Backpack 2 Briefcase

For those of our readers who are currently preparing for “the real world”, you may want to look around campus for flashy flyers about interesting Career Development events.  These events are going to be all through the month of February.  On Tuesdays and Fridays from 12-2, student workers will be outside of the cafeteria to assist you with any resume questions or concerns.  On Wednesdays, the Career Development office will be holding events that will help you have a better future.  These event are dinners that focus on table etiquette, resume help, interviewing tips, and meeting with alums to get a better understanding of transitioning.

I think it’d be wise if you cleared your schedule (or found time in that busy schedule) to stop by an event and get some help!  You don’t have to be a senior to take part – you can be a freshman who wants to get a head start!  These events will only help you!

If you have ANY questions regarding the events, email ReichenbachA@chc.edu or NDachill@chc.edu…OR just come on up to the Career Development Office in St. Joseph’s Hall – 3rd Floor (next to Student Activities).

Ten Hottest Careers in 2011

 

 

2011 is going to be a big year for those interested in medical-type careers.  Many people are interested, but the demand is always high.

Below are the careers that are most popular in the United States in the year 2011.

Network Systems Analysts: The development of IT has led to an increase in organizations seeking installation and maintenance of networked communications. Systems analysts solve problems related to networked computer technology.

Physician’s Assistant: Physician assistants are trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative healthcare services, as overseen by a physician. Primary healthcare settings include family medicine and pediatrics.

Medical Assistants: The growing healthcare sector means more administrative and clinical tasks need to be performed. Other medical assistants can help with clinical tasks. Typically, work takes place in the offices of physicians, chiropractors, podiatrists, ophthalmologists and other health practitioners.

Medical Records and Health Information Technicians: Case and healthcare records are increasingly used for organizational management and ongoing evaluation of healthcare progress. Records might include patient medical history, symptoms, treatments, tests, outcomes, etc. Medical tests and information management are major growth areas.

Software Engineers: As IT continues to evolve, so does the work of computer software engineers, who design and develop new computer software systems. The engineer analyses users’ needs and designs software or programs to meet these needs.

Physical Therapist Aides: The number of individuals with disabilities or limited physical function is growing, so the number of assistants who provide services to alleviate the difficulties is set to increase.

Fitness Trainers: Aerobics instructors and fitness trainers lead groups and individuals in a range of exercise activities. More people are spending time and money on their leisure activities, meaning employment opportunities for fitness instructors will grow.

Database Administrators: Many organizations now depend on the instant availability of data. Database administrators work with the relevant software to retrieve and present data. They need to understand every aspect of an organization’s database system, from its performance to security and the platform it runs on.

Veterinary Technicians: Expectations for leading edge veterinary care are rising as healthcare in general progresses. Veterinary technicians perform tests, and treat and diagnose medical conditions in animals. Work can take place in domestic pet surgeries, livestock management, wildlife medicine, or pharmaceutical sales or biomedical research.

Dental Hygienists: As our healthcare involves an increasing emphasis on oral health and retention of natural teeth, work opportunities for dental hygienists are set to grow. Hygienists examine patients’ gums and teeth, remove deposits, administer x-rays, and more.

Did you ever think that the media can help you decide what you want to do in life?  Ever watched “Grey’s Anatomy” and then thought, “Wow, I’d like to go to Medical school!”?  Since many of the above careers are displayed on television, they’ve clearly become more popular to those of the younger generations.

Are any of these careers something that you are interested in?  If so, you’ve definitely got some competition!

-Jessica

Career Development SMA

All information was retrieved from http://www.alec.co.uk/free-career-assessment/top-10-most-popular-careers.htm

The Hottest Job Markets in the Nation

With the job market showing signs of improving in the upcoming year.  the nation’s leading job matching engine (Monster.com) has come out with a list of the nation’s hottest job markets. The demand for workers  seems to primarily be in the health care and and information technology fields. In the IT field, jobs such as computer software engineers,  computer support specialists, computer/ information scientists, researchers, database administrators, and project managers. In the health care field, the most in demand jobs appear to be for nursing aides, attendants/orderlies, occupational therapist assistants, dental assistants, home health, and pharmacy aides.  A few of the cities show a growing demand for those in retail. With that in mind, the top job markets for 2011 are:

10.  Kansas City,  MS

9.  Dallas, TX

8. Tampa, FL

7. Cleveland, OH

6. Minneapolis, MN

5. Seattle, WA

4. Baltimore, MD

3. Boston, MA

2. San Francisco, CA

1. Washington, DC

 

The information above is taken from The Epoch Times.

Illegal Questions During an Interview and How to Handle Them

Last time, we looked at and prepared you for the questions that you should expect during an interview. However, we feel that it is important to mention that there might be a situation where an interviewer might ask a question that is insensitive and may even be deemed as illegal. Though, employers are repeatedly asked not to ask certain questions, it still doesn’t discourage some from stepping across the line or asking the question in a more subtle fashion. Before looking at how to handle yourself in such a predicament, you should first be familiar with what type of questions maybe deemed as illegal. 

If an employer asks you a question regarding your race, ethnicity, religious persuasion, sexual orientation, disabilities marital status, age, or family intentions, they can be considered discriminatory. The question might be something as harmless as “Where were you born?” or “When you were born”. At first glance, the questions seem innocuous enough but answering either one of those questions reveals information that you do not have to reveal. Moreover, employers have no right to ask you such a question since they could lead to discrimination.

Illegal questions don’t just pertain to your personal life; they could be about your family. If an employer asks you about your family, if you have kids, or whether you plan on having any, they are out of line. In fact, if they even ask about your living situation (i.e. who you live with) the question is illegal.

Though they maybe your future employers, they have no right what so ever to ask you those kind of questions. Another set of questions that you have to look out for are questions relating to gender roles in the workplace. Under no circumstances can an employer ask you questions such as “This has typically been a job for a male/female….Do you think you can handle it?” Other questions relating to gender roles can be “do you think you can supervise a male/female?’ Once again, the questions are illegal and you do not have to answer them.

By now, what constitutes as an illegal question should have become clear, so the question is how you handle yourself in such a situation. Our advice is to keep your cool, and be careful when you answer. Don’t come off as confrontational because a potential employer may see that as you not handling yourself well in a stressful situation. If possible, try to use humor to diffuse the situation. For instance, say that you have never been asked a question like that before which allows the employer to realize his or her mistake.

Now that you know what the criteria for an illegal question are, and how to handle yourself in such a situation, we hope that you can come away from an awkward situation with flying colors.

A Career in Admissions!

 

 

Ever thought about working as an Admissions Director in an institution?  Here’s some important information about the career.

Most admissions representatives are required to have the same skills as an administrative professional, with attention to detail, some work experience, ability to work independently and with a team, good interpersonal skills, etc.

What does an Admissions Representative do?

The focus of the admissions department is to recruit, evaluate and admit students into an institution.  An admissions representative’s day may look like many other administrative jobs, with working at a desk, possible time working at a front desk or help desk, working with forms and files, and attending trainings and meetings. Admissions representatives, however, must be fully versed on the inner workings as well as formal policies of an institution as it is their job to help parents and students what can sometimes be a large bureaucracy. They are also often required to understand financial aid issues as financial aid is commonly one of the largest issues that factor into whether or not a student can attend an institution. Admissions representatives differ from registrars and staff of a dean’s office as they are specifically focused on what it takes for a person to become a student of their institution vs. handling other technical academic matters.

What skills are needed?

Admissions representatives must be highly skilled with computers, technology, etc.  They must also work well with people and have a full understanding of the importance of the employees around them.

There is a not a specific pay that admissions representatives should expect because the different salaries depend on the institution.

Where are good places to look for an admission job?

Top cities for admissions representatives and other postsecondary administrative jobs are areas where there are high concentrations of universities and colleges. For example, New Haven, CT, is the home of Yale and near to a state university. New Haven has the highest concentration of these jobs in any one city. San Luis Obispo, CA (California Polytechnic State University); Charlottesville, VA (University of Virginia); Chico, California (California State University, Chico); Ithaca, NY (Cornell University) are also top cities with a lot of jobs in this area. As far as states go, California, of course, has the highest numbers of these jobs. So, obviously it is easier to find an admissions job in areas with a lot of institutions of higher education are located.

So, if you’re interested in an Admissions position, I hope I helped clarify a few facts about the career.

Until next time,

Jessica

Career Development SMA

All of my information was taken from http://www.mypursuit.com/careers-41-4012.00/Admissions_Representative.html#salary

A Career in Special Education!

Children with a variety of disabilities are taught by special education teachers.  Not many special education teachers instruct basic literacy and life skills to students with mental retardation or autism.  Most students in special education have mild to moderate disabilities and their teachers modify the curriculum to meet the individual needs of their students.  Some teachers work with pre-school children such as infants and toddlers, but the majority of special education teachers work with students at elementary, middle, and secondary school levels.

Special education teachers spend time communicating with school administrators, occupational and physical therapists, school psychologists, social workers, and parents. They may also communicate with other teachers, especially their students’ general education teachers, with whom they may work with in the same classroom as schools aim to become more inclusive (mixing special needs students with those who are not).

In order to teach special education, you must have a license for the state you wish to teach in.  A Master’s degree may be required in a particular state as well.  Technology is proving to play an important role in the developments of special education. Teachers are helping children learn through the use of equipment such as audiotapes, interactive educational software programs, and computers with synthesized speech.  Therefore, you must be willing to work with technology and to want to further your knowledge every day.