Finding a Top Company to Work For by Dave Caruso

Do you find yourself working in a mind numbing and soul stealing job? If so, join the millions of other Americans who freely admit they are not working at the company or job of their dreams. Well then, what happened?

Life happens sometimes and it becomes necessary to accept a position due to the ordinary pressures of busy lives. The car was on the fritz for the last time and you needed to replace it. We needed a bigger house to accommodate our growing family. My daughter wanted to join a ballet class with her friends. Whatever the reasons might be, you took a job that enabled you to meet your living expenses, and now 5 , 10 or 20 years later, are wondering where the time went and you might be feeling just a little stuck.

If this sounds like you, don’t despair. Remember, life sometimes does begin at 40. First, determine what your interests are or if you have any unique skills. This can be a challenging exercise, but discussing it with family or close friends can yield answers. Next, do a financial assessment of what your salary needs are to meet your household budget. Finally, the master key to finding a better job is to begin researching top companies that offer careers aligned with your interests.

Every year, Fortune Magazine publishes a list of the top 100 companies to work for. Chances are, that company you are working for is not on the list. Other surveys abound such as the Human Rights Campaign list of best companies for LGBT employees, Working Mother Magazine’s list of top companies, and Black Enterprise Magazine’s list of best companies for diversity. A simple search of the internet will start you on your journey of finding the right company to target. Remember, companies are like shoes. You might have to try on quite a few before you find a comfortable fit.

click here for more salary information

Occupational Therapy As A Career By Tony Jacowski

Occupational therapists assist their patients in performing all types of tasks, ranging from using a computer to handling their basic daily needs such as cooking, dressing and eating. Sometimes, they use computer programs to help the patients to improve their decision-making skills, problem solving and perceptual skills, as well as their memory and coordination skills. The main aim of them is to help the client lead a normal independent life.

Occupational therapists are basically concerned about human occupations, as they believe that people have an inborn drive to be operative and express themselves. They believe that having an occupation highlights a person’s sense of identity in a society. Therapists may work exclusively with individuals from different age groups or people suffering from disabilities.

They generally work 40-hours a week in hospitals and other health care centers. Some supervisory roles are taken over by the occupational therapists. Because of high rising health costs, the third party payers are beginning to appoint themto take on more responsibilities.

Qualifications

Currently, a bachelor’s degree is the minimum qualification required for becoming an occupational therapist, but in the near future a master’s degree may be required. To obtain a license, the applicant must posses a degree from an established educational program and pass the National Certification Exam. Some states have additional requirements.

Applicants considering this profession should take high school courses in chemistry, health biology and physics. Undergraduate majors should include psychology, biology, sociology, anthropology and anatomy. They need to have a lot of patience and strong interpersonal skills. They need patience because some patients do not respond quickly. Those working in home health care services need to be able to adjust to a variety of home settings. Applicants who look forward to making this a career choice must be able to work in multiple settings and with people of different age groups.

Job Prospects

In 2006, they held about 92,000 jobs and most of them worked in hospitals. Other therapists worked in schools and nursing care facilities. One in ten therapists held more than one job. By 2014, employment opportunities are expected to increase way beyond the average. In the long run, the demand for therapists is going to increase rapidly, as there is growth in the number of individuals suffering from disability caused due to a stressful lifestyle. Hospitals now employ therapists to handle their critical in-patients and also their outpatient rehabilitation programs.

Employment in schools may also increase due to the increase in disabled students. In May 2004, the average earning of an occupational therapist was $54,000-$67,010. These are skilled professionals who are capable of empowering individuals who are suffering from depression, stress and anxiety with life.

click here for more salary information

20 Annoying Corporate Buzzwords and Clichés by Dave Caruso

Do you work in a job setting where trendy buzzwords and jargon tend to permeate the atmosphere?  If so, then you have been exposed to the annoying “Business Speak” that attempts to transform simple language into words designed to impart vast knowledge and business acumen.  Ironically, true leadership comes in the form of new ideas and not simply regurgitating popular phrases.

Here are some of the top offending buzzwords and clichés translated:

Change Management (we have a new idea but no evidence it will work)

Employee Engagement (let’s attempt to show workers we care about what they think)

Going Forward (redefining the obvious)

Does That Make Sense? (you’d better agree with me and do what I say you idiot)

Set Them Up For Success (we should implement normal training and establish guidelines)

Deployment (inflates the scale when a new idea is implemented)

Reach Out (contacting someone who has no desire to hear from you)

Rightsizing (whoops, we hired too many people and need to begin layoffs)

Reskilling (your skills are no longer needed here)

Pushback (someone who has a different opinion than management)

Feedback (rebuff of person exhibiting Pushback)

Metric (should have just said measurement but now people think I am so smart)

Proactive (doing your job versus sleeping)

Organic Growth (business is bad so we need to scale back our growth projections)

Incentivize (formerly known as getting a raise for a job well done)

Best Practices (typically used to justify an inflated salary by creating a sense of value)

Touchbase (we need to discuss job performance issues)

Circle Back ( I have no idea what the answer to your question is)

Leverage (manipulate the situation to your advantage)

Value Added (my ideas make money for the company)

So if you are working with someone trying to “Think Outside The Box”, just remain calm and remember, “It Is What It Is.”

click here for more salary information