Archive for the ‘Career Planning’ Category

Teach English in Spain – reasons on why you should pull off a Vicky Christina Barcelona

Saturday, November 26th, 2011

In the Woody Allen romance comedy, Vicky Christina Barcelona, the two titular characters spend a summer of art, culture and winding love in Barcelona. Vicky and Christina, in their topsy-turvy stay in Spain, discovered how flavorful Spanish food is, how colorful and vibrant Spanish artists are, how mesmerizing Spanish guitars are, and how passionate Spanish lovers can be. Now, isn’t that just wonderful?

Of course, we can’t all be in a Hollywood movie, or expect movie plotlines to actually happen in our lives. But you can do the next best thing – teach English in Spain.

Teaching English in Spain can be not only a very profitable career, but also a very passionate, culturally-rewarding one as well. Imagine teaching English to beautiful and handsome flamenco dancers, or having a matador as a student. It’s an exciting job, especially since the Spanish are known for the very welcome and friendly personalities.

Satisfying yourself on Spain’s cultural offerings can also help you bridge your English teaching. Using Spanish food as examples is not only easy to grasp, but can be gastronomical as well. Better yet, there are English translations of the best and well loved Spanish stories, to let you and your students learn from each other.

Spanish architecture, especially churches, help on building a link between the English and Spanish languages. A visit to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and if applicable, attending Spanish and English Masses, can bring about a sense of familiarity.

By now, you would have noticed that teaching English in Spain is just like having a long, drawn-out version of Vicky and Christina’s vacation. It’s like being a tourist lost in wondrous, amazing Spain. Except, you’re doing something beneficial.

Beneficial, not just for you, but for the Spanish students themselves. Helping them learn English can help them contribute on Spain being a top-player in the world market. With English being a primary business mode of communication, knowledge of this language can help the Spanish on letting their work force grow, spreading their culture even further out, or just simply, saying what they really want to say.

So, you may want to consider pulling a Vicky Christina Barcelona stint in warm and sunny Spain. Not just for the food, art, culture, music and people, but also for helping them speak out and break down the communication barrier in the international market. Try searching online for teaching English in Spain today!

Posted in Career Planning, Student Advice | No Comments »

Free Jobs – Doing Volunteer Work for Hands On Manila

Sunday, November 6th, 2011

Getting a job, most often than not, is primarily a way for people to earn money. This is the reason why people go to school and study hard – in order to land a high-paying job in the future after graduation. However, there are certain jobs that really have no resources whatsoever to help you in earning money. These places just really need your genuine help – your skills and talents, in order for them to be able to reach their goals. These jobs are the volunteer works that you can do at the non-governmental institutions built in order to make the Philippine society a better place.

One of the avenues in which you can share your skill, talent, time, and effort is Hands On Manila. Hands On Manila has been established in 2011, precisely to have an innovative and alternative model of volunteer service. What makes this even more effective is that the different volunteer programs that Hands On Manila has are very flexible, depending on the kind of work or school schedule that you have.

Hands On Manila is a non-profit, non-governmental institution which aims to improve the different parts of our community in the Philippines. The mission of Hands On Manila is to mobilize people in order to address the serious educational, environmental, and educational needs within the Metro Manila area and some provinces through volunteer work. Hands On Manila truly believes in the power of volunteer action capable of creating change in society. Therefore, HOM is very much dedicated to empowering individuals willing to offer their time and effort in creating change in the Philippine community.

The volunteer programs of Hands on Manila has been the driving force of this institution, that makes it possible for them to truly be a significant factor for change in the Philippine society. Orientations for interested volunteers are usually given every last Thursday of the month. There is no registration or sign-ups needed for the orientations, In fact, walk-ins are very much welcomed. Over the years, HOM has had over 5,000 volunteers and 75 partner organizations in achieving their goals. There are even Corporate Employee Volunteer Programs for companies as part of a company’s corporate social responsibility projects.

You might say that doing these types of volunteer work will do nothing for you. As a matter of fact however, these kinds of work can give you a sense of fulfillment that high-paying jobs can never provide you – such as the gift of generosity and a sense of achievement and satisfaction. It will provide you with such rich and meaningful experiences, that no money can ever pay or compensate you.

Posted in Blog, Career Planning | No Comments »

Why an MBA degree can make a difference

Saturday, October 29th, 2011

Do you want to know of a decision that can actually make you and your loved one’s lives a whole lot better? Simple. Earn an MBA degree. By having an MBA degree, not only will you have a label or credential to be proud of, you’ll also have new and better opportunities to land into. So what else can you get out from an MBA degree? Let’s know some of the details on why an MBA degree can actually make a difference:

Managerial Skills
An MBA degree hones and shapes your managerial skills. This is done so by studying textbook and practical business application in your course. These skills help provide the essentials for dealing with real-life scenarios pertaining to management, and as well resolution of these problems. MBA degree holders get to actually experience and grasp core responsibilities in running a certain business. Seeing that an MBA degree holder manages and juggles a lot of responsibilities, it comes at no surprise that these students are often invited to higher management level jobs.

Develop Business-Smarts
MBA degree holders can learn to develop out-of-the-box strategies by looking at the job, not from inside out. This essentially gives them an edge over students from non-business courses and backgrounds. With practical knowledge in business administration and combination with the MBA degree holder’s previous course, management can be handled more efficiently. Also, the learning never stops for an MBA degree holder. Even after MBA completion, the student can continue his or her doctorate in any other discipline.

Recession Proof Degree/Job Security
Companies consider MBA degree holders as major investments. It’s mainly because of the amount of experience and learnings the MBA degree holder has. As such, companies would more likely keep individuals of this level, assuring MBA degree holders of a secure, long-term job with his or her chosen company to work with.

Networking
Since earning an MBA degree program deals with the experts of the business field, immersion in this program will open more and better doors of career opportunity. If you’re lucky, you may even get hired on the spot by some of the best CEO teachers. Also, studying for an MBA degree program will also help you an effective work network, assuring you that you’ll never run out of work options.

Starting your Business
Most importantly, earning an MBA degree allows or teaches you to be business-savvy. MBA programs equip with you the tools and proper mindset on starting your own business. This in itself is one of the best factors on why most consider taking up this type of investment – you get to be your own boss.

Earning an MBA degree is an investment worth taking. It’ll help you know the ins and outs of a business. It’ll not only help you work for the best companies, it’ll also give you the skills to start your own. Check your preferred university today to get up-to-date with the latest MBA course offerings!

Posted in Blog, Career Planning | 1 Comment »

Career Opportunities for Computer Science Graduates

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Career opportunities for graduates of Computer Science and other related courses in IT are prevalent the last few years because of the fast advancement of technology. There are BPO companies everywhere, high-paying jobs in the IT industry, and a lot of perks that go along with it. So if you are just entering college and are wondering what course you could consider and would make a profitable career out of, taking a look at these different career opportunities for Computer Science graduates might be able to make up your mind.

Research Analysts. A lot of government organizations are powered and driven by research efforts, not to mention a large number of companies today. While it’s not a primary career path of Computer Science graduates, this is also an industry they could consider.

Software Developers. Software development might be a more familiar term for this career path, but nowadays, it takes a lot more to develop a software for you to really get ahead of everyone else. And while a degree in Computer Science is enough requirement by some software companies, you will want to learn additional skills to if you want to be in demand among the multinational software companies, and other industries like government institutions, health care, banking, and so on.

Computer Communications Specialists. The industry is always evolving and developing that’s why it’s very important to have individuals who understand how the system works and would be able to come up with new innovative solutions to business transactions.

System and Security Administrators. For majority of businesses today, whether big or small, their operations revolve a lot around their networks of computers. And with the web of networks there are in a particular business comes the need to constantly monitor the system security and make sure that all systems and networks are working properly.

While these career opportunities have specific technical skills required of students, there are still other career opportunities out there that Computer Science graduates could take on. As a matter of fact, because their industry is constantly evolving and developing, one could expect to be able to penetrate more industries in the near future.

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Here are other articles to help you out in starting your career:

1. Pros and Cons of Working for a Large Company
2. 4 Steps to Planning Your Career Successfully
3. January 2011 Job Fairs in the Philippines

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Posted in Career Planning, Job Fairs | No Comments »

Achieve Your Career Goals with a Career Coach – Your Path to a New Playing Field in Your Career

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

Do you want to invest in your current job and achieve greater heights time after time? Are you looking for a good option to take your career goals further? If you’re in a supervisory position and would later be inducted into a much bigger responsibility one day then you’d better review your abilities and skills to upgrade your career goals, one catalyst that can help you attain that is by getting a career coach. The landscape of work is changing drastically over the past decades and what better option is there than to grow in a company where you’ve started and then achieve a position not just with a top salary but also with increased skills because of added responsibilities and duties.

Do you want the push for your current career? If you have that kind of drive then better have a career coach to guide you along the way, it’s like a personal trainer but more focused in you and your careers development.

An individual focused on fast tracking his or her career goals can utilize the skills of a career coach; this will ensure effective empowerment and having a workable strategy in rising up the ladder, gearing up to be one of the area managers one day? Do you want to channel your aspirations into a channel of knowledge for your career? A career coach will show you the ropes and understand your drive in the long run! Just keep in mind to have a sound budget and get the right person for the job. You can take a look at reputable firms most especially from academic institutions tailored for business or management; you’d also like to take a look at that career coach’s track record so that you’re insured in having quality advice and guidance. Now you’ll be able to level the playing field and path your career to success!

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Posted in Career Planning, Coping with Stress, Job Application Tips, Job Fairs | No Comments »

Top 4 Reasons Why You Should Attend the OJT Careers Seminar

Monday, October 4th, 2010

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Everyone goes through the job hunting process like an awful initiation rite—scared, no idea of what’s going to happen despite warnings, but ready for whatever will happen. But contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to step out into the real world blindly. There are a lot of help these days that you could incorporate in your job hunting so that you won’t come out of it with only more questions than answers.

While fresh graduates today are becoming bolder when it comes to job hunting, there are still people who don’t know what to do during a gruesome written test, or don’t know how to answer an uncomfortable question. For everyone—because you can never get too much help when it comes to job hunting in the Philippines—here are 4 reasons why you should definitely attend the OJT Careers seminar, aside of course from the fact that the speakers are awesome.

# 4 New Perspective

Yes, there have been career seminars before, and as a fresh grad you have most likely been subjected to a day of mandatory attendance to one of the workshops organized by the school. But let’s face it, you didn’t really pay attention to that seminar after you signed your name on the attendance sheet, did you?

Forget boring seminars where you keep hearing the old stuff. There’s a reason that they’re called old in this new age. Trends keep changing, employers’ standards change. That’s why you should keep up with the demands of today’s industries. And that’s exactly what you’re going to get from attending the OJT Careers seminar. Fresh perspective from people who have insider information from both employers and applicants—first-hand!

# 3 In depth Discussion

It’s time that you get the exact help that you need from the people who know what they’re talking about. It’s about time you get to participate in the discussion—ask questions that’s on your mind and get the answers from the employers themselves.

Also, learn about job interview secrets that have baffled other applicants before; discover what makes job interviews scary and nerve-racking and how you could overcome both.

# 2 Lots of Interaction

A seminar should not be one-way. The success of any seminar/class/workshop does not depend solely on the ones conducting it but on the audience as well. The OJT Careers seminar greatly promotes interaction among everyone to keep the discussion always interesting.

Forget the usual mindset that you usually have when attending seminars where all you do is sit there for hours and listen to people talking. Get ready for a fun, interactive, and awesome talks and forums given by speakers who are considered to be the best in their fields.

# 1 Free

Did we mention that this seminar is for free? All you have to do is send us an email to ojtcareer@gmail.com to state your interest with the seminar, mention us on Twitter using our id @ojtcareers telling is you’re in, or post on our wall at http://www.facebook.com/ojtcareers.

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Related articles you might find helpful:

1. 4 Steps to Planning Your Career Successfully

2. Work Ethics for OJTs – Which of These Mistakes Are You Committing?

3. Top 3 Tips to Getting Your First Job

4 Steps to Planning Your Career Successfully

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Posted in Career Planning, Cover Letters, Interview tips, Resume Writing, Seminars | No Comments »

Pros and Cons of Working for a Start-up Company

Friday, August 6th, 2010

For someone who is looking for a first job, there is a bigger tendency to eye one of the bigger companies. After all, the towering buildings, the household name of the company in a certain industry, plus all the ads everywhere—they are all signs of a successful company, and we always think that working for a successful company means we’re headed on the same path. However, what all of us should realize when we’re looking for jobs is that our success isn’t entirely dependent on the success of the company. That’s why it really takes a lot of courage and versatility to opt to work at a start-up company. If you are also considering working for one, you might want to know the pros and cons so you’ll know what to expect.

Getting Your Voice Heard

If you really want to contribute something great to a company, there is no better way for you to do it than to work for a start-up company. Compared to working for bigger companies, the chances of your getting heard is higher if you’re in a start-up company. That also means that you have a direct impact to the success of the company, and with one great successful project or decision, you could even retire rich and sooner than you expected.

However, as great as the advantage is, so is the disadvantage. Having a direct impact to the success of the company also means that you have a direct impact to its downfall. If you are a natural risk-taker and you love challenges, this should be able to motivate you more to do better at your job. However, if you prefer things to be simpler with less pressure on you with regards to the outcome of the company, then you’re probably better off working in a bigger company, where the chances of you getting blamed if they suddenly go bankrupt are little to zero.

Feeling of Family

The system in most corporations today is like this—you report to a superior, who report to a superior, who reports to someone else higher, and so on until it gets to someone reporting directly to the CEO. If you’re going to look at your position from bigger perspective, it would seem like you’re just a small dot in a galaxy. But when you’re working for a start-up company, most of the time everybody knows everyone else. There’s also a big chance that you’ll report to The Boss directly, which in turn will give you a better chance to get recognition for a job well done. Also, there’s a tighter bond among staff and there’s that feeling of family because you are always together.

The downside of it is that sometimes, when you’re too close with one another, the line between professional relationship and personal relationship is so thin that many people compromise both. Also, sometimes the quality of work is also compromised because the working environment is too causal or laid back.

Opportunities to be Versatile

Start-up companies provide a lot of good training and a variety or roles for you to fill. These are great opportunities for you to discover some of your skills and capabilities which you otherwise wouldn’t know you would discover if you worked for a bigger company. Because start-up companies usually have a small staff, there is a big chance that you will be asked to perform different duties. This could be made to your advantage because you’re going to learn new skills.

The downside of this is your lack of focus in an area of specialty. Being a Jack-of-all-trades can be a great thing, but if your job requires you to focus on more technical skills, doing too many things all the time can dull your other strengths and leave you doing things at a mediocre quality. So if this is already what you’re doing, make sure that you still give more focus on technical skills so at least you won’t get rough around the edges later on when you decide to look for another job.

With these pros and cons of working for a start-up company, you should be able to gauge what you thoughts are. Would it be a good career move for you if you start with a small company or would it be better if you get your training from one of the bigger ones first?

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If you enjoyed reading this article, you might also be interested in reading the following:

1. Pros and Cons of Working for a Large Company
2. 4 Steps to Planning Your Career Successfully
3. Today’s Job Hunting Rules – 5 Things To Remember When Applying for a Job

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Posted in Career Planning, Job Application Tips | No Comments »

Pros and Cons of Working for a Large Company

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

You’re a fresh graduate. You have high hopes for your future career. You are already eyeing the biggest companies today and imagining yourself working in an office at the 34th floor or something, being all corporate and businesslike every day. While there is nothing wrong in wanting to work for a large corporation, you should be aware of the pros and cons of working for one so you can gauge which environment you would be more comfortable in.

Benefits

Probably the biggest advantage that attracts a lot of job seekers in wanting to work for big company are the benefits like health insurance, allowances, big signing bonuses, plus other incentives that could be given to them for a job well done. Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want a good-paying job at a prestigious company right after graduation?

However, while this might be attractive, you should know that everything comes with a catch. There are companies who give out really big signing bonuses but it is entailed with a big responsibility. The reason they give signing bonuses is that they want to make sure that you are going to hold your end of the deal, and your end of the deal is usually to stay a specific number of years or else you’ll have to return the entire amount of the signing bonus. Just think of it this way, for them to provide a large signing bonus means that they really want you to last for at least a year or two, and that they know there’s a possibility that you will want out of the company before that happens.

Prestige

Another reason a lot of people want to work for big corporations is the prestige. Somehow people take pride in telling other people where they work, like they feel more important to the company than they actually are. Some people just want to be able to say that they work for that particular company, regardless of their position. We can’t blame them. There are a lot of people who go through life thinking that the name of the company you work in is as important as your role in it.

While it may be true of some companies, there are also some monster companies that won’t even acknowledge your existence. There are companies where you are merely a dot in a big universe of employees nationwide. In some cases, even if your existence is acknowledged, it would still be difficult most of the time for you to be seen or heard. And if ever you do get heard, there is still no assurance that your opinion would matter or would even have an impact to the decisions the company will make.

Long-term Security

We always see a lot of people who are successful in big companies and who have been working there for 5 years onwards. Seeing this inspires a lot of us to do the same. This is one of the nicest advantages of working for a big company—long-term security. Especially if your position is a technical one and you already have a set career path, working for a big and stable company will ensure you of your future.

But that also means doing the same or similar job possibly for the rest of your life. Yes, you will have to undertake different roles from time to time, but if you have a really technical job, chances are you will have to stick with it until your retirement.

Knowing these pros and cons, you should find it easier to decide whether or not it would be a good career move for you to go after a big company.
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To help you further with planning your career, you might also enjoy reading the following articles:

1. 4 Steps to Planning Your Career Successfully
2. Interview Tips for the First Time Job Seekers
3. Important Tips For People Who Are Considering A Career Change

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Posted in Career Planning | 2 Comments »

4 Steps to Planning Your Career Successfully

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

See How Easily You Can Direct Your Career Path Straight to Success!

Not a lot students may realize this, but college and career planning should go hand in hand. Your career planning shouldn’t start when you’re just months away from graduation. It should have started the moment you entered college and chose your course. But if if you haven’t, it’s still not too late for you so don’t worry. Here are 4 steps to planning your career successfully and steering you into the right direction.

1. Evaluate your strengths. The first thing that you have to do before you can arrange everything else is to identify your strengths. If you know where you’re good at and what are your areas of interest, it would be easier for you to narrow down the path to your perfect job. Are you good in music? Do you enjoy spending time with kids? Is photography your passion? These are just examples of questions you can ask yourself. To help you better in assessing your strengths, you should also ask your family and friends.

2. Research about potential occupations. Once you know your strong points and what skills you have to excel, it’s time that you find a field where those skills can be put to work and where you can grow professionally and learn a lot from. But there is something important that you should know about researching about potential careers in the future. You should not limit your search to just general information about the company and the position. Especially if you’re still in college, what you should focus in finding out are the day-to-day duties for the different occupations you are considering. Are you going to be dealing with a lot of clients or is it generally a desk job with only the computer you’re going to be facing the whole day? Try also to find out if a lot of people in that job advance quickly towards the career ladder because you don’t want to be stuck doing the same thing after five years.

3. Find out about the saturation of your target occupation. This is a very important step in choosing a career, because there are times when a seemingly good idea today turns out to be one of your worst decisions after a few years. A few years ago, Nursing seemed to be the best course to take because there were a lot of job offers here and abroad and the pay was good. But a few years and hundreds of thousands of Nursing graduates later, a lot of hospitals are already fully staffed and a lot of Nursing students are deviating into other fields in the hope of landing a job faster.

4. Volunteer or Get a Part-time Job. There is no better way to find out if you are comfortable with your target occupation than to test it out. If you are still not qualified to be an OJT, there are a lot of companies who are readily accepting volunteers. There are a lot of sources where you can find part-time jobs, starting of course with OJTCareers.com. You can also check out your school’s placement office, nearby local hospitals if you want a medical job, and non-profit organizations where you can offer your service. The deal is that you get a first-hand experience of what to expect about the job, that way you can gauge how much preparation you still need and what things you still need to learn.

These steps to planning your career are very crucial especially if you are still a bit confused now. After all, it’s your future. It’s only proper that you take the necessary measures in ensuring that you are in control of it.

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You might also be interested in reading about these other helpful articles on career planning:

1. How To Boost Your Chances of Getting That Dream Job You Want
2. How To Improve Your Career And Gain More Success
3. Job Hunting Guide – Common Myths in Job Hunting

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Posted in Career Planning | 3 Comments »