Career and Job Search Help Blog

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. Thats 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, TalentEgg now 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: accounting, aboriginal careers, 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

6:30 - 8:00pm

 

We hope to see you there! Its okay if you don't get a chancce to register and you can drop in as long as there is space available.

 

Upcoming Job Fairs in 2013

Newsflash! Lots of job fairs are appearing on the horizon. Good to see what's out there in the job market.

On February 26, 2013, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., The Mississauga Career Fair & Conference will take place. The brainchild of Sheridan College and TorontoJobs.ca, it is one of the most comprehensive recruitment events in the Greater Toronto Area. Represented are some of the top employers in the GTA and they have 100’s of different job openings. Admission to this job fair is free but you can pay $30 to hear the variety of speakers that they have lined up.

The City Career Expo at Scarborough Town Centre is Ontario’s largest FREE public event showcasing the most sought-after employers, schools and skills training services directly inside one of Canada’s busiest shopping centers. Employers will be represented on March 20 – 21, 2013, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Universities & Colleges will be represented on March 22 – 24, 2013, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. 

HireCanada.ca is also hosting a job fair on March 27, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Mississauga Convention Centre. With many on site Recruiters, free Resume Critiquing, Career Specialists  and Admissions Staff to assist you. FREE admission and open to the general public

Careers in NGOs

By Ra

There's always a lot of talk about the merits of working for a for-profit organization; but, what about non-profits? “A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a not-for-profit, voluntary citizens’ group, which is organized on a local, national or international level to address issues in support of the public good. Task-oriented and made up of people with a common interest, NGOs perform a variety of services and humanitarian functions, bring citizens’ concerns to Governments, monitor policy and program implementation, and encourage participation of civil society stakeholders at the community level.” (Trinity Western University)

If you are interested in working in the non-profit sector – for an NGO or an international organization like UNICEF, have a look at these sites that advertise jobs and provide additional information.

1. NGO Careers: Provides information gleaned from interviews with people currently working in ngo's. Also lists jobsites, internship sites and links to international ngo's.
2. Career in NGOs/Civil Society Organizations: Links to many international and domestic organizations that are seeking either volunteers or full term employmees. Also provides information on the work environment.
3. NGO Recruitment: With two decades' experience in recruiting staff for this sector, this company is a specialist recruitment company. They recruit executive staff for local and international clients.

Books:

   

To further explore our collection of books on NGOs and Nonprofit sector, use our catalogue. 

CultureLink Free 5-Day Job Search Workshop for Newcomers, Fall 2012

There are two upcoming 5-day job search workshops, one in October and another in November 2012.

A career counselor will help newcomers who are Permanent Residents, Convention Refugees, or Live-In Caregivers with developing a professional resume, cover letters, job interview techniques, how to market your skills effectively, Canadian labour market information, networking/hidden job market, understanding work place culture, and other job search tools.

When: October 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26, 2012

           November 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30, 2012

Where: North York Central Library, Room 2/3

Time: 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Call 416-395-5613 to register

Looking for Job Postings? What websites should I check?

There are a lot of job postings out there, but where do you find them?

Here are a few suggestions for you to investigate:

eluta.ca - The Search Engine for New Jobs in Canada

bajobs.ca - for Business Analysts - and you can select links to other types of jobs, such as retail, tech jobs, accounting, and many more.

careerwomen.com - you can narrow the search by location, full-time, part-time

Work Directory - you can narrow the search by location and choose from numerous job categories, ranging from accounting to construction to entertainment to medical to telemarketing, and many, many more.

poss.ca - you have to register for an account (free), login, and click on "Job Boards" - you will find a list of career fields ranging from Arts & Design to Business to Customer Service  to Science & Technical to Skilled Trades, and more.

Working in Canada - you can go directly to job postings, or you can check out wages and job outlook for various occupations first.

            

CultureLink Free 5-day Job Search Workshop for Newcomers

A career counselor from CultureLink will help newcomers who are Permanent Residents, Convention Refugees, or Live-In Caregivers with developing a professional resume, cover letters, job interview techniques, how to market your skills effectively, Canadian labour market information, networking/hidden job market, understanding work place culture, and other job search tools.

When: June 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, 2012

Where: North York Central Library, Room 2/3

Time: 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Call 416-395-5613 to register.

Job Interviews--What will they ask? What should I answer?

Your resume was great and now you have the interview. What questions will they ask? What questions CAN they ask? Is that a LEGAL question? You ask yourself, "How do I prepare? How should I answer? What should I wear?"

Research the company. Find out as much as you can about it. Speak to people already working in the same field. You already did some of this when first applying for the job. The more you know, the better prepared you are.

First impressions can make or break an interview.

I heard of someone going for interview after interview and not getting the job. She couldn't understand why. She was well-prepared, had a good resume, and was "dressed for success"--or so she thought. Finally she asked someone in the same field if they could find out what she was doing wrong. It turns out she was a member of a mystery book club and wore the club pin, a skull and cross-bones, to her interviews to show her interest in books and reading. She thought it would HELP her get the job. The interviewers saw the skull and cross-bones and thought, "Hmmmm. I don't think I want this person working for us." They didn't know about that book club!

The pin might have helped her for a different job--something to do with Halloween, buccaneers, pirates, mysteries, or horror shows. It even might have helped in these interviews if she had mentioned the pin and what it stood for! Make your first impressions count--but in the right way.

The library has books, ebooks, DVDs, and recommended websites that can help you prepare for your interview. On the Toronto Public Library home-page, check out Find Your Way to Job & Career Help and click on Market Yourself. There you will find some of our newest books and helpful links such as the Guide to Interviewing Resources, from Quintessential Careers, and The Interview Game: Illegal Questions, from Career Link.

For more titles in our catalogue, you can search subjects such as Employment interviewing and Employee selection. You can narrow the search down by applying a date-range or other limiters. Some of the titles you get may be about questions the employer should ask. You can take a look at these as well, to get an idea of the answers the interviewer might be looking for.

Don't forget to practice! Get a friend to role play with you and practice being interviewed. Film it if you can. You can--then you can see how you're doing.

Here are some books you can take a look at:

                              

 

Apprenticeships - Earn as You Learn!

An apprenticeship is an agreement between a person who wants to learn a skill and an employer who needs a skilled worker. For the majority of apprenticeships you receive most of your training on the job from other more experienced workers - actually according to Employment Ontario 90% of most apprenticeship training is provided in the workplace. However, you also are required to complete some classroom instruction at an educational institution for a theoretical foundation.  One important thing to know is that there are two categories of trades; for some you must get a Certificate of Qualification- meaning that you must pass a provincial exam to prove you are indeed skilled in your trade, and the others certification is voluntary. The education component of apprenticeships prepares you for certification.

If you are the type of person who enjoys working with your hands, you feel like you couldn't see yourself sitting in an office, or you prefer to learn by "doing" rather than listening then maybe an apprenticeship is for you. Actually, my partner is one of these people - he has a knack for fixing things, problem solving, hates to sit still and is a mechanic. When he graduated from high school he started working right away in at an auto-shop and did one three month term a year in school. Eventually, he went on to work as a truck mechanic and even went up to Yellowknife to work on the famous and dangerous Ice Roads - in Yellowknife the salaries tend to be higher.  One good think about careers in the trades is that you are eligible to work in many provinces across Canada. Actually, there is something called the Red Seal Endorsement, which permits skilled workers of elgible trades to work anywhere in Canada.

There is a high demand for skilled workers in the current industry. Industries need to stay up to date with technology which is changing at a rapid rate in order to keep up with the global economy. According to the Ontario Business Report by 2020 Ontario will face a shortage of 190,000 skilled workers due to retiring baby boomers. So, right now the province is really trying to attract people to skilled trades. You can apply for a $1,000/year tax dedcutible apprenticeship incentive grant which will help to pay for books, transportation, tutition, tools etc.

There are over 150 trades to choose from ranging from steamfitters, cabinetmakers, arborists, hairstylists, automotive painers and many more. The trades are divided into four categories:

1. Construction
2. Service
3. Industrial
4. Motor Power

There are so many different paths you can choose when you graduate from highschool; university, college, or even working right away. When you're doing an apprenticeship you are a worker, so you earn as you learn.

Below are some helpful links:

Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

George Brown College Apprenticeships

Youth Canada - Apprenticeship programs

Canadian Apprenticeship trades

 

 

 

Searching for a job, try a "Job Search @ Your Fingertips" workshop

Are you looking for a job, and need some more resources for your search? The library is a good place to start. Every month North York Cental Library has a workshops called Job Search @ Your Fingertips usually on a Thursday afternoon from 2:00 - 3:30. Registration is required, you can register in the business department on the 4th floor of North York Central Library or call 416-395-5613. In these workshops online career resources are discussed, using the library website. Career related databases are also explored, such as:

 

Business Writing 

Core skills for business writing including letters, reports, emails, etc. This is a good resource for assisting with grammar especially for resumes and cover letters. This database is available anywhere with a library card.

 

Scott's Business Directories Online

Canadian company information by product, type, location, exports, demographics, contact information. This database allows you to search for companies across Canada by geographic region and many career categories. The database provides company information such as: executive names and email addresses, company websites, yearly estimated sales, company size etc. You can find companies to contact in your field for employment. This database is available anywhere with a library card.

 

Canada Employment Weekly

Canada's Largest Career Newspaper which lists full time occupation for thousands of jobs for over 80 occupations every week. Online access is available only at North York Central and Toronto Reference Library - you can ask library staff to help you.

 

 

Other libraries have many other Career & Job search related programs such as:

Resumes and Cover Letters that get Results,

Access the 80-90% of Hidden Market Jobs 

Ontario Works Information Session.

 

Click the link for other Career & Job Search programs at a branch near you.

 

Do You Want to Make a Career Change?

By: Jean

Are you unhappy with your current work situation? Or were you laid off during
the recent economic downturn? Perhaps you have been raising your family and
want to re-enter the workforce after a few years at home. Or perhaps you would just like to
find a better paying job.

It is estimated that people will change careers several times during their working
lives. As the population ages, and there are less younger workers available, the number
of years people can expect to work is increasing. We may well be contemplating a career
change in our 60's or 70's!

Making a career change can be scary, especially if you are over 40. Luckily, there are many
good resources to help you through the transition. The Toronto Public Library has books on

• assessing your interests, values and skills
• identifying and researching new careers
• how to develop new skills
• researching the hidden job market
• creating targeted resumes
• mastering the interview process
• developing internet and computer proficiencies

Have a look at these books!

       


Also, check out these websites:

Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
Service Canada
Job Bank
Working In Canada
How To Find a Job