Sault College Career Essentials Job Search Techniques

1. Sault College Career Essentials Job Search Techniques

2. Planning and Organizing Your Job Search • To make your job search most efficient & organized you’ll need: • A desk with good lighting in a quiet environment • Office supplies - pens, paper, envelopes, stamps, stapler, etc. • A telephone with an answering machine • A computer with a printer and the Internet • If you do not have access to any of these, the Sault College Student Job Centre in A0150 has them available for your use

3. Preparation • Ensure you have enough professional and business casual clothes to wear for when you attend interviews and potentially to your new job • When you do find yourself successful for a job, you will need to have a Social Insurance Number and valid birth certificate • If you do not have these items now, apply for them so you will have them when you start a new job • http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sin/apply/how.shtml

4. Job Search Tips • Remember no one owes you a job. If you want one you are going to have to go out looking for it • The more time and effort you put into your job search, the more likely you are to find the job you want • You must be willing to change your tactics if what you are doing is not successful • Talk to successful job seekers you know to find out what they did to obtain employment • Be persistent. Send a resume and follow up within a few days and again in a few months

5. Job Search Tips • Go after the job that you want the most • Apply at both large and small organizations • Talk to your Chamber of Commerce to see what businesses are just starting up • Use the Yellow Pages for a full listing of all organizations in your community • Your job search should be your full time job. You should be spending 35 hours a week between looking for jobs, personalizing cover letters and resumes, talking to employers on the phone and meeting with them in person

6. Telephone Strategies • Have a list of your skills by the phone • Write out what you plan to say and rehearse it several times • Stand up when you are speaking to potential employers. • Your voice is clearer and more forceful • Smile while you talk • If you can, connect your reason for calling the employer, they will be more interested (i.e. “I received your name from…” or “I just saw your name in…”

7. Telephone Strategies • After you reach a potential employer, describe in one sentence your greatest personal strength or skill and experience. Ask if there is a job opening for someone with your skills and background • For example “I am a recent graduate from the Business Accounting program at Sault College and I have worked at XYZ Company as an Accounting Clerk. I am calling to find out whether you may have any openings in your company for someone with my skills and experience.” • If they sayyes, try to arrange an interview. If they say no, ask them if they know anyone else who may be hiring.

8. Telephone Strategies • If you get objections from the employer, use terms like “I understand” or “I can appreciate your position” etc. • Make sure you thank the employer, whether or not they have actually helped you • Don’t be discouraged by rejection. Don’t take it personally. It is no reflection on you, it is a reflection on the current situation of that particular employer • Remember to treat everyone you meet with courtesy. Front line or secretarial staff have the inside track with the boss and may be involved in final hiring decisions