New CERIC literature search focuses on youth employment

October 11, 2018By

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It is one of those questions that has been asked countless times since we were little. In today’s rapidly changing labour market, early career preparation and work-based learning experiences are essential in readying youth to enter the future world of work. CERIC’s latest literature search Youth and Career Development examines opportunities and barriers to youth employment and what it means to career practitioners.

Topics covered in the literature search include:

  • Career engagement in early years, high school and post-secondary
  • Navigating school-to-work transitions
  • Accessibility and accountability of youth career counselling services in Canada
  • Developing career competencies in NEET and barriered youth
  • Youth entrepreneurship and career success
  • Role of government, business and schools in supporting youth

There are 49 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.

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Careering

Editor’s note

October 11, 2018By

Hello, readers. My name is Lindsay Purchase, and I’m excited to share with you my first Careering issue as CERIC’s new Content & Communications Editor. While you will continue to find the thought-provoking, informative articles that make Careering a must-read, you may also notice some new features (check out our infographic) and design shifts going forward as we continue to look for ways to serve you better. Inside our Navigating Mental Health and Disability issue, you will find themes of resilience, shifting perspectives and support networks; these have resonated with me as I have navigated my own career transition, and I hope they will for you as well.

As a society, we have a growing awareness of mental-health issues. We are becoming more accepting of physical and mental differences in the workplace. And yet, we have a long way to go in tearing down barriers to work for people living with disabilities or mental illness.

With one-third of Canadians experiencing a mental illness in their lifetime (Public Health Agency of Canada) and 3.6 million Canadians projected to be living with a physical disability by 2030 (Conference Board of Canada), professionals working in career development have an important role to play. How do resilience and wellness factor into career development? How can workplaces, schools and career development practitioners better support people with disabilities? In this issue, we explore these questions and many more.

First, Dr Marie-Helene Pelletier outlines the barriers people on leave due to mental-health issues can encounter upon their return to work. Then, Mary Ann Baynton explains how jobseekers can build resilience to more effectively handle the challenges of career transition.

We are also launching our new Client Side feature, in which a jobseeker reflects on successes and struggles in their career development. Here, Rebecca McMurrer shares her journey to finding meaningful employment in nursing after being diagnosed with a progressive condition that caused her mobility to deteriorate.

Also, in this issue’s Case Study, Teresa Francis shares her experience of helping a successful stage actor find confidence in his strengths to start a new phase of his career.

If you have feedback on our print articles or our web exclusives, or if you have ideas about how we can make Careering even better, I would love to hear from you. Have an article idea for our next issue? Take a peek at our upcoming theme and view our submission guidelines at contactpoint.ca/careering. Happy reading!

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Careering

Client Side: How my disability changed my perspective on jobseeking

October 11, 2018By

In Client Side, a new Careering feature, jobseekers reflect on successes and struggles in their career development.

After she was diagnosed with a progressive condition, Rebecca McMurrer feared the time and effort she had put into building a nursing career would go to waste

By Rebecca McMurrer

Jobseeking can be difficult in the best of circumstances. Browsing through postings, hoping to see a position that will not only meet your financial needs but also allow you to build a long and meaningful career, can be frustrating. When living with a disability, you share the same insecurities as other jobseekers, but you are also flooded with emotion and concerns, wondering if your limitations (perceived or otherwise) will eliminate you from even being considered.

My name is Rebecca McMurrer, and I live with a condition called spastic paraparesis as well as cerebral palsy. I have been trained in and worked as a human services worker, pharmacy technician and most recently became a licensed practical nurse specializing in Alzheimer and dementia care. I live in Saint John, NB, work for a non-profit organization and volunteer with a local nursing home in their Dementia Care unit. I have a passion for caregiving and educating others on various health topics as well as advocating for those who do not have a voice.

Finding a job was never very difficult for me. I had a great resume and a lot of experience and education. This all changed after I was diagnosed with a progressive condition and my mobility began to deteriorate. I still had the same qualifications and experience, but now I felt burdened with a label and new restrictions. I was a nurse, but now a nurse with a disability. This newly attached addendum to my life felt like an apology with a “but” attached to it. I felt my skills and experience would mean less and by that I would mean less as a person in the health-care field. How could I compete with those who had the same qualifications and knowledge, but were able to stand for hours on end, when I could not?

Being a nurse is an extremely physical job, but it was my passion. I was left struggling to reassure myself that I was still viable in my chosen field and that not only could I continue and flourish in my current vocation, but also that all the time, effort and study I had put into my career was not without merit. I began to feel as though my life (which was tethered to my career in many facets) was now as limited as I had begun to feel physically. My mental and physical health began to suffer as I pushed myself more and more to show not only those I worked with, but also myself, that I could still be a viable member of a care team. I pushed myself so hard, in fact, that I now require crutches and, in many instances, a wheelchair to complete even the simplest of tasks that I once took for granted. I began to feel more isolated and ineffectual as time passed.

I reached out to a friend to talk about my situation. He told me about an organization called the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW), and how they not only assisted him with finding a meaningful and appropriate career, but even more importantly, reminded him of his worth as a productive member of society. I took his advice to reach out and, after only three months, I found a position that suited my needs and accommodations, and also allowed me to support a population of people – often neglected and underserved – living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Advocacy organizations help people who may have lost their drive, or even their ability to feel productive and of worth, to see themselves as equal to their peers. This is no small task, as physical ailments can create or exacerbate mental ailments if a person is feeling undervalued at work. Much work is still to be done, but with the increasing number of inclusive employers and organizations such as the CCRW working together, we are now making what was once impossible, possible.

Rebecca McMurrer is 26 years old and lives in Saint John, NB. In her spare time she enjoys volunteering at her church, exploring New Brunswick’s beaches and spending time with her partner, their Boston terrier and their cat.

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Learn digital marketing techniques to build your career brand in new webinar series

October 3, 2018By

CERIC is partnering with the US-based National Career Development Association (NCDA) to offer a 3-part webinar series – Building a Digital Brand: How to Apply Digital Marketing Techniques to Your Personal Brand and Boost Credibility in Your Career with Ryan Rhoten starting November 21, 2018.

Today, potential clients and hiring managers carry your reputation with them in their back pockets. In our ever-increasing digital world, your online presence leaves a perception of who you are and how you add value. If not managed, your online profile can quite literally, cost you opportunities.

During this webinar series, you will learn how to craft your digital brand by building a brand message that resonates, focusing your message online, and finally, connecting with your audience the right way.

  • Webinar #1: Build Your Brand Message Wednesday, November 21, 2018 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET
  • Webinar #2: Focus Your Message Online Wednesday, November 28, 2018 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET
  • Webinar #3: Connect with Your Audience Wednesday, December 5, 2018 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET

Ryan Rhoten is the author of the book CareerKred, Four Simple Steps to Build Your Digital Brand and Boost Credibility in Your Career. He also hosts the popular podcasts, The BRAND New You Show and CareerTech where he explores how to leverage technology to build a Kredible Brand ™ that brings opportunities to you. Rhoten’s standing room-only session at the 2018 NCDA National Career Development Conference was one of the top-rated on the program.

The cost for the full series is $159. A discount is available for NCDA members.

CERIC partners with associations and organizations across Canada and beyond to present webinars that offer timely, convenient and affordable professional development. Previously, CERIC has worked with the New Brunswick Career Development Association, Career Development Association of Alberta, Ontario Association for Career Management, BC Career Development Association, Canadian Association of Career Educators & Employers, and Nova Scotia Career Development Association.

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CERIC launches Retain and Gain Playbook to grow careers in Canada’s non-profit sector

October 2, 2018By

CERIC has published a new edition of its popular Retain and Gain Playbook that addresses the challenges faced by charities and non-profits in attracting, retaining and engaging staff. The bilingual publication enhances capacity building across the non-profit sector, which employs close to two million Canadians.

Written in an innovative “travel guide” format, the Retain and Gain: Career Management for Non-Profits and Charities Playbook is intended for executive directors and people managers to use as a practical career management tool with their employees. It applies to small grassroots non-profits as well as larger federated charities.

Workforce expert Lisa Taylor, President of Challenge Factory, authored the Playbook. In her research she found the following issues keep non-profit leaders awake at night:

  • 88% feel unprepared or unable to provide career development opportunities for employees
  • 63% worried about attracting talent
  • 50% are concerned about compensating and rewarding staff

The Playbook features strategies to engage staff in ways that advance, develop and support thriving careers within the sector. The concise publication includes:

  • 40+ practical, low-cost tips, activities and actions that can be implemented in as little as 10-minutes a day (worksheets and additional references included)
  • Several special sections exploring human resource issues of interest to non-profits, including precarious employment and gender-based career patterns
  • Research, facts and statistics that shed new light on Canada’s non-profit and charitable sector

“Non-profits and charities are challenged to attract, engage and retain scarce talent while being efficient with resources. This Playbook is filled with practical, high-value ideas and resources that enable mission-driven organizations to deliver meaningful career development experiences for their people and help them to grow, and not go.”
– John Nicholson, Vice-President, Talent and Culture, Plan International Canada

The first edition of the Playbook focused on small business and was released in early 2017. There was immediate interest from the non-profit sector to have a Playbook of its own that addressed the unique environment in which non-profits operate. At the same time, many non-profits and charities meet the criteria of being a small business with the same limited time, resources and opportunities for “traditional” linear career advancement.

The project has the support of multiple “Knowledge Champions,” including The Counselling Foundation of Canada, The Lawson Foundation, The Muttart Foundation, Imagine Canada and the Ontario Nonprofit Network.

The Playbook is available in both English and French and can be downloaded for free at ceric.ca/nonprofit now. It will also be available for sale via Amazon.ca and Chapters.Indigo.ca in print ($15.95) or ebook ($6.50) formats.

Lisa Taylor will present a free one-hour webinar on Monday, November 12, 2018 to share the career management strategies outlined in the Playbook. Watch ceric.ca/webinars for further details to be posted.

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2018

Cannexus19 preliminary programme now available online

September 26, 2018By

The preliminary programme for the Cannexus19 National Career Development Conference is now available online. Canada’s largest bilingual career development conference, Cannexus19 takes place January 28-30, 2019 in Ottawa and is expected to bring together 1,000 professionals in the field.

There are more than 130 concurrent education sessions in the programme, exploring innovative approaches in career counselling and career development. Just a few of the highlights include:

  • Engaging the Online Generation by Gamifying Career Development
  • Our Career Practitioner Role in Mental Health Interventions
  • Indigenous Engagement & Economic Inclusion
  • When Career Development Meets Curriculum
  • Work-Integrated Learning: Exploring Challenges & Solutions
  • Innovative Approaches to Supporting Newcomer Jobseekers
  • Labour Market Trends and Employer Expectations

Cannexus also features three prominent keynote speakers, Mega sessions led by well-known thought leaders, Ted Talks-inspired Spark! talks, an Exhibitor Showcase, and multiple networking opportunities. Plus, delegates can extend their conference learning with optional pre-conference workshops.

Save on Cannexus by registering by the November 7, 2018 Early Bird deadline. You can also take advantage of an additional 10% savings if you are a member of one of our supporting organizations. Special rates are also available for students, groups and 1-day registrations.

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

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New issue of CJCD: Skills for the 21st century, peer mentoring and more

September 24, 2018By

The newest edition of Canadian Journal of Career Development (CJCD) has just been published, featuring a range of topics from mentorship as a career intervention to the use of technology in career services to international students in the workforce.

Articles include:

Canadian Journal of Career Development is a partnership project between CERIC and Memorial University of Newfoundland with the support of The Counselling Foundation of Canada. It is Canada’s only peer-reviewed publication of multi-sectoral career-related academic research and best practices from this country and around the world.

CJCD is published twice a year, once in digital format in the fall and then in both print and digital formats in the winter. It is free to subscribe to the digital editions and all issues of the journal dating back to 2002 are available to access online.

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Popular Spark! talks return with 4 inspiring presenters at Cannexus19

September 5, 2018By

Featuring TED-style talks that “spark” us to think differently about our careers, CERIC is pleased to announce the Spark! presenters for the 2019 Cannexus National Career Development Conference:

  • Hannah Alper, Blogger, Activist, Author – Issue + Gift = Change
  • Hamoon Ekhtiari, Founder & CEO, Audacious Futures – Building the Google Maps for the Future of Work & Learning
  • Sekou Kaba, Olympian & Motivational Speaker – Say Yes to Hardships
  • Caitlin Tolley, Algonquin from Kitigan-Zibi & Ontario Lawyer Licensing Candidate – Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow

Canada’s largest bilingual career conference, Cannexus is expected to welcome 1,000 professionals from education, community, government and private sectors to explore innovative approaches in career counselling and development. The conference takes place January 28-30, 2019 in Ottawa.

There will be more than 130 education sessions to choose from and multiple networking opportunities. Delegates can also extend their conference learning by attending skill-building pre-conference workshops in addition to world-class keynotes, Mega sessions featuring well-known thought leaders, and an Exhibitor Showcase. Watch for the full preliminary programme to be posted by late September.

A variety of registrations packages are available at very competitive rates. Take advantage of the Early Bird rate by registering by November 7 for only $500. Special discounts are available for members of supporting organizations, students and groups of five or more.

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

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CERIC announces its 2018-2019 Board of Directors

August 20, 2018By

The CERIC Board of Directors for 2018-2019 has been confirmed and will steer the charitable organization in advancing career development in Canada. A national volunteer board, its members reflect a broad cross-section of leaders across the career counselling and career development field. John Horn, who leads organizational learning and development at Vancity Credit Union, becomes Chair for a two-year term.

Horn has been involved with CERIC for more than a decade as a committee and board member as the organization has focused on its priorities of enhancing the knowledge, network and profile of career development professionals in Canada.

“There isn’t really an organization like CERIC because of the inclusive capacity-building and inspiring research that our organization achieves on behalf of Canadians,” says Horn. “We’ve grown incredibly and have transformed the way we engage our communities.”

Members of the 2018-2019 Board are:

  • John Horn, Vancity Credit Union, Vancouver, BC (Chair)
  • André Raymond, Laval University, Quebec City, QC (Vice-Chair)
  • Jennifer Browne, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John’s, NL (Past Chair)
  • Barb Mason, United Church of Canada, Bracebridge, ON (Secretary/Treasurer)
  • Lorraine Godden, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON
  • Candy Ho, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey, BC
  • Cathy Keates, Queens’s University, Kingston, ON
  • Cynthia Martiny, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC
  • Rosie Parnass, Coach and HR Consultant, Toronto, ON
  • Lisa Taylor, Challenge Factory, Toronto, ON
  • Iris Unger, YES Montreal, Montreal, QC
  • Donald G. Lawson, The Counselling Foundation of Canada, Toronto, ON (Honourary Director – Ex-officio)
  • Bruce Lawson, The Counselling Foundation of Canada, Toronto, ON (Executive Officer – Ex-officio)

Members of CERIC’s three Advisory Committees – Practical & Academic Research, Content & Learning and Marketing, Communications & Web Services – have been appointed by the Board for the next year. Members of these advisory committees play a central role in supporting the ongoing development of CERIC programs and initiatives.

Horn says he looks forward to building on the efforts of past CERIC Boards and collaborating with committee members as well as Executive Director Riz Ibrahim and the staff team. He expects over the next few years that CERIC will continue to produce innovative resources, create transformational learning experiences and fund thought-provoking projects that empower career development professionals. Horn would also like to see CERIC firmly at the centre of bold career conversations in this country and explore how career practitioners can have a positive impact on the future of work. He cites CERIC’s Cannexus National Career Development Conference as a key platform and a favourite personal experience.

“It inspires me every year with examples of the awesome work that career practitioners from around the world are achieving in service of advancing career development.”

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Announcing your Cannexus19 Mega speakers

August 15, 2018By

Taking place January 28-30, 2019 in Ottawa, the Cannexus19 National Career Development Conference will feature this just-announced lineup of Mega Sessions with well-known presenters on highly pertinent subjects – from Indigenous youth to values-based leadership.

Mega Sessions:

  • Kofi Hope, Founding Executive Director, CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals – Values-based Leadership
  • Herky Cutler, President & CEO, Herkycutler.com – Non-Traditional Assessment Tools
  • Shari St Peter, Executive Director, Niagara Peninsula Aboriginal Area Management Board – Indigenous Youth

Mega Panel: Theories and Models at Work – Ideas for Practice

  • Nancy Arthur, Professor, University of Calgary
  • Louis Cournoyer, Professor, Université du Québec à Montréal
  • Mary McMahon, Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of Queensland
  • Roberta Neault, President, Life Strategies Ltd.
  • France Picard, Professor, Université Laval
  • Michel Turcotte, Career Counsellor, Psychologist & Researcher

Cannexus19 is expected to bring together 1,000 career development professionals from education, government, community and private sectors. The conference is designed to promote the exchange of information and explore innovative approaches in the areas of career counselling and career development.

Register by September 5 for the Super Saver rate. Pay only $450 for a full 3-day registration, a $125 savings off the regular $575 price. Special rates for presenters, members of supporting organizations, students and groups are also available.

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

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