Fact: The unemployment rate in Canada fell to 5.2% in April of 2022 from 5.3% in March, in line with market expectations. It was the lowest rate on record since comparable data became available in 1976, extending the robust recovery for the labor market from the Covid-19 pandemic.
We cannot look into a crystal ball to know where the Russian offensive in Ukraine will lead us globally, economically, nor the downside ripple effects from the Covid-19 pandemic, but regardless, that statement above will matter to you IF you are deeply unhappy or displeased in your current employment situation, or if you have been waiting for the right moment to move on in your career.
Perhaps move in a direction you always had dreamed of – manifesting a destiny that you know has always been alive within you. Always this must be strategic, movement, because if the economy is set for a tumble or a correction, layoffs could result, and you don’t want either to be the new person who then becomes the first to see the door. However, if there are opportunities where this seems to be an unlikely development in any future downturn, you just may be tempted to at least test the waters – because there is no penalty nor downside to testing the employment waters.
Every interview, in other words, is a great interview because you learn and grow from it, and also make connections to organizations who may become a new employer, whether at that time, or later, down the road. If you always look upon an interview as an opportunity and embrace each one, learn from each one, you will soon find that interviews are no longer stressful, but instead represent an adventure.
What do you want from your position, your job, your career? What is the best-case scenario to actually utilize and nurture the talents and interests that you possess? Are you willing and eager to stretch yourself and grow? Where do you want to see yourself in 2 years, in 5 years, in 10 years? You very likely will not arrive there unless you make a definitive plan - and put that plan in motion every day – continuously adjusting that plan as new opportunities, realities, emerge. Keep re-examining and tweaking your plan – recalibrate.
This is a time to ask yourself some hard questions: why am I unhappy with my position? What are the precise reasons? What would change that – what are your priorities in life right now? What are your core values and are you in essence not currently operating in alignment with those values? Write it out - examine and work through any angst, any unexplored emotions. Analyze your own soul. What do you really want?
There has never been a time since 1976 more ripe for you to bear down on your long-term career goals than this moment when it comes to the job market in Canada. If you test that market, and do it well [try the excellent services at CareerHD, for instance], you will get interviews; there will be opportunities.
Talk to people about your dreams, your aspirations, your talents: explore in conversations the options. This is how opportunities are discovered. You never know where your next innovative, daring conversation might take you.
If this article causes you to talk to five people at least in the next week who will listen to you describe what you truly want in life – where your aspirations truly lie – and give voice to that exploration, there will be movement from those conversations. Movements in YOU.
Great ideas do not come usually from fomenting only in your mind, they often evolve from conversations with others. In relationships and in deeper, more meaningful conversations that actually matter, where the person on the receiving end of the conversation is actually listening closely and comprehending what you are saying, helping you to think past your doubts to the reality of a career quest that is not so fantastical, but actually well within reach.
This is what makes the world a fabulous place to be – when deep meanings and ideas cohere around you – and your own place in that world feels somehow destined. You know then that you have made the right decision to speak your truth and to act upon your own intrinsic strengths. Challenge yourself to have those deeper conversations and that self-examination. There is no better time than now.
Looking to connect with a professional to discuss your next career move? CareerHD offers Career Coaching and Counselling programs and individual sessions, tailored to professionals at every career level and customized further based on your unique goals. Check out our Coaching page for more details or get in touch with us today!
