DECIDING ON AN ANGLE

Once you have located a job possibility you still have to compete with many other suitable applicants. You have to stand out from the crowd and that means finding an angle.

Finding your assets

You already have an advantage in that you may be the only recent immigrant applying. With the great influx of immigrants to Canada that is not always the case, but it will at least make you different from the majority of the applicants. Is that your angle? If you can’t come up with anything else it is better than nothing. Remember, though, that you will need to convince the prospective employer that you are likely to hang around for a while. A degree of commitment to Canada must be demonstrated. (Except for temporary or vacation work.)

It can be very effective to point out to the employer how your UK or other experience can be put to good use in the new job. You may, for example, be trained in an area in which the British have always been admired. The service industries, education and training, nursing and engineering all fall into this category. Make a special point of this when submitting your application.

Or perhaps your prospective employer is specifically looking for someone who is dynamic and forward thinking. It wouldn’t take much to convince a recruiter that someone who has left their homeland to live many miles away in another country is pretty dynamic and not afraid to take chances!

Doing your research

Time spent on research is never wasted and can often mean the difference between landing the job or not. Your local library is a goldmine of information. If the company you are applying to is fairly large you will be able to find its annual report there. Also, check the periodical indexes for articles about that company. Other useful research tools include:

• Canadian Key Business Directory
• Financial Post 100 Best Companies to Work for
• Directory of Associations in Canada
• CANTECH National Directory
• Classified Directory: A Complete Guide to Business in Canada
• Directory of Canadian Manufacturers
• Co-op Program Directory
• Magazines Career Directory
• and, of course, the Internet – many companies have their own websites full of facts about their business.

PERFECTING THE RÉSUMÉ

In the previous chapter we looked at the differences between an English-style CV and the North American-style résumé. We also stressed the importance of tailoring your résumé to the specific job applied for. This can often simply be a question of emphasis. You can’t change your experience and education but you can highlight the areas that make you ideal for that particular job.

Making your résumé fit the job

Figures 18, 19 and 20 show an example of this tailoring. Figure 18 is a ‘generic’ résumé. From it you will see that Jean Marchand has a fairly wide range of administrative experience, from insurance work to public relations to fund raising. Figure 19 is the newspaper advertisement for the job she is interested in. Note that Jean has some of the experience required but fails to meet the specification of familiarity with the local area. Her relevant experience with non-profit making organisations comprises only a very small part of her career to date.

Figure 20 shows how she tweaked her résumé to highlight her suitability for this particular position and minimise the areas in which she could be seen to fall short. There wasn’t a great deal Jean could do about the lack of local area knowledge; she will have to hope her other qualifications outweigh that disadvantage. As the advertisement didn’t mention any requirements for administrative/secretarial experience, that aspect of her career was played down in favour of highlighting the experience at the women’s centre. Even that has been modified to emphasise those

elements mentioned in the advertisement: fund raising and volunteer supervision. A couple of points have been added under Additional Information that are relevant to the sort of job advertised. Jean’s cover letter will do even more to bring her relevant experience to the recruiter’s attention.

CASE STUDIES

Samantha makes her mark

Sam has now been in Vancouver for a month and has settled in well to her new job and new way of life. Not for her the uncertainty of applying for jobs; she is lucky to have found one before she left England. However, one day she looks on the staff noticeboard and learns that a position senior to hers has just become vacant. She decides to apply for it.

Samantha has a look at her CV and realises that it does not conform to the résumé style expected in Canada. It also does not mention her recent experience. She asks to use a friend’s computer and turns her CV into a résumé.

‘That notice specified they wanted someone “not afraid of a challenge”’, her friend observes. ‘That certainly applies to you!’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘Well, you have just crossed the Atlantic and one entire continent to start work in a new country. You should point that out in your letter.’

Samantha refers to her move as a challenge in her covering letter.

She is delighted when, one week later, she is called to interview.

George makes the change

George is nervous of his decision to try for a bit of a career move. He has not worked in a recording studio before.

‘But you did do that volunteer work in the hospital sorting out their broadcast equipment,’ his wife reminds him.

‘And I did an extra year’s training in audio electronics.’

George needs to highlight this experience in his ‘tweaked’ résumé. This will draw attention to his suitability for work in a recording studio, rather than emphasise any lack of experience.

WRITING THE PERFECT COVERING LETTER

It is debatable which is more important – the résumé or the covering letter. Certainly it is in the covering letter that your personality can show through, as well as your enthusiasm. This is where you sell yourself.

Making the right connections

Think about what you are trying to get across to the recruiter. Your aim should be to convince her/him that it is worth having a closer look at your resume. More than that, you want the recruiter to decide that you are worth interviewing, that you have something tangible to offer that company. The most effective way of achieving this is to make favourable comparisons wherever possible.

• Connect your career goals and past experience to the requirements of this position.
• Connect your special areas of expertise to the job specification.
• Connect your interests to the area in which the prospective employer operates. Make it obvious that you are absolutely right for the job.

Be certain that you provide all the information asked for in the job advertisement. In the example above, the employer requested salary expectations, so your covering letter should contain that information.

Essential elements

Each application is different and you will have to gear your letter to the tone and content of the job advertisement. However, there are several elements that ought to be in every cover letter you send:

• Address the letter to a person, not a position or, even worse, the dreaded Dear Sirs. If a name is not stated in the advertisement, or you are writing on spec, give the company a call and ask for the name of the personnel manager.
• Always name the position you are applying for. Personalise your letter wherever possible. Nobody likes to receive a form letter.
• Mention any documents you are enclosing with your application such as résumé, references. This demonstrates an organised approach as well as drawing them to the recruiter’s attention.

• Be as specific as possible when outlining your suitability. It is better to say that you have experience of several named software programmes than make the blanket statement that you are computer literate.
• Say why you want the job and why you think you could do it well. Don’t leave it up to the reader to make that connection -they may not!
• Indicate interest in the company and the area in which they work.
• Conclude your letter optimistically. ‘I look forward to hearing from you soon’ or ‘I would be pleased to attend for an interview at a mutually convenient time’. This rounds off your communication in a confident and pleasant manner.

Taking those factors into consideration, how would our hopeful Event Coordinator word her letter?

• There is no name or telephone number given in the job advertisement. It would be worth Jean’s while to send a fax stating that she is interested in the position and asking if there is anyone in particular to whom she should address her reply.
• Jean knows the title of the job she is applying for, so she should include this in her opening sentence.
• Jean has some references that are particularly relevant to this position and so has decided to include them in her application. These, and the enclosed resume, should be mentioned in her letter.

• She has experience in most of the areas specified in the advertisement. She should draw the recruiter’s attention to this and stress the similarity between what she did at the women’s centre and the requirements of the advertised position.
• Jean should stress how much she enjoyed her work for the charity organisation in Southampton and why she would like to work in this sort of environment again.
• The advertisement asked for details of salary expectations, so this must be included in Jean’s letter. That can be an awkward area, as whilst you don’t want to blow your chances completely by expecting more than they are willing to pay, you don’t want to undervalue your skills or leave yourself open to a low offer. The best way around this is to give a fairly wide range that starts just a bit above the minimum you are willing to accept and goes up to the highest you could reasonably hope for, based on your experience and any knowledge you have of the industry norms. Refer again to the International Pay and Benefits Survey. Many job advertisements do give salaries, so make a note of those for which you are qualified. This will give you a good idea of what you should be aiming for.

Jean’s covering letter (or in this case covering fax) is shown in Figure 21.

MAXIMISING YOUR ASSETS

As the song says, ‘Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative’. This advice is applicable throughout the job-hunting process, from initial contact to final interview. What are your assets?

• spirit of adventure
• eager for new experience
• adaptability
• ability to organise
• not afraid of big challenges.

Surely all of these are applicable to anyone intrepid enough to consider working in a new country. So point them out.

CASE STUDY

Lucy gets restless

Although grateful for the job waiting for her at the Burger Bar, Lucy is keen to see more of Canada. Metropolitan Ottawa doesn’t really suit her – she still longs for those wide open spaces.

She knows that BUNAC works with the Students Working Abroad Programme (SWAP) and calls their office in Toronto to see if they have any leads. She is told of a need for clerical help in a provincial forest fire-fighting department. Applicants are invited to phone for an informal chat.

Lucy calls the number given and has an in-depth conversation with the recruiter, who is very impressed by her enthusiasm. Lucy asks lots of questions about the trees, conservation techniques, etc. The recruiter makes a note to place Lucy on the shortlist for interview.

Thinking about your personal assets

You will have your own special assets to add to this list. In fact making a list is a good idea. Decide what aspects of your character and experience show you in the best light and figure out ways to bring them into every letter, every résumé you send out, every conversation with a prospective employer. Don’t be afraid of repeating yourself. The Canadian employer is used to this sort of approach and is more likely to think that the self-effacing candidate has something to hide than to applaud his reticence.

Flexibility is very important in the Canadian job market. Jobs tend to be somewhat less structured than you may be used to and you could well be expected to ‘muck in’ as the occasion demands, particularly in a smaller firm. Once again, someone making the move to a different country is nothing if not flexible. Remind the prospective employer of that.

Eliminating the negative

Whilst you must be seen to be keen on your new country, you should avoid any negative references to the old one or your job experiences there. Indeed, avoid all negative references completely. Concentrate on the positive aspects of your move, how your different experience could give an employer a vital edge and how keen you are to put all the knowledge that you have gained to work for them.

MAKING YOURSELF MEMORABLE

A technique used in sales is to focus on some unique aspect of your character or appearance and mention that repeatedly. The idea is that the customer (in your case the prospective employer) will remember you when making a decision regarding his purchase (appointment). That is not so easy when your first communications are all written, but it can be done. Again, you have the advantage of being distinctive as a foreigner. You can use that to make the recruiter remember you. You will, of course, have mentioned your Permanent Resident Status or Employment Authorisation in your cover letter (not least to reassure the recruiter that you can legally work in Canada). When you come to chase up the application with a phone call your accent will make you recognisable. It gives you a talking point, too.

Phoning the company

Follow-up phone calls in themselves are a way of getting yourself noticed. In most cases it is perfectly acceptable to give the company a call if you have not had any response to your application after a week or so. Beware, however, of the advertisement which specifically requests that you do not phone. These are becoming more frequent.

On the other hand, sometimes an advertisement will invite applicants to phone for further information or ‘an informal chat’. Don’t waste these opportunities to make yourself memorable. It is not possible to overstate the value of that British accent (assuming that is what you have!). It will nearly always be an immediate point in your favour.

Sending photos and references

An increasingly common practice is the inclusion of a photograph with your application. This is not the norm in Canada, nor is it unacceptable. Use your judgement. If you think there is something about your appearance that will emphasise your suitability for the job, enclose a photo. Many employers in service industries have a strong interest in what candidates look like and only consider those of an appropriate appearance.

If you have written references that relate very well to the job you are applying for, enclose copies of these at the initial application stage. Another way of getting yourself remembered.

CHECKLIST

• Identify an angle, something that makes you stand out from the crowd.
• Spend some time on your resume. Tailor it to the specifications of each job you apply for. Highlight experience which illustrates your suitability for that position.
• Your covering letter is very important: it is here that you really sell yourself. Point out the experience and qualifications that make you ideal for the job. Adopt a confident approach.
• Make connections between your past experience and the requirements for this job. Point them out in your covering letter.
• Whenever possible make telephone contact with potential employers. Be careful not to do this, however, when job advertisements specifically instruct you not to phone.
• ‘Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.’