Career Strategies PCMG Canada and Careers Today Canada By Minto Roy

Take this Recruitment and Retention Test. – By Minto Roy

2008-12-06T21:44:00.000-08:00

Take this Recruitment and Retention Test. – By Minto Roy President of Careers Today Canada and Founding Partner, RevGen

First off, let's be honest.

The employment market is in incredible change. Mixed messages surround companies and jobseekers that make both sides of the hiring desk extremely confused and uncertain.

Just a few months ago newspapers screamed of 1000's of jobs going unfilled. The labour-market was red-hot. Now these same news mediums feature movie-trailer-panic-ridden headlines about the doom of our economy and report thousands of lay-offs.
Jobseekers became very accustomed to having the choice of multiple employers vying for their services. They developed a casual arrogance that comes from being “chased” and never having to “chase”. But that same jobseekers must now realize that no one is chasing them, no-one is waiting around the corner to offer them a great new job.

Folks, the world has changed.

General Motors is threatening bankruptcy, we have an African-American President and my monthly gas payments are more than my monthly car payments.
There are still tremendous opportunities in this marketplace. However, jobseekers must now learn how to effectively and competitively market themselves to land a great new career. But, a warning to employers who have started to feel too comfortable about this employment market-swing. This is now, a more vital time for your company to develop a tactical strategy to recruit and retain talent.
Many companies have in-fact downsized. Thousands of professionals across Canada are searching for new jobs. However, companies have been careful to retain their most talented staff and let go employees that were expendable or did not perform.
Employers looking to hire talent must now weed through hundreds of more unqualified applicants to find the right candidate and the right fit. Without a recruitment plan, resources or expertise, managers may find that they may spend more time hiring the wrong person. During the red-hot labour, the worst thing was simply, that you could not find anyone! Remember, that hiring the wrong person is far more expensive and destructive to your company than hiring no-one

So with the realization on how important a hiring and retention strategy is, take this test to determine how well prepared your company is to find and keep the best talent. Answer each question honestly and remember that most employers state that there number one asset is their people. Yet when asked to outline their market-competitive strategy to recruit and retain the best people, many avoid the question or simply have no response.

Each question is based on a scale from 1 to 10, ten being the highest.
At the bottom of this article I will give you the average score out of 40, from hundreds of managers that I have interviewed from my 15 years of working with companies helping them recruit and retain talent.

Question 1:

During business hours what is the percentage of time do you or your managers allocate to assessing, sourcing and engaging talent for your company’s competitive growth?
I have found that most small to medium size business owners work 50-70 hours a week. They are frantically distracted with operations, employee issues, payables, receivables, selling, marketing, sweeping the floors, signing the checks, PAPERWORK! The time left to look at resumes is often relegated to after-hours or weekends. Hours when energy levels are at their lowest or are being shared with family obligations.
Jobseekers should note that there is probably a lot of resume screening during kid’s soccer and hockey games.
But seriously, if great people are truly the most important asset to your company, why then do most managers given them the least energetic, non- focused hours for screening and consideration?

Question 2:

How deep and well developed are your sources to find talent?
I am not speaking about posting a job on Craig’s list and waiting for hundreds of resume submissions. I am referring to a consistent strategy develop a deep bullpen of talent through corporate networking. A consistent plan to meet talented professionals and take interest in their career objectives, recognizing matches to your corporate objectives. Remember, the talent that you want is probably working. They have no need to look at posting boards and are uncomfortable sending confidential resumes to general emails.
So how well developed is your talent bullpen?

Question 3:

How strong are your interview and engagement skills?
Remember when you are interviewing, that talented professionals are probably meeting with multiple companies. Most employers however, have very limited professional interview training and lack a sincere engagement strategy to understand what motivates and how to motive talented jobseekers. Most entrepreneurs have tremendous passion and work ethic but lack communication skills to sell the vision of their job opportunity within a competitive marketplace.

Question 4

How well developed are your retention strategies: employee training and development, succession planning, recognition and rewards, life-balance, mentorship programs, etc…?
After meeting thousands of jobseekers, I have come to realize that their number one reason for seeking a new career is as a result of a lack of communication between themselves and managers. It is not enough simply to hire talent. It is equally as important to retain, develop and ensure that your employees understand how their career objectives relate to the company’s objectives. Remember, people don’t leave companies, people leave managers who lack the time to development and recognize their employees.

What was your total score out of 40?

These questions were not designed to be easy. Most entrepreneurs and managers realize after this test that they simply don't have a great strategy in place. I have had hundreds of managers take this test. Managers from multi-national corporations to start-up companies consistently have scored about 15 out of 40.
A failing grade.
What might surprise you is that the higher up the corporate ladder that I have surveyed the lower the score. I believe corporate leaders answer these questions truly believing that their competitive edge in business is in-fact their people. They are very tough on their self assessment and are always looking to improve. They are fully aware that the war for top talent is constant, regardless of the economy!
Admitting where they are weak and getting the help they need to find a solution is why they are vested with great responsibility. This strategy will work for success in life, not just with corporate recruitment.
I will follow-up this article next month with some concrete ideas on how your business can attract, secure and retain the most talented professionals. There is no magic pill coming, these ideas will require; research, diligence, practice, consistency but they will work.

I welcome you to try the ideas and give me feedback.
After all, it’s only the most important part of your business.

Minto Roy
President
RevGen / Careers Today Canada
www.revenuegeneration.com / www.careerstodaycanada.com

2008-12-04T15:51:00.000-08:00

Five Reasons the Economy is FANTASTIC for Small Business. By Minto Roy

1. Corporate Downsizing by large multi-national companies. If you are a small company this is the best time to pursue talent within your industry that have great contacts and information. Many well networked professionals that may have been unaffordable in the past are now looking beyond the corporate giants to entrepreneurial small business. Many with decent severance packages in hand can justify taking a salary cut and even investing in your company’s growth plan.

2. Large companies reducing staff run the risk of diminishing service quality to their clients. Less staff, less resources, could mean that clients expecting premium service might be disappointed to learn that reps they dealt with are gone. A great time to pursue these clients that might consider moving their business to your small business and deal directly with the owner.

3. Public support. In this era of corporate bailouts, outlandish corporate salaries and rollercoaster stock dips, the strength of small business and access to the actual owner is comforting to the public and consumer market. The public has far more trust in the mom and pop shop businesses than in the corporate giants of the plummeting stock market.

4. Small business is nimble and reactive. Corporate giants have thrown down their anchors in their attempts to ride the economic storm. Millions of “No More Spending Memos” have been sent across North America, corporate layoffs, salary rollback, no more travel, no more client lunches, dinners etc… Large corporations are making it harder for their sales staff to close new business. Small business can strategically target key clients held by the corporate giants. Small business can react and create innovative approaches, incentivise their sales reps to travel the red-eye and take advantage of every opportunity to close deals.

5. Global Thinking. Small business can initiate and launch into new market globally where interest and consumer markets spending still want their products. Large corporations require significant re-structuring and re-tooling and significant capital to pursue new markets. Small business can decide tomorrow if they want to expand globally. No red tape required, small business comes with the freedom to hire an agent or a representative in China and India to sell their products via agent agreement and become international overnight.

So let the newspapers continue to grow their business and sell newspapers with rampant negative stories of layoffs, restructuring and large business contract cancellations and the decline of the corporate giants. It should be all good news for small business.

Minto Roy, President / Partner
RevGen / Careers Today Canada
www.revenuegeneration.ca / www.careerstodaycanada.com

2008-11-30T13:20:00.000-08:00

The Employment World doesn’t need another boring resume.

Here are Top 5 Things Not to Do when creating a competitive resume to set yourself apart from your competition. But first a quick ‘Marketing 101 lesson for jobseekers,

“If you are trying to set yourself apart from other jobseekers in the marketplace, don’t market yourself with the exact same methodology as the rest of your competition and hope to stand out.”

Most jobseekers traditionally use a resume to showcase their value. The resume showcases their past accomplishments, past experiences and past education. However, after speaking with hundreds of hiring managers, I am reminded that these managers are far more interested in what a candidate can do for them in the future, not what they have done in the past.

However, only a fraction of the resume focuses on the jobseeker’s future. The “objective section”, usually the lead paragraph, is the only part of the resume that contains any information about the jobseeker’s future objective. But most objective statements are vague and contain never ending clichés.

Objective: “seasoned professional looking for a dynamic and challenging position with a growth oriented company. A great team player, willing to work hard, flexible, loyal, etc…”

In hopes of being unique most job seekers provide employers with identically formatted marketing documents and statements hoping to set themselves apart as being unique. So here are 5 Things Not to Do when trying to create a unique resume

Number One

Don’t be too general and say the same things as every other job seeker.
Employers assume that you are honest, loyal and a team player. No employer disqualifies you right away and says, “Hey, this guy didn’t say he was honest, hardworking and loyal in his resume, he’s out!”

Number Two

Don’t assume that your resume has to showcase every one of your experiences and accomplishments.

Including everything you’ve done in your career doesn’t increase your odds of getting the job or another job at the company. Don’t hope that employers might look deeper at your qualification and figure out that you are qualified for another opportunity within the company.

Number Three

Don’t use words that are long term or process oriented words when describing your achievements. Use a short term, action oriented bursts. Write dialogue to attract the reader’s interest and emotions.

Number Four

Don’t go back more than a decade with your experiences and achievements. Even that’s a long time. Respectfully, not many people care about what you did ten years ago…It’s over. Remember, keep the focus of your resume on what you can do in the future.

Number Five

Make the end of the resume count. Remember, most people remember what they read at the beginning and at the end. End uniquely, by creating an exciting explanation of your passions and interests outside of work.

The end of your resume should provide employers insight into your competitive drive, your creativity, your commitment to charity, volunteer work, how you might save the world!

Be bold, be creative, use the final part of your resume to compel the hiring manager to want to meet the professional and the personality behind the document.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada/RevGen
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.revenuegeneration.ca
www.mintoroy.net

Listen to Minto on "Grow Your Business Radio". Every week on The Buzz 1410 am Saturdays from 3-4 pm. Past shows available can be downloaded on the Careers Today website.

2008-05-13T16:03:00.001-07:00

The Employment World doesn’t need another boring resume.

Here are Top 5 Things Not to Do when creating a competitive resume to set yourself apart from your competition. But first a quick ‘Marketing 101 lesson for jobseekers,

“If you are trying to set yourself apart from other jobseekers in the marketplace, don’t market yourself with the exact same methodology as the rest of your competition and hope to stand out.”

Most jobseekers traditionally use a resume to showcase their value. The resume showcases their past accomplishments, past experiences and past education. However, after speaking with hundreds of hiring managers, I am reminded that these managers are far more interested in what a candidate can do for them in the future, not what they have done in the past.

However, only a fraction of the resume focuses on the jobseeker’s future. The “objective section”, usually the lead paragraph, is the only part of the resume that contains any information about the jobseeker’s future objective. But most objective statements are vague and contain never ending clichés.

Objective: “seasoned professional looking for a dynamic and challenging position with a growth oriented company. A great team player, willing to work hard, flexible, loyal, etc…”

In hopes of being unique most job seekers provide employers with identically formatted marketing documents and statements hoping to set themselves apart as being unique. So here are 5 Things Not to Do when trying to create a unique resume

Number One

Don’t be too general and say the same things as every other job seeker.
Employers assume that you are honest, loyal and a team player. No employer disqualifies you right away and says, “Hey, this guy didn’t say he was honest, hardworking and loyal in his resume, he’s out!”

Number Two

Don’t assume that your resume has to showcase every one of your experiences and accomplishments.

Including everything you’ve done in your career doesn’t increase your odds of getting the job or another job at the company. Don’t hope that employers might look deeper at your qualification and figure out that you are qualified for another opportunity within the company.

Number Three

Don’t use words that are long term or process oriented words when describing your achievements. Use a short term, action oriented bursts. Write dialogue to attract the reader’s interest and emotions.

Number Four

Don’t go back more than a decade with your experiences and achievements. Even that’s a long time. Respectfully, not many people care about what you did ten years ago…It’s over. Remember, keep the focus of your resume on what you can do in the future.

Number Five

Make the end of the resume count. Remember, most people remember what they read at the beginning and at the end. End uniquely, by creating an exciting explanation of your passions and interests outside of work.

The end of your resume should provide employers insight into your competitive drive, your creativity, your commitment to charity, volunteer work, how you might save the world!

Be bold, be creative, use the final part of your resume to compel the hiring manager to want to meet the professional and the personality behind the document.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada/PCMG Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.pcmgcanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Listen to Minto on Careers Today Radio. Every week on The Buzz 1410 am Saturdays from 3-4 pm. Past shows available can be downloaded on the Careers Today website.

TOP 10 JOB SEARCH TIPS FOR PROFESSIONAL IMMIGRANTS

2008-03-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Tips for Professional Immigrant Job Seekers

1. Make a commitment to really go after that great career in Canada.

Don’t grab and settle for the low hanging job off the Canadian Labor market tree. Make a commitment to overcome the majority of people that may tell you to “start at the bottom”. Getting a career at the right level of your expertise requires a strategy, focus, a positive environment filled with those that say “you can” and an unrelenting dedication until the objective is achieved.

2. Drastically increase your career options by targeting opportunities in the SME Market.

Small to Medium Size Enterprises or companies represent approx. 95% of companies in the economy, therefore, they do 95% of the hiring, but these companies are often ignored or unknown to most job seekers.

3. Create and memorize powerful skills and achievement narratives.

Narratives are exciting short-burst descriptions of your skills and achievements used in your resume and overall job search campaign. Narratives are short two to three line statements that you create that are compelling and unique about your skills and achievements. They showcase your value to employers. Stay away from cliché’s and vague statements like, “I’m a hard worker, team player, honest and hardworking, loyal and looking for a challenge and willing to start at the bottom.”

4. Showcase your future not your past

Send hiring managers future-focused resumes not past-focused resumes. Hiring managers are far more interested in what you can do for them in the future than what you have done in the past. But the only thing typical resumes talk about is…hmm, your past.

5. Work your job search strategy from the top down, not bottom up

Try networking or securing interviews two levels up from your targeted income level. If you’re looking for a job at 40K, you better interview or try and network with people who make 80K. They are the ones who make the final decision to hire you.
Think about it, executives looking for a job at 100K, do not try and validate their value with HR staff that earn 50 K.

6. Prepare for your interviews with the same intensity as you did for your University finals in your homeland.

On average from my experience most jobseekers spend only a few hours 1-2 preparing for an interview that may change their lives, yet most spent days studying for their University final exams. When immigrants practice and truly memorize the answers to the most asked interview questions, their interview skills and confidence skyrockets.

7. Network consistently and with sincere engagement

Here’s an important secret. Never ever ask a company if they are hiring when your networking or at a career fair. Only by taking a sincere interest in a company’s goals and challenges will they then take a sincere interest in your career objectives. Starting conversations about what you need will lead no-where or straight to the bottom of what the employer needs.

8. Negotiate the entire package when you get an offer.

If you strategy implement the above tips and get a offer. Make sure you think about negotiating. In this red-hot labor market Canadian companies are often open to negotiating things like; salary, benefits, performance bonuses, stock options, paid vacations, review assessments, training allowances, flex hours, ++ Most professional newcomers to Canada have very low career expectations and confidence and often are too scared to counter offer.

9. Your career is where you spend the majority of your day! Hire a professional to help you land that great career.

Your friends, family and respectfully some government sponsored job search services may have the very best intentions but do they really have the required time, market insight and resources to ensure that you get that great career? The right career expert will provide years of expertise, market insight and resources AND hold you accountable to help you land that great career. So, have a beer with your buddies, but do not rely on them to be your primary source of job search advice.

10. Finally, Just do it! What have you got to lose?

If you’re not happy with your current job, then take the chance to go after something better. If it doesn’t work out, you won’t have any problem finding a job that you don’t want, the market is full of them. In-fact, you don’t even need any of the last nine tips to get a job you don’t like!

Minto Roy
President

PCMG Executive/Careers Today Canada
www.pcmgcanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.pcmgexecutive.com

TOP 10 TIPS TO GET A GREAT NEW CAREER !

2008-02-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Tips for Job Seekers

1. Make a commitment to really go after that great career!

Don’t grab the first low hanging offer that waves a few dollars at you. A committed job search requires focus, strategy and unrelenting dedication until the objective is achieved.

2. Drastically increase your career options by targeting opportunities in the SME Market.

Small to Medium Size Enterprises represent approx. 95% of companies in the economy, therefore, they do 95% of the hiring, but these companies are often ignored or unknown to most job seekers.

3. Create powerful skills and achievement narratives.

Narratives are exciting short-burst descriptions of your skills and achievements used in your resume and overall marketing campaign. Narratives must be compelling and unique to showcase your value to employers. Stay away from cliché’s and vague statements like, “I’m a people person, team player, honest and hardworking, loyal and looking for a challenge.”

4. Showcase your future not your past

Send hiring managers future-focused resumes not past-focused documents. Hiring managers are far more interested in what you can do for them in the future than what you have done in the past. But the only thing typical resumes talk about is…hmm, your past.

5. Work your job search strategy from the top down, not bottom up

Try networking or securing interviews two levels up from your income level. If you’re looking for a job at 50K, you better interview with people who make 80-100K. They are the ones who make the final decision to hire you. If you are looking for a job at 100K, it’s hard to believe the person in HR earning 50 K can make the decision to hire you.

6. Prepare for your interviews with the same intensity as you did for your University finals.

On average, most jobseekers spend 1-2 hours preparing for an interview that may change their lives, yet most spent days studying for their University final exams.

7. Network consistently and with sincere engagement

Never ask a company if they are hiring! Only by taking a sincere interest in a company’s goals and challenges will they then take a sincere interest in your career objectives.

8. Negotiate the entire package when you get an offer.

Salary, benefits, performance bonuses, stock options, paid vacations, review assessments, training allowances, flex hours, ++ Most jobseekers are either too scared to counter offer or don’t know all the perks available in this red-hot job market by employers hungry for talent.

9. Your career is where you spend the majority of your day! Hire a professional to help you land that great career.

Your friends and family may have the very best intentions but do they really have the time, market insight and resources to ensure that you get that great career? The right career expert will provide years of expertise, market insight and resources AND hold you accountable to help you land that great career. So, have a beer with your buddies, but do not rely on them to be your primary source of job search advice.

10. Finally, Just do it! What have you got to lose?

If you’re not happy with your current job, then take the chance to go after something better. If it doesn’t work out, you won’t have any problem finding a job that you don’t want, the market is full of them. In-fact, you don’t even need any of the last nine tips to get a job you don’t like!

Minto Roy
President
PCMG Executive/Careers Today Canada
www.pcmgcanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.pcmgexecutive.com

TOP TIPS FOR PROFESSIONAL IMMIGRANT JOB SEEKERS

2008-02-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Tips for Professional Immigrant Job Seekers

1. Make a commitment to really go after that great career in Canada.

Don’t grab and settle for the low hanging job off the Canadian Labor market tree. Make a commitment to overcome the majority of people that may tell you to “start at the bottom”. Getting a career at the right level of your expertise requires a strategy, focus, a positive environment filled with those that say “you can” and an unrelenting dedication until the objective is achieved.

2. Drastically increase your career options by targeting opportunities in the SME Market.

Small to Medium Size Enterprises or companies represent approx. 95% of companies in the economy, therefore, they do 95% of the hiring, but these companies are often ignored or unknown to most job seekers.

3. Create and memorize powerful skills and achievement narratives.

Narratives are exciting short-burst descriptions of your skills and achievements used in your resume and overall job search campaign. Narratives are short two to three line statements that you create that are compelling and unique about your skills and achievements. They showcase your value to employers. Stay away from cliché’s and vague statements like, “I’m a hard worker, team player, honest and hardworking, loyal and looking for a challenge and willing to start at the bottom.”

4. Showcase your future not your past

Send hiring managers future-focused resumes not past-focused resumes. Hiring managers are far more interested in what you can do for them in the future than what you have done in the past. But the only thing typical resumes talk about is…hmm, your past.

5. Work your job search strategy from the top down, not bottom up

Try networking or securing interviews two levels up from your targeted income level. If you’re looking for a job at 40K, you better interview or try and network with people who make 80K. They are the ones who make the final decision to hire you.
Think about it, executives looking for a job at 100K, do not try and validate their value with HR staff that earn 50 K.

6. Prepare for your interviews with the same intensity as you did for your University finals in your homeland.

On average from my experience most jobseekers spend only a few hours 1-2 preparing for an interview that may change their lives, yet most spent days studying for their University final exams. When immigrants practice and truly memorize the answers to the most asked interview questions, their interview skills and confidence skyrockets.

7. Network consistently and with sincere engagement

Here’s an important secret. Never ever ask a company if they are hiring when your networking or at a career fair. Only by taking a sincere interest in a company’s goals and challenges will they then take a sincere interest in your career objectives. Starting conversations about what you need will lead no-where or straight to the bottom of what the employer needs.

8. Negotiate the entire package when you get an offer.

If you strategy implement the above tips and get a offer. Make sure you think about negotiating. In this red-hot labor market, canadian companies are often open to negotiating things like; salary, benefits, performance bonuses, stock options, paid vacations, review assessments, training allowances, flex hours, ++ Most professional newcomers to Canada have very low career expectations and confidence and often are too scared to counter offer.

9. Your career is where you spend the majority of your day! Hire a professional to help you land that great career.

Your friends, family and respectfully some gov’t sponsered job search services may have the very best intentions but do they really have the required time, market insight and resources to ensure that you get that great career? The right career expert will provide years of expertise, market insight and resources AND hold you accountable to help you land that great career. So, have a beer with your buddies, but do not rely on them to be your primary source of job search advice.

10. Finally, Just do it! What have you got to lose?

If you’re not happy with your current job, then take the chance to go after something better. If it doesn’t work out, you won’t have any problem finding a job that you don’t want, the market is full of them. In-fact, you don’t even need any of the last nine tips to get a job you don’t like!

President
PCMG Executive/Careers Today Canada
www.pcmgcanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.pcmgexecutive.com
Minto Roy

WHAT IT TAKES TO STAY IN THE SIX FIGURE WORLD

2008-01-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

SEVEN KEY POINTS TO GET IN AND STAY IN THE SIX FIGURE WORLD.

Minto Roy, President and CEO of Premier Career Management Group

1. If you are a recent graduate, don’t buy into the traditional salary increase mindset. You know the one: graduate university, get a position at 30-35K, and work hard to get an increase to 50K after a few years. Find a way into management after 5 years and slide into the 75K level. Then, after 10 years of working like a dog, helping the company grow, you make it into sr. level management at 100K and then hope like hell to stay there for the final 20 years. Retire. This is complete nonsense. Professionals from 25-35 should realize that with a tactical internal and external marketing strategy of their skills and a great intra-company career plan, they can make major leaps in career growth and income in this red-hot labor market.
2. Learn to deal with and ignore those around you that think six figures is a lot of money. The nay-sayers and that often includes family and friends who attempt to rationalize why it’s too tough, or that you’ll have to forfeit your personal life and sell your soul for higher bracket incomes. Most people under six figures think that professionals in the higher brackets only chase money. In fact most high achievers that I deal with know that we ”chase time not money”!

3. You got to six figures with your drive and a plan to get there, but after reaching it, you must create and set higher income targets. You don’t stay at a 100K by wanting to make the exact same amount next year. Shoot higher, two hundred thousand or go way beyond and start thinking and believing you can earn seven figures.

4. Start surrounding yourself and networking with higher bracket professionals. Unfortunately if you are the highest earner in your peer group, then it becomes more difficult to sustain the information edge and strategic edge to maintain and grow your income and career. I’m not saying ditch your friends, I’m saying find higher bracket colleagues to support and exchange ideas with regularly.

5. It’s crucial to develop your network more than ever after making to the higher bracket of income. Companies looking for talent at this level need to see more than just education, skills and achievements. They want professionals that have built and can access and integrate their network within the growth plans of their business. If you don’t have a strong accessible network, then start building relationships to support and, hence, support you.

6. You need to work on soft skills: Likeability, candor, perseverance, managing confrontation, duplication, emotional intelligence and more. These skills are extremely misunderstood and overlooked when assessed by mid-level HR departments. However, these are some of the most coveted characteristics required to move up the corporate ladder.

7. Consider who you take career advice from. Respectfully, most people seek career advice from family, friends and acquaintances. These people might have the best intentions. But do they have the time, resources and expertise to dispense advice that you can use and implement? Will they be accountable to deal with the end-results of their advice? If one of your goals is to reach and remain in the higher income world then make sure you have fun with your family and friends but take career advice from an expert who has been in the higher bracket and has helped others succeed.

Minto Roy
Vancouver/Canada
mroy@careerstodaycanada.com

www.pcmgcanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.pcmgexecutive.com

Minto also hosts the Careers Today weekly radio show every Saturday on CFUN 1410am or online at www.cfun.ca
________________________

Minto Roy is the President and CEO of Premier Career Management Group and the host of Canada’s only recruitment radio program, Careers Today, one of the top-rated shows in the BC market. His pragmatic style, combined with a natural ability to motivate people, provides a strong foundation in “Revolutionizing the World of Work.” Minto brings more than a decade of experience in career management and has worked with thousands of clients advising them on their career search and career plans. Minto is a much sought-after speaker and media commentator and has featured on CBC TV, CBC Morning Radio and various Channel M features on immigrant employment. Minto provides expert commentary on employment issues and trends and has been a resource for the National Post, Globe and Mail, Vancouver Province and Toronto Star. Minto is also a regular columnist for the Canadian Immigrant Magazine and the Vancouver View Magazine.

Want to ask Minto a six figure question? He can be reached at mroy@pcmgcanada.com

THINK OVER ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND PER YEAR!

2007-10-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

SEVEN KEY TIPS TO GET IN AND REMAIN IN THE SIX FIGURE WORLD.

ONE

If you are a recent graduate, don’t buy into the traditional salary increase mindset. You know the one: graduate university, get a position at 30-35K, work hard to get an increase to 50k after a few years. Find a way to management after 5 years and slide into the 75K level. Then, after 10 years of working like a dog, helping the company grow, make it into sr. level management at 100K and then hope like hell to stay there for the final 20 years. Retire. This is complete nonsense. Professionals from 25-35 should realize that with a tactical internal and external marketing strategy of their skills and a great intra-company career plan, they can make major leaps in career growth and income in this red-hot labor market.

TWO.

Learn to deal with ignore those around you that think six figures is a lot of money. The nay-sayers and that often include family and friends that attempt to rationalize why it’s too tough, or that you’ll have to forfeit your personal life and sell your soul for higher bracket incomes. Most people under six figures think that professionals in the higher brackets only chase money. Infact most high achievers that I deal with know that we” chase time not money”!

THREE.

You got to six figures with your drive and a plan to get there, but after reaching it, you must create and set higher income targets. You don’t stay at a 100 K by wanting to make the exact same amount next year. Shoot higher, two hundred thousand or go way beyond and start thinking and believing you can earn seven figures.

FOUR.

Start surrounding yourself and networking with higher bracket professionals. Unfortunately if you are the highest earner in your peer group, then it becomes more difficult to sustain the information edge and strategic edge to maintain and grow your income and career. I’m not saying ditch your friends, I’m saying find higher bracket collegues to support and exchange ideas with regularly.

FIVE.

It’s crucial to develop your network more than ever after making to the higher bracket of income. Companies looking for talent at this level need to see more than just education, skills and achievements. They want professionals that have built and can access and integrate their network within the growth plans of business. If you don’t have strong accessible network, then start building relationships to support and support you.

SIX.

You need to work on soft skills: likeability, candor, perseverance managing confrontation, duplication, emotional intelligence and more. These skills are extremely misunderstood and overlooked when assessed by mid-level hr. departments. However, these are the most coveted characteristics required to move up the corporate ladder.

SEVEN.

Consider who you take career advice from. Respectfully most people seek career advice from family, friends and acquaintances. These people might have the best intentions. But do they have the time, resources and expertise to dispense advice that you can use and implement? Will they be accountable to deal with the end-results of their advice? If one of your goals is to reach and remain in the higher income world then make sure you have fun with your family and friends but take career advice from an expert that been in the higher bracket and has helped other succeed.

Minto Roy
President
PCMG Canada/Careers Today Canada

/http://www.pcmgcanada.com/ / http://www.careerstodaycanada.com/ / http://www.pcmgexecutive.com/ www.mintoroy.net

SEVEN KEY THINGS TO KNOW TO REMAIN IN SIX FIGURES

2007-10-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

SEVEN KEY THINGS TO KNOW TO REMAIN IN SIX FIGURES.

If you are a recent graduate, don’t buy into the traditional salary increase mindset. You know the one: graduate university, get a position at 30-35K, work hard to get an increase to 50k after a few years. Find a way to management after 5 years and slide into the 75K level. Then, after 10 years of working like a dog, helping the company grow, make it into sr. level management at 100K and then hope like hell to stay there for the final 20 years. Retire. This is complete nonsense. Professionals from 25-35 should realize that with a tactical internal and external marketing strategy of their skills and a great intra-company career plan, they can make major leaps in career growth and income in this red-hot labor market.

Two:

Learn to deal with ignore those around you that think six figures is a lot of money. The nay-sayers and that often include family and friends that attempt to rationalize why it’s too tough, or that you’ll have to forfeit your personal life and sell your soul for higher bracket incomes. Most people under six figures think that professionals in the higher brackets only chase money. Infact most high achievers that I deal with know that we” chase time not money”!

Three:

You got to six figures with your drive and a plan to get there, but after reaching it, you must create and set higher income targets. You don’t stay at a 100 K by wanting to make the exact same amount next year. Shoot higher, two hundred thousand or go way beyond and start thinking and believing you can earn seven figures.

Four:

Start surrounding yourself and networking with higher bracket professionals. Unfortunately if you are the highest earner in your peer group, then it becomes more difficult to sustain the information edge and strategic edge to maintain and grow your income and career. I’m not saying ditch your friends, I’m saying find higher bracket collegues to support and exchange ideas with regularly.

Five:

It’s crucial to develop your network more than ever after making to the higher bracket of income. Companies looking for talent at this level need to see more than just education, skills and achievements. They want professionals that have built and can access and integrate their network within the growth plans of business. If you don’t have strong accessible network, then start building relationships to support and support you.

Six:

You need to work on soft skills: likeability, candor, perseverance managing confrontation, duplication, emotional intelligence and more. These skills are extremely misunderstood and overlooked when assessed by mid-level hr. departments. However, these are the most coveted characteristics required to move up the corporate ladder.

Seven:

Consider who you take career advice from. Respectfully most people seek career advice from family, friends and acquaintances. These people might have the best intentions. But do they have the time, resources and expertise to dispense advice that you can use and implement? Will they be accountable to deal with the end-results of their advice? If one of your goals is to reach and remain in the higher income world then make sure you have fun with your family and friends but take career advice from an expert that been in the higher bracket and has helped other succeed.

Minto Roy
President
PCMG Canada/Careers Today Canada
http://www.pcmgcanada.com/ / http://www.careerstodaycanada.com/ / http://www.pcmgexecutive.com/

GET INTO THE HIGHER BRACKET OF INCOME!

2007-10-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

PUBLISHED IN HIGHER BRACKET.CA

VISIT WWW.HIGHERBRACKET.CA dedicated to publishing jobs and information for those professionals looking to earn higher level incomes.

Welcome to higher bracket.com I assume, by your visit to this site that you have a commitment or at least curiosity about positions over 100K. One thing you should know that’s an irrefutable fact.

Very few people make six figures and very few people will ever make six figures consistently.
It’s not because very few people have a talent to earn six figures. In fact, I have met thousands of professionals with the talent, education, experience that exceed those that earn six figures consistently. Most talented professionals simply don’t know how to enter this income bracket and remain consistently there year after year.

One hundred thousand dollars a year seems to represent the holy grail of income levels for most professionals. A validation to themselves, their peers and their families. A badge of recognition in the competitive workforce that you are successful and at the top of your game.
However, this income bracket symbolizes more just money. Personally it represents a level of lifestyle coveted by most people. A chance to live beyond the monthly bills and live a life full of options for you and your family.

Professionally it is viewed as validation by an employer that you are crucial to their organization. Within the company there is enhanced recognition your peers, exciting and important responsibilities are a daily part of your role, there is management opportunities and decision making capacity.

These perks remain elusive to the majority of professionals unless more people learn how to market themselves effectively. Having the right talent, experience and education alone is only part of the battle. An effective and competitive marketing campaign is crucial.
Competing for six figure position comes with an initial realization that this compensation represents the top 2 % of the paying jobs within an employment market. Therefore, looking to get into this market requires a different job search strategy as those being utilized by others making less than six figures. The other 98% of people conducting a job search.
Think about it. Would you market a Lada with the same methodology as Mercedes? Does Starbucks market its five dollar coffee with the same methodology as cafe that sells coffee for a dollar? How a product is marketed is immensely important to the perceived value by the consumer.

So if you are professional looking to secure at six figure position, then remember your the product in a very competitive and complex market. Appreciate that you are competing against other talented products for those 2% of higher bracket jobs. So what’s your marketing strategy? How are you going to differentiate yourself from the other quality products competing against you for the employer?

Most professionals market themselves with a document called a resume, typically a few pieces of paper that outline a jobseekers skills, experiences, achievements and education. A resume is most common form of marketing communications used by job seekers. A document filled with history about a candidates past. However, in speaking with thousands of hiring managers, I’ve come to realize that most are interested in what an employee can do for them in the future, not in the past.

A past history and accomplishments are of course important, but in reality candidates competing at this level are all very good and most great past work histories. A past focused resumes is a very ineffective way to set anyone apart and we know why people use resumes.
Everyone does it and no-one knows what else to do when job hunting.

Mercedes does not rely on marketing their automobile as only fast and with a good warranty. Simply because almost every car over 100K is fast and has a good warranty. Mercedes like all premium products recognizes that marketing given variables and common product features rarely help the consumer select their product.

Consider a simple marketing concept to your job search. If you are trying to divide yourself out from the rest of the market why use the exact same marketing strategy as the rest of the market and hope to be seen as unique? How can the end consumer (the employer), set you apart?

Hiring at six figures has also become extremely difficult for both sides of the hiring desk. Executive Managers have limited time to review resumes and don’t have months to screen candidates, they have hours. Managers are at the mercy of screening candidates through past focused resumes speaking very little about what they bring to their companies future.
It’s crucial that higher bracket professionals initially engage employers with future focused documents and dialogue. Marketing focused on the future. Do not rely on a resume of what has been done in the past. Market the vision of your future and you gain a definitive edge against their competition below and above six figures.

I will follow up with upcoming articles that will hopefully provide insights into getting in and staying in the higher bracket income. Articles related to constructing a value proposition, negotiating six figure salary packages, interviewing questions and answers and the mindset of what executive managers look for when they are hiring their next six figure employee.

The six figure world is truly a world of abundance, not merely about money, but about am abundant belief. A belief to share ideas and information to help others reach their professional and personal goals. I hope this insight propels your career and motivates you to achieve your next level.

There is plenty of room at the top.

Minto Roy
President & CEO
PCMG Canada Executive/ Careers Today Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.pcmgexecutive.com
www.pcmgcanada.com

THE TOUGHEST INTERVIEW QUESTION FACING YOU

2007-09-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Toughest Interview Question: Facing New New Immigrants in North America.

If you are fortunate enough to get in-the-door of the right company looking to hire someone with your professional skills and qualifications then you will have to deal with some difficult interview questions.

The typical job interview takes about one hour; Sixty minutes of time that determines where you will spend at least 8 hours of a day, a crucial meeting that solidifies your professional identity and future lifestyle for you and your family in Canada.

With my experience of assisting thousands of professional immigrants with their job search, the questions that cause most anxiety relate to the lack of Canadian work experience. It’s extremely important that new professionals handle this question with a solid response.
Most professional immigrants arrive in Canada with a great education, years of work experience, lots of talent and a commitment to hard work. Yet lack the understanding of how to effectively communicate their value during a job interview. It’s vital that newcomers showcase that they DO HAVE the drive, skills and experience to take on a professional job similar to that of their home country.

Forget Interview strategies for this column. Here are some real interview answers to get you through the number one toughest question your will face. Practice these answers, memorize them and use them. This type of professional language will help you understand and respond effectively to the dreaded Canadian experience question:

Employer Question:

Why should we hire you, over other candidates with greater Canadian experience?
To answer this question you will need a plan or a rehearsed script. Think about famous actors when they perform in a play or a movie. They do so only after massive preparation. Every word, every pause, every facial gesture has been practiced. In fact, professionals in every field recognize when called to perform at a competitive level they must be ready. They practice until their responses to an important situation becomes second nature.

Treat your response to questions or concerns related to your lack of Canadian experience with the same degree of practice and performance. Rather than taking a defensive position with your answer, go on the offense. Turn the question into an opportunity that mirrors commonly held business concepts.

Here’s a script to rehearse.

Answer:

“We’re in a dynamic global economy, I understand you are (or want to be) a global company. A company that thinks and acts beyond Canada’s borders. My work experience has many common traits that you are looking for.” (Give a clear example at this point that matches their requirements.) Write down your own experience example and rehearse it before the interview. Practice over and over again, memorize and make sure you provide examples of experiences that match the criteria for their job description.

Here’s more dialogue for you to memorize.

“I also hope to assist with your companies initiatives locally and globally. Many Canadian businesses are realizing that more than half of their products and services are being bought by new immigrants. I hope with my multi-language skills and cultural understanding that I can help service and grow your customer base in new markets that are growing each year with the increase in Canadian immigration.

These responses will be extremely attractive to companies that are targeting their products into immigrant market segments. Your competition will not be able to compete with your language and cultural insights that match social demographic changes to Canada’s population. If you’re interviewing with a progressive company, there may already be plans underway to move their products and services global or at least local plans to reach growing immigrant communities in Canada.

I know most of your realize that you must commit to improving your English skills and practice every day. But go beyond practice and pretend you are an actor in a movie learning a foreign accent. You’re not trying to be fake when job interviewing, your simply trying to present full value of your potential.

You shouldn’t be relegated to low level entry jobs in Canada. If you’re a professional take responsibility for preparing and presenting yourself until you can answer well enough to present your skills and experience. Practice interview answers until you can quote them perfectly. Memorize, practice and face questions about your lack of Canadian experience with confidence. Become dedicated to your interview performance, like actors in-front of paying audiences. Because when your interviewing for a job, you are performing in-front of a paying audience, your future employer.

Minto Roy
President / CEO
PCMG Canada / Careers Today Canada/PCMG Executive
Vancouver, British Columbia
www.pcmgcanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.pcmgexecutive.com

An Open Letter to all Canadian Employers. By Minto Roy

2007-07-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

An Open Letter to All Canadian Employers.

I realize the job market is red-hot and recruiting talent has never been so difficult.
Managers across the country speak openly about their frustration with recruiting hardworking, professionally educated, skilled talent for their company’s growth.

But on the other side of the hiring desks, thousands and thousands of qualified immigrants are under-employed or unemployed and continue to struggle to find professional work in their field. This vast untapped well-educated, hard-working, labor-force is right in-front of your eyes.

However, our eyes can deceive us.

At first glimpse a new immigrant’s resume brings massive confusion; “ never heard of the university,” “never heard of their previous employer,” “ don’t really know much about the country or culture,” “probably has weak English skills,” “no Canadian experience.” I realize that most hiring managers lack the time and resources to properly screen ANY candidate, never mind a candidate that has no common ground and comes from a city that they have never heard of. Your company however, must recognize and validate what is not on the resume and overcome stereotypes of the immigrant labor force. Consider the value of the professional that is right in front of your eyes. What you see can your company a huge advantage in this tight labor market.

Make sure you see these 5 things about the Professional Immigrant Labor force.

First: Canadian Immigrants come prepared to work.

They have no-choice, this is not a vacation. They bought a one-way ticket.

Try this, go to the airport, and buy a ticket to another country. Land with $10,000 and set up a place to live, buy furniture, place your kids in school and then see how quickly you want to find work and create stability and professionally identity.

Second: Professional Immigrants come pre-screened.

Your tax dollars have set up rigid screening criteria for new immigrants to enter Canada. They must possess and credibly prove their education and experience. The government has already acted as a first level HR screen for your business. Furthermore, the education standard and academic competition in many foreign countries result in creating top level international students. These bright minds are ready and hungry to become a part Canada’s international growth.

Third: Cost-Effective Hires, A Huge bargain for your company.

The vast majority of professional immigrants under-market and under value themselves. They just want a chance to prove they can do the job. To prove they have the right qualifications. They are driven by a need to be identified professionally in their new county. Making a salary commensurate with their current market value in a skills labor shortage market is the last thing on their mind. Many small to medium size companies, can add; MBA’s, PHD’s, from internationally recognized institutions to their corporate profile at a fraction of the cost. Tell that to your share-holders!

Fourth: New immigrants work very hard.

Most immigrants do not come from a country where 9-5 is the norm. I have assisted many new immigrants that worked 50-60-70 hours a week as routine. This work effort is further fueled by their pride not to disappoint their new employer, themselves and their family here and in their homeland.

Fifth: New immigrants will increase your business growth.

Internally for your business, adding culture and information from another part of the world can only bring growth and exciting diversity to your current staff.
Externally, your company will have ability to communicate and talk to customers, suppliers and partners in different languages. The company has the capacity to increase its local reach and position your brand and products into new cultural communities, cities, new countries.
Think about your business growth. Is your company selling more and more each year to new immigrants? If not, then you’d better jump on the band wagon. There is no greater consumer group coming to Canada every year that needs EVERYTHING. This means hundreds of thousands of new customers for your business.

I urge Canadian Employers, look beyond the words on the resume. Look beyond your perceptions or stereotypes of professionals immigrants. The major solution to the labor shortage is right in-front of our eyes.

They are just waiting for you to see.

Minto Roy
President
PCMG Canada / Careers Today Canada /PCMG Executive
www.pcmgcanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.pcmgexecutive.com

The Canadian Immigrant Magazine / Partners with Toronto Star Media.!!

2007-06-24T00:22:00.000-07:00

Torstar Media Group buys The Canadian Immigrant Magazine

In April 2004, when the first issue of the Canadian Immigrant Magazine hit the streets, we got an overwhelming response from readers, advertisers and people interested in Canada's growing diversity. We had only been in Canada for five years, yet Sabrina and I dug deep into our meager savings to build the magazine to where it is today, often stretching our personal lines of credit, maxing out our credit cards and re-mortgaging our house several times.
Our biggest strengths were, and still are, an incredible team led by my wife and myself. Margaret Jetelina, our editor, and Morena Zanotto, our art director, went beyond any normal job description, often sacrificing family time to have the product out on time. The result is a magazine that has grown every month. Recently, we added Alla Gordeeva, our business development manager, Kexin Liu, our bookkeeper, and Josephine Wong, our ad creator, to our growing team.In the years since we began, we have had direct feedback from our huge readership about how the magazine spoke to them. How it inspired them to succeed. Last year, in association with Ashton College, we launched the Lilian To Scholarship for Immigrants, giving immigrants $25,000 worth of education free. Earlier this year, we launched the Top Employers for Workplace Diversity awards.In spite of all this growth, I always felt that to effect true change in immigrant lives, we had to grow beyond B.C. We had to be a national magazine. We started looking for a partner who would help us in doing so, and we have found a meeting of minds in the Torstar Media Group. Based on the bedrock of principles laid down by the late publisher Joseph Atkinson, the group has similar social values to ours. The Toronto Star also has the most compassionate view of immigrants and their struggles in a new country.We started the dialogue and were happy to see the media company's enthusiasm for our magazine. We, therefore, took a decision that the magazine would grow tremendously with them as partners.On November 30, we transferred ownership of the magazine to the Torstar Media Group. The changes include the launch of a Toronto edition in the new year and then a Calgary edition. We will also have increased circulation in B.C. Being a huge newspaper and magazine powerhouse (the Toronto Star is Canada's largest circulated daily), we will have access to their enormous resources as well. What will not change however is our team. Sabrina and I will continue, as will our team. Thanking the various people who have helped us along the way is hard because there have been so many! My advisory board, the advertisers, volunteer writers and various associations supporting us, as well as our suppliers -- Doug Candy of Coastal Web Press and Roy Kingsmith of NDA, who extended much needed assistance to a struggling magazine.It becomes difficult to speak about growing the magazine without talking about the family. Several times it was my son and daughter who did deliveries and helped in all the office work. My wife, Sabrina, was and is the single biggest strength I could have had in this endeavour, working late nights on bookkeeping, ad controls and sacrificing social outings to be at the office on weekends. I could not have done it without them.I must also acknowledge the huge assistance from business partner Minto Roy of PCMG Canada for his support, trust and friendship, but most of all for believing in us and the magazine.In closing, I have one more thing to say: it was never about ownership; it was always about making a difference in immigrant lives. I believe this change will do exactly that with a larger canvas!

Posted by on December 3, 2006 7:47 PM

Vancouver Football How a Winning Streak Gone Bad Help Your Career

2007-06-23T21:48:00.002-07:00

Life’s Work

Viewpoints on Careers and Workplaces from HR Expert Minto Roy

Minto:

I was talking to a man the other day, early-40s, professional, talented, but obviously way off his game after a reshuffling in his company left him packaged off, the shock of sudden unemployment a body blow to his self worth. Something about his presentation – or really the shadow of what I could see his presentation probably used to be – made me think of this BC Lions season. They went 11-0. Undefeated for, if you’ll pardon the pun, the lion’s share of the year. Every sportswriter in the country started talking about their magic, their legacy, calling them one of the best teams ever to play the game. And it looks like they started to believe their own press. They got complacent. They thought they were invincible. They thought the talent and skills that got them their success would be enough to keep it. But the other teams in the league were working while the Lions were basking in the glory of being unbeatable. And then they got beaten – four times in a row – falling to 11-4.

The people I work with who find themselves in a sudden career downturn have a lot in common with athletes who go off a winning streak.

When you lose your first game, it’s a fluke. You’re a winner, after all. You shake it off. When you lose the second, you begin to doubt yourself. At the third, panic sets in. If a fourth loss hits, a lot of people lose themselves. They start thinking like losers and there’s no turning back. It’s no different in your career. Send a few resumes and no one calls, no big deal. Come second or third in an interview, move on. Three, four, six months unemployed? It’s a long hard road back to confidence and professional net worth.

And that’s where a good coach comes in. I hope ___________ (Lions coach’s name) is kicking his players’ butts about the need for constant improvement and relentless hard work. And I hope he’s playing them reel after reel of game tape from those first 11 games to remind them who they really are. By the time this goes to print, we’ll know whether the Lions are 11-5 and still lost or 12-4 and they’ve found themselves again. They need to get the team that fought hard and drilled the fundamentals and believed in themselves back out on the field. Winners don’t always win. They just never stop fighting and they always come back.

Are you a winner in your career? Are you constantly playing your best game? Do you have Plans B and C ready for the inevitable day when the game changes and Plan A isn’t good enough anymore? If not, it might be time to get a coach in your corner.

Minto Roy offers Vancouver’s leading edge career development services through the Premier Career Management Group, and hosts Careers Today, a weekly radio show on CFUN 1410 AM, every Saturday from 3-4 pm. Please visit www.pcmgcanada.com and www.careerstodaycanada.com.

ASK MINTO "CAREER ADVICE"

2007-06-23T21:48:00.001-07:00

ASK MINTO

Dear Minto:

I have been looking for work for over three months. In that time I have had three companies pursue me very enthusiastically, with at least two interviews each, one was even three interviews plus a long dinner. But I have been the “second choice” every time. I asked for feedback but they just said they found someone more qualified. How do I find out what I am doing wrong so next time I get the job?

Thanks, Tim

Dear Tim:

Here's something you should do Tim.

Contact the companies that didn't hire you. With sincerity and humble curiousity say the following.

"I really appreciated the opportunity of meeting you and your company. I realize I finished second but I was hoping you could provide some insight, ..and.. I have a request."

The manager will probably say ok, what would you like to know?

"Well, can you tell me with candor, one or two things the number one candidate had that I did not have."

Listen to the answer closely. Do try to re-submit your interest, do not try to correct their perception, simply listen. Probe further, when appropriate, for example the manager might say. "The number one candidate had more industry experience than you."

You might say at this point "was that the only difference?

Here again, you are trying to prolong conversation, gather data and truly understand. But you are also trying to create the phone atmosphere for condusive for your request.

The next step will be to say:

I have a request? Would it be possible over the next few weeks to meet the candidate selected for a few minutes.

The manager might be confused by your request but explain that, even though I don't know the candidate, you certainly are impressed that he was chosen for such great company. That meeting this individual might provide some valuable knowledge and insight for the next time you compete.

See what they say.

I would bet that half the time the manager will be ok with a future meeting.
I bet most managers would be very impressed with your intrinsic pursuit of knowledge and sincerity.

Most importanly it keeps you in mind as unique if their business expands or if the primary person doesn't work out.

There is no shame in not winning. It is only a waste if we don't see it as a way to learn and create future opportunities.

Go learn Tim.

The Vancouver Board of Trade and Networking

2007-06-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

"NOT ONE CIGAR, SCOTCH, OR HIGH BACK LEATHER CHAIR IN SIGHT"

After becoming an active member with Board of Trade, I was surprised to observe that 80% of the B.O.T. members are made up of small businesses and their employees. The key word being "small". Most non-members however view the board as a group of companies with 1000+ employees and revenues in tens of millions of dollars. When I say small however, I mean fewer than 250 employees and the majority of companies with fewer than 25. Maybe that’s why I haven’t run into any salt-and-pepper-hair-grey-power suit-types lounging in high-backed leather chairs whirling crystal shots of premium scotch with trails of cigar smoke wafting around them. That world may exist – maybe even somewhere in Vancouver – but the Board of Trade I have come to know is about advancing the progress of business and business owners, and most of them, even those with offices in skyscraping towers, actually work pretty close to the ground.

If you’re reading The Sounding Board however, you may already be way ahead of me in figuring this out. My work with PCMG and Careers Today Canada has me talking to small business owners looking to recruit new staff. I also speak with many talented professionals seeking a career change or advancement. The Board of Trade represents a great opportunity for them. However, when I talk to non-members about attending Board of Trade events to meet potential new hires or to develop relationships which could lead to future career opportunities, many question whether the Board of Trade is really for them… that they not ready for "that level".

I constantly re-inforce the "that level" is where their missing the opportunity. That level is ground level. In a metropolis sense, street level. But more correctly metaphored as a farmland community.

The Board of Trade is a unique and properous farmland. Within in it's land many farmers (businesses) grow crops and these farmers support each others growth.

The farmland obviously benefits when it's farmers prosper. But the BOT does more than just exist and hope that it's land and it's farmers succeed. The Board aggressively engages to assist all it's farmers through a stream of constant events. The Board lobbies to ensure the least resistance and build bridges with government. Expert speakers consistently offer new advice on how to farm more effectively. Farmer's markets are regular events. Buyers and other farmer converge within various events. These events offer a dynamic forum to; make partnerships, strike deals, and develop support networks.
The Board co-ordinates of the farmland acitivities ensuring that every farmer no matter how small or big has the opportunity to contribute, grow and harvest.

The farmers (business members and their employees) benefit have several advantages. The foremost being a common ground of membership. This membership becomes a statement that you take the growth and activities of your farm business seriously. The common behaviour I notice in active BOT members is an unwillingness to make their farms successful. They fully engage the farmland community as a part of their growth and development. With this growth theBOT farmland also provides an excellent recruiting ground to harvest new talent or employees.

Board of Trade events are full of talented professionals looking for career opportunities. These individuals make attractive additions to any farm business as they combine two keys elements to any great hire. The number one being the skill and required knowledge needed for growth. But almost as important, a commitment to a successul behaviour pattern. A pattern of continuous networking and involvement in the farming business community. These employees can immediately impact a new business farm with their own developed networks. With these developed contacts new markets can be secured for crops or produce. A business recruiting from the BOT also secures an employee with the practiced skill of cultivating great relationship. A great example to promote behaviour with existing and other new hires.

Most of us are familiar with the instructive juxtaposition that good networking, positive networking, should have more in common with farming than it does with hunting. The idea, of course, is to slowly cultivate long term relationships which keep growing and bearing yield season after season instead of killing random prey, eating for this season, and then moving on to the next at the risk of eventual partner or client extinction. Seems logical, right? But, as the local purveyor of 20 kinds of pumpkins and squash and 14 recipes for each might say, “Wait, there’s more!”

At a Farmer’s Market, the whole town and half the region comes out to celebrate what everyone has accomplished that year. It’s a place where bragging is enjoyed and expected, and where encouragement and support are subtle yet ubiquitous (everyone’s produce is given a place and properly admired; no one’s pie is left unconsumed). Everything from the rawest of raw materials (milk directly from the cow) to the strangest things which may be made from them is on display (a cow carved out of hardened butter is always a sight to see). Of course people come there to buy and sell and trade their goods and services. But they also learn and exchange tips and inspire one another to keep going through good times and bad. The scattering seeds from one field to another are relationships and ideas which ensure growth for all. And that is where the metaphor really bears fruit. The Farmer’s Market brings the community together, gives them not just a place but also a standing invitation and a framework in which to build relationships and solidify their community connection. And you don’t have to be a landowner to contribute to or benefit from the experience. Everyone brings something and the whole becomes so much more than the sum of its parts.

If you moved to a new town and you wanted to become a part of it, the Farmer’s Market would be the first place you’d go to connect. And if you wanted to show that you were generous and community-minded, joining a heritage committee or volunteering to judge the chili cook-off would be a great way to demonstrate your commitment. So, to you small business owners looking to expand, if you are looking for talented hands to help grow your business, I suggest among the questions you ask them about skills and qualifications should be a few questions about their networks and their community service. People who come out to the Board of Trade and Spirit of Vancouver and the many other networking, professional and service associations around town are saying, “I’m in.” They are value-added employees, who will help everyone on your team to grow. They get it. And they deserve the growth and advancement which comes from stepping up and chipping in. And to those of you looking for transition, you need to get on board. It’s not about an old boys’ club. It’s more like Our Town. And success is about showing up.

The Board of Trade keeps growing, in large part because it is such fertile ground for community relationships and collaborative opportunities to flourish. As 2005 comes to a close, I’m looking forward to next year’s crop.

Author’s Box: Minto Roy is President of The Premier Career Management Group and host of Careers Today on 650CISL, a weekly radio program devoted to recruitment, hiring, workplace culture and employee engagement. Please visit www.pcmgcanada.com and www.careerstodaycanada.com.

OPEN LETTER TO ALL CANADIAN EMPLOYERS

2007-06-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

An Open Letter to All Canadian Employers.
I realize the job market is red-hot and recruiting talent has never been so difficult.
Managers across the country speak openly about their frustration with recruiting hardworking, professionally educated, skilled talent for their company’s growth.
But on the other side of the hiring desks, thousands and thousands of qualified immigrants are under-employed or unemployed and continue to struggle to find professional work in their field. This vast untapped well-educated, hard-working, labor-force is right in-front of your eyes.
However, our eyes can deceive us.
At first glimpse a new immigrant’s resume brings massive confusion; “ never heard of the university,” “never heard of their previous employer,” “ don’t really know much about the country or culture,” “probably has weak English skills,” “no Canadian experience.” I realize that most hiring managers lack the time and resources to properly screen ANY candidate, never mind a candidate that has no common ground and comes from a city that they have never heard of. Your company however, must recognize and validate what is not on the resume and overcome stereotypes of the immigrant labor force. Consider the value of the professional that is right in front of your eyes. What you see can your company a huge advantage in this tight labor market.
Make sure you see these 5 things about the Professional Immigrant Labor force.

First: Canadian Immigrants come prepared to work.

They have no-choice, this is not a vacation. They bought a one-way ticket.

Try this, go to the airport, and buy a ticket to another country. Land with $10,000 and set up a place to live, buy furniture, place your kids in school and then see how quickly you want to find work and create stability and professionally identity.

Second: Professional Immigrants come pre-screened.

Your tax dollars have set up rigid screening criteria for new immigrants to enter Canada. They must possess and credibly prove their education and experience. The government has already acted as a first level HR screen for your business. Furthermore, the education standard and academic competition in many foreign countries result in creating top level international students. These bright minds are ready and hungry to become a part Canada’s international growth.

Third: Cost-Effective Hires, A Huge bargain for your company.

The vast majority of professional immigrants under-market and under value themselves. They just want a chance to prove they can do the job. To prove they have the right qualifications. They are driven by a need to be identified professionally in their new county. Making a salary commensurate with their current market value in a skills labor shortage market is the last thing on their mind. Many small to medium size companies, can add; MBA’s, PHD’s, from internationally recognized institutions to their corporate profile at a fraction of the cost. Tell that to your share-holders!

Fourth: New immigrants work very hard.
Most immigrants do not come from a country where 9-5 is the norm. I have assisted many new immigrants that worked 50-60-70 hours a week as routine. This work effort is further fueled by their pride not to disappoint their new employer, themselves and their family here and in their homeland.

Fifth: New immigrants will increase your business growth.
Internally for your business, adding culture and information from another part of the world can only bring growth and exciting diversity to your current staff.
Externally, your company will have ability to communicate and talk to customers, suppliers and partners in different languages. The company has the capacity to increase its local reach and position your brand and products into new cultural communities, cities, new countries.
Think about your business growth. Is your company selling more and more each year to new immigrants? If not, then you’d better jump on the band wagon. There is no greater consumer group coming to Canada every year that needs EVERYTHING. This means hundreds of thousands of new customers for your business.
I urge Canadian Employers, look beyond the words on the resume. Look beyond your perceptions or stereotypes of professionals immigrants. The major solution to the labor shortage is right in-front of our eyes.
They are just waiting for you to see.

Minto Roy
President / CEO
PCMG Canada / Careers Today Canada
www.pcmgcanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com

The New Language Employment Market Language.

2007-04-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

There have been several strong employment markets over the past few decades, but none with the need and urgency for talent as we are experiencing across Canada.

The labor market situation is so frantic that both sides of the hiring table are developing a new language to explain their situation. Understanding what each side is saying with this new language will give employers and jobseekers a huge advantage.

Recently, I spent the day at a Massive trade show featuring several hundred companies showcasing their products and services. Every manager I spoke confirmed their struggles to find talent . At the same show, I met hundreds of professionals looking for a new career. Each group answered questions in a new language created by their experiences in this labor market. A language filled with excitement, frustration, confusion and contradictions.

Here are a sampling of questions and answers by employers and job-seekers

My Q@A with Employers and Hiring Managers.

Q: What is the greatest challenge facing your company.
“We just can’t find the enough talent. We have a staff of 10 and we need 400 by next month. But we’re so busy, it’s crazy. We are trying so many different ways to find talent”

Q: Really, what are you doing?

“We put ads in papers, working with recruiters, attending career fairs and giving our employees a bonus if we hire their friends or family.” Oh and we bought this neon yellow sign that spins on our front lawn hoping that the right talent drives by is enticed by a spinning sign saying ‘We are Hiring’

Q: What budget have you allocated for your hiring needs?
“Oooh, we don’t really have much of a budget. The yellow sign kinda was a unexpected expense.

Q: But I thought hiring talent was your number one problem facing your company?
“No kidding, …“We just can’t find the enough talent. We have a staff of 10 and we need 400 by next month. But we’re so busy it’s crazy. We are trying so many different ways to find talent” ….

Here’s what jobseekers can learn from this madness and contradiction
Figure out who you want to work for. Do some research and create a top ten list of companies you want to work for. Don’t worry if the company doesn’t have a job posted or a sign on their lawn. In this labor market assume they’re hiring. Send a letter to management expressing your interest and how you intend to bring value. Assume that they have been too busy to find you. Go find them!

My Q@A with Job-Seekers.

Q: It’s a vibrant job market, what kind of exciting career are you looking for?
“I’d like a challenge. I’d like something that will utilize my skills and experiences”.

Q: Really, but what would you love to do? It’s a great market for jobseekers. What’s going to get you excited about getting up in the morning and going to work.

(With a little more excitement) “ I’d love to find a challenging position, I would love a career that utilizes my skills and experiences. Oh, I’m also great people person, and a team player”

Q: What are your salary expectations?

We’ll, I’m making 50K now, If I would need at least 50K , but I’d like move up to 55K

Q: But, it’s a red hot, tight labor market! Every employment market advantage is tilted to the advantage of the job seeker.

You’re right! At least 55K and parking, yeah parking. I’ve always wanted parking!
Translation for employers.

Job seekers are seeking fit and respect and not necessarily more income. They want a company that not only says that people are their greatest asset but acts like it.
There is still a ton of talent looking for the right place, but this talent can’t find your company because you have not drastically changed your strategy to find them. With the right recruitment strategy, there is no labor market shortage.

Oh, and take the spinning neon sign off your lawn.

Minto Roy
President
PCMG Canada / Careers Today Canada
www.pcmgcanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.pcmgexcutive.com

Vancouver, B.C. Canada

One Very Important thing you should now about Hiring Managers.

2007-04-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Hiring Managers have one important common trait when it comes to hiring.

Learning this commonality about how hiring managers think will give average jobseeker a huge advantage in competitive market.

For years, I 've worked with thousands of professionals on their career search, I have gained tremendous insight, real ideas and powerful strategies on how to differentiate someone from the competition. I have also recognized a common trait possesed by most jobseekers. This common trail is job searching not fun, it's frustrating.

Well, if you think finding a new job is not fun. Try hiring and finding talent in a hot job market.

Working in recruitment has given me a deep understanding about the hiring process from the employer's side. Through discussions with thousands of entrepreneurs and hiring managers I have come to realize another overwhelming common trait. It might surprise you to learn that even though hiring managers and jobseekers sit on opposite sides of the corporate table, they feel the exact same way about the whole hiring process.

Hiring managers don't enjoy the process of hiring new staff. It's not fun, it's frustrating and very expensive.

Most job-seekers drudge the the various aspects of finding a new career; polishing the resume, looking through the internet, newspapers, networking with strangers, handle mulitple rejections and dealing with the unemployment stigma.

These same rings to true for hiring managers. Hiring is frustrating. Managers candidly inform me about their added stress with the time requirements, the process and the expense of finding new talent. There are alot of common feelings of frustration between the jobseeker and the hiring manager.

Most companies today, simply delegate the responsibility of hiring to a departmental manager. This manager must then add on the hiring responsibility to their already busy work schedule.

Think about it. "Bob" the manager of an IT department needs a software developer. Beyond his regular 40-50 hours a week, Bob must now add on the responsibilty of posting, recruiting, screening resumes, conducting multiple interviews with strangers and presenting offers. Bob has to add of another 10 hours a week onto his already busy work schedule. That's time away from his regular duties, his family life, and his personal time. He's not terribly excited about that.

Perhaps, some larger companies have dedicated Hr. Departments or recruiters assisting them, but not most. Eighty to Ninety percent of all new hires are hired by small to medium size companies.
These companies dedicate the responsibility to a manager or the owner simple does it. That means, managers like Bob, work more hours when the company needs new employees. Furthermore, Bob is going to work those extra hours until he finds the right employee.

So here's one important thing that you know and remember when your conducting a career search.

Like most jobseekers, the vast majority of hiring managers want to get the hiring process over with as quickly as possible.

You can truly utilise this insight by focusing on closing the hiring deal sooner with employers. Seek closure after you've been nterviewed. If you've done all the right things in targeting a new career opportunity; you've done the research, you've prepared a great proposal based on the company's requirements, you've nailed the interview and recieved great feedback, then ask for the job! Close the deal with the confidence of knowing that both sides want to get the hiring process over with. The average job seekers rarely attempts to close the hiring deal. With you new awareness be assured that the hiring manager want to hire the right candidate as quickly as possible.

Job-seekers concentrate to much focuses on bettering their competition. The true focus should rest on understanding the mindset and frustrations of the hiring manager. Solve their problems and they will solve your career problems.

Try saying this at the end of your next job interview;

"Bob, thank's for your time and candid conversation today. It's great to confirm that your company is infact an organization that I can see a great future with. I hope I have showcased the amount of value and effort that I would bring this position. I am confident that I am the right fit. What is the next step to move this forward to the offer stage."

If you can do the job and put in the right effort then give Bob a chance to decide. Remember, the Bob's of the world want you their life back.

Minto Roy
President
PCMG Canada Careers Today Canada
www.pcmgcanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.pcmgexecutive.com

Vancouver, B.C. Canada

TAKE THIS EMPLOYMENT TEST..ANSWER TRUTHFULLY

2007-04-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

First off, let's be honest.

The employment market within IT jobs is rebounding, slowly.

We still have however, thousands of IT professionals, managers and skilled workers, out of work or underemployed. These individuals would have never dreamt 5-6 years ago during the I.T. boom, that they would be unemployed for a single day.

Remember the days when all you had to do was post your resume on Monster or Workopolis and employers would scurry to entice you to their dot.com. Folks the world has changed.Martha Stewart went to jail. Schwarzenegger is the Governor of California and a shoe box in Yaletown is worth 400K. The process of securing career employment has also changed. Six-Seven years ago there were more jobs than technical people. The tech. community walked around with a level of casual arrogance that comes from being chased and never having to chase.
I meet many talented people who don't know how to chase great jobs. I tell them to look around, no-one is chasing you. No-one is around the corner and no-one is waiting for you.
Goblal changes, increased competition and leaner business models have caused a drastic shift in the way professionals need to approach the employment market. However, with the right approach, there is alot of great opportunities out there. But how do you know if you have the right strategy to land that great job?

Well, here's a great test that will test your career search strategy.

Before taking the test however, put some contest of what your result will affect. For instance, priorities in life are crucial, like most people our families and our health are #1. And again, like most people 1B represents our careers. Simply, most of us spend at least 8-10 hours a day of our life working. Everything we do at work provides for the health and economic well being of our families. Like it or not the right job makes a world of difference for you and those in your life.So with the realization, start the survey.

Each question is to be answered on a scale of 1 to 10, ten being the highest grade. Please answer and total for the following 4 questions out of 40.Remember, if you are seeking new employment, then you are the product in a very competitive market of job seekers. So please take a moment to really think about these questions and be honest. The only person you are going to fool is yourself. I will, at the bottom of this article give you the average total score from professionals I have interviewed from my 10 years of working with professionals helping them secure their next career.

Question #1. On a scale of 1-10, what is your level of awareness of opportunities of professionals of your skills? (For instance, how many openings do you know about that are definite? How many opening do you know about that are in the works, etc...?)

Question#2.On a scale of 1-10, how comfortable are you with your knowledge of your market value. Not just estimate based on your last job. (We know you earned $90K in your last job, but for G-d's sake you've been unemployed for 6 months and have sent out 300 resumes and now call yourself a consultant and the next change to your cv will be an address change back to your parents house). How well do you know what your worth? Salary, benefits, vested stock options, future options, vacations, further education, etc.?

Quetion#3. On a scale of 1-10 How strong are your interview skills and strategy. Think about competing with 10 other people with similar skills going into an interview competing for one job. How well do you interview? I am not counting the fact that during a one hour meeting you can tell employers about what they already know from your resume; your work history, that your a team player, that your looking for a challenge and technology is your life. I am talking about your ability to market yourself with strategic information and a plan to set yourself apart from the 9 other candidates.

Question #4. On a scale of 1-10, what is the level of your contacts in your target market or industry? For example, if your looking for a job at 50-70K, how many people do you know over 100k that are in managerial positions in companies that would meet you or potentially hire you?

How did you do? These questions are not designed to be easy. I have found in life that humility is the first step to succeeding towards the next level. So, now that you've been honest and answered these questions, what's your score out of 40? Most people realize during this survey that they really don't have a great strategy for 1B in their life. And think about this. Those questions relate to marketing any product. How well do you know the product? Who needs this product? How does this product differ from similiar products? How well can I communicate the value differences of this product? Who do I know wants to buy this product? What's the product worth if someone does want to buy it? I have had the privilege of meeting thousands of professionals at all levels during my career. The vast majority score between 10-15 out of 40. Actually the higher I seem to go up in the corporate ladder the lower the score admited by the professionals. CEO & VP's invariably score between 10-12. Simply speaking, they know that their competition is equally impressive. They are extremely ready to admit where they are weak and get help. That is the basis of all success in life.I will follow-up this article next week with some concrete ideas and strategies on how to secure new opportunities in the employment market. There is no magic pill coming, these ideas will require; research, diligence, practice and consistency, but they will work. I welcome you to try the ideas and give me feedback. After all, it's only your life.

Minto D. RoyPresident/CEO
PCMG Canada/Careers Today Canada
www.pcmgcanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.pcmgcanada.com