Kick Off Your New Year & Career Right: Event Recap
/With the new year well underway many of us have begun actioning our resolutions for 2020, a common one being a change of job or career. On February 20th young women from around Vancouver gathered at Mobify for our first YWiB event of 2020 to hear about how to improve their skills in the job search, application, interview, and negotiation.
Our talented panel of professionals included Whitney Friesen, Manager, MBAN Careers of UBC Sauder School of Business; Yanna Baiman, Account Manager of Apex Systems; Natalie Kaye, Talent Acquisition Manager of Colliers International; and Nicole Kinney, Head of Technical Talent and Podcast Host at Procurify. The panel was moderated by Natasha Jeshani, Vice President and HR & Recruitment Consultant of Career Contacts and a coach at YWiB’s Side Hustle Bootcamp. Each panelist shared their thoughts and opinions on the various questions that were raised, making for a lively and engaging discussion.
So, what advice was shared from the panel that you can put into practice?
Job Search
One of the things we often hear when it comes to the job search is that our network is our best resource. Our panelists agreed with this and stated that internal referrals are often the most helpful because if an employee refers you for a position it wouldn’t look great if their company didn’t interview you. Often before we ask for a referral or apply for a position we arrange “information interviews” with employees at a company for which we want to work, and this can be a very helpful tool. However, we should be mindful to be transparent with what we’re asking of someone at an information interview. Most people have a hunch why you’re asking them for coffee, so you might as well be totally transparent with your reason for reaching out. That said, people generally are happy to help so don’t be too nervous to ask.
Job Application
As women we tend to screen ourselves out of jobs during the search, thinking we aren’t qualified for a particular position. The panelists advised against this; they encouraged us to apply for the job we want and let the HR team decide whether or not we’re qualified for the position - after all, that’s their job!
Should we tailor our resume to the job for which we’re applying? Absolutely. The panelists suggested using words from the job description in your resume as this is what recruiters look for. Resumes should also be clear, concise, and good looking. Graphically-designed resumes are okay, but keep in mind the job you’re applying for and whether a beautifully designed resume is important - if, for example, you’re applying for a graphic design or marketing role, it would be helpful. If you’re an accountant, a clear and crisp resume might be all you need. If you’re applying for a job where you feel your title doesn’t do your experience and skillset justice, try focusing on how you order your bullet points in each job description. You should list the points in order of importance rather than in order of what you do most in your job.
Are cover letters still required? Our panelists agreed that they aren’t necessary unless they’re specifically requested in the application. Generally all the information a recruiter needs to know before asking you for a first interview is on your resume.
Interview
Before your interview, the panelists suggested it’s a good idea to go over the job description and predict some “tell me about a time when...” questions you may be asked. But remember that you’re not just answering questions - you should have a few original questions of your own prepared to ask the interviewer. No questions is a big red flag to a recruiter.
One of the most nerve-wracking things about preparing for a job interview can be figuring out what to wear. If you have no idea what dress code the company adheres to, don’t stress - our panelists agreed it’s totally okay to ask the person who’s arranging the interview what the dress code is. When in doubt, it’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed.
After your interview it’s important that you send a thank you note or email to the interviewer. It shows you care and appreciate the time they’ve given you, and it makes you stand out from those who do not send anything. If you don’t have the interviewer’s email, simply send an email to the person who arranged your interview and ask them to forward it to the interviewer.
Negotiation
How and when do you negotiate your salary and benefits? It’s okay to bring up salary in the first interview, but don’t lead with that. When you do talk about it, be honest about your salary expectations. To be prepared for this you should research the industry-standard salary for the position to which you’re applying, or better yet the salary someone in a similar role at that company makes.
When being offered a position, sometimes the salary we’re offered is less than we’d hoped or asked for. If you want more money, ask for it and know how much more and why. For example, maybe you were hoping you’d have more vacation time so instead you’d like a bit higher of a salary. Remember to consider all that’s encompassed in compensation. If they can’t offer you more money, maybe they can offer more benefits, more vacation (paid or unpaid), or something else.
The top three times to negotiate salary are at the interview/offer stage, after 3 month probation is up, and at the one year mark. If you want to ensure you can review your salary and title within a certain amount of time, ask for a one-year review to be written into your contract. This way you’ve built in a time to revisit your salary and potentially negotiate a raise.
Our February event was full of amazing advice from five HR professionals, and all attendees learned so much - we even went overtime because there were so many questions! Attendees were thrilled with all the new tips and tricks they’d gained and are excited to put what they learned into practice.
Will we see you at our next YWiB event? Check out our upcoming events at https://ywib.ca/vancouver/events and join our amazing community of young women looking to further their careers.
Blog post by Krista Greig. Krista is YWiB Vancouver’s VP Marketing. She is an avid reader and enjoys spending time outdoors, especially hiking, kayaking, and skiing.