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NEXCareer (www.nexcareer.com) is a leading Canadian provider of Career Management and Outplacement Services. We have enabled individuals to go beyond their expectations, to break new ground, and design a life and career that they love.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Career Resolutions for the New Year
Career Resolutions
Kick start your career in the new year! Review your progress, draw up a plan, and set specific goals you will commit to fulfilling in 2012! Here are a few things you can get started on for the new year:
1. Reflect on the past and examine how you can set reachable goals that will lead you to success.
2. Keep yourself competitive by enhancing your skills and knowledge on your profession and industry.
3. Update your resume with details relevant to your career goals and achievements.
4. Meet some new people in the new year - opportunities may just be around the corner through your new connections.
5. Proactively take action to reach your goals, even if it starts with baby steps.
Wishing you all the best in your career prospects for 2012!
Image Courtesy: Microsoft Office Images
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Sandy’s Sandbox Ideas: Exploring the Big Sandbox
Sandy Johnson (Vice President of NEXCareer, Career Coach, Board Member of NABS, Marathon Runner) is a Dynamic Career Management Professional with a creative flair. She combines her background in advertising with her passion for personal and professional development to help clients shape their career and build successful results.
Sandy shares her journey and experience racing in the Sahara Desert for Running 4 NABS Sahara Run 2011 this past October:
This was unlike any trip I've ever taken. The daily routine was simple and consistent. Pack up, eat breakfast, prepare pack, and go. Go until you reach camp again. Unpack, put your feet up, eat dinner, write blog, and go to sleep. It was the same each day, yet anything but boring. I was excited each morning about starting and seeing a new part of the desert. The first morning, I was nervous. After that, I looked forward to what the day would bring and I was never disappointed.
Once I arrived at the first camp, I wasn't stressed about the uncertainty that the race brought. In fact, I was the most mentally relaxed I've ever been. It was a delicious feeling of liberation, having nothing to plan or worry about. A completely spacious mental state.
I'll never forget the expanse of landscape. Both during the day and the night, the sightlines seemed to be never ending. Without any visible obstructions, the view ended at the horizon. I really felt that I was in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but sand and sun, and it was absolutely spectacular!
Images Courtesy: 4Deserts.com
Leaving My Footprints
This was unlike any trip I've ever taken. The daily routine was simple and consistent. Pack up, eat breakfast, prepare pack, and go. Go until you reach camp again. Unpack, put your feet up, eat dinner, write blog, and go to sleep. It was the same each day, yet anything but boring. I was excited each morning about starting and seeing a new part of the desert. The first morning, I was nervous. After that, I looked forward to what the day would bring and I was never disappointed.
Enjoying the Tan
Once I arrived at the first camp, I wasn't stressed about the uncertainty that the race brought. In fact, I was the most mentally relaxed I've ever been. It was a delicious feeling of liberation, having nothing to plan or worry about. A completely spacious mental state.
A New Discovery
I'll never forget the expanse of landscape. Both during the day and the night, the sightlines seemed to be never ending. Without any visible obstructions, the view ended at the horizon. I really felt that I was in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but sand and sun, and it was absolutely spectacular!
Charting New Grounds
For my next adventure, I usually have something in my back pocket for "what's next." But I'm still enjoying the afterglow of the experience, so it's difficult to plan for something new just yet. Traditional travel pales in comparison, as I loved the unique combination of athletic challenge and unusual destination. However, I'm sure something appealing will pop up on my radar soon.
For my next adventure, I usually have something in my back pocket for "what's next." But I'm still enjoying the afterglow of the experience, so it's difficult to plan for something new just yet. Traditional travel pales in comparison, as I loved the unique combination of athletic challenge and unusual destination. However, I'm sure something appealing will pop up on my radar soon.
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| All smiles on Day 3 of Sahara Race |
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| Racing on Day 4 of Sahara Race |
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| Resting on Day 4 of Sahara Race |
Images Courtesy: 4Deserts.com
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Congratulations to Sahara Runners!
The runners of Running 4 NABS Sahara Race 2011, including NEXCareer’s CEO Stéfan Danis and Vice President Sandy Johnson have completed the race on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011, coming in 2nd overall as a team. After running 250 km for almost a week in the Sahara Desert, they finished at The Great Pyramids of Giza at Cairo, Egypt.
Congratulations to the team for completing the race and reaching their $100,000.00 fundraising goal for National Advertising Benevolent Society of Canada (NABS)! We are proud of their success and greatly appreciate all supporters and donors for their kindness and generosity. The donations will go towards helping professionals in the marketing and communications industry who are facing career or family challenges.
Check out their Sahara adventure below:
- Running 4 NABS Sahara Race 2011
- Day by Day Coverage of Sahara Race 2011
- Stéfan Danis' Sahara Race Blog
- Sandy Johnson's Sahara Race Blog
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| Desert Landscape in Stage 1 |
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| Sandy (right) getting ready for Stage 2. |
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Stéfan's group at Stage 5 of Sahara Race.
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Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Wishing Sahara Runners the Best of Luck
Last week, the runners of Running 4 NABS Sahara Race 2011 held a Send Off Party to thank their supporters for sponsoring them and contributing to NABS. The runners, including NEXCareer’s CEO Stéfan Danis and Vice President Sandy Johnson, will be heading to Egypt for their race, running in several marathons spanning 250 km over 7 days. The first marathon will begin on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011.
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| Sahara Runners, from left: Colin Nanka, Sandy Johnson, Gavin Lucas, Alison Simpson, and Stéfan Danis. |
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| Sandy Johnson training for Sahara Race (Photo Courtesy: YorkRegion.com) |
Visit www.running4nabs.com to sponsor a runner! Donations of $100 or more will grant you access to 3 Career Development Workshops at NEXCareer. This offer is transferable and is valuable for anyone regardless of age, profession, job level or career goals.
See our schedule of upcoming workshop sessions:
NEXCareer Workshop Calendar - November 2011
Your support is truly appreciated.
Monday, September 26, 2011
LinkedIn Adds New Feature: Volunteer Experience & Causes
Professional networking site LinkedIn recently launched the new feature “Volunteer Experience & Causes” for members to add to their profile. In this new feature, LinkedIn members can add their volunteer positions, causes they care about, and the charitable organizations they support.
LinkedIn surveyed nearly 2,000 professionals and found over 40% stated that when they are evaluating candidates, they would consider volunteer work equally as valuable as paid work experience. 20% of the hiring managers surveyed agree they have made a hiring decision based on a candidate’s volunteer work experience.
Including your volunteer work and community involvement on your LinkedIn profile (and your resume) is a great strategy to show potential employers a broader perspective of your various skills and interests. It’s especially valuable for job seekers - whether you have organized fundraising events in the past or are currently volunteering in your community, including these experiences will make you a more attractive candidate to employers!
To add the “Volunteer Experience & Causes” field to your LinkedIn Profile:
1. After logging in, click “Profile – Edit Profile” at the top of LinkedIn.
2. Click on “Add Sections” and select “Volunteer Experience & Causes.”
3. Click the “Add to Profile” button and then fill out the applicable fields.
Here is a screenshot of the new “Volunteer Experience & Causes” field:
Read more about the impact volunteering has on your career from The LinkedIn Blog:
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sandy’s Sandbox Ideas: Pyramid Training
Sandy Johnson (Vice President of NEXCareer, Career Coach, Board Member of NABS, Marathon Runner) is a Dynamic Career Management Professional with a creative flair. She combines her background in advertising with her passion for personal and professional development to help clients shape their career and build successful results.
Sandy shares her progress and anticipation to run in Egypt for Running 4 NABS Sahara Run 2011 this coming October:
Passing the Bucket
Our fundraising efforts have really started to generate results and sooo close to reaching the half way point to our goal of raising $100,000.00! Thank you to those who have helped us reached this milestone!
I also wanted to share some great coverage we received in The Globe and Mail on the weekend!
Training Up a Sandstorm
4 ½ weeks to go before I get on the plane to Cairo! It’s been a long summer of training. The hot weather at 37 degrees in July was a total bonus, just to get a taste of what 50 degrees might feel like! I’ve been carrying about 15 pounds in my pack during all my long runs and successfully completed my last two really long runs - 32 km back to back last weekend. These I did with the company of a few of my team mates, with whom I’ll be spending non-stop time during that week in the desert. Notwithstanding the inevitable fatigue, we shared some good laughs and I have to say I’m starting to look forward to this event.
Tackling the Big Sandbox
I’m sure I can run a marathon. I’ve done it before. I’m just not sure what it will be like to complete this day after day… The conditions are difficult, if not impossible to duplicate, and I’m anxious about how my body, not to mention my mind, will react to the tough environment.
Filling in Pyramid Mold
The most important goal I set for myself for this race is to finish the race. That’s mandatory. And I’d like to complete it feeling good about my performance, whatever that may be. It’s quite possible that I’ll modify my own expectations during the event. And that’s ok.
Switching to Wading Pool
After my runs last weekend, I actually feel pleased and relieved about my progress. I want to make sure that I don’t lose the fitness that I’ve worked so hard to gain. I can actually start visualizing the race…and that is exciting. I will now start to taper my mileage down, allowing myself some physical and mental recovery. This is the fun part!
Help Fill the Bucket!
See our schedule of upcoming workshop sessions:
Your support is truly appreciated.
Images Courtesy: Microsoft Office Images
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