TRADITIONAL STYLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS make it much harder to stand out from the crowd, but it is still possible. Most job seekers anticipate being asked traditional interview questions, therefore, they have answers prepared. Employers who ask traditional questions are often frustrated with the answers they receive, because people are ‘too prepared’ and answers all start sounding the same. This makes … Read more
STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD using storytelling during an interview. In addition to using behavioural style questions to help you develop your resume, you will also want to practice your answers to this style of question as you prepare for an interview. If during an interview you find yourself being asked behavioural style questions, you’re lucky. Behavioural style questions ask … Read more
PRACTICING ANSWERS to interview questions is a great resume building technique. This strategy gives you permission to talk about your accomplishments and successes. Answering questions will also help you remember the details; the things that you may otherwise dismiss because it is just something you did as part of your work. Our resume clients often tell us that answering the … Read more
AWARD WINNER It is always an honour to win an award for my work in the field of career development. This year I won the Career Professionals of Canada (CPC) “Outstanding Career Professional Award” for my years of work in the field. “This award recognizes outstanding achievements from a practitioner supporting clients in the Canadian career community.” Career Professionals of … Read more
WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE ALL THE SKILLS LISTED IN THE POSTING? I have a client in Toronto who is interested in moving out of the city. She saw a job posting in St. Catherines that sounded interesting. She wanted to apply, but hesitated because she was focused on all the things she didn’t have. In a sense, she was … Read more
EMPLOYERS VALUE ATTRIBUTES It’s common for employers to say, “I can train people to do a job, but I can’t change their attitude”. What they are talking about is the attributes you bring to the position. Along with attitude, this includes your personality traits, individual characteristics, interests, temperament and values. For example, an employer can teach someone to run a … Read more
DO I NEED A PORTFOLIO? I always think of resumes as the most essential career document. If you have an up-to-date resume, you are ready when the opportunity presents itself, often with only a few tweaks required. However, the resume is only part of the entire package. You will also need easy access to a list of references, your diplomas … Read more
WHAT ARE ACTION WORDS? These are the words that have the power to create a picture of you in action. In fact, the first word of every bullet point on your resume must be an action word! It is helpful to consider that action words are verbs. This will help when you are checking the bullet points on your resume, … Read more
THE IMPORTANCE OF KEYWORDS These are industry specific words that tell the employer you fit; keywords show you understand the language of the field and occupation. Keywords and phrases can include job titles, credentials, associations, tasks and things such as tools and equipment and even employer names and place names. Because keywords are industry specific, it may take a bit … Read more
KSAO You may have run into the acronym KSAO at some point along your career path. This is a term used in Human Resources to reference Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other Attributes. These are the four areas that are important to employers when they are hiring. If your resume, letters, portfolio and interviews can touch on all four of these, … Read more