Articles

The difference between a great resume and an acceptable resume can be measured in dollars; thousands of dollars. Great resumes attract great opportunities and average ones get lost in the shuffle of daily business activity. What makes a great resume is very subjective.

In the last few years, reference checking has been steadily growing in popularity. Current sources indicate that background and reference checks are commonly performed in over 75% of middle management to senior level positions. More importantly, formal reference checking organizations assert that up to 20% of all candidates are eliminated due to poor or questionable references. If you are in the midst of a job search, it is likely that you will be asked to provide a reference. Reference checking usually starts as you near the end of your interview process. So, it is absolutely critical that you produce the very best references to close the deal.

“Practice makes perfect.” “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” There can be no mistaking the value of practice when it comes to job interviewing. Once you have a basic understanding of the most common interview questions and of questions that may be specific to your job category, it’s time to step on to the interview rehearsal stage.

Prejudice in employment interviews is real. But seldom does it equate to discrimination.

Too many operate under the delusion that no interview question can be asked relating to personal characteristics or circumstances. However, Canadian employers are permitted to ask tough personal questions. While human rights legislation prohibits employers from making decisions based on permanent personal features such as race, place of origin, colour, religion or disability, among others, it does not prevent them from asking questions based on these grounds. Therefore, while interview questions may be aimed at exposing personal details, this does not automatically lead to the conclusion that discrimination influenced the hiring decision.

By Bruce van Ryn-Bocking MD, MBA

We all have experienced “interview anxiety” and have dealt with it more or less successfully. But why is it such a powerful phenomenon and what can we do to manage it?

Human beings have two very different parts of the brain that manage difficult situations.

In this article by MD Angus & Associates, Bill Angus notes that there are two common types of tests that employers conduct during the hiring process:

• Aptitude tests measure ability and knowledge
• Personality tests measure integrity and orientation towards a specific job

All your preparation was impeccable and the interview’s done. Although your job interview is over, if you want to stand out, there is still a little work to do before you kick back and relax.

Burns discusses what job seekers should be doing to get themselves noticed amongst the heap of online applications.

A survey was conducted by TorontoJobs.ca to find out recruiters’ favourite interviewing questions. We spoke to a number of recruiters in the Greater Toronto Area and we asked a simple question: “What’s your favourite interviewing question?”

Take some time to prepare to do a proper interview so you will shine out from the rest. Here are things you have to do to make a difference and look unique.