workshops
FREE! Social Media for Job Search Workshop Fri. June 17 @ 1-4PM
Just a reminder that the AWESOME social media workshop is coming up this Friday. What will our lucky participants learn you ask?
- How to avoid negative online presence, and tighten up their social media security.
- How to build a positive online presence to impress employers.
- How to develop a better understanding of Social Media and how it can be incorporated into Job Search
- Create a Linkedin Profile (optional) – and discuss how Linkedin can contribute to job search success
- Discuss networking and career research using Social Media
This workshop can be taken by clients with limited computer skills.
FREE! But you must REGISTER at 604.485.7958, in person at Career Link or visit https://careerlinkbc.com/calendar.php to register online.
Social Media for Job Search — FREE Workshop Tues Feb 1!
Career Link we be putting on its second Social Media for Success workshop on Tuesday, February 2nd, from 1pm-4pm. There was a lot of positive feedback last time this workshop was held in September, and we’re hoping to have a full class and lots of group discussion.
I thought I would provide an overview of what is discussed in the workshop!
Here are the workshop objectives:
- To leverage social media to improve job search success
- To understand online presence and its impact on job search
- To assist job seekers with setting up a Linked-in Account (if wanted)
Here are some topics and activities we cover:
- Social Media – How is it defined? What are examples? Impacts on our personal life? Impacts on Job Search?
- Employers and Social Media – Are employers using social media? How are they using social it? What are they looking for?
- Online Presence – What does that mean? Public vs private information? Is making social media the right choice for you?
- Google Ourselves – We take some time to search for our own names, and see what kind of information we find
- Job Seekers and Social Media – How can you leverage social media for job search? What sites could you use?
- A look at various social medias – Linked-in, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blogs, Youtube, Pinterest, etc.
- Setup a Linked-in Profile – The last hour is mostly focused on Linked-in, and clients can opt-in or opt-out of making a profile
SIGN UP TODAY!
Visit Career Link (#103, 4511 Marine Ave) call us at 604.485.7958 or sign up online!
New to town? Here are some tips
New to town? Welcome!
Here are some links to info you might find interesting in regard to finding employment:
- First of all, if you are not working or in school, OR if you are working fewer than 20 hours per week, we highly recommend booking an appointment with a Career Link Career Counsellor– drop by or call us at 604.485.7958 to determine your eligibility and to find a time that works for you. This is the best way to find out about local jobs, who is hiring or likely to hire, training, higher education, Wage Subsidy and apprenticeship possibilities, local resources, and recommendations on your current resume (if you have one, please bring it in on your first visit with a counsellor).
- The drop-in Career Lab (open 8:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday) contains our job board, newspapers and training/community boards, photocopier/scanner/fax/phone/printer and computers you can use for job search. There is help at hand from our crack team of Career Lab Advisors (Rob, Giovanni or Shelley depending on the day and time of day of your visit). Advisors are there to help you navigate technical problems, review your resume or cover letters with you, and to provide additional information and tips to help you land that job! The Career Lab offers free coffee, tea and snacks as well.
- Our own site has lots of info www.careerlinkbc.com; our blog is www.careerlinkbc.wordpress.com and our Facebook page — all very active with regional and local news and job postings. You can sign up to receive daily “Job Alerts” from Career Link via email! Click here. You will receive 2 emails once you sign up to confirm your subscription. If you do not receive these, please check your SPAM filter.
- Note that our Facebook page and on-site bulletin board at our location will display many more jobs than the job alerts (which contain only jobs that employers specifically ask us to post for them).
- Chamber of Commerce
- Powell River Living (general info) Magazine (back issues available online)
- City of Powell River (jobs with the City here) list of businesses here. Business Licencing.
- The Powell River Regional District (jobs with them here)
- New site on investing/living in Powell River Powell River Peak newspaper (job listings here and here)
- Powell River’s “Vital Signs” report 2015
- Some of our larger single employers in town are inclusion Powell River, Catalyst paper, Vancouver Coastal Health and School District 47, and The PREP Society (of which Career Link is a part); plus the larger retail and food service outlets (Safeway, Walmart, Tim Hortons, McDonald’s, Quality Foods, Save on Foods, Shoppers Drug Mart, Staples), and quite a few more assisted living organizations. If you drop by Career Link we can print out a list of them.
Again, employment counsellors are able to meet with you only when you are residing here, but anyone is welcome to use our info services ion our self-help lab. There are many community services available to you as well, via this great new website http://powellriver.fetchbc.ca
Hope this helps-
Giovanni
Social Media for Job Search Workshop at Career Link!
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR JOB SEARCH
On Tuesday, September 1st, Career Link will be putting on a Social Media workshop @ 1-4pm. Register online at careerlinkbc.com, in person at Career Link (4511 Marine Ave. Powell River, BC) or call 604.485.7958
What we will cover:
– Understand what is Social Media and how to leverage it to improve job search
– Discuss Online Presence that results from social media, news stories, messages boards, etc. and its impact on job search
– Google yourself and see what your current online presence looks like
– We will discuss some basic googling techniques to improve search results
– If you require/want, help secure any obvious and easy to fix privacy issues (i.e. Publicly open Facebook profile) – Assist with creating or updating a Linkedin profile (Optional, but encouraged)
– Discuss the usefulness of Linkedin (Networking, Job Search, Head Hunting, LMI, Informational Interviews, etc.)
– Discuss how you can maintain/improve your profiles
What YOU need before attending:
– Preferably some basic computer skills (but not completely necessary) – A digital copy of your resume (we will use your current resume as the basis of your Linkedin Account)
Tips on how to access the hidden job market
What is the so-called ‘Hidden Job Market’?
The hidden job market is a term used to describe jobs that aren’t posted online or advertised. Job seekers can tap the hidden job market by using networking connections to help find unadvertised job openings.
Many employers choose to hire internally or through their professional network to avoid the lengthy process of open online applications. Instead of posting a job opening, some employers will choose other alternatives such as going through a recruiting firm, headhunters, and referrals from current employees.
It is possible to find these opportunities as a potential applicant by:
- Expanding your network connections and
- Revealing your professional objectives
Employers are finding that when they list an opening on a free job board, the number of unqualified applicants that reply overwhelms them, and they wind up spending untold hours and resources trying to screen each candidate. “Therefore, it is much easier for them to look on social media platforms for good candidates for their open position. They can screen applicants on LinkedIn and Google+ and other platforms without excessive costs.
Who’s in your network?
Make a list of people you know and trust who might have connections to places you’d like to work. To get you started, here’s a list of people you could consider as part of your network:
- family members and close friends
- neighbours and family friends
- club members
- teammates and classmates
- teachers and coaches
- employers and co-workers
- community leaders
- employment services centre advisors or counsellors
- librarians
- doctors/dentists
Using your network
Once you’ve identified people in your network, contact each one of them individually to let them know you’re looking for work and to ask if they know of any available jobs. They might not know of any opportunities right away, but it’s always helpful to put the fact that you’re looking for a job on their radar.
The beauty of networking is that the people in your network also have networks of their own. When you talk to the people in your network, it’s always a good idea to ask if they know of anyone else you could talk to about job opportunities.
This might seem obvious, but remember to be polite and professional. Good networkers share in the lives of others by giving and receiving information, advice, support, and commitment. It’s important to find a healthy balance between natural conversation and being clear and direct about what you’re looking for, without coming across too strong or pushy.
Expanding your network
Networking is all about leveraging relationships, so if you want to expand the network of people you’re currently connected to, all you need to do is get to know more people!
Here are some ways you can expand your professional networks:
Volunteer and join associations
A great way to learn new skills, gain work experience, and meet new people is through volunteering. Many groups and associations can help you meet people in a particular industry or area of interest. Check out the following page for more information on volunteering:
Contact potential employers
Make a list of places where you’d like to work or people you’d like to work for. Find their contact information online and, if they don’t have a job-posting section, you can phone the personnel department or a hiring manager to discuss any potential openings.
Even if they don’t have openings at the time, they might keep you in mind when an opening does become available, or they might know of someone else who is looking to hire.
Source http://www.youth.gc.ca/eng/topics/jobs/looking.shtml
Informational interviews
The information interview can be a useful way to find out more about the kind of industry or company you would like to work for. While this technique is not designed for finding a job, the contacts you make may lead you to job openings.
Fred Coon, an author, licensed employment agent, and CEO of Stewart, Cooper & Coon, says experts estimate that between 80% and 85% of all jobs openings are unlisted. (Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/tips-for-penetrating-hidden-job-market-2014-6#ixzz3TuV9isIb)
15 tips for networking
- Know what you have to offer. Do a skills inventory to help you learn what you have to offer an employer.
- Make connections. Think about what kind of job you want, and identify people in your network who can help get you closer to your goal; Talk to insiders. “Try to talk with executives in various companies and industries to learn what is happening in their spaces so you know where to align your career path as well as your job-search efforts,” he says. “Your next great opportunity may be in a space you never thought possible, but you’ll never know if you don’t explore.”
- Think about what you want to say. Before calling an employer, prepare a blurb you’re comfortable with. For example: “Hello, my name is (add your name here). I understand that your company does (add the field of activity of your business here), and that’s my area of career interest. I was wondering if you had any current job openings.”
- Refresh their memory. When contacting acquaintances you haven’t been in contact with for a while, help jog their memory by letting them know who you are and how they know you.
- Be yourself. Networking is all about building relationships. Don’t pretend to be someone else; your healthiest and strongest relationships are often the ones where you are completely yourself.
- Be humble. Focus on sharing what you have to offer, not bragging.
- Manners count. Be polite. People are more likely to do a favour for someone nice and tactful than someone who comes across as pushy.
- Follow up, but don’t be annoying. Following up on conversations or opportunities is a good idea. Nagging? Not so much.
- Join industry-related groups. Join associations, Chambers of Commerce, meet-up groups, Toastmasters, etc., and start building contacts before you need them, Coon says. “Consider volunteering to give a talk at a meeting of one of these entities, as this is a great way to get noticed.”
- Establish yourself as a source of information in your industry. Send each of your individual contacts within your network links to articles of interest once or twice a year, Coon suggests. “When you send these links, keep your email short: ‘Saw this and thought you might be interested…’ This way, your name becomes associated with good information and you are seen as a valuable, well-read resource.”
- Pay attention to the news. Stay on top of any local business journals and TV news for information on what’s happening with companies in your area. “If you hear someone interviewed on news-radio, send them a note that you appreciated what they had to say and would like to get together over coffee to learn more,” Coon says.
- Search company “Careers” pages. “Research and target companies you are interested in — most companies will post on their own website and never go to outside job boards or recruiters.” In fact, many companies have internal referral programs in place, so existing employees make referrals and thereby eliminate the need for the company to conduct a formal search.
- Build and maintain relationships with recruiters. “The best way to do this is to update your resume every few months so you can send the latest version to them,” Coon says.
- Use LinkedIn wisely. Keep your profile up-to-date, and refresh it regularly. “Join groups and participate in discussions so people become familiar with your name and may seek you out,” he says. “Remember, recruiters and companies often purchase memberships that give them a ‘back door’ to see who is active in their field and what they are saying, so be certain to keep your discussions positive and constructive.”
- Target carefully. Pick the companies where you would like to work; do your homework on why you want to work there; and identify those things that you can relate to and like about the company.
Then, do your research to identify the decision makers, or people high up enough in the company to know the decision makers, and connect with them on LinkedIn. “Send them something of value: an article or anything that would help them, not you,” he says. “And don’t ask them for anything in your first few communications.” says Coon.
January 2015 FREE Job Search Workshops at Career Link
Short-Term Training list (STOC)
Local Area Short-Term Training Providers List
A frequently-updated version of this list appears on our website at http://careerlinkbc.com/education.php
