Transitions Career Development Program

Responding Rather Than Reacting to Unemployment

Wed, 04 May 2011 14:22:00 -0800

When people are faced with unemployment – for any reason - they experience confusion, fear, frustration, insecurity and feelings of being overwhelmed. Not having a job, means not having a pay cheque, which means not having money coming in, which means our survival is jeopardized.

It’s scary to think that we may not have our basic needs met; after all, we need shelter, food, clothing, and medical care. It’s natural to panic when our livelihood is lost. However, I think it’s very important for people at this time to stop and assess their inner and outer resources so that they don’t allow their fears to get the best of them. Making hasty decisions from a place of fear and anxiety can lead to ineffective and unsatisfactory outcomes in the future. It can actually cost more in the end: financially, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

While being out of work is certainly a stressful time, make sure you give yourself a chance to respond to the situation objectively. Seek out information, resources, guidance and services to help you with all aspects of your life and career management. Don’t just react, and run out to find a job - any job – because ‘you’ve got to pay the bills’, without first considering how you can maximize this time to explore, invest and secure a purposeful career for you. Sure, the process could take longer, and there may be more time, money, energy and education involved, but the pay off could sustain you in so many ways, and actually benefit you intellectually and creatively as well as financially. You certainly would be more in control of your life, by making well thought-out decisions based on research, planning and experimenting, rather than just rushing into another job that could turn out to be a disaster.

Your Personal Mission Statement

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:51:00 -0800

Many people may be familiar with a trend that organizations have now adopted whereby they design, publicize and adhere to a company mission statement.

These mission statements are created as a guide to promote the company’s purpose and values for its employees, customers and suppliers. When a company defines its values and principles publicly and commits to actions that support these values, they demonstrate integrity.

Mission statements can also serve individuals as well as organizations. When putting together your mission statement, you are given an opportunity to reach deeper into what is really important to you in life.

Most people long for a sense of meaning and purpose at some point in their lives. The process of writing and analyzing your own mission statement gives direction and clarification to your choices by defining your beliefs, your values and what you want to make of your life. You can then use these principles consistently as a guide to unify and direct all that you do so that there is meaning and purpose in your choices and your life.

In order to write a mission statement, you need to ask yourself some challenging questions such as: “What is my purpose in life?” “What is truly important to me?” “What gives life meaning to me?” “What do I have to offer others?”

A mission statement is a work in progress. It takes deep introspection and often many rewrites to produce it in final form, but when you do, it is something you can use to make powerful and effective decisions in your life and work. It challenges you to make sure you are living and working with purpose and integrity. This will ultimately strengthen your self-esteem, courage and determination.

Feelings about unemployment

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:07:00 -0800

Unemployment is one of the most difficult situations a person can experience in their life. It ranks fourth on the stress scale after personal injury, death of a family member and divorce. It is a major life crisis that can throw a person off balance and, especially if they are not expecting it, they can experience an incredible shock.

When a person loses their job, they may go through a grieving process similar to that associated with the death of a loved one. The stages or reactions of grief include the denial stage – the disbelief or “I can’t believe it but know it’s true”; anger - at the injustice and feelings of no control over the situation; and then the depression stage – which can include feelings of desperation and discouragement.

When people lose a job, they are not only faced with the loss of their livelihood but other losses as well, such as status or identity. Some people may feel the loss associated with having a routine, some place to go every day or the social elements a workplace can provide.

In working through the process of unemployment, it is important to seek emotional support from people you trust. Unemployed individuals who receive support are less likely to suffer from depression, low self-esteem and illness due to stress.

However, sometimes the people we expect to be available to help us through a difficult time are not necessarily available. Family members may have little energy to spare or are projecting their own fears about your situation back onto you. Friends may be too busy. If this happens, it may be beneficial to talk to a professional counselor, someone who can listen to your problems without judgment, biases or agendas. They can even assist you in looking at new possibilities and provide strategies and resources for you to actualize them.

Career Change After Forty

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:00:00 -0800

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" This quote was by Satchel Paige, who was documented in the Guinness Book of Records as being the oldest baseball player, making his last pitch from the mound when he was 59! Phyllis Diller started her career as a comedienne, actor and author at 37! Colonel Sanders (of KFC fame), started actively franchising his chicken business at 65!

There are many stories of people who have started or pursued a 'career' later in life. Clients we meet in our program (which is open to adults 20-60+yrs) are where we learn of most of them. We see more people over 40 making a career transition than ever before. Different circumstances have contributed to this such as: losing a job because of company restructuring, burnout or health concerns; re-entering the workforce because of family or marital changes; dissatisfaction in previous jobs; or necessity of earning an income to prepare for retirement, which is still a long way off because of insufficient funds, sometimes due to adult children who are borrowing money because they cannot afford to support themselves.

Looking at ones' career or job prospects for the next term of our lives involves careful planning and gradual implementation. It also involves letting go of outdated attitudes and perceptions of what the world of work was, or 'should' be. Today, security comes not from an external source, but from an internal one – ourselves. Managing our life and work is true security and requires organization, commitment, responsibility, flexibility and resourcefulness. Included in this is learning how you can reposition your skills and set up a career portfolio – which is a process of accessing several potential streams of income instead of relying on just one job.

Making a career change when you are over 40 can be daunting, and you need not try to figure it out alone. Consider contacting a career coach to help you with the process.

How Many ‘Real’ Occupations are Out There?

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:56:00 -0800

Something I hear quite frequently in my work is people telling me that they were expected by others - usually their family or community - to pursue a ‘real’ occupation. This meant that they were supposed to find work that was lucrative, secure, and well esteemed.

The universally accepted occupations that qualified for a ‘real’ occupation included: Doctor, Lawyer, Accountant and Engineer. Now I’m thinking, if everyone in the world were to pursue these four occupations, who would cut our hair, sell us produce, build our roads, care for our children, write books for us to read and paint art for us to look at?

In this day and age, this seems like such a constrictive and limited view of the range of occupations that are really out there for people to pursue. The National Occupational Classification directory (http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/home.shtml) organizes over 30,000 occupational titles. That’s 29, 996 more occupations than most people can imagine, such as: virtual-meetings organizer, plant pathologist, internet security specialist, Houdini artist, sommelier, cybrarian and croupier. How about those as possibilities? And this is just the tip of the iceberg of all the other ‘real’ occupations that are out there.

If you want to explore your career possibilities please call 604-434-1177 and ask about the Transitions Program, our government funded (no fee) three-week career exploration program available to anyone who is unemployed or under employed and eligible to work in Canada.

Introvert Job Search

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:06:00 -0800

If you’re an introvert, your energy is generally directed inwards towards concepts & ideas rather than outward towards people and conversations like extroverts. At work you tend to need times of quiet for concentration and time to focus on tasks. Also, Introverts are more ‘internal’ and reflective, and may think or hesitate before speaking, avoid crowds and being the focus, proceed cautiously when meeting people, offer ideas and opinions only when comfortable and sure, and remember faces and details more than names.

To be successful at a job search, Introverts will need to stretch themselves and adopt strategies that lend themselves to an introvert's strengths. First, focus on the 3 P’s: Personal Pacing – harness your energy, learning to set a good tempo, set a rate that allows for accomplishment but without feeling overwhelmed; Priorities – consider what goals have the most meaning and direct your efforts and energy to fulfill these priorities; Parameters – create healthy boundaries to keep stimulation in the ‘just enough’ range; offer alternative times for meetings, block off down-time, & recognize your need to ‘recuperate’.

Second, take steps that play to your strengths – use your ability to focus and do research by thoroughly researching online or at the library your target job sectors including main associations, top companies, and key people in the sector, and research each company thoroughly before interviews. Use networking websites like LinkedIn, write emails, and submit comments and feedback on blogs and discussion groups to make a good impression and find professional connections. Create an introduction letter and send it out to the industry contacts you’ve researched, and start your own “Research Project” by picking a hot topic for your sector and offer to share the final report with all those who are willing to meet you to answer a few relevant questions.

For more information check out the book The Successful Introvert at http://www.happyabout.com/ and call us for details on our career planning services.

Dreams vs Realities

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:20:00 -0800

When I work with clients during their career exploration, I give them the opportunity to think creatively, dream and expand their imagination as to what they really want to do.

A common question that many of us hear in life is, “What are you going to DO?” Very rarely do we ask others, and especially ourselves, “What do you WANT to do?” It seems that question is outside many people’s so-called reality – whatever reality is.

We can be extremely skeptical about letting ourselves explore what we really WANT to do in life. We convince and secure ourselves with limiting beliefs that keep us doing what we think we are ABLE to do, and/or SHOULD do. We haven’t given ourselves the time, energy or capacity to even explore our dreams, and if we do, we cut them off before they have a chance to develop and grow. We shut them down with what we identify as ‘reality’ or ‘the real world’.

I challenge you to think deeply about what this really means for you. Why is there such an extreme between ‘dreams and reality’?

I believe a real world is something that is first conceptualized and then built upon with passion, commitment and a positive attitude. In order to do this though, we need to first give ourselves permission to even consider exploring what our dreams are. Then we need to nurture, investigate and honour them in our life. Everything that we have in our real world right now, someone dreamt about at one time and then did whatever was necessary to turn it into something real!

I encourage you to explore your dreams without structure, criticism, and judgment. Expose them to people you trust, and look strongly, objectively and courageously at the possibility of making them come true on some level.

What Resumes Won’t Do

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 09:19:00 -0800

The resume. Many feel that it is the key to finding a new job; for others, it’s just a formality in the application process. I don’t believe it is either. In my view, the resume is a targeted self marketing tool that highlights your key skills, abilities and experiences that relate to a particular company or position. Just like a product or service brochure, it needs to catch the attention of the reader right away and make it easy for them to find the pertinent information they’re seeking. This means having a Highlights of Qualifications and Skills section at the top of your resume, summarising your skills, training, and experiences that are most relevant to the employer.

No matter how well you design your new resume, however, the resume has only a limited role in the job search process. The resume:

1) Won’t get you the job - at best it may get you an interview.

2) Won’t get the employer to pick up the phone - it provides reference material for the employer to review, but doesn’t mean they’ll call you.

3) Won’t walk down the hall and get itself on the appropriate person’s desk - the resume doesn’t take the place of proper phone and email follow-up and contact making.

4) Won’t get the employer to skip the interview process – you’ll eventually have to present yourself professionally in person.

So, if you need help with preparing an effective resume call my office for a list of resources and help in your area. But remember, the resume is only one part of an effective job search. Knowing what you really want from your future work, being able to clearly articulate your strengths, developing a strong network, and preparing for interviews are other key facets of an effective job search. Help in these areas is also available, so call for more info.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:12:00 -0800

The common question I hear my clients ask is, "What do I want to be when I grow up?'.

Yes, this comes from adults – people who are already grown up - and yes they are half joking, but there is an incredible truth to it, as many (if not most) people do not really know what they want to do in their career.

However, the question I would really like people to ask themselves when they are in a life/career transition is: "Who do I want to be?"

I believe it's more important to discover, accept, and honour 'who' we are before we try to figure out 'what' we are supposed to do. After all, we are human beings, not human doings, yet many people forget or do not understand how important it is in life to really know who they are. To quote the Taoist Philosopher, Lao Tsu: "He who knows others is learned, he who knows himself is wise."

In order to learn more about ourselves, we must invest time and energy into assessing our values, temperament, talents, interests, dreams, fears and beliefs. Who we are is more than these parts but it does provide a foundation to help determine what we are meant to do in our career. Once we have done a thorough self examination, we can then weigh this information against different lifestyle choices and occupations to see which would be the best match for us. Keep in mind however that values, passions, beliefs and interests are apt to change over a person’s life time so it's only understandable that we may also change the way we want to live or the work we want to do at different times or terms of our life. Don't get too attached to having it look like one career for life.

Who do I want to be? Who am I now? These are the questions you ought to be asking yourself if you are in a career conundrum. The characteristics of your true self, as they are today, are what you need to examine first; the rest is just details.

Go with Strengths

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:27:00 -0800

Let’s face it – there are high expectations at work and in society regarding our performance, professionalism, output and activities. It seems I’m supposed to be a high-output, multi-tasking entrepreneurial networker, who’s up-to-date on the latest advances in technology and trends in my sector, while also managing my many relationships and arriving at meetings on time. Whew!

The reality is that I don’t do everything equally well. It seems that the harshest judge of my abilities, or missing abilities, is me. I want to do everything well but reality is, I’m not ‘good’ at everything. We humans are miraculous beings with amazing capabilities. But the phrase “I’m only human” also applies here, referring to the humility that comes from having, and admitting to, limitations.

Like the flip side of a coin, I have weaknesses that work in tandem with my strengths. My ability to retain and focus on details is also a weakness when I lose sight of the big picture. My entrepreneurial ability to see opportunities and create business ideas can also result in a fragmented business as I try to tackle too many projects at once. I also have weaknesses that stand on their own, like my lack of artistic drawing skills, or my instant overwhelm at complex math calculations.

In his book titled 'Go Put Your Strengths to Work', Marcus Buckingham makes the bold assertion that we should stop worrying about and focusing on our weaknesses. Instead he contends that we should spend our efforts and energy building on our strengths. Why spend all our energy identifying, thinking about, and working on our weak points, when we can experience far greater and faster results building on our natural gifts and strengths?

Goal Setting

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:58:00 -0800

Every journey begins with knowing where you are, choosing a destination, and planning how to get there.

To celebrate the 25^th anniversary of his famous “Man in Motion” Tour, Rick Hansen is leading a cross-Canada relay beginning this August. His goal is to raise money to support spinal cord injury treatment advancements (http://www.rickhansen.com/) with the dream of making the country more accessible and inclusive to those with disabilities. After his first world tour, he wrote the book “Going The Distance” which outlined his understanding of what it took to make the tour happen.

The following steps helped him achieve his dream:

1) Set your goal: identify a meaningful personal goal – something that you can get excited about.

2) Cultivate your personal vision: create a clear visualization of what it would be like if you achieved the goal.

3) Plan to reach the goal: design a realistic plan split into small achievable steps.

4) Taking Risks: step out and get the support you need.

5) Embrace the feelings: as you get started, powerful feelings will arise – both positive and discouraging. Find constructive ways to express these feelings rather than ignoring them.

6) Actively strive: If your goal is truly challenging, then it won’t be easy. You will face obstacles and will need to push through or find alternative routes.

7) Experience success: When you make it to the goal, reward yourself, make it memorable.

You will become successful when you are clear with what you want and are willing to take the necessary steps to move forward. It’s hard to achieve goals alone so be sure to connect with others to keep the vision alive.

Freedom from Fear in Uncertain Times

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:12:00 -0800

As a counsellor and coach I hear a lot about peoples’ fears for the security of their job or business, for their retirement, and generally for their future. I find that the people with the most fear are the people who believe they have the little control over the circumstance of their lives. And while I recognize that we may not have ‘control’ over as many life influences as we’d like, we can focus on those things we can most influence.

Personal Choice: We cannot control the people around us, let alone the entire economy. What we can control are our own actions, emotions and decisions, choosing to be proactive rather than passive when times get tough. It’s how I choose to respond, and how I choose to act, that matters most.

Understanding: Much fear comes from fearing the worst and not understanding the changes that are impacting us. We don’t have to become an economist or a career expert, but you will want to ask questions and learn all you can about your finances, your local economy, your employer’s stability, and your career alternatives and options.

Support: We live in a society where independence and self-sufficiency are highly valued. This isn’t helpful in times of change. Don’t isolate yourself in doubts and fears – reach out, ask for help, get advice, be curious, and help others that are having a harder time than you are.

Purpose: The people who survive change most successfully are those who are able to hold on to a bigger picture, or higher purpose - one that guides them and motivates them through challenging times. What is your purpose; career satisfaction and advancement, supporting your family, contributing to the world?

Trades and Science Careers

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:00:00 -0800

New reports published by BC Stats show the job sectors in BC that have had the greatest recent growth are expected to continue to grow and outperform other job sectors. These are the Trades and Science-related careers. The reports can be found, along with others, on the newly updated website, www.workbc.ca . The site provides a wide range of information, tips and links for British Columbians who are looking for career options or looking for work.

Science Related Occupations

How many people work in science-related occupations? Which industries employ them? What’s the labour market outlook for workers in these occupations? A recently released report on science-related occupations explores these issues. There are many different types of jobs that could be considered science-related. In this report, “science” has been defined to include natural and applied sciences such as biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, medical science and physics. The report can be found at: http://workbc.ca/docs/BC_Science_Related_Occupations.pdf

Trade Occupations Outlook to 2019

The BC Trade Occupations Outlook report provides an outlook for trade occupations for the province as a whole, as well as for BC’s seven development regions for the period 2009-2019. The analysis is based on a representative list of 15 trade occupations covering 82 separate trades and over 85 percent of active B.C. apprentices. Selected occupations are concentrated in two areas: a) Trades, Transport and Equipment Operators and Related Occupations , and b) Sales and Service Occupations. These categories include trades such as Chefs and Cooks, Butchers and Bakers, Technical Occupations in Personal Services, Machinists, Electrical Trades and Telecommunication, Plumbers, Pipefitters and Gasfitters, Metal Forming, Shaping and Erecting Trades, Carpenters and Cabinetmakers, Machinery and Transportation Equipment Mechanics , Automotive Service Technicians, Crane Operators, Driller and Blasters, and Heavy Equipment Operators. Learn more at http://workbc.ca/docs/BC_tradesoccupationoutlook_2009-2019.pdf

Responses to Change

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:58:00 -0800

According to Richard deCharms, a researcher in the field of motivation, the primary human motivation is to be effective in producing changes in one's environment. I find this to be true. Most of the clients I meet with who feel they have no control over their circumstances, are also the ones who feel the most anger, anxiety or hopelessness. It’s important for us to feel that we have some command over our lives and our actions, to feel powerful rather than powerless. Unfortunately, we don’t always feel in command especially in times of change. There are four different ways that people respond to change:

1. Inactive: withdraw from change, hide, and do nothing

2. Reactive: react to changes that confront us, but there is little or no planning, vision, or choice involved – we didn’t see it coming

3. Proactive: involves being aware and choosing our response to change as we evaluate and research our options and make informed choices

4. Self-directed initiator: involves not only effectively managing change but also embracing and initiating change; viewing change as an opportunity for personal development and an opportunity to influence and actively shape the course of our lives

These are our choices. We can avoid or react to change or we can manage it constructively. When our choice is to learn to manage change effectively we can become self-directed initiators of change. This enables us to take charge of our lives as much as we can, living in more productive and personally meaningful ways.

If you have changes happening in your job or career, become a self-directed initiator and start planning for your future. Call my office at 604-434-1177 for info.

New Source of Income

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:40:00 -0800

Over the last number of years a great new economy has developed allowing businesses to connect with professionals of all kinds who are available to do work, no matter where they’re located in the world. This new economy has been facilitated by websites like Elance, Guru and oDesk , to name a few. These web ‘work’ communities allow anyone to sign up for free as either an ‘employer’ or a ‘provider’, or both. You can then search for projects or proposals that you can bid on, or post projects for providers to submit proposals and bids.

What services can you provide on these sites?

· Administrative work including creating documents, data entry, writing letters

· ‘Virtual Assistant’ work – making calls, taking calls, performing tasks, organizing, customer support

· Writing for any area including reports, articles, websites, ghost writing, blogs

· Computer programming of any kind or websites and ecommerce development

· Business, HR, or Marketing consulting

· Graphic arts for brochures, reports, logos

· Research for reports, articles, marketing, sales or product development

· Accounting, engineering, legal, and other professional work

· And much, much more…

In reviewing these sites I have noticed that there are providers from all over the world. This does mean that on some project bids you will be competing with some admin services being offered for as little as $5 per hour. Although this may undercut rates we would bid from North America (based on our wage rates and cost of living), there are many service providers charging reasonable rates who are winning projects due to the relevance of their skills and experience, language proficiency, and the quality of their portfolio and sample work. So what do you have to offer? Check it out at:

www.odesk.com/jobs, www.guru.com/pro, www.elance.com

Serenity for 2011

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 09:31:00 -0800

What’s in store for each of us this year? Some of you will be excited by the prospect of new projects and opportunities, while others may be fearful of what the year holds. If you are concerned and anxious about the year ahead, perhaps this adaptation of the Serenity Prayer will encourage you:

God grant me the serenity… meaning that I no longer recoil from the past, or worry about the unknown future. I seek regular times to re-create myself and avoid those times of stress and depletion which make me vulnerable to despair and to old self-destructive thoughts.

To accept the things I cannot change… that I not cause suffering for myself by clinging to that which no longer exists. All that I can count on for sure is how I respond to the transforming cycles and passages in my life.

To change the things I can…which means remembering that to give up my attempts to control outcomes does not require that I give up my boundaries or my best efforts. It does mean making my most honest appraisal of the lengths and limits of what I can do, and take action where and when I can.

And the wisdom to know the difference…wisdom becomes the never forgotten recognition of all those times when there seemed to be no way out, and new paths opened up like miracles in my life.

May you face the New Year with optimism – a realistic optimism that acknowledges the uncertainties and challenges of life, while trusting that with calm, poise and trust, the support of friends/family, your skills, knowledge, experiences and faith, you will overcome any obstacles and live life to the fullest.

Happy New Year.

Interview Tips pt 2

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 13:55:00 -0800

A previous participant in one of my career workshops has had 13 interviews with a variety of employers in Vancouver over the past couple months. Here’s part 2 of what he’s learned from his experiences, in his own words:

-“ Practice frequently asked interview questions like, "Tell me about yourself?", "What are your strengths and weaknesses?", "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?", "How do you get along with difficult co-workers?" Most interviewers are not creative so they have asked me the same questions over and over.
- Get ready to receive lots of rejections! You're a Sales Rep marketing yourself so it's just a numbers' game. Don't take it personally. It's just business and use your energies for your next interview.
- There could be so many reasons why you didn't get the job offer. It could be because there was an internal candidate. The Hiring Manager wanted to hire his friend or brother, but they still had to go through the formal hiring process. The company thought they had enough money to add an employee, but they realized they didn't. Don't waste your time wondering if you said something wrong at the interview. It's possible that you did everything right, but still didn't get a job.
- Although you may end up wasting lots of time doing company research and dressing up for an interview for nothing if you don't get a job, it's still interesting to meet new people (interviewers) and check out their work environment. You may run into them at a conference or somewhere in the future. You can strike a conversation to network with them if you enjoyed having an interview with them.

- I got a call today for another interview on Dec. 30th! I guess some companies are still conducting interviews during the Holiday season.”

Job searching is a challenging job for anyone. If you need help identifying a career that’s worth all that effort, call my office.

Interview Tips pt 1

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:57:00 -0800

A previous participant in one of my career workshops has had 13 interviews with a variety of employers in Vancouver over the past couple months. I asked him to share what he’s learned from his experiences, and he agreed, so I’ll share his insights in his own words this week and next.

“Here are things I've learned from having 13 interviews recently:
- I stopped customizing my resume and cover letter. I used to spend about two hours customizing my resume and cover letter depending on the job. I got no reply. I have begun emailing my generic resume and got such better responses! I don't even email my cover letter if not asked. Now I don't spend any time customizing my resume so I'm applying for more jobs (because it takes less time) and getting many interviews!
- Although networking is great if you want to work for a small company, it may not do much if you want to work for a medium-sized or big company. You may know an insider, but that person may not be able to give you a job without consulting with their manager and co-workers. The most important thing is to update your education and skills (communication and computer) as well as having a good resume and practice your interview skills by going to many interviews (of course you'll need to get invited for interviews). Another thing is that you may end up wasting a lot of time networking with wrong people. You'd be better off taking a class to update your skills.
- Some interviewers are not experienced. They are more nervous than you are!
- Do company research. They will most likely ask you, "Why do you want to work for this organization and get this job?"

Stay tuned for more tips next week – and call our office if you need help with your career search.

Web Tools to help you

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 10:23:00 -0800

Here are a few web-based tools to help you get organized, connected and planned for the New Year.

http://www.mindtools.com/

MindTools.com teaches you the leadership, team management, problem-solving, personal productivity and team-working skills you need for a happy and successful career. Free resources and a members monthly fee option.

http://www.toodledo.com/

This tool provides a single place where all your to-dos are permanently stored and easily accessible allowing you to relax, knowing that you won't forget anything. Toodledo's hotlist, email and sms reminders, and sortable online to-do list will help you remember to complete tasks on-time.

For those of us who are procrastinators, Toodledo has a special tool that analyzes dates, priorities, time estimates, and other characteristics to create a customized schedule of the best use of your time.

http://www.batchblue.com/

Batchbook allows you to keep track of your business, personal, and social networking contacts and share them with others. You can create a flexible, easy-to-use contact database from scratch, or import your contacts from an existing system. In addition to standard contact information, you can use SuperTags to create custom fields you’ve added yourself to capture the information that’s important to you (such as employer information, contact details, or social networking profiles of those you’re networking with).

http://www.youremeploymentservices.ca/

http://www.workapedia.ca/

These two BC websites provide lists of employment programs and resources in your community, and links to other job search and career planning resources. A great resource any time, and a great place to research resources to access in the New Year!

Job Search at Christmas

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:39:00 -0800

The Christmas Holidays are upon us, and for those who are unemployed and looking for work it`s a stressful time. Here are my tips for surviving, and perhaps enjoying, the Christmas season.

1) Do not stop looking for work yet – there are still a few work days left before Christmas and if an employer has an opening, they may want to hire before Christmas so they don`t have to worry about it in the New Year.

2) Take this week to create a job search plan: update your resume, create a couple of new targeted cover letters for specific jobs, or write down the names and numbers of people you should follow-up with or companies and sectors to target. Do this now so that you can start quickly after the holiday break, and so that when friends and family ask you “did you find work yet?” you can confidently say “not yet but I have a plan for the New Year!” to reassure both them and you…

3) With Christmas falling on a Saturday, the holiday break is just one week. If you need the rest, take the week off and get ready to roll on January 3^rd. If the pressure is on to find work as soon as possible, then book time on December 28^th and 29^th to review job and company sites for opportunities, and make any calls. This is a great option to keep your energy moving, while still enjoying two ‘long weekends’. Either way, block off days during the holidays where you’re not allowed to talk or stress about your job search. Worrying on days you can’t do anything anyways is wasted energy, plus you won’t benefit from the rest you’ll need to re-energize for the New Year.

If you feel like you’ve ‘hit a wall’ in your job or career search, why not consider accessing career advice and help in the New Year. Call our office to find out about our career services.