What Employers Want

When applying for a job, the qualifications, skill sets, and personal attributes most sought after vary depending industry and company standards. Based on candid employer input, we have devised a list of the criteria most employers can agree on. Whether you are revising your resume, writing a cover letter, completing an online application, preparing for an interview, completing your LinkedIn profile, or conducting cold calls, these tips can help to provide structure for the information you may want to include.

For many people, the need to change careers may be imposed upon them. Company downsizing and positions becoming obsolete may result in job seekers feeling the pressure to retrain. Whether it is continuous education classes or more formal post-secondary diploma or degree programs, it is undeniable that lifelong learning is now a survival skill in today's competitive marketplace.

We so often hear people referring to the concept of the ‘dream job’. Whether measured by responsibilities, status, income or additional benefits, the dream job tends to be more of a long term goal for most of us. But first, we must conquer the entry level job to get our feet wet, learn to manage employer expectations, customer complaints, deadlines, workplace politics, and job-related challenges.  

It has become much more commonplace for large employers to host a Job Fair when conducting a mass hire. This time-efficient, the cost-efficient process allows them to meet multiple candidates, in a short period of time, and form a viable first impression.

With so many job seekers expressing frustration with the impersonal selection manner used with online applications, the Job Fair format provides that face-to-face connection they often long for. Yet with so many other competitors it can be overwhelming, so we have developed a checklist to ensure you maintain a competitive edge.

As Career Practitioners, we are often asked “Where are the jobs?” In the pre-digital world, that was a bit easier to predict, however recent statistics have indicated that, “By 2030, the majority of jobs that will be in demand do not even exist yet” (Ontario Centers of Excellence Advancing Education Program). That statement alone can be very distressing or motivating, depending on your life perspective. What does become clear is that our ability to embrace lifelong learning, be adaptable and multi-skilled will better position us for the careers of the future.
We know that the employment landscape continues to change with a decrease in long-term full-time positions to an increase in self-employment, contract and remote work. Rohit Talwar – Fast Future (2017) cites, “Canadians entering the work force today can expect to hold 40 different jobs in ten completely different career paths in their lives.” That is a long way from the full-time permanent jobs available in the generation before us. Given the fact that, “51 percent of people are staying at a job for less than two years” (Workopolis, 2017), the concept of choosing a forever career is not as feasible as it once was. The world is changing and, like it or not, we must keep up in order to remain competitive in today’s marketplace.

When a job ad says the organization prioritizes applications from underrepresented groups (and lists them), should you identify that you are a part of any/some of those groups in your application? What about in the case of disabilities including mental illness?
The problem with self-disclosure even in instances where companies are striving to use more equitable hiring practices, is that employers can appear to, and even believe that they are satisfying their mandate to hire diverse employees while still discriminating by choosing among "preferred” barriers to employment.

To say that there has been a dramatic change in the world of work would be an understatement. From full time, permanent employment with benefits and job security to part-time, contract, virtual jobs in a gig economy, it can be difficult to know how to carve out a career in this new landscape. If you are a job seeker, career changer or lifelong learner with varied skills sets and a diverse knowledge base, self-employment may be just what you are looking for. The trick is having a solid idea for your business and knowing how to get started. In the Peterborough community, we are fortunate to have a variety of resources that provide an array of services and opportunities. Today we will be highlighting the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster, a dynamic and unique organization that provide access to programs, professional partners and self-employment workshops for both physical and virtual clients.

There has been much confusion with the inception of WHMIS 2015. Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System training has existed for quite some time and, undenounced to most of us, was known as WHMIS 1988.