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OVRC Career Insights

How to Prepare and Make the Best of your Resume Appointment

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By Lisa Elmhurst – Employment Facilitator

Often I have had conversations with clients who did not realize how much information and time it takes to develop a strong well written resume that highlights your relevant skills in a clear, concise way.

Unless you already have a strong resume that clearly demonstrates your relevant background and education for the job, more than 20 minutes will be required. Expect your appointment to take approximately an hour and a half to two hours. This is because the Employment Facilitator will need to take some time to get to know your work self and therefore, will need to ask questions about your work and volunteer history as well as education and training. This is an important step in assessing what does and does not need to be added to your resume.

Equally important are discussing your job/career goals. “Anything” is not a job title and it does not describe what industry you want to work in or what kind of work you want to do. The skills required for a Carpenter are very different to the skills required to be a Health Care Aide, for example (yes, I have had clients with skills and training in two very different employment fields). If you do not have a reasonably clear career goal, or at least a sense of the industry you would like to work in, it is very difficult for us to assess what is relevant and put what is needed in the resume. Your relevant strengths, skills, attributes, and education will be different based on the kind of work you are applying for.

Remember that your resume cannot be longer than two pages, so how can you possibly ensure that all of your best skills and attributes are reflected, without overwhelming or maybe even frustrating your potentially new boss? Research shows that managers spend approximately 30 seconds to three minutes reviewing a resume, which is all the more reason to put only what is relevant to the position you are applying for.

To maximize your resume appointment, be prepared to discuss (without having to guess) the following information to save time (it is helpful to write it down):

  1. Employment | Volunteer | Education | Training Dates: The month and year of your start and end dates of the last 15 years of your work (if you have lived long enough to have worked that long).
  2. Names: Proper names of places you worked, training institutes, courses/programs, job/volunteer titles, workshops, online training, etc.
  3. Computer Programs | Equipment | Heavy Equipment | Tools | Machinery | Vehicles
  4. The Extras: Have you participated in or been a part of planning any small or large projects or events, served on any committees, or have any professional memberships?
  5. Accomplishments Big or Small: Improvements that benefited the company, customers, clients, patients,
    or yourself?

    1. Quantifying and qualifying your accomplishments or responsibilities is a great way to demonstrate value to the employer
  6. Let’s talk about sales: Did you meet or exceed goals or targets? By how much? How often? Percentages are good to keep track of without giving away personal financial information of the company you worked for.
  7. Lastly, discussing your daily, weekly, and monthly responsibilities. Maybe your responsibilities do not change from day to day or month to month. That is ok.

The goal of the appointment is to show your abilities and describe what valuable contributions you can make to your new boss, so the easier it is for you to recall important information, the easier it will be for the Employment Facilitator to most accurately describe you on paper.

I hope this information is helpful and will help you to make the most out of your resume appointment. We book resume appointments on a weekly basis. If you would like to book one, call the centre on Monday mornings by 8:00 am. If you get our voicemail, please leave a message with your name and phone number so we can call you back. We would love to assist you with showcasing your best you!

Top 7 Tips on Developing an Effective Job Search Plan

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Written By: Lianne Stephensen – Career Counsellor and Workshop Facilitator – Osborne Village Resource Centre

As a Career Counselor, I see many people in career transition at different stages of their life who need assistance with job search. As someone who has changed careers several times, I have come to know the importance of developing an effective job search plan. Many times with clients, that I see, what is often neglected, is how they are managing the difficulties of the typical process of job search itself. Being through job search and career changes numerous times, I can fully understand the frustration and fear around interviewing and not getting the job or the disappointment and the financial burden of being out of work. In all honesty, if I could tell my 20 something year old self what my 40 something year old self knows now, my career path would probably have been much different. Having said that, I gained so much perspective and knowledge that I now use when assisting clients in the same situation I was and so there was definitely a reason for the career path that I call my life.

Here are my Top 7 Tips to Developing an Effective Job Search Plan

1. Determining Your Why

Searching for a new job is almost a full-time job, as it takes hard work, time and commitment to succeed. The last thing you want to do is to send out hundreds of resumes and wait for a reply that may never come. What I often recommend to clients is how important it is to be organized right from the start. In today’s fiercely competitive market, you need to have a strategic plan for your job search before you actually begin, from where to look, to identifying the specific kind of roles you want to apply for. Are you looking for a new job because you hate your current field of work or is it because you have become so good at your job that you no longer feel challenged in the role you are currently in and need to step up and find something more stimulating?

There are a lot of really good books out there on finding your ideal career to help you figure out what you want to do. At the very least, you should know which fields or industries you are interested in, and what types of positions you are suitable for. In addition, you want to have variety in the types of job search activities you are doing such as networking, interview practice as well as different job search strategies to help you find the job you love perhaps a lot sooner and with greater success.

Some job search techniques include prioritizing tasks, creating a target network list, researching companies, applying only to relevant jobs, and ensuring you fit in adequate breaks and variety in job search activities.

2. Understand the Realities of The New Workforce

The permanent job, for the most part, is becoming harder and harder to come by. There has been a large increase in contract, temporary, and part-time work over the years with entrepreneurship on the rise. For these reasons, self-awareness, self-esteem, flexibility, and creativity are more important than ever. People must assume responsibility for their own lives and financial planning. Lifelong learning and constant retraining is essential for workers of all ages. In order to continue to be successful, workers will need to continually prepare for the next level of technology. For each individual, changing careers several times during their work lives will still be the norm, and so will the need to have a “portfolio of skills, “which can be marketed in different places.

In summary, as a job seeker you need to be open to change, be willing to retrain, and stay informed about new and emerging work trends.

3. Reframing Your Perspective by Developing a Growth Mindset

Some people get upset when they have lulls in their job search simply because they did not expect them. This is not pessimistic; it is realistic. There will always be times when someone will not get back to you, networking meetings will not go well, and you do not know what to do next. What I often tell clients is inevitably you will be rejected from jobs, you will not get the interview or it will take longer than it should. The trick is being able to make peace with all this by recognizing in advance that setbacks are normal. Strategize and plan for ways to remember this and comfort yourself when you are in a middle of a setback. You can write down your top ideas for example in a job journal to remind yourself of them or post positive affirmations in your office to help you to stay encouraged and motivated.

People often think that skills like networking, interviewing, and negotiating are innate, but this perspective could not be further from the truth.

Just learning anything in life, from how to make homemade bread, to training for a marathon, job search skills are learned – and require lots of practice to become proficient. For example, your first networking calls may be a bit awkward or you may sound overly rehearsed in your first interviews. That is okay and very normal. You will only get better with time and sufficient practice. I know as I have been there myself and have seen many of my clients improve with additional knowledge and practice.

Another tip I teach in my workshops and one-on-one appointments to individuals is that it is important to pay attention to your thoughts and that instead of having a “fixed” mindset you want to develop a “growth” mindset.

The beauty of a growth mindset is that anyone can adopt it any time; you do not have to buy anything or spend years learning the concept. It is simply a choice and change in your perspective– and something you can start doing right now to start building resilience. It takes some effort, but it is worth it as it enables you to be more positive, hopeful, and flexible in your thoughts and actions.

When you are disappointed by something, instead of getting upset (which is natural), ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” You can also experiment with challenging yourself with the question, “Why is this actually the best thing for me?”

4. Surround Yourself with Supportive People

This can be a formal or informal group of other job seekers. It should also include your family and friends. People are much more resilient when they have support from others. Family, friends, other job seekers, and our staff at OVRC can all help you be much more resilient and provide the support and the encouragement you need, particularly when times get tough like when you did not get job offer you wanted .

5. Set Up Small Wins

Are you better at research than writing cover letters? Do some research before starting your cover letter to prime your mind for success. Then do some research after spending time on the cover letter to reward yourself. Prefer networking? Schedule one to three networking meetings a week. Fill your time with valuable activities that you enjoy. Emphasize the ones you like more and use them strategically to help you feel successful. The momentum you gain from that will help you carry you forward.

6. Being Brave Means Being Vulnerable

You will never know how something will go unless you try. Even if it is small steps that make you, uncomfortable such as panel interviews or setting up an informational interview with someone. You cannot learn from that which you do not know. In my Effective Job Search Planning workshop, I teach participants how to develop SMART goals, which refer to: Specific, Meaningful, Actionable, Relevant, and Timebound. This form of goal setting method has been around for many years and is easy to learn and incorporate into your job search. By developing SMART goals, it will enable you to be more specific and allow for clearer direction. Your goals can be daily, weekly or monthly if you like that you can write down and later assess how you are doing and whether you need to make any adjustments or changes along the way. An example of a SMART goal could include, “I will network or message 3-6 people on Linked In in my industry in the next two weeks.”

Creating goals also gives you the motivation to step outside your comfort zone and write down that which you want to achieve. For those of us who are visual learners, this can also be an empowering way to move actions from thought, to written word, which will hopefully lead to a desired outcome. It does not have to be something big. The key is to remember that just taking one small step, no how matter how big, is a STEP. An action that you may have been too afraid to take before, but now you have. Check in with yourself after you have completed it and ask yourself, how did that make you feel? What went well or what are you willing to do next time? Keep challenging yourself to move forward!

7. Prioritize the Things You Love in Life During Your Search

There is one more very important thing you need to remember to do during your job search. That is to prioritize activities you love to do!

Since job searching can be extremely stressful, making time for self-care is very important! I know for me, when I was in job search mode, I would often try to go to the local Y and participate in a deep-water aqua class two or three times per week. I loved having that routine in the morning and being able to socialize with others and feel good doing something healthy for my body and mind. I would then continue with my job search afterwards feeling renewed and energized.

Incorporating in a fun activity instead of say hopping online and searching non-stop for jobs for four hours can help bring perspective, balance, and joy into your life. It will also allow you to manage your time and energy better. Other examples could include spending time with family, running, yoga, hiking, or anything else that you really like that maybe you have or have not included as part of your self-care routine!
In summary, job seekers can improve the time they spend finding work, by being more organized and more productive. The general rule is to get specific as to what are the areas of your job search that are going well and not so well. Are you scheduling breaks, self-care, time out to recharge and rejuvenate your mind and body? Looking for jobs is still hard work, however, the way we approach it in a more efficient and positive manner can make a world of difference! The key thing to remember is that we can all learn to improve our capacity to find work more effectively and creating a job search action plan that works!

References:
Hund, Heather (2018). Art of Job Search: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding a Job You Love.
Graham, S. (2018). The Canadian Career Strategist: CCS eGuide. Toronto: Career Professionals of Canada.

Decision Making 101: Three simple (but not easy) questions to help narrow career options

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By Betty Punkert, Employment Facilitator/Computer Instructor

Reinventing yourself can be hard. Changing careers (or even figuring out what you want to be) can be a real struggle for people. Many times, my clients are overwhelmed with possibility and feel paralyzed, unsure of which direction to go. I’m not a career counsellor, but I’ve found a few really simple questions you can ask yourself when you’re assessing a career to get the options down to a manageable size:

1) Can I make progress on this career goal in a year or less?

Is there a goal or two that you can make some progress on in the next year? Can you sign up for a class or some volunteer work? Can you do some research to either confirm or eliminate it? When all of our goals are ten to twenty years away, that is too fuzzy to really get your brain around. Tony Robbins says, “Most people overestimate what they’re going to do in a year, and they underestimate what they can do in a decade”. So let’s figure out the first baby steps. Visualization without realization is hallucination (or: a goal without a deadline is a daydream).

2) Is this a goal that current me has, or is it a goal past me has that I’m hanging on to?

I took an amazing workshop at the Canadian Mental Health Association a year ago. This was one of the key questions they asked when we did goal setting exercises. Ouch! We all have goals youthful us had. Maybe yours were impractical like mine (I wanted to be a jockey for a while, then I wanted to be Connie Chung) and maybe not. But, sometimes when our past self goals show up in our career plan, we have to really ask ourselves if this is still something that is relevant to us, or are we clutching it because we don’t want to feel like we failed past us?

3) Are you willing to pay the price?

Every choice has a consequence. Every goal has a price. That price may not be financial. Maybe you will have to pay a lot of money for schooling. Maybe you will have to move to an unfamiliar city. Maybe you will have to do a ridiculous amount of unpaid work to build your reputation or your brand. Sometimes when we really think about what that career choice will mean, we find that we’re not willing to pay the price. That’s NOT a bad thing, by the way; better to know now than to get halfway through an expensive degree, or resenting the hundreds of hours of volunteer work. Own it and let it go.

None of these questions are easy. But, if you’re honest with yourself, they’ll help you narrow down your options to some items that you can make real headway on. As I often remind clients, you have two legs and five or six stools, so how are you going to stand on them all? We can’t pursue everything (that’s exhausting), so it’s important to be sure we’re really committed to exploring two or three things.

If you need to make a change in your career or you feel like you’re stuck in your current job, think about taking our Career Exploration workshop. We’ll assess your values, skills, and attributes, and help you brainstorm some ideas of careers that fit who you are right now. We won’t tell you what to do next, that’s up to you, but the first step in effective sales is to know the product; and really, what is job search but selling yourself to a potential employer? Call our Reception Desk at 204-989-6503 for more information, or to register.

Sell Them What They’re Buying

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By Betty Punkert, Employment Facilitator/Computer Instructor

Frequently I work with clients who are looking to make a substantial change in what kind of work they are doing. This may be because they are new Canadians and do not yet have the certification they need. It may be because they have undergone physical or mental health concerns that mean they cannot return to their old career

In any case there is often very strong resistance to the fact that I am trying to simplify their resume or omit particular skills or education as they are not relevant to what comes next. But they worked very HARD on that certification, they remind me. They are very PROUD of that accomplishment. They don’t want to give it up because it is important, and this is the key idea here, to THEM.

Let me use an analogy from another area of life to help make this clear.

Parable of the Chef

You and your best friend (or your life partner) have decided you want to try out a particular new restaurant. It’s quite expensive, and so you’ve been saving and planning ahead to make this a memorable experience. You check out the menu online and have decided you know exactly what you want and you have been imagining how awesome it would taste for weeks.

You arrive at the restaurant and with great anticipation, place your order for your meal. And yet when the server comes back, it’s not what you ordered at all. It’s something else on the menu. Perhaps you wanted chicken and got steak. Either way, even if it is more expensive than what you asked for, you are upset because it’s not what you wanted.

When you complain to the server, they respond with the explanation of, “well, the chef is very good at that dish, and they are very proud of how hard they have worked on it, so that’s what you are getting because it’s what they think you need to have.”

Are you feeling very satisfied right now? Probably not.

Give Them What They Want

And yet, when we insist on overselling ourselves or forcing our specialized upon an employer, not because it’s what they asked for (the job ad) but because it’s important to US, aren’t we doing the exact same thing as that chef? With exactly the same results?

Look, you need to sell what they’re buying. And if you were an engineer or a doctor or an accountant in a previous life but you’re looking to do something new, you have to sell the something NEW effectively. Your new employer only cares about what you will offer them going forward. Your past provides context in this situation, and if you’re trying to make it provide validation, you may be approaching the challenge from the wrong angle.

Focus on their needs, not yours, and you will get more responses.

If you’re having trouble figuring out how to separate your past from your future and presenting the skills you need to get your next job instead of your last one, give us a call on Monday morning before eight a.m. at 204-989-6503. Leave your name and number, and someone will call you to book an appointment with an employment facilitator to help narrow things down.

Cover Letters are Love Letters

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By Kristina Lonstrup, Career Counsellor

Do you like writing cover letters? Do you find it hard to get started?

A common misconception about cover letters is that it is an opportunity for you to write about your skills and experience. *pssst! That’s called a resume.

A cover letter should be seen as a different document. See it as a love letter.

Cover Letter as a Love Letter (or Who You Would Love to Work For)

I often hear clients say “Do you know where I would LOVE to work??!” Yet when I see the cover letter they wrote, it is paragraphs and paragraphs about the applicant. How will the employer know that you would love to work for them, when your cover letter is an autobiography?

When you write autobiographical paragraphs as a cover letter, you

a. expect the employer to read the WHOLE thing, which they probably won’t, and

b. expect the employer to extract related skills to the position. This might not happen—the employer might simply go to the next application.

I often hear clients say “I never know how to get started on a cover letter.” We will fix this!

Why Do You Want to Work for Them

Next time you sit down to write a cover letter, think about why you want to work for this particular employer. Visit the company’s website. Visit the company’s social media pages. Research what is special about the company, and make that your first paragraph. A cover letter that begins as “Here’s why I like you” is much more intriguing and inspiring!

How Do You Meet THEIR Needs

The next section on your cover letter should be how you meet the employer’s requirements. If the employer requires [ABC], there is no need to elaborate on separate experience of [LMNOP] that is irrelevant to the position. Follow the job ad and match your bullets to their bullets. This makes your cover letter clean, efficient, and easy.

Why don’t we make this easier for everyone?

Who would YOU love to work for, and why?

I love writing cover letters! Call (204) 989-6503 and book an appointment with me. We’ll have lots of fun.

But It Was Free and It’s Funny: Why a professional and private email address is crucial

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By Betty Punkert, Employment Facilitator/Computer Instructor

Many of my clients have an email address when they first come to see me. Since your email address is part of your brand, sometimes this can be a problem. hotmamafuzz@, while it may be funny, is not going to be appropriate for your job search.

It is quite common for people to have a personal email and a separate one they only use for job search or business purposes. Here are some guidelines if you need to set up a new e-mail account.

1) Use whatever service you are most comfortable with

We teach Gmail here at the center in our classes and workshops, but if you already have a Hotmail account, you might as well create it there instead. We do not recommend Yahoo, simply because they have no online storage component and they seem to be really prone to hacking. Let’s not try to teach you a whole new system at this point. (If you have Shaw or MTS mail you should be able to set up secondary e-mails or aliases, but you probably need to talk to your friendly tech support guru from their company about that.)

2) Do NOT include your year of birth

This is such a common error. I get people who complain they are being discriminated against due to their age, and it’s right there in their email address like a blinking sign no matter what changes I make in their resume. But when you have a common name and you are frustrated because it won’t accept anything, it’s what a lot of people fall back on. If you’re going to use a number, try something like 007 or 13 or 42 or 99 or even 204 for Manitoba’s primary area code (do NOT use 69, it’s not appropriate). It’s better to try adding something like mb or ca to your email ID as people don’t like typing numbers.

3) You want something in the form of firstlast@ (or a variation)

Your professional email should contain your name. Not a nickname. If you have a business of your own and have an email address registered to that business, you might be able to get away with that, but be cautious because obviously declaring that you are a small business owner can backfire. (Many times people become their own boss precisely because they don’t like taking orders, so there is some concern that they won’t make good employees.) If you are concerned about privacy, try your first and middle initial and your last name. If your name is super common (Smith is always a challenge), see above for some ideas about how to make it unique.

4) Never EVER email anything from your current employer (and be careful with schools)

I really shouldn’t have to say this, but it comes up more than you would think. If your only email is at your current job, you should create one that is yours. Think of it as having a digital affair on your current employer. School emails can be tricky, even though they let you keep them as an alumni, often for years. If you are still in school, that’s acceptable, but if you have been graduated for a year or more, your email needs to graduate too.

NOTE: The ONLY time applying with your work email is acceptable is if you are applying for an internal job or promotion with your existing company, in which case they would expect you to use their system.

If you need help setting up a professional email account, you can drop in for one of our Walk In Wednesdays (check our calendar for upcoming dates: https://ovrc.ca/events/month) in the morning. Or you can book a one on one appointment with our Reception desk at 204-989-6503. We’ll set up your professional email account on either Gmail or Hotmail and walk you through the basics.

Passionate Paragraphs: The Power of Origin Story in the Cover Letter

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By Betty Punkert, Employment Facilitator/Computer Instructor

Most of my clients don’t like writing cover letters, and I can’t blame them. After all, how many hundreds of times could YOU read, “I am writing to apply for the posted position…” before you wanted to stab your eyes out with a spoon?

Your first paragraph is critical to getting the reader’s attention, and that’s where this article is focused. Everyone says you never get a second chance to make a first impression, but folks assume that means at the interview. THIS is your first impression, this piece of paper right here.

Human Resources departments don’t hire pieces of paper, they hire people, and people have passions and reasons why they do things. Herb Kelleher, the former CEO of Southwest Airlines, was quoted as saying, “we can change skill levels through training, but we can’t change attitude”.

Let me use an example from my own career. When I applied to be a volunteer at OVRC in October of 2003 (I still have my original letter), the first line said;

Sometimes to get what you want in life you have to go back to the beginning.

This is different. This piques curiosity. This suggests an origin story. The remainder of the first paragraph explains how early in my career I volunteered with an organization called Journeys Adult Education Centre helping people who were working on their GED so I felt like there were some parallels between the two kinds of volunteering.

I like the idea of origin story, because it gives us a context in which to put our application. It gives us a way in which we can integrate our experience into our future with that company, and provides a way to be personable and relevant, and yes, dare I say it, EXCITED about where this might lead. (It also means we can pretend to be Batman or Wonder Woman for a few seconds without all that awkward Spandex.)

When you examine the cover letter in the context of origin story, it suddenly sucks a whole lot less to write, because you have some room to be yourself instead of repeating your resume. Some of my clients struggle with the idea that being personable and professional can exist in the same box. (I’m not suggesting you start cover letters with “hey homie, how’z it goin”, but a little engagement can go a long way in breaking through the clutter.)

So how do you express professional passion? How do you demonstrate a positive attitude?

The first thing I do with clients is get them to push past the “easy” reasons they’re applying: you need a job, the pay is good, you have the skills or education, it’s close to home, it has benefits, it’s a well established company, the hours are good. Get out of your head and start thinking with your heart; ponder why you chose this job ad of all the possible ones. (Don’t tell me you don’t care, because if that were true you would be dealing meth on the street because that pays very well and has flexible hours and is close to home, so we ALL care where we work.)

Begin by thinking about what you know about the company. What’s their reputation like in the community? Do you know someone who works there (or used to)? Is it somewhere that has helped you or your family in the past? Is it a cause near and dear to your heart? What connection can you build here? Ideally, we want some way for us to be able to show them that we understand them and can fit in their culture.

If that doesn’t work for you, then examine your own motivations. Why did you get into this line of work? Why did you take all that training? What is your favorite part of your job? Does this kind of work relate to some part of your life that maybe is NOT in your resume? If you can’t connect with the company in any way that feels authentic, then connect with your own reasons for doing the work. If you can’t do EITHER, maybe you shouldn’t apply.

Authenticity is Key

The key part of this is authenticity.  People often think that the process of building connection is “sucking up” and they are very resistant to it, sometimes flat out hostile. I cannot stress this enough, I am NOT asking you to lie. However, if you can’t demonstrate that you’re passionate about working there, why should they be passionate about paying YOU? (Ouch. There’s a thought.)

When you hit the sweet spot or say something that feels different, jot that down. Don’t worry about making great sentences just yet, you can do this out loud and make notes about anything that, as you’re answering the questions, makes you stop and go, “huh, never thought of that”. Sometimes it takes a while to get past all the RIGHT answers and get to one that’s REAL

Once you have an answer or two that is real and feels authentic to you, start constructing some sentences that express that idea in a way that is interesting (some examples):

  • As a regular customer who enjoys a variety of food items at A&W, I am interested in joining you team to provide excellent dining experiences to all current and prospective patrons.
  • When I offered to teach young people the art of filmmaking, I never expected to be the one who learned the most.
  • To be able to help others at their most vulnerable is a privilege and a gift.
  • On arriving in Canada nearly ten years ago, one of the very first lessons I learned was the importance of a well fitting and properly insulated door or window in a Canadian winter!

They know you’re writing to apply

Let’s get to something they don’t know, and tell them why you care about doing the work, and why it has to be them. That will get you farther than a hundred generic cover letters will. Remember that there is still a human on the other side of that desk, and that humans like stories. Start strong, and make sure they’re going to keep reading.

If you need some help because you feel like your cover letters aren’t selling you very well, call the Reception desk at 204-989-6503 and book an appointment with one of us. (No Spandex required, I promise.)

5 Top Reasons for Using LinkedIn as Part of your Job Search

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By: Lianne Stephensen – Career Counsellor and Workshop Facilitator – Osborne Village Resource Centre

As a workshop facilitator and career counsellor, I have come increasingly aware of some commonalities with some of my participants and one-to-one clients. Most seem to have fairly good research skills when using the internet and searching various websites as part of their job search. What I found interesting, however, was some of the fear of using Linked In, perceiving it to be a place where managers or business professionals are. I do believe after further discussion with my participants was that a lot of it had to do with not wanting to be on those platforms for personal reasons or fear of networking with people. What I try to do in these instances is educate them on the increasing benefits of using Linked In as the job market can be extremely competitive particularly when applying for advertised jobs.

Here are my 5 Top Reasons for using LinkedIn as part of your Job Search Success:

1. Linked In – The Hidden Gem

Even though LinkedIn has grown in popularity over the last couple of years, it is still a fairly new platform used by many job seekers for a variety of reasons. For those of us that have, it is a great way to network and build connections. As someone who is also a small business owner, I have had several contract work leads come from people I connected with on Linked In. The current job I am in as a Career Counsellor was also advertised on Linked In. I just happened to be checking that day and came across the position. Had I not, I may not have seen it advertised.

Update profile

With Linked In you want to be make sure to develop and update your profile that highlights your skills and experience in a way that attracts people in your field and potential employers or associations to want to find out more. Under each job you can add a brief description (use point form) what you did and only go back 10 or 15 years similar to how you format your resume. Make sure to include all your relevant education, certifications, courses, and volunteer experience. The beauty of LinkedIn is that you can add a lot more to your profile than you could your resume. I even suggest to job seekers to add their LinkedIn URL link to their resume as another way for employers to review your job application.

Check Job Tabs

There is a section on Linked In where you can click on a Jobs tab to search for jobs. Instead of advertising through the newspaper or large sites like Indeed, more companies are trying to save money posting their job ad on LinkedIn. The benefit of that is when you become a Linked In member, you will automatically be referred to people or organizations that are in your field or area of interest. Employers and recruiters know this and may even reach out to you about a position before they advertise it as there is no cost to them. As well, you may have already started a conversation with them or know them through social networks or conferences you have attended in past positions you`ve held.

2. Get Involved By Building Your Contacts

It’s also beneficial to get involved in LinkedIn Groups or Forums to stay abrupt to topics in your field. You will also be able to identify professional groups in your area and get involved. This will expand your network and show your expertise. LinkedIn Groups allow people to get to know you without selling yourself. You are able to post articles, blogs or share other people’s articles. In addition, you also want to be actively engaged on a regular basis on Linked In at least once per day reading posts, blogs, and asking questions as your network continues to grow. You will start to be a recognized professional in your field. It is also okay to ask for “recommendations” from former or current colleagues and contacts and provide recommendations in return. This adds creditability and enhances your profile further.

3. Research Companies of Interest or Those In Your Field

In addition, click on the search tab and research companies or individuals in your field or career of interest to find out about what their qualifications are, their work history, events, and any testimonials they may have to get to know more. Sometimes company websites are not always up-to-date and so Linked In may be one way to find out the ins and outs of a company. You can also send personalized greeting/messages to new contacts who work for companies or in your ideal job to introduce yourself and possibly set up an informational interview to find out more about what they do. This will help you establish relationships and build your network of people you know that work in your field of interest or company. You also will to want to send a “Thank You Message” to new contacts that connect with you and keep a Linked In Contact List the same as you would your for your job search for future reference.

You will notice that as you develop your LinkedIn network the context for your home page will start to include many special events or conferences are posted by companies. Events such as: career or job fairs, free or low cost classes, and volunteer opportunities. You will want to check out these further and consider participating to add to your knowledge and skill base, particularly if there are gaps in your employment history.

4. Update Your Headline

Make sure that you have a professional current looking photo with your name and headline that will “stand out” and highlight what type of position you are looking for. For example, “Chemical Engineer in Civil Service Sector.” It is also good to include in your headline that you are “Currently Looking for New Employment Opportunities.” Consider your LinkedIn profile like the first impression page that potential employers will view to get an idea of who you are, your qualifications, skills, education, and work experience. Always keep in mind what your new contacts would want to know about you first.

5. Effective Summary Page

In addition to your headline, your Summary section should tell your personal story and be written in the first person using “I.” Instead of Summary I also like to use the words, “Vision or Mission” and talk about the type of clientele I help, successes I have in my current or past jobs. In addition, I like to include my interests and what I am passionate about using statements like “I love seeing people reach their goals and discover a life they love living!” I have had people comment to me when sending me a personalized message something they read that resonated with them in my Summary section of my Linked In. I call this my personality section as well where I can go more in depth than I could on my resume describing my strengths, skills and attributes in greater detail.

And that is it for an introduction as to why I believe using Linked In as part of job search is crucial. Who knows? Your next job may be awaiting you very soon!

References:
Top Resume. (2019). Are You Using Linked In to Its Fullest To Get A Job? [Blog Post]. Retrieved https://ca.topresume.com/career-advice/14-ways-to-leverage-your-linkedin-profile-during-your-job-search
Kelly Wellness Consulting Inc (2017). LinkedIn 4 Workplace Wellness [Online Course].

The Money Question: Five basic steps to figuring out how to answer salary questions

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By: Betty Punkert, Employment Facilitator/Computer Instructor

“Please provide salary expectations in your cover letter.” Cue terrified scream.

Money. We’re taught not to talk about it, most of us have no idea what we’re worth, what we actually need to make to survive, or even what the going rate is for the work we do. This question in a job ad causes the most panic of anything I encounter in my appointments.

Breathe, young padawan. We’ll get you through this. wise and reassuring Jedi nod I walk people through this all the time and the basic framework is the same.

1. Figure out how much you need to survive.

Okay before we even apply for jobs, we should know, more or less, how much we need to earn to make the bills. You can think of this as a per hour figure or an annual salary, but this is what you need to pay all your bills, keep a roof over your head, and eat at least a couple of square meals a day. Yes, I am making you figure out a budget. Yes, I am a terrible human being. Don’t care, get on with it. In all seriousness, this absolutely must be your first step. Because if you can’t survive on less than $13.00 an hour, you need to know NOT to apply to jobs that only pay $11.50. Got it? (To convert hourly wages to an annual salary, multiply by 2080 for 40 hour workweeks and 1920 for 37.5 hour workweeks.)

2. Add 10-20%

Because who wants to be just surviving? Seriously, you deserve dinner out once in a while and a movie. All work and no play yadda yadda yadda.

3. Figure out what the going rate is for that kind of work in Manitoba

You should have a figure. The next step is to figure out what people are actually paying for that kind of work in Manitoba and see if there’s even remotely any kind of alignment there. If you need to make $17 an hour to make ends meet, you’re not going to get that salary as a fresh out of high school administrative assistant with no experience. You might need to adjust your career goals or your budget (check steps one and two).

To get an idea what the going salary is for your line of work here in Winnipeg, go to the Canada Job Bank (jobbank.gc.ca). Click on the Menu button, and on the right under Labour Market Information, click on by Occupation. Type your job title in the box, or something close (e.g. legal assistant) and pick the closest match from the drop down list. Type your postal code in the box below, choose the location from the list provided, and click Search.

Click on the second tab, which says Wages, in the search results. Information specific to Winnipeg is usually at the bottom of the list. There’s a low and a median and a high. High salaries tend to be government jobs or really extreme qualifications. Most people are going to be suggesting a wage in between Low and Median depending on their qualifications or the complexity of the job.

Calculate that number for yourself. Is it in line with the figure you have in section two? Great, let’s continue. If your section two figure is astronomically higher than the number you’re calculating here, this might not be a financially viable line of work for you unless you have some really good reason to demand that kind of salary.

4. Provide a range of values

Nobody likes an ultimatum, so once you’ve done all your math, you need to give the employer some wiggle room in this conversation. Typically, I will give a range that is around the X+10% to X+30% range (where X was your section one baseline), rounding to make it easier to look at.

Here’s my real world example:

For me, it doesn’t make sense to accept much less than $30k per year. I can’t meet my financial obligations on less than that. But since I do like the occasional movie, I’d like to make MORE than that. Given my usual lines of work (communications, mid-level admin, high end customer service), that isn’t out of line with any of them in terms of regional salary averages. Therefore, I would probably start from a salary of $33k (that’s X+10%) and go to about $38k (this isn’t quite X+20%, but a five thousand dollar range is normal and provides us with some space for conversation).

Given my experience and the current labour market in Winnipeg, I would be willing to discuss a starting salary of $33,000 – $38,000 annually.

5. Leave an escape hatch / olive branch / fig leaf (pick your metaphor)

What if the job is so awesome you can’t even get your heart around it, BUT they don’t have enough to afford you? This happens a lot, especially with smaller companies and non profit agencies. So it’s always important to express that you would be open to discussing the issue – remember, we don’t want an ultimatum. You often don’t know what the benefit package is like, or how much vacation you’re going to get, or if there are on the job perks. (I spent YEARS trying to get on with Great West Life because hey, on-site fitness facility and it’s two blocks from my house!)

Money isn’t everything. By showing you’re willing to be flexible, it eases the reader’s mind a little bit if you’re just out of range. But be careful, know what your bottom line is and don’t cross it (see section one) because you don’t want to not be able to pay your bills.

This is, of course, open to negotiation at the interview depending on the scope of responsibilities and other benefits available.

That is basically how you decode the salary question. The most critical piece is that you need to start with knowing – not guessing, KNOWING – what your bottom line, will not budge, figure is. Everything else grows out of that. Sometimes later in your career that number ends up high enough to eliminate a lot of jobs for you, but you might as well be honest with yourself and employers about that.

Stuck on step one? Here’s some budgeting software for you:

Mint for Canada (Free): Designed to integrate with your banking information automatically, owned by Intuit (the same folks who make Quicken and TurboTax)
https://www.mint.com/canada

MoneyStrands (Free): Phone app, there are several great e-books that teach basic budgeting skills on their website, even if you don’t decide to go with their app
https://moneystrands.com/

Toshl Finance (base plan is free, others $$): Light and playful approach to budgeting
https://toshl.com/