BLOG

by Paula Wansbrough

We’ve all heard the stories. The disgruntled employee insults her boss on Facebook and loses her job. A potential employer comes across an inappropriate tweet and the candidate doesn’t get the call-back.

Then there are other stories in which the destructive online content is produced by someone else: the woman cyberstalked by her ex-partner; the youth endlessly bullied by peers online and off.

For some people, social media isn’t a thrilling opportunity to promote skills and expertise. It’s threatening, even dangerous. Just as it can boost a personal brand, it can destroy a hard-earned reputation (think Lori Douglas) and shatter a sense of safety and security.

As you work with clients and peers keep in mind that some may have experienced violence and abuse in their personal lives. Abusers and bullies will use social media to track their victims and continue their manipulations, often taking advantage of the anonymity the online world can provide.

Taking Care

All of us need to think carefully as we social network. It helps maintain a professional profile and lowers the chance of theft – of your identity and the old-fashioned kind too. (Are you posting you out-of-town adventures to Facebook or MySpace?)

This warning is not meant to scare you off posting, sharing and tweeting. Social media are excellent tools for career developers, in the same way jigsaws are for carpenters and 18-wheelers are for truckers. Just exercise caution!

See what’s offered:  Compare the privacy promises of competing social media. Read privacy and terms of use information before you join any network. Don’t assume that a site’s default options are the best for your privacy needs.

Do the stranger test: If you wouldn’t give your information to a stranger on the street, don’t post it online. Never list your home address or phone, birth date, or your social insurance number.

Think strategically: Limit your work history because this information can be used to fill out fraudulent loan, job and other applications. Get creative and provide just enough information to entice employers into making contact with you. LinkedIn allows you to restrict access to your network — does this fit your needs?

Think before you post that tweet/blog entry/list message/photo/favorite: Would you want your (future) boss to see this? Your (future) children? Your greatest enemy? The person you admire most?

Think before you post information about others: In the professional world, use release forms before posting your organization’s staff biographies and event photos. Respect requests to limit or eliminate online information. Remove all identifying details when discussing clients in any online forum, including email.

More resources on online networking safety:

Social Networking Security: Tips for Safe and Secure Social Networking
From the Higher Education Information Security Council, an American council that works to improve information security and privacy in the higher education sector.

12 Tips for Safe Social Networking
A Network World report on avoiding identity theft

7 Things to Stop Doing Now on Facebook
A recent article from Consumer Reports Magazine on the dangers of sharing too much through Facebook

Paula Wansbrough is ContactPoint’s content administrator and editor of The Bulletin. She is a freelance project manager in the non-profit sector specializing in web-based projects.

ContactPoint has three great bloggers that regularly post information, resources and commentary on career development issues. If you haven’t already checked them out, be sure to do so!

John-Paul Hatala

Recent articles: It’s Time to Wake Up and Face the Job Search Uncertainty — Embrace the No!, Managing More With Less, Low-risk/High-risk Requests When Networking

Mark Franklin

Recent articles: Human Cannonball. Using an English Degree. Art Saved My Life.,Sweden: Career and Life Coaching. France: Emergent vs. Clearly Defined Careers, Beautiful Women Project

Melissa Macfarlane

Recent articles: A Generational Perspective, Strategize with the Buddy System, Take a Chance to Take Your Own Advice

Other Canadian Blogs on Career Development and Related Issues

First Reference Talks

Recent articles: Video employment recruitment: the way of the future?, Social media presenting new challenges and opportunities for people in HR, Evidence: employer vs. employee

http://blog.firstreference.com/

Dunning Personality Type Experts

Recent articles: Top 10 Learning Strategies, Connecting Personality Type to Your Learning,Connecting Personality Type to Your Career Choice

http://www.dunning.ca/category/blog

Raising the Bar Consulting

Recent articles: What Makes a Great Presenter, Top Ten MBTI® Reading List, Teaching to Personality Type

http://rtbconsulting.ca 

Pinnacle Staffing Blog

Recent articles: Turning IT Professionals Into Great Department Heads, Becoming the “Most Promotable”, Employee Motivation Secrets: Getting Beyond Pay Raises

http://blog.pinnacleconnects.com/

Career Considerations

Recent articles: Is It Dishonest to Leave Early Experiences Off Your Resume?, Authenticity as Openness, Brand You? Branding and Social Networking

http://www.careerconsiderations.ca/blog/

A Career Developer’s Notes

Recent articles: To Succeed Think About Lots of Successes, Many Cdn University Grads Work Low-Skill Jobs, More About Why Women Avoid STEM Careers

http://unsymptomatictoo.blogspot.com

Doorey’s Workplace Law Blog

Recent articles: Real Pleadings: Discrimination in Dean Search at Windsor Law?, American Take on the Magna-CAW Neutrality Agreement, Should Toronto Hotel Workers Leave the Film Festival Stranded?

http://www.yorku.ca/ddoorey/lawblog/

Donna Messer: Queen of Networking 

Recent articles: Social Capital is the Key to Success! Are You a Linchpin – Are You Indispenable? Women in Food Industry Management – When you Network you Get Work!

http://donnamesser.wordpress.com 

The Office Professional

Recent articles: The Office Professional podcast: WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS—Understanding management styles, Web 3.0: The birth of HAL?, Introversion: it’s not you, it’s me

http://www.theofficeprofessional.com/wordpress/?prod_abbv=top

Career Engagement – Life Strategies

Recent articles: The Gift of Help, Communication is Key!, Stress…What does that even mean?

http://career-engagement.blogspot.com/

Career Services Informer – Simon Fraser University

Recent articles: Dave’s Diary: An Alternative to “Selling Yourself”, Dave’s Diary: Postmodern Career Theory – Your Lifeline, The Beginning Is All or Nothing

http://blogs.sfu.ca/departments/careerservices/

Know a great Canadian career development blog? Let us know! Emailadmin@contactpoint.ca

ContactPoint has three great bloggers that regularly post information, resources and commentary on career development issues. If you haven’t already checked them out, be sure to do so!

John-Paul Hatala

Recent articles: It’s Time to Wake Up and Face the Job Search Uncertainty — Embrace the No!, Managing More With Less, Low-risk/High-risk Requests When Networking

Mark Franklin

Recent articles: Human Cannonball. Using an English Degree. Art Saved My Life.,Sweden: Career and Life Coaching. France: Emergent vs. Clearly Defined Careers, Beautiful Women Project

Melissa Macfarlane

Recent articles: A Generational Perspective, Strategize with the Buddy System, Take a Chance to Take Your Own Advice

Other Canadian Blogs on Career Development and Related Issues

First Reference Talks

Recent articles: Video employment recruitment: the way of the future?, Social media presenting new challenges and opportunities for people in HR, Evidence: employer vs. employee

http://blog.firstreference.com/

Dunning Personality Type Experts

Recent articles: Top 10 Learning Strategies, Connecting Personality Type to Your Learning,Connecting Personality Type to Your Career Choice

http://www.dunning.ca/category/blog

Raising the Bar Consulting

Recent articles: What Makes a Great Presenter, Top Ten MBTI® Reading List, Teaching to Personality Type

http://rtbconsulting.ca 

Pinnacle Staffing Blog

Recent articles: Turning IT Professionals Into Great Department Heads, Becoming the “Most Promotable”, Employee Motivation Secrets: Getting Beyond Pay Raises

http://blog.pinnacleconnects.com/

Career Considerations

Recent articles: Is It Dishonest to Leave Early Experiences Off Your Resume?, Authenticity as Openness, Brand You? Branding and Social Networking

http://www.careerconsiderations.ca/blog/

A Career Developer’s Notes

Recent articles: To Succeed Think About Lots of Successes, Many Cdn University Grads Work Low-Skill Jobs, More About Why Women Avoid STEM Careers

http://unsymptomatictoo.blogspot.com

Doorey’s Workplace Law Blog

Recent articles: Real Pleadings: Discrimination in Dean Search at Windsor Law?, American Take on the Magna-CAW Neutrality Agreement, Should Toronto Hotel Workers Leave the Film Festival Stranded?

http://www.yorku.ca/ddoorey/lawblog/

Donna Messer: Queen of Networking 

Recent articles: Social Capital is the Key to Success! Are You a Linchpin – Are You Indispenable? Women in Food Industry Management – When you Network you Get Work!

http://donnamesser.wordpress.com 

The Office Professional

Recent articles: The Office Professional podcast: WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS—Understanding management styles, Web 3.0: The birth of HAL?, Introversion: it’s not you, it’s me

http://www.theofficeprofessional.com/wordpress/?prod_abbv=top

Career Engagement – Life Strategies

Recent articles: The Gift of Help, Communication is Key!, Stress…What does that even mean?

http://career-engagement.blogspot.com/

Career Services Informer – Simon Fraser University

Recent articles: Dave’s Diary: An Alternative to “Selling Yourself”, Dave’s Diary: Postmodern Career Theory – Your Lifeline, The Beginning Is All or Nothing

http://blogs.sfu.ca/departments/careerservices/

Know a great Canadian career development blog? Let us know! Emailadmin@contactpoint.ca

by Jayne Greene-Black and Mark Franklin

Helping clients move into what we like to call their ‘green zone’ broadens possibilities, builds resilience and improves career and life conversations and choice-making. This metaphoric zone is characterized by feeling energized, balanced, open, and positive. In the green zone, clients can identify and focus on what they want, are more perceptive and can take action to achieve their desires).
When clients are in the ‘red zone’ they feel depleted, burned-out, de-energized and pessimistic.  They are cut off from their sources of happiness and are often closed off from possibilities.  The world looks bleak and they lack the energy to clarify their desires and take action.  Engaging in important career conversations from the red zone is far from ideal.
The benefits of the green zone are supported by empirical findings from the burgeoning field of positive psychology. Fredrickson (2004) developed a research-based theory that demonstrates how positivity is energizing and can “broaden people’s attention and thinking,… fuel psychological resilience… and trigger upward spirals towards greater well-being in the future”.
In her recent book, Positivity, Fredrickson (2009a) identified a tipping point of positive emotions in a 3:1 ratio to negative ones which facilitates growth and positive change. She identifies strategies people can employ to increase their positive emotions and offers a free online assessment to measure positivity ratio (http://www.positivityratio.com/).
How can career professionals guide clients into the green zone? There are a variety of tools and techniques, but it is important to remember that each client also has a unique personal recharging system.
A simple strategy is to ask clients to recall what has re-energized them in the past and help them plan to reconnect to these activities. While recharging, clients enter a ‘yellow zone’ where they begin to re-experience some of the happiness from which they have been cut off. A feeling of relief accompanies a client’s transition from red to yellow, observable in body language, facial expressions and language. They begin to develop more clarity, see options, and engage in positive career conversations. Developing new habits of thought and activity helps clients stay energized and move fully into the green zone.
By exploring a client’s career story through a holistic, narrative approach (Zikic, Franklin, 2010), a career professional gets important clues about what zone the client is in and what activities and changes are needed to assist in recharging them.
Career professionals too, may find themselves engaging in more effective career conversations when they are in the green zone. Positive psychologist Lyubomirsky (2007), describes 12 useful activities including “expressing gratitude,” “practicing acts of kindness,” and “savoring life’s joys.” And by imagining their clients’ best selves and attending to the good feelings that flow from such thoughts, career professionals can nudge themselves out of the red zone and into yellow and green.
Jayne Greene-Black, M.A, brings 30 years of career counselling experience using a strengths-based approach; she is a Career Specialist at York University.  Mark Franklin, M.Ed., practice leader of CareerCycles, has enriched the career wellbeing of 2000+ clients, is host of Career Buzz radio show and developed the “Who You Are MATTERS!” career and life clarification game. Together, Jayne and Mark form part of a team of Associates in the career management social enterprise, CareerCycles, and train helping professionals toward the Holistic Narrative Career Professional designation. Visit www.careercycles.com

References

Fredrickson, B. (2009a). Positivity. New York: Random House.

Fredrickson, B. (2009b). Positivity. Retrieved November 23, 2010, from www.positivityratio.com

Fredrickson, B. (2004, August 17). The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. The Royal Society. Retrieved 22 November, 2010, from  http://www.subjectpool.com/ed_teach/y4person/3_happiness/Fredrickson_happiness
_as_broaden_and_build.pdf

Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The How of Happiness. New York: Penguin Press.

Zikic, J., Franklin, M. (2010). Enriching careers and lives: introducing a positive, holistic, and narrative career counseling method that bridges theory and practice. Journal of Employment Counseling, 47-4

A Quarterly Publication of ContactPoint

 What’s New – Updates and Information from ContactPoint and CERIC

This Issue’s Theme: The Balancing Act Intentional Practice: Using Self-Reflection to Enhance Career Satisfaction by Joanne Elliott and Jessica Gregg Measuring Up Your HEART: A Goal-Setting Tool by Melissa Macfarlane Working the Balance by Ahniko Handford Lose Your Stress in Just Ten Minutes? by Lynn Fraser Back to Work: Mom’s Work/Life Balance Tips by Diana Jolly Let Your Strengths be Your Guide by Patricia Rawson Getting into the “Green Zone”: Being Ready for Effective Career and Life Conversations by Jayne Greene-Black and Mark Franklin Juggling Act: Work/Life Balance and the Self-Employed Career Practitioner by Stephanie Clark Employee Engagement is HERE! by Betty Woodman Happiness and the Helping Professional  by Leigh Anne Saxe Career Wellness by David Lindskoog Achieving Balance in Life by Ken Keis What’s the Real Problem with “Balance”? It’s Not Sustainable by Dr. Roberta Neault and Deirdre Pickerell Nurturing Well-Being in the Employment Sector Workplace by Tricia Bowler-Archambault

Other Points of Interest: Career Portfolios: Creating Your Career Collage by Gabriella Fermo Hiring Trends on Campus: A Report from CACEE by Jennifer Ricci We Don’t Need to be Babysat: Persons with Disabilities an Untapped Talent Pool by Chris Cook       Submit an article to The Bulletin. Email contactpoint@ceric.ca or see our contributor guidelines for more information.

   Regular Features:

• Research: The Intersection Between Mental Health and Career Counselling: An Ongoing Discussion by Barbara Smith

• New Programs & Initiatives: Building Resilience by Louisa Jewell and Shannon M. Polly

• Continuing the Conversation: Giving a Face to Campus Career Services by Laura Henshaw
  (a response to our Fall 2010 issue on Social Media)

• Conference Sketch: Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Career Practitioners 2010 by Renee Pike
• Conference Sketch: Association of Career Professionals International Annual Conference by Heather Turnbull
  
  
• Upcoming Events
  
• Hot Sites

Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of ContactPoint and CERIC. Mention of programs, services, products and initiatives is not an endorsement of these items.

ContactPoint is a program of CERIC and supported by The Counselling Foundation of Canada.

Tips for coordinating professional and personal demands, methods for determining values and expectations, and counsellor self-care are key interests of delegates who attend CERIC’s Cannexus conferences. These “balancing act” concerns inspired this issue of The Bulletin.
As people whose work is the world of work, it’s not surprising that career practitioners have much to say on the subject. This issue’s authors reflect upon aspects of career development – setting career goals, creating an engaging workplace, supporting multi-barriered clients – as well as the challenges shared with others, such as running a small business, returning to work after a new baby, and managing daily stress.
Career practitioners help clients connect with productive activities in the public realm that fulfil both material and psychological needs. Our contributors offer excellent tools for enhancing your skills and services.  Equally important is taking time to assess our own paths and states of harmony. May this issue of The Bulletin get you off to a great start for 2011 as you perform your own balancing act!

by Khaled Islaih

As governments, groups and individuals around the world work to ease the impact of climate change on our lives and planet, new environment-friendly policies, products and lifestyles are emerging.  This worldwide environmental awareness is accelerating demand for new jobs, new practices and new skills. In fact, it is creating a new economy driven by an emerging workforce and green technologies.

The growing green economy has many sectors including green construction, renewable energy, recycling, and sustainability education, which are responding to the increasing demand for environmentally friendly products and services. This article reviews online resources that can enhance green job awareness among career practitioners and job-seekers.

Green Jobs

One might ask, “What are green jobs?” Basically, any job that contributes to conserving and enhancing environmental quality and awareness falls in this category. To join the green workforce, workers and job-seekers need specialized or re-purposed skills that fit green-oriented fields. For example, a roof installer may become a solar installer or an electrician may become a building retrofitter.

Now is a great time for job-seekers to transit into new green jobs. By making this shift, they build a sustainable career future, earn a decent living and save the planet. Here is list of great resources for finding and learning about green employment opportunities in Canada:

• WorkCabin.ca is a great site to help job-seekers find environmentally friendly jobs or environmentally conscious employers. The listings cover many positions including coordinators, program managers, journalists, directors, engineers, biologists, educators, and social marketers. Users can post their resumes, connect with prospective employers, register for green job alerts and receive a wealth of information about the new trends in green work.
• GoodWorkCanada.com is another popular site for positions in the growing Canadian green economy. The site also lists green events for those interested in networking with employers and workers in various industries. Furthermore, the site has job search tips for landing an environmentally-friendly job or creating a green oriented self-employment opportunity.
• Eco.ca is an excellent website from the Environmental Careers Organization for anyone interested in green career development in Canada. The site provides students with links to educational opportunities, schools with environmental programs and information on new trends in the green job market. Job-seekers can search a large listing of current jobs available, post a resume and find information for networking events across Canada. This site also offers a unique email service for career advisors and educators to receive relevant information on green career development.
• Green-jobs.ca focuses on helping people build their dream jobs in the growing Canadian green economy. Users can find links to job search strategies, listings for green jobs and subscribe for e-mail notification about new jobs when they are listed.

The green economy offers hope and opportunity for job-seekers who have lost employment in mainstream industries. The sustained increase in demand for workers is a call to career educators. We need to invest time and effort in integrating a green focus into our professional practice and to advocate a green shift among clients and job-seekers. By doing so we not only help people and regenerate economies, but also help our planet. In other words, we can turn career development into a real opportunity for a planetary stewardship.

Khaled Islaih is a diversity trainer and workplace educator who recently re-purposed his career after completing a green economy course at the Transformative Learning Centre, University of Toronto. He was formerly an immigrant settlement worker and language trainer for newcomers to Canada. He can be reached by email info@smartdiversity.ca

Few Canadians are aware of the specific steps they need to take to advance in their organizations, although they nevertheless think they are given equal (or more) opportunities to advance when compared to others.

Notably, those satisfied with their jobs are much more likely than those who are not to feel they know what they need to do to advance (75% versus 38%). Indeed, knowledge of how to advance produces a larger gap between canadians satisfied with their job and those who are not than remuneration or recognition received on the job.

Notwithstanding that slightly more non-visible than visible minority workers strongly agree they know what to do to advance (20% versus 10%), both groups of Canadians generally display a similar sense, or lack thereof, of what they need to do to advance in their organization. As well, men and women express a similar level of understanding.

Do Others Have Better Opportunities To Advance?

Canadians diverge more when asked if they feel others have better opportunities for advancement. Overall, Canadians are less likely to agree (35%) than disagree (60%) with the statement “I feel others have better opportunities for advancement” (4% are unable or unwilling to offer a response).

Demographically, a similar minority of Canadians across age, gender and household and education levels feel others have better opportunities. Regionally, consistent with their greater knowledge of how to advance in their organizations, Quebecers (21%) are least likely to feel others have better opportunities for advancement.

However, visible minority Canadians and those born outside Canada are more likely to agree others have better opportunities for advancement. Half of visible minority Canadians agree others have better opportunities for advancement (16% agree strongly, 37% agree somewhat), compared to one-third of non-visible minority Canadians. As well, those born outside Canada, albeit a minority, are three times as likely as those born in Canada to strongly agree others have better opportunities for advancement (23% versus 8%).

In short, visible minority Canadians and immigrants share a similar level of understanding as the Canadian population-at-large of what they need to do to advance, but they are much less convinced there’s a level playing field to do so.

Furthermore, when posed directly with the statement “I feel my ethnic or cultural background has hindered my career advancement,” visible minority Canadians are five times as likely as non-visible minority Canadians to agree (37% versus 7%). Among those who disagree, visible minority Canadians are far less certain than others (28% strongly disagree their ethnic or cultural background has hindered their advancement, compared to 69% of non-visible minority Canadians).

Methodology

Findings from the Environics Research Group survey were released in January 2011. A total of 1,202 Canadians aged 18 years or older provided their input to the on-line survey conducted between November 3 and 11, 2010. Age, gender, and regional quotas were placed to ensure that this sample reflects the Canadian population. Data gathered can therefore be extrapolated to the full population with a reasonable degree of confidence, and permitting analysis by important subgroups. Furthermore, this sample size was chosen as it can provide meaningful and statistically reliable results for important segments of the population, whether this is by region, community size, household type or relevant demographic characteristics such as education level and family size.
Read the full report, “On-line survey on public perceptions about career development and the workplace”, on the CERIC website.

Get Linked In

The CERIC Career Developer Network on Linkedin is a forum to explore strategies, resources and research in the career development field. Join us to share your expertise, ask questions of peers and build your network.

For those not familiar with LinkedIn, a recent Bulletin article explains its suitability to career developers’ work: “LinkedIn and Career Planning: Use It to Your Career Advantage” by Karen Girard.

To join this group, become a member of LinkedIn. Then visit http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3858255 to participate.

Cannexus 2012 Call For Presenters

The Cannexus Program Committee seeks to bring diverse and informative content to delegates. Visit Cannexus.ca to view the conference themes to assist you in targeting the content of your proposal. The application and guidelines are now available. Deadline for submissions is June 30, 2011.

Every year Cannexus offers delegates the opportunity to hear inspiring, energizing and cutting edge keynote speakers who are the leaders in their field. Cannexus 2012 is no exception and we are pleased to announce the line-up of our respected Keynote Speakers: Mark I. Savickas, Trey Anthony and Michael Adams.

New Training for Leaders Helps Build Resilience

On May 17 and 18, 2011, leaders from across Canada are invited to attend a new professional development program that will increase their resilience and assist them to support teams through transition and change. The Resilient Leadership Training program is a Learning Partnership Project funded by CERIC.

As the career development field transforms to face new demographic, economic, and employment challenges, leaders require knowledge, tools and techniques to keep their employees strong and help them to bounce back from adversity quickly. This workshop draws on the latest research in positive psychology, authentic leadership, and appreciative inquiry to help leaders build on strengths and improve employee resilience.

The program was developed by Northern Lights Canada. To learn more about this program and how to qualify for leadership bursaries, please contact Crystal Dolliver at cdolliver@northernlightscanada.ca or by telephone at 1-800-361-4642.  Register on-line at www.lightsonlearning.ca.

Job Search and Career Development Websites

Looking for links for your clients or your own professional development? Need resources for your organization? ContactPoint lists 400 websites on job search and career development. Recently updated by George Brown placement student Jaklin Takyah, the sites are organized by client categories and other areas relevant to career development work. Register with ContactPoint to add your career development site to the listing.

CERIC Graduate Student Engagement Program Awards

The CERIC Graduate Student Engagement Program announced the winners of its 2010 Graduate Student Awards at Cannexus in Ottawa this January. Recipients are awarded based on articles submitted to CERIC.

Recipient Lynn Walsh of Memorial University is featured in this issue of The Bulletin. Lynn and colleague Jennifer White describe the development and success of the Professional Skills Development Program for international students at Memorial.

Barbara Smith and Lauri Mills of the University of British Columbia shared a Graduate Student Award. They presented at Cannexus on the impact of globalization on mental health and career development. Barbara’s article on The Intersection Between Mental Health and Career Counselling: An Ongoing Discussion was published in the Winter 2011 Bulletin.

Two awards are presented each year to registrants of CERIC’s Graduate Student Engagement Program. The award includes free registration for CERIC’s Cannexus conference and $2000 to cover conference-related expenses. Read more about the award and the Graduate Student Engagement Program on the CERIC site. Watch for other program participants, Juanita Hennessey and Basak Yanar, also featured in this issue.