Not Getting Anywhere With Your Career?

By Elizabeth Hanink

Do you feel like you aren't getting anywhere with your career? Perhaps you are unemployed or think you could do more challenging work. Maybe you think that it is too late to succeed.

Many famous people actually succeeded much later in life than you imagine. Often their success came after years of disappointment, distraction and outright failure. Take, for instance, Colonel Sanders of fried chicken fame. He was over 65 and broke when he began his secret recipe success.

Winston Churchill had experienced 12 years in political exile when he was asked to lead England during World War II. He was banished again after the war was over but went on to write successful books and serve as an elder statesman until his death.

Or consider Grandma Moses, America’s most beloved primitive painter whose work sells well into the millions. She never went to art school and only started painting when she became too old and too crippled by arthritis to do farm work. Her success came in her 90s.

What do all these people have in common? They believed in themselves, and they didn’t give up. They learn from failure, and they handle it well. If one goal is unachievable — and it might be today — they continue to try and make it happen in the future or they set a new goal and go after it.

Colonel Sanders lost his restaurant and gas station when the rail company planned a route that bypassed his town. So he shifted gears and set a new goal. The rest is history.

Job , Jobs, Career

By Elizabeth Hanink

Paid time off refers to time you don’t work but are still paid. Employers calculate this benefit in different ways; generally, accrual of time is gradual and is based on hours worked, length of service and level within the company.

If you work for a company that offers a time bank, the number of days you use for personal business versus vacations daoes not matter. As long as operations can continue with staffing and productivity unaffected, then you can use your time as you wish. Usually, there are requirements for large uses of time at peak seasons. Health care workers, for instance, often have difficulty getting holidays, while retail clerks usually cannot take off the day after Thanksgiving.

Some companies grant specific types of PTO in set amounts: five sick days, two personal days, etc. You can take sick days only when you are sick — some employers even require a doctor’s note if you use too many days in a row. Personal days for the odd emergency are possible, but vacation days must be used as a chunk.

Almost all employers offer a certain number of paid legal holidays, and most grant bereavement leave for close relatives. If you leave an employer, it is quite possible to lose some of the time you have saved. Some companies will roll over time from one year to the next; others require you to cash out at year’s end.

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What Works Says About You

By Elizabeth Hanink

There’s a saying that the person most likely to be hired is someone already employed. Why? Because if you are already working, you’ve proven that you can work and are no longer a gamble. Clearly you know a few things. For instance:

▶ You understand about being on time and ready to work.

▶ You leave personal problems at home.

▶ You look presentable — clean, neat and dressed appropriately for the job.

▶ You can communicate — with customers, co-workers and bosses.

▶ You can listen, follow directions, observe deadlines and set priorities.

▶ You can work when asked and in conditions not ideal.

▶ You have basic skills and are willing to learn more.

▶ You have goals and ambitions. That’s why you are looking for a new job, a better job.

Take a personal inventory and see if you have some weak points. A little fix-it now may help you make a big advance in the future.

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Lebih Jauh Mengenal System Analyst

Salah satu kategori pekerjaan di bidang teknologi informatika yang banyak dibutuhkan perusahaan adalah bidang Application Specialist. Posisi-posisi di bawah kategori ini masih menjadi incaran perusahaan-perusahaan untuk mendukung kelancaran operasional dan produksi mereka. Umumnya perusahaan membutuhkan profesional yang bisa membuat aplikasi sistem sesuai dengan kebutuhan perusahaannya.

Posisi dalam kategori application specialist seperti system analyst programmer masih tetap menempati top IT job berdasarkan analisa yang dilakukan oleh JobsDB.com Indonesia. Dari sekitar 800-an lowongan kerja bidang TI yang ditayangkan di JobsDB.com setiap harinya, hampir 45% diantaranya adalah pekerjaan di bawah kategori ini.

System analyst dan programmer memiliki keterkaitan karena programmerlah yang nantinya menuangkan analisa sistem ke dalam bahasa pemograman. Karir seorang professional system analyst juga sering kali berawal dari programmer.

Demand yang tinggi terhadap posisi - posisi bidang TI tersebut membuat makin banyak pekerja berlomba-lomba mengejar karir di bidang ini. Bila Anda adalah satu dari ratusan pencari kerja yang ingin berkarir sebagai system analyst atau programmer, apakah Anda sudah mengetahui dan memahami tanggung jawab dan kualifikasi pekerjaan ini?

Pembahasan kali ini adalah mengenal lebih jauh profesi system analyst. System analyst adalah profesional TI yang mempunyai kemampuan untuk menganalisa sebuah sistem yang digunakan sebuah perusahaan dalam mendukung operasional maupun produksi. Analisa dilakukan dengan cara mengidentifikasi dan mempelajari masalah-masalah yang timbul dari sebuah sistem untuk kemudian merumuskan suatu solusi yang sejalan dengan kepentingan bisnis dan teknologi informatika.

Banyak nama lain menyebut system analyst. Contohnya system designer, system consultant, system engineer.

Apa yang menjadi tugas dan tanggung jawab seorang system analyst? Secara garis besar, seorang system analyst tidak hanya bertanggung jawab terhadap bidang teknologi saja, namun lebih luas lagi pada bidang aplikasi secara keseluruhan.

System analyst yang baik harus mampu untuk mengikuti alur kerja berikut ini:

• Memahami system yang ada
• Identifikasi masalah
• Menganalisa masalah
• Merumuskan pemecahan/solusi

Seorang analis sistem tidak bekerja sendiri. Ia akan berhubungan tidak hanya dengan sesama system analyst, tapi juga dengan programmer, user dan manager.

Apa kualifikasi ideal seorang system analyst? Jika Anda tertarik untuk menjadi professional system analyst, berikut adalah pengetahuan dan keahlian yang sebaiknya Anda miliki :

• Pengetahuan dan keterampilan teknologi komputer, bahasa pemograman dan teknik pengolahan data. Termasuk diantaranya keterampilan dalam menggunakan alat dan teknik untuk mengembangkan aplikasi software dan hardware, teknologi komunikasi data, bahasa-bahasa pemograman, dan sistem operasi.
• Pengetahuan tentang user/atau bisnis secara umum. Anda membutuhkan pengetahuan bisnis perusahaan, paling tidak secara umum, agar Anda, dapat berkomunikasi dengan user yang akan menjalankan sistem ini. Pengetahuan bisnis yang sebaiknya dimiliki adalah pengetahuan mengenai akuntansi perusahaan, manajemen, marketing, personalia, company policies.
• Pengetahuan dan keterampilan mengenai metode kualitatif seperti linear programming, dynamic programming, simulasi dan lain sebagainya.
• Kemampuan menganalisa masalah dan memberikan solusi. System analyst umumnya akan menganalisa, memilah dan menguraikan masalah kompleks yang ditimbulkan oleh sistem yang dipakai perusahaan. Kemampuan ini penting untuk mendapatkan solusi masalah.
• Communication skills (verbal maupun tulisan) dan kemampuan untuk membina dan menjaga hubungan. Layaknya profesional, kemampuan komunikasi adalah keterampilan esensial untuk berhubungan dengan banyak pihak, terutama user, dalam menyampaikan presentasi, pembuatan laporan dll.

For your information, gaji seorang system analyst di Indonesia berkisar antara Rp. 3.200.000 - Rp. 11.000.000.

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Bekerja di Perusahaan Penambangan Minyak dan Gas

Tidak dipungkiri, dikalangan pencari kerja di Indonesia terutama fresh graduate, bekerja di perusahaan yang bergerak di bidang penambangan adalah cita-cita dan impian. Bagaimana tidak, selain terkenal sebagai perusahaan yang memberikan kompensasi tinggi kepada karyawannya, bekerja di perusahaan tambang juga memberikan prestige atau gengsi tersendiri bagi karyawannya.

Asumsi dari job seeker tersebut memang benar. Dari berbagai survey yang dilakukan, rata-rata gaji karyawan entry level yang diberikan perusahaan penambangan atau diperusahaan minyak dan gas jauh diatas rata-rata gaji karyawan yang baru masuk diperusahaan lainnya. Di satu-satunya BUMN yang mengelola penambangan minyak dan gas di Indonesia, gaji pokok fresh graduate bisa mencapai Rp. 4 juta - Rp. 8 juta, tergantung dengan posisi dan kualifikasi yang dimiliki karyawan. Konon di perusahaan asing, jumlah tersebut bisa lebih besar lagi.

Kompensasi yang diberikan kepada karyawan perusahaan tentunya jadi daya tarik menggiurkan bagi setiap pencari kerja. Apalagi Indonesia memang memiliki banyak ladang minyak dan gas yang sudah maupun belum diekspoitasi sehingga banyak perusahaan asing menanamkan modal mereka di negara ini. Inilah yang seringkali dilihat sebagai kesempatan bagi pencari kerja yang memiliki kualifikasi sesuai dengan bidang ini.

Berdasarkan data dari JobsDB.com, beberapa posisi favorite yang sering dibutuhkan perusahaan penambangan minyak dan gas adalah berikut ini :

1. Senior Geologist / Geologist
2. Health Safety & Environment Officer
3. Geophysicist

Senior Geologist

Tanggung jawab dari seorang Senior Geologist meliputi setiap aktifitas geologi yang berkaitan dengannya di setiap tambang. Professional bidang ini akan bekerja sama dengan tim pengeboran untuk merencanakan, memulai dan melaksanakan program eksplorasi. Perencanaan akan dimulai dari riset, review dan menilai data geologi dan geofisika dari sebuah area tambang. Seorang Geologist senior harus mensupervisi setiap aktifitas selama proses pengeboran dan eksplorasi, mengembangkan dan menjaga model geological untuk setiap area eksplorasi. Lingkup kerjanya juga mencakup memperbarui database geologi, menganalisa remedial lingkungan dan kesiapan menghadapi berbagai bencana alam. Karena akan memimpin tim yang kebanyakan juga terdiri dari Geologist, seorang Senior Geologist juga memiliki kewajiban untuk memberikan bimbingan atau mentoring kepada juniornya. Kualifikasi minimal yang harus dimiliki seorang kandidat yang ingin menjadi Senior Geologist antara lain

1. Memiliki gelar sarjana Geologi
2. Menguasai modeling software
3. Paling tidak berpengalaman selama 10 tahun di industri yang sama
4. Memiliki kemampuan komunikasi dan kepemimpinan yang baik

Health Safety and Environment Senior Officer

Posisi ini diciptakan untuk menjamin dan memberikan lingkungan kerja yang kondusif bagi kesehatan dan keselamatan karyawan dan keluarganya. Di lingkungan industri tambang, divisi Health Safety and Environment memiliki misi untuk meminimalisir bahkan menghilangkan kemungkinan terjadinya kesalahan, kecelakaan kerja dan penyakit yang bisa ditimbulkan dari lingkungan kerja melalui berbagai usaha pencegahan dan riset. Seorang executive senior SHE bertanggung jawab untuk mengembangkan, mengaplikasikan dan memonitor setiap karyawan dan kontraktor agar mematuhi setiap ketentuan dan standar keselamatan dan kesehatan lingkungan yang telah ditetapkan.

Kualifikasi yang disyaratkan untuk bekerja di bidang ini adalah

1. Memiliki paling tidak gelar sarjana dibidang yang terkait dengan penambangan dengan pengalaman paling tidak 5 tahun.
2. Karena seringkali peraturan keselamatan tiap industri penambangan berbeda, dibutuhkan pengetahuan yang mendalam mengenai perijinan, peraturan keselamatan, sistem manajemen dan audit, berbagai jenis pelatihan dibidang keselamatan, kesehatan dan lingkungan.
3. Soft skill yang dibutuhkan adalah kemampuan untuk menganalisa keadaan dan kebutuhan perusahaan dengan akurat, memiliki integritas tinggi dan berkomitmen dengan keselamatan tenaga kerja.

Geophysicist

Profesional Geophysicist banyak bekerja di lapangan dan laboratorium karena pekerjaannya akan banyak dilakukan di tambang dan penelitian. Hal yang unik dari profesi ini adalah seringkali harus menggunakan berbagai alat seperti bahan peledak, sonar, berbagai radar dan peralatan laboratorium lainnya. Beberapa tanggung jawab seorang Geophysicist antara lain adalah menghitung, menganalisa keadaan fisik bumi secara keseluruhan, termasuk menentukan peralatan dan metode yang cocok dengan keadaan keadaan bumi sebelum eksplorasi dilakukan. Seorang Geophysicist harus memiliki kemampuan untuk menerjemahkan data yang diperoleh kepada anggota tim, klien, manajer senior dan rekannya dalam presentasi .

Spesialisasi tertentu sangat penting bagi seorang Geophysicist untuk menunjukkan nilai tambahnya. Contohnya seperti menjadi seismologist ('membaca' gerakan bumi, gempa), tectnophysicist (mempelajari lempeng tektonik).

Pendidikan yang wajib dimiliki untuk bekerja sebagai geophysicist adalah sarjana teknik geofisika, walaupun dalam prakteknya makin banyak perusahaan mensyaratkan calon karyawannya untuk memiliki gelar Master bahkan Ph.D atau pengalaman minimal 3 tahun. Karena posisi ini berhubungan dengan banyak divisi lain maka keahlian komunikasi sangat dibutuhkan sama halnya dengan kemampuan untuk mengatasi masalah sesuai dengan urgensi waktu.

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5 Smart Steps to Changing Careers

By Ruth Klein



A new year is when many people ask themselves, is it time to change careers? People in this generation will change jobs more often than in any previous generation, and fewer jobs are offering the kind of security enjoyed by our parents.


Sometimes changing careers means going to work for yourself. Indeed, one study by economists at Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin found that people who change careers to work for themselves feel more secure in their self-employment than those who work for others.


More than 30 million workers in the United States today are self-employed or own their own businesses. So changing careers is not just limited to changing employers; it also can be about making your new boss yourself.


Whether you want to work for someone else, work in a different field or become self-employed, following an action plan and organizing your step-by-step progress will help you make a smoother, more productive transition.


Here are five smart tips that will help you reach your goal:

1. Create an Action Plan. Pro-active steps can put you in charge of your career, instead of the high stress than comes with not being in control of your own destiny. If you are unhappy with your job, and find that you cannot make changes that will allow you to be happier at your job, then decide right now to change jobs, and get started on your action plan. Create a chart on paper. Give yourself a week to research career change options. Ask yourself, what am I truly interested in doing in my work and in my life? During week two, whittle down your findings to one or two potential careers that fit your goals. Then, "go deep" during the third week exploring the advantages and disadvantages of each. Next, start looking, and chart your progress each week to keep yourself on track.

2. Network. Networking still is the most powerful way to find a rewarding job. If you are changing careers, then change your professional networks to zero in on the career you really want. Invest in a membership at your local chamber of commerce, and join committees or subgroups related to your next career, not your current one.

3. Integrate your Lifestyle Goals. Don't just think about changing careers; think about how you can reach your lifestyle goals, incorporating your career change. For example, if you want to spend more time with your family, consider changing to a career that might pay less, but provides the priceless dividend of time. If you want to be healthier, consider changing to a career that does not force you to sit at a desk for 10 hours a day. It's ultimately more rewarding to downsize your budget to accommodate a lower-paying, but less stressful job, than to shorten your life with an unhealthy career.

4. Enlist a Coach. Enlist an outside coach to help you integrate your lifestyle goals you're your career search. I've helped hundreds of people change careers and lifestyles through Ruth Klein's Dream Maker's Circle with 180 days of personal consulting, monthly and weekly tele-coaching sessions, seminars, and hands-on help with changing careers or starting your own business. Visit http://www.ruthklein.com, and click on Dream Maker's Circle under "Upcoming Events" to learn more.

5. Organize. To change careers, you must organize your time to allow you one hour each day to focus on your career change. Make a schedule and stick to it, creating one hour each day to devote to career research, networking, to your coach or to other tasks you have outlined in your action plan. Simplify chores, meals and other responsibilities to create this extra hour in your day.

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Career Exploration Tips

By Nimish Thakkar

If fretting about your career is affecting your professional performance and personal life, it may be time to consider a career change. Sometimes a career change may not be necessary at all; rather, small changes in the way you do your job may do the trick.

Rule out job-related factors

Sometimes extreme work pressure, long commutes, bad bosses, lower salary, and a host of other factors may be contributing to your dissatisfaction and a career change may not be necessary at all. A new job or a different industry (using your existing strengths) may just do the trick and is much easier. If, however, you determine that it is your profession that you are unhappy with, it may be time to explore a new career.

Keep the following tips in mind before embarking on a career exploration.

Take stock

What is it that you like to do most? Why? Is there any activity or interest that you particularly love or enjoy? Example, do you love traveling? Is it because you get to see new places? Or, is it because you love nature? Or, is it for the thrill of flying? Or, the joy of meeting new people? It is not enough to know what your interests are; you need to go a step further and evaluate why. These underlying reasons may often hold the clue to your inner passions and a potential line of work to fulfill them.

Your skills, interests, values, personality -- all of these should be carefully considered during the process of career exploration. Avoid thinking about financial responsibilities, barriers, etc. Just let your fancies lose. Don't worry you are still at the stage of brainstorming; thinking about other things won't let the creative juices flow freely.

Assessments

Assessments such as Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Strong Interest Inventory and an assortment of assessments can help navigate options. Be careful, though, assessments need to be interpreted carefully (by an expert) and should in no way be considered a final verdict.

Develop goals

What are your short term goals? long term? Unless you know your life's purpose how can you make a meaningful change?

Research, research, research

Once you have narrowed your options to two or three choices, it is time to undertake extensive research. What growth opportunities exist in your industry? What is the median salary? What are the entry requirements? How stable is the career? Which area of the country are most jobs available? What are the work conditions like? Are there any certification requirements? What kind of experience is desired? These are just a few of the questions you need to ask. Familiarize yourself with every aspect of the industry. Our career planning resources and industry research section can be helpful at this stage.

Network

Informational interviewing, the process of gathering information through networking is an effective means to gather different perspectives from insiders. At times, these conversations may also open doors to potential job opportunities. Ask your network questions like what they love the most about that job? Least? What does the job entail? Prepare a list of questions and see if you fit the bill.

Try testing the waters

Internships, volunteer opportunities, opportunities within the same organization are just a few ways you can actually get a feel for the profession before making a full career change. Experiencing a new profession from within can really give you a good idea about what the job would entail. Sometimes, it may be possible to get your feet wet within the same company you are at. Try voluntarily taking on extra tasks in the new area you are interested in. It may mean more work but the effort could be worth the rewards.

Cost Benefit Analysis

Now, it is time to conduct some cost-benefit analysis. What will switching careers at this stage cost you? How much income would you lose? Is there a part time job or freelancing opportunity that you can add to supplement your income? A career change may at times require a new degree, certificate, or training; are you willing to get one? Sometimes, you may decide to take the cut and switch; while under other circumstances you may decide to stay put in your current position. In either scenario, conducting a cost-benefit analysis is absolutely essential.

Transition slowly if necessary

Depending on your personality, you may want to take the transition slowly. Adding a part time job in your new career and slowly transitioning to a full-time position may work for some, while for others it may not be necessary.

Stay financially strong

If you don't have a financial cushion or part time or freelance job to support yourself, the transition may be much harder due to financial worries. It is always a good idea to have a cushion or supplemental income during this process.

Work with a professional

Career exploration is a complex process. Having a coach or counselor on your side could make all the difference. Your local Career One Stop center, community college, university, or government sponsored programs may also be able to help.

How does your move impact your overall career goals

What is long term career goal? Does your career exploration lead you to a career in that direction.

Sometimes you may be able to keep your regular job while you explore new waters during nights and weekends. It may not be a good idea to burn bridges with your current employer for some companies do not appreciate the idea of a second career. No matter what or how you decide, carefully plan your move. You must also be careful to not alert your employer beforehand.

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