Monday, February 21, 2011

Linkedin Resume Builder


Over 22,000 LinkedIn users have signed up for the new "Resume Builder" application since it was introduced in December 2010. Resume Builder is a new feature created by LinkedIn employee Yevgeniy Brikmanthat through a monthly employee competition called Hackadays.

In my test of the application, I was able to develop a reasonably professional looking resume in less than 5 minutes by allowing it to use my existing LinkedIn profile.

I admit that my existing Linkedin profile is designed to attract attention through key word searches rather than with a resume in mind. I've been in the same job with the same company for 28 years and don't really expect to need a resume any day soon but with another 4 minutes of work on my profile content, I would have a resume that rocks!

If you are a job seeker and need professional looking CV, never mind those complicated Microsoft templates with restrictive frames and hidden formatting; check out LinkedIn Resume Builder. If the content on your profile is good enough for public viewing on the social network then it should be good enough for a resume.

There are eleven formats to choose from. Resumes can be exported and printed in PDF format. Also, each resume gets a custom link that you can share with others via email, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Another great innovation for job seekers and recruiters from our friends at Linkedin.

Check it out http://resume.linkedinlabs.com/

Steve Jones
Wiki - "Curriculum vitae is a latin expression which can be loosely translated as [the] course of [my] life."

Monday, February 14, 2011

Ontario Family Day. Seriously, what’s all the confusion about?


Following the Ontario election of 2007, the Ontario Liberal government introduced Family Day as Ontario’s ninth provincial holiday adding to the pre-existing holidays of New Year's Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Alberta and Saskatchewan also celebrate Family Day. Under a different name, Manitoba celebrates Louis Riel Day and PEI celebrates Island Day on the same third Monday of February each year. It is a school board holiday, in Newfoundland but not an official provincial holiday.

The third Monday of February is a regular working day in British Columbia, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the territories. To confuse matters further, Family Day is not recognized in any province by the federal government of Canada.

The provincial Employment Standards Act and provincial governments do not have the jurisdictional authority over labour laws affecting people who work within federally regulated industries. The federal government of Canada retains authority over employment laws applicable to chartered banks, the post office, inter-provincial trucking, airlines, railways, broadcast communications companies, shipping firms and telephone companies.

Ironically, the Family Day holiday continues to cause great confusion in the National Capital Region and the Ontario Premier’s own provincial home riding of Ottawa South where a significant percentage of the riding’s population are employed by the federal government of Canada and other federally regulated industries. Notwithstanding all the hoopla made by McGuinty propagandists about the importance of a new Family Day holiday, many of those who elected the Premier are not eligible to take advantage of the day off with pay.

Greater disappointment and confusion arises, when two working parents are employed within different industries. A parent employed within the federal government is required to work while children are given the day off by provincially run schools and spouses are home because most private sector businesses are closed.

Even further confusion arises for the thousands of Ontarians living near the Quebec border who are employed by Quebec based companies. They are not permitted the day off because it is not a Quebec holiday. Conversely, Quebec residents who are employed by Ontario based companies are given the day off with pay but they sit home without kids and spouse as Quebec schools and business remain open. This all seems to take the “Family” out of the Family Day, doesn’t it?

If you are not confused enough, the temporary staffing industry and other provincially regulated businesses that provide services to the federal government are required to give their workers a day off with pay while the federal government users of these services are all at the office. Imagine two-hundred thousand federal government employees aghast by having to make their own coffee, fix their own printer, answer their own phones and type their own memos.

In one recently leaked, misguided and then retracted missive, a federal government employee actually claimed to have the authority to over-rule provincial employment standards, commanding their provincially regulated service providers to attend work and denounced the prescribed laws which guarantee time & one half pay. Thankfully, that memo has been deep-sixed.

Imagine a situation where an employee is a resident of Quebec, working for an Ontario based provincially regulated employer that provides services to the federal government of Canada at a service site located in Hull Quebec. The rules are clear. The worker is entitled to a day off with pay. Why is that not obvious?

Would you like to know the Ontario government’s prescribed method to calculate the amount of public holiday pay? Let’s leave that for another blog on St. Jean Baptiste Day or Remembrance Day when everything will be clear as mud.

For greater clarity, you can find out more about Ontario Public Holidays and the Employment Standards Act at http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Chris Roach - Regional Director of Business Services

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Chris Roach has joined the leadership team of The People Bank, a division of Design Group Staffing Inc. (DGSI)

Chris joins The People Bank as Regional Director of Business Services in a role specifically created to suit his talents. Chris will leverage his industry specialization and well established relationships within the Electronics, Pharmaceutical, Aerospace Science, Defense and Manufacturing sectors to help develop new markets, new branch offices and new services for our company.

He is recognized as a thoughtful executive who understands the opportunities in the market and then leverages the knowledge and skills of his teams to translate those opportunities into plans, actions and results. Chris brings exceptional operating experience and a strategic strength that will undoubtedly contribute to the continued renowned success of The People Bank and Design Group Staffing Inc.

I first met Chris over 15 years ago when he was rapidly advancing his career and developing his reputation with TES Staffing. He immediately impressed me as a much needed future leader in the Canadian staffing industry. In more recent times, he served six years as President of Cadre an Engineering Search and Contract staffing firm, a company named one of the top 50 fastest-growing Canadian small businesses in 2007. During his entire 23 years within the recruitment and staffing industry, Chris has earned his reputation as a staffing industry expert, a talented practitioner, a tenacious hard worker and most importantly, he has been fulfilling his role as an ethical and inspirational role model and thought leader within the Canadian staffing industry.

Chris Roach has served as a board member and past President of ACSESS (Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services); the single national voice and governing body for staffing providers. He has served on industry committees for Ethics & Standards, Government Relations & Legislation, Professional Certification and Education & Safety. He currently serves on the ACSESS National Nominating Committee.

The People Bank is a specialty division of Design Group Staffing Inc., Canada’s largest privately owned staffing firm. DG Staffing Inc. (DGSI) operates specialty divisions and brands such as Design Group, The People Bank, Inteqna, Project Search Group, Placement Group, Aimco Staffing Solutions, Allen Professional Search, La Banque de Personnel and The Medical Recruitment Network. We provide permanent search, contract and temporary staffing, payroll services and managed services for thousands of Canadian customers and tens of thousands of employment opportunities each year.

Design Group Staffing Inc. has been consistently selected as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies, and has earned Platinum Status, one of this country’s most elite business designations. Our commitment to quality is reflected in our ISO 9001:2000 certification and our commitment to safety is reflected in our COR safety standard in Alberta and as a founding member of the Ontario WSIB/ACSESS Safety Group.

Although we lead the industry in size, business process and recognition, our success truly comes from our team of great people. We are very pleased and proud to announce that Chris Roach has made the decision to become a member of our team.

Steve Jones
President
Business Services Division, DGSI
The People Bank, Aimco Staffing Solutions, Allen Professional Search, La Banque de Personnel