Career and Job Search Help Blog

Looking for a new job search tool? Why not try Pinterest?

For many job seekers, social media has become THE place to search for a job, as well as promote yourself so potential employers can "discover" you.  I came across a couple of interesting posts the other day that promoted a social media tool that I would never have thought would be used for job searching - Pinterest.

Content and social media manager Brie Weiler Reynolds offers a few ideas in her post "5 Ways to Use Pinterest for Your Job Search".  Some of her suggestions include creating a resume pin board, that includes a visual representation of items on your resume, such as the companies you have worked for, schools you have attended, hobbies, places you have volunteered. 

Sean Weinberg in his post "Can Pinterest Help Your Job Search?", advises that once you have set up your job search board, to promote it with links to it from your resume, business cards, and if you have one, your personal website. Since Pinterest requires either a Facebook or Twitter account, you can cross promote using those vehicles.

Check out this video that walks you through some of the ways you can construct a resume pin board:

 

And of course the library has many books to get you started, if you need it, on creating your own Pinterest space.  A few recent titles include:

         

 

TalentEgg: Online Recruitment for Students and New Graduates

 Transitioning from student to adult life can be quite stressful, but exciting too. Getting that dream job after you graduate may not be as easy as you thought it would be. That is why its important to start planning for that dream job before you graduate.

Talentegg.ca is Canada's most popular job site and online resource for students and new graduates. It was created by Lauren Friese in 2008 after she realized how hard the transition was from school to work. Lauren went to grad school at the London School of economics after completing a BA in economics Queen's University. She found that the transition from school to work was a lot easier in London, due to all of the free career online resources. She based TalentEgg on the UK website Milkround after wondering why we didn't have anything like it in Canada. There was an article about TalentEgg last year in the Financial Post, Lauren said that England had a lot more online resources and job leads for:

“People with lots of education and not a lot of work experience who wanted that ‘first step’ into a career.”

This is how most students feel when they graduate - that they have all this education but no experience and most employers are looking for both experience and education. So, TalentEggnow provides meaningful Canadian summer jobs, internships, full time work, co-ops and entry level positions - perfect for students and graduates. There are thousands of jobs available daily and hundreds of active employers. TalentEgg actually has an Employer Directory which includes profiles of each company such as:

• Proctor & Gamble
• Rexall
• Bell
• Freedom 55 Financial
• Suncor Energy
• Loblaw, and many more.

The site has a wealth of great information such as comprehensive career guides for many fields such as: aboriginal careers, accounting, Canadian armed forces, consulting, engineering, green jobs, healthcare and many more. There are also great videos on the site which cover a wide range of topics, here is a video about how continuing education can make you more employable:

 

At North York Central Library, the business department will be hosting a program How to Hatch Your Career Through Networking with Cassandra Jowett who is the content manager for TalentEgg.

Cassandra Jowett, content manager from TalentEgg.ca will share how she hatched
her own career through networking while she was a student at Ryerson University,
and provide easy-to-use strategies that will help students and grads become
better networkers both online and in real life.

FREE. Call (416)395-5613 to register.

North York Central Library - Room 2/3

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

6:30 - 8:00pm

If you don't get a chance to register, you can drop in as long as there is space available, we hope to see you there!

Restaurant Management Periodicals

By Ra

A pivotal position at any restaurant is that of a manager. Sometimes an owner acts as a restaurant’s general manager. Other times the manager is hired as an employee. Restaurant managers have a number of responsibilities in the day-to-day business of running a restaurant.

The Toronto Reference Library's Business, Science and Technology Department has many periodicals to help you get current and historical information about restaurant management. Here are some of the most useful titles to which we subscribe:

    

 

 

Other notable titles:

•   Cornell Hospitality Quarterly
• Restaurant Hospitality
• Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly
• Chain Leader: Winning The Chain Restaurant Game

 

Trying to decide on a career? Maybe this list will help!

Canadian Business magazine recently shared its 2013 edition of the best jobs in Canada.  The magazine used a number of criteria to come up with this list, including looking at data supplied by Statistics Canada covering over 600 job categories, looking for the top-paying jobs that have had steady growth in both the number of people employed, and in wages, since 2006.  It also looked at how much competition there will be for these jobs in the future using data from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, which projects future labour supply and demand to 2020. 

The top 50 jobs includes a diverse list of occupations including : oil & gas drilling supervisor, head nurse & heath-care manager, petroleum engineer, electrical & telecommunications contractor, school principal & administrator, and lawyer.

The article also cites the 10 worst jobs which include mainly industrial jobs such as foundry worker, weaver/knitter, film processor and a number of jobs in the pulp and paper industry. 

Jobs where growth is predicted includes pilot, education administrators and dental hygienist.

Another great source to consult (with your TPL library card) is Career Cruising.  This database has great profiles of various careers, including salary levels, educational requirements, links to professional organizations and interviews with 2 people actually doing the particular occupation that you are looking at.  And even better - it is a resource developed in Canada and has Canadian specific information. 

The library has many resources to assist in career exploration.  A few recent titles include:

     

And remember while:

"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life" - Confucius -

it never hurts to have a job that is in demand as well. 

 

Job Search Sessions at the Toronto Reference Library

The Toronto Reference Library offers user education sessions on job search, small business and investment research. If you are looking for a job or are changing careers, you can attend one of our classes called “Are You Looking for a Job?” This session provides you with information about online and print library resources related to job searching. You will be introduced to ways to create a list of companies in the field of your interest and how to find detailed information about a particular company. The class provides information on the resources which can help you to decide on a career and discover job postings in your field. Spring 2013 sessions are on: April 13^th at 3 pm; May 8^th at 3 pm; June 24^th at 6 pm.

Important Career Info for Internationally Trained Professionals

If you are an internationally trained professional looking to build your career in Ontario or know someone who is on the same quest, have a look at these relevant sites.

The Ontario government's initiative to help these professionals integrate and contribute to the Ontario economy is the Ontario Bridge Training programs. They help skilled newcomers get their license or certificate in their profession or trade, so that they can work in Ontario. Each bridge training program is unique, but in general they are designed to give internationally trained professionals:

• an assessment of their education and skills
• clinical or workplace experience
• skills training or targeted academic training
• preparation for a license or certification examination
• occupation-related language training
• individual learning plans to identify any added training needed

 

Global Experience Ontario is a one-stop centre offering a range of services for internationally trained individuals.

The GEO centre provides information for people who intend to apply to a regulatory body to obtain licensure to work in their field. Knowledgeable staff can explain the process for licensing and registration in Ontario.

English and French services are available in person, by telephone and online. Staff at the GEO centre also respond to information requests from prospective newcomers.

Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials This centre provides information and referrals for people interested in coming to work in Canada. However what this centre is really known for is Information and referral on the assessment of foreign academic credentials, the recognition of qualifications, prior learning assessment and recognition, and credential assessment and evaluation services in Canada.

What should you do Next? Join us for our Generation Next Series!

This year, the library is having our 2^nd annual Generation Next Series. This series of 3 programs is geared to the Millenial Generation (otherwise known as Generation Y, the Global Generation, the "me-first" generation  or the Net Generation) of individuals who have birth dates generally between the late 1970's to the early 2000's and are primarily the children of baby boomers. This demographic cohort is said to be the most educated and diverse generation in history. They are also said to have a tendency have more entrepreneurial tendencies. However, all are welcome to attend the programs. The information can be pertinent to individuals of all ages. This generation is known for:

• Being technologically savvy, the first generation to experience social media and very innovative
• Having strong beliefs in equal opportunity and being quite ethnically and racially diverse
• Being very confident; they tend to have very high expectations in terms of wages, and ability to affect change in their workplace

The first program Entrepreneurship 101: Tips on Starting Your Own Small Business is tonight:

Join Donovan Dill, entrepreneurship program manager from Youth Employment Services (YES). He will discuss services available to aspiring young entrepreneurs and provide an overview on business planning, obtaining loans, business operations as well as advice on avoiding common mistakes.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013/ Room 1/6:30 - 8:00pm

The next program is How to Hatch Your Career through Networking

Cassandra Jowett, content manager from TalentEgg.ca will share how she hatched her own career through networking while she was a student at Ryerson University, and provide easy-to-use strategies that will help students and grads become better networkers both online and in real life.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013/6:30 - 8:00pm/ Room 2/3

The final program is Secrets of a Successful Technology Startup

Join entrepreneur Mahyar Fotoohi, Chairman & Co-founder of Unified Computer Intelligence Corp., a technology startup that is changing how people interact with the Internet and technology. Mahyar will discuss creating a product that people want, building the right team, and fundraising.

Monday, May, 27, 2013/ 6:30 - 8:00pm/ Auditorium

This demographic has been profiled a lot recently. The Huffington Post Canada did an Abacus data poll on 1,004 generation nexters to get a sense of their different characteristics since all milennials are not the same. They came up with 6 different Millennial Segments . 

1. The Achiever
2. The Pacer
3. The Spark
4. The Stampeder
5. The Simple Lifer
6. The Firefly

You can take a quiz to figure out which millenial you are.

There was also an interesting Globe and Mail article The six ways Generation Y will transform the workplace.  Here are a couple of the ways:

• Having more women in leadership roles - the majority of millenials were used to both of their parents working so they have had positive female role models. 
• Have regular, immediate social media feedback - immediate feedback is effective especially in terms of evaluating performance and even rewarding performance publicly.
• Emphasize a performance, result driven work environment - evaluation is based mainly on performance not necessarily presence

So remember to check out our programs. They are all free of charge. If you'd like to register, call us up in the Business department at 416-395-5613. You can also drop in without registering as long as the seats aren't all taken.

Hope to see you there!

Canada : Student loans, grants and scholarships

Getting Started:

The Business Department at North York Central Library has a careers section that includes educational directories as well as directories that include scholarship opportunities.  The Business, Science and Technology Department at Toronto Reference Library also has an extensive collection of educational calendars and directories.

Searching the Library Website:

Suggested Subject headings/Keywords:

Scholarships--Canada--Directories

Student loans--Canada--Directories.

Endowment of research--Canada--Directories.

Suggested Titles:

Scholarships.com. - entrance awards directory which includes comprehensive information on Canadian scholarships and awards.

Assistantships and graduate fellowships in the mathematical sciences.

Scholarship: a handbook of scholarships, awards and financial assistance for Canadian high school graduates.

Canadian University Scholarship Handbook.

Guide to Canadian scholarships.

 

Using On-line Resources

Recommended Websites:

Canada: Student Loans, Grants and Scholarships:

CanLearn.ca - Browse through this section for tips on everything from financing your education to managing your loans.

The Canada Student Loans Program provides financial assistance in the form of loans and grants to post-secondary students who demonstrate financial need.

ScholarhipsCanada.com is an educational site for students to find scholarships, student awards, bursaries and grants.  Students can search for scholarships by name, school, field of study and scholarship provider.

Youth.ca will help youth learn about the various options available to help manage finances and pay for education.

Ontario: Student Loans, Grants and Scholarships:

Ontario Student Assistance Program - This is where you apply for OSAP or 30% off Ontario tuition.

Ontario Education and Training - Check out the Ontario Student Assistance Program  - a mix of grants and loans available for students.

Ontario Education and Training (loans grants and bursaries) - Where to find money that can help you pay for a college, university or apprenticeship program after high school.

Other:

The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) administers a range of awards on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Student Awards.com was established in 1998 and is a free scholarship matching service, devoted to helping Canadian high school, college, and university students by providing information about scholarships, bursaries, grants, fellowships and other forms of financial assistance.

World Wide Learn.com strives to provide students with up-to-date information about financial aid for online learning programs. 

Recommended Databases:

Career Cruising - includes in depth information on college and university programs

For further assistance contact:

Business Department - fourth floor, North York Central Library - 5120 Yonge Street - (416)-395-5613

or

Business, Science and Technology Department, third floor, Toronto Reference Library - 789 Yonge Street - (416)-393-7149

It's That Time of Year Again! Revisiting Your Career Plans! (Part 2)

I've long since spent all my money on Christmas gifts. For months, I was beavering away at my Christmas list, buying, wrapping, writing, mailing. Now I'm looking at a new project - ME!

In a recent post, we visited the idea of taking a introspective look at your career. Jobsites such as Monster.ca also has a number of interesting career-related articles. One of them provides unique tips on how to refresh your career.

Here too are some books on the same topic:

     

Opening Doors to Your Future - 2013 Career and Job Fair

     There are two parts to this job fair!

     The main event:

     Opening Doors to Your Future

     When: Thursday, March 7, 2013

     Time: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

     Where: North York Central Library

                 5120 Yonge St.

                 2nd Floor Auditorium

     Admission: FREE   -   No registration

Network with employers and apply for a variety of jobs. Dress appropriately as interviews may happen on-site. Bring electronic and hard copies of your resume.

Employers include: Canadian Tire, CN Tower, Desjardins Securities, Paragon Security, Real Canadian Superstore, Stock Transportation, UPS, Zylog, and MORE.....

 

How do you prepare for a job fair? You can attend the

Pre-Event: Preparing for Success

When: Thursday, February 21, 2013

Time: 9 a.m.  - 1 p.m.

Where: North York Central Library

            5120 Yonge St., 2nd Floor Auditorium

Admission: FREE   -    Registration is required

REGISTER for the pre-event at the Employment Centre (EC) Portal:

toronto.ca/employmentandsocialservices

Learn about specific jobs or sectors directly from employers and industry experts and receive information about the services and supports available to help you in your career.

The job fair is sponsored by Toronto Employment & Social Services and the North York Central Library.

Contact Margaret Lockhart at 416-397-9509 for more information.