Great Jobs in the Finance Industry

By Zelma T. Garcia-Cordero

The finance industry has great careers that are some of the most engaging, stimulating, and profitable out there. Anyone thinking about going into this field has great choices to pick from and is sure to work at a job that will keep him/her constantly challenged. As careers, accounting and financial analysis are sought after by ambitious men and women and related fields of study are finance, accounting, economics, and business administration, among others. Among other duties, accountants analyze and communicate financial information for various entities or individuals. As for financial analysts, their duties include assessing the performance of stocks, bonds, commodities, and other types of investments; and providing guidance to businesses and individuals making investment decisions.

To read more on this article see Volume 20, Number 82, September 2010 issue of eoejournal

10 Secrets for Landing Federal Jobs

By Lily Whiteman

1. Knock on the federal government’s front door and back door.

Most job seekers look for federal openings only on USAJOBS (usajobs.opm.gov), the federal government’s official jobs website. That’s an essential part of the federal job search. But it’s the front door. There are plenty of other, back-door ways to land federal jobs. For example, employment agencies and consulting firms frequently place employees on contract jobs in federal agencies. Such contract jobs — which are available to professionals in many fields — often segue seamlessly into permanent federal jobs, or yield networking contacts that provide inside tracks to permanent federal jobs. Employment agencies and consulting firms commonly recruit for federal contract jobs by advertising on Internet jobs sites and newspapers, so more generalized job searching using these sources may open such an inside-track door to a great federal job.

2. Think like a hiring manager.

Most federal openings draw dozens or even hundreds of applications. These applications get skimmed very quickly by harried hiring managers — not read word for word as if they were suspenseful John Grisham novels. So to keep the attention of hiring managers, you must craft your application and resume for a fast, easy read. Instead of aiming for a specific resume length, aim to describe your most impressive credentials as succinctly as possible. Format the names of your employers, your job titles and degrees to STAND OUT. Confine each job description to a few quick-read, achievement-oriented bullets. And break up your answers to essay questions by writing in short paragraphs and using bullets and headings. Show your application to a friend or colleague and ask him/her to identify your best credentials in one minute. If they can’t do so, reformat and rephrase your best credentials to stand out more.

To read more on this article see Volume 20, Number 82, September 2010 issue of eoejournal.

The Scoop on Informational Interviewing

Olivia Crosby & Tamara Dillon

Many people wonder anxiously about which type of job they’ll like or how they can break into the career of their dreams. Surprisingly, very few people ever take advantage of one of the best ways to answer their questions about careers: asking the workers already in them.

Talking to people about their jobs and asking them for advice is called informational interviewing, a term coined by career counselor and author Richard Bolles. And the technique usually works very well for people exploring careers. Stories abound of students who used informational interviewing to decide among occupations or to find a way to convert their interests to a paying job.

Some people who conduct informational interviews discover their dream job isn’t so dreamy after all. By learning the truth in time, they can change course and find a career that suits them. Others have their career goals confirmed.

Informational interviewing can be as simple as striking up conversations with friends or others about their occupations. But taking full advantage of this career exploration tool requires a more methodical approach.

Read on to learn the purpose of informational interviewing; whom to interview; how to set up, prepare for, and conduct an interview; and what to do afterward. The what and why of informational interviews An informational interview is a brief meeting between a person who wants to investigate a career and a person working in that career. The interviews usually last 20 to 30 minutes.

The purpose of an informational interview is not to get a job. Instead, the goal is to find out about jobs you might like—to see if they fit your interests, skills, and personality.

To read more on this article see Volume 20, Number 82, September 2010 issue of eoejournal.

Choosing Nursing as a Career

Nursing is poised to change the face of health care as never before. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports employment among RNs will grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2008. Demand for quality nurses continues to escalate. Yet many students don’t realize the opportunities that await them.

Nursing practice areas

Hospital nursing is just one of the many areas where nurses practice. Examples of other practice settings include home care, private practice, public health, extended care centers, clinics, offices, schools, military service, corporations, health-related industries, hospice, occupational settings, and health and wellness centers.

Nursing specialty areas

Like few others, the profession of nursing offers a wide variety of specialties. From pediatrics to geriatrics, nursing’s impact is felt across the lifespan. Here is a sampling of specialty areas from which you can choose:

Ambulatory care • Burn care
Developmental disabilities
Emergency • Geriatrics
Home care • Intensive care unit
Medical telemetry • Mother/baby care
Oncology • Operating room
Pediatrics • Psychiatric nursing
Recovery • Rehabilitation
Renal • Research • School nursing
Professional pathways

Nursing is no longer confined to the bedside. Today’s nurses can now be found in professional venues once thought impossible. Nurses influence legislation, change health care delivery systems, write and publish, educate about disease prevention and health promotion, and participate on boards of directors. Here are some of the

To read more on this article see Volume 20, Number 82, September 2010 issue of eoejournal.