No Canadian experience, no job. No job, no Canadian experience.

What is Canadian Experience?

The odd interview question is an obstacle that thousands of immigrants and newcomers face each year. What employers mean>>>

Business Edge for Internationally Educated Professionals

Business Edge is for internationally educated men and women who are building careers in Canada. It helps you build professional confidence and acquire the relevant business skills you need to advance your career. The program will help you understand the subtleties of the Canadian workplace and learn new strategies for success.

We are now accepting applications for the fall offering of the program that starts on November 10th, 2012.  

Sabina Michael
Program Manager

Rotman School of Management
University of Toronto
105 St. George Street
Toronto, ON M5S 3E6
Tel: 416.978.7059
Fax: 416.978.5549

www.rotmanexecutive.com/businessedge

AREC link.

Newcomers face unique job search challenges By Kyla Frankowski

This is the fourth part in a series of columns to offer job search tips and advice, written by Lutherwood staff. Lutherwood is a local agency that offers employment support as well as a range of other services which are accessed by more than 20,000 people annually in Waterloo Region and Wellington County.

Newcomers to Canada often face many challenges when looking for work that fits their past experience.

These challenges can include differing work environments, qualification requirements and workplace cultures, as well as a lack of a social network.

However, there are some basic steps you can take to ensure you are on the right track.

If you are new to Canada and looking for work, you need to know how your skills and previous occupation fit into the Canadian labour market. So your first step is to find out which Canadian occupation best matches your experience and skills.

Recently, I worked with an individual who held the title of electrical engineer in his native country.

But when we reviewed his skills and work experience, we discovered that he better matched the occupation of industrial millwright here in Canada. Knowing this, we were able to focus his job search efforts.

The second step is to learn what skills and experience Canadian employers are looking for, review your own skills and experience, and identify any gaps.

To determine Canadian employers’ needs, you should review job postings, talk to employers and talk to people working in your field.

Ideally, you should try and connect with someone who has been successful getting work in your profession so that you can learn what worked or didn’t work for them.

Now that you know what type of job you are looking for and any skill and experience gaps you need to fill, the third step is to create a plan to fill those gaps.

There are many options for upgrading skills and increasing experience, including programs designed specifically for newcomers to Canada. These options include mentoring with someone working in your field, accessing apprenticeship opportunities and enrolling in English-language or job-skill upgrading courses.

Once the gaps are filled, you are in a position to work on your resumé, prepare yourself for interviews and find employers who are hiring in your field.

Finally, build a network. Finding work in today’s economy is difficult enough without trying to do it on your own. A network is a group of people who know you, know what kind of work you are looking for and will help you.

Try to include people who have successfully adapted to the Canadian workplace and culture as well as people working in your field and industry of interest. Find out what job opportunities they know about and who they know that can help you with your job search.

I strongly advise speaking with someone at a local government-funded employment services agency.

Employment advisors can help you focus your job search, identify skill and experience gaps, help you access employment programs, identify training and financial assistance opportunities such as Second Career, and give you guidance on preparing for your job search.

Adapting your professional skills and experience to fit within a new country is challenging.

But with a bit of time, dedication and support, you may be surprised at how quickly you can find the work you are looking for.

• • •

Kyla Frankowski, an employment advisor at Lutherwood, has more than eight years of experience offering employment services. She works primarily with newcomers to Canadain the Job Search Workshop program. For more information, visit www.lutherwood.ca/employment.

What Happens When You Don't Get What You Want? by Alan Kearns

You have been training for 15 years of your life. You have won a Gold medal in the Sydney Olympics & a sliver at the Beijing. You have just had a great swim, are in 15th place coming out of the water...things are going swimmingly. You are running your race, according to your game plan. You get up on your bike & start out of the gate, for the second part of your race. You're feeling fresh & exicted; you even have the wind at your back. You race your bike up the hill & get ready to put your foot into your shoes.

You hit a speed bump. You crash & wipe out; your Olympic race is over. You watch the winner complete the race & receive the gold medal, as you sit in the medical tent.

Speed Bumps.

For Simon Whitfield, this speed bump meant the messy ending to a terrific Olympic career. He shared, "I hit the speed bump just as I went to put my shoe on, I think. I hit on a funny angle and ended up crowd surfing, which is good for concerts and not so good for sport events." Everyone has them at some point in their lives, a time when your life veers off of your own game plan. From getting laid-off, a frustrating job search, not being chosen for aleadership role, or not being accepted into the program you were hoping to enter. 

Speed Bumps Hurt.

I thought of not just the physical pain that Simon was in, including a broken collar bone & a severe laceration to his foot, requiring stitches. I also thought of the emotional pain not only for Simon, but for all the other people in his life that were supporting him. "My breakdown moment was seeing my wife because I know how much Jennie puts into this and we're a team and she's put in so much sacrifice being at home a lot alone." 

Speed Bumps Can Teach.

Simon shared "It was hard to see my daughter upset, my wife upset and I was pretty upset. That means it means something doesn't it?"

1. We all hit speed bumps in our careers - it's not personal, it is part being a professional.

2. Take stock, deal with the reality of the situation, accept it, AND learn from it.

3. Start a new goal as soon as possible.

Speed Bumps Can Heal.

Simon stated "I don't know that I ever dreamed of four Olympics, two medals and flag bearer, I'm absolutely blown away by the whole thing."

When I first read his quote, I was stunned. I reread the quote to make sure that I had understood it correctly. Now THAT is a high performance athlete. It was obviously not the Olympic experience, that Simon was anticipating. I was so impressed by his forward looking perspective - from disaster to moving forward in less than 24 hours.

We have all had crash and burn experiences in our careers, but it's our response to these issues that is the key. Well done Simon, we are proud of you! You have represented Canada well & have been a great example, to those of us who desire to reach our full potential. 

  

Looking for help with your personal brand? Looking to become a more effective leader? Who's your career coach? Need help with a professional resume, job search, and interview preparation? Invest in yourself & get the edge in this competitive job market. Take a small step and book an initial coaching session.

CareerClass | Webinar - Get the Right Career, Right Now! Invest 1 hour of your time to help identify the right work situation. Join me Thursday, August 15 12-1 P.M. ET. Take control ofyour career, all from the comfort & convenience of your own desk.  

Click to register.

Giving my best, along the road with you!

Alan  

P.S. Looking for help with your job search? The 90-Day Job Search Program can help you identify the right career fit for you. Click for more details.    

  

P.P.S. Looking for career or leadership support in Ottawa? We have a terrific team to help you reach your potential & advance in your career. Click here to get started. 

5 Phrases that will get you fired by Robert Pagliarini

There are a handful of phrases I hear often that make me cringe. We're all told that we should never judge a book by its cover, but when I hear seemingly smart and successful people say these things, I can't help but think they need serious help. In a (unscientific) poll I conducted, it turns out I'm not alone. Nearly everyone admitted to reacting negatively to these job-killer phrases:


1. "There's nothing I can do." Really? You've exhausted every possible solution? This is similar to when my six-year-old says that she's looked everywhere for her shoes. When you say that there is nothing you can do, we learn two things about you: We know that you are a liar and that you are lazy. These are two qualities that are not going to help you get a raise or even keep your job. We know you are lying because there is always something you can do. And in the remote chance that there really isn't anything you can do, at least tell us everything you've done already, what you intend to do or who you are going to for help. Otherwise, we will assume you are lazy. Nobody with a spine has ever uttered these words. By using this phrase, it shows that you are weak, that you give up easily and that you lack all creativity and effectiveness. You don't get paid to be ineffective or lazy, so stop using this horrible phrase.


Read more here.

The Lead Wolf Model of Leadership

Surviving the Narcissist Leader By Dr. Rick Johnson

CEOs or Presidents, who attain positions of power, reach these positions for a variety of reasons. The reasons are not always a result of competency and hard work; these positions are not always earned. As a result employees find themselves under the rule of various kinds of leaders. Even those leaders that have earned their position can be impossible to work for and it’s difficult to be happy and satisfied doing it. I was once asked to write an article for a magazine about the old style of autocratic leadership that was so effective in the 70’s and even the 80’s. I titled it B.O.S.S. this stood for Boisterous, Omnipotent, Self-Indulgent, Scumbag but the magazine made me change the last S to Sociopath.

I used to work for a B.O.S.S. He was always walking around muttering “I’m the BOSS – you’re nothing. I’m the BOSS you’re nothing.” I wanted to say, “Well, whoopee, you’re the BOSS of nothing.”

Presidents and CEOs are typically seen as sources of motivation and direction. But what's often overlooked is the fact that they not only motivate their management team but they receive motivation and even direction based on the responses from the employees below them.

What type of leader do you work for?

The Lead Wolf (servant) style of leadership is successful because these leaders take the time to listen, imagine and investigate numerous alternatives. With the involvement of people they forge creative solutions to difficult problems. They challenge their people to stretch, go beyond their previous boundaries and think outside the box. 

Successful leaders feed off their people and allow their people to feed off of them. They give credit where credit is due. They give recognition as a means of gaining respect. They believe individuals can make a difference. Through these methods they learn to create new insights and possibilities. Successful leadership means creating a sense of urgency, getting mutual commitment to action. Action steps are always clearly defined and precise.

The Lone Wolf (BOSS - Autocratic) leader at the top dominates with power. They are autocratic and intimidating. They often believe that employees are a necessary inconvenience and aren’t capable of creativity and innovation.  More often than not, they embrace the “seat of the pants” based on intuitive judgment leadership style. This allows them maximum flexibility and “shoot from the hip responsiveness.” However, today’s environment demands a more stable administrative structure that requires a change in the nature of past leadership practices. Simply put, it’s an evolution from a highly reactive, autocratic individualistic style to a more empowering, employee oriented proactive style.

It’s about going from a “Lone Wolf” leadership style to a “Lead Wolf” leadership style that has confidence in the employee’s ability to make things happen and empowers the employees to get the job done.

What about the Narcissist Leader?

            

The Narcissist leader is often very successful. In fact there may be a certain amount of narcissism in all of us. However, the narcissism that exists must be balanced with respect in our relationship with our employees. Excessive narcissism from a psychological standpoint is considered a personality disorder. 

I personally have worked for two Narcissist CEOs during my career. Both of them were extremely vain, egotistical, conceited, selfish and paranoid. Each demonstrated one or more of those character flaws to an extreme. One actually threw a stapler at his secretary. Another had bugging devices installed in his executive team’s offices.

How Do I Survive in a Narcissist Environment?

Managing your BOSS requires skill. Intelligence alone isn’t enough. It requires leadership skill on your part. Excellent communication skills are a prerequisite and self-confidence in your own ability is a must to support your actions. Delivering excellent results for every assignment will not only gain their confidence but can actually create a dependence on their part. They will come to rely on you to make them look good.

Continue to make suggestions, express ideas that support the CEO’s personal initiatives that will bring them success and credit. This is especially helpful if they can gain the credit while you take the risk. Allow the CEO to take credit for your ideas and shoulder the blame for those that don’t work out. Is this risky? Sure it is but if you want to survive or even thrive under a narcissist it’s a risk worth taking. Of course, you could also just walk but that option isn’t always practical.

Understand the Narcissist Ego

Managing or just surviving a Narcissist BOSS is difficult at best. Building a relationship with a Lone Wolf or Narcissist CEO is based upon an understanding of and a capacity to manage the narcissism of the CEO.  This means you must establish a balance between expressing your opinions; ideas and candid remarks while utilizing your knowledge of the CEO’s need to maintain his acknowledge position of power in the organization. A narcissist CEO and some Lone Wolf CEOs have an inflated sense of self. They openly demonstrate their feelings of superiority, entitlement (especially in family run businesses) and an insatiable need for attention and admiration.

Manage Your Risk

Narcissist CEOs often trust very few people. As a result they may allow their spouse to become extremely influential with regard to their leadership style. Some may even employ their spouse in the workplace. Their creation of this spousal influence and dependence can be risky for you. One Narcissist CEO I worked for was single but used his girlfriend who was employed as my administrative assistant to fill this role. The risk lies not only in trying to manage that relationship if they are also employed at the company but this dependence and influence can actually isolate the CEO from his executive team because this influence generally will support his grandiose ideas. Additionally they feed his paranoia. Be conscious at all times of the following character traits:

• All employees are expected to think the way he/she does.
• Their strategies are often dynamic but grandiose.
• They trust only their own insights.
• They can be charming, glib, accommodating but often are manipulative, deceitful, ruthless and destructive.

Are Narcissist Leaders Successful?

Just as Lone Wolf autocratic leaders were very successful in the seventies and eighties many narcissist leaders can be very effective. In fact some very famous leaders are considered narcissists by some. People like Jack Welsch of General Electric, Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Jobs of Apple to name a few. These three CEOs are all very successful; however, they may be the exception to the rule. Look at Enron and World Com. These two companies weren’t just aberrations. Personally, I believe they represent what can happen when ineffective leadership driven by narcissism creates a cancer at the top that becomes malignant and begins to filter throughout the management regime.

These leaders and many others were undeservedly worshiped when the perception of success and enormous profits disguised their real character traits and leadership model. Profit covers many sins including the sins of the CEO. It allows us to ignore physiological brainwashing, manipulation, con artistry, exploitation and abusive behavior. They are extremely insensitive to respect for employees.

There are numerous narcissist CEOs at the helm of many corporations today. The challenge of ownership, first generation founders and executive teams reporting to these CEOs is to insure that these leaders don’t self-destruct and lead the company into a death spiral. This becomes an extremely difficult task for all involved because a true narcissist doesn’t even understand their own issues let alone the willingness to work through them. Narcissists need professional counseling to help them accept reality and recognize their limitations. Their extreme independence, paranoia and self-preservation create a wall that takes a bunker busting bomb to break through.

The Lead Wolf Model of Leadership

Effective leaders must have an edge. They must be courageous enough to take risk and have an unrelenting readiness to act. Popularity is not a requirement, but the ability to generate respect from the employees is, without a doubt, one of the most critical attributes. They must be relentless in their efforts, unconcerned about personal sacrifice of their time, and willing to go beyond normal expectations. Tough decisions are commonplace; uncharted territories will be the norm. Honesty and impeccable character are musts.

Lead Wolf leaders take charge and are not afraid of responsibility or risk. Most people want to follow them. A good leader develops openness, honesty, clarity of purpose and a sincere caring for the people they lead. They gain commitment and trust by demonstrating respect for the individual. They have a keen sense of understanding. They believe in their task, they understand the objectives, they communicate clearly and they honestly project the understanding that they need the efforts of everyone to succeed. That’s the Lead Wolf model of leadership. It’s all about believing in employees and their ability to create success. 

E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com for the Lead Wolf leadership thought provoker checklist and sign up for The Howl leadership newsletter at www.ceostrategist.com.

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www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free* monthly newsletter and get your choice of "CEO Strategist's Hiring and Interview Guide" or "The Guide to Effective Training Sessions", valuable resources for all levels of management. The Howl addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues.  Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com.

Embedded Interview Commands Engineering your Success

Use nlp in job interviews to embed commands to engineer your interview success - this video has been brought to you by Employment King and Engineering your Success

Influencing The Interview is due for release on

 13th July 2012

Pre-order a copy today and receive one of two free gifts

Check it here.

New video teaches you how to influence the interview..

NLP Virtual Tour Starts Here….

It’s here…the highly anticipated book “the 73 rules for Influencing the Interview – using Psychology, NLP and Hypnotic Persuasion Techniques” is being released on Friday 13th July by MX Publishing. To celebrate the release of this new paperback book, that is predicated to go global, the author Chris Delaney is promoting the book through a Virtual Tour.

Times are hard for job hunters with on average over 300 applicants applying for each individual position. Job hunters have it even harder with competition for jobs coming from across the globe, due to the worldwide recession. To win job offers in these competitive times, you need tostand out in job interviews, you need to add value to the employer and you need to learn how to influence the interview.

Employment king is releasing a new powerful book designed to blow away your interview competition, but be warned some of these techniques are dark and dangerous. The 73 Rules of Influencing the Interview – using NLP, Psychology and Hypnotic Persuasion Techniques has been designed to give you the upper hand in your next job interview.

* Guest post by the author

* YouTube video on one of the 73 rules

* Competition for a free copy of the book

To your success!

Pragmatic skills, not just language, vital to immigrant integration

The authors conclude that although language proficiency is important, so are pragmatic skills and opportunities to interact with those who speak English or French. In particular, lack of proficiency in an official language combined with inadequate access to cultural knowledge can lead to limited opportunities for immigrants to fully participate in Canadian society.

Read the report.

Let your personality choose your career

FREE PERSONALITY PROFILE for Your Life, Your Career and Your Future

How would you feel, if you could wake up every morning WANTING to go to work? Imagine you were totally motivated in your job, finding every challenge and task a new opportunity, what difference would you enjoying your career have on your career progression, your life and even on your loved ones?

If you’re happy in your job you will live a happier life, gaining all the benefits that come’s with a perfect work/life balance, all you need to do is understand your personality type; what motivates you and what stresses you and which careers naturally suit YOU and your personality.

Click the below link to obtain your free personality profile.

http://www.employmentking.co.uk/Personal-profile.html