stormwater engineer project manager career

Stormwater Engineer Project Manager Career Toronto

Christine Lord

Our client is searching for a dedicated and passionate Engineer with stormwater project management experience to join their team.

The Role – Stormwater Engineer Project Manager Career

The Stormwater Engineer Project Manager will be responsible for preparing stormwater management related studies through the entire planning and designing process.

The Candidate:

  • Registered Professional Engineer or Civil Technologist in Ontario, or eligible for registration
  • 6+ year’s experience in stormwater management work in land development
  • Strong working knowledge of various software programs for stormwater design (e.g. PCSWMM, Visual OTTHYMO, HEC-RAS)
  • Thorough knowledge and understanding of the approval process including draft planning and detailed design project stages
  • Ability to lead and manage a multidisciplinary team of professionals
  • Ability to prioritize multiple tasks 
  • Excellent communication skills and work ethic

Are you interested in joining a fast growing Consulting Engineering Firm in the Toronto area? Find out more about this opportunity by contacting Christine at contact(at)fusioncareer.com or go to the Fusion Career Services Job Board.

Do you know someone who might be right for this position? Share this job posting – Stormwater Engineer Project Manager Career.

At Fusion Career Services we are always interested in talking to people about their next career advancement. Contact us today.

traits top performing employees

Four Traits Top Performing Employees Share

Michael Caicco

This month’s topic is an interesting one, as we look at identifying the characteristics of a top performing employee. Working in this industry for so many years, our consultants have developed a checklist to help us identify potential top performers. 

However, before we can venture into that, we must first decide on a clear definition of what a top performing employee is. Is it someone who shows up on time, excels at communication, or is a natural leader? All of these are great skills to have, but certain skills are valued more depending on the role of the employee.

For our purposes, let’s agree that a top performer is an ideal combination of the aforementioned indicators – equally smart, capable and enthusiastic, with the ability to become an influential leader. Working in this industry for so many years, our consultants have developed a checklist to help us identify potential top performers. That list includes a variety of traits that easily define a top performer; and here they are:

Four Traits Top Performing Employees Share

Work Ethic:

Having a strong work ethic is a characteristic that every employer would want in a future employee. A valued employee is not simply the person who is willing to work hard; they are the employee who searches out ways to contribute most. A person with a great work ethic would have a history of demonstrating their willingness to contribute, as well as a desire to lead and come up with ideas on their own.

Skills development:

A clear sign of a good employee and one you can identify simply by looking at their resume is someone who has and continues to improve their skills to become even better. These employees continually look for ways to learn and grow personally and professionally, in a way that helps the growth of the organization.

Cool under pressure:

Confidence is a great trait that translates positively into any potential role or career path. Having confidence gives top performers the ability to clearly analyze situations and solve problems – especially in roles that involve tight deadlines. Having the ability to be cool as a cucumber even in the stickiest of situations – is a quality someone on your team should always possess.

Good people skills:

Top performers tend to have larger professional networks than your typical workers. They realize the importance of “who you know” and how it can often help advance a career. When necessary, they will call on their contacts inside and outside the company for knowledge and insight into how to approach a problem or for general support. They don’t necessarily have to be an extrovert, but they should understand the value of nurturing professional relationships.

These four traits top performing employees share are just a few of the traits we look for when seeking out candidates, however, it’s not always easy to identify these traits simply by looking at a resume or conducting an interview. So it’s very important to have the ability to pick up clues from a resume, such as length of service, and to craft your interview questions accordingly. Working with a seasoned human resources consultant to develop a strategy will give you the advantage and knowledge you need to recruit top performers for your team.

job search interviewer research

Doing your Homework – Job Search Interviewer Research

Fusion Career Recruiter

Welcome back to Part Two of Doing your Homework – Job Search Interviewer Research ! Today we will discuss interviewer research and why it is imperative to do this before your interview.

In Part One we explored company research. There are many different questions you can expect to be asked during an interview. You might be asked why you are interested in working for this company? The information is right in front of you and as a candidate you need to do your due diligence. Adding to this note, there is interviewer research. This is where you take the time to research the interviewer and give yourself a sense of who you are meeting with before the interview. Below is a guideline on how and why job search interviewer research should be part of your interview prep…

Before an interview you are often given information on who you will be meeting with. You may be given just a name, or name and a title. A title makes your job in researching much simpler. However, sometimes it is not that easy and this is when we commission the help of the internet! There are many different ways of finding out information on your interviewer, below are a few ways you can search the internet and conduct job search interviewer research:

  • LinkedIn – By now you should have a LinkedIn account! Search for the interviewer’s name in LinkedIn with the company name. If you are lucky you will have a first and a last name. If you only have a first name, not to worry, adding the company name should narrow down the search. LinkedIn is the best way to find out who you are interviewing with. Typically the hiring manager will have a summary of themselves on LinkedIn where you can learn a bit about their background and role. If you are unable to locate the interviewer on LinkedIn there are other options to find them.
  • Company Website – Depending on the size of the organization you may be able to find information about your interviewer on the company website. You may find a profile of the hiring manager that offers a bit of insight on how they contribute to the organization. However, if the organization is large it may not be possible to find them on the website.
  • Search Engine – If you are unable to locate the interviewer on LinkedIn or the company website you can attempt to find the them with an internet search of their name and company. If the interviewer contributes to a company blog, charities or has a company profile set up somewhere else the search engine will pick it up.
  • Your Network – Don’t forget to use your network of people you know. You may have a friend, or friend of a friend who works for the company. Use your network to find out information about the hiring manager.

You may be wondering why you should conduct job search interviewer research? When you take a moment to learn more about who you are meeting with you are offering yourself a sense of ease. It’s almost like a blind date except it’s a blind interview, you don’t know what to expect. If you do your due diligence you will learn things like what position the interviewer holds and how does the interviewer contribute to the organization? You can also find out interesting facts about your interviewer, such as if they participate in charity events or they went to the same post-graduate school as you. Alternatively, you could end up face to face with the President of the company during an interview. Take the opportunity to research your interviewer so you can walk in knowing who you are meeting with, what they do and how significant they are to the organization. Your preparation will not only impress your potential employer but will give you a better chance at landing the opportunity.

Read more about Doing Your Homework – Job Search in part one of this blog on Company Research.

inside sales career toronto food industry

Inside Sales Representative Career Toronto – Food Production Industry

Christine Lord

Our Client is looking for an Inside Sales Representative with a strong sales track record to join their team. This opportunity offers a fun and challenging work environment where you can use your sales experience to help grow the company! 

The Role – Inside Sales Career Toronto Food Industry:

The Inside Sales Representative will be responsible for seeking out new customers and growing revenue base from existing customers.

The Candidate:

  • 3-5 years’ Sales experience.
  • Recent experience in the food industry is strongly preferred.
  • Ability to overcome objections from prospective customers.
  • Strong communication and negotiation skills.
  • Experience developing sales opportunities with new and existing customers.
  • Proven experience achieving sales goals.
  • Ability to work in a fast paced office environment and maintain positive relationships with customers.

Are you interested in joining an internationally recognized and established food production company ? Find out more about this opportunity by contacting Christine at contact(at)fusioncareer.com or go to the Fusion Career Services Job Board.

Do you know someone who might be right for this position? Share this job posting – Inside Sales Career Toronto Food Industry.

At Fusion Career Services we are always interested in talking to people about their next career advancement. Contact us today.

vacation scheduling headaches

Vacation Time! Do you need a break from scheduling summer vacations?

Carol Irwin

Summer is almost here and so is the season for weddings, cottages, camping, golf, outdoor patios, concerts and more!  Follow these Manager Tips for avoiding Vacation Scheduling Headaches.

We all look forward to the summer and taking a break from work. Time away from work is important for everyone. Vacations can contribute to stress relief, make us happier, healthier and even more productive when we return to work.

If you are in charge of scheduling staff vacations, you may wish you could just cancel the summer vacation. Juggling multiple requests for vacation time and extra long weekends can be difficult. As a manager you want to keep your employees happy, but you also have a business to run. Here are a few tips to help avoid vacation scheduling headaches.

  • Vacation Policy – Have a written vacation policy with information on how and when to request time off.
  • Communicate – Make sure you communicate the vacation policy to all staff. Each year you should send out a reminder about the vacation policy well in advance of the busy vacation times – summer, before and after Statutory Holidays, and Christmas or other faith holidays.
  • Deadline for Vacation Requests – To avoid last minute requests, some companies set a deadline for vacation requests.
  • Minimum Staffing – Each area of your business should establish the minimum staffing level needed to operate.
  • Back ups and Cross Training – Make sure your staff can fill each others roles to cover vacation and illness.
  • Production Peaks – You know your business and if you have production peaks during the summer or other popular vacation times, you may need to establish black out periods where vacation requests will not be accepted.
  • Vacation Calendar – Set up a master vacation calendar so you and your employees can view approved vacation, pending requests, black out periods, Statutory Holidays, Faith holidays, etc.
  • Vacation Day Tracker – Set up a system that tracks vacation days earned and used, so that managers and employees always have up to date information. Many Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) and / or payroll systems automatically track vacation time and pay.
  • Requests in Writing – Set up a system where employees request vacation time in writing. Managers are busy with many tasks and a verbal request for vacation time months in advance can easily be forgotten and create havoc down the road. Insist everyone use the vacation calendar and request vacation time in writing.
  • 1 week block of vacation – Taking vacation in 1 week blocks is preferred to taking single days off work. The Ontario Ministry of Labour suggests employees take their vacation in 1 week periods. A balanced approach could involve asking employees to take at least 1 yearly vacation break that is 1 full week. 

Managers and staff should work together to make sure production and service levels are maintained over the summer. Be flexible and book vacations early in the year. Good luck avoiding vacation scheduling headaches! Learn about the minimum requirements for vacation pay and vacation time at the MOL website.

job search company research

Doing your Homework – Job Search Company Research

Fusion Career Recruiter

As we all know the interview stage is the most important stage when it comes to your job search. This is where you as the candidate get to be face-to-face with the employer. Doing job search company research will better prepare you for the interview.

There are many aspects to the interview where you will be tested on your knowledge and how much research you have done. Therefore, it is vital before you get into the hot seat that you are well prepared. Today, I will take you through Part One of Doing your Homework, which is job search company research.

As a diligent job seeker it is essential to  thoroughly research the company’s website before the interview. There are three main aspects that need to be covered when you are conducting job search company research.

  1. You want to check their ‘About Us’ or ‘Overview’ page. This page will take you through the history of the company, when they started, who founded the company, why they are in existence and what they are doing presently. This area will also take you through the mission statement. The mission statement will show you the company’s goals and values. This will really give you an idea of what they’ve done and where they are headed. Be sure to be an active reader who is result driven. It is not enough to merely skim read it, try to see where you can see yourself fit in and do not be afraid to broach the topic during the interview. Your interviewers will be impressed that you took the time and effort to actually visit their website. Believe it or not most candidates do not do this step and consequentially do not stand out. But make sure that you do not bring it up where it is not appropriate. The best time to show your research might actually be at the end during the chance to ask questions.
  2. The next area you want to take a look at is their ‘Portfolio’, this maybe labeled differently depending on the company. Their portfolio will give you access to see the types of projects they have worked on, and what type of work they typically do. In the portfolio section, you may find out who their main customers are or which industry they serve the most.
  3. Lastly, take a look at the company’s corporate social responsibility section. Here you will learn about how they participate in voluntary activities to better the society.

An employer will often want find out what you know about them; specifically, what types of projects they’ve worked on, who their customers are and if you know about their corporate social responsibility policy. Be sure to explore anything outside of these three points too, it is important to go through areas of the website that are relevant and learn as much as you can. Employers are not looking to see whether or not you can memorize their website. They are looking to see if you are well prepared to answer those types of questions, and to see how much research you can do with limited resources because not all websites will give you all the information you need.

Taking the time to do job search company research will not only make you seem well informed, but it will show the employer the amount of interest you have and how dedicated you are to landing the opportunity. These are all positive qualities to have when interviewing. In Part Two of Doing your Homework, we will discuss researching the interviewers and why it is important to learn about who you are interviewing with before you meet them.