Maybe you've been stuck in the same job for years, with no hope of advancement or few exciting projects to keep you interested. Maybe you've become a victim of the economy and are re-thinking your career goals after a layoff. There are many situations like these that can make employees re-evaluate the type of work they do. Online personality and career aptitude assessments can help workers create realistic goals that will also be personally rewarding.

Benefits of Testing

Many workers may question the benefit of a self-assessment. After all, who knows you better than you? Testing pushes beyond surface personality traits to help you determine your strengths and weaknesses, your learning style, and the way you best interact with others. Better understanding these core characteristics can help you determine the type of work that would most interest you and that you would be most successful performing. You may discover that your skills and interests are a perfect match for a line of work that you did not know about or just may not have considered right for you.

Test Types

There are many different self-assessments available to help you advance your career.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assigns test takers one of 16 personality types based on a combination of four traits: Either introvert or extrovert, thinking or feeling, sensing or intuition, and judging or perceiving. This test can help you determine if you are the type of person who prefers to focus on the basic information you take in or to interpret and add meaning, if you are the type to first look at logic and consistency when making decision or to look at people and special circumstances, and if you are the type of person who likes to stick to decisions or to stay open to new options and new information. The answers to these questions can help you determine the type of work that would make you the most happy and give you the best opportunity to excel.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is an extensive personality test that measures many psychological characteristics. The test measures both personality and psychopathology.
Another popular test, the Keirsey Temperament Sorter can be used for individuals, teams, or organizations to help identify talents and strengths. It promises to help individuals and businesses become more productive by matching employees with work that motivates and challenges them.

Using the Tests

After you've taken the test, don't waste the knowledge that you're an INFJ on a pickup line at your next party. Use that information to look for careers or opportunities within your current field that match your personality type. Maybe you've learned that you are the type of person who considers the special circumstances in each situation before determining the best course of action, and that you intuitively understand complex situations. Knowing this will help you determine that a career in health care or the visual arts would be a good fit for your personality. Or maybe you've been feeling stifled at work and haven't been able to move forward with your professional goals. Self-assessments can help you understand how to harness your leadership ability or to refocus your efforts on new tasks or projects that better suit your abilities.

Periodically re-evaluating your skills and personality is a good idea no matter what your job situation is. We are constantly changing, and what we knew about ourselves when we started our careers may be different now. Taking a self-assessment can help you better understand your talents, your leadership style, and other strengths to better direct your goals.

About the Author:

Heather Green is a freelance writer for several regional magazines in North Carolina as well as a resident blogger for onlinenursingdegrees.org. Her writing experience includes fashion, business, health, agriculture and a wide range of other topics. Heather has just completed research ononline schools for nursing and online associate degree in nursing.

In a world where probably 9 out of the 10 houses in your neighborhood have computers, we have become the computer-dependent generation. We are now presented the option to do things virtually – from paying the bills, shopping for clothes, watching movies, ordering pizza, and even talking to your friends. All these can now be done simultaneously, without exerting much effort or having to leave the comfort of your home.

Our economy is getting more and more unstable by the minute. A full-time job may no longer be enough. Given these, a good business to set up for practical reasons is a computer repair shop. With the increasing number of computers being manufactured and purchased, the more need there is for skills to fix them when they break down. Not a lot can afford the brand new releases or the top of the line models, so they stick to their old, noisy yet dependable computers – the ones that are more prone to crashing when pushed to the limits. This is where we come in.

To set up this kind of business, the most important requirement is the interest and knowledge in computers. You can have all the capital you need, but if you do not know what you are investing in, and do not appreciate the service you are delivering, the business is bound to fail.

A well-thought marketing strategy is also a must. Have a robust plan on how to spread the word and get people interested enough to check your business out. Promos and deals never fail to make people take a second look.

Another essential is a strategic location. This will play a big role on whether your business makes it or not. Place yourself advantageously away from your competitors, yet near potential patrons. Customers will always come to the nearest shop, since computers always seem to crash at the most inopportune time.

Lastly, your most powerful weapon to propel your business towards success is the skill to repair computers. Fortunately, it does not always need to be expensive. The internet can be your best friend if you want it to, and in it you can find a thousand articles on computer parts, software, and networking.

When you know the parts and how they work, the next thing to study is how to fix them when they break down. Troubleshooting will be your core task, so take all the information you can.
Businesses are hard work. So have something that captures your interests, yet guarantees a stable income.

Author's bio: Ian Butler is a computer lover and an avid traveller. He works with Laptop rental and writes articles on various topics in his free time.

About 30 to 40 percent of savvy job seekers are also using various social media sites for job searches and career planning strategies. Employers are quickly realizing the power of social media for candidate recruitment. That’s reason enough for more people to use social media for their job searches. If you’ve not yet started using social media to assist your employment search, don’t wait any more.

1. Define And Build Your Brand

Your social media profile has so far acted as your online passport, networking device, publicity and promotional vehicle. Now, it’s replaced your traditional career resume as well. To get the most of it, create a consistent, clear career brand across your social media profiles. Go through them with a fine-toothed comb to remove inconsistencies such as non-synching employment dates, experience and so on.

2. Wing Inside Referrals

If you know someone who works for your target company, you can always ask for a referral. Only it’s not that simple all the time. Check your social networks to find out if anyone knows anyone who works where you want to work. Maneuver strategically till you obtain your advantage. Your chances of landing a job increase by 20% if you can wing an inside referral.

3. Subscribe To Company Job Board RSS Feeds

Subscribing to such feeds will help you follow informative articles from your target companies right from where you’re sitting. You can keep up to date on job news and post comments on articles you like and get noticed.

4. Hide Stuff You Don’t Want Employers To See

Employers don’t care where they find it, but negative info is negative info, including explicit comments of a personal or sexual nature. Use the Friends Only privacy setting on Facebook to keep your personal stuff private. Check for similar settings on all your social profiles.

5. Know More About The Hiring Manager

Check out the hiring manager of your target company on Twitter and LinkedIn before you hand in your application. Knowing more about the actual decision-maker can help you tailor your resume and covering letter. Some managers are particular about meticulous formality and don’t take kindly to casual covering letters. It’s tidbits of information like this that can give you an edge.

6. Mention Your Social Media Handles

Make sure that your job-search related emails, your resume and job-related conversations contain your LinkedIn handle and Twitter handle. This lets potential employers, contacts and others know how to get in touch with you. It also lets your potential employers know that you are capable of leveraging your online presence to further your career.

7. Let Your Friends Know You’re Looking

It’s hard to keep track of where each of your friends, exes, past co-workers and acquaintances are working. But if you have a large enough social media network, you can achieve miracles by putting the word out. The required position may not be open, but if your contacts know you’re available, they can keep you updated of opportunities even as they come up.

8. Network With Key Players

Get the important people to notice you. These could be the decision making hiring managers, CEOs or important consultants at your target companies, or even top recruiters with clout. On Twitter, retweet their tweets so they follow you. On LinkedIn, make strategic connections so that these people come into your second or third level networks.

9. Join Job Search Groups

On LinkedIn, join job search focus groups. On Twitter, follow career experts. On Facebook, make it a point to visit job search group pages and click the ‘Like’ button. You can benefit from job search tips, networking contacts and find out who’s looking for whom.

10. Get Out There And Network

Many social networking groups organize physical meetings in specific locations. Attend the ones that you feel might be useful to you. Also attend community events and social events that might be helpful. More points if you actually organize an event – it’s a surefire way of getting noticed.

11. Follow And Connect With Potential Employers

Identify the companies that you’d like to target as your potential future employers and follow them on Twitter and Facebook. If they have a Talent Community, join in; join their LinkedIn groups as well. Look up key players in the departments you want to work in and network with them. Create virtual organization charts using Jigsaw.com or LinkedIn.com to visualize the team dynamics in selected departments.

12. Keep Up To Date On Your Target Companies

Know what your targeted potential employees are up to; know their business trends, achievements, recruitment trends and strategies. Become an active participator in their blogs and online forums – tweet, comment and respond to questions. Don’t overdo it– the idea is to imprint your personal brand via an intelligent presence. Leave the returns to serendipity.

This article is contributed by Invesp a landing page and ecommerce conversion optimization services Company that helps businesses in creating a better buying experience for their visitors.

The cost of fixing an automobile can be an expensive option even for "minor" repairs. I remember when my dad bought a used VW Passat that was 3 years old and for some reason he decided to purchase an extended warranty as the factory warranty was about to run out around the time he purchased the vehicle.

What a great idea it ended up being. Within months of purchasing the car, the catalytic converter had to be replaced. It had "disintegrated" in the words of the mechanic. Other little silly things kept breaking as well over the first year we owned the car. The door handle went next. After that the engine light came on again and another repair was needed.

If you can believe it, the catalytic converter ended up having to be replaced again, several years after the first one went. Fortunately, my dad had purchased the extended warranty so much of the repairs ended up being covered by the extra coverage he'd bought.

Get a free extended warranty quote.

The repairs that the car needed ended up costing thousands of dollars, costs that the extended warranty paid for. This car really and truly would have been a complete lemon had we had to pay for the car repairs ourselves.

Oddly, around the time hit 15 years old mark it seemed to settle down and things stopped breaking! I ended up inheriting the car from my dad after he bought a brand new one and I drove it for a years without much trouble. By then the only things that broke were things that simply wore out. I had to get the brake light connection replaced as it had deteriorated and I ran over a nail so I had to replace a tire but beyond that, I was able to live with the car's flaws at least for a few years. It wasn't until the car failed an emissions test that my wife and I figured the car's time had come and we scrapped it.

Back to the warranty for a sec. Thankfully, my dad had purchased it up front because the car would have been way too expensive to keep had he not purchased it. In the end, we did get good value out of the car but those early expenses and repairs really did make us sour on the vehicle. Fortunately, the costs didn't come out of our pocket as the warranty covered it.

Considering an extended auto warranty for your vehicle - whether new or used - is something you should strongly consider especially if you are purchasing a vehicle that you really want but that is known for breaking down or causing trouble. Check to see how reliable your chosen vehicle is and think about an extended warranty just in case. You might end up with the same sort of my vehicle my family got and will be thankful you have the extended coverage.

Most people that get hired after they apply for a job assume that the hard part is over. They beat out the competition. They got the position that they applied for. They can kick back and relax because they have won their prospective employer over. This sounds like a great thing to do, but it is the furthest thing from the truth. To the contrary, employers – new and old - need to keep a competitive edge in the workforce environment.

Cut Cooler Talk

There's a common phrase in the work environment referred to as "water cooler talk.” Over the years the water cooler has been transformed in the break rooms with coffee machines, corporate refrigerators and lunch break tables. The environment is different, but the concept is the same. This is where people gather in the morning to start their day off with chatting. The conversations typically have nothing to do with work even though employees are officially "on the clock" for the day. Keep your competitive edge by avoiding this. Come into the office and start working when you get there.

Get an Early Start

Some people may say that the break room chit chat is inevitable. A computer takes time to boot. The printer has to calibrate. The copier has to warm up. There are hundreds of excuses that can be made to justify idle time in the morning. A competitive employee will foresee all of these possible delays and take some time to prepare for them.
There's no law against getting to work early. This gives you time to turn that computer on and warm that copier up. It even gives you a chance to make some coffee and get out of the break room before the chit chatting commences.

Continue to Learn

One of the most important ways to stay competitive at work is through continued learning. It may seem like you know everything there is no know about your job, but there is always something new to be learned. Consider certifications or any ways that might improve the daily tasks that you do. Your work may be commendable right now, but there is still room for improvement.

Competitive employees need to think of their jobs as stepping stones towards another job. They need to educate themselves as if they were preparing for a new job. Employees need to work as if they were being graded for a new job. In many ways they are. Some people are up for new positions in management. These employees have to be in a mode that shows their eagerness to learn. These are the people that get promoted. These are the employees that get raises and more job offers.

Ian Butler is an engineer working with 4x4 accessories and ever since his wife lost her job he writes motivational articles to help people find a new one and be better candidates.

Going off to do post secondary education is a big step, so you will want to make sure that you pick the right place to go. Picking a place just because it is cheap, close by, or because a friend goes there, may be cutting you off from some great opportunities, so before you make a decision, do yourself a favour and check out what Sydney has to offer. The following are just a few of the reasons why you should seriously consider a Sydney institution.

Great Schools

Sydney has some of the best post secondary institutions in the country, with the University of Sydney, New South Wales University, and the University of Technology, three of the most well known. With the addition of post secondary schools offering hospitality training, hair design, art training and so on, Sydney really has become the place to go in Australia to get trained up. Schools here are well known for their quality teachers and for having the most up to date teaching resources, so you are sure to well and truly get your money’s worth.

Jobs

Any city of 4 million people has a lot of jobs, so doing your post secondary education here will make it easier for you to be able to find a job as soon as you graduate. This is a huge bonus because after spending a few years doing your schooling here, you will probably have made a few friends and be just settling into living in the city. If you can score some work and go straight into working in your field, you won’t just have to up and leave straight after graduating. Chances are that you most probably won’t want to leave anytime soon.

Great Beaches

You won’t want to be studying all the time, so it’s important that you have somewhere nice to chill out and unwind; enter Sydney’s beaches. There is no city in the world with this many beautiful beaches so easily accessible, and if you keep in mind that the biggest school break here is during the summer, there is no where else you’ll rather be than right here. The hard part will be staying away from the beaches when you are supposed to be studying.

Big City Lifestyle

If going to post secondary education will be your first time living away from home, you may as well go all out and head to the biggest city in Australia. There is lots to be said for living in a big city like Sydney; it’s vibrant, multicultural, has great nightlife, lots of great neighbourhoods, awesome arts and live music scene, and it never, ever sleeps. So if you are ready to bust out of your shell and reinvent yourself, relocate to this fantastic harbour city while you get your degree.

Good Cheap Food and Accommodation

If you aren’t careful, living in Sydney can be an extremely expensive undertaking, though if you are thrifty and don’t mind doing some of your own research, Sydney has some of the best bargains in the country. You will have to do a pretty thorough search, though you can definitely find some great inner city accommodation gems, and as for cheap food, there are almost always great options close by the campuses, otherwise, Chinatown is always a safe bet.

If you’re planning to relocate to a different country for work, you may want to consider several aspects. One main aspect is the ease of relocation. Countries that welcome foreign workers to contribute to their work or business force usually make the relocation process easier. Here are 7 such countries.

1. The United Arab Emirates

The UAE is a melting pot of people from different cultures who have relocated for work. What’s more, you can work in Dubai, Muscat or any other UAE nation without paying any income tax. Look for jobs on Monster or Yahoo and apply. If accepted, your employer will sponsor your travel visa and work permit. Other formalities such as a health card on arrival followed by a residency permit on your passport follow. There are separate formalities for those who want to work in the government sector or in the manual labor sector. Residence visas have to be renewed every three years.

2. Canada

Many companies in Canada are willing to hire foreigners. People who want to relocate to Canada can look for job openings and apply. An employment letter is all you need to secure your work permit and travel visa from the Canadian Embassy/high Commission. If you are from a developing country, there’s another way to easily relocate for work. You can file an application with the city council of the Canadian city of your choice and if accepted, can easily relocate to that city and work.

3. Australia

Australia has some of the easiest processes for work-based relocation. There’s the 12 month working holiday visa which is sponsored for citizens of the US, UK, Japan and a few other countries, which allows a person to work and eventually relocate. There are skilled migratory programs which help skilled workers to migrate and relocate efficiently. There are also business relocation programs for people who are willing to invest heavily in Australia. Australia opens its residentship and eventual citizenship doors to people who relocate on work basis as well.

4. New Zealand

You can relocate to New Zealand on work basis through several means. If you are a key employee of a business that wants to open a branch or relocate to New Zealand, you can directly apply for NZ residence under the Employees of Relocating Businesses Category. If you want to look for a job in NZ, you have to first apply for residence; if this is approved, you will be asked to apply for a temporary work visa. You can visit NZ using this visa, look for a job and make relocation arrangements for you and your family. Your dependent family will need to apply for student or visitor visa in order to accompany you to NZ. Note that you must pay income tax on both your NZ earnings and whatever you earn overseas.

5. Spain

Salaries in Spain are not equal to UK salaries but quality of life is good. As a result, a number of people from different parts of the world are relocating to Spain. Spanish employers prefer to personally interview candidates so you need to go over there on a temporary visa first. It helps if you have a Spanish address as well. Once you land the job, you can apply for a residence card (not compulsory for EU nationals). A temporary residence card allows you to stay and work for 3 months to a year and an ordinary residence card is valid from 1 to 5 years, after which you can renew it.

6. Malaysia

Malaysian doors are not open to citizens of Serbia, Yugoslavia and Israel. However, if you belong to any other nation, you can either look for a job in Malaysia or open a business there. You will need to apply for a job, be interviewed over phone and in person and get the appointment letter. Once this is done, you’ll have to apply for your immigration visa. If you are opening a business, you will need to place a fixed deposit of a certain amount in a Malaysian bank once your Visa is approved. You and your family can get a 10 year renewable visa.

7. Singapore

Singapore actively seeks to hire people for its various job industries. About six in ten jobs go to foreigners in Singapore. Workers can migrate to Singapore after job approval on the Employment Pass which is a temporary work visa which is valid initially for 1 to 2 years. The Entrepreneur Pass is for workers of foreign companies which relocate to Singapore. The S Pass is for people with middle level skilled employees. Relocating to Singapore for work is fairly easy as the country welcomes foreign workers. Singapore’s quality of life, strict laws and prosperity make it a magnet for job relocations.

The article is written by Judy a contributor for experience gift ideas company Adrenaline, An Australian company that specializes in extreme adventures and experiences all over Australia.

Work and personal life issues can really get you down but exercise can help to pick you back up and keep you sane. One of my favorite activities especially when the weather is nice is go out biking. I bought a mountain bike a few years ago and realized pretty quickly how much fun it can be especially during the summer. Of course if you're getting out and about and have a need to leave your bike unattended for awhile, you're going to need a lock(s) to keep you bike safe from thieves. Bike theft is one of the more common thefts and it's one that in many cases can be prevented. Check out some of the best bike lock tips to keep in mind to help keep your bicycle safe and secure.

In addition to learning how to properly lock your bike - the above mentioned URL shows some of the tips and mistakes that people often make - you'll of course want to also invest in a good quality lock. I ended up picking both a U-Lock and cable lock to use in combination with each other. I figured that using two locks would make it a little bit more difficult for someone to steal my bike or at a minimum, make it less likely that a thief would bother spending any time on my bike and would simply move to the next bike that wasn't locked as well. I figured it was worth a try anyways. So far, so good too, as I've not been victim of bike theft.

Choosing a career is an important part of your life—but occasionally, that decision can go a little wrong. Maybe your chosen field gets phased out by newer technology, or maybe the nuts and bolts of the field didn’t become apparent until you were knee-deep in the work. At any rate, there may come a time when you want to shift into a new career. Re-careering, as it’s called, is far from an easy process, but there are some steps you can take to simplify the transition.

Re-careering signs

Everyone may dream of changing careers during a particularly stressful period, so before you start down a long, time-consuming path you should make sure that this is the right decision. The most obvious sign you need a new career is if there simply aren’t any openings in your current one. Long-term underemployment means your chosen career may not have enough work for the foreseeable future, and is unlikely to rebound in the long-term.

You may also want to look into re-careering if you constantly feel bored or lost at work, and even the thought of a new position within your current field doesn’t get your juices pumping. If future possibilities and promotions in your current field no longer excite you, it’s time to move on to something else, lest you spend the rest of your life in a career that you hate.

Choosing complementary careers

When re-careering, you may just want to choose whatever career interests you the most at the time, but this will overlook some advantages you may already have in getting a foothold on your new career. Every job has a number of complimentary positions that, while still being a different career, has a significant amount of overlap in their required knowledge. For example, someone with some medical experience may have a leg up on other job-seekers in the underwriting field. Consider all the careers where you can put your current skills to use and stand out from the crowd of job seekers in your search.

Re-education

When you are looking at a new career, you are almost certainly going to have to do some additional schooling. This can be a tedious and time-consuming process, but there are some ways to make it easier. Consider online schools as a way to get an advanced degree while you continue to work. Online schools no longer have the stigma they once did and offer a wide variety of in-demand programs. You can even enroll in advanced programs, like an online mba program, to get your degree through night and weekend courses. An online education gives you the best chance to move into a new career without putting yourself and your family through a period of significant unemployment.

Re-careering is equal parts exhilarating and terrifying, but if you are sure that this is what you want to do and you take the right steps to get yourself prepared, it may be the best decision you will ever make. The re-careering process is a long one, but by choosing the right new career and ensuring that you get the right education, you will form a foundation for a much better life going forward.