Do you want to be a fireman? How about a doctor or a mad scientist? Professional sports player is always at the top of the list! There are a few who are fortunate enough to know what they want to be from the time they learn how to go potty on the toilet. For the rest of us, finding our career niche is quite the journey.

Many of us switch our minds on a regular basis. One day we want to be a lawyer. The next day a chef. So, how exactly does one find out what there career niche is? No, I cannot answer this for you. You must figure this out on your own. You might figure it out in a short period of time. It might take you 30 years. It just depends.

There are a number of things you can do to help figure out your career path.

1. Write down your hobbies and the skills you possess. Do you like animals? Are you a web design guru? Does cooking get you fired up? Write down the things that you like to do. Then ask yourself if this could be a career possibility.
2. Don’t do something just because it runs in the family. Just because dad is a lawyer, does not mean that you have to go to Harvard Law. Do what YOU want to do, NOT what someone else wants you to do.
3. If you are in school, go to your career services department. They will have career counselors who can help you assess your skills. They can then recommend career paths based on your skill sets.
4. Work a few different internships or part time jobs. Get experience in a few different areas. Eliminate the areas that do not interest you.
5. Whatever you decide, try to pick a career that you would enjoy doing for 30-40 years. Being stuck in a career that makes you miserable also makes the people around you miserable. Don’t do this to your family and friends. Pick something you enjoy. All jobs have their pros and cons. It’s a fact of life. Just try to pick one that has more pros than cons!
6. There is always the lottery! You know what they say…you can’t win if you don’t play!!

Best of luck.

Yes it’s true. Misspelling your name on your resume will get it thrown in the trash can. It’s true. If you tell the person who interviews you to screw off, you will not get the job offer! It’s true. If you lie about your background, it will come back to haunt you. There is a simple messge here. Use common sense and avoid mistakes that can be prevented easily.

Spellcheck your resume and cover letter. It only takes a few minutes. Read it over yourself to make sure everything looks and sounds right. Have a friend read it over and comment on it. These are simple steps you can take to prevent an interview killer

If you do get the interview and it is not going well or you don’t like the person interviewing you, just hold tight. Don’t tell them off or become arrogant. Stick with the interview like you would if it were the best job in the world. First off, it will be great practice. Second, you don’t want to burn any bridges. You never know who talks to who and you never know when another position might come open that better suits what you’re looking for at that company.

Don’t lie on your resume and cover letter. You might get away with it at the beginning but this can come back to haunt you. I know people who have lied about their education and years later the company does a follow up background check and finds out they were lying. Obviously they were fired for not being upfront from the beginning. Noone is perfect and the people that are doing the interviewing know this. Just be yourself and emphasize on the positive things you have done throughout your career.

These all seem like simple things to do in order to better your chances of landing a job. They are. Make sure you do them. You don’t want to be disqualified from a job opening for a stupid mistake.

Listing the correct information on your resume and cover letter is essential in grabbing the attention of the hiring manager. Many people have one resume and one cover letter that they use for every job application submission. This is not the most effective way to market yourself. Every job is different. Every job is searching for a particular skillset. The idea is to match your skills to the job description skillset as best as possible.

There are a couple of ways you can handle this.

Looking for a job can be very time consuming. Make the whole process as easy as you can to save yourself from doing extra work.

Do you even have one? This is where many people get off to a wrong start in their job search. Knowing what kind of job you are looking for and how you will look for this job are key factors in a successful career search.

Setting up a strategy can be as easy as writing down a “to do” list and posting it on your fridge or keeping a detailed spreadsheet of every last job search detail. I opt to find a happy medium.

First and foremost, the most important question to ask yourself is what kind of career are you searching for. This can be more difficult than it seems. Take some time and do some research to find out your interests and career goals. This is a whole other topic but there are many tools to help you with this! Once you decide on what you want to do, then you can lay out what needs to be done in order to land this type of job.

At a minimum, you should keep track of the date you applied, what company you applied at, what job you applied for, where you found the job posting, who the contact person is, what documents you sent to them and write down any notes that will help you in the future such as the salary and benefits information and job description. This way, when someone from the company calls you to set up an interview, you will know exactly who you contacted initially and for what position.

When people are job hunting, they apply to many jobs. This can get confusing with all of the applications, resumes and cover letters being sent. Keeping track of each application submission will greatly reduce the confusion and help you stay organized and on track to land that perfect job you’ve been waiting for.

It’s no doubt that landing that initial interview is a difficult task at minimum. So, how exactly do you get the attention of the hiring manager? There are several ways, some more effective than others. Create a strategy when job hunting. A solid plan will help you keep on track and before you know it, you’ll be shining those shoes for the first interview. Here are some helpful tips to get you in the door at your desired employer:

1. Create a solid resume and cover letter. This will be the first thing that the employer will see about you. You must catch their attention with these essential documents.
2. Once you have a solid resume and cover letter, don’t just send it to Human Resources and wait for them to call. Human Resources is the gatekeeper. They try to find things wrong with a resume and cover letter. Essentially, they are the middle man. You need to get your resume and cover letter in the hands of the hiring manager. How do you do this? Easily! Call the company directly and ask who heads up the marketing department if you are seeking a marketing related position. If you are looking for an accounting job, call the accounting or finance department to see who the department head is. Be proactive. Follow up with this person a few days later to make sure they received your documents. It’s all about being persistent.
3. Be persistent! Always keep motivated when searching for a job. It can be very frustrating but if you keep up the hard work, it WILL pay off.
4. Write a list down of target companies that you’d like to work at. Check their websites regularly to see job posting updates. Many organizations update their job boards on a daily basis. You don’t want to miss that perfect opportunity!
5. Network, Network, Network… This cannot be said enough. It so much easier to get your foot into the door at a company if you know someone in the company or at least in the industry who can give you some guidance. If you went to college, look for a local alumni chapter for networking events and mentors. This can greatly increase your chances of landing that perfect interview.
6. Don’t stress yourself out. Job hunting is one of the most difficult tasks out there. It is stressful. It can take time. Still live your life and enjoy the other things not associated with the job search. Take time out to relax.
7. One last simple thing that can be an interview killer. Make sure your resume and cover letter are in tip top shape. This means no misspelled words or grammatical errors. If an employer finds any errors, your resume will be hitting the garbage can. Just have someone proofread your documents before sending along.
8. Best of luck. Just keep up the hard work. You will be happy in the end.

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Welcome to Careerience.com. Our careers are obviously a large part of our lives. Careerience.com is a place to learn about career opportunities, discuss current career trends and network with people in the industry in which you work.

Browse through and read the articles. If you take one new experience with you, you will have gained something.

Best of luck to all of you and your careers.