October 28, 2019 2 Comments

How to Apply for an Internal Position in your Company

Excited by good news motivated colleagues celebrating corporate

Imagine you are happily working at your job when you receive an email from your HR department notifying you of an exciting new job opening at your company. The position matches your skills and experience, and most importantly, aligns with your long term career goals.

You are interested in applying for the position but worried about risking your current employment. Will your manager be supportive? Will they think you’re unhappy in your current role? If you apply for the new role and don’t get it, will it negatively impact your working relationships?

Employers will often send out internal job postings to announce open positions and encourage current employees to apply. By doing so, employers create a workplace where employees feel they have the opportunities for career growth – one of the five most significant factors that employees want from their employer – thus contributing to employee retention and engagement. After all, it’s more beneficial for a company to promote from within rather than spend the time and effort recruiting external candidates.

If an internal job posting gives you the chance to grow your skills and experience, here’s how to apply without risking your current job.

Approach your manager.

Not all companies require employees to notify their managers when applying for an internal position. In fact, most require the manager be notified only if the employee is selected for an interview. Whether or not you are required to tell you manager, it is best if they find out from you in order to maintain a positive working relationship.

If you have a supportive relationship with your manager, speak with them about the possibility of an internal move before the opportunity arises. Your current boss is be a valuable source of advice on the matter. If you have a tense or unsupportive relationship with your manager, make sure to follow your company’s protocol and inform them when you are required to do so.

If a position has become available before you have had a chance to broach the subject with your manager, ask to meet with them privately and share your interest in the position. Make sure they understand that your desire to apply is not about leaving your current role, but rather the opportunity to work at something new that is more inline with your carer goals and your future within the organization.

Seek information and advice.

Consider who in the company might be a good source of advice and information. For example, colleagues who have successfully gone through the internal application process may be able to coach you through the experience.

You will also need to gather references from colleagues and managers. If possible, discretely reach out to the person who is acting the position you want and ask for tips or even a referral. And, of course, your manager can be an excellent source of support as well as a possible reference.

Apply for the position.

Treat this as you would any job application. The job posting should explain the application process. Make sure to follow it exactly as described.

Update your resume with your current position as outlined in the original job description and highlight what you have accomplished while in the role. Don’t assume that the hiring manager knows exactly what you do and how well you do it. Pay attention to any transferable skills that may be useful in the new role.

When writing your cover letter, show appreciation for your current employment in addition to your interest in the new position. You want to show enthusiasm for the new job but also your desire to stay in your current role if you are not selected.

Lastly, review your LinkedIn profile and make sure it is up-to-date and professional. If you’re not connected already, invite some of your colleagues and managers into your network.

Prepare for the interview.

Like the application process, prepare for the job interview as you would any other.

Be ready to talk about yourself, your current position, and other aspects of your professional background that your interviewers might not know about. Stay positive and enthusiastic, and outline your professional goals as they relate to this new position.
Think about your weaknesses and strengths. It may be harder to discuss these with the people work with, so prepare your answers ahead of time. Be prepared to speak about how you are handing your weaknesses in your current role and discuss them with your manager before the interview. They may be able to help you identify and demonstrate your strengths.
Identify examples that demonstrate your various skills. Demonstrate your knowledge and proficiency in the job, as well as those personal characteristics that are valued in the company. Consider including your ability to learn quickly and your enthusiasm about adapting to a new team and new duties.
Familiarize yourself with the new job you are applying to. Make sure you are aware of the department and its work.
Remember to send a thank-you email. Thank the interviewers for their time and consideration. Reiterate your enthusiasm about the position and the company as a whole.

And be prepared for any outcome.

If you get the job, ensure that your work is ready to be transferred to a new person but don’t let it interfere with your productivity. As you prepare to leave your current role, continue to do your job as you always have.

Prepare yourself for the possibility that you might not get the job. If that happens, avoid recriminations or hard feelings. Often someone else might get the position for reasons that are beyond your control.

Ask for feedback from the interviewers about how you performed during the entire application process. This will demonstrate that you are open to critique and will give you an opportunity to learn something new about yourself.

October 14, 2019 Leave a Comment

Make the Most of Your Exit Interview

Business people shaking hands in a meeting room

Maybe you’ve handed in your resignation letter or maybe your contract is almost over. However, it happened, your job is officially coming to an end. This is the time when your employer may invite you to an exit interview.

An exit interview is a closing meeting between an employer and the employee leaving the organization (either voluntarily or through termination). It is an opportunity for employers to gain feedback from exiting employees in order to evaluate the company’s practices, retain employees and reduce turnover, and improve the organization.

What to expect in an Exit Interview

While it might be unnerving to meet with your soon-to-be previous employer and you may be tempted to decline, don’t turn down the invitation. Since you are leaving the position, you have nothing to lose and plenty to gain! It helps to be prepared to fully maximize the opportunity and end the employment relationship in a positive note.

If the interview was initiated by the employer, then they set the agenda. Be ready to answer questions such as:

Your reasons for leaving (if you resigned)
Your feedback, both positive and negative, in terms of:
- Duties and challenges of the position
- Working relationships with colleagues and managers
What skills and qualifications does the position require
Offer suggestions for the new hire that will replace you
Your availability to support the new hire

Do your best to answer the questions as honestly, constructively and as tactfully as you can. Employers who conduct exit interviews genuinely want to learn from your experience, so don’t be shy about offering helpful feedback. Your opinions might benefit the colleagues you are leaving behind.

At the end of the interview, make sure to thank your employer for the opportunity to give your feedback and for any you received in return. Offer your gratitude for the employment experience.

What you can gain from an Exit Interview

Many employees dislike exit interviews, describing the experience as awkward or uncomfortable and without any benefit for the employee who is leaving. However, you may be surprised how useful exit interviews can be.

1. Reference Letters and Networking Contacts:

Assuming that the job ended on relatively collegial terms, exit interviews are a chance to secure a strong reference. It’s a simple as asking who would be available to provide a reference for you.

Keep in touch with your colleagues and supervisors, especially those who you want to keep as networking contacts. Make sure you connect on Linkedin. Job hunting is an unpredictable process and you never know when you may learn about a new employment opportunity from former supervisor or co-worker.

2. Evaluating your Skills:

Before the interview ends, make sure to ask for time to address a few questions of your own – things you really want know about. Consider asking for:

Feedback about your performance on the job
Your strengths and weaknesses
Advice about professional development that might be useful for you

If the job ended on negative terms and you’re still dealing with anger and resentment, it may not be a good idea to participate in an exit interview. Expressing your anger with an employer will only end your chances of a reference and may ruin your professional reputation. If you have a legal or human rights cause with your employer, discuss it with your union, lawyer or the Ministry of Labour; don’t handle it on your own at the exit interview.

While first impressions are powerful, so are final, lasting impressions. Ending a job on a positive and constructive note will benefit both you and the company well into the future.

October 3, 2019 1 Comment

Tackling Difficult Job Interview Questions: “How do you handle criticism on the job?”

Angry businesswoman arguing with businessman about paperwork fai

Employers have been known to ask some difficult questions during a job interview, such as “What is your biggest weakness?” or “What salary do you think you deserve?” But have you ever been asked to talk about a time when you faced conflict on the job? What did you say? It can be tempting to pretend you never had a conflict or tell part of the story and leave out all the negative stuff. Job seekers worry their answers may reflect poorly on them and decrease their chances of getting the job they are interviewing for.

While it isn’t easy to talk about criticism or conflict in a job interview, you need to have an answer that is truthful and professional. And the best way to do that is to handle criticism properly when it happens.

The Emotional Side of Receiving Criticism

Dealing with criticism is a challenge for all of us. We all want to have the respect of our colleagues and to think that we are doing our job well. So being told that you are doing something badly can be painful to hear.

It is easy for us to see criticism as an attack in which we might “fight back” – response defensively, confronting the critic or throwing accusations back at them – or we may “flee” where we sulk or perhaps complain to others. Either way the issue is not resolved and neither response is good for our working relationships.

Tips for Handling Criticism

1. Take a moment to process.
Don’t respond immediately. Set aside your initial reaction and take the time to think about the criticism objectively before responding. You may need to find a quiet space to contemplate or discuss it with a trusted colleague or friend.

2. Be aware of your tone.
For criticism to be productive, both sides must express themselves calmly and respectfully. One of the most effective things you can do in dealing with criticism is to keep control over your tone of voice.

3. Clarify and acknowledge.
The first step when responding to criticism is to clarify what was said. Make sure you understand what you’ve been told.

Then acknowledge the other person’s point of view. If you think that their feedback is rational and reasonable, then acknowledge that. This deescalates the situation for both you and the critic allowing them to expand on their thoughts and/or offer solutions once they understand that you are listening. Even if you do not agree with the criticism, you can still acknowledge what the other person is saying.

Example:

Supervisor: Your desk is such a mess. Why are you so disorganized?

Employee (calmly): You’re saying that I am disorganized because my desk is mess. Looking at my desk right now, I can see why you’d think that.

4. Offer a solution.
People are much more likely to accept an apology if it comes without excuses. If the criticism is reasonable, simply acknowledge your part in the mistake and offer to change it. If you require assistance in order to fix the mistake, then ask for it.

Example:

I will have it done by the end of Friday. I would also like to meet with you at some point to discuss how I can better stay on top of this paperwork.

5. Explain (if necessary).
Once the issue has been acknowledged, and if you think it is necessary, calmly explain your side of the story.

Example:

I can see why you would think that my desk is a mess. I need to do something to make sure that it doesn’t appear that way. However, I am actually in the middle of preparing document packages and have spread the papers out so I can sort through them.

6. Set boundaries.
You might feel the need to address the way the criticism was given, e.g. if the criticism was done in a public space or in a way that you believe was unfair. Also, if you genuinely think the feedback was unwarranted, you could express that. Use this moment as an opportunity to treat others the way you would like to be treated — without anger, and in a clear and direct way.

Example:

Also, I’d like to discuss how you gave this feedback. In future, I would prefer it if you would speak to me privately if you have a concern.

Answering “How do you handle criticism on the job?” in a Job Interview

Like any difficult interview question, preparing your answer ahead of time is key. Prepare for this question by thinking back to a time when you received feedback at work. Ideally, you want to tell the interviewer about a time where you handled the conflict gracefully and rectified the mistake immediately and with efficiency. Give enough detail so it sounds authentic but don’t dwell on the mistake.

If you haven’t deal with a conflict well, you can simply acknowledge that. It may impress an employer to hear that you realize that dealing with criticism is something you need to work on (That’s true for most of us, if we were honest with ourselves). Follow it up with how you would now handle it differently.

Tip: Stay away from recriminations against the person who offered the criticism. You want to show the interviewer that you are able to consider the validity of the criticism and arrive at a solution.

Example:

Interviewer: Tell about a time you faced criticism on the job. How did you handle it?

Candidate: I try to always work on handling criticism better. I think I’ve improved a lot over the years. In my last job, my supervisor walked my cubicle and was very critical of how messy it was in a very public way. She expressed concern that I was disorganized. I was able to respond calmly to her initial comment, promising to tidy up, and we made a time to meet and discuss concerns I had about paperwork in the office. We were able to devise a system that enabled me to stay on top of the paperwork.

Interviewer: Is your desk less messy now?

Candidate: It’s not perfect but I have definitely improved now that I have some systems in place. I was pleased to deal with the issue openly with my supervisor.

Remember, the reason employers ask this question in the first place is that they want to know whether you have the capacity to evaluate yourself and accept critique from others. You are allowed to be imperfect. Showing that you are honest and dedicated to self-improvement makes you a more interesting and valuable employee.

September 16, 2019 Leave a Comment

Is “follow your passion” the best career advice?

2 people standing on a sidewalk engraved with the words "Passion Led Us Here."

Making a career decision is never easy. It’s a complicated process and there is no shortage of (often contradictory) advice. As job seekers, we are often told to “follow your passion” or “do what you love and the money will follow.” We hear these types of sentiments from celebrities, motivational speakers or in graduation speeches. It may sound simple and even inspirational, but following your passion is much more complicated than it sounds.

In his podcast series WorkLife, Organizational Psychologist Adam Grant explains the challenges faced when trying to follow your passion. In the episode “The Perils of Following Your Career Passion”, Grant suggests that following your passion might be some of the worst advice that you will ever get.

“The reality is that many people don’t know what they love to do—and even if you do, most passions don’t translate neatly into careers… For many people around the world, passion at work is a luxury, while income is a necessity.” He adds “Most of the time, our early passions are not the best guide to our later careers.”

For our employment specialists who work with both students looking for their career paths and adults who may want to change careers, these challenges sound very familiar.

Here are some of the challenges that make finding your passion so difficult:

1. You may not know what you are passionate about.

Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, compares career decisions to choosing a life partner and suggests that decision makers need to “date” to try out different career options. “Career passion is rarely love at first sight…. When you’re considering career paths, you shouldn’t cling to your old ideas of what your passion is. Don’t pursue the job that your past self thought would make you happiest. Follow your curiosity into the job where you think you’ll learn the most, where you can gain mastery over useful skills, and build your passion over time.” In simple terms, keep an open mind.

2. You may have more than one passion.

Research shows that the search for a calling can be uncomfortable and confusing. People often get too focused on only one passion which can result in narrow tunnel vision where the decision maker fails to consider multiple interests or passions. Urging people to find their passion may lead them to put all their eggs in one career basket.

There also is evidence that being too focused on following a single passion means people are unprepared for challenges, more easily frustrated, and likely to give up when facing difficulties on the job; often assuming that since challenges exist, this must not be the right career path for them.

3. Passions evolve over time.

Passion isn’t something that is just waiting to be discovered — it’s something that takes time to figure out and develop. Grant says, “Passion is a consequence of effort,” pointing to studies following the career paths of entrepreneurs over time. Their passions became stronger the more time and effort they invested into their start-ups.

“Their passion grew as they made progress,” noted Grant. “So, the problem is, the advice to ‘follow your passion’ reflects a fixed mindset: it assumes that your interests are stable. So if you don’t immediately enjoy a field or a task, the writing is on the wall; this must not be your passion, but that’s a mistake. You don’t want to quit the moment you don’t like a job, because passion can grow over time.”

4. Career paths, like passions, require exploration.

In previous generations, workers seemed able to map out their careers early on and pursue a linear employment path. That isn’t true for the new economy. In fact, according to Workopolis, only 30 per cent of people stay in any one job for over four years. Job hopping is the new normal. In today’s job market, careers are much more fluid and workers are have to be flexible when responding to a fast-changing economy.

So instead of the old straight forward “plan-and-implement” strategy, it may be more effective to consider a “test-and-learn” approach. Think of yourself as a scientist running experiments on your career; you have a hypothesis that a job might be a good opportunity and you try it out to see if it’s a good fit.

5. You won’t always love everything about your work.

Expecting to love every aspect of your work can set you up for disappointment. You may be left wondering whether there’s something better out there which will leave you with dissatisfaction and, ultimately, regret. Chasing happiness can chase it away.

Grant points out that when you start a job at the bottom of the career ladder, you will be disappointed if you think it is going to be all fun — “most entry-level jobs aren’t designed to be fun.” If you start your career with realistic expectations, you are more likely to push through the more challenging aspects of your job and eventually move into more satisfying roles.

6. Sometimes it just isn’t realistic to expect to fulfill your passions at work.

Not everyone is going to find personal fulfillment at work. Many people have other callings—passions they pursue outside their careers. Some are perfectly content to follow their passions through volunteer work, side businesses or as hobbies in their leisure time.

“So when you’re thinking about your career,” advises Grant, “the best place to start is not to follow your passion.” Follow your curiosity into a job where you think you’ll learn the most, gain useful skills, and then build your passion over time.

Quoting some useful advice from Oprah Winfrey “Your job is not always going to fulfill you… and the number one lesson I could offer you where your work is concerned is this; Become so skilled, so vigilant, so flat-out fantastic at what you do that your talent cannot be dismissed.”

7. Consider some expert advice.

Career exploration services, such at those offered at JVS Toronto, can help you build a clear picture of what will make you feel happy and fulfilled in your career by identifying jobs that align with your interests, skills, personality and values.

Whether you’re still in school or already working, it’s never too late to put yourself on the path to a career you love.

To know if you could benefit from Career Exploration, visit our website and contact us.

August 26, 2019 5 Comments

How to Write Your Professional Bio

Whether you are looking for a new job, networking with colleagues, or giving a presentation, there will be many times throughout your professional life where you’ll be asked to “briefly introduce yourself.”

However, finding those few words to describe yourself isn’t an easy task. The challenge is to describe your professional skills, accomplishments, and personality in simple, yet compelling terms that will catch the attention of those who might be in a position to help you with your career goals. Your bio shouldn’t be just be a list of job experiences; that’s what your resume is for. Instead, it should show the person behind the accomplishments. [Read more…]

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