Community Employment Resource Centre
What’s inside?
·
Make
Sure Goals Really Do Serve You
·
Web
Site Highlight: Jobboom.com
·
Two
New Newsletters for the CERC Client
·
And
the Winners are …
·
Quote
of the Month
·
About
CERC: Your Job Search Connection
Make
Sure Goals Really Do Serve You
Career Intelligence by Barbara Moses
Globe & Mail, October 15, 2004
Barbara Moses, in a recent
article in the Globe & Mail, discusses the whole idea of goal setting. She notes that while some people thrive on
making goals and then checking them off, giving them great satisfaction, other
people have “vision” and don’t seem to be slaves to their goals and don’t feel
like failures when they don’t make all the “checks” at the end of the day.
Barbara writes, “So what’s the
matter with goals? John Lennon once
observed that life is what happens when you’re making other plans. When we become driven exclusively by our
goals, we lose sight of what else is important. The goal becomes the commodity to be chased at all costs. While it’s true that you can’t get there if
you don’t know where you are going, you may find that you arrive somewhere you
really don’t want to be. For goals to
be helpful, they must be dynamic, lively and mouldable. Otherwise they are relified markers that
dominate and interfere with our ability to experience our experience. Do you see yourself as being on a journey,
open to new experiences and opportunities, or are you on a fixed path to a
predetermined destination?”
So Barbara’s goal for you? “Make sure your goals serve you, rather than
the other way around.”
Make
your goals work for you
If you do set goals, instead of
measuring them exclusively against the traditional markers – specific,
time-framed, measurable, realistic and achievable – consider weighing them
against the following:
²
Is your goal dynamic, as opposed
to being set in stone? Is it
flexible? Is it open to changing life
circumstances?
²
Does your goal reflect your most
important needs and desires now (as opposed to reflecting external definitions
of success or earlier career desires)?
²
Will you experience pride and
personal satisfaction when you have achieved your goals?
²
How will you feel if you don’t
pursue this goal? Will you be
disappointed in yourself or regretful of opportunities missed?
²
Goal or vision? Many people find
the idea of a goal somehow diminishing when they think of their life’s
purpose. If so, try the word “vision”
instead.
²
Big or small? Career or personal? Many people experience significant
rejuvenation and satisfaction from making small changes in their life, such as
jogging twice a week or learning a new language. Your goal doesn’t have to involve doing something cataclysmic to
produce a significant outcome.
²
A state or specific target? Consider the difference between “I will be
living and working abroad some time over the next few years and will now focus
my energies on ensuring I have the necessary skills and contacts” as opposed to
“By September 2005, I will be working in Paris as a …”
²
Can your goal withstand
failure? If you don’t achieve it, will
you beat yourself up or look at opportunities it liberated?
²
Have you thought about how and
why your goal will contribute to your overall life satisfaction?
²
Will pursuing this goal conflict
with other important goals? For
example, you may want to do an executive MBA but also spend more time with your
family. Which is most important and
will contribute to your greatest sense of well-being? How will you feel about giving up one goal in favour of another?
Barbara Moses, PhD, is an
organizational career management consultant, speaker and author of What
Next: The Complete Guide to Taking
Control of Your Working Life.
You can find this book at Cobourg CERC – check it
out!
Web
Site Highlight: Jobboom.com
Jobboom.com is a
terrific site for the job seeker. When
you click on Career Management, one of the first things you notice is the Top
100 Internet Sites for Learning and Employment November 2003 – November 2004
(it is likely this will be updated at the end of this month). “This 2003/2004 directory of the best
employment and training sites on the Internet today is the product of an
original initiative designed to help Canadians – particularly young Canadians –
choose and manage their careers. It is
also intended to help them familiarize themselves with the Internet and the
thousands upon thousands of resources it contains.
The directory was
produced by Jobboom in collaboration with Human Resources Development Canada
(HRDC).”
Jobboom says
“choosing and managing your career are complicated and frightening tasks. Poor professional choices can lead to
negative consequences in your life.
That’s why you need to make well-informed decisions when choosing a
direction or changing your career plan.
Fortunately, the Internet is a fantastic resource for anyone looking for
answers to questions about the future of their career.
This directory
offers access free of charge to wide-ranging and detailed information about
employment and training. Whether you
are looking for a job, some training, a new career, opportunities abroad, tools
to start your own business or other information to make your professional life
easier, this directory will lead you to an exceptionally large pool of quality
resources at the click of your mouse.”
Jobboom has chosen
the web sites they list because they:
²
Reach a wide
audience;
²
Offer information
free of charge to users;
²
Provide current,
complete, and authoritative information; and
²
Are well-organized
and easy to use
Another great thing
about this site is the key menu categories the reader is given to choose from:
1.
I need an education
or training
2.
I need to choose a
career
3.
I need to look for a
job
4.
I need experience
5.
What is the job
market like?
6.
I want to work for
myself
7.
How can I work or
study abroad?
8.
Where can I find
more about targeted services and programs?
A comprehensive web
site with lots of helpful resources – check it out!
Two
New Newsletters for the CERC Client
CERC is pleased to announce the
creation of two new specialized newsletters for the CERC client: The Mature Women’s Chronicle and The Youth
Newsletter.
The Mature Women’s Chronicle is written for female clients
over the age of 40. It will cover such
issues as emotional and physical well-being as they relate to being a mature
job seeker
We’re excited to be able to provide our
clients with a Youth Newsletter. This newsletter is geared towards job seekers
in the age group of 16 – 29. The focus of the newsletter is to inform the
reader of the various possibilities in career choices, job searching skills and
techniques and plenty of other items that are just for youth!
Both newsletters are available
at the CERC offices or you can receive them at home. Please contact the CERC staff for more information or to have
your name added to the mailing list.
And
the Winners are…
The
winners of our wellness packages are:
Debra
Kabral and Jodi Ehret
of Cobourg
Doreen Nicholson
of Port Hope
Congratulations to our winners!
Next
Wellness draws:
November 12th and 26th
Quote of the Month
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”.
~ Mahatma
Gandi
About
CERC: Your Job Search Connection
Hours
Monday:
9am – 6pm (every third Monday of
the month, we have a staff meeting – the Port Hope office will close at 4pm on
these days, but the Cobourg office will be open until 6pm)
Tuesday: 9am – 5pm
Wednesday: 9am – 5pm
Thursday:
9am – 5pm
Friday:
9am – 4pm
Email
Web Site
Locations
Port Hope: 33
Walton Street (Corner of Walton and Queen Street)
Telephone: 905-885-2372
Fax:
905-885-5706
Cobourg:
1005 Elgin Street (Fleming Building)
Telephone: 905-372-9372
Fax:
905-372-5247