Employment communication

The job search is a persuasive communication project with you as the product. Every document and conversation, from the résumé to the thank-you note, is a chance to show an employer that you understand their needs and can meet them. Employment communication also runs the other way: employers write job postings, interview questions, offer letters and rejection messages, all of which are governed by human rights and employment law. This lesson covers both sides: preparing résumés and cover letters that get past screening software and impress people, interviewing well, following up and negotiating, and the legal rules on what employers may ask and must disclose in Canada and the United States.

How hiring works

Most employers screen applicants in stages. Many large employers use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to collect applications and help recruiters search and rank them by keywords and qualifications. A recruiter or hiring manager then scans the shortlisted résumés, often for well under a minute each on the first pass. Promising candidates move to a phone or video screen, then one or more interviews, sometimes with a skills test or work sample, and finally reference checks and an offer. Because so many people apply for each posting, each stage eliminates most candidates.

Résumés

A résumé is a concise, targeted marketing document, usually one or two pages, that summarizes your qualifications for a specific job. The most common format is reverse chronological: your most recent experience first. A functional or skills-based format, which groups experience by skill, can help career changers but is viewed with suspicion by some recruiters; a combination format, with a skills summary followed by a chronological history, is a practical compromise.

The heart of a strong résumé is its achievement bullets. Each bullet should begin with a strong action verb (led, reduced, built, negotiated, trained) and describe a result, ideally quantified. One useful formula is challenge, action, result (CAR): what problem you faced, what you did and what happened. Compare "Responsible for social media accounts" with "Grew Instagram followers from 2,100 to 9,800 in 10 months by launching a weekly customer-story series".

To get past an ATS and a quick human scan, tailor each résumé to the posting. Mirror the posting's key terms where they truthfully apply (if the posting says "accounts payable", do not write only "vendor payments"). Use standard section headings and a simple layout without text boxes, tables or graphics, which some systems read poorly. Save in the format requested, usually Word or PDF. And never exaggerate or invent: credentials and past employers are easy to check, and misrepresentation is a common reason for withdrawn offers and dismissals.

Cover letters

A cover letter (or cover email) introduces your résumé and makes the case for why you fit this job at this organization. Not every employer reads them, but many do, and a well-targeted letter can distinguish you, especially for smaller employers or when you are changing careers. A cover letter follows the AIDA pattern from lesson 6. The opening names the position and grabs attention with your strongest qualification or a connection to the organization. The body builds interest and desire with one or two specific achievements that match the employer's needs. The close requests an interview and makes it easy to contact you. Keep it to one page, address it to a named person if possible and never send a generic letter that could go to any employer.

Interviews

Interviews take many forms: phone or video screens, one-on-one interviews, panel interviews, group interviews and technical or case interviews. Most employers now use behavioural questions, which ask how you handled real situations in the past ("Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult customer"), on the principle that past behaviour predicts future behaviour. Prepare for these with the STAR method: describe the situation, the task you faced, the action you took and the result. Prepare five to eight STAR stories that show the skills in the posting, and practise telling each in about two minutes.

Research the employer before the interview: its products, customers, recent news and the role's challenges. Prepare two or three thoughtful questions to ask ("What would success look like in the first six months?"). For video interviews, test your technology, choose a quiet, well-lit spot and look at the camera. After the interview, send a short thank-you email within 24 hours that thanks the interviewer, reinforces one point from the conversation and confirms your interest.

Negotiating an offer

When an offer arrives, thank the employer and ask for it in writing, along with time to consider it. Research the market rate for the role from salary surveys and posted ranges. Negotiate on the whole package, not just salary: vacation, flexible work, signing bonus, start date, training budget and job title can all be discussed. Make a specific, reasoned request based on market data and the value you bring, and keep the tone collaborative.

The law on hiring communication

In Canada, hiring is governed by human rights legislation. Each province and territory has a human rights code (for example, Ontario's Human Rights Code and British Columbia's Human Rights Code), and the Canadian Human Rights Act covers federally regulated employers. These laws prohibit discrimination on protected grounds, which vary by jurisdiction but typically include race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed or religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, marital and family status, and disability. Employers should not ask questions in job applications or interviews that directly or indirectly reveal these grounds, such as age, marital status, plans to have children, religious practices or place of birth, unless a legitimate job requirement applies. Questions about the ability to perform the essential duties of a job are allowed, and employers have a duty to accommodate disabilities to the point of undue hardship. Ontario added new job posting rules from January 1, 2026, for employers with 25 or more employees: publicly advertised postings must include the expected pay or a pay range (no wider than $50,000, for jobs paying $200,000 or less), disclose whether artificial intelligence is used to screen, assess or select applicants, state whether the job is an existing vacancy and not require Canadian experience, and employers must tell interviewed candidates whether a hiring decision has been made within 45 days of their last interview. Pay transparency laws also apply in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, among others.

Candidates who are asked an improper question have several options: answer it if they are comfortable, redirect to the underlying job requirement ("If you are asking whether I can travel, yes, I can meet that requirement") or politely decline. A pattern of such questions may be grounds for a human rights or discrimination complaint.

Portfolio task for lesson 11: find a real job posting that interests you. Write a tailored one-page résumé with at least five quantified achievement bullets, a one-page cover letter using the AIDA pattern and three STAR stories that match the posting's requirements.