Job Search Advice & Job Market Trends

July 27th, 2011

Hot Fun In the City – How to Keep Your Job Search Cool This Summer

Whether you are looking for seasonal employment or searching for your next career opportunity, it is important to adapt your job hunting techniques to gain a competitive edge this summer. A common myth exists that no hiring gets done once the thermostat rises; however this isnt always the case. With important initiatives often commencing after Labour Day, many companies need to increase their headcount now to anticipate higher workloads.

So what are some tips to find a job as the temperature rises?

Tags: dress for success
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July 27th, 2011

Facebook Friend or Foe

799 friends on facebook Wow! Sounds sort of like an accomplishment doesnt it?

But, who do you really know out of those 799 people? Guess who is reading the resume you just submitted to that huge advertising firm you really want a job with? Remember Ryan, that older guy from high school? Ryan has you on facebook (you never spoke in high school besides that one time you accidentally walked into him) and he is now searching your profile and notices all the party pictures, that not so friendly page you liked, and your recent status update of having a few double caesers on your lunch break.

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July 20th, 2011

How to show temp work on a resume

Temporary jobs have become very common in today’s world. Some people work temp jobs in between permanent ones, while others choose temp work for the long-term because they enjoy the flexibility and diversity it can offer. Either way, there are two important reasons to showcase these positions effectively on your resume – you want potential employers to see how valuable that experience was, but you don’t want to be seen as a job-hopper.

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July 13th, 2011

Mature Age Job Seeker Tips

Q:?I am returning to work after taking time out to raise a family. The most recent contract positions I have held have all been obtained through word-of-mouth. What I struggle with is the anonymity of the Internet as a selection /recruitment tool and the level of service provided by recruitment agencies. What do you feel is the most successful way for mature age job seekers to approach finding employment?

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July 6th, 2011

Networking, Business Cards & Social Media

Okay. So you’ve just come back from a networking event and have a pile of business cards you’ve collected from all the folks you’ve interacted with. Now what?
In the past, we might have input the information into our computer’s address book and emailed everyone a followup letter. And while this is a great idea, once the initial followup action has been taken, that’s where it may end for a number of your contacts. Let’s face it…. life is busy and out of sight means out of mind.

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June 22nd, 2011

A Word About References

References remain a vital component of every well-planned and carefully considered job search.
What is your approach to finding and sharing reference names? Is there more you could do? Do you need to choose new references? Is it even necessary to worry about it? Lots to consider in this often neglected topic.

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June 15th, 2011

How To Negotiate A Starting Salary For A New Job

When you are negotiating a starting salary for a new job, knowing the appropriate starting salary and successful negotiating techniques is invaluable . We’ve teamed up with acclaimed salary negotiation expert and author, Jack Chapman, to bring you practical advice on negotiating a starting salary for a new job.

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May 18th, 2011

Informational Interviews Part 2

In a recent article, career expert Brenda Blackburn espouses the benefits of Informational Interviews, but how does one get started? Below are some tips Brenda offers to dive into the informational interview and take that next important step in your career.

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May 3rd, 2011

Stanley Cup Playoffs — A little like career planning?

After a nail biting first round, the Canucks are now facing the Predators in round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hopefully this will not go seven games or I may find myself going prematurely grey. As I was watching Burrows overtime goal, I was thinking about how some lessons learned in the game of sport can apply to ones career. Here are a few I came up with:

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April 27th, 2011

Twitter to Find a Job

Has Twitter Reached Job Hunting Tool Status?
Today I watched another webinar, this time on How to Use Twitter to Impress Recruiters by JT ODonnell, founder of Careerealism.com. She provided five tips when using social media to find a job. They include:

Using Bio Keywords: This includes thinking about what key words people (recruiters) would use to find you and including them in your bio. She suggests looking at some relevant job postings, finding the prominent words and including them.

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