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Careers: An Overview

sees or scans. Even if the company has resume-tracking The interview should be ended by asking the inter-
software, when a resume pops up from a search, a human viewer to suggest other people with whom it would prof-
resources professional will read it. A resume creates an all- itable to talk. Then ask permission to mention the
important excellent first impression. interviewer’s name when contacting those recommended.
Within twenty-four hours of the interview, send a
Search for jobs. Acquire knowledge about various career thank-you note. John Klube, site manager for the Army
choices. The following is a list of the most popular careers Career and Alumni Program at Fort Carson, Colorado
for the twenty-first century (Occupational Outlook Hand- (1998), also recommends additional follow-up, stating
book, 2000): (1) air transportation-related occupations, that never hearing from a candidate again makes inter-
(2) engineering and engineering technicians, (3) architects viewers feel used. He recommends contacting interviewers
and surveyors, (4) computer, mathematical, and opera- again four or five weeks after the initial interview to thank
tions research, (5) scientists and science technicians, (6) them again and to let them know how any referrals
legal, (7) social scientists, (8) social and recreation work- worked out.
ers, (9) teachers and instructors, counselors, and library
occupations, (10) health diagnosticians, (11) health Figure the Level of Salary. Check with employment agen-
assessment and treating, (12) health technologists and cies, read the want ads in local papers, and talk with oth-
technicians, (13) communications-related, (14) visual arts ers to find out what an expected salary should be. There
and design, (15) performing arts. are Internet sites, such as salary.com or homefair.com, that
Determine what education is needed. Research the will calculate and compare the cost of living in cities
qualifications necessary. Use the Internet to begin gather- worldwide, based on selected origin and destination sites.
ing facts on a particular career. Firm-specific data can be For example, if a job-seeker currently live in Denver, Col-
found in books such as Hoover’s Handbook of American orado, and wants to move to Boston, Massachusetts, that
Business, Dunn’s Regional Business Directory, and other information should be entered. The online calculator
business directories available online or in library reference would calculate if $100,000 in Denver would be equal to
sections. Judy Kaplan Baron, a nationally certified career a salary of $154,621 in Boston.
counselor in San Diego, recommends reading about a tar-
get occupation in resources such as the Occupational Out- SEARCH STRATEGIES
look Handbook published by the U.S. Department of The Myers-Briggs Personality Test, discussed earlier, is
Labor.
useful in helping determine interests and capabilities. The
Baron believes that it does not occur to most people figures published by Bernard Haldane Associates (Vin-
to use friends, co-workers, and neighbors as referral cent, 1998), a nationwide career search firm, show that
sources: “You may have what you need as a referral living nearly 70 percent of all jobs are acquired by those who
right next door.” mix personal initiative with a compelling search strategy:
building professional contacts and making themselves
Research the company and/or industry. The task of busi- known to employers. A job seeker does this through brief,
ness research has gotten easier, since the Internet contains data-gathering dialogues with corporate managers and
information on almost every business. Use search engines referrals by those managers to other knowledgeable
to gather information on public and private companies or sources; candidates can gather real-world tips for career
use information gleaned from the local library. success and gain valuable professional contacts.

Prepare for an interview. Knowledge is power, especially Roles of colleges and universities. Most of the careers
in an interview. The more known about the company and listed earlier require education beyond high school. The
what is going to occur in an interview, the more likely you length and type of education varies from technical train-
are to be an intelligent candidate. If you are familiar with ing to a doctoral degree.
the interview procedure, you can talk confidently to a Advances in technology have changed the traditional
potential employer. Rather than worrying about the role of the college and university. The Internet, computer-
upcoming interview, time can be spent rehearsing and assisted training (enhanced by video technology and
preparing for the interview. courseware authoring tools), interactive CD-ROMs, and
Be aware of implicit rules during the interview. Never distance learning can provide education beyond high
ask for a job and respect the interview’s time limits. When school. Training for a career involves competencies consis-
time is up, offer to end the meeting. Maintain the conver- tent with the demands of business and industry. Com-
sation only if urged by the interviewer to do so. puter skills, subject-matter skills, and the soft skills of

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION 79