SEED Toolkit Update

The SEED Toolkit has been updated with new resources and links to help employers to better embrace diversity in the workplace.  Find the SEED Toolkit at http://embracingdiversity.ca.

Tips For Mothers Returning To Work

By Miranda Vande Kuyt

1. Warn family members.  Changes are coming; you’ll need to help your family understand how responsibilities and routines may shift.  Reassure them of what will stay the same in the process. 

2.  Abandon “mom guilt.”  Many mothers struggle with 

worry and guilt about the decision to work outside the home. Stop worrying what might happen or what others may think, consider your own priorities and make the best decision for your family.

3.  Find good childcare.  If you have small kids, leaving them with someone you don’t know can be one of the scariest things. Take time to find someone you trust and that your children will feel comfortable with. The cost of good childcare may be intimidating and may also impact your salary requirements, but the peace of mind is worth it.

4.  Visit a Career Development Practitioner (CDP).  If you’re starting a new career, some guidance
can be reassuring – find a professional who can assist you. A CDP can guide you in identifying your work values, interests, personal style, and skills; deciding on a desirable job or career path; and developing a suitable plan to achieve it.

5.  Ease your way in.  If you’re wondering how you’ll possibly find the time to work in your already full day, consider making a gradual transition back to full-time work - start with volunteering, working part-time, job sharing, or consulting work from home.

6.  Brush up on your skills and knowledge. If you’re returning to the same field from which you left, identify what has changed and work to make sure your qualifications are up to date. If you’re looking for new work, consider taking courses or learning new skills and knowledge independently.

7.  Consider volunteering.  A great way to meet new people, learn new skills, and orient yourself to the industry you’re interested in working in is by volunteering.

8.  Conduct informational interviews.  Find companies you would like to work for and ask for an
informational interview with a supervisor or employee to help you decide on a suitable career path and type of work environment.

9.  Take time to find balance. Balancing work and a family can feel like an insurmountable task but be sure to take care of yourself (e.g., eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep). Take time to relax and enjoy your family and friends.

10.  Remember, every job is temporary. Choose the best option that will work for you and your family now and in the future. If things don’t work out as planned, be flexible and make a new plan.

Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant raising three kids. She is also a student advisor with Life Strategies.  Find this tip sheet on the Life Strategies website at: http://lifestrategies.ca/docs/10-Tips-for-Mothers-Returning-to-the-Work-Force.pdf.

SMART Goal Setting

For many, the New Year is a time to set resolutions. However, keep in mind that although it’s great to say you want to eat better, spend more time with family, or get that promotion, these statements are merely dreams until concrete goals are set.

As you reflect on the resolutions you’ve made, or are considering making, you may find the SMART goal formula a helpful framework. Ensuring your resolutions are Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-limited is a great way to secure your success.

To set a SMART goal, ask yourself:

1. What do I specifically want to achieve? Goals need to be specific – something like, “I want to eat better” is too broad and vague. Think about what “eating better” means to you, personally – is it simply cutting out the fast food, trying a vegetarian diet, or going gluten free?

2. How will I know when I’ve reached my goal? You won’t know you’ve reached a goal unless you’ve got some way to measure it, tracking your progress along the way.

3. Is this something that I can truly do? Goals should be achievable. If there is a freeze on promotions within your organization, then setting a goal to get a promotion may not be something you can achieve, unless you’re considering moving to a different organization.

4. Is this goal relevant to my work/life? If you’re seeking to achieve something that isn’t relevant to you personally, then you’re not likely to achieve it; it won’t hold your interest or be a priority if the relevance isn’t there.

5. When will I complete my goal? A timeframe for goal attainment is absolutely necessary to ensure you’re able to set out a plan to achieve your goal.

After you’ve ensured your goal is SMART, break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces, and structure an action plan connecting each phase (or step). Not only does this make your goal seem less daunting, but it also allows you to celebrate small successes along the way.

Remember, setbacks are natural, so don’t punish yourself. Get yourself back on track by staying flexible, revisiting and adjusting your goal, and, if necessary, reaching out for support.

10 Career Development Tips For Trailing Spouses

I've been a trailing spouse for a long time (almost 14 years at the time of this blog).  In that time I've learned a lot about myself and what to do and not to do to support my career.  Recently I had an article published by CERIC in their new magazine "Careering" about The Plight Of The Trailing Spouse.  In response I've composed 10 career development tips to help trailing spouses build successful careers.

1. Get clear on your work values. Understanding what is really important to you when it comes to why and how you work will make it easier to identify the right work opportunities. A career professional can administer a values test or you could get started with an online self-assessment.

2. Identify your motivated skills. Although you may have a vast array of skills that have kept you adaptable and your career portable, satisfaction comes when you identify which skills you enjoy using the most (i.e., skills you are motivated to use). Visit these online self-assessment resources to get you started.

3. Document your experience. Things can easily get lost when you’re moving multiple times. Create a career portfolio – collect evidence of your experience, training, and skills (e.g., conference brochures, reference letters, certificates) and keep them organized in one place (e.g., a binder or portafile). This way you won’t have to search for things when you settle into your new city.

4. Establish your presence online. Although you’ve relocated to a new city, you don’t have to start over when it comes to your career. Platforms such as LinkedIn allow you to build your professional portfolio virtually, creating a career that transcends borders.

5. Maintain a master resume. A resume that lists ALL your experience, training, and skills isn’t ideal for employers, but comes in handy when you’re creating a new targeted resume. As trailing spouses tend to have more jobs on their resume than someone who’s lived in just one or two cities, remembering all you’ve done can be difficult. A running log, or master resume, can make your next job application a little easier.

6. Update your resume and portfolio often. Things can change quickly when you’re a trailing spouse. One week you’re feeling like you’ve finally settled and the next you’re handing in your 2-weeks notice. Make a point to update your master resume, portfolio, and online presence frequently. Once you’ve completed something noteworthy, collect evidence, reference letters, and recommendations and add them right away, you might not get a chance to do it tomorrow - you might be busy packing.

7. Stay connected with colleagues and references. Don’t leave relationships behind just because you’ve moved; job references are essential no matter where you apply. Stay in contact with your colleagues and references by using social media or a periodic email/phone call. Consider asking your colleagues to recommend you on LinkedIn.

8. Reflect on what success means. Success for the average person looks different than success for someone who moves every couple of years. Stop trying to measure your ideals by the world’s standards. Consider the life you’ve chosen as a trailing spouse and define what success means to you.

9. Continue learning. Every experience is an opportunity to learn and there will be an abundance of new experiences when you arrive in a new city. Traditional educational programs can be tough when you’re on the move; therefore, consider online learning, webinars, and conferences instead. 

10. Consider a virtual career. Consider the field you’ve chosen and look for opportunities to take your career completely virtual (i.e., 100% online). This way it doesn’t matter how often you move or where you land next—your work is just a click away. This is extremely helpful if you are unable to work locally where you’ve relocated due to visa restrictions or other reasons. 

Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is also the facilitator of the "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through www.LifeStrategies.ca.

Surviving Your New Job: Tips for Older Workers

Older workers often face many myths and unique struggles while finding a new job. Upon arrival to their new workplace they may not see peers that resemble themselves age wise immediately. Working with their new team they may not feel the fit right away. Their peers may have some interesting pre-conceived notions about older workers that include lack of new skills or any “hip factor”. The fact of the matter is your new employer has hired you for a reason. Your employer believed in your ability to deliver on your skills, your experience as well as knowledge for this job.

Photo by Kyle Bondeson

Myths about Older Workers

We may have heard some interesting ideas about older workers. Things like “they are not technology savvy” or “older workers are not flexible”. The truth is older workers can be very up to date with technology; they are reliable, and bring a wealth of experience to the workplace. Older workers tend to have less sick days and tend to be more flexible with work schedules.

Team Fit

Some of the first things an older worker can do to fit into their team right away is to fully understand their role, the responsibilities, as well as expectations. Meet with your new manager and let them know about your strengths and discover what challenges may be present, as well as any initial priorities you will be required to deliver on. This is your roadmap to your success in this new career. When meeting with your peers or team, ask them what they feel the challenges have been for them working together on tasks. Initially you may want to avoid sharing too many stories of your past and overcoming similar issues. Instead work as a team to find the solutions together but do offer ideas or suggestions.

Culture Fit

Working in a diverse workplace means many things. This can be age diversity, cultural diversity, sexual orientation diversity, working with people who have disabilities, and single parents. There is a whole new workforce waiting to meet and work together so understanding the different groups that have come together in your new work environment is important. While it is natural to want to associate with peers that most closely resemble you, it is a good idea to also meet with different people at work. Get to know your younger colleagues and other people from diverse groups.

Life Long Learning

It is very important for everyone, not just older workers to maintain a philosophy and practice of life long learning. With our constantly changing workplaces, we need to keep up. Older workers need to stay current with computer skills and any other business skills they may use at work. Invest in yourself and take courses through work when possible as well as through resources you can find outside of work.

Surviving your first few weeks on the job can be challenging but the important fact to remember is that your employer has faith in you to deliver a job well done, regardless of age.

If you’re an older worker, what have been some of your greatest challenges when starting a new job?

Michele Matheson is a Career Coach and Corporate Recruiter who has spent the past 20 years connecting people to careers. Her passion is working with older workers and helping them navigate their job searches and find meaningful careers. She brings many years of experience from the staffing and recruiting industry as well as working as a case manager supporting clients with multiple barriers return to the workforce.  You can connect with Michele through LinkedIn at 
ca.linkedin.com/pub/michele-matheson-ccdp/14/712/3b8.

Exploring Career Engagement

Career engagement is defined as the emotional and cognitive connection to one’s career; it is a state where one is focused, energized, and able to derive pleasure from life’s activities. Career engagement focuses on the dynamic interaction between challenge (i.e., level of difficulty; stimulating, fascinating, and invigorating activities) and capacity (i.e., skills, resources, relationships, conflicts). Too much challenge for the available capacity and individuals move out of the zone of engagement towards overwhelmed. Conversely, too little challenge moves individuals towards underutilized. Without these two dimensions being in re-balanced individuals can become completely disengaged.

Within the career engagement model, the use of career, as opposed to work, employee, or even life engagement is intentional. The goal is to encourage you to consider your level of engagement across the broad meaning of career (i.e., “the interaction of work roles and other life roles over a person’s lifespan including both paid and unpaid work”; European Lifelong Guidance Partnership Network, 2012).

In my recent explorations into career engagement, work was having the biggest impact on whether or not individuals were able to be engaged. Take time to reflect on your work role. Do you feel engaged? Overwhelmed? Underutilized? Using the career engagement model, you can explore your level of engagement from the challenge component by reflecting on whether your current role is too difficult, or too easy; also consider whether you have opportunities to be stimulated and fascinated by the work you are doing.

In exploring your level of career engagement from the capacity component, reflect on whether you have the resources necessary to meet the challenges your job presents. Consider skills, knowledge/education, access to equipment, sufficient budget, supportive colleagues and supervisors, as well as supportive friends and family. Remember to look at your whole life, even when focusing on your work role – sometimes your energy is being consumed by challenges at home making work seem more difficult when, in reality, it is personal challenges that are reducing your overall capacity.

Your goal should be to balance challenge and capacity in order to stay within the zone of engagement. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, strive to either increase your level of capacity or reduce the level of challenge. If you’re feeling underutilized, look for opportunities to increase your level of challenge . . . reducing level of capacity is also an option but likely much harder to do; after all, you can’t suddenly become less-skilled at your job.

If you are interested, I’m currently collecting data for my doctoral dissertation where the career engagement model is a focus of my research. Click here to review the official invitation to participate in the research study and access the link to the survey.

Recognizing the Multifaceted Nature of Diversity – Tips for CDPs

Career development practitioners (CDPs) regularly work within a fixed program/service mandate, typically stipulated by the funding source. For many, such a mandate often defines a very specific client group (e.g., immigrants). This approach tends to lump all clients from a particular group into one category, forgetting that diversity is far more complex.

At Life Strategies, we strive to take a broad definition of diversity, looking beyond visual clues (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity) to include a multitude of other factors (e.g., sexual orientation, religion, educational background, level of ability, communication style, speed of learning and comprehension). Although we recognize that focusing on one element of diversity can provide targeted initiatives to support the needs of specific groups, it is equally important to ensure assumptions about individuals aren’t made due to their inclusion in the broader group. 

For example, a client who is Aboriginal may be impacted by challenges related to that group; however, perhaps the client is also a woman, perhaps an older woman. In that instance, she can likely also identify with challenges related to sexism and ageism. To further complicate the matter, perhaps this particular client doesn’t identify with her Aboriginal culture – perhaps she’s worked outside of Canada for the past 10 years and is just returning to the Canadian workforce. Consequently, a program focussed on supporting Aboriginal clients may not fit her particular circumstances. Perhaps something targeted to repatriates would be a better fit.

As the case above illustrates, individuals are multifaceted; it would be easy to make assumptions about this client if she was only considered as Aboriginal. CDPs can better serve their clients if they recognize and appreciate a broader definition of diversity. We recommend taking a culturally-curious approach; don’t assume what you know about a specific group applies to an individual member of that group. Get to know your client; take time to listen to his/her story.