Job Searchers

Work overseas: new challenge

2011-08-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

If you enjoy travelling and exploring new places work overseas may be the right match for you.

There are different way to get there. Nowadays most popular is teaching English abroad. Such countries as China, South Korea, Thailand, Russia and others are accepting new applicants for ESL positions. In some cases accepting company will pay for your accommodation and travel tickets. But mostly these costs are unpaid to you. The opportunity is open to Canadians, US citizens and some other countries of citizenship. This experience is really unique. You will explore new countries and cultures.

There are also opportunities for those who prefer a more professional stream. There agencies offering international internships. They can be paid or unpaid which varies upon agency and country. Before signing a contract for an internship you should carefully ready the contract and terms and conditions. If you miss something and arrive to the location it will be very hard to change something already. The agencies are mostly commercial organizations and operate for profit. If available try to arrange your internship with your college or university.

Another way to get hired overseas is though employment agencies overseas. Some of them can have branch offices in your city of residence or close to. I have a friend who had been hired in Ireland. After graduation he went there himself at his own cost. He managed to find a job as business trainer pretty quickly and worked for the company for about 2 years. The experience was great. He enjoyed the culture and people. Now he is back but thinking of going to China.

Well, there also disadvantages for this kind of job. One of which is job experience. If you worked abroad like for 3 or more years, in most cases your experience will not count in Canada or US. It just happens so. Local employers do not take it seriously unless you held a position of higher executive level and got great international skills.

There is also you should consider. That is you will be away from your home and beloved ones. If you succeed abroad you may want to start there a family but when your contracts are finished you will have either to return or stay and try to find some new job opportunity. It is always difficult because there are work visa issues that is given mostly upon valid job offer.

So, as you can see all this is not so easy as you may think. Before making a decision do a research to better understand pros and cons. Good luck!

7 Typical interview questions

2011-08-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

I decided to write this article to help job seekers to better prepare for the interview. So here are some typical questions you may be asked at an interview. Of course there may be much more of them, but these are those I have experienced myself.

Can you tell me something about yourself?

Ok, here we are. This is opening question. By this question interviewer want to hear something from you. Don’t speak too much. 1-2 minutes will be enough. Here you need to speak about your current job and detail your education. It would be a good idea if you add something positive about yourself. In the end ask interviewer if they would like to get any detailed information on anything.

When I was first time asked this question I started to talk about something that was not necessary related to my current job; on the contrary I spoke about some things from my past, some goals, I told them how good I was etc. Do not follow my example. Never go back and stick to the real.

Why do you want to leave your current job?

The question is tricky. It aims to catch you in your answer. We all know that sometimes we can have issues at work – boss issues, heavy work load or co-workers, or maybe we need more salary but can’t get it there. That’s why we look for something new. In your answer you should speak that you are a good professional in your filed and that you are looking for new opportunities to develop. Never ever talk about problems or issues at your current or previous job.

Tell me about your current job?
Here interviewers are looking to find out about details of your current job. They want to understand if you are really the right candidate for the job you are applying, and if you are the right one. We all understand that this kind of question is kind of broad and answering this may take ages. To avoid this pick up some key points from your job and give examples. Make sure you provide relevant information to the job you apply for. Please remember that your examples must present you in the best positive manner.

What do you dislike about your job?
To tell the truth I hate the question. When I just started my career I didn’t understand why they ask me this. It was clear for me that if I look for another job it is completely obvious that there was something I disliked in my current job. But there sense in this question. They just want to be sure that their candidate is not like a complainer. They want somebody who can remain calm and positive at the same time managing one’s dislikes. When you answer this question you need to make positive points of your job and give explanations of how you managed your dislikes. When you talk about dislikes don’t complain; don’t say about any problems with your co-workers; on the contrary relate to ‘natural circumstances’ that arose and gave birth to these dislikes.

Why do you want to work for us?
They want to be sure that you will stick to their company and work for them. They want to know if you are really interested in the company and position, that this job is not kind of temporarily for you. A good idea to find a way out here would be do a market research of same companies. Next tell them you did this research and you are interested particularly in their company. This will for sure give you another good point. Be positive and creative. Spend some time to prepare for this question.

If they say you are over-qualified.

Ok, here we go. First you need to understand why they say this. If they said this there is something wrong with your resume. You did not spend enough time to match your resume to the employer’s needs and requirements. You put too much information in there. Remember that it is critically important for a hiring manager to understand of you are the right one; if this job is what you really look for. If they hire you they will train you, which may take up to half a year. You will be paid salary. But suddenly after one year you may want to leave company for better opportunities. It means that hiring manager did not do his job. Company spent money and time on your training in vain. To avoid this impression express interest for this job. You should also speak about your experience and education and how company may benefit from them. Be positive and enthusiastic.

Where do you want to be in five years time?
Again we see here that they want to see of you stay with the company or not. For example if you apply for coordinator job and your answer will be like you want to become a director you will probably fail this question. Be realistic and don’t make too many fantastic plans. You can tell them that you will be thinking of getting additional education to develop within company. You can also express some your goals, but be realistic.

Here are some of typical questions. There will be more later. I hope having read this article you better understand why certain questions are asked and how to answer them. Before you go to interview answer these questions to yourself with some more details as if you answer them at an interview. Get confidence and be ready.

Before interview: quick giude

2011-08-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

You have been invited to an interview. You have been waiting for that moment and now it is time to do your best to make the best possible positive impression.

Get ready. Do a research. Update your knowledge of the company you apply. What products they produce. Their market. Their competition. Their plans for future etc. Research is very important here. Remember that interviewers will expect you to have some knowledge about their company. This will give you additional good point.

Have a good sleep on the night before your interview. Sleep will make your thoughts fresh and will give you new energy. Better not to drink socially for at least three days in a row before the event.

Get official business clothes. It is very important. You cannot come to interview in shorts and a t-shirt. Anyways, clothing depends on kind of job you are applying to. Of course if you applied to labourer position it will be enough to wear some pants and safety boots. Please take clothes aspect seriously.

Know the details. Read carefully your resume and cover letter a couple of times. You must know your resume in details and be ready to answer questions about your job experience and skills. It would be also a good idea to make about three copies of your resume for the interview. There may be additional interviewers who would like to participate. Also, if available prepare reference letters or sometimes they are called letters of recommendations; speak to those how gave you references in advance and warn them that you are attending the interview. If you cannot reach them by phone take time and write them a quick e-mail.

Arrive on time. Be punctual and get company’s directions and maps. It is always a good idea to arrive in advance of at least 15 minutes prior to interview. It will get you some time to look around and get acquainted with unknown premises. You can use this time to calm down after trip, go to washroom and wash your hands and face to look fresh, get some water to drink.

And finally I would advise you to get a blank paper and a pen to take any notes or draw some schemes that will help you to explain your previous or current work experience. Also it is required that you must be ready for everything. There might be different types of question you cannot find on the internet. It means that before interview you should place yourself in place of a hiring manager and carefully think of anything that may arise during the interview.

This process itself is not always easy. Just remember that the better way you prepare and market yourself at interview the more chances you have to be selected out of other people and thus be hired.

A cover letter. Quick guide.

2011-08-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

A cover letter is going to present you. It must be written in a manner to sell and market you to a prospective employer. Do not ever take a cover letter as something to be prepared very quickly.

If you don’t have a previous cover letter then takes a sample from internet to make the job easier. Start by customizing your cover letter.

Check your contact information. Before sending out your cover letter make sure your contact information is up-to-date and valid.

Address your cover letter to the right person. Here you have to write company’s name and address, phone number and a person you are sending the cover letter to. Usually it is a hiring manager or HR specialist. This information should be available in job posting. If there is no contact information do your best to find this information on the internet.

Write in the body. Usually the body consists of 3 to 4 paragraphs. Paragraph 1 consists of mainly three to four skills that are relevant to the job posting. Details of these skills are provided in paragraph 2 and 3. Here you have to give more details and relate them to the job you apply to. Conclusion is paragraph 4. Here you just summarize what you said in the first 3 paragraphs.

This is just a structure of a cover letter. Please remember that the aim of your cover letter is to promote you and thus attract attention to you. To help it work please note the following.

You will have to spend a certain amount of time writing your cover letter. Never ever be in a hurry of doing that; it just doesn’t work. Imagine that you are working on some report your boss gave you. You are attentive and serious about that because you are just doing your job.

Try not to repeat information from your resume. Hiring managers will not be interested in your resume after reading cover letter. Why should they waste their time to read the same information? This will give them a different vision of you, a vision you don’t want actually.

Never ever use the same cover letter for different job postings. You will have to adjust cover letter each and every time you apply for a new job. Adjust your skills, body paragraphs etc. Making it more personalized will for sure select you out of pile.

If you hesitate or unsure about your cover letter it would be a good idea to consult local career or community center.

Good luck!

Resume tips: A Way to Great Career

2011-08-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

It is not a surprise that a well-written resume will show a candidate out of others; it will promote you and your experience; and it will get you a great job. It means that before sending out your resume you have to spend some time to prepare it and make it valuable for employers.

Main meaning of the work “resume” which comes from French is “summary”. Some people make a mistake considering it as equivalent to “curriculum vitae”. Resume has to be a brief description of your work history, not a poem. Some folks make it huge up to 3 pages pointing out lists of duties they performed while working at different employers; they think the much the better, but it is not like this. Trust me. Recruiters will not waste their time reading these poems and your resume may be found in trash.

Clear show your skills. Don’t write too much, point out only important ones that are required by employer (of course you must have them).

Think about what to write in the objective of your resume. Note that objective is some kind of advertisement of you as a professional. Now put yourself in customer’s place. What are you likely to do: purchase a highly advertised and branded product or purchase mostly same product that is unknown to you and anybody in the world? I guess you will choose the first option. So do employers. Remember that.

Adjust to employer’s needs. This is simple. When you browse a job ad and make a resume for this ad you will have to carefully see job requirements section of the ad. After you will have to adjust your resume to these requirements; not to all but to those you already have. Here is an example what I mean: a person graduated from HR program. He is looking for a job. He found an ad saying that a business trainer is required. A person’s education is not direct but somehow related to the posting’s filed. So he scans ad and found out that indirectly he was doing something like this in the pas before college. So, this is the answer. If your previous job did not directly include some of the requirements maybe there were kind of indirect. Think about them and put them into your resume.

Try to present your resume in the best positive manner. This will for sure attract employer. Do not write in your resume about salary expectations or benefits; something like why company is good for you; always check your spelling and grammar; fond size must be not larger than 13 points, preferably Times New Roman or Arial; check for consistent formatting; don’t use photos in your resume; don’t mention why you quit previous job.

I hope my post will help you in writing your resume.

Initial job search steps

2011-08-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hi there, here I will about initial steps a job seeker has to know. I went through them myself and had been employed. I’m still with the same company, which has been already 1.5 years to the date of this post.

So, first you will have to prepare your resume and a cover letter. It would be a good idea to browse internet and find some good examples of a resume and cover letter. Just take the examples into consideration when writing your own ones. It is important.
Remember that your resume and cover letters must be prepared in the way local job seekers do that. There are certain types of resumes and styles. I will outline more details on resumes and cover letters later in my blog. If you need help visit local career or community center. They will help you with these documents.

After you have your resume and cover letter in ready in hands start sending it out. Good sources of where to find job opportunities are local newspapers, advertising boards. There are also specialized job search websites, but I personally think there is not too much help from them. So, when I was looking for a job I stuck to newspapers and advertising internet boards. Look for positions that relevant to your job experience or knowledge. Apply in the manner it is specified in an ad. You may want to send responds to approximately 8-10 ads a day or less or more, which depends on your desire. Make a database to track where you sent it, include status columns in your database.

After this, you will have to wait. Wait approximately from 1 to 2 weeks per ad. If there is no response from employer give them a call. Introduce yourself and kindly ask about your resume if they got it and what is the status. Say that you will call back like in 1 week. This is called follow up. Certain communication skills may be required. So if you’ve never done this before I recommend you to get skills upgraded at a local career center. Please note that employers are interested only on candidates that give any interest to their company. If you send out your resume and never come back to employer to follow up – forget about it and don’t expect employer to contact you. This is my own vision of how it worked for me at that time. I don’t think much has changed for 1.5 years.

Go to interview. You will have to prepare for your interview. Get some info about the company invited you for an interview. Understand what products they deal with. Get some background. Prepare yourself and prepare kind of speech to introduce yourself on an interview. Check internet for interview tips and FAQs. This may also help.

So, if you pass the interview they will offer you a job. Ready carefully the contract and understand it and ask some questions to HR if any. If you are satisfied with terms and conditions of your new job offer – go for it and accept it!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Finding a job is a challenging process and requires some work and efforts.

I hope you will succeed in it. Good luck!

Career choice: not an easy one.

2011-08-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

Whether you are thinking of changing careers or you just arrived in your new country and want to start from a blank page you will have to decide for yourself if you would like to do something new or continue what you were doing in your career. I agree that decision will not be easy as there are so many choices in jobs you can pursue. Here I will stick to some job streams that really pay off.

Managing Director. Salary range from $50.000 to $170.000 yearly. Typical job requirements include:

-A university degree or college diploma in business administration, economics or other related field;

-Several years of experience within the appropriate industry;

-Licensure appropriate to the service sold, such as real estate, mortgage, securities or insurance;

General Manager. Salary range from $49.000 to $162.000 yearly. Typical job requirements include:

-A university degree or college diploma in business administration, finance or other discipline related to the service provided;

-Several years of experience as a middle manager in trade, broadcasting or other service;

-Specialization in a particular functional area or service is possible through specific university or college training in that area or through previous experience;

-Senior managers in finance usually require a professional accounting designation.

Sales Manager. Salary range from $48.290 to $125.340 yearly. Typical job requirements include:

-A university degree or college diploma in public relations, communications, marketing, journalism or in a related field and

-Several years of experience as an advertising officer, public relations officer or communications officer or in a related occupation.

Human Resources Manager. Salary range from $44.000 to $95.000 yearly. Typical job requirements include:

-A bachelor's degree in a field related to personnel management, such as business administration, industrial relations, commerce or psychology or

-Completion of a professional development program in personnel administration;

Several years of experience as a personnel officer or human resource specialist.

Chartered Accountant. Salary range from $40.000 to $104.250 yearly. Typical job requirements include:

-Chartered accountants require a university degree and

-Completion of a professional training program approved by a provincial institute of chartered accountants and, depending on the province, either two years or 30 months of on-the-job training and Membership in a provincial Institute of Chartered Accountants upon successful completion of the Uniform Evaluation (UFE).

Project Manager (construction). Salary range from $57.000 to $165.00 yearly. Typical job requirements include:

-A bachelor's degree in engineering or a college diploma in engineering technology;

-Extensive experience in an engineering discipline, including supervisory experience;

-Registration as a Professional Engineer or certification as an engineering technologist preferred.

The above list is a brief one. There are many other jobs. But note that to get into such jobs you will need to get local education and experience. If you have your Bachelor’s degree from your home country it can be assessed by evaluation service. Some upgrading will be required though. All the process may take up to 5 years in some cases. But if you implement all the requirements and start working in higher level jobs you will benefit soon.

So act now! Good luck!

PS: please note that salary range in the above list is approximate. For exact information relate to official statistics.

Job seekers: Consider training

2011-08-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

It often happens that you get stuck at your current job place. You don’t like your job much but still continue go to work and get some income which is often not enough. I’m sure you would like to change it, to do something to get rid of this job and change your life.

Ok, if you want changes – go for them. Don’t wait any longer. Start thinking of getting additional training in your field. If you don’t really enjoy what you are doing now you may want to consider a close related field to get training in. Beware that starting some new career after some 5 years of previous activities may be tough enough. After you are done with that it’s time to make the right choice.

College education is most popular now and will be beneficial. There are different program levels offered at colleges. They range from 2-year diplomas to post graduate certificate. Diplomas are good for those who have no Bachelor’s degree and is committed to start a formal education. Post graduate certificates require a previous Bachelor’s degree and are popular within working professionals. This kind of certificates will boost your career to a new level; they will equip you with new up-to-date skills and will help you to develop networking.

There are also alternatives in the form of community centers, operated and owned by either private or community or government sector. These centers provide programs of studies which aim to just give you some practical skills. In most cases but not always the programs are not going to provide you formal level of study and certification as a college education for example. So before taking such a program you have to decide for yourself if you really need it. Note that currently employers are not taking too much into account diplomas or certificates issued by these alternatives.

There options for part-time and full time studies. Part-time seems to be rather difficult. I took a course part-time and believe me it was very difficult to manage the course load as I was working full-time at that moment. That’s why part-time courses tend to waste your time and money because you will not just have time to learn the course material unless it is too simple course for you. Full time studies on the contrary are more beneficial. You will be devoted to studies and be among students like you. That will also be a great plus so that you will build networking for your new job after you complete your education.

I have just outlined some little information about this topic which can be developed to many pages. It’s up to you to decide what education type to choose but remember that there is a demand for professionals who has up-to-date skills and training. Employers will likely hire somebody who has this training.

If you have any question please feel free to contact me.

All the best and good luck in your effords!

Your first job

2011-08-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

So, you got your first job.

Congratulations!

Below I wrote some useful information you will benefit I hope.

Your first day of your new job is extremely important for you and your employer. This is the day your employer’s vision of you as a professional will start to build; and in most cases it may count to up 60%! So, do your best to perform very well on your first day.

You have to perform all tasks in time and in the best possible quality. If you are unsure of something it is much better to ask than making a mistake. Remember that one mistake will give you one bad point. So don’t hesitate to ask and ask. Of course your questions have to be competitive. Silly questions will be disregarded. Deadline is very important. Try to meet the deadlines. If you tend to forget things you are free to use computer software or simple paper note books. This will for sure be helpful in your job.

During your first days you may be working with different people and different cultures. If you are not used to such setting try to get used to it as soon as possible. Communicate to your new co-workers and try to provide positive attitude on your colleagues. Remember that you need to make positive connections and networking. If you have any personal or family problem or other issues not related to your work try not to talk about them with people you do not know. This is not correct from the point of view etiquette.

There is also one thing you should now. Employers differ as employees. Most employers expect that their employees will be working on their own with limited supervision. You have to take initiatives, be able to make decisions and be organized. Of course this must be done in accordance with company’s policy or instructions given before in advance. do not overestimate your responsibility. If you feel you cannot resolve any issue or it is above your jurisdiction / responsibility – consult your co-workers or your managing personnel.

Also, your employer may want to seek some input from you; because in most cases companies try to build good team for best working results and profits. So be ready to give some voice to your team.

Remember that to be successful at work you must be willing to work and be devoted to it.

All the best and good luck!

New job search challenge

2011-08-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

In this brief article I will talk about job search process for new immigrants.

When immigrants are starting to plan a new life they think it will be very easy to find a good job for them, preferably within the area skills they were doing at home. But on practice it comes out different.

Most immigrants face strong barriers in finding a job; most of those start with factories, plants and other general labour jobs.

To find something better new immigrants will require specialized skills and training obtained in their new country. That’s simple. Employers will prefer somebody who is aware with local culture and job market skills, who is ready to go. There are government-operated career and local community centers that offer help for newcomers. Such services as resume preparation, interview coaching, mentoring, trainings are available. These centers are a good way to start with. Specialized programs will provide newcomers with essential skills and better understanding of local job market and provide better socializing within community.

There is also one more thing which is worth while doing – it is volunteering. Volunteering is widespread and is respected within employers. It will definitely help newcomers build new skills that are real-life ones, not just from a book. Volunteering will also provide valuable local work experience that will count well on your resume. Also, if you are sociable enough you can find a job right after you’ve done volunteering by networking.

Networking is another, and by the way the most effective tool to find a job. They say that about 80% of jobs are found by networking. Most of newcomers have never done this before. So, to build a skill of networking you may want to just drop in a career center and get involved in programs offered.

The process of finding a job is a complex one to start. But, when you have some skills and experience it will become easier; believe me. To new immigrants: do not get stuck working for factories, plants and other places like that unless you are satisfied with that job completely. If you want to move – do it. Enrol in a free class and try to change your life.

Good luck!