Blog Archives

COVID-19 - I am here to help

3/20/2020

I have received a few enquiries on publishing an article related to COVID-19 (AKA the Corona Virus). At first I thought I absolutely would come out with something. I have lived and worked through SARS and H1N1 outbreaks as well as the September 11th terrorist attacks.

This current and on-going global crisis has a lot of attention being paid. The further I meditated on it the more I felt there were enough voices, prognosticators and subject matter experts weighing in. Instead, I started to think about what I could offer instead that could have value for people.

Part of my consultancy business is career coaching and resume development. As I hear every few minutes, more and more people are finding themselves unemployed via furlough, cancellation of contracts or companies ceasing operations.

As my contribution to this crisis I will provide FREE career coaching and resume writing/development services to anyone adversely effected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are three posts that provide self assistance regarding resumes that can be found here;

Difference between CV & Resume

resume writing - job applicant

resume writing - hiring manager

If you are looking for direct assistance or would like for me to proof read, provide feedback or write your resume for you please submit your request using the contact me function here;

contact me

Like disasters and most adversity we face in our lives, this too shall pass. For those of you worrying about your job situation, I am here to help. If you are looking for specific information or updates on the current state of health and protocol I have provided the following links below;

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION PROTOCOLS

CANADA PROTOCOLS

Stay safe, stay healthy and reach out to let me know how I can help you.

All the best,

4 Comments

When employee satisfaction ideas fail

3/17/2020

5 Comments

As I mentioned in a previous article, an HR professional can choose to take a positive approach to their work as a business partner, support and coach or a negative approach such as traffic cop style management.

It should be no surprise then, that the ones who take a positive approach often pay close attention to employee satisfaction, not just the running results but also new ideas or initiatives that could enhance overall employee satisfaction. I have participated in employee BBQ’s, holiday gift giving, raffles, lunch and learns to name a few. Often times, the best ideas come from others, especially those outside of HR.

One such idea came to me a couple years ago, coincidentally the current rampant hoarding of toilet paper in North America reminded me of this example, well intentioned as an initiative yet destined to fail. A senior manager from a guest department approached me with an idea he put in place at a previous work location. He thought it was brilliant! For context, on ships, employees work and live onboard. The majority of whom are responsible to clean and maintain their assigned cabin, this includes retrieving fresh bed linens, towels and toilet paper from a central crew pick up location near the ships main laundry facility.

5 Comments

Why do I keep a full candy dish on my desk?

3/17/2020

2 Comments

In the fall term of grade 9 I was sitting in weekly homeroom or as we call it in British Columbia (CAPP or Career and Personal Planning). A once a week 1.5 hour session intended to prepare us teenagers for adult life. I sat there with my classmates as they passed around a massive booklet which appeared to be a multiple choice test (ugh!).

We were soon briefed however that this was a future career profile that, when completed should be able to guide us towards industries or career fields best suited us. While I was completing mine, a teacher passed by and asked me, “so! What are you hoping to be after school?”. I instantly knew my answer “Pilot or Eye Doctor!”. The teacher looked at me as if I was a sad puppy and she said without pause, “oh sweetie, you have to be really good at math for both of those…” (I later learned she was wrong but that is a different story).

In the end, my results indicated I should be an Environmental Technologist or Teacher. I was a bit bummed. My third highest rated career field was Human Resources. I will be honest, to see “HR” there caused my stomach to turn. Why? The field of Human Resources had been vilified to me by so many people within my life. My father, a successful entrepreneur often spoke very negatively about HR people. A close member of my family was an HR professional and she often “celebrated” terminating people and none of her “war stories” were ever positive. So if you told 15 year old me that I would one day end up becoming an HR professional, my answer would have been “HECK NO!”.

2 Comments

COVID-19 - I am here to help

When employee satisfaction ideas fail

Why do I keep a full candy dish on my desk?

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