The Blueprint By Smart

Save Money On Development Costs.
Did you know that government incentives can offset your development costs? Did you know that the government has approximately $4 Billion dollars worth of funding set aside to help Canadian organizations develop or enhance their technologies?

An estimated 50% of organizations in Canada don't know this.

The Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Tax Credit Program is a Federal program designed to encourage innovation within Canada and provides tax credits/refunds to organizations who develop innovative new products or process within Canada.

If a company has developed new products, enhanced existing products, developed new materials/chemicals, developed new tools, or developed new processes, they may be eligible to file a claim. INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE is also eligible. Although up to 68% of eligible expenditures could be refunded, most companies don't file for this credit because they:
  • don't understand the program
  • think that they are not eligible
  • find the filing process to complicated, or
  • think the process is to time-consuming

    • We can help. Let us put you in touch with the experts.

    The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) administers the federal SR&ED Tax Credit Program. When combined with the provincial Investment Tax Credit (ITC) program, the payout is approximately $4 billion annually. You may not be even aware that your company may be eligible to file a claim. Eligibility requirements:
    Canadian-controlled private corporations (CCPCs), publicly traded Canadian corporations, foreign held corporations, partnerships and sole proprietorships who are engaged in one of the following SR&ED activities could be eligible:
  • Developing new technology or processes
  • Developing new products, materials, or reactants
  • Applying new materials to improve existing technology, increase production, improve quality, reduce costs, and/or minimize pollution emissions
  • Developing or improving tools and instruments (including software)
  • Adapting technology and/or equipment used in other industries or for their own industry
  • Applying existing technology and/or equipment in new conditions

    • In Ontario, for example, CCPCs may be eligible for the following estimated maximum amounts under the SR&ED program:
  • 68.5% of qualifying labour costs
  • 41.5% of qualifying material costs
  • 41.5% of subcontract costs

    • Think your company may be eligible or would like to find out if you are? Give us a call and we'll put in touch with the professionals who can tell you if you qualify.

    The best part. NO retainer fee. NO hidden fees. NO risk to your business. You pay nothing until you receive your credit and if you don't qualify for a credit, there is no charge. At SMART we are always looking or smarter ways to do business. Give us a call.
    Kim Fletcher
    Information Technology Consultant
    for SMART Dynamic Workforce Solutions
    GET NOTICED!
    Tips For Writing A Scannable Resume
    Have you ever wondered why it is that your resume, despite being "out-there", filled with all the skills any one company could required, still doesn't get you any calls?

    "Why does no one call?"
    It could quite simply mean that your resume isn't a 'scannable resume' and that the technology it encouters, or that stumbles across it, finds your resume difficult to read and/or parse.

    What is a Scannable Resume?
    This is a resume that is formatted in such a way that it can be easily stored and searched electronically without distorting the content. Correct formatting of a scannable resume includes avoiding fancy fonts, graphics and other effects that don’t always make it through assorted technologies correctly.

    A resume that is not formatted correctly won't appear in a search for matching keywords, which greatly reduces your chances of being contacted for new opportunities.

    How Do You Create a Scannable Resume?
    Use Standard Fonts
  • Most software applications used by recruiters attempt to match characters converted from your resume with standard letter shapes. That said, ensuring your resume is formatted in a font that works with most software applications is probably the single-most important factor to ensure your resume can be correctly stored and searched by recruiters.
  • For example, if you wrote your resume using a decorative font such as Bahamas, the software application might misinterpret the fancy letter a as the letter o. This could result in misinterpreted keywords, such as “monoger” instead of “manager”. Not only is your resume now incorrect, it also won’t show up in a search for the word manager and you may miss out on job opportunities as a result. Times New Roman and Arial seem to be the most easily converted fonts.

    • Use an Appropriate Font Size
  • Font size is also important. The optimal font size is between 10 and 12 points.
  • The exact size you choose depends on the font. For example, the characters in Times New Roman appear smaller and more compact than those in Arial. The more compact a font is, the harder it is for the software to separate the characters. So, if you go with Times New Roman, the properties of the 12-point size are likely best to allow for the variances in scanner quality, while 10-point Times New Roman might be too small.

    • Avoid Using Italics and Underlining
  • Avoid using italics anywhere in your resume as they skew the characters into the white space between them and won’t be transferred into most software applications correctly.
  • Also avoid underlining – again the underline limits white space under characters and it also cuts through other characters, such as the "tail" on the q or g.

    • Avoid Tables
  • Most software applications cannot translate the information in a table in the correct order and the information contained in the table will be virtually impossible for the recruiter to decipher.

    • Avoid Short Vertical (|) Lines and Slash Marks (/)
  • Scanners might try to interpret them as letters, such as a lowercase l or an uppercase I.
  • Also avoid text leaders or trailers, such as periods (....) as they often confuse software applications.

    • Formatting to Use: Bolding, Bullets and Horizontal Lines
  • Using Bolding works well to draw attention to different parts of your resume without distorting it. However, be careful not to overuse bolding as it as it will not be as effective and may actually end up making your resume more difficult to read.
  • Bulleted (•) lists work well if they are solid. Don’t use hollow bullets as some software applications may interpret them as letters (the letter “o”) or numbers (the number zero). Even solid bullets don’t always transfer or will sometimes display as weird characters when pasting them into plain-text resume forms at online resume banks. If they don't transfer well, replace them with asterisks (*) or hyphens (-) with a space before the text.
  • Use horizontal lines to separate sections so they are easy to distinguish from each other. However, don't allow them to touch or get too close to text. Make sure they occupy at least one full line of space.

    • Use the Right Spacing
  • Spacing done correctly can also help you distinguish the different parts of your resume from each other without distorting it. Again, too much of anything can actually have the opposite affect and make your resume harder rather than easier to read.

    • Use the Right Keywords
  • Keywords are specific terms used in your occupation, job and industry that make your resume searchable. Keywords also include other terms employers and recruiters search for, such as those that describe education and experience. Examples:
    —Job Titles: Software Engineer, Project Manager, Quality Assurance Analyst, Programmer
    —Skills and Responsibilities: system administration, application programming, web development, budget planning, technical support, technical writing, analysis and design, project management
    —Acronyms and Buzzwords: HTML, XML, C#, LAN, TCP/IP, UNIX, Microsoft Project, C++, Java
    —Education and Certifications: BSc in Biochemistry, PMP, MCSE, MBA, Microsoft Certified Professional, MCSD
  • Keywords are the key to ensuring you are considered for any position with a company that uses software applications or internet search engines for their recruiting. So you need to try to think of what keywords you might try to use if you were trying to find an applicant just like you and make sure they are on you resume. One way to do this is to look at job descriptions that you would be a good fit for and try to pick out common keywords to use in your resume.
  • Also, try to think of common alternatives to words and make sure that as many versions as possible appear in your resume. For example, if your title is Programmer, try to use the word Developer when you are describing your job responsibilities.
  • Use a job title that describes what you actually do rather than the job title that your current employer has given you since that title may not be industry standard and won’t likely be something another company would use as a search criteria.
  • Be sure to list all of your technical skills, industry experience, education, and certifications you have or are pursing. For example, if a manufacturing company is looking for a Project Manager who has experience managing .Net application projects the recruiter may choose to use PMP (a popular Project Management certification) as a search criteria so that they are looking at the most qualified candidates first even if a PMP certification is not specifically required for the role.
  • Use Acronyms and specify what the acronym stands for in your resume, since it is impossible to know what the recruiter may choose to use as a search criteria. For example, if your have your MCSE say Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) so that your resume will appear in the search results no matter which option the recruiter chooses to use.

    • A Warning!
    While it has become standard and is recommended to list your relevant skills in a profile, skills summary or qualifications summary at the end or beginning of your resume; avoid the temptation to list every single technology you have ever read an article about. Just list the skills you are competent as exaggerated skill profiles are at best an annoyance and at worst a red flag to most recruiters and employers.

    What If You Need a Highly Formatted Resume?
    If you are applying for a job where it's important to show off your formatting or creative skills to land a job, such as a Web Designer or Technical Writer, or you just want to be able to distinguish yourself; you still can. You can distribute copies of your formatted resume on paper during the interviews or send both a formatted and a plain resume and include both in your e-mail along with your cover letter.
    Tracy Wolbaum
    Director of Recruiting
    for SMART Dynamic Workforce Solutions
    That Shepherd is a Genius!
    Once upon a time there was a shepherd looking after his sheep on the side of a deserted road, when suddenly a brand new Porsche screeched to a halt right next to him.

    The driver, a man dressed in an Armani suit, Cerutti shoes, Ray–Ban sunglasses, a TAG–Heuer watch and a Pierre Cardin tie got out.
    He asked the shepherd: "If I can tell you how many sheep you have, will you give me one of them?"

    The shepherd looked at the well–dressed man, and then looked at his large flock of grazing sheep and replied: "Okay."

    The young man then parked his car, connected his laptop to a mobile–fax, entered the NASA website, scanned the ground using his GPS, opened a database and 60 Excel tables filled with logarithms and pivot tables, then printed out a 150 page report using his high–tech mini–printer. He then turned to the shepherd and said,
    "You have exactly 1,586 sheep here."

    The shepherd cheered, "That's correct, you can have your pick of the sheep."

    The man then took his pick and with the sheep under his arm, turned to his Porsche to leave.

    The shepherd called out to him and asked: "If I can guess your profession, will you return my animal to me?"

    Slightly perplexed, but never shying away from a challenge, the young man answered, "Sure! Why not?"

    Grinning, the shepherd then said, "You're an IT consultant ain't ya?"

    "Wow. How did you know?" asked the man.

    "Very simple,", answered the shepherd.
    "First, you came here without being called. Second, you charged me a fee to tell me something I already knew and third, you don't understand anything about my business!... ...Now can I have my dog back?"
    Anonymous
    In This Issue
    Save Money On Development Costs.
    GET NOTICED!
    Tips For Writing A Scannable Resume
    That Shepherd is a Genius!
    Smart Start Referral Program
    About Smart
    Smart Dynamic Workforce Solutions (Smart) is a broad based IT Consulting firm. Our primary goal is to ensure that our highly qualified and professional consultants are perfectly matched to our wide array of clients, and their specific projects.