Category Archives: Trends

So what are the hardest jobs to fill in 2012?

January 06, 2012   Surranna Sandy   No comments

If you are like me, you probably try to keep an eye on the labour market, what is the hot jobs, where are they and how much do they pay? Inc. has put together a list of the most challenging roles to fill in 2012, so if you are an expert in these 5 areas, you may be in luck. If you are interested in transition into any of these areas, this may be the time to put your toes in the water.

Hiring the best of the best is an absolute must if you are going to build a successful company.  You will need to be prepared to compete against big companies with deep pockets and other up-and-coming startups that also have blue chip investors and a game-changing idea.

So, what are the most competitive areas for talent these days?  Here’s a look:

Software Engineers and Web Developers

The demand for top-tier engineering talent sharply outweighs the supply in almost every market especially in San Francisco, New York, and Boston.  This is a major, major pain point and problem that almost every company is facing, regardless of the technology “stack” their engineers are working on.

Creative Design and User Experience

After engineers, the biggest challenge for companies is finding high-quality creative design and user-experience talent.  Since almost every company is trying to create a highly compelling user experience that keeps people engaged with their product, it is tough to find people who have this type of experience (especially with mobile devices including tablets) and a demonstrated track record of success.

 

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The Scary Thing That Most Employees Do When They Leave A Company

January 05, 2012   Surranna Sandy   No comments

Most of us believe that when some employees leave their organization’s to competitors or to start their own ventures, many of them take ideas or best practices from their recent employers with them. What is most shocking is the staggering % of people who admit to outright stealing from their past employers. According to businessbrief.com

 Nearly three in four (72%) of people confess to taking sensitive and confidential corporate info from previous employers. (And who’s to say the other 28% just aren’t willing to admit it?).

Even worse: They say they’ll do it again.

Nearly the same percentage of folks admit they’d have a “clear plan” for taking data if they left their current employer [translation: your organization].

Those eye-opening revelations come out of a recent survey by London company Imperva.

So what’s the best way to hold your own in this seemingly losing battle? You can turn two of the biggest findings from the survey to your company’s advantage:

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Women are still struggling globally to gain parity with men in the workplace

November 28, 2011   Resume Solutions   No comments

Though women have made signicant progress in workplace over the last half century, there is still a very long road to travel. According to The Economist

SINCE 1970 the proportion of women in the workforce across the rich world has increased from 48% to 64%, a sharp rise but one which nevertheless leaves women in rich countries underemployed compared with women in China. There are large variations from country to country, but the broad trend in most places is still slightly upwards. Yet while women have made big strides in all kinds of careers they find it harder than men to bag the most senior jobs. Just 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. And despite sheaves of equal-pay legislation, women still get paid less than men for comparable work. This week’s special report explores the reasons why progress seems to have stalled and what can be done about it.

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Generation Jobless: Students Pick Easier Majors Despite Less Pay

November 09, 2011   Resume Solutions   No comments

At Resume Solutions, we  meet a lot of students who are very very successful in their chosen majors, with many of them choosing competitive, demanding programs. However, we have meet many who chose a major just to get by and graduate, others chose majors based on what they like to do, not based on earning potential.

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Co-Workers Provide Valuable Insights into Employee Departures

November 08, 2011   Resume Solutions   No comments

This is an interesting article from Business News Daily:

Rather than conduct exit interviews with employees leaving for another job, new research shows businesses may actually glean more information on the reason for the departure by talking with the workers’ colleagues instead.
Gathering information on why employees leave a business can help employers identify major problem areas, reduce turnover rates and improve morale, but a study from the Personnel Decisions Research Institutes raised questions about the validity of such surveys — which often are conducted by chatting with the exiting employee, who may or may not provide accurate information regarding the decision to leave.

The research, conducted by PDRI research scientist Elizabeth Lentz, found that speaking with the employee’s office peers may be more beneficial. Specifically, the research revealed co-workers often have a deep understanding about exiting employees’ decisions, and are able to provide accurate and valuable information regarding the motive behind the exit.

Lentz conducted exit-style interviews both with employees who were leaving a business and their colleagues, and said she was surprised at how similar their answers were. She said that proved co-workers’ ability to provide quick, accurate details regarding the employee’s departure

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Too Old for The Job? 5 Strategies For 55+ Job Hunters

November 06, 2011   Resume Solutions   No comments

Age discrimination is for real. It’s illegal for employers to discriminate based on age, but any older job-seeker knows it’s a fact of life.

At a November 17th meeting in Washington, DC, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, heard testimony that age discrimination is causing the nation’s older workers to have a difficult time maintaining and finding new employment, a problem exacerbated by the downturn in the economy. read more here 

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Is Freedom 55 for Canadian Baby Boomers Now A Pipedream?

November 02, 2011   Resume Solutions   No comments
executives

Freedom 55? This notion may be an old dream for many older working Canadians as new data from Stats Canada shows that workers today who are in their 50s will be working 3.5 years longer than workers in the mid-1990s. According to the Stats Canada measurement index, an employed 50-year-old in 2008 could expect to spend an additional 16 years working, an increase from 12.5 from the mid-1990s.

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The State of Performance Management

October 20, 2011   Surranna Sandy   No comments

Some facts from the recent report, The Current State of Performance Management and Career Development

Performance weighting is tipped toward results, particularly for executives

When weighting the two sets of performance components-what is accomplished as well as how it gets done- it appears that most organizations tip the scale towards results, particularly for executives.

  • 62% of respondents indicate that executives are either measured solely on results (30%) or more on results than competencies/behaviors (32%).
  • Only 4% of respondents indicated that executives are measured either solely on competencies/behaviors (1%) or more on competencies/behaviors (3%).
  • At the individual contributor level only 10% of companies measure only or mostly competencies/behaviors.
  • Also at this level, the most popular approach is 50/50, with 48% indicating they use this relative weighting.

The ratingless system

The ratingless performance system does not appear to have caught on. In the performance systems of 93% of responding employers, employees do receive an overall rating – either number, letter, or label.

The five-point scale remains the top choice

The five point performance rating scale has become even more popular in recent years.

  • · 63% of respondents report using a five point scale (compared to 45% in the 2005 study).
  • · 19% report using the four point scales.

Calibration meetings

Calibration meetings are increasingly common as a way to ensure consistency in ratings.

  • · 61% of responding employers conduct some form of calibration meeting – either to provide guidance to managers; or to compare, discuss, and reach consensus on employee performance ratings.

Merit increases

While merit increase ranks at the top, other reward links appear to be gaining attention:

  • · 63% of participating companies indicate that the performance rating drives the merit increase.
  • · 45% say it drives variable (incentive) pay.
  • · 28% report that it drives prospects for advancement.
  • · 20% indicate that it drives an employee’s access to new experiences and challenges.

Source: Compensation Force, http://snipurl.com/zxfof

Download the full report- The Current State of Performance Management and Career Development 2010;

http://snipurl.com/zxfnj

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Part 3 of 3 – Economic downturn is a boon for online employment scams

October 17, 2011   Surranna Sandy   No comments

How to protect yourself during your job search:

  • You should never provide your social insurance number for Canadian job seekers or in the U.S your social security number, date of birth, driver’s license, credit card numbers or any other personal data over the internet to secure a job offer or an interview.
  • Many new immigrants and a lot of older workers still include their personal information such as date of birth and marital status on their resumes. This information can serve as a critical starting point for an identity thief.
  • Exercise caution in the information that accompanies your resume, some job seekers have accidentally provided sensitive data such as social insurance numbers, tax returns, bank statements and other information when requesting resume writing services from ResumeSolutions.ca. This error can have devastating impact if the information fell into the wrong hands.
  • You should expect a certain amount of spam during your job search. Many jobs are nothing more than opportunities for unscrupulous firms to harvest email addresses. So be cautious.
  • Do not respond to requests for money, download suspicious files or provide personal data prior to undergoing an interview process and receiving a legitimate offer. Then, only provide the personal data required for payroll and to sustain the employment relationship. Real employers do not ask for money or personal data from job seekers prior to a full-scale interview process and presentation of a job offer.

For many job seekers, online resources are a critical component of their job

search arsenal. However, it is imperative that they demonstrate caution in the

provision of private data to anyone online, regardless of how irresistible the

proposed job opportunity appears.

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Part 2 of 3 – Economic downturn is a boon for online employment scams

October 17, 2011   Surranna Sandy   No comments
images (3)

Special report

Identity theft & Complaints

A major concern among consumer rights professionals and law enforcement officials is the increased volume of fraud related to unethical companies who promises job leads and full employment in return for hundreds or even thousands of dollars in upfront payment. In 2007 alone, prior to the start of the economic downtown, there were 5,925 complaints about recruitment agencies made to the United States Consumer Protection Agency for issues such as payments for job leads or counselling. It is safe to assume that with the continued depressed economic climate we would see an increase in the number of these fraudulent activities, and in turn, complaints.

One of the most recent frauds involves emails purporting to be genuine job opportunities sent to job seekers with a request for personal information to move their applicant forward. Many of these emails have attachments that carry viruses that are used to steal passwords for bank accounts, credit cards and social-networking sites or personal data for identity theft.. Most of these firms prey on new graduates, recent immigrants and job seekers who are desperate to find work. According to the United States Federal Trade Commission data, identity theft ranks as the #1 complaint over 7 straight years in its annual “Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Complaint Data” report.

According to a PhoneBusters report, there were 7,778 identity theft complaints made in Canada in 2006, making this a growing area of crime in the country. Ontario had the largest number of complaints with 3,353 followed by Quebec. Identify theft is a huge concern for job seekers as thieves can access their bank accounts and within this financial crisis have a ruinous effect on people’s lives. Common identity theft crimes include,  fraudulent withdrawls from bank accounts, opening up new credit facilities (loans, lines of credit, mortgages) in the job seeker’s name or maxing out their credit cards. The increases in identity fraud complaints have lead to major police cases. One such case is a 2006 bust made by the Ontario Provincial Police, which exposed an identify fraud ring that targeted victims by starting with the solicitation of resumes to gain initial information. Identity fraud is not just a big city problem. A 2010 Symantec research revealed that Burlington Ontario, a relatively small but growing municipality is the top city for identity fraud in Canada.

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Welcome to the age of the virtual worker

October 14, 2011   Surranna Sandy   No comments

I asked a question the other day, what would you sacrifice to work from home and many people responded that they would give up money and promotions for that opportunity.

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Challenges facing IEPS/New Immigrants to Canada

October 14, 2011   Surranna Sandy   No comments

A longitudinal survey of immigrants to Canada published in 2003 by Statistics Canada explored the “Progress and Challenges of New Immigrants in the Workforce,” revealing the disturbing reality that nearly 60% of new immigrants arriving in Canada are unable to find employment in their intended occupations.[1]

Adversely, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) policies and points-based immigration process stress the importance of accepting highly educated and experienced professionals within their respective industries. A profound gap exists that prevents internationally educated professionals from smoothly transitioning their expertise, professional knowledge and global perspectives into the Canadian labour market. A report published by Monica Boyd and Grant Schellenberg finds:

Immigrant professionals face difficulties in having their degrees, work experience and/or language proficiency recognized. The collision of national immigration policies with professional accreditation thus creates a paradox: while highly educated immigrants are recruited on the basis of their potential professional contributions to Canadian society, the re-accreditation requirements they must meet often act as barriers to the full utilization of their skills.[2]

 

Researchers McCoy and Masuch conclude that “employment services for immigrant professionals need to be addressed on a policy level, as well as increased efforts in bridging programs, job search strategies, and employer education.”[3]


[1] Statistics Canada, “Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada: Progress and Challenges of New Immigrants in the Workforce.” 2003. Catalogue No. 89-615-XIE.

[2] Boyd, Monica and Grant Schellenberg. 2007. “Re-accreditation and the occupations of immigrant doctors and engineers”. Canadian Social Trends. Cat. No. 11-008. pp 2-10.

[3] McCoy, L. & Masuch, C. “Beyond “Entry-level” Jobs: Immigrant Women and Non-regulated Professional Occupations. Journal of International Migration and Integration,” (2007). 8, 185–206.

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Reverse brain drain, American workers are heading to Canada

October 13, 2011   Surranna Sandy   No comments

For years we have lamented the volume of Canadians heading South of the border, now we are seeing the reverse;

Canada’s stronger economy is becoming a magnet for Americans hunting for work.

In a reversal of historical flows, immigration lawyers report a surge of calls from Americans who want to move north. Statistics bear out their observations: A record number of Americans applied for temporary work visas last year, Immigration Canada statistics show, spurred largely by the contrasting health of the two countries’ labour markets.

There is more:

On one side of the border, 14 million Americans are out of work – the equivalent of more than 40 per cent of Canada’s population. On the other side, some employers – particularly in Alberta’s oil sector – say they can’t find enough skilled workers, prompting the country’s federal immigration minister to publicly muse last month on how to admit more skilled Americans.

The U.S. jobless rate is 9.1 per cent while Canada’s comparable rate – adjusted to U.S. concepts – is just 6.3 per cent, statistics released last week show.

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Part 1 of 3 – Economic downturn is a boon for online employment scams

October 13, 2011   Surranna Sandy   No comments
images (3)

Catherine Findley was desperate to find a new job after graduating from college, so when she found a website that promised to find her a job in her field of human resources for $500.00, she quickly handed over the money and waited for the offers to come pouring in. Within two days, her inbox was filled with job descriptions, none for the positions she had discussed with the consultant at the firm.

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Being a self-employed Canadian is great for your pocketbook!

September 30, 2011   Surranna Sandy

Recent research from Stats Canada shows that the road to personal wealth and financial health seems to lie in self-employment

Self-employed households in Canada had more than twice the ‘wealth,’ or household net worth, of paid workers in 2009, and were also more knowledgeable about finances.

Accumulated wealth is an important aspect of the financial situation of the self-employed, notably because their incomes fluctuate more and they are less likely to have pensions or health insurance.

One measure of financial wealth is the household net worth — the difference between household assets and liabilities. The median net worth of the self-employed was $520,000 in 2009, 2.7 times the median of $195,000 for paid employees.

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Stats Canada – Payroll employment, earnings and hours

September 30, 2011   Surranna Sandy

We have had slow earnings growth over the summer and this could contribute to a slow down in the economy, july’s numbers are listed below:

In July, average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees increased 0.1% from the previous month to $872.70. On a year-over-year basis, average weekly earnings grew by 2.2%. This was the slowest earnings growth since January 2010.

Year-to-year change in average weekly hours and average weekly earnings

Year-to-year change in average weekly hours and average weekly earnings

The 2.2% year-over-year growth in average weekly earnings reflects a number of factors, such as wage growth and changes in the composition of employment by industry, by occupation and by level of job experience.

The decrease in the average hours worked per week contributed to the slower growth in earnings in July. The average workweek declined from 33.0 hours in July 2010 to 32.8 hours in July 2011, down 0.6%, with fewer hours worked across the goods and services sectors. Compared with the previous month, average weekly hours were down 0.3%.

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Social Networking Can = Job Search Success

June 12, 2011   Surranna Sandy

The best way to find a job is through networking. You can go to networking meetings, tap into your own personal network, or ask friends who they know.  With the Internet buzzing with social media, there are similarly many ways to use social media in order to network, and eventually find a job.  Social sites help you in your job search. Some of these sites allow you to craft a resume, while others are networking platforms that contain job listings. }By signing up for multiple sites, you increase your chances of getting a job and decrease the amount of time you’ll spend searching for a new one.  Social sites can be combined with other sites to be more impactful. Support these sites with either a traditional website or blog, so that you have more to present to employers, in addition to your profile.

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Top 40 Under 40 winners: Was an MBA worth it?

February 14, 2011   Surranna Sandy

I have been reading a lot of articles and opinion pieces lambasting the value of an MBA. Here is another interesting article in the Globe and Mail with Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 award winners:

The decision to pursue an MBA is prompted by considerations as varied and numerous as the reasons for where you choose to do it, what you learn from it and the effect on your life and career as you study and after you graduate. For some of the high-achievers who’ve been on the Caldwell Partners International list of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, MBA school was a positive part of their education and experience. Why and where these past 40 Under 40 winners did their MBAs, what they took away with them and how they would advise future MBA prospects offer some insight. Read more here

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New Brunswick minimum Wage hike will cost up to 7,000 jobs – report

February 11, 2011   Surranna Sandy   No comments

A 10 per cent increase in the minimum wage will cost New Brunswick between 1,900 and 7,000 jobs, says the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

For that reason the provincial government should cancel the two planned increases in New Brunswick’s minimum wage this year, said Andreea Bourgeois, the federation’s New Brunswick director.

Small- and medium-sized businesses react to minimum wage increases by cutting back on staff hours, training or cutting positions, stated a 36-page study released by the federation Thursday. Read more of this story

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New teachers face bleak job picture

February 11, 2011   Surranna Sandy   2 Comments

There may be fewer jobs for new teachers in Nova Scotia classrooms as a result of this year’s two per cent cut to the education budget.

On Tuesday, the government directed that some retiring teachers are not to be replaced, and ordered school boards to eliminate 50 per cent of their 168 consultants.

Read more:

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