Get Prepared

Job Search Steps

Preparation is the key to any effective job search. Before you begin looking for a job, and sending out resumes, read over the following steps to ensure that you’ve got them all covered. 

Plan and Keep Track of your Job Search
Job Search Tracking Sheet (typable version)

Step 1: Know what you have to offer

• Skills: Job-Related, Transferable and Self-management
• Knowledge or expertise
• Interests: ideal work assignment

Step 2: Check the reality of the job market

• Research employers and careers
• Information interviewing
• Compare your skills with what is required
• Prioritize your skills to better fit job requirements

Step 3: Target jobs and organizations

• Choose places where you would really like to work
• Look at geographical locations
• Look at size of companies and industry sector
• Look at growth potential
• Rank employers in order of preference

Step 4: Target your resumé and cover letters

• Highlight skills and qualities valued by employer
• Obtain the names and titles of key personnel

Step 5: Write and rehearse your sales pitch

• Create your concise marketing script
• Focus on how you can benefit employers

Step 6: Access the hidden market

• Conduct an information interview (meet with alumni or others)
• Network (asking contacts for job leads)
• Place cold calls (requesting a short exploratory meeting)
• Pound the pavement (small business is easier to access)

Step 7: Practice your job interview skills

• Prepare for difficult questions
  

Step 8: Preparing a Portfolio

• For Fine Arts students
• For Arts and Science Students

Salary, Industry and Market Info

CACEE Work Web: Dedicated to helping students and recent graduates find meaningful employment.

Career Centre: Sheridan College's well-known Canadian gateway site will lead you to a multitude of good sites on trends and other valuable tidbits on the Canadian labour market.

Career Development Manual: A great career planning tool designed by the University of Waterloo.

Career Options Magazine: For Post Secondary Students
Emploi Quebec: A bilingual site with information on online job hunting and the labour market.

Human Resources and Social Development Canada: Helps students select and plan for careers.

iCRIQ.com: Quebec's most comprehensive business portal and data bank, giving you free access to information on companies that offer products and services in Québec.

Job Futures: A two-part publication that provides Canadians with information about the current world of work and projections for the future.

JobHuntersBible.com: Richard Bolles, creator of this site, is North America's top authority on job hunting. His site, with its plentiful links, is an excellent place to explore job hunting basics and start your Net hunt.

jobpostings eMagazine

Grad School Planning Guide (published by jobpostings.ca)

First and Second Year Career Planning Guide (published by jobpostings.ca)

Jobpostings Disabilities Edition

L’hirondelle: Services to recent immigrants: placement services, training and other.

Microsoft Career Advice: Career Center tools including career preparation tips, job hunting advice, resume tips, and interview tips.

Mon Emploi: An excellent French resource site.

New Grad Life: Blog solely dedicated to providing free resources to recent college grads or soon-to-be grads for topics such as job hunting, resume/interview help, networking tips.

Richard Bolle’s What Color Is Your Parachute?: Designed as a supplement to the textbook edition of What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers.

Riley Guide: An excellent resource site.

Salary Potential and Relocation Calculator: This website offers a free salary potential calculator and a cost-of-living calculator for over 7,200 U.S., Canadian and international cities.

Webster Library Database: Use Concordia's Webster Library Database to find industry and company information, company histories, financial data and information on competitors.

• Industry Information
• Company Information

This website offers a free salary potential calculator and a cost-of-living calculator for over 7,200 U.S., Canadian and international cities.

Workinfonet: Information on everything you need to know, including specialised career info for women, new Canadians, people with disabilities.

Youth Employment Services: Montreal non-profit job search centre, offering many services including CV translation and French language conversation groups.

Youth.gc.ca: Read up on different careeers, get labour market information, careers in Canada, and much more.

Youthpath.ca: Bilingual. Uncover links to a multitude of Montreal sites listing jobs as well as Canadian sites. Includes information on all government employment programs for youth.

Salary Information

CANADA

Human Resources and Social Development Canada: Click on Wages and Salaries on lefthand menu.

Public Service Commission of Canada: For those wanting to work for the government, detailed salary rates are to be found on this site.

SalaryExpert.com: Providing you choices to find the most accurate and up-to-date compensation information. Includes cost of living calculator.

Salary Wizard Canada: Salary Wizard results are geographically adjusted national averages.

Service Canada Salary Information: Get an idea of what people are paid in various occupations across Canada.

WowJobs.ca: Canada Salary Search; search and compare average salaries from over 5 million jobs in Canada.

USA

CTI Career Search: Includes 1600+ real-world career descriptions on more than 200 occupations, daily news summaries & feature articles, and interivews with careers directors from US colleges & universities.

Occupational Outlook Handbook: A U.S. government site that provides detailed occupational profiles which include earnings.

Riley Guide: Salary Guides & Guidance: A great job search site with excellent section on salary negotiations and salary surveys. Includes links surveys outside the United States as well as in the U.S.

Salary.com: Free base salary is available here for U.S. salaries. You can pay for more detailed special reports.

U.S. Department of Labor: For U.S. salary information. Select A-Z Index and then your field for Earnings.

Wageweb: Includes salary information for over 170 positions in a wide variety of fields and lots of good links. 

WORLD

PayScale: Can select country, city, degree and years of experience for salary scales appropriate for the region worldwide which interests you.

JobMob: This website presents salary surveys by country and other information on salary matters.

OCCUPATIONS BY MAJOR OR FIELD

Job Futures: Canadian. Includes among other sections the following: Overview of Career Outlooks for Graduates, Listing of Fields of Study by Major Area of Study and Listing of Occupations by Skill Type and Level.

BrainTrack: College and University Directory: Presents profiles of careers, statistics, salary information and schools by state.

CityTownInfo: Offers user friendly job descriptions, U.S. salary and job growth information, top U.S. cities for each job, top industries and different college search tools.

Exploring Occupations Manitoba: Provides a good Canadian start for surfing occupations and links to Canadian sources by field.

National Occupational Classification (Human Resources Development Canada: This bilingual authoritative government source classifies occupations and describes duties, work settings, training and work environments.

Occupational Outlook Handbook (U.S. Department of Labor): This reputable dictionary of occupations, published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides extensive details on working conditions, employment, earnings, training and the job outlook as well as links to other sites on your field.

Working in Canada: Canadian. Includes among other sections the following: Overview of Career Outlooks for Graduates, Listing of Fields of Study by Major Area of Study and Listing of Occupations by Skill Type and Level.