Here you will find Job Search Tips and Resources for 2 higher paying career paths. The Federal Government and Sales Jobs have great but very different benefits.

The Federal Government is the 2nd largest employer in the World and Sales / Marketing positions are always in demand no matter what the economic environment. Let's get to it!

Job Search Tips and Resources #1: Assess what you are looking for.

You must first ask yourself some questions to get a feel for what may be the right career or job.

Some examples include:

How important is job stability?

Do you mind being on the road often?

Do you mind work related travel?

Is a steady salary your calling or limitless moneymaking potential?

Do you live near a larger economic area?

DO you want a flexible work day or routine work hours?

Above are just some job calling questions that you need to be thinking about when evaluating possible career paths and jobs.

Job Search Tips and Resources #2: What common characteristics will you find in Sales and Marketing Professionals?

If you do not have one or some of the characteristics don't fret. These are just common traits you can find in these industries.

No one perfectly fits the mold.

Common Sales or Marketing Professional Characteristics:

- Self Motivated

- Thick Skinned

- Organized (especially with time)

- Good at asking questions

Job Search Tips and Resources #3: What common characteristics will you find in Federal Government Employees?

Common Federal Government Employee Characteristics:

- Good at paper and electronic organization

- Want to help the general public or be a public servant

- Routine oriented

- Needs stability

Job Search Tips and Resources #4: Sales & Marketing Jobs Pros

Are sales for you?

Sales positions are in every industry in the country.

Pros and Positives:

- Sales Jobs are plentiful. companies are always looking for sales professionals.

- When you have 2+ years of experience it is generally easy to jump from job to job or company to company and demand higher base salaries and commissions. The job search is quick and easy compared to others.

- These jobs are available to a wide variety of college graduate majors and workers of other industries. Some include: Liberal Arts, Business, Engineering, Marketing, communications, Economics, Accounting, ect. Almost any major qualifies for some type of sales positions. For people already working, any business to business or service positions qualify for intermediate level sales positions.

- The sky is the limit for how much money you can make or earn yearly. Sales positions usually have a base salary with commission and incentives for accounts logged and actual sales. The harder you work usually translates into how much money you will make. People that spend 40 - 60 hours a week can make anywhere from 50 thousand to 300 thousand yearly.

- Work times and duty hours are not as rigid as salary workers. You are working in essence to make more money for yourself. So if you want to take an afternoon off most of the time it will be at your discretion. Bosses and supervisors are just looking at the bottom line and whether you reached your goals or not.

- Bonuses are common when an employee consistently exceeds sales goals.

Job Search Tips and Resources #5: Sales & Marketing Jobs Cons

Cons or Potenial Negavites:

- Self-discipline with time is very important. The more you work the more you make. The less you work the less you make.

- You can have inconsistent pay. Base salary you can depend on per paycheck but commissions are dependent on performance. You may make twice as much pay one month over the next. Budgeting becomes important.

- On the road constantly. Sales people travel frequently to their clients. Driving or flying are routine job duties.

- Have to reach performance goals monthly and yearly. When entering a sales position your employer will set minimum goals that you will have to meet to stay satisfactory. Pressure to reach these goals is the con.

- Must be able to accept being turned down regularly. Rejection by prospective customers and clients is routine. You need to brush it off and move on.

Job Search Tips and Resources #6: Federal Government Job & Career Pros

Is a federal career right for you?

Let's go over some of the pros and positives for this career path.

- This is a big one. Federals jobs are much more stable than most positions in the private sector. Also federal employees where their job is no longer needed at a particular agency usually get priority when applying for other comparable government jobs elsewhere.

- The federal government offers 2 retirement vehicles. Federal employees have a 401K (termed the TSP in the government) and a pension. The federal government matches up to 5% of your salary and pays 95% of the pension benefits. Government pensions are generally 30% - 40% of the highest salary you made during your federal career.

- The federal government has become much more flexible with the work day. Many agencies offer telework (work from home), flexible duty hours (for example employees can come in anytime in-between 6:30-9:30 a.m.)., credit hours (hours worked past the normal 8 and a half), travel comp hours (hours over 8 and a half on travel), and overtime pay.

- You get to make a difference and help the greater good of the public. Federal jobs can be very rewarding and make a difference for many people.

- Last but certainly not least is the sheer number of jobs or disciplines available. The federal government needs 1000's of different types of skilled people in almost every industry you can imagine. Some examples include:

FBI agents, deck hands, doctors, quality assurance specialists, financial planners, webmasters, engineers, clericals, human resource specialists ect.

The list goes on and on.

Job Search Tips and Resources #7: Federal Government Job & Career Cons

Cons and Possible Negatives:

- Most federal jobs are straight salary. Performance bonuses exist in some agencies but are usually not substantial nor common. No matter how much more work one accomplishes as compared to someone else in the same position you will still make the same salary.

- Duty hours for government jobs are much more rigid than sales jobs. Most federal employees work a typical 9-5:30. Federal workers have an eight and a half hour workday because there is no pay for your half hour lunch.

- Most federal jobs are located around major cities and metropolitan areas. Rural jobs do exist in the government but are few.

- Salaries on average are much smaller than successful sales people. A high GS or grade scale (government salary table) takes years to achieve. Starting salaries for employees are usually low and start at the GS-7 level which is about a 40 thousand dollar salary with a college degree.

- It is much more challenging and involved to get a federal job as compared to a sales position. The federal government typically has many applicants for one position. Even after your selection for a government position the background check and processing can take months before a start date.

- Job announcements for open positions tend to have short durations. You may only have 10 - 14 days to get all the needed paperwork and job application materials together.

- It is much more challenging to jump to another federal job in the same agency or within a different agency. As noted above there can be many applicants and a long transition period.

- At tax time the personal deductions are much less than for sales employees.

Job Search Tips and Resources #8: How to get a sales job?

So you like some of the benefits and characteristics of one of these jobs and want to get started with a rewarding career?

Below you will find the resources to get the job.

Sales or Marketing Jobs:

The best way to get started or find a new job in the Sales industry is to contact a recruiting, headhunter or placement company.

These firms are hired by large companies to find qualified talent for their needs and to fill vacancies.

Companies are constantly looking for people with no experience to a seasoned professional.

One such company that helped me find a job in the past is Pipeline Recruiting LCC.

This company has positions to fill throughout the country for some of the largest employers of sales & marketing positions.

They are small and nimble giving a potential employee (you) a personal and tailored touch.

Pipeline Recruiting has been steadily growing because of its high placement success and word of mouth through satisfied clients.

If you are interested you can contact:

Brian Eidenshink, Managing Partner, Pipeline Recruiting, LLC. 232 Ripka St. Philadelphia, PA 19127, Office: 267-297-7737, Cell: 267-994-3845 beidenshink@pipelinerecruiting.com

Job Search Tips and Resources #9: How to get a Federal Government Job.

The 2 best resources to help you succeed at obtaining a rewarding and stable career in the Federal Government are:

1) The federal employment website www.USAJobs.gov lists almost every available government job worldwide. This site will be where you find information about Federal employment, find a job vacancy, and apply for the position.

The first thing you want to do on this site is to set up "Job Agents". These are preferences that you set up after making an account. These "Job Agents" send the type of jobs or the industry of jobs available in a specific geographic region daily, weekly, or monthly as you specify.

It slims down the large amount of vacancies that become available daily, saving you much time.

2) It is almost overwhelming and takes a considerable amount of time to figure out all the ins and outs of getting a federal job through USAjobs.gov.

To streamline that process, save you many hours of research, and to increase your chances of success in getting a federal job I recommend the easy reading and short publication:

Ten Steps to a Federal Job: How to Land a Job in the Obama Administration, 2nd Edition by Kathryn Troutman and Paulina Chen

Job Search Tips and Resources #10: Make a decision and go for it.

If one of these 2 career paths seems like an opportunity for your future, go for it! With these tips and resources you are well ahead and at a big advantage of anyone else going into one of these careers.

Both require some research and time but it will pay off 100 fold for the rest of your life.

It's time to get a good job and with the above Job Search Tips and Resources you are ahead of the rest.

Good Luck! And be sure to check out our other popular related articles below:

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