Everybody Makes Mistakes

Consider Volunteering as a Way to Find Employment

Volunteering your time, services, talents, and energies is actually a multi-faceted endeavor with a great deal of benefits. In addition to helping others, it will help you as well. Have you just recently graduated? Are you seeking a change in your career path? Are you reentering the work force after a period of time? Do you seek new challenges? Finding employment nowadays can be a challenge, but you mustn’t become discouraged. Perusing the classified ads in the local newspapers, searching the jobs postings online, or contacting recruiters, all takes time, but will eventually yield potential prospects.


Also, since networking is an excellent way to discover that “hidden” job market, the source of unsolicited jobs, you might consider volunteering, which could be thought of as a non-networking way of networking. It is particularly appealing if you are somewhat introverted or simply aren’t comfortable trying the conventional ways to network.

Through volunteering, you expose yourself to other people with similar interests. Along the way, you are bound to learn new skills as you take on the duties and responsibilities for the activity you have committed yourself to. Your leadership potential, willingness to take initiative, desire to assist, ability to function as part of a team – all these assets will certainly be discovered. You could very likely be working next to well-connected people, even a senior executive of a company that you are considering targeting.

When deciding where to volunteer, one prospect to consider is trade shows, a highly targeted way of exposing yourself to people in your field. Another is civic activities. Many chambers of commerce plan and staff local events and are always looking for people to help. And be sure to search the internet – countless opportunities are available.

If you feel you are being held back from using this method of finding employment because you have a criminal record, you should definitely contact Pardon Services Canada to obtain a Pardon. A Client Specialist will ensure that your application will be processed expeditiously and you will be kept informed at each stage of the process.

Your Resume vs. the Job Application Form

When you prepare your resume, you try to design it to represent yourself in a way that will entice an employer to want to meet you. And some items might cause you to worry about how they will portray your work and education history. For example, should you say that you graduated from university, when in fact you are short two or three courses? Or, should you say that you resigned from a job last year, when you were actually laid off? And, should you fudge the dates of entries to obscure a period of time when you were not in school and not employed?


Such temptations are understandable, but are they worth using? The information that you provide on your resume, and how you express it, is entirely up to you. After all, the resume’s sole purpose is to get you the interview, during which you can elaborate on your skills and abilities.

If you are fortunate enough to get your foot in the door, the interview will undoubtedly expect you to expand on the details you’ve given in your resume as well as discuss many other related and unrelated aspects of your life history. Inevitably, any shortcomings that your resume has could easily be revealed. As well, you will quite likely be asked to complete a job application form.

Three major aspects of the application form are worth noting: Your resume is not a legal document, but the application form is; its design requires that you provide particular information, completing sections appropriately; and you are required to sign and date it to attest to the fact that everything you’ve supplied is the truth.

What you state on your application form must complement your resume; otherwise, your integrity will come into question. And the now-commonplace background check that employers undertake will verify your education, your work history, and your criminal background, should you have one. Recruiters might also run a credit check if you are applying for work in the financial field or a motor vehicle record check if you are required to drive for your job. In fact, many companies will run these checks regardless of the position for which you have applied.

Therefore, you need to be completely honest and truthful when completing the application form, being as specific as possible, because the details will be verified. And should anything that misrepresents you be discovered after you’ve being hired, the consequences could be dire.

If you want to leave a job off either your resume or the application form, do so; but do not adjust the dates of other entries to cover the time period. If the dates are not consistent with the resume’s data, both documents will come into question and cause the recruiter to question your sincerity and honesty.

The application form will likely ask if you have ever been convicted of a crime. This includes DUIs, which is the most common charge that will show up on background checks. If you have a criminal record, you could still quite possibly get hired; but if you do not disclose it, you will not likely get hired if this omission is revealed, simply because you lied. Your criminal record could be overlooked, depending upon what you did, how long ago it happened, and your explanation of the incident.

So be honest and forthright with all your details. Better still, if you have a charge that can be expunged, you should apply for a Pardon. This process will seal your record, removing it from federal databases so that it is no longer visible and cannot be accessed. Pardon Services Canada can assist you. A Client Specialist will ensure that all the required forms are created and compiled to support your application. Pardon Services Canada’s pro-active approach ensures that your case is processed expeditiously and you will be kept informed at each stage of the process. Your pardon is guaranteed.