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Topic of the Week: Training Day

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List of the Week: from Catalyst

Topic of the Week  Training Day

Training Day:

• Onet.org.
• Information interview.
• Learn language and metrics.
• Get trained.

Training Day: Jobs That Only Require a Small Amount of Training

Even with high unemployment rates, I’m constantly hearing about how many unfilled jobs exist in the U.S. right now. Often called “structural unemployment,” this is where there are a lack of training people who can do certain jobs so they go unfilled. Which reminds me of cod liver oil. Very good for you but often difficult to swallow.

And speaking of difficult to swallow, who can afford to go back to school when trying to conduct a full-time job search or a full-time job? What if I were to tell you that there are great jobs out there that only require a small amount of training? Here are the top ten, according the the American Institute of Economic Research, along with the percentage increase in jobs in the coming decade. Home health aides will increase by 50%, Personal and home health care aides up 46%. Physical therapy aides up 36%. Occupational therapy aides up 31%. Landscaping up 18%. Information clerks up 15%, Food prep and servers up 15%. Security guards up 14%. Truck drivers up 13%. And Office clerks up 12%. You can learn what you need to know in months instead of years, with no college degree required. Here are four strategies to help you land one of these jobs.

Onet.org. Check out job requirements on this website that contains information on thousands of jobs. Enough information to let you know if this is the job of your dreams.

Information interview. This isn’t a pseudo job interview, no this is where you’re talking with someone who actually does the job that you’re interested in doing. Ask what they like, what they don’t like and who else you should talk to about the job. How do you find these people? Network with friends, cold call local companies or talk to the alumni staff at former schools.

Learn language and metrics. A true story. A friend of mine went for a job interview. He realized in the first minutes that he was totally unqualified for the job. So he decided to learn everything he could about the job by interviewing the interviewer. The next day he went on a job interview for the same job and simply repeated everything that he’d been told the previous day. The second time was the charm, he got the job offer. Brian taught me that knowing the language and metrics can go a long way.

Get trained. There are all kinds of online training options for you to explore. But here are two more dependable choices. Contact your local community college or companies that hire people to do the job you’re interested in pursuing to see if they offer on the job training.

Training yourself for a totally different job can seem daunting. But I’ve actually interviewed people who own companies and who are more than willing to train people to fill empty positions. There are opportunities out there, but you’re going to have to seek them out.

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author and award-winning journalist. For free job and work advice, check out the award-winning workplace911.com. Check the revised edition of his Wall Street Journal best seller, “The Boss’s Survival Guide.” If you have a question for Bob, contact him via bob@workplace911.com.

Thought of the Week

“”I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'””

–Mohammed Ali

Blog of the Week

Top Five News Headlines

List of the Week

from Catalyst

Woman Not At The Top: Women and Leadership Positions

• Women held only 7.5% of Executive Officer top-earner positions in 2011, while men accounted for 92.5% of top earners.
• Less than one in five companies had 25% or more women Executive Officers and more than one-quarter had zero.
• Women held 16.1% of board seats in 2011, compared to 15.7% in 2010.
• Less than one-fifth of companies had 25% or more women board director

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