3 Things You Can do this Summer to Pursue Your Dream Job

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Katie Evans

Summer is quickly fading—what strides have you made towards landing your dream job? Before the sun sets on the magnificent summer days, you should do something (anything!) to strengthen your chances of landing the job you want.

Finding your dream job is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. You have to prepare for it. Visualize it. Make small, consistent efforts to position yourself in the right place at the right time and with the people with the power to give you the job you want. There’s still time to take small actions this summer that will pay off big later.

Make a Definitive Career Decision

We all go through times when we aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. It’s part of career exploration, and it’s completely normal. If you are still in this part of your career path, you aren’t exactly ready to pursue your dream job because you don’t know what your dream job is.

You know you’re ready to pursue your dream job when it’s all you can think about. When you find that perfect career, you know it. You see it in your mind’s eye. You talk about it with everyone you meet. You look for opportunities to get closer to your goal, and opportunities continue to present themselves for you.

If you aren’t there yet, spend your time this summer researching potential dream jobs. For example, if you love sailing, look into yacht jobs. If you love singing, look into jobs at theme parks or local theaters that will allow you to express your passion. Take a personality quiz and see what jobs are recommended for your personality type. Volunteer with different organizations and try a variety of jobs on for size. Keep searching until you find something that feels right to you.

Create a Sparkling Resume

A sparkling resume alone is not going to snag you your dream career, but it’s certainly going to set you in the right direction. If you’ve chosen your dream job, start researching resumes for other people in that industry. Look at their LinkedIN profiles and figure out what the people doing the job you want have in common. Likely, they have similar education and a similar skill set.

To make your resume stand out from the crowd, ditch Word’s standard templates and buy a unique, inexpensive template on Etsy. Artists there create resumes with color and professional formatting that will make you look like you know exactly what you’re doing. All you need is good word-smithing and you’re well on your way to your dream job.

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Always Be Networking

If you know exactly what your dream job is, the best thing you can do to ensure you land it is to network. You should be making an effort to meet at least two people who can help you with your career every week. You should be following people on LinkedIN who already do your dream job. Heading to job fairs and landing interviews is an important part of this process, too.

You can network anywhere. If you’re still in college, network with your professors and students in the same major field. Ask them to make introductions for you. Don’t feel like you’re imposing by making this request—you will return the favor later when you’re in the position to help someone in your industry.

Jarell and I have even networked at the grocery store. You never know when you’re going to meet someone who can help you along your path. Always be ready. If you have an online portfolio, spend a few dollars to have business cards made with your contact info and a link to your portfolio so you can hand them out during “surprise” networking conversations. Always be ready to make a connection.

Be Persistent

The concept of GRIT is making its way in the conference circle right now, so make sure you are persistent and know what employers want from their employees. You will face setbacks—they are part of life. How you handle those setbacks largely determines how successful you are in life and your career. Persevere over your obstacles at every opportunity.

This summer, to work on your persistence, find an inspiration of some sort. Find a role model who was successful and beat the odds. Having this will help you keep focused in the tough times.

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5 Easy Exercises You Can Do from Your Desk

Posted on August 13, 2018August 13, 2018 by Katie Evans

While cushy desk jobs may seem safer than construction work, they still pose risks to your health. Sitting all day is bad for the body on many levels. Lauren Hart of Dragonfly Athletics has graciously created a workout to help our readers stay in motion and out of pain, all without leaving our desks!

Your Desk Job May be Affecting Your Health

The American workforce has changed rapidly over the past 50 years. Manual labor jobs have decreased, while desk jobs—especially those requiring long hours of computer use—have steadily increased. A great number of Americans spend their days seated at a desk for hours at a time, with their only form of exercise coming from their fingers dancing on a keyboard. They mindlessly munch on whatever snacks are within reach, and keep the joints locked in flexed positions that give the appearance of Smeagol with that fish at the forbidden pool.

Gollum Fish GIF

So what’s the problem?

Over 67% of Americans are either overweight or obese.
In 2016, an estimated 29 million Americans had diabetes, and 95% of those were Type II diabetics.
More than half of American adults have high cholesterol or are taking medications for it.
More than 3 million new arthritis cases are diagnosed each year.

All of these diseases and health factors are caused in part by improper nutrition, but they are massively affected by lack of physical activity. These issues cost employers millions of dollars in both healthcare and lost work hours each year.

If you are locked at your desk all day long with minimal movement, you are putting yourself at risk for a number of diseases and are slowly becoming a liability for your employer. The best way to lower your disease risk is to get moving!

Start Small with Your Exercise Routine

I’m not at all saying you have to jump right into the most intense exercise program you can find. Instead, start small. Every tiny bit of activity you accrue counts.

Set a timer that goes off every 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, stand up for one minute. Move around, wiggle out your legs—whatever. Once this practice becomes a habit, increase to two minutes, then three. Try to work up to ten minutes of standing for every twenty minutes of sitting. Your body and your boss will thank you for it.

At-Your-Desk Stretches

Check out my easy-to-follow video demonstration of five stretches you can do from your desk to alleviate pain and stiffness:

1. Wrist Stretch

Pull your fingers and palm closer to the top of your forearm, and then pull toward the bottom of your forearm (flex and extend the wrist). Hold for 20 seconds each.

2. Scalene Stretch

Tilt your head toward one shoulder, shrug the opposite shoulder up toward your ear, then slowly lower that shoulder down, keeping your head tilted. Perform 5 times on each side.

3. Chest Stretch

Anchor your hand palm facing down on your desk, and rotate your chest away from your arm. Hold for 30 seconds.

4. Psoas Stretch

Stand with your feet staggered, one leg in front, the other a few feet behind. Place the hand that is on the same side as your front leg into the soft spot between the bottom of your rib cage and the top of your pelvis (the side of your waist). Reach with the opposite arm overhead and lean in the direction of the front leg side. Hold for 1 minute and repeat on the other side.

5. QL Stretch

Anchor your hands on your desk with your feet staggered so they are parallel to your desk. The foot to the rear should be the same as the side farthest away from your desk. Press your hips away from your desk and turn your torso toward the ground. Hold for 45 seconds each side.

Lauren is available to answer your questions through her contact form. She also offers online an in-person personal training sessions.

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4 Medical Careers for Non-Doctors

Posted on August 13, 2018August 13, 2018 by Edna Crane

If you want a career in healthcare, but don’t want to go to school for eight more years to be a doctor, or don’t like the idea of being a nurse, you have options. The medical field is huge, and it has jobs for just about every personality type. Here are a few options you might consider:

1. Medical Transport Services

The ambulance service is extremely important. Paramedics, ambulance drivers and others help provide emergency care to the population, saving lives every day. While there is training involved to work in the ambulance service, it takes place in a community college or trade school, so it’s significantly cheaper than a full university education. If you like the idea of a fast-paced career where you’re on the front line for saving lives, it’s worth investigating what’s needed to become a paramedic.

2. Midwifery

You don’t have to be a doctor to deliver babies. In fact, in most developed countries, doctors are only involved in high-risk deliveries. Midwives deliver healthy babies everyday.

Midwifery is a challenging profession, enabling you to work closely with people on a daily basis and provide care and support to expectant mothers and their newborn children. There are several reasons to become a midwife, and while you can expect long hours and some tough days, it can also be an extremely rewarding role within the healthcare industry. It’s a career that goes back centuries, and one that is still very much needed in medicine today.

3. Phlebotomy

Phlebotomy is the practice of drawing blood, and is carried out every day in hospitals and doctors offices across the country. It’s an essential profession, and one that doesn’t require years at college to qualify. You can undergo phlebotomy training in a matter of months, enabling you to work at hospitals and other practices once you’ve completed your training. Phlebotomy is a great career if you’re interested in medicine, and could provide a good foundation before you apply for other roles such as nursing or working in medical research.

4. Management

Hospitals have many people working behind the scenes to ensure things run smoothly, and there are many opportunities for you in hospital management. You could start with an administrative role and work your way up, while some hospitals have management programs to help you secure a management position sooner. Working in hospital management can be a fast-paced and exciting role, allowing you to be a part of the hospital environment and ensure that it continues to function. You can move into hospital management from other industries, giving you a change of scene or pace from your current role.

Working in medicine is a great way to work with people and be a part of an essential service for the community. If you want a career that helps people and makes a difference, but don’t want to train to become a doctor or nurse, then exploring other avenues in the healthcare industry is worth your while. It’s a necessary service, and one that can open up a lot of doors in the future. Explore the opportunities that exist near you and consider working in healthcare for your long-term career.