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OVRC Career Insights

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/