Managing Your Career

What will life after the pandemic look like?

The world is in the grip of COVID-19. In Canada, like in numerous countries around the world, people are being encouraged to practice social distancing, as well as to self-quarantine if they’ve been i

How to become a more efficient remote employee

Amazon®, Apple®, Microsoft® and Google®. These are just some of the companies instructing their employees to work remotely until further notice. Thousands of other businesses across the country have d

5 Things Engineers Want Employers to Know

If you’re a manager, you’re most likely a people person. You have great communication skills, you feel empathy with your employees, and you excel at getting the best out of your team members — regardl

10 Skills From Your Previous Career That'll Help You Transition Into Tech

Congratulations — you’ve decided to transition into tech!  That’s a smart move, considering technology is currently one of Canada’s fastest growing industries. According to The Computing Technology In

How to Prepare for Video Interviews

How would you like to do a job interview from the comfort of your own home? Just think about it: No more hoping your clothes don’t wrinkle too badly on your way to the office. No more sitting nervousl

Job hunting during spring break

A lot of college seniors fly to the sun for a fun-filled vacation during spring break, so if you’re staying home, you might be feeling left out. But the truth is that staying home gives you an advanta

What other techniques can you use in your job search to get noticed?

Everyone dreams of an ideal job — one you’re excited to go to every morning, that challenges you and where you have great co-workers. But actually, finding that dream job can be harder than you think.

Getting a job out of college

If you’re set to graduate this summer, you’re probably thinking ahead to your first real job. And that’s a good thing, because according to Annie Nova in her CNBC article “Why your first job out of co

Checklist - Are you at the end of your rope?

You’re good at what you do, and you always go the extra mile in your job. But sometimes, it seems that no matter how hard you work, you’re not making any progress.  Common frustrations It’s important

Keeping your career resolutions after January

If you made a list of career resolutions for the new year, you’re not alone. Around the world, millions of people decided to earn more, find their dream job, get a promotion or expand their network in

Groundhog Day - Are you stuck in the wrong job?

The 1993 comedy “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray as Phil Connors, told the story of a jaded weatherman who finds himself living the same day over and over again. The only way he can escape the ne

Finding a job you can fall in love with

According to Georgene Huang in her Forbes article “Most Employees Don’t Hate Their Jobs,” the majority of employees aren’t engaged at work. But when you think about it, you spend around 40 hours a wee

Temp work offers these permanent benefits

Most workers who are in the market for a new job are looking for a permanent position. But did you know that temporary work offers several permanent benefits — especially if you’re at the beginning of

Own your mistakes

We all make mistakes now and then. Sometimes it’s a relatively small mistake, like a couple of typos in a report. Other times it’s a larger mistake, such as losing an important client. Yet while it’s

Five résumé tips for job hoppers

People used to work at the same company for their entire careers. Nowadays, however, most of us make multiple career moves. Whether it’s a transition to a different focus area, a step up to a more sen

Always acknowledge people who help you

Most of us accept help from others at some point during our careers. Maybe a friend gives you an in at your dream company or perhaps a colleague shows you how to use a new app you need for work. Regar

What You Need to Know About LinkedIn Skill Assessments

During a job search, wouldn’t it be great to have a way to prove your proficiency in a specific skill to hiring managers? Well, now there is. On September 17, LinkedIn launched its new Skill Assessmen

Leverage Microbreaks To Your Advantage

Are you looking for a way to boost your productivity at work? Perhaps you should try taking microbreaks.  What are microbreaks? According to Bryan Lufkin in his BBC Worklife 101 article “Microbreaks,”

How to Ramp Up Your Digital Skills

It’s no secret that artificial intelligence and robotics are poised to transform the world of work. Within the next decade, more and more of us will be working alongside computers. That’s why it’s adv

Keeping Track of Your Job Applications

Looking for a new job takes time, patience, and perseverance. Vicki Salemi reports in her Monster article titled “How long does it really take to get a job?” that on average, it takes applicants five

What to Do If You’re Passed Over for a Promotion

Are your co-workers being promoted while you’re stuck in the same position? Or have you been in the same position for more than three years without your supervisor ever bringing up the subject of adva

Leverage a Mid-Career Internship

We’ve all heard of an internship — but what’s a minternship?  Well, if you’re dissatisfied with your career path and you want to change directions, a minternship might be just what you need. Minternsh

Checklist for the Remote Worker

According to Benefits Canada, 47% of Canadian employees worked remotely in 2017. Many well-known companies, such as SAP, Salesforce, Cisco, Amazon, and Kelly, offer remote jobs! If you’re fortunate en

Why You Should Always Be Early for Work

Do you always run late in the mornings? Do you find it challenging to get to your desk without being the last one in the office? Being late can hurt your career If you’ve answered “Yes!” to either of

Leverage Setbacks to Advance Your Career

Have you ever felt like things just weren’t going your way? That even though you did your best during an interview or worked hard on a project, you didn’t get the desired results? If you’ve answered “

How to Answer 6 Common Interview Questions

The days leading up to an important job interview can be exciting — but also a bit nerve wracking. The hiring manager has already seen your résumé and is aware of your qualifications and experience, s

Enhance Your Chances of Getting an Interview

In general, a job opening attracts between 200 and 300 applications. At most, six of these candidates will be selected for an interview, and eventually, only one person will be hired.  Clearly, when y

What Do You Want to Achieve During Your Internship?

Starting an internship is an exciting opportunity — finally, you’ve made it through school and are about to set the first steps in the professional world! That said, your internship is an important ti

Tips for Asking for A Pay Raise

You’ve been in your current position for more than a year, you’ve consistently taken on more responsibility — and you’ve done well. So, isn’t it time you got a pay raise? However, talking to your supe

How to Know If You'll Get Along with a New Boss

Starting a new job can be intimidating — but if you don’t get along with your new boss, it can be downright unpleasant. That’s why it’s advisable to assess the hiring manager during the application pr

Five Tips for Making the Most of a Business Conference

Do you like to travel and meet new people? Then chances are that you’ll enjoy business conferences. However, these types of events are about more than just having a good time — they can help you advan

Not Taking a Vacation? Tips for Recharging

Maybe you’re saving your money for a new car, or perhaps you’re going on a ski vacation later this year. Whatever the reason, if you’re not taking time off over the summer, it’s still advisable to tak

Tips for Successful Video Conferencing

Many professionals still believe that face-to-face meetings are the most effective way of doing business. However, thanks to advancements in technology and faster Internet speeds, video conferencing —

Tips for stay-at-home parents re-entering the workforce

Have you spent the past few years at home as a fulltime parent? And now that your children are at school all day, are you excited to get back to work again? Re-entering the workforce after raising you

Leverage your vacation time to benefit your career

Do you have well-developed leadership skills? Are you creative? Are you accustomed to working with people from other cultures and backgrounds? Today’s employers want candidates who have more than just

How to make the most of your internship

Summer’s almost here and if you have an internship lined up, you’re about to take your first steps on the career path of your choice. These three months can be critical to getting your professional li

Do you hate networking? These tips can help

Not everyone enjoys networking. If you’re shy or introverted, it can be a nightmare. But the truth is that since people we don’t know usually move in different circles from ourselves, they’re integral

What to Do If You and Your Supervisor Don't Get Along

When you met your supervisor during the hiring process, everything went well — and you landed the job. But now, months later, it’s becoming increasingly clear that your personalities clash. Perhaps yo

Diversity: How to Determine If a Company Truly Values It

Do you strongly value a diverse workplace — one where teams consist of employees of different genders, ages, ethnicities, religions, and backgrounds? If you’ve answered, “Yes!” to this question, you’r

Boost Your Brainpower and Reduce Your Stress

Do you want to improve your focus and decrease your stress levels? Then ask yourself how many hours per day you spend using your smartphone to check your messages, browse the Internet, or post to soci

Tips for Working on a Cross-Functional Team

Cross-functional teams — maybe you’ve read the term in a job application, or perhaps you’ve heard your colleagues use it around the office. Either way, if you’re an accomplished professional, chances

How to Prove You Possess Job Skills If You Don't Have a Degree

Employers are always looking for talent with hands-on experience — yet in most cases, they still want you to have a degree that proves your qualifications. But what if you’re self-taught? Or what if y

How to Ask for a Reference

You want to apply for a new job. Your résumé is up to date, you’ve written a good cover letter, and now all you need is a list of references. So how do you go about asking people to be a reference for

Better Time Management Can Improve Your Productivity

Do you often struggle to finish all of your tasks before the end of the workday? Do you continuously spend more time on certain projects than you’d originally budgeted? Or do you sometimes rush throug

Why all Feedback is a Learning Opportunity

Maybe your supervisor thought you did a great job on your latest project — or maybe you missed the ball. In both situations, it’s wise to politely ask for feedback and use it as a learning opportunity

Leverage Temp Jobs or Contract Work to Advance Your Career

If there’s one thing employers are always looking for, it’s candidates with sharp skills and hands-on experience. But if you’re just out of school and you find yourself unable to land a permanent job,

How Being Fluent in a Computer Language Can Boost Your Employability

Do you know how to code? If not, you might want to learn sooner rather than later. Here’s why. Employers want candidates with computer skills According to the McKinsey Global Institute, the time we sp

Five Mistakes to Avoid in Your Cover Letter

Do you break out into a cold sweat when it’s time to write a cover letter? Are you uncertain about what to include — and what to leave out? Do you sometimes wonder if you should include a cover letter

What to do If You're Having Problems with a Colleague

Maybe you have a coworker who shoots down all your ideas, or perhaps a colleague always sings along loudly when listening to music through his or her earbuds. Whatever the reason, if you’re having pro

How to Determine Your Salary Requirement

Have you ever filled out a job application that asked for your salary history and salary requirement? Or has a hiring manager ever asked you how much you expect to earn during a job interview? In both

Five Ways to Bring More Positivity into Your Workday

Do you sometimes struggle to put a smile on your face at work? Are you occasionally bored with your job? Or do you get overwhelmed by your workload now and then? Even the most motivated of us sometime

Tips for Fitting in at Your New Job

Congratulations — you’ve landed that job you wanted! Now it’s your first day, so you want to make a good impression on your co-workers and fit into the company culture as quickly as possible. Company

No Career Direction? Get on Track with These Four Tips!

Are you bored or frustrated with the tasks you do every day in your job? Are you continuously looking for information about other professions to see if they might be a better match for your skills and

How to Manage a Career Setback

Setbacks and even failures are a part of life. Perhaps you got laid off when your company needed to downsize, or maybe you were fired after a project you worked on failed to meet its objectives. Whate

How to Be a Good Employee - And How it can Enhance your Career

Do you want to enhance your career? Then one of the first things you need to focus on is becoming a good employee. According to Lea McLeod, M.A. in her article “7 Ways to Become Your Boss’ Dream Emplo

Take Stock of Your Career in 2018 to Advance in 2019

With shorter days and longer nights, the end of the year is the perfect time for reflection — so why not spend some time taking stock of your career? It can help clarify whether you’re happy with your

How to De-Stress Your Commute

Although more people are working remotely, for people who work onsite, commutes are getting longer. According to Canada.com article “Commuter Stress,” the total commute to and from work for the averag

Do's and Don'ts for Celebrating the Holiday Season at Work

It’s that time of year when families and friends gather to celebrate the holidays. But in our multicultural society where teams are comprised of people from a range of backgrounds and religions, how d

Commonly Used Business Software Programs - And How to Master Them

Do you know how to design and distribute electronic forms? Or share a spreadsheet that’s updated in real time? Or organize files centrally while at the same time tracking who accesses them?  As an ent

What to do When Personal Issues are Affecting Your Performance

Maybe you’ve just broken up with your boyfriend or girlfriend of three years. Perhaps you’ve been diagnosed with a serious health condition. Or possibly your son or daughter is being bullied at school

Tips for Connecting with Colleagues if You're a Remote Worker

There are many perks to being a remote worker. You don’t have to spend hours in traffic each week, you can listen to your favorite music while working, and you can even swap your business casual attir

Don't Get Stuck in Middle Management - Advance to the Executive Level

After years of working successfully in middle management, you feel ready to take on the next challenge: Advancing to the C-suite. However, getting there is easier said than done. So what actions do yo

Why Volunteer Work is Good for You

Are you thinking about lending a helping hand at the local animal shelter or soup kitchen? Then here’s the good news: Volunteering doesn’t just help the cause you’re supporting — it’s also good for yo

What Type of Workplace Culture is Right for You?

Imagine this: You turn up for your first day at your new job, only to find that your casual attire doesn’t blend in with your colleagues’ expensive suits, your clear backpack is a far cry from everyon

What are Transferable Skills, and Why Do They Matter?

No matter what job you do, there are certain skills every professional needs to succeed in the workplace. First, you need occupation-specific skills, such as Adobe Photoshop if you’re a designer or th

Seven Tips for Choosing a New Career Path

Are you stuck in a career that you’re not passionate about?  If so, you’re not alone. Most of us choose a career based on interests that we develop during our teens or early twenties. And since our in

Considerations for a Greener Commute

You’ve been hearing about it for years: Leaving your car at home and instead, taking public transportation to work — or even walking or cycling — will help you reduce your carbon footprint. But what s

Four Tips for Recharging at Work

Do you always find yourself lagging during a mid-afternoon slump? Or do you lose focus after having worked on a specific project for more than a few hours? Whatever the reason, if your energy levels d

Five Resources for Finding a Job in a New City

There can be many reasons you want to move to a new city. Perhaps you’ve just graduated, and you want to start your professional life in a new environment. Maybe you’ve decided to move because your si

What to Do If You’re Dissatisfied with Your Career

Do you dread the alarm clock going off each morning? Do you find yourself walking slower and slower the closer you get to the office? Or have you been contemplating a radical career change, for exampl

Quiz: What's Your Work Style?

Do you always like to have everything neatly planned out? Or do you follow your intuition and look for improvements wherever possible? Or are you always focused on getting to the end goal? Knowing you

Six Effective Networking Icebreakers

Networking is a part of your career — but how do you start a conversation with someone you’ve never met before? Here are some icebreakers that are guaranteed to help you start an engaging discussion:

Practical Tips for Gaining More Confidence

The thought of leading a project makes your stomach sink. You dread having to speak in front of your colleagues. And you regularly second-guess yourself when it comes to the quality of your work. If a

The Benefits of Working with a Career Coach

Are you an aspirational manager? Then you might benefit from working with a career coach. According to the Forbes article “10 Things You Should Know About Career Coaching” by Demetrius Cheeks, a caree

How to Ask Someone to be Your Mentor

If you’re serious about your career, you’ve probably heard a lot about the value of having a good mentor — someone who can support you and teach you so you can grow in the direction you want. But if y

Why Having Fun at Work is Important

For a lot of people, “fun” isn’t the first word that springs to mind when they think of work. Yet there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be — especially when you consider the many benefits of fun in the w

How to Ramp Up Your Productivity After a Vacation

Are you going back to the office after a nice, relaxing vacation? If so, you might still be excited about all the fun things you did and the interesting places you visited. But instead of dreaming abo

Quiz: Are You a Focused Worker?

Do you get distracted by everything around you? Do you habitually do more than one thing at a time? Or do you find it easy to get into “the zone” where you can concentrate fully on what you’re doing?

Five Tips for Staying Alert When Working Late

Maybe you’re racing to finish a quarterly report before your deadline tomorrow morning. Perhaps you’re working on a challenging project that requires you to work longer hours than normal. Or maybe you

Finger, Hand and Wrist Exercises for Office Workers

Working long hours at the computer every day can place serious strain on your fingers, hands and wrists. Overuse and strain can lead to all sorts of aches and pains that can impact your functioning at

Want To Be More Productive? Go Outside!

Do you want to be more productive at work? Then here’s some good news: Simply spending more time in natural daylight could give your performance and productivity a boost.   Exposure to natural light m

How to Finally Stop Being Late

Let’s face it: When you’re known for your tardiness at work, you’ve got a problem. To be taken seriously as a professional, you simply can’t keep coming into the office at 9:10 every morning or missin

Career Advancement Checklist

If you’re serious about advancing your career, there are certain things you need to consistently do to keep moving forward. The following checklist will help:  Create a career map and review it regula

Two Wellness Checklists for Daily Computer Users

Do you know how to position your computer monitor to help prevent eye strain? Do you know how to set up your workstation to reduce strain on your body? Do you know how often sedentary workers should t

Help Your Career: Keep a Success Diary

We’ve all heard the old saying, “Learn from your mistakes.” In fact, there are numerous articles and blog posts on how understanding what you did wrong can help you avoid making the same mistake a sec

Goal Setting During the First Days in a New Job

When you start a new job, you’ll likely go through an on-boarding process to give you a comprehensive overview of your new company’s culture, as well as your new role. Of course, the overall objective

What to Do With the First Hour of Your Workday: Do's and Don'ts

Let’s face it: None of us ever get to work in the morning wondering how we’re going to fill the day. In fact, most of us have so much on our plate that getting everything done can seem like a herculea

Five work-life balance tips for Baby Boomers

Between the late 1940's and mid 1960's, there were over four thousand people born each year in Canada — hence the term “Baby Boomer.” As a member of this generation, you might be thinking of working p

Secrets for Maximizing Productive Time in Your Day

“So much to do, so little time.”  Do you find yourself thinking this every day at work? If so, then the problem might not be how many hours you have in the workday, but how many of those hours are act

How Your Sleep Impacts Your Performance At Work

We’ve all been there: After a sleepless night, you’re struggling to keep your eyes open at work. It’s difficult to focus on what your colleagues are saying during meetings. When you look at your compu

Five Tips for Bringing Wellness into Any Workplace

You’ve probably read about them: workplaces that are totally geared toward employee wellness. They’re bright, airy, open-plan offices without cubicles but with comfy lounge chairs, meditation rooms, s

Working Remotely When Winter Weather Disrupts Your Commute

Snow storms, blizzards, and nor'easters—when winter weather gets really bad, it can not only grind traffic to a halt, but also actually stop you from getting to work at all. While snow days might soun

Cure the Cafeteria Blues: Three Healthy DIY Lunch Ideas

Tired of waiting in a cafeteria line to purchase something that doesn't look at all like the appetizing picture on the menu board? Well, these delicious, easy, and affordable lunch ideas will have you

Seven Things to Do After a Business Conference

Have you just returned from a successful business conference? Are you excited about the things you learned and the people you met? Then it's important to keep the momentum going before the conference

Four Tips for Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety

If your throat goes dry at the thought of having to deliver a presentation or your voice starts to tremble during the very first sentence of a speech, then it might be comforting to know you're not al

Work-Life Balance Advice for New Parents

Welcoming a new life into the world is a profoundly beautiful and life-changing experience for any couple. Yet many new parents find themselves worrying about being able to maintain their professional

Three Time Tracking Apps to Boost Your Productivity

How much time do you really spend on any specific task?   If you’re like most people, you’re too busy doing your job to really know the exact answer to this question. But there may be certain tasks th

How to Improve Your Focus at Work

Do you have a hard time getting focused on work when you first sit at your desk in the morning?  Or do you find it your attention slipping when you’re in the middle of a difficult task?  If you’ve ans

Answering the Call: The Value of Good Phone Etiquette

How often do you use your phone to make a phone call?  If you’re under 35, then you’ve probably answered, “Almost never.” Research suggests that most Millennials and Gen Z workers are more comfortable

How to Discuss Career Advancement with Your Boss

Your company offers great career paths, and after a successful run in your current position, you’re confident you’re ready to advance.  In other words, it’s time to talk with your boss about what the