If you have a career in finance you might be asking yourself whether it's really the career for you. First, you have to decide whether you are happy overall with your current job. If you are, then you're set. If you're not, you need to know why. You should look at what your expectations are and whether they're being met, what you're motivated by and what you would expect from your next job if you were to seek other employment. If you have colleagues that you can trust, ask their opinions. You can also talk to friends and family members to see what they think you'd be best at or happy doing. Next, you should carry out a SWOT analysis on yourself. By analyzing what your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are, you have a good chance of determining whether your expectations are realistic, what your selling points are to a potential future employer, and how marketable you are. After that, you'll want to look at the market. There may be geographical restrictions that you have,

Distance learning has been cited as being the future of mid-career retraining and skills development, but with a plethora of qualifications to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down which certificate will open more doors for newly qualified members of the IT community. The traditional choice has been between the Government-backed NVQ system and vendor qualifications such as those created by the likes of Microsoft and Cisco. The NVQ system is fine if you want a generic overview of IT, but is lacking when it comes to developing software/hardware-specific skills. The other major problem with NVQ qualifications is that they are not in demand within the IT industry whereas vendor qualifications are. With no Government funding to back courses leading to vendor qualifications, this makes the most sought-after Microsoft qualifications unobtainable to those who cannot afford the fees, unless supported by employers or though committed personal funding. This is a crying shame for the IT

If you live in the Netherlands or if you're going to be working there, you'll need to find some employment, and there are some areas that are much better to work in than others. One of the things you have to be aware of first, though, is how to legally get work there. If you aren't a national, there are many different requirements that you'll have to satisfy and they depend on whether you want to work there short-term or long-term and where you come from. Some people will need visas to come into the country and other people will not, based on their country of origin. You'll need to check and see what the rules are for your home country. You'll also need to see about your employer in the Netherlands and what kind of work you'll be doing to make sure that you are qualified and that your employer has the authorization to hire you for the job you'll be filling. How long you'll be working for that employer can affect what kinds of documents you'll need, too, so make sure you check into that

Amongst all the reports of a credit crisis, a crisis in banking, a crisis in high street finances and other Defcom2-type warnings, there is yet another crisis lurking in the background that has greater long-term implications for the future of UK PLC – a skills crisis. Lord Leitch’s 2006 final report into the ‘Review of Skills’, commissioned by the government in 2004, acknowledged that there is a problem. But it failed to provide any real, workable recommendations to individual sectors. Instead it focused on providing continued support and funding for generic training schemes that have very little impact on industry-specific areas such as IT. The latest initiative to be piloted is the ubiquitous ‘Skills Accounts’, which the government hopes will encourage the British workforce to retrain and develop skills throughout their working lives. The principle driving force is to stop people bouncing between short-term employment which does nothing to increa

If you want to make the most of your career you'll want to negotiate your salary in the best way possible. Where a lot of people make a mistake with that is, they talk about the salary that they expect to get on their resume or cover letter and that, can get them weeded out of the applicant pool before they ever even get an interview. You'll want to avoid any mention of how much you expect the company to pay you when you submit your application, resume, or cover letter to them. It's not a good idea, because you might set your expectations too high and be turned down right away. If you set them too low you could end up making your prospective employer think that you really aren't worth anything or that you have no confidence in yourself. Neither one of these scenarios is likely to get you an interview, much less get you the job. If you're specifically asked about a salary requirement you can state that you are looking for the market rate, or that your salary requirements are open but yo

Chancellor Alistair Darling’s Pre-Budget Report (PBR) caused shockwaves throughout UK PLC and has been heralded as one of the most extraordinary packages of measures presented by a Chancellor in a long time. It seems that the government really does understand just how serious things are outside the hallowed halls of Parliament and has reacted accordingly, giving the country an economic shot in the arm with a plethora of measures, all designed to pull the country out of recession as quickly as possible. The PBR announced a massive investment in the country’s infrastructure, with £3billion worth of proposals initially set for 2010-11 being brought forward to 2009. One of the main beneficiaries of this cascade of financial aid has been the rail industry, with the government committed to ploughing millions back into the rail system. This is good news for railway jobs and vacancies within the industry, as more rolling stock and more trains will obviously need more staff t

As healthcare costs increase, Physicians are often required to provide their own personal lab coats. In lieu of purchasing a flimsy, uncomfortable and poorly fitted lab coat, healthcare providers now have their eye on high quality, flattering, and stain resistant lab coats made with 100% cotton. Most health care providers want a lab coat that won’t wear out and lose its shape over time. They also want a coat that reflects their level of education, achievement, and (deserved) status. There are a variety of medical apparel companies who service discerning clinicians. How can you tell if you are buying a quality lab coat? Quality starts with the selected fabric. Higher quality lab coats are made with 100% cotton, allowing the wearer to work comfortably in stressful environments. Better lab coats are made with a high denier fabric, which allows the garment greater durability and helps to maintain its shape when loaded with various medical instruments. You may also find subtle tex

Despite the doom-laden economic picture of a worldwide economy in meltdown, our love affair with oil has not been diminished. In fact, the oil and gas industry is one of the biggest growth industries globally, and the race to find more reserves of black gold continues 24 hours a day. The price of a barrel of oil has plummeted by more than 60% since July 2008, which is good news for consumers at the pumps but was initially bad news for the oil industry. However, in the UK that cut in profits may have been softened somewhat by new government proposals including tax changes and incentives published as part of the Chancellor’s Pre-Budget Report (PBR). Many North Sea fields have been failing to attract investment as investors tighten their economic belts, leading to a decline in the UK’s production rate and driving the price up. However, the world’s appetite for all things oil-based is constantly growing, so a more pragmatic approach is being taken by oil companies. Thei

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Chancellor’s Pre-Budget Report (PBR) delivered recently could herald a new era of co-operation between the Government and the construction industry. The PBR announced that £3billion worth of investment that was due to be carried out in 2010-11 is to be brought forward – news that has been welcomed by the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA). Some of that investment will go towards road projects, flood defence schemes and the necessary infrastructure for new social housing projects also announced in the PBR. In addition to this injection of capital into construction projects, Chancellor Alistair Darling also announced a raft of initiatives designed to take the pressure off small and medium sized companies, including temporary rate relief on some properties and the relaxation of tax payment periods for struggling companies. The aim of the PBR was to stabilize a shaky economy and get businesses moving agai

If you have a career in finance you might be asking yourself whether it's really the career for you. First, you have to decide whether you are happy overall with your current job. If you are, then you're set. If you're not, you need to know why. You should look at what your expectations are and whether they're being met, what you're motivated by and what you would expect from your next job if you were to seek other employment. If you have colleagues that you can trust, ask their opinions. You can also talk to friends and family members to see what they think you'd be best at or happy doing. Next, you should carry out a SWOT analysis on yourself. By analyzing what your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are, you have a good chance of determining whether your expectations are realistic, what your selling points are to a potential future employer, and how marketable you are. After that, you'll want to look at the market. There may be geographical restrictions that you have,