HRANB Newsletter

After graduating in 2007 with a degree in business commerce from the University of Ottawa, Warren Tam, age 24, wanted to find his dream job. He had expected it would only take one or two months for him to start his new career. After all, he graduated with top marks in his class, had good work experience during school and had a very impressive extra curricular activities portfolio.

Today, Tam is the Manager of Operations at Kaplan Ottawa, a world provider of educational services.

But it took eight months, tons of hard work, and many frustrating moments before Tam finally found a job that he enjoys and that matches his educational background.

Studies show that on average, it takes about six months or more for a job seeker to find a good career opportunity position, says Carl Sullivan, program coordinator at Youth Employment Services Ottawa.

Career job searching should be taken seriously, says Sullivan. “(It) should be looked at as a full time job.” However, it is still important to keep a part time or full time job on the side to lessen the financial burdens, says Sullivan.

“Nothing gets handed to you,” says Tam. “Until you land a job it’s a very frustrating process.”

Tam spent many hours researching, typing up resumes and writing cover letters. At the same time, he maintained contract jobs through a temp agency, doing data entry, folding letters and other office work.

But it wasn’t until last June that Tam decided he wanted financial stability in his life. He realized in order for that to happen, he needed to concentrate solely on job searching and preparing for interviews. Tam stopped taking on contract work and made his career search his full-time job.

He sent out three well-crafted resumes and cover letters a day, for ten days straight before he received some interview offers.

On one occasion, Tam beat 50 other candidates and spent one whole week preparing for his interview. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it to the final round.

Sometimes it can be very discouraging, but the key is to stay positive and learn from your experiences, he says.

Tam was glad he was able to gain knowledge from the long and intense interview process. And he stayed confident knowing that he did the best he could, but there were better candidates than him for that position.

Sullivan has been in the employment industry for 32 years now and he sees a new trend where young graduates expect to find jobs quickly. They also tend to hold high expectations as to the type of jobs they are able to start with.

Many factors contribute to the trend of a slower successful job search.

For example, interview processes are often long and intense. For his position at Kaplan, Tam went through four interviews, totaling 6 hours, and one presentation before he was offered the job.

Also, the job search process is changing. Job seekers are no longer just looking for any job: they are looking for opportunities that can help them build their portfolio and that will offer them a chance to grow within an organization.

The demographics are changing and the trend now is that young people are looking at what the employer can offer them in regards to rewards and flexibility, says Sullivan. Job seekers are also interviewing the positions.

“To find a rewarding job, it’s necessary to ask questions and make sure the position is right for the individual,” says Lynn Palmer, CHRP, CEO of the Canadian Council of Human Resources Association (CCHRA). “It’s crucial to have an idea of what you want to do – but it’s also good to be flexible and broaden your search sufficiently.”

The job search process can be stressful. Here are a few pointers to help ease that frustration and to ensure a successful job search process:

1. Get your name out there.
When job searching, it is important to let as many people as possible know that you are looking for a job. Send resumes even if your qualifications do not match what they are looking for exactly.

2. Understand the importance of networking.
The benefits of networking are endless. The most important one being that there is a hidden job market and many positions are not advertised. It is connections and referrals that can often help you get your foot into the door.

3. Join a professional group
If you are looking for a job in a specific profession, it is a good idea to join a professional association. Not only does this give you excellent networking opportunities and put you in contact with people with similar interests, it can also provide you with a lot of information about the profession and great professional development opportunities that can give you an edge over other candidates.

4. Be prepared for the job search process to take a while; be prepared for it to be a full time job
Studies show that on average, it takes about six months for job seekers to find a career opportunity job. Job searching is a lot of work because not only are you constantly looking for job openings, preparing resumes and cover letters, preparing for interviews, you are also researching the companies to see if the company “fits”.

5. Use the resources available
There are a lot of resources out there for job seekers. Campus recruitment centres, resume and interview help services and employment services are just some examples. Use these resources to aid your search.

6. Look at other options—diversify
It is important to keep an open mind, stay flexible and broaden your search.

7. Keep searching
Do not just sit and wait for one lead; keep searching until you actually get the job offer that you want.

8. Prepare for rejections- don’t take it personally and stay positive
Very few people go through a very easy job search process where they get the first job they apply for. Look at rejections as an opportunity to grown and learn instead of a personal attack.

9. Allow yourself some down times
It is unrealistic to stay positive all the time. Allow yourself some down time but limit it so you do not stay there.

10. Ask questions and stay informed…find the job you want
Remember that to find a rewarding job, it is important to ask questions and see if it is a fit to you. If you take an unsatisfying job and leave after a few months, finding another job requires the search process to start at the beginning.