Career Advice – Qualifications are Key

Whether you are a school leaver or divorcee who previously held the role of 'home executive' and mother and are now re-entering the workforce this is a publication about career advice for anyone who needs a good (or better) job for life - 10 Strategies for Re-entering the Workforce author Mary E.Ghilani. Remembering that in the market place and job pool young and old are competing for the same positions and are just coming from different vantage points and have different advantages.  The young come from technology savvy backgrounds with computer use in homes from an age as early as three years old.  The more mature individual will have life skills and knowledge picked up over time. People who can afford to pay for, or have a bursary or have the privilege of sponsorship to attend a three year University Degree or three year College Diploma course will benefit enormously not only from the qualification on their CV but from the basic knowledge of core subject matter which applies in all businesses around the world.  No-one can gain that foundation of knowledge from reading books or in the workplace or in short courses.  The salary of a graduate over time will escalate significantly as doors open based on a quality, qualified applicant opposed to an unqualified individual who would not even be considered to fill the post.

Whether you live in South Africa, Spain or the USA, where ever you live in the world, media reports and publications all agree that education is key.  The following information is sourced from 10 Strategies for Re-entering the Workforce author Mary E.Ghilani.  Mary writes:

Most of us were raised with the idea of going to school, finding a good job, and staying with that job until we retired. Those were the life lessons of success we learned from our parents, our neighbours and our teachers.  Unfortunately, we’re not in our parents’ workplace anymore.  Today’s workers are faced with an environment in which career upheavals occur without warning.  Corporate restructuring, downsizing, mergers, and decisions to increase profits affect workers whose jobs were thought to be secure for life.

Loyalty and hard work are no longer enough to compete in today’s job market.  Along with increased educational requirements, new skill requirements have also emerged.  Today, employees want employees who are able to think and problem solve, who are technologically savvy and flexible, who work well in teams, possess good communication skills, and are will to update their  professional skills and abilities to meet the changing needs of whatever company or organisation they work for.  Employees who are not able, or not willing, to learn new procedures or use new technology will be quickly replaced with younger, less-expensive hires.

As advances in technology and globalization continue, the demand for college-educated workers is expected to persist.  Today, a college education is needed to be competitive in the job market.  A 2007 report published in Education Week looked at the skills required to get jobs in every state in the US and concluded that, at both the state and national level, people need to complete at least some college to earn a decent wage.

Future Career Trends

Health care, education, science and engineering, and sales and customer service are a few of the careers that continue to offer the promise of employment in the future.  The health care industry, especially the nursing profession, is one of the handful of professions in which the number of openings far exceeds the number of qualified workers. 


To firm up on the 10 Strategies for Re-entering the Workforce get our copy of Mary's publication today.

ISBN 978-0-313-35696-4