Career Resilience Is Needed More Than Ever Before

I am honoured to have been interviewed for CBC Waterloo’s Morning Edition by Craig Norris

Before Christmas, I noticed that across clients and friends. and family that many people seemed different than before covid – less happy and edgier.

So I asked about 50 people if they felt different

A small percentage said that they did not notice any difference but the others said that they were more fed up with their job than before COVID, tired of ongoing uncertainty, angry at things that never used to bother them, more isolated  etc

Statistics Canada recently confirmed the result of my ad hoc survey. They reported that

More Canadians are reporting fair or poor mental health 

Fewer than 6 in 10 Canadians report a strong feeling of meaning or purpose. 

Also of interest that during 2022, hate-motivated crimes reported by police increased by 27% to 3,360 incidents.

The TELUS Health's Mental Health Index (January 2023) also found similar results 

32% of Canadians have a high mental health risk, 

43% have a moderate mental health risk, and 25% have a low mental health risk 

One-third of Canadians avoid being with or interacting with others and this behaviour largely started or worsened since the pandemic

This is why I think that developing the mental strengths needed to become resilient is going to be more important than ever before.

Psychological Resilience is the ability to bounce back in adverse situations (and often flourish in the face of them)

Going forward over the coming decade, the workplace changes we have experienced during COVID will pale in comparison to the change we will experience over the next decade 

By 2030, the growth of AI will create more change than we have seen in decades   Mc Kinsey suggests that currently “60 per cent of occupations have at least 30 per cent of constituent work activities that could be automated.”

Resilience gives employees the mental strength to bounce back and move forward aligned with the required changes. This skill will be essential if companies are to remain productive and profitable and as retention of employees continues to be important

The Stay Strong & Flourish Journey

Improve Your Mental Strength, Resilience, and Well-Being

Are you ready to take control of your mental strength, resilience, and well-being? 

Join me on this transformative journey as we discover the scientific underpinnings and practical benefits of activities that help people thrive in challenging times.

I look forward to sharing over 30 years of experience building programs that help individuals and families stay strong through some of life's toughest challenges (including life-threatening childhood diseases, military life, and neurodegenerative disease.

Currently, I am exploring the science behind the newer approaches to building resilience, mental strength, and well-being.

Each week, I will guide you through a new activity that has been proven to increase mental strength, resilience, and well-being. We'll try it out together in our session, practice it during the week, and share our feedback on it.

I'll also share my insights on the science behind each activity and we will jointly discuss how it can be applied to getting more out of life and thriving in the face of changes that happen in our lives including the workplace.

Together, we'll create notes on each activity, the science behind it, and its potential usefulness.

Don't miss this opportunity to take charge of your well-being to thrive in any situation.

How to apply:

If you're interested in joining the Stay Strong & Flourish Journey, please send an email to:

wayne.greenway@careeraviators.com

Describe your background, why you would like to be part of this exciting program, and how you would add value to our journey together. 

Registration is limited! I will reach out to schedule a conversation with you about your candidacy for the program.

When: 

Weekly on Tuesdays at 12 noon ET-1:00 PM ET

Fees:

To make the program as accessible as possible while also fostering commitment, fees are as follows:

5 sessions: $48.00

10 sessions: $78.00

Career Landing Programme Launches For 2023

Career Landing Programme Description

Career Landing Programme Level 1: Foundation Building For Job Search Success. 

Through this 9-day interactive course you will:

• Discern who you are and who you want to be in this new job

• Create a powerful new master version of your resume - ready for customization 

• Craft a persuasive LinkedIn profile tailored to your job search 

• Create a career statement designed to direct every step of your search

Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM ET  class instruction (with 2 hours of homework each night)

Registration Information: To have a free consultation and learn more about the Career Landing Programme, please click the link to choose a time that works for you! http://calendly.com/wayne-greenway/careeraviators

• Registration is limited to 6 participants 

______________________________________

Career Landing Programme Level 2: Search Strategy and Tactics

Through this 9-day interactive course you will:

• Learn how to authentically network to clearly define your next role and undercover jobs before they are posted 

• Build a list of 15  key networking contacts to pursue 

• Create a strategy and timeline for conducting your search in Level 3

• Design and structure the conversations that will help your search  

• Learn our application customization methodology that gets interviews

• Learn how to prepare for screening and selection Interviews

Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM ET  class instruction (with 2 hours of homework each night)

Date: Starts one week after Level 2 Ends

Registration Information: 

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Career Landing Programme Level 1

• Registration is limited to 10 participants 

• You will be given application instructions at the end of Level 1

______________________________________

Career Landing Programme Level 3: Job Search Execution 

10 weeks of weekly team consultation you will:

• Go after jobs in which you will excel, value highly, and love to do 

• Sustain the mindset and focus required for a successful search

• Get timely on-the-spot advice on the execution of what you learned in Levels1 & 2

• Be guided in finding multiple offers

• Keep motivated and on track to finding the right job

• Grow in the face of failures: Set new possibilities through networking and dialogue with the team

• Practice with team members and get professional guidance to gain the  confidence needed for networking and interviews

Registration Information 

Date: Starts one week after Level 2 Ends

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Job Search 2

You will be given application instructions at the end of level 2 

And Every Four Months…… Join The Celebration!

Celebrating successes is very important in fostering professional growth. We will invite you back after all your team members have landed their new positions to share what you learned in your job search with new participants and jointly celebrate your success.

Who Should Apply?

You are: 

• A mid to late-stage career executive, professional, or manager who is planning a career transition or is currently in a job search.  

• Serious about transitioning and committed to rapidly launching a successful job search.

• Ready for the hard work to achieve your goals.

• Eager to embark on a course that will challenge you beyond what you may have experienced in the past.  

• Intent on getting multiple offers for jobs in which you will excel, value highly and love to do -- A job that will bring you a sense of purpose in life. 

• An active participant in all learning activities. 

Fees

385.00 per level.

Want More Information

To have a free consultation and learn more about the Career Landing Programme, please click the link to choose a time that works for you! http://calendly.com/wayne-greenway/careeraviators

It's A Christmas Celebration! Come Celebrate The Holidays With Career Aviators

Career Aviators is giving to help job seekers at Christmas 

I understand how financially stretched professionals can be during the months it takes to find a new position, 

While I have a small practice, I wanted to do something to help out as a way to celebrate Christmas. 

I can’t do it for long because my rates are already modest and this is how I make my living but here is what I have come up with. 

It is time limited and I doubt I can afford to extend it so take advantage of the savings while this offer is on the table! 

What is the offer

Component 1 Self Discovery (Regular Price 385.00)

Define who you are and who you want to be in your next job; the strengths you want to bring to something that deeply matters to you and that you are naturally drawn to. I will help you express this in a strong Career Statement to guide all stages of your career transition and job search

Component 2 Resume and Linkedin Reboot (Regular Price 385.00)

You will create a new powerful master resume and LinkedIn Profile that will get you invited to Interviews for your carefully targeted role

Our Chrismas Special Price:  Both Components For $385.00!

Participants must fully register before December 24, 2022, to receive this special. The sessions will start the week of January 2, 2023.

To register, use the link below to book a free career consultation with Wayne Greenway to learn more about the two components and further  registration information http://calendly.com/wayne-greenway/careeraviators

Do you feel like you are languishing in your job or career?

“Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield” says Adam Grant in an excellent article in a New York Times article

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/well/mind/covid-mental-health-languishing.html?smid=url-share

Grant explains that As COVID19 has dragged on,” the acute state of anguish [from early on in COVID) has given way to a chronic condition of languish”.

I see some of my clients languishing but sometimes it was there before COVID. At some point, the job did not “light the person up” anymore. Perhaps they outgrew the job or the job outgrew them and Covid 19 did not help. Sometimes they are not sure why they feel the way they do and as Grant describes, they are not depressed but they feel the “absence of well-being”.

Grant continues to say that “languishing dulls your motivation, disrupts your ability to focus, and triples the odds that you’ll cut back on work.”

Clients who find themselves suddenly out of work sometime have a hard time knowing in what direction to take their career. I think it’s compounded in those who have been bullied on the job (30%) but they may not be depressed – it’s more like they are languishing.

To successfully advance in one’s career, or get multiple offers from a job requires a flourishing state of mental health or a high sense of well-being.

Grant describes the antidote for languishing as being:

1. Creating opportunities to experience “flow”. “Flow is that elusive state of absorption in a meaningful challenge or a momentary bond, where your sense of time, place and self melts away.”

2. Giving yourself periods of uninterrupted time so that you can be in “flow”

3. Carving out daily time to focus on a challenge that matters to you and that stretches your skills and heightens your resolve” but is still achievable.

In our next Career Resilience Zoom-In, we will come to understand the building blocks of career well-being/happiness. We will explore these and other ways to get out from languishing and talk about ways to increase one’s capacity to set aim for the next steps in their career

For Registration and information: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/472601583057

Career Resilience Zoom-Ins are free weekly workshops to advance your career or successfully manage a job search and career transition.

They are provided by a team of career, human resources, executive coaching and communications professionals, who volunteer their time because of their commitment to building the career resilience of professionals

Knowing When It’s Time to Change Careers

The article 6 Signs It’s Time to Leave Your Job by John Coleman in the Harvard Business Review is a good reminder that our career should be more than just a way to fill the day and earn a paycheck – it needs to be a source of inspiration and personal growth. 

Coleman provides six good signs that you need to do some serious soul-searching and/or move on to greener pastures. However, keep in mind that reinventing or changing your career is a big step and needs to be taken thoughtfully.  Here are some questions to guide the way:

1.       Does your job encourage personal growth? Can you reinvigorate your current position by making small changes like taking on a new assignment or volunteering to organize a strategy session?  This is referred to as ‘job crafting’ and it is a way to create a career that allows you make use of 100 per cent of your skills.  If this isn’t an option and/or your current job doesn’t give you enough space for personal growth, it’s time to move on.

 2.       Have you achieved your goals in this position? Is there a stone left to turn or is there nothing new to aspire to? Making specific career goals for each position is important; however, noticing when we’ve achieved our career goals and need to move on can be just as important.

 3.       Do you look for ways to avoid your job? Do you find yourself procrastinating and choosing ‘busy work’ to distract you from tackling important new projects or finishing old ones?  A profession that fills you with curiosity and anticipation should be able to hold your interest.  Can you power through those big projects to develop positive work habits or do you need a break – temporary or permanent?

 4.       Does your job leave you exhausted or fill you with dread? Take time at the end of each day to listen to your feelings and notice how your job is impacting you.  We need to be able to fall in love with our jobs – at least most of the time! How do you feel about Mondays?  Life is short – so love what you do!

 5.       Are you developing bad habits in this role? Are your work habits changing for the worse? Is your job taking you away from your core values?  If so, you need to let it go.

 6.       Is your workplace making you physically, mentally or emotionally unwell? There are many things that can make a job toxic – like bully bosses or conspiratorial co-workers.  Sometimes it takes a health scare to wake us up.  Don’t let it get to that point – move on!

There are many other signs that you’ve outgrown your current position.  Hopefully, these six questions based on the article by John Coleman can help you uncover if it’s time to re-craft your existing job or let go of the old and try something new.  Regardless of what route you choose, the process of getting there will help you build self-awareness and career resiliency – important skills for the professional road ahead.

Stay tuned for more reviews of relevant, timely and actionable information on how to make the job search easier.  For information on how Career Aviators can make your job search easier, please contact me at donnalynn.clarke@careeraviators.com

How to Become Your Own Career Coach

The article Becoming Your Own Career Coach by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis in Harvard Business Review first reminded me of cutting my own hair, something best left to the experts.  However, upon further reading, I realized that becoming your own career coach is an effective way to learn about significant self-awareness skills either on the job or as you look for a new one.

Working with a career coach is the best way to build self-awareness and get unstuck, but it’s not the only way.  Tupper and Ellis outline self coaching tips for getting to know ourselves better, identifying areas for growth and overcoming obstacles.  These insights prompt positive personal action, pave the way for meaningful career conversations and improve connections with people in our network.

Self coaching is about getting curious about ourselves and our unique ideas and actions in response to career challenges, “careers can feel uncertain but self coaching is a capability we all have control over.”  Here are two examples of self coaching techniques that help to build awareness:

·         Reflect on career challenges – take five minutes to create a mind map with one specific career challenge in mind.  Consider the who, what, when and why of the challenge to uncover new insights, reflections and possible options for addressing it. Do this often enough and you’ll start to see patterns of behavior that are working either for or against you. For example, reflect on why all your career challenges involve the behaviours of others?

·         Compare intent with impact – set a goal for how you would like to ‘show up’ at a meeting or presentation.  Afterwards ask a colleague participant for feedback with a question such as “what one word describes my approach or impact at today’s meeting?”  This helps to identify whether your intent and impact are in alignment, referred to as ‘self awareness alignment’, or you have a potential gap and opportunity for personal growth.

The authors also present a number of ‘Coach Yourself Questions’ or CYQs to aid in your journey of improved self awareness, such as: “what gives me the most energy at work?” or “what would I like to be true in 12-months’ time?” Open-ended questions focusing on what you can control helps to unlock your creativity and clarify career goals.

The article by Tupper and Ellis provides new ideas for building self awareness that will help create career resiliency, whether you are in a job or looking for a new adventure.  Unlike trying to cut your own hair, being your own career coach is not something just for the experts – it’s good for everyone.  Self coaching builds your capacity to be insightful, reflective and compassionate – important skills for the career journey that lies ahead.

Stay tuned for more reviews of relevant, timely and actionable information on how to make the job search easier.  For information on how Career Aviators can make your job search easier, please contact me at donnalynn.clarke@careeraviators.com

Resume Writing Tips for 2022

Every now and then I run across an article on resume writing that catches my attention.   How to Write a Resume for a Job in 2022  by Conrad Benz in ResumeGenius is that article for me.  It is briming with great tips on what to include in your resume, how to do it and why the information is important. The best part of the article is the visual demonstrations on layout, format and style.

Here’s what made the article stand out for me:

·         Although I am not generally a fan of ‘resume introductions’, the article sold me on it.  For recent grads, the Resume Objective is preferred route because it outlines career goals and aspirations.  For more experienced career-searchers, the Resume Summary is the best option to describe accomplishments and proven skills.

·         The section of the article on resume customization is by far the best I’ve seen.  The step-by-step process demonstrates how the job-seeker can borrow nouns and verbs from the company’s job description to tailor their experiences to the requirements of the position.  Brilliantly described!  Furthermore, the article boils down the basic building blocks of strong bullets: action verb + metric + specific duty.

·         Listing your relevant skills in a resume doesn’t necessarily prove that you’re skilled in these areas.  However, when these skills are incorporated into the resume in different sections, they can catch the eye of the person scanning your resume.  The article provides creative options for including relevant skills, such as hard, soft or technical ones, into the resume for maximum impact.

The article by Conrad Benz pulls together a number of critical components of a good resume.  It’s a great place to start if you’re thinking of a career change in 2022.

Stay tuned for more reviews of relevant, timely and actionable information on how to make the job search process easier.  For information on how Career Aviators can make your job search easier, please contact me at donnalynn.clarke@careeraviators.com