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The third of the biggest financial center in North America is actually located in Toronto, Canada. Consequently, Canada has been one of the more progressive countries that boast off its stable economy. Canada offers diverse business opportunities equaling to other international cities like London and New York. Toronto ranked as the 14th among the other countries in the globe as being the best place to live and to have an education.

Canada is home to different top management and business schools such as Haskayne School of Business in University of Calgary, HEC Montreal, Richard Ivey School of Business in Western University of Ontario, John Molson School of Business in Concordia University, McGill’s University Faculty of Management, Rotman’s Business School in University of Toronto, Sauder School of Business in University of British Columbia, and Schulich School of Business in York University. The aforementioned business schools are the top 9 business schools in Canada. These business schools are internationally accredited by different prime accreditation institutions and ranks among the top business schools and MBA programs in the world.

Aside from the world-class large-scale business schools, Canada also offers small-scale schools with almost the same quality with that of local universities. Different students can choose in the wide array of business schools according to their preference including the location of the school, atmosphere and space as well as varying school fees.

Canada’s MBA programs are ideal for people from all parts of the globe. This is mainly because Canada business schools can accommodate students with diverse racial backgrounds. Most business schools in Canada offers French and Spanish MBA programs. The International MBA program of Schulich allows students to develop the other major global business languages German, Japanese and Mandarin. Regional languages such as Portugese, Hindi, Tagalog, Korean, Cantonese, Serbo-Croatian and Russian have also been included. This only shows that quality education knows no racial boundaries.

Canada is home to a myriad of international companies, an MBA education will surely take ones career to the next level. Canada offers a multicultural type of education to accommodate students with different nationalities who seeks their dream in business. The exposure to varying cultures gives students a global perspective and takes part in their professional and personal development.

Studying and taking an MBA program in Canada is highly recommended by different international institutions. The country promotes a good quality of living condition, remarkable education, top of the line health care, and notable safety and security. The country is rich in different heritages and a culture that people all around the world will surely enjoy.

Canada is a place that is conducive to learning on a global perspective. The way of life in is perfect in catering to different nationalities mainly its offers a number of institutions that can accommodate the growing need of students for quality learning. Canada is home to a booming business industry that makes it the perfect place to start a business education, and consequently, a thriving business career.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR CAREER ?

BY PROF. M.S.RAO, ACADEMIC GUIDE, ICFAI UNIVERSITY, INDIA

After completion of the tenth standard, the students in India are confronted with what kind of stream they should opt for in 10 plus 2 (Intermediate). Is it commerce, science, arts or computers etc.? At the age of approx. 15 years itself students start thinking, which stream to follow? At this stage, they may not be able to decide and hence they leave their career choice to their parents to decide. The parents look at the pulse of the market and the present potential and trend in the job scenario and they advise their children to opt for a particular stream. This is the way career choice is made indirectly in the initial stage in India. Is it justified to thrust upon their children? If not, then what should be done?

It is necessary to look at the aptitude, attitude, abilities and awareness of the child and then proper choice should be made. The parents should study the progress report and find out the areas where the child is weak and strong. After weighing thoroughly his past and present performance then the choice should be offered and the child should be counseled accordingly. If this happens then the child takes interest automatically and without any external initiative from parents he will study and pass the examinations.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CAREER:

Usually the students go for conventional careers where the risk is minimal and nominal. The conventional careers means not swimming against the current but rather sailing with stream and trend. For instance, there is an excellent trend towards engineering, medicine and management profession these days. It is mostly because of availability of plenty of jobs. Both the students and parents want to play safe by opting for hot cake section. Where as in the unconventional careers the risk is higher and prospects are not clear like fashion designing and entertainment industries. These are the roads less traveled and there will be high risk and high returns. One has to swim against the current. According to American author, Dale Carnegie there are six types of fears human beings face such as fear of criticism, fear of old age, fear of poverty, fear of ill health, fear of death and fear of failure. It is basically the ‘fear of failure’, which is the root cause for not opting for unconventional careers.

SWOT ANALYSIS:

SWOT is the acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is a powerful tool regularly used by corporate to find out the implications and effects of strategic decision making. And whenever the companies are going for mergers and acquisitions or take overs, then also it is conducted and evaluated by an independent body headed by a person who is known as corporate planner or a strategist. The same tool can be applied vis-a-vis career decision. What are the strengths and weaknesses of taking up a particular career? Whether the student possesses the personal qualities and competencies. If not possessed and the students wants to pursue, he can overcome the weakness by thorough practice and training. Any skill or competency can be acquired if there is will power to attain the same. The cherished career must have wider opportunities so as to minimize and eliminate the risks. The probable threats involved both from internal and external angles should be examined thoroughly. The internal threats arise out of the individual incompetence while the external threats arise which are beyond the reach and control of the individual. One should be able to anticipate and discount internal threats and, overall, one should be wary of threats related to the career.

FALL OUT DUE TO WRONG MOVE:

What happens if an individual makes a wrong move and opts for a wrong career? He will never enjoy his work and he will be in a continuous hell. He will have everything but no mental peace and develop stress levels. In some cases people fail in their careers and they keep doubting their confidence levels. Self-esteem decreases. At the work place they will be subjected to ridicule, laughter, insult and humiliation.

CAREER STRATEGY:

At the age of 15 years the student is not able to decide any specific stream of his choice. Therefore, there should be no stream specialization or deviation just after 10th class itself. Rather it should be postponed to after 10 plus 2 (Intermediate) level. By the age of 17 the students will be mature enough to select the stream of their choice which could be free from family or teacher or parental influence. One can give out his best when one enjoys what he is doing.

Presently people opt for medical and engineering after 10 plus 2(Intermediate) and the career options are limited, as these two are considered professional. If computer or commerce is also made like professional qualification by application of computer or management related subjects respectively, the students will take more interest in those areas also and they can be easily absorbed into jobs. By converting non professional qualifications as professional and the base for professional courses get widened.

ROLE OF CAREER CONSULTANTS:

When the students are caught between the devil and deep sea they can approach the career coach. Now a day there is professionalism around everywhere. Taking the help of career consultants will be of great use. Usually it is the parents who provide the career support. If not, then the teacher should provide such support. When students approach the career counselors, they view it from career perspective and can provide right tools and techniques towards right career decision.

CONCLUSION:

Students should know that jobs don’t grow on trees and there is right seed for the right career. Choose a career that is a sure shot passport to your success. In few cases, it is observed that students scale the ladder of success and realize at the end that the ladder is on the wrong side of the wall. The onus lies with parents and teachers to see that the ladder is placed on the right wall. When one gets a job of his choice and spouse of his choice he is said to be the luckiest. Set your priorities rightly based on the life the way you want according to your tastes and temperaments such as your job satisfaction, work life balance, monetary aspects etc., Rank all your priorities in the scale of 1 to 5 from three dimensions, such as personal level, social level and professional level. And choose the career after weighing all the pros and cons. Once the right career decision is made work hard to achieve your goals for ensuring all round peace, progress and prosperity.

T H E E N D

Making a career choice is a tough decision. If you are able to make the right career choice earlier in your life, then you have a good chance of success in the future. The right time to start thinking about a career is when you are a teenager because the decision you make will determine your education or training after high school. But if you’re a university student and you haven’t decided on a career, or if you are a working adult who work in a job that you never really planned, then perhaps it’s time to do a career analysis by taking a closer look at your strengths and your weaknesses and deciding what should be the best career for you.

So how do you know what is the right career for you? Essentially, when you are trying to look for a career, you are finding a match between a career and your own interest, ability, motivation, personality and expectation.

Choose a career that matches your interest

I strongly believe that a person should have a career that matches his own interest because otherwise he will lose the desire to carry out his duties effectively. Unless you are a person who can find love in anything you do, then finding a career that interests you should be an important priority.

Choose a career that matches your ability

Sometimes interest alone is not a strong enough factor for a career decision. You must also look at your ability because sometimes what you like is not necessarily what you are good at. I have interest in football and I like watching football games, but I simply do not have the athletic ability to play at professional league and therefore, a career as a professional footballer is out of the question for me.

Choose a career that matches your motivation

According to Abraham Maslow, human needs have the following hierarchical order: physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, cognitive needs, esthetic needs and self-actualization needs. Although some scholars argued against the hierarchical structure of these needs, I believe that each person has his own unique levels of needs. So examine yourself and try to figure out, for each category of needs, what level you find acceptable and then see how the career you choose can fulfill the needs.

Choose a career that matches your personality

What kind of person are you? Do you like working with people, or do you prefer working with machine and equipment? Are you comfortable handling stress? Do you have specific lifestyle that you are not willing to compromise? Do you prefer high-risk high-reward type of job or do you prefer a more stable job? These are basically things that relate to your personality and you need to consider them seriously before deciding on a career.

Choose a career that matches your expectation

Planning for a career requires you to have a vision of yourself in 10, 20 or 30 years from now. If you have a clear vision of where you want to go, then it is easier to decide how to get there. For example, if your expectation of yourself is to be a millionaire before the age of 35, then your pathway to get there is probably through business ventures. Have a clear expectation of yourself and you will see a much clearer path to reach your destination.

Conclusion

Choosing a career requires you to examine yourself and analyze your interest, ability, motivation, personality and expectation. If you can find a career that matches all these five criteria then you are on the right track. But one thing to remember is that career analysis is not something you do once in a lifetime. As you grow older, you will develop new interest, acquire new ability, and experience a change in your expectation. When that happens, you know it’s time to do a career analysis again and decide what career is best for you.

I remember the excitement that my MBA classmates shared with me while recruiters fawned over them making job offers that could lead to fast-track business careers. Naturally, everyone wanted either to eventually own a business or become the CEO of a business. The best that most new MBAs could hope for immediately, however, was to gain a place in a training program that would lead to an executive position or to become a consultant to senior management in a business.

It was a big commitment to earn a Harvard MBA to become a businessman. You had to live in the Boston area, work long hours every week, not earn much money for two years, and pay lots of tuition fees and expenses. Many classmates graduated with large loans that took many years to repay. Most people figured that they would finally be ahead of the game financially within five to ten years . . . or so they hoped.

Gaining the choice to make that big time and financial commitment was hard, too. Many more applicants were rejected than accepted in those days (it’s even more difficult to gain a place at Harvard now).

If you were over a certain age, you probably wouldn’t even consider taking this route. Why? The companies hiring from Harvard then were looking for relatively young talent with no more than five years of experience.

If you weren’t a person with an undergraduate degree from a prestigious university or someone who had excelled in the military, you probably didn’t even apply for admission into Harvard Business School. The odds against your acceptance were staggering.

To many people it seemed like the fast track to business success was a very narrow lane that was closed to them.

Fortunately, optimists abound among those who want to have good business careers. Many feel that if they can get a chance to prove themselves, they will stand out.

Experience supports this confidence: If we look at the leaders of many of the most successful companies, these people didn’t go through any hard-to-acquire educational experiences. These leaders proved themselves to be capable of getting things done on the job . . . not in the classroom.

Today, the fast track to a successful business career, a passing lane that puts you ahead of other people, is still an MBA . . . but increasingly that MBA is gained from an online school and is earned by someone who has at least twenty years of work experience and is holding down a full-time job. That combination of work and study used to be called “working your way through school” but now it has become the best way to get a practical education: You are able to use what you learn in school during your day job. This means faster advancement in a current job while gaining lots of experience in applying new learning to your work.

What are some of the benefits of this approach?

1. You gain credibility: Not everyone has an MBA degree.

2. You are considered for higher level jobs because you have a good education and lots of experience.

3. You arrive in your next job ready to do the work, rather than needing a lot more training.

4. Doing a good job in your first post-MBA position qualifies you for quick advancement into more senior positions.

5. You are likely to gain an earlier opportunity to build a substantial equity stake in your new employer.

Let’s look at Mr. Ralph R. Richey, a 2006 MBA graduate of Rushmore University (an online school) as an example of what can be done to help your business career. While in high school, Mr. Richey was accepted into a two-year apprentice program to become an electronic technician. After that, his curiosity about business led him to take courses in bookkeeping and management.

In the late 1970s and the 1980s, Mr. Richey decided to try a different life style and founded a music studio and a martial arts studio. He also fronted for a rock band, earned a music teacher’s certificate, and taught both music and martial arts. Having burned the proverbial candle at both ends while single, he decided to go back into a more conventional career after marrying.

During the 1980s, Mr. Richey owned or managed several companies offering fire and security alarms. He also developed an interest in Computer-Aided Design and took courses to become qualified to work in that emerging technology activity.

In the 1990s, he shifted to finance and helped raise millions of dollars for a high-tech marine manufacturing company. In the 2000s, he switched his expertise into raising money for real estate development and had the misfortune to attract a fraudulent lending company which didn’t meet its commitments. That misfire set him back, and he refocused his attention again.

Mr. Richey decided to go into technology management, looking for a senior level position. People didn’t take him seriously because he lacked a business degree.

Spurred by that realization, he enrolled at Rushmore in early 2005 and graduated less than two years later while holding down a demanding full-time job. He picked Rushmore because he would get credit for 30 years of work experience, would study under experienced executives as his professors, and would have a chance to apply his learning to his job.

At the time he enrolled, Mr. Richey hoped to use his MBA studies to either start a successful technology consulting business or to be hired as a senior executive in an established technology company with a six-figure salary.

How did he do after graduation?

His first job was a four-week temporary assignment to be the controller for a division of a construction company consortium that paid within his target salary range. Within 18 months, he advanced to become the full-time CFO of the entire consortium. Candidly, he feels that he wouldn’t have even landed an interview for his current job without his MBA degree form Rushmore.

Mr. Richey reports that “I have a new sense of personal satisfaction from earning my degree, which in turn has provided a new sense of financial security.”

Imagine where Mr. Richey’s career might be today if he had earned that MBA degree twenty years earlier.

What’s the lesson? The passing lane that can speed you into a highly successful career is available through earning a low-cost, online MBA degree while you keep your current job. You gain a lot of upside potential at little cost in time and effort.

Are you ready to accelerate your career progress?

Would you like to return to the work world but are concerned about how to find an opportunity that will allow you to fulfill your family or other non-work obligations, nervous about how to “market yourself” to potential employers, or unsure about what type of work you want to do? We know how you feel. We took time out to be home with our children, and then relaunched our careers years later. Based upon our experience, and that of the 100+ women we interviewed for our forthcoming book, as well as the career counselors, recruiters and employers whose advice we sought, we’ve developed a detailed process to

help you negotiate this major transition. Here it is in a nutshell:

1. Relaunch or Not: You Decide. If financial reasons require you to return to work, go to step

2. If not, determine whether you are ready to go back to paid work or whether deepening your volunteer involvement or engaging in a non-work passion might satisfy your restlessness. If you’re not sure whether or not you want to return to paid work, visit www.backonthecareertrack.com and take our Relaunch Readiness Quiz.

2. Learn Confidence. If a lack of confidence is one of the obstacles holding you back, don’t worry. You can regain it. Remember, whether you are a nurse, speech therapist, computer programmer, scientific researcher, or salesperson, your former colleagues’ and classmates’ image of you is frozen in time. They think of you as a consummate professional, and as you start to renew your professional persona and reconnect to the professional world, your confidence will grow. Following Steps 3 and 4 will also help increase your confidence as you update your professional knowledge and become more articulate in expressing what you want to do and why.

3. Assess Your Career Options. Don’t think that returning to the conventional full time workforce is the only way to resume your career. The moms we interviewed did everything from starting a home based afterschool enrichment program (former teacher) to running career services for a law school on a flexible schedule (former public defender) to job sharing a hospice administrator position (former social worker) to creating a marketing campaign for a new mutual fund from home (former mid level marketing executive). Break down your old job(s) or volunteer experiences into their component parts and focus on what you did best and what you liked best. Then try to think of new opportunities that build on those skills and interests.

4. Update your Professional and Job Search Skills. A sure way to increase your confidence and bolster your employability is to update yourself. Read relevant journals, take continuing education classes and attend industry events. In terms of job search skills, develop an elevator story (a two minute talk answering the “what do you want to do” question) that summarizes your expertise and the kind of opportunity you seek in a few key sentences.

5. Network and Market Yourself. Order yourself a business card with your name and contact information. That way you don’t have to scribble on a piece of scrap paper if you meet someone who wants to keep in touch with you. Then, start talking to people, beginning with those you know well. Branch out to those to whom they refer you, and discuss your professional interests and the kinds of opportunities you’d like to explore. These informal conversations essentially function as interview rehearsals, as you gradually hone your message. Prior to formal interviews, make sure you prepare extensively by studying the employer’s website and practicing answers to the most common interview questions. When asked about your resume gap, answer matter-of-factly that you took some time out to raise your children/take care of an elderly parent, etc., but that you’re now eager to get back to work.

6. Channel Family Support. Get your spouse, if you have one, on board with your plans as soon as possible. If you encounter resistance, make it clear how important this is to you and point out that with extra income you might be able to outsource some of the tasks that neither of you wants to perform, such as cleaning and shopping. The older your children are, the sooner you should tell them as well. If you need to change your childcare arrangements, try to implement the changes before you start your new job, so you can work out any problems. Streamline your household routines to maximize time to devote to either work or family. Develop a support network of family and/or neighbors to help you out in a jam.

7. Handle the Job or Find Another One. You found the right opportunity and you’ve relaunched. Initially, keep your employer’s expectations low. Better to underpromise and overdeliver, rather than the other way around. Ask for early and frequent reviews — ideally, every six months, because neither you nor your employer will be able to predict the rate of your career trajectory. Help your colleagues whenever possible, so they’ll reciprocate when you need them. And, remember, this is just your first foray back to the professional marketplace. If it doesn’t work out, you can always make a change.

© 2007 Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir RabinAuthors:

Though starting a business is not an easy task, managing it is even more difficult unless you know how to go about it. However if you undergo business career training you will be much better of as you will learn how to manage your business efficiently and make it a success.

You could become an entrepreneur with business career training. If you opt for business career training you will get to know about money transactions and financial issues and how to handle various aspects of legal issues that would concern your business. While you go about the training you will get a clear and detailed idea of what you want to do in your business career.

However, before you start your business career training it is always better to decide on what line of business you want to do and what line you would like to specialize in. Once you have these facts clear then you can go ahead with the training.

1) Your business network should expand

When you do set up your business you also have to have a plan on how you are going to expand it. This is something that you will get to know with your training with business career training. Not only will you learn how to expand your business, you will even get to know on how to manage this expanding business intelligently and not let it slide back.

2) You have to interact with a variety of people

While running a business you get to meet and mix with many people both socially and through business activities. You sill have to have the ability to judge these people and know what each one’s behavior means and how to interpret it. This way you can be a good judge of people and know how to do business deals with them.

3) Locate the appropriate business career training centers

Locating and searching out the most suitable business career training is a vital requirement. A proper school that will suit your personality and have the activities that gets you interested aside from the business career training programs they offer. You should not only follow a business career but should also create balance between the career and your personal life style and extra curricular interests.

4) You will have more options if your credentials are better and more money

Those who are better qualified and a higher degree in business training are open to more choices in their careers. All the better graded organizations prefer taking on persons who have a higher qualification. Not only are there more options open for such people even their salaries will be higher.

5) Business concepts are life concepts too

Just like our day to day life, business concepts also require the expertise to solve problems and other issues that may come up on a day to day basis. This is something that you generally pick up while going through life, but you can also learn about all this and acquire these skills from business career training.

All these points will carry your throughout your business life and as you go along you will have to learn more about what your business requires and hot to handle all the issues related to it.

Still debating which career path you would like to pursue? Through ACT (Advanced Career Training), prospective students can select from any one of six versatile career-training programs including medical assisting, dental assisting, medical billing and insurance coding, business office administration, computer systems technology, or massage therapy. Campuses are conveniently located in both Georgia and Florida, and ACT boasts seven National affiliate campuses throughout California. In addition, ACT is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET), and has been providing students with in-demand career programs since 1975.

One of its many diverse educational programs, the Medical Assistant program at ACT, includes quality training in emergency medical procedures, CPR and first aid, injections, medical healthcare duties, venipuncture, medical billing and collections, and even minor surgical techniques. The eight-month Medical Assistant Certificate Program enables graduates to earn entry-level positions as medical assistants, medical office managers, and more.

Like bodywork? The nine-month Massage Therapy Certificate Program in massage therapy at ACT provides essential hands-on training and education to candidates pursuing a career as a professional massage therapist. In addition to anatomy, physiology and medical terminology, students are taught a diverse assortment of massage therapy modalities including deep tissue massage, Shiatsu, Swedish massage, sports massage, chair massage, reflexology, therapeutic massage, face and scalp massage, as well as other non-traditional massage therapies.

Another fine academic program at Advanced Career Training is its eight-month Certificate Program in Medical Billing and Insurance Coding. As a fast-growing occupation in the medical industry, ACT promises to deliver comprehensive field skills to those pursuing professions as medical records’ clerks, medical insurance coders and billers, and medical coding specialists, among other related positions. In this course of study, students are introduced to a wide array of necessary skills like word processing, file and records management, medical terminology, code medical procedures and diagnoses, medical coding and billing, insurance claims forms, among others.

In addition to career services (including personal portfolio development, transportation resources, interviewing techniques, and more), should prospective students require financial assistance, Advanced Career Training participates in numerous financial aid programs as well. Whether you’ve recently graduated from high school, or you’re an adult learner ready to make a positive career change in your life, now is the time to explore the many career-oriented courses at ACT today.

Featured School of the Week: ACT (Advanced Career Training)

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Are you dismayed with the way your career is shaping up? More accurately, has it something to do with the lack of direction in your career management?

If that be the case, you are in need of a thorough overhaul of your career planning. You want to explore career job opportunities in areas totally different from what you are engaged in right now. While this is not impossible to achieve, one must remember that all career fields are not the same.

Often they require a completely different set of attributes and mind sets. For example, your expertise in legal security doesn’t necessarily qualify you to be a successful nurse or paramedic. This is something you need to remember before you opt for a radical career transition.

Now since all career fields are different, it is important that you do not suffer from any pre-conceived notions regarding your abilities. Feel-good assumptions having no basis in reality are the worst enemy of your career development goals.

Before seriously deciding on a career change, you need to step back a little, get a perspective on your career planning, and do some thorough research on the career fields that interest you. These may be anything from teaching, medicine, law, retail, to automobiles. The research should cover aspects like current and projected job prospects, average pay, requirements in terms of skill sets and so on. All the related career information that you may need can be obtained either online or at the local library.

Once you have zeroed in on a few career fields that you would be interested in, you may start searching for job openings. Don’t apply for those jobs just yet. Instead, it is advisable to examine these options with respect to the criteria mentioned above.

One of the primary concerns will be your earning prospects. You need to check if the salary and benefits offered in those positions are enough to carry out your financial obligations. Some circumstances like job satisfaction, additional benefits and prospects of career advancement may allow you to take a pay cut; but the onus of making the final decision rests with you.

Another such criterion in your quest for career development is the specific job requirements. You will want to examine some of the job openings in the light of required education, training, skills, aptitude, previous work experience, and the like. What is nice about this part of the research is that data in this regard is easy to come by.

You will find that most job listings, both in print and in online recruitment portals, usually outline all the requirements for the job. You will easily get a good idea as to whether or not you have got what it takes to qualify for your career dream find. If you find any divergence between your ambitions of career transition and the requirements of achieving them, you may want to invest in a few career training courses to help upgrade your expertise and experience.

Continuing with career training, you could access various kinds of courses, all designed to help you prepare for your career dream find. For example, if you want to become a successful accountant, you will have to learn how to keep books of accounts, prepare balance sheets and cash flow statements, maintain records of transactions; prepare tax returns, and so on. Needless to say, the period of training required will depend on the direction in which your career planning goals take you.

If you decide on attending career training courses to improve your chances of making a successful career transition, you will need to look for the career coaching option that will suit your requirements. Many career training courses are advertised in local newspapers. You could visit the local colleges and vocational centers to see what courses they offer.

You may also opt for online career training. These courses will cost you money, but it will invariably be worth it in the end. Hopefully the outcome of the whole exercise will be a foothold into a new career field and a stepping stone to career advancement and job satisfaction.

You’ve been invited in for an interview for a job that looks to be just right for you. You are confident that your qualifications are a good fit for the requirements of the job.

Now, it’s up to you to conduct a winning face-to-face interviews with those persons who will make the final hiring decision. It’s time to sell the total package that is you and the benefits you can deliver. In other words, it’s time to close the deal. Will you make the sale? It’s not likely if you commit one or more of the most flagrant errors of omission or commission. Here are 14 such bombs that can sabotage your interview, along with advice on how to avoid them.

1. Be over confident. Assume the interviews are just a formality on your way to a job offer.

2. Fail to gather information about the potential employer before the interview such as mission of the organization; type of business; where the job you are interviewing for fits in the hierarchy and culture of the organization.

Having this information in hand enables you to demonstrate your interest and to tailor your presentation to fit the requirements of the position.

3. Fail to lay out a map for the case you want to communicate; include the points you mean to make and the questions you will ask.

Know the impression you want to leave with the interviewers. Identify at least three points you mean to communicate as well as a brief summary. Rehearse, rehearse, preferably with some one who can and will critique your presentation.

4. Be late for the interview.

There is no surer way to show a lack of respect and interest than to arrive late for an interview.

5. Fail to pay attention to your physical presentation from the moment you enter the premises of the potential employer until you are well away from all contact.

Remember, you are selling a total package.

Strive to make a favorable impression on everyone you meet from receptionist to the final interviewer. Adhere to the code of dress. Unless you know for certain that the environment is casual dress in business attire. In any case, be well groomed.) Walk briskly, heads up, shoulders back. Don’t slouch when seated. Avoid the dead-fish handshake. Speak distinctly. Keep in mind that everyone you encounter is important to your mission. Be courteous to one and all.

6. Fail to concentrate on the interviewer and the give and take of the discussion.

Maintain eye contact; avoid gazing out the window or admiring the artwork on the wall. Unless forced by the interviewer, avoid chitchatting about the weather and the score of last night’s big game.

7. Ask about work hours, time off and other benefits before an offer is in hand.

8. Fail to treat the interview as a two-way communication process. Sit out the interview like a knot on a log. Let the interview become a monologue conducted by the interviewer.

Asking well-informed questions demonstrates you are interested in the opportunity and shows off your qualifications, as well as personality. In addition, they develop information you need to evaluate how the opportunity serves your career goals.

9. Waste valuable time bad criticizing your former employer (s) and people you have worked with.

10. Lie about your qualifications.

11. Let your guard down when it appears the interview is over.

A canny interviewer may act as if the interview has ended, then blindside you with questions in order to see how you react to the unexpected. What appears to be an off-the-cuff comment or question could be among the most vital parts of the interview.

If you are invited to a meal, keep in mind that you are still being interviewed. Mind your manners. Avoid alcohol. If the interviewer insists, limit yourself to one glass of wine. Don’t order food that can be difficult to eat without making a mess.

12. Overstay your welcome.

Once the interviewer has signaled that it is time for you to go–even though you are anxious to keeping selling–wrap up the discussion and leave in short order.

13. Fail to make it absolutely clear that you want the job.

14. Fail to express appreciation for the opportunity to interview; thank everyone with whom you had contact during the interviewing process.

Here’s the core message to this career advice: To conduct a successful interview present yourself as a product to be sold. Mind your total packaging (i.e. dress). Identify the benefits you can deliver.

Most of us remember a day in our teens when our high school guidance counselor called us in for career counseling. She scrutinized and evaluated us, gave us tests with cryptic questions, and in the end proclaimed with some certainty that our career destiny was to become a fireman–or a stonemason, or a math teacher, or something equally mysterious. As baffling as this process was, if you’re the parent to teenagers, you probably find yourself wishing you could give them such definite career advice.

With so many career options in the modern workplace, it can be difficult for parents and teens to narrow down the choices. The good news is, those career tests your guidance counselor gave you have come a long way. Today’s career assessments provide an accurate, sophisticated, and time-effective way to help your child discover their career aptitude. Tests of your child’s personality, preferences, talents, and interests provide you and your teen with essential information as you make choices for college and beyond.

Do you know whether your child is a structured traditionalist, or a sensitive artist? Do they do their best work in solitude or on teams? One of the most widely used career assessments for teens, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®), assesses your child’s personality type on four scales: Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. Based on these measures, the test results provide information on careers, industries, and work environments that are good choices for your child’s personality type. Knowing your child’s personality type is crucial to choosing a career path that will motivate, challenge, and satisfy them.

Extensive research has been done using the MBTI to correlate personality type with career success, so that once your child knows their type, they can benefit from the career experience of thousands of similar types. The test results will help them to understand the key factors for their job satisfaction, crucial stressors to avoid when choosing a career, and some common pitfalls they may encounter as they start on their career path. Although your child’s interests may change over time, their personality type will remain constant, and preparing your child with an awareness of their personality type will benefit them for the rest of their life.

To discover the best career for your child, it is also important to understand how their interests, hobbies, and favorite activities can inform their career choice. The Strong Interest Inventory®, a well-researched and widely used career test, assesses your teen’s interest level in six major career categories: Conventional, Investigative, Realistic, Artistic, Enterprising, and Social. Then, it matches your teen’s test scores with the interest profiles of successful professionals to rate the careers that are the best match for them. The Strong Interest Inventory results can help your child to understand the day-to-day tasks that certain jobs require, and how their interests match up with possible careers.

Both the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers Briggs Type Indicator can be taken with the assistance of a qualified career counselor. You may choose to visit a counselor in your area, or you can have your teen take these tests online. If you feel your teen may need ongoing coaching, it may be best to visit a counselor in person. However, many families find that it is most convenient to access these career tests for kids online.

However you decide to take the tests, you can ensure you get the most out of the assessment by reviewing and verifying the results with a qualified counselor or coach. Both the MBTI and the Strong are designed to be interpreted and explained by a professional with training in the use of the assessments. Your counselor or coach will help you to make sense of the results and apply them to your teen’s individual situation, and will assist you in planning the next steps for your child’s career exploration.

The sheer variety of career options today is astounding. Your teen has a dazzling, and sometimes overwhelming, array of choices. With so many options, teens and parents will benefit from using the excellent personality and career tests that have been developed to help students choose a rewarding career. Not only can these assessments provide much-needed direction, but they can help steer your child towards a career that will challenge and satisfy them for many years to come.

©2007 by Molly Owens