by Dale Sproule

You’ll get much more done and get a better job faster if you plan out the best way to use your time before you sit down in front of the computer. Someone who is unprepared to job search, can waste a great deal of time and find themselves looking at YouTube or playing games rather than looking for work. That’s not you – right?

One of the big advantages of going to an employment resource centre (ERC) rather than using a home computer is that you are less likely to get involved in non-work-related distractions. Not only are their resources free, they usually have job postings and links to job sites that you otherwise wouldn’t know about.

Some things you should do to prepare for your day of job hunting:

Make a list of your objectives before you start. If you usually manage to apply for two jobs, aim for three – or better yet, five! But don’t aim too high. If you set your goal at nine and only manage five, you won’t feel like you reached your goal. And it is important to feel satisfied with your progress. And remember that the number of applications you make is less important than the quality. One well-targeted application for a job you have a good chance of getting is better than 10 random applications for high paying “pie-in-the-sky” jobs listed on the web that may receive thousands of applicants.

Wherever, whenever and however you’re job hunting, you should always bring:

• Presentable hard copy versions of your résumé as well as a copy of your basic résumé burned to cd
• A cover letter template burned to cd. (This is a version of your cover letter that you can easily adapt to apply for different jobs)
• A complete list of personal references, both on cd and hardcopy, with complete contact information including the name of the contact, their workplace and job title, street addresses, e-mail addresses and phone numbers.

Creating a Good Résumé When You Have No or Little Experience

A good first résumé can be very difficult to write, and embarrassing to give to a potential employer when you have little faith in it. Here are some guidelines to creating an impressive “starter résumé”.

• Use a functional resume format, which emphasizes your skills and accomplishments rather than the job titles and employment dates that are more focused on in a chronological résumé format.
• Use a common, easy-to-read font. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman and Garamond are examples of standard fonts. By using them, you will be able to print from most computers.
• Don’t use coloured or scented paper. Plain white bond paper (20 lb) is inexpensive and very acceptable.
• Make sure your contact information is current and accurate. Use your home phone number plus an alternative number (usually a cell phone number) and e-mail address if available. If you have a funny or unusual e-mail address like This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , then it would be a good idea to create a new, more serious e-mail address for your job search – using some version of your real name.
  
• Keep the résumé short (a page or less). Employers do not expect or want more from young workers.
  
• You can start off the body of your résumé with an “Objective” section, telling potential employers what kind of job you are looking for and explaining why you would be good for that type of job.
  
• If you don’t have any real “Work Experience”, do not make things up. Honesty is an important and valued trait. Use volunteer or community experience. You can even list odd jobs like babysitting and yard work and back these up with letters of reference from your past “employers”.
  
• Under “Education”, you should mention your highest grade achieved. Mention any marks or awards that you are proud of. Pay special attention to courses that might be useful in the job you are applying for.
  
• Under “Special Skills”, list software, talents appropriate to the job, people skills or even winning personality traits that you possess.

One common mistake made by young job hunters is underestimating the skills and abilities that you bring to the workplace. If you were in a club or involved in any extracurricular activities in high school, or recruited friends or other students to join the club, then you have demonstrated dedication and human relations skills. If you were involved in putting on an event, from a bake sale to a dance to a video game tournament, then you probably had to use or develop administrative and organizational skills. Any activity you were involved in probably added something useful to your “skill set”. And even if you never got involved in extracurricular activities, you should think of other things you have done. Whether it’s getting a drivers license, being on a team (learning to work with others and be a contributing team member) or writing for the school newspaper literacy skills) – you have skills. The trick is in recognizing them, thinking about them in terms of how they might help in a future job and using them to help you get into the workforce.

Sandy Cabral, a Job Search Workshop facilitator at the Welcome Centre in Vaughn recommends checking out the list of employability skills here.

This list can help you identify transferrable skills that are essential in the workplace so that you can include them in your résumé.

Networking Tips for Young Job Seekers

Many job search books and websites stress the value of networking. But what kind of network can you have when you’re young and inexperienced?

• Your parents can keep an eye open for you. If you have older brothers, sisters or cousins, there may be a chance that they would recommend you for jobs that they’re leaving behind as they go off to university or move on to more career oriented jobs.
  
• Your parent’s friends may be in positions of authority. Even if they are not personally involved in the hiring process, you can approach them through your parents and ask them to keep an eye open for appropriate opportunities.
  
• Friends with jobs may know about opportunities where they’re working.
  
• Teachers who were impressed by your performance in the classroom may not know about job openings, but many are willing to be references. Use them.

Volunteer coordinators can be very valuable. If you impress them enough while putting in your volunteer hours, they will do things like write you reference letters, agree to be references and maybe even tell you about opportunities they encounter.

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