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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Networking

Networking is about meeting people with more experience and connections than you have in a given field. It’s also about actively listening to what they can offer in terms of advice, leads, and connections. Networking is about being friendly with people who know other people. It doesn’t have to be weird; relax and don’t try so hard.

Is there someone in your chosen industry whom you admire? See if you can find their contact information and ask if they have time to meet with you for a coffee chat. Most people are happy to share their knowledge, experience, and advice with newcomers to their field. Plan how you can introduce yourself, and have questions prepared. Reviewing current industry news can provide useful ideas for relevant conversation starters. Why do you want to meet this person? What do you hope to gain from the encounter?

Family and friends

Who do you know? You have friends; however, most of your friends are probably around your age, and may be facing similar challenges beginning their career path. While you and your friends can provide each other with moral support during the transition from school, you may not be able to provide much support in terms of networking towards your career.

You also have family, and some older family members may form the foundation of your network. Perhaps a parent or other family member is looking for assistance with their own business. While this might be a great place to earn some money and add to your skills and experience, it might not be the career you had in mind, but they probably know other people with businesses that may be more in line with your career hopes. Do any of them have an opening, even part-time? Your initial network may rely on your family network. Who do they know or work with?

Post-secondary career office

Most post-secondary schools have career offices for current students and recent graduates. Depending on your school, this service might be available to you for several years after graduation. TMU has various Career Development Resources As well as providing workshops and other events, the Career Centre also offers useful advice and publications, as well as one-on-one advising on career opportunities.

Career sites

Some of the websites in the previous section also provide opportunities for those seeking employment to post their resumes. This is a way to let the job come to you, instead of you having to chase the job! While this passive approach may sound appealing, weigh the pros and cons before posting.

The main advantage is posting your resume on a recruiter website greatly increases your visibility and exposure to potential employers. Posting can also streamline your application process, allowing you to apply for more jobs from a centralized portal.

The primary disadvantage of posting your resume on a recruiter website is the privacy risk. Review the privacy settings if you post. Consider how much information you’re willing to share. The reputable sites suggested in the previous section actively prioritize security; however, even the most secure server can be hacked. Another possible problem is being overwhelmed by results. How will you manage your inbox effectively if you receive multiple competing queries or offers? Finally, these platforms tend to be depersonalized. With no personal interaction, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd.

Career fairs

Walking up to strangers and introducing yourself can be intimidating. Being prepared can help ease some of the uncertainty. What are you hoping to come away with? What are your expectations?  Attending with a friend or two can ease the anxiety. Rather than starting by walking up to the celebrity in the room, why not start with someone who’s standing awkwardly and seems similarly unsure of themselves? Maybe you can form an alliance and help each other past the initial awkwardness. Here are some Tips to consider before and during a Career Fair.

While the atmosphere of a job fair may be conducive to meeting new contacts, the true advantage is in the follow up. This is when you might be asked for another meeting to continue the discussion. This is what might lead to a career prospect.

Audio transcript for Module 1.2 Networking

Now that you’ve thought about it for a while, you have more skills than you’d realized. Some of these might have come from jobs, but others have come from school, volunteering, and personal projects.

You’ve also realized that you’ll need to research the organizations where you’d like to start your career. So far, you only have a general idea of what they do. You need to spend time on their websites becoming more familiar with everything: various aspects of their business, their mission statement, who works there, what they’re looking for in their employees, and what a career with this organization might look like.

You might also check out the experiences of current or former employees. Just because this is your dream career, and you’ve investigated the organization, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s perfect. Be realistic and open to learning about other people’s experiences at the organization.

There are lots of online choices to continue your research, other than the company’s own website. You could start looking for careers using online tools like the Government of Canada’s Job Bank, or other job search websites. You can find reviews and employees’ thoughts on organizations on Glassdoor.

Meanwhile, you need to start building more professional experience–and earning. Looking for opportunities to volunteer, intern, or work through a temp agency seem like good options.

But how can you use your skills, what you’ve learned about your audience and the organization to help you launch your career? That first step still feels a long piece away. Maybe there are other ways of landing that elusive first job towards your career.

Targeted

Resumes and cover letters should be targeted to your specific goals and each specific job application. Before applying to any job site or heading to a career fair, it would be a good idea to update your resume. Your current resume may only list part-time and summer jobs in reverse chronological order, so it’s not an accurate reflection of your career goals. Moving into your career job search is an important time to review your resume and consider how to make it relevant for your career goals and targeted for each application. Note that in Canada, it’s not appropriate to include a photo or information about age or gender on your resume.

The first step to drafting a targeted application is to closely read the job ad. While this may sound obvious, the key is to identify and highlight the specific skills the potential employer is seeking, and then list the skills you already have that meet those requirements, as well as supporting evidence that you have those skills.

Chronological Resume

Although chronological resumes are the most commonly used, and most likely what you currently have, they may not serve recent graduates to best advantage.

Often, chronological resumes focus more on education, rather than the job experience employers are looking for. Offering work experience before education helps; however, your previous jobs may not relate to your career choice or the job you’re applying for. Although you may still feel proud of your high school accomplishments, at some point these should fall off your resume as you gain more adult experience.

What’s missing from the chronological resume is an accurate reflection of the various skills and experiences you have that may not be reflected in either formal education or previous work experience. These skills and experiences are often very relevant to the job for which you’re applying, but they’re invisible on this type of resume.

Functional Resume

Functional resumes focus on your skills and experience, rather than previous work experience that may be in short supply if you’re just graduating. In this way, they highlight transferable skills that may be more appropriate to your new career.

Accomplishment statements showcase your specific transferable skills, making a convincing case that you’re a strong candidate for the job. For instance, if the posting says they’re looking for someone with strong communication skills, but you’ve only worked in retail, you might draft an accomplishment statement building on your transferable communication skills:

Listened [action verb] to customers actively during shifts [task] at Divine’s Clothing [situation] to improve repeat business and increase sales [result].

Note that while having a quantitative result is convincing, don’t make it up if you don’t know; qualitative statements are also valuable. The beauty of a functional resume is that you can expand your accomplishments into school work, volunteering, or your own start-up. For example, if a job requires teamwork skills, and you successfully completed a group project in school, your accomplishment statement might read:

Developed [action verb] strong teamwork and organizational skills for a year-end project [task] with a student group at TMU [situation] resulting in an A+ grade and mention in the school’s newsletter [result].

This shows that you have the skill and can practice it with good success. Even if it wasn’t in a work context, showing that you have this transferable skill indicates that you could have similar success at work.

After providing your contact information, the functional resume starts with a brief objective statement that can be tailored to each job application, using key words you’ve identified from the job posting. Why are you applying for this position? What type of job are you looking for? What do you bring to the position?

Following this, most of the resume should showcase your skills, using your accomplishment statements. Consider grouping these into subsections. For example, Communication Skills could combine digital, written, and verbal skills. This can be followed by Work Experience, and finally, Education, although these sections might be reversed. The key is to focus on your transferable skills, rather than previous work experience if it’s not relevant, or education, the details of which may be less important for your new career.

Hybrid or Alternative Resumes

Sometimes people create hybrid or combined resumes, with elements of both chronological and functional resumes. You don’t need to stick firmly to a given option. Choose what works best to showcase your skills for the career you’re applying to, and recognize that the format you choose may evolve over time as you gain further work experience.

While it’s also permissible to create alternative resume designs, recognize that potential employers may not respond well to something out of the ordinary. If you’re moving into a design career, then maybe a resume showcasing your design skills would be beneficial; however, if you’re applying for a business career, an alternative resume may not be appropriate.

Resume Design 

When designing your resume, always think about the reader and how you can improve the accessibility of your resume. Also recognize that most corporations use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and/or Artificial Intelligence to do the initial scan of incoming resumes. Successful resumes must be designed to ensure they can pass successfully through this first level of sorting. Spending more time crafting your content to the needs of these systems will improve the likelihood of success much more than spending hours making your resume look pretty. Important tips to successful resume design include:

Cover Letters

People often struggle with the best way to start a cover letter. Avoid beginning your letter with statements like, “I’m applying for the position of…” or “My name is…and I’m a recent graduate.” These are not compelling openings and are unlikely to engage the reader. While it’s appropriate to say these things, maybe they can come later in the letter.

It helps to think in journalistic terms of having a “hook” to engage the reader. Are you applying for a social media communication position? Did you increase your student union’s social media presence by 17%? Great! Maybe you could open your cover letter by asking, “How would you like to increase your company’s social media presence by 17%?” Because this result is relevant to the job, the person to whom you’re applying is likely to keep reading. Also consider showing that you’ve researched the company by providing a few details about what they do or recent successes or challenges.

While there may be some overlap between the cover letter and the resume, the cover letter is your opportunity to showcase specific aspects of your skills and experience that best fit with the requirements of the job. Again, consider whether you can use some of your accomplishment statements. The cover letter underscores key highlights of the resume, but should not just copy the resume. The body of the letter should clearly showcase how your skills are relevant to the posted position. Although you’re talking about yourself, avoid having too many I-statements. Focus on the reader and how you can fill their needs.

Remember that the purpose of your application is to get an interview. The closing should offer follow-up and make it easy for the potential employer to contact you. Suggest your availability for an interview and provide your phone or email address in the closing paragraph.

Proofread everything before sending! Nothing undermines your chances as quickly as typos and grammatical errors.  Good luck!

Audio transcript for Module 1.3 Tailored Resumes and Cover Letters

Post-secondary schools usually have a career office. You might not have known about it, or perhaps you forgot about it. After all, you focused on finishing school! Career offices usually remain available to recent graduates, so you might still be able to access their services. They can help optimize your resume and advise you on career opportunities. They might also provide guidance on places to post your resume for potential employers to see.

Although you were aware of a few career websites, the more you research, the more you find. Postings sometimes overlap, but different sites often have unique opportunities. You learn the value of checking career sites regularly before they close postings or remove them, and before the best opportunities are gone.

Career fairs are something you might not have considered before. These sound like a great opportunity to meet potential employers, but they also require a level of confidence and preparation that maybe you’re still working on. All the advice you’ve read or heard suggests that you should attend job fairs ready with questions, and that sometimes job interviews happen on the spot!

It also seems important to have resumes in hand, but the only resume you have is the one with your part-time or seasonal jobs. While that was fine when you were just looking for work, now you’re looking for a career. But all resumes are pretty much the same, aren’t they?

Congratulations! Your cover letter and resume caught the attention of a potential employer in line with your career goals! The last hurdle to your new career is having a successful interview. This can be nerve-wracking, as it feels like a lot is on the line, but being well prepared is the best way to reduce your anxiety and provide a boost to your confidence. It can also help to reframe the interview process to consider that you’re also  interviewing them to decide whether they’d be a good fit for you. Effectively, a job interview is a two-way street.

Preparation

Although you’ve already researched the organization, it’s advisable to review what you know about the company and the role to which you’re applying. The organization’s website is a great place to start. Also consider searching company reviews on a site like Glassdoor to learn more about past and current employees’ thoughts about the organization. Additionally, you might search for information on similar roles at other organizations.

As well as reviewing what you know about the potential employer, review your own resume. While this may seem strange–after all, it’s your resume! You wrote it and already know it well!–you want to ensure that you can respond to questions without having to refer to it, or read from it.

Think about how you want to present yourself. What clothes do you plan on wearing? Do they look professional? Do they need cleaning? It’s a great idea to lay out your clothes and anything you plan to take with you the night before, so you won’t have to think about it in the morning when you may be a bit flustered.

Be clear on how and when the interview will be conducted. If it’s in person, ensure you arrive a few minutes early. It’s better to be early and to sit quietly or have a coffee before the interview, rather than arriving late, sweaty, and flustered! Account for possible transit delays by setting out well in advance of your usual time.

If the interview is to be conducted online, ensure that you have a stable internet connection and updated software well before the start of the interview. Are your camera and microphone working? Be conscious of your background and lighting, and make any adjustments required before the meeting to ensure a professional presentation. Try to avoid unexpected interruptions; tell your kid brother that it’s important to give you some privacy and quiet for the next little while. If necessary, relocate to a professional office or library space to ensure a professional context.

Whether in person or online, practise your responses to ensure they flow easily. Doing a few mock interviews with friends or family can further boost your confidence.

The Interview

As the interview is about to start, ensure that you’ve turned off any unnecessary devices. The last thing you want is to receive a telemarketing call during your interview! Give yourself a moment and a deep breath or two before the start of the interview. This will help calm any remaining nerves and allow you to focus on the interview. Consider your body language. Are you sitting up straight? Making good eye contact? Feeling confident? You’ve got this!

“Do you have any questions for me?”

Towards the end of the interview, you may be asked whether you have questions you’d like to ask. Have these prepared in advance. Avoid asking questions about pay, perks, or promotions; these conversations only happen after you’ve been offered the position. Asking whether you can work from home or how many vacation days to expect may be a red flag that you’re less interested in working.

Following Up

After the interview, give yourself a few minutes to decompress. This might be a good time to make a few notes about what went well, or anything you think you could improve. Was there a question asked that you weren’t ready for? How could you answer this question in a future interview?

Be patient, and remember that they’re likely interviewing other candidates. Follow up by email or phone in one or two weeks. Remind them of who you are and maybe allude to something discussed in the interview. Thank them for their time and pleasantly inquire about whether they can provide an update on the hiring process. Avoid bluntly asking if they intend to hire you or why it’s taking so long.

Maybe you got the job, but maybe you didn’t. It’s rare that you’ll land the first job for which you interview, and it’s normal to experience some rejection before that first job offer. Don’t take it personally! You don’t know who else applied or what they bring to the table. It doesn’t mean you’re not qualified or capable; it just means someone else had more to offer. Keep trying. Persistence is key.

Audio transcript for Module 1.4 Interview Strategies

Maybe you’ve only ever had one chronological resume, one that you added to whenever you got a new job. You used the same tired resume for all your job applications. The idea of tailoring your resume and cover letter for each application never occurred to you. This kind of customization sounds like a lot of work. Your career search is beginning to seem like a career in itself!

Now that you understand there are other options, how will you construct your resume? You’ve already created a list of the skills you’ve developed at work, school, volunteering, and doing your own projects. Given the limited experience you currently have in your chosen career, focusing on your transferable skills might be a better place to start. Maybe you should consider drafting a functional resume.

Although you’ve thought about design, and have friends who’ve created beautiful resumes, you now understand that putting all that time into making your resume pretty might actually prevent you from getting your toe in the door. With applicant tracking systems, or ATS becoming more affordable, and increasing numbers of applicants and greater competition for available jobs, the chances of an employer using an ATS or Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is also greater. It’s more important to put your energy into the content, including keywords from the posting, and use a simple, high-contrast design to improve your chances. When considering design, also remember to have some white space; avoid big blocks of text that might be more difficult for scanners to interpret.

Remember that the purpose of your cover letter and resume is to get an interview, either online, by phone, or via video call or in person. That’s the next step on this journey. But how should you prepare for an interview?

First Impressions and introducing yourself

First impressions count, especially when you are a new employee or joining a new team. It is critical to establish a demeanour that is a serious, mature, and professional from the outset—a person whom other people can count on and want to work with in the future.

When making first impressions, consider appearance, warm greetings, and non-verbal communication.

The matrix organization and key contacts

Matrix organization
An matrix organization displays the pecking order among various positions and team roles within the firm. The larger the company, the more complicated the chart. However, it is wise to ascertain the overall map of where you work—how is the corporate structure set up, who reports to whom, where are resources, for example, the Informational Technology department and the Payroll Office, located? A matrix organization can serve as a map through the maze of connections and allow you to build work relationships (Binod and Macdonald, 2017, pp. xvi-xviii).

Key contacts
You will want to begin gathering up key contacts from your first day at work, including supervisors, team leaders, and other colleagues. Who holds the decision-making power in a department, on a team, or for a project? What are your responsibilities to these individuals and what obligations do they have to you? Your key contacts may become mentors at some point offering advice, support, materials, feedback, and guidance as you navigate your new job and comply with company policies.

People can be difficult to work with or work for, so creating your own personal network of allies is crucial to corporate survival. After your initial learning curve on the job begins to plateau, you should consider extending your internal networks to other departments perhaps, when collaborating on cross-functional team projects, not to mention meeting other employees through seminars, social gatherings and other corporate events (Binod and Macdonald, 2017, pp. xvi-xviii).

Manners and work habits

In the workplace, punctuality, politeness and respect, and office hygiene is important to success. See the table below for more details.

Audio transcript for Module 2.1 New Employees

Your interview with Randolph Marketing, Inc. went swimmingly well! You loved your potential new boss, Samantha as you raced through the interview, talking non-stop about yourself. Three days later, your phone rings and you’re offered the position of Junior Marketing Assistant. You’re so excited! This is your dream job, life is falling into place, and the view from the 30 – floor office tower is totally awesome!

However, one week into the job, you’re feeling stressed out and insecure. The atmosphere at Randolph Marketing seems to have suddenly morphed since the interview. You’re starting to have doubts about staying, especially now that you’ve met other employees who don’t seem very pleasant. On Tuesday, the department manager, Haroshi, dropped in to see your supervisor, Samantha, who introduced you. Haroshi seems really charismatic. Naturally, you wanted to make an impactful first impression, so you launched into your personal branding spiel, which focuses on self-reflection, resilience, and story-telling schemas. Haroshi shook hands, yet he cut you off in mid-sentence, noting that you were 37 minutes late for work this morning. Really? How did he know? You tried to explain that it was not your fault–you weren’t late–the streetcar was! Samantha smirked at you.

On top of everything else, you’re providing data entry support for other marketing assistants’ projects and made to fetch lunch and snacks for your co-workers. Your frustration is growing since, after all, you hold a business degree in marketing; moreover, you’ve begun to observe that the firm has many more, older employees—Boomers and Gen Xers–than you imagined. You ponder why the staff, who seemed so cordial at first, now seem so uptight. No lie.

On Thursday, Jayne, was angry with you for leaving a tiny amount of cookie-crumbs near the laptop on the desk that you share, not to mention complaining about the discarded remains of your lunch in the garbage can, which began to smell. Where else were you supposed to throw out your garbage when finished eating?

Why didn’t someone inform you what the world of work and office politics is really like, and what are some of the ways to make a solid, professional first impression?

Office Politics

Office/workplace politics
Office or workplace politics involve the minefield of self-serving behaviours of individuals within an organization entailing power, status, rivalry, and, in the most serious cases, unethical and illegal actions. New members of a team often find themselves stuck in a quagmire of poor interactions with others (Virtual Labs Inc., 2023, Office Politics; Fox 223-30). A wise strategy is to avoid office politics through some of these best practices:

• Study the ‘psychological’ terrain of the office
• Remain neutral in the conflicts of others
• Set personal and professional boundaries with colleagues
• Steer clear of showing attitude
• Do not throw people under the bus and avoid gossip
• Develop emotional intelligence and build authentic connections (Meyer, 2020, 16-20; Zinn, 2021, 3-13).

From the case study above, you have experienced entanglement with Barbara, a Senior Marketing Associate, who exhibits narcissistic or toxic behaviour, trying to manipulate you into her malevolent “version” of reality, playing upon your lack of knowledge about the personalities at Randolph Marketing. Although only a registered clinical psychologist or psychiatrist can diagnose an individual with one of an array of personality disorders, you should be aware of certain toxic patterns of behaviour that may be detrimental to your work performance and even your career.

In a nutshell, toxic people: lack empathy; act in an arrogant, self-centred, and entitled manner; often are petty, jealous, and controlling; may fly into a rage without reason; lack civility and courtesy (manners matter!); enjoy gaslighting targeted individuals; and engage in lying, bullying and intimidation (Fox, 2008, 225-29). Basically, ‘it’s all about them’: most likely, you have run into similar friends or acquaintances from school. Trust your gut extinct that ‘something is off’ about this person. Remember Liang taking credit for your work? It is not uncommon for antagonistic bosses or others to steal the ideas of new employees (Ploeger-Lyons and Bisel, 2023, pp. 1123-26). Experts suggest that when confronted by this traumatic environment to document carefully what is happening by saving noxious emails, to keep back-up hard copies of your labour offsite, and to take screenshots. Save anything that may serve as evidence of abuse if you decide to approach Human Resources or your union.

Beyond this, try not to be alone with colleagues like Barbara:  with no one around—this is often when she will pull the rug out from under you and may inflict the most emotional or mental damage. Erect firm personal boundaries with her and do not react to her provocations. Lastly, seek out advice from others whom you trust (Durvasula, 2021, pp.231-32, 247-248). Overall, you want to keep your integrity and your reputation intact while advancing on the strengths of your work performance despite being drawn into someone else’s drama.

Unrealistic Expectations

Aside from the draining experience of dealing with problematic co-workers, new employees frequently harbour unrealistic expectations of what work life is really like. Work is work—even when you are ‘doing what you love’.  The bitter truth of this can lead to frustration, disappointment, disengagement, and depressive moods as younger people tend to be impatient on several fronts.

When moving from university or college to employment, anxious new recruits often expect that the projects that they are working on, internal organizational processes as well as their careers will move much more rapidly than they actually will. Part of this enticing illusion lies with entertainment and social media messaging, where young people often seem to have happy, successful lives and rise to the top in a short period of time.  The reality is that this fantasy scenario is a relatively rare occurrence and that work is more stressful, painstaking, complicated, and demanding than any of us would like it to be.

Not only do you have to deal with difficult people frequently, but also you may face problems with team functioning, ever-increasing demands in productivity, the adoption of latest technologies, and the constraints of government regulations. Unlike at school, you may not receive praise each time that you complete a task (as rewarding as that would be). Everyone has to learn how to accept constructive criticism and turn it into improved performance (De Visé, 2023, Gen Zers).

Part of developing your emotional intelligence is to accept the reality that you are expected to offer your best efforts even if no one is watching. The dream of being able to easily juggle the demands of the workplace with those of friends, family, and personal interests is more of an uphill battle than you realize as work often follows you unhappily home (Tilo, 2024, Employers Avoid Hiring). Many new employees also have unrealistic salary expectations as college graduates in many fields–one survey suggests by an average of $50K. According to the survey, the average starting salary for college graduates is $55,260 (Olya, 2022, Gen Z is Overestimating).

Audio transcript for Module 2.2 Mistakes to Avoid

Six weeks into the new job, you’re depressed and stressed out. It’s been tough. Senior Marketing Associate, Barbara kindly takes you under her wing in the third week of employment. She gives off maternal vibes, and she even encourages you to start calling her “Auntie Babs.” Barbara gives you the scoop on how the department works: the personality types, who’s in, who’s out, who’s liked, who’s feared, and who’s despised. However, you notice that Barbara constantly gossips about your unit, sparing absolutely no one. She warns you to stay away from your other senior colleague, Warren.

Your gut feeling is telling you two things: 1) Warren appears to be a good, reasonable guy, whom everyone else seems to respect and 2) Barbara makes you nervous as she doesn’t seem to like anyone at all, catching on that she appears jealous of some of her colleagues. You also notice that she changes her mind a lot on issues dealing with work. So much so, that you find it hard to learn or even to implement ideas without her criticizing you, even though you don’t report to her. And you start to wonder…what is Barbara saying about you behind your back? You experience major Emperor Palpatine vibes from the Star Wars movies, feeling confused, and fearing Barbara now—despite her initial charm.

Another problem comes up at your departmental progress meeting: You notice that Liang lies about fulfilling her work duties. She claims to have completed the Kanakos project, when, in fact, it was Warren and yourself who finished the work. Liang was not even there! When you speak up to correct the fabrication, Samantha scolds you for being rude and for not being a team player. Oh! The injustice! Is Randolph Marketing the right fit for you? You’d like to ghost these people and not have to deal with them anymore.

Respecting four generations in the workplace

In many established organizations like Randolph Marketing, you will find employees who can be categorized as Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation Xers (1965-1979), Millennials (1980-1994), and Gen Zers (1995-2012). Historical events as well as social, cultural, economic, and technological change have made these collective cohorts different in outlook, character, expectations, and behaviour (Harr, 2015, pp. 67-71). The key point here is that everyone deserves understanding, empathy, and respect, but new employees need to actively esteem their supervisors and the corporate hierarchy as these individuals tend to possess more wisdom, experience, and education, with newcomers offering fresh, up-to-date perspectives and a diversity of thought (Post et al., 2014, pp.125-29).

The best practice to overcome misunderstandings and conflict is to learn what the specific corporate culture of the particular organization that you are working for entails in terms of professional habits, while simultaneously, respectfully voicing your own work preferences, hopefully together figuring out a compromise or flexible arrangement, for example, working from home.

Researchers have discovered that Gen Zers—the most recent generation to begin their careers (with Gen Alpha not too far behind)—suffer from pessimism, insecurity and doubt (Twenge, 2023, p. 467). The boundary between one’s personal life and one’s work life has been steadily eroded by technological change, resulting both in a lack of understanding of what comprises a ‘professional role’ and the subsequent need for more structure and direction. Employers must spell out expectations and foster independent decision-making in their new employees.

The principle of the value of hard work has taken several blows in the last two decades with the economic crisis of 2008 wiping out the financial security and employment of Gen Z’s parents and grandparents, not to mention the wrenching catastrophe of the pandemic of 2020. In 2022, the concept of quiet quitting—doing the absolute minimum–surfaced on TikTok and was discussed as resistance to employee exploitation in many fields. This was not entirely a new phenomenon as Gen Xers were labelled ‘slackers’ in the 1980-90s (Twenge, 2023, pp. 468-469). Gen Z has highlighted many of the deficiencies of the corporate world in terms of mental health, equitable treatment of minorities, and the right to disconnect from work. Many employers are beginning to reform their firms to address these issues so that new workers will re-engage with a healthy work ethic.

Respecting LGBTQQIP2SSA in the workplace

The LGBTQQIP2SSA acronym stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit, and asexual, and its length is an attempt to be inclusive as possible. Certainly, in many sizable companies and organizations you will likely meet (perhaps for the first time), a transgender man or a lesbian co-worker. Throughout various national histories and cultures, there has been sexual and gender identity diversity within the human population yet often marked by hostility and misunderstanding. Today, it is both an ethical as well as a legal obligation to respect members from these communities.

One can do this by acknowledging coworkers’ pronoun choices, by using inclusive language that eschews sexist, heterosexist, homophobic, and transphobic words as well as respecting everyone’s right to a private life while remembering people are people (Post et al., 2014, pp.119-121).  You may have more in common than you think.

Intercultural communication

If you recall the incident with Viraj, the new Marketing Assistant, where you asked him what his native tongue was, and, thereby making an embarrassing faux-pas—here is an example of what experts refer to as “well-meaning clashes”, where unintentional misunderstandings arise when people are trying to connect through their own cultural politeness norms. For example, direct eye contact is a normative standard of respect in Western culture but is considered rude in Thailand (Ting-Toomey & Dorjee, 2019, p. 29). In order for multiracial and multiethnic organizations to function, they must develop competence in intercultural communication and relations.

New employees along with their organizations should develop an understanding of personal identity issues, knowledge of world cultures and values, understanding basic politeness codes, and empathy towards those experiencing culture shock and acculturation as well as an awareness of  the dynamics of power among groups (Ting-Toomey & Dorjee, 2019, 145). In order to be able to connect across cultural boundaries you have to develop a flexible open mind and open heart, but first you must overcome your own ethnocentrism.

Ethnocentrism refers to judging the values, standards, and practices of your own ethnic community as superior to another community’s. You must be willing to embrace culturally diverse environments to develop competence, just like practicing a new language: put judgement aside and treat all people equally and fairly with empathy and compassion rather than relying on stereotypes and prejudice. Be curious; engage in some research about people who are different than you (Ting-Toomey & Dorjee, 2019, 146-7).  You should attend any cultural-sensitivity workshops, social team-building activities or mentorship programs that Randolph Marketing offers.

Email Etiquette

The table below provides practical tips when dealing with electronic correspondences.

Active Listening

In a world suffering from an exponential increase in distractions as well as an exponential decrease in adult attention spans, it is vital that people actively build up their abilities to focus, concentrate, and pay attention to detail. One key component of this is active listening. When practicing active listening, your full attention is on the speaker while holding eye contact—not looking at your iPhone in your lap. Every time your mind begins to wander off, bring it back to the person speaking. You will have to engage in this mindfulness practice repeatedly until if becomes second nature. We are easily distracted by various things including: intruding thoughts, negative emotions, illness, exhaustion, anxiety, excitement (internal distractions), technology, others in the room, noise from construction/repair work, and notable weather outside the window (external distractions).

As you keep bringing your mind to “centre” on the person speaking, you should every now and then nod your head, take notes, and affirm with a soft “Right”, but do not interrupt. When the speaker pauses or has stopped, then is the time to ask questions about what was said. Remember to be neutral and openminded as possible about what is being said; therefore, do not jump to conclusions before all the ideas have been shared (Meyer, 2020, pp. 498-499).

When meeting with your boss or other senior staff—whether in-person or virtually—you will want to prepare for the meeting. What do you want to get out of this meeting—advice, feedback, solutions to problems with colleagues? Have whatever you need in terms of evidence, information, or data ready so that you do not waste time. Respectful active listening is crucial here…note not only what is said but how it is said: note facial expressions, body language and tone of voice, for example, arching eyebrows may mean surprise or dismay. At the end of the meeting, clarify any questions you may have and any next steps to be taken. Thank the person for their time and schedule a follow-up meeting if required (Post et al., 2014, pp.235-36).

Online Meeting Etiquette

With the rise of remote work from home in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many organizations have moved to using online collaboration tools. Active listening also plays an important part when meeting in an online forum, using videotelephony software such as Zoom or Teams.

Audio transcript for Module 2.3 Interacting with Others

You talk to your parents a lot over the next couple of months about work that wasn’t what you expected — it’s hard and exhausting, but you decide to stick with the job in the hopes of moving up the organizational ladder and becoming a marketing account executive. Despite all the office drama, you’re starting to learn more about how the actual industry works and have made a few friends.

The department has hired another Junior Marketing Assistant, Viraj. You warmly introduce yourself to him (this time without pushing your personal branding) and you sit down together at lunch. During the conversation, you innocently state how you love the Indian accent, that it’s exotic, and you ask what Viraj’s first language is. He replies, “English,” then excuses himself to the washroom. You’ve put your foot in your mouth even though you didn’t mean to offend him. Waves of regret and shame pass through your gut. Being young, you don’t know much about the world at large and haven’t had the opportunity to travel outside Ontario.

You receive a reminder that your upcoming, six-month performance review is scheduled for two days from now. You email a short “yep” with cool emojis—hearts, dolphins, and your trademark smiley faces. However, before the performance review begins, Samantha remarks about your “flippant” attitude and unprofessional tone, both in your emails and in conversation. She says that you’re not speaking with casual friends and family but rather with workplace colleagues who expect professional decorum when communicating.

During the performance review, Samantha continues to complain about your lack of attention to detail in the marketing projects. Since you’d messed up some of the details in the Nublas account, she insists that you enroll in communication workshops on active listening and note-taking. To you, it seems that the criticism and walking on eggshells never ends. You feel that you’re trying so hard! Why didn’t anyone teach us about all this in school?

Ontario’s growing diverse population

Statistics Canada offers a real-time population clock which tracks the population of Canada (and its respective provinces). In a 2021 census, Ontario’s population was 14,223,942. Let’s compare that to the February 16, 2024 population calculation of 15,940,611 (Statistics Canada, 2024). That’s an increase of 1,716,669 over a period of 3 years.

The Government of Ontario (2024b) projects that the province’s population will further increase to approximately 21.7 million by July 1, 2046, and they anticipate that the majority of this increase will be due to net migration. Individuals from different parts of the world will continue to come to Canada, and as a result, its work force will certainly evolve.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

On April 1, 2020, the Government of Canada’s Directive on Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion guidelines took into effect. The goal of this directive is to respond to Canada’s growing diverse population and guide upper management (specifically managers and senior executives) in the delivery of their employment equity programs and processes.

Note that companies may or may not use the acronym “EDI”. They may change the order of the words — such as “diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)”. Also, some may only use two of the words (“diversity and inclusion”). The wording preferences vary with each organization; however, the goal of providing access to employment opportunities or benefits to all (outside of the individual’s ability or company’s job requirements) remain the same.

To help you better understand EDI, below are formal definitions of the “equity”, “diversity”, and “inclusion” terms.

Terminology and language
EDI terminology and language continues to evolve, and you’ll likely hear these acronyms in your everyday personal and work life; therefore, it’s worth investing time in learning them. Below is a partial list (which is meant to be non-exhaustive) of additional common acronyms used in EDI spaces (as of February 2024).

• Historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized (HPSM) groups
• Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC)
• Justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigeneity (JEDII)
• Transgender and Non-Binary (TGNB)

Audio transcript for Module 3.1 A Growing Diverse Workforce

Today’s the day you’ve waited for: your company’s potluck gathering. You’ve been eyeing the clock all day, and it’s finally noon! Randolph Marketing Inc. dedicates the last Friday of each month to a Potluck Party where employees bring in their favourite dishes to share.

Your neighbour, Ms. Anna, an eccentric Ukrainian lady in her 70s, generously shares her tasty cabbage roll recipe with you. You spent the week collecting the ingredients and all last night making it. You and your roommate, Jacky, had some for dinner, and it was delicious — you’re excited to share your dish with the others.

You walk into the Randolph Marketing Inc.’s third floor kitchen, and the aroma of scrumptious food greets you. Party time. Your coworkers have not disappointed: they have filled the kitchen table with several of your favourite dishes including jerk chicken, potato pancakes, sushi, and rice noodles. As you fill your plate and start mingling with your coworkers, you feel a sense of community around you. This is nice. The overwhelming feelings of doubt and sense of imposter syndrome which weighed on your mind since you started your Junior Marketing Assistant role feel like it’s finally starting to lift.

You know that it’s not always going to be easy, but as you look around the room, there’s a sense of reassurance. Despite their differences, your co-workers can come together and make it work.

Bridging the skills gap

Organizations face the ongoing challenge of hiring and retaining employees who are skilled to competently complete the requirements of their position. You’ve seen that technology is quickly evolving — especially with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) — and business leaders are saying that there’s currently a talent gap which can potentially limit their organization’s economic growth (World Economic Forum, 2020). Organizations are responding to this by developing innovative ways to find qualified candidates by searching for a diverse talent pool.

Case study: Dell’s Neurodiversity Hiring Program
In 2017, Dell launched a hiring program for adults with autism. In their Neurodiversity Hiring Program, Dell adjusted their traditional interview process (which could be an overwhelming experience for certain candidates on the autism spectrum) to include a two-week assessment then a 12-week internship with a potential job coaching opportunity (World Economic Forum, 2020).

Dell has seen strong successes with their Neurodiversity Hiring Program, and in 2020, they further innovated to create an enhanced delivery model which allows them to virtually interview, train, and employ qualified candidates remotely (Palumbo, 2020).

Promotion of a diverse business landscape

The Government of Canada has created a number of programs to provide initiatives, programs, and services (some of which are seen in the list below) to assist underrepresented groups succeed in business and grow Canada’s clean technology economy. The support includes funding and/or advisory assistance from the government.

• The 50 – 30 Challenge: Your Diversity Advantage
• Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program
• Black Entrepreneurship Program
• Business Women in International Trade
• Equal by 30 Campaign
• Farm Credit Canada’s Women Entrepreneur Program
• First Things First
• Futurpreneur Canada
• Indigenous business development programs
• Indigenous Climate Funding
• Indigenous Entrepreneur Loan
• National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association
• Thrive Venture Fund and Lab for Women
• Women Entrepreneurship Strategy
• Women in Technology Venture Fund
• Women in Trade

Working in a Diverse Workplace

When working in a Canadian organization, you’ll likely interact with individuals from different ages, races, cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, religions, abilities, genders, socioeconomic backgrounds, and professional experience. Below are six tips to consider when working in a diverse workplace.

Audio transcript for Module 3.2 Opportunities of Diversity in the Workplace

Your work projects are getting more manageable. As a working professional you find that each project has its own needs. When you did your undergrad, you wanted to do well to secure a good mark. Now you’re finding that marks aren’t the only important thing. You want to do well to provide your clients with the best possible service as they’re relying on you. Your coworkers are also depending on you as you often work with several others on a project and the quality of your work will determine how well they can do their jobs.

Your boss, Samantha, has tasked you with an exciting new project. You’re to collect stock photos to add to this year’s annual report. She advises you to make sure to find photos of diverse employees. So, you make an active effort to gather pictures which feature individuals from different cultural backgrounds, ages, and abilities to show Canada’s inclusive working environment. Right now, your stock photo selection is a good representation of the employee group, but you’ve noticed a lack of diversity in management. However, while at the potluck last week, Barbara did mention that the company is making an active effort to hire more diverse leadership in the upcoming years.

As you collect the stock photos, you occasionally ask your co-workers what they think of your collection. Getting their input and advice is helpful. The more time you spend in the company, the more you realize the power of institutional knowledge — many of your coworkers have been with the company for several years, and it’s useful to get their input. Okay, there are times when their comments don’t really help, but most of the time, it’s definitely worth asking them.

As an employee, it’s useful to learn about federal legislation, provincial legislation, and your workplace diversity policies which are in place to protect you.

Federal Legislation

In Canada, two federal legislations which provide the foundational framework for fostering diversity in the workplace and cultivating an inclusive work environment include the Employment Equity Act and the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Employment Equity Act

The Employment Equity Act (the Act) is in place to ensure that all Canadians gain the same access to opportunities in the workplace. The Act “applies to federally regulated private-sector employers (e.g., cross provincial or international road, air, marine and rail transportation, banking, and postal and courier services), federal Crown corporations, other federal organizations with 100 or more employees, the federal public service, including separate agencies, and other federal public sector employers” (Government of Canada, para.8, 2024b).

Employment equity programs
The Government of Ontario requires that employers have full representation of the four designated groups. It’s the employer’s duty to create and put into effect employment equity programs (such as anti-harassment policies and conflict resolution procedures) to offer support in an effort to make full representation possible (Canadian Human Rights Commission, 2022).

You may see a variety of employment equity programs in your own workplace — and if you do, make an effort to go through these materials as they can provide you with a better understanding of your organization’s acceptable behaviours and procedures.

The Canadian Human Rights Act

Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial laws all protect human rights, and the United Nation’s (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) provides the foundation for the Canadian Human Rights Act framework. The UDHR was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948 to serve as “a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations” (United Nations [UN], 2024). Exploring the UN’s UDHR will allow you to better recognize the rights you have as an individual.

Provincial Legislation

Ontario Human Rights Code

Enacted in 1962, Ontario’s Human Rights Code protects individuals within social areas. These social areas include (1) accommodations/housing, (2) contracts, (3) employment, (4) goods, services, and facilities, and (5) membership in unions, trade or professional associations (Ontario Human Rights Commission [OHRC], 2024). The Ontario Human Rights Code also provides protected grounds on fourteen key areas provided below. 

Each jurisdiction within Ontario may use different wording to describe the fourteen protected grounds. Also, jurisdictions may include additional protected grounds (such as lawful income sources and political beliefs) (CCOHS, 2024). Going through these protected grounds may help you better navigate through future work situations, especially if you find yourself in an unhealthy workplace environment.

Workplace Diversity Policies

In Ontario workplaces, employees will undergo mandatory AODA training (often delivered through online modules). In addition to AODA training, organizations may offer additional workplace diversity policies. Below are a few examples of possible diversity policies you may encounter.

• EDI or DEI policies
• Diversity and inclusion policies
• Recruitment and selection of employee policies
• Wellbeing policies
• Code of conduct policies

Audio transcript for Module 3.3 Legal and Compliance Considerations

You’ve recently celebrated the six-month mark of your Junior Marketing Assistant role. Things are more manageable: your performance review with Samantha goes better than expected. She compliments you on your ability to work well with others and your eager initiative to learn. For areas of improvement, Samantha comments on the need to better plan your emails because sometimes you need more than one message to clarify a situation with a client or co-worker. She also recommends familiarizing yourself with government legislation and your company policies to start planning for career advancement.

When they hired you, they required you to do an Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, or AODA e-learning tutorial. Thinking back, you skimmed and passively went through the modules thinking that it didn’t really matter. Now, the more time you spend in the workplace, the more you realize that government regulations inform company policies.

You decide to go on the HR portal to find the AODA e-learning tutorial as you’d like to review the materials again in the upcoming weeks. As well, you create a plan to go through your company’s materials on equity, diversity, and inclusivity to better understand how Randolph Marketing, Inc. is approaching EDI. While on the HR portal, you also see some interesting in-person and virtual communication workshops dedicated to helping you write better, and more organized, emails, which you add to your work calendar. The upcoming weeks will definitely be busy.

What networking used to be

Networking has undergone significant changes due to shifts in the business world, making traditional approaches obsolete. With shorter job tenures and more lateral career moves, relationships have become crucial for career advancement. Developing connections across industries is essential, as upward mobility often involves moving between companies. Furthermore, technological advancements have accelerated knowledge dissemination, necessitating connections outside one’s immediate circle to access diverse expertise.

Why network?

As seen in the list below, networking can have several personal and professional benefits.

• Creating professional relationships
  Building a network might seem unnecessary when you are content with your job and reluctant to engage in traditional networking activities. However, even minimal networking efforts can provide invaluable resources for navigating career transitions, family changes, and life phases. Networking creates opportunities for chance encounters that can lead to new relationships and unexpected opportunities.
• Expanding your network
  Successful professionals understand the importance of continuous networking to stay open to potential new business growth. When networking, it should be organic. You should also be adaptable to meeting new people. It’s essential to cultivate relationships before an issue arises, as relying on a network during upheavals is more effective when connections are already established.
• Preparing for the future
  If you start building your relationships now, regardless of your current circumstances, it lays the foundation for future support and opportunities. While networking may initially feel daunting, taking the time to enjoy the process can make it more fulfilling and rewarding than expected. By embracing networking as a long-term investment in your professional and personal growth, you can create a supportive network that will be invaluable throughout your career and life journey.

Audio transcript for Module 4.1 Reviewing Your Network

Now that you’ve settled into your new job, you’re starting to understand how the modern work environment operates. As you get to know your colleagues, you’re beginning to understand how important a professional network is for your current and future career goals. Hiroshi, your department manager, suggests that if you want to progress in your career, you’ll need to review your current network connections to see if they align with your career goals.

Strategizing which network events to attend

Below are five tips to help you strategize the right networking event to attend.

Budget your time wisely

Networking doesn’t have to be time-consuming; it can be efficient and effective by connecting multiple people at once. For example, inviting colleagues who haven’t met to a dinner can save time while fostering new connections. Being creative with networking methods, such as inviting someone to join you at an event you’re already attending, can deepen relationships and expand networks.

Aim for quality as opposed to quantity
Try to limit networking to one meeting per week. Hosting your own networking event is another strategy, which can be less daunting than attending poorly planned events. Starting with a small gathering aligned with your interests and inviting a cohesive group of attendees fosters meaningful interactions.

Encourage individuals to introduce themselves
When hosting, ensure a welcoming environment by introducing guests to each other and providing opportunities for everyone to introduce themselves early on. Structuring the event to facilitate connections ensures a comfortable atmosphere for networking. While hosting events may seem intimidating, the benefits in terms of connections and appreciation are significant, making it a worthwhile endeavor for expanding professional networks. With these strategies, networking can be both manageable and rewarding, even for the busiest individuals.

Host your own networking event

Hosting your own networking event may seem daunting, but it can be simpler than attending poorly planned events. To begin, determine the type of event that suits your preferences and fosters a comfortable atmosphere. Start small to test the waters and reflect on past enjoyable networking experiences to identify key elements.

Create activities
Consider various event ideas, ranging from a dinner party at home to a group outing or activity, ensuring the venue aligns with your interests and allows for meaningful interactions. Next, select attendees, aiming for a group of three to ten individuals who share common interests or backgrounds, facilitating easier conversation flow.

Strategize your guest list
Teaming up with a trusted colleague to invite guests can be beneficial, ensuring alignment on attendee selection and event logistics. Structure the event based on its type, ensuring a critical focus on welcoming guests upon arrival and facilitating introductions to foster connections.

Although hosting may feel intimidating, the rewards in terms of networking connections and overall appreciation from attendees are significant. Hosting your own event provides a platform to curate meaningful interactions and foster genuine connections in a comfortable and enjoyable setting.

Audio transcript for Module 4.2 Networking in Person

As you go through your network connections, you realize building a career network is like adding extra cheese to life’s pizza. It’s not just a luxury; it’s a necessity. You start connecting the dots, realizing your current professional circle resembles more of a sad, deflated balloon than a robust network. It dawns on you that networking is not just for extroverts with perfect hair; it’s for everyone hustling their way through the corporate world trying to advance their career.

You have an epiphany. The hidden job market is your golden ticket to career success. This is one of the places where you can build your professional network. You’ve started to realize that not all opportunities are neatly packaged in job listings, so you embark on a strategic mission.

As you delve into the hidden job market, you refine your elevator pitch, turning it into a captivating narrative that leaves an impression. You learn that informational interviews are not just coffee chats; they’re the secret passageways to understanding industry dynamics and uncovering unadvertised positions.

In the professional world, you realize that while job boards have their place, the hidden job market is where innovation, growth, and tailored career paths intersect. It’s not just about finding a job; it’s about crafting a narrative that aligns seamlessly with the unspoken needs of the professional landscape. A sense of excitement fills you as you realize that you’ve entered the world of strategic career navigation, where the hidden job market becomes your canvas for success. It’s time to start networking.

Social media networking

While face-to-face networking is exceptional, social media serves as a valuable complement, especially when direct in-person connections aren’t feasible. When aiming to connect with influential individuals who lack mutual connections, engaging with their social media presence can be effective. By commenting insightfully on LinkedIn updates or retweeting their posts on X (formerly Twitter) occasionally, professionals are likely to notice, paving the way for a positive interaction.

Below are three considerations when networking on social media.

While social media cannot replace face-to-face networking, it significantly supports the process by ensuring continuous visibility and engagement. By strategically leveraging social media interactions, professionals can establish and maintain meaningful connections, ensuring their contacts remember them and their capabilities over time.

Creating content to expand your network

The table below outlines possible ways to expand your network through creating content.

While content creation is often seen as a branding activity, its networking potential is frequently underestimated. When executed effectively, content creation serves as a powerful tool to meet influential individuals and draw them to you, contributing significantly to networking efforts.

Maintain your network connection by following up

While meeting new people is often seen as the exciting aspect of networking, the more valuable part lies in nurturing and deepening existing relationships. Effective follow-up strategies are essential for this, especially when reaching out to individuals with whom you have limited familiarity.

When following up with your network connection:

• Consider ways to add value
  To maintain connections, it’s crucial to find ways to add value without appearing intrusive. Reflecting on key details from initial meetings you had, such as their hometown or interests, provides natural conversation starters for follow-ups. For example, congratulating them on personal or professional achievements or reaching out during significant events in their lives demonstrates genuine interest and care.
• Plan the amount of appropriate communication
  Determining the appropriate frequency of communication is vital. While you don’t want to overwhelm contacts with constant messages, you also don’t want to let too much time pass without contact. Developing a schedule for check-ins, such as monthly calls or emails, helps maintain regular contact without being intrusive.
• Vary the communication channels
  Utilizing various communication channels is also important. While email may be preferred by some, others may prefer social media interactions, phone calls, or even in-person meetings. Tailoring your follow-up approach to individual preferences enhances effectiveness and demonstrates attentiveness.
• Use personal gestures
  Incorporating personal gestures like handwritten cards or regular meal invitations can strengthen relationships and set you apart from others who neglect follow-up efforts. Regardless of the method, consistency in following up is key to making a lasting impression and deepening professional relationships.

Audio transcript for Module 4.3 Networking Online

So, there you are, ready to start networking. You’ve got a grand plan to conquer the professional world, armed with a LinkedIn profile that’s been collecting digital dust since your internship. Your idea of networking so far has been “liking” your cousin’s cute animal videos on social media.

But then, in a moment of sheer adulting brilliance, you decide it’s time to level up. Wearing clothing that you haven’t worn since convocation; you march into a networking event like you own the place. Spoiler alert: You don’t. You spot a group of seasoned professionals huddled together, chatting about stocks and bonds like they’re discussing the latest Netflix series.

Summoning all the courage you can muster; you waltz over ready for a firm handshake that you’ve practiced for weeks. It’s a little too firm, and you can see the pain in their eyes, but hey, you’re making an impression, right?

You try to drop some business jargon you Googled on the way there, but it comes out sounding like you’re reciting Shakespeare in Klingon. They exchange confused glances, but you soldier on, determined to make connections even if it means embarrassing yourself in the process.

By the end of the night, you’ve handed out more business cards than a blackjack dealer at a casino. You might not have a clue what just happened, but dammit, you’re a networking maestro now. Just remember, fake it till you make it. Cheers to adulting!

Ask for an informational interview

Informational interviews are valuable opportunities to gain insights from professionals about their career paths and professions. It involves sitting down with a professional to ask questions and learn about their experiences. The process begins by identifying someone whose career or expertise you admire and reaching out to them.

Professionals are often willing to share their stories
Professionals are often willing to share their experiences and provide guidance to those starting their journey. This highlights the importance of reaching out to professionals, whether through personal networks or platforms like LinkedIn, to arrange informational interviews.

These interviews offer a platform for professionals to share their knowledge and insights, knowing they are assisting someone embarking on a similar path. Therefore, it’s essential to identify individuals with shared passions or professions, draft a polite email requesting an informational interview, and be mindful of their time and schedule. Overall, informational interviews are valuable tools for learning and networking in various fields.

Successful informational interview

Successfully navigating an informational interview involves thorough preparation and the ability to establish a personal connection with the professional being interviewed. Go through the table below to thoroughly prepare for a successful informational interview.

Request a job referral from your network

Referrals are powerful acts of putting in a good word or recommendation for someone. We encounter referrals in everyday situations, like suggesting a restaurant or a store to a friend. Professionals value giving referrals because they understand their potential to significantly enhance someone’s chances of securing an opportunity, like an internship or a job. For instance, if you are seeking an internship, reaching out to the advisor with a clear expression of intent and a request for assistance can yield positive results.

Be proactive not reactive
The process involves informing the advisor of your summer plans and internship aspirations, followed by a request for any connections that could facilitate the desired opportunity. This proactive approach emphasizes the importance of reaching out to individuals who may have the necessary connections to help fulfill career goals. Crafting a concise and polite email requesting assistance in securing the desired opportunity demonstrates initiative and may lead to valuable connections and referrals.

Audio transcript for Module 4.4 Leveraging Your Network

You’ve been at your junior marketing assistant role for the past year, but now you decide it’s finally time to up your online networking game. Armed with your laptop and a cup of coffee, that’s more sugar than caffeine, you open LinkedIn like it’s the gates to the career kingdom.

You stare at your profile picture for a solid five minutes, contemplating whether the world is ready for the sheer brilliance that is your professional selfie. It’s not. But you upload it anyway. You’ve got a bio to write, and suddenly you face an existential crisis – how do you summarize your existence in 200 characters or less without sounding like an overachieving robot?

Now, the real fun begins. You embark on a connection spree, adding everyone from your high school friend’s cousin’s pet iguana to the CEO of a company you’ve never heard of, but sounds fancy. You’re practically a Linkedin influencer, spreading digital cheer and desperation.

As you scroll through your feed, you attempt to share an insightful article about blockchain technology. The only problem? You barely understand blockchain, and the article might as well have been written in ancient Greek. Your attempt at a profound comment ends up being more cryptic than the cryptocurrency itself.

But hey, you’re building an empire, one awkward connection at a time. Who knew expanding your professional network could be so simultaneously empowering and cringe-worthy? Here’s to the wild world of online networking – where your career dreams and questionable memes collide.

Securing your advantage with personal branding

Personal branding is about crafting a narrative that others remember, encompassing expertise, skills, personality, and presentation. It’s the reputation one shapes through consistent actions and communication, aligning with authentic values and desired perception.

Similar to a restaurant ensuring every aspect aligns with its image, personal branding requires consistency across interactions. However, intentional efforts are essential to shape both present and future narratives, guiding career track. In essence, personal branding is the art of creating a cohesive and compelling narrative that resonates with others, influencing perceptions and opportunities.

Making your brand authentically you

Personal branding is about authentically embodying your story in today’s conversation-rich world. While the term might sound corporate, it’s rooted in conveying who you truly are. The more authentic you are, the more compelling your brand becomes, drawing others to your narrative.

Your reputation, or brand, is essentially the story you tell others, but it must first resonate with your own beliefs and values. Crafting a genuine personal brand requires alignment with three key elements:

1. Your core character. Conducting an authentic personal brand audit involves several steps. Firstly, self-perception is crucial. Identify your strengths and what sets you apart.
2. Demonstrated strengths. Gather feedback from trusted colleagues to gain insights into how others perceive you. Comparing self-perception with external perceptions can highlight alignment or areas for improvement.
3. Unique value proposition. For this, envision your future career aspirations and consider the brand needed to realize them. This iterative process ensures ongoing alignment between personal brand and career goals.

Regularly reassessing and refining your personal brand, perhaps annually, is vital for staying relevant and aligned with your professional trajectory.

Creating a likeable personal brand story

How you tell your career story not only reflects your feelings about your career and life but also shapes your identity. The concept of narrative identity shows that those who find their lives meaningful often tell stories characterized by growth, communion, and agency. To reclaim authorship of your career narrative, you must take ownership and write it in a coherent and compelling way. This involves interpreting experiences as positive or negative and intentionally finding meaning in your career journey.

Command your personal narrative
Taking control of your narrative prevents others from making incorrect assumptions about you and ensures that your story is communicated explicitly. This process involves reflecting on your passions, experiences, mistakes, recognitions, and future goals to highlight your credibility, skills, and desired qualities. Personal branding is a personal endeavor, so craft a narrative that truly reflects your journey and personality.

Creating an unforgettable brand

Having a concise 3 to 5 sentence brand statement ready can transform casual interactions into opportunities to showcase your skills and values effectively.

For example, instead of a generic introduction like “I’m Stacy, a senior project director at ABC Green Technology firm,” Stacy could highlight their passion and impact by saying, “I manage a team of project managers who design sustainable technologies that make a difference to the environment. I love the work I do each day.”

Your brand statement can be used in various contexts, such as introducing oneself to a new team, networking events, or casual conversations. By focusing on the value you create, who you create it for, and the expected outcome of your work, you can effectively convey your passion, dedication, and capabilities in a memorable way.

Audio transcript for Module 4.5 Building Your Brand

You’re about to dive into the mysterious realm of informational interviews. Armed with a list of questions you turn on the charm.

You find a seasoned professional online, a person whose career you admire from afar, like a fan stalking their favorite celebrity – but in a totally professional way, of course. With shaky fingers, you craft an email that walks the fine line between professional and “please don’t think I’m a weirdo.”

You start with the classic pleasantries, throw in a sprinkle of flattery about how their career journey is more fascinating than a streaming platform series. You even manage to sneak in a small joke.

Now comes the waiting game. You check your inbox like a teenager waiting for a text from a crush. Finally, a reply! They agree to the informational interview, and you do a victory dance that would put any TikTok star to shame.

But here’s the plot twist – you’re so pumped about the interview that you forget to Google what an informational interview actually is. Panic sets in as you frantically search the internet for “how not to embarrass yourself in an informational interview.”

In the end, with newfound knowledge and a slightly sweaty forehead, you nail it. You leave feeling like you’ve just aced a final exam, only to realize the real test is the follow-up email. And just like that, you’ve embarked on the rollercoaster of career advancement – one informational interview at a time.

Audio transcript for Module 5.1 Congratulations on Completing Modules 1 through 4

Now that you have completed all four modules of “Practical Business Communication for Knowledge Workers: From Job Application to Promotion,” you’re ready to progress through the workforce with career advancement in mind. May the work force be with you — good luck!