Tattoo You

I don’t have a tattoo, although I have thought about it and may actually take the plunge one day. If I do, chances are it will be a tattoo that is not visible while wearing work clothes. According to a survey by Vault, a career information company, eighty-five percent of employees say that tattoos and body piercing impede a person's chances of finding a job, unless of course your employment target is a Goth Café.

According to the Modified Mind Employment line website, out of 89 food establishments, 31 said no to visible tattoos including McDonald’s, Boston Pizza, Denny’s, KFC and the Olive Garden to name a few. Safeway, IGA and Superstore also like them covered up.

There are offices and business that don’t care about tattoos, however, until you are able to determine where they stand on the issue it might be in your best interest to keep it covered up while networking or making face to face contact with potential employers.

On the other hand, if you feel your statement of individuality and your right to display your tattoo is important, instead of asking people if they know who is hiring people with your skills, try asking them if they know anyone who is hiring people with tattoos.

Your comments are welcome.

Glen Slingerlands Skills 101 / Job Development

Age Discrimination

There is no getting around it, age discrimination exists. You may have been the best waitress on the planet, but there are restaurants and bars who will not hire you because you don’t look good in tight clothing with a bare midriff. There are companies, who will not hire older men because of their mature appearance or the fact they may not be able to represent the company as being youthful and energetic. It could be the grey hair, the comb-over or a million other reasons the “over qualified” excuse was used for not getting hired.

Not all, but some older workers get back exactly what they put out. Somewhere along the way they stopped looking after themselves, stopped trying to keep up to date, stopped trimming the nose and ear hair, and basically started projecting a “been there done that” kind of attitude.

Looking for a good job at any age is a challenge and there is extra pressure put on mature workers. Plus, they are often concerned about being able to make the kind of money they were making in their last position which is another reason some employers will avoid an experienced worker.

There is no magic bullet to this problem but there are steps older workers can take to improve their chances of landing another good job. It can start by taking a long hard look in the mirror. Now, obviously we can not go back to looking the way we did twenty to thirty years ago, but we can update our look. A haircut and new clothes can go a long way. Besides, it is not about looking thirty again, it is about looking like you fit in. Part two to this equation is attitude. If you make age an issue it will be an issue. So check your attitude at the door and remember that keener in you, exude passion for the line of work you’re seeking. It really comes down to your ability to sell yourself. Oh, and if you need help in that department, talk to an employment counsellor.

There are two types of age discrimination, one is prejudice and the other is ignorance. You will not be able to win over a prejudice employer. You may, however, be able to positively influence an ignorant employer by selling him or her the benefits that come with hiring someone with your experience.

Your comments are welcome.

Glen Slingerlands – Skills 101 / Job Development

Are you in the Right Frame of Mind?

When looking for work it is important that you strive to be in a positive state of mind and have an employment goal. Is it a position with a great company, where you can learn and grow? Or is it simply to investigate new careers and line up potential employers on your list to interview.

Focus on your positives. What you can do for the company or bring to the table in the way of skills and accomplishments as apposed to things you lack such as a certificate.

I have found that many people have a hard time getting into a positive frame of mind. They tend to look back on the things they did wrong, or if they were fired from a job, believe potential employers will see them as losers. Then there are those where family pressures to find employment are heavy, add in mounting bills and they feel even more like a failure before they begin looking. It is hard when the pressure is on you and begging for a job seldom works. Blaming others or the world for your situation is also not going to help.

People are fired from jobs every day and do just fine. Remember, behind every firing is an excellent lesson. Learn from the lesson and you are moving into the positive. Mix with positive employed people because you never know where your next job lead is coming from.

So what should you do?

Make a plan.

Set some goals short term and long term.
An Action Plan can set you in the correct path to successful employment and put you in the right frame of mind for all the right reasons.

Employers hire positive people…..not just with the right skills, but in the right frame of mind.

Now, are you in the right frame of mind?

Lesley Anderson – CES - Skills 101 Facilitator/ Job Coach

Working Close To Home

There is an aggressive recruiting campaign about to get underway in Prince George. In response to the high unemployment in the forest industry and close to 3000 people out of work in PG, a job fair is planned for June 25, 2008. The only down side is; it will feature a number of employers recruiting for positions in other cities. Not so good for the unemployed worker who loves to call Prince George home.

Positions are said to range from professional to entry level. Of course the other challenge the out of work labourer faces will be finding an entry level job with wages that match the type of money labourers made in forestry and lumber. These are the individuals who may need to consider a career change if they want to stay in the area.

The situation in Chilliwack is not so different from Prince George. We may not have a forestry industry going down the tubes around us, but we do have a lot of people choosing to live here because they love the valley. Part of living here is being able to find one of those family-supporting jobs without having to commute.

So what is the secret? Only move to Chilliwack, or Prince George, if you are confident you can make big money. Ok, that may not be possible, how about; know yourself and your labour market. Get to know what is hot and what is not. Identify your key skills and interests and where they fit into today’s labour market. The displaced worker on EI may also want to take the time to find out what funding options are available for retraining based on their interests.

If “where you live” defines “who you are”, more than “what you do for a living”, a career path that leads home will become your priority.

Glen Slingerland - Skills 101 / Job Development

Cheap Gas on The Information Highway

The unemployment rate in BC crept up slightly last month. Not quite the leaps and bounds as the price of gas however both will impact job search activities as well as where a person chooses to work. Working closer to home or in cities with easier access to alternative forms of transportation is becoming a priority. As far as impacting a job search, we’ll see more people choose the Internet over going face to face. Gas is definitely cheaper on the information highway.

If you are going to use the Internet as your exclusive method of job searching, a well target résumé and cover letter, that is typo free, will be your only marketing tools. Extra care must be taken to personalize your correspondence to the company or individual in a way that sets you apart from the competition. Employers love electronic applications. No paper, easy to delete, and let’s not forget the programs that can disqualify you before they even look at your mail.

The other challenge with the Internet is it allows a job seeker to cover a lot of ground making it very easy to loose track of who you have been applying to. There is nothing worse than getting a call from a potential employer and you don’t even remember emailing them a résumé.

Electronic job searches require organizational skills. Keep a detailed log of every person you’ve contacted as well as easy access to all electronic correspondence and you will come off sounding prepared and professional when the phone rings for your next interview.

Glen Slingerland - Skills 101/Job Development

Cheap gas on the information highway

The unemployment rate in BC crept up slightly last month. Not quite the leaps and bounds as the price of gas however both will impact job search activities as well where a person chooses to work. Working closer to home or in cities with easier access to alternative forms of transportation is becoming a priority. As far as impacting a job search, we’ll see more people choose the Internet over going face to face. Gas is definitely cheaper on the information highway.

If you are going to use the Internet as your exclusive method of job searching, a well target résumé and cover letter, that is typo free, will be your only marketing tools. Extra care must be taken to personalize your correspondence to the company or individual in a way that sets you apart from the competition. Employers love electronic applications. No paper, easy to delete, and let’s not forget the programs that can disqualify you before they even look at your mail.

The other challenge with the Internet is it allows a job seeker to cover a lot of ground making it very easy to loose track of who you have been applying too. There is nothing worse than getting a call from a potential employer and you don’t even remember emailing them a résumé.

Electronic job searches require organizational skills. Keep a detailed log of every person you’ve contacted as well as easy access to all electronic correspondence and you will come off sounding prepared and professional when the phone rings for your next interview.

Glen SLingerland - Skills 101/Job Development

A Poor Work Ethic

A common complaint I hear from employers is today’s young workers have absolutely no work ethic. That may be a bit of a blanket statement. There are young people who do want to work, do show up on time and work hard while they are on the job. There are also young people who don’t seem to have a clue, although it’s not completely their fault. Many came from homes where Mom and Dad did everything for them. They handed over money whenever the kids needed it, kept them from working part-time because they felt school was more important, and even went so far as to allow them to keep their room in whatever condition they wanted because after all, it was their space. We all know kids who would be hard pressed to even take their dishes off the table after dinner, because Mom will get them.

Some young people do have a poor work ethic but I think it often comes more from ignorance than anything else. They just don’t know. However, having said that, there are also gems out there. The challenge for any employer who hires young people is to keep an eye out for these gems. I have seen people try to hire their waitress or waiter because the service they provided was so good. There probably isn’t a mall in Canada where managers aren’t going from store to store trying to recruit the good ones for a few pennies more.

The young people with the poor work ethic and lack of loyalty definitely make it tough for some employers. On the other hand, someone else’s poor work ethic can turn into a raise for the good worker.


Glen Slingerland - Skills 101 / Job Development

Dress like you mean Business!!

Do you really want the job? Well think seriously about dressing, first impressions really count. We don’t get a second chance to make a really good first impression.

I don’t know how many times I have talked to people on the street, meetings or at social functions where I was asked if they knew who was hiring, and they looked a mess!

If you’re handing out our résumés to potential employers it is important to present yourself professionally as it relates to your industry. I encourage my workshop participants to dress as if they are looking for work while IN the workshop. They never know then they might run into an employer who may be looking for some one with their skills. The last thing you want to do is meet a hiring manager who is dressed for work, while you’re caught wearing your shorts, sandals, t-shirts, tattoo’s showing and red nail polish from the night before.

You snooze you loose.. Be on the ball and ready for work.

At Chilliwack Employment Services we, as facilitators, can help you with your presentation including hair cuts, clothes or just advice about what to wear for a job search.

Dress up, be professional and you will be treated differently.

Lesley Anderson
Skills 101 Facilitator/ Job Coach

Too Old, Too Young

At some point in almost everyone’s job search, the age issue will be an issue. Or at least they will make it an issue. A young person will complain they can’t connect with work because they are too young and have no experience. A mature person will complain they are too old and perceived as too expensive and THEY can not connect with work. However before you blame your age, take a look in the mirror. Your personal look should be professional as it applies to the work you are going after. This is not about young people trying to look older or older people trying to look younger. It is about looking professional.

Now take a look at your résumé. If you’re sending out a résumé filled with information about past jobs the employer doesn’t care about, or outdated accomplishments there may be a problem. Make sure the résumé is targeted to the job you are after with only the information that matters. Mature workers should be careful with how far back they should go on a résumé. Some work is outdated due to changes in technology.

More often than not, if you make age an issue, it will be one. Present yourself as a confident professional and someone will give you a shot, no matter how old you are.

Glen Slingerland Skills 101/Job Delopment