Career and Job Search Help Blog

Will Networking Help Me Find that Perfect Job -- or ANY Job?

 Will networking help me find that perfect job -- or ANY job? The answer is "Yes." Now you are going to ask what I mean by "networking" and do you have to go online and open Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.

 

There are all types of networking, some online, some in person. Did you see the movie or read Loretta Lynn's book, The Coal Miner's Daughter? It describes how she and her husband drove from town to town, visiting all the radio stations they could and persuading the DJs to play her first recording and interview her on the radio. This was a form of "networking." Her song became a hit and Loretta Lynn, singer and composer, became a star, starting at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

Just talking to friends, people at social events and parties, the person next to you in a line-up, the clerks where you shop or bank--all of this is networking. Let people know you are job hunting. Tell them the type of job you are looking for.

 

A friend of mine knew I was looking for a job in a library, heard about an opening and told me about it. I applied and was hired. Another friend got to know the manager at her bank. The manager liked her and when a position became available, suggested she apply. She has been working at the bank a couple of years now.

 

Take courses and attend seminars related to the work you are interested in. Talk to people you meet there. Ask if they are working in that field and what they can tell you about it. You might find it is not exactly what you expected or wanted--or that you need more training before applying. Join groups or associations. People working in the field often hear about openings before they are advertised, giving you the opportunity to be "in the right place at the right time." They can also give you tips and suggestions to help you succeed in finding the right job.

 

The online social media, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and others work similarly. They are tools  you can use to "get the word out" that you are looking for a job. They also have online groups in various fields. You can join several groups in fields you are interested in, make connections with people online, ask about the work, what to expect, and get tips and suggestions, and hear about job openings. I get emails from LinkedIn and Twitter, suggesting groups for me to join, groups of people with similar interests to mine.

 

Here are some other books you can look at:

 

                        

 

                              
  

Boomers' Kids in a Job Squeeze: What To Do?

In conversation with a friend the other day, I heard that it's been difficult for young people in the 15 - 24 age group to get a job. The Conference Board of Canada indicated that the unemployment rate is around 14%, double of the jobless rate for the workforce as a whole.

Part of the problem is the cyclical weakness in our economy. During the 2008 recession, youth jobless rates crept up to nearly 2.5 times the average. Another factor is that people are working longer. They are in better health than those of the previous (pre-WW) generation and they have more money. Baby boomers, now 47-65 years old, are taking longer than expected to retire. Baby boomers, especially, have lost some money in the recent economic downtown. At the same time, the echo boomers (children of the boomers) have been graduating and entering the workforce in droves, adding to the unemployment rate.

But there is hope yet! Some experts say that this bottleneck will soon ease, perhaps as early as 2015. Fewer people were born in the 1990s, says David Foot, famed demography, economist and author of Boom, Bust and Echo.

     

 

Start Your Own Pleasure Craft/Yachting Business

 

By Ra

(Taken from Yachting, Gallery Maritimo 50SC)

If you are gazing at this picture, the thought of operating your own yachting business is perhaps something you have considered in the past. What is stopping you from setting up your own yachting business?

The whole point about starting your own yachting business is not that you will be chasing the almighty dollar; but, that you might enjoy the life that you have always wanted.

Your business could be either transporting or storing the pleasure craft, be it a sailboat, yacht or powerboat.

If the pleasure craft (boat) is being purchased outside of Canada, Transport Canada has a set of guidelines on Buying a Pleasure Craft from Another Country.

 

Personnel Training, Examination and Certification

Browse through the links below to learn more about:

• Marine courses, training and schools for seafarers: Transport Canada develops and enforces regulations related to training, testing and certifying marine personnel, including seafarers, ship security officers and pleasure craft operators, to ensure the safe operation of all marine vessels in Canada.
• Canadian Yachting Association is Canada's principal pleasure boating organization, offering training programs and assistance with regattas, finding or starting clubs, news and much more.
• A Canadian Yachting Association Certified Pleasure Craft Operator Card Instructor has the best training to teach you all you will need to know about how to pass Transport Canada's test.

 

Books

For books, consult our catalogue using following subject headings.

•  Marine engineering--Vocational guidance.
• Marine engineers--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
• Marine engines--Maintenance and repair--Vocational guidance--Ontario.
• Mechanics (Persons)--Training of--Ontario.

 

Periodicals

Periodicals on yachting are kept at the Toronto Reference Library, Humanities and Social Sciences Department, 2^nd floor. 

• Yachting   Become a member of the magazines blog.
• Canadian Yachting

 

Happy Sailing!

 

How to be as Productive as you can on your Coffee Break

 

Coffee Break?

We all pretty much agree that taking a little break away from work is helpful and actually makes us more productive when we come back to work. We're encouraged to use our break times to disconnect -get our mind off of working. Our breaks are not supposed to be job related i.e., talking about plans for the weekend, speaking to a relative, taking a short walk outside - then you come back to work feeling revitalized - right?  According to an article in the Harvard Business Review (you can read this magazine in the North York Central Library's business Depatrment  by Charlotte Fritz:

     "The only time people showed an increase

in vitality was after they took short breaks to do

 work-related things."

Fritz - an assistant professor in industrial/organizational psychology at Portland University did a series of studies on the way people unwind from work from short breaks to long vacations. The one study she did on short breaks showed that small breaks unrelated to work had no statistical relationship to more energy, sometimes they were even associated with more fatigue. However, breaks which were work related boost energy.

So, according to the study it seems that in the middle of work, you'll do better when you focus on work. This doesn't necessarily mean to work all day without taking a break, here are a few suggestions - I know that I unintentionally do some of these things on my breaks:

• Write a to do list for the day - I know for myself, when I write a to do list between working it also helps me to focus and prioritize my tasks for the rest of the day.
• Praise a colleague -altruism almost always makes you feel better too!
• Try to learn something new related to your field - sometimes, I'll go through some of the magazines in my department - 4th floor Business Department. 
• Set a new personal career/job goal.

So, although I understand the points made in the article I still can't help beleiving that taking your mind off work for a short period of time does revitalize you. Also, I know that going outside and stretching your muscles, unfocusing your eyes from the computer screen gives me an energy boost, especially in the summer.

A great deal of research does show that, the more time you spend in your chair the less productive you may be. Some companies even implement physical activity into workdays by having eliptical machines in front of computer screens, stability balls as chairs, or even complimentary yoga classes at lunch - the company Forbes has a gym on the 9th floor where employees can do a variety of physical activities.

   


Magnetrainer Mini Exercise Bike       Stability Ball as an office chair                 Stretch at your desk

                                                                                                                  (even in heels!)

So all in all, I think I like my coffee breaks and my outdoor breaks, but I do see how doing light things related to work could make you more productive too. What do you think?

- Miss Spencer

Using Library Resources to Find the Job That is Right for You

By Jeffrey

I was teaching a computer class on finding job ads online and encountered a very interesting patron. The class involved learning how to subscribe to job alert notifications on a free database called Job Bank. I was walking around the room, asking our customers if they needed assistance, and I found a customer who looked somewhat puzzled. When I asked if she needed help she appreciatively said she did. Finding the right "keywords" to type into the database can be challenging and I was happy to assist her.

 

When I asked her "what she did," she responded that she was a personal support worker. I then mistakenly proceeded to link what she did as a job to her identity when I said "So, you're a personal support worker." This is something we all do in our interactions, for instance when we ask "what do you do for a living?" people will respond "I am a doctor or teacher or librarian" because what we do for a living shapes who we are. This woman quickly responded that being a support worker was what she did, not who she was. This comment led to some reflection on my part.

 

I believe that "you are what you do" in certain respects. I enjoy being a librarian because it fits my personality: I enjoy helping others, I would choose a book over TV any day and I like challenging myself by finding that golden nugget of information. Of course, I have a life outside of work but I enjoy finding materials for friends and relatives in my spare time in areas like health, business or personal growth information.

 

Library customers looking to return to school to start the path to a new career and foreign trained professionals looking to upgrade should attend Maria A. Shchuka Library's College and University Fair on Wednesday, August 8th from 2:00-4:00 PM. This fair was put together in partnership with North York Community House. The program does not require any signups. For any questions, please call 416-394-1000.

 

Participating institutions will inclide Trios College, Herzig College, Humber College, University of Toronto, York University, and the Learning Enrichment Foundation. 

 

Be sure to check out these classic books that also share the philosophy that your job and your personality can align in some way.