Minto Roy - Career - Recruitment Blog

After becoming an active member with Board of Trade, I was surprised to learn that 80% of the B.O.T. members are made up of small businesses and their employees—that is, fewer than 250 employees and the majority of companies with fewer than 25. Maybe that’s why I haven’t run into any salt-and-pepper-hair-grey-power suit-types lounging in high-backed leather chairs whirling crystal shots of premium scotch with trails of cigar smoke wafting around them. That world may exist – maybe even somewhere in Vancouver – but the Board of Trade I have come to know is about advancing the progress of business and business owners, and most of them, even those with offices in skyscraping towers, actually work pretty close to the ground.

If you’re reading The Sounding Board however, you may already be way ahead of me in figuring this out. My work with Careers Today has me talking to small business owners looking to recruit new staff. I also speak with many talented professionals seeking a career change or advancement. The Board of Trade represents a great opportunity for them. However, when I talk to non-members about attending Board of Trade events to meet potential new hires or to develop relationships which could lead to future career opportunities, many question whether the Board of Trade is really for them… that they not ready for "that level".

I try to constantly reinforce that "that level" is where they are missing their opportunity. That level is ground level. It’s even, if I may humbly try to extend a sometimes overused metaphor, the farm.

The Board of Trade is well understood as a unique and properous farmland. Within in its land many farmers and sharecroppers (businesses) grow crops and community members support each other’s growth.

Most of us are familiar with the instructive juxtaposition that good networking, positive networking, should have more in common with farming than it does with hunting. The idea, of course, is to slowly cultivate long term relationships which keep growing and bearing yield season after season instead of killing random prey, eating for this season, and then moving on to the next at the risk of eventual partner or client extinction. Seems logical, right? But, as the local purveyor of 20 kinds of pumpkins and squash and 14 recipes for each might say, “Wait, there’s more!”

At a Farmer’s Market, the whole town and half the region comes out to celebrate what everyone has accomplished that year. It’s a place where bragging is enjoyed and expected, and where encouragement and support are subtle yet ubiquitous (everyone’s produce is given a place and properly admired; no one’s pie is left unconsumed). Everything from the rawest of raw materials (milk directly from the cow) to the strangest things which may be made from them is on display (a cow carved out of hardened butter is always a sight to see). Of course people come there to buy and sell and trade their goods and services. But they also learn and exchange tips and inspire one another to keep going through good times and bad. The scattering seeds from one field to another are relationships and ideas which ensure growth for all. And that is where the metaphor really bears fruit. The Farmer’s Market brings the community together, gives them not just a place but also a standing invitation and a framework in which to build relationships and solidify their community connection. And you don’t have to be a landowner to contribute to or benefit from the experience. Everyone brings something and what grows is so much more in volume and flavour than the seeds which planted it.

The Board of Trade aggressively engages to assist all its members through a stream of community events. The Board lobbies to ensure the least resistance and build bridges with government. Expert speakers consistently offer new advice on how to businesses can grow more effectively. Board of Trade events offer a dynamic forum to make partnerships, strike deals, and develop support networks.

If you moved to a new town and you wanted to become a part of it, the Farmer’s Market would be the first place you’d go to connect. And if you wanted to show that you were generous and community-minded, joining a heritage committee or volunteering to judge the chili cook-off would be a great way to demonstrate your commitment. So, to you small business owners looking to expand, if you are looking for talented hands to help grow your business, I suggest among the questions you ask them about skills and qualifications should be a few questions about their networks and their community service. A distinguished speaker luncheon or Business After Business event is fertile ground for recruitment. People who come out to the Board of Trade and Spirit of Vancouver and the many other networking, professional and service associations around town are saying, “I’m in. I’m one of you.” They have demonstrated the farmer’s work ethic, patterning the behaviour of networking and professional development which shows they will deliver results for you. They are value-added employees, who will help everyone on your team to grow. They get it. And they deserve the growth and advancement which comes from stepping up and chipping in. And to those of you looking for transition, you need to get on board. It’s not about an old boys’ club. It’s more like Our Town. And success is about showing up.

The Board of Trade keeps growing, in large part because it is such fertile ground for community relationships and collaborative opportunities to flourish. As 2005 comes to a close, I’m looking forward to next year’s crop.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My wife and I began considering the idea of emigrating from the Philippines in 2001, amid worsening political and economic conditions. Even though we had a good chance of living comfortably there, we felt we had to put the long term future of our children first.

Upon obtaining the application forms from the Canadian Embassy in Manila, we immediately began gathering all pertinent documents. Upon submission, which took us some months to accomplish, we waited three long years before finally getting a letter of approval. In between those three years was a lot of uncertainty. We held back on any major investments back home that needed our direct supervision, as we constantly convinced ourselves that ‘it’ was just around the corner. We were not about to quit 5 minutes before the miracle happened! Those three years were also a time of big dreaming – if many things in the present were on hold, we had huge expectations for how life in Canada would quickly make up for it.

We packed up and shipped out in less than two months and arrived in Vancouver in June of 2005.
Our major concerns as immigrants, which the Canadian Immigrant Magazine so aptly outlines, were housing, communication, transportation and employment. As soon as we had a place to stay and telephone and internet connections, we began searching for jobs. I have advanced degrees and a pretty successful career track record so I thought I would find work with relative ease as I always had. I sent over 150 applications without result and was becoming both concerned and discouraged.

Then I chanced upon Careers Today and began a comprehensive career management program with Minto Roy. At first I was a little resistant to all the assessments and homework – I kept saying that I just wanted a job, not a career education. Minto told me I did not come halfway around the world for a job – I came for a new life which would need the foundation of a real career, and if I could be patient for a few weeks of strategic career development work, it would pay off. It was hard to hear him. Interviews were scarce in the beginning and when I did get a foot in the door, my lack of Canadian work experience would most certainly swing it back shut. But I kept doing what Careers Today told me to do, even when it didn’t make sense to me, and soon interviews started trickling in. At one point, I had to do 4 interviews in one day!

By then I had developed the focus and confidence to handle my strengths, and my weaknesses, and I could tangibly demonstrate the direct relevance of my international experience and the value I could offer a company – a skill taught to me by my career manager.

By mid-September, I had 3 standing offers for posts in my field of expertise – marketing. Even though they were not quite at the level I had reached in Manila, all were good jobs which could give me stable and adequate income to meet my family’s needs, and all had opportunities for advancement. After tough but careful deliberation, and some coaching in how to negotiate a better offer, I accepted a job at a strong Canadian company with promising room for growth.

Posted by minto at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Viewpoints on Careers and Workplaces from HR Expert Minto Roy

Minto:

I was talking to a man the other day, early-40s, professional, talented, but obviously way off his game after a reshuffling in his company left him packaged off, the shock of sudden unemployment a body blow to his self worth. Something about his presentation – or really the shadow of what I could see his presentation probably used to be – made me think of this BC Lions season. They went 11-0. Undefeated for, if you’ll pardon the pun, the lion’s share of the year. Every sportswriter in the country started talking about their magic, their legacy, calling them one of the best teams ever to play the game. And it looks like they started to believe their own press. They got complacent. They thought they were invincible. They thought the talent and skills that got them their success would be enough to keep it. But the other teams in the league were working while the Lions were basking in the glory of being unbeatable. And then they got beaten – four times in a row – falling to 11-4.

The people I work with who find themselves in a sudden career downturn have a lot in common with athletes who go off a winning streak.

When you lose your first game, it’s a fluke. You’re a winner, after all. You shake it off. When you lose the second, you begin to doubt yourself. At the third, panic sets in. If a fourth loss hits, a lot of people lose themselves. They start thinking like losers and there’s no turning back. It’s no different in your career. Send a few resumes and no one calls, no big deal. Come second or third in an interview, move on. Three, four, six months unemployed? It’s a long hard road back to confidence and professional net worth.

And that’s where a good coach comes in. I hope the Lions' coach’s is kicking his players’ butts about the need for constant improvement and relentless hard work. And I hope he’s playing them reel after reel of game tape from those first 11 games to remind them who they really are. By the time this goes to print, we’ll know whether the Lions are 11-5 and still lost or 12-4 and they’ve found themselves again. They need to get the team that fought hard and drilled the fundamentals and believed in themselves back out on the field. Winners don’t always win. They just never stop fighting and they always come back.

Are you a winner in your career? Are you constantly playing your best game? Do you have Plans B and C ready for the inevitable day when the game changes and Plan A isn’t good enough anymore? If not, it might be time to get a coach in your corner.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As the weather gets hotter – and cultural norms are shifting waistlines down and shirt hems up so that the “midriff” now means everything from below the hip bone to above the diaphragm – it’s important to distinguish between your summer wardrobe and dressing for success, as rarely the twain shall meet.

Minto Says:

Let’s start by saying we’re talking about mainstream, white collar careers here – no necessarily corporate, but decidedly closer to the classic boardroom chair than the lifeguard perch at Kits beach. I don’t want to get letters from bartenders, servers, tour guides or recreation leaders on this – I know you need to wear more summery clothing for work. It’s the rest of us who don’t.

I think I’ll direct my comments to the men out there. Guys: no shorts, no exceptions. Not walking shorts. Not Bermuda shorts. Just say no to putting your knees on display, okay? If you’re not in Hawaii, there really is no context for a Hawaiin shirt. I’m not sure where men got the idea that a flowered shirt could be worn to “dress up” a pair of khakis, but it was a bad idea in the 70s and it just hasn’t gotten any better. And if what you are wearing could be worn to a barbecue, either go to a barbecue and call in sick or go change. I like a good golf shirt as much as the next guy – I just don’t hire someone wearing a golf shirt if the next guy is smart and respectful enough to wear a dress shirt and tie.

Business is business and when you come to work you should come dressed to play the work game. Attending the office in cotton pants and a short-sleeved shirt, even one from a strong brand like Mexx or Banana Republic, says “I’m not serious.” It makes about as much sense as playing rugby in a double-breasted navy pinstripe – you wouldn’t do one, so why do you do the other? You’ll complain that it’s hot out and your suit doesn’t breathe. I say, “No problem. This is just your life we’re talking about. If you can’t double up on the Mennen speed stick and wear a jacket for an hour or two to launch your career, thanks for letting me get a peek at your work ethic right up front. Helps in my decision-making.”

Want to advance in your career? Suit up.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Minto Says:

Maybe it’s a little shallow, but one of the most culturally shared experiences in North America is watching the Oscar telecast. Under the heading of work with what you’ve got, Alanna and I thought it would be fun to review some of the lessons to be had there. She’s the movie buff, not me, and I’ll admit I’ve hardly ever seen the nominated movies when I watch the show – and I’m always amazed how that doesn’t matter. My friends and I still have an opinion on who should win based on where they are at in their career and what we know about how the movie got made. Like a lot of people, we want the best story to win – not the plot of the movie but the lives of the movie-makers.

The great thing about movies is that they make us dream. And the making of movies is often a triumph over the impossible. Somebody working alone puts a bunch of lines on paper and then a team of a few hundred people come along and interpret those words vocally and visually and then other people edit the result we watch. Out two hour experience in the theatre is minimum two years in the making – often a lot longer. Moviemaking requires a huge leap of faith, a ton of collaboration, and the kind of money and talent that most people cannot even imagine. That’s why we enjoy it so much when independent films break through and find an audience in spite of bog studio domination. We like being able to believe that big dreams can come true – in Hollywood and Sundance.

But I want you to believe dreams can come true for you, too. I know a lot of people in the entertainment industry – I’ve even had the opportunity to meet some people Entertainment Tonight would consider A-list Stars – and I can tell you they are just like the rest of us. Except for maybe one thing: when they picked their career, they went all the way, worked without a net, chose with their hearts and guts, took big risks, and made it pay off. This week, when you watch the Oscars, think about that.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Spring is a time for new growth and fresh starts – ideally for seeds that were planted a long time ago to break through the cover of ground and reach for light and life.

If you want to experience a beginning, you must begin. If you want to get more or have more, first you must give. Our career experts say if you want to advance in your profession, your best bet is to go first. Jump in. Don’t hesitate, equivocate or even negotiate at the start.

Minto Roy:

I deal all the time with people who know they want a change but they don’t know what their change looks like. No matter how hard you work, if you have no clear destination, you are pretty much guaranteed to wind up some place else. “More” and “better” are not specific enough as either goals or motivation. So we probe and prod and ask hundreds of clarifying questions and even evaluate assessments and psychometric tests to help people achieve focus. And when they get some clarity, more often than not, people say things like: I want to work for a large, reputable and rapidly growing company where I have my own office and can choose and manage my projects without interference. I want $80,000 per year, RRSP matching, extended benefits, flex time, paid professional development, five weeks vacation and a car allowance. I want to be able to work at a creative and strategic level and not get bogged down in paperwork and other mundane details and I want a relaxed workplace culture where there are no politics or games and we all just enjoy each other doing good work.

Sounds good, right? Sounds great! Problem is, it’s only half the picture. When you only visualize what you’ll get and not what you are willing give, you are a cost to an employer, not an investment. From a business perspective, you’re a bad risk. Worse, you have no strategic action plan to achieve your goals. Bottom line, you don’t have a vision of your future; you have a fantasy you’ll likely never achieve.

Pony up the other side of the image and you can maybe paint a picture you’re going to want to live in.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi - I'm wondering when a lot is just too much? I am over-worked in a high-paced office environment, and I don't believe there is any relief on the horizon for me. I've been at the same job for six years and am worried about burn-out but am also unsure as to how to approach my manager about this. I don't want to appear to be whining, as I enjoy the work and stability. Should I put in extra hours and just "suck it up" or basically work normal hours and push-back when/if I get complaints that things aren't getting done? Help!
- Jenn

The line between high energy/demanding and high cost/burnout is often very narrow and hard to see. I know for myself, I am happiest and most productive working at about 90-95% of full capacity, which doesn’t leave me much wiggle room for unpredictable increases in workload. When some great new opportunity comes along as a surprise gift or someone on my team gets sick and needs me to cover, I can be maxed… fast! Yet I honestly don’t enjoy the same engagement or effectiveness when I cut back more than about 10%, so each year I learn a little more about how to triage and recover when I hit the tipping point between busy and crazy.

The first questions you need to assess for yourself are what kind of pace you like and what level of activity is optimal for you. Some people need to start and finish things, to have every to-do item checked off at the end of the day, and carry-over from one day to another creates a huge energy drain for them. Other people work best in service of very long term goals where there is no such thing as “done” or “caught up,” and they handle that reality with equanimity and ease. It will be helpful for you to know where you fit on that spectrum. Then you need to figure out what your “maximum” is, how close to that edge you would find your “ideal,” and learn the early warning signs that you are getting too close to the edge of overwhelm. Finally, some reflection on how much of the work issues are related to you, to your team, to your clients, to your boss, to your industry, etc. would be in order. Then you’ll be in a position to try to effect some change in your own work habits – and by that I mean not just your actions but also your habitual thinking, reactions and self talk. Sometimes the real problem isn’t the work, it’s what we tell ourselves about our handling of it (“Oh my god, I’ll never get through” and “If I don’t get this done they’ll find out I’m a complete fraud who can’t do anything right” are, as you can imagine, pretty self defeating and exhausting mantras to repeat, yet they are much more common that we think).

It may well be that changes you can make yourself will be enough to improve your experience of your job. If they’re not, you’ll be coming from an informed place, likely with very concrete suggestions and requests, when you speak to your manager. If you bring a thoughtful analysis and a menu of proposed solutions instead of just a list of problems, it will be hard for anyone to perceive you as whiner, including you.

All that said, I do recognize that some jobs are just built to cause burn-out and the only way to save your health and your spirit is to get out. It seems to me that if you’re “worried about burnout” rather than writing to me that you’re burnt, there might be hope for you in this company and it’s worth finding out if you can make things better. I would propose that you put together a six month change management program and stick to it. If things are improving at the end, renew for another six months. If not, it’s probably time to polish up that resume and start networking. Work can be satisfying and leave you more energized at the end of the day than at the beginning – why settle for less?

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First let’s dispel a major myth out there: a resume does not get you a job. Not ever. It is nonetheless a very important tool, playing one of two critical career functions:

1. Acting as a calling card to introduce you to an employer and spark interest in meeting you.
2. Acting as documentation of who you appear to be after they have met and liked you, often as a justification for what level of offer they will make you.

For ease of discussion we’ll refer throughout this article to a resume, in the singular, but the truth is that if you have only one version of your resume, you greatly diminish your chances of success. Each resume is a unique communication between yourself and your reader – even if you only make one or two word changes from one version to another, the effect of customization is substantive.

Types of Resumes

While there are many variations for special purposes, in general there are two basic and one hybrid resume formats:

Chronological

A chronological resume outlines your experience in reverse order from most recent to least recent, going back roughly 15 years or as long as you have been working (whatever is less). Your goal would be to demonstrate a clear pattern of advancement in the field to which you are currently applying. This format is therefore best when you are trying to move up in the same field – not move out of it to another. The academic curriculum vitae or c.v. is a type of chronological resume, though its exhaustive format, often extending to 10 or even 20 pages, is not favoured outside academic circles.

Functional
A functional resume focuses on your skills and abilities in order of relevance to the position for which you are applying, removing most if not all dates. Its headings are more likely to relate to areas of expertise than to experience or history, such as “Office Systems” and “Project Coordination” and the content under each heading puts your track record of responsibilities and deliverables in bullet form.

Hybrid
The hybrid resume uses an overall functional format in its headings and puts an emphasis on skills up front but also provides a chronological work history somewhere in the document. There is some debate as to whether a resume can succeed absent any references to time. Some say it’s your best chance if you have had long periods out of the workforce or your most relevant experience is from several years ago. Others argue that employers regard omission of dates as evasive and will screen you out on that basis alone. The safest path is to include dates if doing so will not be damaging to you (choose chronological or hybrid) and to understand the risks of leaving them out if you feel you must (choose functional).

Whatever format you choose, all resumes should include information on:
• relevant work experience
• education and professional development, designations and certifications
• skills and areas of expertise
• concrete examples of achievements, effectiveness or proven value to an employer

There may also be contexts where you would want to include some of the following information:
• relevant community service or volunteer work
• relevant extended periods of travel or work abroad
• relevant indications of personality, character, and preferred work environments
• relevant languages
• relevant interests or pastimes

Most importantly, all resumes should reflect an understanding of audience and purpose. Your audience is your reader, a particular employer with particular needs. Your purpose is to be attractive to that employer and respectful of their time and interest as you do so. The resume, contrary to popular opinion influenced by the lengthy c.v. formats we are taught in school, is not supposed to tell everything about you. It’s not even really about you at all. It is a marketing tool which should focus on the employer’s needs, including only the information about you which is relevant to those needs.

Extraneous information is confusing and frankly irritating to most employers. If you are applying to work in a Swiss Bank and know that several members of the department to which you are applying compete in an annual adventure race, then indicating you speak fluent German and have been kayaking for four years is very relevant. If the company is not actively doing business with clients who speak one of your languages and you have no idea as to their intramural programs, such information is completely irrelevant. So is your knowledge of PhotoShop and POS systems if they are not used in the department to which you are applying. No one is saying those skills are not valuable or that you should not be proud of them – the point is that they are not relevant in context and thus make you appear unfocused to your reader, which is contrary to your objective. Be clear, be correct, be concise, and be considerate of your prospective employer’s needs.

Final Takeaway

Make the resume not a litany or your past but rather a picture of the employer’s future and the benefits their company will enjoy by hiring you. Effectively demonstrate that you can deliver the results they need and they will call you.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Good reference checks are crucial to landing the job you want. As a long term career strategy, never miss an opportunity to get someone to say something nice about you in print. Ask in the moment of them giving you the compliment or acknowledging your work – they may not remember a year later when you need it; indeed, neither may you. Reference letters are like money in your savings account, there to help you advance or to get back on your feet again if you find yourself unemployed. You also need to keep in regular contact with anyone who is a key reference for you – as important as the letters are, employers will need to do a telephone check as well. There is no worse feeling than having a reference for the great job for which you just nailed the interview but not being able to reach them, so keep your database up to date.

In general, DO:

• Use a clear format for your list of references. Have a header which matches your resume and clearly identifies you, as in the following example:

References for Caitlyn Candidate, MBA

Sally Superreference, Director of Marketing, IBM Western Canada
Formerly Director of Marketing for Business Objects
Direct Supervisor for 4 years
Tel. 604.234.5678
Cel. 778.987.6543
Sally.jonas@shaw.ca

• Provide 2-3 ways to contact each reference to make it easy for employers to follow up on a tight timeline. Hiring is a lengthy and onerous process and there is a temptation to just get it over with by the end. If your references are the first to respond, that might just give you the edge.

• Prepare your references to help you effectively. Call them when you have had an interview where you expect a reference check. Email them your most recent resume, along with the cover letter you submitted for the position. Busy people may not open your attachments, though, so also give them 3-5 one line bullet points on the position, the company, and the impression you were hoping to leave. The more specific you are, the better your referees can help you.

• Choose 360 degree references: one-two direct supervisors, the more recent the better; one colleague; one direct report; and possibly also a client. Show employers that you “work and play well with others” at all levels of an organizational culture.

And DON’T:

• Do not put references on your resume unless you are only sending it to two or three select companies. Show respect for your referees’ time and privacy. If you are emailing applications in response to dozens or hundreds of postings, know that your referees will not appreciate having their contact information broadcast that far and wide. Offer to provide references on request and have multiple copies in hand for every interview.

• Don’t hand out ratty, torn, folded, or otherwise mangled old copies of reference letters. Neither should you pull a crisp original out of a protective case and ask the interviewer to make a copy. Keep originals in a portfolio and make clean, new copies you can leave behind.

• Don’t use personal or character references, or family members as references, if you have any alternative at all. Employment references are best. Senior staff members or senior volunteers in organizations to which you donated your work or teachers/professors with whom you took a relevant course are next in preference.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

LIFE’S WORK: Viewpoints on Careers, Workplace Culture and Balance

You may feel excitement or dread at the resolutions bug which strikes with the midnight clock on
New Year’s Eve, but it’s hard to ignore the energy in the air. It’s time to make pledges and launch changes, many of them related to career and work/life balance. With the right motivation and a strategic action plan, you can keep your resolutions -- the key is to focus on why you want to change and how you’re going to make it happen.

MINTO ON WHY
To separate yourself from the 95% of people who say they make resolutions on Dec 31 only to break them by mid-January, you need to set some goals that genuinely inspire you. Don’t do what you think you should do, or what you think you can manage: be authentic and be audacious! Ask yourself where, specifically, you want to be in the Spring? In a year? By your 40th or 50th birthday? Who do you want to be with? What do you want to be doing? You can change your present state by imagining, in vivid detail, who you will be when you achieve your goals. When you can answer above questions and actually feel the sensation of tomorrow’s achievement today, you’ll have enough dynamic energy to get yourself moving.

Keeping yourself moving will require help from other people. Motivation is all about giving yourself a reason to act. Who are you doing this for besides yourself? What will your spouse, best friend or your kids say to you a year from now if you do not keep your resolutions? Of course they won’t leave you, but fear of disappointing others often leads people to keep their goals secret – a better tactic is to make a public statement of intent and use your fear to make you accountable. Have the courage to tell people you care about that, “By this time next year you will . . . X” Maybe you’ll be an event planner for a major promotions company, earn 20% more, or work flex days at least twice a week. Visualize the significant people in your life celebrating and benefiting from your success or experiencing disappointment by your setback. You will then have the required mix of fear and excitement necessary to keep moving forward even when times get tough.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Question:
I have been helping my mom sell her house after my father passed away and I was wondering how I would go about putting this on my resume because there will be a large gap on my resume. Your advice would be appreciated.
Thanks, Linda.

Answer:
First of all, let me say I am very sorry for your loss. Losing a parent is never an easy thing. This very question came up for a client of mine recently, and I think we handled it pretty well. First, because you can put more context in a letter than in a resume, I advised him to make reference specifically to what had happened in the past year, as in “The past year has been a challenging one for me, losing my mother and taking primary responsibility for settling my parents’ estate; as often happens in life, it has also helped me gain clearer focus on my goals and values. My family obligations having now been met, I am rested and re-energized in my career and eager to begin a relationship with a quality company which will allow me to use my X and Y skills. I am thus very interested in ABC company because this opportunity will allow me to…” and so on. Switch the focus away from the loss you suffered and on to the value you will bring.

On the resume itself, I’ve had good results with wording like “Estate Settlement” in the job title area and either “Private” or “Family” where the employer information would go, with the dates.

Know that most employers are inclined to be pretty compassionate and open as long as they have the information they need to make a thorough assessment of your situation.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Question:
All of my work experience has been short term projects in one of my parents’ companies. They never wanted me to work for anyone else while I was in school because they wanted me to focus on getting good grades and getting my MBA. If I worked for them, I could study at work if I needed to, or not come in the day before a test. They taught me a great deal and they say any business would be lucky to have me, but I am not having much luck getting interviews.

Thanks, Thomas.

Answer:
Lack of on-the-job experience is a problem faced by many people coming straight out of school, and there is probably no candidate I see who has a tougher time than the MBA with so much business theory bursting out of them but not enough practice to get employers to take them seriously. Working on a casual basis or in a family business is generally better than never having worked at all, but it takes a great deal of care and expertise in presenting that information to have it work for you rather than against you.

For anyone reading this who is still in school, especially business school: Take note of Thomas’s conundrum and get yourself into a co-op program, get a summer job, or offer to intern for free – just get some experience out in the world and build new, professional relationships before you graduate!

For Thomas: I encourage you to try and get some sort of independent experience as quickly as you can, including volunteer or internship experience, and to continue with that work even after you get a job. You need to build a record of achievement which is wholly your own and objectively verifiable. Second, I would suggest that, if possible, you should get some references for your work from someone other than family – ideally from clients, as they have no incentive to say nice things about you if they are not true. Your next best bet would be other employees of the company – though, since they report to your parents, they cannot be completely objective, they will nonetheless appear to be more objective than a relative.

Also, make sure your resume conveys job titles and company information which appears as conventional and independent as possible. Don’t write “Summer Fill-In” if you can write “Service Associate (contract).” Never sacrifice truth for style, but give yourself as much style as you can while keeping your resume in the genre of non-fiction.

One final note: the reason that family business experience is often not considered as valid as work experience “out in the world,” is that sometimes children do not have to work their way up from the bottom but rather get to enter at the middle; or, they do not learn to think and perform as independently as they might if they had to impress strangers. Your email and its many references to what your parents wanted for you and what they think of your career path now conveys more dependence on them than would serve you in an interview. Make sure you really are ready to deliver results at an MBA level of responsibility and, if an honest look at yourself says you are not, then focus on getting some challenging experiences under your belt in any way you can. And when you interview, now or later, speak from an “I” perspective, with confidence in who you are and where you are at.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I keep seeing the same jobs posted on three or four different websites, month after month. I’ve even applied for a couple of them but never gotten a call. A friend told me some companies keep postings up all the time but they are not really hiring. I’m just as concerned that maybe it is an indicator that the company is not the kind of employer I would want if they have a lot of turnover. How can I tell?

Kelly

Dear Kelly:

That’s a very common question and the short answer is that you probably can’t tell for certain – at least not as an outsider. But there are ways to learn what you can. First I want to say that you and your friend should not assume that a company is not really hiring or has problems with retention because of continuous postings. Many companies are growing so fast and/or so consistently that they are always actively recruiting, and top managers in stable companies would rarely refuse to meet a very suitable candidate even if they do not have a pre-existing opening. Some companies do have trouble hanging on to good people but regular job postings are not necessarily an indicator of that.

Your best source of information on a company is someone who works there and is in a position to know whether or not the company is growing and seeking talent expansion. Use your networks or research business news on the company to find someone on the inside and ask for a few minutes of their time to ask them a few questions about their work. Look up the company in the “Top Employers” and “Best Companies” guides and see if they made the cut. If they do not appear, read what is said about related or competitor companies to get a better idea of the evaluative criteria used to decide who is a good employer in that field. Send your resume to a few recruiters, ask for a meeting with them, and while you are there pitching yourself, ask if they know anyone who has worked for that company. One way or another, you can probably improve your knowledge before applying in most cases.

When you either can’t find the information you seek or don’t have time for the search, my call would be to apply, say yes to an interview if you get one, meet them and judge for yourself. If you are interested enough in the position to be wondering what they are like to work for, it is probably worth your time and effort to pursue the opportunity. And if you are just idly curious but not strongly drawn to the job or you have a nagging feeling that something is not right for you – before or after an interview or offer – trust your gut.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Featuring Career Development Expert Minto Roy

March is the month of St. Patrick’s Day in Canada and the U.S. Brought to North America by Irish immigrants, this originally introspective and religious holiday in Ireland has evolved here into a much more secular celebration of luck and good fortune. The sight of so many people of every ethnic background wearing shamrock green and glittering gold and sidling up to a bar to tilt a pint o’Guiness beer is enough to get anyone thinking about luck, and getting us thinking about how you can create your own.

Minto Roy Says:

I understand this luck research involved studying several hundred people who self-identified as either extremely lucky or extremely unlucky, monitoring their day-to-day lives and observing their responses to controlled experiments. Maybe the science is what will convince some of you, but not me. For me, it’s experience. I’ve always known that the more 14 hour days I put in grinding it out at the office, the luckier I get. The more I network and educate myself and do the right thing instead of the easy thing, the better my results turn out to be. You can call it luck if you want to. I call it a pattern of behaviour that, consistently implemented, has no choice but to succeed. You can’t do the right thing the right way in a consistent pattern and not get results. Hard work gets rewarded eventually.

As immigrants, sometimes you have to work harder than your Canadian-born counterparts and many people would say this is a hardship or an evidence of an uneven playing field. I think it’s actually lucky. Your hard work will give you drive and experience and new skills that people who have it easier will take much longer to develop – and they may never get there. I’m glad I started with next to nothing, growing up hard in a rough neighbourhood, hearing my parents slip out the door after putting us to bed to work graveyard shift in a factory. It made me hungry. It forced me to set goals and keep my commitments to myself even as a teenager. It continues to give meaning to what I am building every day.

If your life is hard right now, be glad. Bring it on! What you work for is so much richer than what is handed to you. That’s why immigrants are the luckiest people I know.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 04:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Featuring Career Development Expert Minto Roy

We get calls every week from reporters and researchers looking for a quote or seeking some insight on business and career-related topics – more and more often, those queries relate to “workplace diversity” and “tapping into new Canadian talent.” Minto has been asked to speak to CEOs, Directors, MPs and MLAs on this topic, and their interest increases the more they learn. It’s a sign of the times – and a very good sign for today’s immigrants.

Minto Says:

We have seen a staggering rise by media and corporate Canada in discussing issues related immigrant workplace integration. Industries are screaming "we have jobs to fill." Provincial, Federal politicians regularly debate the best ways to assist professional immigrants. And Immigration Canada is increasing its immigration quotas more and more every year.

This is not the flavour of the month. This is and will be a steadfast menu item on Canada’s table. Businesses are learning how they butter their bread, and hiring immigrants, it turns out, is profitable.

The public volume is loud on this topic. Corporations have long been focused on how to strategically position themselves as a company of choice to attract immigrant consumers. It’s so exciting to see that they are now concerned with how to attract immigrant employees as well.

It may be the most opportune time for new professional immigrants.

Now, there is no magic pill or quick fix coming. People will still ask you about your Canadian experience and your English language skills are as important as ever. However, with the rise of media and spotlight will come a greater reception by companies to embrace talent. There is an obvious social benefit in helping newcomers but corporations have now felt some of the pain and consequence of ignoring such mass social change. And they’re responding.

Companies cannot ignore that as much as half of their products and services are brought by consumers who came to Canada from another country. And best practices in marketing and branding have always advocated putting your consumer’s face in your marketing and sales. Companies now have figured out that they also need to put those faces – and those languages, and that intellectual capital – in their offices.

It’s a great day to be Canadian.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Featuring Career Development Expert Minto Roy

Canada Day, for many Canadians, is a day for barbecues and beach volleyball. But for immigrants and the professionals who are privileged to serve them, Canada Day can mean so much more.

Minto Roy Says:

I look forward to Canada Day every year. Like most immigrants, I experience Canada Day as a reflective time – not only reflecting on my experiences but those I have seen and heard through the eyes and voices of other newcomers to this great country.

I am reminded of how our family came to Canada and how I watched Canada Day celebrations with those close to me. As a child from India coming to Canada, my parents daily reiterated how fortunate we were to have sponsors providing us the opportunity to move. As textile labourers generally working late night shifts, my parents did not enjoy all of the advantages that attracted them to Canada, yet they were grateful every day, and they instilled that gratitude in me. Now I do enjoy everything that Canada has to offer, and I experience it not as a birthright but as a gift never to be taken for granted. A gift that keeps on giving to my children, and to my employees and clients.

Companies are starting to see these gifts, too. Those that sponsor Canada Day events show an awareness of the need to embrace diversity and to think globally even in their local hiring. For new immigrants, Canada Day magnifies our country’s ability to accept different cultures, religions and languages. At every celebration, you see more and more talented immigrants becoming Canadian in personal identity but also in professional contribution. Most new immigrants they don't truly feel Canadian until they have professionally aligned themselves into a career that they can be proud of. Securing a good career allows them to call back home and verify that their personal, professional journey has been a success and that, "It was the right move to move to Canada."

I hope you all feel that way this Canada DayI

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Featuring Career Development Expert Minto Roy

Happy New Year! Many countries have far more community-driven and deeply held beliefs and traditions around the New Year than Canada does, but most Canadians have two things in common at this time of year. We make wishes for what we would like life to bring to us, and resolutions for what we would like to bring more of to our lives.

Minto Roy:

A new immigrant to Canada might dream up a wish list something like this one:

1. Foreign Credentials Recognized
For some of you it can happen – check out a credential evaluation service such as the one at BCIT www.bcit.ca/ices).

2. International Work Experience Accepted
Another tough one. But if you have been paying attention to some of our resume tips, you are learning how to communicate your record of achievement and transferable skills.

3. HRSDC Counsellors Are People Like You
Wouldn’t it be cool of the government hired people who had immigrated to Canada 7 – 15 years ago, secured stable private sector employment, been promoted and enjoyed the success you are seeking to advise you? Might be too much to hope for.

4. Global Banks Treat Credit Histories as Truly Global
How is it that we have multi-national companies and multi-currency accounts but an outstanding credit rating in almost any other country (even, believe it or not, Great Britain and the United States) is almost meaningless in Canada? Vancity has a better track record on this than some other companies – give them a call and maybe this wish can come true.

5. Corporate Commitment to Immigrant Recruitment
Companies are only too willing to target their marketing and sales efforts on various ethnic communities to attract immigrant dollars. I think it’s time they made a commitment to hiring the same fraction of employees from a culture as that culture represents in their customer demographics. If 3% of the buyers of X make of cars in Canada are from South Asia, then 3% of their employees should be South Asian.

Keep dreaming big and working hard. 2006 promises to be a great year.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Featuring Career Development Expert Minto Roy

Happy New Year! Many countries have far more community-driven and deeply held beliefs and traditions around the New Year than Canada does, but most Canadians have one thing in common at this time of year. We make resolutions for what we would like to bring more of to our lives.

Make a point of meeting successful immigrants who have secured new positions in their field of expertise, ideally people who have really integrated into Canadian society, not just people who have also arrived quite recently or who share your cultural or linguistic background. Your network will therefore be made up of role models who have a proven track record of career success from which you can learn and improve your own life.

Prepare to network by taking inventory of what you have done in your past and drawing comparisons to Canadian companies of similar industry and size. For example, if you worked for a telecom in India, then when asked what you do, say; "I am a telecom professional. I managed large wireless projects for South Asia Telecom for 3 years. They are a telecom solution provider much like Bell Canada. My projects involved supervising 20-30 staff and managing budgets exceeding 5 million dollars". Make it easier for people to relate to your skills and experience. Get ready to discuss your skills with Canadian conversions and analogies well practiced.

Get Help! Correction, get the right help. Too many new immigrants rely on family, friends and government to create job search strategies for them. Respectfully, these sources are not going to help most people secure professional level employment. You hired an immigration lawyer to help you get here. You will hire doctors, lawyers, and financial experts throughout your professional life – you also need an expert to help you launch that professional life in Canada. Don't wait until you are frustrated or desperate to get help. Working in partnership with expert professionals will save you time, money, frustration.

Make your number one resolution for the year to Just do it! and have a prosperous 2006.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Featuring Career Development Expert Minto Roy

Last month we talked about some resume basics and Alanna ended her advice by saying: “You want to compete on a level playing field and you can best help yourself do that by building a resume which is formatted to blend in with the other applicants and stand out only in terms of its achievements.” That turned out to cause a bit of controversy as a number of people wrote to us to say they thought advising immigrants to “blend in” is like telling them to assimilate and abandon their culture. That’s certainly not what we were trying to say, so some clarification seems to be in order.

Minto Says:

Rule number one: take your career advice from someone who has achieved a fair level of career success themselves, and who has no reason to say what s/he is saying other than your best interests. Ask the same question to ten people, chances are you’ll get at least five or six and maybe even ten different answers. There is a difference between having an opinion and having an informed opinion and you need to know the difference before you start implementing advice. Also make sure whomever is dispensing the advice isn’t trying to justify his or her own limiting beliefs or lack of progress by “educating” you that something you want to do can’t be done, or that the way Canadians do something “isn’t right for people like us.”

Let’s be clear: no one in this column or in the PCMG community of career professionals is suggesting that you need to assimilate to get ahead. We are saying, however, that you need to communicate in a way that you will be understood and that you need to integrate yourself into Canadian society by making a place for yourself in the professional workforce.

Communicating to be understood means using common vocabulary, format, style and tone. It means learning not just how to speak English but how to speak Canadian – and then the dialect of Canadian that is used by your industry or company culture. Engineers have patterns of communication which are different than those of Marketing Channel experts, Film Producers or University History Professors. And anyone from whom you would take advice should speak all of those languages and more.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Featuring Career Development Expert Minto Roy

February is the month of Valentine’s Day in Canada and the U.S. It’s kind of a funny holiday manufactured by flower shops and chocolatiers, no doubt, to help them rebound from the post-Christmas retail slowdown. But the mythology behind Valentine’s Day, the story of Cupid, is not just about romance; it’s about match-making. And that’s really what employers and jobseekers are trying to do, isn’t it? Make a good match.

Minto Roy:

A good plan for choosing an employer match is to select companies whose products and services sincerely interest you. By that I mean, regardless of where you work, you would be using their products or services and interested in business news about their organization. Think about activities you enjoy and subjects you love to talk about. Chances are, many of those things are represented by companies. And the leaders of those companies covet employees who share their interests and values and sincerely believe in their products and services.

For instance, if you love sports, invest time in learning about sports and fitness-related companies. With a little research, you can develop a list of 20-30 companies that directly match your interest. Personal identity linked to your professional identity provides the perfect foundation for an exciting career. Your career shouldn't be about what you do for your job, it should be a reflection of who you are as a person.

It's also critical to feel you have a match with the people who populate these companies. Remember you will be spending 8-10 hours of day with them. A popular metaphor asserts that we become the average of the 5 people with whom we spend the most time. If that’s even partly true, you need to be very careful about who those people are as they will directly influence who you become. If you don't know people at the company, do some research. Check news articles about their community activity. Pick-up the phone and call a department manager and ask him/her for 15 minutes of their time based on your interest in their products and services.

Invest in research and relationships and the right match for you is out there.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 02:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Featuring Career Development Expert Minto Roy

When we were considering a holiday-themed column, we wondered which of our Canadian traditions would be most accessible to immigrants experiencing our holiday season for the first time. The internationally recognizable icon of Santa Claus, of course! And we got to thinking… WHAT IF SANTA IMMIGRATED TO CANADA? AND WHAT IF HE WANTED TO CHANGE CAREERS?

Minto Roy:

Though he was a successful entrepreneur with 1000s of elves working for him, Santa wouldn’t have enough points on his immigration application to enter Canada under the regular rules. (Paul Martin will avoid getting a lump of coal in his stocking by wisely making a special exception.)

As Santa arrives at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, its crisp winter air reminds him fondly of home. Fortunately, like so many talented immigrants, Santa fluently speaks 17 languages, English among them, so he will communicate easily.

Scanning the newspaper as he sits in the “landing” room reserved for immigrants waiting to be processed, he sees the real estate section and gets his first shock: his North Pole bungalow would be worth $5.3 million on Vancouver’s North Shore! His second shock comes a few days later in his settlement class where, although the room is full of many professionals, most with advanced degrees and extensive work experience like his own, again and again they are told it is a problem that they do not have Canadian experience. “But,” Santa protests, “I delivered presents from BC to Prince Edward Island! I worked all around the world! I have international experience!” His cries fall on deaf ears.

Seeing so many people in his group -- engineers and software developers, doctors and professors, even lawyers and bankers -- being encouraged to take the first available job in service or labour, Santa begins to wonder whether these classes teaching how to “settle” in his new country have more than one meaning. And he does not want to settle for a dead-end job.

Santa is like everyone else who comes to Canada: he has a big heart and a huge dream. Getting here, it turns out, is the easy part. Succeeding here takes strategic hard work.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Featuring Career Development Expert Minto Roy

Whatever hemisphere you were born in or when your seasons changed, people the world over tend to celebrate the coming of Spring, with its longer days and much-craved sunshine, by doing a little Spring Cleaning in a burst of out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new energy and a desire to be unencumbered for the exciting new adventure to come. As we open our windows and doors and let the warmth and light in, we feel an instinctive need to wash and dust, sort and purge. The same impulse can be applied to your resume: get rid of what you don’t need, and organize what you do.

Minto Says:

If we’re spring-cleaning your resume, that’s got to mean getting rid of the resume photo. I know it’s a common practice in other countries but it is rarely done here and – outside the film and entertainment industry – is generally regarded as displaying poor taste. Because a photo is almost exclusively included on a resume of someone new to Canada, it sends the very “No Canadian Experience” message you are trying to avoid.

The only thing worse than the photo is its combination with a bolded header or footer saying “Permanent Resident” or “Legally Entitled to Work in Canada” or “TOEFL Score 580.” Again, instead of drawing attention to your skills, you’ve got the recruiter wondering where you came from and whether you speak sufficiently fluent English. Please also get rid of any maple leaf clip art and references to visa, passport or even social insurance numbers. We know you add these things because somewhere along the line someone probably asked a question about your work status and because you want to communicate you are now proudly Canadian. The resume just isn’t the place for displays of legal documentation or patriotism and including such things here makes you seem defensive, not open. Save it for the interview.

And while you’re deleting the unnecessary information, you should also get rid of the most obvious markers of “foreign” application practices such as date of birth or age, height, weight, health status, marital and family status, nationality and compulsory military service. Most of that information is illegal or highly unconventional for Canadian employers to ask and no Canadian-born applicant would include it.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Question:
I am a recent graduate of Career Practitioner Training program, and I am having difficulty getting any interviews. I have been trying to do informational interviews with prospective employers, but as you know everyone is busy. I have come to realize that the employment counselling field is a very tight fit, and it is difficult getting into. Do you have any suggestions what else I can do to get interviews. In addition to my certificate in Career Counselling I have a 2 year diploma in Substance Abuse Counselling and a Life Skills Coach Certificate. Thank you, Valerie.

Answer:
Thanks for your question, Valerie. You’re right: it’s not as easy as taking some training to break into a new profession, especially one where long term experience and broad expertise are so critical to success. In my experience, it tends to be the “Job Club”-style employers who hire recent grads of career practitioner programs to deliver group services, and more corporate practices prefer advanced degrees, 10-15 years of senior level career experience enhanced by professional development in performance-centred counseling or executive coaching to deliver one-on-one career development. Consider carefully your own values and the kind of work you want to do, take an honest assessment of your qualifications, and research carefully the demographics served by each employer with whom you would seek to develop a relationship. The spectrum between helping youth at-risk or the systemically entrenched unemployed and doing advanced leadership skills and career management is very broad and includes a wide range of options in between. Your resume, telephone approach, level of conversation and personal appearance will need to be quite different from one to another for you to feel like a fit to the employer.

I’m somewhat dismayed that you have not had results to requests for brief meetings: if you are coming at it from the perspective of “looking for work,” I can see people putting you off if they are not actively hiring. But if you are making clear that you would take just a few minutes of time to seek some advice and insight from someone more experienced, I’m disappointed to think that people in our industry, preachers of the value of networking, are not practicing the openness and accessibility you deserve.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Question:
I have approximately 25 years experience working in different office situations. I have only included positions back to 2002 (I worked at 1 company then from 1997-2002) when I fill out on-line applications most of them want year of graduation, which in my case is 1965. I'm not sure how to convince companies that I'm up-to-date on skills, appearance, etc. and not stuck in an "old" mind set. Do you think employers pass me by because of my age and what can I do? Thanks, Gail.

Answer:
Thanks for your question, Gail. Unfortunately, you’re right: many screeners do discriminate on the basis of age or experience. That probably sounds illegal, unfair or just plain dumb to a lot of people, so let me explain some of the reasons from an employer’s perspective for a moment. If you can see it from their side, you can communicate with them in a language they will understand.

1. Employers have certain salary limitations for any given position. When they see that someone is well into their 40s or even 50s, they might assume that the candidate is likely to have income needs which exceed what they can pay.
2. Employers need new hires to quickly adapt to their workplace culture. When they see someone well into middle age, they might assume the candidate will be more set in his or her ways and less likely to fit in.
3. Employers are generally looking for new hires to be very high energy and to plan to stay awhile. When they see a candidate who is within 10 years of typical retirement age, they might assume a lower energy level and a short(er) tenure with the company.
4. Employers need their employees to have a fresh, up-to-date and technically savvy mix of skills. An older candidate is often perceived as more likely to either have dated skills or to take longer to upgrade – or both.

Whether or not assumptions based on age are valid, the needs which drive employers to make those assumptions certainly are. I appreciate that this probably sounds pretty depressing, but think of it instead as a sales task. In any sale, you need to understand your prospect’s needs so you can meet them. First of all, I think you are correct to take your Work History back only 10-15 years, depending on the level of experience required for the position. Second, I would encourage you to include recent professional development to modernize your 40 year-old degree, and, if possible, to omit dates for all of your education. Whether or not you include the date, the main thing you need to do is to address the needs outlined in items one through four above.

1. Make your description of your qualifications match the position you are applying for. When you are clearly overqualified, you make employers nervous that they can’t afford you – or they won’t be able to keep you from looking for greener pastures – so you don’t even get a chance to compete. Resumes should include relevant information to the particular position and omit everything else. And if you are intentionally taking a step down, make that clear in your cover letter with a line something like “While I have held many supervisory positions in the past, I am eager to learn more about X industry and open to a position at whatever level might permit me to develop new skills in a positive workplace culture…”
2. Make your application package seem familiar to them. Review their website and collateral materials and evaluate the tone and vocabulary you see there. Match your presentation to theirs; there is a reason that the expression, “we speak the same language,” is used as a metaphor for connection, fondness and fit. Go a step further and include specific references to your research on their company in your cover letter, complimenting them on their core values and workplace culture, and explaining why just that kind of company is exactly what you are looking for.
3. Include information in your letter and resume which shows you are active: sports, community work, extra projects or committee work on the job. Infuse your profile with adjectives which convey energy: passionate, driven, self-motivated… Ask your references to use similar language to describe you, in writing, and then pull a quote from one of your reference letters and display it as a testimonial in your resume. Also communicate in your cover letter your intention to stay. For example, you could say that you want to “find a company where you can put down some roots and invest the next 10-15 years of your career.”
4. Make sure your credentials are up-to-date and you are conversant with the most recent upgrades to software, legislation, policies and even workplace conventions. It is not enough to mask and highlight and spin your background: you have to be the person you represent. If an employer would be right in thinking that you are easily tired, motivated by dreams of retirement, mastered MS DOS and Word Perfect 1.0 and have learned nothing new since, and you still want $65K, then they are just as right to screen you out and you have some work to do before you are ready to find the work you seek.

It won’t be easy for you to overhaul your career marketing, but if you can deliver the results employers need and you do all of the above to display that on paper, you will greatly improve your chances.

Good luck & keep us posted on your progress.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Posted by minto at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)