July 2, 2019 2 Comments

Lost Your Job? Here’s six steps to get you back to work

Sad man thinking while seated at a table with a pad of paper and cup of coffee

Finding yourself out of work can be a devastating experience. Unemployment is widely acknowledged as a significant stressor that directly affects physical and mental health. The Canadian Association for Mental Health states, “Unemployment can be, and often is, a shock to your whole system. You can experience some of the same feelings and stresses that you would if you were seriously injured, going through a divorce, or mourning the loss of a loved one.” As with other traumatic events, we rarely expect to be out of work and are often unprepared and overwhelmed by the road ahead. Common reactions when facing unemployment vary. You may find yourself struggling with denial, anger, and sadness, which can lead to avoidance and a sense of isolation.

Preparation will help you to overcome these emotions and return to the workforce as soon as possible.

Six Steps in Taking Control

Take stock of your finances.

Figure out how long you can afford to go without a new source of income and develop a plan. Many job seekers have had to compromise their choice of jobs when they found themselves strapped for cash. Ask yourself, “What can I do if I don’t have a job by my target date?” Consider what compromises you can make to speed up landing a job. This can include adjusting your job search to include a few types of positions, locations, and salary range.

Once you receive your Record of Employment, apply for Employment Insurance as soon as possible. Service Canada states, “If you delay filing your claim for benefits for more than four weeks after your last day of work, you may lose benefits.” When applying for Employment Insurance using the online service, you will need your employment start and end dates.

Keep in mind that finding a job often takes longer than expected.

Establish your goals.

Though you may not have been expecting it, this is an opportunity to reassess your employment goals. You may want to learn about other industries, consider a career change, or potentially go back to school.

If you wish to stay in your current industry, make a list of companies you would be interested in working at. Start with a minimum of five and focus your efforts there. LinkedIn company pages are a great tool that provides job seekers with access to detailed in-depth information about potential employers.

Revise your resume.

Update your resume with your work history details, and highlight the skills and experience most relevant to your employment goals. Search job postings online for the keywords and skills employers are looking for and include them in your resume. For those with long careers, include the last 10 years of employment with focus on key responsibilities and accomplishments.

Seek out free employment centres, such as JVS Toronto Employment Source, to help you with resume preparation, interview techniques and other job search tools. If you’re resume updating skills are rusty, try our free online resume writing clinic.

Update or learn new skills.

After updating your resume and looking at job postings, you may find that your skills are out of date, or you’ve come across a software program you don’t know that would open up other opportunities. You may want to brush up on your product or service knowledge, presentation skills or any number of other skills that could improve your chances of being selected for an interview.

Adding or enhancing skills is a worthwhile investment of your time. There are many resources offered online, such as Lynda.com with courses in software development, business, design, websites and more. Also check out the Continuing Education programs offered at your college or looks for classes at your local community centre or library that are low cost or free.

Reconnect with your network.

Job loss is something more and more people are facing in today’s economic climate. You are not alone in needing to find work. Reach out to your social and professional circles for job search tips and leads. Use social media to reconnect with friends, former colleagues or classmates during your job search. Not only will you gain information, identify skills you may need to improve and other resources, these connections will help with feelings of isolation often associated to those facing unemployment.

Consider making new connections by volunteering or attending industry or professional association events. You’ll meet people, hear about opportunities, and if volunteering, gain references and new work experiences to add to your resume. Use social media to make these connections.

Keep in mind that most jobs aren’t formally advertised. Employers use their trusted networks to find candidates for vacant positions.

Don’t do it alone.

All Employment Ontario-funded employment centres have free resource areas that provide those looking for work with computers, telephones, faxes and photocopiers, including JVS Toronto’s nine Employment Source locations. Conducting your job search in an employment centre like this reduces loneliness and provides you with direct access to various employment specialists, workshops and other services, all for free!

A little planning and effort can go a long way towards making the best of your situation and staying in control of a process, which can otherwise be daunting.

For those readers living in Toronto or York Region who need job search support, contact JVS Toronto at 416-787-1151 or at services@jvstoronto.org to access our free job search workshops, hiring events, and career exploration programs.

October 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

Not-to-be-missed Resume Tips from a Top Recruiter

An excellent article caught my eye recently. Written by a top recruiter who has worked with a range of sectors, it focuses on the mistakes that job seekers make on resumes which most get noticed by recruiters. It’s well worth reading the entire article — especially if you are looking for work in the IT sector — however, I would like to point out a few key points which, from my experience, are particularly true and somewhat universal for all job seekers.

1. Don’t bother with paper.

The recruiter plainly says “I hate paper. I do everything online.” She later suggests that resumes should be emailed, not faxed, nor hand-delivered. Stay away from using an outdated approach that inconveniences the recruiter — insisting on handing a paper copy of your resume to the employer in person might make you stand out, but not in a good way.

2. Make sure to include all the important keywords.

Besides the convenience of not having to deal with paper, the recruiter’s main reason for insisting on electronic resumes, is that she searches the resumes electronically for certain keywords. Keep in mind, though, that it isn’t enough to simply list the keywords — make sure that the words are included in the relevant work experience, so the recruiter can understand how and when those skills were used.

3. The recruiter will focus on your recent work experience

Expect the recruiter to be curious about why the last job ended and whether your recent experience is relevant to the job to which you have applied. She also will focus on career progression — have you moved upwards in your career? Is it clear how the job to which you are applying fits into your career path?

Interestingly, while she is interested in what you have done over the years, she mentions that she doesn’t mind a gap in your resume. It’s all in how and whether you explain yourself:

I don’t mind gaps so long as there’s a sufficient explanation. Oh you took three years off to raise your children? Fine by me, and might I add: #respect. You tried your hand at starting your own company and failed miserably? Very impressive! Gap sufficiently explained. Whatever it is, just say it. It’s the absence of an explanation that makes me wonder.

4. Share your online profile

The recruiter mentions that she particularly enjoys reading up on candidates online, if you share links to your personal websites or social media profiles. So make sure to include your LinkedIn URL, blog, Twitter handle or other relevant (and appropriate, of course) on your resume.

5. Try not to be too boring

If you have something to share that makes you more interesting and perhaps helps the recruiter better understand who you are, share links to them. Try to be a little creative on your LinkedIn profile — share some personality together with all that valuable information. Remember to stay professional in your tone, though — for example, she warns against writing in first person, recommending that you:

…eliminate pronouns (e.g. my, I, she, he) from your resume altogether. Instead of writing “I helped increase overall sales by 300% by breeding rabbits in my garage,” eliminate the “I” in that sentence. Go through your resume and remove all the pronouns and rewrite the sentence to make it sound like a bullet point. By “past tense” I mean that your resume should always be voiced from the perspective of something you already did, not something you’re currently doing.

Bottom line: “recruiters move quickly”

When prescreening candidates, recruiters rush through resumes.

Total time it takes me to do all of above: < 25 seconds.

October 12, 2015 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: 6 key tips for professional networking

Dear Joanna,

I have been following your employment advice over the past few years regarding professional networking. I’m using social media, volunteering in my field, active in the associations, as well as attending as many professional events as possible. Something is wrong. I definitely need to improve. I have met a ton of people in my field, and my tireless efforts have not led to employment.

Please can you give me some suggestions on how to improve my networking.

Signed: Tireless Efforts (TE)

Dear TE

There is a fantastic article on this topic on Forbes. Here are some tips and tricks to improve your networking from the authors, as well as from my own professional insights.

1. Forget that you’re working.

Whether you are introduced to someone at an industry event or you initiated the conversation, engage with people in a professional manner. Talk shop. Talk about the business. Listen. Make sure you know about your business and industry. Learn from the other person about the latest trends. Think about building a new relationship, with give and take.

2. Set goals.

Don’t focus on getting the job. Set small and attainable goals. For example, if you go to an event, set a goal of getting five business cards or set up 2 coffee dates with new contacts for next week, or even just adding two new LinkedIn contacts.

3. Mind your manners.

Don’t straight ask for a job or sound desperate about your job search. Don’t ask for anything from the strangers that you are meeting. Listen more than you talk. Be thoughtful in your interactions and generous with your time. Don’t complain. Be positive, optimistic and upbeat when you are meeting new people. Ask permission to connect with the person on LinkedIn; and ask for the business card. Build relationships before you ask for anything from a network contact.

4. Elevator pitches still matter.

Be prepared to sell yourself in casual way. Don’t be pushy or forceful. Be able to articulate what you do, who you are and why it’s relevant if asked. Practice ahead of time in front of a mirror. Like a resume, elevator pitches need updating.

5. Follow up.

Always follow up with people you meet with a by email. Connect with them on LinkedIn (ask permission – see above). Research the person online and if relevant, follow the companies, join the groups and influencers that they follow on social media. Engage in social media dialogue. Keep in touch by emailing updates and current events that would interest the person.

6. Keep track.

Being organized in key in order to remember who you met, the nature of the activity, and then plan ahead. Google Documents, Google Tools, Jibberjobber and Outlook are some of the online tools you can use.

Even when you find employment, you will need to continue building your professional network at your workplace, and in your industry.

Joanna

September 3, 2015 14 Comments

Ask the Employment Specialist: Formatting tips for your resume and cover letter — how to use Headers

Dear Joanna,

I’m almost finished working on my resume and cover letter with my Employment Counsellor at JVS Toronto. I’m following the professional branding approach with my documents.What is the best way for me to write the headers so that it looks professional and can get noticed by the hiring managers?

Signed: Header to Header (H2)

[Read more…]

March 16, 2015 2 Comments

Ask the Employment Specialist: Tips for Success at a Job Fair

Dear Joanna,

I’m going to a JVS Toronto Job Fair next week. As a recent university graduate, I am looking for work as a customer service representative and/or sales position. It would be my first time attending a job fair. Please could you give me some suggestions as to how to prepare in advance to be successful at this event.

Signed: Job Fair First-timer (JFF)

Dear JFF,

Job fairs are a fantastic tool to build your professional network. You can meet employers in your field, secure job interviews and learn as much as you can about the local labour market (i.e. the job openings available, the workplace culture, and the sector). Sometimes, job seekers can even have an interview on the spot. Though it is unlikely that you will get an actual job offer at the job fair, you can make progress toward getting that job offer, if you do it properly.

So here’s how I would prepare for our job fair and any other career fair that you attend.

Before the Job Fair:

1. Gather information about employers.

Do a Google search and use social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook) to dig a little deeper for information on employers that you’d like to work for. Look for current job opportunities posted on their site and consider applying to the positions you are interested in. You can bring a record of the application to share with the employer at the job fair.

2. Prepare your questions.

Recruiters will remember your conversation if they feel engaged. Show that you are interested in working for their company by asking about current opportunities, the company’s work culture, and other open-ended questions. You can also request tips for getting hired with the company, or discuss some recent positive news they’ve featured. Avoid asking about salary or benefits.

3. Be prepared to market yourself.

Prepare a personal statement — also known as an elevator pitch. This short introduction is a way to express your suitability for working at the company. Have an idea of different things to emphasize with different recruiters.

4. Prepare your resume(s).

Make sure your resume is up to date, including your LinkedIn profile. Prepare a cover letter to accompany the resume. If you know which companies you are targeting specifically, you can prepare different versions of your resume (and cover letter) to emphasize different skills.

At the Job Fair:

1. Dress and act professionally.

Even if there isn’t a dress code, take care with your appearance and make sure that you appear well-groomed. At the very least, dress business casual. While you may not need to be in a full suit, slacks and a button up shirt and tie (for men) can go a long way toward projecting a professional image.

Speak and act professionally! Offer a firm handshake when you meet the recruiter and make appropriate eye contact. Silence your cell phone and don’t let it interfere with your conversation with employers.

2. Schedule a follow-up appointment, if you can.

At some job fairs, companies prefer making an appointment to speak with a representative following the event. This is an opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with the employer – something that is really difficult to do at larger events!

As one of our employment counsellors warns, “… if your sole purpose in attending a large job fair is to get quality time to discuss your application with a recruiter, you will probably be disappointed!”

Find out from the job fair organizer whether appointment slots are available, and arrange to meet recruiters during or after the event.

If you are making multiple appointments, make sure you schedule adequate time between your interviews so that you are not late to a meeting.

3. Gather business cards or contact details of employers.

Follow-up is key. After each conversation or meeting with a recruiter, take notes and ask for a business card. If this is not available, get the person’s name, company, job title, and email. Ask permission to connect with the recruiter on LinkedIn and find out whether you can send a follow-up email after the event.

Following these guidelines will guarantee that you stand out at any job fair, and increase the chances of getting hired after attending one.

Good luck with the job fair!

Six Steps in Taking Control

1. Don’t bother with paper.

2. Make sure to include all the important keywords.

3. The recruiter will focus on your recent work experience

4. Share your online profile

5. Try not to be too boring

Bottom line: “recruiters move quickly”

1. Forget that you’re working.

2. Set goals.

3. Mind your manners.

4. Elevator pitches still matter.

5. Follow up.

6. Keep track.

Joanna

Before the Job Fair:

1. Gather information about employers.

2. Prepare your questions.

3. Be prepared to market yourself.

4. Prepare your resume(s).

At the Job Fair:

1. Dress and act professionally.

2. Schedule a follow-up appointment, if you can.

3. Gather business cards or contact details of employers.

Joanna

P.S. Check our workshop calendar for upcoming job fairs in Toronto and York Region.