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These trades and professions are booming, so if you have the training and aptitude for one of these gigs, you can expect good money, a relative amount of job security and the knowledge that companies are vying to hire you (you hot commodity, you!). And remember, the average worker changes careers -- not jobs, but careers -- three to seven times. So don't be afraid to take the plunge into something new.
Find your dream job
Regardless of the industry or job you're applying for, Peter Harris, Editor-in-Chief at Workopolis.com, has three tips for landing your dream job this year:
1. Target jobs carefully, don't just shotgun apply to every available position out there: Employers can easily spot a generic application and they are seldom impressed by it. What they want to see is a document that tailors your skills and experience specifically to the job that they posted, and that demonstrates what you can do for them. You don't get a job through sending out more applications, you get hired through better applications.
2. Focus on accomplishments in resumes and interviews: List your accomplishments, not your duties at your previous roles. Hiring managers know what job descriptions match your old job titles. The unique and interesting part is what you alone accomplished in that role. What set you apart? What have you done, learned or accomplished there that can be particularly useful to your potential new employer? Write those in your resume and tell those stories in job interviews.
3. Promote your people skills and a solid work ethic: Since 67 per cent of Canadian executives surveyed by Workopolis say that they are having trouble finding candidates with the right attitude, work ethic, communication skills and team working abilities, candidates can really stand out from the crowd by demonstrating that they have all of those qualities in all of their interactions with employers.
You can do this by making sure that your resume is well-written and error free. Highlight the times you've gone the extra mile in order to accomplish goals. Focus on your collaboration with successful teams. Use the job interview to demonstrate your positive attitude, enthusiasm and work ethic.
10 hot jobs in Canada in 2013:
1. Financial managers and accountants
Demand for money managers is increasing as the private and government sectors are looking for whizzes who know the complexities of financial management.
What to expect: An unemployment rate less than half that of the Canadian average.
Tip: If you have knowledge of foreign finance or are fluent in a foreign language, consider yourself doubly attractive -- and pack your bags for a potentially jet-set international career.
Getting started: Visit the international Financial Management Association's website at fma.org.
2. Skilled tradespeople
If you don't want an office job but do want a salary that pays above the national average, this is the sector for you. Unfortunately (or fortunately for you, depending on how you look at it), the skilled trades have suffered stigmatization for a generation. As a result, a shortage of tradespeople is looming in the service (chefs, horticulturalists), construction (electricians, carpenters, plumbers), transportation (aviation technicians, automotive service technicians) and manufacturing (industrial mechanics, tool and die makers) sectors.
Tip: In the next two decades, 40 per cent of new jobs are supposed to be in the skilled trades and technologies.
Getting started: Visit careersintrades.ca for information on training (including paid apprenticeships).
3. Software and mobile developers
Most professions rely on some type of technology and software. Almost every other job out there (plus all the “fun stuff” we do!) relies on technology, and somebody must be designing and updating software, particularly for our smartphones and tablets. Many companies hire third parties to develop mobile apps for their customers or tailored software for their particular needs – you can be the one compiling and programming them.
What to expect: Unlike other in-demand jobs with openings due to retirement, this is a very young industry with new positions being created all the time. According to Harris at Workopolis.com, mobile application developers earn an average of about $91,000 per year.
Getting Started: Visit canlearn.ca for information on how to pursue different types of programming and software careers.
