On June 12, 2024, the Alberta Mentorship Program (AMP) held an online Community Champion Mentorship Circle about Job Search Strategies.
This discussion, moderated by Doug Piquette from the Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC) and Cheryl Whitelaw from AMP, introduced our expert for the session, Dr. Svetlana Sapelnikova. Dr. Sapelnikova is an international science innovator, business development leader, as well as a mentor and advisor.
With a PhD in science and an MBA in business, Dr. Sapelnikova has over 30 years of experience in research-oriented environments, including biotechnology, chemistry, nanotechnology, and life sciences. Dr. Sapelnikova has diverse international and cultural work experience in European, Asian, and North American private and public companies as well as research institutions. She has a deep involvement in innovation ecosystems and over 15 years of governance with non-profit organizations.
In this Community Champion Mentorship Circle, Dr. Sapelnikova discussed:
- How to perform a job search
- How to create a high-quality application package
- How to enhance your profile and visibility
- What is happening with AI
- What are the most productive job search activities
Motivation
In Canada, we are not a society that just goes to work and then goes home. We are encouraged to engage in the community on different levels and with different teams. When branching out and finding new opportunities, it can be difficult, but during these moments it’s good to remember my favourite quote by John Keats, “Impossible is for the unwilling.”
You should believe in yourself, you should believe that you can achieve what you want to achieve, but you also have to ask yourself:
- Am I in the position to want this goal?
- Is this goal desirable and am I willing to work toward it?
There’s a lot of work that goes on behind achieving a goal. Be positive with every situation in your life. Everything that happens, happens for the betterment of your future, even when you feel that everything is going wrong. Believe that it will work out the way you want it to as long as you put the work into it.
The Job Search
A job search is not linear; it’s a two-way street. When you are ready to find a job, you must remember that someone at a company is struggling to find a good employee with great qualifications and exceptional skills.
With this in mind, you want to create the best application possible. You begin your research by reviewing job boards and attending job fairs to see what’s out there.
When you begin your search, you’ll notice that all job postings have a similar structure. The beginning is a brief company overview, followed by the job purpose and why the company is trying to fill the position. The next section discusses the roles and responsibilities of the position and ends with the qualifications and skills the company is looking for in an employee.
The Job Posting
The job posting description in the posting is key when applying for a position. You have to create a résumé and cover letter that satisfies the job description you are trying to apply for.
When you find a job posting you’re interested in:
- Highlight the industry of the company.
- Highlight the company’s purpose.
- Highlight the main responsibility (you will bring this into your cover letter)
- Highlight repeated requirements
When viewing the qualifications and skill sets, make note of repeated requirements or terms and be aware of how imposter syndrome shows up for you when reviewing the lists, especially when you only meet a few of the requirements.
Don’t limit yourself—you may have skills that you don’t even realize. Perhaps you have skills in project management through your ability to schedule and manage time between personal projects or in-house tasks.
Remember: A company has a position to fill, and its Human Resources (HR) department is trying to fill it. If none of the applicants address all of the qualifications and skill sets of the position, HR will try to find someone who has most of the requirements. When writing your résumé, try to satisfy the most critical requirements of the position.
Tip: Job titles vary—look broadly within your interested industry and ask others in the industry or research the skills of a job title/position. Be open to different positions and ask what the roles actually include. For example, an account manager has nothing to do with finance and is a position within sales.
Why Do Words Matter?
Why should you go through a job posting and highlight this information?
These keywords are very important to an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). An ATS system is used by HR managers to sort through the first wave of applications. At times, HR managers cannot go through hundreds or thousands of applications and they need a system that catches terms used in the posting. Résumés with these keywords are then selected for a second review by the HR manager.
The Cover Letter and Résumés
Do You Need a Cover Letter?
Cover letters are optional but are recommended. Cover letters can include the body of an email, if the application requires you to submit a résumé directly to a HR manager. Use the body of the email to express how your skills and experiences are relevant to the posting. Keep it clear, concise, professional, and confident.
At times, hiring managers will not look at a résumé if there is no cover letter.
For cover letters, include the following details from the job posting: company overview, job purpose, related experience, relevant skills, and personalization.
Your cover letter will have to be adjusted for every position you apply for as you are tailoring it toward the job posting and for the specific company.
Tip: Personalization includes explaining why you think you’re a good fit for the position.
Résumés
Need help with your résumé? Look for online templates or find a mentor to help you with creating one.
Make sure your résumé is well structured and it includes:
- An executive summary where you can highlight who you are and your major skills/experience.
- Multiple bullet points to display your relevant skills.
When applying for different jobs, it’s not often that you will have to revise your résumé. If you’re applying out of your industry, consider a slight revision to it to showcase your experience and transferable job skills.
Remember: In some cultures, highlighting yourself and your skills is not common. Within the Canadian job market, don’t be afraid to highlight important projects you’ve been on or goals that you have accomplished. Ask someone (i.e., a mentor) to help guide you in how to highlight these skills.
Tip: If you are coming to Canada with qualifications, you may need to upgrade or apply for another program/certification in Canada to help enhance your current education. When looking for jobs, look for industry associations where you can make connections within the industry or engage in mentorship. A mentor may be able to connect you to key individuals within the industry as well.
Applying for the Position
After you send your cover letter and résumé, remember to:
- Track it!
- Email the HR manager to confirm your application has been received.
- Ask for feedback. Some HR managers will provide you with details on why you were not selected for the position, while others might not. It never hurts to ask! If they don’t get back to you or cannot provide any information, don’t take it personally.
Networking
Let people know about you by making yourself discoverable!
There are many ways to network. If a manager finds out you have a lot of experience and are high-level, they may approach you to see if you’re interested in applying for a position.
Often, when a manager knows a person through past work experiences, they’ll ask the individual if they know of anyone who could fill a new position. When given a name, the manager will search online for the recommended individuals experience.
So, make yourself discoverable!
Your social media and job applications should align and be consistent. Open your online profiles but keep your information professional. Different social media platforms offer you different options when presenting yourself:
- LinkedIn: Professional positions
- Research Gate: Positions in academic research
- Facebook: Family and friend connections
- Instagram: Event planning and photography
Your online presence is your digital footprint. Think about your branding—your digital footprint. Potential employers will look for you online to see if your values align with their company.
When online, engage in discussions within your profession. Post, share, and discuss your opinions and concepts of the industry.
Consider volunteering, applying for internships, or attending free workshops to gain experience and broaden your personal network. While networking, let people know you’re looking for a new position. Everyone has been in the same situation, so don’t feel bad about mentioning it.
Good Sources:
- Networking: Edmonton Unlimited
- Résumé Builder: Teal
- Organization: Notion
- Job Search automation: Massive
- Content automation: Copy.ai
AI
AI is in our lives and is here to stay. You can use AI for multiple purposes:
- To help with your job search;
- To optimize your applications; and
- To organize your job search and application process.
AI won’t be able to restructure your applications, but it can provide tools to enhance it. Remember: the quality you get from AI is based on the quality of information you put into it.
Through LinkedIn, you can optimize your job search by using LinkedIn Premium, which will analyze if a position fits your profile. It will also provide you with ways to enhance your profile or update it to address the qualifications within a posting.
When you find a job posting on a site, like LinkedIn, never apply for the position on the website. Go directly to the company site and apply through it, as this is the fastest way for your application to reach a manager. Oftentimes, managers will have to log in to a third-party site to collect applications or review them. This can be a tedious process and can be forgotten. It’s easier for a manager to through their own company website and review applications from there.
Conclusion
There are so many ways to help with your job search. Overall, remember:
- Be discoverable
- Check job boards and apply through company websites
- Think outside the box: don’t think that your previous job title is the only position/title you can apply for
- Marketing is important by personalizing your reach, especially through your online profile
- Network: perform targeted online networking with your intended industry
- Internship and volunteer: expose yourself to the right crowd
- Branch out to industry contacts to get your foot in the door.
The Alberta Mentorship program is sponsored by the Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC).
The Alberta Mentorship Program is appreciative of the funding from the Government of Alberta through Labour and Immigration, Workforce Strategies. Our program is here to provide information and support to help organizations start mentorship programs.