Career Professionals of Canada News Feed
By Andrew Chalmers. As a student in CPC’s Career Development Theory, Models & Practices (CDP-02) course, I had the pleasure of studying the Value Proposition Model. A solid VPM offers a real marketing edge; an advantage that clients can develop and refine, and which will open many employment doors for them. A chance move brought me into the career development industry. Previously, I was a veteran of retail. Studying the Value Proposition Model reminded me of a selling technique that is well known in retail sales training. It’s FAB! Okay, I…
By Maureen McCann. What is the value of Canada Career Month? When we come together to champion and advocate for our profession, we raise the profile of career development professionals while simultaneously increasing the perceived value of the work we do to support Canadians. Canada Career Month (CCM) takes place every November. What used to be a week-long event has expanded to the entire month. Why is CCM such a big deal for our profession? As the CCM website defines it: “Canada Career Month advances the agenda of improving access…
In some professions, the gig economy is not a new idea. Musicians, actors, artists, and writers have been working at gigs for the longest time. According to the BMO Wealth Management July 2018 report, the gig economy is growing at a phenomenal rate with 2.18 million Canadians being categorized as temporary workers by Statistics Canada in September 2017. I’m one of those 2.18 million workers. I’m no statistician, but these numbers tell me the gig economy is not going away and preparing our clients to face this new world order…
By Cathy Milton. I recently had an unpleasant experience with a service provider (not a career professional), and it caused me to reflect on the myriad of soft skills that people who deliver customer service have to possess in order to do the job really well. That reflection led to me to wonder what career professionals consider to be the most important soft skill in their roles. So, I asked a few. Donna Norcott Empathy, in my opinion, is the most important soft skill we have in our toolboxes as…
By Lori Jazvac. Years ago, the art of “alchemy” caught my attention and was instrumental in helping me transmute challenging experiences into positive ones, leading to personal growth and transformation. Alchemy is the “Hermetic science and art of causing change, both physically and spiritually.” Alchemy, a practice that began in the middle ages, was shrouded in mystery and secrecy. Its practitioners mainly sought to turn ordinary metals into gold, a quest that has captured the imaginations of people for thousands of years. In modern times, we can think of alchemy as…
By Kamy Anderson, guest contributor. Artificial intelligence is everywhere. A recent global consumer survey has shown that while 33% of consumers think they use AI tech, the actual number is much higher. Currently, around 77% of people use popular AI-enabled devices and services whether they’re aware of that or not. The same goes for businesses. Modern-day entrepreneurs falsely believe that AI-driven business technology cannot be afforded at the small to medium-sized business (SMB) level. They associate machine intelligence with mega-brands such as Apple or Google, failing to realize that AI has…