Revealed What your kids really want to be when they grow up

Revealed What your kids really want to be when they grow up by Michael Cheary Veterinarian is No.1 dream job for girls, followed by Teacher and EngineerProfessional Footballer, Inventor and Policeman are the top career choices for boysOnly one in seven kids want to follow in their parents’ career footstepsAs part of our latest research, we asked Gen Z* the age old question of what they want to be when they grow up. What we found uncovered different career aspirations amongst children today than you might expect,  and ones that that aren’t influenced by what their parents do.What the girls saidThe focus groups of 250 children aged between seven and 10 revealed that over a quarter of girls (26 per cent) aged between seven and 10 aspire to become Vets when they grow up, followed by Teachers   (17 per cent).Interestingly, the third most popular career choice amongst girls was engineering, with more than one in ten (11 per cent) citing reasons such as creativity, a love of technology and the desire to study hard as the main reasons it was their dream job for the future.Jessica, aged 10, said: “My daddy said I would make an excellent Engineer and buys me lots of Lego to practise. Girls are better at science than boys; they listen more and can draw neater. You have to work hard to be an Engineer, but you get to do different things every day.”What the boys saidThe research reveals that boys are more likely to aspire towards more glamorous, potentially less attainable careers, with Professional Footballer (23 per cent) and Inventor (12 per cent) being named as the top two dream jobs of the future.The traditional Policeman was still a popular choice, with one in ten boys (11 per cent) citing wanting to protect people and drive a car with flashing lights as the main reasons for entering this profession.Sam, aged 8, said: “When I grow up, I want to be an inventor. I want to build a jetpack or robot to tidy my room or help my mum or nanny. I want to wake up in the morning and go to work with a smile on my face. If I’m not an inventor, I’ll stay in bed and sleep through my alarm.”Sorry Mum and DadSurprisingly, the research revealed that children are less influenced by the career choice of mum and dad, with only one in seven of kids (14 per cent) saying they wanted to end up working in similar professions as their parents.Almost two thirds of children (69 per cent) surveyed were unaware of what their mum or dad did for a living. However, despite not knowing exactly what the job entailed, eight out 10 children (82 per cent) surveyed were able to name the reasons why their parents either loved or loathed their job.Mohamed aged 8 said “My mum is a dinner lady and my dad’s really busy and comes home late. I don’t think he likes his job; he doesn’t like his boss and doesn’t get to take us on holiday all the time. He sometimes gets home in the night when I’m already in bed.”Jada, aged 7, said “My mum really likes working in a supermarket. She likes getting new uniforms and when people come into the shop they smile at her and tell her she looks nice. My mum’s boss is kind she lets her pick us up from school and pays her money at the end of the month.”Top five  dream jobs for girlsThe top five jobs girls want to do when they grow up:VetTeacherEngineerDoctorBakerTop five dream jobs for boysThe top five jobs boys want to do when they grow up:FootballerInventorPolicemanBuilderEngineer*Gen Z (children born after the start of the Millennium)Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Features

Job Seeker Insights - 2015

Job Seeker Insights - 2015 Job seeker confidence is up! After a couple of challenging years for the economy (and employment) across North America things seem to be holding steady or in some cases turning around. In the USA, many reports shared  that the job market has been steadily improving, with  February’s Labour Department employment figures showing: “January was the 52nd straight month of employment gains in the U.S., and the 12th straight month of job additions above 200,000”. In Canada, the Globe and Mail recently reported: “The Canadian economy created a greater-than-expected 35,400 jobs in January 2015” and according to Statistics Canada: “The country’s unemployment rate fell to 6.6 per cent in January from 6.7 per cent a month earlier”. Job growth is good news  although increases are contained to certain sectors (self-employed) and several industries continue to  struggle, causing employment concernsie: the oil and gas and retail areas. So how is this economic change being perceived across the workforce?  Are more people looking for jobs, thinking about looking for a new job, or considering a career change?    What motivates job seekers to pursue new roles?   How do job seekers conduct a modern job search? Jobvite’s annual “Job Seeker Nation Report” uncovers what is inspiring people in the world of work and it identifies the priorities, perceptions, and trends of  today’s job seekers.Top highlights from the survey are outlined below, but you can request a copy of the complete report on Jobvite’s site. 1. 50% of employed job seekers view their current role as temporary.   Employers, take note: more people than ever before are taking control of their career and their job search. In  2015 people are deciding for themselves where they want to work and how they are going to go about chasing down the right role. 60% of job seekers are optimistic about looking for a  job in 2015. 2. Younger employees are more likely to leave a job. 36% of workers between the ages of 19-29 change jobs every 1 to 3 years. Most younger job seekers consider their current job a stepping stone to better things. 3.  Most job seekers leave their jobs for better pay and growth opportunities. The biggest factors for job changes are: compensation (32%), growth opportunities (16%), work/life balance (10%), and location (10%). Men and women equally value work/life balance but location and health benefits matter most to older workers. 4.  A majority of job seekers use social media to support their search. The top three social media sites used by job seekers are: Facebook (67%), Twitter (45%), and LinkedIn 40%).  A whopping 31% of job seekers admit to inflating their skills on social media.  47% of millennials use mobile in their job search. 5.  Interviewing techniques have changed and people must be prepared for anything during an interview. Employers use a variety of methods to conduct interviews: face-to-face tops the list at 61%, but phone, writing tests, lunch/drinks, and panel techniques are also regularly employed. 6.  Researching is a must for the modern job seeker!  Job seekers use a variety of tools and resources to conduct research, but Facebook tops the list at 18%. Younger and more educated people are more likely to use social media to support their research efforts. After reading these results, what do you think; can you relate with the findings?

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese 4 Strategies to Help You Get More Money This Year

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese 4 Strategies to Help You Get More Money This Year Are you going to get a raise this year? If not, are you going to ask for one?You can quit laughing now. I'm serious. I realize times are tough, but I got to wondering as we watch the stock market recover, if some of those profits will translate into better pay for all that hard work we've done in the last year. It's an issue I explored for my latest Gannett column:In an effort to help employers remain financially afloat, many employees have accepted furloughs, reduced hours and pay cuts in the last year. But as time goes on, the question remains how many employees will leave their current job in an effort to regain their lost wages and how many of them will never get back to previous pay levels. Theres no question that as things get better in the economy youre going to have people who are going to get nervous about their pay and jump ship to make more money, says Warren Cinnick, a director with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago. But the reality is that its still an employers marke t. The average person has the lowest leverage in the job market right now than in the past 25 years. The Conference Board reported in its recent annual survey of salaries that the median salary increase for 2010 for all employee groups is expected to be 3 percent the lowest since the group began forecasting salaries 25 years ago and down half a percent from the previous year. Even top brass will take a hit their median salaries are expected to drop two full percentage points, from 3.5 percent to 2.50 percent, the report said. For employees like Amy Lee, 27, the denial of a pay raise for the last two years, coupled with the increased work load because half her co-workers have been laid off, is partly what prompted her to begin looking for other opportunities. As a university academic counselor in California, Lee says that even though she received a stellar performance evaluation, she was told by her boss there was no money for raises this year when she made the request for more compensation. That made me start looking around, she says. Another employer soon offered Lee a job, along with a 33 percent pay boost. When Lee told her boss, she was immediately offered an 11 percent raise if shed stay. To be honest, I wasnt happy when they made that offer. When I had asked for a raise after getting that great performance evaluation, they immediately said, no. They werent even going to try. The issue of pay is cropping up at all levels in organizations. Recently, General Motors Co. had to rescind white-collar pay cuts made last spring because it said its pay scales were no longer competitive and employees were leaving to work for other automakers and manufacturing companies. While the pay cuts initially saved the company money, unhappy and demoralized employees were leaving at a time when the company needed to retain key talent. Cinnick says it will be the pivotal employees who will have some leverage in negotiating increased pay, although it will also depen d on the industry. Those companies that are strong globally, for example, will be in a better position to reward workers and offer pay raises, he says. For employers who want to remain competitive, they may do extraordinary things to keep some workers, Cinnick says. Im talking about the super sales people. The employees who give the ah-ha! answers. Theyre going to be the ones who can ask for more money from companies. Still, Cinnick cautions employees that the pay cuts in some industries may never recover to the levels they were before the recession hit. He says that asking for more money from a current employer or a new one will take some planning. He advises when negotiating for pay, you should: Time it right. Ask for more money when youve completed a successful project, or youve gotten some verbal recognition for your work, he says. Wait a couple of days, then go see the boss. Show your worth. When youve had your job duties expanded, or gotten new one s, then you can talk about how youd like to be compensated for them, he says. Keep records. If you take a pay cut for the company, they usually send out an e-mail or some kind of notice. Keep a copy. Then, when you go to interview at another company, you can show that you took a pay cut and what your previous salary was, he says. You want to negotiate from your original salary. Stick with the facts. Whenever you ask for money, always base it on some data. Theres tremendous information about salaries online. Make your estimate of salary based on what youll bring to the company. Make it a fact-based story. Compensation should not be an entitlement statement or a make-them-feel-guilty-statement.What other ways can you suggest to help someone get a pay raise?Social Bookmarking