Meet CPC Member Blanche Pilkington
By Cathy Milton.
Blanche Pilkington is an inspirational and optimistic woman who embraces the opportunity for growth and advancement in all aspects of life. This is not just a personal pursuit for Blanche, though. She continually utilizes her passion and energy to encourage others to rise above obstacles they may face as they strive to achieve their career goals.
Blanche lives and works in Williams Lake, British Columbia, which is located between Kamloops and Prince George. The city is best known for its Williams Lake Stampede.
Blanche is currently employed at Williams Lake Employment Services (Horton Ventures Inc.) as a Resource Room Advisor and Facilitator. She absolutely loves what she does! Her role includes resume and cover letter writing, researching and providing labour market information, posting current job openings, facilitating life skills and employment focused workshops, and assisting clients in the use of computers, photocopiers, and fax machines.
Blanche previously held positions in the Customer Service, Financial, and Administrative fields before transitioning into the Career Development industry in 2009. From the very moment she started in the career industry, Blanche knew she had found her niche.
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” – Tony Robbins
Blanche’s employers, Gord and Anny Horton, have been unwaveringly supportive in providing opportunities to develop within their organization. Starting out as an Administrator, Blanche went on to provide Employment Counselling. Later, she became a Community Assistance Program Facilitator, helping multi-barriered clients access services they required to improve their quality of life. The organization has also asked her to extend her expertise to their other Employment Services offices in Ashcroft and 100 Mile House, BC.
A strong factor contributing to Blanche’s love of her work is something as simple as a smile.
It starts as she watches clients walk through the door of the Employment Services office. Being sensitive and intuitive, Blanche knows that most of these people are embarrassed, depressed, or angry – perhaps all three combined – due to their employment situation. She is keenly aware of the hurdles most clients face in a job search.
Blanche naturally gravitates toward wanting to provide hope to these folks. Using her innate ability to connect with people, she motivates and guides her clients in a positive and sensitive manner.
She delights in seeing a smile return to a client’s face through her encouragement and the provisioning of appropriate resources. Those smiles are what convinced Blanche that this was the work she wanted to do every day. Being able to give back and watch others succeed are very gratifying rewards for her.
She incorporates this same positivity and empathy into the workshops she delivers for the Employment Program of BC.
Blanche’s co-workers have said that she has an ability to surprise and delight others with her spontaneous, uplifting character. The payback comes when clients return, having secured work, to say “thank you” and tell her how much her support meant to them in being able to move forward.
Blanche’s advice for new career professionals is, “Make sure you never stop learning – and get out of your comfort zone!
Blanche decided to become a member of Career Professionals of Canada and pursue the Certified Resume Strategist (CRS) and Certified Interview Strategist (CIS) designations after successfully completing the Job Club Coach certification. She wanted to strengthen her abilities and qualifications, as well as give herself the opportunity to further develop and advance in her own career.
The best CPC benefit for Blanche is having the opportunity to be a mentor – and be mentored – through the Mastermind Group sessions. “The knowledge gained from the group’s professional members is extraordinary and beneficial to anyone in this field of work. You get tons of information and create a network of excellent people!
Learning is important, and essential for growth and confidence. It goes hand-in-hand with stepping out of your comfort zone – so, do it as much as you can and you’ll be rewarded.” Blanche “walks the talk”: she is currently obtaining her “Law of Attraction Practitioner Certification.”
Feel free to contact Blanche and send her an e-mail.
Cathy Milton is a CPC board member who loves to write: fiction, non-fiction, and, of course, resumes. She is currently working towards a Certified Resume Strategist designation and, in the meantime, enjoys pursuing several volunteer activities with CPC. Cathy lives in a 77-year old log cabin on a lake in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario with her husband, three dogs, and one rescue cat named Lucky.
Attribution: Williams Lake’s Welcome Sign Andy Bremner, Creative Commons