Back to the Basics ....
Recently at a staff meeting we
discussed the progress of participants in our 3 day workshop for youth aiming
to obtain placements with the help of the Ontario Governments new Youth
Employment Fund. During the 3 day workshop, participants gain a variety of
skills, but the focus is on confidence building so that they can TALK to
employers about their skills and interest in working. I was taken aback when a
staff member working with employers stated “We don’t need the resumes!”.
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in
perfecting our resume that we forget how important it is to be able to verbally
present our skills and passion to employers. We talk about how important
networking is and how effective hidden job market strategies, like cold calling
are, but job searching without a resume seems foreign to us. It’s easy to
forget the basics and fall into the pattern of thought that says no longer can
we walk into a business and get a job ‘the old fashioned way’, by simply
talking to the employer.
Effective job searching includes
using different strategies. Spend some job search time rehearsing your ‘pitch’
for an employer you’d really like to work for, focusing on why you’d like to
work there and how you could benefit the company. Have a personal business card
to hand out so that you can leave your contact information and give it a shot!
A counsellor would be happy to
help you develop your ‘pitch’, hit the pavement and be ready to wow some employers!
No comments:
Post a Comment