The Power of Focus

Disgust and Resolve are two of the greatest emotions that lead to change.
-Jim Rohn

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Other resources:
The Power of Focus for Women

The Power of Focus for College Students

The Power of Focus
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Personal and Career Development - Summer 2014


  • Review and Notes: 
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  •  FACTSnet


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  • Canada 150 Networked Projects (Christine Aboriginal)
  • FACTSnet Heritage
  • Management and Francophone Heritage Summer Network Developer (Legal Alberta)

  • FACTSnet Summer Working Blog 

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    Portfolios and Resumes

    Introduction: Today, I want to give you some tools that you can use in locating your career position.
    1. Networking: I have enclosed an article on getting work out of your Network
      1. Networking is an organized way of asking people you know for information and to connect you with the people they know. It lets you form a "net" of personal contacts who can provide support and information about careers and job opportunities. (source: pg. 17 Work Search Basics - ALIS)
      2. Networking Online:
        1. E-mail: contact who you know
        2. Professional Networking sites: LinkedIn
        3. Social Networking Sites: Facebook
        4. Blogs and discussion groups in your field
        5. Your own blog, website, or Twitter account (source: Work Search Basics, pg. 17 - ALIS)
      3. Some basic guidelines to get you started offline are:
        1. Introduce yourself
        2. Ask questions
        3. Maintain eye contact
        4. Avoid empty compliments and insincerity
        5.  Smile and be yourself
        6. Look for something remarkable in every person you talk to (source: Networking Advice Article, Fall 2013, pg. 16)
    2. Building your portfolio: A portfolio is used to show the quality and style of  your work. If you are in the Arts field, employers have come to expect samples of your work (eg. writers will show an article that they've written and received publication)
      • It is wise to start building your portfolio in Junior High School and keep building on it. However, start where you are at and move forward. Some examples you may want to include in your portfolio:
        • Projects you completed on your own or with others (eg. school assignment work reports, or volunteer activities)
        •  Documents from previous jobs (eg. record of employment, job performance evaluations, letters of recommendation or letters of reference)
        • Thank you cards from people who appreciated something you did (source: Work Search Basics, pg. 48 - ALIS) 
    3. Resumes: From your portfolio flows your resume, so let's look at what is required in the resume and some types of resumes. A resume serves as an introduction to your journey through life -- your life story. 
      • Information to Include in the Resume:
        • Name, contact information, mailing address, etc
        • Objective
        • Education and training
        • Work history or experience
        • Skills
        • Languages
        • Awards and honours
        • School projects (source: Work Search Basics, pg. 23 - ALIS)
      •  Resume Types:
        1. Chronological: lists your work, education and training history in chronological order from most recent to oldest
        2. Functional: this highlights your skills and capabilities, not work history. It organizes information about things you have done (on the job, at school, as a volunteer) in skill categories that are directly related to the requirements of the work you want
        3. Combination: this highlights your skills by organizing in skill categories, then briefly outlines your work history near the end of the resume. (source: Work Search Basics, pg. 28 - ALIS)
      • Key: Employers want competency  based resumes for the job, not objective profiles.
    Conclusion: I would like to conclude this session with an article which I trust will assist you in moving forward in your endeavors  to employment.
    Source: JOBPOSTINGS.CA, Fall 2013, pg 9

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    Emotional and Mental Health (From Bags to Flags)

    Introduction: Before we begin, I would recommend that you read The Breakthrough Solution by Dr. Grant Mullen. This will give you some idea of the emotional baggage we bring to our workplace. He has also written the book Healthy Moods, which is a guide to the recognition and treatment of mood disorders. If you go on Dr. Grant Mullen's website, you will find other resources and a quick check to find out if you may have a mood disorder.

    Emotional Health: What do you think is a big cause in the workplace regarding your emotional health? Stress- Let's talk about stress and how it affects our emotional and mental health.
    "What is stress? Emotional stress, as we've come to know it, is a natural and inevitable occurrence that involves change and usually some element of fear or concern. . . . [S]tress is experienced differently by different people . . . For example, rapid technological changes in the workplace can create excitement and interest for some while others feel frustrated and anxious at the thought of having to learn a new way of doing things . . . No one is immune to stress. If you're alive, you experience stress."
    (Source: Career Connections, Fall 2013; CAPS; University of Alberta pg. 8)

    Workplace Induced Stress: When you engage in your career, you will need to know what causes your stress and how you can minimize those factors in your work. The workplace is the most likely place to cause you the most stress. According to MayoClinic, "Job stress can affect y our professional and personal relationships, your livelihood, and your health."

    MIND, the leading mental health charity in England and Wales, recently announced "work is the most stressful factor in people's lives". They also found that:
    • One in three people said their work life was either very or quite stressful, more so than debt or financial problems (30 per cent) or health (17 per cent)
    • Workplace stress resulted in seven percent (rising to 10 per cent amongst 18 to 24 year olds) having suicidal thoughts and one in five (18 per cent) developing anxiety
    • Stress has often caused people to resort to alcohol and drugs to cope
    • one in five (19 per cent) took a day off sick because of stress but 90 per cent of those cited a different reason for their absence
    • One in 10 (nine per cent) have resigned from a job due to stress and one in four (25 per cent) have considered resigning due to work pressure (source: Career Connections Fall, 2013, CAPS; University of Alberta pg. 8)
    Four Common Causes of Career Stress (source: Career Connections Fall, 2013, CAPS; University of Alberta pg. 11):
    1. Career Indecision - Not knowing who you are and what you were created to do on planet earth, can be a great stressor, as you will flounder from job to job; degree to degree not knowing for sure where you are going in life.
    2. Expectations or Others - Often our families or loved ones have our best interest at heart, when we decide to enter into a career directions. Often the pressure and stress to live out our parent's dreams hinders you to discover what you're maybe interested in pursuing. Honour your parents but your self-determination and passion will lead you to the right career path.
    3. Dysfunctional Career Beliefs - These are thoughts and assumptions we carry about ourselves and the kind of career we want to enter. Eg. Don't complete high school and go to Fort McMurray to work where the money is great but your social support network may be different. Often the result is returning to school at a later date.
    4. Isolation: Lack of a Support Network - Wherever your career path may lead you, it is important to value the building and maintaining positive connections along the way. 
    Let us now look at Emotional Health.

    Emotional Health: As human beings, we consist of three parts:
    • Body - the physical nature, the part that relates to the natural or seen world.
      • Needs regular exercise, sleep, and a nutritious diet.
    • Spirit - the eternal part of man. The true inner unseen self that is in us at conception.
      • Our natural intuitions placed in us at birth that gives us purpose.
    • Soul - the personality which includes the mind, will and emotions (Emotionally Free by Dr Mullen, pg. 13)
      • Includes mind (intellect) will, and emotions. What we feed our minds with will be expressed in our will and emotions.

    All are interwoven together to make you become you.
     All three parts affect our stress levels. If we have received hurts or traumas in our life - and we all have experienced them as we go through life - this will affect our workplace performances.

    Let's conclude the Emotional Health issue with this quote from the PBS site - Emotional Life: Ten factors that lead to resilience:
    1. Close relationships with family and friends
    2. A positive view of yourself and confidence in your strengths and abilities
    3. The ability to manage strong feelings and impulses
    4. Good problem-solving and communication skills
    5. Feeling in control
    6. Seeking help and resources
    7. Seeing yourself as resilient (rather than as a victim)
    8. Coping with stress in healthy ways and avoiding harmful coping strategies, such as substance abuse
    9. Helping others
    10. Finding positive meaning in your life despite difficult or traumatic events. (Source: Career Connections, Fall 2013; CAPS; University of Alberta pg. 10)
    In closing, let's look at Mental Health and how we can become pro-active in this area especially as we deal with ourselves and perhaps assist others in recognizing what may be happening in their lives.

    Resources Related to Mental Health:
    Source:
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    Workability 2014

    The information that is in the Workability Presentation as well as the Workability assignments were taken from the Workability Booklet.
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    Coping with an Emotional Crisis

    A crisis occurs when it overwhelms one's ability to cope. It can be triggered by anything such as death in the family, a violent crime, sexual assault, losing a friend, etc. Typical responses to a crisis are:
    Emotional:
    - Depression
    - Fear
    - Anxiety
    - Hopelessness or helplessness

    Cognitive:
    - Difficulties concentrating
    - Memory problems
    -Self-doubt
    - Flashbacks of event

    Physical:
    - Stomach issues (eg nausea)
    - Headaches
    - Muscle tension

    Behavioral:
    - Social withdrawal or isolation
    - Sleep disturbance
    - Increased use of alcohol or drugs

    Not all of the symptoms above have to be present to be considered as a crisis, though having a few from each category are expected. Here are some methods to cope with a crisis:
    1. Talk to someone about it
    2. Write your thoughts and feelings out
    3. Allow yourself emotional release
    4. Continue to care for yourself (sleep, healthy diet, exercise, fun activities)
    5. Step away and give yourself time to heal
    6. Set goals for yourself
    7. Use humor

    If you have any suicidal thoughts and/or intents, please take them seriously and utilize the resources below:
     1. Emergency: if you're in immediate danger of committing suicide, please head to the Emergency Department at the University of Alberta Hospital or any other emergency ward. It will take some time, but your safety will be guaranteed.

    2. 24-Hour Distress Line: If you're feeling suicidal and need someone to talk to, you can call the Distress Line at (780) 482-HELP (4357). Trained staff are available 24/7 to offer you support and referrals to professionals.

    - - -

    Resource: Student Guide To Coping With Emotional Crisis by Kim Maertz, PH.D., R. Psych.
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    Per. Dev. 2013

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