Welcome to MyPath : All Content - All Communities

2nd Quarter Hiring Shows Signs of Optimism for Most—See what industries and geographies are looking the best

noreply@MyPath.com — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:37:20 GMT

Stable is good right now. Most employers are adopting a wait-and-see approach to hiring because they are still uncertain about where their demand is. They won't start hiring permanently again until they are sure there is sustainable demand. Meantime they are taking on temporary workers. Temporary hiring is on the increase, which is a classic precursor to permanent hiring at the end of a recession. It's a long road, but it's fair to be optimistic in my opinion.

Weekend - lie in or leap out of bed?

noreply@MyPath.com — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:01:49 GMT

Nope, get up late - around 10ish, then work your *** off, pulling an allnighter until around noon tomorrow. Then take a 5 hour nap, eat dinner, and go have fun Fri. night. That way, you get 3 full work days between today and tomorrow, and get a full weekend in too. Need a sex life? Leave that for the weekend.

The No-Stress Zone: How to Keep Your Cool As You Build Your Career

noreply@MyPath.com — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:44:05 GMT

Today I spoke with Jordan Friedman, a nationally recognized stress management expert and creator of www.dotcalm.me.

Don't miss this great opportunity to learn how to keep calm and stay healthy, even during the stresses of college, job hunting and building a successful career. Jordan answers many important questions, such as:

What is stress anyway?
Isn’t some stress good?
Are today’s college students more stressed than students in the past?
What’s the best ways to reduce stress, short-term and longer term?

Take a few deep breaths and listen to the podcast now!

Managing a Project

noreply@MyPath.com — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:05:17 GMT

Albert Einstein said, 'The bitter and the sweet come from the outside, the hard from within, from one's own efforts.' Are you a person who can drive a project on the outside, and hold yourself responsible from within? Can you be the force, the influence, and the point person who holds the keys to ultimate success? That's what it takes manage a successful project.

The factors of a successful project almost always end up depending on how much money and time is needed to create a product worthy of the customer. The online course Managing a Project will help you manage the constraints of time, money, and schedules, and how they relate to the overall quality of your project and product.

This course is targeted toward a diverse range of managers and staff members who wish to acquire the necessary skills to successfully manage small- to medium-sized projects. The expected duration is 2.5 hours.

Lesson Objectives Include:

Managing Project Quality

Project Management Applications

Managing Project Activities

Maintaining Control of a Project

Managing Project Risks

Would you like to learn more ways to improve your project management skills? Check out the online course Managing a Project found in the MyPath Knowledge Centerlibrary. This library of self-paced, online courses is available to all MyPath members for 30 days- with no additional commitment.

Are you ready find more time in your day? Visit the MyPath Knowledge Centerand start your free trial today!

Could you work from anywhere?

noreply@MyPath.com — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:12:00 GMT

When you work the majority of your days outside of the office, I think it can be difficult to maintain the same level of communication you and your boss would normally have in a more traditional, in-person setting. In my particular case, she is based in a different country so our face-to-face time is a bit limited. Here are a few of the things we put in place to ensure an effective working relationship:

· We use Smartphones to stay in touch. Even if we aren't responding to email right away, we can be sure that the other person sees the communication almost immediately and is therefore aware of what is going on at all times of the day (but we respect each other’s need to sleep, etc).

· We have weekly 1-on-1 meetings where we talk about everything that took place during the week, formulate strategies for the upcoming week and set both short and long-term objectives as needed.

· We use Skype to have face-to-face conversations via webcam when possible. We have found that it is far more effective and a much better overall experience to meet face-to-face via videoconference as opposed to just voice via phone and text via email.

· She manages me by outcome as opposed to looking over my shoulder. She sets both long and short term goals that allow me to balance my workload as I see fit. This positions me to work on a greater number of diverse projects simultaneously and to channel my creative energy to any of the projects that I’m working on as inspiration hits (which can happen during dinner, at 2AM or during a workout).

I think that the foundations of any successful working relationship, virtual or in-person, are trust and communication. If a manager is constantly suspicious that a employee is abusing the privilege of working virtually, it won’t work out. Similarly, if the employee feels as if there is a lack of structure in their role or if they feel their productivity has suffered as a result of the environment change, it won’t work out. In my opinion, working virtually requires strong self-discipline; if you can’t hold yourself to a high-standard of work without someone keeping an eye on you, virtual working may not be right for you. If you can manage your own workload effectively, can work autonomously and possess a solid work-ethic, virtual working may be something to bring up with your boss during your next 1-on-1.

Do you work virtually? If yes, what percentage of the time? If not…..could you?

Re-Careering? Check What's Up At Your Local Community College

noreply@MyPath.com — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:57:28 GMT

The job recession of 2008 – 09 has provided a remarkable boost in enrollment in the community college system across the nation. Community college enrollment among the young folks leapt by some 300,000 last year - roughly one out of every eight 18 – 24 year olds was enrolled in a community college last year, while 4-year school enrollment was essentially flat.

And the 18-24 year olds aren’t in class by themselves: Middle-aged (and older) laid off career changers are on campus too, using those precious severance and savings dollars to retrain for growing / higher – paying positions.

For those giving consideration to this path, interesting and useful data comes from the 4th edition of The 200 Best Jobs for College Graduates. The authors employ a clever way of assimilating tons of information gathered from an array of sources, including the Census Bureau, the US Department of Labor, and others to gather and weigh information. When they have completed their computations, jobs that are predicted to generate the largest number of openings through 2016, pay the most money, and grown the most rapidly are listed. It’s a complicated formula, but the lists and descriptions aren’t. Here’s a sampling.

Registered Nurses
Dental Hygienists
Software Engineers and Testers
Paralegals
Veterinary Technologists
Physical Therapy Assistants
Radiation Therapist Technologists
Radiologic Technicians
Cardiovascular Technicians
Environmental Science Technicians
Occupational Therapist Assistants
Respiratory Therapists
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
Computer Support Specialists
Medical Record Technicians
Interior Designers
Legal Secretaries
Nuclear Medicine Technologists

If interested, get down to the local community college and see what’s up – you won’t be alone.

Own It! Take Ownership of Your Job

noreply@MyPath.com — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:40:46 GMT

This seminar shares the wisdom and experiences of supervisors and frontline personnel who have greatly enhanced their work experience by taking ownership of their jobs.
Back to Article

Hit Me with Your Best Shot Question 21: Don't you think you're overqualified for this job?

noreply@MyPath.com — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:12:14 GMT

I don't know if this specific question comes up very often during interviews, but many people who are looking to change industries or who are actually quite willing to take a step back face the challenge of appearing over qualified. Employers don't want to hire someone who will leave as soon as the economy picks up or who will feel frustrated or demeaned in a lower-level position than they are used to. At the same time, sometimes you need to take a step back to head in a different direction. How can you get past employer prejudice and show them what an asset you could be? There was a great article in The Wall Street Journal on this topic, "Tips to Land A Job Even If You Are Over Qualified." Reworking your resume, having the right enthusiasm and keeping a lid on frustration are just a few tips towards getting past the over-qualification hurdle.

Joining The Team For Good: Making the Jump from Temp to Perm

noreply@MyPath.com — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:06:59 GMT

A recent USA Today article (More Temp Workers Are Becoming Permanent) reports that temporary jobs are up by 284,000 since September. This seems to be a positive sign, but Jonas Prising, Manpower President of the Americas, cautions that it's still nowhere near a normal job market, where one of three temp workers would become full time employees. The recession saw that ratio dip far beneath 10%.

In the old days - say over 10 years ago - temp-to-perm was almost a given at the company I was in. Given that you were a match with the job and company, you did your three months through a staffing agency and then were given an offer letter for a permanent position.

The part where you ensure you're a match with the company hasn't changed, but it's even more important now to build trust and recognition from your side. In an employer's market such as this, you need to make sure that you - and your skills - are known.

Leadership, Authenticity and Likeability

noreply@MyPath.com — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:34:56 GMT

Learn the keys to raising your likeability factor and increasing management effectiveness, the measurable aspects of likeability, and how to lead and manage with authenticity and improve relationships.
Back to Article