networking

5 Habits of Highly Effective Job Seekers

June 8, 2018 By The Career Foundation

When searching for the right job, you are competing against a sea of candidates. To set yourself apart from the competition, follow these five important habits.

Sell Yourself

Sell the employer on hiring you by being your own best sales representative. Oftentimes, we are taught not to boast about ourselves or our abilities. The job search is the one time when you can and should truly promote yourself.

Be convincing in the way that you present yourself and your skills. You can start by making a list of all skills, experiences, and certifications that you bring to the job.

Remember, the employer doesn’t know who you are and what you have accomplished. Be sure to share this information in a way that is relevant to your job role.

Be Visible

Show the company that you are interested in them through social media. A great way to do this is to promote the company and its activities through your own social media channels.

This includes the use of Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. It’s as simple as re-posting, sharing, or referencing a link to a corporate event, program, product, or news item on your channel(s).

You can even use a #hashtag that a company or organization is using through their social media. If they ‘like’ or ‘re-post’ your message, then this is a great sign that you are now visible to the company.

Even if you don’t receive a ‘like’ or ‘re-post’, rest assured that you’ll still remain on the company’s radar.

Make Friends

Network with the company through any opportunity available to the public.

Oftentimes, we don’t want to appear pushy when applying to a role. This often holds us back from reaching out to connections made, or from following up with an employer.

One effective way to connect with a company (without appearing too pushy) is to begin networking before receiving any offers. You could participate in events, conferences, seminars, launches, or other public avenues where the company is present.

Even if the company is sponsoring or exhibiting at a public event, it’s a good idea to introduce yourself. This will help you to build a relationship with individuals who work there.

When the right opportunity presents itself, reach out to your contact to let them know you’ve applied for a role. The personal connection will give you an advantage. It may even help you get selected sooner for an interview — or the job!

Know the Role

Know as much as you can about the job that you are applying for.

Knowing the role inside out means that you can effectively speak to the duties, responsibilities, and direction that has been outlined in the job description. Beyond this, you should begin to understand where the role fits within the company’s mission, vision and objectives.

Start by researching the company’s website, LinkedIn page, and any news related to the company. You can read any reviews available on the internet but be mindful that not all opinions online are reflective of company culture and work styles.

This is also a great time to learn more about your hiring manager and how your role fits within the objectives of their department or team. A simple LinkedIn search can tell you a lot about how your future manager leveraged their skills and experience towards the company’s goals and objectives.

Get Excited

Passion and enthusiasm should be expressed throughout the job search. Be sure to introduce yourself and share your passion for the role, the industry, and the services or products being offered by the company.

After your interview, reiterate your interest and enthusiasm in the work (if your feelings are genuine). This interest and enthusiasm should continue throughout any interviews, when you accept the offer, and into your role on the new job.

Follow these habits and you will become highly effective at your job search – and at securing the right role for your career!

Rohit Mehta is the Youth Job Connection Program Coordinator with The Career Foundation. He is passionate about helping people to reach their full potential through skill building, mentorship and professional development. Rohit enjoys giving back to his community by serving as a volunteer on charity boards and supporting fundraising events.

Why Sector-Focused Career Fairs Are the Way of the Future

April 10, 2018 By The Career Foundation

The Problem:

The rudiments that comprise typical “career fairs” today include employment agencies, training institutions, product placement, and a large array of community organizations on display to share information, network, and boost their own branding. As such, the common career fair today is a letdown for both job seekers and the employers in attendance looking to hire. Job seekers arrive hoping to target a specific industry, not to buy wellness products or register for job search services; as it was likely their current provider who sent them. For employers, the prospective applicants are so varied in their skill sets and career trajectories, it would hardly seem worth their time and cost to attend.

There is no dedicated industry-specific event that aims to identify leading employers in specific, targeted sectors, and then connects them with the right type of skilled and knowledgeable workers to facilitate their future growth. Not yet, anyways.

The Solution:

We need to start leveraging like-minded, industry-specific companies and professionals. By targeting precise occupations, this will maximize the turnout of the most highly skilled professionals and facilitate more effective linkages between labour need and labour supply. In other words, maximizing an employer’s time by accessing a pool of the most qualified and skilled workers that an area/sector has available.

3 Ways We Make This Happen:

1.) By organizing and holding industry-specific career fairs, job developers and recruiters can target and then pre-screen applicants whose skill sets are the most appropriate. The promotion of industry-specific events is more easily and readily shared within job boards, professional associations, and other networks and online forums which are the most relevant for those professionals. This serves to bring in the ‘best of the best’ within each industry.

Job seekers have become overwhelmingly disappointed at “hiring events” that have everything but employers. An industry-specific event manages the expectations for both the employer and applicants by directly addressing who is hiring and what the positions are; lending to itself increased promotional value given the names of the employers and positions. With all of this comes a substantial decrease in the time often wasted when spent talking to professionals and job seekers outside of that industry. While with any event that is open to the public there are exceptions (like those hospital hopefuls who continually attend hospitality hiring events), employers at this type of industry-focused event can expect a sharper degree of defined and refined industry-relevant applicants.

2.) The best candidates are the most prepared. Career fairs that focus on a singular labour pool allow keener professionals to develop clear-cut strategies to demonstrate their skill-sets. When a company’s brand is known, it is easier for professionals to understand the culture of its employees and the products/services that company offers. With this additional perspective, an applicant can tailor their application with more relevance. With less company knowledge, the right talent can, through no fault of their own, miss the opportunity to market their skill-sets. As such, ‘keener’ applicants are given the opportunity to demonstrate that their character and work ethic match not only the position, but the corporate culture within that company. This gives employers a sharper edge in accessing whether a client is indeed a proper fit or is merely going through the motions.

3.) Have faith in results-oriented and successful employment service providers. The Career Foundation is one of the fastest growing employment service providers in Ontario. The range of services offered by The Career Foundation are as vast as they are varied. Our clientele includes, but is never limited to, multi-barriered at-risk youth, newcomers, those who self-disclose as having physical and mental disabilities, recent graduates, internationally trained professionals, storied professionals, and both job seekers and employers looking to access training and hiring incentives provided by the provincial and federal governments. Our yearly assigned (and annually surpassed) targets speak for themselves; as do those whom we have the honour of assisting. It stands to reason then, that our incomparable ability to strategize and assist with such a diverse range of needs, can be equally put to service serving a range of employer needs just as diverse.

The right labour pool is the right talent. If you are an employer looking for a precise skill-set, mindset, and talent, why not directly contact us? If this is the event you want, and this is the precise talent you are looking for, then we are here for your business and your future.

Are you interested in taking part in a re-imagined career fair? If you’re an employer in the financial, health or technology industries, take part in the GTA Hiring Event on May 15th, 2018 at the MaRS Discovery District!

Learn more about the event and register for the GTA Hiring Event here.

Written by Jason D. Smith (with assistance from Eve Hart)

Think Like a Business: Promote Yourself with a Personal Website (Guest Blog)

February 20, 2018 By The Career Foundation

Decades ago you were able to get a decently-paying job straight out of high school. If you went to college or university, you had even greater prospects. I wish that were still the case.

I know I’m preaching to the choir here. We all know that it’s harder than ever to find work. You’re up against steep requirements and fierce competition. There’s no quick fix, but there is one big truth: you need to stand out. What does Google say about you?

Have you searched for yourself on Google recently? What comes up? Is it good? (Is it bad?) Is it something that you have control over?

These are the same questions I’ve been asking small business owners for the last ten years. So many of them still don’t have a website, and they’re missing out on a ton of potential growth because of it. The same is true for the rest of us who aren’t running a business. We’re missing out on growth. The only time we promote ourselves is when we’re hunting for a new job.

But what if we thought of ourselves as more than only candidates for a position? What if we thought of ourselves as businesses? What if potential employers were our potential customers? Think of yourself as a business. There are a lot of parallels between running a small business and developing your career.

Let me explain.

Many small businesses are a single-person operation, e.g. freelance designers. They’re responsible for every aspect of their business. They do their own marketing; their own sales; their own product or service development. They’re up against stiff competition: other freelancers, larger companies, and alternative solutions.

You’re in a similar position. You’re responsible for your own career. You have to get on the radar of potential employers. You have to prove that you’re the right choice for the company. And if you land the job, you have to deliver on the work. And you’re also up against competition, e.g. new hires, outsourcing, and automation.

So what can we learn from small businesses that we can apply to our own career development?

Let’s start from the beginning.

How do businesses find new customers?

There’s a framework I’ve been working on for the last few years called Reach Teach Sell. It’s a way of thinking about how businesses find and keep their customers.

It’s seven steps, and it goes like this:

Reach your ideal customers where they already are.
Teach, entertain, inspire, or inform them to build your reputation & credibility.
Sell them something useful by understanding their goals & challenges.
Support new customers with a great onboarding experience.
Keep customers by delivering value over time.
Refer your customers to others and encourage customers to refer others to you.
Reward your customers for their loyalty and ongoing business.

Now, you might be looking at that and wondering how it applies to career development. So, let’s make some tweaks:

Reach your ideal employers & colleagues where they already are.
Teach, entertain, inspire, or inform them to build your reputation & credibility.
Sell them on your ability to meet their goals & overcome their challenges.
Support your new employer & colleagues by getting up to speed on your role.
Keep your position by delivering value over time.
Refer your employers & colleagues to people and resources that help them.
Reward your colleagues for their support.

The Reach Teach Sell framework, in this case, is all about finding and keeping your ideal job. Potential colleagues and employers replace potential customers. Getting hired replaces making sales. Keeping your job replaces keeping customers coming back. (You get the idea.)

Where does the website come into play? A business website promotes the business.

Your personal website promotes you.

Reach your ideal employers and colleagues by joining online communities and participating in discussions. Showcase your projects and publish blog posts that show what you’re all about. If a potential employer likes what they see, give them a way to reach you, e.g. through a contact form.

Here’s the thing: Customers research businesses before they buy from them. Employers do the same. A personal website that covers this information is a goldmine for recruiters. It provides a level of context and depth that a cover letter and résumé never could.

In other words: Make it easy for potential employers to find you!

A personal website is a long-term investment in yourself.

Your personal website is a collection of your greatest hits. You have total control over what gets published. Even when things go wrong, you can turn those experiences into stories about what you’ve learned.

And the hits keep on coming.

If you’re early on in your career, your website will reflect that. Your content will focus on what you’re learning and doing. As you gain experience, your website starts including more advice and stories. Unlike Facebook or LinkedIn, your personal website is actually yours. You don’t have to worry about something beyond your control changing or happening to the platform.

Which leads me to the next point: how do you actually build a personal website?

It’s easy to get started. Here’s how you do it.

Building your personal website in 3 steps:

1. Register a domain name. Everything starts with your domain name. You’ll use it for your professional email address and for your website. Try to grab your full name if you can. But if you have a long name that’s often misspelled, you may want to come up with a variation or abbreviation of it. For example, my last name “McIlwain” is often misspelled. So, I’ve used the abbreviation “andymci” for years. It’s easier to remember. The annual registration cost will depend on the domain extension you choose, e.g. .COM or .NET or .CA. On average you’re looking at something around $20 to $30 per year.

2. Set up your email address. I recommend setting up an email address on your own domain name. It’s far more professional than a free @gmail.com or @outlook.com email address. And you can change your email provider without changing your address.

The cost of professional email will depend on the service you use. On average you’re looking at something in the ballpark of $5 to $10 per month for Office 365 or G Suite.

3. Set up your WordPress website. This is the final part of the personal website hat trick. I recommend WordPress because of its massive library of free plugins and themes. This gives you more flexibility than anything you’ll find on a website builder service.

The cost of web hosting varies depending on the plan you choose. For a personal website on basic hosting, expect to spend between $5 to $10 per month.

All told, you’re looking at a total investment around $250 per year. This covers your domain name, email, and website.

Keep it going.

After you’ve built up your website, you need to give people a way to find it, and a reason for them to keep coming back.

Aside: You may have heard of the term “search engine optimization”. It’s another beefy topic beyond the scope of this post. If you’d like to learn more, check out the beginners guide to SEO from Moz.

For your personal website, there are a few small actions you can take that don’t need a lot of effort:

Connect your website to your social media profiles. Link to your social media profiles from your site, then link back to your site from your profiles. This cross-linking helps other people find your website. It also gives Google a better idea of your presence on the web.

Update your site once a week. Your website isn’t a one-and-done project. It should be growing and changing all the time. Your site updates could include a new blog post, a new portfolio entry, or even a minor tweak to your site’s design. The important thing is that you get into a habit of keeping your website fresh.

Share your site updates on social media. You’ve given people a reason to visit your website by making updates. Now you need to let people know about it! Make some noise on social media. Ask for feedback and suggestions from your friends, family, and followers. You never know – their comments could spark new ideas for you to build on.

The bottom line? Your website is a valuable asset.

Think like a business and promote yourself with a personal website. For a business, a website is like an employee that works 24 hours a day for 365 days of the year. It’s helping them with sales and marketing (and more). Wouldn’t it be great to have that kind of support?

Get out there. Build your website. Control how you show up in search engines. Give potential employers an easy way to find you and learn about you. It’s one of the best investments you can make for your career.

Andy McIlwain has spent the last 10 years helping people get online through his work in web development, training workshops, and community groups. He currently wrangles technical content and special projects for the GoDaddy blog. You can find Andy on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and his personal website.

How to Survive Holiday Parties When You’re Currently Out of Work

December 19, 2017 By The Career Foundation

Staff Celebrating the Holidays at Lawrence Square

It’s the holiday season, which means your cash flow may be running low — especially if you’ve recently been impacted by a layoff or you’re currently looking for work. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun! Other then avoiding “BYOB” parties, there are plenty of other things you can do to stay on budget while decking the halls.

Here’s a few suggestions to keep you on track:

1. Go with a friend and offer to split the “gift,” then skip on the bill because that’s what friends are for, right? Just kidding! If you do that you’re sure to get a lump of coal from Santa!

2. Bring something handmade or re-gift (just make sure you remember who gave the original item or things could get awkward).

3. Offer to help with cooking or other tasks before the other guests arrive.

4. Ask if the host or hostess would be open to an “exchange” party, such as a cookie exchange. That way you won’t have to cook as much and waste money on expensive ingredients, plus you’ll get a variety of cookies to munch on. Just watch the waistline!

Mitigating the Mingling

How do you counter the most common and potentially awkward introduction question of all? (You know the one: “What do you do?”) For starters, you don’t have to answer with, “I’m unemployed” or “I’m out of work.” Instead, you can always say: “I’m in between jobs” or “I’m working on some leads,” which should be enough to satisfy a stranger’s curiosity. If you’re taking classes or upgrading your skills you can mention those, too.

But how about taking it up a notch and giving an answer that’ll really get the conversation started? “I’m pursing/looking at new opportunities in my field” — or even better: “I’m exploring and open to change.”

These answers will open up the conversation (if that’s your intention), so you can talk about your skills and what you’re specifically looking for, which will sound much more proactive and positive. It may even open up some doors for you if the person happens to be well-connected. Now who doesn’t like to party with someone like that?

So grab the eggnog and have some fun – the New Year is upon us!

This blog was written by Elaine Logie, Program Manager of the General Carpenter Pre-Apprenticeship Program for Youth.

Navigating a Networking Event: 8 Tips That Will Make Even a Shy Person Comfortable

November 18, 2017 By The Career Foundation

For some of us, walking into a room full of strangers can be intimidating, especially if you’re one of the quiet types. With every step, the lump in your throat gets more constricting and your stomach feels like it could bottom out at any moment – much like climbing Mount Everest, I assume. While you can live happily-ever-after never having climbed Everest, networking is something you can’t really avoid if you want to make connections with the “Who’s Who” of the business world. Being able to network effectively is a great tool to have in your arsenal for career success.

Here are eight tips to help you step out of your comfort zone and network like a boss:

Research

If you’re attending a networking event, do a little investigating beforehand. Find out who the host is and search their name on Google or LinkedIn. They could be an old schoolmate or maybe they recently achieved a milestone. A quick search can help you find a way to break the ice with the host of the event.

Dress like a boss

Ensure you are dressed professionally. Iron everything!

Just do it

Take a deep breath before walking into the room. Keep your head up, shoulders back and stand up straight. Stepping into a room full of strangers gets easier each time.

Perfect you elevator pitch

No matter what you do or the purpose of the event, always come prepared with strong talking points. If you’re a job seeker networking with potential employers, ensure you’re able to convey how you would be an asset to the company. If you’re a business owner, who knows your business better than you?

Be prepared to talk about yourself or your business if the occasion calls for it. Keep your pitch short and to the point – no more than 30 seconds.

If you’re simply trying to make connections, go with casual talking points; something current or newsworthy like a new book or movie release will do. Try to steer clear from politics and religion.

And don’t forget to bring your business card if you have one!

Don’t go alone

Go with a colleague or friend. Having someone you know in the room can help calm your nerves. However, don’t treat your buddy like a crutch – be sure to mingle on your own as well.

Ask for an introduction

If you know the host of the event, ask them to introduce you to some of their guests. Don’t be afraid to ask someone you know to introduce you around.

Focus on the person standing alone

You might be a nervous wreck, but you’re not the only one. There’s usually someone standing in the room by themselves, likely just as nervous about networking. Make eye contact with him or her. Smile and introduce yourself. Find something to compliment, such as their shoes, briefcase, watch, and so on (but keep it professional, of course!)

Practice

Use your colleagues as guinea pigs! Don’t shy away from work events and staff meetings. Practice your networking skills by talking to people from different departments. This will help you get comfortable speaking with people and will also help improve your conversation skills.

Practice makes perfect, so implement some of the tips above to help you navigate any networking event.

PS – Keep in mind that a lot of people like to talk in general, so you’ll often find that sometimes all it takes is a smile, friendly introduction, and quick icebreaker to steal someone’s attention – and ideally lead to the next stage in your career!

Jodi Darby is a Business Developer with The Career Foundation’s Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) Program, and has successfully navigated her way through dozens of nerve-racking networking events over the past few years. Connect with Jodi on LinkedIn.