1210212.us16.myftpupload.com Managed WordPress Site

Tag: Employers

Why Do Employers Hire Recent Grads?

Often one of the most frustrating things for high school and university/college students is finding a job. We fill out so many applications and go for so many interviews but sometimes we still don’t get a call back. You may be racking your brain wondering if you could have done something better, if you bombed the interview, or if the interviewer didn’t like you. However, one of the reasons you may not be getting called back may have nothing to do with any of these reasons and more to do with the stage of education you are in. It is a well-known fact that employers often prefer hiring recent graduates. There are a number of reasons why they do this. When you are searching for jobs you may see the term “entry level.” This means that an employer is looking for someone who has completed a program and is trying to enter the job market.

Although having an academic background is a great thing to have under your belt, employers sometimes view students as having a very busy schedule. Between homework, assignments and exams, students may have to take time off work in order to balance their busy academic schedules. If employers feel like they can’t rely on you or that you don’t have a flexible schedule for them to work with, they may not hire you. Employers often want to hire people with open availability rather than limited availability. Also important to note is that employers sometimes want to wait until these students are no longer students and have completed their programs before hiring them. This could be because they will have less of an academic responsibility and can therefore work more hours.

Another reason employers like hiring recent grads is because they have developed a skill set through their academic programs. They learn skills and gain knowledge that will help them become better employees. Through school, students learn how to manage their time and become more responsible. They also become better communicators both in written and oral forms. They also won’t have to spend as much time training you because you will have gained a lot of skills and knowledge about that particular field from your program. These are all things that employers look for and want in ideal candidates.

This does not mean that someone who hasn’t graduated yet has a zero chance of being hired. What it means is that graduates tend to have a better chance because they have completed their education and employers appreciate that. They like to see that you have taken initiative to further your education and expand your skill set. So be patient and instead of getting frustrated try to understand why employers may hire recent grads.

September 30, 2014
Apprenticeships: Finding An Employer

Finding an employer is the first and often most difficult step in an apprenticeship. If the employer you’re interested in approaching doesn’t employ apprentices, check out our list of resources for employers and know your facts when you go meet with them. They might be willing to consider hiring an apprentice, once they are aware of the business case that supports apprenticeship training.

Network
Just like any job seeker, talking with people who are already employed in the trade for a good source of information about becoming a skilled tradesperson. Some apprentices find employers through family and friends. Another good place to meet potential contacts is through organizations such as trade unions, professional association or training institutions. Don’t forget to consider local employment offices, programs and agencies, especially those that specialize in trades-related training and employment. You may also want to consider approaching an employer or training instructor to ask for an informational interview. This is a great way to learn about job opportunities and connect with potential employers.

Upgrade your job
Some skilled tradespeople start working for an employer in a different capacity, then apply for a trades position when one becomes available. For example, one man began working as a general delivery person for a construction company. After a year or two, he decided to approach his employer about hiring him as a plumbing apprentice. Today, several years later, he is a fully qualified journeyperson plumber working for the same construction company and earning more than twice the pay.

Search job boards/internet
Job leads can also be found on major job boards, such as Monster.ca, Workopolis and working.canada.com. Search using terms such as “trades,” “construction” and “manufacturing” or go to sections designed for jobs in these fields. While you’re there, check out their resources for résumé and interview tips.

Once you’ve found an employer, you still have to:
– Register at your local apprenticeship office
– Apply for grants and supports

July 23, 2013
Advertising Your Skills

It’s never too early or too late to put together a resume that you can pair with a strong cover letter to make sure you land the perfect summer job. Ideally, each resume and cover letter that you give to potential employers should be tailored to the position for which you are applying. There is no need to fret if you don’t have much previous work experience as long as you can demonstrate that you have skills, goals and a desire to learn.

When you lack years of work experience, a skills-based resume that highlight your strengths can come in handy. The skills-based resume includes a list of your education and work/volunteer history, but it focuses in on the key skills that you have that would be most important for the job. In a short list that summarizes some of your skills, include examples from your experiences that show how you have successfully demonstrated those skills.

A lot of the skills might derive from things you use do every day at school. For instance, you demonstrated effective “time-management” and “organizational skills” that your teacher commended you for because you continually handed in assignments on time, even though you attend choir and basketball practices after school most days of the week. Perhaps you have shown strong “multi-tasking skills” when you babysat twins while finishing all of your math homework. That also demonstrates that you are “responsible”. If you planned a large birthday party for your sibling and invited everyone online, you may have demonstrated your aptitude for “event planning” and “computer skills”. If you play on a team or are a member of a club, you can tell your potential employer that you are a “team leader “and “personable”. If you started a club or program or ran for a spot on the student council, you can say you are a “goal-oriented” individual who “demonstrates initiative “and has a “strong work ethic”. There are loads of examples to use, just be sure you choose the ones that relate most closely to what you think you’ll be doing at work when you get the job.

Use the resume and cover letter to show the employer that the job you want fits in with your goals. Make sure he or she knows that you are eager to learn what it takes to excel. Learn about the company you’re applying for and refer to that knowledge in your letter. Finally, when you go in for an interview be confident that you’re the right person for the job!

Good luck and happy job hunting!

May 25, 2013
Social Media: An Employer’s Reference

Pretend, for a moment, that you have never actually met yourself. You are an owner of a prosperous dog-sitting company that has a reputation for serving customers with the highest level of professionalism. You market your company with the promise that every dog will be cared for by responsible, respectful employees who will give the dogs the very best of care. Because of that promise, you attract many loyal customers and you try to take extra care when you hire new employees so you find someone you can trust who will be reliable and mature enough to do the job. When you receive a number of applications from students who want to work for your company, you immediately go online to try to learn more about the potential candidates. When you Google your name, what kind of information do you find?

The term “social media” refers to the ways in which people create, share and exchange information and ideas online and through networks. It’s a form of social interaction that more and more employers are tapping into to get a sense of who the people are that are applying to work for them.

Now return to your present perspective and think about what you have shared online. Is your name attached to the photos of you dancing on the table at last weekend’s huge spring break party? Is your face recognizable in the video your friend posted of students who are underage and under the influence? Such images might cause an employer to immediately throw out your application. That’s why it’s important to construct your online presence with care and make use of the privacy tools that many social networking sites provide.

Here is a list of five of the most popular social media websites used by many students and a brief explanation of what they offer:

Facebook: Allows users to create a personal profile, add other users as friends and exchange private and public messages. Facebook currently has over one billion active users.

Twitter: A micro-blogging site that enables users to send and read “tweets,” which are little text-like messages that cannot exceed 140 characters. Twitter has over 500 million registered users and generates more than 340 million tweets a day.

LinkedIn: A social, yet professional networking site for people in professional occupations. LinkedIn has over 200 million registered users.

Pinterest: A pinboard-style photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage image collections according to a theme of their choosing. Pinterest has about 12 million users and is growing fast.

Instagram: An online photo-sharing and social networking service that allows users to take pictures and instantly apply digital filters to them. They can then share the finished product with the 90 million other monthly users.

These are just a handful of hundreds of other sites that share information in similar ways and provide your potential employers with a chance to judge you based on what they see online. It’s time to refine your online presence and ensure you are presenting the best possible picture of yourself to the world.

April 25, 2013
Acing An Impromptu Interview

You never know who you’re going to run into. You may run into a potential employer at a job fair, a networking event or even while already working. I remember countless times where I was approached by prospective employers and essentially was interviewed on the spot, although in an informal way. I met an editor of a newspaper at an on-campus job fair and he gave me an impromptu interview right there, asking me about my experience in the journalism industry. This led to an interview at his office which turned into a job as a freelance writer. Another time I was working at a liquor store promoting some alcohol brands and giving out samples. One customer came by who I gave a sample to and he asked me a lot of questions about what I do. He was so impressed with my personality and the way that I presented myself that he invited me to an interview that same day at a bar that he owned. I ended up going and was offered a position as a bartender. As you can see, potential employers can be anywhere at any time so it’s important to be prepared for an impromptu interview. There’s no need to worry! Here are some tips to help you ace the impromptu interview:

Carry Your Resumes with You
You never know who you’re going to run into, so it’s best if you keep a few resumes on hand with you in your purse or backpack.

Have Business Cards
Don’t underestimate the power of the business card! If you do run into an employer and they show interest in potentially considering you for a position, they can take your business card and easily contact you for more of a formal interview at their office. This shows that you are professional. Do remember to take their business card as well so you can follow-up with them after your initial meeting. Many printing companies offer a small run of business cards for rather inexpensive fees.

Be Confident
Know how to sell yourself. Give a firm handshake, speak clearly, avoid stuttering and name the key points about your experience and skills that you feel are relevant to the position that you are being considered for. To prepare for an impromptu interview, practice at home by yourself covering what you would say to a potential employer in an informal situation. Think about some main points and maybe even practice with a friend.

Keep It Short
In many cases, it is likely that you will meet an employer at an event such as a job fair. In these situations, the employer probably doesn’t have all the time in the world for you at that moment so you’ll want to keep it brief. Talk about your main skills, experiences and accomplishments. Try to focus on key points that are relevant to the position. Most likely, if you are successful in the impromptu interview, the employer will invite you for a more formal interview where you will have the opportunity to talk in-depth about your experience and qualifications.

Preparation is key in acing the impromptu interview. Follow these simple tips and you can make a great impression on a potential employer and you may even land that dream job!

September 2, 2012
Top 8 Canadian Employers for Youth
Out of school and looking for the right job?

Well, Jobs People Do (JPD) is excited to announce the winners of our Top 8 Employers for Youth Awards! Through a collaboration of innovation and forward-thinking JPD’s Top 8 have created work environments that attract and maintain student employees, and the winners are:
Each of our award winners possess characteristics that, when combined with a young workforce, develop some of the most effective companies in the country.

A few of the qualities JPD looked for when deciding on recipients of the award included vacation time after your first year of work, tuition subsidies, mentoring and co-op programs, employee sports teams, flexible hours and environmentally conscious initiatives.

But why is it so important for a company to cater to their young employees?

Besides the obvious reason; retaining up and coming talent, the satisfaction of young people in the work place is important because it is partly responsible for a company’s image as reflected in the media and popular culture.

As pop-culture journalist Chuck Klosterman noted in his recent novel Eating the Dinosaur, “the short-hand way of saying something is culturally vital right now is to say that it is what all the kids are into”

As companies age they need to remain connected with youth in order to keep up with new trends and ideas. Staying current allows companies to understand a segment of the market that would otherwise be shrouded in mystery, the age group of 16-30 year olds.

All of our Top 8 Award winners are well connected with youth as can be seen through their successful youth oriented employment strategies. These companies are in fact “what all the kids are into” and as a result they have become vital to current culture.

For students these companies are a great career choice. Co-op programs, mentoring and career planning services help expand your resume and strengthen abilities. Great employee benefits means a more balanced work life and social life as well as less financial burdens on new recruits. For the company, investing in young employees means investing in some of the brightest leaders of the future.

Do yourself and your career a favour by checking out our winners websites and potential careers!
January 31, 2012