Recommended Job Search Tools - Eluta for Canada

A relatively recent addition to the Canadian job search landscape is Eluta. Like my previous recommendations of SimplyHired and Indeed for the US market, Eluta takes a Google-like approach to spidering Canadian sites and aggregating all the jobs it can find under your search parameters. It really is an available job posting search tool.

Most importantly, it is hitting the actual hiring company site, enabling you to identify current job opportunities that you might not catch on Monster, Workopolis or other Canadian job sites. Valuable and a welcome addition, in my opinion to the Canadian job search landscape.

I am not recommending Eluta as a replacement, but rather a valuable addition to your Canadian job search tool arsenal.

Happy hunting.

Career Boosting Tip #4: Do more than "dust off" the resume

Update your resume. Yes, I know, so obvious. But, I am suggesting more…

First, your resume should be relatively up-to-date. What does that mean? I recommend that anyone who has been in a job for more than 6 months should update their resume to include their current role. You never know who is going to call. Or what internal or external opportunities might come around. (Or, what negative surprise might you one Monday AM.)

More importantly, the process of capturing what you have done and what you are currently working on is an important, ongoing career management imperative.

To do more than dust off your resume, consider…

• Focusing on outcomes, the difference you have made rather than solely on duties and responsibilities
• Capturing your true professional strengths and putting them on the resume. Don’t be shy.
• Developing a summary pitch about what you offer and where you fit. You can’t and shouldn’t be all things to all employers, so don’t try. Figure out what you do and do very well, and capture that.

 Of course, we would be delighted to assist you with BoldCareer’s resume writing services. However, you can do it yourself as well. It takes an investment of your time, but one that will pay off. Make it part of your to-do list to boost your career this year.

Career Boosting Tip #2: Journal

You can feel the momentum and inertia of all of your professional and personal roles building and we aren’t half way through January yet.

There is a natural energy to the New Year. If you haven’t already, Schedule time in your calendar for some planning.

Personally, I write in my Moleskine, but whatever works for you.

Book some uninterrupted time to try and learn from the previous year and shape the new year.

Take stock:

• How do you feel about your job and career progress? 
• What did you learn about yourself? 
• What do you want more of? 
• What do you want less of?

Plan:

• What would you like to change, be, do, and make happen? 
• If you already have a personal plan, how are you progressing?

These aren’t resolutions. What I am suggesting is a few hours of quiet time for a personal check-up to seriousl ask yourself, how am I doing?

Resume Length: How Long Should My Resume Be?

The first and most important rule in resume length is that your resume should be as long as it needs to be to best showcase and market your skills for your target positions, but no longer.

Of course, different countries and industries have different standards. For the Canadian and US market, 1, 2, or 3 pages is standard, although there are some industry exceptions.

I am sure that some readers may still be confused. Okay, 1-3 pages, I get that. But, which?

Go back to my opening rule. What length is best suited to the amount, breadth and type of experience you possess? If you are just entering the workforce, you will be at 1-2 pages. No longer. If you have several years of experience under your belt, but have held one job during that time, your resume could be shorter than someone with several jobs.

Second, the nature of your job will help determine how many words to use. There are some professions where not a lot of words are needed or expected. In the world of finance, for example, wordiness is not a virtue and 1-page resumes, maximum 2, are the norm. In the academic world, your resume better be around 5 pages to showcase your papers and research. In the business world, at the mid-career level, which you appear to be, 2-3 pages will normally be what you will be aiming for.

When writing resumes for my clients, I find that the question of length is usually solved when you target your messaging. The third rule is to let your focus and strategy dictate your message. Most people write their resume first, and then try and figure out what kind of job they are looking for. Instead, figure out what you want. Then, figure out why you are a good, if not great candidate for this kind of job. Then, turn your resume into a document that sells this. This will mean omitting some information and emphasizing other information.

The fourth rule is to format for readability and professionalisms first, length second. You can tweak formatting a bit, but avoid overt tricks to shrink or expand your resume. For example, you could make the margins 1” vs. 1.25”. On font, you will hear different things, but my opinion is that font size of 11 is the most professional. I find that 9 and 10 are too small and will increase the impression that your resume is too difficult to read to bother (some font types might be better than others at the size of 10). On the other hand, size 12 and over, in my opinion, is too big. Big fonts in resumes (other than for headings), again in my opinion, don’t give a serious impression. Of course, these issues are less relevant when cutting and pasting or building your resume on online job boards.

No one was ever hired because they had the right resume length. The degree of professionalism will add to or subtract from your candidacy. A too lengthy resume could easily send a message that you are unfocussed. A professional, polished and on-target resume will increase your chances of getting read and considered. Most important, of course, is how effectively your resume markets you as either someone who can do the job being hired for, or someone worth meeting because of your background.

Technorati Tags: resume writing, resumes

Don't Give Up on Your Professional Development Goals

I am so glad to be writing about this topic this week. You see, more than 80% of resolutions are dropped by January 17th. Great intentions at the beginning of the month slide away in the face of day-to-day pressures.

If you are intent on doing something with your career this year (and I hope you are…we should all be developing professionally), then you need more than will power.

You need to establish what you want. And then, you need to set firmly in your mind why this is important to you. Make it a priority, based on the positive difference the achievement of your goal or the change you want will make on your life.
Then you need a strategy and a plan. The plan needs to be workable. Thorough. Achievable.
Then you need to work the plan. Faithfully. Diligently.
In a way, that’s it. Arnold Schwarzenegger once was asked what the key to success was. He said: “Make the plan. Work the plan.”

Reality Gets in the Way

Of course, it isn’t simple. You have pressures, at work, at home, and within yourself.

Don’t give in to your current environment: I wish it weren’t true, but the reality is that for many people, their job and workplace is draining. If your current job or workplace has the potential to be better, then pursue that internal career development. If, however, it is a really bad situation, then call a spade a spade and start to get yourself on the market.

Don’t give in to scepticism: As soon as you dare to make a goal you may be visited by a little voice called scepticism, or fear, or fatalism. By all means, acknowledge it. Then, move on. If your goal is realistic, and your plan workable, it is all in the execution, and your belief in yourself.

Don’t sell out: An amazing thing happens when we start to pursue a professional goal. A lesser opportunity challenges it. A minor reassignment at work. A job offer doing the same thing, at the same level, for 7% more in salary. You have to make a choice, based on how important and how realistic your goal is.

Make space: If you have set a major professional goal for yourself this year, but your life is already overflowing with commitments and activities, then something has to give. Unfortunately, most people are wired to procrastinate on the important, but not urgent activities. Make your professional development urgent and clear some space to make it happen.

What could go wrong: Ask yourself why your plan might not work out. Where are you weak when it comes to achieving your goal? I am a big fan of leveraging strengths, but in career development, you need to think about these weak areas, like lack of a professional network, your performance record, skill gaps, experience gaps and poor interviewing and job search skills. If there is something that has a high likelihood of torpedoing your plan, fix it.

Yes, external factors like difficult bosses, stressful work environments, jobs that don’t fit, and looming deadlines will challenge that commitment. However, I believe that it all comes down to practicing personal responsibility. If professional and career development is important to you, then you have a responsibility to yourself to move it forward.

I hope that helps provide some perspective to what is an all too common problem at the end of January. Good luck!