WorkBC Tools

WorkBC is the place to get connected with government funded back to work assistance.  Take a look at this screen shot of all the “WorkBC Tools” that they have available for BC job seekers.  Also notice that they have “Live Chat Support” to answer the questions you might have.  Explore the www.WorkBC.ca site today!

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Have you heard of the term “emotional intelligence”?  This refers to your ability to recognize your emotions and those of others, understand what those emotions mean, and respond to them.  There is a lot of information available about what emotional intelligence is (also known as EQ or EI), but how does it affect your career?  Quite simply it predicts how well you perform at work.  Dr. Daniel Goleman, leading psychologist in the study of EI, suggests that EI is the strongest predictor of performance and success at work, even stronger than IQ.

Psychologist differ in what they believe makes up EI but they all boil down to four main skills:

• Self-Awareness: the ability to identify your emotions and interpret what they mean
• Self-Management: the ability to use and control your emotions in healthy ways
• Social Awareness: the ability to notice and understand how others are feeling
• Relationship Management: the ability to develop and maintain healthy relationships with others

How emotionally intelligent are you?  There are a few quizzes out there that can help you understand where you might be:

• http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ei_quiz/
• http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl_eq_quiz.htm?
• There is also the BarOn EQ-i test that can be administered by a licensed practitioner.

The results of these assessments might have you excited or worried.  But, don’t fret emotional intelligence is a learned skill.  It can be learned at any age and at any stage of life.  For more information about emotional intelligence you can visit these websites or try your local library for resources on the subject.

• http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq5_raising_emotional_intelligence.htm#what
• http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCDV_59.htm

This article was written by Miranda Vande Kuyt, a blogger for the My ESC website. Find out more about Miranda through her website: http://mirandavandekuyt.wordpress.com.

Strategies For Handling Employment Gaps

Recently a friend of mine decided to go back to work.  She’d taken ten years off to raise her kids, and now that they were in full time school she was looking for something to do.  But, she was terrified.  “Why would anyone hire me when I’ve been doing nothing for ten years?” she asked me.

That’s where I stopped her.  We went through the last ten years, one year at a time.  What we discovered was that she had been extremely busy over those ten years, not only raising her own kids, but watching other children as well.  She also did an astronomical amount of volunteer work.   So, how does someone who has “been doing nothing” write a resume?

There are a number of reasons people have periods of unemployment: raising kids, travelling, illness, economic downturn, extended leave of absence, and the like.  When it comes to writing a resume, or your LinkedIn profile, it’s important to put together the most cohesive representation of your experience and skills as you can.  That means learning how to word things that articulates your value to potential employers.  Here are some strategies to do that:

Label your experience.  Think back during your time of unemployment and consider everything that kept you busy during that time.  Were you renovating your house, taking care of a sick family member, or going to school?  Whatever it is that you were up to, plot it on a timeline so you can see it.  Then pull out the experiences that were real skill builders and label them: renovating becomes Project Manager, tending to the ill becomes Personal Support Worker, and training becomes Professional Development.

Lump little jobs into one job title.  If you have several temporary jobs lump them into one label, such as Self-employed, Consultant, or Seasonal Employment.  This shows a continuity of experience without a choppy list of employers.

Just use the years.  Instead of using the day and month you started and ended a job, just use the year.  This may be the oldest trick in the book for masking gaps in employment, so be ready to answer inquiries during an interview of what you were up to in the gaps.

Limit your experience.  If you have a long job history with a large gap in-between you could limit your experience to recent employment.  If you have lots of short-term work, you could only include the most important positions on your resume so the gaps are not so noticeable when the years overlap.

Make use of your cover letter.  Your cover letter is a great place to paint the overall picture for inquiring employers.  It’s where you can use complete sentences to spell out how your experience, including paid and unpaid responsibilities, has set you apart as an ideal candidate.

This article was written by Miranda Vande Kuyt, a blogger for the My ESC website. Find out more about Miranda through her website: http://mirandavandekuyt.wordpress.com.

Don’t Just Get a JOB – Get In The Worx!

There are in excess of four hundred and fifty publicly-accessible internet job boards where employers can advertise job postings and over four hundred recruiting agencies serving British Columbia each with their own listings for available employment positions. Not accounting for the numerous “internal job boards” that large corporations and organizations have, in addition to hundreds of governmental job boards, there are literally more than a thousand places on the internet that a job seeker can look for a job in this province. Is it any wonder, then, that embarking on a job search is an overwhelming exercise in frustration?

This over-abundance of job boards in its current state of disarray creates a needle-in-a-haystack situation for both job seekers and employers. With over a quarter million unemployed British Columbians and an untold number of people who are working but actively seeking alternative employment, employers are faced with the daunting task of guessing which job board(s) to advertise on to attract the kind of candidates they are looking for, with the hopes that their ideal candidate will inadvertently find their job posting.

Wouldn’t it be convenient if ALL of the jobs, ALL of the employers and ALL of the candidates were able to intersect in ONE PLACE? www.InTheWorx.ca intends to revolutionize the chaotic online employment industry with its unique, job seeker-centred approach. As job boards are discovered, they are categorized by industry and added to the roster under “specialty job boards”  (http://intheworx.ca/speciality-bc-job-boards/ ) which helps to effectively focus a job seeker’s search for employment. There are directories for both recruiting and employment agencies that service British Columbia. Resource sections have been created and tailored to particular demographics: Newcomers to BC, Students & Graduates, Disabled/ Barriered, for example, with expansion and development being a constant process of the website.  Job seekers have the option to register as InTheWorx.ca candidates and construct profiles of their skill sets that employers will be able to search – gone are the days of uploading a resume into cyber-space and risk having it fall into unscrupulous hands. Using personally constructed skill sets are more accurate, thorough and effective than uploading resumes into a databank that relies on exploder technology.

Despite the size and scope of InTheWorx.ca and the plans to continue expanding, we are real human beings who actually answer emails and we encourage requests for information and welcome suggestions / comments. On occasion we will receive an email via the “Contact Us” form from a job seeker who has hit a dead-end in their search and with a little research from the employment team, we have been successful with locating specific resources and leads for these people (for free, I might add). InTheWorx.ca has been added to the repertoire of resources utilized by employment agencies in the public sector (federal, provincial and municipal), university student employment centres, as well as independent job seekers looking for available opportunities. In the first month after launching the website, InTheWorx.ca saw almost 1000 “hits” in a four week period (February 2013) which undoubtedly substantiated the need for this service.

No matter how InTheWorx.ca evolves to meet the needs of the employment industry, it will never be to the exclusion of the job seekers – we will always be an independent, Canadian enterprise working for the employment success of other Canadians.

This blog post was submitted by http://intheworx.ca.

Fraud Alert: Job Scams

I recently visited the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website because I was frustrated with number of weird phone calls I received.  While on the site I came across this information about job scams:

“Any false, deceptive or misleading solicitation offering employment and requesting an advance fee to secure the job or obtain the materials to perform the job or any job offer involving money transfer or wiring funds related to cashing monetary instruments.

The “mystery shopper” scam is still victimizing Canadian consumers. The victim answers an enticing ad to become a mystery shopper. The ” employer ” sends a letter, with mystery shopping tasks to be completed, and a cheque to help the victim fulfill his/her mystery shopping tasks. The victim will likely cash the cheque he/she was given first. One of the tasks will be to use a money transfer company and wire a large portion of the money to a name provided, in order to test the company’s procedure and customer service skills. The victim will find out later that the cheque is counterfeit, thus making the victim accountable to pay for the funds he/she wired.”

When I worked in the retail and hospitality industry I was visited by mystery shoppers frequently.  Sometimes I see job ads for mystery shoppers and think that it would be an interesting job.

Anne-Marie Rolfe at the www.eecentre.com has done some investigating on exposing job scams.  Here are her steps:

1. Research – look for opportunities that fit what you are looking for
2. Investigate – do some poking around on their website to find the facts about the company who’s posted the job add
3. Validate – use outside sources to confirm the facts you’ve discovered
4. Stay Informed – watch out for scams and note when others post about them
5. Safety 1st – you personal information is currency on the internet, don’t pass it around lightly. She strongly suggests a separate email account for applying online.

Have you run into any jobs postings that are too good to be true and end up being a scam?

This article was written by Miranda Vande Kuyt, a blogger for the My ESC website. Find out more about Miranda through her website: http://mirandavandekuyt.wordpress.com.

10 Things To Do On Your Lunch Break

Working a long is draining, that is why the government of British Columbia requires employers to give a half hour unpaid lunch break to those who work a 5-hour shift or longer.  Some employers choose to give even longer lunch breaks.  So what can you do in 60 minutes or less?  Start with a plan.  Think about what you’d like to accomplish in your day or over the course of a year but don’t seem to find the time to do.  Then be creative in figuring out how you might be able to do these things during lunch break.

Think about it.  If you have a 30 minute lunch break and say you take 10 minutes to eat lunch, that would still leave you 20 minutes a day x 5 days a week, totaling 100 minutes a week or over 6 and a half hours a month. That works out to close to 80 hours a year.   If you have a 60 minute lunch break (minus 10 minutes to eat) you would have over 200 hours a year. What could you accomplish in that time?

Eat.  Start with the basics.  Eat right so you have the energy to do the things you want.  Change it up a bit.  Don’t eat the same thing each day.  Try eating something different, eating lunch with someone different, or eating lunch somewhere different.

Socialize.  Is there a friend that works close by, or a colleague you’d like to get to know better?  Try meeting up for lunch or another activity during your lunch break. Consider having a staff potluck once a month or inviting other departments to socialize.

De-stress.  Take time to relax.  Listen to calming music, meditate, or squeeze in some time for a quick manicure.

Go On An Adventure.  Try visiting some of the tourist attractions in the area, parks, or some other place you’ve been thinking about checking out.

Run Errands.  Squeezing in a quick errand during lunch will save you time after work.  Some places like the bank and the post office are only open during office hours.  You can also use this time to make important phone calls and address other tasks on your to-do list.

Learn Something.  Webinars, articles, journals and websites are great ways to learn something new.  The hard part might be figuring out what you would like to learn.

Read.  There are so many books and so little time.  Think of how many books you could read in 80 hours, or 200?  Think about all the magazines and other journals that have been piling up.

Exercise.  Go for a walk, stretch, or even consider hitting a near by gym.  Exercise is a great way to de-stress and get motivated.

Pick Up A Hobby.  Some hobbies are more portable than others, but most have some aspect that you can accomplish in 20 minutes, such as research for your next project, watching tutorials, and getting inspired.

Join Or Start A Club.  Some workplaces have extra curricular activities that are organized for employees. Almost all of them were started because some need was identified.  Look around at your coworkers, or other workers in your building and brainstorm what needs there are.  Maybe your workplace would benefit from a Toastmasters club or something similar.

Change it up.  If you only chose one lunch time per week to do something differently than you do now, you would still be gaining over 15 hours a year.  What are you going to do on your lunch break?

This article was written by Miranda Vande Kuyt, a blogger for the My ESC website. Find out more about Miranda through her website: http://mirandavandekuyt.wordpress.com.

What My Parents Did To Prepare Me For The World Of Work

I grew up in the 80’s and went to high school in the 90’s.  My parents didn’t have access to the internet and didn’t read parenting books, but they did know how to work hard and they taught me to do the same.  Although I was an ungrateful teen that felt their accountability was some form of adolescent torture, I now feel fortunate that they taught me real life skills so that I could become a successful adult.  When I was composing this list I realized their focus wasn’t so much on building skills as much as it was giving me opportunities to build character, to practice being an independent, responsible adult before I had to be. Here are the highlights of what they taught me.

My parents taught me to be responsible for my own needs.  When I was 12 years old I became responsible for earning my spending money.  I used this for buying clothes, eating out, and school field trips.  I knew that I needed to make money so I could do these things.  At first I started out by not doing and having these things, but I found that lead for a boring life.  So I went to work doing some of the only jobs available for a 12 year old: I babysat, delivered papers, and did odd jobs for neighbours.

My parents taught me to manage my money.  When I started bringing home a pay cheque I had to give half of everything I made to my mom.  She took that money and put it in a savings account.  The other 50% went into my chequing account for spending money, as well as giving for charity.  At first I felt robbed that I couldn’t spend all of it the way I wanted.  But, by the time I graduated high school I had enough in my savings account to almost pay for my first year of college.

They made me find my own way to work.  When I was 15 years old I got a job working at McDonalds.  It was a half hour walk from my house. I know because I had to walk the route often.  In reality it was less than a five minute drive.  Sometimes I took the bus, other times I would hitch a ride with a friend, and sometimes my parents would pick me up.  Ultimately I was responsible to figure out how I was getting to and from work and extra curricular activities.  My parents made it clear that they were not some magical taxi drivers at my beck and call.  They were supportive but firm that I needed to be responsible for my self and figure things out.

They taught me people skills.  I used to hate it that my mother made me talk on the phone to schedule appointments for things such as the doctor and dentist.  No matter how much I objected, she made me do it anyways.  It taught me the people skills and the phone skills I needed to negotiate my first job interview.

They taught me to be a contributing member of society.  I remember washing the dishes by hand when I was 7 years old.  That was just the start of a long list of chores I learned to do over the years.  By the time I was in high school I was responsible to make dinner for the family once a week, clean the bathroom, and do the ironing.  I learned that families run when everyone pitches in, but also that I was capable of taking care of myself.  It didn’t stop there.  I volunteered teaching Sunday School, babysitting, and participating on school committees.  I learned that giving is more than giving of your money, it’s also giving of your time.  It created in me a desire to want to be a contributing member of society, that just like a family–we all need to work together.  When I started college I was the one who taught others in the dorm how to do laundry and sew on buttons.

My parents taught me about work–life balance.  School wasn’t easy.  I had to study really hard to get decent grades, but I persevered.  I joined sports teams, the school play, the yearbook committee, and more, but during different grades.  I was juggling studying, work, and extra activities.  I learned I couldn’t do it all simultaneously, but that life came and went in seasons.  When I quit my job in grade 12 so I could be in the school play (maybe fired due to lack of availability is more accurate), my parents weren’t after me to get a new job.  I lived off the spending money I had saved until the play was done and then I went back to work.  I remember how hard my parents worked and at the end of the day they would relax together.  They worked hard, but also took a break when a break was due.

They taught me to make goals.  When I wanted to go on the school ski trip when our family was going on a weeklong ski trip for Spring Break, my parents asked me to choose between them because I couldn’t pay for both.  When I wanted to go to college they asked, “how are you going to pay for that?” I remember my mom saying to me, “You’ve been given strong arms and a strong spirit so you can work for what you need.” In other words–don’t expect anyone to give you what you can earn yourself.  I worked hard, applied for scholarships, and worked some more. I worked all through college and felt a strong sense of pride and accomplishment that by the time I finished four years of school I had paid for it all by my own hard work.  My parents gave me a couple gifts along the way, but they were unexpected and I was very appreciative.

When I look back at how my parents raised me, I’m not sure how much of it was intentional, but I feel they did an amazing job to prepare me for the world of work.  Now as I’m raising my own kids and I hear myself saying, “You’re too little. Let mom do that.”  I have to remind myself that now is the time to give them opportunities to take care of themselves.  A friend once said to me, “You have to let your kids help you when they are young and it’s inconvenient, because if you wait until they’re 12 they’ll say, ‘I don’t know how to do that, and it’s easier if mom does it for me.’”  I’ve learned that now is the time when it is safe for my kids to try and fail.  That now is the time for me to raise my kids to work hard, be responsible, and believe in themselves.

This article was written by Miranda Vande Kuyt, a blogger for the My ESC website. Find out more about Miranda through her website: http://mirandavandekuyt.wordpress.com.

Grammar Is Key

Being able to speak and write with proper grammar is more important than you might think.  When you’re unable to use grammar correctly, people assume you’re not smart.  This can limit your job prospects and alter your career plans.  I’ve known for a while that I should take a grammar course, because my job revolves around my ability to write well (I’m sure you’ll find grammatical errors in this post).  I remember taking a grammar course in college, but I didn’t think the subject was that important back then.  Now that I’m a mother I find myself correcting my children’s grammar.  I often wonder if they’re learning their bad grammar habits from me.  Recently I signed up for a grammar course at the local community college.  At first it shocked me how little I knew about English grammar.  It seemed the ESL students in the class had a better grip on the parts of speech than I did.  To be honest, it was a little embarrassing.  Rather than hide from my grammar fears, I faced them.  My grammar instructor introduced me to this amazing website and it has changed my outlook on understanding grammar and has taught me grammar essentials as well.  Take a look at this website to find out why understanding grammar is important: www.english-grammar-revolution.com.

This article was written by Miranda Vande Kuyt, a self-employed career development practitioner and communications consultant.

Spring Into Work

If you’re in high school you’re probably counting down the days to Spring Break, and Reading Week is about to start for college students.  You probably won’t be going on vacation this year if you’re out of cash.  While your friends are tanning in the sun, you’ll be on a mission to bring in some extra bucks.  But, is it possible to make money in one week?  Yes!  With hard work and determination there are a number of different things you can do to pad your wallet in as little as seven days.  My favourite way is with a little seasonal self-employment.  I wrote a whole post about it over here: http://lookbeforeyouleap-selfemployment.blogspot.ca/2011/12/seasonal-self-employment.html.  I also found some humourous ideas for the Spring Break money mission on eHow: http://www.ehow.com/how_2075346_make-money-over-spring-break.html

What ways are you going to try to make some extra cash this Spring Break?

What Not To Wear To Work

Ever wonder why some people seem to get ahead without working as hard as you?  Ever heard the statement, “dress for the part you want”?   Looking like you are successful is the first step to being successful.  I always marvel at how a good makeover can change a person’s life.  Whenever I watch a makeover show I get excited to see the transformation that happens inside a person’s heart and soul when they feel good about the way they look on the outside.  A few years ago I won a makeover contest that included a trip to Toronto, $1200 shopping spree, day at the salon, and photo shoot in Canadian Living magazine.  It started a whole new chapter for me.  You can also start your own life transformation now.  It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune, with a little research about the basic pieces you need to build a wardrobe you can find most of it on sale or at thrift shop for very reasonable prices. Visit this infographic to find out how to dress the part for success and build a work wardrobe that will change your life:  http://dailyinfographic.com/work-wardrobe-infographic.

This article was written by Miranda Vande Kuyt a self-employed career development practitioner and communications consultant.