Module 1: Applying for a Position
1.1 Targeted Job Searches
Our story begins here
To begin our story, click on the audio bar below.
Note: The audio (49 seconds) transcript is available in the footnotes.
Know your skills
Landing that first career job can be challenging. Even if you’ve worked, it may not have been in the career of your choice; there’s a difference between a job and a career. Maybe you dismiss the skills you developed as a barista or in retail and don’t consider them relevant beyond that kind of job – but you’d be wrong.
Many skills are transferable to a wide range of working environments. Communication – reading, writing, and active listening – is certainly a transferable skill that will serve you well in any work or professional environment. Other skills you may have developed at previous jobs might include teamwork and leadership skills.
Maybe you run your own start-up business. Through this side hustle, you may have developed computer skills, organizational and management skills, problem solving skills, promotional skills, accounting skills and your creativity. School projects or volunteering may also have developed teamwork, leadership, computer, and project management skills.
Reflect on some of your successes and what skills were required or developed. It may be helpful to ask family or friends what they consider your strengths. Once you have some ideas, start developing these into accomplishment statements. Thinking about a specific example, write down the:
- Situation or context,
- Task you accomplished,
- Action taken to accomplish the task, and the
- Result achieved.
The STAR method is often used in interviews, but it’s also a great place to start developing accomplishment statements for your resume and cover letter. Once you’ve noted this information, consider a relevant action verb to begin your statement. For instance:
- Increased [action verb] sales at Hamish’s Bagpipe Outlet [situation] by 12% [result] by playing bagpipe music through speakers to draw attention to the store [action].
- Improved [action verb] staff morale [task and result] at Jerk Groceries [situation] by initiating Sharing Saturdays where workers took turns bringing in shareable snacks [action].
Writing accomplishment statements helps you identify your transferable skills, and also boosts confidence. You probably have a lot more relevant and valuable experience than you may have realized. Having a series of accomplishment statements will help you as you start seeking relevant job postings and drafting your resume.
For a list of relevant action verbs and additional examples, check out: How To Write Accomplishment Statements (With 78 Examples) | Indeed.com
Know your audience
It can be tempting to spend a lot of time drafting a single resume and a single cover letter and feel that you’re finished; however, targeting each cover letter and to some degree the resume, will improve your chances of success in landing an interview and starting your career.
When you find a potential career posting, research the company. When were they established? How well are they doing? How rapid or slow is their employee turnover? What is their mission statement? What products or services do they offer? What current or pending projects are they working on? How could your skills connect with their needs?
Having a clear sense of the organization will help you tailor your application to that specific company, greatly improving your odds of success. By matching your identified skills with their requirements, you can make a compelling argument about why you’re the best candidate for the job.
Where and how to search
The internet has made job searches much more efficient than they used to be, but you still need to know where to find the best postings for the career you’re after. The internet has also made it possible to search for careers that are remote, local, national, or international, depending on how adventurous you feel. While there may be some overlap in postings between job sites, it’s worthwhile bookmarking the ones that offer the types of career opportunities you’re looking for.
Here are some options:
- Canada Jobs and Careers provides postings from over 350 job boards across North America
- Careerjet offers searchable job listings, and also provides users the opportunity to upload their resumes
- Charity Village posts paid and volunteer positions across Canada in the not-for-profit and arts sectors
- Eluta lists jobs directly from the websites of Canada’s top 100 employers
- Glassdoor provides searchable job listings, as well as candid reviews by current and past employees
- Indeed provides searchable national and international job listings, and also provides users the opportunity to upload their resumes
- International Jobs offers worldwide career listings searchable by career or country
- Job Bank is a Government of Canada national job service with listings in all sectors across all provinces
- Jobs.ca offers curated career postings in major Canadian cities
- LinkedIn offers job postings for anyone with a profile
- Monster provides searchable national and international job listings, and also provides users the opportunity to upload their resumes
- SimplyHired provides searchable listings by city, province, or career across Canada
- Talent Egg is a Canadian site targeted to students and recent graduates seeking their first career
- Workopolis allows users to search for positions with listings in all sectors across all provinces
Many of these job sites have been in operation for over twenty years, so they’re well established. Many also feature additional resources for resume building and interview success. Some provide current information on salary ranges by career, which can be useful information when negotiating a contract or raise.
Temping, internships, and volunteering
Temping
If you need funds immediately, temping can be a good option. Temp agencies help fill organizational openings on a temporary basis, whether due to short-term illness, or longer leaves of absence, such as maternity leave. These short-term jobs can provide ready cash, additional skills and experience to add to your resume, and can also help build your network. Sometimes, they can even lead to full-time work.
While a quick search will provide information on multiple temp agencies, it’s advisable to do some homework and look at user reviews. How responsive is the agency? What kinds of jobs do they provide? How many opportunities do they provide? Temp agencies don’t work as a public service; they profit by taking a percentage of your pay from the employer.
Internships
During school, you may have had an internship; however, some internships are also available once school is over. Maybe you can get an internship with the same organization where you previously interned. A great advantage of internships is that they add relevant skills and experience to your career resume. Before agreeing to an internship, ensure your expectations are clear. While some internships pay, others do not, so be sure what you’ll get out of it. Will it be worth your time? Some of the employment agencies listed above also list internships and other agencies can be found online.
Volunteering
Volunteering is another way to add to your resume and network. Many volunteering opportunities exist, and this is a very satisfying way to give back to the community. For instance, your local library may have volunteer opportunities to teach English as a second language, tutor children, or record books for patrons with low vision. Many hospitals require volunteers to provide company to patients or drive them to appointments. If you like animals, consider volunteering as a dog walker at the Humane Society, rehabilitating wild animals, or as a fundraiser.
Lots of opportunities exist, for instance through Search Volunteer Opportunities – Volunteer Toronto
While these are unpaid positions, they provide ample opportunities for networking with a broad spectrum of people who may be aware of career opportunities and happy to help.
Audio transcript for Module 1.1 Targeted Job Searches
You’ve submitted your last assignment and written your last exam. You’ve finished school. Congratulations! You’re looking forward to convocation, but you have mixed feelings. On the one hand, you’re happy that school’s finished, but there’s also some anxiety. Up until now, the path in front of you was always clear–another year of school. But now what? What comes next?
Looking at your finances, you know you need to find work and start paying down your debt. And wouldn’t it be great to have some money in the bank and move into your own place? You’ve had jobs before, in retail and restaurants. But this is different. Now that school’s over, you hope to start your real career. But you’ve never had a job in your real career before, and don’t know where to start.
