WEBINAR COLLECTION

Unlocking the Mystery of Job Search: Define Your Job? 

“What would be a term that reflects your work and how would you define it?” is a question I asked more than 100 career professionals. Research shows that reflecting on your term leads you to revisit your role and truly take ownership of your chosen employment. Many professionals saw it as a challenge and reported having to do some reflection that led them to revisit the work they do. You can watch their responses on my YouTube channel, Hoda’s Career Info. 

Next, I adjusted the question to better suit clients’ needs, “What would be a term that reflects YOU and how would you define it?” Reflecting on the question led them to revisit their daily activities and truly take ownership of how they spend their time and on what. 

In this session, we will work on reflecting on our term, its definition and brainstorm ways to create solutions that increase awareness about the work we do. We will wrap up with a discussion on how to utilize the proposed question to support clients with their job search. Join me and take the strategies and tips that will enable you to support clients to engage in their job search. 

Dr Hoda Kilani CPCC 

Strategic Opportunities for Bridging the University-Employer Divide: Preparing Students To Undertake the University-To-Work Transition 

The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented demand for career support from university students and seen organizations worldwide engaged in a fierce war for diverse early career talent. However, universities and organizations often lack the resources to meet the demands of students. 

Moreover, the students who could benefit from career support the most are least likely to seek it, thus exacerbating pre-existing social mobility challenges. Taken together, this is problematic since access to career guidance is critical to enable students to prepare for the university-to-work transition, and access to career guidance gives students the best chance of a sustainable career. 

Consequently, in this session, we will begin by exploring the role that university career advisors and graduate recruiters can play in preparing students for the university-to-work transition while also considering the benefits to various actors operating within a sustainable career ecosystem. 

Subsequently, we will explore the barriers to and pragmatic strategies for collaboration between universities and employers. The session is based on my recently published book by IGI Global titled, ‘Strategic Opportunities for Bridging the University-Employer Divide”, which draws together academic research conducted by myself and others along with lived experience insights from practitioners. 

Dr. William E. Donald 

Beyond Biases: Guiding Clear Paths in Career Development

Unconscious biases can significantly influence career choices, leading to missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential. In this session, we'll uncover the hidden biases that can impact career development decisions and provide practical strategies for career professionals to support their clients in navigating these hurdles. Through interactive discussions and case studies, we'll explore how recognizing and mitigating unconscious biases can lead to more informed, inclusive, and fulfilling career paths. 

Maria Drueco

The Unconscious Conflicts Triggered by our Client’s Anxiety as Counsellors Engage In Meaningful Work 

During uncertain times, clients may walk into the sessions with their anxiety triggering the practitioners’ own unconscious conflicts.  This trigger can lead us questioning our competencies/experiencing burnout.  We will explore techniques to address those clients who may be paralyzed by anxiety thereby procrastinating career planning, struggling with job search actions, and/or disengaging with career counselling/advising services. 

Sonny Wong

Choppy Waters Ahead: The Macroeconomic Outlook and Implications for the Labour Market 

Canada’s economy continues to face an uncertain and challenging outlook. After an upsurge in inflation following the COVID pandemic, and resulting high interest rates implemented by the Bank of Canada to reduce inflation, economic growth has slowed to a crawl. Households are grappling with the impacts of higher debt service charges, and a significant loss of purchasing power arising from the fact that wages lagged behind prices. Will it take a recession, with resulting high levels of unemployment, to restore inflation back to desired levels? Or are there alternative ways to stabilize prices and preserve employment levels? This presentation will review the domestic and international factors influencing inflation, employment, and household incomes in the months ahead… and the implications for job search and job security for Canadian workers.

Jim Stanford

Curriculum & Practice: Incorporating AI as Career Development Practitioners 

Numerous companies and organizations across the world were shaken by the increasing popularity of AI, often due to the fear of jobs being lost to tools that are believed to replace the human behind the role. Another take concerns the risks behind how data is processed, kept, and possibly used by such tools, which could possibly compromise the user in the long run. It is for these very reasons - and several others - that the use of AI tools have been removed from being an option by many companies, but given the rate things are going, it is crucial to understand how to effectively use AI in the workplace, while keeping abreast of the risks entailed. 

Amid bigger companies embracing a shift to automation and employing smart software to reduce operational costs, nonprofits and similar organizations are still leery of following suit due to the unknowns behind the use of such technology. As a country that consistently sees an influx of highly-skilled immigrants, immigrant serving organizations and community-based agencies are seeing increasing demand for employment services support, which can easily overwhelm service providers following conventional practices. In the course of NPower Canada’s British Columbia operations, we have seen exponential growth in our cohort sizes, and an increasing complexity of needs of participants, which required a pivot of strategies to incorporate the use of automation and AI to manage growing demand.

In our proposed presentation, we will share the experiences of NPower Canada’s British Columbia teams in utilizing AI tools to increase work efficiency, promote client independence, improve morale, and increase competitiveness in the current job market. We shall also briefly present some issues encountered behind the use of AI, and steps taken to address these that could potentially be replicated by other organizations.

Yuri Baral

Yuri has been working in the field of international development and has been working for nonprofits, think tanks, and government agencies for over a decade. As Program Manager for NPower Canada’s Junior Data Analyst program in British Columbia, he works with a dedicated team of technical instructors and career specialists in providing technical and professional development training to multi-barrier participants from across the province. Before joining NPower Canada, Yuri worked in career and settlement services, working closely with immigrants, refugees, and people in precarious situations. In his past life, he launched and managed international youth programs, working with Asia-Pacific youth, as well as serving as a consultant for think tanks in the areas of migration, transnational governance, knowledge production, tech and youth-led development.   

Anastasia Sillick

Who's who in Career Development 

Governments and organizations are racing to find solutions to fill labour market gaps, tackle AI disruption, and adapt to changing economies. Hidden within these issues is the role and impact that Career Development professionals play. Some are anchored deeply in the sector while others shape the workforce without an extensive background or formal training in career development. In this session, we’ll explore Challenge Factory’s examination of the Career Development sector, to answer the question: “who plays a role in shaping career development in Canada and how do we bring their contributions into the spotlight?” 

Lisa Taylor

Thriving as a Dual Career Couple 

Through an online survey and follow-up interviews, a 2005 study identified numerous challenges faced by dual career couples as they juggled successful careers with home and family responsibilities. Results highlighted issues with time (e.g., making space for child-raising responsibilities and household tasks), feeling exhausted/stressed, and balancing careers/priorities, as well as coping strategies to manage such challenges. Recommended interventions centred on dealing with role conflict, relationship strengthening, addressing financial concerns, time management, stress management, and work-life balance. 

With the increasingly complex world of work with less rigid boundaries between life and learning domains and transformational times within many industries (e.g., Gig work, AI, technology), this study was recently extended. With more diverse dual career couples and the added complication of the COVID-19 pandemic as a backdrop, the current study provides a fresh look at dual career challenges. Join the researchers as they share findings and explore important implications for career development practice in our new world of work, life, and learning. 

Deepen your understanding of the career development needs of “dual career couples” and explore the strategies dual career couples use to maximize career engagement and success. Leave better equipped to respond to the unique challenges faced by dual career couples. 

Dr. Roberta Borgen, CCC, CCDP, GCDFi 

Dr Roberta Borgen (Neault), CCC, CCDP, GCDFi is President of Life Strategies Ltd. and co-author of Optimizing Career Engagement: A Guide for Enhancing Careers and Other Life Roles and co-editor of Career Theories and Models at Work: Ideas for Practice and the forthcoming publication Practice Principles: Career Theories and Models at Work. 

An internationally award-winning career development thought leader, Roberta brings more than four decades of extensive experience as an educator, counsellor, and consultant. She was awarded the Visioneers Lifetime Achievement Award (2022) and Etta St. John Wileman Award for Lifetime Achievement in Career Development (2019). Roberta is a voice for the advancement and professionalization of the career development sector, both nationally and internationally. 

Dr. Deirdre Pickerell, CPHR 

Building a Neuroinclusive Workforce 

There are many benefits to creating neuroinclusive workspaces, including improved communication, innovation, and company morale. Yet, neurodivergent Canadians continue to face barriers to employment and career progression. This session will summarize key findings from a study conducted by The Conference Board on behalf of the Future Skills Centre on how to break down these barriers and improve career outcomes for neurodivergent workers.

Relying on insights from a survey of neurodivergent workers/managers of neurodivergent workers, and interviews with neuroinclusive employers, we will discuss what neurodiversity is and why it is 

Dr. Jennifer Fane

Employment Support for Youth with Disabilities: 

A Practical Model 

Many disability-serving employment programs are designed for adults, who have different needs than youth. Youth with disabilities are in a major life transition – they’re exploring themselves, building independence, and learning what it means to establish a life in the community. Learn about a support model that helps service providers serve youth as they pursue employment through this dynamic transition! 

Rebecca Ipe 

As the Research Coordinator, Rebecca engages in research and community collaboration towards the development of the Provincial Employment Strategy for Youth with Disabilities. She obtained her PhD in Education at the University of Glasgow. Her research interests include community-based school governance, international development, humanitarian aid, and the lived schooling experiences of marginalised populations in rural south India. 

Emily Flegel

As Project Analyst, Emily synthesizes and presents project data and supports the team to translate key insights into project materials. She has her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and is a passionate advocate for mental wellness. 

Nurturing the Nurturers: The Importance of Self-Care for Frontline Career Practitioners 

In the fast-paced world of career guidance, where we dedicate ourselves to helping others navigate their professional journeys, the concept of self-care often takes a back seat. This presentation delves into the vital importance of self-care for frontline career practitioners and offers insights into cultivating a sustainable and fulfilling career.

Frontline Career Practitioners play a pivotal role in shaping individuals' futures, yet their own well-being is often neglected. This session brings to light the challenges these professionals face, from emotional labour and burnout to the overwhelming demands of the job. With a focus on holistic well-being, we will explore practical strategies to prioritize self-care without compromising the quality of service provided.

Attendees will discover the symbiotic relationship between effective client support and the practitioner's own self-care routine. From setting healthy boundaries and managing compassion fatigue to embracing mindfulness and work-life balance, this presentation equips participants with actionable techniques to enhance their professional resilience.

As a seasoned career practitioner, certified work-life balance consultant, certified career strategist with over 17 years of experience in the health, fitness and well-being industry, and a yoga and meditation teacher. I intimately understand the unique pressures faced in the industry. 

Join us to learn how to not only survive but thrive in this rewarding yet demanding role. By investing in our own self-care, we empower ourselves to continue positively impacting the lives of those we guide toward meaningful careers. It's time to nurture the nurturers and make self-care an integral part of the frontline career practitioner's journey. 

Lama Shaath