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June 13, 2016 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: Turning Your Hobby into a Career

Drawing of a typewriter with the words "Dear Employment Specialist"Dear Joanna

I love to write and blog. I would love to get paid for my passion. However, I have to work and am unhappily employed as a receptionist. It’s full time and I have little time for my hobby. How do I turn my hobby into paid employment and a career?

Signed: Writer’s Block (WB)


Dear WB,

I will refer you to read the fantastic blog written by columnist Jacquelyn Smith who provides some useful tips to turn your hobby into your job. It includes the following particularly useful suggestions:

Become an expert: teach your passion.

Blogging is a skill. You have figured out not just how to write, but to edit and publish too. It’s possible that there are many out there who would like to learn these skills.

[Read more…]

By Karin Lewis Filed Under: Career Voice: Blog Tagged With: career, hobby, monetize, self employment, writer

June 6, 2016 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: The Biggest Interview Turn-offs

Drawing of a typewriter with the words "Dear Employment Specialist"Dear Joanna

I had a interview coaching session with a panel of JVS job developers just before my upcoming interview for an office manager position that I am 100 percent qualified for. Their feedback upset me. They said that I was scaring them with my responses. Is this possible? How can the interviewer or hiring manager be afraid of me?

Signed: Fear Factor (FF)


Dear FF

You are lucky that you received this honest feedback. You can be sure the hiring managers or HR staff would never dare to give you such critical information on your interview. Employment blogger Maggie Graham presents the following ways that job seekers can scare the hiring manager at the interview. I have included my own advice, based on my frontline practice as well with my clients:

[Read more…]

By Karin Lewis Filed Under: Career Voice: Blog Tagged With: interview mistakes, interviews, job interviews

May 30, 2016 Leave a Comment

Guidelines for Employers to Facilitate a Successful, Effective and Meaningful Unpaid Coop Placement / Internship

Portrait of a young business guy writing in his organizerAs a job developer/job coach over the past five years with JVS Toronto’s newcomer employment program, I have placed over 200 internationally trained professionals in our 2 month unpaid coop placement program. Based on my observations and experience, I have identified the following seven criteria for employers to create a successful internship program that align with Nathan Parcelis’ (June 2014) insightful article on Seven Habits of Highly Effective Intern Programs:

[Read more…]

By Karin Lewis Filed Under: Career Voice: Blog Tagged With: employer, internship, mentor, newcomer, on the job, unpaid placement, work experience

May 23, 2016 12 Comments

The Best Job Boards, as Recommended by Employment Experts

Search BarOver the years, our expert JVS Toronto staff have collected from our clients and colleagues recommendations for the best local job boards. They are listed below, organized by sector.

If you have any further job boards to add to the list, please email me at klewis@jvstoronto.org.

[Read more…]

By Karin Lewis Filed Under: Career Voice: Blog Tagged With: General Labour jobs, it jobs, job boards, Job sites, Jobs in education, Jobs in Law, Jobs in the Arts, Jobs in the environment, non profit jobs, retail jobs, Sports jobs, vertical job boards

May 16, 2016 3 Comments

Disclosing your Disability in the Job Interview

Woman with hand over her mouth, looking pensiveIn my work over the past 10 years as a Job Developer and Job Coach with individuals with disabilities and multi-barriers here at a JVS Toronto, I have observed that one of the most challenging aspects of the job search process for my clients is dealing with disclosure at the job interview. Not all disabilities are visible, and for job seekers dealing with challenges such as hearing or visual impairments, learning disabilities or mental illness, there are often questions about whether, how and when to disclose these to employers.

Employment specialists, Hoff, Gandolfo, Gold and Jordan point out that one of the most challenging aspects of dealing with an invisible disability is deciding when, or even whether, you should disclose, thereby identifying and giving details about your disability to a stranger in a job interview. There are pros and cons of disclosing during the job interview and the authors offer some information and suggestions to help you make that decision:

[Read more…]

By Karin Lewis Filed Under: Career Voice: Blog Tagged With: accomodation, Disability, disclosing disabilities, disclosure, Employment discrimination

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