Free Blog

Taking calculated risks in your career can help you reach your goals. Below are some of the common career risks that you may grapple with, and how to weigh your options.

RISK: Going Back to School

Making the financial and time commitment to go back to school for an advanced degree or certification can feel overwhelming. Factoring into the equation family responsibilities or not being able to quit your job to focus on school can make furthering your education feel like a heavier burden.

Weighing your options: “First you need to know your end goal and what you are trying to achieve by going back to school, such as a raise or changing career paths,” advises career coach Hallie Crawford. “Next, determine if going back to school helps you achieve this goal by talking to your boss and mentors. In some fields an advanced degree matters, in others it really doesn’t.”

RISK: Changing Careers

So many people hate their jobs yet toil away daily because sticking with the familiar feels safe. There are a number of reasons why people are unhappy on the job, including being in a profession that does not utilize their passions and interests.

Weighing your options: With increased company layoffs, no one is immune to losing a job. Finding work that you love should be a priority in your career. Mitigate the risk of career change by doing research before you make the leap so that you’ll know what to expect from your new career in terms of salary ranges, and what the work is really like.

“There’s always some amount of risk, but if you are truly unhappy the risk is worth it,” says Crawford.

RISK: Saying ‘No’ to Added Responsibility

If your boss is saddling you with more responsibility with a project or promotion, be sure you understand exactly what that will mean for your success. Not all promotions are created equal, and you can quickly become the office doormat if you constantly take on projects that may not have high enough visibility to move your career forward.

Weighing your options: Saying no to more money or recognition is often hard to justify. Your friends, family, and colleagues may think you’re crazy for passing up a promotion. But you have to follow your gut instincts. In weighing your options, ask yourself if this project or promotion will really move your forward.

RISK: Starting a Business

More people are going into business for themselves than ever before. Many dream of being their own boss but find the risk of giving up a regular paycheck, health insurance, and retirement accounts too high.

Weighing your options: Do your research (including health care options), save money, and build contacts in your industry while you’re still working in your current job.

“Business ownership is a risk and it’s not for the faint of heart,” says business coach Dresdene Flynn-White. “However, the risks can be mitigated by financial and mental preparation. If someone wants to learn about business ownership, they should work part time in a small business to get that reality check.”

The R-word doesn’t need to spell trouble for your career. Education offers a powerful antidote to the whims of a recession-bound economy. With online career training, you can grow your career in any economic climate, rain or shine.
Strategy #1 - Outrun the Economy

Make yourself indispensable to an employer by enhancing your job skills. Online education can hone the advanced skills that see businesses through tough times: leadership, strategic planning, and innovation.

Here’s how strategy #1 looks through the lens of accounting, business, design, and HR:

* Accountant
Financial belt-tightening calls for a good accountant, doesn’t it? Yes–but accounting is not the recession-proof career it once was, reports CFO.com. Outsourcing has taken a bite out of entry-level accounting jobs, a trend set to increase with the coming recession. Accounting clerks topped a March 2007 Wall Street Journal list of workers “most vulnerable” to offshoring. With decreasing margins, companies are prone to outsource collections, data analysis, financial reporting, and other basic accounting activities to offshore providers.

In other words, there has never been a better time to advance out of an accounting clerk position and into a secure Certified Public Accountant job. Online universities offer CPA courses, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting.

* Business Operations Manager
When resources are tight, business needs to run as a well-oiled machine. Operations managers coordinate daily operations, formulating policies and procedures to ensure efficient use of all business resources–material, financial, and human.

Operations managers typically advance into the position with an MBA. Online MBA programs teach effective leadership and strategic thinking, the skills that differentiate a middle manager from an executive leader.
* Graphic Designer
Graphic designers are also vulnerable to outsourcing, according to The Wall Street Journal. Their secret weapon in an economic downturn? Creative development. While entry-level graphic design jobs can be shipped anywhere, creative directors are irreplaceable.

Advance into creative responsibility with a college degree in graphic design. Building technical skills is important–but in the current business climate, a creative portfolio and industry contacts really set you apart. Graphic design school fosters creative development and encourages professional networking.
* Human Resources Specialist
Human resources specialists are responsible for creating a streamlined workforce–essential in a declining economy. HR assistants recruit, place, and train employees into the positions best suited to their skill set. HR managers maintain a broader outlook on a company’s human resources strategy, in consultation with senior executives.

Be part of the human resources solution by upgrading your education. An online degree in HR or an MBA with a concentration in human resources management will help you develop the leadership skills and long-range analytical thinking to address critical business problems.

Strategy #2 - Find a Recession Haven

For some workers, the answer to recession vulnerability is a lateral shift into a recession-proof industry. Health care and education are perennially in demand, even in tough economic times. Here’s how to retrain for three in-demand careers:

* Market Research Analyst
In a recession “you need to know more than ever how consumers are redefining value.” Invest in market research: that’s BusinessWeek’s advice to companies planning their marketing budget for 2008 and 2009. Market research becomes all the more important in an economic downturn, as companies target their products or services to an increasingly discriminating consumer.

Get into this recession-proof niche of marketing with an online degree in marketing. Research analysts collect and analyze statistical data, creating consumer surveys and studies. Courses in quantitative research, social psychology, and communications are critical.
* Health Information Manager
Health care jobs make up almost half of the thirty fastest growing occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. One of the high demand fields is health information management. Health information managers maintain and ensure the security of patient records. Computer expertise and knowledge of legal requirements is critical.

IT professionals are especially well-positioned to transition into health information management. A degree in health information technology provides the necessary training in medical recordkeeping procedure and technology.
* Corporate Trainer
Faced with job insecurity, workers have a powerful motivation to develop their job skills. That translates into increased demand for corporate and vocational trainers during a recession. Corporate trainers enjoy the best of both worlds: a secure, fulfilling teaching job at a private-sector salary. They typically consult with businesses to produce customized professional development courses.

An online bachelor’s degree in Education lays the groundwork for a corporate training career. Many trainers go on to a master’s degree in education or business with a concentration in corporate training.

A tough economy can spell opportunity for you–if you plan ahead. Become indispensable to an employer with an advanced skill set, or transition into a recession-proof career. Either way, strategic career training and education could be your ticket to job security.

The Recruiter Roundtable is a monthly feature that collects career and job-seeking advice from a group of recruiting experts throughout the United States. The question we put before our panel this month is:

What is the one piece of fashion and/or grooming advice you wish more candidates would heed before going on an interview?

Get the Details Right
The night before the interview, lay out your wardrobe to make sure everything fits, is free of wrinkles and is current with today’s styles. Also take the time to polish your shoes. While this may sound minor, showing up with scuffed shoes may signal to the employer you lack attention to detail. Finally, remember that the interview is not your time to make a fashion statement, so avoid tight clothing, limit your jewelry, and go easy on fragrances.

The interview is your opportunity to show hiring managers how talented you are, and maintaining proper appearance will ensure they focus on your abilities rather than your attire.
– DeLynn Senna, executive director of North American permanent placement services, Robert Half International

Accessorize With Mints
I wish more candidates would take a strong breath mint before their interviews. It may sound silly, but you would be surprised how distracting bad breath can be during an interview! Gum also works, but remember to discard your gum BEFORE the interview.
– Bob Hancock, independent staffing consultant

What Are Your Revealing?
Look in the mirror: If too much is showing, don’t wear it! While low-cut blouses or shirts are in fashion, most are inappropriate for the workplace, including the initial interview. The interviewer could possibly be distracted by the inappropriateness of the candidate’s attire and therefore not focused 100% on the interview. This is unfortunate for both parties; the candidate may not be getting the positive reaction to answers they want, and the interviewer may be less apt to probe for the information they need to make a solid hiring decision.
– Joelle Thies, staffing specialist recruiter, Wells Fargo

The Smell of Success Is Scent-Free
If your perfume or cologne enters the room before you do, chances are your scent may be interfering with your chances of landing the job. You’ll see subtle signs from the interviewer — he’ll lean away from you, she’ll wrinkle her nose or open a window. If someone on the interview team has allergies or asthma, and if you’re meeting with them in a small room, your strong scent will be just the excuse they need to leave the room quickly, without them getting a chance to hear the details about the brilliant marketing campaign you developed at your last company.

The focus during the interview — and afterward when the interview team gets together to discuss your interview — should be on your accomplishments, abilities, and why you’re the right person for the job. So keep it scent-free.
– Cheryl Ferguson, recruiter, The Recruiter’s Studio