Eggs Benedict With A Side Of Omelette

I have had a great couple days working in Ottawa this week at McGee's Inn. Even though I haven't seen many Bed & Breakfasts in my day, I can recognize a good one when I see it. And McGee's is definitely a great one. They have a beautiful building and decor; not to mention the breakfasts are gourmet. They are located within walking distance of the dowtown area, yet off the main roads in a quiet neighbourhood. A bit of history for you: The building was originally built in 1886 for John McGee, brother of Thomas D'arcy McGee, one of the Fathers of Confederation.

McGee's Inn is family owned with four members of the family working here. It made me think about how in choosing a career, we are also choosing a certain lifestyle. We must factor this in to the decision, such as, where do we want to live, do we want to be near our family, do we want to be in the city, etc., etc. As in any career decision, going into the B&B business was a lifestyle choice - by having the Inn, the family is able to spend a lot of time together and is able to spend more time with their two young children.

I start bright and early at 7:30pm and it's into the kitchen to help serve breakfast to the guests. It is nice working at an Inn as the people you deal with are on vacation and so are generally pleasant. By the end of breakfast yesterday, I was serving up a descent looking Eggs Benedict and Omelette, my hospital corners when making the beds still needs some work, but I got breakfast down.

My career coach, Alan Kearns, lives in Ottawa so I was able to meet up with him for coffee on Tuesday and talk about what I have learned as a result of my experience with One Week Job. He definitely knows what he is talking about and had some great insights and advice for me. With my column for the Globe and Mail, my editor keeps saying that I have trouble focusing on a specific object lesson, being a little vague and trying to cover too much ground in one article.

After describing to Alan my latest learnings, probably using too many words in the process to describe what I really mean, he was able to identify the lesson and state it quite simply. Definitely helped me get some focus for my next article and provided a bit of direction/motivation for the project in general. Thanks Alan!

-Sean

One Week Job Special On 'CareersTV'

A television show called "Careers TV" out of Edmonton, Alberta followed me around for about a month to film a segment for their show. They even came to Vancouver to interview my family. When they were finished, I thought to myself - I have no idea how they are going to be able to put all that footage into a five minute segment. Yet, somehow they managed to do it, and they did a really great job too! Here it is:

Week Sixteen Announced - Innkeeper

This week I am working at McGee's Inn Bed & Breakfast in Downtown Ottawa. It is a family owned business with 14 bedrooms and I will be doing a bunch of different things throughout the week at the Inn: cooking, serving, cleaning, bed making, weeding, moving rocks... etc.

I will also be staying at the Inn, so it will be nice to actually have a bed and my own space for the week. Oh yeah, and the best part is that breakfast is included!

-Sean

My Career Coach Has A New Book

My career coach, Alan Kearns, has a new book that came out the end of last month. Alan is one of Canada’s foremost experts on all things relating to careers with more than 14 years of experience coaching people through successful career changes. His new book is called, "Get the Right Job, Right Now." It is a uniquely Canadian view on managing your career and blends in different tools, websites as well people's stories (such as Leonard Lee from Lee Valley tools, Diane Francis, among others).

If you visit the website, there is a draw for 50 copies of the book and the first chapter is also available to download.

Here is the link: "Get the Right Job, Right Now."

A Recipe For 'Cat Tails' Anyone?

Here is what I was up to last week working with the Picking / Distribution company of wild products based in Montreal, Quebec. Does anyone know what you can make with Cat Tails anyways?

Weather Man For Global Morning News

I had an interview with Global Morning News in Montreal last Friday, and when we had finished the interview the reporter asked if I wanted to work with them for the next five minutes and do the weather. So, directly from the interview, I proceeded to walk through the studio to the green screen where the Weather Girl showed me how it worked and was openly flirting with me on air. Pretty funny! Anyways, here it is:

I am working on editing the video footage I took from this week; hopefully will have it up sometime today. I think it will do a better job at explaining what I was up to this week rather than a simple blog post.

This is what I got to wear at work yesterday. Well, at least I looked the part.

This weekend I am heading to Ottawa for Canada's birthday! If you are going to be there too, give me a shout.

-Sean

Globe and Mail Column - 06/26/07

It has been an interesting experience so far writing for the Globe, a little bit challenging but I am thankful for the experience nonetheless. Here is my most recent column that was in the "Careers" section yesteday (Wednesday):

As mom might have said: Honesty's the best policy

June 27, 2007

MONTREAL -- Another Monday morning, another new city, another first day on the job. I put on my only suit, took out a map and hopped the Metro for the office of Venatus Conseil Ltd., an executive recruiting firm in downtown Montreal. Thirty minutes later, I was sitting across the table from the company's president, Nathalie Francisci, discussing my career journey and the subject of careers in general.

It was the 14th week of my project to try out a new job every week in communities across Canada. It is my way of discovering what attributes of a career I will find appealing - essentially, to find the kind of job that will be a good fit for me. Ironically, I had landed at a headhunter - a firm that normally tries to fit a candidate to the job.

Working here, I observed the career search from a different perspective - reviewing job descriptions, searching the firm's database for qualified candidates, observing initial telephone interactions; I even sat in on a couple of face-to-face interviews. In the process, I learned a valuable lesson that can apply to both sides of the process: honesty is the best policy. It may seem like a no-brainer, and deep down I probably already knew it, but being honest with ourselves in what we seek in our employment - and then being honest about that with prospective employers - will save everyone a lot of grief in the long run. Honesty was something that guided Ms. Francisci when she began Venatus Conseil about 10 years ago. At the time, she recently had had a child and was working part-time from home, mainly in recruitment and human resources consulting for companies on a contractual basis.

Although she enjoyed this work, she knew that she did not want to become a stay-at-home mom and felt that she needed to work in a professional business environment. In her search for a new career, she was honest with herself in defining what she would need in order to be happy. By taking the time to do this, she says it became clear that she had already found her ideal situation - she was already making a living doing what she loved and so the decision to start a headhunting firm was an easy one.

I now realize the honesty that allowed Ms. Francisci to recognize the right fit for her is crucial. We must be honest with ourselves in asking the question: "What are the characteristics of a career that will make me happy?" I couldn't really answer that question last spring when I graduated from a business college in North Vancouver. But over the past four months, having held down a number of different jobs, I have been learning something new each week that is helping me to answer that question.

For instance, after working with a software company in Vancouver for a week, I quickly realized that an office environment is not for me. Looking out the window, I couldn't help but think of all the other places I would rather be and how I would go insane if I had to come to the same desk day after day, week after week ... I now see that I will need to be in a career in which a significant amount of time is spent travelling to different locations, meeting people face to face, and using the office simply as a home base.

I have also learned that I enjoy being presented with new challenges; indeed, by the time Thursday comes around, I am already looking forward to the following Monday for what awaits in my next One Week Job.

Almost two months ago in Edmonton I was presented with the challenge of teaching a yoga class. It was nerve-wracking, I had never visited a yoga studio before; yet, I was excited as I saw it as another opportunity to challenge myself and learn something new.

Later, as a lift operator at Lake Louise Mountain Resort, I enjoyed the constant interaction with new people. I am now convinced my own ideal career will involve meeting, sharing, and discussing ideas with a variety of people.

But, in identifying these characteristics, it is not enough to be honest with ourselves - that honesty must also extend to our potential employer. This is something I learned last week at Venatus.

A candidate that the firm had placed only a couple months earlier was having difficulty with the employer. At first, it seemed to be a good fit - the candidate had the required experience, her personality seemed to complement the companies' corporate culture and both candidate and client reported they were happy. But an issue cropped up: It seems there was a conflict over the interpretation of what was meant by "some" travel required in the job. It turned out that the candidate has a family and was not willing to travel often. This was not clearly expressed in the interview stages and, as a result, a perfect fit was not made. Although I now recognize that honesty plays an integral role in finding my ideal career, I still have the task of identifying the characteristics that would make up this particular career. And so, I am committed to keep on searching, one job a week.

Sean Aiken will write occasionally about his career-discovery journey as he takes on a new job each week across Canada. He is also blogging about his experience (and taking job offers) at www. oneweekjob.com.

Picker/Distributor - Wild Products

Although it is still tough to put a title on it, after yesterday I now have a better idea of what my job this week is all about. I am working with a company who collects wild products, ie: peppermint, specialty tea leaves, cat tails... etc. processes them, and then sells them to restaurants and specialty boutiques in the Montreal area. It will be interesting as I will be able to see the process from going into the bush and picking the various products, preparing them for the market, and then visiting various restaurants and selling them.

Here is what I was doing for 10 hours yesterday...

My morning yesterday started at 5:30am and I didn't get back to where I am staying until close to 6pm. It was a long day and I now know what a cat tail is, looks like and how to prepare it for market; though I wouldn't be sad if I never saw another one again.

-Sean

Week Fifteen Announced... well kind of

I am heading off this morning at 5:30am. What exactly I will be doing, I am not entirely sure as of yet. I know that we are heading outside of the city of Montreal to collect, vegetables, plants, etc. and then bringing them back into town, processing them, and then selling them to high end restaurants. That's all I kind of know at the moment. How exactly all this works, or what exactly we are picking, I have no idea, but I imagine I will have a good indication when our 12 hour work day is done and I will be sure to let you know!

Until then,

-Sean

Guest Post: Justin "Bugsy" Sailor

Almost two years ago I was approaching my last year at university; I remember being scared of the future. However, the entire time I had this small idea in the back of my head; go on a year-long, 50-state road trip staying with people I have never met. It was a dream, a big dream. I was intimidated by the dream and kept asking, "How on earth could I pull this off?" Now, here I am in Delaware, 36 states, 9 months, and 80 previously unkown hosts later... somehow I made it happen.

People are always sharing their dreams with me and saying they're too old to do them now, or that they just can't do it. I'll admit it's scary and can be a lot easier to go the route of a 9-5 job. But let me tell you, I'm homeless and unemployed at 24 and living a better life than I could have ever imagined.

Get out there, make it happen. Use your resources. Talk to every teacher and mentor you've ever had. If you're reading this you have internet access. We have all seen that the internet makes anything possible. Be courageous and strong. Don't back down when people tell you that you won't be able to do it.

And the big question, money! Let me tell you, people want to see dreams happen, they want to see it come true and they will support you. It's an era where dreams are breaking through daily. Put all your knowledge and skill in a basket, mix in your best resources, sprinkle on some research from the web, and off you go!

As sang by Frank Sinatra:

"I planned each charted course; Each careful step along the byway, But more, much more than this, I did it my way."

~Justin "Bugsy" Sailor

Learn more about Justin and his adventure here: The Home Town Invasion Tour

A Long Weekend In Quebec

I have the day off today as it is a holiday in Quebec - St. Jean Baptiste Day. I have been to a couple of St. Jean Baptiste day festivities in Quebec city which were a lot of fun, yet this weekend I decided to come down to Toronto and visit a friend. We went to Canada's Wonderland yesterday and so went on a bunch of rollercoasters and into the water park. It was nice to spend a day at the amusement park and just relax, as you may have noticed by the lack of entries this weekend. I am back in Montreal for Week Fifteen starting tomorrow and it should make for quite an interesting week. Not too sure how quite to describe it just yet, but will do my best and be sure to announce it for tomorrow morning.

The plan right now is still to head to Ottawa after Montreal, so if you have any offers for the week of July 2nd in Ottawa, check out the 'offers' section and send me an email.

-Sean

Global National Interview

Here is a segment that was aired last night on Global National. They did a really great job with it!

It has been a pretty busy week and I have not yet had the time to write about how my week finished up with Venatus Conseil Ltd. Talent Brokers. I am hoping to do that tomorrow, although I just decided at the last minute that I am going to go to Toronto for the weekend as Monday is a holiday here in Quebec.

If you live in Toronto and want to meet up, give me a call!

-Sean

Interview With TQS - 'En Francais'

A look at my workplace this week at Venatus Conseil Ltd. Talent Brokers with my first interview in French. They were kind by leaving in the parts where my French actually kind of makes some sense.

'MTV Live' - One Week Job Interview

Here is an interview with MTV Canada that I did from Trois Pistoles, Quebec a couple weeks back. If you have seen one, you have seen them all, though if you haven't seen one yet, check out the CTV News one. Although, this one is kind of different because the interview was done via a webcam...

Who Really Does The Choosing?

As I got up this morning, put on my suit, (which has been sitting in my suit case for the last three weeks), took out my map, and got on the metro to go to work; I thought to myself, wow, I am heading to my first day on the job in downtown Montreal with a company I have no previous knowledge of, have never met, and I have no idea what the week will entail.

This is ofcourse the case of most Monday mornings, but every now and then I find myself viewing the experience from an outside perspective and just think to myself, "Sean, this project you started is kind of crazy." Definitely keeps life interesting I guess. I like to think of the quote; "A journey of a 1000 miles, begins with a single step." I think that is one way I am able to keep moving forward; one step at a time.

I was speaking with the President of the company this morning, Nathalie Francisci, and I asked her how 10 years ago she chose her career path and started a head hunting firm. Her response was interesting and it made me think about 'choosing' careers in general. She said that she didn't choose the career, and that in a way, it in fact had chose her. I guess if we truly love what we are doing, then there is really not too much choosing involved and it just kind of makes sense. It makes me think of happily married couples in which we often here how the decision to marry their spouse was the easiest decision of their life.

When One Week Job is all over, will I really choose a career, or will the different characteristics I identify as what I need in a work place situation, simply come together to form a career I will love doing? Sure, I chose to go on the journey and discover what these characteristics are, but what 'career' comes out in the end won't be as difficult a choice as commiting to the journey in the first place.

I spent the morning organizing media interviews for the following week in Montreal. It should be quite busy, though I must say a big thanks to Carla Shore for helping me sort all that out.

Everyone working with Venatus Conseil Ltd. Talent Brokers is really nice and they were kind enough to show me how the whole recruiting process works. They had received a new mandate today so I was able to see how the process starts off. It is like detective work; generating a list of all potential candidates, qualifying these candidates and then narrowing them down until you find the right one.

Tomorrow a Quebec Television station (TQS) is coming into the office to do an interview which will be the first time that I give an interview about One Week Job in French. At times I find it difficult to express myself in English, so it should be interesting how I manage in French!

If you find yourself in dowtown Montreal tomorrow, drop by the office and say hello!

-Sean

PS - Pledge Your Passion

Week Fourteen Announced - Talent Broker

This week I will be working with Venatus Conseil Ltd. Talent Brokers, a corporate position recruiting firm based out of downtown Montreal, Quebec. Venatus Conseil Ltd. has offered their services for large and medium-sized clients in Quebec since 1997. They are recognized for their expertise in the recruitment of corporate positions, with their main pratice areas consisting of accounting, finance, legal services and human resources.

It will be great to have a different perspective on the job search being able to look at the process from the other end. Hopefully I will end up with some good tips to share for all those out there in similar situations as me. However, I am a firm believer that the interview process should be equally focused on asking ourself the question; "Why do I want to work for this firm," as much as it is from the employer asking; "Why would you make a good candidate for this firm."

-Sean

On The Road Again -> Montreal

I am all packed up after spending a few weeks here in Trois-Pistoles, Quebec and today I am on my way to Montreal to get ready to start work bright and early Monday morning. More on that later and how Week Thirteen finished up, but for now I have to hit the road. I have not decided where I will be working the week after next, so if you have any offers, ideas, or are in the Montreal area and want to meet up, let me know!

-Sean

Guest Post: Robert Manolson

As a Certified Career Development Professional and in the role of Career Counsellor, I meet youth and parents in their homes. This is a special time. It's a moment for the family unit to come together, reconnect, share perspectives, and listen with an open mind. Common questions center around which post secondary program to apply to, whether to work after high school or continue with post secondary education, which programs will be most useful, which job to apply for... I'd like to let you in on a little secret based on my many years of career counselling experiences. The pressure to clearly answer these and other questions comes not from the youth, but instead from the parents.

With an abundance of exciting work opportunities awaiting today's youth, it is no wonder that the vast amount of choices can quickly become overwhelming. Given this reality, we as parents reach out to our daughters and sons, and in support of their challenges to make the "right" career choices, tell them straight up that the most important thing is to be happy.

Attention Parents!! You can help your daughters and sons to do this, and they want you to. The career journey is not about one big decision regarding which program to take, which school to attend, which occupation to choose. Remind your teens that who they are, knowing themselves, following a life path that honours their interests, values, beliefs and passions is much bigger than any job or occupation.

~Robert Manolson

Robert is a Certified Career Development Professional based in Edmonton, Alberta and has over 25 years experience as a skilled speaker and persuasive presenter. Creator & Master Facilitator of Powerful Play Experiences, he facilitates organizations and groups in workplace fun & wellness workshops with highly engaging, innovative "Powerful Play Experiences."

Learn more about Robert, or contact him through his webiste: Powerful Play Experiences

Want to submit a guest post? Click here.

One Step Further ; Another Lesson Learned

My week of work with CADFEL (Centre d’accueil et de formation en langues), a language school here in Trois-Pistoles, Quebec, hasn't been all too exiting, but I did come to another realization which is great. It is something I had previously recognized, yet I really understood it today; I really enjoy the creative process and developing a vision for the future. I was speaking with the president about the french immersion programs they have, ones they are thinking about developing, his passion to share the french language and expose as many other Canadians as possible to the distinct Quebec culture.

We were discussing the direction of the program and generating ideas as to how we can cultivate our vision of its future. During this talk, I had a lot of energy as I was contributing my ideas and was passionate about the possibilities and where it would lead. Then, I was assigned to do some research on the computer in which I was lucky not to fall asleep on a few occasions.

I realize that I am going to need to be in a creative position, a visionary type role in which I am sharing my vision with others and seeing the potential of a certain idea or opportunity. I am not all that interested in the day to day (for more than a week that is), yet I love to look to the future and develop a plan as to what needs to be done in order to get there. And thus, one step further...

My first article in the Globe and Mail came out today, I am not able to pick up a copy as I am currently in rural Quebec, though I could tell that my mom was pretty proud in an email this morning, so I guess it turned out pretty well.

Next week I would like to head to Quebec city, yet do not have a job lined up as of today, so perhaps I might just go straight to Montreal. If you have any contacts or ideas for potential One Week Jobs in Quebec city, or if you live in Quebec city and just want to meet up, give me a shout!

If you haven't checked out the 'Pledge Your Passion' section on the site as of yet, give it a read and make your promise today:)

keep searching,

-Sean

A Globe & Mail Columnist

As of tomorrow, I will officially be able to call myself a columnist for the Globe and Mail. I will writing a column for the Globe and Mail in the Careers section every second Wednesday about my experiences with One Week Job and what I am learning throughout the journey.

I am excited about the opportunity as it gives me another way to share what I am learning to a broad audience. Also, because it forces me to stop and think about what I am taking away from the experience. I have found that it can easily become distracting getting caught up with everything, that I don't take the time to reflect on what I am learning.

My first column comes out in the Careers Section of tomorrows paper, Wednesday, June 13.

Pick up a copy and let me know what you think!

-Sean