To shake or not to shake, that is the question

To shake hands or not to shake hands. That is the question. Barack and Michelle Obama have the fist bump, teenagers have hugs and job seekers have the obligatory handshake. However, with the current concern around the H1N1 or swine flu virus, many job seekers are worried about physical contact with others. My interview coaching clients ask me if they should decline to shake hands due to H1N1 risk. Others have gone so far as to cancel job interviews because of their concerns and fears.

Why shake hands at the job interview? Though many social and business customs changes, the handshake is a standard greeting for business situations and is here to stay. A good handshake equals confidence and a refusal to shake the hand of another is considered by many to be a grave insult.

I think the concerns of job seekers who refuse toshake hands due to swine are misplaced and at worst can be detrimental to their job search success. My advice to those who are worried about catching the flu do not decline an interview. Instead walk with a small bottle of hand sanitizer, shake hands with the interview, use the hand sanitizer and offer some to the interviewer . They would appreciate it. So go ahead and do a full handshake with the interviewer. Trust me. It is worth it.

Best Canadian Companies to work for

Resume Solutions tops the list :). On a more serious note, the National Post/Financial Post has put together the 2009, top 10 best companies to for in Canada, which the selected from Canada's Top 100 Employers guide. Here is the list of the best:

AMEC AMERICAS LTD.

Location: Oakville, Ont.

Full time employees: 4,801

- Two-year engineer-in-training program for graduates while they prepare to write P. Eng Ontario licensing exam

- Maternity leave top-up benefits to 100% of salary for six weeks

- Expanded career possibilities through acquisitions

CAMECO CORP.

Location: Saskatoon

Full time employees: 2,761

- Mentoring programs, subsidies for professional designations, career planning services and skilled-trades training

- Phased-in retirement and fully-paid retiree health coverage (no age limit)

- Maternity leave top-up benefits to 100% of salary for six weeks

DIGITAL EXTREMES

Location: London, Ont.

Full time employees: 96

- Maternity leave top-up benefits to 80% of salary for 24 weeks

- Starting cacation entitlement takes in to account years of experience

- Tuition subsidies (to $2,500 a year) and bonuses for achieving certain professional accreditations (to $1,000)

ENBRIDGE INC.

Location: Calgary

Full time employees: 3,981

- Four health benefits plans ranging from no coverage to complete coverage

- Cash equivalent payout of unused health benefits

- New employees start at three weeks vacation, plus 12 paid personal days (depending on location)

GOLDCORP INC.

Location: Vancouver

Full time employees: 2,350

- Parental leave top-up payments to 80% of salary for 20 weeks for new mothers, fathers and adoptive parents

- Starting vacation of three weeks, moving to four weeks after three years

- A share-purchase plan and year-end bonuses for all employees

JOHNSON INC.

Location: St. John's, Nfld.

Full time employees: 1,066

- Parental leave top-up to 100% of salary for 17 weeks for new mothers, fathers or adoptive parents

- Flexible work options, including a 35-hour work week (with full pay), telecommuting, shortened work weeks and variable scheduling

- Bonuses to $2,000 for successful completion of professional designations

LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD.

Location: Brampton, Ont.

Full time employees: 31,670

- Online and in-house training courses, tuition subsidies (to $1,200 a year), professional designation subsidies

- Maternity leave top-up to 75% of salary for 17 weeks; parental leave top-up for new fathers and adoptive parents to 75% of salary for 10 weeks

- 18-month internship for recent graduates in marketing, merchandising, IT, HR and finance

MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CO-OP

Location: Vancouver

Full time employees: 582

- Subsidized courses at outside institutions to 100% of fees

- Onsite yoga classes, shower facilities for bicycle commuters at head office

- Referral bonuses, dividend bonuses, and a loan program for items such as personal computers, boats, or bicycles

RESEARCH IN MOTION LTD.

Location: Waterloo, Ont.

Full time employees: 8,576

- Free BlackBerry and usage and service fees

- Profit-sharing plan and year-end bonuses for all employees

- Onsite massage services and discounted gym memberships

TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING CANADA INC.

Location: Cambridge, Ont.

Full time employees: 5,954

- Maternity top-up to 65% for 52 weeks; paternity to 65% for 37 weeks

- $1,000 off lease or purchase of new vehicles for staff and family members

- Phased-in retirement, defined benefit pension plan, flexible health benefits into retirement, with no age limit

To keep talented executives, prepare them to leave

"The best way to keep your most talented executives from leaving is to prepare them to do just that." This is according to a new article in the Wall Street Journal:

In tough economic times like these, retention becomes less of a priority for many companies as they focus on more-immediate business concerns. But companies that neglect this issue during a downturn may be in for a nasty surprise just as things start looking up: Historically, there is a significant increase in the number of executives leaving their companies as market conditions improve and more job opportunities open up.

In a Rut? Try Tapping Into Your Creative Side

According to the Wall Street Journal, the best bet to get out of career route is to channel your creativity. This stands out:

First, block out some time on your calendar to think about it. When you set aside time to do something, you elevate its importance in your mind.

Practice clearing your head of all of your everyday concerns, turn on some music, and let your mind wander. If you're having trouble letting go, ask one of your artistic friends what she does to get in the right frame of mind and try adapting that technique to make it your own.

Recovery?

There’s buzz of a bouncing back from the cloudy economic climate we’re been enduring. The much awaited Labour Productivity Data was released last Tuesday, shedding a glimpse of improvement from the devastating downpour of declined productivity and hourly compensation and uncomfortably high labour costs ending 2008.

While surviving the declined labour productivity in the last two quarters, the first quarter statistics revealed a modest but hopeful increase by 0.3% for Canadian businesses, with a decrease in costs by 1.8%, attributed in some way to the slight, but slowed growth in hourly compensation. These trends were similarly reflected in the U.S. markets.

Although for third consecutive quarter, there has been a depreciation of the Canadian dollar relative to its American counterpart, it was much smaller than the drastic drops in the fourth quarter of 2008 and therefore not provoking grave concern.

Notably though, the real GDP has experienced slight improvement, growing 1.7% in the first quarter and the labour costs per unit of production, for Canadian businesses, rose by 0.8% (in Canadian dollars). This was significantly less than the 1.7% increase registered in the last quarter and despite the decreased hours worked in Canadian businesses.

So what does this mean for Canadians in the labour force? This may indicate Canadian businesses took an overly precautious approach to the recession, downsizing too aggressively and letting go of an unnecessary number of employees. More importantly, what this could translate to is a potential growth in job openings.

Should this slow but eager improvement continue, extra hands may be needed, an influx of job openings may surge and companies may start bouncing back from their defeated position. So in the spirit of our Canadian optimism and perseverance get yourself in order- update your resume, start preparing for interviews and reintegrate yourself into the market. It can’t hurt to put yourself out there and you never will know what opportunity is passing you by.

What to do when you think you are over qualified for that job

For many job seekers, the thought of writing a résumé fills them with dread. What to keep in, what to take out, the length, the design etc. Can be very stressful. You have to remember, the purpose of your resume is to support you before, during and after a job interview and help you to secure a job. Therefore, you should remember the goal of a strongly written resume: it is to generate interest from a potential employer and to persuade them to call you for a personal interview. If you are applying for a position that does not require an MBA, then do not include the MBA on your resume, only include your undergraduate degree.

To appear more competitive for the roles you are targeting, highlight only those skills and experiences that are relevant for that particular job. For instance, if you managed a $1.2 million budget and 10 staff, but the role to which you are applying for does not require budget or staff management, do not include this information. Furthermore, to make you more attractive to potential employers, I suggest, simply going back only 10 years in your work history to reduce the extent of your work experiences. During the interview, if asked, you can then expand on the rest of your career.

However, keep in mind that dumbing down your resume can eliminate you from being considered for a potential job where you would have been a great fit. Some organizations’ HR departments and recruiting firms keep the resumes of candidates on file for future opportunities and your “dumbed down” resume could deter them from considering you as a viable candidate. Lastly, while it is ok to omit data – as a non-statement is not a false statement – deliberately falsifying data such as credentials, job titles and accountabilities are a definite no-no.

For more information on writing a strategic resume, and resume writing tips you can visit the Job Centre at ResumeSolutions.ca byclicking here.

Only the Employed Need Apply

There is so much interesting news on job searching out today, from executives increasing their search to new trend of funemployed and now this from the US via the Wall Street Journal:

Many employers are bypassing the jobless to target those still working, reasoning that these survivors are the top performers.

Having fun while unemployed, a new trend

While many of my career coaching clients are developing strategies to remain employed or gain new employment, an interesting new study suggests that many 20 and 30 something year olds are focused on travelling, sports and just plain having a good time rather than focusing on the job search.

"Financially, unemployment was a bit of a concern, but I had the time of my life.” That quote, from advertising copywriter Kenny Kamerman, 33, may seem strange, even misguided, but it's typical of a new demographic in today's recessionary environment known as the “funemployed.”

Though that is an interesting quote, I doubt this would be the next new thing...read more here

Job hunters 'dumbing down' resumes

I was recently interviwed by Canada reporter Linda Nguyen in a peice that was featured in Canwest national newspapers such as the Vancouver Sun and Calgary Herald on a developing trend - the dumbing down of resumes by job seekers

"We try to discourage dumbing down resumes. We want applicants to be as honest as possible," said Sandy, president of Resume Solutions, a Toronto-based company specializing in career and interview coaching.

"But we see that a lot with mid-level managers in their 40s and 50s who have lost their jobs and are having difficulty finding work at their current pay level. They do it to be competitive with other cost-effective employees."

read the rest

Recession, what recession

According to a recent article in the Globe and Mail:

Despite a recession, 75 per cent of currently employed executives say they would consider a new job if the opportunity arose, finds a study by the New York-based Association of Executive Search Consultants.

This does not really surprise me, as Resume Solutions has seen a significant increase the number of executive clients that we see on a monthly basis.

Raising morale in a sinking econom

Tavia Grant has a great peice in the Globe and Mail today on the challenges that managers face in trying to keep up their "troops" morale in this bad economy. According to a recent survey presented in the article

BY THE NUMBERS

70: Percentage of 219 Canadian businesses polled that say morale is currently their biggest workplace challenge.

42: Percentage of Canadian employers that say the economy has increased stress levels.

49: Percentage of Canadian chief financial officers who say they have increased the frequency and quality of communication to help boost morale.

read more here

How to handle illegal interview Questions

Canadian employment law restrict some of the questions that a potential employer can ask you during an interview. As a Certified Employment Interview Coach, I make it my business to alert my clients that during an interview, they may be asked questions that are considered illegal. And as such they need to be prepared with how far they are willing to go to get that job. Click here to read more