2. CHAPTER 13: BUILDING CAREERS AND WRITING RĂSUMĂS [337]
âą Where people find work. Fewer jobs are being created by large companies. One
expert predicts that soon 80 percent of the labour force will be working for firms
employing fewer than 200 people. Moreover, self-employment seems to be an increas-
ingly attractive option for many former employees.3
âą The type of people who find work. Employers today are looking for people who are
able and willing to adapt to diverse situations and who continue to learn throughout
their careers.
What do all these forces mean to you? First, take charge of your careerâand stay in
charge of it. Understand your options, have a plan, and donât count on others to watch
out for your future. Second, understanding your audience is key to successful communi-
cation, so it is essential for you to understand how employers view todayâs job market.
WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR IN JOB APPLICANTS Given the complex forces in the
contemporary workplace and the unrelenting pressure of global competition, what are
employers looking for in the candidates they hire? The short answer: a lot. Specific expec-
tations vary by profession and position, of course, but virtually all employers look for the
following general skills and attributes:4
âą Communication skills. This item isnât listed first because youâre reading a business
communication textbook. Communication is listed first because it is far and away the
most commonly mentioned skill set when employers are asked about what they look
for in employees. Business leader Iain Black, CEO of the Vancouver Board of Trade,
says effective communication skills give applicants a âsustainable competitive advan-
tage.â5 Tools and technology change or become obsolete, but the skills of being able
to write clearly and present effectively last for a lifetime. Improving your communica-
tion skills will help in every aspect of your professional life.
âą Interpersonal and team skills. You will have many individual responsibilities on the
job, but chances are you wonât work all alone very often. Learn to work with othersâ
and help them succeed as you succeed.
âą Intercultural and international awareness and sensitivity. Successful employers
tend to be responsive to diverse workforces, markets, and communities, and they look
for employees with the same outlook.
âą Data collection, analysis, and decision-making skills. Employers want people who
know how to identify information needs, find the necessary data, convert the data into
useful knowledge, and make sound decisions.
âą Computer and electronic media skills. Todayâs workers need to know how to use
common office software and to communicate using a wide range of electronic
media.
âą Time and resource management. If youâve had to juggle multiple priorities during
college, consider that great training for the business world. Your ability to plan proj-
ects and manage the time and resources available to you will make a big difference on
the job.
âą Flexibility and adaptability. Stuff happens, as they say. Employees who can roll
with the punches and adapt to changing business priorities and circumstances will go
further (and be happier) than employees who resist change.
âą Professionalism. Professionalism is the quality of performing at the highest possible
level. True professionals strive to excel, continue to hone their skills and build their
knowledge, are dependable and accountable, demonstrate a sense of business eti-
quette, make ethical decisions, show loyalty and commitment, donât give up when
things get tough, and maintain a positive outlook.
A great way to get inside the heads of corporate recruiters is to âlisten inâ on their profes-
sional conversations by reading periodicals such as Workforce Magazine (www.workforce.com)
and blogs such as Fistful of Talent (www.fistfuloftalent.com) and The HR Capitalist
(www.hrcapitalist.com).
Follow the online conversations of
professional recruiters to learn what
their hot-button issues are.
3. [338] PART 5: EMPLOYMENT MESSAGES AND JOB INTERVIEWS
Adapting to Todayâs Job Market
Before you limit your employment search to a particular industry or job, do some advance
preparation. Analyze what you want to do, what you have to offer, and how you can make
yourself more valuable to potential employers. This preliminary analysis will help you
identify employers who are likely to want you and vice versa.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO? Economic necessities and changes in the marketplace
will influence much of what happens in your career, of course; nevertheless, itâs wise to
start your employment search by examining your values and interests. Identify what you
want to do first, then see whether you can find a position that satisfies you at a personal
level while also meeting your financial needs. Consider these questions:
âą What would you like to do every day? Research occupations that interest you. Talk
to people in various occupations about their typical workday. You might consult rela-
tives, local businesses, and former graduates or contacts.
âą How would you like to work? Consider how much independence you want on the
job, how much variety you like, and whether you prefer to work with products,
machines, people, ideas, figures, or some combination of them all.
âą How do your financial goals fit with your other priorities? For instance, many
high-paying jobs involve a lot of stress, sacrifices of time with family and friends, and
frequent travel or relocation. If location, lifestyle, or other factors are more important
to you, are you willing to sacrifice some level of pay to achieve them?
âą Have you established some general career goals? For example, do you want to
pursue a career specialty such as finance or manufacturing, or do you want to gain
experience in multiple areas with an eye toward upper management?
âą What sort of corporate culture are you most comfortable with? Would you be
happy in a formal hierarchy with clear reporting relationships? Or do you prefer less
structure? Teamwork or individualism? Do you like a competitive environment?
You might need some time in the workforce to figure out what you really want to do
or to work your way into the job you really want, but itâs never too early to start thinking
about where you want to be.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER? When seeking employment, you must tell people
about who you are. So you need to know what talents and skills you have, and youâll need
to explain how these skills will benefit potential employers. Follow these guidelines:
âą Jot down 10 achievements youâre proud of. Think about what skills these achieve-
ments demanded (leadership skills, speaking ability, and artistic talent may have
helped you produce a successful presentation). Youâll begin to recognize a pattern of
skills. Which of them might be valuable to potential employers?
âą Look at your educational preparation, work experience, and extracurricular
activities. What do your knowledge and experience qualify you to do? What have
you learned from volunteer work or class projects that could benefit you on the job?
Have you held any offices, won any awards or scholarships, or mastered a second
language?
âą Take stock of your personal characteristics. Are you aggressive, a born leader? Or
would you rather follow? Are you outgoing, articulate, and great with people? Or do
you prefer working alone? Make a list of what you believe are your four or five most
important qualities. Ask a relative or friend to rate your traits as well.
HOW CAN YOU MAKE YOURSELF MORE VALUABLE TO EMPLOYERS? While youâre
figuring out what you want from a job and what you can offer an employer, you can take
positive steps now toward building your career. First, look for volunteer projects, tempo-
rary jobs, freelance work, or internships that will help expand your experience base and
Examine your values and interests.
To determine what you have to offer,
carefully examine your skills,
education, experience, and
personality traits.
6. CHAPTER 13: BUILDING CAREERS AND WRITING RĂSUMĂS [341]
âą Clarify your professional theme. Volvos, BMWs, and Volkswagens can all get you
from Point A to Point B in safety, comfort, and styleâbut each brand emphasizes
some attributes more than others to create a specific image in the minds of potential
My Story
Where I Have Been
âą Honour student and all around big shot in high school (but discovered
that college is full of big shots!)
âą Have worked several part-time jobs; only thing that really appealed to
me in any of them was making improvements, making things work better
Where I Am Now
âą Third year University; on track to graduate in 2016
âą Enjoy designing creative solutions to challenging problems
âą Not a high-end techie in an engineering sense, but I figure most things out eventually
âą Not afraid to work hard, whatever it takes to get the job done
âą I can tolerate some routine, as long as I have the opportunity to make improvements
if needed
âą Tend to lead quietly by example, rather than by visibly and vocally taking charge
âą Knowing that I do good work is more important than getting approval from others
âą I tend not to follow fads and crowds; sometimes Iâm ahead of the curve, sometimes
Iâm behind the curve
Where I Want to Be
âą Get an advanced degree; not sure what subject area yet, though
âą Havenât really settled on one industry or profession yet; working with systems of any
kind is more appealing than any particular profession that Iâve learned about so far
âą Develop my leadership and communication skills to become a more âobviousâ leader
âą Collaborate with others while still having the freedom to work independently (may
be become an independent contractor or consultant at some point?)
âą Have the opportunity to work internationally, at least for a few years
âą I like the big bucks that corporate executives earn, but I donât want to live in the
public eye like that or have to âplay the gameâ to get ahead
âą Believe I would be a good manager, but not sure I want to spend all my time just
managing people
âą Want to be known as an independent thinker and creative problem solver, as
somebody who can analyse tough situations and figure out solutions that others
might not consider
âą Are there jobs where I could focus on troubleshooting, improving processes,
or designing new systems?
What experiences from your past
give you insight into where you
would like to go in the future?
Where do you stand now in terms
of your education and career, and
what do you know about yourself?
What would you like your future
to be? What do you like and
dislike? What would you like to
explore? If you havenât figured
everything out yet, thatâs fineâas
long as youâve started to think
about the future.
FIGURE 13.1 Writing the Story of You: A Private Document to Help You Clarify Your Thoughts
TABLE 13.2 Personal Branding Resources
RESOURCE URL
Personal Branding Blog www.personalbrandingblog.com
Mohammed AI-Taee http://altaeeblog.com
Brand Yourself http://blog.brand-yourself.com
Cube Rules http://cuberules.com
Jibber Jobber www.jibberjobber.com/blog
The Engaging Brand http://theengagingbrand.typepad.com
Brand-Yourself http://blog.brand-yourself.com
7. [342] PART 5: EMPLOYMENT MESSAGES AND JOB INTERVIEWS
buyers. Similarly, you want to be seen as something more than just an accountant, a
supervisor, a salesperson. What will your theme be? (What do you want to be known
by?) Dependable hard worker? Strategist? Get-it-done tactician? Technical guru?
Problem solver? Customer service specialist? Inspirational leader?
âą Network. Major corporations spread the word about their brands with multimillion-
dollar advertising campaigns. You can promote your brand for free or close to it. The
key is networking (see pages later in this chapter). Build your brand by connecting
with like-minded people, sharing information, demonstrating skills and knowledge,
and helping others succeed.
âą Deliver on your brandâs promiseâevery time, all the time. When you deliver qual-
ity results time after time, your talents and your professionalism will speak for you.
Finding the Ideal Opportunity in Todayâs Job Market
Finding and landing the ideal job can be a complex process, with lots of stress and frus-
tration along the way. The good news is that it is all about communication, so the skills
youâre developing in this course will give you a competitive advantage. This section offers
a general job search strategy with advice that applies to just about any career path you
might want to pursue. Once you have analyzed your goals and what you have to offer,
youâll need to begin by finding out where the job opportunities are, which industries are
strong, which parts of the country are booming, and which specific job categories offer
the best prospects for the future. From there you can investigate individual organizations,
doing your best to learn as much about them as possible.
Stay abreast of business and financial news. Subscribe to a major newspaper (print or
online) and scan the business pages every day. Watch television programs that focus on
business. Consult the National Occupational Classification (Human Resources Develop-
ment Canada, in print and online at www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC-CNP). View forecasts about
various job titles to develop ideas for a career. Check to see if your province has a Work
Futures site. For example, WorkBC (www.workbc.ca) lists employment opportunities in
the province.
Researching Industries and Companies of Interest
Learning more about professions, industries, and individual companies is easy to do with
the library and online resources available to you. Donât limit your research to easily avail-
able sources, however. Companies are likely to be impressed by creative research, such as
interviewing their customers to learn more about how the firm does business. âDetailed
research, including talking to our customers, is so rare it will almost guarantee you get
hired,â explains the recruiting manager at Alcon Laboratories.12
Table 13.3 lists some of the many websites where you can learn more about compa-
nies and find job openings.
To learn more about contemporary business topics, peruse some of these leading
business periodicals and newspapers with significant business sections (in some cases,
you may need to go through your libraryâs online databases in order to access back issues):
âą The Globe & Mail
âą Canadian Business
âą Report on Business
âą Business 2.0 (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2)
âą Fast Company (www.fastcompany.com)
âą Fortune (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune)
In addition, thousands of bloggers, microbloggers, and podcasters offer news and
commentary on the business world. For example, The Toronto Public Library Career
Employers expect you to be familiar
with important developments in their
industries, so stay on top of business
news.