IMPORTANT OSAP INFORMATION

If you are an Ontario student with an OSAP loan, read this! The first thing that we need to clear up is the 6-month grace period. Many students are under the impression that interest does not start to accumulate until six months after you graduate. WRONG! Interest starts to accumulate the first day of the first month after you graduate, however you aren’t required to make any PAYMENTS for six months. By the time you make your first payment, you have already been charged for six months worth of interest!

TIP: If you can, try to make a lump payment during the six-month “payment free” stage. This can save you a significant amount of interest!

The consolidation date is the first day of the seventh month after you graduate (so if you graduated this April, your consolidation date will be November 1).  On your consolidation date, the interest accumulated during the 6-month “payment free” period is accrued. You can choose to pay this accrued interest or add it to your loan principle, which means your monthly payments will most likely increase.

Tools to help reduce your debt

• Visit www.canlearn.ca of www.osap.gov.on.ca and use the online repayment calculator to estimate your monthly payment amounts.
• The Ontario Student Opportunity Grant (OSOG) reduces the amount of debt for eligible students
• Assistance if you are having trouble making payments
• Keep an eye on your credit information — to verify your credit history, contact Equifax at 1-800-465-7166 or TransUnion at 1-800-663-9980

Top 10 résumé mistakes

Writing a résumé isn’t easy. This article is from Quintessential Careers and addresses the ten most common resume mistakes:

1 – Resume lacks focus

The average employer will look at your resume between 2.5 and 20 seconds. They want to see a clear match between your resume and the job requirements. This means NO GENERAL RESUMES! There’s a tendency to think that creating a custom resume for each job is a waste of time. Try to think of it this way: applying to a job without a custom resume is an even BIGGER waste of time!

2 – Resume is duties-driven instead of accomplishments-driven

Never use the phrases ‘duties included’ or ‘responsibilities included’ — they are resume death. Employers want to know how you can positively impact their organization — not whether you could pick up the phone when it rang. Try to focus on your accomplishments, which can be a very difficult thing to do. Here’s some things that employers are looking for that you may have already accomplished:

• make money
• save money
• save time
• make work easier
• solve a specific problem
• be more competitive
• build relationships
• expand the business
• attract new customers
• retain existing customers

3 – Resume items are listed in an order that doesn’t consider the reader’s interest

Chronological resumes are old school. When building your next resume, put your most relevant experience at the top of your resume, regardless of how long ago it was. As far as what to include first, job experience or your education, it really depends. Ask yourself what your best selling point is and put that at the top of your resume (directly below contact info).

4 – Resume exposed the job-seeker to age discrimination by going too far back into the job-seeker’s job history

Two rules here: 1) don’t put your college/university graduation date if it was more than ten years ago 2) don’t bother including your high school graduation date (employers aren’t dumb — they can usually tell exactly how old you are by when you graduated high school).

5 – Resume buries important skills, especially computer skills, at the bottom.

Computer skills are important in nearly every job, so try to include them in the first third of your resume. You may take for granted how much you actually know about computer applications such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook or even Google researching skills.

6 – Resume is not bulleted.

• employers look at your resume for 2.5 to 20 seconds
• so make your resume easy to read
• use bullets!!!

7 – Resume uses a cookie-cutter design on an overused resume template

Pretty much everyone uses a resume template created by Microsoft Word. There’s nothing wrong with this, other than the fact that employers have seen a million of them! Your resume is your chance to brand yourself — show some creativity and stand out from the crowd.

8 – Resume lacks keywords

Due to the volume of resumes they receive, most Fortune 1000 companies (and even smaller organizations) have started using keywords to help them filter through resumes. This means if you don’t have the right keywords you pretty much don’t have a chance at the job. Not sure what keywords to include? Here’s some ideas.

9 – References are listed directly on your resume

Unless employers specifically ask for references, don’t include them with your resume. Even the line ‘references available upon request’ isn’t necessary. If you need to save space, it should be the first thing to remove.

10 – Resume’s appearance becomes skewed when sent as an e-mail attachment and/or resume is not available in other electronic formats.

If you are sending your resume as an attachment, we have three letters for you — PDF! You may also want to send your resume to your friends to make sure it formats properly on different screens.

4 ways to look busy at work

For many Canadian university and college students, this is the last week of work before heading back to school for the fall semester. It is extremely difficult to focus on your job when you are in the “home stretch”, and you may be tempted take an early vaction by slacking at work. But remember, many employers treat summer employment as a 16-month job interview — this means that you must be on the ball until the very end, whether there is work to keep you busy or not.

Perception is everything. Jobosity shares some tips on how to look busy at work without actually working:

1. Turn your workplace into a living space
2. Office theatrics
3. Sneaking in sleep
4. Observe movement patterns

• Use a lot of Post-It’s. Cover your cubicle walls with a lot of these handy pieces of paper, and pretend you’re obsessed with meeting deadlines and attending meetings. Supervisors usually don’t bother to check what’s written on your Post-Its, so just fill them up with some funny quotes, interesting websites you can access via a proxy server, or other interesting stuff that can take your mind off work.
• Bring in toys. A Rubik’s cube, Newton’s balls, a cup-and-ball, or a small jigsaw puzzle can help you enjoy cubicle life. Play with your toys as soon as the supervisor takes his or her seat and turns to the work already assigned to him or her. Paper clips, fasteners, or even pens can work just as well.
• Drink a cup of coffee. Most workers would rather have a relaxing cup of cappuccino than pore over spreadsheets and documents. While you’re having a leisurely coffee break, you can simply stare at your computer screen and give your boss the impression that you’re “doing serious analysis.”

Make your resume about your future not your past

Great resume tip today from Keppie Careers:

Your resume needs to read as the perfect match for your next job!

When writing your resume, stop trying to focus on past accomplishments. They only tell your employer what you did in your last job. Take the time to break down the job description, figure out what skills are required and tailor your resume to each job.

If you don’t feel you have all the skills required for the job, at least share with potential employers that you understand the skills they are looking for and that you are eager to learn and develop yourself. Try to get involved with projects either at school or through volunteering that will help you get the skills need to land your dream job!

Top 10 Out of Office Alerts

Here’s something light for a Friday…

Summer’s almost over — if you work in an office, you have probably received countless out-of-office replies over the course of the summer (funny when out-of-office replies are the only way that you know your client is still alive…)

Are you tired of the same old lines? Jobosity is here to help!

Why don’t you try to be creative/different. Take a line from the list below for your out of office alert… That is, if you really don’t care about your job.

1. I am currently out of the office at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Please be prepared for my mood.

2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn’t have received anything at all.

3. Sorry to have missed you, but I’m at the doctor’s having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.

4. I will be unable to delete all the emails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.

5. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged £5.99 for the first 10 words and £1.99 for each additional word in your message.

6. The email server is unable to verify your server connection. Your message has not been delivered.
Please restart your computer and try sending again.
(The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see who did this over and over and over….)

7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.

8. Hi, I’m thinking about what you’ve just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.

9. I’ve run away to join a different circus.

10. I will be out of the office for the next two weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as ‘Lucille’ instead of Steve.

Job search tips for new grads

Life as a recent graduate isn’t easy — you are probably feeling pressure from your family, friends, maybe even people you barely know, about what you should do with your life for the next 30 years or so.

Odds are that these people also have lots of great “advice” to give to you. However, sometimes it can be more confusing than helpful. Want some surefire tips on how to land a job a job after graduating? Here’s some tips from CareerBuilder:

Don’t let your parents get too involved in your job search

It’s also tip number one from the article “Top ten things that are holding you back from your dream job” on MyCareerMagazine.com. NEVER bring your parents with you when you are applying for a job or attending a job fair!

Don’t focus on ‘perfection’

Consider jobs that are little bit outside of your ideal. The truth is that there are not a lot of ‘perfect’ jobs out there. Try to look at the big picture, otherwise you could eliminate great opportunities.

Stay in touch with your school

YOUR CAREER CENTRE IS THE SINGLE-HANDED BEST RESOURCE THAT YOU HAVE AT YOUR CAMPUS. Take advantage of that fact that campus career counselors are offering a FREE service to help you find a career. Make the most of your visit by doing your homework and having an up-to-date cover letter and resume for your appointment.

Let EVERYONE know that you are looking for a job

This includes your family, friends, your neighbours, and pretty much anyone you talk to! You never know who will be able to point you along to a great opportunity, so let people know that you are looking for a career!

Be honest!

This should be a given, but resist the urge to embellish your resume, past work experiences or even degree (if you haven’t graduated yet, don’t put that you have a Bachelor’s, etc.)

Finding a job is not easy! It will most likely take several weeks or even months to find the right opportunity. If you are beginning to feel discouraged, you can ask My Career’s Career Coach for advice. Email us at mwray@mycareermagazine.com and we will have our Career Coach, Nancy Clarke, answer your questions!

How to leave your summer job on a high note

If you are a student heading back to school this fall, there’s a good chance that your employer may want to schedule an exit interview before you leave. What are exit interviews? This is from the CareerBuilder.com Blog

• In most cases, a member of the HR team at the company will conduct or moderate the interview. This allows workers to talk candidly about managers, supervisors and co-workers.
• The interview may take place face-to-face. The moderator may also have the departing employee complete a survey on paper or in an online format.
• Exit interviews are generally held prior to the last day of work for the departing employee. Many employees, however, experience significant distractions, emotional upheaval and a lot of stress during their last week at work. As a result, some companies are administering their exit interviews a few weeks or months after the termination date. The idea is that the former employee will be more likely to give clear, constructive feedback.

This can be an extremely nerve-racking experience since you want to be honest with your employer but at the same time you don’t want to burn any bridges! Remember, this is a chance to keep a door open — you never know when you may need help from your current employer again. Here’s some tips to survive the exit interview:

1) Don’t vent

2) Keep it factual

3) Keep it brief

• DO thank the company and the interviewer. That last impression is every bit as critical as the initial impression that got you hired in the first place.
• DO send a thank-you note as soon as you leave. It documents your appreciation and clarifies any key points you discussed.
• DON’T trash the company at your exit interview. Your insights might be true, but why burn down a relationship bridge that you may need to cross again in the future?
• DON’T blast your boss before, during, or after your exit interview. The negative comments will follow you and could poison your chances in upcoming job interviews.
• DON’T forget that while you may be leaving, the company still has a piece of your financial future. You don’t want to do anything to jeopardize how quickly you receive your final pay after your last day. So it’s in your best interest to leave in a positive and proactive manner.

If you can, try your best to put a positive spin on the exit interview, approaching it as a chance to help your former boss. The goal is to focus on constructive ways to improve the position, the department or the company, and emphasize that the company provided a great foundation on which to build the rest of your career.

And remember — don’t drink too much at the summer staff party!

Great labour market news for University graduates

If you are a university student who may feel a little down about employment prospects after you graduate, here’s some great news from a recently fine-tuned report, Looking-Ahead: A 10-Year Outlook for the Canadian Labour Market (2006-2015).

- 65.9% of job openings resulting from expansion or retirement will be in management or in occupations requiring university, college or apprenticeship training

- University graduates stand to reap the highest rewards of the shift towards a knowledge-based economy and increased government spending in health care. Highly-skilled occupations will account for 70% of all new jobs created through 2015 — up 10% over the last decade.

- University grads accounted for 13.8% of the labour force in 1990, a number that increased to 21.8% in 2005 and is expected to reach 24.4% in 2015

- the labour force with less than high school education is expected to continue to decline by an average of 1% a year

- The current labour market is quite healthy. After struggling for the greater part of the 1990s, employment has grown at an average annual rate of 2% over the past decade

- Service-producing industries will lead the charge in new job creation, the report predicts. With anticipated growth of 1.2%, it will outpace the goods-producing sector, which is expected to grow 0.8%

- Among services, new job growth will be especially strong in the health, computer system design and professional services sectors

- Within the goods-producing sector, high energy prices will continue to boost investment spending and output in the oil and gas sector

- The majority of job openings until 2015 — a whopping 70% — will stem from the need to replace retired workers. That’s up from an average of 51% over the last decade!

HOT JOBS

Administrative Services Managers

Ambulance Attendants and Other Paramedical Occupations

Civil Engineers

Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineers

Computer and Information Systems Managers

Construction Managers

Dental Assistants

Dentists

Facility Operation and Maintenance Managers

Family, Marriage and Other Related Counsellors

General Practitioners and Family Physicians

Head Nurses and Supervisors

Inspectors in Public and Environmental Health and

Occupational Health and Safety

Judges, Lawyers and Quebec Notaries

Loan Officers

Managers in Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport

Managers in Construction and Transportation

Managers in Engineering, Architecture and Information Systems

Managers in Health, Education, Social and Community Services

Managers in Public Administration

Mechanical Engineers

Medical Laboratory Technologists and Pathologists’ Assistants

Medical Radiation Technologists

Medical Technologists and Technicians (Except Dental)

Nurse Aides, Orderlies and Patient Service Associates

Occupational Therapists

Optometrists, Chiropractors and Other Health Diagnosing and

Treating Professionals

Other Assisting Occupations in Support of Health Services

Other Technical Inspectors and Regulatory Officers

Pharmacists, Dietitians and Nutritionists

Physiotherapists

Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management

Psychologists

Registered Nurses

Social Workers

Specialist Physicians

Specialists in Human Resources

Supervisors, Mining, Oil and Gas

Supervisors, Processing Occupations

Technical Occupations in Dental Health Care

Therapy and Assessment Professionals

Underground Miners, Oil and Gas Drillers and Related Workers

University Professors

Web Designers and Developers

http://www.jobfutures.ca/noc/browse-occupations-work-prospects.shtml

Power to the 20-somethings — 7 reasons why we are more productive than our parents

I found this through Jobosity:

This post is from Clay Collins, author of the blog The Growing Life.

Generation Y is known for rolling into work late while wearing headphones, and dressing as if every day were casual Friday. We’re often seen TXTing in our cubicles, taking breaks, and instant messaging. While these images don’t exactly encourage others to view us as bastions of uber-productivity, we’re often a hell of a lot more productive than previous generations.

Here are seven reasons why my generation (Generation Y) is often more productive than yours:

Reason 1: We use the best tools
Generation Y is more than comfortable doing the experimentation necessary to find the right tools and technologies for most effectively completing a task. We understand the company’s project management software better than you do because we are comfortable playing with it. And we can probably recommend 2-3 other tools that would work better in the situation because we’re not afraid to rely on nearly-free, online productivity tools from unknown companies. Our to-do lists are carefully maintained, prioritized daily and synced with our PDAs and iPODs.

Reason 2. We’re good at automating
Generation Y has grown up with technology and we believe that computers can do just about anything (or that they will someday). So when we’re receive a task, the first question we ask ourselves is: “how can technology make this task go faster?” Sometimes our efforts to employ technology make things more complicated, but quite often we end up successfully automating a repetitive task, saving ourselves and our companies thousands of dollars.

Reason 3. We get better sleep
Previous generations have lived by Ben Franklin’s aphorism: “early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Generational Y intuitively knows what psychologists have confirmed: that a significant percentage of the population is much more productive when they go to bed late and get up late. Simply put, you’re more productive when you follow your biologically determined circadian rhythms and get up when your body tells you to.

Reason 4: We’re much more likely to love our jobs
Since Generation Y switches jobs much more frequently than previous generations, we’re much more likely to be doing things that (1) we’re good at, and (2) we actually like. All the job switching and repositioning we do means we’re much more likely to end up with professions that are actually suited to our passions and talents. And every productivity guru knows you’re most productive when you’re doing things you actually care about.

Reason 5: We stay up to date in our fields
Another upshot of changing jobs so frequently is the need to stay on top of the latest developments in our fields. Because job searching is a somewhat continual process for Generation Y, we’re likely to teach ourselves new skills, or pay for training, even if our employers don’t because we want to stay competitive. We see training and skill-building as our own responsibility – not something that our employer will necessarily do for us. And our lifestyle choices reflect a passion for constant learning and development .

Reason 6: We’re experimental
Generation Y is continually doing research and development at the individual level. And because Generation Y cares more about getting new experiences and learning new skills than about not making mistakes , we’re willing to try new things, be creative, and take new angles. While this experimental approach might not result in quantifiable productivity, it leads to the kind of shifts in thinking that save time and money over the long haul.

Reason 7: We don’t “go through the motions”
We’ve seen our washed up parents work shit jobs they hate, and we won’t go through the motions for the sake of job security. If you’re an old-school boss, then this won’t be comfortable. However, not going through the motions for the sake of going through the motions actually makes us more productive in the long run.

Clay Collins is author of The Alternative Productivity Manifesto, and Quitting Things and Flakiness: The #1 Productivity Anti-Hack. Clay also writes about lifestyle design at Project Liberation.

What employers want to see on your resume

Why do employers require resumes? For the most part, they are looking for people with the skills to do the job. However, they are also looking for people who are motivated to work and fit the company’s culture. As a recent grad who may lack work experience, you may not feel like you have all the skills required to do the job.

However, most new grads have a TON of skills that employers are looking for — soft skills, such as leadership; ability to work independently or with a team; adaptability; organizational skills; the capacity to mentor; self confidence and effective verbal and written communication.

When looking for potential employers, seek out companies who value the aforementioned soft skills. Here’s some tips for researching:

1) READ the job description — I know it may seem like a given, but sometimes when you have been reading dry job postings for hours you may have a tendency to start skimming through postings and start looking for keywords. If you find a job you think sounds interesting, read the job description at least twice!

2) When going through the company website, make sure to read sections such as: Corporate Culture; About Us; Press Release; History; and Investor Relations.

3) If you happen to know someone who works there, ask them for insight on what attributes are valued by the organization.

4) If possible, speak with the hiring manager and request an information session.

Some other things to think about when writing your resume:

- Take some time to reflect on your past work, education and life experience — think about any accomplishments you would want your employer to know about.

- What makes you stand out from the crowd? Think of a time when you went above and beyond expectations.

- Employers are looking for employees who take ownership in their work, treating the company as if it were their own. If you put pride into all of your work, whether it be at school or on the job, let potential employers know about it!

- Were you able to meet/exceed your goals (this doesn’t have to be related to work — think of a time when you did really well in a class and your marks were above your own expectations).

- If you can show measurable results from past experience, make sure put them in the face of your potential employer! Again, this doesn’t have to relate directly to work. Maybe you helped organize an event and had more people participate than ever before or helped fundraise for charity that exceeded your total goal. Whatever it is, make sure you include it in your resume!

Promoting yourself is one of the most difficult things to do, but don’t downplay your accomplishments. If you are having a hard time finding measurable results, think back to classes, volunteer events or any time you feel as though you did a good job. You may want to contact past teachers or supervisors, who may be able to provide you with feedback and also provide a reference.

There is no room for modesty when writing your resume, so don’t feel like you are bragging . Be honest and upfront — odds are that the person (or computer…) collecting your resume knows nothing about you, so use this clean slate to brand yourself as a great employee who can make a positive impact on their organization.