Clients and Practitioners

E-Counsellor stands for Employment and E-mail Counsellor Online. This is a new web site feature that gives you access to our counsellor to ask questions related to employment and job searching. You can ask for help in revising your resume, interview techniques, cover letter writing, or any other question you would like answered. Our E-Counsellor is a qualified individual who responds to employment related questions on a daily basis and is now reaching out across the province to help you via our web site.

All questions will be responded to through e-mail and some will be posted on our site to benefit others. Your questions and answers will remain anonymous as only the information itself will be posted. Please visit this page often to read responses to job seekers questions that may also benefit you in your own job search. 

If you have a question that you would like to ask our E-Counsellor, please complete and submit the following form:

E-Counsellor Column

Why are there no positions available in my area?
Does my disability qualify me for your program?
Is it possible that I am over-qualified?
I am looking for summer employment.
Is there anything that I could be doing wrong in my job search?
What is the definition of a disabled person?
Is there any assistance available to obtain training?
I would like to know more about your program and about job openings available.

Question: Why are there no positions available in my area?

Answer: The mandate of the Office of Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities is to increase the number of persons with disabilities employed in the provincial public service. The Office achieves this mandate by operating programs and services designed to help persons with disabilities attain employment within the public service. Positions affiliated with the Office's programs and services are located in provincial government departments throughout the province and are filled as vacancies occur. When a position becomes available, a screening of our Client Registry is completed to identify persons with disabilities who meet the necessary education and experience requirements for the position. The resumes of those clients who meet the required qualifications are then referred to the hiring department.

As an active client, your resume will be considered for any position in your area for which you meet the education and experience requirements for the position. Beginning last fall, representatives from our Office met with managers of government departments in the regions to promote our programs and services. We continuously work with government departments to encourage increased participation in our Office's programs and services.

You may wish to visit the Provincial Government's public employment opportunities web page (www.gov.nl.ca/psc/employment.htm) to view positions advertised by government departments.

Question: Please accept this e-mail as an inquiry of the programs and services offered by your division. A few years ago I was diagnosed with a mental health disorder. I am inquiring as to whether or not my disability would qualify under your program and if so, I am inquiring of the paperwork needed to be completed.

Answer: The Opening Doors Program accepts persons with disabilities based on self-identification using the definition of disability as outlined by the International Labour Organization. It reads as follows: Persons with disabilities are those who identify themselves, or who believe that a potential employer would likely consider them to be significantly disabled or handicapped by any one or more persistent physical, mental, or psychiatric conditions or by any persistent learning or sensory disability.

If you feel you fit this definition, you are welcome to submit an application form to us along with your resume and proof of education as listed on your resume. Application forms can be picked up at our office on the 5th floor, West Block, Confederation Building, mailed to you or you can print one from our web site at http://www.gov.nl.ca/openingdoors/apply.htm

Question: I have recently graduated from an IT college and have no work experience in this field...I have loads of experience in administration and have tried to find employment in both fields with no success...I am afraid my education has been wasted in this province and I am going to have to leave again...is it possible to be over qualified?

Answer: I wouldn't say you are overqualified - as you said yourself, you have no experience in the IT field and it is experienced workers that employers are looking for these days. This is especially true in Newfoundland as there are so many people looking for the few jobs that are available.

As long as I can remember, and believe me, that's a while now, new graduates have been making the same statement - "I can't get a job without experience, but how do I get experience if no one will hire me?" The answer is, you do whatever you have to do to get experience. If that means volunteering your skills for a while to some organization or moving away where you can find a job in your field, then that's what you do.

As for finding a job in the Administration field, if you have lots of experience and good references you should be able to find something. However, there could be a couple of explanations for your difficulty here. First, I gather from what you said that you got your experience in administration outside the province. If this is the case, your references may not be local. Usually, local employers like to see the names (of references) of people they may know in the business community or at least people they can easily contact.

This is assuming you are providing references with your resume. Quite often, today, people are putting on their resumes "references supplied upon request". Most employers want a complete resume from applicants and that includes references.

Finally, it is important, when applying for jobs, to tailor your resume for each position you apply on. Carefully read the qualifications the employer has identified and make sure your resume touches on each of them, especially the education and experience requirements. Don't worry if your resume runs into a second or third page - just make sure you demonstrate to the person reading the resume that you have the experience and the education they are looking for. If you are sending out a "one size fits all" resume to employers this could be one reason why you are not getting any nibbles even in a field in which you have a lot of experience.

Hopefully, I've given you some tips for your job search and some food for thought in helping you what to decide about getting some experience in the IT field. Good luck and try not to get too discouraged.

Question: I have a post secondary diploma and am looking for a summer job.

Answer: With regards to summer employment, The Employment Equity and Strategic Initiatives Division offers a summer employment program for post-secondary students with disabilities. To qualify for this program, students must be enrolled in full-time studies at a recognized educational institution and be returning to full-time studies in September.

If you have graduated from a post-secondary educational institution, you may submit an application to the Office of Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities. Application forms are available from our website, www.gov.nl.ca/openingdoors or by contacting the Office via email, openingdoors@mail.gov.nl.ca, or by telephone, (709) 729-5881 or 1-800-950-4414.

Question: I am recently graduated from a post-secondary education and so far I haven't had much luck with finding a job. I have presented myself rather well, checked back with the employer to show my interest, created a portfolio and still no such luck. Is there anything that I could be doing wrong?

Answer: It sounds to me like you're doing everything right. As you say, you check back with the employer and you have a portfolio that you've developed. You also say you "present" yourself well. I'm not sure what you mean by that and I don't know what your post secondary training involved, but here are some things I would do:

1. Identify employers who could use my skills.

2. Call the human resource/personnel manager and request an appointment to see him/her. If the organization does not have a human resources person, request to see the owner/manager.

3. When you meet with the employer, dress as if you were going to work. For example, if you would be working in an office environment, wear a suit or something equally suitable. Unless you're going to be working in a warehouse or something of that nature, it does not leave a good impression on a potential employer to meet wearing jeans.

4. Explain that you are just graduated and looking for work. You understand that the organization does X, Y and Z , that you have skills in these areas, as evidenced by your portfolio, and feel you could be an asset to the organization.

5. Ask if they are expecting any vacancies on which you could apply on in the near future. Also ask if they keep resumes on file or if they prefer to have people apply as vacancies occur? Where do they advertise their vacancies? and do they know of any organizations that might be looking to hire someone with your skills at this time?

6. Thank them for the time they've taken to meet with you and ask if they would mind you checking back with them from time to time to see if any vacancies are coming up/have occurred.

7. Tailor your resume to meet the qualifications as outlined in the job ad. Most job ads will identify the education and experience the employer is looking for to fill a job vacancy. If you have the education specified in the job ad, make sure it is clearly indicated on your resume. As for the experience, your work experience must clearly identify the same work experience as is identified in the job ad. For example, if a job ad states you must have had experience in providing customer service, don't assume that by putting in your resume that you worked at WalMart that an employer will know you provided customer service. So look at each job ad and make sure your work experience includes those experience factors identified in the job ad.

8. Don't get discouraged. If you keep at it, you will eventually hit on a job.

That's about all I can think of. I hope I've identified a few pointers for you and I wish you every success in your job search.

Question: What is the definition of a disabled person? It it just someone with a visible handicap?

Answer: The definition of a person with a disability used by the Office of Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities is the same one used by the International Labour Organization. It states:

"Persons with disabilities are those who identify themselves, or who believe that a potential employer would likely consider them to be significantly handicapped or disabled by any one or more persistent physical, mental, or psychiatric conditions or by any persistent learning or sensory disability."

The Federal Government has defined persons with disabilities as:

"...persons who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who (a) consider themselves to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment, or (b) believe that an employer or potential employer is likely to consider them to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment, and includes persons whose functional limitations owing to their impairment have been accommodated in their current job or workplace."

It would seem to me that your diagnosis would put you in the category of a person with a disability and I would certainly suggest you submit your application for inclusion in our Client Registry. You can learn more about our programs and services by visiting our web site at www.gov.nl.ca/openingdoors  or by calling us at 709-729-5881 or toll free 1-800-950-4414.

Question: Is there any assistance available to obtain training for a person who has been out of the workforce for a long time?

Answer: With regards to available assistance, you could contact your local office of the Provincial Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment and inquire about the Labour Market Assistance for Persons with Disabilities program. You could also contact the local office of Human Resources Development Canada to inquire about any financial assistance available through the Opportunities Fund. Student loans are also available.

Correspondence courses vary, depending on the educational institution. I would recommend calling educational institutions such as MUN, College of the North Atlantic and the private colleges to ask about correspondence courses/distance learning opportunities related to computers and office skills. This can also be done by visiting the web sites of these educational institutions. Another option would be to call the Career Information Hotline at 1-800-563-6600 to ask about training opportunities in the office/computer fields.

Question:  I would like to know more about your program and about job openings available. 

Answer: The Office of Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities currently has three hiring initiatives, the Opening Doors Program, Summer Employment Program and a Wage Subsidy initiative. A complete description for each of these can be found on our web site at www.gov.nl.ca/openingdoors.  Please feel free to review these hiring initiatives and contact the Office if you have any additional questions. Also, our site has a job postings page which can be accessed using the above link and choosing Clients and Practitioners followed by the Client Features / Job Postings button.

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