Employment Tips Archive

Access the hidden job market through your existing personal network. Does your network know the skills you offer?

With electronic applications, be sure to repeat keywords from the job posting. Sometimes, employers run these applications through a word-filter program to narrow down the candidate pool.

Think about what you want to tell potential employers when you drop off your resume. Consider what the employer would want to know about you. And don’t forget to have a pen and paper handy when you meet potential employers.

Mature workers are often concerned about dates on their resumes. Place the dates on the right side of the page so that less emphasis is brought to them.

Think of how your skills fit within the growing green sector. Contribute to environmental sustainability while sustaining your future!

Networking: It's not what you know, but who you know. Who do you know?

Prepare for your informational interview. Research as much as you can about the industry, company and occupation prior to the interview. Make sure you know what information you would like to obtain during the informational interview.

Festive parties are a great way to make contacts and talk about job possibilities!

When it comes to the interview, if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.

The easiest way to get a job is through a referral. So ask everyone – parents, siblings, extended family, friends and friends’ parents – someone might have a job lead that you can use.

Most employers start looking for seasonal workers around 2 months ahead. When looking for a summer job for May, start in early March. For a job in the winter, start in early October.

Send in your job application as quickly as possible. As the saying goes: “Early birds get the worm.”

Don’t forget, employers can research you too. Ensure your profile on social networking websites, such as Facebook, Myspace and bloggers, are clean – some employers use what they see on these sites to make hiring decisions.

More and more companies are posting wanted ads online. So check out either the company’s human resources webpage or the various general job postings websites for opportunities.

Make sure to research the companies – Google them. Try to find out some background information about the company and the advertised position. Check their preferred method for accepting applications.

Informational Interview: Dress appropriately. Wear the same thing that you would for a job interview. Arrive on time, be polite and professional. Have all the questions prepared and respect the other person’s time. If you asked for 15 – 20 minutes, do not stay there for 1 hour.

Looking for work is a full-time job, but don’t forget to take breaks and care for yourself. Take the weekend off, you deserve it!

Speak confidently about the skills you have to offer. If you don’t, who else will?

Use social networking websites, like Facebook to ask for job leads. Just change your status message or add a blog or Twitter entry – let your network know that you are looking for a job.

If you are nervous about talking to strangers about a job, tame your fears by dressing up. People often feel better about themselves when they are cleaned up and dressed nicely. This even works when you are nervous about calling people on the phone.

Use the holiday season for networking to help your job search!

Always get someone to proofread your resume for errors, before you print off a stack and hand them out.

Always exercise caution with online job postings.

Informational InterviewIt’s easier to start with a list of people that you know–friends, relatives, co-workers, classmates. Once you feel more confident you can call a business and ask for the name or the person who is in charge of the unit, department, or the occupation that you want to find out about.

Try asking about jobs when you are out. Let’s say, if you want to work at your favourite clothing store—make a point of asking the cashier about job possibilities when you are shopping.

When visiting prospective employers or dropping off an application, avoid their busiest time of the day.

Don’t let your generic resume end up in the employer’s waste bin. Target each resume to each job you are applying to.

Make a clean first impression without any resume typos – proofread, proofread, proofread! Then get friends to proofread, too!