Vernee writes:
I would like to obtain some information on becoming a probation officer.
While the U.S. Department of Labor seems to put probation officers into the larger grouping of social workers, the California Employment Development Department offers some great information about careers as a probation officer or parole agent. The site includes job descriptions, working conditions, training, salary and advancement, education requirements, etc.
You might also want to check out Inside Jobs: A Realistic Guide to Criminal Justice Career for College Graduates, edited by Stuart Henry (Sheffield Publishing) or Careers in Criminal Justice, by W. Richard Stephens (Allyn & Bacon). >
Sean writes:
I have recently made a decision to completely change my career path. I would love to find a career that involves animals and/or travel. I want to do something important in the way of helping to save and preserve our wilderness.
I am having difficulty finding what careers are out there that would combine these two interests. Could you suggest a resource where I might find some possibilities?
Since I don’t really have any idea of your education and work background, it’s a little hard for me to know exactly the types of jobs you enjoy or are qualified for, but I’ll ignore that issue and face the bigger question: Where can you find a job/career that involves animals/wilderness/travel?
My immediate reaction was to go to Quintessential Careers: Volunteering and Nonprofit Career and Job Opportunities. At this site you can find links to Earthwatch, the National Park Service, and other organizations that may offer career opportunities that match your new career interests. There are also many other environmentally-oriented groups, such as The Wilderness Society, that have their own Websites where you may be able to network and search for job opportunities. Finally, you might check your college’s career office or a local college’s career office for leads, especially if one of these schools has an environmental studies department.
Jim writes:
I have eight years’ experience in the managed-care industry and am seeking to change my career to Information Technology. I am currently taking courses for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and expect to be certified within the next few months. What is the best way to look for potential employers and positions in this field?
Economic conditions in my field make the need for a job change urgent.
It really depends on how open you are to where the job may be located.
If you are open to moving, then I would join a professional organization or professional discussion group on the Internet. Check out Quintessential Careers: The Art of Career and Job-Search Networking for the best sources for finding the right groups. I would also search the job postings at our job board. Then I would search some of the IT-specific job sites, the best of which can be found at Quintessential Careers: Computer Jobs. These three sources should generate plenty of job leads for you to follow.
If, however, you are not open to relocating, then you need a much different approach. I would still suggest networking on the Net, as described above, but I would also make a strong effort to network locally — check local colleges and chambers of commerce for any information on information technology groups in your area. Then I would develop a target list of companies that are large enough to have a need for your services or are technology-related companies. Develop a list of the IT gurus (VPs, division heads, CIOs) for each of the companies and write them a personalized, targeted cover letter. Then follow up with phone calls. I would also check with the company where you are getting the training to see about placement resources. Finally, I would see if there are any temporary or placement agencies in your area that specialize in placing IT professionals.
B.M. writes:
I am currently unemployed and looking for work on the Internet. I have years of experience in accounting work, as well as 67 course credit hours completed at the local community college. Over the years, I have managed to garner a wage that is higher than the industry standard, and this is my problem. I am good at what I do, and I've been doing it for a while, but everyone (recruiters) keeps telling me that I'm not being realistic in what I can expect to ask for my salary without a degree. Can you help answer some of questions and allay some of my fears?
It totally depends on your level of expertise, the type of accounting work you perform, and the companies you are targeting. As I have mentioned in previous columns, some employers are much more degree-conscious than others, so you need to find the ones that value work experience and expertise more than a degree. But I am also a little surprised that you have gotten as far in the accounting profession as you appear to have progressed without a degree, but that may be my bias as a professor in a college of business where we have an extremely strong accounting program.
I would suggest working with these recruiters, but if you sense a lack of confidence in them about you, you should look for other recruiters because a recruiter who lacks confidence in you is going to have a hard time selling you to a client.
There are also places on the Web to look -- for recruiters as well as jobs. Check out
Oya's Recruiter Directory for
a list of recruiters in the accounting field. Oya's is an amazing resource and a great tool for job-seekers.
Also consider visiting Quintessential Careers: Jobs in Business and Management, which lists some of the top accounting career and job sites.
Jim writes:
I am currently seeking a position (I am unemployed) in cost accounting. The problem is that my experience in the area was at an auto manufacturer (1969-72), college teaching (1977-79), and at an aerospace company (1984-93). I have designed a functional resume that highlights my experience and leaves off the early dates to appear younger. This works until someone, such as a recruiting firm, wants a chronological resume. When I put in the 1969-72 date (necessary due to the amount of experience acquired there), interest wanes. What to do?
Well, Jim, some of your experience is from a pretty long time ago, but accounting practices have not changed that much in that time -- except for the great infusion of technology -- and you have a almost 10 years of past accounting work.
While you may be facing some kind of age discrimination, my feeling is there is something more to your situation. What field have you been in since 1993? Do you have higher salary requirements than the jobs you are seeking are willing to pay? I have a sense there is something that is turning away these companies, and it may have to do with your age, or it may have to do with you entering and leaving accounting three times, or it may have to do with your salary, or it could even be other skills you may be perceived to be lacking. If you taught accounting, I assume you have the proper degrees.
My experience with recruiters is that they want to package job-seekers in the best light so that they can place them in client companies and earn their commissions. If recruiters are even shying away from you, then I would try and set up an appointment with one of them and have a frank discussion about your resume and your market potential.
By the way, have you thought about going back to teaching accounting? Finally, you also might look at smaller, more entrepreneurial companies. It's been my experience that larger corporations have a certain model they are looking for when hiring, but smaller companies look at the individual more closely.
LeeAnne writes:
I want it all right now. I’m graduating soon with my BA and want to work in a management administration right now. I’ve got the 20 years’ experience, but having a difficult time answering “no” to the degree question. I’m definitely not getting paid anywhere near the prevailing rate for this area of San Diego county, and I can do this job with one hand, yadda, yadda, yadda. Should I start looking right now for a more challenging, better-paying job or wait until I get the BA and “prestige” ?
I know where you are coming from because I’ve assisted a number of “nontraditional” students who have many years of experience, many of whom were back in college simply because they had reached a level in their careers where they were not going to continue to rise without the college degree.
My advice to you is this: you have stuck it out this long, you might as well keep with it for the next six months.
That’s not to say that you should not start your networking sooner. I would start networking over the summer and then begin the job-hunting process in earnest early in the fall.
One caveat: While the degree is often a sticking point for higher positions and salaries, don’t expect a huge response in job offers once you have the degree. A bachelor’s degree is more like a basic requirement that you need to have, unlike an advanced degree, which might give you a more competitive edge.
Kelly writes:
I am desperately looking to begin my career soon. I am currently a student attending the University of Central Florida and I will graduate in August. My degree will be a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies with a minor in health. I plan to move with my boyfriend in September to New York, and I will most definitely need to find a job that pays a decent salary. I was interested in working in pharmaceutical sales, but I am not quite sure how to go about finding a job.
The good news is that by far the top jobs that college students are recruited for are sales positions. The bad news is that sales positions in the pharmaceutical industry are highly competitive. Attend the various career fairs that are happening in your area, but at the same time, develop a list of the pharmaceutical firms that you want to work for.. .then contact the firms and get the name of the national sales director and/or New York regional sales director. Also check with UCF's career office to see if they have contacts/alumni you could contact about possible jobs. Write to these individuals and ask for an interview ... plan to make a trip up to the NYC area between spring and summer semesters, if possible. Keep in mind that you should do as much foundation work now as possible, especially since August tends to be a slow month for companies and job-hunting.
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