Career Professionals of Canada News Feed
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 Maureen McCann. Career professionals are career advocates. We believe in the power of career development. We educate clients about what’s happening in the labour market. But what about our own professional development? We are often so busy helping others, who among us is making our own career development a priority? How can we future-proof our own careers in a constantly changing world of work? Here are a few ways I am working to future-proof my career and some suggestions on how you might do the same. Volunteer and engage with…
By Donna Norcott. I don’t know if this is something unique to me, but even though I don’t have children, I love the back-to-school season! The colourful binders, notebooks, and new pens and pencils inspire my creativity and I look forward to “sweater weather” as being an ideal time to reflect, reorganize, and turn a fresh, new page for a season of setting (and re-setting) goals! This is the time of year when I conduct a holistic assessment of myself, my career path, and my private practice. I take a hard…
By Skye Berry-Burke. The other day, while visiting my child’s pediatrician, I saw an article about the “8 Keys of Excellence” for making great kids greater. Five of these “keys” were immediately etched in my mind and I continued to think about how these principles for achieving excellence apply to all of us – young and old, career pros and our clients. As a new school year approaches, many people – whether they are students or not – view this time as an opportunity to focus on professional and personal…
By Kevin Waldbillig. I know that a happy and fulfilling career change is possible. I know this to be true because I’ve experienced it first-hand. Don’t think, though, that the change transpired without some feelings of fear and reluctance. Let me give you the background of how I came to seek out the services of a skilled and supportive career counsellor and the resulting transformation of my career path. I’m on the cusp of what society calls either a “baby boomer” or a “Gen Xer”. In my formative work years,…