Follow Ups and Thank you Notes

 So you have done your research and found a job you think would be  a great fit for you. You carefully edited your resume and wrote a killer coverletter and were invited for an interview - which you aced! So... now what do you do?

The next step in the interview process is about following up with your interviewer.

When?
 It is important to thank the interviewer(s) within 24 hours of meeting.

What do I say?
Send separate notes to everyone involved in your interview to thank them for their time, the opportunity to be considered, and also lets you reaffirm your enthusiasm for the position. Don't be afraid to restate your  relevant skills, and why you would be a great fit for the position. Did you forget to mention something during the interview? You may add it in your follow up, just make sure it is concise. Restating your relevant skills could also be used to demonstrate your understanding of the company's needs and challenges.

Length?
 An effective thank you note is short, sweet, and to the point. Aim for around 6- 10 sentences. You don't want them to lose interest in your message.

How?
Thank you notes can be physical notes, or follow up e mails. Make sure you proofread your e mails before you send them. You don't want to  tarnish the great first impression you made with typos. Be sure of their names and how to correctly spell them.


Thank you notes and follow ups can boost your chance of getting a job. A survey by AccountTemps (2013) found that 76% of Canadian executives polled said that sending a thank you note demonstrates initiative and courtesy. The act of simply thanking someone for their time and the opportunity to be considered for the position can set you apart from other applicants.

If you would like more information, or you would like to see some sample follow ups, please feel free to stop by the Career Resource Centre and check out our Interview Techniques Binder, or chat with a Career Assistant. We are always happy to help you! Mon-Fri 9-4:30 

 

Becky White

Lead career Assistant

4th Year Tourism and Environment

Why you should complete the Type Focus "Values Assessment"

Values; a persons principles or standards of behaviour, ones judgment of what is important in life  

When you think about what you want to do for the rest of your life, you probably think about what education you need, how much money you'd like to make, and what your working conditions would be. Something else that we consider is the values that we have and how they relate to the work you would be doing. Having a job that disrespects values that you have probably isn't something you're going to enjoy doing for the rest of your life.

I think its important to consider your values first. If you are not exactly sure how your values relate to the career your looking at then no worries, there are ways of finding this out. 

Type Focus provides a Values Assessment that anyone can use to determine there most important values within a workplace. A couple of examples I got after completing this assessment were that I valued relationships (working with people) and support (having a supportive and encouraging work team). There are many more that people may have, it all depends on how you answer the questions and what kind of person you are. 

Assessments are fun and an interactive way of learning more about yourself and your future! Taking the Values Assessment through Type Focus will get you one step closer to the perfect job for you to pursue!  

Brock University students can access Type Focus through careerzone.brocku.ca

Make sure you log in as a student, go to Career Services > Online Resource Centre > Career Assessments > Type Focus

Alysha-Lynn Kooter, Senior Career Assistnat, 3rd Year Education and Visual Arts at Brock University 

How to Find a Job You Love!

The professionals from Glassdoor have created a wonderful infographic with tips on finding a job you love. With students recently graduating, we thought it would be great to share with you!

Alysha-Lynn Kooter, Career Assistant, 2nd Year Intermediate/Senior Con-Ed Visual Art and English 

Decision Making: Step three!

What do you want to be when you grow up? Have you chosen the proper path for your future? Is the job market hiring graduates from the degree right now? These are all questions that haunt us in our sleep. We are constantly reminded that we need to have some sort of plan right away for our future. This is simply not true. You cannot make a good decision in a rush or when you have not thought it through properly. This makes Decision Making one of the hardest steps in the Career Planning Process. You will be surprised how much you can accomplish if you take it step by step. It may take the longest, but it will certainly pay off in the end when you are happy and confident in the position you're in. 

After you have completed Step 1 (Self-Assessment) and Step 2 (Research) it is time to reflect on your results and try to narrow down your options into achievable goals. Firstly, review your self-assessment and research results to have the best possible understanding of your options. After you have done this it’s time to set some short-term and long-term goals for yourself. Goals can be set for educational and/or employment purposes. They help you stay on track and organized so your goals can be met in a timely fashion.

To do this, create a detailed action plan to establish a timeline for reaching your goals. List the overall goal you want to achieve (for example: Find full-time employment) and then underneath create shorter goals that you can achieve to eventually reach your main goal (for example: get my resume and cover letter reviewed). Once you have the shorter goals that lead to the completion of your main goal you must give yourself an achievable time for each of these goals. You cannot do them all in one day!

Once you have this completed you have a full on action plan to follow! Now you’re one step closer to completing the Career Planning Process.  

Alysha-Lynn Kooter, Career Assistant, 2nd Year Intermediate/Senior Con-Ed Visual Art and English 

Research: Step two!

Step two of The Career Planning Process is Research. After you have finished with Self-Assessment (from the previous blog post) you may have a few career options to look into. Conducting research will help you narrow down your decision on what career you want to pursue.

What and where to research:

Job Information – What does the job look like?

When searching different career options you need to look at the skills, duties, qualifications/education, work hours, work conditions, etc. A good place to start looking for this information is on occupational profiles. Profiles can give you an excellent description of career choices individuals have made. You could find occupational profiles on LinkedIn! Many professionals are using LinkedIn and have descriptions of the career they are involved with.

Labour Market – What is the demand for this job?

When deciding on a career it is comforting to know the opportunities that lie ahead of you. Looking at the job trends in your region and exploring those of other regions can help you again narrow down your career options. Things you want to research are job availability by region/sector, salary range by region/sector, and general job trends. You can find this information across a variety of websites. It is important to use a reputable website for this information because you do not want to be misled. Some resources we have found useful are:

-      workingincanada.gc.ca

-      labourmarketinformation.ca

-      niagaraworkforceboard.ca

Potential Employers – Who hires for this job?

It is important to know who is hiring when researching specific careers. It may be posted on employer, business, or career websites, directories, or industry associations. Also you should know who you should be networking with. Networking is an extremely important aspect when looking for the right career path. People who are working in the career your researching can give you first-hand experience of what it’s like and what the outlooks are for getting hired. They are good relationships to keep if you intend on pursuing that career!

Searching for the right career for you can take some time. Not to worry though, if you start while still studying in university you will have a firm foundation of information to help make your decision when the time comes!  J

Alysha-Lynn Kooter, Career Assistant, 2nd Year Intermediate/Senior Con-Ed Visual Art and English 

Common Job Search Sites

 More and more employers are advertising their jobs through job search sites which is good news for job seekers. Many job sites are becoming more intuitive and can actually save you time. For example: www.indeed.ca remembers your search and the next time you use the site it will let you know how many new jobs have been posted under your search criteria. No more browsing around to find the good stuff. Get straight to the honey!

www.jobbank.gc.ca is a government job site that allows you to search by region, employment area, full time/ part time and length of employment. the site is easy to navigate, and dates of posts are clearly listed to help you know when jobs were posted and when they will be taken down. Application information is listed in the bottom of each post.

www.eluta.ca is an excellent site for new grads. It is the official job search engine for Canada's Top 100 Employers project. Once you search for jobs, the menu on the left hand side allows you to  pick and choose which options you would like to see and which you would like to limit.

These are just a few of the job search sites we have listed on our job search sites handout in Career Services. Stop by to grab a copy and check them out!

Becky
Sr. Career Assistant

Planning for Short Term and Long Term Goals

 There is a new banking commercial out right now that asks the viewer "will you be better off next year?", and I found that I stepped back and asked myself if I would be better off one year from now. Things don't get accomplished by just hoping things will happen. That is where goals come in.  Taking the time to sit down and actively think about what you want, how you want to accomplish it, and by what date, is surprisingly effective. By taking the time to plan your short term and long term goals, it will actually cause a shift in your actions because you will be acting in accordance with your PRIORITIES!   Short term goals can be simple, such as  " I want to complete all of my assigned readings the weekend before the scheduled class". Long term goals look 1-5 years in the future and can range from personal, professional, financial, academic or any combination of the above. Goals should be SMART, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Utilizing goal setting strategies can help you in your career planning process by helping you draw a map to success. Until you sit down to figure out exactly what you want, you may not have thought about the different steps required to meet that goal.

Where will you be next week? The end of the semester? One year from now? Five years from now?

Set goals now and you will be surprised with how much you can accomplish!

 - Becky W.
Sr. Career Assistant

TalentEggs’ How to Land your Dream Job in 8 Easy Steps

 

Hey you! Are you going into your final year of university or college? Are you determined to find a job after graduation? If you answered yes to these questions, then this blog will be of great benefit to you!

According to Kate MacKenzie, who is TalentEgg's Campaign Strategist, 70% of employers hire in the fall and an even higher percentage of students are completely unaware of this.

TalentEgg is unique because it is a Canadian resource aimed at helping new graduates find careers. Additionally, TalentEgg has created an extremely useful guide to help students through the process of landing their dream job; because of course, getting the job you want takes effort!

MacKenzie’s suggestions:

1.      Eager job hunters know when employers plan on hiring. Keep an eye on job boards and company websites so that you catch new postings right away. The longer you wait, the more opportunities you may miss out on. Also remember to check out Career Services online job board. There you will find a vast variety of online job boards that will link you to employers looking for new candidates!

 

2.      Know what resources are available for your benefit. For instance, Career Services has an interview prep binder loaded with sample questions and information on what to expect during various interview process such as telephone interviews, face-to-face interviews, and much more. Career Services also offers online workshops accessilble through Career Zone to assist you with resume and cover letter prep, or come into the resource centre and a Career Assistant will go over your career documents with you!

 

3.      Research various employers and jobs to find out what fits you best. If you are unsure what career you would be interested in, check out Career Cruising on Career Zone. On this site you can participate in assesments that will help you decide which career will best fit your interests and skills.

 

4.      Develop a professional personal brand. For example, ensure all your social media sites represent a professional “you”. You don’t want party pictures so show up on your Facebook page when an employer decides to do a background search before contacting you for an interview.

5.      Once you have a polished resume and cover letter, start applying!

 

6.      Keep an eye on how you are progressing with the application process. If you don’t hear anything back from employers, you may need to re-evaluate the quality of your resume and cover letter. Remember, Career Services has online workshops accessible through Career Zone that can help you with these documents. You can also send employers follow up responses to find out what you could improve on.

 

7.      Prepare for the interview, seriously! If you want to perform well for the interview, develop answers to common questions that employers may ask. As I mentioned earlier, Career Services has many interview question samples and even appropriate answers to interview questions. If you are looking for a “real feel”, you can schedule a mock interview with Career Services which is a great way to practice your interview skills, and receive some constructive feedback.

8.      After the interview, respond with a thank-you follow up. For example, you could e-mail the interviewer thanking them for the opportunity to meet with them and discuss your qualifications; it also doesn’t hurt to remind them why you so greatly want the position.

For more detailed information on TalentEggs’ How to Land your Dream Job in 8 Easy Steps check out the link provided below:

The 2013 September Recruitment Survival Guide: How To Land Your Dream Job In 8 Easy Steps

Nella Paris
Senior Career Assistant
Psychology Major (Honours)