Effective Job Searching

A successful job search starts with the right mindset.

Growth mindset: know that you can do it and seek progress vs perfection

Make it about them: especially when networking and also as you're answering interview question

Get clear on WHAT you want + be able to articulate your value!

Practice makes progress!

An important question to articulate "Why should we hire you?".

Get a starter job description here or any of your favourite job boards

• Getting Ahead https://gettingahead.education

• Indeed http://indeed.com

• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/jobs

• ZipRecruiter https://www.ziprecruiter.ca

• Monster https://www.monster.ca

• Workopolis https://www.workopolis.com

• Talent Egg https://talentegg.ca

• Canada Job Bank https://www.jobbank.gc.ca

• Jooble https://ca.jooble.org

• Eluta https://www.eluta.ca

• Toronto Jobs https://www.torontojobs.ca

• Career Builder https://www.careerbuilder.ca

Interviews are really how you get a job.

Applications and networking is really to get you an interview.

Interviews also help you know yourself better so that you can write better resumes and network better!

Types of Interviews:

• HR/Screening

• Technical/Functional

• Behavioral/Fit

• Case
  

Formats:

• In-person

• Virtual

• Recorded

• Group, Panel, “Superday”

Fundamentals:

• Fit: Do I like you?

• Skills: Do I think you can do the job?

• Experience: Have you done the job before?

Components

• Delivery: how you say it

• Content: what you say

Every interview question is a 3 part question

• Whatever the question is…

• …And how does that benefit the company and the role?

• …And why should I hire you?

Delivery components (How you say it):

• SMILE!

• Eye contact

• Filler words (pause instead)

• Pace, Posture, Presence and overall confidence

• SHARE examples

• Natural end

• Attire

Content (What you say):

• Did you answer the question?

• Did you showcase your experience?

• Did you make it specific to the company/role? (would they believe you can do the work?)

• Did you make it relatable at a human/emotional level? (i.e. can you help them like you more?)

• Did you build rapport before/during the interview? (i.e. so that they like you and impressed them so that want to hire you on the spot?)

Before your interviews, be sure to do the following

• Research the company

  • Have 3-5 good questions for the interviewer!

• Practice “common interview questions”

  • And for the company“

  • Dig your well before you’re thirsty!”

• Use the job posting as interview questions

  • Practice describing how you demonstrated your ability to carry out their requested skills

Start practicing NOW!

Before going in to an interview, be sure to prepare questions for the interviewer.

• RESEARCH: “In preparation for this interview I…”

• Probe: Questions about their answers

• What questions would you have when starting the job? We questions vs Me questions

Examples

• “Do you have any reservations about what I’ve shared so far about my fit for the job?”

• “What would someone in this role, who received the top exceptional rating, have done in the year?"

• “What are the next steps?”

To create your "Tell me about yourself" response, consider:

• “Hook”

  • Relate 1-3 things from the job description and company research

• Most Relevant

  • Can you tell a story of something interesting you’ve done or how you got here? Look to SHARE at least 1 concise example

• Less Relevant yet important

  • Support with other experiences and background that is relevant

• Summary and fit - CLOSE

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

Get the worksheet here - Make a copy and edit it as your own

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CJ2iqsTF0OD9I8Z618zhNi9q6OoZUIHE_kzO9QImty0/edit

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

Get the pitch template here

https://focusinspired.com/pitchyourself

Consider using SHARE instead of STAR to answer behavioral questions

• Situation: Background - Who, what, when, where - be sure to contextualize based on the role

• Hinderance: The challenge and emphasize the impact that the problem was causing

• Action: What was done and more importantly what did you do?

• Result: What was the outcome?

• Evaluate: How does the experience benefit the role?

Practice makes progress

Record yourself using tools like http://yoodli.ai (use code FOCUSINSPIRED20 for a 20% discount)

What to practice

• Common questions

• Turn the job description into questions

• Practice based on your experiences, strengths, negatives

Use: Sight, Sound, Sync - every 5-10 recordings

Target 1 response/recording every 10 mins

• 1-3 mins watch previous recording

• 1-3 mins creating and adjusting response

• 1-3 mins recording new response

Assemble your “LEGO blocks”

• Take your most relevant 3-5:

  • Assignments, Projects, Volunteering, Extra Curricular activities, Research, Part time jobs, Internships, Prior work experience, etc.

• Practice describing them from the context of:

  • Communication (especially Technical to Non-technical), Training

  • Problem-solving, Analyzing, Supporting

  • Designing, Implementing, Building, Testing, Troubleshooting

  • Innovating, Creativity, Exploring

  • Leadership, Teamwork, Cross-functional Collaboration, Customer service

  • Learning, keeping “up-to-date”, Researching, Demonstrated understanding

  • Time management, Resiliency, Tenacity

  • Technicals

1. What if I don’t have any interesting stories?

   • Reflect on the peak emotions in your career

   • Reflect on other people’s interesting stories and relate

   • Go out and get some!
     

2. This feels like I’m acting…

   • Inauthentic vs Unfamiliar

   • An Act vs “Gears on a car”

   • Keep practicing!

3. What if I talk too little/much?

   • Little: SHARE

   • Much: Reflect, Organize, Trim, Get comfortable with pauses

   • Keep practicing!
     

4. What if I get nervous?

   • Breath!

   • Make it about them not you!

   • Keep practicing!

Confidence Hacks

• Superman / Wonder Woman “power pose”

• Sit in the front row

• Walk 25% faster

• “Rejection therapy”

• Fake it ‘til you make it (Believe it!)

• Choose your words wisely

• Gratitude / Affirmations

• Prepare and practice!

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

The dictionary definition of networking is:

"The action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts."

Networking often happens in various contexts: 

• Events

• Online: LinkedIn, forums, etc.

• Everyday

Why is Networking is important?

Let's take a hypothetical situation: 

 Imagine you're hiring someone or choosing someone for a particular role.

If you have 2 people that are equally qualified based on their credentials, work experience and other measures, how do you pick? 

If you knew one of them, how much more likely would it be that you would pick them?

If you had a good experience with them, then it would increase your chances significantly!

Watch the video to find out more!

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

Networking is important whether you are a job search or a career professional.

For job seeking, to get a job, you need an offer.

To get an offer, you need interviews.

To get interviews, you need to apply or networking.

Networking is an informal interview.

So if your goal is to get an interview anyway, why not start there?

Networking for your career is a multiplier for your results.

The more people that know how awesome you are, the more successful your career will be!

Watch the video to learn more!

The difference between networking and effective networking is BMC: Build Meaningful Connections.

In subsequent sections we'll dive into each component:

Making CONNECTIONS

Making connections more MEANINGFUL

BUILDing the connections over time

Watch the video to learn more!

To be successful in networking and Building Meaningful Connections, you need to develop the right mindset. 

Adopt a Growth Mindset.

Make it about the other person.

Focus on Progress versus Perfection.

Easier said than done, and take some time to make your mental fitness part of your daily routine. 

Watch the video to learn more!

Are you an introvert or shy? Or just new or need some practice?

Often times the labels you give yourself have an effect on your behaviour.

What if you are not introverted and just new? 

The first time you do most things, you are a bit nervous and probably not that good.

With practice, you build more confidence. 

We share some exercises on how to practice and improve!

What's the answer to every "How to Network" question?
 Care!

Treat the other person as a person!

Be curious, interested and look to add value and opportunities will come to you!

Watch the video to learn more

When connecting with folks, making connections more meaningful can often be just a matter of perspective. 

What is you considered the other person as a:

• Time traveller

• Detective

• Role model 

• Teacher

How would the conversation be different?

Also consider that online vs in-person interactions are different, but also very similar as well.

Watch the video to learn more!

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

When it comes to CONNECTIONS start with WHO you should connect with end WHERE

WHO: Do a "network audit"

• Work: Manager, Team, Clients, “down-stream”, “up-stream”, Peers, Skip-levels, Seniors/Executives, Vendors, Industry/Domain “influencers”, Anyone of interest

• FRANK: Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbours, Kids

• YHIRA (HAIRY): You (in the job you want), Hiring managers, “Influencers”, Recruiters, Anyone of interest

WHERE

• Events: EventBrite, Meetup, interest groups, community groups, etc.

• Online: LinkedIn, forums, email

• Everyday: Retail, restaurants, services, etc.

Watch the video to learn more!

Fill in the Network Audit worksheet to get started on who to connect to.

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

Before you connect, take some time to prepare with a few self awareness exercises. 

From your past experiences, plan your “LEGO BLOCKS”.

What stories could you tell about: 

• Most recent experience

• What you are most proud of?

• What you are best known for?

• What you are interested in?

• What you are most looking forward to do?

Watch the video to learn more!

In addition to your research, consider preparing your name introduction, your elevator pitch and a few conversation starters

For you name, leverage something from Pop Culture, Sounds-like/Rhyming, Meaning,  or something else memorable!

For you “Elevator pitch”, what 3 things do you want people to know about you?

You can use formulas like

• Problem-Solution Formula

• Challenge-Action-Result

• Passion-Expertise-Value

• Question-Need-Solution

Or whatever you want!

Here are a few Conversation starters:

• I’d love to learn more about you!

• What do you enjoy about what you do?

• What did you do that was interesting earlier today?

• How did you learn about this event?

Watch the video to learn more!

When connecting with folks, you can't expect everyone to respond.

I have the 10-6/3/1 rule:

When you connect with 10 people

6 will ignore you

3 will say no

1 will change your life!

Watch the video to learn more!

As you move from making connections , coffee chats are one of the best ways to making them more meaningful.

When do you ask for one? 

First build some rapport. 

How do you ask for one?

Just ask!

Watch the video to learn more!

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

To make a connection more meaningful, we explore a few concepts

• Moving Small Talk → “Big Talk”: Be Interested vs Interesting

• Be Curious and Listen! Make it about them, not you!

• Conversational threading: let them learn a bit about you as you learn about them

• Value: “How can I help with that?”

• Reflect, learn and improve!

Watch the video to learn more!

When making a connection more meaningful, you'll be having conversations with folks.

The more you prepare, the better the conversation will be, and the more meaningful the connection will become.

Just like preparing to make connections, take time to prepare for conversations. 

Research

• Why were you interested to connect in the first place?

• Focus on professional: background, journey, goals, advice, resources, courses, certifications, etc.

• Sent questions/topics beforehand

• Discuss personal?

Goals and Action Items

• Before the conversation ends, what do you want to make sure you do, have answered?

PRACTICE and improve! 

• Everyday and in smaller stakes situations 

• Know that you can do it!

Watch the video to learn more!

Make the most out of events and learn to have engaging conversations.

Research and prepare

• Pre-connect with folks prior to the events

Set Goals

• Benchmark: 1 contact every 10-15 mins

Logistics

• Go early, stay late

• Find High traffic areas so that people come to you

Follow up: The most important part!

• Notes + Calendarize future engagement

Watch the video to learn more!

Conversations often start with Small talk, and need to evolve into "Big Talk".

Helpful tips to improve your Small talk (Breadth conversations - remember it's about rapport building)

• HEFE: Hobbies, Entertainment, Food, Environment

• FORD: Family, Occupation, Recreation, Dreams

• Advanced rapport building: Matching and Mirroring

  
   

To get beyond small talk, LISTEN and move towards “big talk” (Depth conversations)

• Emotions: curiosity, interest, excitement

• Open ended questions

Watch the video to learn more!

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

When engaging in a conversation, avoid the "interrogation" where you area just asking questions. 

Be sure to add some of your insights and share a bit about yourself. 

A few useful phrases: 

• “I did that as well…”

• “I did something similar…”

• “I haven’t done that before, BUT that’s interesting, please tell me more!”

• “That reminds me of…”

Watch the video to learn more!

During the conversation ask yourself "How can I help with that?".

Initially, you might not be able to think of anything, and consider adding value with ARCS-T:

• Attention

• Resources

• Connections

• Skills

• Time

Watch the video to learn more!

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

Considering practicing your listening. 

Listening is an underrated part of communication.

Be aware of different levels of listening

1. Self: waiting to speak

2. Content: I can repeat everything you said

3. Context: the emotions involved

4. Meaning: what relevant and is not being said

5. Understanding: validate and confirm

Be sure to practice "Active Listening". Practice behaviours like

• Eye contact

• Reinforcement

• Reflection, Clarification, Summarization

• BE PRESENT!

Watch the video to learn more!

After EVERY conversation, take some time to reflect and learn. 

Ask yourself these questions: 

• What did I do well?

• What could I do better/differently?

• When will I do both the next time?

Watch the video to learn more!

Relationships take time to build. 

Some will be "fast friends" where it seems like you really "click" and feel like you could speak to them forever.

For most folks, you'll have to cultivate the relationship over time. 

Consider allocating time and scheduling time to follow up

Be sure to take notes after your conversations. 

You might even want to set up a personal CRM (Customer Relationship Management system) with  notifications. Or just put the information on an excel/google sheet to take a look at later on

Take some time to Calendarize and you can cultivate those relationship daily, at least weekly .

For new relationships, how many can you progress to a Coffee/Virtual chat?

Take some time to check-in and share an update on what you've been doing, and as for an update from them.

Also consider doing a Value Brainstorm: “How can I help with that?”

Remember ARCS-T: Attention, Resources, Connections, Skills, Time

Be sure to make “5-minute favours” a habit.

And of course, take some time to reflect, learn and improve!

Watch the video to learn more!

When it comes to networking, you can level up your relationships.

Consider the various levels. 

1. Contact: Just met and/or have their contact info 

2. Acquaintance: Few messages exchanged

3. Casual connection: Multiple messages over time, coffee/virtual chat, some value exchanged

4. Colleague/Professional friend: Value provided, they look for opportunities for you 

5. Friend: in-person/synchronous communication with regular follow-up and value exchanged

Watch the video to learn more!

In my experience, adding value and giving before you receive has been the best way to nurture and cultivate relationships. 

Taking time to do a value brainstorm can be helpful.

Using ARCS-T, consider:

• Attention: Spend time asking questions, and being curious and interested. Further the interactions to coffee-chats. You can also engaging with posts on their social media.

• Resources: Did/Can you find a blog, video, podcast, app, something that would be of value to them? You can also think of what added value to you in the past few days/weeks and send it to 3-5 or more people. 

• Connections: Who do you know that would be beneficial to them? Did you have a recent conversation where people were speaking about similar things? Do you think they'd have an interesting conversation.

• Skills: What can you do that would be of value to them? Research/Collect/Analyze, Prototype/Build - This is where you have the most flexibility and showcase the value with the skills and experience that you currently have. Be creative!

• Time: Can you spend an hour / afternoon / day / weekend to find any of the above to be of value to them?

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

To help guide your networking, and building meaningful connections we've created this mini-guide to go from Connection to Opportunity in 8 step

1. Benchmark: Where are you

2. Clarity: What do you want

3. Roadmap: Who is where you want to be

4. Connect: Reach out and BMC

5. Deepen: Continue to build

6. Value: Benefits vs features

7. Refine: Continuous improvement

8. Momentum: To achieve your goals!

LinkedIn = Networking event happening 24/7/365!

• Acquired by Microsoft *Operates independently

• News source: Primarily business and tech

• Job board and recruiting platform

• Learning platform

• Connection platform

• Personal and Professional branding platform

Best Practices

• Profile picture: have one and smile!

• Background picture: make it relevant

• Headline: make it compelling!

• About section: Have your visitors in mind, tell a story, make it easy to read; “copy from others!”

• Experience:

  • Minimum: Have your resume content

  • Include keywords from job description (reverse engineer)

• Volunteer, interests and others:

  • Add, follow and engage

• LinkedIn search results

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

• ALWAYS send a personalized note with your connection request!

NOTE: LinkedIn has limited the number of free connections as of Nov 2023

• Be responsive: check daily/weekly

  • Make sure to respond to their connection accept!

• Connect anyways! you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take! –Wayne Gretzky

• Engage! Be part of the community and let the algorithm do its work

With best practices there are corresponding bad practices.

Ask yourself "are you caring for the person on the other side?" if the answer is no, chances are it's a bad practice...

Be aware so that you can be on the path to build meaningful connections

Networking starts with Making Connections, making them meaningful, then building them over time.

One of the best parts of a tool like LinkedIn is your ability to connect with people on the platform. Though just like with any tool, there is a right way to use it and a less optimal way. Just like there are better ways to connect with folks on LinkedIn than others.

LinkedIn leverages the concept of "degrees of connection"

• First Degree: someone you’re connected to

• Second Degree: someone who is connected to someone you are connected to

• Third Degree: someone connected to someone you’re connected to someone you’re connected (everyone else)

How to connect beyond 3 degrees without
premium access

• Use the “more” feature (three dots or down arrow)

Be sure to message after the other person accepts.

While it may seem strange to send a message right after you saw your message, you'll want to send that extra message to continue the conversation.

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

Networking on LinkedIn is not much different than in real life (IRL).

If you have trouble coming up with what to say: imagine that person is in front of you - what would you say?

Many folks are challenged to have conversations on LinkedIn because they have unlimited research and time to adjust their messages. If you imagine the person in front of you, give yourself 2 minutes to write something to continue the conversation.

Take some time to be part of the LinkedIn community from participating in groups, events, and engaging with posts

Take some time to proactively build your Brand.

If you don't like that term, call it your reputation.

Whether you like it or not, you're building a reputation.

The goal is to build your reputation = brand proactively!

While you don't have to be public on LinkedIn, engaging with the platform will allow the algorithms to work for you.

You will be more visible to other people's posts and that visibility will lead to more opportunities.

Creating content is another way of increasing your visibility on the platform. When you create content, LinkedIn's algorithms send it to your connections and other folks they feel would be interested in it.

With more visibility, you also gain more potential opportunities.

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

While Resumes are an imperfect part of the job search process, it is a current necessity so understanding how to effectively write one can increase your odds of landing interviews and thus landing jobs!

Format is the first thing that recruiters will look at on a resume. Though not necessarily in the areas you think.

Essentially, all you need is a clean and consistent format. Sometimes less is more.

There are no universal standards for resumes and here are some perspectives on debated areas. There are a few definite NOs for resumes in Canada so be mindful of those details.

Once you get your format set up, focus on the content.

A nice format might allow a recruiter to spend more time with your resume, BUT it's the content that will land you and interview.

You want to be sure that you reverse engineer the job posting, upgrade your bullets to achievements, and address any gaps.

Reverse engineering the job posting is the MOST important process of the resume process!

Yes, it takes time, though you'll find that the more you do it, the faster and better you will be.

Don't be lazy!

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

Upgrade your bullets from activities to achievements.

Activities are what you did.

Achievements are how well you did it. These are the differentiating factor. Presumably all of the top candidates would have had the experience. Though if you can showcase how well you did them, then your resume will be that much better

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If you need help at any point, join the FOCUS inspired Academy: Your Gym for Career Confidence!

We'll take all of the information in this course and "workout" in the gym to improve your job search effectiveness and efficiency!

Get 1 month free from joining from this course https://focusinspired.com/fiaejsudemy

Give it a shot and your career will be glad that you did!

Builders + Format

• http://enhancv.com

• http://flowcv.com

• http://cultivatedculture.com

• https://app.wonsulting.ai

Scanners

• http://resymatch.io

• http://jobscan.co

AI

• http://openai.com

• https://bard.google.com

Learn about your instructor Luki Danukarjanto

• Former undergrad campus recruiting lead for big 4 tech consulting firm

  • responsible for hiring 100-200 new-grads annually and part of the recruiting leadership team that hired 200 experienced-hires annually

• Former management consultant

• Current educator, author, and career coach

Learn about the topics we'll cover

1. Job hunt fundamentals and getting into the right mindset

2. Job hunt overview with deep dives and exercises

   1. Resumes

   2. Interviews

   3. Networking

3. Job hunt SIWIKE "Stuff I Wish I Knew Earlier"

Learn about the topics we'll cover:

1. Job hunt fundamentals and getting into the right mindset

2. Job hunt overview with deep dives and exercises

   1. Resumes

   2. Interviews

   3. Networking

3. Job hunt SIWIKE "Stuff I Wish I Knew Earlier"

NOTE: The job hunt processes outlined are primarily for the Canadian job market.

There are similarities to the American job market and differences within each region/country of the world. Exercise discretion appropriately based on your geography.

Go through details of the job hunt. Your online job hunt starts with:

• your application (resume, and cover letter).

• then you submit them to a job posting.

• a recruiter screens your application and potentially interviews.

• a hiring manager provides additional interviews for candidates that successfully get through the recruiter

• successful candidates are provided offers

The process can be accelerated and short-circuited at points through referrals.

Job hunting can be a stressful time. Especially if you are unemployed throughout the process.

Learn some tools and helpful techniques to make your more confident in the process.

Making sense of all of the resume guidance out there can be challenging.

We'll take a look at some myths about resumes and test if they are real or bust them.

We also engage in some resume debates. Should they be 1 or 2 pages? is there a difference between a resume and a CV? does format and fonts matter?

We'll distill everything into 3 priorities that you want to make sure that your resume has:

1. A clean and consistent font

2. Reversed engineered content and bullets

3. Upgraded bullets from activities to achievements

We'll also provide some guidance in terms of internationalization (some things that are commonly found on resumes from other countries and are not accepted on a Canadian resume).

Walkthroughs of some real resume samples and how to assess them based on the criteria provided.

PLUS Walking through the process of reverse engineering a job posting step-by-step.

Yay, you've got a call for an interview and have passed the resume screening! How do you make sure that you practice for your interviews to the best of your ability?

Learn what to practice and how to practice so you can ace the interview

Behavioural questions are very common in interviews. Specifically for HR interviews and fit interviews. They can be easily identified with "Tell me about a time when..." or "Give me an example when..." though there can be other variations.

Essentially they are looking for you to go into your experience and outline how you behaved in certain circumstances. The idea is that if you did it before, you can do it again.

You can use the SHARE approach to answer the question clearly and concisely.

S: situation, background

H: hinderance, problem

A: action, what did you do

R: result, what happened

E: evaluate, what did you learn and how does it benefit the company or role

We provide some interview preparation strategies to help you become the most successful interviewee that you can be.

Add some challenges and exercises daily, weekly and monthly to improve your connections.

We provide additional suggestions to make your C of the BMC process, better.

In our opinion, Networking is THE best way to find your next opportunity. Learn the importance of relationships and how to approach BMC Building Meaningful Connections.

And yes, you can do it!

For many, networking is a dirty word. It doesn't have to be. We introduce the BMC Build Meaningful Connections approach to networking.

This module is especially important for introverts and those who are shy about connecting with people!

Before you can be referred, you will need to start by making a few connections.

Practice makes perfect and more importantly, it makes for progress.

Get passed the connection anxiety and become more comfortable with connecting with people.

Now that you've made a bunch of connections, how do you make them more meaningful?

Learn to be curious, interested and most importantly how to add value. And when you do, the jobs tend to come to you!

Now that you've made connections and started making them meaningful, how do you sustain and grow them?

We'll provide simple approaches to build your connections, from calendarizing them to reflecting on your BMC activities.

LinkedIn is a great tool and platform to connect and start making connections.

ALWAYS send a personalized note when connecting. Look to connect on a common anchor point. That could be as an alum of the same school, common interests, common connections, or any other commonalities. If there isn't one, see if you can create one by engaging with one of their posts.

Other notes on networking from where to connect to activities to help you prioritize your BMC and a few confidence hacks thrown in to make the process more fun and growth oriented!

How many applications should I submit to get an interview? How many interviews should I have before expecting an offer?

We answer these questions and offer up more job hunt SIWIKE "Stuff I Wish I Knew Earlier"

We close the job hunt process with a summary and best of luck on your job hunt!

More information in my book https://amzn.to/2LEF52R

Please connect with me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukidanu and let me know how I could be of help!