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
Showing posts with label employers hiring in Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label employers hiring in Canada. Show all posts
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Saturday, October 20, 2007
THINK OVER ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND PER YEAR!
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
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
Saturday, September 22, 2007
THE TOUGHEST INTERVIEW QUESTION FACING YOU
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
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
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Vancouver Football How a Winning Streak Gone Bad Help Your Career
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.
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.
OPEN LETTER TO ALL CANADIAN EMPLOYERS
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
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
Friday, April 6, 2007
The New Language Employment Market Language.
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
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
TAKE THIS EMPLOYMENT TEST..ANSWER TRUTHFULLY
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
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
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