On being overqualified

Many foreign-trained professionals who want to continue their career in Canada choose to apply for jobs that are entry-level or intermediate in responsibility. This is a recommended strategy as it provides workers the opportunity to gain Canadian work experience and deepen their understanding of cultural workplace issues.
Employers however can have a different view of hiring [...]

Growing your network

This excellent blog post has 37 tips for building you offline and online network. Check out the whole article but I want to highlight a few important tips below:
1. Get an easy-to-remember email address. A good format is firstname.lastname@webmail.com where “webmail” is Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. Use this address for job search/work purposes only.
3. Prepare an [...]

The mentorship advantage

This Toronto Star article looks as how mentorships are being used to help foreign-trained professionals expand their network and bridge the gap to unemployment.
“In Canada, networking is a very big part of finding a job. “A lot of new immigrants don’t know what that means, or might be shy or apprehensive to network based on their [...]

Job growth ?

Today’s Times-Colonist features an article that looks at various job sectors on Vancouver Island and their potential for growth. I feel obligated to read these types of articles. They help me to understand the small and larger trend shifts that happen in our labour market. Anybody who is interested in career management or searching for [...]

Engineering and Technology Labour Market Study

This study is examining the current and future employment picture within the engineering and technology sectors of the Canadian economy. Five issues are the focal point of the study:

Employer labour requirements
The available workforce
Attitudes and practices related to certification and licensing
The role of diversity groups
Globalization

You can check out the affiliated website or an interim report.
Here are [...]

Getting to Yes

If you are putting yourself out there – applying for jobs and getting job interviews then you run the risk of rejection. How we cope with this rejection, whether we choose to personalize it or see it as a learning opportunity can often impact our future job search activities.
It is not pleasant to get an interview [...]

Roadmap to Recognition

There are a series of fact sheets on the Ministry of Economic Development’s website that I want to draw your attention to. These documents are designed for immigrants and provide helpful information related to credential recognition, language and skill upgrading and conducting an effective job search.

Online branding

How important is your on-line reputation ? According to a recent poll one in five hiring managers screen applicants by checking the Internet for info on websites such as FaceBook and MySpace. The poll found that one-third of these employers chose not to hire an applicant based on what they saw.

On communication

This enlightening blog post examines the relationship between communication skills and career success. Those people who continuously strive to improve their communication skills are more successful at getting and keeping jobs. Check out the blog post for some solid advice on how we can improve our communication skills.

What are your weaknessess ?

How do you answer this difficult interview question? This type of question is very common and poses a risk if you are not well prepared. Check out these two excellent blog posts on the subject for some wise advice.