Caps and gowns and diplomas…oh my! Graduation season is upon us and with that comes a slew of recent college graduates (over 1.6 million according to the National Center for Education Statistics) ramping up to join the workforce of America, but what they may be greeted with is less than favorable for young job seekers. Recent college graduates will undoubtedly face fierce competition with the decrease in college hiring, but hunting for a job is not a recent college grad’s only option. Many companies are offering new and unique ways for young job seekers to gain real-world work experience.

“I started my job search a couple of months prior to graduation,” says Kenny Fellows, a graduate of the University of Michigan. “Prior to graduation, I had heard countless times about how tough it was in the job market, but I was pretty lucky in terms of being able to find an opportunity pretty quickly.”

The opportunity Fellows found was with SkillStorm, a San-Diego based technical and professional services firm, and their new training program targeted specifically for recent college grads. The SkillStorm Program for Extreme Educational Development, also known as SPEED, is a six-week sales training program. The company covers all expenses including travel costs to the training site in San Diego, California, lodging, food, a weekly salary and performance bonuses.

“SPEED is a very innovative program. I hadn’t heard of any other programs like it,” says Fellows. ” It was very intense, and not only allowed SkillStorm an extended period of time to train and evaluate us, but it also gave the us an extended period of time to evaluate SkillStorm, and the potential career opportunity set in front of us.”

SPEED offers both lecture-style sessions and hands-on work experience similar to a traditional internship, but unlike internships, trainees that successfully complete the SPEED program are guaranteed a full-time recruiter position in one of the company’s offices nationwide.

Fellows is now a full-time recruiter at SkillStorm and would strongly suggest training programs such as SPEED to other recent college graduates. “It is truly an unbelievable opportunity. If you are invited out to training, the worst case scenario is that you get a few weeks of intense sales training, and meet some really great people along the way. No matter the outcome, it is a very valuable experience and opportunity.”

In the current economic state, post-graduation internships are also becoming more and more common. According to NACE’s 2009 Student Survey report, more than 50% of college seniors had secured employment after graduation in 2007; in 2009, that number fell to a dismal 19.7%. An internship can be a great way to gain hands-on experience in the field rather than search endlessly for open full-time positions.

Rob Nunnery, a broadcast journalism major from the University of North Carolina – Ashville is a big fan of internships, both during and after graduation. “I actually had four internships,” says Nunnery. “For me, it was an opportunity to get a glimpse into the broadcasting industry and my future career. It was a blessing for me because I realized that it really wasn’t the career path I wanted and I was able to focus my attention elsewhere.”

While most graduates find internships to be beneficial to their future, potential interns beware-internships are not necessarily a guarantee of full-time employment and, while the number of unpaid internships has increased in recent years, the Department of Labor is cracking down on many unpaid internships nationwide for illegally using interns for free labor. So how can students avoid being taken advantage of? First, interns should be familiar with federal regulations regarding internships. The Department of Labor recently released a new set of criteria for paid vs. unpaid internships, which can be found on the department’s website. Potential interns should also ask questions – does this company have a formal internship program? Has the company ever sponsored interns in the past? Is there a clear list of responsibilities for interns? Asking these types of questions not only protects the potential intern, it also demonstrates a high level of interest in the internship opportunity, increasing a college grad’s chances of being selected for the internship.

According to a September 2009 study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers plan to hire 7% fewer college graduates from the class of 2010 than they did from 2009’s graduating class. This figure alone may not seem so troubling, but when you take into consideration the fact that employers hired 21% less college graduates in 2009 than in 2008, the outlook is not so cheery for recent grads. Does this spell disaster for upcoming college graduates? Not necessarily. While many graduating students may be nervous about starting a job search after graduation, there are other options they can explore.

Technorati Tags: Career Coaching, graduate employment, internships

In fact, keep that word handy throughout your day, and apply it to your day as often as you can. For example, getting away from work at the end of each day is a “reward” in and of itself. You have made it another day. Success! Although you will make more money and further secure your stability in your field with extra work and overtime, there will be plenty of those times – so give yourself a rest when you know you really deserve one!

In fact, studies have shown that women who create quality time with their families end up being more successful singles in the long term. So if you think you are making a sacrifice now for your family by working longer hours, think again. Those who can manage to strike a good balance their life and work are more beneficial to their law practice, and certainly have happier and more contented home lives.

So, what’s the key to balancing your professional and personal life?

1. Every day, make a list of your priorities – including work and home life.
2. After completing the list, then evaluate it what you’ve just written. You may find that you are devoting too much time to activities that are not really that important. For instance, spending too many hours at the gym can really eat up your hours after work. What would you really rather be doing? How can you give “equal time” to everything in your life? Carefully make those adjustments to your schedule.
3. Understand that you’re not heading for perfection here – don’t expect yourself to check off everything on your daily list that you wanted to accomplish, but reward yourself for the things you do get squared away and leave the rest for the next day.
4. If you feel it’s necessary, hire a professional personal assistant and certified coach to assist you in organizing your life goals so that you can better enjoy that life – instead of stressing out over often-tangled wires that will impede your goals.
5. Finally, schedule yourself some personal time. This means even though you may need to work longer hours, make sure that once you leave the office, you leave everything at the office. Resist the temptation to check your emails, answer your cell phone or let other distractions intrude in your personal time or your time with your family unless it is an emergency.

It’s truly more daunting to simply think about how to reorganize and reschedule your time at work and at home than to actually just do it! Again, the rewards of feeling less stressed – and more balanced – will far outweigh the efforts that you expend while making the changes.

Technorati Tags: career coach, Career Coaching, life coach, Life Coaching, reducing stress, Time Management

Most young adults look to unqualified people for guidance which is why, more often than not, they end up choosing a career path that is not right for them. If you turn to your parents for advice you will often be guided to either follow in their footsteps or to go after their unfullfilled dreams. A high school councelor is generally a jack of all trades who is there for moral support to get students through any number of crisis’ teens may encounter while attending high school.

Are these really the people you want to help you plan out the rest of your life? When you are sick you do not go to a lawyer for advice. When you need your car fixed you do not go to a dentist. Why then do you not seek out a certified career coach when planning something so important as your life’s work?

A certified career/life coach will have you complete a series of tests that will identify your strengths, your weaknesses and your passions. From these tests they will give you a list of career choices that best suit you. And let’s face it, do you not want to be successful in life? Of course you do. You can only reach your full potential in life by being skilled and passionate about your career choice.

Before you commit to spending thousands and thousands of dollars on education you must be sure that money is not wasted. A small investment in a certified career coach can prevent you from throwing your education dollars, and years of your time, away.

Technorati Tags: career coach, Career Coaching, career guidance, career planning, choosing your course of study

1. Don’t think about the process.Thirty-five pounds lighter, your words in print, and you succeeding in the world of entrepreneurship all seem extremely exciting. The end result is always very appealing. However, reality reminds us that the end result requires a sometimes long, arduous, painful, and maybe a boring process. It’s our negative feelings of this process that often restrict us from achieving our many goals. As humans, it is our nature to be attracted to those things that bring us pleasure and to avoid those things that we associate with pain or discomfort. Therefore, as we think about the process that we must go through to arrive at our desired end result, we quickly make the decision to not engage. When focusing on the process, you begin to ask yourself, “Do I feel like going to the gym to workout?” As you may guess, the answer is almost always, “No.” Therefore, don’t think about the process.
2. Think about a specific time in which you are happy that you accomplished your goal. To encourage you not to think about your goal would be foolish. However, when you do think about the goal, you should think about a specific time in which it provides you with positive feelings. Remember the rule of humans that was mentioned earlier: Humans gravitate to what’s pleasurable and flee from those things that are painful. Therefore, you must think of your goal in a framework that makes you feel good. For example, thinking of how energetic and good you may feel after returning from the gym or, the joy that you experience after you’ve completed a chapter of your first book. Also, it is more helpful if this time period is not in the distant future, such as when you have achieved the final goal. Rather, it should be a period in which you feel good after you have made a smaller step of progress toward the final result.
3. Just start! Another interesting fact that I have noticed about people is that we often have difficulty changing. This means that once we start something, we often become comfortable in continuing with that particular action. For example, if you are currently sitting comfortably on the sofa at the time that you have scheduled to begin your workout, it is very difficult to change that behavior. While this works with negative and destructive behaviors, it also can prove to be effective when engaging in healthier activities. Therefore, when the time comes to engage in an activity that will push you closer to achieving your goal, just get up and start! I have found that once I begin working out, writing that next chapter, or even handling administrative tasks for my business, it is often difficult to stop. At the least, I will begin with the mental commitment of performing the task for only a short period of time, perhaps, for only ten minutes. But when that ten minute period is finished, I still find it difficult to stop my current activity. So, the next time that you are struggling to perform that task that will move you closer to your goal, I encourage you to simply start.

As you verbally and mentally commit to achieving your goals for the new year, I encourage you to not think about the negative feelings that you have about the process, but about how great it feels to experience progress. And if you simply start, you are sure to experience the success that you are looking for and you will then be a part of that elite group of 20 percenters that actually achieve their goals.

About the Author:

Christopher L. King is an inspirational speaker, author,
Certified Life Coach, and internet radio personality. He
has dedicated his life to helping others take their lives
to their greatest levels yet. Are you looking to take your
life to the next level? Get your FREE excerpt of “The 3 V’s
to Success,” and a FREE 30-minute personal coaching session
at http://www.christopherLking.com

Related Blogs

Career Coaching

Time Management

Technorati Tags: achieving goals, Career Coaching, Setting Goals

When you first embark on your career journey you are fresh-faced and innocent to the ways of the working world. You are idealistic and enthusiastic and excited about becoming a part of adult life. You are ready to change the world!

This zest for life can carry you through many years and, if you are lucky, will result in achieving many of your career goals as you begin climbing the career ladder. After a few years you remove your rose colored glasses, wake up to the real world and realize that your job choice may not have been as wonderful as you first thought. It is more difficult to get up everyday and go to work. Work has become boring and unfulfilling.

There is no passion or joy left in the workplace. You would like a divorce from your job but what alternatives do you really have? You have put a lot of time and energy into your career. Is it wise to just throw away the seniority and stability of your current employment?

Even if it was a wise choice; what’s next? How do you even begin to plan for a career change at this stage of your life? The first logical step would be to contact a certified career/life coach. A good coach will help you see your life more clearly. Maybe a small change in your personal life can have a significant enough impact on your existing career that it no longer seems in need of a change. Maybe your career really does need a switch up. A career coach can help you identify your dream job and guide you into a position to make it happen for you.

She will help you evaluate your existing skills. You would be surprised at just how many skills you have acquired that are easily transferrable into a new career. You may already be qualified for that dream job and she will help you not only find that job but coach you through negotiating the best possible salary with your potential employer.

Do you need to adjust your financial strategies to handle a career change? Your certified life coach can help you make those adjustments and help you make any necessary changes to your lifestyle in order to make your dream job a reality.

A good career coach will discuss your options and to help you understand whether a career change makes sense for you right now. She is the best investment you may make in the rest of your life.

Technorati Tags: career coach, Career Coaching, certified career coach, changing careers, job transition

Unfortunately, people who have not made the same decisions as you cannot phathom wanting to go solo through life. They assume that you are single because the right person has not come into your life yet. They assume you are lonely. Quite simply, they just do not understand that you are single by choice. We all have heard the term “happily married” but how often have we heard she’s “happily single”? That is because the concept is so foreign to anyone on the outside.

One of the biggest obstacles that individuals who are committed to the single lifestyle face is not having a reliable person, who understands your situation, to go to for advice. You can’t turn to your parents because they are too busy still trying to find you “Mr. Right”. A life coach may very well be your best ally when it comes to making informed decisions that will effect your career, your finances and your personal growth.

Finding a certified life coach who specializes in coaching singles is not always easy though. This person will be your mentor who will guide you through all of the plans you have for your life so you need to be very sure that you choose wisely. She must specialize in helping individuals reach their goals, she can also be a great source to network with other people who, like you, are committed to the single lifestyle.

Have you found a certified career/life coach out there who is as happily single as you are? If so, she will be the best one to guide you. She is a rare find because she understands the difficulties you face as an unmarried person in a corporate world. She has faced the same situations you will encounter in your career and can help you deal with descrimination that singles often come up against in their corporate life.

So if marriage is not one of your life goals, celebrate it and rely on those who truly understand.

Technorati Tags: career coach, Career Coaching, certified life coach, life coach, Life Coaching, life mentor, professional life coach, singles career coach

Visualization is a very important key to achieving success. If you have a vision of the goals you wish to attain they are more real and more attainable. It is a way to train and focus your thinking to be driven to succeed.

The first step in visualization is to seriously consider exactly what you want out of life. Maybe you want financial freedom. Maybe you aspire to make a difference in society. Perhaps you desire the prestige of being considered the best in your field. Whatever your passion is you need to clearly define it in your mind.

The next step is to find someone who, in your mind, represents your goals. You can learn how to be successful from studying others who have achieved what you desire. If possible, meet with that person. Explain to them that you consider them to be a role model of yours. You would be surprised to know that many people whom you hold in high regard are very willing to speak openly about how they got to where they are. People love to talk about their accomplishments, especially to an attentive audience. Learn as much as you can from this person.

If it is not possible to actually meet your mentor then study them intently. I don’t suggest becoming a stalker, but make note of who they keep company with. Read anything they may have written. Read any bios or profiles you can find on this person. Study their behaviors. Contact them by phone or mail to try to strike up a mentor/student relationship.

Keep a picture of this successful person visible, preferably in your closet or dressing room. Every day before leaving your home look in the mirror and imagine yourself as their equal. When faced with a challenge, think to yourself, “How would my mentor handle this situation?” By emulating a successful person’s behaviors you are training yourself to also become successful.

Studies have proven that extraordinary people all tend to have many things in common. They were not just born exceptional. They learned the behaviors necessary to succeed and they all have a vision. By studying and imitating you too will learn those patterns.

Now visualize yourself having attained your goals. What exactly does it look and feel like to have that financial freedom? What vision do you have of yourself having made a difference in society? How does it feel to be the best in your business?

You must first have a very clear vision of yourself as a successful person in order to achieve your goals in life. Once you have that vision, you are learning the behaviors, you can now go ahead and map out the plan that will make your visualization a reality.

Technorati Tags: Career Coaching, certified career coach, certified life coach, the art of visualization, visualization coaching

Career Coaching – Time Management

If you are a career oriented individual setting goals should be a routine you are very familiar with. Reaching those goals is another matter. Time management is a challenge that many people struggle with.

You know the path you want to take. You know what you have to do to reach your ultimate destination in life. You just need to learn how to prioritize and focus on implementing the steps you have set out for yourself. There are not enough hours in the day to work on everything at once. Trying to do it all at one time will cause undue stress and will actually be counter-productive in the long run.

The old saying “The hurrier I go the behinder I get” applies when you have set a pace that is impossible to maintain over a long period of time. Be realistic in what you can comfortably accomplish. Remember that life is a journey and it should be a pleasant trip. I like to think of goals as ladders. If you have 5 ladders that you are trying to climb all at one time you will climb one or two rungs on the first one,hit a bit of resistance,jump off and climb one or two on the next. If you continue on this course of action you will never reach the top of any of those ladders. Instead you need to choose one ladder and climb it to the top before tackling the next one.

Take a good look at your ladders. Decide which ones require immediate action and which ones require ongoing attention. It is possible to tackle more than one at a time but only if they are related or do not conflict. For example, if one of your goals is to continue your education by taking a 10 week night class you could combine that with your goal of becoming more physically fit by walking at least part of the way to class. These two goals do not conflict and are very doable without causing more stress. I would, however, not consider adding a goal to attend a weekly networking event to the mix. This might interfere with the homework you may need to complete and create a feeling of being overworked.

Remember to keep your life in balance. You have to schedule in some downtime for relaxation and recreation. This is just as important to your success as hard work is. Maintaining relationships with friends and family, performing well at work and striving to improve yourself and your situation is a great balancing act that requires careful coordination. Do not allow your focus on one area to upset the balance of your life as a whole. If you are having difficulty managing your time or prioritizing your goals a life or career coach can help you achieve your goals while keeping your life in balance.

Technorati Tags: Career Coaching, coaching for life, fast track career, scheduling your day, Time Management

When setting goals, many people get so caught up with the final destination that they lose their focus on the road they need to take to get them there. Once they lose the road map, the destination seems to get further and further away and often times it feels like arriving at their goal has become an impossibility. This generally results in frustration and eventually giving up on their dreams altogether.

Instead, if they had only focused on the road map they would have progressed steadily toward reaching their ultimate destination one step at a time. This focus on smaller achievements not only will give you a greater sense of accomplishment to reinforce that you are on the right track, it is also a measurable means to evaluate your progress.

Here are a few tips to help you set and reach your goals:

1. Set a daily plan of action. Do at least one thing every single day that will advance you toward your next goal. End your day by reading your goals and setting your plan of action for the next day. Put it on your night stand so it is the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night.
2. Give every goal a deadline. Unless you have a set date to reach each step you will have a tendency to procrastinate.
3. Do a weekly, monthly and yearly evaluation of your progress. Were all of your goals met? If not, why and what can you do to change it?
4. Make sure your goals are measurable. If your goal is to make more money, put a dollar amount to it. If your goal is to lose weight, specify how many pounds. Be very specific and make sure you can monitor your progress in a very real way.
5. Hold yourself accountable. If you miss a goal do not find ways of blaming it on other people or circumstances. Instead, look to see why it was missed and how you can prevent yourself from being distracted from your goal in the future. If you did not get your plan for the day accomplished because a neighbor dropped in for an unexpected visit do not blame it on the neighbor. Recognize that you allowed yourself to be distracted. You could just as easily have told your friend that you are happy to see them but that you need to get 2 hours of work done that evening so you will need to cut the visit short and maybe make plans to get together at a later date.
6. Forgive yourself. There will always be occasions when we do miss goals for one reason or another. Do not allow yourself to focus on the failure. Forgive yourself, put it behind you and focus on getting on track again.

Goal setting is the map to success. Without it you cannot possibly reach your full potential. Be realistic, be consistent and be proud of your achievements.

Technorati Tags: Career Coaching, career mentor, goals to success, setting career goals, Setting Goals, setting job goals

• help you explore and better define your professional competencies,
• address personal issues impacting your career,
• clearly identify your career objectives,
• discuss and resolve obstacles to employment and career success,
• guide you in developing both short-term and long-range career strategies,
• assist you in developing, executing and managing a successful job search campaign
• prepare you to competitively interview, negotiate compensation and evaluate offers.

In addition, many coaches offer services beyond the immediate job search and are available to support you throughout your career with ongoing guidance and support for long-term career planning, management and advancement.

Typically, clients are either in their early 20s looking to launch a career or fast-track their career; or they are in their 40s, 50s or early retirement years and they desire to transition to an entirely different career field. A common trait among Singles Career Coaching clients is that they have a vision they want to fulfill. Usually they want to achieve personal job satisfaction and also make an impact on the environment, on people or on the world. Commonly, to achieve their goals, they need: education, a structured plan, support and encouragement.

Technorati Tags: Career Coaching, certified life coach, Life Coaching, personal life coach, professional life coach