Employment Services Blog

It's a hard thing to realize that you aren’t happy at your job anymore, but how do you search for a new career while working full-time? Here are a few tips from our Employment Advisors for how to job search on the down-low to better your career situation while still being respectful to your current employer.

“Tell me about yourself” is often one of the most common questions that employers will ask either during an interview, or even in the walk from the lobby to wherever the interview is being held. There’s no exact formula for how to answer this question, but there are a few key pieces that most employers would want you to summarize.

There are many possible reasons for you to have to take some time away from work, which then leads to a gap in your resume. You could have had an extended illness, a permanent disability that required some time off, you could have needed to take mental health leave, or time off to take care of a sick parent or child.

The first step to riding a bike isn’t doing a marathon. You have to first learn with training wheels, gain the skills and confidence to take them off and soon you’ll be able to do it easily on your own. The same goes for job interviews. You may have great communication skills and a very personable demeanor, but practice will always help you perfect the delivery of your message to employers at an interview.

There is no magical formula to follow when it comes to application follow-ups. Questions like “how long should I wait before following up?”, “should I email or call?”, “how many times can I follow up before appearing rude or desperate?” and “should my follow up be after the application or after the interview?” don’t have definitive answers that work for every employer.

Your cover letter plays an important role in building a first impression of who you are as a person and a worker to your potential employer. So, it is important to do everything you can to capture and keep their attention.

If you are job searching, consider the trades and multiple apprenticeship opportunities. You might just find a rewarding career in a field that you love.

What’s in a job description?

Clues that will help you get the interview, and maybe even the job. Carefully reading the description of the job for each posting that you plan on applying to is important. So is aligning your cover letter and even your resume to each posting.

As a job seeker, promoting yourself and your personal brand is your temporary business. Business cards can be an important and valuable tool not only for building a business, but also for growing your personal brand. Here are a few tips to help your brand get recognized or shared with others to aid in your career progression.

If you talk to anyone in the real estate business, they will tell you that location matters. The same thing applies to your resume, and how you order your relevant information and experience. There’s no “one-size-fits-all” template for resumes. In fact, we highly discourage templates as these are typically obvious to employers and most times don’t project a highly positive impression.