Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 07:36 AM PDT

One major mistake that job hunters commonly make is failing to take the time to evaluate whether the company is really a right fit for them. Since pounding the pavement itself is such a time-consuming and painstaking task, sometimes it's easy to forget to dedicate a decent amount of time to research each of the companies to which you are applying. However, researching each company is just as important as researching job openings and salary information.
If you are unclear about whether or not you would fit into the company culture, then you put yourself at a risk of becoming stuck in a job you hate on a day-to-day basis.
Still, all too often it is easy and common for job seekers to blindly apply and interview with all companies that are hiring for the position in which you are interested. Too many people tend to follow an undefined gut feeling about companies while applying little to no real information about them. While it's true that the gut feeling may be right at times, a question that you should ask yourself is: is your career something that you want to leave upon chance? If you have a chance to get the inside scoop from real employees who work there, there is no reason why you should gamble your next career move. You can do the research and make sure that the company culture, management, work-life balance, and everything else in between fit your standards.
Another common mistake that many people make in their job search is simply glancing over a company website in order to get an inside look into the company. While official websites provide information about the establishment, such as their mission statement and product or service offerings, company website information is far too limited and—worst of all—completely biased. It's natural for companies to only showcase their best features in order to draw positive attention from users, but job seekers will fail to obtain a realistic account of what it's really like to work at that company. So, it's important to research more than just the company website.
Instead, the most credible, unbiased way to find out what it's like to be an employee at a particular company is to get the inside scoop straight from the source: real employees. Learning about the company culture from real employees is a reliable resource because they are speaking from experience. Since they have been there and done that, employees are the only ones that can provide you with legitimate feedback about the company in which you are interested.
We understands this, and have compiled thousands of company reviews and salaries from real employees to help job seekers like you compare and contrast the places in which you want to work.
Our company reviews explore key factors that contribute to employee happiness in the workplace, including company culture, relationship with co-workers, the work one does and the support one gets. All of these factors should be taken into consideration before you make your next career move.
For instance, if you are most interested in a company that offers growth opportunities, our company reviews offer real employee feedback and job happiness rankings for thousands of companies across industries. And if reading real company reviews is not enough, we even offer a Company Q&A section, which allows you to ask real employees questions directly.
So if you really take the time to do your homework about each company of interest, you can weed out the companies where you know you will be unhappy

Medical Technician Jobs: What are my career options?

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 04:48 PM PDT

What attracts students to a career as a Medical Technician? The fast educational path, good salary, variety of job opportunities, or chance to help others — or a combination of all those things — certainly plays a role. "Medical Technician" sounds like a single career, but it covers a vast scope of jobs and certifications. For those looking for a quicker route into the medical field, a Medical Technician Job is the golden ticket.
With so many options to choose from, it may seem easier to close your eyes and pick randomly from a list. Breaking the field down reveals that Medical Technicians often focus on a particular part of the body, such as the cardiovascular system (the system that keeps you breathing), or on a specific type of equipment, like X-ray machines.
Medical Technician training prepares you for similar jobs, so whether you start as a Medical Lab Technician or a Surgical Technician, you can switch it up later on without spending years back in school. Focus your education on a broader field, and narrow down your specialty as you gain experience. X-Ray Technicians, for example, have the skills needed to train for virtually any other Technician job, and Emergency Medical Technicians can transition to nursing or other intensive care positions with enough experience.
Earn certification through a local college or an online degree program. Once you've spent some time in the field, consider taking additional classes so you can seek out the higher-paying jobs or move into a more intensive field.
Annie Favreau writes and works for Inside Jobs, a career exploration site where people can explore what opportunities exist and learn what paths can take them there.

The Work Buzz's Latest News: Companies hiring this week

Companies hiring this week

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 02:02 PM PDT

It’s been a heckuva week. Well, not even a week, just a few days. The S&P credit downgrade, the Dow roller coaster, and riots in Tottenham. Definitely a big case of “Wow. What is going on in the world?” Let’s hope the rest of the week is calmer and, if it is eventful, it’s for a good reason.
So while we have our hopes on a brighter future, we can’t forget that right now many of us are searching for work. Some people are unemployed, others need a change, and others are barely entering the workforce. Whatever your reason for looking to find a new job, hopefully the following list of 10 companies hiring this week make your search a little bit easier.
Altec Inc
Industry: Manufacturing
Sample job titles: Mobile technician (hydraulic utility equipment)
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems
Industry: Commercial vehicle air brake charging and control systems
Sample job titles: Design engineer
Blackbaud
Industry: IT, sales
Sample job titles: Accounts payable coordinator, NOCC engineer
Fisher Investments
Industry: Finance
Sample job titles: Research analyst (analytics and production analyst)
five Below
Industry: Retail
Sample job titles: Assistant manager
Gentiva
Industry: Home health care
Sample job titles: Clinical account executive, home care specialist support
Home Instead Senior Care
Industry: Non-medical companionship, home health
Sample job titles: Caregiver/companion/CNA
Puritan Financial Companies Inc.
Industry: Insurance, sales
Sample job titles: Insurance agent (outside sales)
WebMD
Industry: Online media
Sample job titles: Associate software developer
Zachry
Industry: Nuclear, construction, power, oil and gas
Sample job titles: Planner

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What Will Stop the Madness? Riots, Stock Market, Navy Seals…

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 06:30 AM PDT

This is not my typical blog. This is not what I usually write about but the last couple of days have taken it out of me. And writing about this just might give it back to me. When certainty is scarce, one must hope.
London is burning. The stock market plummets. An elite team is sacrificed. Banks announce more layoffs. Protests continue after a homeless man is beaten to death in an Orange County, CA suburb. The unemployment rate hangs, unmoving for three months, at 9.1%. Troubles line the streets of life and we really have no choice but to keep living, keep surviving, keep driving. It is never easy, especially when it feels like the walls of life and security are crumbling.
Movies continue to be made and watched. Music continues to be composed and heard. Books continue to be written and read. Blogs continue to be published and shared. We make this world go ’round. We keep it going around, even when the crazies come out of the dark or stay in the light and threaten our lives or livelihoods or the lives and livelihoods of others. A moment of silence is thoughtful. A minute of prayer is nice. Sending good thoughts and aid is unselfish. Sharing stories, mutual mourning, and shared loss: these bind our hearts but what will get us out of this? What will stop the madness?
Continuing on with life, clinging to normalcy, and having a good cry now and again helps and it is necessary. “That which does not kill us makes us stronger,” Friedrich Nietzsche stated in the late 1800′s. Conflict surrounds us, for some, the conflict is internal. Like steel hardened by the flame, its metal proven – we are subjected to flame, friction, and oppression with the opportunity to prove our own mettle. We can want for ease and mercy, but the only thing over which we have control is how we handle it from here on out.
We can choose to look at what is happening around us now as opportunity. Opportunity for the world and maybe ourselves to change. Sadness and loss of hope doesn’t change the situations we find ourselves in. Martyrs rarely change the world. It is those whom the martyrs piss off and/or leave behind that do. Progress only occurs when change is needed, and it is evident in the headlines today, that it is time for progress.
So, I suppose it comes down to choice. We can choose to survive by seeing what isn’t working and no longer doing that thing or we can deem it unnecessary to survive and continue down a path of destruction. When I worked in the dental field, I used to tell my patients that they only had to take care of the teeth they wished to keep. The same holds true in the world.
“The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas-a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.” -Ronald Reagan
Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology. She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

The Domestic Man. Are They Pulling Their Weight?

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 04:17 AM PDT

work life, domestic husband, chore wars, man housework, career woman, house husbands, stay at home dads

As a mother, I struggle like most with balancing my responsibilities as a mom and business professional. As an entrepreneur, I work to juggle my travel and consulting schedule as well as my husband’s with the demands of being a mother and executing the day to day household tasks.
Having my daughter nearly 3 years ago, changed my world for the better, but it also opened up my eyes to the domestic debate between husband and wife. After maternity leave, my husband took the role of stay at home dad for nearly 10 months. The economy collapsed and Greg’s long-term contract ended. He took on several short consulting projects but for nearly a year he served as primary care giver while I balanced writing a book, being a new breastfeeding mother, and serving as the primary bacon bringer-homer for our family.
Our household has always been unconventional and non-traditional with my husband most times more than willing to pitch in with household chores. The tension and stress soared those 10 months as I struggled to balance all three. My mom stayed at home with me and my two sisters until I was in high school. My husband’s mom worked part time but the children and household chores were always her primary responsibility. We both had no clear role models to model our behavior after.
In the book, The Second Shift which was published in 1989, discussed the rise of women’s entry into the workforce and the household turmoil that ensued. Career woman struggled with their new job and time restrictions, working more paid and unpaid hours working than men. But new data tells a much different story.
The role of the traditional father has made a cultural shift. Men, like my husband are scrubbing toilets, folding laundry, and more involved with their children. In fact, men and women now spend nearly equal amounts of time with paid work and their domestic chores. And men like women are struggling with work/life balance. New data says 68% of men have experienced conflicts between their responsibilities as a parent and work.
I began to wonder, are men struggling the same way balancing their life and work like their female counter parts are? Are they ridden with guilt when they leave their crying child at daycare for the first time? And most importantly, have they ever woken up late at night wondering if they put the clothes in the dryer?
I likely think not, but then again I’m not a guy. And yet, I woke up late last night wondering about the new role of the domestic man as I dragged my sleepy butt up to check the dishwasher. Did I remember to turn that dishwasher on? And are they (men) really pulling their weight? The facts say yes, but I want to know what men and women really think.
Photo Credit Bid My Cleaning.

The Biggest Secret Obstacle to Your Career

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 11:00 PM PDT

There is no such thing as job security any more. It's all about employability. And the biggest secret obstacle to your career rests on one thing...

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

How Your E-mail Address Can Torpedo a Job Search

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 10:30 PM PDT

Dead-giveaways unwittingly revealed in your e-mail address name can lift the curtain about the "personal you" during a job search. Right?

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

Don’t Be a LinkedIn ‘Collector’ or ‘User’

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 10:00 PM PDT

One of the most valuable career assets any of us can possess is a high quality business and professional network. Are you using LinkedIn?

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

5 Tips for a Safe Online Job Search

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 09:30 PM PDT

Think you're job search is safe online? Think again. With the Internet's convenience, a breeding ground for scam artists continues to grow each year.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.