Two Businessmen Meeting And Shaking Hands In Modern Open Plan OfficeCareering

Modern ethical dilemmas for career professionals

February 4, 2020By
Complex ethical scenarios clients and students may present, and considerations for practitioner response

Amy Smith

As the complexity of the world of work increases, so do the possible ethical dilemmas that career development professionals face. The decisions and practices of employers and HR professionals, jobseekers and career practitioners all collide in the ethical landscape of the labour market. Resources such as the Canadian Standards & Guidelines (S&Gs) Code of Ethics, the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers’ (CACEE) Competency Framework and provincial career associations’ codes of ethics are essential to a foundation of ethical practice. However, preparing for complex ethical scenarios by reviewing them ahead of time is a proactive way to develop ethical responses and practices and help others do the same (Pawlukewicz & Ondrus, 2013). The following dilemmas provide resources and options for building and enhancing professional ethics competency.

Accommodation in the interview process

Jobseekers with disabilities may need to request accommodation in the hiring process or on the job. For instance, clients who are hard of hearing may have difficulty in group meetings; clients with autism may struggle with phone interviews due to the lack of visual cues that help them interpret meaning; a client with mobility issues may need to ensure they can access the on-site interview. Brendan W. Dawes of Toronto-based Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP, explains the legal concept of duty to accommodate:

“It is a common misconception that an employer’s duty to accommodate only arises after the formation of the employment relationship. In fact, a prospective employer may also have a duty to accommodate a job applicant in the course of the interview and application process. The duty to accommodate is rooted in the protections afforded to all Canadians by human rights legislation, and those protections extend to jobseekers who are denied the opportunity to meaningfully participate in the job application process as a result of a disability.”

According to CACEE’s (n.d.) Competency Framework, ethical practice requires career professionals to maintain “a sound understanding of employment legislation related to the recruitment, on-boarding and integration” of students and clients in the workplace. While career development professionals should respect the boundaries of competency and ensure they do not provide legal advice, they should be prepared to direct clients to human rights legislation and foster client autonomy. Clients who may need accommodations in hiring could:

  • Request accommodation when offered an interview. The benefit here is the jobseeker may be better able to engage in the interview process. The downside is they may be refused accommodation, and possibly have the invitation to interview rescinded. If accommodation is refused, they can inform the employer of duty-to-accommodate principles to persuade the employer to reconsider.
  • Try to overcome their barrier to access without requesting accommodation. In this scenario, the client does not disclose their disability or become exposed to potential discrimination. If they are not able to pass an interview phase due to barriers associated with a disability, their morale can suffer.

When I encounter situations where a jobseeker is refused accommodation, I inform them that it is possible to take further action through the provincial human rights complaint processes and direct them to those resources.

feet with two arrows in different directions in chalk
It is never advisable for the client to mislead an employer with false statements, but they can choose what to disclose in asking for more time. (iStock)
Juggling multiple offers

The pressure for jobseekers to buy time on a job offer while waiting to hear back from another employer or decide between offers can be daunting. Balancing personal interests with professional integrity and industry reputation is a dilemma that comes up repeatedly.

The Canadian Standards & Guidelines (2014) includes a Code of Ethics that outlines an ethical decision-making model. The first step is identifying whether an ethical dilemma exists. In this scenario, ethics comes into play in employment communication and employment contracts.

If a client has received an offer and needs more time to hear back from another prospective employer, they may wish to disclose their circumstances to the employer. It is never advisable for the client to mislead an employer with false statements, but they can choose what to disclose in asking for more time. An employer may refuse to grant an extension and compel the jobseeker to accept or decline.

A client may consider accepting the offer in hand and then back out if they receive a better offer. An employment contract is a legal document, and career professionals must take caution not to represent themselves as legal advisors. Some occupations are subject to specific provincial or federal regulations; the client should research what recourse an employer could pursue if the candidate breaks the contract. Even if an employer does not pursue legal action, the reputation of the jobseeker could be damaged with that employer and in the professional community. There are many cases where an open and tactful conversation with an employer, even in the case of signed employment contracts, yields no ill will among parties. Coaching a client to act in good faith and maintain sincere and honest communication in this dilemma will help them navigate it with their own sense of integrity.

Resume ‘whitening’

Career development professionals are asked regularly whether people should “Anglicize” or “whiten” their names for jobseeking purposes. The unsettling truth, according to academic research, is that this practice does increase a jobseeker’s chances of getting an interview (Kang, DeCelles, Tilcsik, & Jun, 2016). When asked by a client whether changing their name can help their job search, a career development professional may feel conflicted in disclosing this data. If they do, a client might choose to adopt this approach to increase their responses on applications. The inherent risk is that by obscuring their race or culture, jobseekers are conforming to the discriminatory practices of the job market.

One component of the S&Gs is examining the risks and benefits of alternative actions. Other ways jobseekers sometimes alter their resumes to avoid discrimination are to omit details that indicate racial ties, such as membership or volunteer work with racially or culturally specific organizations or adding interests or activities that fit with the dominant culture (Kang et al., 2016). Based on their personal biases, a career practitioner may be tempted to condemn this practice as unethical and suggest clients connect with employers with good reputations for diverse hiring. Or, they might encourage this practice to help the jobseeker get better results.

The BC Career Development Association’s (BCCDA, 2019) Code of Ethics urges career professionals to “Respect the right of each client to be an individual in all respects, as to personal tastes, moral and social values.” Fostering the client’s individual decision-making in all ethical dilemmas is crucial for career development professionals. They should present options and respective risks and benefits in a non-biased manner that puts the client’s autonomy first.

Delivering service equally, despite unequal barriers

Everyone needs support in their career development, but some individuals face more obstacles than others. Some CDPs might notice they spend more time or give more access to services to some clients based on their apparent need. This might materialize as an extra 30 minutes of appointment time here and there, providing less of a coaching approach and more “hands-on” guidance to some. On the surface, this approach can seem to be equitable – proportional service to need. I began my career as a career development practitioner with that belief, but no longer hold it. This can undermine an individual’s autonomy and give subjective special interest to some clients over others, without allowing them to make decisions about how much support they need. The key to supporting clients in these scenarios is to respect their autonomy.

Helping clients develop their sense of ethical decision-making requires that career development professionals assess and build their own competency in this area. The CACEE Competency Framework provides specific language around how to assess whether you are building, enhancing and mastering your ethics competency. Consulting with other colleagues and keeping engaged within the career development community is an important part of gathering perspectives and resources to ensure your ethics competency is continuously recalibrated.

Amy Smith is a Career Specialist working at the BCIT Student Association in the Greater Vancouver area. She is also a member of the CACEE Competencies Ambassador Team.

References

British Columbia Career Development Association (BCCDA). (2019). Code of ethics. Retrieved from bccda.org/membership/code-of-ethics

CACEE, (n.d.). CACEE Competencies. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/35l9a0v

Canadian Standards & Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners (S&Gs). (2014). Code of ethics. Retrieved from career-dev-guidelines.org//wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Doc-10-CODE-OF-ETHICS1.pdf

Kang, S. K., DeCelles, K. A., Tilcsik, A., & Jun, S. (2016). Whitened Résumés: Race and Self-Presentation in the Labor Market. Administrative Science Quarterly, 61(3), 469–502. doi.org/10.1177/0001839216639577

Pawlukewicz, J., & Ondrus, S. (2013). Ethical Dilemmas: The Use of Applied Scenarios in the Helping Professions. Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics, 10(1), 2–12. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2sqfy80

READ MORE
2020

Strengthening Mental Health Through Effective Career Development: Guide launches today

January 27, 2020By

In the wake of a global mental health movement, career development practitioners now have a new resource to help them understand how career development interventions support positive mental health. Strengthening Mental Health Through Effective Career Development: A Practitioner’s Guide – written by Dave Redekopp and Michael Huston of Life-Role Development Group Ltd. and published by CERIC – launches today at the Cannexus20 National Career Development Conference and is available for free download.

The guide enables practitioners to connect career development services with clients’ mental health concerns while working ethically and inside the boundaries of their role and competence. The authors emphasize their focus is mental health, not mental illness, and address this distinction in the book.

Practitioners will be equipped to:

  • Improve the mental health impact of their services
  • Evaluate the mental health impact of their services
  • Communicate the mental health impact of their services to relevant stakeholders, including policy-makers

Written primarily for career development practitioners, namely those who help clients or students, this resource is also of use to the supervisors and managers of career practitioners. Researchers and academics will find a robust and testable model of career development and mental health relationships.

Get Your Copy

  • Download the free epdf
  • Print now available $28.95 via Amazon or Chapters.Indigo or ebook coming soon $19.99 (Kindle or Kobo)
  • Purchase bulk copies (10 or more) at 30% off by contacting sales@ceric.ca
  • At the Cannexus conference in Ottawa, attendees will receive a complimentary print copy.

Advance praise for the book has been received from career development luminaries and mental health experts:

“…This book provides a compelling conceptual framework for integrating mental health and career interventions as well as very accessible strategies and tools. This book will quickly become a classic in the field!”
David L. Blustein, Professor, Counseling Psychology, Boston College

“This is one of the most promising and encouraging works to come into our field in a very long time. This work demystifies mental health and shows how every practitioner can be a powerful change agent through career development practices.”
Kris Magnusson, Professor, Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University

“This guide is a rare and wonderful combination of thoroughly researched, evidence-based information on the inevitable interplay between career development and mental health, with down-to-earth questions, opportunities for reflection, and pragmatic implications for practitioners in the field. …I believe it should become required reading for new and seasoned practitioners.”
Denise Bissonnette, Career Development Author, Speaker, Trainer, Diversity World

Publishing of this book was made possible in part by the generous contributions of our Knowledge Champions: Ryerson University, Wilfrid Laurier University, Australian Centre for Career Education, Simon Fraser University.

READ MORE

Canadians experiencing high degree of career regret, new national survey finds

January 27, 2020By

Career professionals report their clients felt pressured into choosing careers they didn’t want to pursue

Toronto, Jan. 27, 2020 – More than 7 in 10 Canadians who see a career counsellor or coach say they wish they had made different career decisions earlier in their lives, according to a national survey of 1,300+ career service professionals undertaken by CERIC. The results are being released at Cannexus, Canada’s largest career development conference, which will be held Jan. 27-29 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa.

The career professionals surveyed report that they often hear from the students and adults they advise that they would go back and change their career choices if they could. They report that among their clients:

  • 71.7% say “I wish I had understood myself better and chosen a career that is aligned with my values”
  • 66.5% say “I wish I hadn’t been pressured into pursuing a career I didn’t want to pursue”
  • 61% say “I wish I hadn’t played it safe and let fear prevent me from taking a different career direction”
  • 58.8% say “I wish I hadn’t narrowed my options so soon and been able to explore other careers”

The findings point to the need for Canadians to have better career development skills, starting at a young age and continuing throughout their lives, says John Horn, chair of the board of CERIC, a national charity focused on research and education in career development. These skills include the ability to identify what to learn for the jobs of the future and how to develop the emotional resilience to navigate change – and not be limited by other people’s expectations or our own doubts.

“We all want to have work that makes us spring out of bed in the morning – that feeds our souls and allows us to create the life we want for ourselves and our families,” says Horn.

Canadians want to balance their search for a career they are passionate about with economic realities, say career counsellors surveyed. Their clients are evenly divided, with 45.3% anxious about making the “right” career decision and 49.4% concerned about their ability to find decent-paying work. Of note, only 3.2% of career professionals report that their clients are fearful of AI/automation and what that means for their job prospects, which differs from would be expected given the level of public discussion around technology displacing workers.

Career professionals also identified a number of persistent myths about career development that are constraining people’s ability to find rewarding careers – foremost among them that the vast majority think career guidance ends in Grade 12:

  • 85.2% agree that most Canadians don’t know that career guidance is available beyond high school
  • 82.1% agree that most Canadians think that careers are linear, moving from post-secondary to a job in your field
  • 79.3% agree that most Canadians believe that choosing a career means deciding what to do for the rest of your life
  • 51.2% agree that most Canadians feel that if they only follow their passion, they will land their dream job

Canadians at every age should know that there are professionals they can turn to for career support, says Horn. While teachers, parents and managers all have a role to play, professional career guidance is available, often for free in post-secondary career centres and community agencies, as well as from fee-based, private-sector career coaches.

“Canadians need to take charge of their career development to make the most of their talent and potential – there are professionals who can help,” Horn says. “Working with a career professional can help people identify personal strengths, clarify career goals and build the strategies to pursue a satisfying life.”

To arrange an interview, obtain a media pass for the Cannexus conference or for more information, please contact:

Sharon Ferriss
Senior Director, Marketing & Communications, CERIC
sharon@ceric.ca | 647.466.0564

About CERIC

CERIC is a charitable organization that advances education and research in career counselling and career development, in order to increase the economic and social well-being of Canadians. It funds projects to develop innovative resources that build the knowledge and skills of diverse career professionals; annually hosts Cannexus, Canada’s largest bilingual career development conference; and publishes the country’s only peer-reviewed academic journal, Canadian Journal of Career Development. www.ceric.ca

READ MORE
2020

Canadians experiencing high degree of career regret, new national CERIC survey finds

January 27, 2020By

Career professionals report their clients felt pressured into choosing careers they didn’t want to pursue

More than 7 in 10 Canadians who see a career counsellor or coach say they wish they had made different career decisions earlier in their lives, according to a national survey of 1,300+ career service professionals undertaken by CERIC. The results are being released at Cannexus, Canada’s largest career development conference, which will be held Jan. 27-29 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa.

The career professionals surveyed report that they often hear from the students and adults they advise that they would go back and change their career choices if they could. They report that among their clients:

  • 71.7% say “I wish I had understood myself better and chosen a career that is aligned with my values”
  • 66.5% say “I wish I hadn’t been pressured into pursuing a career I didn’t want to pursue”
  • 61% say “I wish I hadn’t played it safe and let fear prevent me from taking a different career direction”
  • 58.8% say “I wish I hadn’t narrowed my options so soon and been able to explore other careers”

The findings point to the need for Canadians to have better career development skills, starting at a young age and continuing throughout their lives, says John Horn, Chair of the Board of CERIC, a national charity focused on research and education in career development. These skills include the ability to identify what to learn for the jobs of the future and how to develop the emotional resilience to navigate change – and not be limited by other people’s expectations or our own doubts.

“We all want to have work that makes us spring out of bed in the morning – that feeds our souls and allows us to create the life we want for ourselves and our families,” says Horn.

Canadians want to balance their search for a career they are passionate about with economic realities, say career counsellors surveyed. Their clients are evenly divided, with 45.3% anxious about making the “right” career decision and 49.4% concerned about their ability to find decent-paying work. Of note, only 3.2% of career professionals report that their clients are fearful of AI/automation and what that means for their job prospects, which differs from would be expected given the level of public discussion around technology displacing workers.

Career professionals also identified a number of persistent myths about career development that are constraining people’s ability to find rewarding careers – foremost among them that the vast majority think career guidance ends in Grade 12:

  • 85.2% agree that most Canadians don’t know that career guidance is available beyond high school
  • 82.1% agree that most Canadians think that careers are linear, moving from post-secondary to a job in your field
  • 79.3% agree that most Canadians believe that choosing a career means deciding what to do for the rest of your life
  • 51.2% agree that most Canadians feel that if they only follow their passion, they will land their dream job

Canadians at every age should know that there are professionals they can turn to for career support, says Horn. While teachers, parents and managers all have a role to play, professional career guidance is available, often for free in post-secondary career centres and community agencies, as well as from fee-based, private-sector career coaches.

“Canadians need to take charge of their career development to make the most of their talent and potential – there are professionals who can help,” Horn says. “Working with a career professional can help people identify personal strengths, clarify career goals and build the strategies to pursue a satisfying life.”

READ MORE
2020

Revised for 2020: New edition of guide to computing careers for students and advisors now available

January 21, 2020By

CERIC has released an updated guide to computing careers, responding to strong demand for computing graduates in Canada and a changing technology landscape. Authored by Randy Connolly, Janet Miller and Faith-Michael Uzoka of Mount Royal University, the second edition of Computing Careers & Disciplines: A Quick Guide for Prospective Students and Career Advisors provides the latest information on types of computing careers and the academic pathways to get there. The new guide is available for free download now and will be launched at the Cannexus National Career Development Conference in Ottawa next week.

Computing Careers and DisciplinesFriendly and approachable, the new guide describes the five main computing disciplines as defined by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), as well as expands on six other popular computing specializations. These descriptions are designed to help support prospective students, parents, academic advisors and career counsellors in making sense of the maze of computing disciplines and post-secondary options. For each of the main disciplines, the guide provides an overview of job tasks, as well as listing core courses, sample degrees, and other pathways at Canadian colleges and universities.

The colourful, graphic-rich guide expands on the content of the popular first edition from 2017 to answer these three questions:

  • Why should you consider computing when choosing a career?
  • What kind of computing jobs are out there?
  • What kind of education pathways will guide you to the computing career you desire?

The guide builds on findings from a CERIC-funded international research project that surveyed thousands of students and faculty from Canada, the US and Africa. Research showed most undergraduate students did not understand the differences between computing disciplines. The guide was also developed to meet a need among career advisors supporting students interested in technology at both the secondary and post-secondary levels. The guide assists students to make decisions around computing education and career paths that align with their values, interests and skills. In particular, the guide helps equip students with adequate discipline information prior to application for program admission or prior to when they are required to choose a major.

The updated guide seeks to dispel myths about computing careers. Contrary to stereotypes, computing is often highly social. It also supports flexible lifestyles, can be creative and allows for work abroad. The guide also underscores that computer work is highly varied and is more than just programming.

The five different computing disciplines described in the guide are:

  • Computer Engineering – concerned with the design and construction of computers and computer-based systems
  • Computer Science – covers the widest range of computing topics from its theoretical foundations to the development of new computing technologies and techniques
  • Information Technology – prepares students to meet the computer technology needs of business and other organizations
  • Information Systems – focuses on integrating information technology solutions and business processes
  • Software Engineering – the discipline of developing and maintaining large software systems

Specializations include: network technology, data science, bioinformatics, game development, multimedia + web development and cybersecurity.

The guide highlights that there are many pathways to most computing careers. This includes three- and four-year degrees, two-year diplomas and one-year certificates in addition to stand-alone training or post-degree specialization. The guide also notes that computing careers can be confusing to navigate, as program titles don’t always map to the five discipline areas or to job titles in the workforce.

The new edition of the guide has been enhanced with alumni profiles and additional resources. More content can also now be found on a companion website, computingcareers.ca. A revision to the French version of the guide is under way and expected to be ready this spring.

In addition to a PDF that can be downloaded for free on CERIC’s website at ceric.ca/computing, print copies are available at $10/copy through CERIC for bulk orders of 10 or more. Single copies will be for sale at the Cannexus20 conference only. Contact sales@ceric.ca for more information.

The guide authors will be presenting at Cannexus20 on Computing Disciplines 2.0: What Career Advisors Need to Know on Monday, January 27.

READ MORE
2020

Cannexus20 National Career Development Conference is less than three weeks away

January 9, 2020By

Cannexus is Canada’s largest bilingual National Career Development Conference and will take place January 27-29, 2020 in Ottawa. The conference will bring together more than 1,200 professionals from education, community, government and private sectors to exchange information and explore innovative approaches in career counselling and career and workforce development.

cannexus20 final programme

The final conference programme is now available online and features:

Three new publications from CERIC will debut during the conference:

These resources either are or will also be available for free download on the CERIC website.

Conference registration remains open with discounts for members of supporting organizations, groups and students.

Cannexus is presented by CERIC and supported by The Counselling Foundation of Canada and a broad network of supporting organizations and sponsors.

READ MORE
2019

New CERIC literature search examines career implications of AI

December 20, 2019By

How do I future-proof my career? Many jobseekers are asking themselves this very question today as technology continues to transform the labour market. Career service professionals need to understand the opportunities and challenges that automation brings to the workforce. In the new CERIC literature search Artificial Intelligence and Career Development, we look at the implications of AI for career service professionals in their practice.

Topics covered in the literature search include:

  • The impact of AI on the future workforce
  • AI and career coaching and training
  • Research and practices on AI-based career assessment tools
  • The rise of soft skills and emotional intelligence in the workplace
  • AI and career readiness among students
  • HR and recruiting with AI

There are now 56 literature searches available, including Career Development Theory and Career Management Models, Economic Benefits of Career Guidance, Parental Involvement in Career Development, Labour Market Trends, Mental Health Issues in the Workplace, and more.

Featuring comprehensive listings of key research and articles in career development, literature searches highlight critical points of current knowledge. As a student, academic or practitioner in the field, literature searches are helpful if you are researching the latest thinking or proven best practices. They are also valuable if you are considering a submission to CERIC for project partnership funding in order to gain an overview of major work already done in your area of interest.

READ MORE
2019

CERIC guide will address impact of career development practice on client mental health

December 3, 2019By

CERIC will publish a book in the new year that makes the case that career development practice is a mental health intervention, and provides skills and strategies to support career development practitioners in their work. Written by Dave Redekopp and Michael Huston, Strengthening Mental Health Through Effective Career Development: A Practitioner’s Guide explores how practitioners do far more than help people prepare for, enter and navigate career pathways – they change people’s lives in ways that improve mental health and overall well-being. This resource will launch at the Cannexus20 National Career Development Conference in January and be available for purchase or free download.

Based on a CERIC-funded research project with international partners Life-Role Development Group Ltd., Simon Fraser University and Career Education Association of Victoria (also known as Australian Centre for Career Education), the guide shows ways to connect career development services to clients’ mental health concerns while clearly working ethically and within the boundaries of their role and competence. Practitioners will be equipped to improve their career development services, broaden their view of client concerns to include well-being outcomes as part of a whole-person approach to career/life planning, and strengthen their collaboration with healthcare service providers. The authors also emphasize their focus is mental health, not mental illness, and address this distinction in the book.

In the wake of a global mental health movement involving organizations, schools, post-secondary institutions, managers, employees and parents, the guide encourages career development practitioners to recognize that they have always influenced mental health in their work; the big changes are in understanding and communicating the value of career development intervention and its role in supporting positive mental health.

“As a career development practitioner, we know you have watched many clients or students transform. They came into your service or classroom lethargic, emotionally flat, tentative, and reactive. At some point – maybe while reviewing their strengths, clarifying their preferred future, researching work possibilities on a career website, job shadowing, learning how to study, or working through their résumé – something big happened,” Redekopp and Huston write in their introduction.

“Perhaps they found their footing on a career pathway, became more comfortable in their own skin about who they are, recognized that there were many potential places in the work world for them, or learned a strategy to help them cope with the things in life coming at them. You may not even know what the trigger was, but you know someone who was languishing is now taking life on, seeing meaning in what they are doing, seeing clearly who they are, and feeling hopeful about their ability to handle the future.”

The guide will support career practitioners to:

  • Consider the mental health impact of their services
  • Be intentional about the mental health impact of their services
  • Improve the mental health impact of their services
  • Evaluate the mental health impact of their services, and
  • Communicate the mental health impact of their services to relevant stakeholders, including policy-makers

The book has been written primarily for those who see themselves as career development practitioners, namely those who help clients or students, 1-to-1 or in groups. This includes academic advisors, career coaches, guidance counsellors, employment specialists and human resources practitioners working with a broad range of clients. Additionally, the book is intended to be of use to the supervisors and managers of career development practitioners, particularly those responsible for service evaluation, fund development, community engagement and service marketing. Researchers and academics will also find a robust and testable model of career development and mental health relationships as well as descriptions of specific interventions to better achieve positive mental health outcomes within career development practice.

Based in Edmonton, author Dave Redekopp is the national award-winning President of Life-Role Development Group Ltd. He has devoted more than 30 years to the development of better career development and workplace concepts and practices. Most recently, his research has focused on the links between career development and mental health. Co-author Michael Huston is a long-standing associate at Life-Role Development Group as well as a career development practitioner, and Associate Professor and Counsellor at Mount Royal University in Calgary. His research interests include adolescent stress and coping, career development as mental health intervention, and counsellor and career development practitioner education and training.

Advance praise for the book is coming from career development luminaries and mental health experts, including Mark Savickas, David Blustein, H B Gelatt, Norm Amundson, Denise Bissonnette, Bill Borgen, Kris Magnusson, Roberta Neault, Pete Robertson and Dr Joti Samra. The book has also received support from Knowledge Champions: Ryerson University, Wilfrid Laurier University, Australian Centre for Career Education and Simon Fraser University. Thanks to their backing, each delegate at CERIC’s Cannexus conference (January 27-29, 2020 in Ottawa) will receive a free copy. The book is expected to be available for pre-sales in early January via Amazon and Chapters.Indigo in both print ($28.95) and ebook ($19.99) formats. A free pdf will be offered for download after the launch.

Redekopp and Huston will be presenting a session at Cannexus, on Monday, January 27, 2020, on “Career Development & Mental Health: Coping Becomes Hoping.” The session will dive into the content of the new guide and address how career development processes bolster well-being.

READ MORE

Celebrating the one year anniversary of CareerWise

November 27, 2019By

On November 27, 2018, CERIC took a big leap into the next generation of content and learning with the launch of the new CareerWise website, Your source for career development news and views. Our French-language content site, OrientAction, a partnership with Quebec-based partner, GRICS, was also reimagined and relaunched at the same time.

The new CareerWise website replaces CERIC’s ContactPoint site, a pioneer on the web that served Canada’s career development professionals for more than 20 years. The revamp is based on extensive analysis of online user behaviour, best practices from the web’s most-read content sites, ansd focus group feedback and ongoing consultation with career professionals across the country. The changes reflect the evolving ways that people find and interact with information online while continuing CERIC’s commitment to offer web content for Canada’s career professional communities in a current and engaging manner.

The CareerWise (careerwise.ceric.ca) and OrientAction (orientaction.ceric.ca) sites provide:

  • The one-stop shop for professionals working in career development to stay up to date with continuous learning from trusted content that advances knowledge and skills
  • Quick and easy access to the most important career development information, resources and conversations, and actionable insights to apply at work
  • A career development content hub where you can: scan the latest news; search areas of interest; see what’s trending; connect to thought leaders; and contribute your knowledge

Over the past year, popular topics on CareerWise have included:

In our Podium guest blogs and In the Know resource and event listings, we’ve covered these subjects, and many more.

CERIC is committed to finding ways to keep making CareerWise better. If you want to tell us what CareerWise has meant to you or ideas for how we can better meet your needs, share on social media with the hashtag #MyCareerWiseStory.

If you want to receive career development-related news, please subscribe to receive our newsletter CareerWise Weekly. If you’ve been thinking about writing for CareerWise, check out our Submission Guidelines and send an email to Editor Lindsay Purchase at lindsay@ceric.ca.

READ MORE
2019

New Action Plans based on CERIC’s Guiding Principles of Career Development released

November 26, 2019By

CERIC has published a series of six Action Plans for professionals working with different client groups that provide practical discussions and activities based on the Guiding Principles of Career Development. Called Career Work in Action, the plans are authored by Karen Schaffer and Juliana Wiens, career counsellors based at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.

The purpose of the Action Plans is to provide professionals with insights and ideas for working with clients that align with CERIC’s popular Guiding Principles of Career Development, designed as a colourful and engaging infographic. With a goal of bringing greater clarity and consistency to our national conversations about career development, CERIC launched the Guiding Principles during Canada Career Month in November 2016. Since that time, CERIC has worked to disseminate the Guiding Principles and develop resources and tools to support their application, culminating with the new Action Plans.

Action Plans cover the following client populations:

  • Youth: High school students, primarily in Grades 10-12, who are having to make career/ education-related decisions. These students may be engaged, highly engaged or disengaged
  • Post-Secondary Students: Students between the ages of 18-25, who come to post-secondary either directly from high school or after a short gap period. Many points also apply to mature students
  • Educated and Underemployed: Often recent graduates trying to find work in their field or move beyond entry-level roles but also includes workers who are precariously employed and mothers returning to work
  • Unemployed Long Term: Mature adults who have been unemployed for one year or more and who want to work. Unemployment could result from struggles with illness, time spent caregiving or a prolonged, unsuccessful job search
  • Newcomers to Canada: Adults who have come to Canada in order to re-establish themselves. Some will have chosen to immigrate in order to access opportunities, while others will have had to flee unrest or unsafe conditions
  • Transitioning to Retirement: Those between the ages of 55-67 who have fairly uninterrupted work histories. These individuals are most often middle to upper class, though it is acknowledged others in this age group do not have the luxury of retirement

Each Action Plan begins with situating the client population within the Guiding Principles to identify where their complexities and challenges lie, and then suggests discussion questions and activities that professionals can use when providing career support. The intended users of the plan are a broad spectrum of professionals – both inside and outside of the career development field – who may provide career-related support to those with whom they work.

With a focus on “How do we help?,” questions and activities in the plans are grouped around five key areas of career work, according to an Organic Career Support Framework presented by the authors. Suggested discussions and activities provide relevant conversational starting points, opening questions, concrete interventions and fun activities for each of the key areas of career support. The five key areas are:

Self-exploration – Helping clients figure out who they are and what they want

Decision-making – Supporting clients at key points of decision-making

Support through transition – Encouraging, coaching, supporting, advising through transition

Future thinking – Helping clients think ahead, anticipate future challenges and strategize around how to respond

Mental health ­– Providing support around mental health and well-being issues as they relate to career

Earlier this year, CERIC released a companion document to the Guiding Principles that outlines a selection of the extensive research that underpins them. Guiding Principles of Career Development: Anchored by Evidence lists expert quotes and references from a cross-section of journals and reports that illustrate the Principles’ currency, relevance and validity. The resource provides stakeholders with the theoretical grounding behind the Principles.

Action Plan authors Schaffer and Wiens will be presenting a session at the Cannexus National Career Development Conference on January 28, 2020 titled “An Experiential Journey Through the CERIC Guiding Principles.” The session will delve into how the Action Plans translate Guiding Principles into practical client interventions. This is a chance to experience the Guiding Principles as a reflective tool for professionals and learn new action strategies together with colleagues.

Download the Action Plans for free at ceric.ca/principles. A limited print run will be available for purchase at Cannexus for $10/copy.

READ MORE