Career Professionals of Canada News Feed
Job seekers inevitably interact with a recruiter at some point in their job search. One of the prime goals of a recruiter is to find the best qualified candidates to fill vacant positions in the shortest amount of time. Career professionals diligently prepare their clients to impress the recruiter and help them land their target job. With careful preparation and current information, a win-win outcome is possible! Recognizing that everyone has their own work processes, and likes and dislikes, I’d like to share – from my perspective – a behind-the-curtain…
Now that summer is in full swing, it’s the perfect time to supplement your client’s résumé package with interview role-play sessions. Interview practice now will position your client to secure a rewarding role in the fall. While there are different styles of interviewing, behavioural or situational interviews are quite common. They are actually designed to elicit clear, detailed, and specific responses to questions about what action the candidate would take, or how they would react, in a specific scenario. Hiring managers make decisions based on predefined performance indicators, which often demonstrate the…
The interview is not well understood. Few job seekers, in my opinion, realize that they can enhance their interview skills and boost their confidence without joining Toastmasters. That level of accomplished public speaking is beyond most of us. Besides, it does not reflect the interview at all, which is a conversation, not a speech, and is best fluid, rather than composed and memorized. The good news is that clients can be coached to participate as an equal and enjoy a confident interview. After achieving CPC’s Certified Interview Strategist (CIS) designation…
When a client starts experiencing increasingly demanding employer expectations, the decision to leave may seem like a rational choice. A career change can fuel one’s passion, maintain work-life balance, and enable a client to get off the beaten path. But wait! A quick move may not prove to be the best option. Remind your client to consider the importance of conducting critical research prior to a major career change — starting with an informational interview. These interviews have been around for a long time and have evolved over the years. The…
The interview is going along smoothly and your client is feeling confident. Suddenly, he is caught off guard by a blatantly offensive, discriminatory, or illegal question. He is being asked to disclose information that has no relevance whatsoever to the position for which he is applying. Somehow, your client must display professionalism in dealing with this “inappropriate question” in the best manner possible. Many job applicants have learned that in an interview scenario, the key to success is to address every question with a full response that accurately addresses the interviewer’s…
It happens to many. You reach out to someone and you are awaiting a response. The response doesn’t come and suddenly you realize that your email has gone into cyberspace. This is often due to a common phenomenon — ghosting. Ghosting happens when someone ends a relationship without communicating officially that it’s over. And, this doesn’t just happen in personal or social networking circles. Ghosting can leave jobseekers feeling frustrated and lacking closure. It can derail confidence in the job search and leave them mystified about their career path. Research commissioned…