Careers Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 08-14-2024

Whether you’re exploring a new career path, are a language enthusiast seeking to turn your passion into a profession, or an experienced translator looking to refine your skills, you need a few essential tools to confidently navigate the world of translation. This Cheat Sheet covers key steps for successfully launching or advancing your career as a translator.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 07-28-2024

The real estate business is a dynamic market. And to be a successful real estate agent, it helps to have a few key skills at the ready. Being prepared to use your time wisely, creating an online presence, converting online lookers into clients, and prospecting for business are important tools that every successful agent should possess.

Step by Step / Updated 06-26-2024

Whether you’re working from home or working in an office, there comes a time when you tend to sit for way too long. Sitting too long on a regular basis can, over time, shorten your hip flexors and the muscles in your hamstrings, chest, and back, resulting in uncomfortable muscle tension. Experts recommend getting up out of your chair a couple of times an hour or, more specifically, taking 3- to 5-minute breaks every 20 to 40 minutes. Whenever you get up from your desk in your home workspace, choose from the following selections of stretching exercises to help lengthen your muscles, reduce stress and tension, and get your blood pumping again — and, in turn, sitting still will feel a lot less like hard work.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-07-2024

Running a bar isn’t for the faint of heart. Besides the daily needs of running a bar — for example, what condiments to keep behind the bar and what to put on the menu — you also have to deal with the rigors of management, such as keeping your employees honest, staying on the right side of your state alcohol control board, and dealing with patrons who've had a few too many.

Article / Updated 03-20-2024

In mechanics of materials, Hooke's law is the relationship that connects stresses to strains. Although Hooke's original law was developed for uniaxial stresses, you can use a generalized version of Hooke's law to connect stress and strain in three-dimensional objects, as well. Eventually, Hooke's law helps you relate stresses (which are based on loads) to strains (which are based on deformations). For a three-dimensional state of stress, the normal strain in a given direction (such as x) is a function of the stresses in all three orthogonal directions (usually the Cartesian x-, y-, and z-directions), as shown by this equation: where E is the modulus of elasticity and ν is Poisson's ratio for the material. For a uniaxial stress, two of the stresses in the equation are zero. For a biaxial stress condition, one of the stresses in this equation is zero. The generalized relationship for Hooke's law for shear in the XY plane can be given as

Article / Updated 03-06-2024

In finding a career, many people take career “tests,” struggle to get informational interviews, and even take career workshops. And despite all that, they end up far from sure they’ve made a wise choice of career. These steps can help you pick a career wisely: What career type are you? Which one or two of these are you: a word person, people person, Science-Technology-Engineering-Math (STEM) person, hands-on person, or entrepreneurial? Scan the options. Most people consider only a small fraction of worthy careers. A fast way to broaden your options is to scan books that profile lots of careers. Careers for Dummies provides a scoop on 340 good careers plus self-employment ideas. Also, the federal government publishes the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which offers more detailed (if drier) introductions to 250 careers. Embrace Google Search. Because Google Search is free, it’s easy to underestimate its potency. But it’s a remarkable curator of incomprehensibly large amounts of information. So do use Google Search to find articles and video introductions to careers that pique your interest. Particularly look for those that focus on a day in the life. These articles and videos are often more valid than an informational interview or three because each article or video may distill the experiences of multiple people in the field. Use a pros-and-cons list with a twist. Make pros- and-cons lists of two or three careers you’re now considering. Pick the one that feels best. How are you feeling about that? Now imagine that you picked the other career. Feeling better or worse? Now pick. Even if your top-choice career doesn’t feel perfect, it’s usually wiser to start preparing for that career. Most people who end up happy in their career feel that way after only they’ve become competent at it and have tailored and accessorized it to fit their preferences and strengths. If you wait on the sidelines for the perfect career to hit you upside your head, you may be waiting a long time. It’s wiser to pick a career sooner than later and then tweak as you go. Of course, the devil is the details. Careers for Dummies gives you all the details you need to wisely choose your career.

Article / Updated 01-24-2024

You wear many hats in your role as a personal trainer. You're a salesperson, scientist, friend, coach, motivator, teacher, employer, bookkeeper, and business owner, to name just a few. To be successful wearing any of these hats, you need to be equipped properly — and that means you need to have the right tools to use at the right time. Your mindset The equipment available to help you be a successful trainer is limitless: cellphones, computers, software programs, weight-training equipment, cardiovascular equipment. . . . The list goes on. No matter what types of toys you have (or how expensive or cutting edge they are), it won't matter if you don't have the most important one: the right mindset. Important factors for having the right mindset are: Honesty: You need to be honest with yourself about what you realistically can and cannot do; this flows through to your clientele as well. Determination: Not every day is easy; you won't always have a full book, and sometimes those slow days end up being weeks. Pushing ahead and staying on track when the going gets tough takes determination and focus. Willingness: You need to be willing to change if your original course of action isn't producing the results that you want. You also need to be willing to keep an open mind when your client is complaining that she's not happy with your services. Willingness is more about what you should do as opposed to what you want to do — after all, sometimes you'll have to do things that you don't want to do. Your certification Certification is your badge of honor — it tells everyone who works with you, from employers to clients, that not only do you say you know what you're doing, but you can also prove it. Certification assures your client that you're a true fitness professional; you've undergone stringent studies and testing protocols to figure out what to do and what not to do as a personal training professional. It ensures your client that you know what they don't — which is how to help her reach her fitness goals, safely and efficiently. Being certified also gives you the credibility you need for other professionals and clients to take you seriously. Certification helps you to build a solid rapport with the people you will be doing business with, such as: Employers Clients Mentors Media contacts Doctors with whom you have a referral relationship Your business card Here are some tips for making a long-lasting impression with your business card: In the case of a chance meeting, when someone asks you, "What is it that you do?" have a brief summary (called an elevator pitch) prepared that makes you memorable as you hand her your business card. For example, you can say, "I help people look great naked" or "I build muscles." Make sure the information on your card is correct and up to date. If your area has just recently implemented ten-digit dialing, if your area code has changed, or if you've just gotten an e-mail address, make sure you invest in a new set of business cards to reflect your new contact information. The impression you leave with a potential client is the one that will bring her back to you for business. Make sure that your business card reflects everything you want your potential client to remember about you — professionalism, integrity, quality, and trustworthiness. Tape measure The tape measure can be used for many different things. You can record your client's anthropometric measurements (body circumference) with it to show change and make sure she's on track to achieving her personal goals. You can also measure degrees of flexibility as well as how far your client can reach past her toes in the sit-and-reach flexibility test. Other uses for the tape measure are: Measuring vertical jump height Measuring plyometric (explosive) movement distances Measuring length of stride Measuring stance distances Body-weight scale Going hand in hand with recording baseline biometrics (body measurements), a scale is useful and important in determining gross bodyweight. After you've recorded your client's gross body weight, you can assess body-fat percentage, BMI, and one-rep-max percentages to determine how heavy your client needs to be to train for her workouts. Heart-rate monitor Having a heart-rate monitor for your client to use while you train her has multiple benefits: It allows you to see where her heart rate is without stopping her exercise. A heart-rate monitor is a lot more accurate than the palpation method. Your client will get instant feedback from it — it is an invaluable tool when it comes to teaching clients about perceived rate of exertion and working intensity. You can use it to teach your client stress management, breathing, and biofeedback techniques. Jump rope A jump rope is a light, inexpensive, very portable, and excellent tool for challenging your client's cardiovascular system. Anyone at any fitness level can use it — and as exercises go, your client will burn more calories per minute jumping rope than doing any other activity! Skipping rope is a challenging workout that burns about 360 calories per half-hour (by comparison, moderate running or jogging burns about 330 calories per half-hour). Experts suggest rubber, leather, or beaded ropes (ropes with small plastic tubes on a cord). The grip should be foam-based to absorb sweat and give your client a firm grasp. The client should be able to stand on the rope and hold the handles slightly above waist height. Jump ropes generally come in 6- and 9-foot lengths, and many have detachable handles so you can trim the rope yourself.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 01-18-2024

This cheat sheet offers tips on how personality tests can help you find your career path and includes a worksheet to track your plan to pursue your passion.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 12-21-2023

If you’re interested in becoming a social worker, you need to start by understanding what exactly social work is. When you understand the helping process social workers use, you’ll be able to approach your work thoughtfully, regardless of whether you’re working with individuals, families or groups, or communities or systems. Finally, understanding your options when it comes to formal education can help you plan your future. Read on to find out more about what social work involves and how to become a social worker.

Article / Updated 12-04-2023

Your clients want more than just a good workout. They want a personal trainer who motivates them, cares about them, and sets a good example. When all else is equal, your professionalism, your attitude, and your knowledge of business etiquette are what will put you ahead of the pack. Don't be a know-it-all You're having a conversation with a new acquaintance at a dinner party and he starts talking about the works of Umberto Eco. Instead of saying, "Who in the ever lovin' world is Umberto Eco?" you nod along, pretending that you're deeply familiar with The Name of the Rose and the other works of whatshisname. C'mon, you know you've done this before. We all have. Although you may get away with this tactic at a dinner party, you won't get away with it as a personal trainer. If you give false information because you don't want to look stupid in front of your client, you can do more than get found out — you can injure the client. Be there for your client Being there for your client doesn't mean you have to trail her, handing her warmed towels when she gets out of the shower and feeding her chicken soup when she has a cold. You do have to put your own ego and wants aside and focus completely on the client. Don't ever take your eyes off your client during a session. A trainer who's looking around the room is thinking about himself — how bored he is, what he'll be having for lunch that day, how much he likes that hot trainer across the room — rather than about the client. Your job is to be the most motivating, inspiring trainer you can be, and to set a good example for your client. That requires you to put yourself aside and be there for your client. Stay within the boundaries You have your personal self, and your professional self. Your professional self does not offer relationship advice, does not eat candy bars in front of the client, and does not make comments about the client's home or its contents. Personal training is just that — personal. Your client may come to think of you as her friend. That's a good thing, but it also invites unprofessional behavior. If a client starts, say, complaining that her husband doesn't pay attention to her, you need to draw that boundary line. Say, "I hear you, I understand" — but don't offer advice or tell her what a jerk her husband is. If a client asks you to train her for an extra half-hour free of charge, or to drive 15 miles outside your regular area to train her daughter, tell her you can't do it. If you do, the client may come to expect this from you all the time — and it can hurt your business. Do what you say, say what you do When you tell the client to do something, you should do it. Sounds simple, right? Well, you'd be surprised at how many personal trainers forget this simple concept. The best way to keep your word is to be prepared, to always be on time, and have your bag and files ready ahead of time. To make sure you always have a program ready for the client, have the client's file with you when you need it, and have a place where you can work — a place with a desk, adequate lighting, and all the tools you'll need to stay on top of things. And be sure to have access to all the health information you need so that if you tell a client you'll bring her a recipe or a new exercise or information about heart disease, you can have it ready the next time you see her. Showing clients you care Care is more than just a four-letter word. It also stands for "Clients Are Really Everything." You may know everything there is to know about personal training, but you wouldn't be much of a personal trainer without your clients. Clients can make or break your business. That's why you have to care about them. Here are some tips for showing clients that you care: Return phone calls promptly. Return e-mails promptly. Follow up with your clients to make sure the sessions are working for them. Send your clients thank-you cards for doing business with you. Always be sympathetic to your clients' complaints. Keep individual files on each client so you can track them and create the most personalized programs for them. Always be on time Being late shows a lack of respect for the person who is waiting. Not only that, but if you have a personal training session and you show up late, what are your choices? You can either cheat the client out of a few minutes of training so she can be done at 5 p.m., or you can run late — which is annoying for a busy person (and who isn't busy?). If you're always late, ask yourself why and come up with a solution. Do you get stuck in traffic? If so, find alternate routes or leave earlier. Do you have trouble getting yourself out the door? Have your bag, your client folder, and everything else you need ready by the door early in the day so you can grab it and leave when the time comes. You can even buy a shelf or hook to keep your stuff on — it may motivate you to use it. Dress professionally Here are some dress-for-success tips: We'll say it again — no skintight spandex! Don't wear jeans and a T-shirt, no matter how comfy they are. Make sure your clothes aren't too baggy. If you demonstrate a machine, your clothes may get caught. Women, don't slather on the makeup. (Guys, this goes double for you!) Keep jewelry to a minimum. Long, dangly jewelry can get caught in the machines. The same goes for long, loose hair. If you have long hair, you may want to pull it back. The best uniform may be a collared polo shirt, well-fitting sweatpants, and good-quality exercise shoes. Stay educated Personal trainers need to stay up-to-date in medicine, fitness, business, and even psychology and nutrition. These fields are constantly changing, and researchers are uncovering new information every day. Here are some ways to keep learning: Attend continuing education courses. Talk to other personal trainers. Go to conferences and workshops. Read industry magazines. Read medical journals. Read health, fitness, and business magazines (many are available at the local library). Talk with doctors.