The field of urban and regional planning offers exciting career opportunities. The major role of an urban planner or a regional planner is to plan and implement ways to make the best use of land resources, keeping in mind the growth of the community. The regional planner recommends the best locations where a school, a transportation system or other infrastructure should be developed. Whether it is about affordable housing, construction of a new stadium or a city developer's new project, the planner has a pivotal role to play. These professionals need to do all the planning considering a number of factors that may include economic, political, social, environmental etc.

While coordinating the development of urban areas, regional planners work in close contact with architects, economists, budget analysts and environmentalists etc. Before the planning begins, the regional planners make an analysis of the community needs, population trends and get in touch with development experts as well. Public hearings are also a part of the entire urban planning and development program. Besides recommending appropriate land use, regional planner also work towards preserving the environment and the heritage of a place.

To successful perform their task, city planners need to keep abreast of the government plans, policies and other legal issues that may have their involvement in the process. During the planning and development process, the regional planners keep in touch with and consult with government officials and discuss the development project with developers, community groups and lawyers. These professionals have the responsibility of determining the regulatory limitations and the effects of an urban or regional development project.

The urban or regional planner may work either to develop new communities or to renovate a blighted or run-down area. These regional planning professionals mostly work for on requests from city or state officials. Other planners work with private architectural firms and big construction companies. The planning and development work begins with accumulation of data about factors like economic, social, environmental issues, projected population growth etc. When a new community plans to move into an area, requirement arises for schools, hospitals, gardens, public places, roads etc. The urban planner's responsibility is to come up with a development project which makes the best use of land and does not make an impact on the environment. Public opinion always has a key role to play in all this urban planning and regional development process.

Education Require to Become a Regional Planner or Urban Planner
A master's degree in urban or regional planning is the standard requirement. Many planners possess only a bachelor's degree in planning. Today, there is keen competition and therefore the standard for urban planning jobs has gone up. For a strong foundation, it is always advisable for candidates to go for courses in public administration, landscape architecture, civil engineering, political science, geographic information system, economic, finance etc. Candidates who already have a bachelor's degree in engineering or architecture can obtain a master's in one year's duration. A master's degree in a relevant field like urban design or urban photography may also be accepted.

For further career advancement, candidates can also decide to obtain certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners. The certification is granted to professionals on the basis of their educational qualification, working experience and passing an examination.

Job Outlook & Employment Opportunities in Urban Planning
The employment growth rate for urban planning or regional planning jobs is expected to grow faster than the average of all occupations through to the year 2014. Strong job opportunities exist both with government agencies and private architectural firms and organizations. Those aspire to work with the government can apply directly to the city, state or federal government agencies. In fact most of the regional planner and urban planners work with government agencies. In terms of budgetary considerations, there remains a big difference between state/ local governments and the private industry. Job opening for planners is expected to grow faster in the private sector.

Working Environment
As a regional or urban planner, professionals may need to work both indoors and outdoors. These professionals work for the standard 40 hours a week. However, planners with greater responsibilities may be required to put in extra hours, depending on the requirement of the development project. Work environment is good and the job also brings a lot of satisfaction knowing that the planners help others and work towards the overall growth of the community.

Salary of an Urban Planner
The annual salary of an urban planner may vary depending on the work experience they have, location of the work and the nature of the size of the planning and development project. Urban or regional planners earn an annual salary ranging between $54,300 and $85,600. The annual median salary of those with 8 years of experience in the industry is $62,500.

Considering the largeness of university bureaucracies, higher education administrators are always in demand for looking after administration and management work on the campus. The job market for education administration positions in colleges and universities is projected to be strong. Apart from that, college environments are quite beautiful and stimulating. As compared to teaching positions, the job of higher education administrator offers more security. While most of the college teaching positions may be part time, higher education administrator usually hold full time and permanent positions. Higher education administration careers also are a good option for people who want to keep away from the task of teaching students directly.

Working as administrators in colleges and universities, these professionals look after a range of management tasks on the campus. The responsibilities can include handling student affairs, academic affairs, alumni admission affairs, student health services etc. College administrators may review the budget of a specific outreach program. It may be possible that the college is spending more than it should. In order to review the budget and suggest ways to make the program cost efficient, the higher education administrator may need to organize a meeting with the program's manager.

Higher education administration jobs also require you to look after multiple other tasks related to students and problems they might be facing. You may need to fix even residence and dormitory issues for students. Education administrators may need to interview candidates to select a residence hall supervisor. If a student has some dormitory issue and their parents meet you with complaints, it is your responsibility to calm parents down and assure them that the issues would be resolved soon. You need to take appropriate measures to resolve those issues.

College administration jobs come along with numerous benefits. Most of these administrators' job positions will be permanent. There are leave benefits as well. During summer, things quite much lighten up. Since universities have multiple academic and student affairs departments, the job is mostly full time. Working environment is nice and working hours are not long.

Educational Requirements
For becoming a higher education administrator, candidates should possess a master's degree or a doctoral degree in higher education administration or a relevant field. Thanks to the availability of hundreds of accredited professional schools and colleges in the United States, aspiring students can easily enroll into higher education administration programs. These degrees can be obtained both via campus mode and through online education programs. These higher education degree programs train students in areas like academic affairs, student affairs and administrative affairs. These higher education administrative degrees also train and provide students with the correct disposition required to successfully handle administration responsibilities in colleges. Good people skills are a key to becoming successful as a college administrator.

Employment Opportunities
Job market for the position of college administrator or higher education administrator is quite strong. Owing to large universities and large university bureaucracies, there are multiple education and student affairs departments. Candidates can land jobs at universities and colleges after they are obtained the required education administrator degree and completed their training. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, a rapid employment growth rate is expected in the field of higher education administration through to the year 2016. There are some smart specialties that students can choose from - student affairs and community college positions. Though candidates can kick start their student affairs management career with a bachelor's degree with nearly any major, they need to obtain a master's degree in college student affairs for the advancement of their careers. The employment growth rate is very string even for community college positions. Students choose higher education administrator specialties depending on their interests and preferences.

Annual Salary of Education Administrators
College education administrators earn an annual salary ranging between $59,000 and $115,000. Those higher education administrators who have an experience of 8 years or more earn a median annual salary of around $61,400.

Every one of us faces stress at the workplace. And there is no way to escape job stress. Our success lies only in how we manage the job stress and use it to enhance our job performance. Job stress can be caused due to various reasons. Sometimes, we may feel much stressed due to lack of progress in work. Sometimes, long working hours or extra working hours make us feel stressed. Job stress is never limited to a particular industry. In any case, it is very important for us to deal with these jobs related problems. We should not let job stress affect our mental or physical health. Given below are some essential tips on how to manage job stress and thrive at work. But, before that, let us talk about some of the symptoms and causes of job stress.

Symptoms of Job Stress
While talking of job stress, we should be ready to detect the symptoms of job stress much before they begin taking their toll on us. If identified in time, we can work towards successfully coping with job stress and enhance our job performance at the workplace.

Some early signs of job stress are as follows :

Apathy
Feeling frustrated
Anxiety
Fatigue and boredom
Feeling alienated and depressed
Low morale
Absenteeism
Anger and feeling irritated
Physical problems (including headaches, stomach disorders etc)

Causes of Job Stress
Stress on the job can affect individuals on the basis of their personality. The same hectic job conditions can affect one person while the other remains unaffected. This happens depending on a person's individual personality and coping style. There are other working conditions that can affect just anyone. These problematic job conditions or job stress causes include feeling of insecurity about the job, excessive workload, physically dangerous working conditions, and unrealistic job expectations among others.

Developing Strategies to Manage Job Stress
Organizations play an important role in reducing job stress or helping workers cope with it. Apart from that, workers also need to take some measures or steps on their own to cope with job stress and prevent it from affecting job performance at the workplace.

As a worker or an employee, you need to know that jobs are disposable, but friends, family and health are not. So, being too anxious about losing a job should not take its toll on you. If you find you can not handle the workload anymore and it's badly affecting your personal life, you should start looking for a new job.

You can also decide to modify your job situation. In many cases, you may like the employer but not the job. If the job really leads to boredom or it becomes too stressing, you can talk to the employer to tailor the job to your skills. You can also ask your boss or the employer for a lateral transfer, if you are newly assigned responsibilities that are causing you a lot of stress.

To manage job stress, you can also take time out and walk away from the situation. Take a break. Spend time meditating and exercising. Go to a quiet place and spend some time in solitude, while listening to your iPod. It really works wonders and you can reduce your job stress too.

You might have been aware of the fact that clutter in the workplace, at the desk or workspace also adds to increasing the stress of job. So, get to organize the things in the workspace and remove the clutter to reduce the stress.

It is essential to have a support system of trusted people while working. Sharing your stress or work conditions with those close to you can also reduce a lot of stress. By talking about the job conditions with your closer ones, you can get support and empathy from them. And this really can help you manage and reduce job stress. Similarly, you can choose to have allies at work or co-workers who are supportive to you. Also remember to reciprocate the process and be helpful to them.

Let go of perfectionism and getting obsessed about every minute detail. No one of us is perfect. Just focus on delivering your best. Leave the perfection on god. Another most important thing is to avoid having unrealistic expectations. Having unrealistic expectation on the job makes you feel excessively stressed. It may also set you up for failure.

Keep away from negativism and avoid the company of negative people. Always have a positive attitude. Learn to celebrate even your small accomplishments. And remember, nothing is more important than your health, whether it is the job, your boss or the employer. Identify the job stress situations and causes and try to fix them as soon as possible. By adopting these job success strategies, you will find yourself in good physical and mental health and thrive at work.

Are you not happy with your job and are planning to change you career? There is nothing wrong when you decide to switch careers. It really takes a lot of courage when you make career change decisions. You may not love what you are currently doing. You may face a situation where you need to decide whether you should stay in the current job or you should change your career. However, you need to give it careful thought and consideration while making such a decision. To make the right career decision, you need to be equipped with some essential tips. Only you will be responsible for your career and no one else. Always make a well informed decision and avoid the mistakes given below.

Changing Careers because You Hate Your Job
Fist and foremost, a job and a career are two different things. You may find yourself hating your current job. However, it is essential to find out the reason that makes you hate your job. Do you hate the job? Do you hate the employer? Or, do you hate the employer? Whatever may be the reason, you need to think carefully and only then make a career change decision.

Making a Career Change without a Plan
You can not just make a career change decision all of a sudden and jump to a new career. To become successful, you need to have a specific action plan or strategy in place. You need to develop this career plan including things like finances, research, education, training etc. Switching careers without having a specific plan is a big mistake that you need to avoid.

Making a Career Change Decision for Money
Do not just run after money while you make an important career decision. You also need to be true to yourself and be happy with the career you choose. You may come across numerous very profitable careers. If you do not find yourself comfortable or loving the career that you switched to, you made a mistake. On the face of it, a career may look quite alluring. And it may not be rewarding tomorrow. So, you are always advised to follow some principles and be honest when making a career change decision. In any case, money will not buy you happiness.

Making a Career Change Decision Because of Some Pressure
There are many who make career change decisions because their parents or relatives want them to do so. Some outside pressure may compel you to change or switch a career. Be clear, it's none of their business. And it is only you who will be responsible for your career at the end of the day. So, never get influenced by any kind of outside pressure while making career decisions.

Making a Career Change without a Self Assessment
It is very essential to make an assessment of your talents, hobbies and skills before making a career change decision. Today, you can find a number o career tests and career assessment tools on the internet. By taking a career assessment test, you can make a well informed career decision. What's more, many of these career tests do not cost you a penny.

Changing Careers without Acquiring New Skills/ Techniques
Whether it is about making a quality resume, job searching techniques, expanding your professional network, upgrading interviewing skills or acquiring new skill sets, you need to consider each one of these while changing careers. Before you make a career decision, you need to fine tune your job hunting techniques and skills. If you take into account these things, you can surely make a successful career decision.

Making a Career Change Decision based on the Success of Others
It is in human nature to get affected seeing other people successful in their careers. When you see one of your friends or a neighbor become successful in a particular career field, you start thinking that you should jump to the same career. It does not mean that you will also make the most of a career in which one of your friends is quite successful. So, be ready to do proper research before you switch into a new career. After all, it's all about you, your career and your happiness.

New opportunities arise and career changes do happen. But, all that you need to ensure is that your career change decision is a right one. By making well informed decisions, you can bring happiness to your family and be happy yourself too.

If you have the potential to multitask, work in a fast-paced environment and have a desire to express yourself innovatively, a career in cosmetology can just be the right career opportunity for you. In order to have a successful career, cosmetologists need to keep themselves abreast of the changing trends in the fashion world. In fact the job of a cosmetologist is to develop and establish long term and trusting relationship with clients. Licensed and trained cosmetology professionals provide a range of services to their clients. Basic services of these professionals include hair treatment, bleaching, chemical reformation, facials, pedicures, manicures etc. In addition, cosmetologists provide consultancy services regarding health and wellness.

Whether you want to be a hairstylist, a barber, a makeup artist or a nail technician, you need to obtain license required to perform these services to clients. Licensing requirements vary from state to state. Cosmetology schools and colleges train candidates in a range of personal services, aside from preparing them for excellent client interaction. Colleges of cosmetology equip candidates in how to make clients have a most enjoyable experience.

Professionalism, excellent communication skills, self motivation and a positive attitude are the other skills required to establish a successful career in the field of cosmetology.

Hairstylist/ Barber
A cosmetologist needs to an artist when it comes to hairstyling. Hair of different people has different textures. Therefore, the hairstylist must be well versed with taking care and treating of hair according to individual requirements. Colleges and schools of cosmetology train candidates in services including hair gut, hair conditioning, hair treatment, hair coloring, hair styling etc. Excellent communication skills are a key to becoming a successful hairstylist or barber.

Makeup Artist
With a degree in cosmetology, candidates can also choose to become makeup artists. Makeup artists can perform their work at spas, salons, photo shoots and for other types of platform presentations. These professionals also provide services for client make up applications and model makeup applications among others.

Nail Technician
Cosmetology training schools and colleges also teach students nail enhancements manicures and other hand treatments for nails. Nail technicians are also quite well versed with a wide range of cosmetology products polish remover, nail enamel, cuticle cream, aromatherapy etc. In addition nail technicians are also trained by colleges to use different nail polish and nail enhancement tools.

Esthetician
Those pursuing a degree program or training in cosmetology can also choose to become esthetician. The salon and spa industry has a great demand for these professionals. Estheticians provide a wide range of personal care services including hair removal, hydrotheraphy and various body treatments. In addition, estheticians are also trained to recommend remedial solutions to different skin abnormalities in individuals.

Education required to become a Cosmetologist
There are numerous public colleges, vocational and technical schools that offer courses in cosmetology. Both part time and full time cosmetology courses are available for aspiring candidates. A cosmetology degree program can take anywhere between 6 months to 2 years for completion. Specific training and courses are also provided in scalp treatment, make up application, manicure, pedicure, hair colouring, hair styling, chemical relaxing etc. To provide personal care services to clients, cosmetologists must be licensed by the state where they reside or practice the occupation. Licensing requirements vary from state to state. For further details, students can get in touch with their local cosmetology school or the State Board of Cosmetology.

Cosmetology Scholarships & Financial Aid
A career in cosmetology is undoubtedly one of the most fulfilling career options. Aspiring students can also find and apply for various cosmetology financial aid and scholarship programs, both locally and at national level. Not only federal and state governments, but these scholarships are provided by local academic institutions as well. Many private cosmetology schools and colleges also provide financial aid to aspiring students. For details, students can contact the school financial aid office.

It is interesting to note that around 70%-80% of all jobs are acquired via networking. Usually, people shy away from making use of a network when it comes to searching for jobs. They simply do not want to be labeled as being ‘pushy' or an overall ‘pest'. Well, networking does not mean that you have to call people within your network and ask for a job. If everyone just shied away from using their network, ‘a higher percentage of jobs are filled through networking' would have never been possible. People have successful professional networks and they are benefiting from the network as well in terms of career planning, development and job search.

Professional networking can benefit anyone and everyone. In fact, it's a kind of game where everyone who is a part of the network can benefit. To benefit from these networks, candidates, jobseekers, working parents and career changers need to know and follow the rules of the game. It really takes a lot of effort to develop and maintain a professional network. And finally when we are unable to gain from it, the effort that we put in may not be worth it. Moreover, there's nothing wrong in landing jobs through your professional contacts. Those who are not aggressive and take sincere interest in their contacts make for successful networkers and gain from the networking too. If you know the rules of successful networking, you are definitely going to help yourself during a job search or in your career development process.

If you thought networking was all about asking people for job openings, you need to give it a second thought. You do not ask people for jobs. Instead, you ask people you know for information that can help you land a job or through your job hunting process. Professional networking success comes from building relationships with people and taking sincere interests in the contacts. You only need to establish rapport and the contacts on your network would themselves want to refer for available job positions. Isn't that nice?

Yes, contacts on your professional networks can be very busy people. In any case, they would never want you to take up much of their valuable time. When one of your friends on the network has agreed for a 20-minute meeting with you, it will only scare them away if you take up an hour and a half in the meeting. Therefore, remember to step into a meeting with a prepared mental agenda. By planning your meeting in advance, you gain credibility and become a successful networker.

A person that you make contacts with may know 200 or more people. So, you need to understand the value of people who are on your professional network. To benefit and to be successful, you can also ask your contacts to recommend you a professional organization or other people (who can actually help you) that they may know. Keep expanding your networking capacity as you continue meeting with contacts.

To be a successful networker, you need to devote and spend time on professional networking. You can keep contacts on your network informed of your progress. When you come across a great career article or some useful information related to career planning and development, you can send the article to your contacts along with a brief note. You should make it a habit to reconnect with people, establish rapport and gain credibility while networking.

In return, even your contacts can share some career related information with you. Remember to thank them for the information. Suppose, one of your contacts wants their child to send to a school or get their child enrolled in training program related to your field of study. You should take this opportunity to gain credibility on the professional network. Share your experiences about the school or college you attended or what you know about the degree or training program their child is interested in.

Networking is a long and ongoing process. To get success, you have got to know the networking rules that work and make you a successful networker. While networking, you need to have patience and persistence. Find opportunities to thank your contacts in person. If you were shying away from using the contacts on your network till now, it's about time you included the network as part of your job search or job hunting campaign. By networking successfully, you will not only have career opportunities but will also build life-long relationships with people.

So, you have either graduated or would soon graduate and start your professional career, right? And like everyone else you would look forward to a successful career. For proper career development and to get early career success, you need to do some planning and have strategies in place. Be clear that there is no short cut to success. However, you can definitely speed up the development process through effective career planning and management.

Given below are 10 most important steps or tips that would help you climb up the ladder of success and achieve early career success.

Identify Your Talents & Skills
Knowing your strengths, interests and weakness is a part and parcel of the career planning and development procedure. To be successful in your professional career, you need to be well informed about the talents, skills and unique qualities that you have. Take a look at and analyze the activities that you most enjoy and love to do. Review your academic history and the past job history to discover what you enjoyed doing the most.

In case you are little confused about the skills and potential that you have, you can also take help from the many career assessment tools and free career tests available on the internet. Career assessment tests would take up just a few minutes of your valuable time enabling you to make a well informed decision about which career path you should choose and how to get career success.

Seek a Job You Are Passionate About
Though career and job are usually taken as synonyms, there is huge difference between the two. You might be doing a job simply for the sake of doing it. Only a job that you feel passionate about can lead you to a successful career. Do you have a mission or a work purpose that moves you? Do you want to make an impact in other people's lives? How can you best use your talents and skills? These are some of the questions that you need to ask yourself while you seek a job that you really feel passionate about. When you take up a job that you really love doing, it turns into a successful career.

Explore Different Types of Jobs That Relate to Your Problems/ Missions
A number of resources are available out there to carry out the research on various job and employment opportunities. To identify employers and job opportunities, get in touch with the public, school and career libraries. Contact hiring managers in the your job or employment field. In addition, you can conduct information interviews with public associated with your interested field of work. Make use of your professional network to collect more information.

Get Yourself a Mentor to Guide & Motivate You
It would almost flatter people when you ask one of them to become your mentor. However, you can not choose just any person to guide and motivate you throughout your career planning and development process. Choose a person who you see or feel to be an excellent example when it comes to making a successful career. Choose people who can really inspire you and equip you with career success tips. A mentor can come from your professional network, from an organization or even from your friends and family circle.

Explore & Learn Everything Associated with Your Job or Career Field
Professional success comes through efficient career planning, development and management. And to do it all effectively, you can need to study, explore and learn everything which relates to your career field. Read books on your field of work and avail the benefits of company training programs. If you develop this study-and-learn habit and can keep it, you are going to be an expert in your field very soon.

Deliver Your 100% at the Workplace
While performing your job responsibilities, try to become an asset to the company you work for. Never step back from going that extra mile to stand yourself apart from other employees and prove your worth to the employer. Whether personally or professionally, build yourself an excellent reputation at the workplace. The reputation that you build will follow you everywhere and will be an essential ingredient of your overall career development and success.

Pay Attention to Your Physical & Mental Health
To be active and efficiently handle the work pressure at the workplace, you need to be fit both physically and mentally. Maintain a health eating habit, exercise regularly and derive strength from recreational, social and spiritual activities.

Keep Away from Drugs & Alcoholic Drinks
To be able to achieve early career success, you need to have a clear and focused mind. You can weaken the mind and lose concentration by indulging in drugs and alcoholic beverages. A void these bad habits, focus on your career development and keep working towards making your career successful. Never lose sight of your career goals.

Avoid Negative People & Stay Motivated
You can come across many hurdles throughout your career development process. At the workplace, you will meet people hailing from a variety of backgrounds. Learn to get along with each and every one well. Keep away from people who suffer from negativity. Surround yourself with positive people and stay motivated and inspired.

Keep Adding to Your List of Achievements
The career development process goes on throughout your professional career. So, continue adding to your list of achievement. Be highly committed towards your job responsibilities and work towards developing an attractive portfolio of accomplishments. And always keep yourself ready to grab newer and advance career opportunities.

Today, students do not only need to obtain good grades in college, but they should also have some prior real world experience to help them in their professional career later. Employers are searching for candidates who are already trained in the basics of a specific job. There are multiple best part time job opportunities for students. Below, we discuss about some of the best jobs for college students in terms of pay, work around class schedules and career benefit. And, these student jobs are definitely going to look good on a candidate's resume.

On Campus IT Support Job
Colleges search for tech savvy students who can do IT field related work. Along with continuing with their education, students can take up technological services work in the college campus itself. Those who are pursuing a relevant degree in the IT field can immensely benefit from the job. Job responsibilities may include assisting students and teachers in solving technical problems, installing computer systems and other related work. No doubt, on campus IT support jobs happen to be one of the best jobs for students. The best part is that tech support jobs or IT support jobs also offer decent pay to students.

Lab Assistant
If you seeking a career in the field of laboratory sciences, there can be no better option that taking up the lab assistant job at the college. These types of student jobs are available both on campus and off campus. While joining this job, students would need to work in the college research laboratory. Since employers like research experience, students can find the job experience quite useful.

College Library Jobs
Have you ever considered doing a job in the college library? Well, maximum number of students overlooks this job. In fact, these jobs are quite flexible and offer nice work environment. College library jobs require students to do work including checking out/ handing books, interlibrary loan management, and library search system data entry among others. The job is a good option for candidates pursuing a degree or seeking a career in library sciences.

College Gym Jobs
Students can also look for part time job opportunities at the college gym. While working in the gym, students would need to serve at the gym counter, manage the gym equipment and assisting those who train and practice at the gym. If you can also take aerobics classes, the college gym job is definitely going to be one of the best part-time and well paid jobs for you.

House sitting/ Babysitting Jobs for Professors
Yet another wonderful part time job opportunity for students is working for college professors. Professors at the college campus always require people to take care of their kids and pets. Though you may not get a decent pat while working for a professor, you certainly develop a professional connection that can bring you good business and work opportunities. In addition, a recommendation from the professor you work for can also help a lot in your future career.

Dorm Desk Attendant Jobs
Students who are looking for on-the-campus part time work opportunities can get a job as a dorm desk attendant. Working hours are flexible and the job is not quite hectic. However, dorm desk attendants are accountable for the security of students. The job offers decent pay too.

Academic Department Clerical Work
College academic departments also offer part time jobs to students due to excessive workload. When the work pressure increases, secretaries find it hard to handle the large amount of work. Students are, therefore, hired to work part time. While doing the job, students need to handle tasks including journal submissions, faculty meeting notes, handouts for the class, journal articles etc.

Home Health Aide Jobs
It is a good part time job option for candidates pursuing a career in healthcare. Functioning as a home health aide, students would be working with the elderly helping them take medications and do exercises. This patient care experience can bring good benefits if you are looking for home health aide jobs in healthcare facilities.

Bank Teller Jobs
College students can also take up a bank teller's job for part time work. The job happens to be flexible and provides candidates with customer service experience. It is one of the best job opportunities if you are looking to acquire good communication skills.

A word of advice to college students is that they should select or go for a job option which is relevant to their career path or future career. And there are multiple part time job opportunities for college students to choose from.

A career or job fair is one of the most effective job hunting tools. Those who are well prepared and well versed with the use of this tool can really extract the maximum of an education career fair. A job fair in your city might just be approaching. Before you make a visit to the fair, you should be equipped with essential tips on how to successfully navigate the fair and use it to benefit your job hunting process. Whether you are a job seeker, a mid career changer or aspire to kick start a fresh career, a job recruiting fair or education fair can benefit you in a number of ways. All you need to do is have a strategy in place to maximize your time at the event and make the most of it.

The first step towards getting ready for the fair is to prepare (or find) a comprehensive list of companies that would be participating in the event. Shortlist the companies you want to target or are interested in. Carry out some research regarding the whereabouts of the company you want to target. Now make yourself ready so you may illustrate how you are going to be an asset to the company. The basic question that you would be asked by companies at the job fair would be : "Why do you want to work for our company?" Be ready with your answer to inform how and why you can be a good fit for the company.

If you thought education career fairs were all about dropping your resume on the recruiter's table and walking off, you seriously need to give it a second thought. Consider yourself as a product and the resume as the advertising copy. Now, the task is to make the product saleable (to employers) through the advertisement (resume) that you need to prepare. If you really know how to prepare a resume that immediately sells you to employers, you can be successful at the career fair you are about to visit. In addition to making a clean, error-free, professional and attention-grabbing resume, you also need to be prepared to talk about your skills and work experience you have mentioned in the resume. Tailor your resume to the requirements of the employer or the recruiter you are targeting.

If you are an employee or an experienced jobseeker, you must be aware that job interviews are not a one-sided affair. Thought interviews at the career fair have got to be on-the-spot and informal, candidates should be ready with a set of intelligent questions to ask recruiters at the event. While you conduct research on the whereabouts of your targeted companies, you can come up with some really good questions associated with a specific company's objectives and goals. Asking questions from the employer is also proof to your being interested in taking up a job in the company. Let the recruiters know that you are keen on working with their company.

What about having a unique selling proposition to sell yourself at the job recruiting fair? Try to come up with a one-minute commercial (a personal introduction) to sell yourself at the fair and leave a lasting impression on the recruiter's mind. Customize this short introduction to suit the job requirements in companies you have targeted. Practice giving this introduction in advance. While having an interview, do ask about the company's hiring or recruiting process. However, avoid asking too many question regarding the job salary, holidays and other employee benefits.

So, finally the day of the fair has arrived! Are you prepared to attend the job fair? Are you dressed professionally? Yes, do not try to take a job or career fair casually. Abide by the etiquettes and do remember to keys to successful interviewing including a firm handshake, a warm smile, enthusiasm, eye contact etc. Be polite and professional to everyone you meet on the day of the fair. Carry a professional looking folder along to keep your resume and employers' business cards to be acquired at the career or education fair. Do not miss any chance to network not only with recruiters at the fair but also with fellow jobseekers and other professionals. And last but not the least, do remember to send a thank-you email to follow up with each recruiter you met at the job fair.

"I don't know what I want to do?" This is the question that most of the people ask when they are not sure about which career is the right one for them. Well, making a right career decision is one of the most important things that candidates need to do in their life. In fact, there is no magic formula that can tell you at once which career is right for you. But, thanks to the availability of so many career assessment tools that can really help people make a well informed career decision. To use the multiple career assessment tests and tools to their benefit, students and jobseekers need to understand how these tools function and what career planning process is all about. Below, we will talk about career assessment tests and how a well informed career decision can be taken through self assessment.

Career planning is a long and continued procedure. And the very first step towards planning a career is to make a self assessment or take a career assessment test. What does a career assessment test actually do? During a self assessment, candidates accumulate essential information about themselves. The gathered information, in turn, helps candidates and jobseekers make well informed decision while choosing a career.

How would it make you feel if you come to know, after getting enrolled in a specific degree program or training, that you made a wrong career decision? It can be really disheartening. It is, therefore, always advisable to assess your career and then make a decision. Developed by psychologists, career assessment tests can really help candidates in knowing which career option is right for them. A career test may comprise of online tests, exercises and questionnaire.

Career tests assess an individual on the basis of their values, interests, personality, skills etc.

Values
A candidate's values are things that they find important. These things can include the candidate's status, accomplishments and autonomy among others. Values of an individual can be classified into intrinsic values (related to work and contributions to society) and extrinsic values (work environment, earning potential etc.). While choosing a career or assessing a career, it is extremely important for candidates to know these values.

Interests/ Hobbies
A number of questions in the career test questionnaire are developed to find out the candidate's interests, activities that they like to do most. Candidates' interests or hobbies may include playing golf, hanging out with friends, taking long walks etc.

Personality
Questions based on personality form an important part of a career assessment tool or test. Different persons have different personalities that distinguish from one another. To assess the right career option for an individual, it is important to know their individual traits, needs, attitudes, motivational drives etc.

Skills
Knowing a person's skill sets immensely helps in assessing their career. During a self assessment, the candidates must be aware of about what activities they are good at. These skills can include writing, teaching, debating, computer programming etc.

Looking at the difference that they make in an individual's career, the value of assessment tests can never be underestimated. We are living in a world where career opportunities and options are many more than one can imagine. Though candidates do not need a lot of preparation for taking a free career assessment test, knowing beforehand what to expect can actually enhance the candidate's performance. You would not probably need preparation to answer test questions related to your interest, personality and motivations. However, some advance preparation may be required to answer questions that test your aptitude. So, are you ready to realize your true potential?