Author: Sarah Leung

By Olivia Condlln-Wilby

Job interviews are stressful. Whether you’re preparing for your first one ever, or you have a hundred of them under your belt, it’s normal to be at least a little bit nervous every time. Maybe you’re worried that you won’t have enough to talk about or that your mind will go blank in the moment. Perhaps you have a tendency to ramble and get off topic, and you’re worried you won’t actually express what you need to say in the interview. Whatever your concern, a little preparation can go a long way to helping you feel confident and ready to shine when your interview date finally comes. Spend some time following these steps, and you’ll find interviews to be much less stressful, especially as you do more and more of them.

1. Do your research.

Before your interview, take some time to research the organization and the position you’re interested in. Most companies have a website or social media that you can scan for information about the organization’s mission, goals, activities, history, and services or products. It’s common for an interviewer to ask something like, “What do you know about our organization?” Be prepared to answer this question with a few key points from your research. To a hiring manager, this preparation shows commitment, enthusiasm, organization, and professionalism.

It’s also a good idea to re-read the job listing before your interview. What skills and competencies are required for the role? Which of your past experiences are most relevant? You can start to anticipate some of the questions they may ask based on the content of the job listing. For example, if the listing mentions that they want someone who’s “a strong communicator,” you can bet that they will ask you to discuss your interpersonal and communication skills, as well as your experiences working with others.

2. Make notes.

Think about your most relevant skills and experiences and start to write down some of the examples you plan to discuss in your interview. Everyone takes notes differently, but a tried-and-true method for job interviews is the STARR method. For each skill or experience you wish to highlight, you can use this approach to structure your answer:

Situation: Describe the general context for your answer. For example: “I was volunteering at my local library, reading stories to children.”

Task: Identify the specific task that you had to complete. For example: “I had to keep a group of young children focused and engaged for 45 minutes, without losing control of the audience.”

Action: Explain the actions you took to complete the task. For example: “I encouraged audience participation by letting children pick the books and take turns reading so that they would stay focused and engaged during story time.”

Result: Describe the positive outcome(s) of your actions. For example: “The children remained happy and engaged throughout the story, and many of them returned the following week because they had such a good time.”

Relevance: Make a connection to the job you’re currently interested in. For example: “This experience demonstrates my ability to work with children and keep them on topic for extended periods of time. As a camp counsellor, I would use these skills to maintain control of my group of campers and ensure that each day runs smoothly and enjoyably.”

You may not use the STARR method for every single answer during the interview, but writing out a few examples beforehand can help you reflect on your qualifications and figure out how to describe them to the interviewer in the best possible way.

3. Prepare your questions.

Every interviewer is trying to assess whether you’d be a good fit for the role, but the interview is also a chance for you to find out more about the organization and whether you’d truly be happy working there. At the end of an interview, you will likely be asked something like, “Do you have any questions for me?” This is a perfect opportunity for you to gain some clarity about the job, the work culture, and the people you’d be working with if you’re successful in getting hired. Some sample questions you may want to ask include:

• How would you describe the work culture at [Insert Organization]?
• What is your favourite thing about working there? What is your least favourite?
• What would a typical day in this role look like for me?

4. Avoid common pitfalls.

There are some major “don’ts” when it comes to preparing for job interviews, and it’s important to avoid making these common mistakes.

• Do not walk into an interview without any background knowledge about the organization. It definitely won’t make a good impression on the interviewer if you end up having to admit that you don’t know anything about the company you’re trying to work for.
• Do not try to “wing it,” especially if it’s your first time. Even if you feel confident beforehand, you may find yourself getting nervous and flustered during the interview, especially if you haven’t done many of them before (or at all). Prepare, prepare, prepare!
• Do not ask superficial or “Google-able” questions. Not only does this waste an opportunity to find out more valuable insights, but it also reflects poorly on you if you ask a question that could have easily been answered by skimming the company website.

By following these simple guidelines, you can prepare properly for every job interview that comes your way and avoid the missteps most people make during the interview process.

By Olivia Condlln-Wilby

In Canada, your resume is an essential part of the job search process. It is your primary method of advertising your skills, experiences, and achievements to potential employers, and hiring managers will use it to assess whether you’re qualified for the role and a good fit for the company. Knowing how to create an effective resume is a skill that will support your success in any future profession – plus, it will make the entire job search process much easier and less stressful. As you prepare to embark on your next job application, feel free to use this article as a resource for writing, updating, and proofreading your resume.

Resume Appearance

Your resume should be clear, concise, and easy to read. Employers may be reviewing hundreds of resumes from candidates just like you, and they will likely spend a total of 30 seconds skimming the content before deciding whether to invite you for an interview. As such, it’s important to make yourself stand out and get your key points across quickly. Some quick tips for success are as follows:

• Begin with a header. At the top of your resume, create a header with your name, contact information, and perhaps a link to your LinkedIn page, if you have one.
• Be consistent. Use a consistent font, style, and text size throughout your resume.
• Use space effectively. You don’t want your resume to be cluttered and hard to read. Try to avoid using unnecessary graphics, borders, and other embellishments; focus on the essential content rather than a fancy design.

Resume Content & Structure

Canadian employers typically expect resumes to have a certain structure, and while you may be tempted to deviate from the norm, it can actually hurt your chances of getting hired if you think too far outside of the box. A Canadian resume should be 1 or 2 pages, maximum, and submitting a 3-4 page resume may result in a hiring manager deciding not to bother reading it.

Within those 1-2 pages, a Canadian resume should have the following sections:

• Professional Summary (or Objective): In this section, you can introduce yourself and highlight your most relevant skills and experiences. If you had just a few sentences to explain why you deserve this job, what would you say?

Example: “Hard-working student with strong multitasking skills and previous experience in a fast-paced retail environment, seeking an opportunity to apply my excellent interpersonal skills to a customer service position.”

• Skills & Competencies: These are a few bullet points outlining your most relevant skills. Review the job listing and pay attention to the specific criteria they’ve outlined for their ideal candidate. How have you demonstrated those skills?

Example: “Strong communication skills demonstrated by over a year of experience in customer service.”

• Relevant Experience: Identify your most relevant experiences and create 3-5 bullet points to describe each one. These could be work, volunteer, or extra-curricular activities that show how you’re qualified for the job you’re interested in. Use action words to describe your experiences and emphasize your specific achievements.

Example: “Collaborated with a team of volunteers to deliver hot meals to the elderly, resulting in a high satisfaction rate among consumers and an efficient delivery schedule.”

• Education: In this section, you can list your educational history, including the name of the schools you’ve previously attended, as well as the dates you were enrolled there.

Example: “Northern Secondary School, September 2021 – Present.”

In your resume, you may also choose to include a section focusing on scholarships, awards, projects, or other achievements that do not fall under the categories listed above. A section like this is completely optional, and you should only include it if the items you want to list are specifically related to the job you’re applying for.

Moving Forward with Job Applications

If you follow the resume structure and general guidelines outlined above, you can feel confident that your resume will be in line with Canadian standards and have a good chance of impressing employers as they review all the applications that come in for each job. Remember to be clear, concise, and organized, and don’t be shy about highlighting your skills and achievements.