Careego.com - Online Career Management

In today's digital age, you can do almost anything virtually. Whether it's banking, researching, or shopping and socializing, everything is now just a click away. So why should managing your career be any different? Now, for the first time, you can take control and manage your career virtually, with easy-to-use, professional, online resources and tools that help you get where you want to go in your career. Here are some useful quick tips from Careego.com:

Find your passion
Did you know that only half of working Canadians are happy with their current job or career? That statistic is likely because they never took the time to evaluate their strengths or passions. Consider taking a thought-provoking evaluation online to determine what type of career is best suited for you.

Get live advice at your fingertips
Managing your career is important, but it is not always easy and you should not have to do it alone. Virtual on-call professional career coaches can provide personalized expert advice and help you define your professional profile, clarify your current career situation and even help you maintain momentum and focus.

Network, network, network
Linking up with professionals online is the easiest way to find new leads in your industry of choice. Internet career management networks provide an easier, more effective method of networking than traditional work functions or cocktail parties. Users can meet and chat openly with industry professionals online about topics ranging from career opportunities to interview tips and salary negotiations without leaving their homes.

From pen to mouse, notepad to laptop, the evolution of technology has enabled all people to actively manage their careers using resources previously unavailable. Online career management portals, such as Careego.com are now offering everything you need to manage and achieve great success.

Careego.com is a proud sponsor of the Young Women of Influence Evening Series. This series is designed specifically for emerging women in business, the Young Women of Influence Evening Series is dedicated to connecting like-minded professionals for advancement. Speakers provide progressive, innovative and proven expertise for getting ahead in an inspiring and social environment.

Although the terms "job" and "career" are often used interchangeably, there are real differences between the two. A job is usually a means to an end - you have bills to pay, so you need a job to make money. A career, on the other hand, is something longer term that you build throughout your life, something you are passionate about. Since Canadians spend more time working than anything else, wouldn't you rather all that time and energy was put into a career you care about? The experts at Careego.com, a new online career management portal, share their approach to building just that type of future:

1. Assess your skills
You want to start your career but don't know what your strengths are or where your skills would be the most useful. Taking a detailed career assessment gives you an in-depth, personal report of where you are now, what skills you have to offer and the areas you should focus your career sights on.

2. Build your brand
Your resume is your written brand. It is speaking in your behalf and quickly needs to highlight your experience and skills to the reader. First impressions are critical, whether face-to-face or in a resume, so know what your brand is selling. Failure to sell your resume and brand will typically be a deciding factor as to whether you get an interview.

3. Take advice
Network, network, network is the easiest way to find a career. Networking with professionals is the easiest way to find new leads in your industry of choice. Fellow professionals can also provide you with advice on how best to navigate your career and achieve your goals. Don't be afraid to ask them how they got started and what steps they took to get where they are today.

As long as I work hard, my career will evolve. My resume is impressive so I will have no problem getting a new job. I shouldn't let others know I'm looking for new opportunities. These are all statements we have heard made about career management and they are all wrong. Managing your career should be a top priority for anyone who wants to move ahead, but it is important to follow the right advice and not fall victim to the common career management myths below.

Myth: My boss controls my career, not me.
Fact: Building a career is your responsibility, not your employers. Take control by identifying some short term career goals to act as building blocks to get to your longer term goals. Regularly reassess your goals and realize they can and will change depending on your personal interests and opportunities. Many roles of the future don't exist today, so focus on your own three to five year plan and actively manage your career.

Myth: I scan Monster every day, so I know all the jobs that are available.
Fact: The truth is, 80 per cent of all jobs are found by networking, not through advertisements. By building on-going relationships and sharing information with friends and colleagues working in the areas you want to enter or move up in, you will hear about interesting job openings even when you may not be looking.

Myth: Professional advice is only available to senior executives.
Fact: Career management is important at every step of your career. Some programs, like Careego.com, a new online career management portal, provide everyone with the same kind of expert, personalized career information, advice and resources previously only available direct from career management companies.

Whether you are looking for new opportunities at your current place of employment or actively searching for a new job, don't get stuck following the wrong advice. Remember, active career management is the only way you will get where you want to be.

Canadians are quick to look after their health, maintain their homes and repair their cars, but what about managing their careers? For some, it can become all too easy to get comfortable and not look for or take measures to make the next career move. In many instances, Canadians have the desire to advance their careers but are unsure how to do so. Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions has launched Careego.com, the first online career management portal, providing all Canadians the opportunity to grow their careers by accessing the same kind of personalized in-depth career management resources previously only available to senior level executives.

The first of its kind, Careego.com is the only career management portal that offers virtual live access to experienced career consultants to answer individual questions and provide advice. Subscribers can also make use of the portal's networking platform to meet others and share information and career experiences in real time with like-minded people managing their own careers.

"Canadians cannot exclusively rely on their employers to help them manage and grow their careers - they need to take the matter into their own hands," said Kathryn Lockhart, Business Leader of Careego.com. "Whether it's finding a new job or being prepared to take full advantage of career opportunities, Careego.com offers the most up-to-date information, tools and professional resources to help all Canadians get where they want to be."

With a well-rounded suite of tools and resources, Careego.com is ideal for anyone, no matter where they are in their career. Whether they are, looking for new opportunities at their current place of employment, are actively seeking a new job, or graduating from school Careego.com has a host of resources needed to achieve their goals.

Careego.com offers a full suite of tools and services that allows subscribers access to:

- Career Positioning System - Thought provoking, actionable personal assessments.

- Resume Tutor - Step-by-step resume guidance to help build your personal brand and resume with access to expert resume samples.

- Careego On-Call Coach - Virtual access to Knightsbridge career coaches who provide helpful one-on-one career guidance.

- Careego Live - Network and share with other people tackling their careers, moving to a new city or switching industries. Engage in live discussions with peers and professionals about salaries, negotiating and interviewing to help better prepare you for your career. Users can read blog posts by an expert career coach and also provide feedback and opinion.

- JobSpyder - Search for the right jobs using Knightsbridge's skills-based search engine.

"Careego.com's on-line forums provided wonderful, practical insight into responding to career management issues," said Ann Teve, current Careego.com user. "As a job seeker, the opportunity to get the opinions and advice of others in my position gave me relevant, nuanced and timely insight into the job market."

A preview of Careego.com is available to Canadians for free. For only $30 a month, Canadians can get unlimited access to virtual on-call career coaching, interviewing tips, job search strategies and career/personal assessments, plus access to the JobSpyder job search engine and much more.

Today, Careego.com announced a partnership with the Richard Ivey School of Business' Executive MBA program. Careego.com has created a service offering that assists EMBA students to successfully leverage the extraordinary skills and experience they gain from one of Canada's leading business programs. By combining leading edge technology with personalized, one-on-one coaching, Ivey EMBAs are equipped with the skills and information required to stand out in today's competitive job market.

Ivey EMBA students are provided with access to the Careego.com career management portal, which includes an online community of professionals who provide input and feedback within the discussion forums; online assessments to help students understand what motivates, inspires and fits for them when it comes to work as well as a meta-search engine that pulls opportunities from a broad range of government, corporate, executive recruitment and not-for-profit sites.

"An EMBA is an investment and the benefits are numerous. We help EMBA students understand how to take advantage of not only their degree but their EMBA network to effectively manage the next stage of their career" says Patricia Polischuk Diver, Careego.com Account Manager.

Careego.com is the newest career management tool to be offered by Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions Inc. Careego utilizes cutting-edge technology to empower career-focused professionals with the skills and knowledge they need to successfully manage their careers. By combining video advice from career experts, in-depth personal assessments, how-to guides, career-focused podcasts and an expert blog featuring contributions from Knightsbridge professionals, Careego.com is the first of its kind to offer a completely holistic and interactive approach to online career management.

"The ambiguity of today's market speaks to the importance of managing your career, especially as a graduate or undergraduate student. Careego.com empowers students in an environment that is second nature to them," said Careego.com's Business Leader Kathryn Lockhart. "The students are a fundamental part of our career community, and we hope to support their needs as their careers progress."

Although lots of people gear down for the holidays, some smart slice.ca career girls are wondering just what they can do to take advantage of some of the slack that others create during this busy time of year. Whether you're revving up for a promotion, trying for that new year raise, or just trying to find a permanent job, we've got tips from Kathryn Lockhart, Business Leader at Careego (http://careego.com/), on how to make sure you take advantage this December so your career will benefit in 2010. ...

Read the complete article @ http://www.slice.ca/Advice/SliceBlog/BlogPost.aspx?sectionid=38&postid=109475

Your career is one of your most valuable assets and ultimately you need to be in control of its direction.

Today's career-minded individual understands that the cliché corporate ladder has developed a number of broken rungs.

A typical career path is no longer linear but more closely resembles a labyrinthine. You're continually faced with making choices through a network of inter-connecting pathways. The choices you make and how you cope through the winding maze will determine how well you reach your goals.

The reality is that managing your career is each person's individual responsibility. You can't predict every detour, but knowing how to manage your career is the first step.

As an experienced Career Coach I have met hundreds of individuals that are reluctant to manage their own careers. They still believe that their loyalty and accomplishments will speak for themselves. Their managers will 'see' what they've contributed and they will be recognized and rewarded without any self-promotion. They'll just sit back and wait. And then they'll wait a little longer.

The reality is that managing your career is each person's individual responsibility. Don't be a spectator to your own career. Step up and become an active participant in the direction of your career. While you can't predict every detour, knowing how to manage your career is the first step.

Identify Your Professional Assets

Be knowledgeable of your professional assets. Know who you are and what you have to offer.

* Develop an inventory of your skills, interests and core competencies.
* Make note of any skills or knowledge that are weak and need to be improved.
* Record all significant professional and personal accomplishments and correlate them to your core competency list.

Seek Input

Make a point of actively seeking input and advice throughout your career. We each possess many innate skills and traits and we may not recognize as valuable but resonate with others we work with.

* Volunteer to participate in company 360 reviews to gain insight into how others see us.
* Take indepth-assessments to help understand more about your personal traits, characteristics, values, career preferences and working style.
* Seek out mentors. These individuals can provide invaluable guidance and support.

Know the Marketplace and Your Competition

Be aware of the ever-changing marketplace and how it will impact you.

* What initiatives or strategies is your current employer undertaking?
* What are the current trends in your industry?
* Regularly assess the global marketplace. What is happening in the world that could directly impact your business or line of work?
* Keep current on new technologies that you could adapt into your personal skill set.

Shaping Your Personal Brand

Having taken stock of who you are; what you have to offer and the marketplace expectations you now have to help shape your personal brand.

Never forget, you are a product. While you may not be as flashy as an iPhone, you are still a product that a company may buy/hire and you have your own unique set of features, benefits, service offerings, and apps.

* What do you want your brand to represent?
* What type of image do you want to project?
* Know what differentiates you from your personal competition.
* Understand the needs of your audience and the marketplace.

Know Your Value

Your value in the marketplace will fluctuate depending on a number of variables. Even the best and the brightest can find they've been devalued due to a supply/demand imbalance or a poor economy.

Taking into account marketplace conditions your career value or net-worth needs to assess the sum of:

* your skills (learned, transferrable and innate)
* life and work related experiences
* personal and work-related accomplishments
* training, education
* individual traits and characteristics.

Setting Goals and Developing a Partnership

Embed goal setting into your life. Set a combination of short and long term goals that challenge you both personally and professionally.

One important aspect of goal setting is to actually write them down. Record or post them in a place that you will frequently see.

While you may record a few goals that are ambitious, try and set realistic and obtainable goals.

Your long term goal could be "to be the Vice-President at a Fortune 100 company in 10 years". Ambitious? Maybe. But it doesn't mean with the right skills, planning and motivation it can't be achieved. So what goals are you going to set for the next 2-3 years to get you one step closer to this goal?

While you want to set as many self-directed goals as possible that don't heavily rely on marketplace conditions, or happenchance, consider striking a partnership with your manager or employer. If you are recognized as a high potential, or rising star in your organization they may be very willing to help you reach your goals if it ensures your employment with them.

A Life-Long Process

Active career management is a lifelong practice. It requires us to perform regular maintenance checks to ensure the skills, training and experience we possess in positioning us for the future.

We need to be open-minded and accept that our careers will take us on a winding, and exciting journey. Don't begin to manage your career when it's in jeopardy or crisis. Realize that taking control of your career requires active life-long commitment.

Diane Cobbold
Senior Career Coach - Careego.com
(a division of Knightsbridge Human Capital Management)

*Reprinted with permission from Women of Influence Inc. www.womenofinfluence.ca