Moving to a new country can be both an exciting and challenging experience. In this webinar, “Your First Weeks in Canada”, our program partners NextStop Canada will talk about the important things to do once you land in the country.
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.
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 [email protected] to access our free job search workshops, hiring events, and career exploration programs.
Today’s globalized world has created a growing need for the fast and accurate shipment of commodities which in turn has created many opportunities for professionals with the right training in meeting these demands.
The Government of Canada has rated the employment outlook for Supply Chain & Logistics sector a solid two out of three stars for all of Ontario, observing that “employment growth is expected to be strong” and that “a large number of people are expected to retire.”
With unemployment levels at a “40-year low” in Canada, employers are under increasing pressure to find suitable candidates from a diminishing pool of job seekers. However, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario states that of the discrimination in employment claims received in 2012 to 2013, 15% were for age discrimination.
The Human Rights Code safeguards against discrimination in employment noting that,
“Every person has a right to equal treatment with respect to employment without discrimination because of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, record of offences, marital status, family status or disability.”
Discrimination in employment can occur at any time during the employee-employer relationship. During the recruitment process, for example, age discrimination could occur through the tools used during recruitment. Jobs advertisements posted on social media targeting a specific age demographic – the topic of this CBC article –potentially violate Canadian Human Rights laws. The article explains that the wording in advertisements do not mention age but the digital settings target who sees them. This could eliminate the mature worker age range.
According to this New York Times article, recruitment practices affect a wide-range of ages, sometimes discriminating against job seekers in their 40s and 50s. The article reports that older job seekers receive fewer responses to their applications, especially when applying to positions such as janitors, administrative assistants, and retail sales clerks. Notably, there are more women in many of these roles and research reveals that older women experience discrimination at an even higher rate than older men do.
Once an older worker has lost their job, getting back into the job market can be very challenging. Interviewers can be much younger and may see older candidates as lacking in technical skills and ability to adapt to the culture of today’s companies.
Mature job seekers have received feedback that they are overqualified, not a cultural fit for the company, or that their experience commands a higher rate of pay than the company can afford.
It is important to remember that older workers are often hired. The key is to focus on your strengths and present yourself as the skilled, sharp, professional expert you are.
Update your Skills
Make sure your skills are up-to-date especially in-demand tech skills. There are many resources offering courses online, such as Lynda.com with courses in software development, business, design, websites and more. The Toronto Public Library is a great place to free Internet access for this type of web-based learning. Be sure to highlight your updated skill set on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
Tailor your Resume
Highlight your most important and in-demand skills and experience. It’s not necessary to go back too far. Ten years is the standard length for Employment History. However, if you have impressive experience that goes back further. Consider listing it without the dates under the headline Previous Relevant Experience.
Tip – Describe your experience in your profile summary as “extensive” rather than quantifying it with “X number of years”.
Establish an Online Presence
Make sure your resume is Applicant Tracking System-friendly. (Applicant Tracking Systems are online computer software used by hiring managers to sort resumes.) Use common key words and phrases found in the employer’s job description, keeping the formatting simple, and clean. Then establish a professional up-to-date LinkedIn profile using these tips.
Network, Network, Network
Your extensive work history and professional reputation give you an advantage that younger workers do not have — a network of former colleagues, employers, and clients who know and respect your work. Reach out to them. Take key people out for a cup of coffee and share your journey with them. Ask for tips and leads.
Consider your Career Options
Some older worker take their years of experience and leverage it into a consulting business providing start-up companies with leadership, advice and expertise.
If you feel that ageism is affecting your job search, you are not alone. The evidence is clear that younger employers do prefer candidates in their own age bracket. However, you have some unique assets. Be sure to leverage and display them proudly. Remember, the employer who eventually hires you will be the one who truly appreciates everything you have to offer.
When reading job search blogs, it’s easy to think that employers are no longer using resumes; that resumes are being replaced by platforms such as LinkedIn and Applicant Tracking Systems. So, do job seekers still need resumes?
Employers tend to regard your resume as a simple and clear summary of your most important skills and experience. They assume that more information will be available about you on sites such as LinkedIn. So think of your resume as a brochure, a self-promotional tool. It should be brief (no more than two pages) and written in concise, formal language (without first person pronouns).
It’s expected. The majority of employers still ask for resumes to be sent via email or uploaded to the company’s web site even when using LinkedIn to promote job openings.
Resumes are easily shared. Potential employers can read your resume on a computer screen, email it to colleagues and hiring managers, and print it out to refer to at a later point in time.
Resumes are adaptable. Job seekers can tailor their resume to highlight those qualifications that best match the employer’s needs. Update your profile summary and work history using keywords found in the job posting. This will increase your chances of getting your resume past any Applicant Tracking System and get it in front of the hiring manager.
A LinkedIn profile is quite different. It is a living, dynamic record of you and your career. LinkedIn provides you with a chance to tell your story using a range of media such as text, slideshows, photos, work samples, websites and video.
The summary portion of your profile is an opportunity to introduce yourself, explain your history and let potential employers know what makes you unique. It can be less formal than a resume profile — just make sure that the tone is appropriate for your industry.
LinkedIn allows for longer, more detailed work history than the standard 10 year span of a resume. If you have worthwhile professional experience that goes back more than 10 years, share it on LinkedIn.
It’s popular. We know from surveys conducted that 87% of recruiters regularly use LinkedIn to review potential candidates.
It is a secure way of sharing information. Resumes typically include your email address, phone number and street address, whereas LinkedIn does not require you to share such information without your permission.
Unlike a resume, LinkedIn provides space to list your interests. Choose what you share carefully. Consider listing interests that relevant to your industry and reflect the values and culture of the companies you are engaging with.
The goal of LinkedIn is to make you stand out to employers as not just well-qualified, but as an interesting, accomplished and impressive person.
It’s a tie! Resumes and LinkedIn serve very different purposes. Resumes function best as internal documents that employers and hiring managers will use to determine if you have the right qualifications for the position you applied for. Whereas LinkedIn is a promotional tool that job seekers can use to market their personalities and highlight experience and skills that traditional resumes don’t allow.
Tip: As a job seeker sending out resumes to potential employers, make sure that your LinkedIn profile reveals something new about you. You want them to be impressed by who you are and your personality, as well as your expertise and professional background.
JVS Toronto is accredited under Imagine Canada’s national Standards Program dedicated to operational excellence.