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Hello, everyone! For our new subscribers, my name is Anna Tulchinsky and I am the editor of this newsletter as well as all other stuff that gets published on the PulseHR website. If you find this newsletter interesting and helpful, feel free to forward it to your friends and colleagues who are looking for a job and encourage them to subscribe.
Issue 12
February 25, 2003
C O N T E N T S:
1. Health related goodies
2. A profile of young Canadian graduates, 2000
3. Job interview: Preparation
4. Interesting links
5. Conference
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Health related goodies
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· Deadliest breast cancer cells found
It has long been suspected that only a minority of cancer cells can seed new tumours, and now the theory has finally been confirmed. The discovery promises to open up new avenues for developing more effective cancer therapies.
Scientists have developed a more effective way to carry out gene therapy without the risks of current methods. The modification of genes offers the potential to treat or cure many diseases. But the use of viruses to deliver the modified genes to the target tissue is not always safe, and other methods do not seem to work well. The latest technique, developed by scientists at Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council in the UK, appears to be effective - and does not require the use of viruses. It works by combining the use of microbubbles and ultrasound. So far it has been tested on skeletal muscle in mice, but it is hoped it may eventually be used to treat muscular dystrophy in children.
· CT scan detects early lung cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Early lung cancer can be detected by CT scan but with a high rate of false-positive findings, according to a report in the March 1st issue of Radiology. Previous work suggests that CT scan can detect lung cancers that are of a smaller size and earlier stage than those observed by chest x-ray, the authors explain, but whether the earlier-stage disease represents a true stage shift and whether earlier detection improves survival rates remain unclear.
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A profile of young Canadian graduates, 2000
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College diplomas and bachelor's degrees consistently proved their value to young Canadians who entered the labour market throughout the 1990s, according to a new study. Even though young college and bachelor graduates in the class of 1995 owed more at graduation than the 1990 graduates, they were paying those loans off at a faster rate than the class of 1990.
The study uses data from the National Survey of Graduates to examine labour market outcomes for young college and bachelor graduates in the classes of 1986, 1990 and 1995 who entered their programs directly from high school.
Young college and bachelor graduates continued to do well when it came to getting not just a job, but a good job. Generally, university graduates got better paying jobs. Both college and bachelor graduates from engineering and related fields of study consistently landed higher paying jobs.
Source: Statistics Canada
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Job interview: Preparation
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Here is a list of 10 things I suggest you do to prepare for your job interview:
- Think about what you are going to wear and prepare your outfit from head to toe
- Learn about the company/organization as much as you can
- Memorize the job description
- Prepare to answer technical/professional questions (refer to point 3)
- Develop a strategy to answer “difficult” questions
- Recite a list of things not to do during the interview (see the previous issue of this newsletter)
- Find out the address for your interview in advance and check if parking is easily available.
- Review your resume and make sure that your dates are correct and that you can provide explanations for possible gaps in your past employment.
- Go to the book store or library and spend a few hours looking through books on job interviews. Check out a number of them, not just one or two. Not only will it help you fill in the blanks of your interview ritual knowledge, but it will also make you feel confident and prepared, which is extremely important.
- On the day of your interview, make sure to perform all personal hygiene tasks, including fixing your nails and making sure your hair is as perfect as it can be. Prepare 3-4 hard copies of your resume and reference letters and place them in a nice folder.
You don’t have to read much further, if you know how to get ready for a job interview. For the rest of you, I will elaborate on the points 1 and 4.
Let’s start with your outfit. Instead of giving you general guidelines, how about I’d tell you exactly what to wear? You can either follow my advice or disregard it, it’s up to you. The outfits I am going to suggest are conservative and cost-effective and can be used for many other formal occasions, so it is worth investing 200-300 dollars.
· Interview outfit for men: Grey suit pants (grey goes well with everything), light blue shirt (buy a new one and iron it well), black shoes (polished in advance), dark grey socks (your socks should be lighter that your black shoes and a bit darker than you pants), and a tie (go to a high profile fashion store and look at what’s hot and then buy something similar at a regular store, or borrow one from your friends). You can wear either a jacket or a sweater, if the climate asks for it (navy or dark grey, stripes are allowed). Stay away from brown. Very few people look good in brown. Do not wear hackie pants, light brown shoes and loud blue socks [that’s what I’ve seen last week] or something similar. Medium or dark grey and a deep navy are your best colour choices. If you are African or East Indian, go with light grey and light navy (but not blue!) and make “lighter” choices. Do not wear anything that sparkles or glows. Shave well. Do not wear perfume. Men must wear a watch.
· Interview outfit for women: Well, women don’t need my advice as much as men do. I can simply suggest what not to wear: do not wear pants (unless you are a computer programmer or working in the high tech industry). Do not wear perfume and jewelry. Small earrings and one ring on each hand are allowed. Do not wear a lot of make up. Mascara, a very thin layer of foundation, and a touch of lipstick are appropriate. A nail polish of light skin color or even light silver is acceptable (but not red, blue, purple or anything loud). Wear medium heels. Do not wear high heels or flat shoes. High heels are for evening outings. Flat shoes will make your business outfit look plain and you helpless (unless you are very tall). As for colours, it’s the same for both men and women. Stay away from brown. If in doubt, select navy. A watch is not a requirement for women, but it is desirable to wear one. Have a black purse and a separate folder with copies of your resumes and reference letters. And of course, your hair. Have it conservative, yet pleasant. If your hair is normally quite long (falling below your shoulders), arrange it in a modest fashion at the back, so not to attract much attention. Contrary to customs in Asia and Middle East, In Canada and the United States, it is generally inappropriate for professional women to wear long hair.
Now, let’s talk about technical/professional questions.
· Whatever your image consultants might tell you, it is still the most important thing. If you do not have the required skills, you won’t be hired, no matter how wonderful you look and how pleasant your social manners are. However, for our purposes, I go from the assumption that you are, indeed, fully qualified for the job. Having that in mind, I concentrate on all other things related to your job interview, so that you do not jeopardize your chances with things unrelated to your knowledge and expertise.
· However, technical/professional questions are still the most important thing. I have not heard of any interview at which a candidate was not asked professional questions. So, how can you prepare for them? The best way to determine possible questions is to imagine yourself a Hiring Manager. What would you ask an employee if you were thinking of hiring them for this job? Make a list of as many questions as you can possibly think of, print them out and then prepare answers for all of them. If you are a recent University graduate, review the notes from those courses which might relate to the responsibilities of the job you are applying for. Then, single out those areas in which you have the least knowledge. Go to the library and do some reading or surf the Internet. Professional Associations usually post papers and articles on the recent developments in their fields. These materials could be of great help, if you want to catch up with the newest developments.
· If you are being interviewed for a job which you do not have one or two of the required skills, prepare a strategy on how you would convince your audience that you will be able to pick up those skills quickly. Keep in mind that if they don’t ask you about these skills, you should volunteer the topic. Please don’t be fooled by advices on “not to volunteer” negative information. This may be true in court and when dealing with cops or when it comes to your personality traits, but a job interview is not the place to weasel about your skills. Your employers will not “forget” that you do not have the skills they want you to have. It will cost them money. If they don’t ask you about them, it is a bad sign, since most likely they don’t even want to bother or they may have someone else in mind who does have all those skills. To try and salvage the situation, you should come forward yourself. Prepare a strategy for defending yourself against those possible gaps in your qualifications. Let me give you a template, so that you can shape it later to fit the circumstances of your particular situation. For example, you can say that you are really interested in advancing these new skills. Most of your experience was in a different area, so you didn’t get a chance to develop them, so you are wondering whether there will be projects involving these skills [the ones you don’t have or have very little of them]. Emphasize that you are very interested in advancing these skills and looking for a job specifically in this field. Do you get an idea? But do not pretend there is no issue, if in fact there is one.
In the next issue, I’ll tell you what you should know about *difficult” questions and how to ace all of them, so stay tuned.
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Interesting links
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Alphabetized List of Diagnostic Tests
The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide.
A convenient one-stop source of information. Basic figures are free, details will cost you.
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Conference
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Cancer Rehabilitation: Myth and Realities 2003 - Moving forward after Treatment - University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. March 28-29.
This conference will address the physical, psychosocial and spiritual aspects of life after treatment for cancer. Issues of the emotions associated with a diagnosis of cancer; fatigue and pain management; sexuality and fertility outcomes; stress management techniques; relationships; nutrition; and meeting changing vocational and insurance needs; will be discussed. The conference will also provide information, resources and networking opportunities for health care professionals and individuals living with cancer. The opening keynote speaker is Dr. Robert Buckman, renowned oncologist, prolific author, teacher, and humorist.
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- The End -
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To give me your feedback or ask a question, write to me at anna@pulsehr.com. I personally reply to all questions in the hope that my information and advice will be of help to people seeking employment, i.e. means to advance in life while supporting themselves and their loved ones. If you send me an email and do not receive a reply from me within two business days, there might have been a communication error or our server may have rejected your email, in which case please re-send your message.
Anna Tulchinsky
PulseHR Co-founder
+1 (613) 231-6308
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