SKILLS SPOTLIGHT
The Canadian Standards and Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners outline the skills, knowledge, and attitudes common to all those working in the field. Below are a selection of the core competencies most relevant to my current experience. Be sure to check back often, since skill development is an ongoing process!
PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Commitment to lifelong learning, as demonstrated by my decision to make an occupational change and pursue graduate studies in Career Development
Planning and time management: I have extensive experience managing complex projects in the non-profit sector, requiring an ability to prioritise tasks and work to deadlines
INTERPERSONAL COMPETENCE
Effective listening skills: positively evaluated by both volunteer clients and by counselling instructor (e.g. use of paraphrasing, encouragers, and perception checks)
Use of framework for verbal communication through counselling sessions, including appropriate structuring, summary, and highlighting key themes
CAREER DEVELOPMENT KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge of major career development theories through the successful completion of graduate-level coursework in Career Counselling and Development
Understanding of how life roles and values impact career development: careers are a collection of events and experiences over a lifetime; they do not exist in a vacuum
NEEDS ASSESSMENT & REFERRALS
Responding to client needs is an area of ongoing development; I am experienced in conducting job interviews, and I continue to practice my client data collection skills; I look forward to learning more about referrals as I continue my education