Author Archives: Lori Franze

Epic Job Interview #FAILS

Epic Job Interview #FAILS - FreshGigs

Everyone has a story about the job interview that went tragically wrong – you called the interviewer Bob and his name was Bill [Tweet This], you went to the wrong building making you late for the interview, you got the time wrong, your zipper was down and your shirt tail was peaking out through the entire interview. Well CBS News recently posted the 10 Strangest Job Fails and Readers Digest has Funny Interviews: Meet the Dumbest Applicants – these should make you feel better about whatever your #FAIL might have been.

You shouldn’t bring anyone with you to an interview. Not a parent, spouse or pet (someone brought a cockatiel on their shoulder).

Here are our favourites:

Taking all the candy from the employer’s dish

A candidate dumped the entire dish of candy in her pocket. Not sure if this was before the interview or if it went so poorly that she grabbed it all on the way out knowing she wasn’t getting the job!

Calling home during the interview

I think it goes without saying you shouldn’t answer your phone during an interview; your phone shouldn’t even be on! [Tweet This] One candidate called home to ask his wife what was for dinner!

Continue reading →

You’re FIRED, What to do? An Interview with Employment Lawyer Sumitha Carvery

Lori Franze

When-You-Get-Fired

It happens to the best of employees and has probably happened to someone you know – the dreaded firing or being let-go. While it isn’t uncommon most people don’t know much about their rights or how to handle the situation. In an attempt to educate myself and the readers of this blog, I searched out a professional who has the knowledge, experience and expertise in these exact situations.

While one can’t argue against a without cause dismissal you do have the right to contest what the employer is offering to you in the termination package.

Sumitha Carvery of Carvery Law Firm has almost a decade of experience focusing not only on termination of employment but also pre-employment negotiations, employment contracts and compensation, workplace policies and procedures, problems arising during the employment relationship including workplace harassment, workplace investigations, employee discipline, human rights and wrongful dismissal litigation. She explained the distinction between two types of termination:

With Cause

A termination “with cause” occurs when an incident or a series of incidents causes irreparable harm to the employment relationship. Examples of why an employee may be terminated with cause includes, but is not limited to, harassment, violence in the workplace, illegal activities and of course poor performance. A with cause termination is usually instant and the employer is not obligated to provide any notice or severance to the employee.

Using the example of performance, you may be on the path to a with cause dismissal if you find yourself in a situation where your boss is criticizing your performance in writing, or placing you on a performance improvement plan. Sumitha’s advice for someone in this situation is to document everything, “an employee who receives written criticisms of his/her performance should respond in writing detailing why the employee believes the information is false or inaccurate. Having a written record of responses could inhibit an employer from establishing that it had cause to terminate the employee”. Continue reading →

8 Career Skills You Need in 2015 To Land Your Next Role

Lori Franze

Back in November we posted an article about the new roles available in the marketing space with the changes in technology driving the change. As the year wraps up it is time to take assessment of your skills and look to the New Year and what employers are looking for. The team at Hubspot recently posted an 89-page deck (don’t worry, it is a quick read that is easy to digest) on the top skills a marketing person needs in 2015 – for those of you who don’t have the time to invest in reading the deck, we’ve summarized the 8 skills below:

1. Data Science

I am sure you’ve at least heard of BIG DATA, well it isn’t a trend or fad; it is here to stay and that is good news if you know what to do with it. By 2020, we will be creating 50 times the amount of data that we did in 2011; that is a staggering stat that you can translate in to a very promising and lucrative career if you know how to find the nuggets of information and turn them in to recommendations for action.

A brand is no longer just a product but also the experience they provide across multiple platforms and companies need people to design those unique and rewarding experiences to improve customer loyalty and differentiate from their competition.

2. Agile Marketing

Things need to happen ASAP! Marketing teams no longer have a year to plan a campaign. It short time frames you will plan, test, learn and make improvements.

3. Consumer Behaviour

Think of yourself as a consumer and how you make decisions before you purchase; how has this process changed as you’ve grown older, as you’ve changed income brackets, maybe became a parent? Understanding how to take the information available on the target audience and their behaviour and action it for each segment will be invaluable.

4. Marketing Technology

A marketing technologist will use the data available coupled with the technologies that are in the hands of consumers to plan the brand story in a creative way. This marketer will map buying journey of target audience and provide content and visuals more individual level to engage them.

5. Content Promotion

Being a content promoter is being able to see the big picture – how the content is should be packaged for each target audience, how to get the word out about the content so that the audience is aware and interested and how to continually optimize for conversion. Continue reading →

Not Motivated At Work? Here Are Some Tips On Staying Happy

Lori Franze

I know, it’s hard – you feel unappreciated or you are not challenged. Maybe you have a bad boss (we have some tips for how to handle one of those) or a colleague of yours is out to get you. All of these things make it hard to be a happy person; but there are things you can try, despite your circumstances that can have a positive impact on your happiness. And admit it, when you are happy your work product is better and the day does go a bit smoother.

Health.com’s Ellen Siedman has shared 14 Ways to Be a Happier Person that you can do each day to add a bit of “happy” to your life. Here are some of the, easier to implement, strategies that you could give a try:

Just decide to be happier and just do it. While being happy shouldn’t feel like work it should be something you put on your to do list and keep top of mind as you go about your day. Researchers believe that genetics make up 50% of your happiness levels, circumstances of life another 10% leaving 40% up to you and your efforts and determination.

Don’t sacrifice financial stability for happiness and don’t use this strategy as often as those that come at no cost or you will just add the stress of debt to your unhappiness list and that is obviously counterproductive!

Think about your happy place. What makes you happy? Where are you most happy? Who are you usually with when you feel the happiest? Make a list and when you feel like misery is creeping in, take a break and pull out the list. Reminisce about those happy times and maybe even think about planning to do one of the activities on your list.

Buy some happiness. Of course this activity should only happen if you have the financial means to purchase some happiness. Don’t sacrifice financial stability for happiness and don’t use this strategy as often as those that come at no cost or you will just add the stress of debt to your unhappiness list and that is obviously counterproductive! Continue reading →

3 Ways You Can Build Your Network Even When You are Not Looking for Work

Lori Franze

Of course if you are looking for work you are probably out there pounding the pavement, making connections and networking, this is especially likely if you are unemployed. Networking isn’t something that you should just be doing when you are looking for your next role but an activity that should be incorporated in to how you operate on a daily basis.

Bobby Umar is one of the top networking coaches in the world and as President of Raeallan he knows that networking is critical to his business success. When I asked him how individuals could improve their network even when they are not searching for a job, he shared the following 3 tips:

So be a mentor, give advice, show up, be responsive and be accessible. Your network will value this and your net worth will increase in value. Someday you can make your net work for you.

1) Always, always, always be building your personal brand: Whether you like it or not, your brand exists. It’s what people say about you or think about you whether in person or online. You need to keep managing it, growing it and building some though leadership around what you do and are passionate about. This includes social media or online, such that the moment you are thrust into ‘transition mode’ you have a solid base to leap from.

2) One foot in the door, one foot out of the door: When you get your foot in the door, you need to work hard to impress, learn, grow and deliver in your organization. But you also need to have another foot out of the door that is networking externally, investing in leadership development, involving yourself in causes unrelated to your employer. That foot in the door can stay there for 5, 10, even 20+ years. It doesn’t mean you have to leave. But too often people with both feet in only invest their time and energy within the organization and once they are let go, have to spend months building a pipeline of opportunity. Continue reading →

5 Tips On Resigning Graciously

Lori Franze

It is likely going to happen some day; you are going to resign from one job to take a more progressive role at another organization. You want to make sure you resign in a style that maintains strong relationships with your current organization, boss and team. You never know when you may cross paths with all these people again.

Lisa Quast a career coach and contributor to Forbes.com provides some tips on how to leave your current role without burning any bridges. Here are a few to consider:

Give adequate notice. While two-weeks notice is the norm, if you can give more notice – do! You want to give more notice if you are very senior, the only person who can do your role or if you provide a specialized expertise. Your employer is going to need some time to find your replacement and train them. If you have someone in mind – offer them up!

Work as hard as you can, all the way up until the final minute on your last day. They last impression is just as important as the first. Leave them thinking “Wow!” as you walk out the door.

Plan how you’ll transfer your responsibilities. Put together a solid plan to transition your work to colleagues or if you can complete as much of it as you can before your last day. Don’t leave it for your boss!

Meet individually with mentors and sponsors within the company. If you had people at the organization that looked out for you and mentored you during your tenure at the company – let them know as soon as you can and do it in person if it is possible. Let them know how much you appreciated their guidance and support. Continue reading →

Classic Cover Letter Mistakes

Lori Franze

Just as important as the resume is the cover letter – maybe even more important as you have more freedom to sell yourself and even show your writing style (that may be critical for some jobs). You should plan to invest a couple hours in a cover letter and match your dialogue to the job description – of course if you can back it up!

Katie Donohue, a recruiter with Hubspot recently posted an article, 15 Cover Letter Blunders to Avoid at All Costs. We’ve selected some of our favourites to share with you.

“Proficient in Instagram” – while social media expertise may be a skill required for a role make sure it is something of real value. As Katie writes, “Being able to navigate a mobile photo app isn’t a professional skill.”

“OMG! LOL.” – this one seems so obvious but if Donohue is mentioning it she must see a cover letter or two that include some text slang. This slang should NEVER be used anywhere but with your friends in a iMessage conversation.

Turning your resume and cover letter in to War And Peace – while you may have a lot to say, sometimes less is more. Remember that the person receiving your package likely has several dozen to review. Make sure what you include stands out and is relevant to the posting. Continue reading →

How to Ace the Telephone Job Interview

Lori Franze

It is not as easy as it may sound. When you think telephone interview you immediately think, “this is going to be easy and I don’t have to put a suit on or worry about shaving or having my nails done”. WRONG! The telephone interview is just as important as in-person interview and probably more challenging to do ace than the standard in person version. Sadly, I speak from experience recently performing poorly on the phone with a recruiter for a company I was really interested in working with.

Even though the person on the other line won’t see you changing out of your pajamas, sweats or jeans into an outfit that you would have worn to a face-to-face interview will get you in the proper mindset and set you up for success.

So what can you do to ensure the best results possible from a phone interview?:

Dress for success – Even though the person on the other line won’t see you changing out of your pajamas, sweats or jeans into an outfit that you would have worn to a face-to-face interview will get you in the proper mindset and set you up for success.

Find a quiet spot that feels “business-y” – Don’t take the call from your bedroom, lying across the bed with the TV on in the background – even if it is on mute. Set yourself up at a desk or dining room table.

In Vivian Giang article 12 Tips On Acing Your Next Phone Interview, Vivian provides some really insightful tips from Paul Bailo CEO of The Phone Interview Pro. Continue reading →

Telecommuting Jobs, Do You Have The Skills?

Lori Franze

As with many things technology has opened up the opportunity to work from home and actually be successful in getting through your to-do list but do you think you could do it full-time? Is a telecommuting role something you should look for in your job search?

You need to be a person who can set up a task list and get through it without a whole lot of prodding.

There are benefits to both the employer and the employee – the most obvious being financial savings. As a telecommuter you are will be time and money on the commute and your employer is saved the expense of the real estate you’d take up in the office.

But like every situation there is a downside and telecommuting has it’s fair share. Being a remote worker can get lonely. Think of the coffee breaks, lunches out and water cooler talk that would no longer happen. If you are a person who feeds off the energy of others then a home-based role is not for you unless the work you do can be done at a coffee shop! You also may have trouble building relationships with your team and colleagues, making it challenging to lead them or get things done.

To be successful you have to make sure you have the right skills and outlook. In their article, Basic Skills Needed to Find Your First Telecommuting Job WAHM.com offers a list of skills that everyone, not just a work at home mom, needs to secure a telecommuting position. Some of these are:

Computer Skills

You won’t be much benefit to your employer if you are not good with a computer and technology. Your computer will be THE most important tool to you. If you are not comfortable with the basic applications used on computers it would be a advised that you take a course and learn the basics before you start a telecommuting job search. Continue reading →

The New Job Perk: Unlimited Vacation! Benefit or Burden?

Lori Franze

57% of Canadians don’t use the vacation days they are entitled to putting billions of dollars back in employers’ pockets. Are you one of them?

With so many people not using their vacation is unlimited vacation a real benefit or is it a burden?

More and more companies are now offering unlimited vacation as a benefit and Virgin Mobile founder and CEO Richard Branson has brought even more focus to this perk when he announced that he would be experimenting with unlimited vacation. But what does this new policy mean for employees and should you look for an organization that offers this?

Do you have to worry that your boss is tracking how many days you take? Are there a number of days that is deemed as okay and when you pass that number you are “blacklisted”? This uncertainty could lead too much more stress than the days off are worth!

There are definitely a couple things to consider when unlimited vacation time is offered up:

How lean is your team or department?

Will you really be able to take time off or are you a one-person team and while it is policy to have unlimited vacation reality is quite a different story. The other side of this coin is that you may be on a team where you colleague takes a week off every month and you are picking up the slack!

Are you expected to work longer days and on your weekends to make up time?

Does unlimited vacation translate in your bosses’ mind to you being on call 24/7 even on statutory holidays? Continue reading →