Work in progress – This is an evolving document with elements of what I find to be the most useful ways to gain employment.

I’ve been helping people out to find career opportunities since 2010. Although a lot of places will address best-practices for application documents, I believe there is seldom information on how to integrate this to secure employment in the digital age.

I have extensive content management experience that allows me to tailor formatting for the process.

If you are applying for a technical position, please consult with technical specialists in different industries to have a pulse of how to format your documents.

Step 1- The setup

Get a cloud-based service

• Google drive
• Drop-box
• iCloud
• Private server
• etc..

This allows you to edit (and send) your application wherever you are, and on the go. Alternatively, have a fresh-digital copy handy in your email inbox that you can forward off to impromptu prospective employers from your smart-devices.

Folder organization

Create a folder in your cloud drive. I’d recommend a vague-ish title like JSearch. This avoids embarrassment or uneasy situations if you leave your browser window opened. Ambiguous enough for others, but very relevant to you.

Create folders by year in your cloud. Let’s face it. Once you get a job, you will eventually be looking for another in the years to come. Might as well do a favour to your future self and keep things organized. You also have the advantage of versioning your documents. (More to come on this).

Create sub folders by job application.

Step 2 – Your arsenal

Best résumé templates

My favourite (generic) résumé is still one obtained from Queen’s University.

Avoid using text formatting for aesthetic looks. This might mess up your copy-paste or import resume on online job forms. Make sure to make a copy of this CV and erase all comments before sending. Otherwise if you forget to save as pdf, you might have some comments stuck in your form.

Use fonts that are default in Microsoft word and easy to read. My go to is Calibri because it is familiar for online view as well.

Everyone knows what an email and phone number looks like. Save space, don’t label them.

Don’t use parenthesis when the content is already separated. Save on space, save on clutter.

Make sure you remove template names in footers, headers.

Remove underlines from email addresses or hyperlinks. It looks cleaner. Keep the blue url colour to indicate it’s clickable.

Organizing your job search

Saving your job postings

Linked-in network outreach

Ready for the unexpected

• 30 seconds elevator pitch
• Business cards on you at all times. Wallet at worse.

If you find any value with this “how-to” or even secure employment with this tutorial, I would appreciate if you could send donations to a charity that helps recent immigrants find jobs in your country. I personally send donations to Ottawa World Skills.