Career Professionals of Canada News Feed
By Cathy Milton. Maureen McCann has really started a trend at CPC. She’s got us talking about the future of work. It’s an exciting conversation to be having. Yes, there are many potentially scary unknowns, but there is also the potential for many exciting new possibilities. If you talk to friends and family about what the future world of work will look like, you may discover that many automatically adopt the “doom-and-gloom” approach. Fanciful ideas abound about automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics and how they seem poised to push human…
By Sharon Graham. I regularly coach career practitioners on advanced résumé development techniques. Over the years, I have found that most résumés – even those produced by professionals – can use additional help. In particular, practitioners generally struggle to deal with and resolve two main areas: their clients’ career obstacles and elimination factors. If your client’s résumé is not getting the results you expect, then there is probably one or more issues with the document. There may be a situation in the individual’s career background that is difficult to explain. Or, your client may have a…
By Sharon Graham. Many job seekers spend hours and hours posting résumés online without knowing or understanding what’s happening on the receiving end. They get extremely frustrated when days, weeks, and sometimes months pass without being invited to even one interview. By understanding how these systems operate, career practitioners and job seekers can apply various tactics to get past “the screen.” Nearly all large and mid-sized organizations use some form of Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Most job boards, recruitment firms, and recruiters do as well. An ATS is a software program…
By Cathy Milton. Try conducting some online research about how much time recruiters spend scanning a resume, and you’ll discover lots of evidence suggesting that, on average, that time is only 5 to 7 seconds. Count out 7 seconds – it’s not long, is it? The top third of the first page of your client’s resume is crucial. According to Sharon Graham, executive director of Career Professionals of Canada and author of the Best Canadian Resumes Series, “This section must grab the potential employer’s attention and demonstrate why your client…
By Lori Jazvac. National Volunteer Week takes place April 7-13, 2019. This year, we are celebrating “The Volunteer Factor – Lifting Communities”. Volunteerism plays a vital role in our communities. The theme of this year’s celebration is a wonderful reminder that we can achieve significant milestones when we unite together to accomplish shared goals. The documents in this campaign kit will help guide you in planning, promoting, and executing volunteer appreciation events that are successful. There is more to volunteering than giving of one’s time and resources. Whether you volunteer…
By Lori Jazvac. Accomplishments represent career story generators, brand builders, conversation starters, self-esteem boosters, and even life-altering game-changers for many jobseekers. Accomplishments are the most critical part of a résumé, yet jobseekers often underestimate their importance. Duties-and-responsibilities résumés rarely make the cut. A résumé can quickly be screened out by an employer if it fails to emphasize what sets the candidate apart or fails to demonstrate value through accomplishments. The key to uncovering accomplishments during the résumé building process involves asking the right questions, actively listening to your client’s career…