Posts Tagged ‘research’

Top 6 Characteristics For Becoming a Librarian

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

If you are interested in choosing the career path of a Librarian, you should have certain characteristics and values.

1) The desire to help, teach, and serve others.
2) Believe strongly in the First Amendment, protecting the freedom of speech and press.
3) Respect others right to privacy and the freedom to read any subject they choose.
4) Have an interest in information research.
5) Have an interest in a wide variety of resources, materials, and subjects.
6) Have advanced computer skills and adapt quickly to new technology

Librarian positions generally have three components: user services, technical services, and administrative services. Librarians may specialize in one of these areas or in small libraries, they may be responsible for all three areas.

In user services, librarians assist visitors in locating the material they are looking for, rather it be research material, learning material, or books and media that are fictional in nature. They may also teach visitors how to find and acquire information on the internet or instruct in the use of the card catalogue.

Technical service librarians, specialize in acquisitions and cataloguing. They acquire, prepare, and classify materials so that patrons can find it easily. Some write abstracts and summaries. Often, these librarians do not deal directly with the public, but work behind the scenes to ensure the smooth operation of the library.

Administrative service librarians manage the operations of the library. They may negotiate contracts, supervise library workers, work with budgets, and oversee all activities in the operation of the library.

There are several types of libraries in which a Librarian may work. There are public libraries, school libraries, media center libraries, and university or academic libraries. Information centers, corporations, law firms, advertising agencies, medical centers, museums, research laboratories, and government libraries all hire Librarians.

A Masters Degree in Library Science or MLS from an accredited program may be required for most librarian jobs in public, academic, or special libraries. Some states require Librarians to be certified for certain jobs, while other states do not.

Do you need statistics on careers for librarians? Check-out the stats and facts available at http://www.careertoolkits.com – Learn the average librarian salary.

How to Know If You’ll Make a Good Police Officer

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Becoming a police officer means you’ll be taking on the most noble of jobs. Police officers are highly respected members of any community who risk their life daily in order to protect citizens. For this reason, becoming a police officer can be risky although very exciting. No two days are ever the same for a police officer out in the field.

In addition, there are many levels and departments that a police officer can work towards. The majority of police officers will progress through the ranks throughout their career, resulting in greater responsibility and a higher salary.

Becoming a police officer involves undergoing a series of tests, exams and study. Budding police officers can prepare by revising English lessons from school. It is advisable to have good writing skills as essays will need to be written. You should also build your physical fitness in order to be able to withstand the demands of police training. Some budding police officers even join the military for several years.

Police recruitment involves a thorough background check so you should have a clean history. You also will need to take the written civil service exam which you can get from your local police department.

A physical exam will need to be undertaken and passed. This test will generally involve aspects of agility, strength and endurance. A vision and hearing medical test will also be required. All of these tests ensure that you are fit and healthy enough to endure the rigors of being a police officer.

Many departments now also require a lie detector test to be taken. A drug test is also performed. Your drug test will need to be totally clear. Random drug tests are also performed throughout the career of a police officer.

The final step to becoming a police officer is an interview with a senior officer. Some offices require a personality test to be taken at this time too. During your interview, you should display a firm, confident personality as police generally do not hire timid, unsure people.

Some personal skills required of a police officer are:

- Team player
- Confident
- Well spoken
- Well educated
- Good communication
- Respect for all races and types of people
- Sensitivity in difficult situations
- Can emotionally detach from personal situations

These personal skills will ensure you have a long career; one that is filled with many achievements.

Salary for Police Officers

Police officers are not considered the highest paid workers in the country, yet they risk their lives everyday to serve people and protect their territory. However, police officers do have a decent average salary compared with many corporate jobs, with $43,000 being the average. A campus police officer can expect to receive $40,000 per year. Of course all police officers who are newly recruited will earn less in the initial stages but are assured of regular pay rises as their rank increases.

The highest paid police officer is usually the Lateral Police Officer with an average salary of $63,000 per year. A new police cadet on average earns only $25,000. A police academy cadet can expect an average of $51,000 as can an Airport Police Officer.

Other salaries for various jobs in the police force include:

Police Recruit: $48,000
Police Officer: $46,000
Police Officer Lateral: $61,000
Police Officer And Dispatcher; $56,000
Supervisory Police Officer: $53,000
Lead Police Officer: $44,000
Supervisor Police Officer: $57,000
Police Cadet: $25,000

Newly recruited police officers receive full pay and benefits from day one of their employment. This is at the police cadet average salary of $25,000. After 6 months of training in the Police Academy the salary jumps to around $32,000 and every year it increases.

Once a police officer has been active in the force for 5.5 years their salary has usually increased to around $60,000. Other allowances are also added onto the base salary including holiday pay and uniform allowance.

There are many options for career advancement when you are a police officer. The NYPD conducts promotional exams every two years for police officers. Once the exams are passed, officers can move on to the Lieutenant rank which pays as much as $100,000 per year. This can be a significantly fast advancement compared with other fields of work.

After 20 years of police service an officer is entitled to retirement benefits of around $46,000 per year. An officer will also receive medical benefits, deferred compensation plans and an annuity fund. The retirement benefits will depend largely upon the rank of the police officer.

Being a police officer is a highly rewarding career as you are not just serving yourself, but your entire community. As you can see, there is plenty of room for advancement within this field and it is considered a very secure line of work.

Are you interested in a law enforcement career? Check-out the stats and facts available at http://www.careertoolkits.com – Learn the average salary of a police officer.

Cover Letters and Knowing Your Audience

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

When applying for jobs, cover letters can make or break your applications. Most employers receive so many applications that they don’t even look at your resume to start with. They will skim through the cover letter to see if what you have written tells them about you and if you are suitable for the position. Without a quality, professional cover letter you may have trouble finding work; even if your resume is of the highest standard. So it is certainly worthwhile to spend some time coming up with a cover letter template that you can use and modify for all the positions that you apply for.

When writing a cover letter you have to tailor it to the job you are applying for. You can certain have a pre-made design and outline but you will need to cover all the points that are valid for the particular job in question. Never generalize a cover letter for multiple roles; employers can see right through this. The goal is to make your cover letter stand out from the rest!

Some points to consider when writing cover letters include:

Knowing your Audience
Get an idea of who will be reading your letter. Will it be the CEO, receptionist, manager? Also know exactly what your role in the job would be and know as much about the company as you can. These days it is easy to research a company in depth thanks to the internet.

Straight to the Point
Don’t babble on in your cover letter. The person reading it just wants to know a brief overview of your experience and why you should get the job. Three or so paragraphs is more than enough for a good cover letter.

Contact Information
Don’t just leave your contact info for your resume. Instead also include it in your cover letter. Include your email, address, phone and any other methods of contacting you. The more the better.

Remember, don’t rehash your resume in your cover letter. Instead, summarize the major points and expand on a couple of important points such as past jobs that are relevant. Relevancy is the key to a quality cover letter.

Having a good cover letter will make you stand out from the crowd and will mean the difference between success and failure when applying for jobs.

If you want to really stand out from the crowd, you need to learn resume basics. Grab resume tips from http://www.careertoolkits.com

Make Your Resume Stand Out

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

Your resume is the first impression a potential employer will gain of you. If your resume is dull and does not grab attention then there is a good chance that your job application will be thrown away, along with hundreds of others. To truly stand out from the pack you not only need the qualifications and experience for the job but also a resume that sells you.

It is so easy to create a resume these days thanks to the power of the internet. Some job search sites have pre-made resume templates that you can simply fill in with your own details and send off to as many job openings as you wish. Whilst it is easy to do this, it is always preferable to take the time to create your own custom, personalized resume. The employer probably receives hundreds of the template resumes and grows tired of viewing them. If a resume pops up that is significantly different from the others then they are very likely to pay more attention to it.

If you are applying for a job online then there is normally no need to print your resume initially. But once you have to attend an interview you must take a printed copy with you. Often the employer will not look at your resume during the interview but you will want to be prepared just in case. Always print on high quality paper so that your resume appears professional and that you bring across a sense of pride. The employer will want to know that you take care and pride in your work. Make sure your resume includes as much detail as possible about previous employment and education, but don’t be long winded. Always keep it in easy to read, point form.

Always ensure to tailor your resume to the particular job you are applying for. There is little point sending the same resume to many different types of jobs. Even jobs within the same industry will call for different skills and education. So changing your resume on a per-application basis is the only way to ensure that it best matches what the employer is looking for.

Microsoft Word and other similar programs all come with resume templates that you can use a base. Or you can download templates from the internet or even buy professional, custom made resume templates to use.

A well formatted and clean looking resume is the only way to make a fantastic first impression upon your potential employer.

Do you want to learn about high salary careers? If you’re undecided about the right career for you, check-out the career profiles available at http://www.careertoolkits.com

How To Become a Licensed Real Estate Agent

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

Becoming a real estate agent is an exciting career choice. You will be able to experience the enjoyment of people buying their first home, as well as assisting investors to find their next great purchase. You will also play a part in assisting in the sale of your client’s properties as well. There are many different things that a real estate agent can do on a day to day basis. But first, you have to undertake the training to become qualified in this role.

All real estate agents must be licensed. To become licensed you do not have to attend university. You simply take a special real estate agents course. These are usually fairly short courses of 6 to 12 months in length. Once you are qualified you can start applying for positions within real estate offices.

Usually you will only be allowed to practice real estate in the state that you are qualified. To increase your job prospects, and this is especially vital if you live near the border of one or more states, consider becoming qualified in more than one state so that you can travel interstate to find other work if you need or want to in future.

The exciting thing about being a real estate agent is that your income can skyrocket if you are a great sales person. Most real estate agents receive a base salary, but if you can sell properties then you will receive a commission of each sale. Imagine selling one or more houses each week? You can really earn a considerable amount of money doing this.

There are several niches within real estate that you may choose to focus on. These include:

- Rural properties
Once you have some experience under your belt you may choose to specialize in one of these niches in order to become more of an expert in your field. Most people initially choose between commercial and residential real estate. There are benefits to both so the key is to find where your interest lies.

Although the times are tough for real estate right now, if you choose to specialize in foreclosure properties you will be extremely busy for the next few years as more ad more foreclosed properties come on the market - attracting first home buyers and investors.

Thinking about becoming a real estate agent? Learn more about this exciting career field from http://www.careertoolkits.com – get the scoop on online real estate schools and much more.

Do You Know Where the High Paying Jobs Are?

Monday, January 26th, 2009

If you do not have a particular career in mind but simply want to find the work that will pay you the most, there are many options. In general, the people in the highest positions of a company are paid the most. That means you can virtually choose any field of work and spend years becoming more experienced and education so that you can increase your worth to the company, and continually improve your position within the business. Over time your pay will increase.

Ok, so the above is possible but it can take a long time to get there. Do you have the patience to wait many years to achieve good money from high paying jobs? You do need to have patience but you can take some shortcuts by getting into fields of work that initially pay more. It is well known that careers that require a lot of study initially often don’t pay too well in the first few years. careers like accounting, IT, chef etc all require you to take up junior position with the idea that you will gain experience and knowledge, and then you will progress to higher paid positions with more responsibilities.

So what are some high paying jobs that will pay you well right off the bat? Sales are one field that has no limits. If you get a job that is based mainly on commission sales then you are essentially in charge of how much you earn. Car sales, real estate sales, even retail sales can pay good money if you have the skills to deal with people and convince them of your products. For that reason you must be a great talker and have a good business and marketing sense, without being sleazy or untrusting. A good salesperson will always have a place in a quality company and will be well paid.

Then of course there is the option of starting your own business. You can then have control of when you work, how long you work and exactly what you do. This might not be a high paying job right away but potentially it can be more lucrative than most other jobs.

High paying jobs are everywhere, it just takes some imagination and patience to attain them.

Do you know how to write a cover letter? If not, do you really think anyone’s going to look at your resume? Discover secrets of cover letter writing from http://www.careertoolkits.com

Career Spotlight: Librarian

Monday, January 26th, 2009

If you love books then a career as a librarian could be for you. Librarians are professionals with information systems as well as the organization of information materials. Most librarians work in public or school libraries but other opportunities exist such as in media centers, business libraries and government libraries. Professional librarians have a degree from a school of library or a university or college.

Some roles that a librarian may undertake include:

- Working at the reference desk of a library
- Assist people in research to find the information they require
- Ordering library materials
- Organization database subscriptions
- Supervise the cataloguing of new information material (books, magazines etc)
- Monitor book selection, monitor electronic resources
- Provide library services and information to community groups such as seniors, homeless, rural communities and people with disabilities. These librarians are generally known as Outreach Librarians
- If working in a school, assist children in choosing reading material and teaching them about literacy
- Manage the library catalog
- Library archivists deal with manuscripts and records

Librarians can also fill other roles outside of the general librarian one. Some examples include:

- Manager
- Administrator
- Director
- Library Technician
- Library Associate

These days, librarians must deal with information in many different formats; not just books. They must be able to organize and deal with magazines, audio recordings, DVD, video, computer files, maps, photographs, databases, newspapers and more. They sometimes also need to provide other services including public programs, literacy education and computer training.

Some librarians, after many years in the job, choose to go on to administrative positions. This can include doing tasks like researching topics of interest, supervising and organizing reading clubs and groups, managing electronic information access, suggesting books and resources for the appropriate read group and much more.

Librarian Education

Most librarians have a master’s degree in library and information science. If you wish to work in a school library then you will normally need a teaching credential along with your library science degree. Most school librarians have a subject based master’s degree as well as their librarian’s degree.

Being a librarian is a rewarding career as you are able to see people enjoying information and the joy of reading and discovering new things. You will feel a sense of accomplishment as you help children learning to read, or simply assist adults in finding the information they are seeking.

So what are the qualities that define a librarian anyway? Learn more about this exciting career field from http://www.careertoolkits.com – get the scoop on librarian degree programs and much more.

Career Assessment to Match You

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

Getting a career assessment is a great way to match your personality, skills and interests to a potential career for you. There are now specific career assessment websites which aim to help you with career planning, job skills, choosing a college major and even career changes. Regardless of your situation you will benefit from looking into a career assessment.

One such website is The Career Key. This site helps to match your personality with careers. They then give you very accurate and detailed information about each career that you can explore.

They use excellent scientific research and practises throughout their personality tests and other resources on the website.

There are many other career assessment sites online, but you need to be wary of which ones you trust. There are some very reputable services such as the Career Key and others, but there are also career tests that can actually harm your career! This happens when you are matched up to jobs and training programs that do not suit you. This can lead you to make rash decisions with terrible consequences. These bad services normally have low technology throughout their tests and do not have the science to back up the results they give you. In other words, you may just be fed a random result rather than the one that suits you. For that reason, only use reputable, trusted sources for your career assessment online.

The Career Key tests are used by over 1000 colleges, schools and career services so it is a professional standard of service. Their personality test has also been used in career counselling for more than 20 years; you may even have come across it before if you have had career counselling in the past.

Why should you get a career assessment? Figures show that less than half of all workers are happy with the job. Up to 50% say they would like to change jobs. This is an alarming statistic; you certainly want to be happy in your job as it is somewhere that you spend a main portion of your life.

Having a career assessment is sure to guarantee job satisfaction. Rather than just jump into any job and end up unhappy and unsatisfied, you are best off undergoing an assessment to match you to the career that is right for. After all, everyone has a calling in life; you simply need to know how to find it!

Need help with salary negotiating? Learn the basics of negotiating a higher salary from http://www.careertoolkits.com

Career Spotlight: Becoming a Police Officer

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

Becoming a police officer is without a doubt one of the most noble and important jobs in our society. But it is not a job for everyone. You have to have a certain personality to become a police officer. Of course, anyone can try out for the role and you will be adequately trained in all facets of the job, so even if you don’t feel ready yet; you will be by the time you finish training!

You will need your high school diploma to have a chance as a police officer. In most states and countries some college study or special police university study is required. The Police Academy is somewhere that future officers train in order to learn the skills (both practical and in theory) that will be required for the role.

Due to the huge amount of competition amongst applicants, a large percentage do not make it. To give yourself the best chance of becoming a police officer make sure you put 100% into your application as well as any fitness and theory tests required of you. You will need to show why you are better than all the other applicants - just like with any other job.

Once you become a police officer you will stay as a detective for the first year or two. After that there is room to move and move your way up the ranks. You can also choose to specialize in certain times of crimes once you have been a detective for several years. You may wish to focus on drug crime, gang crime, corporate crime or any one of the many fields of work in policing.

Police officers are highly respected members of the community and once you have been accepted you can expect people to look up to you. you will be a role model to everybody you know, especially children so it is vital that you have good communication skills and great people skills so you can answer any questions that may arise - you should also be willing to listen to concerns of the people in your local police command area.

Once you have decided to become a police officer you should endeavour to become as fit as possible whilst also concentrating on the studies that lie ahead. You will be able to experience things that most people never do in their jobs because being a police officer offers something exciting and new every single day.

So what are the tasks of police officer? Learn more about this exciting career field from http://www.careertoolkits.com – get the scoop on how to become a police officer and much more.

Career Spotlight: Culinary Arts

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

Culinary arts is a great field of work to get into. It is diverse and allows you to use your creative streak. There are also many career opportunities awaiting you both after you graduate and after you have some experience. You will need to attend a culinary school or a college offering culinary arts courses.

There are so many culinary arts schools and more seem to be popping up. The demand for people who are good with food is high so you should have no problem finding work upon graduation. There are so many different places you can work including hotel, restaurants, cruise ships, schools and many more places. Wherever there is food being cooked there is demand for culinary professionals.

Some popular culinary arts schools in the USA include:

Lincoln College of Technology
The Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary Institute of Canada
California School of Culinary Arts Pasadena
Orlando Culinary Academy
Texas Culinary Academy
Pennsylvania Culinary Institute
The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago
Le Cordon Bleu College Of Culinary Arts
The Restaurant School, Philadelphia

In the UK one of the most recognized schools is the School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology in Dublin, Ireland. There is also the prestigious and relatively new International Centre for Culinary Arts in Dubai.

As a culinary artist you will be required to prepare meals as well as make them look pleasing. You may also be employed by food magazines to make up plates of food for presentations. There is now high demand for this type of work.

Some culinary schools focus specifically on certain aspects of pastry, corporate dining, event dining and many other niches. This provides an exciting opportunity to get experienced in a particular field so that your job search can be more focused. So if you can hone your skills in one area then you will be more employable and can command a higher salary even as a junior.

Other jobs that you can undertake after completing a culinary arts degree or certificate is a chef, sales person, teacher, food stylist, self employment and many other roles. There truly are now barriers in this wide and diverse field.

So what is the main qualification to become a chef? Learn more about this exciting career field from http://www.careertoolkits.com – get the scoop on cooking schools and much more.