From Here to Career

Competitive Junior Sales Rep- Calgary

davidaplin — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:00:22 +0000

Average College Grad will hold 9.8 Jobs… and other interesting Career Facts

davidaplin2 — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:15:11 +0000

Top 3 Things you need to WIN at a Job Interview

davidaplin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:08:47 +0000

New Grads Anyone?

davidaplin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:20:29 +0000

Featured Career: Flight Coordinator

davidaplin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:02:08 +0000

Only apply if you are a detail-oriented over-achiever who wants a career with an entrepreneurial company looking to invest in bright young talent.

Our client, a leading private aviation company seeks a New or Recent Graduate to provide an exceptional client experience through their Flight Coordination & Administration talents.

The MUST Haves:

Customer Services capabilities that make EVERY client feel like Royalty
Organization that would make Martha Stewart look out of control
Willingness to go above and beyond in every BIG or small task
Polished, professional, positive & polite
Insanely great Microsoft office skills
Ability to adapt to change on a moments notice
Desire to learn and grow within a organization that is destined for great success
Univeristy or College Education

The "it would be NICE" to Haves:

Understanding of Aviation terminology and industry
Previous travel/flight coordination experience
Customer service experience within a fast-paced and constantly changing environment

APPLY NOW! http://www.fromheretocareer.ca/available-jobs/

Questions? Give me a shout. Kathryn Farrell 403.261.9000 ext.397 or kfarrell@aplin.com or @fromhere2career

Our President speaks to The Calgary Herald

davidaplin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:31:28 +0000

Career goals in focus for new year

Resignations, recruitment on the rise

BY DEREK SANKEY, THE CALGARY HERALD

If you're thinking about making a career change, you're probably not alone. After the Christmas holiday season of rest, relaxation and perhaps some quiet reflection, the job market always picks up in the new year, say recruiters and coaches.

"After the soul-searching over the holidays . . . everything I'm seeing in Calgary, Alberta and across Canada indicates there's going to be a resume tsunami of voluntary turnover" in 2012, says Jeff Aplin, president of David Aplin Recruiting in Calgary.

"We always see an uptick in January (and) February of people who want to make a move," he says. "It goes with New Year goal setting."

The good news is that employers appear to be in hiring mode, too. With a relatively strong economy in Alberta, many companies are ramping up their staffing requirements in anticipation of continued strength and large, new projects on the books.

"Calgary is its own microclimate," says Sherri Olsen, a Calgary career coach. "All the oil and gas stuff is happening, so there's recruiting going on everywhere."

One of her clients recently mentioned that her company's hiring department has a "blank cheque" when it comes to hiring new staff this year to keep up with demand.

What they all agree on is not to make a rash, poorly planned decision to leave your job before you realize why you want to make a change, what type of position would truly fulfil you and how you plan to get there.

"If there's somebody out there you know who has a job that you want, go and talk to them," advises Eileen Dooley, a Calgary career coach. "Most people are very candid about these things."

Just don't rush out the door before thinking it through. "Take time to take stock . . . or you'll be looking for another job in two month's time," he adds.

Olsen says that based on clients in transition she sees, about six in 10 people actually end up staying with their employer because they identify the source of their discontent and "tweak" their roles after discussing options with their managers.

It's also not best to wait until things have gotten so bad that you're making a decision based on immediate emotion, rather than a wellthought-out career plan.

"The best time to do a career change is when you just start to wonder about it in your current job – not when you just want to get out now," Olsen says.

People leave jobs for all sorts of reasons, but it's the younger professionals just coming out of university who tend to move around the most and are most easily distracted by the lure of more money.

"Young professionals coming out (of school) have seen the change that's gone on over the years and they're far more prepared to move across the street for more dollars," MacRae says, adding they sometimes need to be willing to get some experience first so they have the skills to be more employable.

"A lot of new professionals want some things that they haven't put in the time to achieve yet," he says.

No matter what direction you're headed in, Dooley says, the most important step you can take is to do your research first. Try volunteering for an organization in a role you'd like to move into to test the waters and find out where those types of jobs are offered.

When economic times are good – Alberta and Saskatchewan are forecast to lead the country in economic performance in 2012 – people tend to be more eager to look around at other opportunities. Just don't forget that it doesn't mean you have your pick of any job you want, regardless of the economy.

"No matter how good the economy is, it's still a competitive job market," Dooley says.

derek.sankey@telus.net

You have been invited for the interview. Now, what do you do?

davidaplin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:11:16 +0000

Rule Number 1: Research

Congratulations! You have been invited for the interview. Now, what do you do?

The first step is beginning to research the company. Once you have done this you will be ready to prep for the interview questions, learn how to improve your interviewing skills and begin to think about what you’re going to wear to the interview.

In order to succeed in the interview you need to do your homework on the company. There is no set of rules to how to do your research but preparing yourself as much as possible will greatly enhance your chances of getting hired.

Make sure you use every available resource to help you with your preparation. By doing a basic Google on the company you can easily learn important facts about the company. Publicly listed companies are easier to prepare your background research than privately listed companies as public companies are legally required to make certain information available. In the 21st century the Internet has made a lot of the pre-interview research more available and easier to find. Don’t forget that you can also use other sources of information like public libraries or bookstores. Many magazines and journals can provide important and up to date information on your company and also provide you with information your competitors who are also applying for the same job won’t know.

A true story…

A job candidate was applying for a job at one of the large investment banks. Out of 150 candidates the hiring manager had selected the top 10 best resumes to perform first round interviews. Every interview was 15-20 minutes long. The final question the hiring manager asked to each of the candidates was “Tell me something about the company.” Nine out of ten of the candidates rattled off information they had read from the company’s “about us page,” but one candidate stood out. After reading about the company’s strategic purchase of a new acquisition, the candidate was able to impress the hiring manager with his (somewhat different) knowledge.

The hiring manager later offered this candidate the role not because he was the smartest candidate, but because he showed his dedication by going the extra step in his interview preparation, “This particular person displayed exactly the type of initiative we were looking for in the perfect candidate.”

Your research for the job interview preparation should give you a better insight on:

The history of the business
How old the business is
The types of services the business offers
The hierarchy structure
How many offices/locations the business has
Number of employees
Career progression
The business culture
Competitors
Benefits

Check out the competitors websites as well – they are also a good source of information for your job preparation.

This article from http://www.careerealism.com

Image from www.jobinterviewtechniques.net

You are MORE than just a Resume

davidaplin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:53:03 +0000

Thanks to www.tryyuu.com for the above infographic.

Job Seeker Email Etiquette Rules to Follow

davidaplin — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:29:42 +0000

Job Seeker Email

Etiquette Rules to Follow

Pick your name carefully – It was really cute when your E-mail address was “PlayBoyBunny88” in college, but a potential employer or networking contact is going to find it tacky and inappropriate. When in doubt, the best E-mail address is a combination of your first and last name.

Don’t forget the subject line – Would you open an E-mail from someone you don’t know that contains no subject line? Stay out of the spam folder by addressing the topic of your E-mail in your subject line. The more specific you are, the more likely your E-mail will be opened.

Leave the LOL out of it – LOL, JK, ROFL, and other web jargon you have up your sleeve belong on Facebook, Twitter, and SMS not professional E-mails. While E-mail can be casual, resorting to jargon, emoticons, and text slang could be telling a potential employer that you don’t take this seriously.

Keep it short and sweet – Think about how much time you have to read through your E-mails. Between newsletters, daily deals, and personal E-mail, you have a lot to go through in a short amount of time. If you’re E-mailing someone your resume, making a request, or simply introducing yourself, keep it to the point.

Make your signature your own – Your professional E-mail needs a solid signature. Not only does an informative signature make for a good finish to any E-mail message, but it also provides in one location your contact information making you immediately accessible. Everyone’s signature is different, but try to include your name, E-mail address, phone number, web address, and hyperlinks to your social media profiles.

Remember to sign-off – If you have a good professional signature, do you have to include a sign-off as well? Yes! Professional sign-offs include “best wishes” or “sincerely.” Use a phrase that seems most like you.

Attach it first – This has to be the easiest to commit and most common mistake ever. E-mailing your resume and forgetting to attach it to the E-mail. We have all done it! No worries. Mistakes happen. Thankfully, email service providers like Gmail will prompt you, but don’t rely on that. Make a habit of attaching the document before you even start writing the resume.

Follow the 24-hour rule – E-mail is immediate. No need to wait for the postman or scramble for a stamp. It’s a quick click and done! However, procrastination and overflowing inboxes will often slow down the effectiveness of E-mail communication. Follow the 24-hour rule. Make a point to deal with each E-mail message you receive within 24 hours. When an E-mail requires your response, act on it within a day, even if only to acknowledge that you have received their message and need a day or two to compile the requested information. Someone is waiting for you to answer them, and your appreciation of their time and consideration will send a strong message that you value them and will respond as requested.

Read the entire article from: http://www.businessinsider.com – Tony Morrison

Do you have what it takes to be an amazing recruiter?

davidaplin — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:34:15 +0000

3 Essentials for succeeding in Recruitment

1. They can build relationships.

Most important and on top of the pyramid of skills is the ability to find great people and build relationships with them. This is what all great recruiters do. EVERY executive search guru is really a guru at building and maintaining relationships. Recruiters within organizations need to get out of the organization and get to know people at all levels and professions that might be useful to their firm. They need to utilize technology to help create the initial relationship, and then they need to leverage that by talking on the phone, sending frequent emails, having breakfast or lunch with possible candidates, and by always asking one candidate to recommend a few more.

Those who possess this skill set are good at knowing who the best performers are, because they also have good relationships with the hiring managers and other workers who can tell them. They assess why those people are the best and then try to find more with the same skills.

2. They understand technology.

Technology already dominates recruiting. Applicant tracking systems, HRIS systems, email, job boards, blogs, social networks, and recruiting websites are all part of the technology equation. If a recruiter is not technically agile and informed, she cannot be successful in the long run. Great recruiters dominate technology and learn how to make it do what they want.

3. They can sell and close candidates.

In the end, a recruiter is as good as the number of candidates that she can close. To do this, she needs to be good at selling candidates and hiring managers. She needs to know how to overcome objections and turn negatives into positives. They need to offer solutions, work out compromises, negotiate and in the end, make the hire happen. This will become an increasingly important skill as we move back into candidate shortage. When there are two jobs for every person with skill, the recruiter who can sell the best and close the fastest will be the winner.

Think you have what it takes? Like the sound of working in recruitment?

We are looking for a Junior Recruitment Consultant to join our Toronto office.

Apply at the link below.

http://www.fromheretocareer.ca/available-jobs/

*http://www.glresources.com/188.html

5 Essential Recruiter Skills

By Kevin Wheeler – Published Feb 08, 2005