August 7, 2024 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: Job Search Mistakes

Dear Joanna,

I am a very busy office manager who was trying to source a qualified full-time receptionist for our office. After posting the job opportunity on several websites, I was shocked to receive over 200 applications with resumes that quite frankly were inappropriate. A time-consuming and painful process, I sorted through other peoples’ messy applications, was able to select four candidates who appeared on paper to be suitable but in reality, were a disaster.

What would you say are the biggest mistakes job seekers make in their search for employment?

Signed: Big Mistakes Don’t Work (BMDW)

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July 24, 2024 Leave a Comment

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

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:

How old do you want to appear on your resume?
How relevant are your earlier positions to your job objective?
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

July 24, 2024 Leave a Comment

How to Explain the Pandemic Employment Gap

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When the COVID pandemic first struck, we assumed it would pass quickly. Faced with a flood of newly unemployed clients, employment counsellors expressed reassurance that this was short-lived and temporary and that resume gaps would be barely noticeable. Frustratingly, the pandemic kept resurging like a never-ending hurricane, leaving in its wake an unanticipated economic crisis.

Many of my clients have described their resumes as having a “hole” in them where 2020 should have been, worrying that with increased unemployment and fewer jobs, it might be even harder to find work. Some have been forced to stay home during the pandemic, homeschooling kids and caring for vulnerable health issues in themselves and others, while others have taken survival jobs such as warehouse workers, grocery clerks, or delivery drivers.

The question that matters most is what employers think: how are they responding to this gap? It is probably fair to assume that they are very familiar with this issue and are willing to look beyond it to consider candidates, so it might not necessarily prevent you from being called to an interview. However, it is very likely that the question “What did you do during the pandemic?” will come up in interviews, and job seekers should prepare a well-thought-through answer.

When preparing an answer to the gap question, keep these strategies in mind:

1. Prepare a clear and specific explanation about what exactly happened.

Think through how you would describe what happened when you were laid off. Remember that even if you have been furloughed/temporarily laid off and are still considered an employee, an employer may still want to know about what you have been doing while at home.

Be truthful – remember that many job seekers have been out of work and that it does not necessarily reflect on your ability or value in the job market. Everyone has been through the pandemic, and we all know someone who has taken parental leave or taken off time to care for a loved one or to deal with a health problem. Explain in simple, clear terms – don’t dwell — and move on to focusing on the future or present.

Your ability to talk about the gap with self-awareness and confidence can be impressive and can go a long way to convince employers that the gap has not affected your confidence or sense of self-worth.

2. Describe what you have been doing during the gap, focusing on what matters.

List the activities you have engaged in since the layoff, such as volunteering, homeschooling, survival work, hobbies/personal projects, online courses and job search. Focus on the activities that indicate skills employers would value, such as initiative, collaboration, and learning new skills. On the other hand, try not to exclude things such as caregiving, which might reflect on your values and resilience.

Think through everything you have done since the pandemic hit. Adaptability and innovativeness are highly valued in this new economy. How did you adapt to the changes? Did you set up a home office? Did you learn new remote job skills or job search skills? Show that you had some control during the time—talk about what you did confidently and assertively without sounding regretful or apologetic.

3. It’s not too late to get active now.

If you feel you should have more to tell employers about what you have been doing, remember that it is not too late to volunteer, work, or learn new skills/knowledge online. Check out our blog about online learning opportunities. Consider volunteering – Volunteer Canada, for example, offers a list of COVID-related volunteer opportunities and remote opportunities for those who need to stay home.

July 24, 2024 10 Comments

Can I apply for jobs from outside Canada?

We get this very common question from individuals who are getting ready to immigrate to Canada. Short answer is: Yes, you can. However, there are a few details you should take into consideration when making the decision to apply for Canadian jobs.

To be employed in Canada you need to have a Social Insurance Number (SIN) and be legally allowed to work in the country.

If you are already a Permanent Resident – who has landed and then left Canada – you are allowed to work from anywhere in the world, as long as your employer agrees to it. With the increase in remote work, this possibility has become more and more frequent.

If you have been approved for Permanent Residency but have not landed yet you will be able to legally work in Canada as soon as you land and get your SIN. So, if you have a date of arrival already you can – and should – start applying for jobs as the hiring process itself can take up to 60 days. If this is the case, it is advised that you disclose this information to the employer so they know that you are not hoping for a visa sponsorship, you will be entitled to work in the country as soon as you land. Targeting jobs for which your skill set is unique increases your chances of an employer willing to wait for you to arrive.

If you don’t know when you will be landing and wish to start working before you land as a permanent resident you need to discuss with the employer if they hire international workers, in this case it is up to the employer to figure out the legalities involved as you are not allowed to work in Canada without a work visa or permanent residency.

Whatever your case is, discussing it with an Employment Specialist can help you understand when is the best time to start applying for jobs and how to communicate with the employer about your status.

Canada InfoNet helps internationally trained professionals who have been approved for immigration to Canada prepare for employment in the country. Our services are free and we offer one-on-one support with an employment specialist that can help you create a personalized job search strategy. Register here.

By Ligia Chiari, Employment Counsellor / Mentoring Coach at Canada InfoNet

July 24, 2024 Leave a Comment

We are wired for connection – Let’s Celebrate the Wins, Big and Small, Together

As museums, hockey arenas, and shops open their doors and travel restrictions begin to lift between Canada’s provinces and territories, hope is in the air!

Many of us are standing on the precipice of change right now – that of heading back into the world of people and places, and being in close proximity to others.

It will be different; and, it will likely surprise us as we realize just how much we’ve missed: simple, daily experiences we previously took for granted. These experiences include the workplace, with its louder and quieter moments, from morning greetings and group lunches to focused work at our desk. We will be back together again, albeit with new daily habits and new colleagues.

I’ve worked with remote and hybrid teams for many years. Currently, I am part of a hybrid team, meaning that my colleagues and I are situated in different geographic places (as it was before the pandemic). That’s part of our strength in our field of collaborative economic development.

What’s interesting is that in many cases I have seen many of my colleagues (virtually) and connected with them more often since we all began working from home.

That’s because we’re now making much better use of the digital tools we have at our disposal. We are all in the same circumstances some of us were prior to the pandemic. This newfound opportunity to tap into conversations and share how we’re coping has been a blessing for which I am grateful.

Outside of work, I have been able to enjoy many opportunities to connect despite being isolated for a year and a half. While my immediate world has been smaller in terms of people I have seen in person since March 2020, it has also expanded to include individuals from all corners of our planet; this continues to be such a meaningful gift.

As a relatively new volunteer with the Canada InfoNet program, I’ve met and learned from a handful of determined, talented individuals eager for the borders to open so they can get started with life here in Canada! It is such an amazing gift to meet each person and welcome their story.

With the borders closed, conversations about finding employment in Canada before arriving were tough; few employers feel equipped to hire a new person when there’s no start date on the horizon. Instead, we worked on networking and taking time to discuss what kind of work in a given field was available – there are many employment opportunities across this country!

Once the borders are open, I look forward to continuing such conversations and focusing on using social media tools and local online programming to explore culture, workplace challenges and successes and vocabulary. The more we understand how to engage, the more successful we are in translating to an employer how we are the right person for the job!

These days, my motto is keep connecting with others and celebrating the small wins on the way to your destination and at every pause along the way. We cannot always see the progress we’re making. It’s through connection with others that we can reflect on just how far we’ve come.

By Canada InfoNet bilingual mentor Michèle Thibeau