How Well Do You Communicate?

According to Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., and Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., Every employer is looking for a specific set of skills from job-seekers that match the skills necessary to perform a particular job.

But beyond these job-specific technical skills, certain skills are nearly universally sought by employers. The good news is that most job-seekers possess these skills to some extent. The better news is that job-seekers with weaknesses in these areas can improve their skills through training, professional development, or obtaining coaching/mentoring from someone who understands these skills.

 So, what are some of these critical employability skills that employers demand of job-seekers?

Communications Skills (listening, verbal, written). By far, the one skill mentioned most often by employers is the ability to listen, write, and speak effectively. Successful communication is critical in business.

Analytical/Research Skills. Deals with your ability to assess a situation, seek multiple perspectives, gather more information if necessary, and identify key issues that need to be addressed.

Interpersonal Abilities. The ability to relate to your co-workers, inspire others to participate, and mitigate conflict with co-workers is essential given the amount of time spent at work each day.

Leadership/Management Skills. While there is some debate about whether leadership is something people are born with, these skills deal with your ability to take charge and manage your co-workers.

Teamwork. Because so many jobs involve working in one or more work-groups, you must have the ability to work with others in a professional manner while attempting to achieve a common goal.

Many of these skills can be developed through participation in a group or club such as Toastmasters.  Find out more by going to www.toastmasters.org to find a club near you, then drop in for a visit.  You may be surprised by what you find. 

 

Many people have an unrealistic idea of what Toastmasters is all about.  It is not about giving speeches, it is about developing your communication skills - listening, sharing, evaluating and more.  Check it out.  You may find it very helpful in your working life.

To your success in communicating your ideas and strengths to others.

 

Fran Watson

 

Above excerpted from https://www.quintcareers.com/job-skills-values/

Looking for Work? What Methods Are You Using?

Not many people realize it, but the job-hunt is one of the most studied phenomena of our time. It is amazing what we know about it.
Acquainting yourself with this research can pay rich dividends to any job-hunter, and especially if your job-hunt is running into trouble. Let me illustrate what I mean.
Most job-hunters think there are basically only three ways to go about their job-hunt: resumes, ads, and agencies. Actually, there are fourteen:

1.	Using the Internet to look for job-postings or to post one's own resume.
2.	Mailing out resumes to employers at random.
3.	Answering ads in professional or trade journals appropriate to your field.
4.	Answering local newspaper ads.
5.	Going to private employment agencies or search firms.
6.	Going to places where employers come to pick out workers, such as union hiring halls.
7.	Taking a Civil Service exam.
8.	Asking a former teacher or professor for job-leads.
9.	Going to the state/Federal employment service office.
10.	Asking family members, friends, or professionals you know for job-leads.
11.	Knocking on the door of any employer, factory, or office that interests you, whether they are known to have a vacancy or not.  )
12.	By yourself, using the phone book's Yellow Pages to identify fields that interest you, then calling employers in those fields to see if they're hiring for the kind of work you can do.
13.	In a group with other job-hunters, using the phone book's Yellow Pages as above.
14.	Doing what is called "the creative approach to job-hunting or career-change": doing homework on yourself, to figure out what your favorite and best skills are; then doing face-to-face interviewing for information only, at organizations in your field; followed up by using your personal contacts to get in to see, at each organization that has interested you, the person-who-actually-has-the-power-to-hire-you (not necessarily the human resources department).    How many of these have you tried?   To your job search success   Fran Watson

Looking For Work?

If you have been having difficulty deciding what to do, it may be time for you to take some time to

Research and reflect 

Ask yourself:  Do your characteristics (skills, interests, motivations, temperament etc) fit with the requirements / characteristics of certain jobs? 

Are there some jobs you should avoid? 

The more you learn about jobs from reading, talking to people or hands-on work experience, the more discerning you become in identifying positive connections and negative mis-matches.

Here is an idea that will help you to focus on job areas which are most likely to interest you. Don't expect to find a perfect match. For most there isn't just one type of work which is suitable  - there may well be several, but it takes time and work to figure it out.

Themes 
·         Rather than trying to pinpoint the perfect job, look for themes. What interests you?  What do you do in your spare time that could lead to a job? 
·         For a few weeks, browse through job advertisements, note those which appeal to you and those which don't. 
·         Review this regularly to see if any broad patterns emerge. For example, do you automatically favour jobs which involve problem-solving or dealing with people and instantly discard those which require persuasive skills or working in the money markets? 

Discuss                                                             
·         Talk over your ideas with people who are both objective and supportive….family, friends, your career adviser. This "sounding board" approach may help clarify your career ideas. Talk to some people who work in the industry you are interested in (Informational Interview) to find out more.

Once you have clarified your ideas and looked at your options, it’s time to starting putting some plans in place. Whatever you’ve chosen to do, making it happen takes time.

Having a clear plan keeps you on track, allows you to see how much progress you’ve made and avoids wasting unnecessary time.  You will need to create a personal action plan that will help you achieve your goals. 

Once you have identified your career goals, you need to consider how to achieve them. Often there are a number of routes to your desired goal e.g. via further study, training programmes or "working your way up". If direct entry is not possible you may need to adopt a "stepping stones" approach. 

For example, sales experience could lead to marketing, voluntary work may increase chances of getting onto a post graduate course in social work, secretarial jobs might get you into the publishing field.

For more information click here

To your job search success

Fran Watson

Job Search Stuck?

As a Careeer/Employment Counsellor/Coach, I try to keep ahead of what is going on in the job market, this involves reading articles and chatting with people.  Here is an excerpt from a recent article I read...

 

"If your job search is stuck, and it can happen regardless of how qualified you are and how many jobs you are applying for, one question that you should be asking yourself is "What can I do differently?"

Regardless of the type of job you are applying for, just sitting at your computer and applying for jobs isn't going to work. I've heard from job seekers who have submitted hundreds of applications and have heard nothing.

Whether you are applying for an hourly retail store position or a top level management position, there are things that you may able to do differently to get your job search back on track." (read more)

If you need help with your job search, I am available.  I do counselling/coaching via the internet and telephone, so it doesn't matter where you live. 

To your job search success

Fran
http://www.franwatson.ca/bio.html

Resume Tips

Common Resume Blunders
by Kim Isaacs, MA, CPRW, NCRW

Make sure your resume is top-notch by avoiding the top resume blunders:

1. Too Focused on Job Duties

Your resume should not be a boring listing of job duties and responsibilities. Go beyond showing what was required and demonstrate how you made a difference at each company, providing specific examples. When developing your achievements, ask yourself:

• How did you perform the job better than others?
• What were the problems or challenges faced? How did you overcome them? What were the results? How did the company benefit from your performance?
• Did you receive any awards, special recognition or promotions as a result?

2. Flowery or General Objective Statement

Many candidates lose their readers in the beginning. Statements like "A challenging position enabling me to contribute to organizational goals while offering an opportunity for growth and advancement" are overused, too general and waste valuable space. If you’re on a career track, replace the objective with a tagline stating what you do or your expertise.

3. Too Short or Too Long

Many people try to squeeze their experiences onto one page, because they've heard resumes shouldn’t be longer. By doing this, job seekers may delete impressive achievements. There are also candidates who ramble on about irrelevant or redundant experiences. There is no rule about appropriate resume length. When writing your resume, ask yourself, "Will this statement help me land an interview?" Every word should sell you, so only include information that elicits a "yes."

4. Using Personal Pronouns and Articles

A resume is a form of business communication, so it should be concise and written in a telegraphic style. There should be no mentions of "I" or "me," and only minimal use of articles. For example:
I developed a new product that added $2 million in sales and increased the market segment’s gross margin by 12 percent.

should be changed to:
Developed new product that added $2 million in sales and increased market segment’s gross margin by 12 percent.

5. Listing Irrelevant Information

Many people include their interests, but they should only include those relating to the job. For example, if a candidate is applying for a position as a ski instructor, he should list cross-country skiing as a hobby.

Personal information, such as date of birth, marital status, height and weight, normally should not be on the resume unless you’re an entertainment professional or a job seeker outside the US.

6. Using a Functional Resume When You Have a Good Career History

It is irksome for hiring managers not to see the career progression and the impact made at each position. Unless you have an emergency situation, such as virtually no work history or excessive job-hopping, avoid the functional format.

The modified chronological format is often the most effective. Here’s the basic layout:

• Header (name, address, email address, phone number)
• Lead with a strong profile section detailing the scope of your experience and areas of proficiency
• Reverse chronological employment history emphasizing achievements in the past 10 to 15 years
• Education (New grads may put this at the top.)

7. Not Including a Summary Section that Makes an Initial Hard Sell

This is one of the job seeker’s greatest tools. Candidates who have done their homework will know the skills and competencies important to the position. The summary should demonstrate the skill level and experiences directly related to the position being sought.

To create a high-impact summary statement, peruse job openings to determine what’s important to employers. Next, write a list of your matching skills, experience and education. Incorporate these points into your summary.

8. Typos

One typo can land your resume in the garbage. Proofread and show your resume to several friends to have them proofread it as well. This document is a reflection of you and should be perfect.

To your job search success

Fran

P.S. If you need help with your job search, click here

Job Search

Employers have said that they are more likely to be 12 percent more graduates this year than last year. It is the first projected increase since the year 2000.

In another study, a projected 60 percent of US business plan to employ the same number of graduates this year as with last year. That is an increase of fifty-five percent from last year, according to the CERI (Collegiate Employment Research Institute) at MSU.

According to recent studies, US Corporations and businesses will employ more graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business, biological and physical sciences. Those with construction management, engineering degrees, health care and accounting will also experience an increase in hiring. Other fields will have a slight decline.

On the average, companies are hiring forty three percent of its interns to fulltime and regular status. The expected increase in the hiring of graduates coincides with an expected growth forecast of the economy next year according to a recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank.

A lot of companies are coming out of a slump and are now hiring their interns and looking for more. A lot of companies are posting jobs and coming into different campuses.

Most experts advise that during the holidays, whether you’re looking for permanent employment or internship, it is time to step up your search.

Take advantage of the holiday events you’re going to, discuss what you’re looking for and your goals. Businesses don’t want to be flooded with calls and faxes of resumes. They will probably rely on word-of-mouth to get a handful of candidates The holidays are a perfect time to network.

What to expect:

Companies will hire more students earning bachelor’s degree in business and management, physical and biological sciences. Engineering, health care and accounting degrees also would experience an increase. Other degrees will experience a decrease in hiring

Businesses expect to employ about the same volume of MBAs this year as last year. Businesses have found employees with bachelor's degrees being able to do some work being done by MBAs.

It will be harder for graduates with computer science degrees to find work.

Companies are more likely to employ students who have undergone internships. The work experience, they say, makes a lot of difference. Federal agencies will employ more graduates but not nearly enough to offset the decrease in hiring by the state and local government agencies.

On average, starting salaries will increase by 1 to 2 percent.

Good luck on your job search!

Fran

P.S. Looking to start a business on your own? Click here

Looking For Work?

Why can’t I find work?

The first question to ask yourself is, “where am I looking?” If the newspaper is your only source, you are cheating yourself of some great opportunities. If you are searching on the internet, you are also short-changing yourself. Many companies do not use either of these methods for hiring; they use networking techniques. You have heard people say, “It’s who you know,” and this is true.

Think about it for a minute. Which would you choose, a complete stranger or a person referred by one of your employees or friends? If you had a choice between placing a job ad that costs $100 - $200 or paying an employee a bonus of $50 for a referral, which would you choose? It makes economic sense for employers to use networking, and it makes good sense for you to do it too.

How do you network? To start off you make a list of everyone that you know, even slightly – your barber/hairdresser, the bank teller, the cashier at the grocery store, your next-door neighbour. Keep writing until you can’t think of anyone else. Then look at your list again and try to figure out where each person works and what kind of information they could provide you with. These are probably not the people who will be hiring you, but they may be the link to the person who will.

Have you let everyone know that you are looking for work and the type of work you are looking for? Or do you just say you are looking for “anything.” People need to know more facts than that. Will you really do “anything” or are there some limits on what you are willing to do. Take some time to write down a short summary of your skills and experience and what you are looking for. Use this when contacting employers.

Is your resume up to date? Does it have all your skills and experience on it? Is it targeted for the specific work area you are looking for, or is it so general that people have to try to guess what it is you are applying for? Do you have extra copies that you can give to the people in your network? Or are you waiting until that perfect job appears before you write it up? You should always have a current resume ready as you never know when that perfect opportunity will arise.

to your job search success

Fran
P.S. Are you videotaping your interview practice? It's a good idea to see how you look to an employer. Click here to learn more

Action Plan

WHAT IS ACTION PLANNING?

Action planning is a process which will help you to focus your ideas and to decide what steps you need to take to achieve particular goals that you may have. It is a statement on paper of what you want to achieve over a given period of time. Preparing an action plan is a good way to help you to reach your objectives in life.

An effective action plan should give you a concrete timetable and set of clearly defined steps to help you to reach your objective, rather than aimlessly wondering what to do next. It helps you to focus your ideas and provides you with an answer to the question ‘‘What do I do to achieve my objective?’’.

It’s OK to have several objectives, but you will need to make a separate action plan for each, otherwise things get confused.

Although here we are applying the techniques to careers, an action plan can be used effectively to help you to reach your goals in many aspects of your life, for example: to pass your driving test.

The following are all valid goals for an action plan:
 To get more involved in a student society to get to know more people.

 Deciding what skills I need to improve and deciding how I will improve them.

 To investigate the different tools available to help me to choose a career, such as computer-aided careers guidance.

When action planning in a careers sense there are likely to be three main areas in which you want to develop action plans. These are:

* Choosing the career you wish to enter.

* Working out a strategy to help you enter this career e.g. application and interviews.

* Developing skills that you need to acquire to allow you to enter the career of your choice and to be successful in it.

It's time to take action for your career. If you need help, click here

To your job search success

Fran

P.S. If you need someone to help you through the job process, click here

Job Applications

Should You Apply for Non-Advertised Jobs?

Are you in search of a new job? If you are and if you are like most job seekers, there is a good chance that you would turn to the internet, namely job posting websites, or to your local newspaper, namely the employment section. While these are the best ways to go about finding information on available jobs, there are many job seekers who choose to submit resumes or job applications to those who are not hiring. Before you start taking this approach, you will want to examine the pros and cons of doing so.

Before examining the pros and cons of submitting a job application or your resume to a company that is not hiring, you may be curious as to how you can go about doing so. Many job seekers use two different options. In today’s society, many businesses have online websites. These online websites may give the mailing address for the company in question. There are many job seekers who will submit their resumes to that address in hopes of seeing success. Others will simply mail in or drop off their resumes or job applications to local companies that they know the address to.

As for the pros and cons of applying for non-advertised jobs, you will find that there are a number of pros or plus sides to doing so. One of the pros or plus sides to submitting your resume or a job application to a company that does not advertise or state that they have any current job openings is the jumpstart that you can give yourself. Many companies will choose to take out job advertisements when they have open positions, but others will just go through their current pile of resumes and job applications. If you play your cards right, one of those resumes or job applications may be yours.

Another one of the many pros to applying for non-advertised jobs is the impression that you may create of yourself. Many employers view the submission of job applications and resume as showing initiative. This is the type of impression that you want to create for yourself. You want a prospective employer to be pleased with your wants and your need to have a job, namely with their company.

Although there are a number of pros and plus sides to applying to non-advertised jobs, there are also a number of cons or downsides to doing so as well. One of those downsides is the impression that you can make. As previously stated, some employers may view the submitting of a resume or a job application as showing initiative, but you may be surprised how others feel about the same action. You may end up creating a bad name for yourself without meaning to do so. It is possible that some companies would view your submission of an unsolicited resume or job application as spam.

Another one of the cons or downsides to applying for non-advertised jobs is the response time. As previously stated, many companies choose to go through their pile of job applications and resumes. One of these job applications and resumes can be yours, but you never know when you may end up getting a call for a job interview. You could receive a phone call in a few weeks, a few months, or even a year later. This may not help you if you are looking to find a new job now. With that in mind, you may have nothing to lose by submitting your resume or job application anyways. You may be surprised with a quick response time.

As outlined above, there are a number of pros and cons to submitting your job application or resume for a non-advertised position or company. Since the decision is yours to make, you will want to proceed with caution, as your intentions can swing both ways. That is why you should take the above mentioned factors into consideration when making your decision.

To your job search success

Fran Watson

P.S. If you would like some help with your job search and resume development Click here

Unemployed? Looking for Work?

Why can’t I find work?

The first question to ask yourself is, “where am I looking?” If the newspaper is your only source, you are cheating yourself of some great opportunities. If you are searching only on the internet, you are also short-changing yourself. Many companies do not use either of these methods for hiring; they use networking techniques. You have heard people say, “It’s who you know,” and this is true.

Think about it for a minute. Which would you choose, a complete stranger or a person referred by one of your employees or friends? If you had a choice between placing a job ad that costs $100 - $200 or paying an employee a bonus of $50 for a referral, which would you choose? It makes economic sense for employers to use networking, and it makes good sense for you to do it too.

How do you network? To start off you make a list of everyone that you know, even slightly – your barber/hairdresser, the bank teller, the cashier at the grocery store, your next-door neighbour. Keep writing until you can’t think of anyone else. Then look at your list again and try to figure out where each person works and what kind of information they could provide you with. These are probably not the people who will be hiring you, but they may be the link to the person who will.

Have you let everyone know that you are looking for work and the type of work you are looking for? Or do you just say you are looking for “anything.” People need to know more facts than that. Will you really do “anything” or are there some limits on what you are willing to do. Take some time to write down a short summary of your skills and experience and what you are looking for. Use this when contacting employers.

Is your resume up to date? Does it have all your skills and experience on it? Is it targeted for the specific work area you are looking for, or is it so general that people have to try to guess what it is you are applying for? Do you have extra copies that you can give to the people in your network? Or are you waiting until that perfect job appears before you write it up? You should always have a current resume ready as you never know when that perfect opportunity will arise.

If you need help with your resume or your job search contact me

To your job search success

Fran Watson
Career/Employment Coach

P.S. You will also find some tips on interviews here

Cover Letters

How do you write a cover letter for employment

The job market can be very competitive which leads many people to ask themselves, “How do you write a cover letter for employment?” It is true that writing a compelling cover letter can often be a daunting task. A cover letter introduces not only your resume, but you as well. You want that cover letter to be interesting and make the person reading it not only WANT to read your resume but HAVE to read your resume.

There are some very specific things that should be in your resume. Start out by referring to the job that you are applying for and note where you found the position opening. Remember that if you found it in a newspaper, underline the name of the newspaper. Sometimes these little details really count! Employers like to know if their advertising dollars are paying off and what is giving them the best "bang for their buck". Then go on in your cover letter to say how excited you are to know that there is a job like this available and how interested in it you are.

Your resume should be concise, but your cover letter can be a little more in-depth. I have applied for countless jobs and experimented around with various formats for cover letters, during my career as an Employment Counsellor. That does not necessarily make me an expert but it surely has taught me a few things about what I shouldn’t do!

First and foremost, be brief in your cover letter. Introduce yourself, tell the employer why you want the job, let them know about your special skills that would make you perfect for the job, and then express your eagerness for a personal interview. You should ALWAYS include a telephone number at the end of the cover letter so that the employer knows how to reach you. They may not always pay attention to the top part of your resume, but they most likely will see your contact number in your cover letter.

So, how do you write a cover letter for employment? Just speak from the heart and let the person reading the cover letter know that you are truly interested in the job and that you have the qualifications to do the job. Be sure and let them know, too, that what you do not know, you are eager to learn.

Your cover letter should be professional, but it should also reflect your personality. That is what will get you the interview. Once you are face to face with the person doing the hiring, it will be all up to you. After all, it is your personality – as well as your abilities – that make you perfect for this job. When you are face to face, you can express that in ways that can never be shown on a simple piece of paper!

If you have your resume and cover letter prepared professionally or by an agency, make sure that you are happy with the results. You are the one who is going to have to defend whatever is on your resume. If you feel that it isn't "really you", then that is what is going to come across in an interview. You need to be comfortable with what is down on paper.

To your job search success

Fran Watson

P.S. For more information on cover letters, click here

P.P.S. If you would like coaching for your job search, please contact me.

Unemployed?

Coping With Unemployment

The downturn in the economy has caused increased unemployment in our area and the lengthy delay in receiving benefits can make basic living tough. However there are a number of things you can do in order to survive financially.

Step 1: Apply for Employment Insurance as soon as you receive your Record of Employment, or at the end of 3 weeks if you have not yet received it, even if you are sure you will have a job soon. It could take 6-8 weeks before you receive a cheque for EI.

Step 2: Examine your budget or if you haven’t had one before, prepare one now. Cut back as much as possible on all non-essential items.

Step 3: Don’t use your credit cards as a source of funds on a regular basis, or you will be in worse financial shape. Use them only for emergencies.

Step 4: Consider talking to the bank about the possibility of deferring payments for a limited time if necessary.

Step 5: If you have a high debt load you may want to talk to your creditors about reduced payments for a time or consult a credit counselling agency for advice on how to handle your debts.

Step 6: Make sure that your resume is up to date, and that you have a copy on hand at all times.

Step 7: Network! Let everyone know that you are currently looking for work, and the type of work you are looking for.

Remember, losing a job is comparable to losing a loved one and it may take some time to get over the loss. It’s okay to be angry or sad or frustrated. Don’t try to keep it all in. Talk to someone about how you are feeling.


To your job search success!!

Fran
P.S. Check out my site for some free job search tips