Pathways Skill Development. Breaking Down Barriers in Employment.

Job Search & Retention Resources

Resources to Help You in Your Job Search

Find that job!
A wonderful centralized resource you can use to find relevant services and information you need in your job search is www.links2work.on.ca

Develop a resume
Below are sample resumes for you to download.  Choose the resume most relevant to you based on your objective and/or your circumstances.  Copy and paste the contents into your own Word document.

General tips:

• At the beginning of each bullet point used to describe your responsibilities and accomplishments, use power words such as: implemented, completed, developed, and operated
• Alter your resume for each application to ensure it is targeted to highlight your relevant experience
• Make sure your objective is specific, it should be changed for each position for which you apply
• Practice emailing attachments by emailing the resume to yourself first to make sure it looks okay
• Proofread, proofread, and proofread again! If possible, have someone else proofread it as well.

Create a cover letter
For some guidelines to help you write a good cover letter - click here
To see a template that outlines what needs to go into each section of your cover letter - click here

Below are sample cover letters for you to download and use.  Copy and paste the contents into your own Word document to add your own information and relevant experience.
To download a sample of a 2 column cover letter - click here
To download a sample of a cold call cover letter - click here
To download a sample of a cover letter in response to an advertised job posting - click here

Line up some references
For some information and tips about your references - click here
To access a template to which you can add your own reference information - click here

Prepare for the interview
For suggested steps to prepare for an interview - click here
To learn more about how to effectively answer interview questions using "SAR" stories - click here
To view some sample interview questions with tips on how to answer each - click here
For more interview practice questions - click here
To learn more about why and how to ask great questions during an interview - click here

Resources to Help You to Keep Your Job and Succeed in Your Workplace

First day, first impression
You only get one chance to make a good first impression.  To read some tips and guidelines in order to properly prepare - click here.

Don’t let stress get the best of you
Life can be overwhelming at times. If you’re feeling stressed, here are some ways that you can avoid, relieve and reduce stress - click here.

Setting your sights
To read more about our SMART goal setting technique that will assist you in defining what you want to achieve and how you will achieve it - click here
To use our SMART goals template - click here

Succeeding at work
To learn about characteristics and behaviours that will help you to shine as an exceptional employee - click here.

Making ends meet
For a tool that will help you manage your money and alleviate the stress that comes with not planning ahead - click here
Keeping track of daily expenses can really help you to realize the unessential expenses that can eat up your pay cheque and prevent you from saving.  For our "Timmy Factor" daily expense tracking tool that will help you with this - click here.

Keeping your job for the long-term
When the going gets tough…don’t quit!  For some suggestions for what you should do - click here.

Now I'm ready to confidently move forward with finding a good job.