Dear Joanna,
Do you have any thoughts on using laughter and humour in a job interview? I’m a big joker in my personal and professional life and love to laugh. Do you think this talent will help me with winning the job offer?
Signed: Funny Interviewee
As we face the new year, it’s always useful to take some time to look back and evaluate, so that you can look forward and plan. The ever-changing nature of the labour market means that job seekers have to constantly ensure that they are tackling the job search process in the most up-to-date and effective way.
So, how has job search changed in recent years, and where is it headed in 2015?
Job growth has been reported and is expected to continue in Canada in 2015, with 11 percent of companies reporting plans to hire in the new year, according to a Manpower Group Canada report.
The Manpower report found anticipated job growth in all 10 sectors of the economy, in the following order of strength:
Weaker hiring projections were reported by employers in the following sectors:
So, if you are thinking of a career change or considering new targets for your job search, consider focusing on the areas where growth is anticipated. Remember that these sectors hire a range of professionals, including Customer Service, Administrators, Project Managers, Finance and Sales, as well as experts in each of those sectors.
As optimism about the job market grows, more job seekers will return to looking for work. This means greater competition. In order to be noticed and have an opportunity to be considered for employment, job seekers need to be conducting the most effective job search possible.
Be prepared for digitization of hiring. One trend in hiring is employers’ increased reliance on Electronic Tracking Systems (ATS), which processes all applications through a computerized, standardized process, favouring certain keywords.
Mobile recruiting is becoming more popular — recruiters, employers and job boards are increasingly using mobile apps. Indeed Canada is a good example; even the Government of Canada’s Job Bank has developed a mobile app for job seekers.
But, as recruiting becomes less personal, concerns have been expressed that good candidates (up to 75 percent, reportedly) are being missed by employers. Ironically, to overcome this, it may be worth resorting to old-fashioned job search methods, such as setting out to meet employers in person, rather than relying on the passive online job search used by most other job seekers. Furthermore, you would do better targeting your job search — identify your top ten list of employers and go after them directly.
Employers are continually working on improving their social media strategies both for marketing and recruiting, using tools such as LinkedIn and other social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube). With the increased hiring anticipated in the market, we can assume that this trend will continue, as it has consistently in previous years. Jobvite, in its annual Social Recruiting Survey, found that 73 percent of recruiters intend to engage in social recruiting. Interestingly, they found that despite the fact that most (83%) job seekers turn to Facebook , LinkedIn remains recruiters’ top tool, with 94% using it for recruiting.
Employers also reported to Jobvite that they are scouring through candidates social media profiles, looking for information about candidates’ professional experience, length of professional tenure, industry-related posts, mutual connections, specific hard skills, cultural fit, as well as examples of written/design work.
What does this mean for job seekers?
2015 is promising to be an exciting year for job seekers. Make sure to face it with a clear plan, confidence and renewed energy.
We wish all our readers a happy and successful new year, and thank you for your support.
Dear Joanna
I have just arrived to Canada, leaving behind a successful career in my former country as an experienced software engineer. I’ve been referred to JVS’s TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program and have been matched with a mentor in my field at a large telecommunication company. I am very excited to meet my mentor and hopefully he will help to guide me in finding work in my field and to start building my career here.
Please can you provide me with some suggestions on how to be an effective mentee.
Signed: How To Be An Effective Mentee
Dear Mentee,
Welcome to Canada! It is great news that you have already been matched with a professional in your field who is working in the local labour market. I cannot think of a better way for you to learn all about the IT business here in Canada, the workplace culture, self-marketing , accreditation, training opportunities, improve your communication skills, and start building your professional network. Your mentor could be a professional contact for life!
Patricia Houghton, the Mentoring Partnership Mentoring Coach at JVS Toronto recommends the following strategies to maximize your relationship with your mentor so that you both can benefit:
In your first meeting, speak with your mentor about their preferred times and locations for meetings and means of communication. You should decide on the logistics of the relationship to avoid lost time and momentum in the relationship. Use tools like Outlook to book your mentoring meeting schedule in advance. It’s a great way to organize this professional relationship.
If you cannot meet in person, or have to cancel, then use the phone or emails to communication instead of the face-to-face. It does however help to have as much time in person as possible. And, if you have to cancel, try to do so in advance. Check in regularly with your mentor on your job search progress. This helps keep the mentor motivated and engaged as well as build trust.
At the beginning, you will have an opportunity to set your mentoring goals in writing. Make sure you are both in agreement on the goals and actions. This is a business and professional relationship. It should be a contract. Each time you check in together, review the goals and their status. Make sure there is movement and that you both understand the goals and have implemented the advice and strategies that were recommended. It’s important that you are both satisfied with the relationship.
The mentor can benefit from the wisdom of experience, skills and expertise that you bring to the table. Although you have a wealth of experience, be sure to keep humble and be open to always strive to learn, grow and improve. Taking initiative as much as possible is very impressive to any mentor. Share what you learn with your mentor especially if there is relevant information and knowledge that they might like to know. Use social media to follow the mentor’s company and profile on Twitter and LinkedIn, if they have one. Join their LinkedIn groups, as well.
There is an abundance of resources for mentees and on related topics, such as coaching, advising, consulting and mentoring. All of this is available through your mentor coach, the service agency partner, and the online Mentorship Handbook.
Check-in with your coach on a regular basis to discuss any specific relationship needs to help you achieve your goals. Your mentoring coach can help you identify and access this material and community resources to support the goals. For example, if you have business writing or pronunciation challenges, your coach can refer you to classes on these topics, as well as courses such as JVS Toronto’s occupational-specific Enhanced Language Training for Internationally Trained Individuals.
Best wishes on your new career path in your new country, Mentee. You’re off to a great start!
Dear Joanna
In my tireless efforts to look for work as a HVAC technician, I was happy to receive two excellent job offers in my field. After much deliberation, I chose the company that offered me a better compensation package. This was a big mistake. After four months of hard work, I had to quit to save my sanity because the workplace I selected was chaotic, the supervisor was a bully and the project was doomed to fail.
Help me figure out how to respond to the interview question that is always asked: “What happened at your last job?”
Signed: Quit Before Fired (QBF)
Dear QBF,
To help me answer this question, I spoke to Career Transition Consultant, Karen Hoffman, of the outplacement and human resources firm, Feldman Daxon Partners. She recommended that you should take a forward focus when dealing with this issue, and suggested that you should consider these options:
1. Consider removing the job from your resume.
This is worth consideration if you were at this company for a brief time or if it was a short-term contract. If you decide to remove the position from the resume, you will want to speak to the gap in time with confidence and transparency. Give consideration to highlighting other notable activities that would support your personal and professional growth: did you enrol in a course? engage in a self-study? attend conferences or relevant trade-shows? volunteer? travel? learn a new language?
The key is to make the gap relevant, valuable and active in both cyberspace and during the interview. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate how you continue to develop.
2. Or, add the job to your resume and prepare to talk about it…
If you do decide to acknowledge this four-month experience on your resume, then be prepared to speak about it in concrete terms. First and foremost, it is important that your reason for leaving matches what your previous employer will say. (This might be a worth quick phone call to HR which can help you craft your story – it’s also an opportunity to ask HR if they will support your leaving story, within reason.)
3. Prepare for the interview.
Do your homework in order to avoid a potentially awkward interview. Keep the response specific, short and transparent. Talk about things such as a change in management, restructuring of roles, changed career path, or skills that were not being fully utilized.
Prepare (and practice) a strategic and positive response that can be discussed with ease. Don’t end with the leaving story. Emphasize your key learning and contributions in the four months while taking the reader to what is next for your career. Forward focus! Do not try to hide from talking about the experience.
4. Beware of your language.
Do not say anything negative about your last employer. This is a red flag for interviewers. Emphasize that the last job was an important learning opportunity for you.
Best wishes for success your next interview,
Dear Joanna
I am the HR manager of a large Information Technology company. We are working with JVS Toronto’s newcomer employment program that offers employers a two-month unpaid coop placement internships with insurance coverage for their clients who are internationally trained professionals from various fields, including IT.
I am interested in offering a placement to a couple of talented newcomers clients from this program. How do I facilitate an effective internship experience for these skilled new immigrants that will hopefully lead to full-time employment, if this works out for both sides?
Signed: Success Seeker
Dear Success Seeker,
Based on my observations and experience, I have identified the following seven criteria for a successful internship program, partly inspired by Nathan Parcelis’ (June 2014) insightful article, titled The Seven Habits of a Highly Effective Intern Program:
1. Prepare a plan for “converting interns to hires”
Engage the candidate in your standard formal interview process to determine if the intern could turn into an employee. This pre-screening can do wonders later on to ensure a good fit with your team and culture, as well as identify if the candidate has the skills required.
2. Set clear learning goals, expectations and structure.
Make sure there is a formal contract/agreement indicating the learning goals of the student as well as the outcomes desired by the employer. The placement should be treated by the intern as a real job. Students should be encouraged to be transparent with their schedule. If he or she has a job interview or appointment, the supervisor should be advised. The hours and days should be indicated in the contract. If the intern has exams or school work, there should be accommodations for this too.
3. Create a structure. The best intern programs have a long-term focus and a structure.
The intern should have a job title, know their duties, roles and responsibilities are, and whom they can talk to when they have questions, to eliminate confusion. Give interns one or two overarching projects that will last the entire placement, and allow them to contribute something substantial to the team. Meanwhile, interns can be given smaller projects and tasks throughout the internship that help expand that their knowledge, expertise and exposure to their field.
4. Make sure the experience is relevant to the student’s career/employment goals and profession.
This might mean connecting the student with junior and senior managers, and the executives during their internship. Or it might mean instructing your managers to clearly connect the dots for interns on how their work fits into larger company and departmental goals.
5. Keep the intern involved.
Introduce the student to all staff members of the company. This would include an overview of routines and processes such as signing in and out, parking, file retrieval etc. Let the intern know your schedule. Make them feel wanted. Invite them to meetings, corporate events as well as social events. Interns should learn what it is like to be part of your company as well as to contribute to it. Nothing is more misleading than an internship that doesn’t accurately reflect the work environment of a full-time employee. Immersing interns in the company culture helps them make better decisions about long-term employment with your company.
6. Mentoring from within.
It is a very effective strategy to connect the student with a mentor in their department. It’s helpful for the new placement student to have a person to go to for problem solving, questions, intercultural communication issues, such as those experienced by newcomers to Canada. The mentor can take a supervisory role, as well.
7. Supervision.
Parcelis recommends that the supervisor and student meet formally at least three times during the placement. In my experience it can be more informal, as it depends on context, deadlines, work and the workplace culture. The most essential characteristic of good supervision is feedback on students’ performance including successes and growth areas. This is an integral part of their development and learning.
Feedback should come from the supervisor, and should be ongoing and frequent. In order to learn from mistakes students must be informed of them so they can be given the opportunity to correct them. Feedback should be honest, clear, immediate, direct and stated in understandable language.
Best wishes for your new Internship program. We look forward to working with you.
JVS Toronto is accredited under Imagine Canada’s national Standards Program dedicated to operational excellence.