Here are websites for some job fairs that happen in Ontario. Remember to check back every now and then to see if a new job fair is coming.

YMCA Job Fair (10 a.m- 3 p.m., Oct-17-2009, Saturday, 151 City Centre Drive, No Registration and Entrance is free)

BMC Annual Job Fair 2009 (Coming on Oct-08-2009)

Napp Canada (One coming on Oct-22-2009 in Scarborough and second one coming on Nov-19-2009 in Hamilton)

National Job Fair

National Career Event (Coming on Oct-16-2009)

York Career and Expo and Job Fair

Career Connections (Coming on Oct-16-2009)

Hire Canada (Coming on Nov-18-2009)

Nasa Institute (Coming on Oct-26-2009)

Remember to:

1-Attire: Dress professionally as you would do when you are going for an interview.

2-Resume: Have at least 10 copies of your resume in your hand. Make sure there are no grammatical errors or contradictions (referring to history for dates)

3-Portfolio: If you have a portfolio, you may bring it with you. This is a good way of marketing your skills, qualifications and experience.

4-Networking Cards: Have networking cards (optional). you can have them made for free from one of the job resource centres in your location.

5-Pre-Registration: Some events require pre-registration. So do check the websites that I am sending and pre-register.

6-Research: Make sure to check out the job fair website. Research the companies that are listed there. This would save your time, so when you get to the job fair, you may only visit the booths of the companies you feel interested in.

7-Check up Websites every now and then: Remember to bookmark the websites and look over them every  now and then. These career fairs happen every now and then.

8-Market Yourself: Remember to introduce yourself to the recruiters. Ask them questions about the company and don’t eliminate a companny because they might not be hiring for a position that you are looking for. It is ok to still network with them. Kindly make sure to stay informative and professional.

9-If you miss a job fair, you can come in touch with the employers by visiting the job fair website. Just visit their website and submit your resume. For example, the website for National Job Fair lists all the employers  alongwith their websites.

10-Follow Up.

Further Readings:

1-The Ten Keys to Success at Job and Career Fairs.

2-“Face Time” the Strength of Job Fairs.

Being unemployed and actively job-hunting may prove to be very challenging. A lot of unemployed people, once called for an interview may not do well enough due to lack of self-confidence, lower self-esteem, paying too much attention on what the interviewer would say etc. Job hunters with lower self-esteem may easily slip into depression and negative self-talk while they search for a suitable job.  This is why, it is utterly important for a job hunter to continue build his or her self-esteem while being unemployed.

Here are some easy ways of developing one’s self esteem:

1- Realize who you are. Start by writing down the skills you are  good at and put them in front of your desk. Look at them at least 2-3 times a week.

These skills will include soft and hard skills as well as personal characteristics.

2-Respect yourself and be responsible. Some unemployed people tend to sit on the couch and watch lots of TV while eating chips. This is very unhealthy. It is best to stay involved with the daily life tasks; perhaps help the family,  run some errands– anything that instills a sense of self-respect and responsibility.

3- Treat yourself well by engaging in some leisure activity after a thorough job hunt. Visit a friend, work on a hobby, go for a walk or another activity or visit a place of your liking.

4-Think and Stay Positive. Do not indulge in self-criticism or negative self talk.

5- Job hunting can be a very emotional process. While I was unemployed, I felt a range of emotions such as anxiety, helplessness, bitterness, resentment, anger etc. I realized that these emotions were having a negative impact on my ability to hunt for a job. Staying happy all the time did not work either. Repressing my feelings or denying them would have been unhealthy. So, I slowly allowed myself to Feel my Feelings. You can do the same: Release your negative emotions by participating in an activity. Talk to your friends and family. Write about it. If you feel the need to cry then by all means let it out.

6-Smile and be courteous. This definitely helps in improving one’s self esteem by portraying a positive image.

7- No matter what, don’t forget to treat yourself and others with respect.

8-At the end of the day, congratulate yourself that you tried your best. Plan your next day in your head and sleep well without letting any problems crowd your dreams.

Happy Dreams and Happy Job-Hunting!

References:

1-Stay in Control, The Real Key to Job-Hunting Success.  By:  Carla Krystin Andrade

2-Ways to boost Self Esteem Quickly. By: Mark Tyler. URL: [http://www.self-confidence.co.uk/self/esteem/boost.html]

3-How to Boost Your Self Esteem Quickly. By: Roger Elliot. URL: [http://www.thehappyguy.com/articles/boost-self-esteem.html]

Summary and Review:

The Myth of Multi-tasking
How “doing it all” gets nothing done.
Author: Dave Crenshaw

By: Arzoo Zaheer
Date: Oct-13-08

During my two day excursions at Chapters, I read this amazing 137 page long book by David Crenshaw. Shelved neatly in the “Global Business” section, “Myth of Multi-tasking” demanded my attention owing to its small size and a “specific & bold” title. As I picked up the book, my thoughts wandered idly: “What kind of feedback would this book provides me with?”, “Is multi-tasking really a myth?”, “Would I be able to perform better after implementing the solutions provided in this book?”, “Would this book provide me with the answer as to why I personally find multi-tasking more stressful compared to doing tasks one by one?” Hmm! perhaps this book is worth a read. Let us explore.

Summary:

In this book, Dave Crenshaw, boldly analyzes and argues against the notion that “multi-tasking is a proven method of accomplishing established goals in a time-efficient manner”. The entire book is in the form of a dialogue, where a business consultant named Phil pursues his new coaching client, Helen Whitman – an entrepreneurial Executive- that multitasking is causing her loss of time, loss of focus as well damaging her rapport- building with her employees and colleagues.

Phil starts out by stating that there is no such thing as multitasking. Multi-tasking is defined in Wikipedia as follows:

“…the performance by an individual of appearing to handle more than one task at the same time… An example of multitasking is listening to a radio interview while typing an email.”

This term is derived from “computer multitasking” which is defined in Wikipedia as follows:

“In computing, multitasking is a method by which multiple tasks, also known as processes, share common processing resources such as a CPU. In the case of a computer with a single CPU, only one task is said to be running at any point in time, meaning that the CPU is actively executing instructions for that task. Multitasking solves the problem by scheduling which task may be the one running at any given time, and when another waiting task gets a turn. “

Phil notices that computer and humans, both, are not multitasking i.e. running two or more tasks simultaneously but switch tasking, i.e. switching between different tasks. He then notices that there are two kinds of switch tasking: a) Active switching: one decides to switch tasks, b) Passive switching: An interruption by a colleague or an event causes switch-tasking.

Phil notices that a manager or a CEO is usually interrupted over 32 seconds in one full minute. It seems that more responsibility leads to more interruptions and hence switch-tasking.

Phil argues persuasively that multi-tasking causes loss of time. He provides us with the following exercise to prove his point.

Make a table like this.

Try writing one alphabet and then switch to writing one digit. Then try writing the entire sentence “multitasking is a lie” and then write digits 1 through 13.

I tried this exercise myself only to find out that the first method takes twice as long as the second method. The first method is an example of switch-tasking. Hence the point is proved that switch-tasking causes significant loss of time. See, in this exercise, we did two switches: a) mental switch, b) pen-switch. Both of these switches (psychological and physical) take some time. It would have been more efficient if one just finished one task completely and then continued to the second task.

Phil argues that switch-tasking not only causes significant delays in finishing assigned goals/projects but it also damages work and personal relationships. He gives a real-life example of how a CEO who is talking to this new employee has to suddenly leave due to an urgent telephone call. This quick “hello and goodbye” does more damage than one can imagine.

At the end of this book, the author discusses two valuable ways of avoiding this dangerous habit of switch-tasking.

Firstly, he advices the readers to set up recurring meetings. For example, if a Manager/ CEO has to instruct his employee several times a day with regards to job-related functions, it would be best to set up a daily meeting lasting 30 minutes, early in the morning. Best time to set up this crucial meeting should be around the time, the employee gets to work. Comparatively, if someone needs the Manager/CEO every once in a while, one meeting per month should suffice.

Secondly, the author advices that one must provide a clear expectation of availability. He suggests that having a sign with times written on it, like the kind a salon has, in front of the office door should signal to the employee when the Manager/CEO has time to take their questions and address their concerns.

Lastly, its best to create your own schedule that should specify when you would be reading the emails, answering phone messages, faxing, finishing a certain project etc. For telephone messages, the author suggests leaving a personalized voice mail that should go as follows:

“Hello, this is Arzoo. You’ve reached my voice mail, which means I’m probably in a meeting with customer right now. I do check my messages frequently, usually at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and then 4 p.m. If you leave a message, I will be sure to get back to you before the day is over. Thank you!”

The author comments that these tools (fax, email etc.) would prove time-efficient only and only if we learn how to employ these tools efficiently within our given time-budget.

The Review:

The dialogue format serves to invoke positive images and keeps the reader involved into the entire process of debunking the myth of multi-tasking. However, at the same time, it may annoy readers who are used to reading non-dialogue formats.

Dave starts out the book by differentiating between multi-tasking and switch-tasking. He further analyzes differences between passive and active switches. This contrast immensely assisted in enhancing my understanding of switch-tasking as it applies to daily life. Providing real-life example for passive and active switches is an excellent move by Dave that would help in “opening the eyes” of its inquisitive readers, in a step by step, avid manner.

While covering some fundamental problems caused by multi-tasking, the author mentions one of the most critical issues. I have seen this happen in real life though: “The manager is talking to someone and a call comes in. He/she says a quick goodbye and leaves instantly instead of finishing the discussion properly”. Oh, you have no idea how bad this makes the manager looks. The employee gets a picture of someone who is egoistic and self-centred instead of a caring manager who listens to the employees’ work related concerns and answers them comprehensively and satisfactorily. I remember reading this little quote in this book: “No matter how busy you are, you must take time to make other person feel important”.

Dave Crenshaw provides us with helpful exercises which help the reader understand about this issue in a more engaging manner. This keeps the reader involved and interested till and after the end of the book. In my opinion, jotting down some tables for personal use provided motivation to implement the new strategies that are provided by the author in my daily life.

I found the solutions provided by Crenshaw to be very straight-forward, full of good judgment and potentially effective. I will most certainly implement the second solution in my daily work-life. I would also recommend this book to anyone who works in an office, no matter which position he/she holds.

Now a bit about the author: Dave Crenshaw is a graduate from Brigham Young’s University’s Marriot School of Management. He is a business coach, trainer, key speaker at the aforementioned university and founder of “Fresh Juice Strategy”. For more information, view his website at www.davecrenshaw.com

By: Arzoo Zaheer

Date: Aug-31-08

What are some key characteristics of a leader?  Are people born to lead or is it possible to develop leadership skills later on in life?

After brainstorming, I came up with five key skills a true leader must possess:

1-Willingness to Listen to Bring Change for the Positive:

Listening to one’s colleagues and subordinates is a key skill. Many managers fall for that “I know it all” mentality. STOP! Listen to everyone. You might be surprised at how many good ideas an entry level, new subordinate might be able to provide you with.

2-Ability to Influence People:

People do not respond well to fear-mongering.  <Just imagine, a red cheeked, round eyed angry manager yelling at you!> Subordinates may respond for a while but in the long-term frictions are bound to develop.  If you really want to build healthy, long term work relationships with your colleagues, then be nice to them.

3-Know Your Subordinates so that You May Delegate Tasks to the Proper Person

A good manager knows which task which subordinate should work on. For instance, subordinate A possess exceptional communication skills and is great at follow up. Subordinate B excels in working with computers and softwares, esp. Access. In a huge project involving both tasks, a good manager will ask subordinate A to design all Access queries and manage all relevant data. Subordinate B will be asked to do follow up and customer services related tasks.

4-Be A Continuous Learner:

Do not fall for “I know it all” mentality. Everyone makes mistakes because everyone is human.  Keep learning.  Keep listening to your colleagues/subordinates.  And keep improving yourself.

5-Willingness to Forgive:

If a subordinate makes a mistake which does not impact the work processes tremendously, then do be forgiving towards him/her.  Talk to that person and tell them what they could have done differently. However, make sure the same mistake is not repeated again. I think willingness to forgive will vary based on different scenarios. And yes, there are times, when the only possibility left is to fire the subordinate. Sigh! too bad, but at least you tried to improve the situation and had his/her best interests in mind.

By: Arzoo Zaheer

Date: July-13-08

As one matures professionally and gathers new skills, it’s really easy to fall for “I know all about my field” mentality. This mentality leads to a stagnant attitude towards learning. Knowledge never ends so acquiring it should never end. Believe me, arrogance can truly damage your relationships with your colleagues/subordinates who as human nature dictates, respond better to humbleness. Humility is a direct result of open-mindedness. So, professionals, learn to develop that open mind towards learning that you had when you were a child who tried learning A, B, C.  Keep that level of inquisitivity and freshness of ideas/learning fully alive. One way of doing this is by reminding yourself of your own weaknesses. Remember, staying humble is the key to continuous learning. Develop your strengths and diminish your weaknesses.

Secondly, many professionals may not be so open towards receiving feedback from their juniors. They might feel offended if someone, who is junior to them in experience, points out a mistake in their management style. For example, a new hire figures out that his Manager’s training strategy has some fundamental flaws.  This new employee ventures on to politely point these flaws to the Manager.

Manager may react in two ways based on his/her mentality.

I know it all Mentality: If the Manager possesses this mentality, he/she won’t be able to benefit from the constructive feedback offered by his employee. The result is frustration, lack of positive results from open communication and an unsatisfied employee.

I am Open to Learn more: This mentality is the best. The Manager will modify his learning strategy to get rid of the flaws. Both the Manager and the employee would benefit from the changes and the bond between them would strengthen. This would result in more productivity, increased satisfaction, positive results and development of understanding and trust between the Manager and the employee.

Hence, an open mind towards continuous learning is the key to “improvement in business” and “personal development”. So if your rader is going the other way, adjust it now.

Later Days

Take Care

Kind Regards

By: Arzoo Zaheer

Date: July-13-08

We humans have this uncanny ability of influencing each other via words, silence, attitude, teaching etc. Having a good circle of friends matter a lot in ensuring that one reaches one’s outlined goals. The right crowd matters. However, one must note that nobody has the perfect circle around them since all humans are imperfect in nature. And then there is fate: a great mind might actually be born in a family of under-achievers who procastinate and hence don’t reach their goals. 

So, dig them out; dig out the right crowd. Have at least one friend with the “I can do this” attitude, at least one friend who is a leader, at least one friend who is positive minded and so on. If you have a hobby you wish to excel in, make friends with people who share that hobby. For example, a martial artists cannot learn from a dancer. A martial artist must surround her/himself with other martial artists.

Remember that like minds united, are capable of generating a higher power of will than just one mind. So surround yourself with like minded, positive  people. And Yes, You Can! 

Later Days

Take Care

Kind Regards

By: Arzoo Zaheer

Date: July-13-08

Its common for several professionals to make real friends with their colleagues. And then when you are friends, its common to forward them emails in an attempt to share something insightful and entertaining. There is one mistake any professional is bound to make while forwarding emails to more than one of your friends.

In a rush, its easy to email everyone in the To field. This is a big mistake.

To: atha001@hotmail.com, vlad@gmail.com, agatha@decisionline.com, ruby@gc.ca

(These are all made-up email addresses)

Now, here email addresses of recipient Ruby and Agatha were to be kept totally confidential since its their company/professional email addresses. Once you place it in the To field, its privacy is totally abused. So, always, make sure to BCC any of your professional friends’ emails in an attempt to maintain confidentiality.

I hope people would find this tip beneficial. 

Thank You

Take Care

Kind Regards

By: Arzoo Zaheer

Date: Jun-23-08

Today, I am going to share one of the best interviewing tips that would definitely make you stand out from the rest of the crowd. Its simple: Know the company that is interviewing you. Sometimes employers like to ask you questions such as: “Why would you like to work with us?” This is a great time to demonstrate your understanding of the company’s services, products, history etc. If you handle this question properly, you have a competitive edge over other candidates.

So, where would you find this valuable information?

1-NewsPaper Articles

2-Internet:

* Check out www.fundinguniverse.com

* Go over Discussion boards, blogs and social networking sites that mention these companies.

3-Company’s Website

* Check out their About Us section. Also, make sure to familarize yourself with their products and services. Look for some key information that other people might not have thought about. For instance, “Did the company merged with another company?”. “If yes, what were the impacts of this merging on the company?” This would show that you are knowledgable about business dynamics and like to think “outside the box.”

4-Career Centre:

* Career Centres are one of the best resources available to the university and college students. I would totally recommend that all students utilize their career centre. In the past, I used to think that I can get all required information via Google. However, when I ventured into our university’s career centre, I found tons of valuable information such as “Job statistics for different regions of Ontario”, “Directory of (Local/International) Internship programs”, “Hardcopies of career magazines such as Career Options and Job Postings” etc. Using this information, its possible to find specific information about the company you are interested in. Career centres greatly augment one’s job/career hunt.

By: Arzoo Zaheer

Dated: June-22-08

Have you ever been in a situations where you blurted out your first thoughts without realizing the impact it would have on your colleagues?  Well, its natural if that happens. However, its best to avoid that if you really want to stand out from the rest of the crowd. Avoiding any frustrations, confusion or diffidence to creep in your conversation is a must in a professional environment. It is a great complement to your verbal style and augments your professional profile immensely.  So remember to be careful in which words you are using. 

For example:

I believe you owe me an explanation as to why exactly there was a delay in getting these documents emailed to Ann?

Now, this sentence totally reveals your frustration about the delay of documentation delivery. You have to sound assertive and confident and not aggressive and cocky. 

Would you provide me with reasons for the delay of documentation delivery to Ann?

The later sentence is bound to make the business transaction process smoother and efficient without causing any sort of friction between you and your colleague. 

Proper communication skills are highly valued in every company and hence these are must-have skills that ought to be acquired by every serious-minded professional. 

By: Arzoo Zaheer

Date: June-22-08

Today as my mom was about to throw out some Chateline magazines, I hurriedly collected them. They were in mint condition and I thought there might be some useful articles there. I came across this really interesting article titled “How to Answer Nosy Questions” in Chateline June2007, pg. 235-236. I am going to jot down some quick-tips I learned about how to handle nosy and abnoxious questions like “What is your salary?”, “If you can have kids, then why would you adopt?”, “What did you learn about yourself in your performance review” etc.

1-Avoid being shocked by the question. Practice it in the shower, car, in front of the mirror. Its extremely important to avoid being shocked since shock would prevent you from reacting properly.

2-Laugh it off. “Hahahahah! you are funny” or say “Priceles joke!”

3-Another way would be roll off your eyes and change the subject completely.

4-Delfect the inquiry. Say somthing like “I’m not at liberty to discuss this” or “Its just not appropriate for me answer this inquiry. ” Avoid sounding aggressive like “Its not appropriate for you ask?” or ‘”Why would you like to know that?”

5-Forgive them for forgiveness is divine. Also, you are unlikely to get frustrated by thinking over the notion since you have already forgiven them.

6-Turn into an Ice Queen or Ice King. Say something like “I am extremely uncomfortable with your question”, “I find that question very offensive and unnecessary”.

Remember, after handling nosy questions, don’t think about them too much so that you are forced to judge people. People are curious by nature and sometimes they just don’t think what they saying or what its impact is going to be on the listener. So, remember not to think much on it.

Later Days

Take Care