Covid-19 has decimated our economy. The impact of the pandemic has been wide and far-reaching.
Stats Canada reported our unemployment rate at 5.5% in January of 2020. By May, that number had ballooned to 13.7%. That’s over 5 Million Canadians without work. A staggering and frightening number.
With Canada cautiously easing restrictions, we now find ourselves with a record number of candidates vying for a limited number of positions.
I wanted to write this article to help anyone that finds themselves unemployed today.
Do not despair, and keep your faith. I truly believe that there is a place for everyone in this economy, and I hope that the suggestions that follow will help you in your overall job search strategy.
Combined, the effect of these suggestions will ensure that you have improved your odds of landing that career/job. As well, the preparation involved will give you an overall confidence boost which will keep your spirits high, especially when interviewing.
I also welcome any additional suggestions in the comments area. If you have any other tips/ideas, please do share. You might have the tip that can have an impact on someone’s life.
Let’s help one another in this time of need.
Your Resume
Your resume is a very important part of your job search. A poor resume will likely not get your foot in the door.
On the other hand, good resumes get noticed. There is a wealth of information on this topic on the internet, a good example of which is this recent article from Indeed.
Take a good look at your resume. Proofread it appropriately. Have another pair of eyes look at it as well. Ensure that all your skills are listed in a nice concise manner.
As well, there are several great resume tools out there these days. One that I have been recommending to my candidates is Zety & Resume.io. For a nominal charge, you can have a very professional looking resume & cover letter.
Polish up your LinkedIn profile
There are many things you can do to strengthen your LinkedIn profile. Here is a great article straight from LinkedIn which I would highly recommend. Making modifications to your profile (adding skills or experiences) will also have the algorithms on the back end signal recruiters that you are actively looking for a change.
Some of the suggestions are to have a great headshot, background picture. However, some of the suggestions are going to take some extra effort on your part, such as growing your network and obtaining recommendations (especially from your previous superiors). If you are wondering how to ask for a recommendation, this article from the Muse comes jam-packed with ideas and templates.
Join LinkedIn Groups
There are hundreds if not thousands of LinkedIn groups you can join. Here is a shortlist of such groups to get you started.
Try to find a group that is best related to your career type or industry.
Enable #OpenToWork
On LinkedIn, you can signal recruiters that you are looking for work. Here are steps on how to do this.
On the back end of the Recruiter platform, this will bring your profile right to the top in a recruiter’s search. This coupled with the correct use of keywords and skills, should improve your chances of getting noticed by the right talent scouts.
Join Other Job Boards
While LinkedIn is the dominant force in recruitment, it is not the only potential source for you. When job searching, you must do your best to cover all your bases, as you never know what board might be the one to land you the correct opportunity.
Indeed, Workopolis, Monster, Eluta, and CareerBuilder are also very good sources for job leads. Some also have a back end database that is searchable by recruitment professionals looking for candidates such as you. They also conveniently message you daily leads of similar positions.
Here is a list of the top job boards in Canada. Join them and improve your chances of landing the right opportunity.
Facebook also has a job board you can check out here: https://www.facebook.com/jobs
For the non-profit sector, there is https://charityvillage.com/
Create a Video Application
While this idea is really in its infancy, I do believe that it is going to gain momentum in the next few years. Human beings are very visual, and a video can help set you apart from the crowd.
While creating a video is typically a part of the application process, why not create one in advance to send out along with your resume?
Here is an article on how to create a killer video application. There are many free tools you can use out there. The key is making a video that showcases your personality, skills, and most importantly your values.
If your values are in line with the companies values, you have a solid match. For more on values-based hiring, see the attached video with Diddy & His Mentor Ray Dalio.
Research Top Companies in Your Industry
Take the time to put together a list of the top companies in your industry. Once developed, you can check out their online career portals. Sometimes, you will find jobs on corporate career portals that are not published on external job boards.
As well, you can proactively reach out to the HR teams for these companies. I am sure that they will be eager to speak to someone coming out of a similar organization.
Reach Out to the Right Recruiters in Your Niche
While I have highlighted the top reasons to use a recruiter in another article, many niche recruiters can be of service to you. Here is a great list of recruitment firms in Canada.
Recruiters are dedicated to finding you the right opportunity and can be a great resource for you overall. You have nothing to lose by approaching the right recruitment consultant.
Your Previous Managers
In his book The Alliance Strategy, Reid Hoffman (Cofounder of LinkedIn) talks about Tours of Duty. While you may have completed your first or foundational tour of duty with a company, there may be an opportunity for a second tour there in some other capacity.
Reach out to your previous managers to see if such an opportunity exists. They may be looking for a person like you at this time, as you are essentially a new candidate (thanks to your newly acquired skills and experiences).
A candidate that already understands how a company operates can be a very attractive feature to potential hiring managers.
Interview Preparation
Since it took all this work to get your foot in the door, the interview is the time to double down effort-wise. Interview preparation is key to your success.
Think of how you can tailor your responses to the job at hand. Find similarities between your past experiences and the job you are interviewing for. If you can properly describe parallels between your experience and the duties of the job, you will succeed in capturing the interviewer’s attention.
Try to find out as much as you can about the company and ask really good questions (examples from Glassdoor here). The calibre of the questions you ask will demonstrate your level of thinking.
Here is another great article from indeed on how to ace the interview.
Write a Post-Interview Thank You Letter
This is a commonly overlooked step. I highly recommend writing a letter as it further demonstrates your interest in the role, and demonstrates appreciation on your part.
My recommendation would be to have a letter in a Word or PDF document. Not simply a message in an email body, but instead an attached document within an email.
Here is an article on how to do this well from Indeed.
Keep Track of Everything
Keep track of all your interactions and job applications.
Finding a job IS your new job. Treat it as such.
When you keep track of everything in a spreadsheet, document or notepad, this will centralize all your actions. You can look back and follow up diligently as you have recorded and dated all your activity. It will keep you organized and lessen your chances of becoming overwhelmed, confused or anxious.
Such a clearheaded and organized approach will also show itself in your overall demeanour, which can only improve your chances.
Lastly, keep your phone on, and the ringer turned up! Seems simple enough, but so many people miss the most important call of the day by letting it go to voicemail.
Happy hunting,
Greg
Greg Benadiba
President at Bilingual Source
July 20, 2020
