Technology: A Potential Enable of Training

Inside Edge is a publication from the Conference Board of Canada. In the Winder 2007 edition (see http://www.conferenceboard.ca/insidedge/pdf/IE_q1_07.pdf) you can find the article, Technology: A Potential Enable of Training (p. 22). This article highlights that although technology has many benefits (e.g., brining instruction right to the learner), it is no replacement for sound instruction practices. Utilizing interactive technologies can enrich the learning experience online.

Favourite Interview Questions

According to a recent Accountemps survey, CFOs favourite interview questions focus on the applicant’s work style and personal attributes, job- and company-specific questions, and candidates qualifications. Some “oldies but goodies” included “where do you see yourself in five years?” and “tell me about yourself.” To learn more about the person “behind the resume” CFOs liked questions such as “If you were not going after this job, what would you be doing?” and “what are your hobbies?” And lastly, the curveball questions included “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be and why?” Learn more at http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2011/19/c4524.html

Interested in Participating in a Research Project?

Lauri Mills is interviewing career practitioners about how they use creativity in their work with clients. She will be focusing mainly on what helps and hinders the use of creativity. Participation involves one interview with Lauri, lasting about 60-90 minutes. There would also be an email follow-up to validate the transcript, themes, etc. She will be conducting interviews from April 6-11 and April 25-29 (she will be out of town from the 12-23), and can meet at a time and location that is the most convenient for you. If you are still interested, please let her know what would work best with your schedule.

Contact Lauri Mills at laurimills@gmail.com

Resources on Theory

Theory provides the career practitioner with a framework for their practice and understanding their clients. We’ve identified two theory-related resources you may find interesting.

Lent, Brown, and Hackett’s Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT)
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/23662058/Lent-Brown-and-Hacketts-Social-Cognitive-Career-Theory-(SCCT)
This PowerPoint presentation introduces the Social Cognitive Career Theory, exploring the three “building blocks” of career development:

• Self-efficacy
• Outcome expectations
• Personal goals

Career Construction Theory: A Practitioner’s Primer
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7494/is_200704/ai_n32232146/?tag=content;col1
This article from the Career Planning and Adult development Journal (2007) introduces Savickas’ Career Construction Theory which views client’s from three perspectives:

• Individuals differences in traits
• Development tasks and coping strategies
• Psychodynamic motivations

These elements assist the practitioner in viewing how client’s “construct” their careers to cope with confusion and fragmentation without losing their “self” in the midst of an ever-changing economy.

10 Key Concepts in Career Theory

Emmanuel Shamatutu, one of the students within our newly developed Case Manager certificate course, developed a snapshot of the 10 Key Concepts in Career Theory based on a Life Strategies tip sheet resource of the same name. See http://lifestrategies.ca/docs/10-Key-Concepts-in-Career-Theory.pdf

For the full tip sheet - see http://lifestrategies.ca/docs/10-Key-Concepts-in-Career-Theory.pdf

Parent’s Guide to College and Careers: How to Help, Not Hover

NCDA has posted Mark Veronica's review of Barbara Cooke's book Parent’s Guide to College and Careers: How to Help, Not Hover. This book highlights how parents can effectively become involved in their child's career decision making.

Full story available at http://associationdatabase.com/aws/NCDA/pt/sd/news_article/40267/_PARENT/layout_details_cc/true

Application Deadline

The application deadline for the UBC Faculty of Education’s online M.Ed. cohort in Vocational Rehabilitation Counselling is quickly approaching, on Monday, February 28, 2011. For program information please click here

JobHuntChat on Twitter - Try it Out

(From a Press Release)
Monday, February 21st, JobHuntChat celebrates its first birthday. What started as an experiment to help seekers to find jobs on Twitter has turned into a phenomenon. With over 250,000 chats later, it has become a well known chat that occurs every Monday night at 10PM.

Over the course of one hour, Jessica Miller Merrell and her co-host Rich DeMatteotweet 6 questions submitted by job seekers and call on the Twitter community to help answer their questions. With 1500 or more tweets in the course of an hour, JobHuntChat is a popular asset to the job seekers on twitter...

With Job Hunt Chat, known under the hash tag as #jobhuntchat job seekers can meet other job seekers, potential employers, and human resource recruiters to help them network and answer pertinent questions they may have with regards to their job search. Job Hunt Chat is a remarkable tool that facilitates that connection of hundreds of individuals who otherwise would not have connected with one another.

As Jessica Miller-Merrell, the founder of Job Hunt Chat states, “What started as an experiment to help job seekers on Twitter has become a phenomenon”. . . Twitter attendees gain key knowledge and insights from human resource recruiters, potential employees and other job seekers with several years of collective experience and results in their industry. . . Savvy job hunt seekers and human resource professionals will be sure to attend the Job Hunt Chat on Monday, February 21, 2011, to hear their exciting news using hashtag #jobhuntchat

For business tips and advice, go to the Jessica Miller–Merrell website and claim a free report http://blogging4jobs.com/.

Human Resource recruiters can purchase “Tweet This: Twitter for Business!” at http://tweetingmybusiness.com/.

For the Media: Jessica Miller-Merrell is available for expert quotes, speaking and consulting. Contact Jessica via email at jessica(at)xceptionalhr(dot)com or by phone at 405.912.4885. . . Complete bio can be downloaded on Blogging4jobs.com

DISAPPEARING ACT - OfficeTeam Survey: Four in 10 Managers Believe Online Profiles Will Replace Resumes

TORONTO, Feb. 17 /CNW/ - Is the traditional resume going the way of the dinosaur? Some human resources (HR) managers interviewed recently by OfficeTeam think so. More than four in 10 respondents (43 per cent) said it's at least somewhat likely resumes will eventually be replaced by profiles on social and business networking sites.

The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 150 HR managers at companies with 20 or more employees.

HR managers were asked, "In your opinion, how likely is it that profiles on networking sites, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, will replace traditional resumes in the future?" Their responses:
Very likely........................... 11%
Somewhat likely....................... 32%
Not very likely....................... 34%
Not at all likely..................... 21%
Don't know/no answer.................. 3%
------
101%(*)

(*)Responses do not total 100 per cent due to rounding.

"The resume continues to be an important job-hunting tool, but it's also useful for professionals to create online profiles that highlight their expertise and qualifications," said OfficeTeam executive director Robert Hosking. "As hiring managers turn increasingly to the Internet for information about prospective hires, job seekers should keep their online profiles current and behave professionally in the digital space."

OfficeTeam offers five tips for creating an impressive online profile:

1. Get the picture. Make sure photos that are visible in your profiles and on social media sites are professional. Untag yourself or adjust your privacy settings to limit who can see certain images.
2. Show your star qualities. Provide employers with a clear sense of your capabilities by posting information about your work history and highlighting key accomplishments on sites like LinkedIn. Sharing your personal interests and hobbies on Facebook also can help people
relate to you more easily.
3. Talk the talk. Incorporate key industry terms to describe your skills, specialties and positions of interest so hiring managers can more easily find you online.
4. Make the right connections. Be selective about who you allow into your social networks because potential employers may contact these individuals for insights on you. Your contacts also could alert you to job openings.
5. Keep it fresh. Regularly update your profile and be active professionally. Post useful advice or comment on articles on LinkedIn and industry forums.

Additional tips for presenting yourself professionally using digital tools can be found in Business Etiquette: The New Rules in a Digital Age (www.roberthalf.us/BusinessEtiquette), a new guide from OfficeTeam's parent company, Robert Half.

About OfficeTeam
OfficeTeam is a leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled office and administrative support professionals. The company has more than 320 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.officeteam.com.

For further information: OFFICETEAM, 181 Bay St., Suite 820, Toronto, ON, M5J 2T3, Contact: Nadia Santoli, (416) 350-2330, nadia.santoli@rhi.com

Feb 3rd - Careerwell Tele-Interview: Living Well: Integrating Life Stories with Health with Dr. Norm Amundson

February 3 live and recorded Careerwell Tele-Interview: Living Well: Integrating Life Stories with Health with Dr. Norm Amundson. In this interview Dr. Amundson will discuss how having a heart attack has influenced his views of career and living. Stories and metaphors related to living well will be discussed and expanded upon. Of particular interest in this discussion will be a statement made by his doctor, namely that “Your heart tells a different story.” In setting a context for the discussion, Dr. Amundson will be presenting themes from two of his books – “Physics of Living” and “Metaphor Making: Your Career, Your Life, Your Way.”

Go to http://careerwell.org and click on REGISTER HERE. On the registration form, click on Norman Amundson as your Current Membership Affiliation. If you register by Wednesday, February 2, you will receive a complementary link to his audio recording, as well as call-in instructions for his live phone interview.

To receive call-in instructions and audio link, register before Norm's interview this Thursday, February 3, 2011, 10 am Pacific, 11 am Mountain, noon Central, 1 pm EST, 2 pm Atlantic, 7 pm Zurich, 8 pm Istanbul

New Book: Hope-Filled Engagement New Possibilities in Life/Career Counselling

Gray Poehnell and Norman E. Amundson have release a new book on engagement titled: Hope-Filled Engagement New Possibilities in Life/Career Counselling. This book expresses a person-centered, solution-focused, hope-focused approach that engages people where they are engaged with life and equips them to walk their life/career paths with dignity whatever their challenges.

Click here to learn more about the book or to read a sample chapter.

Life Strategies Ltd. also distributes the book - see our online store

Look Before You Leap Survey Now Available

Life Strategies Ltd. is excited to announce that we’ve partnered with the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) for the Look Before You Leap: Supporting Career Practitioners to Support Clients Considering Self-Employment project.

Self-employment is a growing trend in a variety of sectors; it’s also increasingly an option for career practitioners / career counsellors. Yet, most career practitioners have little understanding of self-employment or work as an independent contractor. The Look Before You Leap project will develop and pilot a 2 week (20 hour) facilitated e-learning course which focuses on self employment and a book, Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies, which will be useful for those considering self-employment. A dedicated “Look Before You Leap” website with annotated links to relevant resources for the self-employed and a Blog that will share relevant self-employment tips and strategies will also be developed.

We Need Your Input
To inform the development of these tools, we are seeking insights and experiences from the self-employed through a brief survey available from January 5th until January 12th. To access the survey go to www.advancedsurvey.com, enter in survey # 72694 within the “Take A Survey” box, and press “Go.”

Please forward this message to any of your contacts who may be interested in this project and/or can complete the survey.

What Should I Do With My Life?

In the spirit of the the New Year, many individuals take the time to reflect on the direction of their lives and career. Many may wonder, "what should I do with my life?" In Po Bronson's book of the same title, he explores stories of individuals searching for their "true calling," exploring their identity.

See http://www.pobronson.com/index_what_should_I_do_with_my_life.htm for more information including sample chapters highlighting 10 of the books 50 stories, an excerpt from the audio book, and author commentary/notes.

Holiday Greetings

Warmest holiday greetings to our LearnOnline students. It has been an exciting year for us at Life Strategies. We have a new website, newsletter, and blogs, and have added four new certificate programs and partnerships this year – Job Developer, Job Club Coach, Case Manager, and Educational and Vocational Guidance Practitioner. We’ve also welcomed several new instructors to the team – check out the “Meet the Team” section on our website. We saw a 39% increase in student registrations and the winter 2011 semester looks busy as well.

If you’re looking for free resources check out the Resources tab on our website at http://www.lifestrategies.ca/. Also, did you know that our LearnOnline community has a blog? Follow us at http://learnonline-reconnect.blogspot.com/ to stay informed of new resources, latest news, and tips and strategies for working effectively in our field.

If you’re looking for continuing professional education in 2011, we hope you’ll keep us in mind. Consider our one week e-courses, two to six week certificate programs, or speciality certificates within the Career Management Professional Program comprising 10 or 11 two-week courses. We are also always happy to customize courses for intact groups, in-person, blended, or fully online.

For those of you in our career development related programs you may be interested in an opportunity to contribute to revisions for the Canadian Standards & Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners. Attend an in-person focus group at CANNEXUS (Ottawa, ON) – Tuesday January 25, 2011. This is an invitation only event; register at http://s-and-g.eventbrite.com/. Watch for other consultations throughout the country.

If you’re planning to attend CANNEXUS, the Career Development Conference in BC, or the National Career Development Association conference in San Antonio, Texas, please look us up. It’s always lovely to connect in person!

With our best wishes for a relaxing holiday season and a new year that fulfills all your hopes and dreams.
Roberta, Deirdre, Cassie, Cheryl, and the LearnOnline team of instructors

IAEVG National Correspondents Meet in India

With the 2010 IAEVG - Jiva International Conference being held in Bangalore, India, IAEVG National Correspondents met to discuss the state of careers guidance in their part of the world. Life Strategies' own Roberta Neault was in attendance and wanted to share some highlights.

• In Canada, research/evaluation of career work within other countries is being undertaken
• In India, the Promise Foundation (http://www.thepromisefoundation.org/) is working to introduce guidance/counselling in secondary education through training teachers
• In the UK, an all-age guidance service will be introduced in 2011
• In Australia, in order to provide more professional services across the country, national career standards are being introduced
  

To learn more about IAEVG, international conferences, and the national correspondents see http://www.iaevg.org/iaevg/index.cfm?lang=2

Beyond the Basics: Real World Skills for Career Practitioners

Beyond the Basics: Real World Skills for Career Practitioners (2001) is a book by Life Strategies president, Roberta Neault. It's a helpful read for career practitioners and is also a textbook in some of our courses. One of our newest certificate programs, Job Developer, requires this as well.

It has over 100 pages of tips and techniques for working with diverse clients including individuals, groups, corporations and communities, and is linked to the Canadian National Standards and Guidelines for Career Development.

To order, see our online store - http://www.lifestrategies.ca/store/products.php?cat=14

This book is available in PDF and printed formats.

Career Developments

Career Developments is a newsletter put out by the Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF), a non-profit organization which strives to "advance career development and the capacity of the profession to respond with compassion and skill to all clients and stakeholders in an ever-changing work environment." (see http://www.ccdf.ca/ccdf2/cms/displayMain.asp?lang=en§ion=about for more information)

This publication "highlights current developments, innovations, and professional and policy issues in the field of career development in Canada and internationally."

See the CCDF website (http://www.ccdf.ca/ccdf2/cms/displayMain.asp?lang=en§ion=newsletter) for more details and to access copies of the newsletter.

Conversation Series on Career and Workforce Development Policies and Practice

Check out this amazing "Afternoon Tea" series sponsored by the Center on Education and Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Each of the "conversations" takes the approach of an afternoon tea with a leader in the career development field. There are plenty to choose from...have fun :-)

http://afternoontea.wceruw.org/Home.aspx/Conversations

Sunny Hansen: ILP

Finally...the correct link to Sunny Hansen's website with info about Integrative Life Planning (ILP) as well as her international research related to diversity and gender equality. http://www.sunnyhansenbornfree.com/

CanadaInfoNet

The Canadian Information and Networking Services, an online forum for immigrants offering mentoring services and helpful resources for skilled business and trade professionals, is currently in the process of enhancing their website. The new site will host an improved mentoring tool for their e-mentoring program connecting immigrants to mentees with similar interests, backgrounds, and carer goals.

For more information or to become a mentor see http://www.canadainfonet.org/