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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 18
May 20, 2003
C O N T E N T S:
1. Health related goodies
2. Canadian labour force survey: April 2003
3. Comprehensive check list for your job search
4. Affiliate links
5. Conference announcement
6. Feedback and subscription info
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Health related goodies
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· World Health Body Adopts Historic Anti-Smoking Pact
GENEVA (Reuters) - More than 190 countries on Wednesday approved the first international treaty against smoking, including an advertising ban, aimed at kicking a habit that kills nearly 5 million people a year. The World Health Assembly, the annual meeting of the World Health Organization's 192 countries, unanimously adopted the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) that commits them to fighting the "devastating ... consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure."
"Today, we are acting to save billions of lives and protect people's health for generations to come. This is an historic moment," said WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland. The pact, which was agreed by member states in March after three years of negotiations and in the face of strong resistance from international tobacco firms, requires countries to ban or set tight restrictions on tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion within five years. It also lays down guidelines on health warnings on cigarette packets, recommends tax increases on tobacco products and calls for a crackdown on cigarette smuggling, among other measures.
The U.N. health agency says 4.9 million people die each year from cancer, cardiovascular disease and other conditions linked to smoking and that the toll is likely to exceed 10 million by 2020, with 70 percent of the victims in the developing world.
· Chimps are human, gene study implies
The latest
twist in the debate over how much DNA separates humans from chimpanzees suggests
we are so closely related that chimps should not only be part of the same
taxonomic family, but also the same genus.
The new study found that 99.4 percent of the most critical DNA sites are identical in the corresponding human and chimp genes. With that close a relationship, the two living chimp species belong in the genus Homo, says Morris Goodman of Wayne State University in Detroit.
The closeness
of relationship between chimps and humans has become an important issue outside
taxonomy, becoming part of the debate over the use of chimps in laboratory
experiments and over their conservation in the wild.
· Case Of Mad Cow In Canada Shakes Markets Across Continent: Read the Story from Nine Various Sources
Canada, only now recovering
from the economic blow caused by the fear of SARS (news
-
web sites) in the Toronto area, confirmed Tuesday an eight-year-old cow was
diagnosed with the disease following a test after it was slaughtered in late
January. The last case in Canada was in 1993, but that animal had been imported
from Britain. Ottawa said it was confident it could contain the crisis and was
trying to reassure trading partners who have banned beef imports from Canada
that the situation was under control, but many countries have already slammed
their doors to Canadian beef…
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Canadian labour force survey: April 2003
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Labour Force Survey: April 2003
Employment edged down 19,000 in April, pushing the unemployment rate up 0.2 percentage points to 7.5%. Job gains over the first four months of 2003 total 49,000 (+0.3%), much lower than the increase of 216,000 (+1.4%) in the same period of 2002. In the United States, employment continued on its downward trend, although the decline in April was less pronounced than in February and March. So far in 2003, job losses in the United States total 322,000 (-0.2%).
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Comprehensive check list for your job search
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Over the last 3 weeks, I’ve encountered a few people who have been looking for a
job in their field for as long as 1.5 – 2 years, and unsuccessfully. When I
spoke with these people, I was amazed to find out that they have had such a hard
time finding a job: all of them had a very good education and work experience in
their fields. Apart from being in the IT sector, which suffered a radical
downfall in the last 2 years, there was nothing “wrong” with these people. Yes,
jobs are very scarce in the IT sector right now, but there are some jobs and
there are people who get them, eventually. I was perplexed…until I asked these
people a few questions about how they conduct their job search.
My conversations with these techie guys prompted me to create a job search check list which would be appropriate for everyone, regardless of their field. This list is provided below. Please review this list carefully. If you find out that you are missing more than 3 points from this list, then you need to do some house cleaning and re-evaluate your approach.
As
you know, your candidacy is generally evaluated by two broad criteria:
professional skills (is this person
qualified?) and people skills (do
we want this person to work with us?), each weighing 50%. Even if you
can get 100% on the professional side, you will still be getting merely 50%
overall if you fail the social aptness test, and in the end your score will be
far below what can be expected from the “best” match. Very few people get 100%
on everything, but it is possible to get 90% on your people skills (at least for
the purpose of a job interview). Preparing how to ace a job interview will also
teach you things that would be beneficial to you in your future career in the
long run.
1)
Do
you use at least 10 different job boards on a regular basis or just 2 or 3? Do
you spend at least 3-4 hours on your job search on a daily basis making at least
2 proper applications per day
every day?
2)
Do
you network actively or do you simply “tell” people that you are looking for a
job? You should “ask” for references and leads. You should be proactive and
stick your neck out as much as you can. You should thank people for providing
you with leads and references either by calling them or sending them an email
(do not say that you “appreciate their referral to..”; make sure your gratitude
is expressed well: “I just want to let you know that I am very grateful to you
for…”)
3)
Do
you have a very well written
resume and cover letter? Do you have a specific “Objective” line or do you say
that you are “looking for a position which would allow you to enhance your
skills while contributing to the development of the organization”. Your best
objective is “a specific position with specific company” , which would be
different each time.
4)
Did
you use professional help or did you do it all by yourself (by professional
help, I mean going to Chapters
and spending a few evenings on books about resumes and cover letters; a
few books, not just one)?
5)
Do
you always tailor your resume and cover letter for each particular position you
apply to? Do you carefully
research the company you are applying for?
6)
Do
you include your cover letter in the body of your email or do you send it as an
attachment (your cover letter should be in the body of your email). Never do
both, but if you do, write a different cover letter in the attachment, do not
send two identical letters.
7)
Do
you always include a cover letter
in your email or do you simply write “Please review my resume attached”. Is your
cover letter convincing? Do you take care to
make a good argument in favour of
yourself (that you are, indeed, an excellent match for this job) or do you
simply list some of your credentials and leave it up to employers to make
logical connections? - Do not tell them what you
can do, tell them what you can do
for them, and nothing else.
8)
Does your email have a salutation line, such as “Dear Hiring Manager:” or do you
use "Dear Sir/Madam"?
9)
Does your email always have “Thank you for your time” or similar line at the end
of the message?
10)
Does your email contain your full
contact information underneath your signature (your address, your phone and your
email)?
11)
Do
you use only standard fonts and formatting principles (use Arial 10 or Verdana
10). Do not use colors, background colors, tables, unusual bullets (anything
other than round), etc. Save your resume in Word or text format. Never use more
than 12-14 sentences in your cover letter.
12)
Does your resume have a good file name or do you call it “my resume”? Use a long
and meaningful file name, for example:
“JOHN SMITH_ Resume_Computer Programmer_5yrs exp_ApplicationIBM_March2003”
13)
Do
you always send a copy of your application by surface mail following your email
application or do you simply apply by email only?
14)
If
you send an application by surface mail, do you include the same cover letter
you sent to them before or do you slightly change it to mention that you have
already sent them your resume and cover letter by email?
15)
Do
you always come 5-10 minutes early for the interview?
16)
Do
you have a proper hair cut, clean nails, polished shoes, professional looking
outfit from head to toe, good accessories, good glasses (if you wear any). By
“good”, I mean modern and decent, not outdated and not from
Zellers or similar department
stores. Do you maintain good hygiene and look fresh and crisp? Do you iron your
clothes?
17)
Do
you smoke before the interview? If you do smoke, you should never smoke before
the interview. You should also take a shower and wash your hair right before the
interview and wear either absolutely new cloths (new clothes still need to be
ironed) or the ones that have been just washed. Non-smokers can sense even a
little trace of smoke very easily.
18)
Do
you wear any jewellery (for women, one ring on each hand is acceptable; if you
use nail polish, use only very light color, nothing loud)? If you are a man, do
not wear any jewellery, except
for your wedding ring, if you are married.
19)
Do
you wear a watch, if you are a man (women are not obligated to do that)?
20)
Do
you have a decent looking folder or do you use the one you bought from
Zellers?
21)
Do
you always bring a minimum of 3 hard copies of your resume with you to an
interview (yes, they already have it, but you still need to bring the hard
copies with you)?
22)
Do
you ask permission before entering the room and sitting down?
23)
Do
you smile and have a friendly facial expression? Do you offer a hand shake
yourself or wait until you are offered one?
24)
Do
you maintain friendly eye contact?
25)
Do
you ask permission before putting anything on the table, including your wrists?
26)
During the interview, do you keep the soles of your shoes on the floor while at
the same time leaning slightly forward or are you very relaxed on your chair
with your legs crossed?
27)
Do
you answer questions in full sentences (2 or 3 sentences for each question) or
do you go with “yes” and “no” answers?
28)
Do
you say anything negative or potentially negative about anything or anyone
during the interview? No matter what it is, you must not make any statements
that can even remotely resemble anything other than a “positive approach to
life” (this includes your former boss, your former colleagues, everyone, no
matter how much you had to suffer from them).
29)
Do
you talk about your compensation during the interview (you should never do that
until you have received a job offer from them)?
30)
Do
you “thank” your interviewers for taking the time to meet with you? Do you do
that at the begging and at the end or just once?
31)
Do
you offer a smile and a hand
shake at the end of the interview before leaving?
32)
Does your handshake “mirror” the one offered to you by your potential employers?
Do you smile and make eye contact while shaking hands?
33)
Are
you acting as if you are in a good mood or are you “silent” and “reserved”? Do
you wait for your interviewers to “end” your meeting or change topics or are you
leading the conversation? You should always assume full subordination to your
interviewers, almost like in the army. Your interviewers should be the ones to
say good-bye or hang up first; they should be the ones to indicate an end to the
conversation. You should always
follow their lead, even when walking down the hall. You should always ask
permission, if you would like to explore their premises. Do not “feel free and
comfortable”. A job interview is not a good occasion for this. Your employers do
not expect you to be “comfortable”. They know you are nervous. What they want to
see is whether you can be nice and polite
while being nervous.
34)
Are
you enthusiastic about this job? Do you take care to articulate your enthusiasm
and specific interest in this job or do you think that “it is understood”? You
should express your enthusiasm at least twice and you should do so using full
good sentences, not just a two-word mumble (it has to be done in a very natural
way, though). You should not emphasize what you “enjoy”. You should stress your
enthusiasm for “having a chance” or “having an opportunity” to be interviewed
for this position (unless you are applying for very senior positions).
35)
If
you are not offered this information, do you always ask your potential employers
how they would like you to follow up after the job interview?
36)
Do
you always write a thank-you note to all interviewers within
a few hours after the interview or
do you wait a day or two? Your thank-you email note should be one small
paragraph of no more than 5 sentences and should have a subject line similar to
this one: “Thank you for the interview”.
37)
Do
you follow up after your interview by calling in person about a week later, if
you have not heard from them?
38)
If
you have been rejected, do you take care to politely find out the reasons for
which you have not been selected? If it seems difficult to get, you should
explain that you have been looking for a job for a long time and that you need
to know the reasons for not being successful this time, so that you can have a
chance to improve. They have already turned you down; you will lose nothing by
asking.
39)
Do
you keep good track of all your job applications and make weekly evaluations? Do
you analyze and evaluate your “failures”? Do you conduct mock interviews with
friends or family?
40)
Do
you read at least 2-3 hours per week on a
regular basis about the rules of business etiquette, proper manners,
proper business outfit and similar issues or do you think you “know them
already” and that you are “fine”?
Remember, if you missed 3 or more points...Start making changes and you will soon get the job you want!
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Affiliate links
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Executive Resume Writing Services
Please mention my name,
if you hire this company
to write a resume for you.
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Conference announcement
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Biomarkers in Drug Discovery
A New Renaissance: Better Tools for Compelling Discoveries
August 12-13,
2003,
Boston, MA
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Feedback and subscription info
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To give me your feedback or ask a question, simply send me an email. 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.
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To review all practical tips I have given so far on how to do your job search in the most efficient way, go to http://www.pulsehr.com/Job_Search_Email_Application_Resume_Cover_Letter_Job_Interview_TIPS.html
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Best of luck!
Anna Tulchinsky, Ph.D.Cand.
PulseHR Co-founder
+1 (613) 231-6308
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