Top 10 No Sympathy Lines

Steven Dutch, from the University of Wisconsin’s Natural and Applied Sciences department, gives students a dose of reality with this incredible list of comments he’s heard, with his reactions…

www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/nosymp.htm

When the going gets tough, the tough get government jobs

Recessions suck. We all know it. And many, especially recent graduates looking to enter the job market, feel it firsthand. You’ve perfected your resume. You’ve edited your cover letter to death. And you’ve sent them out so many times that your postage bills match the GDP of a small country.

If you haven’t done so yet, apply to positions available through your governments: municipal, county, provincial/territorial and federal. For the most-part, government jobs are more secure, pay more, and have many additional benefits, compared with a lot of your other choices out there.

Municipal
We’re not going to list them all here because that would take up waaaay too much (of our) time. But the best way to obtain contact information for these sources is to simply Google them. “Toronto, Government, Careers” etc.

County
See above.

Provincial/Territorial
Yukon
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland and Labrador

Federal
Canada

15 Common Sense Steps to Finding a New Job

Here at My Career magazine, we see resumes, cover letters, and interviewees quite frequently.

Over the past two years, more than a few dozen resumes have come our way. Out of these, only one – ONE – was written correctly. In today’s harsh economic times, job seekers have to be step up their game.

So, we created this short list of 15 steps that should be common sense for most job seekers, but for whatever reason seemed to have been forgotten in the eternal employability abyss.

1. Set aside eight hours every day to find a new job
PlayStation will not help you find a job. Neither will sleeping in. Those who say that finding a job is a full-time job are right. Waiting for the right job to find you doesn’t work; you need to find it.

2. Exhaust all options with friends and family
A step often forgotten about is first asking friends and family if their organizations require your services. They know you better than any random HR manager, so use this to your advantage.

3. Use free resources available in your community
Although the Internet is a wonderful tool, also seek out your local government’s support. Many cities have employment service centres which post information freely and have teams of individuals itching to help you succeed.

4. Use free resources available online
My Career. Job Bank. Facebook. Twitter. There’s a long list of online resources that can help you improve your job-seeking skills and find available jobs in your city, county, region, province and country.

5. Create a new email address
We’re going to go out on a limb here and say that some HR managers may be turned off by i_luv_beer@hotmail.com. Are you applying for a technologist position at Research in Motion? Consider setting up a new account just for this job opportunity, like: tech_at_RIM@gmail.com

6. Write a cover letter with your resume
We still receive resumes with no cover letter. Come on people. Spend some time on it and let your future employer know why you want to apply to their great organization. If you’re not sure how to do a cover letter, ask someone for help. (Websites, not-for-profit groups, government sources, etc.)

7. PROOFREAD
Spell the HR manager’s name correctly. Spell your own name correctly. Ensure that every word on your cover letter and resume is correct. We can’t stress this enough!

8. Proofread again.
Even after every sentence is structured correctly, now go through your resume and remove everything that doesn’t relate to the job you’re applying for, or change it so it does.

9. Change the way you answer your phone
“Ya?” makes us cringe every time.

10. Show up for your interview in sensible wear
Jeans? Yes, they’re okay, as long as they look nice and relate to the position you’re applying for. Don’t show up in a suit to a construction site and don’t show up to an office job in a Hawaiian shirt. (Unless of course it’s Hawaiian-shirt Day!)

11. Be polite in the interview
No gum. Say please. Say thank you. Common sense.

12. Listen to the interviewer
We know that the wall of books in the HR manager’s office is very interesting, but please look at her/him. They’re trying to give you important information related to their business and your potential job, so it’s best to stay focused.

13. Thank them for their time and follow up
We’re busy people here at My Career, so we appreciate an email from you thanking us for our time. We also know other (ahem, older) people who insist that an email-thank-you is tacky and the only way is via phone. Either way is fine by us. Just follow up.

14. Don’t freak out.
Sure, some HR managers make an interviewee’s life miserable, and look to draw blood. But remember that most are on your side. They’re the ones who hope that you hit a home run.

15. Wear sunscreen.

Be different.

Speaking with students across Canada, we’re hearing a resounding chorus of individuals who want to improve their lives. A lot of people want to find a way to make their lives better this very instant – most often by scoring a permanent job. Their solution to their challenges: do everything better than other job seekers. Have a longer resume with lengthier words. Dress in a fancier suit to an interview. Or splash an extra intoxicating dose of cologne before walking into your prospective employer’s office.

It’s only natural to want to ‘be better’. Everyone does.

Unfortunately, being better is not always the best approach. Sometimes, it’s best to be different. Instead of dressing in a suit to an interview for a plumber position, consider wearing clean jeans and a button-up shirt. Instead of a longer resume, depending on the business you’re applying for, write a fun, one-page story detailing why you are the best candidate.

My Career loves being different. And we try to be different in everything we do, from magazine design and editorial contributors, to tweating and blogging. And there’s still much more ‘different’ to come. Stay tuned. We’re playing a different game.

In 2009, we challenge you to be different as well, in everything you do – take this spring to renew your strength in Canada and do something wonderful. Be courageous. Be intriguing. Be different.

How to handle a phone interview

Phone interviews are often used as a stepping stone on the way to a face-to-face interview or can even lead to a job offer.  It is very important to treat a phone interview the same that you would treat a face-to-face interview. Canadajobs.com gives some tips on handling a phone interview.

• Be available. If you tell an employer that you are available at a certain time, ensure that you are.  Otherwise, you will look unprofessional and will probably lose the opportunity for the interview.  It is also important to have a quiet place for the interview.  Close yourself in a room and let everyone else in the house know that you have a phone interview so you won’t be interrupted.
• Be prepared. Treat a phone interview like a face-to-face interview.  Know what your resume says, know your strengths and weaknesses, do your research on the company.  The better prepared you are, the more polished and professional you will sound on the phone.
• Be professional. Again, do not treat a phone interview any differently than a face-to-face interview.  Ensure that you practice talking on the phone and get feedback from friends and family.  You need to be sure that you speak clearly and don’t mumble.  You also need to watch your language.  Many people have a habit of letting grammar slip when speaking on the phone, as well as increasing the use of slang.  You also need to sit up straight, make sure you don’t have anything in your mouth, and smile.  Believe it or not, the person on the other end of the phone can tell if you are smiling or not.  Keep reminding yourself to act like you would in a face-to-face interview.
• Follow-up. This step is often forgotten in the interviewing process.  However, it is a very important step, as not following up could seriously hurt your chances of receiving an offer.  A follow-up lets the interviewer know that you appreciated their time and are still interested in the position.

Negotiating Salary

It’s probably one of the hardest questions to answer during an interview….what are your salary expectations?  You don’t want to say a number that is too high and look greedy, but at the same time, you don’t want to sell yourself short by not asking for what you think you are worth.  Bcjobs.ca has come up with a list of 8 tips to negotiate a salary during an interview.

1. Make a good impression. Looking professional will help during the negotiations.
2. Keep quiet. Do not bring up the topic unless you are asked.  Also, it is suggested that when asked about salary before you are offered a job don’t give out a specific number.  Tell the employer that you are flexible and that you need to fully understand the position before you can give out a number.
3. Do your homework. Know what others in the same position are paid.  This may require a lot of research, but there are great tools online, such as workopolis.com’s Salary Calculator. You can search salaries by position and location.
4. Avoid disclosing past earnings. It may be harder for you to negotiate if the employer knows what you made in the past.
5. Encourage the employer to talk. Ask the employer what other employees in the same or similar positions make.  Ask if they have a salary range they work with.
6. Consider benefits and perks. Remember that the whole package is just as important as the salary.  Are there benefits?  How many vacation days do you get?  Are there any bonuses?  What is the work environment like?
7. Know your walk away point. What is the lowest you are willing to go?  Stay firm on this, because no matter how great the job is, you still need to pay your bills.
8. Get the offer in writing. Do not commit to the position until you see the agreement, including salary in writing.  You don’t want to get into a battle of who said what.

Negotiating salary can be very nerve-wracking, especially if it is your first job, as you don’t really know what to expect.  Overall, it is best to do your research and know what you are worth.  While you may not get exactly what you want at first, you will get there eventually…its just takes some time and experience.

Tips to Combat Job Burnout

Shelly Field from monster.ca offered a small test to test job burnout.  If you are on your way to job burnout or are already there, she also offers some tips to beat it.

• First and foremost, you need to make your job more fun!  You can do this by laughing more, even if it is at yourself.  Instead of leaving for your coffee break, watch a funny video on YouTube (without disrupting your coworkers).
• Be more social, both at work and outside of work.  This does not mean that you have to be friends with your coworkers, but simply saying hello to everyone in the morning will do the trick.  Ask people about their current projects, or their family.  Outside of work, have weekly coffee with friends, or plan a date night with your partner.
• Shelly offers a few more ways to have fun, such as:
  • Put toys and games in the break room.  Things such as colouring books, puzzles, even a deck of cards will get your mind off work.
  • If you don’t have a break room, or are not able to do so, put toys at your desk.  You could have silly putty, a rubik’s cube or even just a fun stress ball.  Playing with these for just a few minutes will help relieve stress and may even strike up a conversation with some of your coworkers.
  • Create a mutual stress-free zone for everyone.  This does not need to be a big space, just somewhere employees can go to take a stress break from their daily activities.  Shelly suggests even putting up a hammock or bean bag chair to relax in for a few minutes.
  • Schedule an activity you like to do every day.  Even if it is just a quick walk around the block, it will make you feel much better!
  • Most importantly, leave your desk at lunch (or better yet, your office)!  You are given a lunch break for a reason.  Take it and try to forget about work even for that short period of time.

Job burnout is very serious.  Catching it early can make your job much more enjoyable as well as helping you keep your sanity.

Powerful Networking Tips

We have all been told many times that the key to any job search is networking.   However, many people don’t even know where to begin with networking.  It can be very intimidating, especially as a young graduate.  Bcjobs.ca has compiled a list of networking tips to help even the most novice networker.

1. Make sure you know who you are, what you want and what you have. You need to be able to tell others about yourself, what you have to offer as well as what kind of position you see yourself in.
2. Prepare a resume and networking business card.  You never know who you will meet and when you will meet them.  You should always have a resume and business cards on hand, as you never know when you will run into someone who knows of a job.  Business cards can be easily made and printed at home, or print shops can do these fairly inexpensively.
3. Create a 20 second verbal business card. Know what you are going to say when introducing yourself.
4. Conduct information interviews. These interviews are very important to your job search.  They allow you to speak with people in the industry you are striving to break into, while expanding your own personal network.  For more tips about information interviews, check out our earlier entry “Get out and network through information interviews”.
5. Join professional associations or volunteer. Both are great ways to meet other professionals in your field, as well as hear about employment opportunities.  Make sure to volunteer in something that interests you…don’t just do it because it looks good on a resume.
6. Keep your network organized.   It is very important to keep your network organized, as it can be easy to lose contact information or even confuse yourself with when and where you met someone.  You could use a notepad or computer database, or as suggested on bcjobs.ca, jot down information on the back of the business card you receive.
7. Make real connections with people and be genuine. Networking is not a numbers game.  It is about the quality of the contact, not the quantity of contacts.  When speaking with someone, show genuine interest in what they are saying and ask questions.  You want them to remember you!
8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Most people will find it flattering that you are asking for their assistance.  Asking about things such as resume help, industry trends, skills required for the job, etc are the types of questions to ask your network contacts.
9. Offer to help. Networking is two-sided, you need to give and take.  Offering to help with someone else’s problems will only create a stronger relationship.
10. Keep in touch with your network. Most importantly…don’t just contact someone in your network when you need something.  Keep in touch on a regular basis, even if that is just once a year.  Better yet, join a networking site such as linkedin.com and encourage the rest of your network to do the same.

The Boomerang Generation – Surviving moving back in with Mom & Dad

After graduation, most students dream of moving to the big city, working at the job of their dreams, all while living in a posh apartment.  However, with fewer jobs becoming available and the increased cost of living, many students are choosing to move back in with their parents after graduation.  While the idea of coming home to a clean room, home cooked meals and a free laundry service sounds appealing, just remember that along with it comes a decrease in privacy and once again living by mom & dad’s house rules.  In order to make the move home an easy transition, there are a few things you need to do.

1. Set a time limit. Tell your family how long you plan on staying, and make sure you stick to this. Not only does it tell mom and dad when you are moving out, but it also gives you the motivation to find a job and a place of your own.
2. Set ground rules. You need to make your parents realize that you have been on your own for 3-4 years and that you are used to your freedom and independence.  However, you must also realize that you are once again under their roof…come up with compromises about things like curfew, chores, visitors, etc.
3. On that note…offer to help out around the house.  You are most likely living at home again for free (or very close to it).  Offer to do the dishes, take out the garbage, drive your little sister to soccer, etc.
4. Offer to help out financially.  If your parents aren’t charging you rent, you need to offer to help somehow.  Remember that there is one extra person in the house now and the bills will start to add up.  Offer to buy groceries, pay a couple bills or give some money towards rent.
5. Show respect. This includes towards your parents, your siblings, as well as towards their privacy and space.  You are an adult now, acting like one will ensure that you are treated like one.
6. Start saving money. Once you have a job (even if its not THE job), you need to start saving money.  You need to save up to move out, because this is why you moved home, right?

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!