Career Professionals of Canada News Feed
My clients often ask me, “So, exactly how do I approach networking?” In-person networking is on pause at the moment but some of the same concepts apply to virtual networking. I’d like to share the following tips that I provide to my clients. As a career development professional, you may already offer the same advice, but if not, I hope you’ll find these tips useful and adopt them for your own use. If you have some gems of your own, please feel free to add them in the comments below.…
Since the start of the pandemic, career practitioners from educational institutions, non-profit employment services, and other sectors have joined their independent colleagues in working virtually. Even after adapting to the technology, many find it difficult to communicate effectively with others they haven’t met in person. If you can relate, the highlights of a conference session I attended some years ago may be helpful. In “Introduction to Working Remotely – Leading and Working in Virtual Teams,” Susan Gerke explored the issues that can surface when working remotely, how personality type relates to remote…
Victoria Day weekend is here! The holiday began as a celebration to honour Queen Victoria’s birthday of May 24th. It is also considered by many to be the unofficial start to summer. Reflecting on Victoria Day and Queen Victoria’s long and victorious reign reminded me that we all have the opportunity to become more victorious in the work we do with our clients. We have the skills and knowledge to help them achieve their cherished career goals. To that end, I’d like to share my top ten tips for a…
A “work-life coach” supports clients in a variety of areas of life, creating synergies between living, learning, and working. The areas work-life coaches offer support in encompass self-care and well-being, life-skills and emotional intelligence, and career development and maintenance. A passage from CPC’s The Canadian Work-Life Strategist, CPC’s Certified Work-Life Strategist eGuide made an impact on me and has stayed in my mind. “Myth: Work and life are separate issues, needing either a career coach or a life coach. Truth: More and more, career development professionals are called on to…
Many career practitioners struggle to find a balance between their family and their career. Yikes! Even as I write that sentence, I cringe. What is this elusive “balance” that people refer to? Instead of balance, I have learned to live a “blended” life. In his book Who’s Got Your Back, author Keith Ferrazzi writes about the idea of living a blended life, not a balanced one. “The elements you see in [your life] aren’t individual territories or fiefdoms. They should, and will, overlap!” This got me thinking about how often I…
In my career practice, I have learned the importance of clearly establishing my mandate with each of my clients before we launch into the résumé writing process. My goal is to be a catalyst for their professional aspirations. It’s vital to the success of our relationship that my clients understand I cannot guarantee they’ll land the job they desire. I take the time, up front, to make it clear what a professional résumé writer can do for them. My Approach to the Résumé Writing Process Strategic résumé writing has allowed…