Though both skills are equally important to an employer, if you lack certain hard skills, you likely won’t land the job. Here’s what you need to know about hard skills, and how you can acquire more.

What are Hard Skills? Definition & Meaning

Hard skills are the specialized, technical skills you need to succeed in a role or industry. They can be learned in a class or on the job, but unlike soft skills, hard skills are objectively measurable (meaning you either have the skills or you don’t!).

Employers require applicants to possess specific hard skills to be considered for the role. These are usually listed in the “required skills” or similar section of a job posting. And though many hard skills are transferable skills, not all are.

Examples of Hard Skills for Your Resume

Here are some examples of common hard skills employers look for:

• Computer skills: coding, but also Google Suite or Microsoft Office, pivot tables, Adobe Suite
• Analytical skills: analytics, data mining, data visualization
• Marketing: SEO, email marketing, social media, A/B testing
• Management: supervising others, but also project management, office management, scrum, or agile
• Writing: translation, transcription, press releases, copywriting, editing, scriptwriting

Why Hard Skills Are Important

Hard skills matter to employers because it shows that you have the experience and ability to get the job done. More importantly, possessing specific hard skills lets the employer know you can hit the ground running when they hire you.

However, hard skills are also crucial in helping the employer understand what you can do for the company, allowing you to stand out from other applicants. For example, if you’re a designer that also understands how to conduct A/B tests or how SEO impacts design, the employer will see that you have a diverse skill set that can contribute to the company’s overall success.

How to Obtain Hard Skills

If you find you’re lacking the hard skills you need to land a job, or you just want to add to your career toolbelt, there are many ways to obtain additional hard skills.

Take Some Classes

Going back to school is one way to increase your hard skill set. While you can return to school for a degree, it’s not always necessary.

You can attend a certification course or even a single class. And these days, many courses are online, allowing you to learn at your own pace.

Volunteer

Volunteering can be a great way to develop your hard skills. For example, running the social media accounts for a local animal shelter can help you improve your social media, copywriting, and data analysis skills.

Find a Mentor

A mentor can help you learn the hard skills you need for a job without going back to school. It’s like having a private tutor that knows the ins and outs of your business. And connecting with a mentor in your field can help you better understand which hard skills are most relevant for career success.

Practice

Practice makes perfect! So, as you’re learning new hard skills, make sure you’re practicing them too. If you want to learn how to repair computers, hit the secondhand store, buy some old equipment, then spread it out in your basement, garage, or kitchen floor.

Likewise, if you’re taking a class, go beyond the homework. Start a blog and analyze the data, code a website, or help a local business with its marketing efforts.

Hard Skills Make a Difference

While you don’t need to possess every hard skill listed in a job posting, it is crucial that you have many of them, particularly the ones most relevant to the role. But if you lack the hard skills required for your dream role, some informal or formal education and practice can help you develop the hard skills you need for career success.

Looking for more skills to make your resume stand out? Read Best Skills to Put On Your Resume (Examples).

The post What Are Hard Skills? appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Because resumes are meant to be a concise rendition of your experience and qualifications, choosing the best words to show leadership skills is crucial. Selecting the most powerful words to describe your experience can make a huge impact for a potential employer.

Using an article from The Muse as inspiration, we came up with this list of 24 words and phrases to include on your resume to show leadership and punch up your resume.

Innovative

Using words that show that you’re an out-of-the-box thinker who can offer creative solutions to challenges is important to note on a resume.

Many employers are interested in finding candidates who can think on their feet and pursue innovative ideas. Use these words and phrases if you want to convey that you’re innovative:

• Groundbreaking
• Inventive
• Original
• State-of-the-art

Budget-Savvy

Not all, but many leadership positions require someone who can balance a budget and adhere to strict budgetary guidelines.

If you’re applying for a position that requires financial acumen, here are some impactful words and phrases to use if you want to convey that you’re budget-savvy:

• Cost-cutting measures
• Cost-effective
• Economical
• Practical

Leader

Being a strong leader is important in many industries and roles. Showing how you’ve reflected leadership in previous positions is important to communicate through your resume.

Words to use if you want to convey that you’re a leader:

• Mentor
• Motivate
• Direct
• Pioneer

Changemaker

Sometimes being a good manager means that you’ve forged change in your workplace. Reflecting these accomplishments on your resume can be a good way to garner the desired attention needed to land an interview.

Words to use if you want to convey that you’ve created change:

• Convert
• Customize
• Integrate
• Redesign

Relational

So many high-level positions require engaging in positive client relations and maintaining important relationships.

If you’re seeking a position that requires client communications or management, consider using these words to convey that you’re effective with clients:

• Resolve
• Partner
• Advocate
• Inform

Communicator

Being an effective communicator is critical in many positions, whether you’re communicating with clients, employees, or management.

Show that you have polished communication skills on your resume through the word choices you make. Words to use if you want to convey leadership as a good communicator:

• Convey
• Define
• Illustrate
• Persuade
  

More: Leadership Interview Questions and Example Answers

Finding a Flexible Leadership Role

To land an upper-level position, consider the following resume tips:

• In addition to your title in previous roles, include the number of employees or accounts that you managed during that time on your resume. Also, be sure to illustrate any major milestones you’ve achieved to give the potential employer more “meat” for evaluating you as a candidate.

• Not only should you use powerful word choices like the examples above, but you should consider providing examples of your leadership experience in other areas of your life. Add information about your volunteerism, civic engagement, and social activities that can help illuminate your leadership skills.

• Any accomplishment that you can assign a number to will be useful on your resume. Quantify how much you saved as a leader in a former position or how you managed the budget and that can speak volumes to a potential employer.

Written by: Christine Bernier Lienke

The post 24 Words to Show Leadership on a Resume appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Yet, if job seekers or workers get caught lying about their professional credentials, it can result in serious consequences, including being fired from a job or not hired for an opportunity.

Survey Says

The 2019 research findings from Blind were based on responses from more than 10,000 people from 17 different companies. The survey focused on workers in the technology industry and resulted in over 1,000 respondents from various tech firms, including Amazon, Facebook, Uber, Google, and Microsoft, stating that the following statement was true:

I have embellished or lied on my LinkedIn or resume/CV to help land another job.

SAP, Amazon, Cisco, and PayPal topped the list of companies that had the most employees who admitted to this type of career-related lying (at 12.5%, 11.57%, and 10.78% of employees, respectively). Salesforce had the fewest employees who said that they lied on their resume or LinkedIn, at just 2.83%.

Why Job Applicants Lie

According to Blind, when people lie on their resume, it’s often related to their age, academic degrees, technical abilities, or even their criminal records. Interview situations seem to generate a different set of lies about the job candidate’s references, previous salaries, and full work history.

This isn’t the first study that has documented a percentage of the job search population as lying—and it isn’t just a tech industry phenomenon. In 2017, HireRight published an employment screening benchmark report that found a surprising 85% of employers caught job applicants in the act of lying on their job applications or resumes—an increase from 66% in the five years prior.

In an article from Inc. magazine, J.T. O’Donnell speculated on reasons why job seekers might feel compelled to lie even during times when unemployment rates are low, noting that applicant tracking systems—in which applicants must enter their details in a very specific format on the company’s website—may be part of what’s behind the increasing trend. “Job seekers have gotten wise to the finicky nature of the technology and are lying on their resumes and applications in hopes of making the cut,” O’Donnell wrote.

Why Lying on Your Resume Isn’t Wise

Regardless of how compelling your reason might be to stretch the truth during the application process, it’s not wise to fib to a potential employer about your background and/or credentials. While you may think that you’re getting away with your story in the short-term, employers have multiple ways at getting at the truth, which include (as O’Donnell points out):

• Online background checks, which employers can purchase to confirm everything from past employers for whom you’ve worked to your salary history and criminal records. Many employers require a background check during the hiring process.
• Calling people not on your reference list. While most employers will request that you provide a list of professional and/or personal references to validate your performance and character, not all recruiters or managers will stick to your list. As O’Donnell explains: “Some recruiters research and secretly contact ex-colleagues of a candidate to inquire about his or her performance. Their goal is to speak to someone NOT recommended to them by the candidate, since most references have been coached to say only good things.”
• Interview grilling. Using interview techniques such as behavioral interviewing, hiring teams may try to throw you off by drilling down into questions that require extensive detail of past experiences to answer. If you falter or can’t justify the claimed experiences with concrete examples, then the gig is up.

Be Honest, Be Professional

As you can see, lying during the hiring process is a risky business. If you’re caught in the act, it goes without saying that you won’t get the job that you want. Worse yet, your failure to tell the truth could affect your professional credibility with other employers and recruiters as well, since they may network and share their experiences.

So, instead of making something up on your resume, job application, LinkedIn profile, or during an interview, just do the right thing: come clean about your work history and background to have the best chance of getting that offer.

Written by Robin Madell

The post Are You Lying on Your Resume? Here’s Why It’s Risky appeared first on Job-Hunt.

To Fortune 500 employers, talent sourcing and retention is “the name of the job search game.” So, if you’re considering mining for a new job or career in this tough territory, think special talent marketing and not just job qualifications.

You can expect hundreds of job seekers will be vying for the same executive positions that you are after. You can imagine that your most intimidating competitor is someone who has developed an enticing personal brand and a no-nonsense job search arsenal.

Consequently, you must raise your job search tactics and beat your competition in the trenches. Get it? Ready? Great!

Here are 5 weapons/tools and tips you will need to get started…

1. A list of Fortune 500 companies:

Compile your top choices based on your value offer and career trajectory. Then, plot how to make a connection with a hiring authority (research, network, recommendations, and more research).

2.  Network, network, network:

Social networking is one important channel. If you haven’t already, set up your LinkedIn and Twitter accounts, right away.

LinkedIn:
Many Fortune 500 recruiters use LinkedIn to find talent. Of all the ways my clients tap into the hidden job market, LinkedIn seems to be the most effective way online. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is set up so that your headline includes your target job title, years of experience, and a tag line that offers value (makes a promise.)

Twitter:
Follow Fortune 500 companies. Use the Twitter “find friends” search, or check Job-Hunt’s list of employers recruiting directly on Twitter A good place to start up, Job-Hunt’s list of employers who recruit using JobHuntOrg/employers-recruiting.

Offline:
Tapping into the hidden job market is not as impossible as it may seem. Yes, it is work but it is work that will pay off! Click on over to Job-hunt.org’s article on how to tap into the hidden job market.

3.  Leadership/Networking Resume:

You will need two resumes for your Fortune 500 Job search. One resume version will be a one page snapshot of the most vital information such as employment and select achievements, which will serve you best for networking purposes.

You will also need a branded, full-blown resume which can be 2 or 3 pages and sometimes may even include an addendum which could chronicle your credentials, public speaking appearances, authored articles, etc. This second more elaborate resume will be best received by someone who has shown interest in learning more about you as a job candidacy.

Be sure to customize both versions of your resume for each of these employer whenever you submit it to anyone at that employer.

4.  Networking card:

These are simple to make. Your name, contact information, target job title and industry, and links to your online profile or resume. Better yet—why not add a QR code (Technology!) which takes someone to your online profile, a webpage with your contact information on it, or…

5.  Network pitch:

Clearly and concisely articulating your experience and value offer in any situation is critical. With some defining and refining, I am sure your message will be transparent and magnetic. Read more in Job-Hunt’s Guide to Job Search Networking.

Bottom Line

Great! You have your weapons ready. Now you are ready to begin mapping out your Fortune 500 Job search. Good luck!

About the author…

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas, Job-Hunt’s Fortune 500 Job Search Expert, is owner of and principle writer for CareerSteering.com. Rosa is also quadruple-certified writer, holding the Master Resume Writer certification (a certification held by only 26 other resume writers, world-wide), Certified Expert Resume Writer, Academy Certified Resume Writer, and Nationally Certified Resume Writer. You can follow Rosa on Twitter at @ResumeService and connect with her on LinkedIn and Facebook/CareerMarketing.

The post Build Your Fortune 500 Job Search Arsenal appeared first on Job-Hunt.

If you are an “old-timer,” you will probably be resistant to the idea of integrating social networking into your job search campaign.

If you are a “youngling,” you are probably using social media but are not too sure how to leverage it in your job search.

Whoever you are, whatever your age, and whatever you do, know that strategically sculpting your digital image is an advantageous job search effort.

Fortune 500 employers and recruiters will search your name online (even if merely out of curiosity).

By developing a positive online presence, you will influence employers’ perception of who you are! Therefore, adopting a proactive approach and governing your online image will net you the desired vantage point during an interview.

Some Tips and Cautions:

1. Before you jump online, prepare off-line:

What is it you desire to convey or reinforce online? Gain clarity on this matter because if your job target is unfocused, your online branding will be confusing to employers.

Focus your online content because fortune 500 employers don’t just search for qualified job seekers who can fulfill any job. Fortune 500 employers are discerning and selective and desire to hire the best person for that particular role they need to fill.

Perform the following analysis before you “relocate” to the digital world:

• Determine the job titles that most interest you.
• Check for the keywords you consistently see throughout the job ads for the jobs you want.
• Research the companies you desire to work for; the company culture and the kind of employees they desire. Then use this information to focus your online writing (content development).

2. Use effective online venues:

Begin with LinkedIn:

According to most current research, LinkedIn is leading the way in social networking mediums that recruiters and employers use to source candidates.

In my own experience as a job search expert, I have witnessed success in landing coveted job interviews through networking opportunities via LinkedIn. I have also interviewed recruiters who have reinforced LinkedIn as their “go-to” source of good job candidates.

3. Ensure effective online profiles:

Keep your resume “in synch” with your Profiles:

Keep your profiles fresh and “in synch” with your offline job search documents, like your resume. Employers often “verify” the information on a resume submitted for a job opportunity with what they see in public profiles, like LinkedIn and Google. They assume that few people will inlude falsehoods in their profiles since the people who know the truth about their experience will see the misrepresentation in the profile.

Fortune 500 employers are very aware that people often “exaggerate” what is included on a resume, so they check profiles to verify what is on the resume. Make sure your profiles and your resume agree on the facts, timing, accomplishments, etc.

Don’t simply repurpose your resume:

Select portions of your offline/printed resume to include in your profiles, and reword them in a more social manner for your online profiles, keeping your list of keywords in mind (see Step 1). This strategic step of not placing your resume entirely as is online will ensure the recruiter need to contact you to gain more information, creating a need for further contact and perhaps a real conversation.

Be sure to make contacting you easy by including your phone number and email address in your online profiles.

Bottom Line

After you have taken the above steps, you have begun to shape your online image so that Fortune 500 employers understand you are the right fit for their company. Read the Fortune 500 Gatekeeper Interview article to understand more about what Fortune 500 recruiters are seeking from you.

About the author…

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas, Job-Hunt’s Fortune 500 Job Search Expert, is owner of and principle writer for CareerSteering.com. Rosa is also quadruple-certified writer, holding the Master Resume Writer certification (a certification held by only 26 other resume writers, world-wide), Certified Expert Resume Writer, Academy Certified Resume Writer, and Nationally Certified Resume Writer. You can follow Rosa on Twitter at @ResumeService and connect with her on LinkedIn and Facebook/CareerMarketing.

The post Shaping Your Online Presence for a Fortune 500 Employer appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Because of all that searching, monitoring your online reputation via Defensive Googling is not optional today!

Being inappropriately visible in search results can be very damaging to your job search, your career, and even your social life.

Employers are recruiters are not the only ones researching job candidates.

What do you do when you are considering working with someone or meeting them socially? You Google them! People research those they have met — or are meeting — for business or socially.

Employers and Recruiters Research Job Candidates

Making a “bad hire” can be career suicide for the recruiter, HR, and the hiring manager, so they research candidates they are considering to learn as much as they can.

Even when you are employed, your employer may also Google you and other employees. Having an employee post something nasty in social media can be embarrassing and cause the employer to lose business or be publicly humiliated, which they want to avoid.

A 2018 CareerBuilder survey revealed that:

• 47% of employers have rejected applicants because they could not find any online visibility associated with the applicant’s name.
• 48% of employers Google their current employees (10% do it daily).
• 70% of employers research job applicants via social networks.

However, only 30% of job seekers worry about their online reputations. BIG MISTAKE!

You must know who and what is found when your name is Googled (or Binged, etc.)

The actions of someone else – who has the same name you have – could be sabotaging your job search.

Recruiters who Google the name you put on their application or in your resume will be unaware that the “bad” person Google showed them is not you. Result: opportunity lost! Perhaps, many opportunities…

Mistaken Online Identity Is a Major Issue – Defensive Googling Is the Solution

Since the best defense is a good offense, find out what is available online related to your name. If you don’t know about a problem, you won’t be able to address it. When you do know that someone else has the same name, you can differentiate yourself from the individual(s) with the problem.

You need to use one version of your name consistently for your job search and career. I call that your computer “screen name.” Your name is one of the most important keywords for your job search — critical for your personal online reputation management and personal SEO.

[MORE: Your Most Important Keywords.]

  1. Search Google (and Bing and DuckDuckGo) for the name(s) you have been using in your resumes, job applications, and other job search documents.  

You need to know if someone who has the same name you have is causing you a problem in your job search to avoid using that version of your name.

To search –

Type the name you usually use on your resume into a Google (or Bing) search bar with quotation marks around it, like this:

“Robert Smith”

Enclosing your name within quotation marks tells Google and Bing that you want those words in a phrase, side-by-side. Otherwise, the search engines will show you results where those two words appear anywhere on the same web page, regardless of how far apart or unrelated in context.

If you typically include your middle initial, middle name, or some other configuration, search for that version of your name, too.

NOTE: Use an “Incognito” or “Private” version of the browser for the best results because it ignores all of your previous search history, showing you what most people see when they do the search. If you are using Chrome as your browser, click on the 3 dots in the top right side of the browser and choose “New incognito window.” Then, type your search into the search bar as usual. All browsers offer you this ability.

[MORE: Case Study: How One Guy Named Bob Almost Ruined Another Bob’s Job Search.]

  2. Carefully study the first two to five pages of search results.  

Look for anything negative that an employer would see associated with your name (even if it is NOT about you).

This could include photos and videos as well as standard web pages, blog posts, comments on blog posts, news items, public records (like court dockets), and other information readily available online.

If you find something inappropriate associated with your name – something that would make an employer put your resume in the “reject” pile rather than the “possible” pile – you have a potential problem.

The problem could be someone with your name who has been arrested for drunk driving, posted inappropriate photos of themselves in social media, been accused of being a tax cheat, contributed racist, sexist, or other nasty “*ist” comments on blogs, or hundreds of other things.

If that entry is on the 8th page, and moving down toward the 9th, it may not be a big issue. But if it is on the first page or the second page, pay close attention. Monitor that entry. You need to find a version of your name without something bad associated with it.

  3. Continue to search using different variations of your name until you find a “undamaged” version or a version that is undamaged in your location.  

A clean version of your name does not have anything negative – from anyone – associated with it, but it is still your real name. Check all the versions of your name you can think of – with your middle name or middle initial, etc.

My favorite example of smart name usage is the famous actor, James Earl Jones. There are probably very many people named “Jim Jones” in the world, and one is definitely infamous. But James Earl Jones is distinctive!

He could have called himself “JJ,” “Jim Jones,” “Jimmy Jones,” “James Jones,” or even ”James E. Jones.” But there is no confusing him with anyone else now. He claimed a clean version of his name, and made it famous.

  4. Claim that version of your name with LinkedIn.  

The best place to take ownership of your name is LinkedIn. Recruiters use LinkedIn relentlessly and consistently, making it the perfect place to grab your professional name.

If you must, add (or remove) a middle name or middle initial. A woman can add her maiden or married name. You can also add other identifiers to make your name unique, like a college degree or professional certification.

You are not changing your “legal name” — you are only changing the professional identity you make visible online.

  5. Consistently use that version of your name for your job search, work, and career.  

Use that professional version of your name, and use it consistently for your job search.

This will enable recruiters and others to connect your job search, career, and business documents to your LinkedIn Profile.

• Resume
• Cover Letters
• Email address
• Email signature
• Business/networking cards
• Job applications
• Meeting badges and name tags
• Online professional visibility (LinkedIn, professional associations, etc.)
• Anything else related to your job search or career

Keep everything “in sync” particularly in relation to your LinkedIn Profile.

  6. Set up a Google Alert on all versions of your name, including the “clean” version.  

Keep track of what is happening to your clean name in case someone else using that name does something that makes it unusable.

Google Alerts are free and will notify you when something new associated with the name appears in Google search results.

[MORE: Setting Up Google Alerts and 5 Ways to Use Google Alerts for Your Job Search.]

  7. Use a different name or identity for other online activities.  

If you like to argue online about politics, religion, sports, or some other controversial topic publicly on the Internet (Facebook, NOT LinkedIn), separate the professional you from the you who gets into unprofessional online disagreements by using another name.

Separate your professional identity from your private life to keep your professional reputation as clean as possible. Use a different version of your name, and use a different email address as well when you rant about politics, sports, or religion.

Online Reputation Management Is the New Reality

With those 100 million name searches a day on Google, this is NOT “vanity Googling” or “ego surfing.” This is “defensive Googling” – enlightened 21st century self-defense!

Defensive Googling is just the beginning of an online reputation management program, and it should not be suspended when the job seeker has found a new job. Mistaken online identity is a permanent risk for all of us, unless we have particularly unique names.

The Bottom Line

Being appropriately visible today is a requirement for most careers. Invisibility kills opportunities. So, be appropriately visible and be sure that when someone looks for you, they find the real you. Do not be a victim of mistaken online identity when someone who shares your name misbehaves publicly. Know what is going on for you!

More about Online Reputation Management:

• Guide to Online Reputation Management
• Finding the Best Version of Your Name for Your Job Search
• How Name Confusion Can Make Your Job Search More Difficult
• Your Most Important Keywords
• Guide to Personal SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• 5 Ways You Look Out of Date in Your Job Search
• Microsoft Privacy Study

About the author…

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a recent Visiting Scholar at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. Since 1998, Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt.org. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg and on Facebook, LinkedIn.
More about this author…

The post Guide to Defensive Googling appeared first on Job-Hunt.

A researcher for a US television station was recently looking for an American who couldn’t find work in the U.S. and decided to look abroad – particularly Ontario, Canada. Specifics of the request were:

“The person could have been unemployed or unable to keep a full time permanent job in the U.S. or could have either gotten a job offer from a Canadian employer while still in the U.S. or left the U.S. for Canada and successfully found employment.”

The researcher’s request coincided with a recentNAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) meeting in Washington of “The Three Amigos” (a name that fondly refers to the Presidents of United States & Mexico, and the Prime Minister of Canada).

NAFTA is an international agreement to facilitate freer trading relationships among the United States, Canada, and Mexico, a region of more than 400 million people. This agreement came into effect on January 1, 1994, and as a result, it became necessary to loosen immigration and trade restrictions among the countries.

What follows is a synopsis of NAFTA, as it relates to the movement of skilled labour. The article is for information purposes only and is not a discussion of the commercial or political merits of the agreement. Its intent is to shine a spotlight on a little known aspect of the Agreement that could be beneficial to professionals from member countries.

How NAFTA Impacts Job Hunting

Under NAFTA, certain professionals from Canada, Mexico, and the United States can gain quicker, easier temporary entry to conduct investment or business activities if they are employees of a company that does business for an employer in these countries.

Businesspeople and professionals may be admitted if they have:

• Proof of citizenship of a NAFTA country
• Evidence that the proposed business activity is international and that the businessperson does not seek to enter the host state’s labour market
• Profession is on the NAFTA list
• Position requires a NAFTA professional
• Applicant is to work in a prearranged full-time or part-time job, for a Canadian, Mexican, or U.S. employer

While these professionals must comply with each country’s existing regulations on temporary entry immigration requirements, they are exempt from the job-validation process by their respective immigration departments, or in the case of Canada, Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC).

Where are the potential windows of opportunity for employment?

1. The region is home to approximately 444 million people, with over $1 trillion in trilateral trade, and that trade includes the trading of skilled labour.
2. The unemployment rate in all three countries averages 6.6% (United States 7.4%, Canada 7.2% and Mexico 5.1%).
3. There’s a considerable skills shortage in the region, and as Canada and the US face an aging population, Mexico will continue to be an important source of immigrants.
4. Every year, over 150,000 foreign workers enter Canada to work temporarily in jobs that help Canadian employers address skill shortages. This may or may not include professionals employed through the NAFTA stream.

There are over 60 professions where job opportunities may exist as a result of NAFTA. Among these are accountants, architects, economists, engineers, teachers, management consultant, pharmacists, dieticians, and registered nurses. (The full list of professions can be found at the link below titled “Cross Border Movement of Business Persons.”) Of course, these individuals must satisfy the minimum credential requirements for the proposed occupation and have the necessary professional license, certification, accreditation, or registration applicable to the practice of their profession.

Having said all of that, it is important to note that, in Canada, unless the profession is a specialized one, or there is a severe shortage of people to fill particular positions, obtaining a job offer for a permanent position is not as easy as it appears, with or without NAFTA. However, that should not prevent professionals from exploring other opportunities if their job search south of the border is proving unsuccessful.

As noted earlier, this article is for information purposes only, and not intended to offer legal advice. Readers should visit the information links, below, for specific requirements and seek legal advice before making a decision.

For More Information:

• North American Free Trade Agreement – NAFTA duties, benefits
• Cross Border Movement of Business Persons
• Special Business (Citizenship & Immigration Canada)
• Jobs Not Requiring a Work Permit

About this author…

A Certified Career Management Coach, Daisy Wright is Author of “No Canadian Experience, Eh? A Career Success Guide for New Immigrants.”  She is also the founder of The Wright Career Solution, where she assists executives, managers, and other job-seeking professionals with their resumes, cover letters, social media profiles, and interview preparation. Daisy can be found blogging at Career Musings, hanging around in CareerTips2Go Cafe as the resident “Coach-on-Call,” or tweeting as @CareerTips2Go and @NoCdnExperience.

The post NAFTA and Job Search in Canada appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Federal Skilled Worker Program Rules

Beginning in early May, 2013, new applicants to Canada will be assessed under the new Federal Skilled Worker Program (FWSP).

This will be based on the skills needed, who is best suited to fill the gaps, and who has the potential to succeed.

While it might not be welcome news for those who are here and still struggling to find suitable employment, it is a step in the right direction for future immigrants and employers.

Two main areas that have seen significant changes are language proficiency and education.

The government has reduced the number of points for education and has increased points for language proficiency. One study shows that “87% of employers see inadequate skills in English (or French) as barriers getting in the way of internationally educated professionals finding suitable employment.” (See Compas survey link below).

As such, language proficiency is now the top priority.

With respect to educational assessment, the new Educational Credential Assessment process will now be mandatory and will be based on Canadian standards.

This is a departure from the norm when applicants were assessed based on the educational standards of their home countries. Therefore, if the credential is not assessed as being on par with its Canadian counterpart, the applicant won’t be accepted. This process also curbs incidences of fraud.

Below is a summary of the new selection criteria:

1. Language Proficiency.

Language proficiency in either French or English – Canada’s two official languages – is now the most important factor on the eligibility scale. Studies have shown that inadequate language skills severely influences the ability of a new immigrant to find suitable employment. Applicants will now have to demonstrate they meet the minimum language criteria as specified in the Canadian Language Benchmark.

2. Age.

The government has now determined that the younger the applicant, the better he or she will be able to integrate into the labour market, and the longer they will remain. This means, applicants up to age 35 will be awarded the maximum 12 points, with a decrease in points awarded from age 35 to 46. No points will be awarded to anyone over 46 years old.

3. Education.

The government will be designating certain organizations to conduct a mandatory assessments of an applicant’s foreign credentials to ensure they are equivalent to the Canadian standard, and not those of the applicant’s home country.

4. Work Experience.

According to Citizenship & Immigration Canada, an applicant’s years of foreign work experience is not a good predictor of success in the Canadian labour market, so they have reduced the number of points from 21 to 15, while putting more emphasis on the number of years of experience required in order to get full points.

5. Arranged Employment.

A valid job offer benefits both employer and applicant. If the employer can demonstrate, through a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) issued by Human Resources Development Canada (HRSDC), that they have tried to find a qualified Canadian to fill a role, but could not, they will be eligible to source and bring a qualified worker to Canada. The applicant benefits as he or she will receive a work permit allowing him or her to start working immediately while their application for permanent residency is being processed.

Moving to Canada, particularly for foreign educated professionals, has not been easy partly because the Canadian Government originally placed more emphasis on individuals with advanced education rather than on areas for which there are skills gaps. This new policy is a departure from that norm and is designed to ensure that applicants who arrive will be ready to start filling the skills shortage the country faces. It also makes it less frustrating for potential applicants as they will know upfront whether or not they will fit in and thrive in the Canadian labour market or if they should remain where they are.

For more information:

• Citizenship & Immigration Canada
• Compas Research survey

About this author…

A Certified Career Management Coach, Daisy Wright is Author of “No Canadian Experience, Eh? A Career Success Guide for New Immigrants.”  She is also the founder of The Wright Career Solution, where she assists executives, managers, and other job-seeking professionals with their resumes, cover letters, social media profiles, and interview preparation. Daisy can be found blogging at Career Musings, hanging around in CareerTips2Go Cafe as the resident “Coach-on-Call,” or tweeting as @CareerTips2Go and @NoCdnExperience.

The post Moving to Canada? The New Canadian Immigration Rules appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Misspellings or Different Spellings?

Nowhere was it more evident than at a job fair in Toronto several months ago hosted by two healthcare entities from the USA. A client, who is a nurse, heard of the job fair on short notice, and presented her resume formatted for the Canadian market.

After reviewing her resume and cover letter, the recruiter told her that her resume had “several spelling errors.” Of course, she was taken aback.

Some of the “errors” were Centre, Cheque, Honour, Judgement and Practised.

After she composed herself, she told the recruiter that the documents were created for the Canadian market, hence the spelling; that her Spellchecker would not have picked up the “errors,” and that she didn’t realize it made such a difference.

The recruiter also told her she was not aware there was a difference. In the end, these “spelling errors” did not cost her the job opportunity as she was offered a position and moved to Florida.

The situation could have easily been reversed with an American job seeker being tripped up by American spellings used in a resume submitted to a Canadian employer.

The Commonwealth of Spelling

As a member of the Commonwealth of Nations (formerly known as the British Commonwealth), Canada owes its “spelling allegiance” to the British. It’s the same in Australia and the English-speaking Caribbean islands.

In reality, though, Canadians tend to straddle the fence and use what’s convenient. If they are conducting a job search in the USA, then they use the American spelling, but that same resume could be used in Canada and not many people would notice the difference.

As a matter of fact, in the back of our minds, we sometimes wonder if the differences really matter. How else would one explain the fact that Canadian words such as analyze, categorize, customize and legalize are consistent with the American spelling where the “s” is substituted for a “z”?

For example, here is a partial list of all the words that are spelled differently in Canada and the US.

American Spelling

• Acknowledgment
• Behavior
• Center
• Check
• Favor
• Honor
• Judgment
• Practice
• Licence

Canadian Spelling 

• Acknowledgement
• Behaviour
• Centre
• Cheque
• Favour
• Honour
• Judgement
• Practise (verb)
  Practice (noun)
• License (verb)
  Licence (noun)

The aim of this article is to shed some light on some of the nuances that exist and help us adapt when job hunting – or reviewing resumes – on both sides of the border and internationally. The next time you are preparing your resume for the “other side” of the border (regardless of which side you are on), check to see if your spelling is consistent with usage in the target country.

Bottom Line

When in doubt about Canadian spelling and grammar, refer to The Globe and Mail Style Guide, and Gregg’s Reference Manual (Canadian Edition). American job seekers using Canadian spelling will look more knowledgeable about Canada as well as more interested in fitting in.

About this author…

A Certified Career Management Coach, Daisy Wright is Author of “No Canadian Experience, Eh? A Career Success Guide for New Immigrants.”  She is also the founder of The Wright Career Solution, where she assists executives, managers, and other job-seeking professionals with their resumes, cover letters, social media profiles, and interview preparation. Daisy can be found blogging at Career Musings, hanging around in CareerTips2Go Cafe as the resident “Coach-on-Call,” or tweeting as @CareerTips2Go and @NoCdnExperience.

The post Caution! Watch Out for the Differences in Canadian and American Spelling appeared first on Job-Hunt.

SIN = Social Insurance Number

Before anyone can legally begin working in Canada, it is necessary to provide one’s Social Insurance Number (SIN), a unique nine-digit number issued by the Canadian Federal Government to an individual. It is used to identify that person for employment, government benefit programs and/or services, and taxation purposes. This number cannot be used legally by another person.

If someone is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident to Canada, or a temporary resident (with a work permit), he or she will need a Social Insurance Number (SIN). The Canadian SIN is similar to the Social Security Number used in the United States. It must be provided when applying for benefits and services from the government.

When a SIN Card Is Required

The Social Insurance Number plays an important role in the employment sphere. Without the number, the government would not be able to keep a record of a person’s deductible earnings – income tax, Employment Insurance (EI), or Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Neither will the government be able to verify whether someone qualifies for and is eligible to receive certain benefits.

A newcomer to Canada, for example, would not be able to open a bank account without providing a SIN.

Each individual must provide a SIN to the following:

• An employer, and the income-tax office
• Financial institutions where you are earning interest or income
• Employment Insurance (EI) benefit office
• Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG) or a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)
• Canada Child Tax Benefit (if one has children)
• Social-assistance benefits
• Workers Compensation benefits

When a SIN Card Is Not Required

While the above is mandatory, there are situations when one is not obligated to provide a SIN or show the card, such as:

• Proof of identity (except for government services)
• Completing a job application prior to a job offer
• Renting a property
• Negotiating a lease
• Completing a credit card application
• Cashing a cheque
• Renting a car
• Applying to university or college
• Completing some banking transactions (mortgage, line of credit, loan), or
• Completing a medical questionnaire

Some private-sector organizations may ask for the SIN, and although this practice is strongly discouraged, it is not illegal.

Basic Precautions

Since the Social Insurance Number is unique to each person, you should protect it from theft and fraud. Here are some basic precautions:

• Do not make it a habit to carry around your SIN card with you. It’s better to memorize your number and keep the card in a safe place at home.
• Do not use your SIN as a form of identification, as you will be putting your personal information at risk.
• Do not provide your SIN over the telephone unless you are the one who initiated the call.

Source of SIN Cards

Service Canada is the federal government agency that oversees the issuance of the Social Insurance Number. For detailed information about the card click on this link: ServiceCanada.gc.ca.

About this author…

A Certified Career Management Coach, Daisy Wright is Author of “No Canadian Experience, Eh? A Career Success Guide for New Immigrants.”  She is also the founder of The Wright Career Solution, where she assists executives, managers, and other job-seeking professionals with their resumes, cover letters, social media profiles, and interview preparation. Daisy can be found blogging at Career Musings, hanging around in CareerTips2Go Cafe as the resident “Coach-on-Call,” or tweeting as @CareerTips2Go and @NoCdnExperience.

The post The Canadian SIN Card – You Can’t Job Search without It (in Canada) appeared first on Job-Hunt.