If you're committed to having a healthier, well-rounded lifestyle for yourself and your family you've likely given some thought to the impact of your job or business on your quality of life. For some working from home is the answer. For others that's not the answer because they enjoy the perks of working for someone else.
We all know that the ?work at home? movement is one of the biggest work trends in recent years. Millions of people have a desire to work from home and not just because they want to run their own business. For many people what they really want is to just work as close to home as possible. The stress and pollution generated by long, multi-hour commutes to the office are definitely unhealthy. More and more people are just saying no to this kind of situation.
So if you're not interested in starting a business, but want the health benefits and salary that come with a job, why not find a job close to home? Making the choice to work in your community is getting easier because suburban and urban cities are recognizing the importance of creating attractive, ?green? communities that attract conscientious residents and good corporate citizens looking to hire those residents!
You might choose to move to one of these communities or your own community may be going through an update to be more aligned to these new guidelines for healthy community living. All in all it is helpful to assess your community's livability according to these kinds of guidelines since healthy and vital communities have a significant impact on your life!
Does making a concerted effort to obtain employment close to home sound like a viable plan to you? If so, let's look at some key tactics and strategies to help you work closer to where you live.
When I worked as a recruiter for a national employment search firm I spent a great deal of time getting to understand employer needs and job hunter preferences. Once that information was documented I then tried to match people to jobs. The more information I had from the employer and the job hunter, the more likely I was able to help both sides find the exact person that they needed. This is the same kind of exercise you can do to achieve success.
First identify your career or job interests. What is it you want to do for a living or continue doing for a living? You'd be surprised at the number of individuals I have met over the years who have never really asked themselves that question. So many people work in positions that they don't like yet have no idea of the kind of job they'd like to do. Remember you'll never find your dream job if you don't know what you're looking for.
Once you've identified the position or career you're after you then need to research the skills and strengths needed to land that position. If you're not interested in using a great online search engine like Google to research your career, I'd suggest you visit your local library and have a chat with the librarian. Librarians are still great sources of information and can point you to other career resources.
Perhaps you already have the skills you need for your dream job close to home or you may need to take a course or embark on some independent learning to build or brush up your skills. I suggest you consider joining a trade or professional association related to your field of interest. Not only can you access great, targeted and affordable educational resources through an association membership, but you can also network with other members who may end up being essential contacts or leads for your next job opportunity!
Okay, you know the job you want, you know the skills you'll need to get that job and now you need to ensure that you can communicate your strengths and experience to a recruiter or potential employer. There are two main ways to present your skills and qualifications to prospective employers and recruiters. The first is your resume and the second is the job interview. The catch here is if you don't have a good resume you have less chance of getting that interview.
Your resume is very important. If preparing a top notch resume is not your strength, then secure a professional. When I graduated from university one of my first major expenses was the fee I paid a resume consultant to help me draft and type my first professional resume. My consultant examined my experience (what little there was at that time), training, skills and future objectives to help me create an articulate and comprehensive resume. That resume was instrumental in helping me to land my first career position.
Now we get to the fun part. The whole purpose of this exercise is to land a job close to home. You need to research employers in your town or region. Check the list of members at your local chamber of commerce and drive around local business parks or commercial parts of town so that you can list the businesses in your area. This may seem time consuming but it is so important. Your future ?work place? happiness could be waiting for you within a few blocks of your home.
Don't limit yourself to an industry. Let's say your goal is to land a position as an event and meeting planner but you've only worked in a hotel and there are no similar employment opportunities in your community. Well that kind of position is very transferable and can be found in many industries, from insurance companies to hospitals. Research your local firms well and put some thought into how you might be able to fit your skills and experience into the company of your choice.
Be creative. If a local company that you'd like to work for doesn't currently have the position you're after, perhaps they'd be interested in creating one just for you! Why not send an introductory letter to the President or Human Resources Manager. In that letter describe how your qualifications and experience would make you a beneficial member of their company. Finally, ask if you could come in for an informational interview (an ?informational interview? implies that you are not there to specifically ask for a job - so there is no pressure). This kind of friendly approach certainly doesn't hurt your local job hunt strategy, and many people have done this successfully (including yours truly).
Finding a job close to home is truly easier than you think. If you'd like to get more information and tips for living the ?new urban? lifestyle in the suburbs or the city please visit http://www.newurbanmom.com for more information.
It has been a long, hard road: layoff, unemployment, fear, depression, and occasionally panic or despair. Beyond the trauma of losing your job stretches the uncomfortable, stress filled nightmare of looking for work. Emotionally reeling from the blows of joblessness, you picked yourself up and cast yourself out into the mind-numbing, ego-destructive, judgmental world of the job seeker.
Now the nightmare is over. The offer has been made and accepted: you are going back to work.
Do you feel elated? At times, probably so. Do you also feel deflated? Again, probably so. When we are actively involved in looking for work, we tend to feel that once we are offered a position, all will be right with the world, the long-borne burden will be off our shoulders, and our mental outlook will be bright and positive.
Don't be surprised or upset if you don't experience an unalloyed sense of joy and optimism. It is not unusual to encounter feelings of disappointment and apathy, Your family and friends are totally delighted for you, so you develop feelings of guilt for not being as happy and relieved as everyone else appears.
Be kind to yourself. Become aware of what you are experiencing so you can accept it for what it is and become your own primary source of support. Consider these events:
1. You have just been through a harrowing ordeal that required you to marshal all your resources to focus on one goal: finding employment. You harnessed your anxiety by pouring out adrenaline to keep yourself active and fighting fit. You buried your concerns about other aspects of your life in order to concentrate on one single priority.
Now that you have attained your goal, there is no more focus for your emotional and physiological energies, they simply swirl around in disarray. When such an all-encompassing goal is accomplished, there is suddenly a temporary vacuum. For the moment, you don't know what to do with yourself, a predicament that leads to mood swings, a sense of loss, a vague but powerful restlessness that is as unpleasant as it is unexpected.
2. Although most of us abhor the agonies and drudgery of looking for work, there are emotional elements that are provocative and pleasant. We may hate being jobless and yearn to have a known routine and a specific position, but the unknown with its endless possibilities and immense potential can be seriously seductive. No one job is ever going to fulfill all of our fantasies. It can only circumscribe our limitless dreams.
It is rather like planning a major vacation trip. The excitement is in deciding where to go and what to see, as if the whole world were our personal oyster. Once we have selected our destiny and then completed our trip, we look back in enjoyment and treasure the memories but never quite recapture the level of excitement of that initial anticipation.
Confronting the unavoidable limitations that any one position will impose on our inner vision leads to a nagging sense of having been cheated out of some of our expectations. No matter how wonderful the Christmas present we receive may be, it never quite matches the thrill of seeing it sitting under the tree, brightly wrapped and incredibly desirable because it could be absolutely anything.
3. A period of time without work destroys much of the ordinary structure of our lives. Despite the unexpected free time it provides, we tend not to make productive use of much of it. One reason we lose time is our emotional distress which leaves us drained, listless, and disconnected. Another cause is that there are no time pressures or deadlines. If we don't get it done today, there will be time tomorrow. We no longer have to squeeze in extra chores between the demands of work and our everyday lives so we don't fit them in at all.
If we reproach ourselves for our lack of action and poor motivation, we rationalize that our energy needs to be conserved for the demands of job search. Once the job hunt ends, we are confronted with the knowledge that we have squandered vast amounts of time and will now have to take action when our available time will be limited by work demands. Guilt and self-disgust further deflate our mood.
Give yourself time to gradually wind down. Allow yourself to get rid of the tension by refocusing on relaxation: sleeping, exercising, shopping, walking, meditating, just doing nothing?whatever seems to work for you. Accept that your intermittent distress is a natural consequence of your unemployment experience.
Watch your changing emotions with understanding and affection. View your inner turmoil with patience and compassion and with the sure knowledge that your own industrious efforts led to your success and have earned you a well-deserved period of self-indulgence. As you gradually regain your physical and emotional balance, you can start to truly bask in the enjoyment of reconnecting with the world of work.
Both Sharon Mcmillan & Virginia Bola are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Sharon Mcmillan has sinced written about articles on various topics from Food and Drink, Parenting and Careers and Job Hunting. Sharon McMillan is a writer and advocate for the healthy ?new urbanist? lifestyle. She's a suburban mom of two who has developed a career around marketing and promoting healthy productive communities for families and businesses. If you have comments or qu. Sharon Mcmillan's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.
Virginia Bola has sinced written about articles on various topics from Employment, Lose Weight and Interview Questions. A Licensed Psychologist and Rehabilitation Counselor, Dr. Bola developed for clients and has served as a recognize. Virginia Bola's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.