Good intentions not always good advice

I recently read about a survey of executives that asked what they considered the most important part of their hiring process, in other words what areas did candidates need to make the best impression to improve their chances of being hired.

The survey indicated, by some margin that the most import aspect of the process is the interview. In fact, reading the results of the survey one would almost think that having good references, a strong resume or even relevant experience are not really important at all, it's really just the interview that matters and that's it. As a job seeker this is information that's really good to know, why waste your time on other parts of your search if all you have to be good at is the interview. Right?

Well as straightforward as the advice gleaned from the survey might appear a better question to ask is, is it true?

One of the hurdles that candidates face when looking for a job is being able to select and use good advice. There lots of advice out there to be sure, but while all of it (or nearly all of it) is well intentioned that doesn't mean that all of it is actually correct. This case is a good example of that, well intentioned and no doubt from the perspective of the executives interviewed it is true, but that point of view is missing some huge gaps in the reality of the process.

Think about where an executive is likely to be part of the hiring process. To begin with do you think they are involved in every hire? No probably not. And of the hires they are involved with do you think they are more likely to be involved in the interview stage or the screening candidates by reading resumes stage?

The short answer is that executives don't think that resumes, or references are as important to the hiring process as the interview because they are only involved in the interview process. By the time an executive sees a candidate their resume was already selected, their experience vetted and their references checked. At that point in the process the opportunity, which may have had hundreds of interested candidates applying has been whittled down to at most 10 candidates (and usually far less) will actually be interviewed. At this point, somewhat obviously, your interview skills are critical to your chances but you can be the best interview in the world and if you're not making the cut from 200 applicants to the 10 interviewed candidates it won't do you any good.

This isn't to say that interviews aren't important. They are, but the same can be said for any step of the job seeking process, they are all important. A strong resume has a better chance of getting you to an interview, better networking improves your chances of getting in the door and the interviewing stage is the final key to the puzzle.

As a candidate when looking for work always keep in mind that while most everyone does want to give you advice that will help you out often times, as in this case, the advice can be flawed. Always ask yourself the obvious questions, how much is the person giving advice actually connected to the hiring process? At what stages in the process are they connected in to?

The answers to those questions can help you to determine the real value of the advice. Is this advice that will actually get you in to the job you want sooner or is it, while well intentioned, just as likely to be counterproductive to your search for employment?

New Employers on TalentOyster

Did you know that a couple more great employers have recently come on board TalentOyster? Well if you didn't know Georgian College and the CBC are now on TalentOyster.

Georgian College is an Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology with campuses in Barrie, Orillia, Owen Sound, Midland and the surrounding area. Georgian offers a wide variety of programs including some specifically focused on international students.

Georgian is seeking to expand the diversity of their workforce in all areas. Jobs range from administrative to services and even teaching positions. If you're a diverse candidate looking for work in the educational sector be sure to check out the jobs, Georgian College might be the place for you.

We're very excited about adding the CBC as a TalentOyster employer as well. The CBC is Canada's oldest television broadcaster in operation since 1936. Like TalentOyster the CBC offers services in multiple languages, English and French and 8 aboriginal languages in Canada and another 9 languages in international service.

Working for the CBC is a very "Canadian" career and if you'd like to feel more apart of Canada, or would like to contribute in a very real way to the growth and health of Canadian culture there really isn't a better place you could work.

The positions the CBC has vary widely and are across the country. You will find positions in marketing, graphic design, writing and even news-readers among the openings. The CBC is especially interested though in hiring technical persons with previous experience in broadcasting (television or radio). If you or someone you know is a diverse candidate with experience in broadcasting take a look at the opportunities the CBC has on offer.

Get out there and vote

A short but important reminder that with a federal election coming up on Monday, May 2nd it is the responsibility of every Canadian citizen to vote.

Voting is always important, participating in the process is what makes democracy an open, fair and effective thing but it may be even more important this time around. With a minority government previously, and possibly another one coming after this election every race and ever vote counts more than ever.

Canada is a place we all like to call home, even if (or sometimes especially because) it wasn't the first place we called home. With the changing demographics of Canada's population it's vital for all Canadians, but especially new Canadians to make sure they vote and make their voice heard when it comes to the political landscape. Our government, like our country, should be a reflection of the culture and values of the people who live in it, but that only happens if every participates.

So make sure you get out and vote on Monday May 2nd. If you will be unable to vote on that day do note that advance polling will be available on th 22nd, 23rd and 25th of April. For more information on advance polling or other election information (including how to participate) visit the Elections Canada website at http://www.elections.ca/. Elections Canada is an independent (not associated with any political party) agency responsible for conducting elections in Canada and making sure that are conducted fairly and legally.

If you are interested in knowing more about diversity issues in this election please visit TalentOyster Connect and read some related news items like the effect of current government policy on immigrant families, First Nations issues and Guidy Mamann's opinion on the Government's immigration record.

Why the French ban on burqas is bad for everyone (including Canada)

As of today it is no longer legal for women in France to wear full (face covering) burquas. While some may try and argue that this measure is needed for security (which is laughable in itself) the fact that the penalties for being convicted of the "crime" include mandatory citizenship classes point to a different reason, namely forced assimilation of a minority through religious persecution.

Currently the total Muslim population of 6 million in France makes up slightly less than 10% of the population and the number of women this will actually affect will be only a small percentage of that, estimates as low as a couple of thousand have been made. In fact some have claimed that most of the women that this law will affect are tourists and visitors from other countries shopping and visiting France. So the direct effect that this law is most likely to have for France is a hit to GDP.

On the plus side it's not clear how much enforcement of this law is going to really happen. While some protestors have been arrested there is concern among police officers that trying to enforce the law would lead to civil unrest. Patrice Ribeiro, head of the Synergie (national) police union said "The law will be very difficult to apply on certain estates, I can't see police going to book dozens of veiled women doing their shopping in Venissieux or in Trappes."

All the same persecution of religious minorities (and that is what this is), is shameful. I personally don't understand, or agree with, a culture, religion or set of beliefs that feels women should be covered in public but, I do believe people should be free to live their lives in accordance with their religious beliefs. That is why, preventing freedom of religious expression, especially in a "Western" democratic country is a bad thing for all of us. If the standards of an open democracy include laws that discriminate against a minority then there is one less moral barrier to other countries, including Canada, having laws that also discriminate against their own minorities.

Besides the "slippery slope" problem there is an additional threat to Canada and other countries as a result of this action and it concerns France's involvement in foreign affairs including Afghanistan and Libya. France has a presence of 4,000 soldiers in Afghanistan (more than Canada) and led efforts to establish no-fly zones over Libya. In both of these cases, Canada and other involved nations have been involved in the name of establishing (hopefully) peaceful democracies rather than militaristic-pseudo religious dictatorships.

Whether this effort is working or not or will eventually be effective or not the idea of being involved in these actions to bring peace and freedoms to the peoples of these countries is a moral high ground that one can argue from against those who might claim that these efforts are really about western "Christian" countries engaged in a modern crusade against Islam. This French law damages the moral high ground around these actions because it call into question the very nature of why western countries are in these countries.

In what should not be a great surprise Al-Queda has already threatened action against France for the passing and enforcement of this law. While this group is certainly the epitome of extremist views it wouldn't be surprising, or even difficult to understand if Muslim citizens in France, Afghanistan or Libya questioned what the real purpose of western involvement in these countries is. Like the law itself it's a shame and worse may expose Canadian soldiers and citizens to greater risks because of it.

If there is one thing that the global age has taught us so far it's that we are all, for better or worse, in this together. What happens in one country will affect us when we go abroad and more importantly sometimes here in our country as well. As a fellow member of a group of countries that claim to stand for freedom, peace and liberty Canada should implore France to remove this odious law as quickly as possible. For the good of France, for the good of Canada, for the good of everyone.

Recognizing Committed Employers

At TalentOyster we think that recognizing when companies are making real commitments to diversity is a good thing. Positive reinforcement is always a good thing but more it sets a good example and high bar for what companies should and can be doing.

In this light we're pleased to note that on Wednesday March 30th COSTI Immigrant Services (a TalentOyster partner) will be holding a recognition breakfast in Vaughan for some of the employee participants of their enhanced language training program.

COSTI's enhanced language training program is a program, funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, that is aimed at internationally trained professionals who have previous experience in Accounting, Administration, Customer service or Childcare fields.

The program helps newcomers overcome two common barriers to employment: English language training at the higher levels needed to achieve the language proficiency required in order to fully participate in their community and work environment, industry and occupational field; and labour market orientation and opportunities to acquire some Canadian work experience through job placements, internships and mentoring.

So on Wednesday March 30th at 8am at the Novotel Toronto Vaughan Centre in Vaughan COSTI will be recognizing some of the employer participants in this program and we applaud both COSTI and the employers who will be recognized at this event.

There's still a lot of work to be done when it comes to breaking down barriers and making all of our organizations as diverse as our country, but sometimes it is good to stop and recognize those who do "get it" and are making real efforts to integrate diversity into their workforce culture.

Introducing OCEAN, the TalentOyster API

We're pretty excited today to be launching OCEAN a REST based API for TalentOyster. TalentOyster OCEAN lets you embed job search functionality and content from TalentOyster right into your website.

Here is an example of OCEAN in action on another site.


Our API supports both our jobs and our Connect content. That means you can add job searching functionality and display teasers of TalentOyster Connect content right from your site. The API is fairly simple, using simple HTTP GET requests and returning XML (custom or RSS) in response.

To make OCEAN even easier to use there is a PHP library available as well. This PHP class handles the connectivity and response handling aspects of the API so that you can easily add some TalentOyster functionality to your own site.

Check it out and let us know what you think. If you want to get started just request your free application key by emailing us here.

Introducing Correo Jobs

We are pleased today to introduce another site in the TalentOyster white label network, Correo Jobs, or alternatively Empleos Correo.

This white label operates in English and Spanish and is associated with Correo Canadiense the leading Spanish language newspaper in Canada for Hispanic and Latino news from Canada and around the world.

The site features jobs from TalentOyster as well as jobs unique to Correo Jobs. If you know someone looking for a job who could use this site be sure to let them know. Additionally if you are looking to post a single job ad specifically at the Hispanic Canadian community you can purchase posts online on the site.

We continue to develop additional white labels for other cultural communities but if you, or your organization would be interested in exploring white label opportunities with TalentOyster then get in touch with us.