February 6, 2017 Leave a Comment

How to Find a Summer Job

We may still be in the depths of winter, but if you are hoping to find summer employment, it’s time to start looking. In fact, it’s late – the Government of Canada Summer Jobs program has closed for 2017 already (next time, check the website in August of the year before).

Employers are already looking ahead to the summer, and are already thinking of ways to accommodate staff vacation requests for July and August. Summer hiring happens everywhere, in a range of sectors. These include those obviously related to the season such as amusement parks, summer camps, resorts, and camp grounds, as well as seasonal sectors such as landscaping, tourism, and agriculture. Government post jobs for students in a range of departments, on all three levels, including municipal, provincial and federal.

It’s not just students who benefit from summer hiring — some of the jobs are open to anyone. These jobs may even provide opportunities than might turn into full-time permanent work. [Read more…]

January 23, 2017 2 Comments

Ask the Employment Specialist: How do I update my skills?

Dear Employment Specialist,

I am a computer programmer with a company that designs transportation solutions for the trucking industry. I know I am lucky to have my job, but I worry about keeping up my skills, with new advancements coming up all the time in my field. I worry that it eventually will be necessary for my company to replace me with someone else who has the new skills and knowledge, because I have not been keeping updated.

My employer doesn’t do much to help me with updating my skills and I don’t really have the money or time to take off to go take a course. Any suggestions on where or how I could improve my skills?

Signed: Struggling to Keep Up (STKU)

Dear STKU,

Some people might be surprised to hear that employers in the ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) sector struggle to find employees with the skills they need. In fact research that examined ICT trends for the next few years, showed that by 2019 there are expected to be 182,000 jobs in that won’t be filled in Canada because of a lack of skills. A Globe and Mail article recently pointed out that these include careers such as “computer programmers, software engineers, data administrators, information systems analysts and network operators – good paying, interesting jobs in a variety of fields, including healthcare, entertainment, financial services, marketing, and just about any other industry you can think of.”

You are not the only one we have heard from in your field who complains that while employers ask in interviews about candidate’s commitment to life long learning, they don’t always make it easy for ICT professionals to get the training they need. So, it’s up to you to take the initiative and seek out courses. The good news is that there are many online options available.

Many of the high demand skills in your sector can be learnt online, often using high quality, low cost or free sites. The Globe and Mail article identifies some good suggestions for accessible online courses, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which are free online courses, often from highly respected universities and colleges. Look for courses on sites such as Coursera, EDx, Udacity, and Code School which are especially renowned for information technology and computer sciences.

I commend you for making an effort to keep your skills up to date. Try to stay ahead of the curve, by tracking which skills are in high demand. You can do this by reviewing job postings in your field, and identifying what employers ask for. Set up online job alerts, and keep track of jobs as they are posted.

One final tip — if your employer is open to paying for training, the government of Ontario might be able to help. Working with the Government of Canada, they offer The Canada-Ontario Job Grant to provide financial support to employers who wish to purchase short-term training to existing and new employees. JVS Toronto is an approved service provider of the Grant through our five Employment Services locations in the City of Toronto and York Region. Contact us for more information.

Good luck with your career.

January 9, 2017 Leave a Comment

Use LinkedIn to Find Work in 2017

Since launching in 2003, LinkedIn has grown into the largest online professional networking site, with over 380 million members worldwide, including over 12 million users in Canada. As economic changes have happened globally, and with the increasing popularity of online job search, LinkedIn is acknowledged as a leader in connecting job seekers to potential employers, with 94% of recruiters using LinkedIn to vet candidates.

What are the benefits of LinkedIn for the average job searcher, then?

First, it allows you to connect with people who may be in a position to help promote your career. Remember – it’s not only what you know, or who you know; these days, it’s who knows you and how easily they can find you that matters.

Second, by setting up a strong and impressive LinkedIn profile, you are showcasing your social media skills; your social media savvyness might be helpful to convince employers that you have up-to-date abilities.

Also, a complete profile on LinkedIn will show up in the top results of a Google search that an employer might conduct. It will help you control your online image, and override anything else that might appear about you online.

Finally, it is a great source of up-to-date information and insights about jobs, companies and trends. You can learn about companies, read up on trends and join discussions with like-minded professionals in your field.

Here are some steps to help you set up and begin using your profile on LinkedIn:

1. Prepare — set aside some time to put together your profile. Have the following ready:

You will need an updated resume, which is complete, well worded and accurate, and includes a well written profile summary
Prepare a list of key words that describe your most relevant skills and achievements; the best source of these skills is from online job postings – have a look at the qualifications employers are requesting and use the SPECIFIC words that they list. Remember that LinkedIn, Google and the rest of the Internet is key word driven – if you don’t use the specific words needed to describe your abilities, you will not be found in a search
Prepare a profile photo to upload – keep it simple and professional
Be willing to access your email address book, from which you will download your contacts to connect with them.

2. Complete your LinkedIn profile – your goal is to eventually achieve a 100% completeness.

Add your jobs and education — include jobs from the last 10-15 years of work, or even more. Use the correct job titles and company names. Include a relevant description of what you did in each job — cut and paste from your resume; you can always edit it later on LinkedIn, if you feel the need to add or modify your profile
Upload your profile photo — images are very useful to validate your profile; profiles without photos tend to be perceived as either fake, or simply incomplete
Connect with people – be open to invite as many people as you know and accepting invitations from a range of people; generally, it’s better to have more contacts rather than less. You never know who might know someone (or something) that may be of use to you. Make sure not to send out mass invitations, and that each invitation is personalized, including a brief reminder about how you know that person
Seek out recommendations – start with offering to write recommendations first, if that helps

3. Use your profile to meet your goals — don’t just set it up and walk away:

Set out to connect with and meet new people – expand your network through joining groups and participating in discussions, online and in person networking sessions
Job Search on LinkedIn – the job search tool is excellent and will help you discover who is hiring and whether you know anyone who can recommend you to a job
Identify a list of target companies, seek them out on LinkedIn and follow them to see who they hire and for what positions
Update your status – share interesting articles and keep your contacts updated about your activities – stay positive and upbeat, but make sure they know that you are looking for work.

As with any job search tool, LinkedIn is only as effective as the amount of time and effort you put into it. Make sure to keep using it, consistently staying in touch with your contacts, reaching out to new people and companies, as well as join networks and discussions. By harnessing the power of the most up to date job search tool available, and using it well, you will be showing employers that you have the cutting edge skills they need for a changing economy.

January 2, 2017 Leave a Comment

Find a Job in 2017: New Year Resolutions for Job Seekers

If your plans for the new year include finding a new job, the start of a new year is a perfect opportunity to launch a new, carefully thought through work finding strategy. Considering how many talented and experienced job seekers are unemployed and seeking new opportunities, it’s important to remember that those who will be successful will be not only those with skills and experience needed by employers, but job seekers who are easily noticed by them.

In the last year, we offered a range of tips worth considering when upping your job search game and be more easily noticed by employers.

What can you do to be best prepared to find your next great job?

1. Update your resume

An updated resume is obviously always important. The changes brought on by new technology make new demands on this document: resumes will be read on the computer screen, and are often preselected through a computerized Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before any person even sees the resume. For job seekers, this means that they need to carefully format their resume and choose the wording thoughtfully.

Our Employment Specialist has offered some good advice on this to a job seeker in a previous blog post about the ATS, and in another previous posts, you will find tips for dealing with resume gaps as well as a discussion about the resume formats preferred by employers.

2. Up your social media game

As a job seeker, it is important to ensure that you are easily found on Google, where potential employers are most likely to look for you. Most importantly to this end, make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete and updated. That includes ensuring that your LinkedIn Summary is the best it can be, since it is the first things employers read when they find your profile. In addition to LinkedIn, consider Twitter as a way of gathering information, networking and tips.

Social media is an excellent tool to help market your transferable skills. In the last year, we provided tips for how social media can be used to support the various changes in your career, whether you are making decisions at high school, making a career change or considering relocation.

3. Enhance your skills

Even if you think your skills are up to par in terms of employer expectations, it’s now 2017 and your skills and experience now appear a year old (at least on your resume). Consider it a challenge to engage in an activity which will enable you to add “2017” to your resume.

It might be a course (such as updating your computer skills or CPR certification). Courses can be found at your local community centre, community college (look for the continuing education courses, for part-time options).

Another possibility is to volunteer in a meaningful role. If you live in Toronto, you can find volunteer postings at Volunteer Toronto, or Canada-wide, you will find your local volunteer centre here.

Make sure to add your newly acquired skills and experience your resume and LinkedIn profile.

4. Expand your Network

This goes back to that old truth about finding work — it’s not only about what you know, but who you know. Time to reconnect with old contacts and make new ones. LinkedIn might be the best way to start the process — see who you know, and figure out who you would like to get to know.

Go out and meet with people face-to-face; ask questions, get support and guidance and make sure they know that you are still looking for a new opportunity.

5. Look for new sources of job alerts to your email inbox

Many job search sites allow users to set up job alerts, which will send them emails with jobs that match their specific criteria. We recently posted a detailed list of job boards, where jobs can be found by keyword and location, and saved an Email Alert or RSS Feed.

That way, you can apply directly from your email box. Just remember to carefully choose your key words and set your location carefully (50 km range is too wide, and 5 km too close)

2017 has the potential to be a year of economic growth and new opportunities. Make sure that you are ready to benefit from these opportunities as they arise.

December 19, 2016 2 Comments

Write a Cover Letter that Catches the Employer’s Attention

If first impressions are as important as psychologists tell us, cover letters should be considered one of the most important aspects of the job search process. When a potential employer reads the letter accompanying your resume, it is often the first time they encounter you and your only chance to make a good first impression.

For a moment, put yourself in the employer’s shoes: after posting a job they are anxious to fill quickly and easily, they are often overwhelmed with hundreds of applications. They sort through one application after another, hoping to be struck by the few who seem suitably well qualified, likeable and competent enough to be invited for an interview.

Employers are aware that not all resumes are accompanied by a cover letter. It also true that many employers might not even bother to read the cover letter. But we also know that some employers will look for a cover letter, and failing to find it, might reject the job application.

As an employment counsellor, I have noticed that for many job seekers, cover letters are often the weakest aspect of their job search efforts, and they are often neglected until the last moment before sending in a job application. If written at all, they are often generic, awkwardly worded and not very substantial, leaving the reader with a sense that not much effort was put into preparing them.

It is useful to think about its definition and purpose to determine what should go into an effective letter. A cover letter can be described as a one-page letter that accompanies a resume, introduces the candidate and motivates the employer to read the resume and consider the candidate for a position. A cover letter should clarify the link between the employer’s needs (which is often described as “qualifications” on the posting) and you (as listed in the “profile” or “summary” in your resume).

Your cover letter is an opportunity to market yourself to the employer by:

indicating that you have read the job posting and understand the expectations of the employer
showing your interest and enthusiasm
introducing your resume and identifying the specific aspects of the resume that are most relevant to the job
showing off your excellent writing skills, both in terms of grammar and spelling
indicating to the employer that you can and will follow instructions by applying exactly the way the employer requested in the job ad/posting

Cover letters should accompany almost any resume, whether it is in response to a posting, is solicited (i.e. the employer asked you to send them a resume), or even unsolicited (i.e. you are sending the resume to employers, in case they are hiring).

Check your cover letter against this checklist of “do’s” and “don’ts”:

Follow the instructions in the posting, making sure to submit it on time and to the specific person outlined in the advertisement
Keep the letter short, simple and easy to read
Don’t use a generic cover letter; instead, write a unique and personalized letter for each employer
Use a formal tone, but show the level of enthusiasm that is suitable to the type of position to which you are applying
Match the format of the letter to your resume in terms of the font and “letterhead” (i.e. the format you use for your name and address)
Don’t forget to include the specific job title as identified in the job posting, including any reference numbers provided by the employer
Make sure to mention where you found the job posting
Describe yourself to the employer in terms of the specific qualifications requested in the posting; don’t assume that the employer will read your resume unless they find what they need in the cover letter
Before sending it, always check your spelling and grammar very carefully
Don’t depend on Spell-check — it will only pick up some errors, not all (it won’t pick up a mistake if it is a real word — for example, it won’t pick up using “form” instead of “from”)

For samples of cover letters, check out one of my favourite websites, such as The Muse .

As the expression goes, you only get one opportunity to make a good first impression. It is well worth investing time and effort in writing a high-quality letter that conveys your enthusiasm and shows the employer the reasons for considering your unique candidacy for the position. Capturing the interest of the employer can be a deal breaker; if your cover letter does not impress, the employer will probably not read your resume or call you for an interview, whereas a well-worded and thoughtful letter can go a long way toward that position you are working so hard to get.

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