December 2010
Monthly Archive
7 Jobs That Are Worth the Stress
Most jobs are stressful. When you’re an hour away from the deadline for that spreadsheet of “value-adding actionable items” and your boss is breathing down your neck, your anxiety level is going to be pretty high.
Luckily, there are a lot of ways to relieve stress at work. One of the best is by putting your situation into perspective. For example, ask yourself: ”Is the world going to end if it takes me an extra hour to finish this project?” Answering questions like this helps to give us a more realistic perception of our stress, once we realize our Excel spreadsheet won’t be saving — or sacrificing — any lives.
But you have to wonder about the people who have jobs that come with so much pressure that doing them well actually is matter of life or death (or at least company livelihood). What makes it possible to cope with that kind of stress on a daily basis? While some people may just be hard-wired to revel in life’s pressure cookers, it probably doesn’t hurt that a lot of high-stress jobs come with an equally high paycheck.
Below, seven jobs that are — literally — worth the stress.
1. Surgeon
The stressors: Every day is a life or death situation for surgeons, so stress comes with the territory. Surgeons are also expected to be on call — sometimes 24 hours a day — and to drop whatever they are doing to get to the hospital.
The workweek: Forty-three percent of surgeons work more than 50 hours per week.*
The salary: $219,770**
2. Chief executive
The stressors: The success — or failure — of a company is often attributed to the CEO. Take the recent BP disaster, for example. CEO Tony Hayward took the brunt of the world’s blame and criticism for his company’s role in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, causing Hayward to resign. When things don’t go well at a company, all fingers point to its chief executive.
The workweek: It’s not uncommon for chief executives to work more than 50 hours per week. Frequent travel and work on evenings and weekends also come with the executive territory.
The salary: $167,280, though the compensation packages for chief executives often include stock options and bonuses, meaning total earnings can be much higher.
3. Attorney
The stressors: Long hours, public speaking, and the pressure to win their clients’ cases all contribute to the high stress levels of being an attorney.
The workweek: One-third of lawyers work more than 50 hours per week.
The salary: $129,020
4. Computer and Information Systems Managers
The stressors: These days, most companies depend on technology. It’s impossible to do many jobs without an Internet connection or properly functioning computer software. Computer and information systems managers ensure that a company’s computer-related functions operate efficiently and smoothly — so if there’s a computer crash or a system outage, guess who gets the frantic phone calls?
The workweek: Twenty-five percent report working more than 50 hours per week.
The salary: $120,640
5. Pilot
The stressors: From passenger safety to a smooth flight and an on-time arrival, pilots have a lot of responsibility. Add in all the “what ifs” that come with flying (remember Capt. Chesley Sullenburger, who successfully ditched U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in New York’s Hudson River in January 2009, saving the lives of all 155 people on the plane?) and it’s not hard to see why flying is stressful.
The workweek: Pilots spend an average of 90 hours per week away from home. Though they are not flying all 90 hours pilots fly an average of 75 hours per month they spend considerable time performing nonflight duties and are often away from their homes, staying in airport hotels between flights.
The salary: $117,060
6. Financial manager
The stressors: Customers trust financial managers to make smart, profitable decisions with their money. A loss on an investment may mean the loss of a client or even a job.
The workweek: One in five work more than 50 hours per week.
The salary: $113,730
7. Public Relations Manager
The stressors: Public relations officials must constantly be aware of how their company or client is being perceived in the media, which often involves damage control. PR executives also deal with the media, answering reporters’ tough questions about company layoffs or scandals. If the PR person says the wrong thing or can’t smooth over a company crisis quickly enough, it can spell disaster for both his company and his job.
The workweek: More than 80 percent work more than 40 hours per week.
The salary: $101,850
* Average workweek information as of May 2009, according to the BLS.
** Salary information as of May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow @CBForJobSeekers on Twitter.
Why Do Interviewers Use Brainteasers?
Remember when you took the SAT and were asked which direction a tree would fall if it were tied to the ground and then cut at the base? You probably just picked a random answer and thought, “When will I ever need to know that?”
At your next job interview, maybe.
(more…)
12 Traits of a Great Boss
For many people, a cardinal sin is thinking they’re perfect. Job seekers think they’re not making any job-search mistakes. Employees “always” do the best they can. And bosses are always great.
Right.
Unfortunately, in real life, nobody’s perfect — not even you, Mr. Boss Man. In fact, many bosses assume they’re doing a good job at managing their employees when the opposite is the reality.
“Such situations occur frequently, quite simply because the boss does not have accurate feedback,” says Sandra Naiman, author of “The High Achiever’s Secret Codebook: The Unwritten Rules for Success at Work.” “Often employees don’t tell him or her what they really think.”
In reality, being a good boss isn’t as easy as it sounds. Just because you’re “the boss” doesn’t mean that you can tell people what to do and they’ll do it, Naiman reminds. And even if they do, that doesn’t make you a good boss.
“The role is really one of supporting and motivating people to do a good job. This means you have to understand what motivates people, be constantly available to them, be a role model, and adjust your style to suit each individual direct report,” she says.
So, do you want to know if you’ve got what it takes to be a great boss? Here are 12 things that make up a good boss, according to Naiman and Vicki Salemi, author of “Big Career in the Big City.”
1. Ask employees how you can best support them in doing their job. “This ensures that you are doing your best job to help your employees do theirs,” Naiman says.
2. Make sure that each employee has all the information, resources and support he or she needs to do their job. “It also demonstrates that you see yourself as [being] there to support them,” Naiman adds.
3. Give continuous feedback, both positive and constructive. “This helps the employee develop [professionally] and avoids surprises during performance reviews,” Naiman says.
4. Provide opportunities for professional growth. “This lets employees know that you are in their corner,” Naiman says.
5. Don’t let employees know of your own job concerns, challenges or problems in your personal life. “This prevents employees from feeling that they have to take care of their boss,” Naiman says. “A good boss is perceived as competent and there to support his or her employees.”
6. Create trust. “A good boss is a trusted boss. So, keep promises, follow through on commitments [and] never betray a confidence or talk about others in the organization, except in a favourable way,” Naiman says.
7. Show compassion. “Treat employees like they’re people. Not employees, but people. If one of your direct reports had a death in the family or even a bad day, be human and compassionate,” Salemi says.
8. Listen. “One of the best traits of a boss is someone who not only goes to the wall for their employees but who also listens to them,” Salemi says. “Sometimes team members just need to vent and get things off their chest. A good boss will listen.”
9. Give frequent feedback. “Instead of waiting until an annual performance review to give feedback — good or bad — a sign of an excellent boss is pro-active behaviour,” Salemi says. “A fantastic boss will get the most out of his or her employees. Giving positive feedback and acknowledging a job well done often results in more good work.”
10. Understand your employees’ jobs. When you don’t completely understand what your employees do or how they do it, it’s more difficult to help them navigate their job if they need more resources, Salemi says. “Plus, a good boss should go to bat for his or her employees. If they don’t understand the magnitude of their direct reports’ job responsibilities this may be harder to do or convince the higher-ups of their worth.”
11. Live and breathe by the company rules. If you show up late, take long lunches or are MIA during pockets throughout the day, people notice, Salemi reminds. “Rules aren’t just for direct reports to abide by. A good boss will know that their behaviour is to be emulated,” she says. “If the rules don’t apply to them, who should they apply to? A true leader takes this very seriously.”
12. Acknowledge your employees’ work. “Recognize their performance! Even as employees go through busy season or may be inundated with job sharing in this economy, a good manager will keep them motivated by putting wind in their sails and more importantly, keep turnover low,” Salemi says. “If you have a good boss, you’re golden, you won’t want to leave. When you know your boss is ‘on your side,’ it makes a difference in your productivity, morale and overall workplace happiness.”
Rachel Farrell researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder.com. Follow @CareerBuilder on Twitter
Why You Should Still Be Concerned About Job Insecurity
According to Dr. Laurence Shatkin, author of “2011 Career Plan,” people have every right to be concerned about losing their job.
“During the worst months of the Great Recession, hundreds of thousands of workers were losing their jobs each month. We’ve moved past those dark days, but you’re never going to see the kind of widespread job security that your grandparents came to expect during most of the previous century,” he explains. (more…)
Should I Stop My Job Search During the Holidays?
As the calendar year comes to a close, job seekers may be tempted to put their hunt on hold. After all, companies are too busy trying to get work done amid office parties and days off to have time for new hires, right?
(more…)
5 Ways You Could Be Making Your Job Harder
We may be slowly emerging from the Great Recession, but workers are still stretched thin at the office. Many have taken on more responsibility, struggle to secure the resources and support they need, and continue to work long hours. If you are among this group, your job is already difficult enough. The worst thing you can do is make it even harder on yourself. But you may be doing just that.
Here are five ways you could be making your job harder and suggestions for avoiding these mistakes:
1. Confusing urgent with important. If you find yourself with a lot on your plate, shifting some assignments to the back burner can help you better manage the workload. But be strategic about what gets pushed. A common mistake is to prioritize projects based solely on their urgency — the tasks with the most pressing deadlines are tackled first, while those with due dates farther off get set aside. But urgency does not always accurately indicate a project’s importance. You could be rushing to prepare for a meeting later in the afternoon, for instance, but if it’s a routine gathering in which little is accomplished or few decisions are made, you could be wasting your time.
Before deciding which projects to focus on or skip, put together a list of your assignments and determine the priority of each. Consult the list daily so you remain on top of your most important tasks and can adjust the rankings as projects are added, deadlines shift and deliverables change.
2. Keeping to yourself. In today’s environment, it’s easy — and seemingly beneficial — to simply put your head down and get your work done. After all, you’re too busy to do much else, like interact with other employees. But keeping to yourself can prove harmful in the long run.
For one, you miss out on the chance to make friends with co-workers. These relationships can make the time you spend at work more enjoyable. Plus, you never know when you might need to turn to an internal contact for assistance with an assignment, news about an organizational change or details about a vacancy in another department that caught your interest. So stop to chat in the hallway on occasion, join a co-worker for lunch, and participate in off-site events and celebrations to get to know those you work with.
3. Not wanting to bother your manager. You know how busy you are, and you can only imagine how much your boss has on his or her plate. The best thing to do is to leave your supervisor alone so he or she can focus on work, right? Not necessarily. Remaining in close contact with your manager is essential. It not only ensures that you’re focusing on the highest-priority projects and meeting performance expectations, but also that you have the information and resources you need to complete your work.
Not asking your boss for clarification about the scope of a new project because you don’t want to be a pest, for instance, may cause you to spin your wheels if it turns out you guessed wrong. Try to schedule regular meetings with your supervisor so you can keep him or her apprised of your current workload, request resources when needed and discuss strategies for overcoming potential roadblocks.
4. Being satisfied with the status quo. When workloads and stress levels are high, workers often move career development down the list of priorities. But ignoring your professional education could put you at a disadvantage. One reason is that many positions are evolving as firms combine roles and ask workers to assume duties that were previously handled by others. At the same time, changes in technology and new developments in your field mean that you could quickly fall behind if you don’t continually add to your repertoire of skills.
No one other than yourself will ensure you receive the training you need, so approach your manager with a list of training opportunities you are interested in and explain how pursuing them would benefit you and the company. Your supervisor may be able to support your efforts by subsidizing the cost, providing you with the necessary time off or recommending other avenues for development.
5. Leaving a mess. Having a clean desk and an uncluttered e-mail inbox may seem like the last things you need to worry about. But these seemingly small details could be slowing you down. Think about it: Is it really in your best interest to spend a half-hour looking for a message you sent sometime in the last three months? Taking the time to straighten up your desk, organize e-mails and delete unnecessary files can help you find things more quickly and easily, thereby increasing your efficiency and productivity at work.
Robert Half International is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 350 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit http://www.roberthalf.com/. For additional career advice, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/roberthalf.
A Résumé Checklist: 13 Things to Do Before You Apply for the Job
When writing the first draft of your résumé, you probably know it could be — and should be — stronger than it is. If you’re like many job seekers, though, you might feel mystified as to which specific steps will lead you to more powerful content and a more attractive design.
Fortunately, boosting a bland résumé or simply polishing it before applying for a job isn’t as difficult as you might expect. Evelyn Salvador, author of “Step-by-Step Résumés,” says there are many simple, yet effective, tricks that can significantly strengthen your résumé’s readability, call to action, marketability and overall appearance.
In her book, Salvador recommends you take the following steps to improve your résumé before using it to apply for jobs:
1. Remove personal pronouns. These are understood in your résumé and you should leave them out of each sentence. If your résumé contains the words “I,” “me” or “my,” delete them and restructure your sentences if necessary.
2. Check for verbs. Be sure each bullet in your “professional experience” section starts with a verb or an adverb preceding a verb.
3. Delete redundant or superfluous words. Review each sentence or bullet and delete any words that your sentence reads fine without, such as “the” and “that,” as well as unnecessary “fluff” words. Edit down to the most concise sentence possible without omitting important content, such as achievements.
4. Include personal attributes. Double-check that your primary attributes are included in your “professional summary” section and that you didn’t leave out any important ones.
5. Ensure that all pertinent, targeted qualifications are included. Compare your résumé to the description of the job you’re targeting. Is there any information you didn’t already mention that would address a function or need listed in the description? If so, revise your résumé to include that information.
6. Prioritize your bullets. Review your responsibilities and achievements in each position and move the more important, targeted ones closer to the top under each position.
7. Remove irrelevant information. Check to ensure that anything irrelevant or not directly related to your targeted goal is minimized, put toward the end or omitted so that your résumé includes more relevant information.
8. Subdivide and categorize bullets. If you have many responsibility and achievement bullets under each position (say, more than 10), you can divide them into two categories (“responsibilities” and “achievements”) and subtitle them as such under each position for easier reading.
9. Check for quantifying information. When reviewing your sentences, ask yourself, “Did I include how many, how much, how often, how big, how fast, how well and so on?” If not, go edit your sentences to include more specific, concrete information.
10. Verify that “CAR” and benefit information is included. Do your achievements include the Challenge you faced, the Action you took and the Result? Be sure you show how well you performed these functions and always include the benefit(s) to the company.
11. Vary bullet line length. Try for a good mix of line lengths. Bullets are effective when they are a combination of one, two and three typed lines. Because it is important to show not only what you did, but also how well you did it and what the benefits were to the company, information should be concise without sacrificing content or meaning. In this way, you will have an action-packed, achievement-oriented résumé that is tightly and concisely written.
12. Check grammar, punctuation and spelling. Spell-check your document in your word-processing program. Proofread several times. Be consistent in your use of capitalization and hyphenation. Be sure you have used correct grammar and punctuation. If this is not one of your fortes (and it isn’t for many people), give your completed résumé to someone you trust to proofread it for you.
13. Add adjectives or adverbs where applicable. Check to see whether you can add descriptors that show how well you performed your job functions.
Selena Dehne, JIST Publishing. Featuring an excerpt from “Step-by-Step Résumés” by Evelyn Salvador.
Selena Dehne is a career writer for JIST Publishing who shares the latest occupational, career and job search information available with job seekers and career changers. She is also the author of JIST’s Job Search and Career Blog (http://jistjobsearchandcareer.blogspot.com/). Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SelenaDehne.
How to Become the Employee No One Can Afford to Lose
At one time, workers were often rewarded for staying with their employer for several years. Many felt secure in their jobs and didn’t worry about factors beyond their control dictating their employment status.
14 Techniques to Build and Strengthen Your Career Brand
Don’t wait until you’re unemployed to worry about your visibility and reputation within your industry. Act now to strengthen your career brand so that you’re prepared to rebound quickly from job loss and to seize promotions, freelance gigs or consulting opportunities that arise in your future.
“Branding helps you establish a successful, credible identity that gives hiring managers insight into your value proposition and return on investment,” explains Evelyn Salvador, author of “Step-by-Step Cover Letters.”
“It helps to establish you as an expert in your own professional niche and build a solid reputation in your field. If done correctly, branding also compels employers to seek you out. When you brand yourself, you make it clear to employers that you can help them solve their problems, meet their challenges, increase their bottom line or otherwise contribute to their organization in a way no one else can or will,” Salvador adds.
What can you do now to build and strengthen your career brand? In her book, Salvador suggests the following techniques:
Become an expert in your field. Establishing yourself as an expert in your field is one of the most essential ways to brand yourself. It builds credibility and demonstrates your achievements and abilities in various ways, such as by writing articles published in trade journals, giving speeches at conferences and being quoted by the news media.
Gain more knowledge, education and experience. No matter how much you already know, you can always learn more. First, determine what you want your brand to stand for. Then decide what you need to learn, and develop a strategy to accomplish that. If you haven’t already done so, complete the degrees, licenses or certifications needed in your field, or earn those that put you at the top.
If you are employed, seek additional opportunities to enhance your brand. To help build your brand while on your existing job, see whether you can become involved in new and challenging assignments, projects or opportunities that can further enhance your expertise and put some additional achievements under your belt, especially ones that can provide some notability to your online presence.
Maintain an up-to-date record of all of your accomplishments. Extract information from your performance evaluations, reference letters, sales reports, customer comments and the like. Make and keep copies for yourself, and maintain a complete list of your own. Be sure to compile quantifying numbers and percentages wherever possible.
Create an outstanding résumé and cover letter. Certified résumé writers are skilled in helping people to identify and document their qualifications, transferable skills, key accomplishments, attributes and training, and to craft print marketing tools.
Develop your elevator pitch. Once you’ve developed your personal brand, you can create your elevator pitch. Think in terms of how much you can say during floor stops on an elevator. It shouldn’t be any longer. Edit your brand message down to its most condensed format without losing content.
Network and promote yourself all the time. Every time you meet someone new, use your elevator pitch and inform the person about what you do. You should learn and memorize your elevator pitch so it flows off your tongue effortlessly, confidently and compellingly.
Join LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking platforms. With 50 million members and growing exponentially, LinkedIn is the social network of choice for human resource professionals and all career-minded individuals. Currently, 88 percent of hiring managers view candidates’ online identities before calling them for an interview or making a job offer. Request membership in like-minded groups and share your expertise in blogs and forums. Be sure your brand message is consistent in all of your communications.
Become the “go-to” person in person and online. Reach out to members in your professional community and offer assistance when someone seeks help. Your brand will become known and you will be the one others come to for expertise in your field.
Build relationships in person and online. Request informational interviews from companies in your field of interest. Grow your online network in social networking forums.
Reinforce your brand repetitively. Mind your personal brand all the time — in your actions, in your words, in the way you dress and in your demeanor. Display it in person, in your marketing materials, in your résumé, in interviews, during online social networking, within the content of your e-mail messages and in your Web résumé. The more ways you showcase and the more times you repeat your brand, the stronger it becomes. When you start to meet people who already know who you are, you know your brand is becoming successful.
Monitor your online presence. When conducting a Google search on yourself (your name in quotes), review all of the entries that come up. The goal is to have your online presence be on target with your brand. If you come across an entry that is not on brand or might be viewed negatively, contact the site’s webmaster to ask that the information be removed or corrected.
Create a Web résumé or online portfolio. In today’s world of work, your brand must have a strong, positive online presence. One way to build this presence is to create a Web résumé or online career portfolio. These can include items such as your résumé, a mission statement, a personalized logo, articles you have written or have been quoted in and their links, transcripts of speeches you have given, testimonials and endorsements, work samples, awards, honors and more.
Redefine and strengthen your brand as it evolves. The more you do to cultivate and grow your brand, the more successful you’ll become in your career and in life, and the more satisfied you will be.
Selena Dehne is a career writer for JIST Publishing who shares the latest occupational, career and job search information available with job seekers and career changers. She is also the author of JIST’s Job Search and Career Blog (http://jistjobsearchandcareer.blogspot.com/). Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SelenaDehne.
Hot Fields for Hiring in 2011
Occupational experts like Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., say that America is climbing out of recession and that job opportunities are better now than they’ve been for a long time. But what does this mean for people hoping to advance their career? What can they do in 2011 to be strong candidates in the future job market? (more…)
5 Ways You Could Be Making Your Job Harder
We may be slowly emerging from the Great Recession, but workers are still stretched thin at the office. Many have taken on more responsibility, struggle to secure the resources and support they need, and continue to work long hours. If you are among this group, your job is already difficult enough. The worst thing you can do is make it even harder on yourself. But you may be doing just that.
Here are five ways you could be making your job harder and suggestions for avoiding these mistakes:
1. Confusing urgent with important. If you find yourself with a lot on your plate, shifting some assignments to the back burner can help you better manage the workload. But be strategic about what gets pushed. A common mistake is to prioritize projects based solely on their urgency — the tasks with the most pressing deadlines are tackled first, while those with due dates farther off get set aside. But urgency does not always accurately indicate a project’s importance. You could be rushing to prepare for a meeting later in the afternoon, for instance, but if it’s a routine gathering in which little is accomplished or few decisions are made, you could be wasting your time.
Before deciding which projects to focus on or skip, put together a list of your assignments and determine the priority of each. Consult the list daily so you remain on top of your most important tasks and can adjust the rankings as projects are added, deadlines shift and deliverables change.
2. Keeping to yourself. In today’s environment, it’s easy — and seemingly beneficial — to simply put your head down and get your work done. After all, you’re too busy to do much else, like interact with other employees. But keeping to yourself can prove harmful in the long run.
For one, you miss out on the chance to make friends with co-workers. These relationships can make the time you spend at work more enjoyable. Plus, you never know when you might need to turn to an internal contact for assistance with an assignment, news about an organizational change or details about a vacancy in another department that caught your interest. So stop to chat in the hallway on occasion, join a co-worker for lunch, and participate in off-site events and celebrations to get to know those you work with.
3. Not wanting to bother your manager. You know how busy you are, and you can only imagine how much your boss has on his or her plate. The best thing to do is to leave your supervisor alone so he or she can focus on work, right? Not necessarily. Remaining in close contact with your manager is essential. It not only ensures that you’re focusing on the highest-priority projects and meeting performance expectations, but also that you have the information and resources you need to complete your work.
Not asking your boss for clarification about the scope of a new project because you don’t want to be a pest, for instance, may cause you to spin your wheels if it turns out you guessed wrong. Try to schedule regular meetings with your supervisor so you can keep him or her apprised of your current workload, request resources when needed and discuss strategies for overcoming potential roadblocks.
4. Being satisfied with the status quo. When workloads and stress levels are high, workers often move career development down the list of priorities. But ignoring your professional education could put you at a disadvantage. One reason is that many positions are evolving as firms combine roles and ask workers to assume duties that were previously handled by others. At the same time, changes in technology and new developments in your field mean that you could quickly fall behind if you don’t continually add to your repertoire of skills.
No one other than yourself will ensure you receive the training you need, so approach your manager with a list of training opportunities you are interested in and explain how pursuing them would benefit you and the company. Your supervisor may be able to support your efforts by subsidizing the cost, providing you with the necessary time off or recommending other avenues for development.
5. Leaving a mess. Having a clean desk and an uncluttered e-mail inbox may seem like the last things you need to worry about. But these seemingly small details could be slowing you down. Think about it: Is it really in your best interest to spend a half-hour looking for a message you sent sometime in the last three months? Taking the time to straighten up your desk, organize e-mails and delete unnecessary files can help you find things more quickly and easily, thereby increasing your efficiency and productivity at work.
Robert Half International is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 350 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit http://www.roberthalf.com/. For additional career advice, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/roberthalf.
When Interview Questions Get Too Personal: Tips for Getting Back to Business
Sure, it is an interviewer’s job to gather information about someone who wants to be hired. But when questions veer into matters that have little to do with an applicant’s ability to perform the job at hand, things can get uncomfortable. Here, experts and job seekers who have been there offer diplomatic ways to steer a nosy interviewer back on course. (more…)
Working in Client Services
t successful companies need strong customer service practices to stay competitive in a crowded market. These workers are completely focused on customers’ questions and complaints.
Done well, this strategy creates loyal customers while freeing the firm’s other employees to concentrate on running the business. Done poorly, it can force frustrated customers to take their business elsewhere.
In recent years, companies in several sectors have taken this lesson a step further, creating a department called client services. Most client services workers concentrate on high-value customers or large corporate clients, delivering top-notch service for patrons of businesses such as insurance, technology and finance.
Spencer Batt is a client services representative for American Specialty Insurance & Risk Services, an insurance company in Omaha, Nebraska.
In a recent business deal, Batt handled the rain insurance policy for the Omaha Royals, a minor league baseball team in the city, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
When umpires cancel a baseball game because of rain, the teams lose revenue from lost seat sales, Batt said. Even a gentle rain can make the field damp enough that many fans stay home, depressing the stadium’s concession sales for baseball classics like popcorn, peanuts and pennants.
So for its final game of the season – against Texas’ Round Rock Express – the Royals wanted a policy to guard against a possible financial blow.
“We’ve got people coming from around the country – VIPs, a final game sponsor – and special events planned for our fans,” Royals vice president and general manager Martie Cordaro told the newspaper. “There’s not going to be an opportunity to make this up.”
So the team worked with Batt to buy a policy that insures it against the risk of rain for the game. As a client service representative, Batt offered a range of bids with premiums from $5,000 to $25,000, and coverage payouts from $50,000 to $250,000.
Aside from insurance firms, technology companies have also been pouring money into their client services departments. In Dulles, Virginia, Robert Stoneking was recently named vice president in charge of the client services and operations group for his company, Echo360.
The company sells powerful recording equipment that allows schools and universities to make movies of professors’ lectures, then use those videos to support their distance learning and online degree programs.
Last month, the company announced it would expand its client services team, in order to improve its tech-support department for higher-education institutions who had purchased its equipment.
“Once instructors and students rely on lecture recordings, it simply cannot fail,” company CEO Fred Singer said in a release. “Our client services group is now a single point of accountability for customers, extending their confidence in our ability to support them from day one.”
Stoneking will manage a team of client service professionals who specialize in supporting large-scale media installations. Each worker averages 11 years of industry experience for both Microsoft and Linux computer platforms, and has mastered Echo360′s own technologies for video, audio/visual, web and content streaming.
The new department will also launch an online client service option.
The new website allows users to log-on to a self-service customer web portal, and submit and track their questions about company equipment.
Working as a New Accounts Clerk
When a customer decides to open a bank account, the local branch manager assigns a new accounts clerk to work with that client. At the simplest level, the clerk ensures that the customer has filled out his or her paperwork correctly. But the job is far more important than that.
The new accounts clerk acts as the human face of a large financial institution, carefully explaining the range of banking services available, and making sure the new client understands the bank’s services, such as mortgage loans, certificates of deposit and overdraft protection.
Clerks who show an aptitude for the job can gain rapid promotions, rising to managerial and executive positions.
In Worcester, Massachusetts, Stacy Flores joined the Commerce Bank & Trust company as a new accounts clerk in 1999, according to the Worcester Business Journal.
Flores was good at her job, welcoming customers to the bank by explaining details such as the best way to choose an appropriate debit card and credit limit, how to minimize their checking account fees, and other details.
She soon won a promotion to deposit operations officer, and in 2010 Flores was named the bank’s assistant vice president of deposit operations, the paper said.
Likewise, Kathleen Andersen is an investment associate with the firm of Heller Beecher & Glah, a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Andersen started out in 1996 as a new accounts clerk for a bank in New York, and was quickly promoted to the trading desk. She earned her broker’s license, and in 2000 she joined the firm, according to RBC.
The job is so important that it has spread from the banking industry to other businesses, from gyms and fitness centers to city electrical departments. Wherever the job is located, the work of a new accounts clerk is similar – to educate and retain the organization’s customers.
People who get jobs as new accounts clerks usually get far more training than workers in other administrative positions such as bank tellers or office support workers.
New accounts clerks must be knowledgeable about a broad array of bank services and be able to sell those services to potential clients, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Like other types of customer service representatives, new accounts clerks work directly with clients, whether facing them over a counter, answering e-mail messages with a computer, or manning the phones in a call center.
The clerks must exercise strong social skills, making sure they maintain customers as clients even as they handle possible frustrated customers, explain confusing details or resolve customer complaints.
Across the country, new accounts clerks earned a median hourly wage of about $14.50 in 2008, higher than colleagues such as bookkeeping clerks and bank tellers, but lower than others such as loan officers and financial managers, BLS figures show. In 2008, there were more than 87,000 new accounts clerks jobs.
Working as an Occupational Health Nurse
More than half of the 2.6 million registered nurses in the U.S. work in hospitals, and many more work in nursing homes and doctor’s offices. But a growing specialty within nursing is the occupational health nurse (OHN) whose role is to oversee job-related illnesses and health in the workplace and teach employees how to work more safely.
“OHNs work with employers to develop innovative and business-compatible health and safety programs, in response to each organization’s unique type of work, workforce, and work/community environments,” according to ExploreHealthCareers.org. “They promote an interdisciplinary approach to health care and advocate for the employee’s right to prevention-oriented, cost-effective health and safety programs.”
The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) reports that employee health issues cost businesses as much as $1 trillion each year. More than 50,000 workers die on the job and about three million workers have disabling injuries annually in the U.S., according to the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of California.
Having occupational health nurses in workplaces not only helps look out for employee health interests, but increases worker productivity and the company’s bottom line by keeping the workforce healthy. They are the “gatekeepers” for healthcare services, providing emergency care at job sites and employee treatment and follow-up, including rehabilitation and return-to-work issues.
Occupational nurses are increasingly referred to as occupational and environmental nurses as they incorporate disease prevention and environmental concerns, such as knowledge of toxins and ergonomic standards, into their work as they relate to employee wellness. OHNs also work as staff members or consultants on compliance with government-regulated workplace safety and emergency preparedness.
Occupational nurses are in a wide-ranging, well-paying specialty within nursing
Once they are licensed as registered nurses, many OHN’s gain experience in community health, critical care and emergency nursing before entering the occupational health field. They usually have a bachelor’s degree in nursing and many go on to obtain their Master of Science in nursing (MSN) in public health or related specialty. Although certification isn’t required for OHNs, the American Board of Occupational Health Nurses offers certification in their specialty.
Salary.com reports that most occupational health nurses earn from $60,000 to $75,000, depending on their experience, education and the industry in which they work. Those who move into supervisory roles are at the high end of the pay range, and advanced practice nurses who hold an MSN can earn more than $80,000.
Over the years, occupational nursing has evolved along with changes in industry, healthcare and government oversight of workplace safety.
“As the workplace continues to change, nurses must be prepared to handle the challenges and opportunities as employers look to OHNs to be cost-effective providers of work place health care,” according to Hughston Health Alert, a publication of Alabama-based Hughston Clinics. “The most fundamental goal of any organization is to earn a profit while providing a safe and healthy working environment for its employees. The occupational health service exists to support that goal.”
Working as a Sommelier
Pronounced suhm-ul-YAY, a sommelier is the expert on all things wine-related for a restaurant, bar, hotel or other food organization. Sommeliers must possess a refined sense of smell and a keen palate for both food and wine, skills that are partially inherent but are developed and fine-tuned with training. Sommeliers need a well-rounded knowledge of wine, including the history, production, differences between grape types, and how different growth and production variables affect it. They should be educated about a wide range of vineyards around the world. They must be able to quickly identify of the various nuances of wine including the color, smell, taste and texture.
What they do:
The duties of a sommelier vary based on their place of employment. High-end restaurants often have their sommelier on the floor visiting with guests and working with them to help select the perfect bottle of wine. The sommelier helps makes this decision based on the food the guest has ordered. Elements of the wine should complement the flavors of the food and vice versa. But they also take into consideration a guest’s likes, dislikes and preferred price range.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, guest interaction accounts for only 35 percent of a sommelier’s responsibilities. Sommeliers also work behind the scenes to help craft a wine list that reflects the cuisine, energy and mission of the restaurant or bar. They also interact with wine salespeople, do the ordering and purchasing and update the inventory.
Event planning and education can also be part of the job. Sommeliers can often be expected to plan events that teach attendees about wine production, wine tasting and the nuances of pairing. Being comfortable speaking to a group is a definite bonus skill.
What they need:
Many organizations, from vineyards to wine bars, offer classes in wine tasting. But if you want to be hired as a sommelier, you will need credentials to back up your expertise. Many sommeliers who want to reach the next level enter classes at various culinary schools or through the Court of Master Sommeliers, the premier international examining body of the industry.
The highest level one can reach is master sommelier, a title held by only 112 people worldwide. It is a distinction acknowledged throughout the hospitality industry. Becoming a master sommelier takes several years of study and commitment. You must be well versed in wine to begin, with at least three years of experience in the wine and service industry. You must attend four courses, pass four exams and complete the Master Sommelier Diploma exam. Master sommeliers must have a near encyclopedic knowledge of wine tasting, history, production, theory and dining room application. According to the Court, the master sommelier distinction also encompasses knowledge of spirits, beers and cigars, although to a lesser extent.
What they earn:
The salary for a sommelier varies. Sommeliers just entering the marketplace can expect to earn around $28,000 a year, but Master Sommeliers can earn up to $160,000.
Working in Business Developement
Companies in nearly every industry use marketing, advertising and public relations to attract new customers and improve their reputation in the marketplace.
Some businesses take the process a step further and hire business development (BD) professionals. These specialists move beyond the process of simply finding customers to buy the company’s products, and actually work to create new applications for those products, or to lure a whole new class of user.
In Washington, D.C., Tom Crowder recently took on that role at the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (the CFP Board), an organization that manages the qualification test and standards for certain accounting professionals.
Crowder was dubbed the group’s managing director for marketing and business development, a new position created by the board to raise its profile, according to Investment Advisor magazine.
Crowder’s mission is “to increase public awareness of the CFP certification brand through marketing initiatives and collaborative efforts with other organizations, including the major firms that hire or interact with CFP professionals,” company CEO Kevin Keller told the magazine.
Crowder is also charged with increasing “the public’s awareness of, preference for and use of CFP certificants, and growing the number of CFP professionals available nationwide to meet increased public demand,” Keller said.
The CFP Board’s decision to hire a marketing professional for this goal is a typical application for the job, but business development staff also work in a broad range of careers.
Business development professionals can work in small companies, large companies, government centers, universities, and private institutions, according to David G. Jensen, the founder of a consulting firm in Sedona, Arizona, called CareerTrax.
Many professionals choose to start their careers at small firms, so they can experience the full spectrum of business development applications, Jensen wrote in a recent column for the journal Science.
The job can range from a core of sales and marketing all the way to scouting for new technologies, developing business opportunities, licensing and deal making.
“You can be developing a marketing plan one day and be working on the terms of a licensing agreement with a major company the next. Small companies give you a mix of experiences, a base from which you can zero in and become an expert in one niche,” Jensen said.
In technical industries such as biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms, these complex tasks may require deep scientific knowledge, with employers valuing Ph.D. degrees over MBAs, Jensen said.
Niche expertise is crucial for business development leaders in the technology industry, too.
Foursquare is a software company in New York City that makes smart phone applications that allow users to let each other know where they are located, and share details about the places, stores, restaurants and activities they have experienced.
Many industry experts say this type of “location-based” software business is too new to make a profit, but Foursquare leaders disagree. The job of the business development expert sometimes requires finding new markets and customers to adopt new products and technology.
“It may be a fair comment on how there needs to be more education around what geo-location can mean in general,” said Tristan Walker, head of business development at Foursquare, in a recent article in Fast Company magazine. “But here’s an opportunity for marketers to lead, to take a burgeoning space and do some really exciting things with it.”
“We’re still exploring, and encouraging all retailers to get on our platform and help us find the product that we could actually charge for,” Walker said.
Working as a Database Administrator
Twenty-first century firms use computers to store their records, ranging from client lists to product research, marketing, payroll, accounting, billing and shipping.
The amount of information is vast, but most firms rely on a single computer expert to keep the whole system healthy – the database administrator.
A database administrator – also called a DBA – is the person to call when a company needs to test its database performance, add new security measures or build a backup system. The job description comes with a large portion of responsibility for the person who is the single guardian of a company’s data security, recovery and integrity.
Few people know that burden better than Dave Geis, a database administrator for dbaDIRECT, a Kentucky firm that provides remote database administration for its clients around the world.
Geis specializes in support of Sybase data platforms, while his colleagues handle problems with other database brands, such as Oracle or Microsoft’s SQL Server, according to Certification magazine.
“It’s not boring, [and] it’s never the same,” Geis told the magazine. “We support so many different customers, and each customer’s system is different, so whoever’s having the problem, that’s who you are going to work on that day.”
In all, dbaDIRECT employs 67 database administrators, charged with keeping their 3,000 clients’ computers running smoothly, 24 hours a day.
The job schedule can be unpredictable. Computers stumble into problems at any hour of the day – or night. And when it happens, clients expect a quick solution.
An experienced database administrator tries to predict these problems before they happen, but when servers crash unexpectedly, it can mean a sleepless night for the DBA repair crew.
Geis earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northern Kentucky University, and started his career working as a computer programmer for a health insurance provider in Cincinnati, Ohio. He stepped up to DBA when another worker moved away.
“Our database administrator left, and they opened the position up internally to our IT department and that seemed really interesting to me,” Geis said. “It was my next jump in my career path. It was more responsibility, more decision making, more projects to lead, and they gave me free reign of the system.”
Companies through every sector of the economy employ database administrators, from school districts to local governments.
Even the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) needs database administrators, although computer experts need security clearance to work at the spy agency.
Meagan Leddick is a recruiter for the defense contractor L-3 Communications, according to a story in the Washington Post. At a recent job fair near Baltimore, Maryland, she interviewed a 43-year-old man who was about to finish a six-month contract job as a DBA for the CIA, and steered him toward two possible positions at L-3.
Database administrators are in demand throughout the country
Businesses employed 120,400 DBAs throughout the U.S. in 2008, and that number is slated to reach nearly 145,000 by 2018, according to a prediction by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The demand is driven by the burgeoning amount of data that companies store on computers and growing concerns about data security in the Internet age, the BLS says.
Some 14 percent of DBAs work at computer systems design firms, but many others are employed by telecommunications companies, financial firms and insurance providers, business management organizations, schools and government agencies.
Working as a Network and Computer Systems Administrator
Gone are the days when working with computers was reserved for those with scientific or industrial jobs. Today companies rely on computers so heavily and for so many different purposes that they must design unique infrastructures like roads to connect the various segments and ensure compatibility within their own walls. Those who maintain and ensure the operation of these roads are the network and computer systems administrators.
What they do:
In essence, a company’s network or computer system is used to store, transmit, analyze, and manipulate information. That information can take many forms, depending on the industry. The size of a given network also varies greatly, and larger companies often have multiple networks linked to specific locations.
After the network architects or engineers have designed and created the network, the responsibility of maintaining it and ensuring its efficiency is handed over to the administrators. In some cases, the administrators may also assist the engineers with the design and installation. For smaller companies, the engineers and administrators may be the same team or person.
Because companies vary in size, network or computer systems may include any of the following: local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), the Internet, intranet, and any customized system or network a company has designed. Individual employee computers, printers, and other devices are kept connected via these networks.
The support and maintenance of a computer system is among the key duties of its administrator. This maintenance and support involves:
· Troubleshooting user-reported problems
· Seeing that all hardware and software components function properly
· Keeping the network secure from outside parties
· Running diagnostics to ensure performance and catch potential problems
· Monitoring space requirements and making recommendations for future upgrades
Most network and computer systems administrators work in an office environment. Some are required to travel to client or customer sites, and some may be “on call” during off-hours should system emergencies occur. As networks expand and technology increases, working from remote locations is becoming easier and more feasible.
What they need:
A common requirement for network and computer systems administrators is a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information science or management information systems, but there are no hard-and-fast rules. Degrees in other fields or associate’s degrees can be supplemented by professional certifications, relevant computer courses and related work experience.
Certifications are an industry standard, because technology changes so rapidly and new products and programs are constantly being introduced. Often those in this field have to continue to seek certification to keep up with these advancements.
What they earn:
The average salary for a computer systems administrator is $86, 038 according to CBsalary.com. The 25th and 75th percentiles of salaries fall between $66, 631 and $124,432, respectively.
Job outlook:
Over the next 8 years, employment for network and computer systems administrators is projected to increase “much faster than average,” with “excellent” job prospects, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between 2008 and 2018, growth is expected to be 23 percent.
Working as a Customer Service Representative
As the American marketplace revs up its economic engine again, some of the first workers to notice the change will be customer service representatives.
With a devotion to answering questions, listening to complaints, pitching products and making sales, customer service reps spend their days serving the public.
Some workers perform their customer service jobs on a call center telephone, while others see those crowds in person, by staffing an information kiosk or a product-returns desk.
In Belen, New Mexico, Liz Baca might be the best-known face in town. Baca is the receptionist for the Belen Consolidated Schools district office, and spends her days helping students and answering phones at the front desk, according to The Valencia County News-Bulletin.
The job keeps her hopping, as Baca does everything from soothing crying children to calming worried parents and making copies for teachers.
“This is the most perfect job. It suits my personality,” Baca told the newspaper. “I deal with the public, and I love it. I love people. I answer phones and I talk to people all day.”
Across town, visitors to Belen City Hall rely on Marcia Amaro, clerk for the municipal water department.
On a slow day, Amaro may focus on taking payments for water bills. Then the job gets hectic when a pipe bursts, and Amaro acts as dispatcher, sending workers out to fix the water leak, the newspaper said.
But Amaro doesn’t get rattled. The customer service pro says she enjoys the challenge of solving problems and helping her neighbors.
“I like the people I work with, I like doing what I do – even though it is stressful sometimes,” she told the paper. “I’m a people person. I like everybody.”
A friendly personality and strong conversation skills are good attributes for any person who wants to work in customer service. But a growing portion of people in the profession never socialize with their clients or coworkers.
Many Americans who are looking for work in the growing economy choose to work as customer service representatives right in their own homes, according to an article in Fortune magazine.
They are called “virtual assistants,” working as receptionists, appointment secretaries and e-mail managers for businesses ranging from real estate agencies and graphic-design shops to public relations firms, the magazine says.
An employer simply routes its 800 number to the assistant’s home, where the worker handles customer questions. One of the largest employers in the area is Alpine Access, a company that deploys a crew of 7,500 home-based customer service agents to handle calls for major
retailers like J. Crew and 1-800-Flowers, the magazine said.
An even bigger firm is Convergys, which has some 3,000 home-based agents in addition to its 60,000 employees answering phones in U.S. call centers. Together they answer a billion calls per year, according to the article.
And the numbers are continuing to grow. Employers are on pace to raise their ranks of home-based agents from 112,000 in 2007 to 300,000 by the end of 2010, technology research firm IDC says.
Counting customer service reps in offices as well as homes, the profession included 2.3 million jobs in 2008, with most found in the finance and insurance industries or administrative support services, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says.
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