July 25, 2024 Leave a Comment

The Art of Reinventing Ourselves Throughout Our Career

In today’s world, the only certainty we have about the job market and the professional world, in general, is the need for change. Throughout our careers, we will face various challenges and changes that will demand adaptability and often creativity. We reside in a fast-paced society where everything moves quickly, and there’s pressure from all directions. How can we then reinvent ourselves professionally to stand out amid competition and stay in tune with market changes? In this article, we’ll explore the importance of continuous learning and fostering a creative mindset in creating opportunities in a highly competitive job market.

THE POWER OF CONTINUOUS LEARNING

Continuous learning is the key to reinventing yourself professionally. Knowledge gives you the freedom and wisdom to lead your career, make assertive decisions and keep up with changes in a fast-paced professional world.

Learning new skills and keeping up with industry trends ensures you remain relevant and in demand. You might discover entirely new career paths or find innovative ways to apply your knowledge. The business world is full of surprises, from economic shifts to technological advancements. Continuous learning helps you adapt to these changes, making you more resilient in the face of uncertainty.

CULTIVATING A CREATIVE MINDSET

A creative mindset is about approaching problems with new perspectives and thinking outside the box.

It can be an asset in your career, regardless of your profession. Creativity can help you find innovative solutions to problems, come up with fresh ideas, and stand out in a competitive job market.

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH SPECIALIZATION

Specialization is another cornerstone of career development. It’s about identifying niches where your unique skills and expertise can shine. Becoming a specialist in your field is crucial for career advancement as it offers in-depth knowledge, credibility, and trustworthiness. Specialists are often highly valued in the job market, enjoying better job opportunities and higher salaries.

A PASSION FOR EMPOWERING OTHERS

For some, career fulfillment extends beyond personal success; it’s about helping others thrive. I share a deep passion for assisting individuals in developing their careers. Guiding them through their professional growth, sharing knowledge, and watching them prosper is an immensely gratifying experience. Always consider carrying out meaningful work that will have positive impacts on other people and society.

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

Entrepreneurship is the picture of stepping out of one’s comfort zone. It’s about taking calculated risks, pursuing innovative ventures, and driving change. Whether it’s starting a new business or launching a groundbreaking project within your organization, entrepreneurship is amazing for personal and professional growth.

In conclusion, the art of reinventing yourself throughout a career is a journey of continuous learning, adopting a creative mindset, specialization, a passion for empowering others and possibly embracing the entrepreneurial spirit. It allows us to succeed in a competitive job market. It’s about realizing that our potential is limitless, and our careers are waiting for our next steps. So, let’s embark on this journey together and reinvent ourselves daily in search of our professional growth.

Written for LinkedIn by Juliana Barros, Career Specialist | Job Developer | Learning & Development | LinkedIn Learning Champion | Workforce Specialist at JVS Toronto

July 24, 2024 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: Career Advice for Your Kids

Dear Joanna

I am a working parent of a 16-year-old high school student who is in Grade 11 and is struggling to figure out a meaningful career path. He has pressure to start choosing his courses for next year, which is his last year of high school. He wants to go to university as well. I know that a suitable and sustainable career and future employment opportunities are critical for his personal growth, confidence and self-esteem. He has turned to me for career direction and to help him decide what he wants to be when he grows up.

I have no clue how to help him. Do you have any career advice for him?

Signed: My Kid’s Future (MKF)

Dear MKF,

According to our Career Counsellor and facilitator of JVS Toronto’s Career Exploration Opportunities Workshop, Dorota Hejnrych, often high school and university students turn to their parents for career advice. In her work with high school youth, Hejnrych often helps the students with making a suitable career choice and direction.

For many parents this is an overwhelming task, because they do not know the current labour market as well as future predictions and what is required for their child to make informed decisions. Choosing a suitable career path involves understanding one’s strengths, interests (job related and hobbies), motivating factors, labour market trends, lots of encouragement and a simple action plan, advises Hejnrych. As a frontline practitioner with over 10 years of experience, she offers parents the following strategies to help with their children’s career development, especially if these types of workshops are not offered in the school:

Career exposure.
Help your son learn about as many careers as possible. Bring him to your workplace for a day. Encourage him to talk to as many people as possible in your network, as well as in their network such as the teachers and school staff; don’t forget his friends’ parents and their network.

Help him find out what different people in your family or different professionals in your life do for a living. For example, have him arrange an information interview with your family doctor, dentist, banker, and your lawyer, as well as local politicians, police officers, to name a few. He could experience the real working world through a volunteer experience, especially if he needs community hours to graduate from school. Part-time work is also important, regardless of where he works.

Identify talents.
Again, experience gained through part-time work while in school, extra-curricular activities, clubs, school teams or volunteering, are important opportunities for youth, to start to understand and learn about who they are and discover their talents, suggests Career Consultant, Robert Shewchuk.

Furthermore, this upcoming young worker can start to figure out his strengths, skills and values as well as passions that can translate into a career path, with your guidance.

Course and program selection.
High school is a great place for your child to explore, learn and investigate different career paths. By encouraging him to take different courses during or after school, you can keep his options open, as much as possible. Encourage him to engage in broadening experiences by engaging in new hobbies and learning new soft skills (for example, problem-solving) and technical skills in addition to gaining as much knowledge and information as possible.

Hejnrych warns against selecting less applicable university degrees and majors that will not translate into a job or career. One of the main reasons for obtaining a post-secondary education is to secure a meaningful career in the end, stresses the career counsellor. In today’s reality, it is not simply enough to study what one finds interesting. Hejnrych recommends to students to choose a diploma/degree in the area that best fits their interests, strengths that can be eventually be turned into a paycheck!

Support self-sufficiency.
Be supportive, not directive, suggests Shewchuk. Hejnrych recommends assisting young adults in facilitating information interviews but refraining from doing them for them. Letting your son do as much as possible on his own will facilitate another important transferable and soft skill in the working world! Once kids learn the art of researching and asking key questions, they will be far more equipped in their careers and job search.

Be flexible.
It’s not always about finding that perfect career path or a job, concludes Hejnrych. It’s about looking for the optimal fit for the current labour market. For some, it might be a full-time job, Monday to Friday; for others, it might be two part-time positions in order to make a full-time living.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a crystal ball to predict future labour market trends. Look for career paths that are suitable now and support your son to become a lifelong learner. What works now, will not necessarily work later! Prepare him for a career plan and job skills that are transferable, adaptable, flexible and able to work in the labour market that he will be facing one day, when he is an adult job seeker.

Joanna

July 24, 2024 Leave a Comment

Celebrating 20 Years of Mentoring Services

Celebrating 20 Years of Mentoring at JVS Toronto: Empowering Skilled Immigrants to Achieve Career Success

For the past 20 years, JVS Toronto has been dedicated to helping skilled immigrants reach their career goals in Canada. With a rich history dating back to 1947, JVS Toronto has been at the forefront of meeting the needs of a rapidly changing world, always with a commitment to its vision of ensuring every individual has opportunities for employment. Mentoring has played a critical role in this journey, and today, JVS Toronto is proud to celebrate 20 years of successful mentoring initiatives.

Mentoring is a valuable tool for individuals seeking to establish their careers in a new country. JVS Toronto offers a range of mentoring services, including online mentoring, group mentoring, and in-person mentoring. These programs have been designed to support and empower skilled newcomers, providing them with the guidance, resources, and confidence they need to succeed in the Canadian labour market.

One of the key highlights of JVS Toronto’s mentoring initiatives is the online pre-arrival mentoring offered through the Canada InfoNet program. This unique service provides skilled immigrants with one-on-one and occupation-specific career support before they even arrive in Canada. With the right guidance and support at the right time, mentees can develop the labour market tools they need and increase their confidence to enter the Canadian labour market.

JVS Toronto has also formed strategic partnerships with various ethno-specific and occupation-specific organizations to offer group mentoring to their members and clients. These collaborations are a testament to JVS Toronto’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and they have proven to be a great success. The organization also works closely with partners like World Education Services, training immigrant-led organizations to offer group mentoring to their communities.

As a community partner of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, JVS Toronto shares the common vision of helping newcomers connect with a mentor. With this partnership, newcomers receive valuable coaching and are able to build upon their international professional experience to secure relevant career opportunities within the Canadian workforce.

In conclusion, JVS Toronto is committed to helping skilled immigrants achieve their career goals in Canada. Over the past 20 years, the organization’s mentoring initiatives have been a critical component in empowering and supporting individuals as they navigate the labour market. Looking forward, JVS Toronto is eager to continue improving and growing its mentoring programs, building upon its past successes and ongoing collaboration with current and future partners.