JVS Toronto

DONATE

2 Comments

Ask the Employment Specialist: Why Can’t I Keep a Job?

Drawing of a typewriter with the words "Dear Employment Specialist"Dear Joanna,

I have been fired three times from different organizations as an Event Coordinator. I’ve lasted for the probation period of three months. Afterwards, I am told by the managers that the fit is not good and am instructed to pack my belongings and leave on the spot.

Why is this happening to me? I have all of the qualifications, technical skills, core competencies and requirements for the job without a question. I meet my deadlines, and feedback from the event participants is glowing. Needless to say, these experiences are destroying my self-confidence. I would be grateful for your input on my situation before I secure another job offer and end up with the same endings.

Signed: Fired For No Reason (FFNR)

Dear FFNR,

I admire your honesty and effort to get to the bottom of this painful situation. According to a recent New York Times article by Susan Dominus, two of the core competencies and skills that employers are looking for are communication and collaboration. Many of my employers tell me that an employee is hired for his/her technical skills; but fired for his/her soft skills.

Even Virgin Company’s Richard Branson, in his recent article on LinkedIn about how he hires states that there is nothing more important for a business than hiring the right team. If you get the perfect mix of people working for your company, you have a far greater chance of success. He adds that the first thing he looks for when searching for a great employee is somebody with a personality that fits with the company culture. Concurring with most leading employers, Branson says that “Most skills can be learned, but it is difficult to train people on their personality. If you can find people who are fun, friendly, caring and love helping others, you are on to a winner.”

Consider the recommendations that Branson makes to employers: he suggests that considering the fact that within three months employees usually know the duties and responsibilities of a position, if an employer is satisfied with the personality of the new employee, then they should look at experience and expertise. He recommends that employers look for candidates with transferable skills: “team players who can pitch in and try their hand at all sorts of different jobs. While specialists are sometimes necessary, versatility should not be underestimated”.

Unfortunately employers do not need a reason to fire you unless you are in a unionised environment or employment contract, posits Alison Doyle on JobSearch.About.com. She presents top 10 reasons why employees are fired. Perhaps you can assess yourself honestly and evaluate your own experiences at your former places of employment:

  1. Lying on the resume or job application. Did you have the level of skills, qualifications and experience for the job?
  2. Not getting along with co-workers or management.
  3. Inappropriate posts on social media sites.
  4. Insubordination. Are you talking back to your manager? Are you showing any signs of anger at work at your team or manager?
  5. Stealing.
  6. Poor performance. This doesn’t sound like you from your letter above, but be honest with yourself — employees often overrate their performance.
  7. Damaging company property.
  8. Falsifying company records. Are you making serious mistakes in your work? Are your events missing significant logistics? Are you neglecting important details with the customers or event participants that you are overlooking? Have you received any feedback over the three months that you are, indeed, making mistakes?
  9. Drug or alcohol possession at work.
  10. Violating company policy. When you started working, did you review company policies and procedures and make sure you understood them as well as adhere to this? Typically, all companies have employee handbooks with this information; you can also ask the Human Resources department for clarification.

Sometimes there are cases of employees being wrongfully terminated. Getting fired can happen to anyone, including myself! You can get fired even when it’s not your fault. Given that you have been fired three times after the probation period is over, I would suggest that you have an honest talk with yourself and/or find an experienced employment counsellor to get some feedback on your work behaviour. I would do as soon as possible to prevent being fired again.

Best wishes for your next job,

Joanna

Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: How Do I Handle the Pain of Rejection?

Worried guy covering mouth by hand while looking at laptop display and understanding that dangerous virus attacked his computer
Worried guy covering mouth by hand while looking at laptop display and understanding that dangerous virus attacked his computer

Dear Joanna,

I have completed my fourth round of interviews with a panel of five interviewers for a $55,000 a year job as a financial analyst with a leading institution. The process included a 45 minute pre-screening interview on the phone followed by three face-to-face interviews with the team and managers.

I called the HR manager to follow-up this morning and I am devastated. I was turned down. I was shocked, and needless to say, I am feeling completely rejected and would like to give up the job search completely.

How do I handle the pain of rejection?

Signed: Painfully Rejected (PR)

[Read more…]

Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: How do I deal with dates on my resume?

Drawing of a typewriter with the words "Dear Employment Specialist"Dear Joanna,

I am applying for a Project Coordinator position at a real estate office that requires a minimum of five years experience in this type of work. I have over 20 years experience. How far back in my work history should I go on the resume? How do I present the dates of my experience on this document?

I’m afraid of being overqualified and age discrimination.

Signed: Overqualified and Too Old (OTO)

Dear OTO,

According to Susan Ireland on About Job Search.com, employers can usually tell your approximate age from the dates on a resume. Age discrimination is generally seen as unethical, and is illegal in many countries. Despite this, many employers tend to have an age range they think is ideal for a particular job, based on the skill level required, the ability to supervise or be supervised, salary expectations, amount of life experience needed, company culture, and other things, posits Ireland.

Both Ireland and Got Resume Builder provide some great tips for listing dates on your resume to avoid age discrimination:

1. Go back approximately 10 years.

As a general rule, you don’t need to go back more than 10 years; however, if it’s to your benefit, you may go back further. To help you decide how far back to go, ask yourself the following:

  1. How old do you want to appear on your resume?
  2. How relevant are your earlier positions to your job objective?
  3. How much experience is the employer asking for?

2. Present the dates simply (years only).

Using exact dates can clutter up a resume. Unless you are asked to provide exact dates (usually a feature only seen on online fill-in forms), use months and years. Employment dates expressed in years only is also acceptable and beneficial if you have short gaps in employment.

3. Don’t include the date in which you prepared the resume.

Not only is this unnecessary information, it dates your resume. You want a potential employer to feel like you have focused your resume on them specifically. If you date your resume, it could give away the fact that you’re really using a resume you’ve sent to hundreds of other employers.

4. You don’t necessarily have to include all your education dates.

You do not have to include your high school in your resume, if you graduated from any other post-secondary program. Unless you have recently graduated from high school, or if you have a college degree or advanced certificate, drop this education information from the resume. It’s assumed that you must have obtained a GED or high school diploma in order to progress on to this level.

Also, you are not necessarily expected to include any dates on your education. An exception for this might be that you did a course recently and are trying to either fill a gap on the resume, or show the employer that you have updated skills.

5. Consider Susan Ireland’s “Experience Plus Twenty” (EPT) formula for age discrimination.

Here’s a great way to understand how the dates on your resume create an impression of your age. Subtract the earliest work history date on your resume from today’s date (years only), add that to 20 (used as a ballpark figure for how old you might have been when you started working) to get a total of x, meaning that you are now at least x years old. For example, a resume written in 2013 with a work history that starts in 2000 tells the reader that the job seeker is at least 33 years old (13 years of experience + 20 = 33). Using the Experience Plus Twenty formula, Ireland suggests that you could craft your resume carefully, so that it only reveals dates that would lead the employer to deduce that you are within a specific age range for the job you want.

One caution, from JVS Employment Counsellors, though: Don’t leave useful experience off, as some employers (many of them, in fact) might value experience over youth.
6. Follow job posting requirements.

When the years of experience are specified in the job description as you mentioned in your question above, then I would write in the first bullet of the “Profile” or “Highlights of Qualifications” section: “Over five years of experience in program coordination in the non-profit sector”, for example. Remember that if you are applying online, many of the employers use the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Make sure that your resume includes those “keywords” in the resume. I am sure that “five years experience” will be picked up by the ATS. You could also write “Experienced program coordinator in the non-profit sector” without indicating any timelines.

I would encourage you to book an appointment with one of our Employment Counsellors to make sure that you have a targeted and customized resume with the ATS keywords as well as a suitable cover letter.

Best wishes,

Joanna

1 Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: Do you have any tips on giving and receiving feedback at work?

Drawing of a typewriter with the words "Dear Employment Specialist"Dear Joanna,

I have been receiving ongoing feedback from my manager regarding a recent report that I submitted to her in my role as Office Manager. On one hand, she says to me “Good report; I suggest that you modify sections A and B”. The next time, she simply states “This is no good. Try it this way.” I am so confused and honestly, I’m quite hurt. I don’t understand what I am doing wrong? Then again, maybe my work is just fine! I cannot figure her out and whether this is positive or negative feedback or just plain criticism.

Am I misunderstanding her because of cultural differences between us? Do you have any tips on giving and receiving feedback at work in Canada?

Signed: Feedback Tips (FT)

Dear FT:

Sometimes it is difficult to understand the feedback that you get from employers in a Canadian workplace analyzing what they mean can definitely be a challenge. I will refer to Lionel Laroche, an expert in intercultural communications as well as to JVS Toronto’s Canadian Workplace Communication program that helps internationally trained and experienced professionals from the architecture/design, IT and banking, finance and accounting sectors. This information is relevant to any employee who is facing workplace challenges, such as giving and receiving feedback.

An important part of communicating successfully in any workplace is the ability to give and receive feedback in the form of constructive criticism. In workplace environments where team work is common, the exchange of ideas, reviewing and revising work plans and reports, and debating strategies are part of everyone’s daily activities.

People perceive feedback differently. Some are more sensitive than others; they may also have difficulty giving feedback because they feel they are criticizing someone. Yet, feedback plays a crucial part in the Canadian workplace. Employees are expected to share ideas, give input, and give feedback on team projects.

Some tips in dealing with negative feedback:

1. Listen carefully and know when to recognize negative feedback.

There is a tendency in Canada to mask negative feedback with positive comments in order to ‘soften the blow’. This form of negative feedback is rarely found in other cultures. In Canada, (and among many English-speaking cultures) it might be the first warning you receive that indicates you are having performance issues that need to be addressed. You will need to learn to hear the negative comment and correct your actions before your boss has to come to address it again. Failure to understand that you are being giving negative feedback will likely be perceive by your boss as an inability to follow direction. This is could be considered good reasons for termination.

2. Analyze the feedback: Analyze the feedback statements you receive in terms of these 3 Negative Feedback Categories:

a. The Sandwich (the positive-negative-positive statement)

This type of negative feedback statement is often the first you will hear from your boss. Because it is masked with two positive comments, it is easy to think that you are actually being praised when in fact the opposite is happening. For example:

  • “I really like how you have structured this report, but there are a few oversights I’d like you to address. Great first effort!”
  • “I am really impressed with how much you have learned since you started last week, but a few concerns have arisen regarding the way you deal with clients.It seems that you tend to take a rather brisk tone with people and we’ll need you to soften that up a bit. As you are such a great salesperson, I am sure some of that talent can be applied to dealing with difficult clients as well.”

b. The Open-faced Sandwich (the negative-positive statement)

This will likely be the form of the second warning coming from the boss. The negative feedback will still be masked with positive comments but will likely be a little more prominent.

  • “I see you are still having some difficulties with the processes surrounding reporting. As you have such a developed sense of detail, I am sure that if you focus a little more attention on the particulars, things will come together just fine.”
  • “We have received a few complaints about your briskness with clients. I know it’s hard to deal with disgruntled clients but I’d like you to try to soften your approach somewhat. How about using that great sense of humour you have to keep things a little more diplomatic?

c. Just the Meat (a direct negative statement)

If you hear your boss giving you purely negative feedback, then you can be sure that you are in big trouble. There is a good chance that there will be serious consequences, termination being one of them, if you do not address the problem immediately.

  • “Your reporting is consistently not meeting the standards of this organization. I have given you a number of warnings but have not seen an improvement. If am afraid I have to report this problem to upper management.”
  • “Your manner of dealing with clients is not appropriate. I have warned you a number of times but you have not made any effort to improve. This is your last warning.”

4. Use the Right Words for the Right Situations.

Watch out for the particular words which are used in negative situations. Look at the term “Performance Issues” as an example. This is a formalized way of saying you are not doing your job up to the standards of the organization, and are at risk of losing your job. The word ‘issue’ is being used instead of ‘problem’ which is a stronger and more direct word that more clearly describes the situation. Canadians instead choose the word ‘issue’ to be more politically correct, because it is considered too harsh and personal to say that someone has performance problems.

Using the word ‘problem’ in the wrong situation can make everyone believe that things are really wrong, even when they are not. As a result, it is important to learn how to use the right word in the right situation, as well as to understand the real meaning of a word you are hearing as it applies to feedback you are being given.

5. Check-in and qualify.

You can always ask your manager for a 5-minute meeting just to make sure that you are on the same page regarding your performance. BE OPEN to any feedback; this could be a learning opportunity for you to gain more information, skills and knowledge required for the position.

FT, there is no harm in asking your manager to email you the feedback and what she would like to be improved. You can use this information as a list of areas to improve and start implementing this in your work. The ability to take charge with clarifying your manager’s feedback will be perceived as a sign of a good leader.

Best of success with your job,

Joanna

1 Comment

JVS Toronto Manager quoted in North York Mirror article

North York Mirror
January 31, 2014

Toronto’s strong neighbourhoods strategy: how to select Neighbourhood Improvement Areas? by Fannie Sunshine

If the current 13 Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs) lose that designation, the city needs to have a plan in place to help make the transition as smooth as possible.

That sentiment was expressed by Tammie Orifa, manager of employment services for JVS Toronto’s Jane Street and Finch Avenue site, who was one of about 70 people who came out to North York Civic Centre Thursday, Jan. 30 for a Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020 discussion with the project team to help select criteria in relaunching NIAs for council’s approval, which may see some designations revoked.

Community consultations were held last fall, and Thursday’s meeting was a consultation process for criteria in choosing NIAs, which is based on community input and the Urban Heart data tool, a set of equity-focused criteria including voter participation, walkability and self-reports of good mental health.

[Read more…]

JVS Toronto

For general inquiries, contact:
T: 416-787-1151
E: services@jvstoronto.org

Find a Location

More Information

Follow Us

Imagine Canada Trustmark JVS Toronto is accredited under Imagine Canada’s national Standards Program dedicated to operational excellence.
Imagine Canada Trustmark