Employer Committed to Staff

Offers job search assistance

The biggest challenge in finding a new job, especially after a lay-off, is the job-search myth. Let’s face it: people are worried about searching for a job, especially during a recession. However, the fears people have about tend to be largely unfounded.

Cheryl Bakke Martin, President of Inspirations Unlimited, a Calgary-based career counselling and coaching company, completed an outplacement program for employees at Flextronics, an international electronics manufacturer. She was very impressed with Flextronics in its commitment to helping staff through the career-transition process. She says, “Flextronics really had their people’s welfare as their top priority.”

Flextronics is in the process of shutting down its Calgary facility, which employed 370 people. As Martin explains, “People tend to create their own obstacles to finding satisfying jobs, and my job is to shift people’s energy from despair to hope and optimism.” She says the key is to realize what they are good at and what they like to do.

Broaden your beliefs
The first myth to dispel is the narrow view of what people believe they are capable of. Bakke Martin told Flextronics’ employees not to define themselves by what they have done in the past, or to think that their previous work is all they can ever do.

Her goal is to shift workers’ tendency from looking back—thus preventing change—to looking forward at new opportunities and ask the questions: “Where am I? Where do I want to be? What have I never had the opportunity to try? and Can I make that happen now?”

Do not believe everything you hear
The second myth career counsellors are up against is created by the media and perpetuated by peer groups. People should not believe everything they hear. Daily news stories about the recession and lay-offs do not mean that there are no jobs; it all depends on where you look and what you believe.

The departing Flextronics employees were taught how to approach the job market, and how to find out about the opportunities that do not get posted. These largely come down to using existing networks and learning how to find new networks.

Find encouragement and support
The last myth to dispel is that career counselling is only about teaching skills such as resume writing, interviewing, and how to find job opportunities. One of the most important aspects of career counselling is the encouragement and support it provides. “Career counselling does require a little bit of hand-holding and encouragement,” Martin says, “and an important part of this is giving people the confidence they need.”

Article originally published in Your Workplace magazine issue 11-4