Announcing the 2010 Leadership & Career Planning Event in Toronto, Canada on May 25th at The Westin Harbour Castle - details here: thinkworknotjob.com
Although job figures, like downward charts and graphs, laid out in newspapers can make job-seekers nervous about not being able to find work, some patience, a step back, a willingness to accept rejection, some networking skills and a bright countenance can go a long way in helping a person find some work. It might be work that starts part time, but then leads to full time or it might be work that is simply a stepping stone at first thought, until the opportunities for growth and advancement reveal themselves in unplanned ways.
Here are five ideas to consider when looking for work, whether it be a summer job or a complete career change. Toronto is a very diverse city with plenty of opportunities for employment, if you know where to look; and sometimes you will find yourself looking in some of the most unlikely places.
1) Patience - it can be frustrating looking for work in a major ciy because sometimes it seems as though everybody's got a job except you! But patience is a skill that will keep you cool and in a positive frame of mind and, with that, people don't see you as frustrated and will be more willing to talk to you. So, avoid the "I hate the world" face while looking for work and you will be one step closer to finding something.
2) Take a step back - if you look too closely at anything, you can't see what's around it, so you miss many details. Look around everywhere and you will see just about every industry represented in any home, in any business and on any street. This one idea alone should give you a long list of potential employers.
3) Accept rejection - any good sales person knows that every rejection is worth a few bucks because, eventually, they will make the sale. Although it's easy to become discouraged when we let our feelings get in the way, it's not an impossible skill to be able to accept rejection and move on to the next prospect. Toronto has a bad reputation for being 'cold', so they say (though I partially disagree), there are enough warm folks out there who would be willing to hire a positive minded person who can get along with others and get the job done. So, if you expect rejection, it should come as no shock when it happens and therefore should be nothing to worry about.
4) Networking skills - Toronto is a hot spot for networking in many different industries. Chances are that someone you know will know somebody in your target industry. Social networking sites help, but there's nothing quite like getting out in public with some friends after work. If you can't afford to go out for food and drinks, eat before you go out and nurse a drink or just drink soda with ice and a straw while you network. It is imperative that you have no more than two drinks, anyway, so you can keep a clear head and not say anything you'd regret. Always have some cards or other info giveaways with you at all times (like a personal business card, a demo reel, etc) so there will be no fumbling around with pens and napkins. Also, go to as many art gallery openings or other social situations as possible with a friend or two because you never know who will be out there.
5) A bright countenance - people treat you better when you have a positive look on your face. So, no matter what, smile at all times during a job search. You can also do a few good deeds every day such as holding a door open or picking up a piece of trash to get used to the feeling of going the extra mile. Many people walking around Toronto do not smile - that's a fact. But, their faces do light up when they see somebody walking around doing good deeds without a worry because smiles are contagious!
One final note - not all companies immediately post job listings when someone is on their way out, so waiting for classified ads to appear can become fruitless pretty quick. Toronto has a number of local papers with job listings (24 Hrs, Metro, Now Magazine, Eye Weekly, The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, The Employment News, etc), but a lot of those ads are lures to suck you in to some bogus piece work, feeding frenzy or poorly run call centre where only the fittest shall survive. So, newspaper ads represent only a small fraction of the good opportunities Toronto has to offer and you have to look deeper than that. Good luck!!
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