As a loyal member of Career Professionals of Canada (www.careerprocanada.ca), I attend our annual spring conference in Mississauga, Ontario so that I can impart valuable – and correct – information to better serve the job-seeking public. Three top recruiters revealed what Canadian recruiters and employers seek in both new-hires and their accompanying resumes.

Major Trends

• Since 2003, recruitment growth has been dramatic. This stems from the aging workforce and a perceived lack of management talent
• Companies are hiring contract workers, who are typically retained in light of huge corporate upheavals
• Contracts are always renewable – either from the employer’s or contractor’s perspective

Recruiter Pet Peeves

• A candidate who comes in unprepared because they either lack proper interview skills or do not possess a job-winning resume
• A candidate who asks, “Should I come in as though our meeting is an interview?” As the well-known shampoo commercial states, “You don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression”, and candidates run the risk of being eliminated for plum opportunities
• A candidate who is not suitably dressed. Even in our somewhat relaxed business climate with dress-down Fridays, it is better to be slightly overdressed in a business suit than to be embarrassed by your lack of attention to protocol or detail

Typically, recruiters only take 1% of resumes seriously out of the hundreds that they receive each week. If you – the job seeker – believe that your resume needs more “oomph” in terms of articulating the benefits and unique value you bring, then consider the prospect of retaining a professional resume writer. For more information, log onto www.resumeexpert.ca.

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Marian Bernard, CPS, CPRW, JCTC, CEIP is Principal of The Regency Group in Aurora, Ontario – Canada’s only while-you-wait resume-writing service. She opened Regency in 1985 and became Ontario’s first Certified Professional Resume Writer in 1997. Log onto her web-site at www.resumeexpert.ca or call her at 905-841-7120.