Creating a Website

Building a website is a great idea for people who have something they want to share with the masses.  It's great for business, personal use, or anything in between!  I have wanted to create a website for a long time now, but I wasn't sure what topic I would cover.  While websites that go over a lot of topics CAN be fun to look at, often-times they are just overwhelming for me and leave me unsatisfied.  I am glad creating a website was an assignment, so I could think about what something that I would potentially do in the future.  I made a website on the topic I would use if I were to ever have my own business...career counseling!  While this is a VERY broad topic, I tried to make the website in a way that would not be overwhelming.  It is called Career and Education Services.  Instead of including tons of topics (which both career and education can have), I just put one or two things, and included links to some additional helpful websites.  If I ever expanded the site as a business, I would take the time to organize it well, so I could more information.  The website is careerandeducationservices.weebly.com -- check it out! While this was a relatively simple endeavor for someone who has never created a website before, there are things about Weebly that I did find challenging or frustrating (like the fact that I can't make a unique design on each page).  Luckily most of it went very smoothly.  Weebly is definitely a site I would recommend to a non tech-savvy person.

Microsoft Form

This week I created a form using Microsoft Word.  I wasn't even aware of how these types of forms were made.  Now that I know, I hope I don't have to create them very often in the future.  If I had used the help button or a tutorial I am sure it would have been much faster, but I chose to do it through trial and error.  I finally realized I had to right-click properties to add in items for drop-down menus, AND that I couldn't test it out unless I took it out of design mode.  I found this to be much more difficult than the Survey Monkey form, which creates everything easily. I hope to have a nice tutorial to use if I have to create them again in the future.  Whew! Glad that is over!

effective presentations

This week we had an "ugly slide" and were told to transform it into something better.  I used Microsoft PowerPoint for the purpose of time-I am already very familiar with it.  Eventually I want to learn to use Prezi; I heard about it by someone who works in the media industry.  I tend to not put a lot of extras into my presentations using PowerPoint because I find them distracting when I am trying to present.  I know they make a nice unique presentation though.  I thought it was interesting in the lecture that one should use no more than 30 slides for an hour long presentation.  I don't like too many slides because it is hard to keep up; however, I also don't like to have many words on a slide (just key words really), so I think there is a fine line.  Readability is definitely the most important consideration for me when making a PowerPoint.  It is frustrating to be in an audience and not be able to see the presentation because there are too many words and the background and word colors are too close together.

Technology and Social Media

This week I was inspired by the class speaker, who gave us great information on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  I decided to make it a goal to tweet interesting career-related articles I read, and also spend some time learning more about Twitter.  I ended up tweeting three articles and following a lot more people.  I also connected my LinkedIn with my Twitter, which means my tweets should show up on my LinkedIn page.  I was really proud of myself for that one-usually I have to get help with things like that! It is fun to think of the places that social media have taken people and how it has changed the sharing of information.  I am glad to finally be getting more into it!

Top Ten Twitter Groups for Career Counseling

I chose ten great Twitter groups that would be beneficial for individuals who are seeking career-related information or counseling.  This can range from resume writing help, to looking for jobs or internships.  They are listed below in rank order.

1.@glassdoordotcom

Glassdoor is a twitter group that constantly tweets articles and gives information pertaining to jobs, companies, internships, etc.  This is a great group for clients who want to learn more about certain companies, internships, salaries, and other current information.

5 stars

2. @naceorg

Nace is a group run by a professional organization that has information about employers and employment of people who are college-educated.  This is great for clients who are in college or who have been to college and are seeking information related to employment and trends, such as salary.

5 stars

3. @careerproject

Career Project is a group consisting of a mentor database which helps job seekers and students in their careers, and it has information and articles about many things career-related.  This is great for clients who need a mentor in the career process.

4 stars

4. @payscale

Payscale is a group that provides information about salaries and provides compensation data and analysis for individuals and employers.  This is a great group for clients who want to negotiate job offers, figure out what they are worth or can expect to make, or decide on jobs/careers using salary as a factor.

4 stars

5. @resumebear

ResumeBear is a group that has information about making winning resumes.  This is great for clients who need resumes for any reason, including internships, volunteer opportunities, scholarships, or jobs.

4 stars

6. @wetfeet_career

WetFeet is a group with career information and advice about employers, market trends, and other things that are important for job seekers and career professionals.  This is great for clients who are becoming career professionals and need information or for people who are looking for jobs.

4 stars

7. @jobcircle

JobCircle is a group that has interview and job search advice, as well as job openings and educational information.  This is good for clients who are getting ready for the job search process.

4 stars

8. @careerealism

Careerealism has internships, job openings, and tips for career success.  This is great for clients who are looking for experience, professional jobs, professional lifestyles.

4 stars

9. @careerscolleges

Careers and Colleges is a group that has information about scholarships and grants for colleges, as well as articles about all things pertaining to college, such as choosing a major.  It is good for clients who are current or future college students, who need money, or who just want to get information related to college.

3 stars

10. @internqueen

InternQueen is a group that has constant information about internships.  This would be great for career counseling clients, particularly students, who are looking to gain hands-on experience through internships.

3 stars

technology tools-Survey

The technology tool I created was a survey designed for potential members of career counseling groups.  I had never created a survey before, but Survey Monkey was very simple and easy to use.  I was disappointed that I couldn't customize it more personally without buying the premium package, but there were some nice options.  this could be really helpful to reach a lot of members of the group quickly.

The link to the survey is below:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5ZRC8XD

Best Websites for Career Counseling

 There are a lot of great websites aimed at helping people at different stages in their career development and planning.  The following are some of my favorites.  They are not ordered because many of them are unique to the type of career development (i.e. some help with choosing a college, some help with  job searching).

 

 

1.       Careeronestop.com

This is a comprehensive website that shows state job banks, as well as salary, education, and resume information.  People can also learn more about careers using  this website.  This is a great website for clients in many stages of career development, from those who want to learn about career options to those who are looking for specific jobs to apply for.

5 stars

 

2.       Salary.com

This website shows salaries of many types of positions.  This is great for clients who consider salary to be a large factor in their future position and for clients who want to negotiate salary within a company.

4 stars

 

3.       Forbes.com

This site has career opportunities listed, as well as gives a wealth of information and articles on all things related to business, leadership, and entrepreneurship.  This is a great site for people who want to be entrepreneurs or get into the corporate world.

4 stars

 

4.       Hoovers.com

This website contains a directory of companies with information and names of people employed within those companies.  It is great for clients who want to research specific companies or get into contact with certain people within an organization.

4 stars

 

5.       Indeed.com

This is a website with job listings in many categories and cities/states.  It pulls from other websites to get a huge list of job postings.  It is great for clients who are job searching.

4 stars

 

 

6.       Onetonline.org

 This website contains a wealth of information about occupations, and it also links to state websites to provide state-specific information.  It is good for clients who want to learn about occupations and check out similar occupations.

4 stars

 

7.       Collegenavigator.com

This website has information about colleges, and allows people to search by location, degree type, and type of institution among other things.  This is great for clients who have specific requirements about schools of interest.

5 stars 

8.       chamberofcommerce.com

    This site allows people to find business listings in specific locations.  This is great for clients who are moving to a new location and want to job search or see what types of businesses are in that city.

        4 stars

 

9.       idealist.org

This site shows job listings, internships, and volunteer opportunities for non-profits across the country.  This is good for clients who want to get experience with non-profits organizations.

4 stars

10.   employflorida.com

    This website has job listings for various places in Florida.  It is good for clients who want to job search only in Florida.

        4 stars

Top Ten Places in Second Life

These are my top 10 places in second life for career counseling individuals. 

1.       SL Entrepreneur Magazine

This is a place devoted to business stories and ideas.  This would be great for clients who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs.

3 stars

2.       Find a Job/Work

This is a place where people can go to find employment.  This could be good for clients who need jobs.

2 stars

3.       Sky Learning Center

Sky Learning Center is a place where individuals can go to learn and improve language skills.  This is a great place for clients who want help with their English because they are interviewing or job searching.

3 stars

4.       Learning Virtuale

This is a place where people can go to get education on various subjects.  This could be good for clients exploring certain career fields.

3 stars

5.  Any Real destination

The real destinations are places that simulate the environment of real cities across the world.  These would be great for clients who are considering moving to other cities to work, but are not familiar enough with the city, want to meet others in that city, etc.

4 stars

6. Secret Garden

This is a peaceful place where people can come to relax.  It can be good for clients who have a lot of stress in their lives.

4 stars

7. Info Island: CVL Reference Area

This is a library where people can go and also get help from librarians.  This can be helpful for people who want to learn about things or have questions.

3 stars

8. Music Island

Music Island hosts classical and jazz music and multimedia arts in a relaxing setting.  This could be beneficial for clients who like music to relax or work.

4 stars

9. Olds AFB

This is a place where people can go who want to learn to be fighter pilots.  As someone who wants to work with military, this could be a good introduction for my clients who want to learn more about going into the military as a fighter pilot or possibly switching career fields.

3 stars

10. Hobo Island

This is a place where people can meet others in a friendly and fun environment.  This could be a safer environment for clients who want friendships or people to talk with for support.

3 stars

Counseling by email

This week I tested out counseling sessions via email.  In one case I was the counselor, and in the other I was the client.  As the counselor, I felt that I was doing much more work than the client, which is the opposite of what it feels like in face to face counseling sessions.  As the client, I felt that I wouldn't really be getting the help I needed, because the emails from the counselor usually had questions about my situation and not much else.  If I had been a long term client who had already gone through a lot of counseling with the therapist, I think email would be better.  I would worry that my client wouldn't say very much and would only respond to the questions I ask and not say more.  In a face to face session it is much easier to get the client to say more by using silence and non-verbals, but these methods do not work for email.  Email counseling is something I would consider as a career counselor, most likely only for clients who I had been seeing for a while or who needed minimal counseling and more advising, resume critiquing, etc.

Top 10 Blogs for Career Counseling Clients

 Here are the top ten blogs I like for career counseling clients at various stages in their career development.

1.      Small Business Ideas and Resources for Entrepreneurs Inc.com

This website is designed to give advice to people who want to become or are currently entrepreneurs.  This website is great for clients who are considering starting their own business and need ideas and advice.  5 stars

2.      Riley Guide http://www.rileyguide.com/  This website provides information related to all aspects of career, from scholarships for college to career transition and job loss.  This website would be helpful for many clients who are going through all phases of their career development. 5 stars

3.      Glassdoor-An inside look at jobs and companies http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/ This website has great information about companies, including salary, company culture, interview questions and reviews.  This website is great for clients who are researching companies and preparing for interviews. 5 stars

4.      Jibber Jobber Career Management 2.0 http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/ The Jibber Jobber website is designed for managing professional contacts and also has videos related to interviewing and other job-search issues. This website is best for clients who are beginning the job search phase of their career development.  4 stars

5.      Career Rocketeer http://www.careerrocketeer.com/ This resource has information about resumes, job searching, social media, and many other things related to career management.  This would be a great site for clients who are trying to begin careers as professionals.  4 stars

6.      Things Career Related-A Practical Look at the Job Search http://thingscareerrelated.com/

This resource provides many tips for job seekers and other career related management.  This would be great for clients who are currently job searching.  4 stars

7.      Career Hub http://www.careerhubblog.com/ On this website various career professionals offer advice related to the job search process.  This site would be best for people who are beginning their job searches. 3 stars

8.      Resume Resource-resource for resumes & cover letters http://www.resume-resource.com/

This resource provides samples and guidance on resume writing and cover letters.  It would be helpful for clients who are searching for internships or jobs. 3 stars

9.      State University http://www.stateuniversity.com/blog/ This blog is for students who are considering college, and gives information about financing college, rankings of schools, and information about getting into college.  This would be best for high school students who have not yet decided whether or not to attend college and need more information. 3 stars

10.  Escape from Corporate America http://www.escapefromcorporate.com/blog/ This resource has resources and articles related to changing careers, mostly away from corporate careers.  This site would be most beneficial for clients who are trying to transition out of their current jobs and into another career field. 3 stars

eportfolio

Eportfolio is something I am very familiar with, as I used it while teaching SDS3340.  If I were an employer I would want to see an Eportfolio in addition to a resume, especially when deciding between my top applicants.  One can see the activities that qualify the applicant for the job, and can also see the soft skills that are more challenging to prove.  Unfortunately I don't think many employers know about the Eportfolio.  It is a great tool for our program also, because we can document that we've learned the CACREP competencies.  It's also great to use as a summation of all the work we've done while in graduate school - in class and outside of class.

Distance Counseling with Eluminate, Skype, phone, or text

I have considered distance counseling as a service I would offer, should I ever own a career counseling business.  I have thought of using Skype or the telephone as part of distance counseling, and also email for some things.  I have never considered using text or Eluminate until we tried it for class.  Texting could be good for quick questions or if someone can't reach me by phone.  It would not be as beneficial for counseling and/or for beginning sessions or the usual 50 minute sessions.  In person is definitely my favorite, but I could see myself using Skype and Eluminate.  I would want to know more about Eluminate and have some sort of tutorial to send my client if we were going to use that method.

Top Ten Apps for Career Counseling

Below is a list of apps I found that could be useful in counseling, especially career-related.  I have not used them all, so my rating is based on how helpful I think it would be for the clients.

1.      Great Work Great Career  http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/26486?lang=en

This app helps with resume writing, give information on preparing for offers, and creating career opportunities.
My rating: 5 stars out of 5.

This app would be great for clients who are in the process of searching for a job.

2.      Career Chronicles              http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/21812?lang=en

This app is designed to provide in-depth information about careers.

My rating: 5 stars out of 5.

This resource would be helpful for clients to use to research career fields.

3.      Build a Career                   http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/55018?lang=en

This app is designed for users to assess skills and interests and track favorite jobs.

My rating: 4 stars out of 5.

This resource could help clients take interests and skills into consideration as they choose careers, and it could help them research careers as well.

4.      Relax Completely                         http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/47317?lang=en

This app is a hypnosis audio session and has tips for relaxing and reducing stress.

My rating: 5 stars out of 5.

I think this resource would be very helpful for a client who has trouble relaxing, sleeping, or calming down.  It might be helpful to start a session with this app, so the client can concentrate better.

5.      Emergency Info                http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/4221?lang=en

This app stores medical information and personal information for emergencies.

My rating: 5 stars out of 5.

This app could be useful, especially for a new client who needs to answer questions about his or her history.  It would also be useful if an emergency happened during session, and we needed information.

6.      iSpeech Translator             http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/38406?lang=en

This app translates spoken or written words into another language.

My rating: 5 stars out of 5.

This app would be very useful when communicating with people who do not speak English very well.

7.      iheartradio                         http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/927?lang=en

This app plays a variety of music. 

My rating: 5 stars out of 5.

This would be helpful in counseling situations where the client needed to calm down or preferred background music to silence.

8.      Triton                                http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/38622?lang=en

This app is a note manager.

My rating: 5 stars out of 5.

I would want to use this with clients in lieu of an Individual Learning Plan.  They could organize their activities to help them through the career counseling process.

9. Universal Decision Maker http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/38726?lang=en

This app generates a decision from the options the user gives.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

While I would never want clients to become dependent on this, it could be helpful for brainstorming options for tough decisions and then discussing them in more detail.

10. Focus Daily                       http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/33065?lang=en

Focus Daily is an app that has an encouraging and insightful daily radio program.

My rating: 4 stars out of 5.

This app would be useful for clients who need extra encouragement and support.