Daily Career Connection

She was the fourth candidate the panel had interviewed today. The traditional opening questions were fired at her: Tell me about yourself? Where are you from, why do you want to work at our school? Could you describe your teaching style for us as well?

Lynn squirmed just a bit and then deftly produced a booklet as she replied with an air of mystery: I consider each child a unique being. Each one is like a blank slate, a blank page. In fact, this booklet would represent my class at the beginning of the school year.

As Lynn continued to thumb the blank pages of her portfolio, she elaborated: After I work with the students on study skills, assist them to master the basic skills of reading, writing and listening, the pages begin to fill. I spend time counseling with students and their families. We work through the rough spots and the low spots until we all can stand tall together.

Lynn closed the book, paused and looked up. Then she thumbed the pages again, this time very slowly, and, as she did, the pages filled with the colorful images of her students as she concluded: At the end of the year, they leave my room full of new ideas, full of a new sense OF Possibilities.

Lynn asked with a smile: Would you like to see any of the samples?

Their jaws dropped, they all nodded enthusiastically, and one of the interview panelists managed to quip, “How did you do that?”

Lynn started performing magic in her classes because her deaf students responded strongly to lessons laced with visual qualities of legerdemain. Lynn gravitated from an amateur, part-time magician to professional, summer-time magician, and she eventually joined the International Brotherhood of Magicians. This story is told to illustrate that every job seeker has some magic to share, and a portfolio may be one of the finest props around for bringing the magic to life.

Today, this portfolio magic is finding its way into every facet of career development. In the last ten years, more and more books and articles have described new formats and new uses for career portfolios. These include enhancing student learning, expanding one’s presentation skills during an interview, and transforming routine employee evaluation checklists and performance reviews into genuine dialogue about shared goals. The emerging power of a career portfolio will be discussed in light of it’s ability to transform recent developments in career portfolios, current experiments, and visions for the future.
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If you’re trying to qualify for a new job, but you’re computers skills just aren’t quite up to par, it’s a good idea to consider taking some computer courses. There are many different resources for finding convenient and affordable classes that you can easily work around your current schedule. Computer training doesn’t have to be expensive or terribly time consuming in order to be effective. If you do already have strong computer skills, but still aren’t getting job offers when you go on interviews, it may be that you need help with customer service or leadership training. Don’t underestimate the importance of professional development training when you are ready to move up in your career.

Freelancing is when you provide your skills and expertise to other persons/companies and organizations on a contract basis.

There are definite steps that can be taken to ensure that you build a solid foundation for your freelance business.

1. Search out freelance sites, browse the projects, the responses of the bidders, the types of jobs and the going rate. Some freelance sites charge employers and others charge the freelancers and the employers to register. Get to know a couple of the sites that you are comfortable with.

2. Decide what skills you have to offer and research your competitors by re-visiting the different freelance sites and viewing the profiles of people who offer the same services that you do.

3. Build your profile. Take your time, plan your keywords carefully. Use the keyword tools selector to determine the keywords that are most used. It is not best to rely on your own ideas of what keywords are used by the general public.
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Today technology has grown so much that you can easily get online job training from anywhere around the world. The advancement of technology and internet allows one to obtain online job training at a reasonable rate. There are a plethora of online job training companies that offer courses in any subject that you may possibly need. Online job training courses enhance your knowledge in the field which you may wish to to enter, and typically are commissioned by the company by which you are hired. For example, one can take up a Linux or Java programming course if they are entering in an IT industry.

The convenience and availability of the internet allows any one to take up any online job training course at almost any time. You can get prepared to attend an interview and land in a good job. You can impress your interviewers by using industry terms in your conversation during the interview.
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