CSL and your Work Search A four-part webinar brought to you by the Canadian Alliance for

Community Service Learning, in partnership with Carleton University, Memorial University, the University of Victoria, and the

HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector

www.mun.ca/cdel

Presented by: Geri Briggs, B.Ed, MCE, CHRP

CSL and your Work Search A four-part webinar brought to you by the Canadian Alliance for

Community Service Learning, in partnership with Carleton University, Memorial University, the University of Victoria, and the

HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector

www.mun.ca/cdel

Presented by: Geri Briggs, B.Ed, MCE, CHRP

We are now broadcasting audio. Please ensure that your computer speakers are on and not on mute.

You may also choose to dial into the audio conference over the phone. The dial in number and participant code can be found in the

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Our Journey

Graphics source: http://planetoutreach-asd.blogspot.com/ http://thinkingfutures.net/resources/scanning-resources-2/

CSL and Finding Work

In this session we will explore how your CSL experiences can help you to:

•  Focus your work search •  Identify work opportunities and make connections •  Tailor job search tools: cover letter, resume, employment

proposal •  Prepare for job interviews •  Prosper on the job

Please share a bit about you… •  What’s your job search interest? Full time

permanent? Summer work? Self-employment? Specific sector? Specific occupation?

•  What was the most important thing you learned about yourself through CSL or other service or work activity?

•  What did you learn about the unmet needs in that particular sector?

CSL Actions Create Use

Actions

• Observe • Question/Reflect • Connect • Demonstrate

Create

• Core, work, and, lifestyle values • Descriptions: skills, attributes, contributions, preferred environments

• Concrete examples of accomplishments/ contributions

• Connections

Use To

• Focus the work search • Identify opportunities • Cover letter, resume, Linked In Profile • Prepare for Interviews • Do well on the job

Poll: What do you want from work? Fulfill most of my core values Fulfill some of my core values

Provide a ‘good’ income

Provide a ‘high’ income Provide a flexible work place

Provide career development opportunities

Provide chance to use and build my understanding, skills, and competencies

Provide opportunities to make friends/socialize

My work is a means to an end- I do not invest myself emotionally Other- please share

Why It’s Important to Focus Your Work Search

I’ll take anything - maximum effort minimal impact

Only this occupation, this company, this job - limits your options

Focus search on core, work, and lifestyle values within the context of labour market opportunities - Work search efficiency

Focusing Your Work Search

Inward Look •  What do I need from my

work?

•  How mobile am I?

•  What do I offer? •  How do I like to work?

•  What’s my preferred work environment?

•  Work culture?

Outward Look •  Who’s hiring? •  Who hires?

•  What needs do organizations have?

•  What can I learn about the sector? Individual employers?

•  What are the upstream downstream aspects to be aware of?

Strategies for identifying work opportunities - Which ones have you been using?

•  Big job boards: job bank.gc.ca, Workopolis, Monster

•  Niche job boards: Sector Councils, Professional Associations, Industry sites, discipline sites,

•  Aggregator sites: Eluta.ca, wowjobs.ca •  Government sites: jobs.gc.ca, provincial

sites, municipal sites •  Nonprofit boards, including

CharityVillage.com •  Campus job board •  Follow organizations on Linked In •  Follow organizations on Twitter

•  Follow organizations on Facebook •  Engage personal network- friends family •  Engage professional network •  Engage school network- fellow students,

professors

•  Create employment proposals •  Start your own business •  Read news sites, professional journals, sector

journals •  Information interviews •  Other - please tell us about it.

To Find Work Opportunities ���Canadians are most likely to rely on:

•  Websites (48%)

•  Print media (30%) •  Word of-mouth/networking (19%)

•  Employment agencies(12%) •  Among those Canadians who turn to websites for information

on employment opportunities, no single site stands out as a ‘go-to’ site for information about potential jobs.

Source: Environics On-line survey on public perceptions about career development and the workplace 2011

How Important Were These Methods

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Cold calls (telephone)

Cold calls (in-person)

Unadvertised job sources

Submitting unsolicited resumé

Networking

Advertised job sources

How Important Were These Methods Very

How Important Were These Methods Somewhat

Source: Environics On-line survey on public perceptions about career development and the workplace 2011

Three Why’s���Source: Globe and Mail: Three steps to that dream job

•  Why do I want to work in this industry? The fact that it is a “challenging industry” that presents strong “growth opportunities” is not good enough, so push your thinking harder. You want to focus on the value you offer, not only on what you will get out of working in the industry.

•  Why do I want to work for this company? Every firm is different, even if they operate in the same space, so you need to figure out what makes each one unique. The best source for this information are alumni working at your target company. (Also organization’s website)

•  Why should this firm hire me? Come up with the three key reasons why you are the right candidate. Hint: “hard worker”, “persistent” and “dedicated” are not qualities that will differentiate you in today’s job market. Leadership, analytics, creativity, communication – these are skills that employers are seeking.– (keep in mind this is targeted to a business grad audience. Would the qualities be different in other sectors?)

Method Effectiveness for every ���100 job seekers who try the method

Researching employers/approach through contacts 86% Applying in person to an employer without doing homework 47%

Asking friends for job leads 34%

Asking family for job leads 27% Using placement office at school/college once attended 21%

Responding to ads in newspapers 5-24%

Answering ads in trade journals in your field 7%

Employment Agencies 5-24%

Mass mailings of resumes 8% Computer matching services 4%

Research - Labour Market, ���Sector, and Organization���

•  Network (Personal, Professional, Electronic)

•  Electronic Job Boards, Job Fairs,

•  Professional, Industry, Issue Associations, Unions, Government

•  Telephone and business directories •  Sector Councils

•  Journals, media stories, public library

•  Conferences •  Professors

•  Temp Agencies

•  Organization websites •  List serves

•  Other? Please share

Connecting with your network

It isn’t who you know, it’s who knows you, and what they know about what you can do, what you know, and how you do it.

Thinking about Your Current Network��� What do they know about you?

•  Classmates: Group work, In class

•  CSL connections •  Work colleagues

•  Social groups •  Clubs

•  Associations

•  Professors •  Friends

•  Family

Your reputation is your brand

You create it each day with what you do

Would your contacts think of you if asked to recommend someone for the kind of work you want?

Look for Mavens and Connectors - Rob Straby

Create a Calling Card

•  Resumes are bulky, expensive, and you don’t always have one handy

•  Calling cards with highlights of your achievements, skills and interests - used at networking events, on your email, chance encounters

Geri Briggs, B. Ed, MCE, CHRP

• International trainer and consultant • Creative consultative practice • Delivers target outcomes on time, on budget

Myemail@serviceprovider.com 613- 000-000

Social Media: Facebook and Linked In

•  Employers check Facebook profiles- what does yours say about you? 1

– –  May have employee mention the job opening

–  May have their own career page –  7-8% of their hires from are from job boards

•  Employer recruit through LinkedIn

–  Search Profiles, Use Employees’ network

•  Campus recruiters are cutting back...turning to ‘social recruiting’2

1 Sphere of Influence, HR Professional Feb 2011 2 Hiring Trends on Campus, The Bulletin, Winter 2011 contactpoint.ca

Social Media LinkedIn •  Set up your profile - remember: skills, attributes

accomplishments, contributions

•  Solicit recommendations •  Build your connections

•  Follow organizations •  Ask informational interview type questions of the network

•  Find a job ad - search for connections who work at the organization

.

Social Media Facebook

•  Set up your personal job search page •  Take a look at the content of your personal page - review

privacy settings

•  Invite friends to let you know about opportunities •  Ask connections about organizations you’re applying to

•  Join pages of causes and organizations that interest you •  Other ideas?

Job Boards

•  Jobbank.gc.ca

•  Government Jobs •  Nonprofit Job Boards

(HR Council)

•  Niche Sites •  Temp and Placement

Agencies

Sector Council Career Sites

•  Apparel Electricity •  Biotalent ICT •  Agriculture Mining •  Grocery Police •  Plastics Wood Manufacturing •  Supply Chain •  Tourism •  Culture •  Environment

Work Options

•  Full time/Part time Employee •  Contract Work •  Temp Agencies

•  Telework •  Self Employment

When you are working with your agency - observe the different ways of working involved - ask about how it works.

Self Employment or ���Employment Proposal

•  What unmet needs did you notice in the organizations you worked with?

•  What skills, knowledge, attributes could you offer to help them address those needs?

•  Create a business to offer your services to multiple organizations, or create an employment proposal to offer yourself as a solution to an organization’s problem

Tailor your Cover Letter

•  Research the employer - culture, values, vision, mandate, sector issues, specific job requirements, names and positions to address cover letter to

•  Identity your attributes most applicable to the organization/job

•  Think about how you can contribute to the organization meeting its goals

Cover Letter - Business Letter First Paragraph •  Position applying for, name of individual contact- if any. The nature of your

interest in their organization/job. Second

•  Demonstrate an understanding of their needs, goals, and culture. Show you’ve done your homework. Indicate specifically how you can help them to meet their goals- a place to include your CSL achievements/experience.

Third

•  Highlight elements of your education or experience especially useful to the employer.

Final

•  Thank you. How will follow up, availability for an interview, reiterate your interest in working for the organization.

Resumes

•  Make your resume stand out by: – Providing concrete outcomes achieved in your

work and CSL projects – Use action words to describe your involvement

– Revise resume and cover letter for each application.

– For government or large organizations - make sure your resume and cover letter specifically address the requirements listed in the posting

Interview Preparation

The purpose of the interview is to determine: •  Can you do the work? •  Will you do the work?

•  Will you fit in the organization/team? Reflect on your CSL experience - What did you do?

How did you do it? With what outcomes? What skills, attitudes, do your experiences demonstrate about you?

Behaviour Based Interviews

•  Based on the assumptions that: –  that past behaviour is a good indictor of future behaviour

–  People self disclose a great deal about themselves in describing past events

•  Questions are usually designed to address specific competencies. •  Be clear in your mind what competencies they’re assessing. Practice:

–  Tell me about a time…

–  Use your CSL experience to prepare

–  What questions would this employer ask?

–  http://www.nbgh.on.ca/careers/current-opportunities/library/OPSEU%20MH-10-063%20PFT%20SW%20MHC.pdf

A Bit about References

•  Ask permission

•  Prepare your reference –  Give them a copy of your resume

–  Highlight your achievements –  Ask them for their feedback on your skills, attributes, and

contributions

–  References are frequently asked about interpersonal attributes: E.g. reliability, communication, teamwork, initiative, creativity, judgement - provide your reference with specific examples

Thriving on the Job

•  Be a reflective practitioner - At the end of each day take time to reflect. A suggestion:

–  In what way did I contribute to: •  The learning or well-being of others

•  My own learning or well-being •  The organization’s goals or my personal goals

–  What did others do to contribute to learning or well-being, or the organization’s or my personal goals?

–  What can I do tomorrow to make it a better day?

Next Steps: •  This is the last in the series of four webinars. We hope you’ve

learned as much as we have. •  Join each other on Facebook or LinkedIn to continue the

conversation. •  Contact us: geri@communityservicelearning.ca

lrose@hrcouncil.ca, jsheppa1@uvic.ca, cdel@mun.ca

•  Thanks for your engagement in our webinars - you made it a great experience for us.

Canadian Alliance for Community Service Learning

You never know when someone May catch a dream from you.

You never know when a little word Or something you may do May open up the windows

Of a mind that seeks the light… The way you lived may not matter at all,

But you never know, it might.

Author Unknown