Despite the fact that Saskatchewan had a 2.9% increase in jobs in March over the same time last year and despite the fact that it has the lowest unemployment rate in the country, the headlines still focused on the negative and reported a growing unemployment rate. It is often tough to sift through to find the good […]
Manufacturing Job Losses
For many people not involved in the manufacturing industry, our current ecomomic state is somewhat of a shock. I’ve been asked, “How can we suddenly be in a recession?”. The following statistics from Statistics Canada will provide a better perspective on where our economy has been heading for the past nine years. The last time we saw any growth in […]
Layoffs Irresponsible?
As a former police officer, I have to agree with councilman D. Michael Collins of Toledo, who is also a former police officer and says, “This is absolutely irresponsible, and the mayor has no idea what the consequences will be to the city”. Mr. Collins is referring to the proposed layoff of 75 police officers! […]
Is it a Scam?
Dear Mr. Smith I came across your resume and was impressed. While I don’t work in your area, some colleagues of mine do and may be able to help you with your job search, and more importantly, help you assess your marketability. We are part of a network of agencies that work strictly on behalf […]
Admired Corporate Cultures
Waterstone Human Capital has provided some interesting findings from their extensive research with 340 senior Canadian executives representing Canada’s top 500 corporations which was used to determine Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures. 82% of those executives surveyed said culture has a strong or very strong impact on their organization’s performance, 81% said that their current leadership has led […]
Employers, 50 of the best in Canada
50 of the best employers in Canada have been published in the Globe & Mail ReportonBusiness.com Magazine for the 10th year. Hewitt Associates, a global HR outsourcing and consulting firm designed and conducted the study, involving over 100,000 employees, 1200 leaders and 200 organizations. Strict guidelines are followed to produce results including a concept called employee engagement, researched and developed […]
Employment Forecasts and the Countdown to 2009
The countdown to 2009 was fraught with a barrage of forecasts, especially those related to future employment. Unfortunately, much of what we are hearing is bleak. Whether you work in Canada, the United States, Dubai or China, layoffs are the top news stories. Challenger, Gray & Christmas published their Work Place Trends Outlook for 2009 and predict an increase in unemployment throughout 2009 […]
Gen Y and Networking
Randstad, a job placement agency, surveyed 6,600 employers and found 53% of managers feel that the search for employees is more difficult than it was in 2007. According to Statistics Canada, this trend will reach a turning point in 2016 when the number of people leaving the job market will be greater than the number of […]
Business Owners and the Economy
Wallace Immen provides some insight into business owners and how they are responding to this frightening economic downturn in his article, Scary times? Try being on your own, in the Globe and Mail. Amy Casson, Principal of Polished Image Inc. says she is wrapping up contracts and finding potential new sources of business unwilling to […]
Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers, The Story of Success
In a recent Globe and Mail article, Sabitry Ghoshi interviewed Malcolm Gladwell about his latest book, Outliers, The Story of Success. Gladwell clearly states that “success” is narrowly defined in his book as he had no interest in happiness, but in the “occupational success in the work that we do”, saying, “This book is squarely about […]
Manage the Effects of Financial Stress with Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep and Happiness
It’s no surprise that most people agree the major cause of stress in Canada is financial pressure and it is unlikely that these results would be any different in the United States. What is surprising, even shocking, is the financial cost of stress on the Canadian industry. According to Dr. Kenford Nedd, it is approximately […]
Inspiring words, valuable quotes, reality, insight….
All of this from only one man, Dennis DesRosiers. During one of my late night channel hopping excursions, my attention was immediately caught by the words of Mr. DesRosier during a Focus Ontario interview. He was matter-of-fact, to the point, provided information with facts and statistics and was easily recognized as someone who is not easily intimidated. His expertise in […]
Use Common Sense When Sharing Online Information
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, just to name a few, are websites that are available for anyone to share information online. The following blogs, also just to name a few, have been written about sharing information online and the consequences, positive or negative that can result. The basic message really is, use a little common sense when you post information to your […]
President of Sales, VP of Sales, Sales Manager, Sales Associate
In today’s economic crisis, the number one job available is in SALES! These positions are currently the most sought after as an increase in sales could potentially be the key factor in the survival of many companies caught up in today’s economic turmoil. Increasing sales is one of the few definitive options available to the decision makers of many companies and organizations at […]
Steady Employment Growth for Skilled Trades
Plumbers, carpenters, masons, electricians, machinists, mechanics and crane operators have provided work for about one million people in 2007, as reported by Statistics Canada. Other than a brief decline in the mid-1990’s, skilled trades have seen a steady employment growth to date. The proportion of trades employment varied by province, with an increase from 9% in 1987 to […]
Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 2007
Passion, integrity, perseverance and determination! These were the words used to describe recipient’s of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 awarded to 40 exceptional Canadians under the age of 40 who are outstanding leaders in their chosen fields and who are shaping our country’s future. The Globe and Mail’s full page ad this week lists the selection criteria […]
Nonverbal Communication and Your Job Interview
In The Wall Street Journal, “The Power of Nonverbal Communication”, provides some very interesting information regarding the unconscious and nonverbal ways that humans communicate with one another. Dr. Alex “Sandy” Pentland, a professor at the MIT Media Lab, has written the book “Honest Signals”, based on studies related to unconscious social signals and patterns in how we interact […]
Be sure you have the right company!
Searching the web for information is as common an activity today as it is for Canadians to drive through a Tim Hortons! The difference is, the sign on the business has to be their legal name so you are sure to know you are visitng a Tim’s and not a Country Style. Unfortunately, many businesses and organizations online are using a […]
Relieving Stress with Laughter
Whether you are in a high profile executive position or career transition, it is likely you are experiencing some amount of stress. You may also be aware that those stressful situations will diminish or disappear entirely in the event of laughter. Laughing your way to organizational health, by David Granirer for About.com reports that a recent study found managers who facilitated the […]
You don’t always get what you pay for!
Paying someone to provide a service does not ensure you will receive what you’ve paid for or that it will be a job well done. If you see services or products offered at a price that is too good to be true, it probably is, too good to be true. But a high rate of compensation is no more of an assurance that you […]