Airline Customer Service Careers
Filed Under Main Content | Leave a Comment
The US airline industry is gradually moving away from all the bloodletting that brought about the bankruptcy of four major carriers over the past several years while at the same time marked the emergence of many discount carriers into the forefront of the business. Indeed, the face of commercial aviation has changed dramatically over the past decade and it now appears that the worst is behind us. This does not mean that further layoffs and downsizings are not possible, but for the person seeking a customer service career in the aviation industry, the future has brightened considerably.
Customer service opportunities with the airlines includes the following job titles: reservation agents, ramp agents, line service technicians, customer service agents, baggage handlers, and various management positions including station manager, customer service manager, and airport operations manager. Similar job titles exist, but for the sake of brevity in using the term “airline customer service” I mean those ground personnel tasked with assisting customers as they get to and from their destinations.
So, exactly who is hiring? Well, on any given day just about everyone could be. The turn over rate for customer service personnel can be high, depending on the airline and the working conditions. To make it easier on you, the following is a break down of the various airlines who hire customer service agents. In most cases you will work directly for the airline but in some cases a position may be with a vendor or for the airport authority itself.
Legacy Carriers – American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and USAir all qualify as legacy carriers. Simply defined these are the carriers that helped the airline industry get its start in the U.S. Out of the six listed, only American and Continental have avoided bankruptcy. Thus, a career with a legacy carrier can be a risky proposition.
Foreign Carriers – Many foreign carriers fly in and out of the U.S. and are worth a look. Depending on the carrier selected, you may be required to speak the language of the carrier’s country in addition to speaking English. Chief carriers include: Air Canada, Mexicana, Air France, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Korean Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, and flag carriers as well as discount carriers from dozens of countries from around the globe.
Discount Carriers – Some of the strongest carriers in operation today are discount airlines. Two of the best are Southwest and JetBlue, both of which are expanding and are hiring on a regular basis. Other discount carriers include: Spirit, USA3000, and many small more regional carriers.
Regional Operators – Working as “feeder” airlines for the big carriers, regional operators include Colgan, Republic, Shuttle America, American Eagle, Comair, and Great Lakes. Some of these carriers are awash in cash with very promising futures.
Charter Carriers – A few airlines fly chartered flights principally although some have scheduled flights too. Some of the more noted charter operators include: Miami Air, Xtra Airways, and Sun Country.
Cargo Carriers — Not every carrier moves people. Some carriers move goods, merchandise, and equipment. Customer service jobs as sales agents and equipment handlers are an option for potential employees. Chief cargo companies include: DHL, FEDEX, UPS, Emery Worldwide, and Amerijet.
Two recently launched carriers, EOS Airlines and Maxjet Airways, went through a hiring surge immediately preceding their first flights in Autumn 2005. As with any start up, long term career possibilities are a big question as most start ups eventually fail.
In all, the opportunities for you in the airline industry have improved. While pay for hourly workers is generally low the benefits, including flight privileges, are usually fairly good. In spite of everything, the airline industry remains a point of interest for so many people and with decreasing fuel prices and strength in the economy, the job market for customer service personnel is on an upswing.
For people who find themselves at sea when it comes to choosing a career path, or for those who simply yearn to live on the open water, the U.S. Merchant Marine may be the perfect port. Here are answers to some common questions about the nation’s “fourth arm of defense”:
Q. What is the merchant marine?
A. The merchant marine is composed of men and women who crew U.S.-flag commercial vessels on the deep seas, inland waterways and Great Lakes. It’s an industry with a wide range of opportunities, partly because there are so many different types of vessels-containerships, tankers, bulkers, passenger vessels, tugs and much more.
Q. Is the merchant marine part of the U.S. military?
A. America’s mariners are civilians working for private companies, and are not members of the armed forces. However, merchant mariners crew all types of vessels, some of which are under contract to transport troops and military goods. Mariners continue to support U.S. troops in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Q. Where do merchant marines receive their training?
A. There are a number of maritime schools across the country. For example, the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education, based in Piney Point, Md., offers entry-level training, a program for military veterans, ongoing vocational classes, academic support and more. Since the school opened in 1967, approximately 145,000 students have trained there. The school offers academic support plus GED and college degree programs. Also, many of the maritime classes can be used for college credits.
Q. What is the training like?
A. The Paul Hall Center features top-notch educational equipment in a picturesque setting. The apprentice program blends hands-on training with classroom instruction. It consists of three phases, including 90 days aboard a U.S.-flag ship.
Q. Do graduates tend to stay in seaworthy careers?
A. Approximately 75 percent of students who complete the entire program are still sailing four years later.
A Medical Transcriptionist Career Could Be Just What The Doctor Ordered
Filed Under Main Content | Leave a Comment
A Medical Transcriptionists career could pay off well for those seeking to update their career training. As thousands of jobs are being outsourced and sent overseas in every sector, for those fortunate enough to be within the employment ranks as medical transcriptionists, this sector is projected to grow faster than average for all jobs through 2013. Demand for medical transcription services will be fueled by a growing and aging population. Older age groups receive more medical tests, treatments, and procedures that require documentation. A high level of demand for transcription services also will be sustained by the continued need for electronic documentation that can easily be shared among providers, third-party payers, regulators, consumers, and health information systems.
Growing numbers of medical transcriptionists will be needed to and identify discrepancies in medical reports, amend patients’ records, and edit documents from speech recognition systems . An increasing demand for standardized records should result in rapid employment growth in physicians’ offices, especially in large group practices. Medical transcriptionists held strong employment representation with about 105,000 jobs in 2004. About 4 out of 10 worked in hospitals and another 3 out of 10 worked in offices of physicians. Others worked for business support services; medical and diagnostic laboratories; outpatient care centers; and offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists.Compensation methods for medical transcriptionists vary. Some are paid based on the number of hours they work or on the number of lines they transcribe. The higher earners can forseeably expect more than £20 an hour.
Work conditions that some would envy are what many Medical Transcriptionist encounter. Professional transcriptionist can look forward to working in comfortable settings such as hospitals, physicians’ offices, transcription service offices, clinics, laboratories, medical libraries, government medical facilities, or their own homes. Many medical transcriptionists telecommute from home-based offices as employees or subcontractors for hospitals and transcription services or as self-employed, independent contractors.
Many medical transcriptionists work a standard 40-hour week. Self-employed medical transcriptionists are more likely to work irregular hours—including part time, evenings, weekends, or on call at any time. The future of medical transcriptionist jobs appear to be healthy and bright and shows no sign up declining anytime in the foreseeable future.
Home Careers
Filed Under Interviews, Main Content | Leave a Comment
If you are looking for a way out of the rat race, you are not alone. Millions of Americans are unhappy with their jobs, and wish to become financially independent. A home career is the best way to achieve this. In our fast paced world of today, many people are forced to work long hours at their jobs, and have little time to spend with their families. This has led to a society where many family relationships are under strain, and studies show that the US has one of the highest divorce rates of any country in the world. Having a home career will allow you to spend more time with those you love.
In addition to this, many people are tired of working hard for corporations that are becoming wealty off their efforts. While they become wealthier, your own well being is sacrificed in the process. Many employers today fail to reward their employees for their hard work, and many employees become resentful. They may even begin to hate their jobs, and will dread going to work each day. If this situation describes you, it sounds as if you are a person who wants to become independent. While there may be risks involved with pursuing a home career, the rewards are well worth it. First, there is no limit to the money that you can earn at home. Your income will be determined by your skill, not by the raises that you will be given by your employer.
The second advantage of having a home career is that you pick your own hours. If you need to reserve a day to be with your family, there won’t be a need to get the permission of your boss. You will have the power to pick the hours you want to work. While having a home career will give you power, this power will not come without responsibility. People who procrastinate are unlikely to succeed. When you have something that needs to be done, you must not let anything stand in your way. If you are thinking of starting a home based business, the first thing you will want to think about is the field you will work in.
Picking the right career is important. While it should be something that excites you, it should also be something that has a high income potential. What are you good at? Most people are either good at technical subjects like math, or they are good at subjects like writing or art. There are a few people that can use both sides of their brain effectively. You must first decide where your skill level lies. If you are a mathematically oriented person who enjoys dealing with numbers, why not become a freelance programmer? Even if you don’t know any programming languages, you can do research to find out what programming languages are in demand. After you’ve done this, you can take a class at your local community college.
If you are looking to start a home career, one tool that you will not want to be without is a computer and the internet. The internet is the best friend of those who wish to start home careers. The internet can allow you to get the tools and resources you need to start your business, and you can network with people all over the world for a very low price. There is no limit to the number of things you can do with a home based business, and the benefits are well worth it.
Choosing a career path is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make—but how do you decide what is right for you? You may take a career path that uses the skills you have or the education you’ve gotten. You may even choose a career based on what you think you “should” do—because of what your parents or teachers have told you is right for you. But you may not know that you are naturally more suited for some careers than for others. Why? Each of us has an individual personality type that affects how much we’ll like a job.
Think, for instance, about a carpenter versus a counselor. A carpenter works with concrete objects, according to specified procedures, and has a tangible result. A counselor works with people and their feelings; she has to judge success and the results of her work based on abstract concepts. Which of these sounds more appealing to you? Do you have a strong preference for one or the other?
Now, imagine if you had to make your less-preferred choice your career, and you will get an idea of the impact that your personality has on your job satisfaction. There is quite a bit of variation in how people think and process information, what they see as important, and how they make decisions. All of this variation can affect how happy or unhappy someone is in a work environment. Each one of us has different criteria for what a great job is, and to find your own perfect career, it is crucial to identify what is important to you.
The first step is to figure out your personality type. The most common personality test used for career counseling is called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This personality test measures four facets of personality:
• ExtrovertedIntroverted—Do you get your energy from being with people, or being alone?
• SensingIntuition—Do you see what’s actual, or what’s possible?
• ThinkingFeeling—Do you make decisions with your head or your heart?
• JudgingPerceiving—Do you like to make decisions, or keep your options open?
There are many ways to find out what your personality type is. Some people prefer to read about the types and choose what seems to fit best. There are also free quizzes on the internet based on the principles of the Myers-Briggs that can give you an idea of where you may fit.
However, if you are serious about finding out what type you are, the most reliable and accurate method is to take the official Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This is a scientifically validated instrument that will identify where you fall in each of the categories. This assessment can only be administered by someone trained in its application, and must include a consultation with a trained coach or consultant according to its licensing guidelines. You can take the personality tests through a career counselor in your area, or online. If you take it online, you will typically get the results the same day, and you can usually request a special report that will go into detail about what is important to look for in a career.
Once you have figured out your personality type, you will want to look at the careers you are considering and evaluate whether they fit what’s important to you. Some questions to ask yourself:
• How much time will I spend interacting with people? Will it be too muchtoo little?
• To what extent will I be expected to follow standard procedures? Will I feel restricted by too much structure? Will I feel frustrated by too little?
• Will this job require me to use logic and reason things out? Will it require me to use compassion and consider how decisions will make people feel? Am I comfortable with the extent to which I will have to act based on thinking or feeling?
• How much latitude will this job give me to make my own schedule? Is it too little? Too much?
It’s important to be realistic about what a job entails, and to ask as many questions as possible about prospective jobs so that you can evaluate how well they’ll fit you. As you learn more about yourself, you will become more able to judge which jobs will bring you satisfaction.