Career challenges

Negotiate a severance package. It's worth the effort. It’s not uncommon for a new client to contact me, panicked, because their employer is about to terminate their job. I have seen this happen with people whose positions have ranged from CEO or CFO to Administrative Assistant. When someone is in … [Read more...] about What to do when you’ve been fired without just cause

Don’t confine yourself to looking at job ads. Looking for a hidden job will expand the possibilities. Perhaps you want to change jobs. Maybe you’ve recently been let go and are looking for a job. Maybe you’ve voluntarily left a job in search of new opportunities but are having difficulty finding … [Read more...] about Why can’t I find a job?

Finding yourself newly out of work is stressful. Often, when a person has been fired from their job, they experience low self-esteem and a drop in confidence. If this is your situation, you may want to read about What it means when you’ve been fired. Many times, these individuals are counselled by … [Read more...] about What to do when you’ve been fired

Most people assume you've done something to deserve being terminated. There is an assumption of guilt. As a psychologist with over 20 years of experience, I have worked with many clients who have been fired from their jobs. Many feel ashamed and embarrassed. Many are also confused by what has … [Read more...] about What does it mean when you get fired?

It's possible to stop harassment. Gail had worked for ten years as a graphic designer for a multinational company. Her employer had had a sexual harassment policy in place as long as she had worked there, but she had been sexually harassed by her boss for over six years. All identifying details in … [Read more...] about Workplace sexual harassment: One woman’s success story

Be prepared. Practice your response. I have helped a significant number of my clients prepare for job interviews. When an interview is on the horizon, we prepare answers to tough questions they may encounter so they will present themselves well and hopefully land the position. … [Read more...] about “Tell me about yourself”: Prepare an excellent response for a job interview

Lots of people are looking for work at any given time. In Calgary, more people than usual looking for work today because of the low price of oil and all the lay-offs that have happened over the past year and a half. … [Read more...] about New job offer? Do your due diligence

The title of this blog post won’t make any sense to people who lived outside of Calgary. But if you live in Calgary, even if you don’t work in the oil industry, you get it. If it’s not you that has no work to do, then someone you talked to earlier today is in this situation. There is little to no … [Read more...] about Bored? Have no work to do? Fear you’re going to be fired?

Almost 100,000 people have lost their jobs because of the downturn in oil prices. That’s a huge number. The media says that more job cuts are to come. One large oil company announced this morning that it will cut an additional 7,000 jobs worldwide. … [Read more...] about Still employed? Survivor guilt in Calgary

I have seen a number of expats in my practice as a psychologist. Expats (or expatriates) are people that have left their own country of origin to live and work in a foreign country. In my practice, my expat clients have left their country of origin to come to Canada. … [Read more...] about Expats must constantly accommodate to live in Canada