11 of the worst jobs ever

11 of the worst jobs ever by Amber Rolfe OK, so your job might not be perfect…Your boss might get on your nerves from time to time, and the irritating things your colleagues do can sometimes push you to breaking point. But you might be surprised at the number of people out there who have a worse daily grind than you â€" and still manage to go to work with a smile on their face.To put your day-to-day into perspective, here are 11 of the worst jobs ever:  Armpit Sniffer If you think having to put up with the smell of your colleagues’ questionable lunch choices is bad, you’re about to feel much better about your job.Yes, Armpit Sniffers actually exist â€" and their noble sacrifice means you don’t have to smell quite as much sweat on your way to work. They’re employed by deodorant companies, and their day-to-day usually involves sniffing armpits in a hot room. You’re welcome, commuters.  Port-a-Loo Cleaner Ever wondered what a heavily used port-a-loo looks like? Probably not.However, for Port- a-Loo Cleaners, looking at the unfortunate aftermath of thousands of people’s revelry (see also: drunk festival-goers) is all in a day’s work.It’s dirty, it’s smelly, and it usually requires a high-pressure hose. #Grizzly.  Pet Food Taster When it comes to our pets, most of us will do just about anything to ensure they’re happy.Luckily â€" this usually doesn’t involve taste testing their food. That’s because Pet Food Tasters are hired specifically to smell, handle, and eat sample tins of freshly made batches â€" to ensure each one is up to standard in terms of taste and texture.Nice work, my pedigree chums.Mosquito Researcher Although this might sound like a thing of (itchy) nightmares to most â€" for some people, getting bitten by mosquitos is actually a full-time job.Essentially, they offer themselves as bait for the good of science.Whether it’s to capture mosquitos for malaria fighting purposes, or it’s to test the effectiveness of mosquito repellent â€" the job literally bites.  Grave DiggerRemember digging for ‘buried treasure’ as a kid?Well, this is basically like that. Except without the treasure, and with a lot more digging â€" six feet of it in fact. But at least you’d have a real shovel this time.  Snow Shoveller Snow: you either love it or you hate it.If you love it, you probably haven’t had to shovel a few tonnes of heavy slush out of walkways, roads, driveways â€" or even rooves. Comical falls practically come with the job.Where’s Mr Plow when you need him…  Gold Farmer Gold farming involves playing multiplayer online games to earn in-game currency â€" that’s then sold for real money â€" to players that don’t want to earn gold themselves.The hours are long, the pay is bad, and you basically just spend all 12 hours a day doing menial tasks like cutting wood or mining rocks (no real wood or rocks involved).Think relentless clicking, constant energy drinks, and a disconnection from the outside world.  Paint Research Scientist If you think your job’s as boring as watching paint dry, think again…Paint Research Scientists are employed to watch the colour of paint as it dries, as well as time how long it takes â€" all to improve the quality of the product.And as tedious as it may sound â€" their work is essential to ensuring that dark mauve wall in your living room stands out enough to complement that vibrant cerulean chair. Also, to stop you getting covered in wet paint. That too…  Snake Milker Don’t question your knowledge of snake anatomy just yet â€" it’s not how it sounds.Snake Milkers actually extract the venom out of dangerous snakes by getting them to bite down on a plastic cap on a glass vial. They use it to create an antidote for bite victims, as well as assist with other types of medical research.Hey, at least it sounds cool on your CV.  Professional Line Stander Its official â€" people hate standing in lines so much, that they’re hiring other people to do it for them.Profess ional Line Standers are employed for a number of situations, but they’ll find the most business during big sales, product launches, or ticket releases. Basically, they have to wait hours for something they don’t even get to keep.Patience, an ability to stand for a long time, and an immunity to all types of weather is essential.Golf Ball Diver Millions of golf balls are recycled and resold every year.Unfortunately, not all of them are easy to retrieve. Instead of scouring the course or checking holes for rogue golf balls, Golf Ball Divers are specifically in charge of collecting any that disappear into the water.All you need is an oxygen tank, scuba gear, and the strength to emerge with up to 2000 (heavy) golf balls at a time. Remember: it’s all in the hips…(ability to swim may also help).Still searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Features Life At Work

How Your Personal Brand Can Recover After Switching Careers - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How Your Personal Brand Can Recover After Switching Careers - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to Sam Greengard, who is a prolific journalist and author.   We talk about how people can monetize their passion, evolve their brand over time and switch careers entirely.   Dont ever feel pigeonholed into one career, even if you are 50.   There is always time to recover if you have a positive attitude and good ideas.   One of the biggest messages you should take away from this interview is that the workplace is constantly changing, so you must stay relevant and not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. What is recareering? Why is it important? At the most basic level, recareering encompasses reinvention and rediscovery in the pursuit of a new line of work. As children, we dream about career possibilities and opportunities without imposing any limits on ourselves. But as we grow older, practical realities begin to emergeincluding the need to support ourselves and our families. Often, around middle age, we begin to reexamine our priorities and look for ways to bring greater meaning to our lives. Changing careers is a way to breathe life into our dreams. It is a way to adjust to our changing thinking and needsespecially as we live longer and work longer. For Boomers and other older workers, it is possible to combine life experience and passion in order to create new opportunities. The benefits of recareering are substantial: society gains from people who are more energized by their work. In fact, many career changers want to make some kind of positive social impact and leave a legacy. Theres a huge shift toward working with non-profit organizations or firms that help achieve a personally or socially significant goal. Yet, regardless of the motivation, individuals who partake in recareering gain in many ways, including personal growth, a wider and more interesting social circle, and new financial rewards. What are the differences between how generations tackle work? What advantages and disadvantages does each generation have? Different generations approach work and careers in significantly different ways. Although generalizations are always somewhat diceyplenty of exceptions existboomers and older workers clearly have a different mindset than Gen X and Gen Y. Most important: theyve watched the paternalistic culture of the past disintegrate. They now recognize that a career with a single companyand a gold watch at retirementis an anachronism. In todays global environment, changing jobs, employers, and careers on a regular basis is part of the ongoing picture. Still, many older workers arent entirely comfortable with this concept. The idea of re-calibrating is scary. It requires a sometimes painful self-examination of goals, motivations, and core values. It also means facing potential discrimination, or having to start in a new career at the bottom of the totem pole.   However, boomers have always been a group that blazes its own trail. And recareering is no exception. According to a 2005 Harris Interactive Survey: 59% of older workers (defined as 55 plus) said that a good deal of their pride comes from their work. Among, 35-54 year olds, the figure dropped to 48%. Among 18-37 year olds, it plummeted to 37%. The good news for employers is that there is a huge pool of dedicated and qualified workers available. And as skill and talent shortages grow over the next several years, older workers are in a perfect position to fill the gap. Although many younger workers are far more comfortable changing jobs and careers, theyre simply not as committed to work as their older counterparts. If someone ends up in a career that doesnt fit their passion, what tips would you give them to steer them in the right direction? Passion drift isnt unusual. What lights our fire at 25 may cause a slow burn at age 45. if a person is unhappy in a career, its important to first identify whether he or she is running away from a bad boss or bad job (which may simply necessitate a job change) or moving toward something more interesting and meaningful. In other words, its vital to conduct a detailed self-analysis and understand the motivations, desires, and fears that shape a decision. This may require personal or career counseling. It may require test-driving a new career through an internship or an organization like VocationVacations, a Portland, Ore. organization. Ultimately, a person must understand his or her objectives and be sure that they are in sync with a career option. Only then can a person be reasonably sure that he or she is making a smart move, rather than just a move. In the end, it comes down to three core values: What are my objectives?, What are my core values?, Are my values in sync with the job or career Ive chosen? What issues arise when you get older that might impede a career change? How can you prevent this when youre younger? Too often, as people get older, they become less flexible and willing to try new things. Theres the self-imposed roadblock: Im 60 and its crazy for me to go back to university and get a degree and change careers. But, today, people are living and working to 75, 80, even 90. I came across a couple of individuals in researching the book that are still working at 0! So, if you put it into perspectivethat you may work from 62-82 in a new career, it doesnt seem so extreme. In fact, its not a lot different than someone who works from 25-45 in a career and then decides to change. Of course, sticking with an unsatisfying career is a recipe for unhappiness. So, the option is to seek growth, enlightenment, and satisfaction or to stagnate. A secondary challenge is to stay current with business trends and technology. Its important to read, attend seminars, enroll in trainingand do whatever else it takes to stay current. Older workers dont have to act hip and pretend that they are twentysomethings, but they should have their finger on the pulse of the business world, as well as their specific career. Not surprisingly, those who do a good job of staying currentand putting their collective life knowledge and skills to workare among the most valuable employees an organization can find. Today, the best way to insulate against becoming obsolete is to constantly upgrade knowledge, skills, and expertise. Can you list five strategies for making money based on your passion? How can people position themselves to do this? Making money is usually an offshoot of doing something one loves (and it is important to remember that it is only one type of reward). However, a passion may or may not translate into a financially viable career. Thats why its important to understand up front whether the career will provide a windfall or merely provide psychic benefits. Each person must blaze his or her own path and figure out exactly whats right on a personal level (and for family members). Its difficult to identify five specific strategies for making money based on a passion but I would say that it is important to: 1) invest in ones self, both financially and psychologically. 2) Have a realistic idea of whats in store in a new career. 3) Devote time and energy to getting the new career or business of the ground. This may encompass everything from perfecting a resume and rehearsing interviews to fully understanding the pros and cons. When a person chooses the right career and has a good match with motivations, the money (whether its a lot or a little) will match expectations. Greater happiness will almost certainly result. Sam Greengard is the author of the AARP Crash Course in Finding. The Work You Love. He has authored hundreds of articles, including pieces for AARP, the magazine, American Way, America West, Amtrak’s Arrive, Discover, Hemispheres, Industry Week, Home, iQ, Los Angeles, MSNBC/MSN Online, PM Network (The Project Management Institute), Southwest Spirit, Westways, Wired and The Writer. He also handles corporate assignmentsincluding brochures, speeches,white papers and annual reports. His work has appeared in materials for Charles Schwab Co., Cisco Systems, Honda, IBM, Intel, Korn/Ferry, Microsoft, Oracle and Sun Microsystems.

8 Reasons Why You Hiring a Resume Writer Is Worth The Investment

8 Reasons Why You Hiring a Resume Writer Is Worth The Investment Why is there a need to hire resume writers? This is probably the most frequently asked question in writing resumes for career enhancement. With an ever competitive world, there are a number of valid reasons to have one’s curriculum vitae or resume written by professional resume writers. Here are some: 1. First reason is that majority of people cannot be objective enough to do their resumes properly. What one regard as his greatest strength or achievement might not be relevant to the employer or to the target job. Resume writers are updated to the changing trends in resume presentation and format, layout and emphasis on the various aspects of the information of an applicant. 2. The second reason concerns format. Employers or HR professionals carrying out the recruitment process expect a certain “standard format” on resumes. This makes them to quickly filter and prioritize individuals they want to have interview with. This specific format needs to be known and fully understood by resume writers so that it can be best presented to stand out from the rest vying job seekers. 3. In line with such reasons, good resume writers are able to write resumes in such a way that only relevant strengths and skills are maximized, while any weaknesses are eliminated, therefore increasing the chance of selection for interview. 4. Reliable resume writers are essential as they spot spelling and grammatical errors that may lead to automatic disqualification of a resume for interview consideration. 5. A resume written by professionals will increase the response rate. Applicants who present their resumes well get the job rather than those better qualified but have poorly written curriculum vitae. Sound resume services prepare their client’s resume so that it can survive the initial ten-second scrutiny of HR officers. 6. Reputable resume writers from reliable writing firms prepare resumes based on the data provided by their clients such as date of employment, specific positions of the employment and responsibilities. This data is then crafted into accurate and credible resumes. 7. Professional resume writers have an in-depth knowledge of what the employers want. Therefore they can skillfully convey the nuances and details that are needed to reach the objective of landing an interview. Resume writing services determine what must be eliminated or included, and thus create a resume that is appealing to the employers. 8. Also, the capability to use a word processor will not suffice in writing great resumes. While it is obvious that one can list his own achievements, qualifications, previous employment, and any other, only professional resume writers have the ability to collate this information and present it in a way having an edge over other applicants. As the ratio of landing the job is 70 percent skills and 30 percent weight in presentation, it is important to choose a reputable and legitamate writers that can deliver and bring out the best in an applicant. Entrusting something as critical as getting a good job or a career change like resumes must only be duly delegated to professionals â€" nothing less. Author Bio: Alexa Strife is a resident blogger for Speedy Money Cash Advance. Shes a business and marketing enthusiast. Alexa is currently taking her graduate studies.