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3 Basic Email Mistakes That Make You Look Really Unprofessional

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Volunteering

Image is sourced from: http://weeu.com/volunteer-cartoon-490x250/

What are the benefits of volunteering?

Volunteering gives you an opportunity to discover how a business operates. Training is provided to complete tasks successfully. You adapt to the work environment and learn about the business visions and missions. You are educated about the company’s policy and procedures. As a volunteer you gain on the job experiences. Being a volunteer, you get the opportunity to educate yourself about the work culture and environment. You also get to switch positions if you think a post or environment is not suited.

As a volunteer, you should start expanding your network. Networking doesn’t only mean to connect with work professionals, you can also become friends with teams. Decide if you enjoy working with certain staff and await opportunities for vacancies in that department.

How can volunteering benefit you?

Volunteering is very beneficial, especially if you are looking for a job. If you have the time, you should sign up for volunteering in a field or area of your interest. The on-going exercise provides you with current job experience. Opportunities arise for you to expand your network and also hear from internal staff on potential job opportunities. A bond of trust and teamwork should be established. Once a staff member is confident and trusts that you can do the job successfully they may even put in a recommendation for you.

This benefits the employers and yourself. No additional time and expense needs to be invested because you are aware of the business culture and environment already. Teamwork has already been established!

It is the best opportunity to experience if that’s the right job for you before investing all your time and dedication. Do you really enjoy working in the environment? Is that a job you can see yourself doing for a long time? It answers all your questions before you finalized your decision or commitment.

Do you think you should start volunteering? Comment below!! 

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Interviews and follow up with Thank You letters

What is an interview? And why are interviews important?

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Interviews are one of the final steps to market yourself as a professional in person. It is the process whereby the Human Resource officer or Talent Acquisition Team single out your resume and thinks that you are capable to do the job. An interview is a conversation between a team of employers and yourself, the process involves asking many job-related questions. This is an opportunity to educate yourself about the job requirements, work environment and the company. You need to be able to educate the team as to why you are the best candidate for the job.

 A successful interview is whereby the conversation flows and questions are asked and clarified by both parties. You need to be relaxed and have a positive and pleasant attitude, be open and maintain good posture and body language. During the interview, keep eye contact and smile occasionally. Keep a clear idea of key points you want to bring out. Deal directly with problems and negative questions. Anticipate questions about your past employers and always answer them honestly and gracefully.

After the interview, thank everyone for giving you the opportunity to express yourself and focusing why you are the best candidate for the job. Take notes of everyone’s name and titles. Immediately after the interview, send Thank You emails to the interview team. This letter is intended to express appreciation and establish good will. It also reflects your determination towards this job. Lastly, ask how long it will take before a final decision is made so that you’re not stuck at home waiting forever.

What are your opinions on Thank You letters? Should that be a reason you do not get a job offer? 

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Networking – Build an Online Presence

 What is networking?

Image is sourced from:   https://pngtree.com/freepng/cartoon-social-network-  structure_3225443.html    

Networking involves the process of sharing information with people and making connections. A common way to connect is face to face, this allows you to express your opinion and thoughts in one conversation. With just one instance to meet someone in person, the opportunity presents itself to dress and communicate professionally. That’s one opportunity to advertise your skills, credentials and work commitments, while leaving a professional opinion about yourself.  It can be awkward sometimes to network if you do not know how to begin. This process can be learnt through observing others or asking a friend for and help.

Networking can be beneficial to everyone, not only to people looking for work. Networking can be advantageous throughout many stages in your career. In todays world, networking and communication is a very important skill required for the workforce. Some companies specifically outline that skill in their job description. Networking starts electronically, there are many new features to connect with people like blogging, tweeting, linkedln etc.

With many methods to connect with professionals, a good way to start is to create an honest and professional account with LinkedIn. This site allows you to create a professional profile. It should reflect who you are, what your credentials are and also your job experiences. Other contacts would be able to view your profile and endorse your work experiences. This feature confirms to other employers that you are qualified for the positions you’ve applied for.

Connecting with professionals also educates you how the business works and the process for recruiting staff. Many companies have job postings internally and connecting with staff will give you the advantage to those posting and also the opportunity to submit an internal application. Networking allows you to make new friend’s and workmates. 

Do you think it is a good idea to start building your network if you are searching for your dream job? Write your comments below!

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Polishing and Attending Resume Writing Workshops

Most companies post their jobs online via their website or job search engines. The hiring process has a new structure, with new technology.  Applications are pooled electronically and talent search is filtered by keywords.  

What is a Resume and why do I need one? A resume is the first contact with the employers, it is the way an employer perceives you.                        

Image is sourced from: https://careermarshal.com/blog/6-benefits-of-hiring-professional-resume-writing-services/

How do I begin to prepare a good cover letter and resume? A good start will be to attend resume writing workshops. The Government of Canada offers free workshops. You can schedule a session via website

http://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/events/rww/index-eng.aspx.

There are many different ways to prepare a good cover letter and resume. Cover letters should always be directed to the appropriate person. If the person’s name is not mentioned, take the time to call the company and find out the employer’s name and title. The appropriate format will be chosen based on your qualification and experiences.

How do you prepare your cover letter to get the employers attention? Most hiring teams spend about 10-15 seconds reading your cover letter. In this short time, you need to convey to the employer that you are the best candidate for the job. Everything after needs to support your capability of doing the job. After the employer is convinced, they will spend more time examining your resume.

How to you create a noticeable resume? A good resume is an easy to read and elegant document that reflects yourself. Your resume should reproduce that you are the best candidate for the job. This document should also focus on the company and job description. It should provide a professional impact by being clear, honest and relevant. Your resume should advertise your credentials and work experiences in a professional way. This process is your key to get you through the door.  

What are your opinion on creating a successful cover letter and resume? Please leave your suggestions in the comment box. 

Some sample cover letters and resume can be found on for easy reference:

https://settlement.org/ontario/employment/find-a-job/resume/how-do-i-create-a-canadian-style-resume/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAzrTUBRCnARIsAL0mqcwPl2DaTh4HKeTr05UaTw62rRVw8Z185XXMkssb8t4akZVVNXqvjMgaAssbEALw_wcB

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Vintage Social Networking

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Navigating the Job Search

Where are all the jobs? How do we navigate the job search in present day lifestyle? 

Its not as easy as reading the news paper or surfing the internet anymore. If you are looking for a job, you need to put a lot of effort and dedication into it.

How do we start looking for our dream job? There are a few techniques and we have to recognize our strongest technique and make use of all resources. Read the newspapers and keep informed of the business industries. Discover which companies are expanding or which are laying off staff.

A great way to start is by identifying what kind of job you want and researching which culture / work environment suits you. Employers are always looking for skilled and committed workers. However, only about 10% - 15% of jobs are posted online. The remaining jobs are posted internally, some are filled by students through schools and employment agencies. Getting started and tapping into all your resources is the best way to start looking. There are many hidden tools and techniques to begin, finding the best strategy that works for you will land you your dream job. Some strategies and techniques are:  

Start networking with friends and family. That’s a good way to get a recommendation.

 Attend job fairs, research which employers will be there and what they are looking for. Dress professionally and bring a positive and pleasant attitude. Expand your network with the employers and have your resume prepared.  

Start surfing the internet and find out what types of jobs are available and what the job description requires. Many companies also post jobs directly to their website.

Start volunteering to get experience in the field and environment you wish to work in. Also, use that opportunity to start networking and honing your skills.

What are your thoughts and experience? Please share below!

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Life is like a sugarcane hard but sweet ...