I am a Civil Structural Engineer from India moving here from Dubai, experience 10 plus years. I have a good experience in the feild(Construction) but have been searching a job since the last 8 months since moving.

What is the biggest hurdle to get a job break in your specialized field, here in Canada, today.I gues sending your resumes on email don't work quite well.

Thanks.

Alan Kearns: Neelu,
Your resume is an important starting point, you may consider having a professional review it to make sure that you are presenting yourself in a way that relates to the Canadian business culture. Surveys show that managers spend less than two minutes reviewing your resume.

The difference between a great resume and a good resume is often the difference between getting employed quickly and your job search being protracted. Network, network, network! Over 70% of opportunities are actually never published to job boards and other public sites.

I would recommend a good starting point is your local engineering assocation, most are active and have monthly meetings, where you could have an opportunity to connect with people in your profession. You sound like you have a great background, you have lots of experience in your industry, be persistent, professional and personal with your job search.

What do you suggest for people who want to make a career change? You may go get an education in the new field that you want to get in but no employer will hire you without experience. Especially in these days when there may be so many people looking for jobs; some of them even have good experience. Career change is very important these days because some of the industries are getting hit more than others by the economic slowdown.

Alan Kearns: Rajesh,
A number of schools offer programs that include professional work terms with companies in the affiliated industries. This is a terrific way to get experience and build networks within new industries. If you look for sectors that are growing such as health care and the green economy, any sector that is growing or emerging is more open to taking professionals from other industries. One thing that evolution is teaches us is those that adapt to new circumstances will not only survive, but can thrive.

I have a international degree in Architecture,But shifted in to Interior design.The market is affected due to finanacial system collasp.If there are no jobs in the market then what strategies and techniques would you apply?
How do i go about career transition strategies?

Alan Kearns: Patel,
Would you consider working on contract within your industry. One of the things that does happen when things are slower in your market, is that you will find that more companies will use contractors on a project to project basis. Would you consider moving to another geographic location where your skills are in more demand and you can build experience that could open doors for your longer term in the Toronto market?

I would also suggest networking within your professional community, this is a good place to find the “hidden” jobs within your profession. If the above doesn’t pan out, I would look for career options where your design skills are easily transferable.

I seem to be experiencing difficulties not necessarily with interviews or interviewing, but rather turning what seemed to be a positive meeting into an actual opportunity for employment after the interview. Is there a better way?

Kevin

Alan Kearns: Are you asking for the role? There was very interesting research that showed the difference between the top performing salesperson and the average salesperson. The key thing that was identified in the research was, the top performing sales professionals always asked for the business. My advice for you would be twofold, share that you are confident that you would be a great fit and, ask for the opportunity. Another thing to consider, send a follow up 1 page note sharing why you were interested in the role and what specific background and experience that you have to offer that would make you a great fit.

I am an "over 50" currently unemployed male with a varied background that includes an applied science degree(honours)in a medical technology, an (IBM based) computer graphics diploma, am a published mystery author(first novel), and have volunteer Federal and city Police work experience.

My problem, in searching for employment, especially in unrelated fields, is that I am constantly passed over for employment as being over qualified. I actually had one employer tell me directly that I "scared him" because I was smart, and I wasn't hired. Any suggestions as how to overcome that?

Bob

Alan Kearns: My suggestion is that you may want to consider telling some of your accomplishments but not all of them for certain types of opportunities, essentially dumbing down your resume. The good news, your potential employer will be getting more experience than they thought. Contextualizing your experience is particularly important within a competitive market. One other idea to consider, can you give evidence of your commitment to previous employers, I have found this the strongest way to respond to the fear of employers may have with you starting a new job and quitting for a better role.

Work relationship seems going one direction only: employees looking how to please employers. These days, employees are expected to get the job done on the first day of hiring! Forget about training, it's so yesterday...

Employers don't seem to have any obligation towards their employees by providing a career path. The notion of career is fading (if not obsolete already). There is an evident lack of long term vision for North American companies. In an ever increasing competing world, there is always the threat to offshore jobs at first opportunity to gain a cent.

In this context how does one reconcile immediate need for a job (in some cases for survival) with career goals? Should the notion of work force be adapted to a new work environment, not just in terms of skills as these can always be off shored for less, but in terms of work relationship (move to contract-based only work force)?

I am a recent university graduate with a degree in planning. Would it be negligible to pursue a Master's degree in the US in planning due to the diverse nature of each country's respective legislation, planning imperatives, and obvious differences in ideals? Would having a Master's degree from the US be seen as negligent by Canadian municipalities and the public planning sector?

Are employment agencies or head-hunters worth while?

Alan Kearns: Employment agencies and headhunters have a specific and important role to play in the market. Companies pay a fee to find qualified candidates for contract roles or hard to find skills. If the agency is looking for a square peg and you are a round peg, you will not be presented, they are hired to find the exact skill-set where you can be productive immediately

Remember, whoever is paying the bill is the client, many people suggest that they have hired a headhunter, the reality is they are working on behalf of the employer to protect their interests and needs first. You can work with a variety of agencies, just make sure that you have full control over which company your resume is being sent to. I would suggest speaking to your network to find out which companies have a good reputation and work with these companies only.

I was laid off from the telecom industry after 20 years as a mid career professional (engineer) in 2002. Our industry has an oversupply of workers across Canada. Since my layoff I've worked 26 months in my field and for one contract I had to relocate to another city. At 50 years old I tried to retrain for a new career. Due to the overwhelming demand for spots at community colleges, I was only able to take courses at night and it would take 7 years to complete a course I started. I quit when a contract job came along. Now I'm back to where I started - unemployed in a market saturated with highly educated and qualified people. What do you think I should do?

Alan Kearns: You are correct that it does take time to upgrade your education and skill-set and a number of the courses are in high demand at this time.

Have you considered the entrepreneurial route?

We have worked with clients in your situation and seen them launch a number of successful small companies. This is the kind of market that favors lower cost and innovative solutions and companies. You could start a venture in parallel with your contract work to reduce the risk and keep your cash flow healthy.

A great example of this hybrid model is Lee Valley Tools based out of Ottawa. Leonard Lee started his company out of his garage while working for the federal government, a couple of years later Lee Valley Tools was large enough for him to leave his position. The ultimate job security is working for yourself.

I've seen a trend for HR representatives to talk to you in a phone or in person interview.

The problem is I never seem to get past that phase. I answer the questions correctly and honestly. What are the HR people looking for?

Michael

Alan Kearns: People hire the candidate that they connect with the best and, is qualified for the role, in that order.

A couple of suggestions, what kind of research are you doing about the company and the person that is interviewing you before the interview? I would suggest Googling the company and the hiring manager. One of the key interview strategies, is to answer the questions with specific responses that give factual evidence. An example would be “ I saved the company $340K in a project that we completed 2 weeks ahead of schedule, IBM is now our company's second largest account”

One other thing, remember to bring along a good list of questions that shows you have done your homework, this can be a great way to show your research skills and make a great impression at the same time.

Could you please tell us your opinion on the role of social networks, including the operational, strategic, personal networks, in the process of career transition management? Do you believe that an ability to manage the relationships across boundaries is a critical competency, which has to be demonstrated by every candidate for the top jobs in organisation?

Alan Kearns: What is the number one reason that people will choose you over your competitors? Well according to Workforce.com, 67% of managers would hire an applicant with strong soft skills, even if their technical skills were lacking.

Soft skills, used smartly, have never been more important to grow your success and get ahead . Although many think they can gain advancement through more education, the most effective way to move forward is to focus on upgrading your soft skills. Today soft skills such as how to leverage your social networks, are in my opinion some of the most t important skills to develop.