Quite often, my friends joke that I’m a “professional
student” because I’ve already spent four years in school and want to go back
for more education. However, by the time I was 21, I started making a living
working with seniors. At 23, I work two jobs (which I love!) and are completely
relevant to what I went to school for. I may not be making the most amount of
money, but I couldn’t be happier in the career that I’ve chosen.
Look at Job Search Engines
Frequently!
I honestly still look
through job search engines 2-3 times per day. I have two great jobs right now,
but you never know when a company is going to have a job posting for your dream
job. When I’m actively job seeking, I spend up to 6 hours per day looking!
Websites I frequently use are
Indeed and
Charity Village.
Additionally, I researched and found companies related to my field of work.
Then I check their sites frequently. Two companies for seniors care in Canada
are
Chartwell and
Revera.
Invest Time Applying for Each Job
I think the
shortest amount of time that I have ever spent applying for a job where I
actually got an interview was 25 minutes. I keep a generic cover letter and
resume handy, then modify it for the job I’m applying to. I research every job
that I apply to and look for the following:
·
Specific
person or team that I’m applying to, or the first name of the manager. I find
it seems much more personalized if you use the individual’s first name in the
address line.
·
What the
company’s mission and vision statement are
·
What
skills you have that match the job description
·
What
skills you have that can enhance their company
Unpaid Internships & Volunteer
Work are Great Resume Builders
I have personally
been volunteering with seniors for as long as I can remember. Additionally, I
did high school co-ops in grades 11 and 12, where I worked in activation for
seniors. In college, I did unpaid co-op placements; one in a day program, one
in long-term care. I also have volunteer experiences in psychogeriatric
counselling, public speaking and fundraising. If it wasn’t for these
experiences, I definitely wouldn’t have gotten very far in my career.
Don’t Be Afraid to Start from the
Bottom
The past few years,
I have heard managers say “ugh! These millennials expect to start at the top”.
I also have read case studies about young professionals who will walk into
their supervisor’s office and say “hey, I’ve been here for two months. I expect
a promotion!” Here’s a tip: don’t be that
person! Hard work and dedication is how you get to the top. Every job that I
have had has started as casual/on-call and most have been bumped up to part or
full-time. Many times, I’ve wanted to quit these casual positions but ended up
sticking it out.
Don’t Settle, but Don’t Expect Too
Much
This kind of
contradicts what I said previously, however, if you have a master’s degree and
you’re flipping burgers, then you should reconsider your current path. If
you’re in a pickle, apply for some unpaid internships to gain experience or pick
up some courses to help specialize in your area of study. You can also start in
a position similar to your dream to gain experience. For example, if your dream
job is to work in a hospital as a nurse, applying to work at a retirement home
or long-term care will continue to help you gain the skills a hospital would
want to see.
Invest in a High Quality Resume
 |
| (For the safety of my clients and myself, I have chosen to remove my contact information as well as my workplaces) |
I
always keep a high-quality, updated
resume and cover letter handy because you never know when your dream job will
pop up. I always used free templated from Google. However, I’ve recently
decided to invest some money on a high quality resume and cover letter. I
personally
love the sets that Chloe
at
ResumeMuse &
SignatureResumes makes. Chloe’s resumes are simple and classic,
yet very chic. Plus, they’re super affordable. Chloe also is willing to format
the resume for a small additional fee. I’m so blessed to have found Chloe, her
products are stunning and I look forward to using my resume by her throughout
my career.
Use “Power Words” on Your Resume
I’ve always been
taught to not simply write your resume, instead focus on accomplishments. With
that being said, which one of these sound better?
a)
I wrote a
report on increasing volunteers in long-term care
b)
I created
a strategic action plan to increase the number of volunteers in a long-term
care home
Chances are, you’re
going to choose B.
I simply typed “power
words for a resume” into Google. These are my favourites:
1.
Coordinated
or executed
2.
Created or
implemented
3.
Boosted or
capitalized
4.
Clarified
or refined
5.
Hired,
inspired, mentored or unified
Transferrable Skills
Have you cared for
your grandma with dementia and now you’re applying for a PSW position? You can
add “able to give sensitive care to people who are elderly” to your resume.
Have you worked at McDonald’s as a supervisor through college and are now
applying for a marketing director position? You can add “able to help others
gain knowledge and skills”, or talk about managing budgets.
Just because your
job experience may not be perfect doesn’t mean you have no transferrable
skills. Below is a checklist of transferrable skills. It was created by the
University of Toledo; I found it on Pinterest.
Always Include a Cover Letter
 |
| (Again, for the safety of my clients and myself, I have removed my contact information/workplace) |
I may sound like your annoying college
counsellor, but I promise that they had a point! Though not recommended, a
generic cover letter works. As previously mentioned, I take the extra 30
seconds to find the hiring manager/recruiter’s full name on the website, to
make it seem more personalized. The introduction to my cover letter I usually
use is:
Dear Ms. or
Mr. (Hiring Manager’s Last Name).
Please find
attached a copy of my enthusiastic application for the position of (job
position) at (company’s name). After reviewing the job posting and your
organization’s mission statement, I believe that I would be an excellent
candidate. I have graduated from both Recreation & Leisure Services and
Social Service Worker. I have four years of experience working directly with
seniors, two of those years in activation. Currently, I’m working as an
activity assistant and a one-on-one support worker; both in dementia care.
I then go into detail and highlight my
skills relevant to the position. Once I complete that, I conclude with a
paragraph emphasizing how I would appreciate the opportunity for an interview
and provide my preferred my method of communication.
Dress Appropriately for Your Interview
Find out the general environment either
for the particular company or the job in general. I work in a business casual
environment, so I usually wear a pair of dress pants and a nice blouse to an
interview; or a suit dress and cardigan. My mom works in a bank, so she wears a
suit when she has interviews. However, remember this rule of thumb: dress for the job you want, not the job you
have! So if the manager wears business professional but the assistants wear
business casual, there’s no shame in showing up in a suit to your interview.
Research the Company and the Job, but Don’t Forget to Ask
Questions
I always walk into an interview with a copy
of the job posting, the company’s mission statement and their vision statement.
I also make a list of questions that I want to know from the interviewer, so I
can get a feel for the position and management team. Some questions I ask are:
·
What do you like most about
working for this company? (or what is your favourite part of the job?)
·
What does a typical day-to-day
look like for a position in this role?
·
Is there anything about my
application that concerns you?
Big tip: take a pen with you! I have never
not taken a pen with me to jot down answers to these questions. Not only does
it make you look well prepared, but it also can help you decide whether or not
you want to take a position.
I
hope you enjoyed this post and have a lovely day!
Disclaimer: I received the resume, cover letter and reference documents as a
donation from Chloe at ResumeMuse and SignatureResumes. However, all opinions
expressed on my blog are my own.
