Blog Shortcut

Try this shortcut to our blog:

www.ywcaelblog.tk

Child Care

Child care is a vital component of finding employment.

If you don't have a safe place for your kids to go while you are working, how are you supposed to go to work.

Good quality childcare services provide a safe, healthy environment and support the physical, emotional, social and intellectual development of children. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

  

·       Is the daycare or daycare home subsidized / licensed? (Only licensed daycares can be subsized)

·       What is the cost?

·       Are there any extra requirements of parents, ie fund raising?

·       What is the staff / child ratio?

·       How many children does the daycare have and what ages are they?

·       What level of training is required of staff?

·       What is your policy on discipline?

·       What activities do the children participate in?

·       Are the children required to take naps?

·       Is there a program plan for children who do not nap?

·       What kinds of snacks/meals are provided?

Typos beware!

Typing mistakes (a.k.a. typos) can be found anywhere from online articles to newspaper stories to instruction booklets.  Quite often we will laugh at them.  But typos are not so funny when your resume describes you as a “rabid typist of 70 words a minutes” instead of a “rapid typist of 70 words a minute”.  A resume and cover letter are the employer’s first impression of you.  When someone applies to a YWCA position with a cover letter that starts out addressed to the YMCA, it causes me to wonder about the accuracy of what’s on the resume. 

How do you avoid typos?  Accountemps, a staffing company suggests:

1)      Get Help. Enlist detail-oriented family members, friends or mentors to proof read your resume and provide honest feedback.

2)      Take a time out. Before submitting your resume take a break and come back to it with a set of fresh eyes. You might catch something you missed the first time.

3)      Print a copy. It is easy to overlook typos or formatting errors when reading on a monitor. Read it through slowly and pay close attention to font styles and sizes, in addition to spelling and grammar.

4)      Read it aloud. Your ears might catch errors that your eyes have overlooked.

TOP TEN JOB INTERVIEW TIPS

1.      Know yourself.

2.      Know the company.

3.      Know when the interview is.

4.      Know where the interview is.

5.      Dress for success.

6.      Have questions for the interviewer.

7.      Bring three copies of your resume /references.

8.      Bring a pen and paper.

9.      Follow up with the interviewer.

10. Practice job interviews.

Hobbies

Don’t underestimate the benefits of hobbies when you are job searching.  After being in the employment counselling field for several years I was pleasantly surprised to hear how important hobbies can be.  A young gentleman I was assisting with job search, went for a job interview at a local production company and one of the questions he was asked was about hobbies.  When he said he skateboarded a lot, the interviewer said that is a good thing as she had hired individuals with this hobby previously and they had always demonstrated good eye hand co-ordination.  She indicated that in this production setting eye hand coordination was important.   The young gentleman who was securing one of his first jobs was offered and accepted this employment opportunity.  Often people wonder how much personal information to include in their resume and this story certainly supports including hobbies and interests.

Seasonal Employment

If you want to gain work experience but do not want a long time commitment than you should consider seasonal employment.  Seasonal employment can last several weeks to several months.  It allows the employee to explore one professional for a short period of time and discover if it is a good fit for their lifestyle. I find it worth trying out a professional before investing many years in schooling rather than discovering upon completion of the training that you don’t like the job.  Seasonal employment allows employees to explore if the job is as rewarding in real life as it appeared in the job advertisement.

If you are applying for summer employment or even employment for the Christmas season make sure to apply weeks ahead of schedule. Even though Christmas is not until the end of December retail stores start hiring in October and November to cover increased Christmas shopping sales.  Looking for ideas of where to apply for seasonal employment?  Take a look at the table below to get you started.

Summer	Winter
Fairs	Ski Hills
Golf Courses	Cashiers
Swimming Pools	Stocking Shelves
Outdoor Recreation	Parcel/Mail delivery
Parks	Store Santas

Business (Job Seeker) Cards

Job seeking is about being just a little better that the next person.  Standing out from the next guy is very important.

A business card (or job seekers card) can do this.  Business cards are cards with information about the business or individual, which act as a memory aid.  Business cards normally include the following information: Name, Address, Phone number, E-mail address, website/blog/twitter account and product information.

Your job seekers card should include all this information, especially your product information, in-other words, what you are trying to sell: your experience, your education, your interests and try to limit it to three things, because people only remember three things.

Develop a business card; try the internet for a template and carry it with you at all times to give out to potential employment contacts.   When you meet someone, while networking (business/ social gathering or just on the street), make sure to ask for their business card.  Save these cards or even better, email the person/company to thank them for your card and to discuss your job search.

After they give you their card, they will likely ask for your card.  Now is your opportunity to give them your card and say a few things about yourself, with the goal of making a connection, getting a referral or finding out important information such as job openings with their company.

Even if you are not looking for work, start collecting other people’s business cards, start now, because you never know when you might use them to begin your job search.

Cell Phones & the Job Interview

QUESTION: Can I bring my cell phone or electronic communication device with me into a job interview?

ANSWER: Leave you cell phone in the car or better yet, leave it at home.  You can call me out of date or out of touch, but under no circumstances bring your cell phone to a job interview.  I recognize that job interviewers may be interrupted any number of times in a job interview by cell phone calls and other disruptions, but the job interview is your opportunity to shine and show what you are about.  If you are interrupted by a cell phone call or by a text, the interviewer will think you do not consider them or the job important.  Cell phones whether they are ringing or not are distracting to all and will not help you in landing your dream job.

The employer will wonder if the applicant can’t focus and manage his life for one hour;

how is this person going to manage the work place on a daily basis.

GED Saskatoon

In today’s competitive job market, it is difficult to find employment without a grade 12 graduation certificate.  Many adult learners pursue their grade 12 by writing the General Educational Development (or GED) Examination.   The GED Examination consists of five separate tests:

• Language Arts Reading
• Language Arts Writing
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies.

Tests are designed to measure the knowledge and skills students would normally acquire after four years of high school.

The YWCA Saskatoon offers a GED Preparation Course to participants of its Employment Service for Parents Program.  In order to be eligible for the ESP Program participants are required to be in receipt of a provincial financial assistance program (i.e.: SAP or TEA) and have a child under the age of eighteen.

Other community organizations offering GED preparation programs in Saskatoon include:

·         Radius Community Centre…PH: (306) 665-0362

·         Saskatoon Council on Reading Excellence…PH: (306) 931-7323
·         Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan…PH: (306) 652-4114
·         Quint…PH: (306) 978-4041.