Breakthrough Career Solutions

Employment Screening Resources<
> Career Planning Considerations

There are a variety of factors to take into consideration when choosing the path you will take toward a new career. You will need to assess what you already possess in terms of skills, education, and experience that will apply to your new career. Next, you should consider what you need to break into the industry. If you have what it takes to get into the industry or are already there, consider what you will need to move to the position that you want. Knowing yourself, your finances, and the industry youve chosen inside and out is essential to career planning. Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

Do you need a degree, a certificate, or a skill set that you can obtain through a class to succeed in your new career?

If so, do you have the time and money to finance this education? Can you take out loans, take your classes online, or take some time off work to get this education?

Do you need to be certified? If so, a very specific career path has most likely been mapped out and followed. Find out what others in your area have done, where they’ve gone to school, and where to register for the exam to pass your certification. This will save you a considerable amount of time as you research what you need to do.

Are you sure this career is what you want? Is the time and money invested in education and entry level positions worth it to you? Will the job pay enough money to finance the lifestyle you want to live? Are the day to day characteristics of your new career compatible with your temperament and values? Realistically assessing your interests and capabilities could save you years if you are honest and sure that you are choosing your new career for the right reasons.
Starting a New Career

Starting a new career can be a daunting venture, especially when you have acquired a lifetime’s worth of financial responsibilities and obligations. Nothing, however, is impossible, no matter how strapped for time and money you are currently. All it takes is a well thought out plan and diligence and you can soon be starting a new career.

First, think very seriously about what you want to do. Why have you chosen this new career? Is it completely different from what you are doing now? Are there aspects of your current job that apply to your new career as far as contacts, experience, or education? Does this new career require learning a whole new skill set and industry or is it a matter of upgrading your education to the next level? Make a list of all the assets you already possess that you can bring to a new career. Include personal skills and qualifications as well as natural instincts and inclinations. Some things can’t be taught and if you have a natural predilection for the skills needed for your new career, this may take you further than you think.

Next, determine the steps you will need to take in order to arrive at a position in your new career. To help you do this, talk to people currently working the job you have chosen. How did they get where they are? Would they have done anything differently? Do they have any recommendations? Do you need a degree? Online classes and schools are all over the internet and will allow you to study while keeping your job. Do you need an apprenticeship to establish yourself? Try and find one that pays you. Even a small stipend can help you offset financial costs at home.

With planning and patience, you can start a new career without putting your current home situation at risk. Take one step at a time and allow yourself as long as it takes to complete it before going on to the next one. Your new career isn’t going to disappear while you spend time properly preparing for it.
Employee screenings use legal, medical, human resource, and other government offices related records to get a good insight into a job applicant?s background. They must have access to these records in various government offices such as the DMV, criminal records bureau, medical institutions, and schools.

These offices do not provide confidential reports to each and everyone who enquires. The investigators must have authentic identification before trying to check these records. Educational institutes tend to provide only basic information.

Since the pre-employment screening companies make a business out of these reports, they need to be precise, accurate, and timely. They must have resources required to provide reports requiring exhaustive search in some cases. Also, some companies need to provide reports involving a nationwide screening of the candidate.

All pre-employment screening companies are able to check into the criminal background of the applicant. In the event the applicant had filed for bankruptcy or has a bad credit history, it will be mentioned in the report as it might reflect badly when the company provides the employee with a corporate credit card that can be misused. Criminal records or recorded instances of violence in the work place might also be considered against the candidate. Drugs and sexual abuse are other offenses that can be easily unearthed during the screening.

With the resources available to the investigative agencies these days, there is practically nothing about the applicant that they cannot unearth. Companies encourage candidates to not provide falsified resumes or hide something vital that might affect the job or the company in the future.

Good grooming will open doors
Job-seekers should dress up as though they are going for a job interview every day, Instyle Image principal Julie Zanes says. Opportunity could knock at any time, and maintaining the right image can seal the deal with a potential employer, Zanes says.

Mentoring a double plus
Mentoring is a guided journey of learning, and participants need to be aware of their roles, writes Julia Stirling.