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Resume Rejuvination

Holly Flinkman

Would you walk 8000 steps per day if you knew that you should walk 10,000 to acquire maximum health benefits? Most would say no. The same question could be asked in relation to your resume. Would you send out a resume that is mediocre, when you know that employers will only look at a resume that is eye-catching and has all the qualifications? Untitled-2

Getting the job of your dreams will, in most cases, start with the resume you send to the potential employer. Paying attention to the fine details can make or break the "first impression" that your resume may need to catch the eye of the potential employer. The first step of getting an interview is a great resume. Below are some tips to help you impress your potential employer when writing your resume.

The Cover Letter:

Cover letters are important and sometimes mandatory for your applications. In some cases where employers receive hundreds of resumes, cover letters are rarely read. Because of this, make sure all of your important work details are written in your resume because some potential employers will only look at the resume and not the carefully-written cover letter.

The Resume:

Purpose or Opening Statement - Always open with the purpose of your resume or what you are looking for in a position with the particular company or position of choice.

Skills - Include a skills section. Read over the job description or posting for the particular position that you are applying for. Highlight your resume in this section with the skills required for the position and ensure that you include those posted in the job posting.

Work Experience - Include all relevant previous work experience. Include your past 5 years work history plus any other relevant work experience. Include 5-10 years (based on amount of positions) including dates, company and key tasks related to the position you are applying for. Include other related work experience in smaller form as it relates to the position you are applying for.

Education - Include education in your resume if the position requires it or where it is relevant.

Always tailor your resume to the particular position you are applying for. With each position you will need to modify key areas of work experience that you have acquired and highlight these based on the job posting.

Seek employment centers to assist with updating your resume. This will benefit any persons who are new to the workforce after many years without an updated resume. Electronic is the best way to send a resume. Always attach your resume and additionally copy and paste it to the body of your email to ensure that it goes to the potential employer. Blind carbon-copy the resume back to you to ensure it is sent and save it in an inbox file.

Remember that the more you know about the benefits of a well-written resume, the better. Always apply to a job with a “can do” attitude and seek professional advice if you need assistance with getting that amazing job. In all cases, you have to help yourself in being successful!

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Lack of knowledge and promotion stunts green building

Greg Kalyniuk

You can go to the grocery store and buy either regular or organic produce. You can also go to a city near you and buy either regular or “green” building construction. The organic produce of today is in demand and customers pay a premium for it. The questions are whether the same can be said for “green” homes and commercial buildings in the Okanagan and whether homeowners really care.

The allure of a green building is the demonstrated energy efficiency and reduced carbon footprint they provide. While more expensive to build it is the long term energy savings payback and the prestige of ownership that brings out buyers.

It could also be argued that the home or office will be much more comfortable and healthy to live in, and these benefits alone are worth the higher construction costs.

Just as organic produce has industry standards for being called organic, green buildings have industry standards that must be met before they can be called green. For simplicity green building means either of two accepted designations:

Built Green or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Both designations were developed to ensure buildings are more energy efficient, have better indoor air quality and use materials and building practices that reduce environmental impact. Both designations have various levels of green.

There are 13 Built Green registered builders in the Okanagan, who have registered 88 residences in the program, of which 66 are accounted for by the Mission Group in Kelowna.

Compare that to only one LEED Platinum certified residence in Vernon designed by the architect Hugh Bitz, and built by Okanagan Sustain Homes. According to the Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation there were 1,059 single family housing starts in the Okanagan in 2009. Among the total number of homes on the market in the Okanagan today, there are only a handful of green homes to choose from.

There are at least 10 LEED certified commercial buildings in the Okanagan. Most notable of these is the Centre for Learning at UBCO, which was completed in July 2009 at a cost of $28 m. Out of all the commercial buildings in the Okanagan then, the number of LEED certified buildings is also very small.

There are several reasons why. Firstly, the certification process and the standards for building green are just now becoming more accepted. The Built Green program only came to B.C. in 2006 and is only available in B.C. and Alberta at this time. The LEEDS certification, while more accepted in the U.S., has only been available in Canada since 2004. It is pretty hard to have green certified buildings if the certification agencies themselves are relatively new and not accepted by builders and homeowners.

Another factor is the lack of appropriate technology and construction materials. For example, the ICF (insulating concrete form) system of building walls is just now becoming a more accepted construction method. Green construction materials are also very hard to come by and expensive. Again, pretty hard to have a green building if you can’t get the right materials or the building systems aren’t practical.

Perhaps the largest factor to green homes not becoming more available is that homeowners do not even know that this is an option. A few builders have taken a lead in educating homeowners and building green homes, but the majority of builders are content with building homes quickly, inexpensively and the way they always have.

Until builders and developers promote to customers the benefits of a green home there won’t be many buyers.

At this point most home and business building owners don’t really care whether a building is “green” or not. Maybe they want a blue one instead! Seriously though, the facts are that most buildings today are not built to either a LEED or even to the less stringent Build Green standard and people aren’t asking for them. Given a choice I would rather eat organic produce than the other stuff and similarly, I would rather live or work in a green building than a regular one.

The time will come though when most homes and commercial buildings will be built green and that will be a good thing.

Greg Kalyniuk is a Vernon realtor working for RE/MAX. You can reach him at 250-503-3758 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Views expressed in this article are the opinions of Greg Kalyniuk and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of RE/MAX Vernon.

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