July 9, 2018 2 Comments

Dealing with change and stress in an uncertain world

While some people might claim to enjoy unpredictability, many (probably most) of us find it exhausting, stressful and even overwhelming. The old expression that says that “there are two certainties in life: death and taxes” leaves out the most frequent, unpredictable and arguably most stress-inducing inevitability in life: change. As with death and taxes, the challenge isn’t so much that we will have to face inevitable transitions in our lives, as much as how we deal with them.

Change is a consistent challenge throughout our working lives, whether we are dealing with job loss, making career decisions, looking for work, starting a new job or career, or just dealing with changes in the workplace (a new boss, different duties or a new software program to master). Mostly, when changes happen, most of us somehow find strength and keep going, facing and handling the new challenges. But every now and then, the stress overwhelms and we begin to doubt our ability to face life’s demands and move forward effectively.

The world of work has become an increasingly stressful place, with an increasing number of people working in less secure positions, often for lower pay. Many people are handling multiple responsibilities on the job and are often expected to work long hours, for which they are not always properly paid or recognized. Job search also seems more challenging, with candidates competing with a large number of talented potential hires. Of course, having 24/7 access to news and opinions in social and other media, many of which seem to thrive on drama and gloom, does not help stress either. It is hard to keep a sense of perspective when you are surrounded by negative reports on the economy and job market, inevitably making you feel that you are not competitive enough: too old, too young, insufficiently skilled or experienced, having too much experience, facing discrimination for your ethnicity, race, gender, abilities, country of origin, language, and so many other factors.

Over my 25 years of counselling and coaching people as they face job and career changes, I have discovered that there isn’t one way that works for everyone to handle such stress. If you have ever sought support online, from friends or even professionals, you might have found that even though people have lots of advice, there often isn’t much that applies to you specifically. You might have even started to wonder whether there is something terribly wrong with you, since everyone else seems to be coping better than you. Judging from others’ Facebook updates and what you observe, most people you know seem might seem happier, more confident and satisfied with their lives. The thing is that appearances often hide the truth: no one is coping quite as well as it seems on the surface — everyone has their moments of weakness, terror and doubt, often much more commonly than it appears.

The question, then, is what might work to help you move forward past the stress that comes with life’s changes. Here are some of the more successful techniques that my clients have tried:

Get support.

Reach out for supports from others, whether they are friends or family. Don’t be shy about asking for help from those around you who are willing and able to provide an ear, some support, guidance or even more. Call people up and invite them out for a cup of coffee. Sometimes just the act of sharing your concerns and saying them out loud will give you a new perspective or motivate you to move forward. By reaching out to others, you may be gifting someone with an opportunity to take on a helpful role that they always wanted.

Get advice and help from professionals.

Remember that organisations such as JVS Toronto exist to provide services and expertise that might help you achieve your career or work goals. There are also many online resources that might help you tweak a resume or find a new way of looking for work (subscribe to the JVS Blog for a guide with resume writing and other tips). If stress is beginning to overwhelm you and is affecting your ability to function day-to-day, go see your Doctor — they might have some resources that could help, and could refer you as needed. Some physicians even offer psychotherapy as part of their publicly funded services (such as OHIP in Ontario).

Change things up.

Mark Twain was right when he said that “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.” Perhaps you need a new routine or a different way of meeting your goals. If job search is your challenge, try volunteering, taking a course to update your skills, or seeking out new strategies to find work. If you’ve been staying home a lot, make an effort to get out – join an interest group, or if you’re not spending enough time focusing on job search, set aside a few times a week to go the library or local resource centre to do some focused work without the distractions of home.

Take care of your physical health.

Consider taking up some simple activities, such as a brisk walk around your neighbourhood with a friend, swimming or joining a class in the local community centre. The benefits of exercise go well beyond simple physical fitness – there is evidence that exercise is an effective way to handle stress or depression, with Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Michael Craig Miller recommending that it’s helpful to even “start with five minutes a day of walking or any activity you enjoy. Soon, five minutes of activity will become 10, and 10 will become 15.”

Give yourself a break.

Your mental health also requires attention; borrow a good book from the library, watch a favourite movie or just allow yourself some “me” time. Don’t do it guiltily, otherwise you won’t reap the relaxation benefits. Think of self-care as part of what you have to do to be able to move forward in your life. Make sure to get enough sleep, which is key for focus and stress management.

As Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are (which is a very good source of advice on handling stress – look for it at your local library) makes an important point: “There are always waves on the water. Sometimes they are big, sometimes they are small, and sometimes they are almost imperceptible. The water’s waves are churned up by the winds, which come and go and vary in direction and intensity, just as do the winds of stress and change in our lives, which stir up the waves in our minds. (…) You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
Simply put: change happens and you can’t always control that; but you can influence how you respond to it.

June 11, 2018 2 Comments

Get to know Google’s new Job Search Feature

Google has launched a job search feature to help users find job postings without having to leave the search engine. This function has the potential to be much more effective than using a specific website to find jobs, in that it scans for the job title throughout the internet, rather than being limited by known sources. You might even discover new, unknown sources of jobs in your field.

The best part of the function is how simple it is: just use the usual google search bar, by entering a job title and the word “job”.

Here’s how you use it:

1. Search:

Open your Google search page and enter the job title in the search. You can specify a location (e.g. “Toronto”) and/or a level (e.g. “entry level”). If you don’t specify location, it will search near your current location, within a range that you can specify. Google will searches multiple career sites such as Monster, ZipRecruiter, LinkedIn and Glassdoor, as well as agency sites and others.

2. Sort through the results:

Click on the blue box to open a full page and view the search results, and sort through all the jobs. Options are available to narrow the jobs by Title, Location, Date posted, Type (e.g. full time or contract), Company type (i.e. industry) and Employer.

3. Save jobs for future reference:

Next to the job title there is an option to save a job for future reference, and return to it at a later date. You will be able to do so only if you have a Google account and are logged into it.

4. Create an Alert:

If you find that the search results are useful, you can get set up an alert system to email you whenever jobs are posted that match your criteria. (Google Alerts are useful for any topic – you may use them to be alerted whenever their own name or a subject of interest is mentioned anywhere on the internet). Alerts can be edited or cancelled as needed.

5. Apply:

Google will direct you to sites where the job posted and you can take it from there, as you would usually when you find a job online.

May 28, 2018 1 Comment

How recruiters can help you get hired

My clients often ask me how to connect with recruiters to help find a job, and whether it is worth the effort. There isn’t one simple answer to this question – it depends on the profession, the job seeker and on the demand for their skills in the job market. For some job seekers, recruiters can be very useful when looking for work.

What do recruiters do?

Recruiters work for the employer, not the job seeker. They help collect resumes, screen applicants, and conduct job interviews, either for one company or via an agency. Recruiters are most useful if you work in a field where there’s a large demand for your skills, experience and expertise — often more senior staff, who might work in larger companies. Recruiters also hire temporary staff.

There are two different types of recruiters: in-house and agency. In-house recruiters are employed by a specific company to hire employees. Agency recruiters work for an employment agency, to help multiple companies find employees; they get paid when they fill a position – often a percentage of the salary paid to the candidate.

Recruiters use multiple methods to find, connect with, and monitor potential candidates, including online job boards (such as this), recruitment agency boards (such as those listed here), company websites (such as this), as well as LinkedIn.

How do agencies work?

To get a job through an agency, applicants need to register either via a posting found on a job board such as Monster.ca or Indeed.ca, or directly on the agency’s site. If the agency is a reputable one, candidates who register will be contacted by a recruiter for a brief discussion about their eligibility for the position. Suitable candidates will get called into the agency to be interviewed and possibly skill-tested. References will be called. Candidates might be placed in full-time or temporary jobs, many starting on a temporary basis first before considering them for full time employment.

For candidates, it’s important to treat the recruitment agency interview as you would any job interview: be prepared to speak about yourself clearly, confidently and honestly, to build a trusting relationship with the recruiter. Remember that it is the recruiter’s job to represent you to an employer, so give them the information they need to do so effectively.

Candidates are not limited to only one agency. It is well worth registering with multiple agencies, to access a variety of jobs in your area. Recruiters won’t necessarily refer every candidate to a position, no matter how well qualified they may seem. Recruiters may have their own personal preferences which impact on their choices. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that candidates can’t apply for the job independently, according to some recruiters: “Sometimes a company will be more willing to hire you without the recruiter’s fee attached.”

Connect with recruiters on LinkedIn:

Update your profile. LinkedIn reports that adding detailed work experience will result in 12x more profile views; it also makes your profile 36x more likely to be found by recruiters.
Signal your availability to recruiters. LinkedIn recently introduced an option for job seekers to quietly indicate their availability to recruiters, called Career Interests. This allows candidates to provide some basic information about their career goals to recruiters privately.
Seek them out. LinkedIn offers recruiters and job seekers an easy and effective way to connect. There are two main ways to find recruiters on this platform: Use the search bar to find people who call themselves “recruiter” – review their profile to identify whether they recruit in your field and location, conduct a job search, and look through the job postings for the name of the poster (some job postings include the name and profile of an individual poster)
Reach out and connect with the suitable recruiters. Include a brief introductory note, telling them about your employment goals.

Communicate with the recruiter:

When the recruiter accepts the connection request (and most will!), thank them for connecting with you.
In the next message, briefly introduce yourself and tell them what you want “I saw a position on your website” (share links to the job, if you have) or “I am interested in a __________ position.”
Mention if possible something you might share — like LinkedIn contacts, location or anything else, to break the ice.
Tell them what you would like them to do “Can you please pass along my resume to the person responsible for hiring XXX?” or “I recently applied for XXX and I’m trying to get a status update on my application. Would you mind checking for me?”
Keep it short and focused.
Stay in touch: Thank the recruiter for their efforts on your behalf, follow their instructions regarding the opportunities they provide you. Check in regularly; update them on your job search and availability.

While recruiters can be a source of good job opportunities, don’t rely on them exclusively to find your next job. They are only one tool in a job seekers toolkit. Do what you can to reach out and be available, but keep looking for work independently.

April 30, 2018 4 Comments

References required! How to gather references that’ll help you get your next job

You know you have successfully passed the interview stage when the employer finally asks for references. It’s an exciting moment. And it’s a little frightening, as well, because at this point you no longer have influence over the job application; you are dependent on other people being available, willing and able to talk about you convincingly.

Employers’ expectations regarding references aren’t necessarily consistent (just like every other aspect of the hiring process). Sometimes, employers ask for them at the end of a good interview, sometimes they call for the reference list after the interview, and other times they don’t want them at all. Sometimes, employers ask for references up front, in the job posting.

So what is a job seeker to do? [Read more…]

April 2, 2018 Leave a Comment

Leverage your Network to get Job Referrals

If you have ever sought job search advice, you are familiar with the age old recommendation to “network, network, network”. Networking for work means strategically reaching out to people with the explicit intention to develop ties that can lead to employment opportunities and referrals.

The process of building a referral network is mutually beneficial for both job seekers and the employers. For employers, a thoughtful referral from a well-respected source can be very useful to help identify a standout candidate with unique skills. According to Jobvite’s survey, 74% of recruiters view referrals as the source of “higher quality” candidates; 51% of recruiters reported that they consider employee referrals the third most important hiring factor, (after previous job experience and culture fit). SilkRoad’s Sources of Hire 2017 Report revealed that employee referrals are the biggest source for hires. This is so effective that some employers have Employee Referral Programs, which offer financial incentives to employees who successfully refer a suitable candidate.

[Read more…]

Jump-start Your Job Search

Jump-start Your Job Search - Sidebar

First name

Last name

Phone

Your Postal Code

Age range

Citizenship status

Have you been approved by IRCC for Permanent Residency in Ontario?

If you are human, leave this field blank.