Job Search Planning

Developing a plan for your job search is crucial.  Remember, this plan will be altered as you move through your goals and meet them.   In order to develop a strong plan for success, follow these steps.

Determine your career goal.  It can’t just be to get a job.  Seriously think about your skills, experience, career desires and financial needs.  Just because you have been in one occupation for a while doesn’t mean that you don’t have the transferrable skills to do a different occupation.  Investigate some career options and determine a suitable path for yourself.

Investigate Companies.  Browsing job ads online and in the newspaper is fine; however, you will also want to include researching companies that you would like to work for.  Have a look at their values, products, visions and career section of their websites.  Try and schedule an informational interview with the Human Resources department (or another person in the company) who can tell you a bit more about the position you would like to get into.

Set a schedule.  Develop a daily schedule of job search tasks.  Arrange time to do online job search, research companies, social networking and in-person networking and tailoring resumes and cover letters.  Keeping to a schedule will make your job search far more productive, increase motivation and is good practice for when you are back at work! Try and do something everyday that is relevant to your job search and that will move you forward.

- Sunny & Sassy

Older Workers: Tips for using your age to your advantage!

Embrace your life experiences:  You’ve experienced great triumphs, successes and failures throughout your life; use these experiences to your benefit when job searching and interviewing!  Great success is practiced and built on learning from bad experiences.  Think about lessons learned and how you excelled in experiences that were trying.

Update your look:  You don’t have to entirely reinvent your personal style; but you want to make sure that you look is not outdated!  Get feedback from friends about your current look and what you can do to update it.  Try reading business magazines geared for your age group and look for styles that you would be comfortable with.  A new hairstyle, some new clothes, and simple make-up application can go a long way!

Regain confidence:  Be confident in your abilities and let that confidence shine during your interview; even if you are interviewing with someone who is younger than you.  Holding a grudge about a generation younger than yours will not get you very far.  Remember, you had to start somewhere too.  Your life lessons, extensive work experience and knowledge will no doubt benefit the employer.  Show them what you've got!

Get with the times:  In today’s world of technology, there are many skills that you can be updating to increase your employability!  Try taking an online or classroom course to update your computer skills, learn about social media and networking, read articles relating to the industry that you are in and learn about any changes that you could be making.

~Sunny & Sassy

What Not To Do While Job Searching

A good way of determining whether or not your job search is working – is if you have found a job, right?  Wrong! You want to ensure your job search is working through self-evaluation! 

We have compiled some pointers of "What Not to do While Job Searching."  If you are doing several things on this list – you may want to re-vamp the way you have been approaching your job search.

Updating social networking sites with inappropriate content that may offend potential employers

We’ve said it before, and we will say it again – what’s posted on the internet, stays on the internet.  You need to ensure you are 100% professional on all your social networking platforms – even if you have set your privacy settings to allow only your “friends” to access your information.  Be sure to think before you post, this includes status updates – what is funny to you, may not be funny to others and this includes potential employers!

Not fixing errors on your cover letter and resume.

It is imperative to fix every mistake on your cover letter and resume; even the smallest mistake in spelling and/or grammar can move your resume from the “go” to the “no” pile.   Have a friend proof-read your documents – or even two friends! Do not depend on spell-check alone!

Having an inappropriate or hard to read email address.

Email addresses can tell a lot about a person’s personality and professionalism.  If your email address is outdated; for example, you created it when you were 16 years old and in love with the words “bebe” or “stud” – it's time to update your email address.  Make sure that it's easy to read – if there is an underscore in your email address, it may not show up on your resume properly.

Not tailoring your resume to the specific job you are applying for.

This is another one that we write a lot about!  Keep in mind – the job you are applying for probably has hundreds of other applicants as well.  Your resume needs to stand out!  You need to market yourself to the employer and show them that you have what it takes to do the job – a generic resume will not do this. Keep a master copy and tailor your resume each time that you apply for a job.

Addressing your cover letter with “to whom it may concern” and not putting in the effort to find out who to address it to.

These days, finding out a contact person is quite simple – so when you don’t take the time and effort to do so, it demonstrates to the employer that you are not taking initiative.  Contact the company directly and ask who is in charge of hiring, have a look at the company website, and even double-check the job posting for the name of the person doing the hiring.

Not having a clear objective on your resume. 

Stating in your objective or sending unsolicited resumes for “any job” will not do!  An employer wants to hire someone who has an interest in the company/position that they are applying for.  When you put that you are willing to do anything, no enthusiasm and commitment is displayed.  And honestly, do you really want to do “any job”?  Be proud of your successes and your skills and use them to land the job a job that you are truly passionate about!
Depending on the position, it may not be necessary to put an objective. For instance, in some cases, the objective is obvious and need not be stated.

Utilizing only one method of job search
If you are only applying on-line and not including other job search strategies such as networking, cold calling and dropping off your resume to targetted potential employers, then you need to step outside of your box and expand your job search strategies. Depending only on the internet to land you a job will lead you to a big black hole - in cyberspace.

Neglecting to follow up after a job interview
Waiting for the employer to call is okay when the employer has given you a specific amount of time before the hiring decision will be made however, there comes a point when it is crucial to follow up with a phone call or email. Following up not only indicates you are interested in the position but also demonstrates that you have initiative.


Remember, reviewing these pointers and making sure that you are on track with your job search will lead you to the light at the end of the job search tunnel!

                                                                                                                                    -Sunny + Sassy

Job Search Burn-Out

As we have written about in several blog posts, job search is a job in itself.  Countless hours are spent revamping resumes and cover letters, browsing job boards and newspapers for the perfect job posting, submitting online applications, preparing for job interviews, networking, and the list goes on.  Eventually, Job Search burn-out can happen.  It can leave you feeling emotionally drained and exhausted (much like typical job burn-out), de-motivated and wanting to just give up. 

We have compiled a few tips to hopefully help to bring you back to a motivated and upbeat feeling about your job search:

Admit Defeat – let yourself feel the symptoms of burn-out; do not try and run from them.  This is not to say give up on job searching completely; because as we all know, most things in life are just not handed to us, they are worked hard for!  Let yourself feel the emotion of loss of motivation and then shake it off and hit the pavement running in a more refreshing frame of mind! 

Take a Step Back – give yourself a break and an opportunity to look at all of the positive things you have done  throughout your job search;  determine what is working and what isn’t, and take some time to re-energize through doing things that you love to do (like taking a walk, hobbies and interests). 

Manage Stess - feeling stressed can contribute to feelings of de-motivation and burn-out.  When feeling overwhelmed or hopeless about your job search, incorporate tools to reduce your stress level; deep breathing, time-outs, exercise, laughing (watch a funny movie), journalling, talking to a support person etc. are all ways to alleviate stress.  

Simple Reminders – reminding yourself why you are going through all of this in the first place is a good step in the right direction.  The obvious is that being employed is a goal most of us have, but also that finding the perfect job that aligns with your way of life, values and passions is why you are working so hard!

And remember, with determination and perseverance you will see the light at the end of the job search tunnel!
                                                                                                                                                        -Sunny & Sassy

Labour Market Information

Did you know that Labour Market Information (LMI) is useful for your job search? Although some people feel that researching this information can seem time consuming and redundant, it actually lets you see trends, forecasts, job descriptions/requirements, salary ranges and even related occupations to the occupation you are seeking (perfect for the person looking to make a career change using their transferrable skills).

In Canada we have incredible websites to use as a resource for LMI research.  We have compiled a list of our favorite websites below.

Labour Market Services: www.labourmarketservices.gov.bc.ca

Working in Canada: www.workingincanada.bc.ca

NOC – Working in Canada Tool: http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2006/Welcome.aspx

Work Futures:  http://www.workfutures.bc.ca/

BC Labour Market Report: http://www.labourmarketsolutions.ca/

To get the most out LMI – try using the list below to guide you in your information discovery process.

Occupation: _________________________________________

1.     Industries that employee this occupation

2.     Trends & Forecasts (by province and city)

3.     Educational Requirements

4.     Skills/Abilities required for occupation

5.     Responsibilities/Job Duties of occupation

6.     Related Occupations

7.     Salary Range

8.     Industry Outlook  

Taking the time to research occupations and labour market information may seem overwhelming, but it will pay off in the long run and you will see the light at the end of the job search tunnel! 

~Sunny & Sassy

Getting reacquainted with your Values

Sometimes when job searching , we tend to forget our values and just accept the first job that is thrown your way regardless of whether or not the company and/or the position are a good fit to us.  This can result in more stress because we are then in a position of unhappiness with our workplace.  It’s best that you take the time to interview the employer and research the company before accepting any job offers. 

Use the checklist below to get reacquainted with your values and know yourself better!  Select the items that are highly important to you.

 

□      Family

□      Friendship

□      Reliability

□      Trust

□      Harmony

□      Competitiveness

□      Self-Expression

□      Creativity

□      Loyalty

□      Freedom to do

□      Material gain

□      Open-mindedness

□      Hard work

□      Independence

□      Success

□      Perseverance

□      Commitment

□      Personal growth

□      Faith/spirituality

□      Helping others

□      Making an impact on society

□      Practicality

□      Adventure

□      Respect

□      Solitude

□      Continuous learning

□      Being challenged

□      Low-stress

Make a list of your top 5 values and keep these in mind while you are interviewing potential employers and researching companies. 

Remember: your job takes up a huge part of your day – make sure you are happy with what your doing and who you are working for!  Don’t surrender your values just because you need employment right away.

Goal Setting

Everyone has goals in some form or another but reaching your goals can at times be difficult.  This may be due to a number of factors such as not thinking of the steps to reach your goal, distractions that interfere with reaching your goal, having too many goals at once or not a clear enough goal.  You can sometimes feel overwhelmed and your goals fall out of sight.  Developing a plan can help you stay on track and reach your goals!  A useful tool when making a plan to meet your goals is the SMART system that is demonstrated below.

S        M        A        R        T

Specific – when you set specific goals you are more likely to reach them; don’t be vague, set what your aim is.  For example: “my goal is to find a job” vs. “my goal is to find an office administrator job”

Measurable – set up a system to show the progress of reaching your goal.   This will allow you to visually see the steps and the work that you have put into obtaining your goal.  For Example:  develop a tracking system to record your job search activities ie: networking events, jobs you have applied for through email, etc.

Achievable – when setting your goals, remember to think about whether or not your goal is achievable.  Record the barriers that may stop you from achieving your goal and determine whether or not you have the tools/support necessary to overcome those barriers

Realistic – ensure that your goal is realistic.  For example: If you set a goal to become a doctor, do you have the educational background to become a doctor?  If you do, do you have the funds and time to attend university to become a doctor? 

Timeframe – determine a specific timeframe that you want to achieve your goal by.  This will help you to stay on track and the steps it takes to reach your goals.

Setting goals is important in order for us to move forward in our lives.

 

It’s important to remember that if you do not achieve your goal in the timeframe that you have allotted yourself, this is not a failure.  You can be proud of the steps that you have taken to work towards your goals and extend your timeframe if you are on track.

Goals will change as people are constantly growing and changing throughout their lives.  It is ok to adjust your goals to fit you current situation and changes that may have impacted your life. 

When developing your goals, make sure that they are just that…your goals.  Sometimes influences from partners, parents, children, co-workers can affect what you see as your goals.  Spend sometime with self-reflection and really think about what You want and develop your goal list from that. 

A helpful chart to use:

I want to [insert goal] by [insert timeframe] and I will reach this goal by

Step 1______________________________

Step 2______________________________

Step 3______________________________

And so on.

Keeping your goal and your plan with you is also a good idea; this allows you to keep your plan in action at all times.  Set up alerts in your phone or calendar that remind you when you must perform a step for reaching your goal.  Create a vision board that shows you reaching your goal and post it on your refrigerator.  Do whatever helps you keep that goal fresh in your mind.

Persevere and keep on track with your job search goals by using the S.M.A.R.T. system and before you know it, you will see the light at the end of the job search tunnel!

                                                                                                                                    -Sunny & Sassy