Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Congratulations! After years of battling countless assignments and exams, you are now ready to face more challenges from the reality. But are you really ready to face all the obstacles brought by the economic crisis with your outstanding academic success?
According to the most updated employment report from Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate for youths aged 15 to 24 in June was 15.9%, the highest rate in 11 years. In addition, unemployment hit hard among youths as employment among youths has fallen the fastest of all age groups, down 6.4%.
How about the summer job market for students? Would it be as hot as our record high temperature?
The Labor Force Survey suggests the summer job market is not optimistic, in other words, it is ice-cold. The survey reports that the unemployment rate for students aged 20 to 24 in June 2009 was 14.0%, the highest June unemployment rate for these students since 1997. The unemployment rate for 17 to 19 year-old students was 18.1% during the same period, which is the highest since 1998.
What does this data mean to you?
It means more than 15 students in a 100 students capacity class are having hard time getting a job. One could be your former classmate, one could be your close friend, and one could be you!
So you do not want to be one of the unlucky 15 students? Here are some useful tips you may want to go through:
Job Hunting or Job Seeking
Job Hunting is the act of actively searching for job vacancies or employment opportunities, upon any kind of unemployed status. According to Wikipedica.com, some common methods of job hunting include:
1. Using different job search engines
Atlantic Canada Careers http://www.atlanticcanadacareers.com/
Canada Jobs http://www.canadajobs.com/
Canadian Career Page http://www.canadiancareers.com
Job Bank http://jb-ge.hrdc.drhc.gc.ca
Sympatico http://www1.sympatico.ca/Contents/Careers/
Monster http://www.monster.ca
2. Browsing the classifieds in newspapers or on the Internet
The Globe and Mail http://www.globeandmail.ca
Workopolis http://globecareers.workpolis.com
Vancouver Sun http://www.vancouversun.com
Craigslist http://www.craigslist.org
3. Contacting a private or public employment agency or recruiter
BC Education and Career Fairs http://www.educationcareerfairs.com
Employment Agency Directory http://www.bcjobs.ca/
4. Finding a job through a friend or an extend business network or personal network
5. Looking on a company's web site for open jobs, typically in its applicant tracking system
Resume
A resume is a documentary that summarizes one's academic achievement and relevant job experience. Besides, a typical resume should also include one's contact methods and professional certifications, as well as one's habits. The resume is typically the first item that a job seeker could fully present one's capabilities and talents to the potential employer or recruiter, time and efforts are required to establish an outstanding resume.
Chronological Résumé
A chronological resume lists a candidate's ten to fifteen years of working experiences in a reversed chronological order. This resume format emphasizes the candidate's credibility through solid experience and career growth over time.
Functional Résumé
A functional resume lists a candidate's work experiences sorted by skills and job functions. A candidate could use this resume format to match one's own skills and job functions to the required job competencies on the hiring posts.
Combination Résumé
The combination resume gathers and balances the uniqueness of both the chronological and functional approaches. This format provides the employer a clear picture of the candidate’s personality traits, specific skill and relevant working experience.