying for finals and worked yourself into a tizzy with unpaid internships, only to hear, upon graduation, that GPA’s aren’t nearly as important as you were led to believe and you and five-hundred other applicants gotnearly the same experience at your respective internships. That doesn’t mean that you can’t distinguish yourself from the pack. In fact, there are a number of steps you can take to turn a ho-hum resume into your ticket to a great career.

First off, remember that, in some circumstances, bragging is perfectly acceptable. True, bragging to make yourself look good at the expense of someone else isn’texactly attractive, but bragging on a resume is a good thing. As an article in The Daily Mail points out, if you were given responsibilities such as managing a project or supervising others when you were either employed or interning, lead with those skills—and don’t just include them under your job experience. Put them front and center in your statement of purpose. Emphasize how your skills and experience will translate into making you a reliable investment. After all, that’s what you’re asking the employerto do, invest in you.

Also, be aware that tailoring your resume to individual job postings and companies will get you far more miles than simply sending out the resume equivalent of a formletter. By utilizing key words from the job posting and including words that are key to the company’s mission statement in your statement, you’ll turn yourself into the ideal candidate. True, this sort of customization might be a bit time consuming, but it pays dividends in the long run.

Change How You Look at the World

Most college grads have very specific dreams. If they graduated from law school, they see themselves arguing a case before the Supreme Court. If they hold degrees in public relations, they imagine themselves as image consultants to the stars or press secretaries to congressmen. The truth of the matter is it’s not likely that life will play out that way for most students, but it doesn’t mean that you won’t be successful, or happy. In fact, you may be stunned at where you wind up twenty years down the road, but what’s even more stunning is the fact that, twenty years from now, most of you wouldn’t change the path you walked.

One way to start accepting the inevitability of the real world, as New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks views it, is to change your expectations. Don’t seek happiness to the exclusion of success, but don’t sacrifice your ethics either. Look at companies that have never held you interest before, and examine individual job postings without worrying about things such as location or company prestige. For instance, if you have ethical issues with tobacco, don’t submit your resume to Phillip Morris, but don’t discount companies simply because you don’t know the technical aspects of their business. The individuals who write product descriptions for pharmaceuticals more often have English degrees than biology ones, and the community relations director for Microsoft probably doesn’t speak binary code. It doesn’t matter. They’re great at what they do because they played to their strengths and never focused on their supposed weaknesses.

Location Shop

The Chicago Sun-Times recently published an article indicating that employers were planning on hiring 19 percent more recent college graduates this year than they did just a year ago. That’s good news. Even better news is that hiring is up even higher than that in some regions. For instance, while Davide Bauerlein at the Florida Union Times claims hiringis only up 7.9 percent in the Southeast, it’s up by 25.6 percent in the Northeast and, 20.2 percent in the Midwest and 19.6 percent in the West. The jobs are out there; so don’t limit yourself to just one city or even one state. Instead, apply to jobs that might require you to move. Just indicate your willingness to do so when you submit your application. This will open up all sorts of new pathways for you to follow and give you the chance to start your life somewhere new.

Learn to Write

In the Sun-Times article mentioned above, another important point is made. Students must demonstrate their ability to communicate through the written word. Grammatical errors and typos on a resume are a death knell. If you don’t care enough to proofread a resume, why would you care enough to proofread an e-mail to an important company client? With that being said, this is the time to invest in your writing skills. Don’t just hire someone to look over your resume or ask a friend to proofread it—though those are good ideas. Instead, give yourself a crash coursein the basics. Purdue University’s OWL (Online Writing Lab) offers everything you need to brush up on your sentence construction, citation structures and business writing formats. You can even enroll in an online workshop. For instance, Writer’s Digest offers a variety of workshops, including one that covers form and composition at a moderate price. This investment in your grammatical prowess could add up to improved job outlooks, as one of the primary complaints of employers is that new graduates don’t know how to write.

Network

You know how social networking is a big part of your life? It turns out you can use it to your advantage. According to the article “For Recent Grads, Social Media Sites Play Key Role in Job Hunt” by Tim Post, social networking can accomplish many ofthe same results as traditional networking. While the face-to-face networking of career fairs, alumni gatherings and professional organizations is still of paramount importance, social networking offers a new frontier in which to expand your professional persona. Using Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, it is possible to post information that will get you noticed professionally and leverage the connections of your friends and family to get your name out to those who might be looking to hire.

The Bottom Line

It’s true that we like to focus on the negatives when thinking about job outlooks and economic projections. Instead of this defeatist attitude, focus on the improvements that are being made and what you can bring to a company that is truly unique. You don’t have to settle for a job waiting tables after college, nor do you have to pack upand head off to grad school or mom and dad’s. If you play your cards right and focuson your experience, you can find a job that will be the beginning of a career. It might not pay what you’d hoped it would, but if the position will keep your bills paid, take it. The salary increase will come with time.

Note: This is a guest post.

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Do you feel like your boss is the “boss from hell?” Are you having a hard time dealing with your boss? If this is the case, what should you do? How do you deal with a difficult boss?

First, take a step back. Make an honest assessment of the situation. Has your job performance gone down since the “boss from hell” came into the picture? If it has, try to focus to improving your performance. Concentrate on the projects you have at hand and do your best.

Second, try to understand the reasons behind your boss’ actions. If your boss used to be reasonable and his new behavior is the result of stress rather than flaws in his character, then try to make allowances for his behavior. Understand that he is not targeting you; he is simply under too much stress. However, if your boss has always been difficult and hostile, you may need to consider having a discussion with your boss because his actions are making it difficult for you to do your job.

Third, try to have a talk with your boss. Be ready to pay attention and listen to what he has to say. You may be surprised at what you will find out if you pay attention. Explain the difficulties you are encountering and ask for advice on how you can improve. This will make your boss feel valued. If he criticizes you, listen to what he has to say. Do not lose your temper or start an argument. Stay calm and focused.

Fourth, protect your reputation. Consider the possibility that your constant complaining about the situation can quickly earn you the title of “chronic complainer.” Others may start to wonder why you are unable to solve your own problems. Reflect on the issue. Is it really that bad? Is it possible that you are simply feeling “victimized” by other circumstances and are simply finding your boss as a convenient person to blame for all your ills?

Fifth, find a mentor. If you have already had a discussion with your boss, and nothing seems to have changed at all regarding his behavior, find someone within your organization who can give advice or mentor you.

Sixth, if all else fails, go straight up the chain of command. Report your boss. However, this may not be an effective way of dealing with a difficult boss. You may find that it only increases conflict in the workplace. Your boss might think you have deliberately sidestepped him and your co-workers may think you are untrustworthy.

The important thing to remember is – do something. Do not just sit there and quietly hope your problem will go away. Problems do not resolve themselves unless steps are taken to resolve them. It may just be possible that your boss has no idea that his behavior is causing you difficulty. Maybe no one has ever approached him about the issue. You will never know unless you try. There is no need to sacrifice your dream career unless you have exhausted all efforts.

What if you have done everything but you are simply unable to handle working for your boss any longer? Then you should consider requesting for a transfer to another department or finding other employment.

This is a guest post. About the author:

Bames Kaur Pabla is a freelance article writer, a published e-book author, and a blogger.

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Especially if you are beginning your first job after college, or your first job in a new industry or vertical, you may only have a vague idea of what to expect. In fact, any new work environment carries with it a set of adjustments you will have to make. Still, in my experience, many employees new to the working world, especially those who are younger, have unreasonable expectations about their jobs.
Here are a few:

1. You will get raise or a promotion automatically, without working hard.

There is nothing automatic about raises and promotions in most companies. While seniority does count for something, simply keeping your head down and making it through the day is no way to advance within your company. Even if you weren’t one of those grade-grubber types in high school and you don’t care about pay raises and promotions, you’d be surprised by how rewarding it can be to be rewarded for your good work.

2. You will always enjoy your job if you are “following your passion.”

While following your passion is a good mantra to sustain throughout your career, most people will kill themselves to get their dream job, only to find that they don’t enjoy it that much. Always remember that a job, no matter how awesome it is, will have its moments of boredom and
frustration. As such, you should always be patient during these times when your job isn’t as great as it used to be or as great as you thought it’d be.

3. You don’t have to be a people person. Your skills will shine through.

Are you the shy type? Unfortunately for us shy people, if we want to get anywhere in this world, we’ll have to overcome some fears, which is something I did. Even if you are the best worker in the entire company, if no one likes you, you won’t go very far. If you are timid, try doing something to come out of your shell. Join toastmasters or go out with some friends to a karaoke bar.

4. Your responsibilities will never change.

While you come into a job with a set of responsibilities, if you want to be a good employee who takes pride in what you do, then you’ll have to grow beyond your initial job description. Many will complain that within a few months they are doing things they weren’t hired to do. While bosses can sometimes be unreasonable, take on as much extra stuff as you can reasonably do. Believe me, it’s worth it.

The most important thing to remember is that your job will be filled with surprises. Expect the unexpected and you won’t be caught off guard.

This is a guest post. About the author:

Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.

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If you are a recent or soon to be high school or college graduate, you are probably scratching your head wondering what to do next. If you are a high school graduate, you may be interested in exploring different majors so that you can decide, which college, university, or vocational school is right for you. If you are a college graduate, you may be interested in exploring the many different types of jobs that are available to you now that you have earned your degree.

Making the right decision about your education or job choice is the first step toward a rewarding career. You can save yourself years of unhappiness by taking the time to research the different types of careers that are available to you, the economic outlook for those careers, the salary that you can expect to earn, and the advancement potential you can anticipate.

With tens of millions of jobs to choose from, planning your career can be a long and difficult road without the proper tools to research your career and education options. As a high school graduate, if you make the wrong choice about your major you could spend years earning a degree only to discover it was not the right career path for you. As a college graduate, if you make the wrong choice about your career you could spend years feeling trapped in a job because it was not the right career trajectory for you.

As an experienced career coach and resume writer, I have clients of all ages and career levels contact me to help them navigate their job search. Unbelievably, approximately 50% of these clients do not have a clear-cut job target, nor do they know that there are resources to assist them in making this very important decision. As a result, I provide my clients with the tools and resources they need to identify their career objective before we begin mapping out a strategy to help them get there.

With graduation time creeping around again, I wanted to share a few online resources with you to help you find the career that might suit you best. The Big Book of Jobs published by VGM Career Books and the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics says, “The key to a successful career search is to balance what you can do and what you want to do versus what employers expect in specific career fields. One way that most of us reconcile this dilemma is by first conducting an extensive self-assessment and then researching careers that match your personal profile”. I could not have said it better myself. Below are a few of the free self-assessment resources that are available online.

1. The O*NET Computerized Interest Profiler is a vocational interest assessment instrument administered online that fosters career awareness and provides a window to the world of work via the 800+ occupations within O*NET Online.

2. O*NET Work Importance Locator is a self-assessment career exploration tool that allows people to identify occupations that they may find satisfying based on the similarity between their work values and the characteristics of the occupations.

3. The O*NET Ability Profiler is a career exploration tool that helps clients plan their work lives. Individuals can use the results to identify areas for which they might want to receive more training and education as well as identify occupations that fit their strengths.

Once you have completed a comprehensive self-assessment, you can begin researching careers that match your personal profile. Below are a few career exploration tools that are available online.

1. InsideJobs is a free online resource dedicated to career exploration. There are thousands of job descriptions to help people identify what they want to do in their career. The job descriptions are fun to read and include salary ranges and work environment information as well as information on education and training needed to enter a specific job field. Users can also explore common career trajectories for a variety of job fields. The interactive media components of the website allow users to watch informational videos with real people sharing their personal experience about their career choice.

2. O*NET Online is an interactive application for career exploration and job analysis. The O*NET database contains information on hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors, which is available to the public at no cost, and is continually updated by surveying a broad range of workers from each occupation.

Even with the multitude of career exploration tools available, you may still find it difficult to make a career decision. As you peruse job descriptions that match your personal profile, make a list of the likes and dislikes of the jobs you have eliminated as well as a list of the likes and dislikes of the jobs that are still in contention.

For the positions that are still in contention, make notes about what makes these types of jobs attractive to you such as skill sets, opportunity for advancement and salary ranges. Think about other types of careers that share these same features and refine your research efforts to focus solely on these career fields until you reach a decision.

If you are still undecided about your career choice, consider setting-up informational interviews with professionals in your fields of interest to learn more about what the jobs entail and what you might expect should you decide on a career in one of those fields.

This article is a guest post from Deanne Arnath.

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