Job Seekers thread Mark 2

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Weitz

What you heard was normal a year ago is probably high now. A lawyer is likely to see most of anything you might get. If you are around 3 weeks a year it’s not worth your time. 2 weeks a year might be worth your time to try.

Remember it will be months and months to battle it out and if you get a job in the meantime it changes everything.

Probably less then 5% chance of a demand letter working these days.

Depending on the role, 2 weeks/year is definitely worth your time to talk to a lawyer.
In my experience, severance should start at minimum, 3 weeks/year. More senior roles at least 4 weeks/year.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Torture

Depending on the role, 2 weeks/year is definitely worth your time to talk to a lawyer.
In my experience, severance should start at minimum, 3 weeks/year. More senior roles at least 4 weeks/year.

Operator side I am assuming? Two weeks/year has always been what I have seen on the service sector side, and that stretches back thirty years now.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I think I talked about it, but late last week I applied to a technology company in a role that was a really good fit to what I've done, They sent back a questionaire to ask me some questions about my experience, which I sent back. then yesterday they sent me a scenario test that I worked on and sent back to them.

(Its amazing the hoops that you have to jump through now).

Anyways I heard back from them this morning that they want to interview me, which is a great piece of news, and makes me a bit happy.

Unfortunately in a way its a role in Vancouver.

I don't mind the idea of packing up and moving. I have some real concerns about it. I have my parents to think about, in terms of my mom we're seeing more and more issues with her after her brain injury a few years ago, and my dad is doing a great job of taking care of her. But I worry about that. Yeah yeah I get it, Vancouver's not that far away.

But at the same time, I'm really pessimistic about anything good happening in Alberta for a long time, and I know I had to start stretching my search out.

I talked to my dad about it this morning, just to be fair, and while he encouraged me to follow though on this, I could tell that he was down. I mean I go for coffee with them a couple of times a week, and the only other family member is my older sister, who's very self looking.

Ugh, I do want this job though.

Well, it's kind of a no-brainer. You need a job and if the only offer comes from Vancouver, off you go. I don't mean that to be snarky - more like to let yourself off the hook from feeling bad about it. Leaving your parents would suck, but again, no choice so no point in beating yourself up.

Maybe your sister will step up, anyway. Sounds like your parents are getting to the age of being a hassle. If you let them, they may lean on you too hard over the next few years. Good time to cut and run.

Also, Vancouver would be a good move IMO. Edmonton is just a lot like Calgary, except worse in every way. Like a giant Airdrie. Eww. At least Vancouver is somewhat interesting with a different lifestyle and a total change of scenery. You'll have to put up with the self-righteousness and dirty hippies, but screwing around with weird ocean things will entertain you for a good couple years, I'd think.

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Its disheartening, and I get pretty resentful when I don't hear back, because I personally think its a little rude, no matter how busy you are you can figure out a way to send an auto email.

I don't email people back. In ads I post, it's always, "We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only successful candidates will be contacted about next steps," or something to that effect. It's way too time consuming to email everyone back. Plus, you're inviting people to email you for the next two months "checking in" and to remind you they exist. That gets exhausting and disruptive. As an employer, I would not want to pay people to respond to these things anyway.

Don't expect an email back. You'll get an email if they're interested, and obviously fire off a follow-up a week or so after you first send the resume. People are already busy and stressed out enough. Don't assign people you don't even know more work when there is literally no point.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Operator side I am assuming? Two weeks/year has always been what I have seen on the service sector side, and that stretches back thirty years now.

I'm not in O&G but I work in HR. It depends on the role as severance is supposed to meet employer's common law obligation to provide a bridge to the next job.

So what type of role you do, how senior it is, how hard it will be to find another job, your age, etc all play into it once you get the lawyers involved but most companies would have a standard starting point.

Every company I've worked at has operated off at least 3 weeks per year as the starting point and then higher for more senior roles...my current company uses 4 weeks/year as the starting point.
But every organization is going to have a different calculus on their roles and philosophy on risk tolerance and whether they want to pay more up front or try to low ball and pay more in legal fees.

[flamesfan1297]

What sites are you guys using to look for jobs? Right now I'm using indeed, LinkedIn a little bit, and I'm going to companies sites directly. Any other suggestions?

[CaptainCrunch]

Zip Recruiter, Neuvoo.ca, Jobbio, Angelist.com. Career Builder. Linkedin,

[skudr248]

@captaincrunch

I made the move to Vancouver 3.5 years ago after I was laid off from my O&G job. It was a tough decision... But I didn’t see much hope in Calgary for work at the time, I broke up with a long term girlfriend, said goodbye to my friends and family and abruptly packed my car up and drove west.

Best decision I ever made career wise, Vancouver opened up many doors for me and I’ve done quite well for myself. You can always move back, remember that. I hate the rain, with a passion but it is what it is. I plan to eventually maybe move back to Calgary once things become more clear because affordability of housing is pretty stupid here.

As you’re in tech, there is an abundant amount of tech jobs here, so if this one doesn’t work out, another job will be waiting for you.

If you have any questions, feel free to pm me, I don’t mind answering any questions you may have etc.

[Torture]

I found during my job search in the summer that pretty much everything is on Indeed & LinkedIn nowadays. All the other aggregators just seem to have out of date expired jobs.

Also, don't procrastinate when applying. Lots of recruiters will look through a req for candidates shortly after if it's posted, especially if they need someone urgently. They may not see every applicant that applies to a role, especially when there is 100s. Best to get it in sooner and maximize your chances. Also less competition at that point.

Until you actually talk to a person it's not so much about being the best candidate, it's about being one of the best candidate they see.

[CaptainCrunch]

Ok, so I'm working on negotiating with one of my opportunities, which is the tech incubator company.


So I have some questions for the brain trust here because you guys are all brilliant.


It looks like they're preferences for this role is as a contractor. That's fine, though I've never worked as a contractor before I've always been an employee.


I need to understand the steps of this



1) I was looking it up, and they recomended registering a business, is there an easy way to do this and costs. I'm assuming that I'm probably going to want to do a sole proprietorship right.


2) How do I handle paying myself out of this, I'm guessing I'm just withdrawing income from the business as an expense?


3) How do I go about submitting my taxes and CPP I'm assuming I do that as an indivual from the funds that I withdraw from the business?


4) Is there anyway to protect myself with EI?


5) Any recommendation on health planes. I was looking at Sureplan but are there others I should look at.


6) Am I going to need an accountant to navigate me through this?


Anything else I should be thinking of.

[cSpooge]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Ok, so I'm working on negotiating with one of my opportunities, which is the tech incubator company.


So I have some questions for the brain trust here because you guys are all brilliant.


It looks like they're preferences for this role is as a contractor. That's fine, though I've never worked as a contractor before I've always been an employee.


I need to understand the steps of this



1) I was looking it up, and they recomended registering a business, is there an easy way to do this and costs. I'm assuming that I'm probably going to want to do a sole proprietorship right.


2) How do I handle paying myself out of this, I'm guessing I'm just withdrawing income from the business as an expense?


3) How do I go about submitting my taxes and CPP I'm assuming I do that as an indivual from the funds that I withdraw from the business?


4) Is there anyway to protect myself with EI?


5) Any recommendation on health planes. I was looking at Sureplan but are there others I should look at.


6) Am I going to need an accountant to navigate me through this?


Anything else I should be thinking of.

3) CPP/Taxes are done with your normal return if you're doing Sole Prop and not a corporation T4ing yourself. If you do it corp way, you will have to remit CPP/payroll to CRA.
4) EI can be opted in to through EI then remitted through the Schedule 13 on your personal taxes.

[Kerplunk]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Ok, so I'm working on negotiating with one of my opportunities, which is the tech incubator company.


So I have some questions for the brain trust here because you guys are all brilliant.


It looks like they're preferences for this role is as a contractor. That's fine, though I've never worked as a contractor before I've always been an employee.


I need to understand the steps of this



1) I was looking it up, and they recomended registering a business, is there an easy way to do this and costs. I'm assuming that I'm probably going to want to do a sole proprietorship right.


2) How do I handle paying myself out of this, I'm guessing I'm just withdrawing income from the business as an expense?


3) How do I go about submitting my taxes and CPP I'm assuming I do that as an indivual from the funds that I withdraw from the business?


4) Is there anyway to protect myself with EI?


5) Any recommendation on health planes. I was looking at Sureplan but are there others I should look at.


6) Am I going to need an accountant to navigate me through this?


Anything else I should be thinking of.

Honestly, talk to an accountant. When I did a short contracting stint the guy went through all the options available for paying myself, got QuickBooks set up so all I had to do was enter some data and give it to them at year end, and handled the end of year submission. Well worth the money.

When I did it, I set up a numbered company (cost a few hundred). At the time, the accountant recommended I pay myself in dividends, but through a regular payroll T4 is also possible (and maybe preferred, depending on situation, and would include CPP contributions).

Taxes went through the accountant, who also generated the T5 that I needed for my personal forms.

CPP (if not using a T4) and EI would need to be opted into, if you wanted them...you should be able to opt into CPP?. The way my accountant put it, if you are planning properly then you should be putting money aside for retirement anyway, and you'll get more back than from CPP. Note that you need to set up accounts with the CRA to use the various business accounts.

But ya, definitely find an accountant. Navigating tax stuff is a pain.

[squiggs96]

I cannot be more clear on this: Talk to an accountant that specializes in this. Understand you are going to pay money for this service. The reason you do is because his/her advice is worth it. There are so many things you need to be aware of that can hinder you and there are so many things you can take advantage of. Do not try sourcing this for free on the internet, as you'll get what you pay for. I know of a great number of people that have tried to set these up themselves, talked to a family friend who "does taxes", and ended up in a much worse spot.

Some general things about being a contractor in the IT world:
There is a reason that businesses want to put their IT departments as contractors. None of them are for the benefit of the contractor. They don't want to have to pay CPP, EI, severance, and/or overhead. That's fine. Where the IT contractor gets screwed over is they are usually deemed a Personal Services Business (PSB). This means the earnings are taxed at the highest marginal rate and many of your deductions are denied. This is the single biggest reason to hire an accountant who knows this and can help you navigate it. If you google 'IT contractor personal services business' you will find a ton of pages on how much this situation can hamper you. This is much more complicated than a simple employee versus contractor test.

The accountant you hire can walk you through compensation options. There are benefits and disadvantages to taking a salary out versus dividends. There are lots of planning opportunities to minimize your tax position. I own a company. How I take money out could be vastly different than how you want to take money out and what your cash flow needs are. Asking for advice on this, or any forum, could lead to sending you down the wrong path, because our situations could be vastly different.

[Hockeyguy15]

You should talk to Locke, maybe he can help.

[lazypucker]

One thing I know is that if you are the owner/director of the company, you are EI exempt as you cannot lay yourself off and apply for EI. This has caused a lot of grief for the self-employed that got screwed over for the CERB and CEWS subsidies as they are deemed ineligible.

[CaptainCrunch]

Thanks all, I'm meeting with him again later this week to finalize compensation ideas etc, so once I have that I can make a informed decision.


I read that you can opt into EI as a contractor as well.


Just for those of you on Cerb, and I guess I am on cerb, they're clawing back $1000.00 from the orginal $2000.00 check this week and next. Also your EI system will show you at the end of eligibility. It took forever to get through. But yeah, if you were expecting your usual payment tomorrow, you might be a bit surprised, and when you fill out your next card in a couple of weeks, you'll see about half, and hopefully it will show another 12 weeks of eligibility.


I might be stating that wrong, but just be aware.

[CaptainCrunch]

So its funny, since I modernized my resume and made a pretty cover letter last week, I've set up 7 interviews. I'm negotiating on the contract role, which is a little back and forth. I'm hopefully moving to next steps on two of my interviews, and just had another reach out on an application tonight.


So what did I learn


1) It has to be pretty and have colors to it, when I went and got coaching, she said even though my resume was functionally ok, it didn't look good compared to other people.

2) If your older like me, remove anything but your latest 15 years of work history. Even though people deny it, there's a lot of ageism happening, especially in the current environment.

3) Less is more. Put in three real selling points per job. Don't just put in what you did, but make sure you talk about what you achieved or improved or changed.
4) Again on the age side, remove the date of graduation from university if your a little older.
5) Make sure that you put a skill set section in your resume with every skill that you have, this can get you past the applicant tracking system that filters resumes.


Hopefully this helps some of you.

[GGG]

One thing to note when figuring out a reasonable contractor rate relative to Salary is to ensure you are getting a reasonable premium over your typical Salary number.

8% for four weeks vacation
5% for employer CPP
2% for employer EI
2% for Sick Days
5% RSP matching
2-3% health plan / insurance
2-3% stat days
———————————————-
Just to be close to even in a PSB you need about 25-30% more money to be equivalent with a Salary plus benefits scenario.

[calgarygeologist]

I'm certainly not going to put the cart before the horse but I had someone reach out to me on LinkedIn this morning about a position they are hiring for. They came across my profile and thought it might be a good role for me and we are going to have a chat about the opportunity tomorrow. Hopefully this goes somewhere. It is nice to see some hiring action in progress.

[CaptainCrunch]

Great news Its always better to have someone reach out to you. Go get it.


I received my contract offer today, I told him I'm going to take a few days to review. I mean pay wise its way more then I was making in the last job I was at, and that covers the stuff listed above.



I just need to figure out the mechanics of how to do it.


I know I have to set up a business and get a GST number etc. Set up a business checking account.


I just need to figure out the mechanics of how I pay myself after I invoice and receive the money which I put into my business.


Anyways, I'm excited about the opportunity and it could be cool to try the contracting route as well.

[Nufy]

Your accountant can set you up and advise on how much to take as salary and remit for CPP, EI etc...

Trust me...Get an accountant...You should have one for year end corp stuff anyways.

I use mine for Corp and personal taxes.

At least that's how I do it.

Congrats !!!