October 13, 2022, by Laurie Dillman
The purpose of this article is to offer advice to folks who are looking for work but don’t know where to start. After interpreting these articles, the reader will gain new insights into Canada's labour market system, in order to make better career and job application decisions.
As mentioned in an earlier article, finding a job will require the seeker to take a look at The Big Picture. The following is a list of Ingredients that are all part of the employment seeker's BIG picture:
· Labor Market Research
· Employer Research
· Self-Assessments
· Resume
· Cover Letter
· Job Posting
· List of connections (network)
· Editor
· Willing friend to practice with
Today's topic is labour market research. When you think of labour market research, what ideas come to mind? Based on my experience, there are two key purposes for conducting research: (1) to identify the types of jobs available; plus, the experience and qualifications that one needs should possess before applying; and, (2) to determine which companies can offer you a workplace and position that is a good fit for your personal
values.
Identify your top 3 Values
One sure way to know that we will like working at a new company is if we can appreciate what the company stands for (Mission) and where it is going (Vission). Good companies follow a set of values which are evident from the start. Do your best to find out what these are and how they are demonstrated by the people already working there. This is way easier than it sounds. Start by taking a look at the website and social media feeds and ask yourself the following 3 questions:
What does company ABC claim are its values?
Do these values align with my top 3 values?
How is company ABC demonstrating these values?
Social media is a wonderful tool for job seekers. There are a variety of channels that a job seeker can use to learn about a company's values and how they "walk the talk", or not.
Why you should align your values with those of your employer?
Hands up if you like being happy. Hands up if you don't like conflict. Hands up if you like working with people who care about the same things as you do. Hands up if you believe that happiness is related to your job. Hands up if you have had a job where you hated going in to work every day. Hands up if you had a job where you loved going to work every day. These are just a few of the reasons why I recommend that you take a look at your own values before applying for a job.
In my experience as a job coach and employment strategies instructor, I have learned that values are always at the center of conflict. What this means is that you won't always see eye-to-eye with the folks on your team, but when you can acknowledge that your team members appreciate some of the same values as you, it gets easier for you to agree to disagree on certain things.
So how can you identify your top three values? First, sit down and make a list of all the values that you can think of. Some examples of values include family, responsibility, wealth, happiness, adventure, safety, integrity, competition, and creativity. Next, rank these values in order of importance. It may be helpful to ask yourself this question as you rank them: "Is there ever a reason that I would be willing to let another value take precedence?"
Resources: https://valuesbasededucation.com/research/
Coming up: Conducting Effective Employer Research
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