The Pitfalls of Chronic Job Searching

September 24, 2007By 0 comment

By Allison Hendriks

With unemployment in Canada at 6.1% (Statistics Canada, 2007), the lowest rate in years, jobseekers can anticipate a shorter period of unemployment. However, there are jobseekers and there are chronic jobseekers. As career professionals, we all have experience with clients, who, heedless of our advice, consistently use out of date and ineffective job search techniques. These clients often fall into using two of the typical job searching pitfalls: the newspaper and the Internet.

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Conference Sketch

September 10, 2007By

By Tracey Campbell

Building Tomorrow Today 2007: The Journey Continues…
Turn on Your GPS…

Building Tomorrow Today (BTT) was held in Edmonton, Alberta at the Mayfield Inn & Suites from May 2-4, 2007. This event gathered together stakeholders working in the areas of career development, education and training, human resources, and research from across the province. Approximately 840 delegates, speakers and volunteers attended this consultation this year. There was representation from six provinces and the Northwest Territories.

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HR for Small Business

September 1, 2007By

By Jen Denys

Our Outside Environment

In the 1990’s, a change occurred in the labour market where technology and other innovations in many businesses resulted in a change in focus by employers. Employee skills and knowledge became the critical asset sought out by perspective employers. Almost 20 years later, we still feel and hear the consequences of this trend. I do believe that people are a significant asset to businesses of all shapes and sizes and for me, that’s what makes working as an HR professional exciting. “Employees are the most important resource to a company”, “Talent is the key to competitive advantage”, “Engagement” and “Organizational Knowledge” are common phrases in the business world today.

Today, most businesses operate in the global world of competitive knowledge. Organizational ideas as well as having the ability to produce, market and bring those ideas to the attention of your customer more efficiently than your competitor, will make your business successful. These ideas come from people who are committed and engaged in their jobs. Such individuals are going to become harder to find and retain as our workforce shrinks in size due to our inability to replace the Baby Boomer generation as it retires. In addition, no matter what their role, all employees are walking advertisements for their companies. Naturally, sales people and front-line service workers are the face of your organization as they directly work with your clients. At the same time, your “backroom” employees or those less visible are telling their friends and relatives (your customers) about your product, about your business methods and about how you treat them. There’s an old adage that says: “ a satisfied customer will tell one person about the service s/he received, while an unsatisfied customer will tell 10 or 100.” Are your employees goodwill ambassadors?

Our Inside Environment

The strategies for effective utilization of human capital may differ for small businesses as compared to their larger counterparts. I would like to offer the following suggestions and ideas for small businesses:

  • Make HR part of your strategic plan. Most businesses set targets and goals for themselves on a regular basis – you can’t achieve what you can’t measure. This is just as true for your employees. Come up with metrics that support your business goals. If production targets are key, create a system where the outputs of teams can be measured and rewarded. If low employee morale is an impediment, ask your employees what can be done to increase their job satisfaction – then make it happen. Doing this will build their trust. Asking the question, then following with inaction or indifference will exponentially aggravate the problem. You hear all the time “yes we told them, but they did nothing about it”….
  • Operate with three core values – respect, fairness and open communication. I find that many HR issues go back to common sense or basic rules of conduct. Find ways to show you remember that your employees are people with lives outside of work. Treat people fairly and equally. Encourage people to make suggestions, speak with you directly and share with them your business plans. A basic human need is satisfied when people feel a sense of belonging and that they are needed. An innate part of them wants the chance to make a meaningful contribution to your business.
  • A) Look outside for specialized HR help. I believe that most small businesses with less than 100 employees do not need a dedicated HR professional on staff. Office and General Managers are generally equipped to manage the operational HR function. However, at a certain point, organizations do benefit from external assistance for particular projects that require expert knowledge, such as HR audits, case management related to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario (WSIB) and employee relations, policy writing, etc. When selecting your consultant, consider the level of expertise the consultant has in the area you need support with. In addition, contact previous and current clients of the consultant to find out what results have been achieved on similar projects, and ask for a detailed quote outlining deliverables, timeframes and costs.B) I would also suggest looking for a consultant who will coach your staff members and help to develop their knowledge around the HR project subject matter. A good HR consultant will look for the chance to impart knowledge and develop your organization as effectively as possible. Finally, search out a consultant who you believe will be compatible with your organizational needs. Sometimes that means fitting in with an existing team or being able to “shake things up”.
  • Employers often need to become more effective leaders. Most small business owners are entrepreneurs by heart, however, the moment they engage the help of others, they must give thought to leading their team. To become more effective as a leader one must model great thinking, inspire performance with good vision, challenge existing processes and enlarge employees as individuals.

Giving some thought to your HR practices and perhaps working with an HR consultant does not have to change the nature of your business. Business owners may be wary that doing so means more paperwork and bureaucracy. When it comes to your human capital investment return to the basics of common sense – treat those in your company as you would want to be treated. If your organization engages its employee, treats them equitably and in a dignified manner, and you continue to embrace innovation and the ability to quickly effect change that only a small business can, you will certainly add positive growth to the value chain of your business.

 

As principal of The Right Path Consulting Group, Jen Denys optimizes the personal, professional and organizational growth of her clients. Her areas of expertise include HR Consulting, Career Management, Mentoring, Retirement Lifestyle Planning, Executive Coaching and Mediation. Contact Jen or find out more at: www.rightpathconsulting.com

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Workplace Facilitation-Managing Stress Arising From Workplace Conflict

September 1, 2007By

By Susan Philchuk and Maria Vandenhurk

It would seem that stress is an inescapable reality of most working environments. Factors that impact workplace stress include clashes with coworkers/ supervisors, job insecurity, inability to influence decision-making and more personal issues such as childcare/eldercare, financial problems or issues of substance abuse. The effects of these stressors on an organization can include reduced decision making quality, loss of skilled employees, need to restructure, employee sabotage/theft/damage, lowered job motivation, increased absenteeism and increased STD/LTD insurance premiums.

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Upcoming Events

September 1, 2007By 0 comment

Upcoming Canadian Events

Nova Scotia Career Development Association Annual Conference: Charting the Course — Following Your Compass, Nova Scotia Career Development Association, Dartmouth, NS. May 30-31, 2007

2007 CACEE National Conference, CACEE [Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers], Kingston, ON. June 3-6, 2007

International Personnel Management Association Canada – IPMA Canada 2007 National Training Conference: “The New Generation: New Expectations, New Opportunities”, International Personnel Management Association Canada, Toronto, ON. June 3-6, 2007

Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education (CASAE) Twenty-sixth Annual National Conference , Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education CASAE/ACEEA and Adult Education Research Conference (AERC), Halifax, NS. June 6-9, 2007

Upcoming International Events

The 2007 Leadership Development Conference: Building Your Leadership Pipeline for Business Results, The Conference Board, San Diego, CA, US. June 13-14, 2007

Change and Resistance. An International Conference on Social Transformations and Education, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland. June 14-17, 2007

7th Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference/1st Asia Pacific Congress on Work and Organisational Psychology, Australian Psychological Society, Adelaide, Australia. June 28 – July 1, 2007

Employment for All – Show Me the Future – It’s Bigger Than You Think! – APSE Conference, Association for Persons in Supported Employment – APSE, Kansas City, Missouri, US. July 16-18, 2007

International Conference on Psychology in Mental Health- Journey of a Profession: Prospects and Challenges, Department of Mental Health & Social Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. July 26-28, 2007

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Regional Voices

September 1, 2007By 0 comment

From British Columbia

BC Recognizes Excellence in the Career Development Sector

By Fionna Main

The 2007 BC Career Development Awards of Excellence were awarded to two BC individuals and two BC groups in honour of inspirational leadership and excellence in assisting others develop and move forward in their careers.

Awards were presented to recipients at the 10th Annual Career Development Conference Awards Reception held on March 14, 2007 at the Coast Plaza Hotel and Suites, Vancouver, BC. Over 80 guests representing career development agencies across BC attended. Several past Award of Excellence winners were also on-hand to congratulate the recipients of the prestigious award including: Betty Ann McInnes (YWCA Vancouver), Jim Howie, (BC WorkInfoNet) and John Coward (Pacific Community Resources Society). Recipients were selected in three categories, individual, team, and organization. Selection was based on criteria requiring proven attributes and achievements that displayed a unique, dedicated, and innovative spirit of excellence in the career development field.

The Individual Category was shared between Tannis Goddard – Founder/President Training Innovations Inc, Burnaby, BC and Gregg Taylor, President of Vancouver-based Transitions Career and Business Consultants Inc. Tannis was recognized for her passionate and dynamic role of educator and entrepreneur and her dedication to leading with integrity and vision. Gregg’s active contribution to building a strong career development culture through publications and public presentations was noted as was his open and supportive style of leadership.

The Team Category was awarded to the Career Development Practitioner Program Instructors at Douglas College in Vancouver, BC. This 10 member team was recognized for their collective contribution to the development and learning of all students as they continually work for the growth and advancement of career development in BC.

The Organization Category was awarded to ETHOS Career Management Group of Nanaimo, BC for extensive leadership in development and delivery of career programs made possible and sustainable by their engaging and consistent human resource philosophies and practices. Karen McDiarmid, President of the Career Management Association of BC addressed the reception, “I am honoured to be a part of recognizing the incredible commitment, dedication and contribution of these key members of BC’s career development sector. I look forward to all future initiatives of these groups and individuals.”

BC’s career development sector continues to strive for excellence with clients and in the work place. The Career Management Association and the practitioners of BC are proud to recognize and appreciate the contribution of this innovative and passionate group. Visit www.bccma.ca/awards.asp for more on this year’s Award of Excellence recipients as well as past winners.

Fionna Main graduated from the University of Victoria with her Bachelor of Commerce. She has been working with the Career Management Association of BC for over a year assisting in the planning and implementation of a variety of projects; including the 2006 & 2007 Career Development Conferences and partnership development related to NIDS in BC activities.

From Quebec

Inventory of Skills: a New Book about Theories and Practices

By Nathalie Perreault

Inventory of skills have been used for many years and in many different ways depending on the context. This has made it difficult to develop a good understanding of what an inventory of skills actually is. Furthermore, practitioners seem very interested in improving their knowledge and experience regarding inventory of skills.

Guylaine Michaud, Patricia Dionne and Ginette Beaulieu from Sherbrooke Quebec, have done a remarkable job of summarizing theories about different types of inventory of skills. They also brought together many kinds of practical activities that can be used to help the client build an adaptable inventory of skills. This is all available in a new book called “Le bilan de competences : regards croisés entre la théorie et la pratique” which was published this Winter by Septembre éditeur (www.septembre.com).

The inventory of skills can accomplish several goals and has many benefits for clients. It can help increase a client’s self-esteem and self-knowledge as well as concretely identify his skills. It also assists individuals in building an action plan and developing a professional project. Finally, the inventory of skills also provides the client with individual follow-up from the counsellor.

The authors propose an interesting model that can help the counsellor and the client to go through every step of the process . This model is composed of three phases: retrospective, prospective and realisation. Each of those phases goes through three different modes: exploration, understanding and action. The book also offers several activities that the counsellor can photocopy and directly use with his/her clients. The activities can be used with different age ranges allowing the counsellor to select the more appropriate ones.

Nathalie Perreault is a career counsellor from Quebec. She graduated from Laval University where she now teaches one course in the “Sciences de l’orientation” bachelor program. She is also the Program and Content Manager for OrientAction.

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Conference Sketch

September 1, 2007By 0 comment

By Carole MacFarlane

Highlights from Cannexus 2007

I recently had the opportunity to attend the very first CANNEXUS conference sponsored by CERIC – the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling. The three-day event held on April 16, 17, and 18 took place at the Hilton Suites Toronto/Markham Conference Centre and Spa. The conference program outlined approximately 85 workshops on various aspects of career development. Five keynote speakers offered their expertise on topics ranging from savant syndrome, the evolution of management practices in organizations, aboriginal counselling and healing, and the world shift game and how we participate in that game. Seeing and hearing savant Kim Peek was a poignant and powerful reminder that every individual has special talents and we must continuously strive to acknowledge and highlight those talents. The fact that Kim was given a standing ovation was indicative of just how much career development practitioners, educators and counsellors not only acknowledged his “gift” but also the fact that indeed we actually know very little about the brain and what drives peoples’ behaviours. We still have so much to learn!

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New Programs and Initiatives

September 1, 2007By 0 comment

By Dr. Ray Metcalfe

Common Performance Strengths of Elite Performers and the Elite Performer Selection Report

For over twenty years now, I have done research on, and consulted with Elite Performers. Recently, I completed the Elite Performer Study, a Toronto-based Research project that studied over 15,000 Elite Performers (top 5%) in their fields, in over 200 professions and vocational groups.

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