Angelina Spadaro is a Human Resources (HR) professional with over 15\u00a0years of experience and 13 years of practice in Toronto. She offers personalized career coaching services and specializes in interview preparation and salary negotiations.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve received excellent feedback from her clients, so we asked her to answer a few questions about the interview process in Canada!<\/p>\n
You can find Angelina on:<\/p>\n
I actually have two tips\u2014start networking and focus on your resume.<\/p>\n
Why networking?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Because everything is connected\u2014the posted positions you\u2019re applying for and the hidden job market.\u00a0<\/p>\n In fact, studies show that between 70% and 80% of jobs are never posted, which is why having a network can really bolster your job search efforts.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re an introvert, just reading the word \u201cnetworking\u201d is probably making you cringe. But you don\u2019t have to show up at various networking events if it\u2019s not your thing, there are other options! For instance, you could:\u00a0<\/p>\n Most employers will favour candidates who came recommended because it feels less risky than picking someone unknown.<\/p>\n And what about my resume?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Resumes are very country-specific. For instance, for legal reasons, you shouldn\u2019t add your picture or mention your age explicitly on your Canadian resume. The way a standard resume is formatted also varies a lot around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re new to Canada, you should participate in a free \u201cresume workshop\u201d to understand what Canadian employers expect. Many organizations help newcomers \u201cCanadianize\u201d their resume\u2014try cultural or community centres, or your local public library.<\/p>\n This is a great start to developing a Canadian version of your existing resume. And if you need more help, look into professional resume assistance for more personalized service (formatting, rewriting, etc.). It can make a huge difference in the job market.<\/p>\n Research showed that hiring managers spend less than 10\u00a0seconds on a resume<\/strong>\u2014actually, between 6 and 8 seconds. So first impressions do matter, and hiring managers must be able to quickly locate key information to make a quick decision.<\/p>\n Quantifying achievements gives context and describes the complexity\/volume of the task. Look at these two sentences, which one do you think is more impactful?<\/p>\n Reviewed resumes, pre-screened candidates, and set up interviews.<\/p>\n vs.<\/p>\n Reviewed 300+ resumes\/day, pre-screened 25\u00a0candidates\/week, and set up interviews.<\/p>\n About 40% of employers\u2014and over 90% of Fortune\u00a0500 companies\u2014use HR systems to screen resumes. If you have time, do a job description analysis, use a Word Cloud generator to quickly detect keywords in the description and tailor your resume using those same words.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget that systems are fallible. You could be a perfect fit for the position, but your resume may never be seen by a human if the automated resume screening tool rejects it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to say because each company has unique strategies and processes, and the level of flexibility varies a lot.\u00a0<\/p>\n A candidate could have a single interview with a manager or three different interviews with 10 team members.<\/p>\n One unexpected silver lining in the pandemic is that video interviews have become the \u201cnew normal.\u201d They are easier to fit into your busy schedule, you won\u2019t need to take as much time off from your current job when interviewing with another company!<\/p>\n I was doing video mock interviews with my clients long before the pandemic. Based on what I see, it only takes a few minutes for most people to be comfortable in front of a screen. By now, hopefully, after 10\u00a0months of remote work, most professionals are more confident during online meetings.<\/p>\n These are very basic tips. Essentially, you want to be in control as much as possible and avoid any glitch that might throw you off during the interview.<\/p>\n Companies are starting to use pre-recorded video interviews with applications such as Spark Hire, VidCruiter… again it depends on the companies\u2019 strategies, but based on my experience, this is often used for mass hiring events or when many applications are received for positions in customer service or for admin roles.<\/p>\n Candidates asked to take a pre-recorded video interview won\u2019t be facing hiring managers online. Instead, they\u00a0have a set amount of time to record their answers to a series of interview questions, save the video, and submit it as part of their application.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hiring managers will then watch the video, so you can see the exercise as a pre-screening interview. Typical questions may be \u201cWhy are you interested in working for us?,\u201d \u201cWhat makes you a good fit for the role?,\u201d \u201cCan you share some personal info that\u2019s not on your resume so we can get to know you better?\u201d<\/p>\n As technology is getting more and more user-friendly, expect it to become an increasingly important part of the recruiting process.<\/p>\n I\u2019m using the S.T.A.R. (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to prepare candidates for job interviews.<\/p>\n This method works very well for questions such as: \u201cGive me an example of a time when you…\u201d or \u201cYou mentioned on your resume that you had to deal with XYZ, how did you solve the issue?\u201d<\/p>\n Hiring managers tend to ask questions about past experiences, successes and challenges because you\u2019re more likely to use the same solution or make decisions based on lessons learned.<\/p>\n Questions like \u201cWhat would you do if…?\u201d open up the possibility of saying whatever you want and making up answers, which is good for creativity but not a good way to predict your future behaviour for the employer.<\/p>\n The great thing with the S.T.A.R. method is that if you are asked an unexpected question, you can use the same logic and structure to handle it and stay on point.\u00a0<\/p>\n They do! Unfortunately, cover letters are not always read because hiring managers don\u2019t have much time. That said, a strong cover letter can make the difference between \u201cyes, let\u2019s interview this person!\u201d and \u201cnope.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Keep in mind that hiring managers have to justify their choice of candidates to executives\u2014your resume and cover letter can be used to make a convincing case for scheduling an interview with you.<\/p>\n Sending a thank-you note after an interview is always appreciated. It shows a certain level of engagement and it\u2019s an opportunity to thank interviewers for their time, reiterate your interest in the position, highlight that you\u2019d be a great fit with the company\u2019s culture, and let decision-makers know you will be waiting to hear from them.<\/p>\n Of course! It all started several years ago when I was often helping friends prepare for job interviews, HR questions and salary negotiations. Most of them ended up getting what they were hoping for. I found it very rewarding to see people succeed in their chosen career path and integrate into the Canadian workforce. So I decided to start my own business and offer my skills and services as an HR professional.\u00a0<\/p>\n I spend time analyzing job descriptions, then I send \u201chomework\u201d to my clients so that they can prepare for our productive and effective meeting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n I conduct a full mock interview when we meet, usually in English, but also in French.<\/p>\n Then I help my clients tweak their answers to make sure their accomplishments are highlighted\u2014emphasis is put on showing the value they bring to a company in a humble but effective way.<\/p>\n At the end of our meeting, my clients:<\/p>\n Thank you, Angelina!\u00a0<\/p>\n Don\u2019t hesitate to contact Angelina directly if you\u2019re interested in working with her for your next interview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Angelina Spadaro is a Human Resources (HR) professional with over 15\u00a0years of experience and 13 years of practice in Toronto. She offers personalized career coaching services and specializes in interview preparation and salary negotiations. 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3 resume tips to stand out:\u00a0<\/h4>\n
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How many interviews should candidates expect for any given position?<\/h4>\n
Do you have tips to stand out and be more comfortable during online job interviews?<\/h4>\n
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On the topic of virtual interviews, do you see many companies using pre-recorded video interviews as a recruitment tool?<\/h4>\n
Any advice for answering interview questions?<\/h4>\n
Are companies expecting a cover letter?<\/h4>\n
What else can help a candidate stand out?<\/h4>\n
You\u2019ve created a signature mock interview. Can you tell us a little more about it?<\/h4>\n
What are the benefits of a mock interview?<\/h4>\n
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