Ottawa News

Go to our Ottawa calendar for a complete view of past, current and upcoming events.

We've known for a long time that companies and recruitment firms use our job list to keep track of their competition by monitoring what positions they have open. That's pretty standard. However, yesterday, Peter's New Jobs entered the realm of "election oracle" based on a recent job posting

The details are simple. In the February 21st Ottawa job list, we posted a job from MaxSys for Elections Canada Auditors. Pretty routine for us. It's a new job, it's captured and sent out to our subscribers. A few days later, Nancy noted a number of new subscribers stating that they found us on CBC's Inside Poltics Blog . Now that of course, is not routine. A quick look reveals that someone interpreted the MaxSys post as another indication of an early election, passed it on to the blog and Peter's New Jobs got the credit. Our 15 minutes of fame came and went.

Seven Tips for Developing References
A well written and common sense approach to choosing references. Keeping up on my 2011 References theme.

You will get Googled
A great way to start 2011 if you're an active job seeker. Hiring managers will check you out online before an interview or job offer. Just how well prepared are you?

Nortel pensioners could gain control of funds
Some possibly good news on a bad news story. Nortel pensioners may have some say in how their remaining pension funds are invested providing them some control.

Telecomuting backlash is misguided
Interesting look at telecommuting by Jim D at OBJ. Interestingly, in the end it just takes some common sense which means the debate will continue for a long time.

Choosing a recruiter
I'm a fan Barry's insights about recruiters and recruitment. Here's a good checklist on choosing a recruiter.

Website helps job seekers lie
A sign of the times. Company generates positive references for job seekers, for a price of course.

One in five Canadians would fudge facts for a job: Survey
More on what job seekers will do to get a job. How many of us have been guilty of an embellishment or enhancement?

Reference Checks Remove One in Five Job Candidates From Consideration
My final note on the job seekers versus employer reference check arms race. Don't underestimate the importance of your references. Speak with them in advance and make sure you understand what they will say and more importantly, how they might respond to questions about you.

Tech revival skipping Ottawa, but there's hope for 2011
Ouch! 2010 was a tough year for tech workers in Ottawa. Even the good news of local acquisitions was often tainted by associated layoffs. Here's hoping that 2011 brings investments AND jobs.

Mayor Watson: Who stands to benefit
Older but fascinating OBJ article summarizing which business sectors stand to gain and those who will face challenges based on Jim Watson's campaign position. Something for job seekers to keep in mind.

Bridgewater Systems looks to emerging wireless markets for growth
OPJ article about Bridgewater's focus on emerging wireless markets like India and China. Of the 13 new customers they've recently added, half were in emerging markets. Continued Bridgewater success is great news for local job seekers.

Huawei investing $67M in Ottawa R&D centre
OBJ article detailing Huawei's $67 million R&D investment ($6.5 million contribution from Ontario taxpayers) to expand its Ottawa R&D centre. Expect to create 164 jobs over the next five years, according to the provincial government. Really good to see some Telecom investment again.

Running a business or just a self-employed job
A dead-on article by Jim Connolly of the OBJ about the difference between running your own business and having a a self-employed job. In the end, it comes down to scalability - can it grow beyond you. The article was later referenced by the NYTimes (Advice for Start-ups).

Financial Post likes Linkedin as a job search tool
When main stream media discovers an online tool, you know it really must be main stream. A good article in the FP highlighting the fact that recruiters actively use Linkedin as a search and recruitment tool. At PNJ, I have always been a strong advocate that Linkedin, a well written profile and active networking is the mandatory starting point for any job search.

How recruiters read resumes in 10 seconds or less
A sobering but frank article on how recruiters can take as little as 10 seconds to make that first cut (80/20 rule). Written by a 30 year veteran of the recruiting business, it provides an interesting read. The comment debate that followed was just as interesting. Original article dates back to Jan 2010 but it remains just as relevant today. Personally, I've been on both sides of the table - hiring and trying to get hired and fully appreciate just how quickly hiring managers review resumes.

Something fun, Idea2Delivery Startup Video Series
Episode 1, The Dreaded Business Plan is the first video in a series of inciteful, informative and entertaining clips that follow the trials and tribulations of a start up. Idea2Delivery, who is producing the videos, is the brain child of Wendy Mayhew a 30 year business veteran and entrepreneur.

Ottawa-Gatineau unemployment up since August, jumps 2 points since last year

Take your time, as much as you want
Interesting article in the National Post on companies that offer unlimited and paid vacation. Congratulations to Social Media Group who appear to be the first Canadian company to try this out.

Program aims to keep older workers on job
Looks like a really innovative pilot program funded by Federal Government designed to match workers in their early retirement years with potential employers for either paid or volunteer opportunities. Unfortunately, ThirdQuarter is available in just about all provinces BUT Ontario and Quebec.