With the Caribbean Carnival Parade (weird to write that instead of “Caribana Parade”) taking place in downtown Toronto tomorrow, it is expected that over a million people will pack Lakeshore Boulevard among the other streets of the city’s downtown core. With that, there will be a lot people spending money on food and accommodations among other things.

Is there any way that your store can take advantage of this huge event? Depending on where you are located in the city, you may want to consider offering passers-by some special deals on requirements for the day. Are you a restaurant owner who could possibly advertise a special “parade day lunch”?

Are you a convenience store owner who may be able to offer a free water bottle to customers who spend more than $20 in your store? There are a bunch of ways that you can get in on the fun. It’s all about being creative. As a business owner, it’s important to always be thinking of ways to draw more customers into your establishment.

From their years of experience, our licensed funding specialists, here at Synergy, know that the more creative a business owner is, the more money he or she makes. Sometimes it can be as simple an idea as placing certain items in a new position. One of our reps recalls a client doing this a year ago.

“Last Caribana,” he recalls, “one of our clients – a store owner – decided to take some of the lawn chairs he was selling and put them out in front of the store. On one chair, he put a case of water, on another he set up some caps and visors and on another he put a sign that read: ‘Caribana Specials Today Only’. Between the drinks and even sunblock he sold at discount prices, he nearly doubled his average daily sales.”

There will be a lot of people partying in the streets of Toronto this weekend. Shouldn’t you be one of them? Even if you can’t physically be on Lakeshore this Saturday, you should be able to party in your store all the same. Think of ways that you can take advantage of all of the extra people who will be out this weekend for the parade.

New signage and special discounts are just the beginning. If you would like to discuss these and other promotional ideas to help boost your business, feel free to give one of our friendly funding specialists a call. As always, they are eager to help Canadian business owners build up their businesses. That’s now that’s worth partying for!

Each year, at this time in Toronto, the city preps itself for one of the biggest festivals in North America. A huge celebration of Caribbean culture, the Caribana festival brings over a million visitors to the city of Toronto…and a lot of dollars come with them! As much money as Caribana generates for the city, however, it has not been able to hold on to its name.

In fact, Caribana is actually Caribana no more. As Hency Stancu of The Toronto Star reported a couple of months ago, the annual event is now known as Caribbean Carnival. Actually, it’s Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto, to be precise. Although Scotiabank has been sponsoring the festival for years, Stancu reports that the Caribana Arts Group (CAG) has rights to the name and they are no longer involved.

Nevertheless, revelers are no doubt still referring to the two-week long celebration as “Caribana”. “It doesn’t make any difference,” said one very excited Synergy rep earlier today, “It’s the same festival and it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s an amazing celebration of Caribbean culture, costumes, food and music no matter what you call it.”

As it does every year, the big event culminates in the big parade on Lakeshore Boulevard in downtown Toronto this Saturday. Tonight, at Lamport Stadium, the King & Queen Show will kick off, where competitors will display their elaborate costumes in an attempt to name the new king and queen of Caribana…uh, we mean Caribbean Carnival.

Even though the Ontario Superior Court demanded the name change back in May, it is not expected to have any impact on the economic surge the festival gives Toronto, year in and year out. People from all over the world visit Toronto for the event helping for a big boost in business.

As Stancu writes, “In 2009, the festival attracted 1.2 million people, including 300,000 from outside the country, and helped fill 85 per cent of Toronto’s hotel rooms. That year, it generated $483 million for the provincial economy.” A lack of government grants last year forced the festival’s budget to decrease.

However, that makes no difference to those who participate in the event. “I play mas (dancing in the parade) every year,” exclaimed another of our team members, “It’s one of the most exciting days of the year for me. You get to wear a beautiful costume and dance in the streets of Toronto almost as if you were back in the islands. It’s great fun and a proud exhibition of our culture.”

At Synergy Merchant Services, we are quite proud of the fact that we provide small to medium-sized business owners in Canada with a quick and easy alternative to bank loans. Our merchant cash advance program offers these owners many benefits including the fact that instead of an interest rate, a one time fee is charged.

With that, our clients are ensured that there are no hidden fees, extra charges or accruing interest rates. They know exactly the cost of the cash advance to the penny before engaging into any agreement with our company. From experience, we know that business owners across Canada are disgruntled with the many different fees associated with banks.

QMI Agency’s Sharon Singleton highlights that customers across Canada – both business owners and consumers alike – are growing increasingly upset with bank fees, as well as the trouble that comes with getting their problems resolved at banks. Yesterday, she wrote about a recent J.D. Power report about customer satisfaction that revealed these findings.

The study found that there is a growing concern for bank fees in Canada. The problem, according to the report, is not so much with the fees themselves as it is generally understood that fees must be charged. But many customers feel that the reason for the fees are not often described clearly.

Lubo Li is the senior director of the financial services practice at J.D. Power and Associates in Toronto. Said Li: “It’s not that you can’t charge fees, it’s just that they need to be communicated clearly so customers know what they are getting for their money. Just calling something a maintenance fee doesn’t cut it.”

Li went on to say that the recent study showed that when customers have their fees explained to them, customer satisfaction increases. Of course, the problems that Canadians have is that they often don’t understand what they are being charged for. Singleton points out Courtney Barber, a St John’s based contract administrator, as an example of a disgruntled bank customer.

After graduating from university, Barber switched her student bank account to a lower-fee account which offered her fewer free debit transactions. The result was an extra $90 a month in transaction fees over the course of nine months! She hadn’t realized that she was being charged new fees for her debit card transactions.

Exclaimed Barber: “When I no longer qualified for the student account, I assumed the bank would roll my account over into something with similar services…Instead, I was getting ripped off with a per-use fee for my debit transactions — an account that was not at all suitable for the type of customer I am.”

Earlier this month, we blogged about the fact that summer is “the season of spending”. With the beautiful warm weather drawing Canadians out of their homes, it’s inevitable that people will be spending more. From food to entertainment and other family activities, there are so many things that one can spend money on.

As business owners, this all comes as great news. And it’s important to make the most of the summer while it’s here. But it’s also important to remember that we are consumers as well. And just like with our businesses, we want to make sure that we are doing our own spending within a budget and not going overboard.

There are a few things that we can do to ensure that we don’t overspend this summer. On Moneyville.ca, Jennifer Stewart shares a few of those ways. Consider encouraging your own customers to take advantage of these tips in your own establishments. After all, these tips will allow you to also find ways to keep business growing throughout the summer.

For example, Stewart encourages shoppers to take advantage of internet coupons. We’ve often heralded the concept of utilizing your company website to draw customers in. Is there a special discount that you can offer your customers online before they walk into your store? You may want to do some web surfing yourself before making your next purchase.

Look for “meal deals”, says Stewart. In Toronto each summer, there is a “Summerlicious” promotion involving a number of restaurants all across the city. If participating in this event, restaurants offer great deals that you may wish to take advantage of. Is your restaurant involved?

Redeeming reward points is another way to save cash this summer, Stewart reminds us. Do you have an incentive program at your business? You may want to consider offering some kind of reward system to your customers so that they are encouraged to keep on coming back.

Pay-what-you-can admission is another great feature of the summer. As Stewart points out, many museums and other summer events offer this type of entrance fee including “The Bata Shoe Museum on Thursday evenings in Toronto and The 2011 Canadian Stage Dream in High Park.” Don’t forget those free events too!

With July already drawing to a close, most people who are working summer jobs have been doing so for at least a month or two now. And those who haven’t been working that long, likely aren’t working at all. QMI Agency reports today that students across Canada are really having a tough go at finding those all-important summer jobs this year.

For necessities such as tuition, books and rent for accommodations throughout the school year, the summer job is something that nearly all students need. However, the recent recession, it seems, is making it difficult for employers to open up their doors to taking in more staff this year.

As QMI reports, economist Alex Koustas recently wrote that about 300,000 seasonal jobs have been created for students this year. However, the student jobless rate is at 15.9 per cent. This is significantly higher than the 11 per cent jobless rate of 2009. One of the reasons for this is that some businesses have been cutting back on hiring to save money.

This is especially true for those industries that provide goods and services that are considered “non-essential”, such as tourist attractions. After all, if consumers are spending less on certain things, those businesses can only spend so much themselves. Unfortunately, for many students, going through the summer without jobs will present major financial hardships throughout the school year.

QMI points out that tuition fees across Canada are steadily on the rise. According to Koustas, they have risen 7 per cent over the past twenty years “with an average 2 per cent annual increase in the overall inflation rate.” In fact, rising tuition costs are prompting most college and university students to work all year round and not just in the summer.

Said Koustas: “It remains clear that the student labour market lags the general economic recovery by a significant margin at a time when students are highly dependent on part-time or full-time work to fund their studies and living expenses.” QMI adds that some students can only find work as interns.

And while such work helps for one to gain experience and heighten his or her understanding of a particular course of study, it does not pay. If you’re a business owner experiencing a slower than usual summer, we’d love to have you speak to one of licensed funding specialists about how our merchant cash advance program can assist you through your slower than usual season.

Earlier this week, we blogged about the concept of having a “fear” of the unknown. When we first speak to a Canadian business owner, he or she often shows skepticism about becoming involved in our merchant cash advance program. This is both normal and to be expected. And our licensed funding specialists love nothing more than speaking to these types of individuals.

One of the first things that makes our first-time clients skeptical is the idea that there is “no interest rate” with Synergy’s merchant cash advance program. With so much experience dealing with the banks, entrepreneurs put interest rates and borrowing money hand in hand.

A merchant cash advance is not borrowed money. As well, it’s not free money either! So in an attempt to eliminate skepticism, we ensure our clients that we are not at all trying to imply that our merchant cash advances are free. There is no interest rate, but we do charge a one time fee.

Many would-be clients then become skeptical when they are not immediately told what that one time fee is. Well, the truth is that the fee is different for every business owner. It is based primarily on the amount of Visa, MasterCard and Interac transactions a merchant does in an average month.

The fee is also determined by how much money the merchant wishes to receive as part of his or her cash advance. So to determine a price without discovering these factors would be impossible. Once that fee is figured out, however, many potential clients also become skeptical about how to pay the advance back.

To reiterate a previous point, there is no accruing interest rate because there is no fixed repayment schedule. We believe that this the best part about our program. When you’re late with a bank payment, you face consequences. Often, a late fee is induced and your interest rate may increase. Of course, this also affects your credit score.

With Synergy’s merchant cash advance program, all of those concerns are eliminated as with there being no schedule…there’s no such thing as being late. It doesn’t affect your credit score as a result. Back to paying back the advance…a payment is made each time a customer swipes his or her debit or credit card in your store.

A small percentage of each sale goes to towards repayment, so it doesn’t matter if it takes you two months or two years to pay back the advance. You will never have to worry about paying back a penny more than you originally agreed upon when you got your free quote. We hope this helps with some of your skepticism. For more information, give one of our funding specialists a call and get your free quote!

It’s hot out there! We’re not sure what the weather is like all throughout Canada, but Toronto is experiencing one of it’s hottest days on record. Today, The Toronto Star‘s website reports that today’s temperature, so far, has been recorded as the second hottest day in the history of the city!

According to TheStar.com, “The daytime temperature today is expected to reach a scorching 37 C. Toronto has only been that hot once, when it reached 38.3 C on August 25, 1948 according to measurements at Pearson airport. Factor in the humidex and Thursday will feel like somewhere in the mid to high 40s.”

While not the hottest day ever, there is, however, the possibility that today may break the record for hottest July day in Toronto as the previous record of 37.6 Celcius was set back on July 7, 1988. For many people, this is welcome news. Haters of the winter just love it when the sun is out and the weather is warm. And, we have quite a few of them around the Synergy Merchant Services offices.

“I love this,” said one of our elated reps, “I have no idea what people are complaining about. When it’s winter time, we complain that there is too much snow covering our cars, that it’s freezing, that everything is a mess, that we have to put on too much clothes to keep warm. So why have a problem with shorts and t-shirt weather? It’s amazing!”

Nevertheless, Toronto has issued an extreme heat alert today. So, needless to say, it will be important for residents of the city to find ways to beat the heat. TheStar.com listed one very interesting method to keep cool that many people may not know about. Although it’s true that no driver has to worry about scraping snow off of his or her car, there is a concern about baking inside of it!

You know how cars can heat up when they’re sitting outside in the sun? Well, a Japanese YouTube video posted on TheStar.com today helps drivers by demonstrating a unique cool down method. Apparently, the trick is to push the hot air that has been concealed in your car out before buckling up.

How do you do that? Open the window on one side of your car. Go to the other side of your car and open the door, then close it. Repeat this opening and closing process several times. Essentially, the opening and closing of the car door is creating a fanning effect that will push the hot air out of the open window. No word yet on how effective this technique is, but we know a lot of Synergy reps who are willing to try it. Good luck!

Many people fear what they do not know. This is why there is a widespread fear of the dark. Perhaps, it’s not the dark that is scary but it is the idea that you cannot see anything that is nerve wracking. For business owners, not knowing what the future holds can be a scary thought.

The licensed funding specialists at Synergy Merchant Services are very familiar with working with individuals who have great concerns about the futures of their businesses. The economy, over the past few years, has fluctuated so greatly that many wonder whether or not they will be able to sustain such dramatic changes going forward.

It is, however, very rewarding to know that Canada leads the world in economic rebounding. But this doesn’t necessarily put everyone’s fears to rest. For the most part, entrepreneurs are well aware that in order to succeed in any marketplace, a business must keep updated with the times.

This means that technology must be updated, inventory must be renewed and new features must come along with the products and services that are usually offered. To put it simply, business owners are constantly thinking of ways to grow their businesses. Of course, this is what they all should be doing.

Among the biggest concerns about how to do this, however, is how to afford it. We are long passed being surprised when one of our clients tells us that they were turned down by their local bank for a loan. Regardless of Canada’s strong rebound from the recession, banks still seem to make the process of loaning money a harrowing one.

At Synergy Merchant Services, we work to quell the fears of small and medium-sized business owners across Canada. We do this by making the process by which a business owner gets approved for a merchant cash advance a simple and quick one. All it takes is a review of a merchant’s credit and debit sales going back one year.

No collateral or liens are necessary. And our clients also don’t have to worry about interest rates or fixed repayment schedules. Instead, Synergy purchases some of the merchant’s future Visa, MasterCard and Interac transactions at a discount. The money can be received in as little as five days!

The repayment process is, in fact, the best part of the program. Automatically with every credit and debit sale, a payment to pay off the advance is made. A small percentage of each transaction represents a repayment. Therefore, there is no such thing as being late or having to worry about accruing interest rates. So…there is no need to be afraid!

Give one of our licensed funding specialists a call to learn more about getting a free, no obligation quote today!

Last week, we blogged about the recent discovery that Toronto was Canada’s most expensive city to live in. In fact, a Mercer study determined that the city where Synergy Merchant Services is headquartered is the world’s 59th most expensive town. Yesterday, however, Sharon Singleton of QMI Agency revealed in an article that there is good reason for Toronto’s pricey ways.

In what is easily a more favourable view of Canada’s largest city, “Toronto tops 24 other Canadian cities in a survey of metropolitan economies, with jobs growing and property prices rising”, wrote Singleton. Based on a new CIBC World Markets study, Toronto is home to the “hottest” economy in Canada.

Singleton notes that Kitchener, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba rounded out the top three economically sound cities in Canada. The strong job market was one factor that helped Toronto to outdo the national average during the rebound from the recession. She writes that in the first quarter of 2011, employment rose by 2 per cent.

But what else has helped propel the nation’s largest city to become its strongest financially? According to CIBC deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal, “The multi-channel nature of Toronto’s economic engine is the secret not only behind its current top ranking but also behind its ability to maintain a relatively high ranking position over the past two years.”

In addition, Singleton points out that consumer bankruptcy rates are decreasing. So much so, that Toronto ranks the lowest in Canada for cities experiencing bankruptcy amongst its citizens. Winnipeg experiences quite the same financial atmosphere, helping it to be one of the country’s strongest economic cities.

Said Tal: “The positive momentum in Winnipeg is a relatively new development. During the recession, the city followed the trajectory of the national economy very closely. However, recent quarters have seen the city outperforming the national average, with the performance gap currently at a record-high.”

Unfortunately for Quebec’s cities, the news is not so bright. Montreal, in fact, was formerly Canada’s strongest economic city. It now sits in fifth place. Quebec is also home to the last place finisher, Saguenay. We wonder, however, if this new revelation will make Torontonians any happier about being the most expensive city in Canada!

This past weekend, the City of Toronto experienced a sweltering dose of summer. It was hot! Not that we’re complaining. We’ve made it pretty clear on the Synergy Merchant Services Blog that we’re pretty fond of summer. We’ve also made it clear that business owners across Canada should love summer too.

Summer is a time when people love to go outside, have fun with their family and friends and naturally…spend money. In previous blogs, we’ve encouraged entrepreneurs to throw events that would help to lure more customers in to their stores. There’s no time like summer to party it up with your customers to help develop strong relationships with them.

This past weekend, Alison Griffiths confirmed this belief in an article posted on Moneyville.ca. She writes that summer brings out the big spenders in the majority of Canadians. In fact, a recent TD Canada Trust Summer Spending Survey found that consumers practically overdo it during the summer season.

Among some of the statistics that came out of the survey was that 67 percent of Ontarians spend more money during the summer simply because they’re happier. It has been said that the end of the year holiday season is the one “to be merry” in. But you can’t argue that summer is the season of fun!

The survey confirms this by noting that 74 percent of people are more relaxed in the summer…and so are their spending and saving habits. For example, 51 percent of those who took the survey admit to letting their bill payments slip. Of course, this isn’t something we recommend!

Griffiths also reveals that “40 percent forget about budgeting, 38 percent forget about saving, 63 percent eat out and drink more with friends, 62 percent take more holidays in the summer (and) 11 percent are more likely to book off work even if they feel fine.” Because of this, she goes so far as suggesting that we abolish summer to help our finances!

Now while we definitely don’t support the “abolish summer” stance, we do agree that smart financial planning is important for both consumers and business owners alike. With that being said, business owners should know that this is definitely the time of year to take advantage of the moods that people are in. And people like to spend during the summer!

In yesterday’s blog, we touched upon the concept of “keeping it simple”. Many business owners across Canada tend to feel that getting money to grow their businesses is a long, drawn-out and complicated process. And when dealing with traditional banks, it usually is.

However, some business owners worry about what to do with their extra working capital if they were to actually secure it. Firstly, Synergy Merchant Services is confident that getting a merchant cash advance is the easiest way for Canadian small or medium-sized business owners to get money.

Secondly, putting that money to good use can also be a simple task. On DropShipAccess.com, Lily O’Halloran lists five simple ways that an entrepreneur can grow his or her business. In the interest of continuing to “keep it simple”, we’d like to share some of these ideas with you.

In order to grow your business, says O’Halloran, you need to work on five simple areas: “sales, products, customers, revenue, and expenses.” First off, simply think of ways to increase the frequency of your sales. Offer outstanding customer service, respond to concerns in a timely manner, encourage repeat business and do your best to up-sell.

When it comes to products, you should try to provide those that are in high demand and those that have a steady and consistent demand. You’ll want products that can sell throughout the year. This generally means selling items that can be used every day. As well, the better your product knowledge, the more you’ll be able to sell them.

Don’t forget your customers. As O’Halloran writes, “customer retention is a must.
Loyalty programs can be used to reward existing customers. An example of a loyalty program is a frequent buyer card. After a certain number of purchases, you might offer your customer a small gift card, coupon, or free shipping.”

Think of ways to increase your revenue. Maximize your resources and create a marketing plan that will target the demographic most likely to take an interest in your products. “Crunch numbers to measure your revenue outcome,” insists O’Halloran. And finally, don’t forget to keep your expenses in check.

She writes: “There are two types of expenses: fixed and variable. Fixed expenses, generally, cannot be changed. However, variable expenses can be controlled. Look closely at each variable expense to determine how you can save money. Create an expense budget and adhere to it.”

It is not uncommon for people to overthink things when presented with a dilemma. To work problems out, people sometimes weigh the pros and cons and wrack their brains thinking of all the possible outcomes that may result from taking a step in a certain direction.

It’s fair to say, however, that if one never takes a step in any direction, he or she will get nowhere! For business owners across Canada, overthinking is done quite often. Any business decision made is an important one as running a business can be one of the most stressful jobs around.

After all, as a business owner, you are the one in control. You are the one who makes the decisions. And you’re also the one who will have to take the fall if things don’t work out. Perhaps then, it only makes sense to keep things simple. Instead of overthinking things, maybe taking the simplest route is the best way to go sometimes.

Take, for example, the process of getting money. Our clients very often tell us about the many different factors they had to consider when first going to the bank to secure loans. What should they put up for collateral? Can they afford the interest rates? Are the monthly payments too high? Will this earn me more money anyway?

At Synergy Merchant Services, we like to keep things simple. Instead of worrying about all of these factors, we ask our clients to simply consider selling some of their future credit and debit transactions. By doing so, they don’t need to worry about collateral, interest rates or monthly payments.

What we ask them to do instead is consider the ways in which they can use their merchant cash advances to make more money in return. Our experience has shown us that renovations, advertising, expansion and buying new inventory are among the most popular choices for business growth once extra working capital is attained.

But then again, some business owners go through quite an emotional struggle trying to come up with ways to grow their businesses. We approach this decision with much the same attitude…keep it simple! In tomorrow’s blog, we’ll take a look at some simple ways to grow your business.

Being headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Synergy Merchant Services and its staff are very well aware of how expensive it is to live in this city. In addition, working with numerous business owners in Canada’s largest city, we know how important it is to invest money properly in order to turn a profit.

If you had asked us, we would likely have told you that Toronto is Canada’s most expensive city. However, as QMI Agency’s Sharon Singleton wrote yesterday, Toronto only just recently overtook Vancouver as the nation’s most expensive city. Singleton reveals that a recent survey, conducted by Mercer, found that Toronto is actually the 59th most expensive city in the world.

The consultancy firm’s annual cost of living report also discovered that Vancouver currently sits at number 65. Incredibly, Toronto leapfrogged the west coast city by jumping up 17 spots from its position in last year’s survey. Other expensive Canadian cities include Montreal in 79th and Calgary at 96th globally.

Interestingly, the survey also noted that Canada’s capital of Ottawa is also the nation’s least expensive city to live in. It is ranked at 114th in the world. Causing Toronto’s lofty jump on this year’s list was the cost of housing, says Singleton. As well, in general, the stronger loonie pushed more Canadian cities up on the list.

The survey takes a look at cities in 214 countries on five continents. As Singleton points out, “it compares the costs of more than 200 items, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. The report is used by companies when deciding where to locate staff.”

Topping the charts as the world’s most expensive city is Angola’s capital of Luanda. Tokyo, Japan came in at second with N’Djamena, Chad claiming the third spot. Interestingly, these findings highlight the fact that some of the world’s poorest countries contain some of the world’s most expensive cities.

One of our Synergy team members pointed out today that he wasn’t surprised by Toronto’s spot on the list. “I’ve always thought it was expensive to live here,” he pointed out, “You can buy a house in Ajax (a town just east of Toronto) for the same amount of money it takes to buy a condo downtown!”

In yesterday’s blog, we took a look at the concept of finding a summer job, and how to present yourself in such a way that you are successful in doing so. Many young job seekers miss out on job opportunities because of simple missteps that can easily be avoided.

Yesterday, we took a look at recent Moneyville.ca article posted by Sheryl Smolkin that offered some tips on how to land that all-important summer job. First impressions go a long way, she alluded to. In today’s blog, we’d like to revisit her suggestions to job hunters in hopes to help them improve their chances.

No matter what job you are applying for, you’ll want to ensure you manage your personal hygiene properly. There really is never a reason to show up at a job interview looking dirty or smelling unpleasant. While this may sound obvious, you may be surprised at how often this happens.

One of Synergy’s hiring managers commented upon an experience he had during an interview not long ago. “The applicant came in looking as if he had just woken up in the clothes he was wearing,” he recalls, “Not only that, but I literally had to push my seat back in an attempt to avoid the foul stench of his breath.”

However, for the majority of job applicants that do show up neat, tidy and clean, there is another element to the job hunt that often gets overlooked. “More than one in five hiring managers also said they are less likely to hire a candidate who didn’t send a post-interview thank you note,” writes Smolkin.

She notes that “omitting this step shows a lack of follow through and sends a message that the applicant is not really serious about the opportunity.” Writing a short hand written note is all that is necessary, says Smolkin. It demonstrates an enthusiasm for the job and a great respect for the hiring manager.

Finally, we’d like to add that it’s always important to bring a résumé to a job interview. While this may also appear obvious, we’ve experienced a surprising number of job interviews with applicants who didn’t think it was necessary to bring one along. Doing so simply shows that you are prepared and serious about getting work. Good luck in your job search!

With summer in full swing, there are many students out there who are currently working summer jobs. Then again, there are also a lot of students out there who may still be seeking work. Going to job interview after job interview and not landing any positions can be frustrating.

It can be especially upsetting if you simply can’t figure out what it is that is preventing you from landing a job. On The Toronto Star’s Moneyville.ca website this past weekend, Sheryl Smolkin commented upon a number of things that can prevent people from impressing their would-be employers during job interviews.

She writes about a recent CareerBuilder.com study that confirmed that many job applicants are still not following “proper job etiquette”. As a result, they severely hurt their chances of getting the positions that they are applying for. Smolkin offers up a number of tips that may help young job seekers avoid these missteps.

Number one, according to Smolkin, is to present a professional image when you come to a job interview. It’s true that one should not judge a book by its cover…but then again, it’s also true that you don’t have a second chance to make a good first impression. In order to make sure your first impression is a great one, follow a few simple steps.

Ensure that you don’t dress too casually, suggests Smolkin. Have your clothes neatly pressed and clean. Be sure to have your hair neatly groomed as well. Don’t go overboard with perfume or cologne and avoid putting on too much makeup. In fact, while some people don’t put enough effort into their professional appearances, others tend to overdo it!

It’s important to be mindful if you have any piercings or tattoos as well. Many young people take part in the trend to get tattoos or multiple piercings without considering how this may affect them in their job hunts. Be sure to cover up any inappropriate ink and keep the earrings in your ears!

As Smolkin points out, your style of dress will depend primarily on the nature of the workplace. Of course, if you’re applying for a position at a tattoo parlor, you may want to consider ignoring some of the tips mentioned above! We’ll continue to take a look at this concept in tomorrow’s blog.