Assignment B
Occupational /Job Search Research – 49 marks (worth 15%)
Introduction
An important step in preparing to enter the workforce is to identify and
understand the job position and the job market that you are targeting. As
prospective accounting and finance specialists, many different job areas and
functions are available to you (these range from accounts payable,payroll,
general accounting,forensic accounting, etc.). Knowing what technical/hard skills
(education, years of experience, computer knowledge, languages) and soft skills
(communication, organization, problem-solving, negotiation, leadership, etc.)
employers seek is a first step to focusing the resume and highlighting keywords
to get attention.
Occupational Research
What is Occupational Research?
Doing occupational research means finding out the details about an occupation,
including:
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Required experience
Needed education
Necessary skills
Potential growth in the career field
Future trends
Salary range
Industry standards
Why do Occupational Research?
Doing occupational research can save time and money by:
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Assisting you in understanding the needs of your industry
Directing you to the quickest route to getting into an occupation
Allowing you to ask relevant questions at interviews
Informing you of salary and workload expectations
Doing Occupational Research
It is best to perform your occupational research in a methodical way to avoid
duplicating your work. Tools such as the National Occupational Classification
System (NOC) can assist you in your occupational research since many positions
are advertised using the NOC numbering and job descriptions.
It is possible to discover career opportunities by learning what it is important to
search for and where to search for it.
The “what” includes the characteristics, values, skills and knowledge
requirements of the occupational role. Additional material you will want to know
includes: duties and responsibilities, working conditions (e.g., hours, physical
demands of job, physical environment and level of stress), salary range or
compensation for work, opportunities for advancement, related occupations and
future outlook predictions.
Conducting Information Research using Internet Resources
The advent of the Internet has made it easier to find information from your
desktop. It is important to be sure you are getting your information from a reliable
source. Sites that are sponsored by governments, educational organizations or
professional associations have more reliability than personal websites. If you find
similar information in a number of different sources it will hold more validity.
You can begin your occupational research by visiting the following sites. These
sites are also part of the Career Resources Subject Guide, under the
Occupations tab, on the Seneca Libraries website.
National
Occupational
Classification
System
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is a tool for
helping Canadians to understand the world of work. It
describes duties, skills, interests, aptitudes, education
requirements and work settings for occupations in the
Canadian labour market.
http://www23.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/2001/e/generic/welcome.shtml
Working in
Canada
Working in Canada provides the latest information available
about the world of work-information that is important for
anyone in the process of making decisions related to career or
educational planning. It includes:
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Overviews of the labour market and general economic
trends
Detailed information on all occupational groups and
post-secondary fields of study
Current and future labour market conditions
http://www.workingincanada.gc.ca/
Human
Resources and
Skills
Development
Canada
This government site provides labour market information,
including job responsibilities, required experience, conditions of
work, and potential employers. It also covers salary ranges,
market trends, training, and professional associations. The
information is listed according to geographic region.
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/home.shtml
Ontario
WorkinfoNet
This web site features a searchable directory of links to over
2,000 web sites specializing in employment and career
information.
http://onwin.ca/english/index.cfm
Assignment Details
In this assignment, use the National Occupational Codes (NOC) to determine the
position title and code that closest suits your employment interest. Use
www.workingincanada.gc.ca for additional information on the occupation.
The Seneca Libraries Career Resources Subject Guide has these sites.
The assignment includes:
Completion of the Occupational Research Chart for the selected position
(see chart attached below)
and completion of the Job Search chart
***All assignments must be word processed with a proper title page with
students name, student number, due date, etc
Occupational Research Chart
Using BOTH the NOC and www.workingincanada.gc.ca/ websites, complete the
following assignment.
**** You must include occupational titles and codes otherwise you will receive a 0
grade.
Total marks: 49
Value: 15%
First & Last Name (1 mark) : Click here to enter text.
Occupational title: (1 mark)
Click here to enter text.
Working in Canada classification code: Click here to enter text.(1 mark)
What are some of the typical duties/responsibilities associated with positions in this
classification? (2 marks)
Click here to enter text.
Provide 2 associations or unions of this position. (2 marks)
1.Click here to enter text.
2.Click here to enter text.
What skills and education/training are required for an entry-level position? (2 marks)
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List 2 occupational projections for this occupation: (2 marks)
1.Click here to enter text.
2.Click here to enter text.
List 2 related occupations and provide their NOC code: (2 marks)
1.Click here to enter text.
2.Click here to enter text.
Salary range / compensation: (1 mark)
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Describe in detail how your skills, experience and education match-up with these
occupations – In addition, is there anything that you might need to do in order to get a
job in this profession? (4 marks)
Click here to enter text.
CAREER COMPASS - What's your job search strategy?
By Shannon Jackson
Imagine you are about to take a vacation. Before you leave, you would decide on
a destination, plan your travel itinerary, map your route and decide what you
need to take with you. Without knowing where you want to end up, it will be
difficult to get there.
Yet, job seekers often approach the process without a destination or plan.
Recruiters see it all the time. An applicant calls to talk about acquiring work.
When the recruiter asks for details about what the person wants to do, they hear,
"Anything".
This response is one of the great recruiter pet peeves. Successful candidates
have their career focus before initiating their search.
(See http://jobboomcc.canoe.ca/News/2004/02/25/1225447-sun.html for full article.)
This assignment will provide you with a strategy and information, in four specific areas,
about resources that are available to help you in your job search. Using as many
resources as possible will open up more options for you and result in a more thorough
search of potential job openings. You have already completed an assignment based on
Occupational Research and jobs that you are potentially interested in. Use this
occupational interest as the basis for completing this assignment.
The assignment has 4 areas of research.
1.
2.
3.
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Employment Agency Research
Professional Association Research
Internet Research
Publication Research
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Part 1 –
Job Search Research and Strategy Assignment
The Job Search and Strategy Assignment is designed for you to identify potential
resources to help you to find jobs in your chosen career. Some of the
resources provide actual job openings, some will give you lists of companies
who hire in your chosen field and others give you information about
companies and industry information. When selecting the resources below
they should match your job goal. You will be marked on your strategy that
directly relates to you identified job goal.
*WHAT JOB ARE YOU LOOKING FOR AFTER YOU LEAVE SCHOOL? Click here to enter
text.(1 mark)
Part 1: EMPLOYMENT AGENCY Research
Research 1 Employment Agency (with offices in the GTA) that may be able to help you
in your occupational area of interest and obtain the following information:
Name, address, phone number,
Click here to enter text.
email address and website
address of the Agency (1mark)
Recommended method(s) for
graduates to apply for jobs with the
Agency (e.g. apply by sending in
your resume and cover letter by
email; apply in person by making
an appointment, etc.) (1 mark)
Click here to enter text.
Would you use this agency, as
part of your job search strategy, to
seek temporary, contract or fulltime employment in your field?
Give at least three reasons to
support your answer. (3 marks)
Click here to enter text.
Part 2: PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION Research
Research 1 career related professional association (with a chapter in Ontario or Canada)
and obtain the following information:
Name, address, phone number,
Click here to enter text.
email address and website
address of the Association (1
mark)
Membership costs (1 mark)
Click here to enter text.
Benefits of being a member of the
Association (1 mark)
Click here to enter text.
Determine if the association offers
any of the following services to its
members, and include the details
of your findings in the report:
Click here to enter text.
1. Special membership rates for
student members or new
graduates.
2. Job posting service and/or career
services (resume writing, career
path planning, career coaching,
and negotiations) assistance.
3. Membership lists for networking.
Can members access a print or
online directory of current
members?
4. Networking and/or Skills
Development Meetings. Are
meeting also open to non
members?
5. Courses for professional
development. Do members
receive a discounted rate on
courses?
6. Conferences and trade shows. For
members, do they provide lists of
vendors, presenters, and
conference sponsors? As a
member, would you be able to
obtain program materials from
presentations and a list of
attendees.
(2 marks)
Would you join this Association, as
Click here to enter text.
part of your job search strategy?
Give at least three reasons to
support your answer. (3 marks)
Part 3: INTERNET Research
Research each of the following categories and provide the following information:
General Job Bank Site
Specialized Job Site For Your
Occupational Interest
Website URL (1 mark
Click here to enter text.
Click here to enter text.
per column)
Describe the kind of
information that the site
contains (give
examples).(1 mark per
column)
Click here to enter text.
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On a scale of 1-5 (1 low
& 5 high), rate the site
for each of the following
and describe why you
gave that rating:
(2 marks per column)
1. Ease of Use (how
easy was it to
navigate through the
site and find the
information you were
seeking)
2. Usefulness (how
useful is the site for
an student using the
Internet as part of
their job search
strategy)
3. Content (how
comprehensive was
the information –
how much was
covered and to what
depth?)
Click here to enter text.
Click here to enter text.
Would you use this site
as part of your job
search strategy? Yes/no
and Why?
(2 marks per column)
Click here to enter text.
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Part 4 PUBLICATION Research
Prepare a summary report on 1 Publication as part of your job search strategy:
For the industry you are planning to
Click here to enter text.
work in, research 1 publication,
professional magazine, trade journal,
newsletter or newspaper and name
the publication and publisher
information. This could also be an
online publication. (2 marks)
Subscription costs per year or per
subscription. (1 mark)
Click here to enter text.
What information does the
subscription include? Provide
samples of them. (2 marks)
Click here to enter text.