Summer 2002

Rewired, Rehired, or Retired
A Global Guide for the Experienced Worker 
By Robert K. Critchley
Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2002, ISBN: 0-7879-6219-8

Written by an International President for Drake, Beam, Morris, Rewired, Rehired, or Retired offers both a theoretical exploration of the work-life choices for workers over 50, and a scattering of workbook exercises and self assessments. It focuses primarily on three options:

• continuing to work at present job or new position because you enjoy it.
• reducing work hours to allow time for other interests
• discontinuing paid work in order to do other things.

Most references are Australian, or British, but there are a number of examples from Canada, Europe and Asia as well.

The first chapters predictably deal with work–life balance and understanding and dealing with change. A recurring theme is ”life is not a dress rehearsal, it is the main event” and no one else can plan for you, but you have to consider the impact of your choices on others in your life.

Throughout the book, there are several worksheets for self assessment. Some take the form of a series self–evaluation questions prompting a close look at one’s flexibility or adaptability. There is also an entire chapter (Chapter 6, Effective Career and Life Communication) outlining “I SPEAK” a diluted MBTI/ JUNG knock off which uses the designations of Intuitor, Thinker, Feeler and Sensor.

The meat of this book, however, begins with Chapter 4, Understanding the Myths and Realities of the Mature Worker, and Chapter 5, Achieving a Level Playing Field with Younger Workers. For those interested in the rehirement or rewirement options, Critchley shows how older workers often forget their easily demonstrated history of having learned and adapted to business technology changes over last decade or more. It is cumulative knowledge, not obsolete knowledge. He does this with anecdotes, statistics, facts and quotations from Internet articles (ZDNET), Greek philosophers, business celebrities and everyone in between.

There is also a comprehensive listing of myths, accompanied by some suggestions for dispelling them. This section is well worth reading, and will probably soon be found on the walls of many career centers who serve experienced workers. He also outlines the value of experienced workers and mentors for small companies and discusses the application of transferable skills.

Chapter 5 has a number of hints and suggestions for experienced workers, such as:

• use “experienced” instead of “older”
• demonstrate flexibility
• capitalize on experience.(the worksheet for summarizing success stories also includes mistakes so that you can capture the depth of your learning)
• research and rehearse (recommends the Internet)
• identify differentiators (depth of experience increases uniqueness)
• show empathy and that you understand the concerns and issues faced by the business.
• communicate positively
• listen carefully

An additional four chapters deal with developing a positive attitude, networking, interview skills and overcoming phone phobia. The latter includes more self tests and a, reprint of the 1999 “Call Reluctance Self-Rating Scale” by George W. Dudley and Shannong L. Goodson,

Critchley rounds out the book with a final three theoretical chapters on “Global Opportunities for the Mature Worker”,”Retractable Retirement” and “Life Is Not a Dress Rehearsal” Once again, he uses examples from North America, Europe and Asia, including Canada. Our HRDC programs for older workers are lauded. Hopefully the print praise will help with funding renewal requests. Critchley also points out a French policy which costs employers more if the worker they are laying off or terminating is 50 years of age or older. (No details were given.) He also takes a hard look at the stresses (and impact on physical and mental health) of retiring too early and the stresses of re–entering the workforce.

He seems to favour part time work or semi retirement, but does give fair coverage to all of the options. The book is thoughtful, and wide–ranging yet still comes up with some valuable concrete advice.

By Marlene McKintosh

Career Planning for women who are victims of violence requires strategies and methods of service delivery not normally employed in the general scope of Career Counselling. Women victims of violence face multiple challenges, and career planning services designed specifically to meet their needs are virtually non–existent. The Career Planning for Assaulted Women (CPAW) program, a service of MicroSkills is a unique program in Toronto, specifically designed to meet the needs of a growing number of women victims of violence who are desiring an attachment to the labour force. Our approach to programming is client centered and addresses the multiplicity of challenges that victims of violence face in regaining control of their lives and building economic self–sufficiency.

Par Nathalie Perreault, c.o

Un outil pour les intervenants

Dans un contexte où le marché du travail évolue rapidement, où les opportunités de formation se multiplient et où de nouveaux outils sont régulièrement proposés aux intervenants en développement de carrière, il est de plus en plus difficile de se maintenir à jour. Comme vous le savez, le site Internet Contact Point répond avec succès, et ce depuis plusieurs années, aux besoins des intervenants anglophones du Canada qui souhaitent suivre l’évolution de leur domaine. Comme le Bulletin d’avril dernier de Contact Point vous l’a annoncé, les intervenants francophones pourront prochainement consulter un site semblable en français. En effet, The Counselling Foundation of Canada a confié le développement et l’alimentation d’une version francophone de Contact Point à la Société GRICS, organisme sans but lucratif qui bénéficie d’une grande expertise en information scolaire et professionnelle.

By Dr. Arthur Blue, via Wes Darou

“Many years ago, my newly won Master’s degree in hand, my internship at a southern Idaho mental hospital initiated me into the art of patient contact and the practice of psychology. Many of the outpatients here came in from the nearby reservation; there also resided a medicine man known to me since my childhood simply as Hosie. I was soon to learn another lesson from this respected elder.

By Jayne Greene-Black

People with learning disabilities (LDs) are succeeding in school, and at work, in increasing numbers. Today, more is known about the factors that contribute to the success of this population. High profile leaders with LDs are speaking publicly about their difficult pasts and the strategies that assisted them in achieving career success. Betsy Morris (2002) not only reviewed the stories of dyslexic CEOs in her May 13th, 2002 Fortune Magazine article, but she also presented the names of high achieving scientists, actors, artists, lawyers, and activists who share the commonality of having LDs. Morris (2002) cited Sally Shaywitz, a neuroscientist who is co–director of Yale’s Centre for Learning and Attention, who said, “Dyslexics are overrepresented in the top ranks of people who are unusually insightful, who bring a new perspective, who think out of the box.” (p. 56)

By Gregg Blachford

Careers And Queers: What’s the link?

Homophobia is the fear of lesbians, gay males, bisexuals and transgendered people and the hatred, intolerance, disgust, discrimination and prejudice that this fear brings.
Heterosexism is the promotion by institutions of the inherent superiority of heterosexuality and the assumption that everyone is heterosexual.

Two questions have always interested me both as a career counsellor and a gay man. First of all, what are the ways in which one’s sexual orientation can influence career choice? Secondly, despite the many positive legal and cultural changes that have made lesbians and gay men more visible in Canada and better protected against discrimination, why do so many gay men and lesbians still remain “closeted” at work – keeping our “queerness” a secret? I want to examine these questions and finish by suggesting how career counsellors can create a welcoming environment for their queer clients in career centres.

The word “queer”, which some find offensive, is a convenient single word with a political punch that encompasses a long list of sexual minorities and, through its use, defuses its offensiveness. My emphasis here will be on lesbians and gay men. Issues for bisexuals and transgendered people overlap, but the differences need separate attention.

Empirical data is rare in this area. As Margaret Schneider and Joan McCurdy-Myers said in a Contact Point Bulletin article in Spring 1999, www.contactpoint.ca/bulletins/v2-n4/v2-n4.html The influence of sexual orientation on academic and career choices is an area which has only recently received notice”. My assertions come from my experiences with working with gay and lesbian youth in my professional and volunteer work.

Growing up Queer

Because of homophobia and heterosexism, growing up queer takes us through phases that “straights” (i.e. heterosexuals) generally don’t experience. From an early age, we begin to feel different and sense these feelings are wrong so we hide them, getting good at lying and pretending as we “stay in the closet”. We are alone with our feelings, not able to look to parents or friends to give us strategies or strength to deal with our pain and frustration. Eventually, as we gain friends and confidence, we “come out” and start telling the truth. We begin to feel pride and we develop a sense of community and a support network.

But often the scars of the pre–coming out days stay with us as “internalized homophobia” (an ongoing unconscious feeling of shame) that influences our lives in many ways, including our career choices.

Choosing a Career

Picking a career that we can enjoy requires us to be confident in knowing who we are and what we want. Internalized homophobia lowers our self–confidence and may make it harder for us to have an accurate picture of our skills and interests. We get so good at pretending to be different, that it may be hard to know “the real me”.

Occupations may be picked not based on one’s skills and interests, but rather on choosing or avoiding careers based only on one’s sexuality. For example, occupations may be selected because “That’s what lesbians do” or “I want to explore my sexuality and be in a safe space, so I’ll choose a career where there are lots of gay people”.

Alternatively, occupations may be avoided because they’re not for “people like me”: “I could never be a corporate lawyer, – none of them are queer”; or because of fear: “I’m not going to be an engineer – people might think I’m a lesbian”. We may rely on myths and stereotypes because we don’t have the networks that would give us access to more accurate information.

Coming Out in the Workplace

Once a career destination is decided upon, then questions of how to look for work and how to act “on the job” emerge. Should I come out on my resume? At the interview? After hired? After the first promotion? Never? Also, how should I deal with any discriminatory actions on the part of my bosses or colleagues?

In a useful article by Y. Barry Chung in the September 2001 issue of the Career Development Quarterly called Work Discrimination and Coping Strategies: Conceptual Frameworks for Counseling Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients, he says that the queer individual’s perceptions of discrimination, assessment of risk and level of confidence are crucial in understanding how they look for work and “get by” at work once they get the job. These factors influence when people decide to move from being totally closeted to publicly out, from the separation of their personal and professional lives to the integration of the two.

Despite legislative and cultural advances, discrimination and harassment certainly can still be found in many workplaces. But, if internalized homophobia and fear still play a big role, we become experts at “keeping our secret”. Maybe we just can’t break the habit, even in a more positive environment, so we remain closeted.

How to help queer clients

What do queer clients need from career counsellors? They need some sense that you “get it” – that you understand the link between queers and careers. How?

• Signal support through using words that don’t assume the client is heterosexual
• Display Pride colours/flag somewhere in the office – it doesn’t have to be big – we’ll notice it!
• Set up or join a “Safe Space” Program at your institution.
• Bring up this topic with colleagues at supervision sessions.
• Visit the Contact Point Resource Centre and Follow the GLBT link for dozens of useful websites and the safe space symbols collection.

Finally, when working with queer clients, it helps to ask how central is being queer to their identity compared with their race, ethnicity, religion, or sex? Help them develop a support system from which they can gain accurate information about the work world and differentiate between real and imagined fears about coming out. Help defeat internalized homophobia by working with them to see how the queer experience can actually bring skills and qualities to the workplace instead of just being “a problem”.

Gregg Blachford is the Director of McGill University’s Career and Placement Service where he has initiated career programs to work with queer students. He volunteers with Gay Line, Montreal’s Anglophone listening and information telephone help line. Contact: gregg.blachford@mcgill.ca

By Rupert Raj, M.A.

• Transpeople of colour, immigrants, refugees and “two-spirit” people (Aboriginal persons who identify as either or both a mixed gender and/or a same–sex sexual orientation),
• trans–identified youth – who have never worked before,
• transpeople over 40 or 50 – who are pursuing a career change,
• transmen/transwomen with a disability or on low income – who want to re–enter the workforce and/or work only part–time,
• trans sex trade workers – who might want to change their profession–

All of the above are all potential clients who face particular barriers over and above strictly career or employment–related issues, and who potentially look to you for help in overcoming these multiple barriers. The challenges are great but so are the rewards!