November is Canada Career Month: It’s Possible To Create A Bright Future

November is Canada Career Month. This year, the theme is it’s possible. This coming month, CPC’s News Feed will feature a series of posts that builds on that theme. We believe it’s possible to create a bright future.

Happy Canada Career Month!

Every November we celebrate career development across our nation. This year, we’re having a national conversation about what’s possible in career development. To celebrate Canada Career Month, we’re running a series of posts discussing how it’s possible to create a bright future.

Career professionals strive to help clients construct sustainable and resilient careers. We establish support services and systems to help our clients succeed in the emerging world of work.

Every person should have the opportunity to reach their full potential. For some, this seems out of reach. Clients deserve the promise of health, happiness, and personal success. It is within our power to help.

We can transform our client’s future by nurturing a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable environment. We can take steps toward breaking barriers and creating long-term success for our clients. By making small changes within ourselves, we can impact our clients’ lives, our profession, our country, and even our world.

But how do we start to build that bright future today?

As a career professional, you can make a difference. Here are some things you can do today to lay the foundation for the future:

Build Empathy

Clients often come to us after having been traumatized by hurt and losses they have encountered in their lives. Trauma is the lasting emotional response that often results from living through a distressing event. Trauma-Informed Care is an approach to providing services that assumes that clients are likely to have a history of trauma. When serving clients, we can make an intentional shift from judgment to empathy.

Model Kindness

Our fast-paced environment drives our interactions with clients. When we are short on time, conversations can be edgy and emails more abrupt than usual. It’s at times like these that we all need to practice purposeful kindness. You can be the calm voice in a stressful situation. Take time to be fully present with your client. Ask them how you can help, check in often, and celebrate their successes.

Foster Connections

Social media has helped us in many ways but it has also made it more difficult for us to truly connect. Clients often feel socially isolated and disconnected from the working world. Becoming part of your social network could be the lifeline they need. Create new ways to make meaningful connections with your clients. Establish robust and safe social infrastructures where you share evidence-based information that supports their career development.

Create Belonging

Everyone needs a sense of belonging. We are privileged to support a diverse client base. Every client is distinct and each person we support brings an individual perspective. Focus on the similarities that connect you with your clients and always remain open to new ways of thinking. By recognizing and embracing your client’s individuality, you can help them feel they are where they truly belong.

Break Barriers

Economic, social, and cultural barriers continue to exist across Canada. These barriers make it extremely challenging for many individuals and groups to envision a bright future. The situation is especially acute for certain clients because they are disproportionately excluded from education, employment, and other opportunities. You are your client’s critical support system and you play a big part in helping them acquire the opportunities they deserve. When developing services and programs, take extra effort to capture the voice of marginalized groups and find ways to address their challenges.

Relinquish Power

As career professionals, we recognize that our clients do not need to think and act exactly like we do. Create an environment where it is okay for your client to share their own views, beliefs, and values. Listen carefully to their thoughts and ideas. Be open to your own views being challenged. Make a conscious effort to relinquish some of the power you bring to the situation and allow your client to shine.

Career Professionals of Canada’s Work-Life Coaching Course provides you with the tools and resources you need to help your clients create a bright future. Through this course, you will learn more about how to apply many of the recommendations outlined here. If you are interested in helping your clients construct sustainable and resilient careers, this is the course for you.

It’s possible to create a bright future. Let’s make it happen!

Sharon Graham is founder and executive director of Career Professionals of Canada. Committed to setting the standard for excellence in the career development profession, Sharon has authored top selling paperback publications and textbooks, and has established a range of certification, professional development, community development, mentoring, and award programs. As executive director of CPC, she provides foresight and leadership within the sector and ensures that the mandate of this national organization is upheld with integrity.