I don't normally write that much about my daughter but I couldn't stop myself today. She's 14; so yeah, it's starting to get interesting. Although I have thus far seemingly won the war on boys (as in thinking of dating them) and I have managed to keep her in tank tops under crop tops (and in a Catholic school they can't change once they get there because it would be inappropriate); today, she sent me a copy of this: "I like this" she wrote.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=bella+swimmie&rlz=1C9BKJA_enCA693CA693&hl=en-US&prmd=imvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj87d_R_svNAhUP-mMKHSt-B10Q_AUIBygB&biw=1024&bih=653#hl=en-US&tbm=isch&q=tipsy+gypsy%2C+bella+swimmie&imgrc=ycetUOEzVITQIM%3A
I wouldn't be the first mum to freak out a little at the thought of her daughter going out in that. "Not until you're 25!!" I replied. Just when I thought I enough on my plate, my daughter has to go and discover her sexuality.
Now maybe I sound like a prude (I can be) and maybe I'm over-reacting (doubt it) but the thought of allowing my daughter to wear that makes me physically ill. I knew this day would come (unlike many fathers I suppose) but I'm not impressed that it's arrived. Nor am I thrilled that this is the VERY beginning (because that's all it is).
I will take deep breaths. I will continue to monitor, warden-like, my daughter's wardrobe. But holy hell, I do believe this snuck up on me. I remember my cousin (Trace!) came to stay with us when I was about 13 (oh no). She picked me up from school in a black trans am. She was quite possibly wearing her zippered bikini (the memory is fuzzy but I know she had one and I know I wanted one). Perhaps because all the boys who saw her pick me up knocked heads in delirium. Perhaps because how can that not look really cool (to junior high students, and every guy who saw Tracie, in the early 90's)?!
Ugh. Now I have to do it. I will admit I lucked out though. I only have one daughter and she's a first born so every rule and every fear applies to her. I will make it. I will make it. I will make it...
Tuesday 28 June 2016
Wednesday 22 June 2016
The Circle of Life
Disclaimer: The title is wayyyyy deeper than the content.
I'm not exactly sure when I was given my first record player. It was red and white. I like to think it was a step up from Fisher Price, but it might have been exactly that. I do remember getting my first record (maybe it was at the same time) and it was Sesame Street. "C is for Cookie" was on it; likely a billboard number one for the six and under set at the time.
My mom loved music and she loved her vinyl. I may have grown up in the eighties and nineties but my music was 70's Rock (and Sesame Street). My first "grown up" record was Micheal Jackson. Then Corey Hart. And then we moved to cassettes and I am one hundred percent certain that I have never purchased an actual record.
Yesterday, my fourteen year old daughter sent me a photo, of a record player. "I want this" she wrote. I laughed. "Hahahahaha". "Why?" She asked, "what's wrong with it?" I took some time to think about my answer. There's nothing wrong with it, per se. I don't currently have a record player but I did buy my mom one for Christmas a couple of years ago; because she has records still.
I mean, really, she doesn't own a CD let alone a record. She downloads music from iTunes. When they want to watch a video they don't have to sit restlessly waiting to see if Video Hits will, by chance, play the one video they're waiting to see; they go to YouTube. Heck, even I go to YouTube.
I attach a cord to my phone that is connected to my car and I can play my own playlist. I turn on Galaxy or whatever is on my satellite channels. I can still use my phone. I can stream radio if I have an internet signal. What on earth does she need a record player for? "There's nothing wrong with it," I wrote back, "but it's not like vinyl is easy to come by nowadays." For some reason I thought that might be the end of it but it wasn't. "What's vinyl?" She asked. I rest my case.
I'm not exactly sure when I was given my first record player. It was red and white. I like to think it was a step up from Fisher Price, but it might have been exactly that. I do remember getting my first record (maybe it was at the same time) and it was Sesame Street. "C is for Cookie" was on it; likely a billboard number one for the six and under set at the time.
My mom loved music and she loved her vinyl. I may have grown up in the eighties and nineties but my music was 70's Rock (and Sesame Street). My first "grown up" record was Micheal Jackson. Then Corey Hart. And then we moved to cassettes and I am one hundred percent certain that I have never purchased an actual record.
Yesterday, my fourteen year old daughter sent me a photo, of a record player. "I want this" she wrote. I laughed. "Hahahahaha". "Why?" She asked, "what's wrong with it?" I took some time to think about my answer. There's nothing wrong with it, per se. I don't currently have a record player but I did buy my mom one for Christmas a couple of years ago; because she has records still.
I mean, really, she doesn't own a CD let alone a record. She downloads music from iTunes. When they want to watch a video they don't have to sit restlessly waiting to see if Video Hits will, by chance, play the one video they're waiting to see; they go to YouTube. Heck, even I go to YouTube.
I attach a cord to my phone that is connected to my car and I can play my own playlist. I turn on Galaxy or whatever is on my satellite channels. I can still use my phone. I can stream radio if I have an internet signal. What on earth does she need a record player for? "There's nothing wrong with it," I wrote back, "but it's not like vinyl is easy to come by nowadays." For some reason I thought that might be the end of it but it wasn't. "What's vinyl?" She asked. I rest my case.
Thursday 16 June 2016
Unemployment: Interviews
I have to say that I've been on a few interviews over the past year. One was for a position I really wanted but was three and half hours from where I lived. Another was for a career practitioner at the local high school and even though I didn't get it, I realized how easy it was to interview for when I was truly interested in the work. That helped inform my decision to make a career change by the way.
The third position I interviewed for was for the job I'd had for the past year. One would think that should have been a slam-dunk. It was not. I realized after I was told I was unsuccessful in my bid for it that I had focused on what the position could be, not what it was. Lessons learned.
Now it's not often the case that you get a chance to really prepare for an interview to the full extent (like I could have for my own job...) but I was pretty lucky. Having spent the past week learning about what work was performed at the agency as well as having two full days of interview prep the week previously, I was in pretty good shape; right after I corrected a grave mistake.
I stopped in to see the manager the day before the interview (because it feels like I'm part of the team already) and when she mentioned my resume I asked to see it. When I asked to volunteer, she had asked me to forward a copy of my updated resume. I had sent her one that I had used to apply somewhere else (because it was just for informational purposes, I thought). The cover letter was attached! I told her I would send her an updated resume (and cover letter) that night. Yeesh - I can't believe that almost happened!
I remembered one of the other recommendations to prep for an interview: it's not all about you. Why do you want to work there? What do you know about what their company does? I did my research on the company and also what information I could get about the new program as it had been running in another area and there was information on the website. I had my great examples to answer behavioural questions... I was ready.
IT WENT FABULOUSLY. I knew the answers, I used the STAR (situation, task, actions, result) method to answer the behavioural questions. I talked about the previous week. I asked about how easy it would be to make changes to some of the presentation material because a couple of issues had been identified with the new group. They were open and happy I'd mentioned it. I also told them that I love to be in the classroom providing workshops and they said they had the flexibility to allow me to do both. Seriously? I was thrilled! Flexibility, creativity.... And in my interest area??
Oh, and I also found out that there are actually two positions; one is full-time and one is part-time. Since I didn't realize there was a full-time position, I made plans around the possibility of part-time. Full-time would be so much easier, and I have a plan if I get that too.
I stopped by later that week to talk about a schedule for volunteering the following week. I wasn't going to ask about the interview because that's probably not fair. The manager mentioned that my interview had gone really well so that's good news. She figures I will hear something early next week so my fingers are crossed.
The third position I interviewed for was for the job I'd had for the past year. One would think that should have been a slam-dunk. It was not. I realized after I was told I was unsuccessful in my bid for it that I had focused on what the position could be, not what it was. Lessons learned.
Now it's not often the case that you get a chance to really prepare for an interview to the full extent (like I could have for my own job...) but I was pretty lucky. Having spent the past week learning about what work was performed at the agency as well as having two full days of interview prep the week previously, I was in pretty good shape; right after I corrected a grave mistake.
I stopped in to see the manager the day before the interview (because it feels like I'm part of the team already) and when she mentioned my resume I asked to see it. When I asked to volunteer, she had asked me to forward a copy of my updated resume. I had sent her one that I had used to apply somewhere else (because it was just for informational purposes, I thought). The cover letter was attached! I told her I would send her an updated resume (and cover letter) that night. Yeesh - I can't believe that almost happened!
I remembered one of the other recommendations to prep for an interview: it's not all about you. Why do you want to work there? What do you know about what their company does? I did my research on the company and also what information I could get about the new program as it had been running in another area and there was information on the website. I had my great examples to answer behavioural questions... I was ready.
IT WENT FABULOUSLY. I knew the answers, I used the STAR (situation, task, actions, result) method to answer the behavioural questions. I talked about the previous week. I asked about how easy it would be to make changes to some of the presentation material because a couple of issues had been identified with the new group. They were open and happy I'd mentioned it. I also told them that I love to be in the classroom providing workshops and they said they had the flexibility to allow me to do both. Seriously? I was thrilled! Flexibility, creativity.... And in my interest area??
Oh, and I also found out that there are actually two positions; one is full-time and one is part-time. Since I didn't realize there was a full-time position, I made plans around the possibility of part-time. Full-time would be so much easier, and I have a plan if I get that too.
I stopped by later that week to talk about a schedule for volunteering the following week. I wasn't going to ask about the interview because that's probably not fair. The manager mentioned that my interview had gone really well so that's good news. She figures I will hear something early next week so my fingers are crossed.
Unemployment: Interviews
I have to say that I've been on a few interviews over the past year. One was for a position I really wanted but was three and half hours from where I lived. Another was for a career practitioner at the local high school and even though I didn't get it, I realized how easy it was to interview for when I was truly interested in the work. That helped inform my decision to make a career change by the way.
The third position I interviewed for was for the job I'd had for the past year. One would think that should have been a slam-dunk. It was not. I realized after I was told I was unsuccessful in my bid for it that I had focused on what the position could be, not what it was. Lessons learned.
Now it's not often the case that you get a chance to really prepare for an interview to the full extent (like I could have for my own job...) but I was pretty lucky. Having spent the past week learning about what work was performed at the agency as well as having two full days of interview prep the week previously, I was in pretty good shape; right after I corrected a grave mistake.
I stopped in to see the manager the day before the interview (because it feels like I'm part of the team already) and when she mentioned my resume I asked to see it. When I asked to volunteer, she had asked me to forward a copy of my updated resume. I had sent her one that I had used to apply somewhere else (because it was just for informational purposes, I thought). The cover letter was attached! I told her I would send her an updated resume (and cover letter) that night. Yeesh - I can't believe that almost happened!
I remembered one of the other recommendations to prep for an interview: it's not all about you. Why do you want to work there? What do you know about what their company does? I did my research on the company and also what information I could get about the new program as it had been running in another area and there was information on the website. I had my great examples to answer behavioural questions... I was ready.
IT WENT FABULOUSLY. I knew the answers, I used the STAR (situation, task, actions, result) method to answer the behavioural questions. I talked about the previous week. I asked about how easy it would be to make changes to some of the presentation material because a couple of issues had been identified with the new group. They were open and happy I'd mentioned it. I also told them that I love to be in the classroom providing workshops and they said they had the flexibility to allow me to do both. Seriously? I was thrilled! Flexibility, creativity.... And in my interest area??
Oh, and I also found out that there are actually two positions; one is full-time and one is part-time. Since I didn't realize there was a full-time position, I made plans around the possibility of part-time. Full-time would be so much easier, and I have a plan if I get that too.
I stopped by later that week to talk about a schedule for volunteering the following week. I wasn't going to ask about the interview because that's probably not fair. The manager mentioned that my interview had gone really well so that's good news. She figures I will hear something early next week so my fingers are crossed.
The third position I interviewed for was for the job I'd had for the past year. One would think that should have been a slam-dunk. It was not. I realized after I was told I was unsuccessful in my bid for it that I had focused on what the position could be, not what it was. Lessons learned.
Now it's not often the case that you get a chance to really prepare for an interview to the full extent (like I could have for my own job...) but I was pretty lucky. Having spent the past week learning about what work was performed at the agency as well as having two full days of interview prep the week previously, I was in pretty good shape; right after I corrected a grave mistake.
I stopped in to see the manager the day before the interview (because it feels like I'm part of the team already) and when she mentioned my resume I asked to see it. When I asked to volunteer, she had asked me to forward a copy of my updated resume. I had sent her one that I had used to apply somewhere else (because it was just for informational purposes, I thought). The cover letter was attached! I told her I would send her an updated resume (and cover letter) that night. Yeesh - I can't believe that almost happened!
I remembered one of the other recommendations to prep for an interview: it's not all about you. Why do you want to work there? What do you know about what their company does? I did my research on the company and also what information I could get about the new program as it had been running in another area and there was information on the website. I had my great examples to answer behavioural questions... I was ready.
IT WENT FABULOUSLY. I knew the answers, I used the STAR (situation, task, actions, result) method to answer the behavioural questions. I talked about the previous week. I asked about how easy it would be to make changes to some of the presentation material because a couple of issues had been identified with the new group. They were open and happy I'd mentioned it. I also told them that I love to be in the classroom providing workshops and they said they had the flexibility to allow me to do both. Seriously? I was thrilled! Flexibility, creativity.... And in my interest area??
Oh, and I also found out that there are actually two positions; one is full-time and one is part-time. Since I didn't realize there was a full-time position, I made plans around the possibility of part-time. Full-time would be so much easier, and I have a plan if I get that too.
I stopped by later that week to talk about a schedule for volunteering the following week. I wasn't going to ask about the interview because that's probably not fair. The manager mentioned that my interview had gone really well so that's good news. She figures I will hear something early next week so my fingers are crossed.
Unemployment: Interviews
I have to say that I've been on a few interviews over the past year. One was for a position I really wanted but was three and half hours from where I lived. Another was for a career practitioner at the local high school and even though I didn't get it, I realized how easy it was to interview for when I was truly interested in the work. That helped inform my decision to make a career change by the way.
The third position I interviewed for was for the job I'd had for the past year. One would think that should have been a slam-dunk. It was not. I realized after I was told I was unsuccessful in my bid for it that I had focused on what the position could be, not what it was. Lessons learned.
Now it's not often the case that you get a chance to really prepare for an interview to the full extent (like I could have for my own job...) but I was pretty lucky. Having spent the past week learning about what work was performed at the agency as well as having two full days of interview prep the week previously, I was in pretty good shape; right after I corrected a grave mistake.
I stopped in to see the manager the day before the interview (because it feels like I'm part of the team already) and when she mentioned my resume I asked to see it. When I asked to volunteer, she had asked me to forward a copy of my updated resume. I had sent her one that I had used to apply somewhere else (because it was just for informational purposes, I thought). The cover letter was attached! I told her I would send her an updated resume (and cover letter) that night. Yeesh - I can't believe that almost happened!
I remembered one of the other recommendations to prep for an interview: it's not all about you. Why do you want to work there? What do you know about what their company does? I did my research on the company and also what information I could get about the new program as it had been running in another area and there was information on the website. I had my great examples to answer behavioural questions... I was ready.
IT WENT FABULOUSLY. I knew the answers, I used the STAR (situation, task, actions, result) method to answer the behavioural questions. I talked about the previous week. I asked about how easy it would be to make changes to some of the presentation material because a couple of issues had been identified with the new group. They were open and happy I'd mentioned it. I also told them that I love to be in the classroom providing workshops and they said they had the flexibility to allow me to do both. Seriously? I was thrilled! Flexibility, creativity.... And in my interest area??
Oh, and I also found out that there are actually two positions; one is full-time and one is part-time. Since I didn't realize there was a full-time position, I made plans around the possibility of part-time. Full-time would be so much easier, and I have a plan if I get that too.
I stopped by later that week to talk about a schedule for volunteering the following week. I wasn't going to ask about the interview because that's probably not fair. The manager mentioned that my interview had gone really well so that's good news. She figures I will hear something early next week so my fingers are crossed.
The third position I interviewed for was for the job I'd had for the past year. One would think that should have been a slam-dunk. It was not. I realized after I was told I was unsuccessful in my bid for it that I had focused on what the position could be, not what it was. Lessons learned.
Now it's not often the case that you get a chance to really prepare for an interview to the full extent (like I could have for my own job...) but I was pretty lucky. Having spent the past week learning about what work was performed at the agency as well as having two full days of interview prep the week previously, I was in pretty good shape; right after I corrected a grave mistake.
I stopped in to see the manager the day before the interview (because it feels like I'm part of the team already) and when she mentioned my resume I asked to see it. When I asked to volunteer, she had asked me to forward a copy of my updated resume. I had sent her one that I had used to apply somewhere else (because it was just for informational purposes, I thought). The cover letter was attached! I told her I would send her an updated resume (and cover letter) that night. Yeesh - I can't believe that almost happened!
I remembered one of the other recommendations to prep for an interview: it's not all about you. Why do you want to work there? What do you know about what their company does? I did my research on the company and also what information I could get about the new program as it had been running in another area and there was information on the website. I had my great examples to answer behavioural questions... I was ready.
IT WENT FABULOUSLY. I knew the answers, I used the STAR (situation, task, actions, result) method to answer the behavioural questions. I talked about the previous week. I asked about how easy it would be to make changes to some of the presentation material because a couple of issues had been identified with the new group. They were open and happy I'd mentioned it. I also told them that I love to be in the classroom providing workshops and they said they had the flexibility to allow me to do both. Seriously? I was thrilled! Flexibility, creativity.... And in my interest area??
Oh, and I also found out that there are actually two positions; one is full-time and one is part-time. Since I didn't realize there was a full-time position, I made plans around the possibility of part-time. Full-time would be so much easier, and I have a plan if I get that too.
I stopped by later that week to talk about a schedule for volunteering the following week. I wasn't going to ask about the interview because that's probably not fair. The manager mentioned that my interview had gone really well so that's good news. She figures I will hear something early next week so my fingers are crossed.
Wednesday 15 June 2016
Unemployment: Cover Letters
Resumes weren't as difficult to redo as the cover letter, I found. Sure, I might add certain things to match a particular job posting but for the most part, it stayed the same. Cover letters are a different story.
In my opinion the cover letter is the only place that gives you the opportunity to be creative and try to show a potential employer who you really are. Unless otherwise specified, the cover letter is your opportunity to tell the employer why you are the best person for the job, aside from your skills and experience. For instance, you want to be able to answer questions an employer might have before they meet you.
If you're changing your career, why did you decide to do that? Why are you interested in this position? Why are you interested in this company? If you have a lengthy history of experience in a particular field and you're looking to continue in that field, you want to try to answer the question in this way: I want to bring my unique combination of skills and experience to Company because...
Because the cover letter has to be specific to each position with each company you apply for, and to do it properly you need to research each place, this can be a very big task. Again, it is easier if you are applying for a particular field or industry all of the time. (I addressed the "just looking for a job" seekers in a previous post, Unemployment: Resumes 2).
I've written some very difficult cover letters, mostly for federal government jobs. They specifically request that you outline in your cover letter how your experience meets the skill requirement of the posting. It reads about as interestingly as a resume. Adding to the difficulty is that you have to figure out how to make full sentences and proper paragraph structure out of each disjointed statement. Not my favourite.
In most cases, the cover letter is your chance to express your interest, your goals and show why you are the best candidate. Take advantage of that. "Cover Letter Magic" by Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark has an absolute array of examples, as do some Alberta government publications you can access on the ALIS website.
Be sure to read the posting closely. If they have a specific request, such as having a reliable vehicle or willing to travel up to 90% of the time, it's a good idea to address this in your cover letter. Obviously your resume won't mention whether you have a vehicle and don't expect that because your last three jobs required extensive travel that they'll assume you have one. Every little detail counts when demand for jobs is greater than the supply and it's sad to think your resume could get passed over for someone who did mention they had a vehicle.
Basic do's: cohesive formatting, spell check, coherent sentences, expressive of interest and passion.
Do not's: pictures, incorrect addressee, misspelt company name or addressee
Also, if you are using a job posting app, like Indeed, there is often a button at the bottom to view the job posting. I recommend looking at the original posting because I think Indeed might have a character limit and not everything appears as it was intended. Lastly, take your time (if you can).
Although it might feel better to send it and be done with it, I've had many occasions where I thought about it a day later and realized I didn't add something I should have. If you have time, write it up and leave it overnight, read the posting again in the morning and then your cover letter and resume. Try to think of it from the hiring manager's point of view. What would you want to see? Is it there? Then send it.
In my opinion the cover letter is the only place that gives you the opportunity to be creative and try to show a potential employer who you really are. Unless otherwise specified, the cover letter is your opportunity to tell the employer why you are the best person for the job, aside from your skills and experience. For instance, you want to be able to answer questions an employer might have before they meet you.
If you're changing your career, why did you decide to do that? Why are you interested in this position? Why are you interested in this company? If you have a lengthy history of experience in a particular field and you're looking to continue in that field, you want to try to answer the question in this way: I want to bring my unique combination of skills and experience to Company because...
Because the cover letter has to be specific to each position with each company you apply for, and to do it properly you need to research each place, this can be a very big task. Again, it is easier if you are applying for a particular field or industry all of the time. (I addressed the "just looking for a job" seekers in a previous post, Unemployment: Resumes 2).
I've written some very difficult cover letters, mostly for federal government jobs. They specifically request that you outline in your cover letter how your experience meets the skill requirement of the posting. It reads about as interestingly as a resume. Adding to the difficulty is that you have to figure out how to make full sentences and proper paragraph structure out of each disjointed statement. Not my favourite.
In most cases, the cover letter is your chance to express your interest, your goals and show why you are the best candidate. Take advantage of that. "Cover Letter Magic" by Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark has an absolute array of examples, as do some Alberta government publications you can access on the ALIS website.
Be sure to read the posting closely. If they have a specific request, such as having a reliable vehicle or willing to travel up to 90% of the time, it's a good idea to address this in your cover letter. Obviously your resume won't mention whether you have a vehicle and don't expect that because your last three jobs required extensive travel that they'll assume you have one. Every little detail counts when demand for jobs is greater than the supply and it's sad to think your resume could get passed over for someone who did mention they had a vehicle.
Basic do's: cohesive formatting, spell check, coherent sentences, expressive of interest and passion.
Do not's: pictures, incorrect addressee, misspelt company name or addressee
Also, if you are using a job posting app, like Indeed, there is often a button at the bottom to view the job posting. I recommend looking at the original posting because I think Indeed might have a character limit and not everything appears as it was intended. Lastly, take your time (if you can).
Although it might feel better to send it and be done with it, I've had many occasions where I thought about it a day later and realized I didn't add something I should have. If you have time, write it up and leave it overnight, read the posting again in the morning and then your cover letter and resume. Try to think of it from the hiring manager's point of view. What would you want to see? Is it there? Then send it.
Tuesday 14 June 2016
Unemployment: Resumes 2
I grew up with the chronological resume. I like it. When I was looking for work back in 2013 I used the e-resume service on ALIS more than once and they kept trying to get me to change to a skill-based resume. Not only did I not like it, I refused to use it (and I hate to think that's why I was only offered 5 interviews out of more than one hundred applications... That's not a guesstimate by the way).
Having been through the most recent workshop (twice) with my volunteer work, I have finally discovered the benefit of a skill-based resume (actually, there are a few).
#1: Where you worked is not the focus of your resume.
This makes sense if you are applying for work in a completely different industry. One of my other theories about why my resumes received so little attention in '13 is because my experience was very industry-heavy. Without it, I hadn't worked in 6 years but I could tell it wasn't doing me any favours. As one interviewer asked "coming from that background, do you think you have the ability to think creatively?" I was highly insulted. Then I worked for the organization again and I was like, oh, right, that's not exactly a strong point here...
#2: The skills you obtained/used and your accomplishments are the focus.
This resume allows you to highlight skills from any of the experience you use. One position, still on my resume but just hit a decade old, is at the end of my experience. Some of the things I did there are really important and if it's the last thing a hiring manager sees, it's definitely not highlighted. With a skill-based resume, you can highlight the specific skill/accomplishment up high, where it belongs.
#3: WHEN you worked is no longer the focus.
If you have gaps in your resume, a chronological resume highlights this. Again, the information is still there but it is at the bottom of your resume. The skills you have are important, not when you started getting them.
#4: Even if you don't use a skill-based resume (it's not right for everyone, in my opinion) write one up.
The reason for this is that I had a fabulous "a-ha" moment when I did mine: Interviews. If you've been asked the dreaded "behavioural" questions, you know it takes planning to answer them well. I chose three headings for my skill-based resume; Problem Solving, Marketing and Business Development. Just to put that into perspective, the three most recent job titles on my resume are, "Stakeholder Engagement Advisor", "Program Advisor" and "Sales Manager" (the latter I also switch out with "Meeting and Event Coordinator" though the former was my official title).
When you have unintelligible titles, it's difficult for people to see the relevance from your previous work to the work they want you to perform. That's the other reason why you should look to see what else may be a better description. But back to the interview. By writing my resume up this way, I found that I instantly had three examples under each heading that I could use to answer a targeted interview question
I'd also like to explain why I don't believe this format is best for everyone. My ex is a chef and before I ever had any formal knowledge of these things I remember looking at his very lengthy resume and saying, really? He told me that in his industry it was very important WHERE you had worked. So if that is the case for you, don't change it up on my account.
Also, if your most recent experience is especially relevant (you currently work for the organization or it's a similar position somewhere else), I think it should be the focus. Additionally, if your resume shows progressive experience well, I think chronological is better. Again, just my opinion, do what's right for you.
Having been through the most recent workshop (twice) with my volunteer work, I have finally discovered the benefit of a skill-based resume (actually, there are a few).
#1: Where you worked is not the focus of your resume.
This makes sense if you are applying for work in a completely different industry. One of my other theories about why my resumes received so little attention in '13 is because my experience was very industry-heavy. Without it, I hadn't worked in 6 years but I could tell it wasn't doing me any favours. As one interviewer asked "coming from that background, do you think you have the ability to think creatively?" I was highly insulted. Then I worked for the organization again and I was like, oh, right, that's not exactly a strong point here...
#2: The skills you obtained/used and your accomplishments are the focus.
This resume allows you to highlight skills from any of the experience you use. One position, still on my resume but just hit a decade old, is at the end of my experience. Some of the things I did there are really important and if it's the last thing a hiring manager sees, it's definitely not highlighted. With a skill-based resume, you can highlight the specific skill/accomplishment up high, where it belongs.
#3: WHEN you worked is no longer the focus.
If you have gaps in your resume, a chronological resume highlights this. Again, the information is still there but it is at the bottom of your resume. The skills you have are important, not when you started getting them.
#4: Even if you don't use a skill-based resume (it's not right for everyone, in my opinion) write one up.
The reason for this is that I had a fabulous "a-ha" moment when I did mine: Interviews. If you've been asked the dreaded "behavioural" questions, you know it takes planning to answer them well. I chose three headings for my skill-based resume; Problem Solving, Marketing and Business Development. Just to put that into perspective, the three most recent job titles on my resume are, "Stakeholder Engagement Advisor", "Program Advisor" and "Sales Manager" (the latter I also switch out with "Meeting and Event Coordinator" though the former was my official title).
When you have unintelligible titles, it's difficult for people to see the relevance from your previous work to the work they want you to perform. That's the other reason why you should look to see what else may be a better description. But back to the interview. By writing my resume up this way, I found that I instantly had three examples under each heading that I could use to answer a targeted interview question
I'd also like to explain why I don't believe this format is best for everyone. My ex is a chef and before I ever had any formal knowledge of these things I remember looking at his very lengthy resume and saying, really? He told me that in his industry it was very important WHERE you had worked. So if that is the case for you, don't change it up on my account.
Also, if your most recent experience is especially relevant (you currently work for the organization or it's a similar position somewhere else), I think it should be the focus. Additionally, if your resume shows progressive experience well, I think chronological is better. Again, just my opinion, do what's right for you.
Monday 13 June 2016
Unemployment: Resumes
I spent so much time writing and rewriting resumes in 2013 that I was mentally and emotionally drained every day. Workshops and counsellors will tell you to focus on a particular industry or type of work. Yeah, that's great, but when you desperately need work??
I've been there; it was exhausting. It was also depleting my confidence at such a fantastic rate that my mood was about as predictable as a yo-yo. Part of the reason I only received 5 interviews out of over 100 applications is probably also due to the fact that I was applying everywhere. One of the reasons the career planning workshop and "What Colour is Your Parachute" were so helpful is because they made me focus on what I really wanted to do with my skills. Constant rejection makes you start to think you don't have any and that's not a positive place to be when you're writing resumes.
I'm lucky enough to not be desperate yet, but because I was before (and could be again) and it was such a waste of my time, I want to offer some advice: settle down, breathe and focus. What are you after? A good job? A better job? A paycheque? Figure that out before you drive yourself nuts.
Here are some tips for getting work; not necessarily for getting your dream job, but just getting a job that can get you a paycheque.
#1: Downplay your skills/experience/awesomeness
This can be painful. Right after graduation, in 2013, I applied for a job and felt it would be better to remove my education. I cried. I was almost 40, had just worked my ass off in university and now I was applying for something I needed "some high school" for. The point is that if you are desperate for work, you will need to adjust your resume accordingly. Put yourself in the hiring manager's shoes. Even if you have zero interest in working your way up, if you are more qualified for the manager's job than they might be, do you think you'll get an interview? Would you bring in you to possibly take your job away in the future? Not likely.
#2: You don't always need a resume.
I answered an ad in '13 by showing up. A motel in town was looking for someone to work the front desk and in my patchwork quilt employment history, I have also worked the front desk at a hotel. I walked in to inquire about the posting and was told to bring my resume to another person on Monday morning. I showed up again (having forgotten to bring it) and talked with the manager about my experience. She asked when I was available for training and boom, I had a job. Never discount the importance of face-to-face interaction.
#3: Be ready to work.
Whatever you're applying for, especially if you're stopping in, be ready to work. If you need safety boots and a tool belt, show up at 7:45am in that. I brought in a resume to the first hotel I worked at where I got my front desk experience dressed for an interview. The person who took my resume asked me if I had time to wait and she came back with the general manager. "It must have been pretty important" he told me "to pull me out of a meeting". That lack of putting me at ease aside, I had waitresses in a large hotel before so I had some experience in the industry. He interviewed me then and there, asked what shifts I could work (having already done my due diligence with day care availability) I informed him I could be available six days per week from 7:00am until midnight. He said he could work with that and asked when I could start. I had a job.
#4: Talk to people.
It wasn't my dream job but my mom worked at the post office. I did not want to work there. However, I had turned down a job and been unsuccessful getting the one I wanted, already given notice at the motel and now I needed one. It was a cover-off position but they had someone out on medical leave so it was full-time. I stayed for seven months, through Christmas and I applaud anyone who does this job because it's not as easy as it looks and very few people respect the fact that you do it. (Oh, and it pays less than $40 grand a year, in some cases much less, so quit with the "they make so much money" BS.)
I've been there; it was exhausting. It was also depleting my confidence at such a fantastic rate that my mood was about as predictable as a yo-yo. Part of the reason I only received 5 interviews out of over 100 applications is probably also due to the fact that I was applying everywhere. One of the reasons the career planning workshop and "What Colour is Your Parachute" were so helpful is because they made me focus on what I really wanted to do with my skills. Constant rejection makes you start to think you don't have any and that's not a positive place to be when you're writing resumes.
I'm lucky enough to not be desperate yet, but because I was before (and could be again) and it was such a waste of my time, I want to offer some advice: settle down, breathe and focus. What are you after? A good job? A better job? A paycheque? Figure that out before you drive yourself nuts.
Here are some tips for getting work; not necessarily for getting your dream job, but just getting a job that can get you a paycheque.
#1: Downplay your skills/experience/awesomeness
This can be painful. Right after graduation, in 2013, I applied for a job and felt it would be better to remove my education. I cried. I was almost 40, had just worked my ass off in university and now I was applying for something I needed "some high school" for. The point is that if you are desperate for work, you will need to adjust your resume accordingly. Put yourself in the hiring manager's shoes. Even if you have zero interest in working your way up, if you are more qualified for the manager's job than they might be, do you think you'll get an interview? Would you bring in you to possibly take your job away in the future? Not likely.
#2: You don't always need a resume.
I answered an ad in '13 by showing up. A motel in town was looking for someone to work the front desk and in my patchwork quilt employment history, I have also worked the front desk at a hotel. I walked in to inquire about the posting and was told to bring my resume to another person on Monday morning. I showed up again (having forgotten to bring it) and talked with the manager about my experience. She asked when I was available for training and boom, I had a job. Never discount the importance of face-to-face interaction.
#3: Be ready to work.
Whatever you're applying for, especially if you're stopping in, be ready to work. If you need safety boots and a tool belt, show up at 7:45am in that. I brought in a resume to the first hotel I worked at where I got my front desk experience dressed for an interview. The person who took my resume asked me if I had time to wait and she came back with the general manager. "It must have been pretty important" he told me "to pull me out of a meeting". That lack of putting me at ease aside, I had waitresses in a large hotel before so I had some experience in the industry. He interviewed me then and there, asked what shifts I could work (having already done my due diligence with day care availability) I informed him I could be available six days per week from 7:00am until midnight. He said he could work with that and asked when I could start. I had a job.
#4: Talk to people.
It wasn't my dream job but my mom worked at the post office. I did not want to work there. However, I had turned down a job and been unsuccessful getting the one I wanted, already given notice at the motel and now I needed one. It was a cover-off position but they had someone out on medical leave so it was full-time. I stayed for seven months, through Christmas and I applaud anyone who does this job because it's not as easy as it looks and very few people respect the fact that you do it. (Oh, and it pays less than $40 grand a year, in some cases much less, so quit with the "they make so much money" BS.)
Sunday 12 June 2016
Unemployment: Volunteering 2
The week has flown by and something very exciting happened! I mentioned that the group we were facilitating the workshops for were new to the counsellor (and me by default) and she was great. I'm not sure how anyone else would handle this experience but I joined in, fully. I played both sides, learner and leader, and she was very supportive.
The workshops were on resumes and cover letters the first day and interview skills the second day. I did the same work the participants were asked to do and was vocal about what I discovered and its relevance to my own work search. They were surprised when I told them I was volunteering and not getting paid to be there but in my opinion it was great role-modelling. Sometimes these sessions (I've attended a few) are full of questions like "does this really work?" And "how is this going to work for me?" I was able to answer these from a current view and they seemed to find it helpful.
On the day I was in office the manager told me she would like me to interview for their upcoming position!! I didn't realize they were that close to actually getting the position! She booked me in for Tuesday and I can hardly believe this has moved along so quickly.
Now I have to address something else. I have been using Indeed and Canada job bank to look for positions and I always look at my home town. I also look in the local paper each week. I never saw an advertisement for this position and if they're already setting up interviews, I have to wonder how I missed it. I made my decision near the end of March so I was already focusing my job search back then; now we're into May.
I'm not sure if I can offer a more perfect example of what Bolles ("What Color is Your Parachute") said about the untapped opportunities available outside of advertised vacancies. While it's certainly a possibility that I could have volunteered and they did not have a position, I still had a plan for that. I volunteered to learn. What I was planning to do with that was look into the possibility of developing a workshop on my own and marketing it. I still had a plan even if there hadn't been a position and I learned a lot from the four days I spent with the two groups. The first thing I learned is that I did know a lot but some things had changed. I will be doing a resume tip blog next because I did learn something about career changers and why you should change up your resume if you are one.
The workshops were on resumes and cover letters the first day and interview skills the second day. I did the same work the participants were asked to do and was vocal about what I discovered and its relevance to my own work search. They were surprised when I told them I was volunteering and not getting paid to be there but in my opinion it was great role-modelling. Sometimes these sessions (I've attended a few) are full of questions like "does this really work?" And "how is this going to work for me?" I was able to answer these from a current view and they seemed to find it helpful.
On the day I was in office the manager told me she would like me to interview for their upcoming position!! I didn't realize they were that close to actually getting the position! She booked me in for Tuesday and I can hardly believe this has moved along so quickly.
Now I have to address something else. I have been using Indeed and Canada job bank to look for positions and I always look at my home town. I also look in the local paper each week. I never saw an advertisement for this position and if they're already setting up interviews, I have to wonder how I missed it. I made my decision near the end of March so I was already focusing my job search back then; now we're into May.
I'm not sure if I can offer a more perfect example of what Bolles ("What Color is Your Parachute") said about the untapped opportunities available outside of advertised vacancies. While it's certainly a possibility that I could have volunteered and they did not have a position, I still had a plan for that. I volunteered to learn. What I was planning to do with that was look into the possibility of developing a workshop on my own and marketing it. I still had a plan even if there hadn't been a position and I learned a lot from the four days I spent with the two groups. The first thing I learned is that I did know a lot but some things had changed. I will be doing a resume tip blog next because I did learn something about career changers and why you should change up your resume if you are one.
Tuesday 7 June 2016
"Wait, I'm an Indian?"
Actually, he's Metis, but I certainly wasn't going to try to explain the racist, bureaucratic feeble-mindedness that brought that about. We spent the afternoon at a park, a water park, a school park and another school park. My ten year old wanted to take his shirt off while we were walking from the park to the water park and I told him he could do that right now if he so desired. He did and then remarked "people tell me I'm too white". "You are" I said, "it's pretty hard to tell you have Indian in you."
He stopped. My handsome little guy, with his blond hair and blue eyes looks at me, looks at his semi-tanned arms and overly white torso and says "Wait, I'm an Indian? How?" Ah, the million dollar question. "Well, you know your great-grandma looks kind of like an Indian" I said. "Really?" Came his shocked reply, "I thought she was just tanned!" (All year round)...
"But how am I Indian?" He asks again. The story great-grandma tells us is that her grandmother was traded for a sack of flour. Her grandmother married an Indian and they had a son, who married a white woman who had her. (I could so use "begat" here but I'd like you to follow along :)). Great grandma married great grandpa who is white. They had grandpa, who married grandma, who is white. Dad married me. "Because you're white?" He inquired. "NO, just because."
"Is that why I can't talk to Sage? Because she's white?" OMG, I wish I could see the printout of his thought process. Sage is a girl he fell in love with in grade one and apparently he can talk to other girls without issue but has difficulty talking to her. Considering it's been four years, you'd think he would have figured out a way. Or maybe I want him to continue having issues until he's 20. Probably that.
"So, do I have to marry someone who is white?" Was the next question. "No, skin colour doesn't matter, you marry someone you love" I told him. "Oh, okay" he says "can I ride Ethan's bike?"
Maybe later I'll tell him he's also Russian, German and Scottish. That should be fun.
He stopped. My handsome little guy, with his blond hair and blue eyes looks at me, looks at his semi-tanned arms and overly white torso and says "Wait, I'm an Indian? How?" Ah, the million dollar question. "Well, you know your great-grandma looks kind of like an Indian" I said. "Really?" Came his shocked reply, "I thought she was just tanned!" (All year round)...
"But how am I Indian?" He asks again. The story great-grandma tells us is that her grandmother was traded for a sack of flour. Her grandmother married an Indian and they had a son, who married a white woman who had her. (I could so use "begat" here but I'd like you to follow along :)). Great grandma married great grandpa who is white. They had grandpa, who married grandma, who is white. Dad married me. "Because you're white?" He inquired. "NO, just because."
"Is that why I can't talk to Sage? Because she's white?" OMG, I wish I could see the printout of his thought process. Sage is a girl he fell in love with in grade one and apparently he can talk to other girls without issue but has difficulty talking to her. Considering it's been four years, you'd think he would have figured out a way. Or maybe I want him to continue having issues until he's 20. Probably that.
"So, do I have to marry someone who is white?" Was the next question. "No, skin colour doesn't matter, you marry someone you love" I told him. "Oh, okay" he says "can I ride Ethan's bike?"
Maybe later I'll tell him he's also Russian, German and Scottish. That should be fun.
Thursday 2 June 2016
Unemployment: Success!!
The manager called me at 3:30 pm to offer me the position!! Even though I had been 90% certain that I would be offered a job, when the second interview came up, I was only about 30% sure. I wondered if I had done something wrong, strayed off my path in some way; I doubted myself. Let's face it, when you hear "you were not the successful candidate" or don't even hear back, doubt can creep up on you. However, I no longer have to wonder, so let's recap;
February 29: My last day of work
March 24, 25 & 27: I attended a career planning workshop.
March 25: I borrowed "What Color is Your Parachute?" (Richard N. Bolles) from the library.
April 7: First information interview with a Career Planning Facilitator.
April 8: I order career counselling books from Amazon to keep learning.
April 11: Asked manager at career and employment agency if I could volunteer.
April 18: Talked with career counsellor at my kids' school about volunteering.
April 29: Received the go ahead from career and employment agency, scheduled volunteer hours for the full next week.
May 2 &3: Went out to workshops as a volunteer; participated fully in facilitating :)
May 4: Sat with career coaches in the office. Manager tells me she would like me to interview for a position they have coming up. Interview is scheduled for May 10.
May 5 & 6: Attended workshops.
May 10: First interview.
May 20: Second interview requested.
May 26: Second interview.
May 30: Job offer.
It certainly wasn't an overnight success. One of the concerns I'd had after the second interview was requested was that I had spent a lot of time on this one endeavour. What if it hadn't worked out? What was the plan? My plan was to get as much information as I could (which I did, handily, during the week I volunteered) and then I was going to design my own workshop and market it to someone else. Plan A was what I just mentioned; Plan B was to volunteer at the school, Plan C was to go back to school if still unemployed at the end of August. Plan D was that either the school or the career and employment agency would have a job for me. I actually didn't bank on Plan D.
Let me also reiterate what Bolles says in his book; People who use the following methods of job search, by:
"Looking for employer's job postings on the Internet"; Success rate: 4%
"Posting or mailing out your resume to employers"; Success rate: 7%
"Answering local newspaper ads"; Success rate: 5-24% (because, local)
"Private employment agencies or search firms"; Success rate: 5-28%
"Answering ads in professional or trade journals, appropriate to your field"; Success rate: 7%
"Job Clubs"; Success rate: around 10%
"State or federal employment office"; Success rate: 14%
"Going to places where employers pick up workers"; Success rate: 22% (for short-term employment)
"Asking for job leads (from friends, family members, connections)"; Success rate: about 35%
"Knocking on the door of any employer, office, or manufacturing plant"; Success rate: 47%
"Using the Yellow Pages (to call prospective employers and ask for a meeting)"; Success rate: 65%
"The Parachute Approach (combining reaching out to contacts, information interviews, networking etc); Success rate: 86%.
I've done most of these, but my tactic to find this job was solely The Parachute Approach. Can I say that I got lucky? I believe so, yes. I mean, what were the odds that they would have a job at the ready? But I can say this for certain: if I Had not taken the risk of going after what I wanted, reaching out to contacts I had made, the job wouldn't be mine now. The last time I was looking for work I wrote a tweet that said: "Looking for a job now is different than the old days. It's not like you have to leave your house; or put on pants". Well, I was wrong; leave your house... and for goodness sakes, wear pants.
February 29: My last day of work
March 24, 25 & 27: I attended a career planning workshop.
March 25: I borrowed "What Color is Your Parachute?" (Richard N. Bolles) from the library.
April 7: First information interview with a Career Planning Facilitator.
April 8: I order career counselling books from Amazon to keep learning.
April 11: Asked manager at career and employment agency if I could volunteer.
April 18: Talked with career counsellor at my kids' school about volunteering.
April 29: Received the go ahead from career and employment agency, scheduled volunteer hours for the full next week.
May 2 &3: Went out to workshops as a volunteer; participated fully in facilitating :)
May 4: Sat with career coaches in the office. Manager tells me she would like me to interview for a position they have coming up. Interview is scheduled for May 10.
May 5 & 6: Attended workshops.
May 10: First interview.
May 20: Second interview requested.
May 26: Second interview.
May 30: Job offer.
It certainly wasn't an overnight success. One of the concerns I'd had after the second interview was requested was that I had spent a lot of time on this one endeavour. What if it hadn't worked out? What was the plan? My plan was to get as much information as I could (which I did, handily, during the week I volunteered) and then I was going to design my own workshop and market it to someone else. Plan A was what I just mentioned; Plan B was to volunteer at the school, Plan C was to go back to school if still unemployed at the end of August. Plan D was that either the school or the career and employment agency would have a job for me. I actually didn't bank on Plan D.
Let me also reiterate what Bolles says in his book; People who use the following methods of job search, by:
"Looking for employer's job postings on the Internet"; Success rate: 4%
"Posting or mailing out your resume to employers"; Success rate: 7%
"Answering local newspaper ads"; Success rate: 5-24% (because, local)
"Private employment agencies or search firms"; Success rate: 5-28%
"Answering ads in professional or trade journals, appropriate to your field"; Success rate: 7%
"Job Clubs"; Success rate: around 10%
"State or federal employment office"; Success rate: 14%
"Going to places where employers pick up workers"; Success rate: 22% (for short-term employment)
"Asking for job leads (from friends, family members, connections)"; Success rate: about 35%
"Knocking on the door of any employer, office, or manufacturing plant"; Success rate: 47%
"Using the Yellow Pages (to call prospective employers and ask for a meeting)"; Success rate: 65%
"The Parachute Approach (combining reaching out to contacts, information interviews, networking etc); Success rate: 86%.
I've done most of these, but my tactic to find this job was solely The Parachute Approach. Can I say that I got lucky? I believe so, yes. I mean, what were the odds that they would have a job at the ready? But I can say this for certain: if I Had not taken the risk of going after what I wanted, reaching out to contacts I had made, the job wouldn't be mine now. The last time I was looking for work I wrote a tweet that said: "Looking for a job now is different than the old days. It's not like you have to leave your house; or put on pants". Well, I was wrong; leave your house... and for goodness sakes, wear pants.
Wednesday 1 June 2016
Unemployment: The Second Interview
Perhaps I'm wrong, but should the second interview not cause less angst than the first? It wasn't that way for me. I said to my husband; "I'm not a very likeable person" and he looked at me like I had grown a second head. So, that was a positive, right?!
The manager had told me that the interview was to address "fit" and I was concerned from the start. What if the new coordinator didn't like me? If it's just "fit" then that's an acceptable reason to say "thanks again, but we've decided to go in another direction." I once interviewed at a place where they told me I was expected to be available at all hours of the night because the program dealt with international students and their parents may call when it's convenient for them. I asked if I had to be available by phone or in the office and she rolled her eyes and snidely remarked "well of course you have to be available by phone, this is a 24 hour job". I figured if that was the type of response I received for asking for clarification, I was probably going to get used to not asking and getting in trouble for doing things wrong. That, and I figured somewhere within the previous 15 minutes, she decided she didn't think much of me.
All I'm saying is, you never know what you're going to get and although my first interview had been an absolute smash, I was concerned about the second. As it turned out, it was okay. I say okay because the coordinator (who I was supposed to fit with) stumped me with a question. "What, specifically, would you bring to the facilitation process?" She asked. "What special skills do you have that you could use to make it enjoyable for the participants? For instance one of the facilitators makes smoothies when she's talking about nutrition." Special skills?? Holy crap!!
I talked about how I think of these types of workshops as an opportunity to entertain the group in some way, either through anecdotes or additional information. I talked about how I've been able to entertain groups with very limited material, just to keep them interested. I bombed. "At least, that's what's at the top of my head" I said. There was laughter. "If you're anything like me," said the coordinator, "it will come to you at 3:00 am". It came to me as I was driving home.
I wrote an email to the manager, who I knew was heading into a meeting directly after my interview. In the subject line I wrote "It only took 10 minutes". You see, in addition to the many things I have rolling around in my head, I've also been working on some cooking stuff (so "smoothies" should have triggered my response). I told her what I'd been thinking of doing with that. Maybe she'll mention it to them. Maybe it will still turn out okay. FFS.
The manager had told me that the interview was to address "fit" and I was concerned from the start. What if the new coordinator didn't like me? If it's just "fit" then that's an acceptable reason to say "thanks again, but we've decided to go in another direction." I once interviewed at a place where they told me I was expected to be available at all hours of the night because the program dealt with international students and their parents may call when it's convenient for them. I asked if I had to be available by phone or in the office and she rolled her eyes and snidely remarked "well of course you have to be available by phone, this is a 24 hour job". I figured if that was the type of response I received for asking for clarification, I was probably going to get used to not asking and getting in trouble for doing things wrong. That, and I figured somewhere within the previous 15 minutes, she decided she didn't think much of me.
All I'm saying is, you never know what you're going to get and although my first interview had been an absolute smash, I was concerned about the second. As it turned out, it was okay. I say okay because the coordinator (who I was supposed to fit with) stumped me with a question. "What, specifically, would you bring to the facilitation process?" She asked. "What special skills do you have that you could use to make it enjoyable for the participants? For instance one of the facilitators makes smoothies when she's talking about nutrition." Special skills?? Holy crap!!
I talked about how I think of these types of workshops as an opportunity to entertain the group in some way, either through anecdotes or additional information. I talked about how I've been able to entertain groups with very limited material, just to keep them interested. I bombed. "At least, that's what's at the top of my head" I said. There was laughter. "If you're anything like me," said the coordinator, "it will come to you at 3:00 am". It came to me as I was driving home.
I wrote an email to the manager, who I knew was heading into a meeting directly after my interview. In the subject line I wrote "It only took 10 minutes". You see, in addition to the many things I have rolling around in my head, I've also been working on some cooking stuff (so "smoothies" should have triggered my response). I told her what I'd been thinking of doing with that. Maybe she'll mention it to them. Maybe it will still turn out okay. FFS.
Monday 30 May 2016
Unemployment: A Request for a Second Interview
I don't think I've ever had a second interview; none of the jobs I've applied for required them before. I heard back from the employment agency and they decided to go with an internal candidate for the coordinator's position. No real shock there; I was lucky to be interviewed for an internal posting, period.
The manager had told me there was a part-time position as a career coach available as well as a part-time administrative position that they would be willing to combine into a full-time position if the candidate was interested in doing both. I knew there would be a pay difference and frankly, I was not interested in doing a part-time Admin job and I said as much at the first interview. Since I had originally thought there was only a part-time position available anyway, I had made plans to go back to school and I figured I would just stick with that.
Well, how things change! She told me they were now interested in making the career coach position full-time and push the additional administrative work to the current admin (might not make me popular but I don't think they knew...). So that is exciting - full-time work!
Bolles mentioned in "What Colour is Your Parachute" that companies are more than willing to create positions for those they are interested in and I can't help but wonder if that's what has been done here (and it makes me feel good to think that way :)). I'm not trying to sound egotistical but from what I've read, from what Bolles said, this is not an uncommon occurrence. Seriously though, I'm impressed.
All of the workshops I've attended about work search, interviewing and career planning say one thing in common: Choose your field; focus your search. I have to think that this is why; I chose a field that I was interested in, I reached out to my contacts, and it looks as though everything will fall into place and I hadn't even expected as much as what is currently before me. With that being said, I don't have an offer yet... I still have to go through another interview.
Somehow, I will spend some of the next 16 hours reminding myself of all of my accomplishments and how much of an asset member I can be to a team with a common goal. I will have to remind myself that although I want this position, the coordinator will want me because of the qualifications I bring; because I can help ensure her success. I am not over-confident; I need to be honest with myself and remember what I bring to the table. I need to focus on that. I can be a tremendous ally to the coordinator and I know this. Now, I just have to remember that. I need to study my resume...
The manager had told me there was a part-time position as a career coach available as well as a part-time administrative position that they would be willing to combine into a full-time position if the candidate was interested in doing both. I knew there would be a pay difference and frankly, I was not interested in doing a part-time Admin job and I said as much at the first interview. Since I had originally thought there was only a part-time position available anyway, I had made plans to go back to school and I figured I would just stick with that.
Well, how things change! She told me they were now interested in making the career coach position full-time and push the additional administrative work to the current admin (might not make me popular but I don't think they knew...). So that is exciting - full-time work!
Bolles mentioned in "What Colour is Your Parachute" that companies are more than willing to create positions for those they are interested in and I can't help but wonder if that's what has been done here (and it makes me feel good to think that way :)). I'm not trying to sound egotistical but from what I've read, from what Bolles said, this is not an uncommon occurrence. Seriously though, I'm impressed.
All of the workshops I've attended about work search, interviewing and career planning say one thing in common: Choose your field; focus your search. I have to think that this is why; I chose a field that I was interested in, I reached out to my contacts, and it looks as though everything will fall into place and I hadn't even expected as much as what is currently before me. With that being said, I don't have an offer yet... I still have to go through another interview.
Somehow, I will spend some of the next 16 hours reminding myself of all of my accomplishments and how much of an asset member I can be to a team with a common goal. I will have to remind myself that although I want this position, the coordinator will want me because of the qualifications I bring; because I can help ensure her success. I am not over-confident; I need to be honest with myself and remember what I bring to the table. I need to focus on that. I can be a tremendous ally to the coordinator and I know this. Now, I just have to remember that. I need to study my resume...
Wednesday 25 May 2016
Unemployment: Volunteering
So approval finally came for me to volunteer at the career and employment agency. I will be accompanying one of the counsellors to a couple of two-day workshops next week, Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday. On the Wednesday I will be sitting in on some one-to-one sessions in the office. I need to add as well that when the manager asked me about how often I would like to volunteer I was fairly open. If there was something I could do, I had availability four days per week for sure, possibly five if my husband was home (6 has no school on Fridays and I can't afford to pay for care to volunteer).
I stopped by to meet the counsellor I would spend the majority of next week with and we talked about what they would be doing. She also gave me copies of all handouts and publications she would provide to the participants so I could look them over. The sessions are for a new group to the agency so she has no experience with the clientele either (which is strangely beneficial for my attendance).
She will give me a ride out to the sessions so I, again, don't have additional costs to volunteer. I'm really impressed with how thoughtful they've been so far. Being in the environment has also led to a few interesting tidbits of information.
Apparently they are awaiting funding approval for a new program that will require the creation of a new position. One of the counsellors told me it was a part-time position but I could work with that. Full-time is definitely preferable but if I had to take part-time to start working in the career of my choice then I will do that. I'm still looking into the possibility of returning to school and I think I could do both if I'm part-time. I managed before, I would mange again.
In any case it looks like timing might be on my side here and I'm really looking forward to the workshops next week. I'm still a little in awe of how easy this was to start and I'm so glad I read "What Color is Your Parachute?" (By Richard N. Bolles) to get some of these ideas. So far, they're paying off.
I stopped by to meet the counsellor I would spend the majority of next week with and we talked about what they would be doing. She also gave me copies of all handouts and publications she would provide to the participants so I could look them over. The sessions are for a new group to the agency so she has no experience with the clientele either (which is strangely beneficial for my attendance).
She will give me a ride out to the sessions so I, again, don't have additional costs to volunteer. I'm really impressed with how thoughtful they've been so far. Being in the environment has also led to a few interesting tidbits of information.
Apparently they are awaiting funding approval for a new program that will require the creation of a new position. One of the counsellors told me it was a part-time position but I could work with that. Full-time is definitely preferable but if I had to take part-time to start working in the career of my choice then I will do that. I'm still looking into the possibility of returning to school and I think I could do both if I'm part-time. I managed before, I would mange again.
In any case it looks like timing might be on my side here and I'm really looking forward to the workshops next week. I'm still a little in awe of how easy this was to start and I'm so glad I read "What Color is Your Parachute?" (By Richard N. Bolles) to get some of these ideas. So far, they're paying off.
Tuesday 24 May 2016
Unemployment: Work Search Planning Two
I had my information interview and it went really well. We talked mostly about how she decided on her choice for a master's degree and I've started contacting different programs for more information. She also invited me to connect on LinkedIn saying she is doesn't like to add people unless she's met them. Note to self.
I also attended a panel discussion coordinated by the UofC for alumni on staying resilient. I mentioned in the last post that LinkedIn is bugging me to update my new position and I asked what they thought of my putting something in about career exploring and the like. They thought it was a good idea because it would also send a notification to all of my contacts that I'm looking and what I'm looking for. Done. Felt kind of silly but LinkedIn stopped sending me notifications.
I went to the local career and employment agency with an appointment to speak to a counsellor first. After the appointment I popped my head in to the manager's office and asked if she had a moment. I let her know that I was looking to make a career move and I was hoping to volunteer to learn more about career coaching and such. She admitted that she was on board but she would have to talk to the regional manager about it. She asked me to forward an updated copy of my resume and I sent her the most recent one I'd used to apply for something else. Next stop: junior high.
I have experience cold calling and asking strangers for meetings so this was no issue for me. In these two instances, I had a bit of an "in" (though even I thought it was kind of ballsy to approach a place I had turned down an offer from previously). The secret is perspective. I could have looked at the situation as if I should feel ashamed for reaching out to them when I'd turned them down before but I decided to look at the fact that if they were interested in hiring me before, they might be open to what I was suggesting.
Another piece of experience I have gained is that when you are marketing something specific, the person you are marketing to might not see the relevance of what you are offering to what they need. Sometimes you have to ask them what their needs are and formulate your strategy from there. When I met with the vice principal at the junior high, this is the approach I took. I wanted to be able to offer something they needed and I was pretty open to what that was, but I wanted him to ask me for it (essentially).
After he told me about some of the possible deficiencies, I was able to focus on those. They don't have a full-time counsellor nor do they have a visiting one anymore. He wears the hat of career counsellor as well as vice-principal. He's a great guy, honestly, and I'm completely certain that if he has to deal with an unpleasant experience with a student he works hard to put the past in the past and move forward. Kids, though, may not be so inclined. He thought it would be a great idea if I was able to come in during lunch just to offer a different face for their questions.
Success so far, even if neither opportunity will pay, it's still an opportunity.
I also attended a panel discussion coordinated by the UofC for alumni on staying resilient. I mentioned in the last post that LinkedIn is bugging me to update my new position and I asked what they thought of my putting something in about career exploring and the like. They thought it was a good idea because it would also send a notification to all of my contacts that I'm looking and what I'm looking for. Done. Felt kind of silly but LinkedIn stopped sending me notifications.
I went to the local career and employment agency with an appointment to speak to a counsellor first. After the appointment I popped my head in to the manager's office and asked if she had a moment. I let her know that I was looking to make a career move and I was hoping to volunteer to learn more about career coaching and such. She admitted that she was on board but she would have to talk to the regional manager about it. She asked me to forward an updated copy of my resume and I sent her the most recent one I'd used to apply for something else. Next stop: junior high.
I have experience cold calling and asking strangers for meetings so this was no issue for me. In these two instances, I had a bit of an "in" (though even I thought it was kind of ballsy to approach a place I had turned down an offer from previously). The secret is perspective. I could have looked at the situation as if I should feel ashamed for reaching out to them when I'd turned them down before but I decided to look at the fact that if they were interested in hiring me before, they might be open to what I was suggesting.
Another piece of experience I have gained is that when you are marketing something specific, the person you are marketing to might not see the relevance of what you are offering to what they need. Sometimes you have to ask them what their needs are and formulate your strategy from there. When I met with the vice principal at the junior high, this is the approach I took. I wanted to be able to offer something they needed and I was pretty open to what that was, but I wanted him to ask me for it (essentially).
After he told me about some of the possible deficiencies, I was able to focus on those. They don't have a full-time counsellor nor do they have a visiting one anymore. He wears the hat of career counsellor as well as vice-principal. He's a great guy, honestly, and I'm completely certain that if he has to deal with an unpleasant experience with a student he works hard to put the past in the past and move forward. Kids, though, may not be so inclined. He thought it would be a great idea if I was able to come in during lunch just to offer a different face for their questions.
Success so far, even if neither opportunity will pay, it's still an opportunity.
Friday 20 May 2016
Unemployment: Work Search Planning
It's a special situation when the economy is in a downturn and you're looking for work along with so many other people. In my last position I met many people who mentioned the excessive number of applications they were receiving for their postings. In Alberta we have a lot of oil and gas workers looking for work and apparently some are applying for social work positions. These ones were actually identified but I can't help but wonder how many employers are not even looking at all of the applications. If you received 200 resumes would you read through all of them? Or would you stop looking after you found 10 that matched your requirements?
It's a scary thought that you may apply for something you are genuinely qualified for and your resume might not even be seen due to the sheer volume of applications. I've connected with the career planning workshop facilitator's employer and we have arranged an information meeting. Richard Bolles ("What Color is Your Parachute") recommends information meetings as a way of finding out more about a particular industry and building your network. If you're changing your career, you may have very few connections in the new field. You have to start somewhere.
Two years ago I was offered a position with a local career and employment agency. I put them on hold because I had just interviewed for the previously desired organization. I was unsuccessful and it was just enough extra time for the local place to find someone else. At that time, though, I was focused elsewhere. Although I knew I might really enjoy the work, I was focused on something else.
With that being said, I plan to reach out to the manager there and see if I could volunteer my time to learn more about the work. Just before I left my last position I had been contacted by someone looking for a facilitator for a resume workshop. I called around to a few places I knew of that provided the service but none would come to meet the client. I was surprised at that since I had been in very mobile positions where I always met clients out of the office. (Need identified!)
Slight digression here but I have to say this. My mom used to bring home Archie comics; we had hundreds. One had a story about the boys, Archie and Jughead, looking to make money. It was possibly Mr. Lodge who told them to "Find a need a fill it". I've never forgotten that.
I figured that I might be able to offer the service but I wanted to learn more before I found out I didn't know enough and made an ass out of myself. I'm also going to talk with my kids' school (two are in junior high). I don't think they have a specialized career counsellor at the school so I'm going to see if they could use a volunteer in some capacity. That one will take some finesse so I'll have to work on my pitch.
It feels kind of strange to be actively planning volunteer work but I see real possibilities here. I need to get some experience (and LinkedIn is bugging me to enter in my new job) and volunteering seems like the easiest place to start. I think I would have to have more education to work at the school, or a particular type of education (um, education degree?) but who knows? That's the point: I have to reach out to people who can answer these questions.
It's a scary thought that you may apply for something you are genuinely qualified for and your resume might not even be seen due to the sheer volume of applications. I've connected with the career planning workshop facilitator's employer and we have arranged an information meeting. Richard Bolles ("What Color is Your Parachute") recommends information meetings as a way of finding out more about a particular industry and building your network. If you're changing your career, you may have very few connections in the new field. You have to start somewhere.
Two years ago I was offered a position with a local career and employment agency. I put them on hold because I had just interviewed for the previously desired organization. I was unsuccessful and it was just enough extra time for the local place to find someone else. At that time, though, I was focused elsewhere. Although I knew I might really enjoy the work, I was focused on something else.
With that being said, I plan to reach out to the manager there and see if I could volunteer my time to learn more about the work. Just before I left my last position I had been contacted by someone looking for a facilitator for a resume workshop. I called around to a few places I knew of that provided the service but none would come to meet the client. I was surprised at that since I had been in very mobile positions where I always met clients out of the office. (Need identified!)
Slight digression here but I have to say this. My mom used to bring home Archie comics; we had hundreds. One had a story about the boys, Archie and Jughead, looking to make money. It was possibly Mr. Lodge who told them to "Find a need a fill it". I've never forgotten that.
I figured that I might be able to offer the service but I wanted to learn more before I found out I didn't know enough and made an ass out of myself. I'm also going to talk with my kids' school (two are in junior high). I don't think they have a specialized career counsellor at the school so I'm going to see if they could use a volunteer in some capacity. That one will take some finesse so I'll have to work on my pitch.
It feels kind of strange to be actively planning volunteer work but I see real possibilities here. I need to get some experience (and LinkedIn is bugging me to enter in my new job) and volunteering seems like the easiest place to start. I think I would have to have more education to work at the school, or a particular type of education (um, education degree?) but who knows? That's the point: I have to reach out to people who can answer these questions.
Thursday 19 May 2016
Unemployment: Personality Types
Day Two of the Career Planning Workshop
We are becoming more comfortable with one another and the facilitator is recommending one-on-one time between myself and those who have mentioned post-secondary planning as a way to meet their career goals. Awesome. I've also been given a number of compliments from my fellow participants who think I'm definitely considering the right path with a career counselling role (every little bit helps!).
Today we focused on personality types. I knew what mine was back in the day but I was, unfortunately, quite narrow-minded when I was in school. Until my fourth year, I was adamant that I would be applying for law school. Fortunately for me, my life went into a bit of a tailspin and I figured out that law school would only lead to a definite loss of work/life balance. I didn't want that. Whoops.
In any case, I was more open to the process now and much more interested in learning more about what my likes and dislikes said about the kind of work I would really enjoy. First of all, I discovered my personality type is really at odds with extremely structured environments. This is not to say I couldn't work in them, just that I prefer not to. Work environments that promote creativity, flexibility and openness to change are ones I excel within. I paid attention and I made a career-changing connection.
There is a particular industry I have been so focused on that it led me to my last job. This industry (in my experience) only offers the work environment that I love about a third of the time. The rest of the time, it is highly inflexible and creatively stifling. I made the decision right then to remove it from my work search. That is the biggest "a-ha" moment I had today.
We've done more than a few tests and I've been thrilled to find that so many of my interest areas have come up. Even though I'm sure I've decided what I'm going to do I know I want the opportunity for advancement. I'm still keeping schooling in the back of my mind (it's "Plan B" if I don't have work by the end of August) so I'm doing a lot of research. Most of my research is centred around career planning but I'm checking other things out because of certain things I really enjoy, like training and workshops. I think I'd like to have the opportunity to design them as well so that's shaping my research also.
Bonus: we were given free access to "Career Cruising" by virtue of taking the workshop. It's a great program (accessible from home) and it's been very helpful as well. If nothing else, all of the recurring outcomes have strengthened my belief that I'm heading in the right direction. I've also been spending time on LinkedIn, going through profiles to view work and education histories of people in the business. It's been nice to see so many similarities, education-wise, so I have a pretty good idea of what I am looking for to add to my credentials. I'm still using ALIS and even Google has been helpful for finding companies (big and small) where I can focus my work search.
Reminder, if you have three days to devote to this session (and you're in Alberta) I recommend it! Register here.
We are becoming more comfortable with one another and the facilitator is recommending one-on-one time between myself and those who have mentioned post-secondary planning as a way to meet their career goals. Awesome. I've also been given a number of compliments from my fellow participants who think I'm definitely considering the right path with a career counselling role (every little bit helps!).
Today we focused on personality types. I knew what mine was back in the day but I was, unfortunately, quite narrow-minded when I was in school. Until my fourth year, I was adamant that I would be applying for law school. Fortunately for me, my life went into a bit of a tailspin and I figured out that law school would only lead to a definite loss of work/life balance. I didn't want that. Whoops.
In any case, I was more open to the process now and much more interested in learning more about what my likes and dislikes said about the kind of work I would really enjoy. First of all, I discovered my personality type is really at odds with extremely structured environments. This is not to say I couldn't work in them, just that I prefer not to. Work environments that promote creativity, flexibility and openness to change are ones I excel within. I paid attention and I made a career-changing connection.
There is a particular industry I have been so focused on that it led me to my last job. This industry (in my experience) only offers the work environment that I love about a third of the time. The rest of the time, it is highly inflexible and creatively stifling. I made the decision right then to remove it from my work search. That is the biggest "a-ha" moment I had today.
We've done more than a few tests and I've been thrilled to find that so many of my interest areas have come up. Even though I'm sure I've decided what I'm going to do I know I want the opportunity for advancement. I'm still keeping schooling in the back of my mind (it's "Plan B" if I don't have work by the end of August) so I'm doing a lot of research. Most of my research is centred around career planning but I'm checking other things out because of certain things I really enjoy, like training and workshops. I think I'd like to have the opportunity to design them as well so that's shaping my research also.
Bonus: we were given free access to "Career Cruising" by virtue of taking the workshop. It's a great program (accessible from home) and it's been very helpful as well. If nothing else, all of the recurring outcomes have strengthened my belief that I'm heading in the right direction. I've also been spending time on LinkedIn, going through profiles to view work and education histories of people in the business. It's been nice to see so many similarities, education-wise, so I have a pretty good idea of what I am looking for to add to my credentials. I'm still using ALIS and even Google has been helpful for finding companies (big and small) where I can focus my work search.
Reminder, if you have three days to devote to this session (and you're in Alberta) I recommend it! Register here.
Wednesday 18 May 2016
Unemployment: Networking
Day One of the Career Planning Workshop
I have a pretty good class of eight people. The majority of us are quite interested in career change and we seem to be in approximately the same place mentally - out with the old and in with the new. That's encouraging. The facilitator has picked up on my experience and refers questions about post-secondary to me which is great. I'm very comfortable advising and I'm really enjoying being involved.
I was reminded today about the importance of sharing contact information when you're looking for work. I attended a two-day interview skills workshop a couple of years ago to brush up on my skills and I was partnered with a gentleman who was looking for work in the computer industry. He had immigrated from Isreal where he had been a university professor but his education wasn't recognized here.
About a week or so after that workshop ended, I saw a posting from the UofC for a visiting professor from Isreal (seriously, what are the freaking odds?!). I would love to say that I was able to contact him directly and let him know; but I can't. I called the place where we attended the workshop and asked them if they kept registration information from previous workshops. They told me they did not. I was really upset about it but who knows? Maybe he found it anyway... I hope he did.
It's also important to talk about your experience and goals with others. One of the participants in this class is an electrician and had been working in oil and gas. He had also taken an Instructor's course in BC and was certified as an Adult Education Instructor; he'd also worked on a contract in BC installing solar. He would like to instruct other electricians in the same and he's even created modules already.
The facilitator mentioned that she had heard something on the radio that morning about a group out of BC who was looking to do that as well, Iron and Earth. Later that night I saw a post on Facebook from my Aunt (who lives in BC) with the caption "I'm so proud of my son for being involved with this" - it was Iron and Earth. I wrote her, she wrote me, I emailed an introduction between my cousin and my fellow classmate. He replied to us and included the director. The director emailed all of us with a thank you and a promise to connect with my classmate privately. Very cool.
The facilitator has also asked me to connect with her on LinkedIn so I can view some more profiles and look at people's education and where they've worked to give me ideas. She has also offered to introduce me to her boss so I can have an informational interview with her. All in all, it was a fantastic first day!!
The facilitator also handed out a resource list of helpful books and I picked up "What Color is Your Parachute?" By Richard N. Bolles. So far, this is an excellent resource for exercises to determine your values and your interest areas. In particular, he has written a very thought provoking section about how to approach work search. He says that people applying for work solely through advertised postings are successful about 4% of the time. People using a mixed technique of networking and company/industry-focused research are successful 86% of the time. I believe I will be looking into the latter!
*"What Color is Your Parachute?" Could be available at your local library, definitely on Amazon.ca and possibly at your local bookstore.
I have a pretty good class of eight people. The majority of us are quite interested in career change and we seem to be in approximately the same place mentally - out with the old and in with the new. That's encouraging. The facilitator has picked up on my experience and refers questions about post-secondary to me which is great. I'm very comfortable advising and I'm really enjoying being involved.
I was reminded today about the importance of sharing contact information when you're looking for work. I attended a two-day interview skills workshop a couple of years ago to brush up on my skills and I was partnered with a gentleman who was looking for work in the computer industry. He had immigrated from Isreal where he had been a university professor but his education wasn't recognized here.
About a week or so after that workshop ended, I saw a posting from the UofC for a visiting professor from Isreal (seriously, what are the freaking odds?!). I would love to say that I was able to contact him directly and let him know; but I can't. I called the place where we attended the workshop and asked them if they kept registration information from previous workshops. They told me they did not. I was really upset about it but who knows? Maybe he found it anyway... I hope he did.
It's also important to talk about your experience and goals with others. One of the participants in this class is an electrician and had been working in oil and gas. He had also taken an Instructor's course in BC and was certified as an Adult Education Instructor; he'd also worked on a contract in BC installing solar. He would like to instruct other electricians in the same and he's even created modules already.
The facilitator mentioned that she had heard something on the radio that morning about a group out of BC who was looking to do that as well, Iron and Earth. Later that night I saw a post on Facebook from my Aunt (who lives in BC) with the caption "I'm so proud of my son for being involved with this" - it was Iron and Earth. I wrote her, she wrote me, I emailed an introduction between my cousin and my fellow classmate. He replied to us and included the director. The director emailed all of us with a thank you and a promise to connect with my classmate privately. Very cool.
The facilitator has also asked me to connect with her on LinkedIn so I can view some more profiles and look at people's education and where they've worked to give me ideas. She has also offered to introduce me to her boss so I can have an informational interview with her. All in all, it was a fantastic first day!!
The facilitator also handed out a resource list of helpful books and I picked up "What Color is Your Parachute?" By Richard N. Bolles. So far, this is an excellent resource for exercises to determine your values and your interest areas. In particular, he has written a very thought provoking section about how to approach work search. He says that people applying for work solely through advertised postings are successful about 4% of the time. People using a mixed technique of networking and company/industry-focused research are successful 86% of the time. I believe I will be looking into the latter!
*"What Color is Your Parachute?" Could be available at your local library, definitely on Amazon.ca and possibly at your local bookstore.
Tuesday 17 May 2016
Unemployment: Career Guessing
I've had some time to think about what I would like to do and I've made a decision: Career Counselling. If you recall, I mentioned that my work history is like a patchwork quilt. As luck would have it, I spent my four years in university working part-time as a post-secondary planning advisor and I really enjoyed it. The thing with being a post-secondary planning advisor is that I had to have a grasp of the bigger picture to help guide others in their decision-making. Basically, you had to know a lot about careers.
Hah, and that's not ironic. Knowing about many different careers and actually having one don't have to go hand-in-hand. Thinking back now I remember my supervisor telling me that she learned something new every time she heard one of my presentations. I learned so much in that role from the people I assisted and other service providers; I was also so genuinely interested in learning more that I built up a lot of knowledge. Out of the very many things I've done, this is the one that stands out as something I could really see myself pursuing.
I've done some research on educational requirements for these positions and they vary. (To find information on careers you're interested in, visit www.alis.alberta.ca. It's a fabulous site; I used it all the time as an advisor. As an added benefit, they have added something called Career Insite which can help you pinpoint possible careers based on your interest areas.) If I want to be a counsellor in a school, I might need to get more education but not necessarily. I'm kind of hung up on advancement though, so I will likely be getting more education somewhere.
I've looked at certificate programs and master's degrees so far, as well as further degree opportunities. Did you know that if you already have a degree you have the opportunity to complete another in only two years? At the UofC they offer the education degree (after-degree program) and since I already have a BA I can take another degree (BA only) with a different focus - like psychology - and complete it in two years. I'm kind of kicking myself for not doing what I think every classmate I had did - minor in psych. Mine was philosophy. I thought I wanted to go to law school after graduation and I figured it would help...
Part of the reason I'm looking forward to the career planning workshop is that it will give me an opportunity to scope out the competition; I mean, find out how the facilitator got into her line of work (and also the former...). Not being sure if I want to head back to school or to work is also on the list of things I need to figure out. With the economy the way it is right now, I'm considering the possibility that there won't be a job for me. If I'm still unemployed at the end of August, I'm going back. But will I take psychology or education? Not sure. That's the other reason I'm looking forward to the workshop. I need answers :)
Hah, and that's not ironic. Knowing about many different careers and actually having one don't have to go hand-in-hand. Thinking back now I remember my supervisor telling me that she learned something new every time she heard one of my presentations. I learned so much in that role from the people I assisted and other service providers; I was also so genuinely interested in learning more that I built up a lot of knowledge. Out of the very many things I've done, this is the one that stands out as something I could really see myself pursuing.
I've done some research on educational requirements for these positions and they vary. (To find information on careers you're interested in, visit www.alis.alberta.ca. It's a fabulous site; I used it all the time as an advisor. As an added benefit, they have added something called Career Insite which can help you pinpoint possible careers based on your interest areas.) If I want to be a counsellor in a school, I might need to get more education but not necessarily. I'm kind of hung up on advancement though, so I will likely be getting more education somewhere.
I've looked at certificate programs and master's degrees so far, as well as further degree opportunities. Did you know that if you already have a degree you have the opportunity to complete another in only two years? At the UofC they offer the education degree (after-degree program) and since I already have a BA I can take another degree (BA only) with a different focus - like psychology - and complete it in two years. I'm kind of kicking myself for not doing what I think every classmate I had did - minor in psych. Mine was philosophy. I thought I wanted to go to law school after graduation and I figured it would help...
Part of the reason I'm looking forward to the career planning workshop is that it will give me an opportunity to scope out the competition; I mean, find out how the facilitator got into her line of work (and also the former...). Not being sure if I want to head back to school or to work is also on the list of things I need to figure out. With the economy the way it is right now, I'm considering the possibility that there won't be a job for me. If I'm still unemployed at the end of August, I'm going back. But will I take psychology or education? Not sure. That's the other reason I'm looking forward to the workshop. I need answers :)
Monday 16 May 2016
Unemployment: The Beginning, Yet Not
As of February 29, 2016, I became unemployed. For the second time since I graduated from university in 2013. Before you think this doesn't apply to you, I'm 40. I'm also a mother of four and a spouse of a person who is also unemployed. We live in Alberta and you may have heard that our economy is in the dumps. (That's the PC way of putting it).
My husband was in the oilfield, has been since he was 17. I wasn't. Never have been, never will be (manual labour is so not my thing). I'm a people person. I'm also a people-helper person. I'm not in healthcare or social work or teaching.. Could be, but none of those are really my thing either.
I have a patchwork quilt of a resume. I have been employed in the private sector and in government, in management and non-management positions, front-line and back of house; I've been a waitress, sales manager, event coordinator, weigh-scale person, load checker person, trainer, presenter, retail manager, file clerk... You get the picture. I've done a lot of things.
When I became unemployed for the second time in three years, I decided I needed to pursue a career. I have a line on my resume about being (or becoming) a "subject-matter expert" but that really only applied to a few positions I've held; the few positions I really excelled at.
So when I became unemployed I took stock of my experience and decided to pursue something I really enjoyed. I decided I wanted to become a career counsellor. As luck would have it, I'd already been introduced to the field. While I was in university, I had a part-time job as a post-secondary ambassador which meant that I helped others look at what careers they wanted to pursue and the education they needed to get there.
I have learned a lot over the time I've been looking for satisfying work and I figured I would blog about it this time. The dates are out of whack with posting because I didn't want to post until I had found what I was looking for. SPOILER ALERT, if you're reading this, I have.
I've booked myself in for a career-planning workshop even though I think I know what I want to do. If you are in Alberta, you can find available sessions and registration information Here. I have a lot of helpful hints coming for the job search and I hope you find something useful in the next posts. Here's to finding that "just right for you" job!
My husband was in the oilfield, has been since he was 17. I wasn't. Never have been, never will be (manual labour is so not my thing). I'm a people person. I'm also a people-helper person. I'm not in healthcare or social work or teaching.. Could be, but none of those are really my thing either.
I have a patchwork quilt of a resume. I have been employed in the private sector and in government, in management and non-management positions, front-line and back of house; I've been a waitress, sales manager, event coordinator, weigh-scale person, load checker person, trainer, presenter, retail manager, file clerk... You get the picture. I've done a lot of things.
When I became unemployed for the second time in three years, I decided I needed to pursue a career. I have a line on my resume about being (or becoming) a "subject-matter expert" but that really only applied to a few positions I've held; the few positions I really excelled at.
So when I became unemployed I took stock of my experience and decided to pursue something I really enjoyed. I decided I wanted to become a career counsellor. As luck would have it, I'd already been introduced to the field. While I was in university, I had a part-time job as a post-secondary ambassador which meant that I helped others look at what careers they wanted to pursue and the education they needed to get there.
I have learned a lot over the time I've been looking for satisfying work and I figured I would blog about it this time. The dates are out of whack with posting because I didn't want to post until I had found what I was looking for. SPOILER ALERT, if you're reading this, I have.
I've booked myself in for a career-planning workshop even though I think I know what I want to do. If you are in Alberta, you can find available sessions and registration information Here. I have a lot of helpful hints coming for the job search and I hope you find something useful in the next posts. Here's to finding that "just right for you" job!
Friday 13 May 2016
It's Been a While
Actually, it's been a little less than 3 years, which is quite a long time. I've started this post a few times before but it never felt "right". I wanted to explain what was happening and I didn't quite know how - so I'll just say it: I didn't want to complain.
Among other things, I was struggling and it had nothing to do with the kids. I needed a job and I was downright depressed about the fact that I couldn't find one that was "fitting". I was also having this internal struggle with my whole brand - what exactly was "The Mom Evolution"? On the one hand, I wrote about the kids, so it was about my evolution as a Mom... Wasn't it?
Looking for work (and being ignored by more than a hundred companies) was mentally draining and I am big enough to admit I bit off more than I could chew with the additional blogs. At any rate, I may still have some issues with the brand but I've decided that there is more to the Mom Evolution than the kids because I have other things I want to write about and some people (particularly now) may find those things useful.
With that being said, I'll catch you up on the past few years; the kids have all aged three years and I find my initial reaction to a Facebook notification about how old my friends are is shock at how many years old they are (mind you I said "initial" reaction). As of today I am a mom of two teens, a middle schooler and a kindergartener. I've had three jobs and the last one (a horrid experience) just ended in February. My husband was laid off in November, I've become obsessed with Alberta politics, I've gained approximately 15 pounds and the vast majority of my clothes no longer fit.
None of the above is any major concern because I have had a great last few months (aside from the weight gain; it's been two and a half weeks since I ingested soda of any kind and we'll see if that is enough or if I actually have to start exercising). I'm going to start with a series on unemployment, career change and my very different experiences with the issue. Many people are struggling with it in AB as well and hopefully it will be helpful. I'm sure the kids will come up because it's not like I get through a day without one or more of them doing something worthy of writing about. Sometimes it might focus on me and I'm okay with that - hope you are too.
Among other things, I was struggling and it had nothing to do with the kids. I needed a job and I was downright depressed about the fact that I couldn't find one that was "fitting". I was also having this internal struggle with my whole brand - what exactly was "The Mom Evolution"? On the one hand, I wrote about the kids, so it was about my evolution as a Mom... Wasn't it?
Looking for work (and being ignored by more than a hundred companies) was mentally draining and I am big enough to admit I bit off more than I could chew with the additional blogs. At any rate, I may still have some issues with the brand but I've decided that there is more to the Mom Evolution than the kids because I have other things I want to write about and some people (particularly now) may find those things useful.
With that being said, I'll catch you up on the past few years; the kids have all aged three years and I find my initial reaction to a Facebook notification about how old my friends are is shock at how many years old they are (mind you I said "initial" reaction). As of today I am a mom of two teens, a middle schooler and a kindergartener. I've had three jobs and the last one (a horrid experience) just ended in February. My husband was laid off in November, I've become obsessed with Alberta politics, I've gained approximately 15 pounds and the vast majority of my clothes no longer fit.
None of the above is any major concern because I have had a great last few months (aside from the weight gain; it's been two and a half weeks since I ingested soda of any kind and we'll see if that is enough or if I actually have to start exercising). I'm going to start with a series on unemployment, career change and my very different experiences with the issue. Many people are struggling with it in AB as well and hopefully it will be helpful. I'm sure the kids will come up because it's not like I get through a day without one or more of them doing something worthy of writing about. Sometimes it might focus on me and I'm okay with that - hope you are too.
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