Infocentre

Presentation

In this part, we deal with how you communicate your skills and competencies to potential employers.

Résumés

The classic presentation of self when looking for a job using the formal application process is a résumé. This document is composed of a number of different sections such as career objectives or profile, educational background, work experience, a skills summary, etc. The purpose of a resume is to give potential employers a snapshot picture of your skills, talents and background.

Currently, resumes come in several forms with the two main forms being paper and electronic.  Paper resumes should be two pages long (at most). Electronic resumes come in three forms:

• an ASCII text document (.txt) for inclusion in emails to potential employers;
• as a word processing document for sending as an attachment to an email;
• an ASCII text document (.txt) for "cutting and pasting" into an online application form.

In addition to these forms, some employers will require you to create specifically tailored résumés using quite different formats.

There are several keys to writing a good résumé. First, be truthful: if you lie in a resume you can be fired with no notice and have your reputation damaged. Second, concentrate on your accomplishments rather than your responsibilities. Most employers do not care about what you were responsible for, only what you accomplished. Third, always make sure that everything is spelled properly and that there are no grammatical errors. Errors in spelling and grammar may lead the person reading the résumé to reject it simply on that basis.

If possible, try and work with an employment counsellor on your résumé, since there are many tricks that have been developed in the past 30 years to convert a mediocre résumé to an outstanding one.

Clothing

While it may sound silly, you will need to pay attention to what clothing you are wearing when you are looking for a job. What you wear will establish a first impression that will colour how individuals see you and evaluate you. While clothing styles vary from industry to industry and setting to setting, there are several "rules of thumb" (a phrase meaning generally applicable cultural conventions) that apply.

First, if you have an interview, it is always a good idea to show up wearing clothing that is a little more formal than what people wear normally in that organization. Second, in non-interview situations, many different occupational groups have developed their own styles of clothing which you will need to know in order to appear to be a member of that group.

When in doubt about what to wear in any specific situation, just ask someone from that group or organization.

Language

The best résumé in the world and the most appropriate clothing will not get you a job unless you are able to communicate with your potential employer. Learning to speak to people in one of Canada's official languages is crucial. It is also crucial that you appear to be at ease with the language, since unease may be interpreted as incompetence or lying.

In addition to the formal language training offered in most areas of the country, many occupations have developed their own dialects (specialized forms of the language). In general, most Canadians are quite willing to help someone practice speaking, and it is important to get as much practice as possible.

Other Forms of Communications

When you are looking for a job, there are two other forms of communications that are important: writing letters and writing emails. In both cases, spelling and grammar are crucial considerations. In addition to spelling and grammar, written communications are becoming increasingly formal. Here are a few rules to remember:

• Always try to find the name of the person you are sending an email or letter to, and make sure of the spelling of their name.
• Always use the correct honorific (e.g. Mr., Dr., Ms., etc.). If you do not know the correct honorific, then call up the organization and ask the receptionist.
• Try to keep your letter or email short and to the point, showing the reader why they should respond to you.

Interviews

Face to face interviews are conducted for most jobs in Canada. While there is not a single format for interviews, they are frequently conducted in a formal setting designed to test both your knowledge and your interpersonal skills. If you get an interview, then you have already passed several preliminary screening tests, usually based on your résumé.

Interviews may range from minutes to hours in length, and it is a good idea to find out approximately how long any particular interview will last. There are several key points to keep in mind about interviews.

• Always be five to 10 minutes early for an interview. If you are late, you will probably not get the interview or job.
• Try to answer questions succinctly. A short answer with all of the information the interviewer asks for is much better than a longer answer that appears to "ramble" (move from point to point with no apparent connection).
• Be prepared to expand on any answer you give.
• Try to practice interviews before you go to them so that you are familiar with some of the questions that may be asked.

In some cases, interviews may be conducted "informally". When you are networking with people, always assume that you are involved in an informal interview.

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