November 8, 2014 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: Handling the interview question “What happened at your last job?”

Dear Joanna

In my tireless efforts to look for work as a HVAC technician, I was happy to receive two excellent job offers in my field. After much deliberation, I chose the company that offered me a better compensation package. This was a big mistake. After four months of hard work, I had to quit to save my sanity because the workplace I selected was chaotic, the supervisor was a bully and the project was doomed to fail.

Help me figure out how to respond to the interview question that is always asked: “What happened at your last job?”

Signed: Quit Before Fired (QBF)

Dear QBF,

To help me answer this question, I spoke to Career Transition Consultant, Karen Hoffman, of the outplacement and human resources firm, Feldman Daxon Partners. She recommended that you should take a forward focus when dealing with this issue, and suggested that you should consider these options:

1. Consider removing the job from your resume.
This is worth consideration if you were at this company for a brief time or if it was a short-term contract. If you decide to remove the position from the resume, you will want to speak to the gap in time with confidence and transparency. Give consideration to highlighting other notable activities that would support your personal and professional growth: did you enrol in a course? engage in a self-study? attend conferences or relevant trade-shows? volunteer? travel? learn a new language?

The key is to make the gap relevant, valuable and active in both cyberspace and during the interview. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate how you continue to develop.

2. Or, add the job to your resume and prepare to talk about it…
If you do decide to acknowledge this four-month experience on your resume, then be prepared to speak about it in concrete terms. First and foremost, it is important that your reason for leaving matches what your previous employer will say. (This might be a worth quick phone call to HR which can help you craft your story – it’s also an opportunity to ask HR if they will support your leaving story, within reason.)

3. Prepare for the interview.
Do your homework in order to avoid a potentially awkward interview. Keep the response specific, short and transparent. Talk about things such as a change in management, restructuring of roles, changed career path, or skills that were not being fully utilized.

Prepare (and practice) a strategic and positive response that can be discussed with ease. Don’t end with the leaving story. Emphasize your key learning and contributions in the four months while taking the reader to what is next for your career. Forward focus! Do not try to hide from talking about the experience.

4. Beware of your language.
Do not say anything negative about your last employer. This is a red flag for interviewers. Emphasize that the last job was an important learning opportunity for you.

Best wishes for success your next interview,

Joanna

October 27, 2014 Leave a Comment

Grab the Attention of Employers: Five Steps to Develop a Personal Branding Strategy

In this overcrowded job market, it’s difficult to stand out and be noticed by employers. We know that for each job advertised, the vast majority who apply will not make it to the interview. There’s not a lot of consistent data about this, but an expert in the field claims in a Workopolis article that the “Top 2%” of candidates make it to the interview”.

The Workopolis article suggests that to be seriously considered for a position, job seekers could try various strategies such as selectively applying for the most suitable jobs, preparing a resume that highlights how they could “stand out on the job”, and targeting applications to a each posting (i.e. not using generic resumes and cover letters).

Explaining how you can “stand out on the job” is probably the most difficult task facing candidates. Developing a strategy to achieve this goal is described by job search experts as “personal branding.”

What is personal branding?

Personal branding represents the actions taken by job seekers to stand out and be noticed. It is the process of identifying your most important employment assets, and developing and implementing a strategy of communicating this information to employers.

Why brand yourself?

The goal of personal branding is to stand out in a crowd. It’s commonly known as a strategy used by corporations to attract customers and investors, but is just as useful for job seekers to be noticed by employers.

As a candidate, you have a unique set of skills and assets to offer employers. It is up to you to ensure that they notice you and respond to your candidacy.

How do you brand yourself?

1. Identify your job target.

Make sure that you are 100 percent clear about the jobs to which you intend to apply: know the job title(s), industry and type of company. This will help you determine which of your skills and background are the most important to focus on when describing yourself

2. Understand the needs of the employer.

Clarify the most important skills and assets needed by employers for your target job:

Scan relevant job postings online and develop a list of all the qualifications listed by employers
Network with potential employers or with successful employees in your field and ask them for insight into the most valuable assets for the job.

3. Figure out your most important assets.

Identify your unique strengths as a candidate, which may include:

“Soft” or Transferable skills: your “I am” (personal) abilities (e.g. organizational, interpersonal, teamwork)
Hard skills: your “I can” skills which you have learnt (e.g. software, languages, specific professional knowledge)
Experience/background: your “I have” assets (e.g. education, certification, particular work, relevant personal or volunteer experience, specific number of years in a field, been promoted, been awarded/recognized, dealt with certain people — such as difficult customers)
Objective: your “I would like to” statement (e.g. “my goal is to work in a company/job where I can…”)

A candidate cannot just be “good enough” for a job. You need to figure out which of your strengths are unique and which provide you with an advantage over the many other candidates vying for the position. Perhaps your biggest asset is your flexibility and willingness to start at the bottom of the ladder? Maybe you have solid experience and specific product knowledge that many do not?

4. Develop a branding statement.

Based on what you have learned from job postings, develop a clear, honest and compelling statement, which you can use to describe yourself in simple terms. Keep in mind that if you have multiple goals, you might need to develop a few different versions of your branding statement, which focus on various combinations of your assets.

Write out your statement, learn to say it with ease and confidence. Be ready to talk about it and to explain it further, if asked. You might need to share examples from your work history to demonstrate your claims about yourself; have those ready.

5. Spread the word!

Take every opportunity you can to include your branding statement (or a version of it) in your communication with employers:

Add it to your resume — in the Summary of Qualifications/Profile
Integrate it into your “tell me about yourself” or elevator pitch introduction for interviews and networking opportunities
Add it to your social media profiles, such as on your LinkedIn Summary, your Twitter or blog profiles
Integrate it into your cover letter
Steer your references to include points from your statement in their letters

Approach your branding strategy in a proactive and deliberate way. The more planful and detailed your strategy, the better you will be at making sure that you are the tree that stands out in the overwhelming forest of candidates vying for that perfect job.

October 20, 2014 1 Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: Mature workers dealing with tricky interview questions

Dear Joanna

I guess that I’m part of the older or mature worker demographic. I am currently working, but need to make more money. I have been applying for better paying jobs in my field, and have been invited in to several in-person interviews which have not led to any job offers.

Do you have any recommendations as to how to respond to these complicated questions as an over-55 job applicant?

Signed: Too Old To Apply

Dear Too Old,

You are NEVER too old to look and apply for work. Get past the negative labels facing the older worker, mature worker, senior or elder, remarks Barbara J. Bowes, president of Legacy Bowes Group and member of the “over 55 group.”

Statistics Canada reported that one out of four individuals in the workforce are age 55 or over; Bowes adds that “this age range cohort is expected to continue at this size as baby boomers age and individuals continue to stay at their current workplace or re-enter in another role with another organization.” Bowes describes most employee candidates in the age range of 55-plus today as healthy, motivated and highly skilled. She presents a list of tricky questions that potential employers tend to ask the over 50 job applicant. Her responses could help you better prepare for your next interview.

Question 1. Describe your long-term plans

Two of the common interview questions, “What are your long-term career plans?” or “Where do you see yourself in five years?” often create awkward moments for older workers. The response strategy is to provide an answer that isn’t too specific, but sufficient to prevent further probing.

Some sample responses include the following:

“If you’re asking how long I would stay with your organization, the answer is that I would stay as long as I am challenged and experiencing job satisfaction”
“I’m the kind of person who thrives on challenge and as long as you can offer a challenge, I’ll be here.”

Question 2. How do you feel about reporting to a younger leader?

This question relates to the myth that older workers will not take direction from a younger leader. Although reference to age is a prohibited human rights offence, you might still experience this blunt question, or a less direct version of it.

The best way to answer this question is to once again provide a response that is somewhat indirect, such as the following:

“I have always had strong respect for good leaders no matter what age or gender.”
“There are a lot of young people in the workforce that have made significant contributions early in their career and I respect that.”

Question 3. You seem to be over-qualified. What specifically interests you in the job?

Another question the older workers will often be asked is related to the issue of being over-qualified. No matter how offensive this question is to older workers, formulate a neutral response and do not let your emotions get in the way.

This could be as follows:

“I agree, I would bring a good deal of experience to your company.”
“I don’t believe in the concept of over-qualified. I find there is always something to learn in every new job.”

Question 4. You have been with your company for a while. What makes you think you can make the adjustments to a new company?

Bowes coins this question as whether the “mature dog is ready for new tricks”. Another key challenge encountered by older workers, especially those who remained with one employer for a good length of time, is the perception that change will be difficult for them. The implication is that learning a new organization and perhaps a new way of doing things will not come easily and will prevent the worker from adapting quickly to the new work environment.

Highlighting your continued community or volunteer work, activity in social media, and engagement in lifelong learning by discussing your current and future educational professional development activities, and new designations and how you love to learn and grow professionally and personally. Bowes suggests that you need to focus on your transferable skills and the many changes you have already successfully encountered in your earlier work-life.

Provide a response to the issue as follows:

“I have been a dedicated employee for XX years and during that time, I was promoted three times and undertook several new changes just for the sake of learning. I am confident I will fit into your company in a short time.”

Question 5. How are your information technology skills?

Employers also frequently make the assumption that older workers lack information technology skills.

You can provide two responses such as the following:

“Actually, I have been working with proprietary CSM software for a number of years and I am very proficient in using the Microsoft Office Suite.“
“I have always been a quick learner and while I am familiar with the common software, I am confident I can quickly learn your customized software.”

Question 6. What are your salary expectations?

It is important that you do your labour market research in advance of the interview to find out what is the average rate of pay for your position with the competitors. You can respond to this question by describing your research findings regarding the fair market compensation package.

Never quit your job before you have a new one, but you will need to be open to taking some steps back in salary and responsibility. It is important because you have to start somewhere and you might have start at the beginning.

Best of luck with your job search,

Joanna

October 6, 2014 Leave a Comment

Lying on Your Resume: is it worth it?

Search for the term “resume lies” on the Internet and you’ll find a range of studies quoted, saying that between a third to over half of resumes include misrepresentations of some kind. Worst of all, it seems that employers are assuming that candidates are not telling the whole truth; many are investing time and money gathering information from references and researching candidates on social media. This means that there’s a high likelihood of being caught in a lie, big or small, and that employers are probably not very forgiving of these lies either.

Why do people lie?

My experience working with job seekers has shown me that people don’t necessarily misrepresent themselves out of greed, laziness or a lack of morality. I have met many job seekers who have been struggling to find work over a long period of time, and have become worn down, fearful and desperate to do whatever it takes to get back in the workplace. They’ve often tried unsuccessfully to be totally honest. Many say that employers are sometimes dishonest in how they describe the job and pay, leading them to feel a little less guilty about not representing themselves absolutely truthfully.

Many of the job seekers I meet have a lot to offer a job, but fear being overlooked because of difficulties over which they did not have control, which might include:

work history gaps (due to a health problem or family reasons, for example)
lack of specific experience (for example, an employer wants 5 years, but the candidate has 3)
being over or under qualified (for example, an internationally trained doctor who wants to work as a medical assistant)
having a specific skill at a certain level (the difference between intermediate and advanced Excel skills, for example)

Is it worthwhile to lie on a resume?

Probably not. Putting aside all moral claims about lying for a moment — it’s not even practical to do so. More than ever, employers have access to a number of tools to help them verify the validity of a resume. These include thorough reference checking, surveying social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter), criminal and other background checks (e.g. checking membership in professional association, verifying accreditation with licensing bodies, utilizing services such as HireRight.com). The result of being caught in a lie can be dire, with candidates risking the possibility of developing a reputation of dishonesty that might affect future positions with other employers.

So, what do I do to overcome resume problems?

Obviously, do your best to identify your barriers and tackle them. For example, the impact of a gap in recent work history can be reduced with doing some volunteer work and/or taking a course. Specific skills and experience can also be gained through volunteer work.

Second, figure out the best way to tackle the barriers head on, being as honest and detailed as you can, but not unnecessarily so.

Some ideas:

Work history gaps:
- Include all volunteer and course work on the resume, in chronological order; if you are presently doing a course or have recently completed one, list your education before your employment
- Always list dates, though not necessarily months; simply list the years in which you did each job
- Rather than lying or ignoring the truth, try to explain the gaps in simple unapologetic language

Spotty work history (multiple short-term jobs):
- If you worked for an agency, list the contracts together under one title; for example “Office Administrator, various contracts via ABC Agency, 2009-2013”
- If you cannot combine the jobs, label them as “contracts” [Office Administration (contract), XYZ Company, 2013-2014″]
- Leave out the especially short jobs — no need to include everything
- Consider a Functional Resume, though it’s not always recommended for all sectors

Irrelevant work history (career change):
- Identify the skills you need to showcase and highlight them under each job
- A Functional Resume allows for candidates to showcase their transferable skills
- If you have completed a recent course that gave you the training and certification for the your new career, list them ahead of your work history

Finally, probably the most effective way to deal with problems on a resume is to make sure that the employer hears about you, or — even better — meets you BEFORE reading your resume. That way, you can make the first impression and explain your background, rather than that two-page piece of paper that is your resume.

September 15, 2014 Leave a Comment

Resume Writing Basics – Step 5: Completing Your Resume

This is the final post in my ongoing Resume Writing Basics series, which included the following:

an overview of the basics of resume writing, including an outline of the information to be included in a resume
a detailed description of the formatting needed to create an easy-to-read resume
tips for writing a Profile Summary that catches employers’ attention
a guide for outlining an impressive Employment History

All that remains is to list your education and training, and volunteer experience, if relevant. Most resumes also end off with a mention of references.

List your education and training

Most employers are impressed by the candidate’s education, regardless of whether it is directly related to the job, so it is always worthwhile to include your highest education, as well as any other degrees of certifications. The best format: the degree, the school and its location (e.g. Bachelor of Art, Ryerson University, Toronto).

It is generally not necessary to include dates, as these just give the employer too much information about your approximate age. However, if you just recently graduated and you want to explain the employer what you have been doing in the last few years, add dates and consider bringing the section up higher up in the resume, above the Employment History.

In addition to all your degrees, it may be useful to list any relevant courses or certification you might have obtained. This might include any on-the-job training, as well. List only courses that are relevant to your work.

Don’t leave off volunteer work

Employers tend to be impressed by involvement in community activities, so it’s well worth including it in the resume.

You can add it, using the same format recommended for Employment History under a separate heading, or you may include the volunteer jobs in your employment history. If you add your volunteer roles to your jobs, make sure to clearly indicate the volunteer jobs clearly as such.

Mention (but don’t include) your references

It is generally recommended that candidates do not include references in or with their resume. So, by way of reassuring the employer that you do have references and will share them when the right time comes (i.e. at the interview), you can add a line at the end that states something to the that “References are Available Upon Request” (One of my clients even cheekily stated that “Enthusiastic References are Available Upon Request”).

Final note..

For resume samples, there are some good online resources such as The Balance’s Sample Resumes, Monster.ca and WorkBloom. Keep in mind though, that resumes differ by industry, country and sector. This means that job seekers should thoroughly research the best resume formats by consulting with employers and employees who work in their target jobs, before finalizing the resume.