Helping your clients set S.M.A.R.T. job search goals!

January 8, 2016 |

By Lee-Anne Geseron. With a new year comes new energy, new hopes and new dreams. We all know that setting S.M.A.R.T. goals keeps us on track and focused. This is equally important to our clients when they are kick starting their job search. Whether you are working on an employment plan together or simply offering the tools and resources, you can set S.M.A.R.T. goals. Here is how I explain S.M.A.R.T. goal setting to my clients. S – Be SPECIFIC! You may have heard the saying “if you cater to everyone,…

Strategies to Support Newcomers to Canada

January 6, 2016 |

By Lori Jazvac. As a career practitioner, I have worked with many newcomers to Canada. I have found that a positive attitude combined with patience and flexibility goes a long way. Those newcomers who are most successful exhibit a take-charge approach and determination to progressively meet their goals. They home in on a specific career target, leveraging important networks and various methods for career success. Ottawa World Skills interviewed and collected advice from newcomers who overcame obstacles to career success in Canada. Here are some of their insights and recommended…

Welcome Aboard Flight 2016

January 5, 2016 |

By Daisy Wright. Since it’s the start of the new year, I think it would be a good idea to think of what’s ahead for you as you board flight 2016. Let me ask you a few questions: Have you set any specific goals for the year? If you haven’t, it means you have indirectly set one, and it is to remain where you are. Have you decided if you will be a passenger or the pilot of your career this year? It’s up to you to determine if you…

2016 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Results

December 28, 2015 | Comments Off on 2016 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Results

By Sharon Graham. The 2016 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey asked one question to 1,900 employers across Canada: “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of March 2016 as compared to the current quarter?” The responses from Canadian employers show that they anticipate a moderate hiring climate for the first quarter of 2016. Here is a snapshot of the 2016 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Results: Employers’ plans for the first quarter of 2016 9% plan to increase staffing 7% expect cutbacks 81% expect their current staffing levels to remain the same…

New Year’s Resolutions – What do you treasure?

December 26, 2015 |

By Sharon Graham. The new year is an opportunity to set new goals. We resolve to get a new job, earn a better income, establish our own business, and learn something new. But, sometimes we miss the mark. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21 This passage from the Bible suggests that what you treasure is very evident in your thoughts and actions. But, if you are focusing on physical prosperity, you may be missing far greater spiritual treasures. This year, before you finalize your New Year’s…

Changing Workforce Demographics – Foreign Workers in BC and Beyond

December 23, 2015 | Comments Off on Changing Workforce Demographics – Foreign Workers in BC and Beyond

By Elizabeth Wilson. I have been working in employment and career services within British Columbia for about 20 years, and in that relatively short time the demographics of Canada’s workforce has changed dramatically. Awareness of the issue of changing demographics in the workplace began with the realization that Canada’s aging baby boomers would have a significant impact on the workforce. According to the publication, Growing Up: The Social and Economic Implications of an Aging Population, we now have an aging workforce. As baby boomers are nearing retirement age, there are concerns that…