2. The goal of this presentation is to….
Provide you with some resume writing
tips to improve your chances of
success in finding employment with
the Government of the Northwest
Territories (GNWT)!
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3. Opportunities
The GNWT employs approximately 5000 people in a wide range
of positions, in all communities of the Northwest Territories.
Career opportunities exist in diverse areas such as:
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Health Care
Education
Finance
Justice
Communications
Engineering
Resource Development
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4. Opportunities
The opportunities at the GNWT are limitless,
you can work in front line roles and interact
with the public on a daily basis or work behind
the scenes in vital supporting roles.
No matter what your area of interest, the
GNWT has an opportunity for you.
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5. Opportunities
On our website you will find:
• current job postings;
• information on the competition process;
• information on how to apply through e-Recruit (our
on-line system); and
• details on our compensation package.
Visit us at: http://www.hr.gov.nt.ca/employment/
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6. GNWT Job Postings
GNWT Job Postings include information on, but not limited to:
• What the job does;
• What education, experience and equivalencies are
required to do the work;
• Position title and location;
• Employing department, board and/or agency;
• Type of position (indeterminate, term, seasonal, relief, parttime);
• Salary and Northern allowance;
• Competition reference number;
• Closing date; and
• Where to submit an application.
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7. GNWT Job Descriptions
Job descriptions are written statements that explain:
• The duties and responsibilities of a position;
• The scope and where the position fits in the
organization;
• The working conditions for the position;
• The knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s)
needed to be successful in the position;
• The required qualifications; and
• How the qualifications and the KSAs are typically
attained (known as the Typically Attained by
statement)
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8. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSA)
This section contains all the major bodies of knowledge, skills and
abilities required of the person in the position, to perform the
responsibilities of the position.
Knowledge – identifies the information and practical
understanding, acquired through education and/or experience.
Skills – describes the learned and/or developed behaviors that
allow you to perform certain tasks and/or activities and may
cover the aspects required to do the job.
Abilities – describes natural talents or developed skills required to
perform the job.
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9. Typically Attained By (TAB)
This section contains information about the ideal
education and experience required to perform the
job, as well as any certifications legally required to
perform the job duties.
This section is key to determining whether your
personal education and experience meet the
requirements to screen you in to the competition.
Remember…..equivalent combinations of education
and experience are considered by the screening
committee.
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10. Affirmative Action Policy
The GNWT is committed to a competent public service that is
representative of the people it serves.
To achieve this, the GNWT uses the Affirmative Action Policy to
provide priority hiring to candidates belonging to eligible
designated groups.
It is an applicant’s responsibility to declare their affirmative action
status if they want it to be taken into account during the hiring
process.
For more information on this policy visit:
www.hr.gov.nt.ca/policy/documents/AffirmativeActionPolicy
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11. Increasing Your Chance of Success
• Make sure your Cover letter and Resume fit
the position you are applying for.
• Declare your Affirmative Action.
• Let us know if you require an
Accommodation.
• Be prepared to provide Verification.
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12. Your Cover Letter
You should include a cover letter with your application.
The cover letter should
highlight your qualifications and strengths
as they relate to
the position being sought.
It can include information on paid, unpaid and/or volunteer
experiences that provided you with the experience and/or the
opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills and abilities needed for
the position.
Your cover letter serves as the first impression of you, an
introduction to you and why you should be considered for the
job opening.
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13. Your Resume
Your resume should describe your:
• work experience;
• education; and
• accomplishments, skills and experiences (including volunteer).
Your resume should include your:
• name;
• contact information; and
• priority category under the GNWT Affirmative Action Policy.
Be sure to include accurate dates of employment and explain
any overlaps or gaps.
Show employers that you meet or exceed the qualifications for
the position.
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14. Your Resume
Don’t forget to Customize!!
Spend some time customizing your resume to the job
you are applying on. Review the job description and
clearly highlight within your work history all the
qualifications and experience that are related to the
job you are applying on.
Your experiences and education as outlined in your
resume will determine if you meet the screening
criteria.
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15. Verification
Applicants to GNWT positions may be asked to
provide verification of their:
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Affirmative Action Status;
Education;
Certificates; and/or
Disability.
Be prepared to provide these if applicable.
If you are unsure what would be considered as
verification (proof), speak to a Human Resource
representative.
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16. Why should I apply online through
eRecruit?
Applying through eRecruit allows you to:
• View your Status within the competition at anytime
on your “My Applications” page.
• Receive notifications at critical points in the
Competition.
• Upload additional documentation such as copies
of your education certificates, licenses, proof of
affirmative action status.
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17. Applying Online
You start the online application process by selecting the “Apply
Now” button on the Job Poster …
Complete directions for applying online can be found at:
http://www.hr.gov.nt.ca/employment/info
If you are having difficulty with the online application, please:
• call the number noted in inquiries and the Human Resouce
Assistant can walk you through the application; or
• send an email, with specifics, to HRHelpdesk@gov.nt.ca.
Include your cover letter and resume if it is near the closing
date.
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18. Tracking your Status…
You can confirm your Status on a Job Opening at any time, by logging
into your eRecruit Career’s page, choosing "My Career Tools" and
looking under “My Applications”.
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19. Employment Opportunities
The GNWT does not accept general
applications for employment.
When you are submitting your application you
must quote the competition number that was
referenced in the advertisement.
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20. Casual Employment Opportunities
Don’t forget about the opportunity to work with the
GNWT in a casual position.
The GNWT has an ongoing need to fill short-term
employment opportunities in a variety of different
fields.
Casual employment is a great way to get your foot in
the door and gives you the opportunity to
demonstrate and showcase your skills and abilities,
and to gain valuable work experience.
Visit http://www.hr.gov.nt.ca/employment/casuals for
more information.
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21. Other Employment Opportunities
The GNWT also has programs for post
secondary students and northern graduates of
post secondary studies.
For information on these programs, please visit
our Employment Opportunities page
http://www.hr.gov.nt.ca/employment/
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22. Questions?
Thank you for taking the time to view this
presentation on resume tips. We hope that you
learned something and we will be seeing a
copy of your resume soon.
Contact us at:
Human Resources Helpdesk
Phone: 1-867-678-6625 / 1-866-475-8162 (tollfree)
Email: HRHelpdesk@gov.nt.ca
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Hinweis der Redaktion
Welcome to the Government of the Northwest Territories presentation on “Resume Tips”.We want to help candidates prepare their resumes for a job with the GNWT, or any employer for that matter. We know that writing a resume can be a little scary and intimidating so we want to provide as much information on the our process and what you can expect in order to make you more confident.
The goal of this presentation is to provide you with some information on our hiring process and some tips that should help when you are drafting your resume for a GNWT job/position.
FACTS:The NWT has approximately 42,000 people in 33 communities spread over a land mass of 1.7 million square kilometres.Yellowknife is the capital of the NWT and has approximately 20, 000 people.The GNWT employs approximately 5,000 people.The GNWT has 28 departments, agencies and/or boards.
From the information on the job poster you can determine if you have the required education and/or work experience stated and whether or not the position is one you are interested in learning more about. Remember you have to apply before the closing date in order to be considered.
If the job poster is interesting to you, you should open and review the job description.Read over the job description carefully and make sure that the position is what you want.After you have carefully reviewed the job description and decided that the position is of interest to you, focus on the knowledge, skills and abilities or KSA’s, the qualifications and the typically attained by (TAB). These areas are particularly important when considering the position for yourself. You want to confirm that your knowledge, skills and abilities and your qualifications match those required.
For example……the KSA’s for an administrative assistant might sound like this:Proven knowledge and experience in standard office procedures and protocol;Proven ability to use computer software programs including spreadsheets, databases, presentations and word processing;Proven ability to maintain confidentiality;Proven strong communication skills in order to communicate with clients in a professional manner and gain their confidence and compliance with required procedures in order to minimize conflicts;Proven ability to work in a fast paced environment with constantly changing priorities; andProven organizational and time management skills as well as the ability to multi-task.
For example…..the typically attained statement for an administrative assistant might sound like this:Typically the above qualifications would be attained by:Completion of a Diploma in Office Administration and2 years of experience in an office environment.You must also take into consideration that the screening criteria will be developed from this section and the selection committee will determine from the information you have provided on your resume whether or not you have the required combination of education and experience to “screen” into the competition. It is therefore critical that you review the TAB statement when you are preparing your resume to ensure you have highlighted how your specific combination of education and experience fit or match this combination.
The GNWT is committed to a competent public service that is representative of the people it serves. To achieve this, the GNWT uses the Affirmative Action Policy to provide priority hiring to candidates belonging to eligible designated groups.Eligible designated groups include:Aboriginal persons and persons with disabilities.It is VERY important that you include your Affirmative Action Status!
You have read the job poster/description and you are certain this is the perfect job for you!! NOW WHAT?When putting together your application there are few steps you can take to increase the chance of success.First, be sure to customize your cover letter and resume using the information you learned from the KSA’s and TAB statement. Second, review the affirmative action policy and make you sure you declare your status, if you are eligible.Third, if you require an accommodation be sure to let us know so you can be properly accommodated throughout the entire process.Fourth, be prepared to provide proof of education, certification and/or your affirmative action status.Lastly, review your resume and ensure that you have clearly articulated why you are a good fit for this position and that you haven’t left anything out….REMEMBER, selection committees can only screen resumes based on what they “see” on the resume. Be clear and be concise.
Attaching a cover letter to your resume shows that you have put some real effort into preparing yourself to apply for the job and haven’t just dusted off an old copy of your resume and thrown your name in the hat.The cover letter should:make direct reference to the position in question and why you would be the best candidate for the job;not be a replica of the resume, this is your opportunity to “sell” yourself;be grammatically correct with NO spelling errors.Be certain that any education and/or experience you reference in the cover letter is also documented in the resume.
The resume is where the selection committee gets the information required to “screen” you into a competition. Don’t give them the opportunity to screen you out simply because you were “unclear” on something.Remember to highlight the education and experience that is relevant to the position you are applying on. This includes volunteer work IF it is relevant to the job in question.Include only the contact information you want the selection committee to use; don’t give your home # if you are never there and won’t be able to receive messages. Alternatively don’t leave your work # if you don’t want to receive these types of calls at work. You should ACCURATELY include ALL pertinent information.work experience / employmentDo not leave it up to the selection committee to assume or guess at your qualifications or you may find yourself screened out because you were unclear. education (be certain to list whether or not you graduated). For example, when listing education: Diploma in Office Administration Graduated June 2012 or Obtained June 2012. If your education is in progress, then note that and give a date of expected graduation.DatesWhen you are listing past employment, indicate the start and end dates in months and years. The selection committee will count actual months of relevant work experience to determine if the minimum screening qualification is met. If you leave it up to the selection committee to assume or guess at your length of employment you may find yourself screened out because you were unclear. For example, when listing employment: May 2010 – July 2012 ….this equals 2years and 2 months of experience exactly but 2010-2012….what does that really mean? OverlapsDo not overlap unless you explain it…..don’t say job X May 2010 – July 2012 and job Y July 2012- September 2012. This says you worked full-time at both places in July, so the selection committee will only give you credit for one of the periods…..will it be the one you need to screen in? Don’t take that chance, be clear, if you switch jobs mid-month, then use the actual dates.GapsExplain any gaps in employment. For example, if you were on maternity leave for a year, that should be noted so it is not assumed you were unemployed during that period.
Start your resume off with your education and then move into experience starting with the most current and working back.Use bullets to highlight/showcase the duties and/or responsibilities that you want the selection committee to see. Just putting your position title down it NOT enough.When you are reviewing the job advertisement and/or job description pay particular attention to the top three or four requirements and/or qualifications noted. Ensure that your resume clearly highlights that you have those. Often the job description will rank the requirements/qualifications in order of importance so use your resume to show the screening committee you have what they are looking for.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide proof. Proof may include: birth certificate; medical certification for disability; diploma and/or degreecertificate of completionlicense and/or registration from governing body;copy of treaty, Métis or beneficiary cards; signed affidavit/statutory declaration confirming applicant is a descendant from Dene, Inuit or Métis people, indigenous to the present boundaries of the Northwest Territories; orproof of residency from utility bills, mortgage statements, bank statements, pay stubs, employment letters from previous/current employers or letters from divisional education councils/school boards indicating where they attended school, etc.
Note: If it is close to the closing date, please include your cover letter and resume. We cannot consider your application if you contact us after the closing date.
Although we do not accept general applications for employment we do post new opportunities on a weekly basis so you should be checking the website frequently for new advertisements.
If you are interested in employment with the GNWT you may want to consider a casual opportunity.Casual employment is a great way to gain work experience and gives you an opportunity to network.
If you still have questions, feel free to contact us through our Human Resource Helpdesk.If your questions cannot be answered by the support personnel then, your inquiry will be logged and forwarded to an expert in the area for follow-up.Thank you for taking the time to view this presentation on resume writing tips. We hope that you learned something and we look forward to seeing your resume soon.