Posted December 10th, 2010 in blog_news, For Job Seekers
Though the recent recession obscured the problem somewhat, North America, the UK, and many parts of the EU are already facing talent shortages which will only get worse in the next few years: Lower birthrates mean that as baby-boomers retire out of the workforce, they aren’t being replaced by new workers entering it.
In some ways, this is good news for job-seekers, especially job-seekers in minority groups: Employers who continue to discriminate against candidates based on race, religion, skin colour, gender, sexual orientation or anything else simply won’t be able to fill vacancies. (The Conference Board of Canada, for example, predicts that by 2015, there will be 160,000 more jobs than workers to fill them in Alberta alone. By 2020, the shortfall across Canada could be 800k+. Similar studies in the US, the UK and the EU make similar predictions.)
However, while job-seekers from most minority groups are receiving a more enthusiastic welcome in the talent marketplace than they used to, one group continues to get a lukewarm reception: ’Older’ job-seekers.
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Posted December 7th, 2010 in For Job Seekers
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Job hunting is stressful and ego-bruising, and it’s even more difficult when you’ve been unemployed for a few weeks and are starting to really worry about your finances. And it’s especially difficult at this time of year, for a whole lot of reasons.
So when you finally get a chance to speak with a recruiter or potential employer in real time – either on the phone or in person – and you’re talking about your career, it can be tempting to vent your frustrations, worries and resentment: ”I’ve been sending out resumes for weeks now and no one ever gets back to me and I keep leaving voicemails but I never hear anything and I see other people getting jobs but no one wants me…”
Would you want to spend 40 hours a week with Debbie Downer?
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Posted November 3rd, 2010 in blog_news, For Job Seekers
We’ve all been there: You make the shortlist for a particular job, and maybe even have a preliminary interview; you get psyched up about it, do your research, envision yourself working in a new environment, and check your voicemail and email 42 times a day in case they’re inviting you for a second interview or letting you know you got the job.
But then 3 weeks go by without so much as a generic “Sorry, but…” email, and you start to feel the way you did in high school when that cute guy you had a crush on asked for your number, then didn’t ever call you: You’re 99% certain that your dreams of finally getting a popular boyfriend have been dashed upon the rocks of reality, but it’s just possible that he does really like you, but lost your number and/or was hit by a car and the resultant coma is keeping him from calling you.
In dating or job-hunting, we all just need some closure.
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Posted October 11th, 2010 in For Job Seekers
Last week I had lunch with an independent recruiter who had just received an angry phone call from a client who’d just interviewed a candidate the recruiter had sent over – and it hadn’t gone well.
She (the recruiter) had sent what she thought was a fantastic candidate for a finance-related IT position: With a strong resume, great communication skills, a polished appearance, he appeared to be ambitious and willing to go the extra mile to build his career. She figured he was a shoo-in for the position.
“But the interview was a disaster,” she told me after getting off the phone with her client. “He hadn’t done any research about the company. He kept talking about ‘going green’ was a nice thing to do, but that it should never take precedence over the bottom line, not realizing that one of their top mandates is to become Bullfrog Powered wihin the next 2 years, and lead their industry in environmentally-friendly business practices. And it’s not like they’re keeping it a secret – it’s all over their corporate website!”
Why did this bug the client so much? Because it’s hard to believe someone when they say “Oh yes, I’d really like to work at your company…” when it’s clear that they didn’t even bother to visit your homepage before they came to the interview.
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Posted September 12th, 2010 in blog_news, For Employers
Last week we discussed diversity in the workplace and how important it is to be pro-active, both within the recruiting department and across the rest of the organization.
That’s great, but before you can have a diverse workforce, you have to hire diverse candidates. the problem is that discrimination often begins long before the interview process.
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Posted August 2nd, 2010 in blog_news
If you’re like most people, you’ve made 2 erroneous assumptions about Facebook:
- It’s only for kids – real grownups aren’t on there
- It’s only for personal stuff, not work-related stuff
In fact, the 30+ crowd is the fastest-growing group on Facebook, and seems to be losing the teenagers – who, now that Facebook is so ‘mainstream’ even their parents are using it, are quite naturally looking for other online places to hang out.
And while Facebook is definitely a social media tool for managing personal (i.e. friends and family) relationships, consider this: 90% of referrals and job leads come from personal relationships (friends, family, current and former co-workers who have also become friends).
We all know that ‘networking’ is crucial to a successful job hunt. Don’t discount Facebook’s ability to cut your job-seeking time in half.
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Posted July 13th, 2010 in blog_news, For Job Seekers
When it comes to interviews, a little thoughtful preparation can go a long way.
Here are our 9 essential interview tips:
1. Dress appropriately
Different interviews call for different outfits: If you’re going to an interview at a Big 5 consulting firm, you should wear a suit; if you’re going to an interview for a managerial position at a chain restaurant, khakis and a shirt are fine (and a fancy suit might be way too much).
There’s nothing wrong with asking about appropriate attire, either – a simple “What is your office environment like – formal or business casual?” either in an email or on the phone when you’re arranging your interview can save a lot of embarrassment later.
(And remember: 99% of the time, it’s better to arrive over-dressed than under-dressed, so if you’re not sure, go for a more formal look. No one will mark you down for trying extra hard.)
Click here to read all of the tips