When considering a job, most people think about salary and social prestige. Far fewer people consider the overall effects on quality of life. And even fewer people are aware of the health effects that your job can have on you.

Here’s an infographic from Human Resources MBA, that does a nice job of documenting job stress and also offers some solutions for both employees and employers as well as a list of the 1o most stressful jobs as well as the 10 least stressful jobs.

Source: Human Resources MBA

So times are tough. That’s been established. What are you going to do about it? A lot of people have taken to Craigslist, searching for odd, temporary, or freelance gigs to get them through the holiday season with heat and electricity. Many of those able to work from home are even cleverly scanning the telecommuting gigs in other, more populated cities. Regardless of your skills and expertise, there are some things you should know to include — or exclude — from your emails to employers. Everyone knows the obvious ‘don’t call the company by the wrong name in your copypasta email template’, but there are a few subtler tips to help you put a respectable edge on your resume. Here are five things to avoid when applying for freelance jobs.
 

Using Irrelevant Samples

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Be prepared to reply to each ad with a response that is catered to that specific company. While this may be tiring when applying to multiple companies a day, it’s best to avoid copy and pasted cheat sheet emails. The biggest case against the copy/pasted email is that misinformation will often be accidentally sent to one company or more. You may be applying to a number of stiff, all-business companies looking for a social media guru, but that template probably won’t work for the quirky startup who wants a fun and interesting candidate. Even small differences, like mentioning the fact that you have a car, can make it obvious that you copy and pasted — especially if the company never mentions the need for a vehicle.

If you have samples to send, make sure they’re relevant. It may be a good idea to split your online portfolio into sections, if this applies to you. Just like you wouldn’t send your personal blog to a college as part of a student application, it may not be appropriate for the financial firm looking for a website copywriter. On the other hand, you want to avoid sending samples of your business writing in response to an ad for women’s lifestyle bloggers.

Making sure your samples are relevant can make a world of difference in your job application; don’t try to make the employer imagine what your work would be like in their field. Show them what you’re capable of doing in a relevant area; not only will the employer be more likely to hire you because they don’t have to decipher your work, but you will seem more competent and understanding as well. If you’re starting out or don’t have a heavy track record, it’s okay. Try and mock up some samples which you think would be relevant to the types of jobs you’re applying to. Starting out in the field of creative writing? Create some short stories or articles which sound like they would best represent you when being presented to a potential employer.

RE: Your Email’s Subject

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When applying to a number of jobs, the brain can become exhausted — especially when it comes to creativity. But unless a listing asks for you to respond with a specific subject line (such as “Editor Applicant, November”), it may be best to get a little inventive.

With a mailbox full of applicants who use the Craigslist ad’s title as their subject line, you can make your email stand out simply by spicing up your headline — which is the first thing anyone is going to read about you. Instead of “Designers Wanted for December” try responding with something a little more personal or specific. You want to stay professional, so avoid using exclamation points, misspellings, or silly characters. A good option in this case might be “Designer w. 8 Years Exp at Disney” or “Quirky Designer Experienced w Children’s Books” — whatever is relevant to the job at hand.

If you’re feeling sluggish after a slew of applications, don’t rush. It’s okay to take an extra hour or two to refresh your mind.

Inquiries

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It’s always good to have questions — it means you’re interested and want to be informed. However, make sure those questions don’t interfere with your application. It’s never a good idea to respond to an ad asking questions before sending your resume; employers don’t have time to engage you in a conversation before they know anything about you — they’re hiring you, not the other way around. This is especially true of coveted positions which can garner hundreds of resumes per opportunity. A short, incomplete email will get lost in the abyss.

Is the position still available? When was this posted? Can you tell me more? What’s the company called? I will only do this for X amount of dollars more than you’re offering — can we work something out?

If it’s still listed, assume it’s fair game. Check the date on the top of the ad. Prepare to learn more upon receiving a response, and don’t expect an insta-raise before you’re even hired.

Looking for information is a great way to protect and prepare yourself, but save the questions for the bottom of your application and at least include your resume for the employer. Otherwise, you look somewhat uninterested and a little arrogant, which are both great qualities for earning a place in the trash bin.

Overqualification

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You published two novels. You designed an entire book. You acted in an entire play which, quite frankly, paid more than what this guy is offering you now. Your accomplishments are undoubtedly something to be proud of, but be careful how you portray that pride.

There is a delicate balance between sounding qualified, sounding overqualified, and sounding somewhat arrogant. While you want your employer to know about your background and achievements, you don’t want to sound like you’re too good for the job.

Responding to a design job and immediately rattling off a string of awards and accomplishments in the first sentence of your email is not a good idea. Firstly, your work will speak for itself. Whether it be writing, design, art, performance, or social media, your track record speaks volumes. Then comes your resume, and finally, your cover letter. Although you may want to repeat the shiniest bullet points from your resume in the cover letter, try not to cram everything into the first sentence.

It’s especially a bad idea to tell the employer that others have paid you more than they are offering, unless that person is asking for you to provide your rates. Without a question of rates, talking about how much you were compensated for your last job sounds a little cocky and can be off-putting.

Not Following Directions

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You may think this is a no-brainer, but it’s amazing how many people fail to follow simple directions. Whether it be because the person didn’t read the whole ad, forgot a part of the instructions, or merely doesn’t think directions are imperative to the job, straying off the path is never a good idea. The employer wants what the employer wants, and with so many applications, the hungry job hunter better follow instructions or move on.

Not following directions can make the applicant look rude or a little dull around the edges — neither of which are good for business. Make sure to read the entire ad, especially if it’s longer than usual; companies will sometimes hide little bits of info (such as “put the date in your subject line”) just to see if you’re paying attention and being thorough.

Sales in Digital Media

Careers in traditional print advertising have faltered over the past decade. It’s hard to find a job that pays really well. Luckily, you have plenty of opportunities in digital media sales.

Digital media sales can include a wide range of products, including search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click campaigns and pop-up banners. As technology evolves, this career will likely move into newer areas, such as selling ads that target mobile phone users in specific geographical locations.

This is a great career choice for those who want to make plenty of money. The salary base hovers between $170,000 and $180,000, plus you can earn more than $200,000 per year in commissions.

Selling Insurance

When it comes to finding a well-paying career with plenty of opportunity for the future, you can’t do better than the insurance industry. It’s one of the fastest growing industries to date. That means you will have plenty of job options to consider in areas such as health, vehicle and life insurance.

Auto insurance is one of the most stable industries that you could enter. As the population grows, auto insurance careers will grow. Most states require drivers to carry a minimum amount of coverage, so people must purchase insurance policies. Get into this industry early and you can start building a client roster that gives you nearly unlimited earning potential.

Software Sales

If you like to stay up-to-date on the latest technologies, you might want to consider a career in software sales. Everyone needs software whether they are school children or the CEOs of global corporations.

Success in software sales requires knowledge of computer technology, as well as the ability to understand the needs of individuals and companies. If you have these skills, then you could earn a base salary between $80,000 and $100,000. If that doesn’t sound like enough to you, then consider that you could earn up to a $1 million in commissions during a good year.

Making a lot of money doesn’t mean that you have to find a boring job. Plenty of careers give you the opportunity to earn a good income while pursuing interests in technology, entertainment, advertising and other fields. What well-paying sales careers have you considered? Do any stand out as the best option for you?

This infographic covers many of the various User Experience job opportunities available including job descriptions, salaries, areas with job growth, skills required, software tools to be familiar with. It’s a great place to start if you want to develop your career in User Experience.

Check out this infographic that details the top 7 cities to find finance jobs, along with a breakdown for what’s in demand and the skills, profiles of local candidates, and percentage change in salaries. Many thanks to Accounting Principals for conducting this study.

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<br /> <a href="http://www.businesspundit.com/the-top-7-cities-to-find-finance-jobs/"><img src="http://www.businesspundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Finance-citiesB2.3-012.png" width="400" height="1696" title="The Top 7 Cities to Find Finance Careers"></a><br />Source:<a href="http://www.accountingprincipals.com/Pages/default.aspx">Top Cities For Finance Jobs – Accounting Principles</a><br />

The IT sector has bounced back and brought their jobs home. Not only are more well qualified employees finding receiving more callbacks post-interview; the gap is truly closing and those who are qualified are landing gainful employment and careers.

This infographic has pulled in data about the IT bounce-back into graphical form- making it straight forward and visually stunning to review upcoming IT areas, the highest paying careers, and more. Many thanks to Modis, the Information Technology marketplace, for the data and IG below.

Some of the hottest jobs?

• Systems Analyst
• ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
• Systems Administrator
• Network Administrator

Check out more great information on the IG below.

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<br /> <a href="http://www.businesspundit.com/outsourced-it-jobs-return-home-re-employment-in-2011/"><img src="http://www.businesspundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/return-of-outsourced-IT-jobs-2011-modis1.png" width="550" height="3339" title="Outsourced IT Jobs Return Home- Re-Employment in 2011"></a><br />Source:<a href="http://blog.modis.com/job-seekers/return-of-outsourced-it-jobs-in-2011/">The Return of Outsourced IT Jobs in 2011 – Modis</a><br />

There are many paths a graduate can follow once they’re thrown out into the real world to look for and pursue the career path they want, but it’s no secret that the path is never straight and narrow.

How many changed their majors? What percentage of graduates actually move out? What percentage moves back in with their parents?

What’s the typical amount of jobs one has to apply for before finding one that they get their foot in the door with?

The following infographic compiles data from a 2011 graduate survey to show you what you can expect.

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<br /> <a href="http://www.businesspundit.com/2011-college-graduates-are-you-ready-for-life/"><img src="http://www.businesspundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011-College-Graduates-Jobs.png" width="600" height="2360" title="2011 College Graduates: Are you Ready for Life?"></a><br />Source:<a href="http://www.adeccousa.com">Adecco USA</a><br />

All data for this infographic provided by Adecco USA.

Everyone can put their own angle on what makes a job the top paid. On the one hand, there is absolute salary. The jobs that fit into that list though are not of interest to the average person who’s trying to pick a career. So any list of the top paid jobs in America that’s going to be of interest need to show jobs that are both high paying and accessible to someone who gets a college education and works hard.

The following list of the highest paying jobs in America was put together by the site SuperScholar and does a pretty good job of identifying realistic high paying job goals.

Air traffic controller
Airline pilot/co-pilot, or flight engineer
Manager
General or operations manager
Chief Executive Officer (CEO
Computer hardware engineer
Computer or information scientist
Nuclear engineer
Petroleum (oil, natural gas) engineer
Sales manager
Financial manager
Judge, magistrate judge, and magistrate
Lawyer
Public relations manager
Marketing manager
Orthodontist
Oral and maxillofacial surgeon
Anesthesiologist
Surgeon
Astronomer
Engineering manager
Physicist
Natural sciences manager
Political scientist
Industrial or organizational psychologist

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive list (minus the detailed job descriptions) check out BusinessPundit’s own list of the 50 Highest Paying Jobs which breaks careers down into several categories and lists the top paid jobs in each category.

There are many students today who are considering a change in their major. For some, they may have started out with a finance major, for example, before the economic problems that the country has recently been dealing with. Because of all of the financial problems that the United States is dealing with now, many of these students have decided to go a different route.

In 2011, there is going to be a change in the trends of what majors students are choosing. Taking a look at some of the career paths that a person can take, and how these career paths are faring, will help us understand some of the schooling trends as well.

Business

A business major is currently said to be one of the fastest growing, and one of the higher paying, majors that a student can get. There are more and more companies that are hiring business majors instead of people with a major that may seem more appropriate to the job. This is because of the training that a person with a business major gets.

Computer Science

The technology and computer science fields are booming. There are tons of jobs available in these fields, so more people are choosing these majors. Those who choose a computer science major will find that there are ample opportunities for great jobs once they get in the field.

Nursing

Though there is always a demand for those with a nursing degree, many this year are projected to choose not to finish their nursing degree. In fact, nursing majors are said to be taking a dip this year.

Law

This is another area that, though it is generally seen as a high paying career, is dropping off a little. Not nearly as many people are choosing to get a major in law. Many feel that because of the economic crisis, there is not as much demand for lawyers, and so the career is stagnating.

Graphic Design

Many people today are choosing a graphic design degree. This is a degree that can be quick to get and can open many different opportunities, from designing business cards to full websites. This is an option that many people who are looking for a change in career choose.

Today, many people are making a change in their schooling, and in some cases are completely changing course on their career ideas. A prevalent trend this year is quick degrees. Through online schools and traditional schools, there are many major options that can be finished quicker than in previous times. Because of this option, many more people are able to get into the work force quicker.

CONCLUSION

You may find that the major you originally chose is not something that you enjoy, or doesn’t have as good career options as you first thought. Changing your major is something that many people do, and is a great idea for some. There are so many majors that you can choose from and you should never feel like you are tied down to one.

Let us know – is your major on this list?