Your cover letter should be no more than one page in length.  It should explain who you are and why you’re the best candidate for the job.  It needs to be very concise, yet keep the hiring manager wanting to learn more.  If you go longer than one page, the person reading it will lose interest.

Depending upon the position you are applying, your resume should be minimum of two pages and maximum of 3 pages.  Your resume should highlight your current role first and then go down chronological order.  The Hiring Managers are most interested in knowing what you have achieved in last 5 years’ time.   Ideally, your resume should not have any break in service and if there is one, you should be able to explain it in very clear terms.  It is advisable in North America not to include your personal information (date of birth, SIN number, marital status etc) in the resume.

In addition to your work history, starting from your current role, your resume should include a) Your educational qualification b) Your technical training or professional designation c) any volunteer work that you have done in the community.  Additionally, you can include any professional association membership or special awards, if these are relevant to the role you are applying.

If you have the educational experience and not the required number of practical experience but you think you can handle the job or you are missing one of the skill sets asked in the job requirement, you should apply to the role. Whenever you are sure that you have atleast 80% of the skill sets asked for in the job application, you should apply for the role.  Other skills can be learned as part of ongoing professional development.

Please do not follow-up until one week after the apply date is over.  Also, after you have gone through the interview process and you have sent the Thank You letter to the Hiring Manager for their time, please do not follow-up for atleast two weeks time.  If two weeks have passed, only then send a small follow-up email to enquire about the status of the interview.  You should do a maximum of two follow-up and if you don’t hear back from the organization, you should move on.

A personal brand is how we market ourselves to others.  It is your professional reputation and it is defined by your goals and accomplishments.  During the job search, you need to take charge of your own personal brands because it affects how employer see you. In a job market, where everything takes place online, your reputation is especially important for landing a job.

There are different resources required to address the issue and one is not necessarily better than the others.  You can find the jobs on social media like Linkedin, Indeed, and niche job boards specific to your profession.  You can go directly to company’s website or industry specific recruiter website. Additionally, a majority of new hires are made from employee referrals.  It is important to utilize all of these methods to find the most job opportunities.