Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Beyond Ready

Beyond Ready is Horizon Point’s line of resources for students preparing for college and/or career.

  • Career Spotlight: Front Line Leaders of Administrative Personnel

    Career Spotlight: Front Line Leaders of Administrative Personnel

    Do you like organization and working with a team? Are you interested in customer and personal service? If so, then a career as a Front Line Leader of Administrative Personnel may be perfect for you.

    On the other hand, if you don’t enjoy working with others, critical thinking, planning and administration, becoming a front line leader may not be a good fit for you.

    Front line leaders of Administrative personnel directly supervise and coordinate the activities of clerical and administrative support workers.(ONET)

    What do you need to be a Front Line Leader of Administrative Personnel?

     

    Education:

    Front Line Leaders of Administrative Personnel have varying educational backgrounds. While some have a high school diploma, others have a bachelor’s degree. Regardless of educational background, individuals in this role typically have some time of management training and business/administrative background.

    If you are a high school student and would like to become a front line leader of administrative personnel, consider taking business education classes while in high school.

    Front Line Leaders of Administrative Personnel may be a good career change option for individuals who are currently in clerical or administrative roles and are interested in a leadership position. If you are currently considering a change to a leadership role, check out Get a Leadership Professional Development Game for insight.

    Skills:

    Front Line Leaders of Administrative Personnel know about:

    • Customer Service
    • Administration and Management
    • Critical Thinking
    • Planning
    • Coordination

    Is the field growing?

    ONET reports that careers for Front Line Leaders of Administrative Personnel are expected to increase by approximately 14% over the next 10 years.

     

    What is the pay like?

    cs-may2

     

    What’s the Holland Code* for a Front Line Leader?

    Interest code: ECS –Enterprising, Conventional, Social

     

    Enterprising — Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

     

    Conventional — Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

     

    Social — Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

     

    Source: http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-1011.00

     

    If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Front Line Leader of Administrative Personnel, go toONET. You should also check out collegegrad.com.

     

    Would you want to be a Front Line Leader? Why or why not?

     

    If you are interested in becoming a leader, regardless of the industry you are in, check out 10 Books Leaders need to be Reading.

     

    *Holland Codes are a way to classify a person based on their skills and interests as well as jobs based on the nature of the work. If you have an interest in knowing what your Holland Code is in order to match yourself to careers to pursue, you can read more about our assessment process.

  • Career Sportlight: STEM Careers

    Career Sportlight: STEM Careers

    Do you like science or math? Does engineering or technology interest you? If so, this career spotlight is a must read. STEM Careers are “in-demand” and offer several options for cool jobs, and according to Stemcareer.com, during the next decade, the U.S. demand for scientists and engineers is expected to increase four times the rate for all other occupations.

     

    STEM is an acronym referring to the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The term is typically used when addressing education policy and curriculum choices in schools to improve competitiveness in technology development. It has implications for workforce development, national security concerns and immigration policy.

    Wikipedia

    Change the Equation is one organization that has developed a variety of resources around STEM learning, from data and research to philanthropic best practices. Read more about STEMworks and other resources.

    What do you need to pursue a career in a STEM field?

     

    Education:

    Varying levels of education are required for STEM careers. ONET provides a comprehensive list of all STEM Careers. Search ONET for specific information on each occupation.

    If you are a high school student and are interested in a STEM career, consider taking various math and science courses, pre-engineering or computer science in high school.

    Is the field growing?

    cs1

     

     

    What is the pay like? (A selection of STEM careers salaries are included below.)

     

    Chemical Engineer

    cs2

     

    Software Developer

     

    cs3

     

    Statisticians

     

    cs4

     

    What’s the Holland Code* for STEM Careers? (The same STEM Career selection as above is represented below.)

    Interest code for Chemical Engineers: IR

    Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive   amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and   figuring out problems mentally.
    Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems   and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials   like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working   outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

    Interest Code for Software Developer: ICR

    Investigative — Investigative   occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
    Conventional — Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
    Realistic — Realistic occupations   frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with  others.

    Interest code for Statisticians: CI

    Conventional — Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These   occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas.   Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
    Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive   amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and   figuring out problems mentally.

    Source: www.onetonline.org

     

    If you are interested in learning more about STEM Careers, check out these articles and resources:

    6 Things You Need to Know About STEM

    The Top Paying STEM Jobs for Recent Grads

    STEM Career

    Change the Equation

    Are you interested in a STEM Career? Why or why not?

    *Holland Codes are a way to classify a person based on their skills and interests as well as jobs based on the nature of the work. If you have an interest in knowing what your Holland Code is in order to match yourself to careers to pursue, you can read more about our assessment process.

  • 6 Steps to Choose a College

    6 Steps to Choose a College

    According to collegeboard.org, you have almost 4000 colleges and universities to choose from the in United States. Sorting through which options would be right for you can be a challenge given the seemingly unlimited possibilities.

    If you’re a student or a parent trying to help a student pick a college, use the

    Career à Major à College

    approach. Using these steps:

    1. Determine who you are through your talents, passions and values.
    2. Use this information about who you are to determine what career fields would be a match for you.
    3. Vet these matches by their marketability and in-demand outlook.
    4. Determine college major(s) that match with these fields.
    5. Determine which colleges have your major(s), and then which colleges are a good fit for your personality, budget, type of school, distance from home and extra programs they offer. You can download a guide to walk you through this using collegeboard.org’s great tool.
    6. Utilizing the download, use the chart to map out your options. Once you get everything down in black and white on paper, you’ll be surprised how clear the decision may just become!

    Interested in having a tool to help you map out your path to college and career? Order our Beyond ReadyTMinteractive workbook for $19.99.

    Beyond_Ready_Cover-smaller

     

  • Internship Spotlight

    Internship Spotlight

    Are you a college student in search of experience to prepare you for the world of work? Why not consider an internship? It’s a great way to build your resume, network and possibly get your foot in the door with a future employer. Internships are also great for high school students. It gives students an opportunity to try out different occupations before making a career path decision. For high schools students, use our Job Shadowing Questionnaire if you get the chance to intern.

     

    What is an internship anyway? According to Wikipedia: An internship is a job training for whit-collar and professional careers. Internships for professional careers are similar in some ways to apprenticeships for trade and vocational jobs, but the lack of standardization and oversight leaves the term open to broad interpretation. Interns may be college or university students, high school students, or post-graduate adults. These positions may be paid or unpaid and are usually temporary.

     

    Generally, an internship consists of an exchange of services for experience between the student and an organization. Students can also use an internship to determine if they have an interest in a particular career, create a network of contacts or gain school credit. Some interns find permanent, paid employment with the organizations for which they worked. This can be a significant benefit to the employer as experienced interns often need little or no training when they begin regular employment. Unlike a trainee program, employment at the completion of an internship is not guaranteed.

     

    In a 2009 study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ (NACE) Experiential Education Survey, the following staggering statistics were discovered:

    Check out 3 Steps to an Internship Game Plan and Benefits of Doing an Internship for more insight. If you are ready to search for an internships, use the following resource links to get you started:

    Internship Programs

    Internships.com

    Intern Match

    Would you like to participate in an internship? Why or why not?

  • Job Search Tips for College Students – Use Your Spring Break to Prep for Job Search

    Job Search Tips for College Students – Use Your Spring Break to Prep for Job Search

    While others are on the beach for spring break, why not get a step ahead and get ready to land the perfect job after graduation?

     

    You at least have an idea of what career path you are pursuing upon graduation, but do you know what company you want to work for? If not, do a google search of relevant job titles and find out who’s hiring. Then, do research on each company. You will be surprised at how helpful that will be when you land an interview. Having background knowledge of your future employer is invaluable.

     

    Now that you have an idea of potential employers, why not begin revamping your resume? Remember to cater the resume for each job you plan to apply for, don’t use personal pronouns and make sure you use a font that is clear and easy to read. Check out Marketing Yourself Must Go Beyond the Traditional Resume and 4 Easy Steps to Know Which Keywords to Include in your Resume for some unique ideas. Contact us at Horizon Point Consulting, Inc. if you are interested in a professional revision of your resume.

     

    Are you connected? If not, join the growing number of professionals and job seekers on LinkedIn. Create a profile and let the networking begin. LinkedIn is a great way to begin your job search. The Forbes article Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn in Your Job Search is a great read for getting started.

     

    For more tips on beginning your quest for the perfect job, Job Search Tips for New Grads by Jason Alderman on Huff Post offers more insight.