Career Advice

After frigid temps and depressingly short days, it can feel like you just spent months hibernating in your office. And in reality, you probably did. Trudging through the snow on unbearable commutes. Dodging off-site meetings out of fear of bracing the cold. When it comes to working through the winter, the experience is daunting.

Go narrower, not wider, to find the work you’re itching for. A classic way to suck the life from your work search: chase after meh jobs. If you’ve got some time to #findbetter, go strategic instead.

Job seeking will continue to evolve with the advancements of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. These technologies are changing the way recruiters search for talent and conduct interviews.

Stuck in a work rut? No energy, vision or output? Obviously, your workspace is unhappy! Could be clutter that is cluttering up your productivity and engagement. You can always jump on the KonMari method to spark some joy

Step out of your hole and into the light of seeing a real job done. Stop hibernating, students and recent grads! Like Canada’s Wiarton Willy on Groundhog Day, get out and see your shadow (er, job shadow in your case).

On the legal front employees will be getting some good tidings – and a few kicks in the grapes. Excellent news to start the year: some juicy employment law changes are planned. A new paid holiday. Better parental leave. Pay equity regardless of your junk. Several skeevy updates scheduled too. Especially in Ontario. The current provincial government seems hell-bent on restoring indentured labour. A boon to employers. Regressive for peons.

The higher stress and higher risk your profession, the more likely your marriage won’t survive. Does this sound at all like your job? Sure sounds like Jeff Bezos’ – the billionaire and Amazon CEO recently twittered divorce plans after 25 years of marriage to MacKenzie Bezos. With a mantra of “Get Big Fast,” Bezos’ rule over the trillion-dollar retail empire must be a bruising pressure cooker of worry, risks and devotion.

Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister, had to justify his job constantly. Could you explain yours – and the value you add – if it meant avoiding the boot? Comes a time your boss might ask why your ass shouldn’t get canned. Like after you’ve screwed up majorly. Or the company’s cleaning house: sweeping away dead wood, decluttering redundancies. Speaking of Houses, the one Sir John A. Macdonald oversaw is Parliament. First Prime Minister of Canada, he was, back in 1867. Bet your jodhpurs he had to justify his job. Most folks didn’t know a legislature from horse manure.

The stuff of SciFi no longer augmented and virtual reality may affect how your job’s done. If wearing bulky headgear to watch 3D video cranks ya, you’ll love what’s coming to workplaces. Virtual Reality (VR) makes simulations a snap. Augmented Reality (AR) puts reams of data at eye level. This type of tech is popular with gamers. Because it’s still clunky and uber pricey, it won’t migrate to workplaces overnight. When it does here’s what to expect.