Our Services & Workshops

Want to Fast Track Your Way to Employment? The SfC ERC is a self-directed Centre providing you with the tools and resources you need to find work...FAST. All our services are FREE and registration is required to use the facilities.  Please click on the Resources and Services below for more information (where applicable):

• FREE E-newsletter
  • Receive our workshop calendar every month as well as information on upcoming job fairs and events that will help you, the job seeker, get to work faster. Subscribe now...
• Job Search Workshops
• Newcomers – Talk Your Way to a Job program
• Guest Speaker Events
• one2one COACHING - Personalized 1/2 hour coaching sessions designed specifically for your employment-preparation
• Job Search Resources: Books, Directories and Videos
  • Searching for that video that can help you polish your interview skills or a reference book that can help you create that winning resume?  Visit the Skills for Change Employment Resource Centre and take a look at our extensive Video and Reference Book Library. We offer a comfortable viewing area with a TV and VCR to watch videos or read books at your leisure.
• Friendly and knowledgeable staff support
• Hi-speed Internet Access, including FREE Wireless Access
  • Once you register with our Centre our friendly staff will provide you with a User Name and Password to gain access to our computer system.  These Client Accounts allow users to safely store and retrieve information from our system. Staff are available to scan your media (USB's, CD's and Disks) for viruses and transfer files to your account.
• Free Photocopying, Fax and Telephone Services
• An environment that values diversity and respect for one another

• Avoid Workplace Culture Shock

  • New to Canada?

    Expecting Your First Job Offer?

    Uncertain About the Working Environment?

     

    Attend This Workshop!

    Gain insights into ‘on the job’ expectations

    Discover hidden and surface cultural workplace differences

• Business Cards as a Marketing Tool
  • Get an edge over the competition. Create your own business card and get connected with confidence.

• Create Your Own Professional Website4Free

  Download flyer for more details

  • Create your Personal Website to Clinch That Job!
    With an increasing number of employment portals emerging, it is apparent that a professional profile website helps bring together job-seekers and employers. A simple website enables the job-seeker to promote his/her skills and talents by using samples of their accomplishments. Instead of just sending a plain resume employers are provided with a graphically enhanced, content rich picture of a potential candidate. Professional profile web sites are a great opportunity to impress employers before the interview and get you ahead of the competition!

• Creating a Resume That Gets Noticed By Employers
  • How can you increase your chances of landing that interview? Bring a rough draft of your résumé and find out how to present your qualifications and experiences more effectively. Content is one of the most important elements in writing a résumé that will get favourable responses. Learn what information goes in a résumé and how to present it.
• Developing a Professional Portfolio as a Marketing Tool
  • Learn how to develop a Professional Portfolio that will showcase your strengths and accomplishments. Impress the interviewer by providing them with a visual of why you are the best candidate for the position.
• HI 5 Steps to Networking Workout
  • Are you nervous about approaching strangers for employment information or job leads? Stop! Take a deep breath, calm down, and practice your self-marketing skills. Where do you start? This 2-hour workout will:
    • Make you more aware of the impression you make on others
    • Give you an opportunity to practice the communication skills you need to market yourself effectively
    • Start you thinking about how you will build your networking database
• “It’s Your Call” Telephone Interview Practice Workshop
  • Attend this interactive workshop! Come away with tips on how to sound “hireable" during a telephone interview.

    You will:

    • Find out why employers screen candidates over the telephone
    • Get tips on preparing for the telephone interview
    • Practice your telephone skills
• Labour Market Information (LMI) - Research the Current and Future Prospects for Your Occupation
  • At this monthly workshop for a group of up to four clients, we provide individualized hands-on instruction in using the Internet to collect useful information regarding your specific job type.

    Based on Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC), clients determine which job titles, occupational codes and keywords correspond to their own career interests. According to these titles, codes and keywords, the facilitator then guides each client in using the computer to research the following types of information (including for any Canadian province and city):

    • job description, nature of the work, example job titles, main duties, related occupations
    • terms and conditions, job and skill requirements, employment requirements
    • current conditions, employment prospects, employment potential, employment trends
    • average occupational unemployment rate
    • within your occupation, the percentages of: full-time and part-time workers; self-employed individuals; men and women; various age groups
    • job search methods, and what types of companies and organizations typically employ workers in your occupation
    • wages and salaries
    • required/related educational programs, where to get training, local training information
    • associations and unions
    • other information sources, other related information
• Laugh or Go Bananas! A Humour Therapy Workshop for Your Organization or Company
  • Exercise regularly. Stay away from fried foods. Laugh more? It doesn't seem like the typical prescription, but the benefits of laughter may help keep the doctor away – and keep you sane at the office. Laughter has been touted by a growing number of health care professionals as a form of exercise that helps keep the body and mind fit. The benefits of laughter and humor can be experienced through our Humour Therapy Workshop – Laugh or Go Bananas.

    This 90-minute, interactive workshop gets groups (from five to 200 in size) up on their feet, practising their laughing exercises, letting off steam, and dancing the salsa. Under the care of Dr. Giggles, participants shed their inhibitions and learn how to manage their external stress with their “internal smile.”

    Special: If you are interested in having Dr. Giggles come to your organization/company for a workshop, please call us at 416-572-0790 to book your event.

• Network Your Way to a Job
  • Connect with employers by learning the art of professional networking
• Researching a Specific Employer: Impress the Company or Organization with Your Knowledge of Them and How You Could Fit In
  • There are plenty of reasons for learning as much as you can about a potential employer:
    • you’ll be able to customize your cover letter and resume: give your motivation for wanting to work there, and show how you could substantially contribute to the organization
    • you can impress company representatives – also, don’t waste their time by asking for information that you could have obtained on your own
    • if you need to negotiate pay or other job benefits, if you have a choice between more than one job offer, or if you find out ahead of time that the company or job is not suitable for you, you’ll be able to make smarter time-management and career decisions

    This workshop shows you how to research an employer by starting with ‘non-contact methods’ (Internet searches, including company websites, and the SfC ERC website, business directories and other printed materials; newspaper websites; and public library resources). Even if you don’t know the company name (e.g. if you only have their fax number, telephone number, email address, or street address), there are several ways to search for it.

    After you’ve done your basic company research through non-contact methods, you can prepare yourself to confidently make direct contact with them (by telephone, email, or by visiting them in person). The workshop facilitator and participants discuss general guidelines for contacting potential employers, and what traps to avoid during these contacts.

    Finally, we talk about company reputation: sources of information on Toronto’s and Canada’s best employers, as well as ways of finding out about companies or organizations that may have been the subject of significant negative criticism.

• Setting Goals and Following Through
  • Goal setting is the process you use to set your direction in life.  By setting goals on a routine basis you decide what you want to achieve, and then move step-by-step towards the achievement of these goals. This complete goal workout will motivate you to set goals while having fun.
• Start Your Own Business Series
  Download flyer for more details

  • Learn what it takes to be your own boss.

Decide exactly what it is you’re selling.

Research who else is selling it and how much of the market you can expect.

Develop a business plan to help you run your business.

You’ll come away from this series of workshops able to decide if you want to be self-employed.

If you do, they will help you focus on your target market.

Starting to develop a business plan will increase your chance for success.

• The Interview Process

  • Your resume landed you the interview but how do you successfully sell yourself to get that job? This workshop will tell you how! Develop and Practice Your Interview Skills by preparing your "K-A-S-E" (Knowledge, Accomplishments, Skills and Experience).

• Writing a Persuasive Cover Letter Customized to the Position and Company
  • A standardized cover letter is very easy for employers to ignore. However, if you take the time to tailor your letter, the company will realize you’re serious about joining them. A few extra hours spent by you now on an important application could make a big difference in your future job satisfaction, pay level, quality of life, etc.

    Topics discussed during our cover letter workshop include:

    • the purpose of a cover letter, and how it connects with your resume and job posting
    • information to include (and exclude), for: (1) a response to a job advertisement; (2) ‘cold calling’ – applying to a company where you have not heard of a possible opening for your type of job; (3) referral from somebody you have been in contact with; and (4) an application through a recruitment agency
    • showing your knowledge of the employer; summarizing your relevant qualifications and achievements: (1) how you meet the requirements, (2) how you could benefit the organization, and (3) what extra qualifications you can offer – use appropriate keywords to demonstrate your professional knowledge; finally, write about getting an interview
    • resources: Canada’s National Occupational Classification; books and Internet websites with sample resumes and cover letters
    • parts of a cover letter, and how to combine them into a coherent and persuasive document
    • formatting and application method tips, including for cover letters/resumes sent by computer

Details about Newcomers, Talk Your Way to a Job!

Guest Speakers  

Details about our upcoming Guest Speakers

one2one COACHING 

one2one COACHING is for job seekers looking for work in any field. You may need help with your work search documents, preparing for an interview or conducting an effective job search. Our coaching team can help you with resume critiques, cover letter reviews, mock interviews, and much more. 

Coaching Team
The Skills for Change Employment Resource Centre’s coaching team is experienced in helping job seekers prepare for finding employment.  They are experts in assessing your needs, and preparing you to apply job search techniques successfully.

Details on one2one Coaching Services

Last updated January 24, 2008