6 Education & Work Building Blocks
Navigate Education
More and more jobs today demand a university degree or college diploma as an entry credential. Technical and professional designations are also in high demand in many fields.
Once in the workplace, life-long learning is the new normal, taking us all back for refresher and interest courses and online skills certificates.
What are your learning goals? What options will help you meet them? How will you choose? Let’s tackle that challenge together.
Find/Create Work
The world of work today is vast and complex. We may know what we want, but finding it can be tricky.
Let me help you beat a quicker path to relevant industry sectors and occupations, local and international job opportunities. Learn to navigate the world of work and get in front of the right contacts. Or maybe broaden your perspective to consider options you hadn’t thought of yet. And if the perfect job isn’t out there for you, maybe we can work together to create your own work.
Present in Writing
Hand-writing may be losing ground in the 21st century, but writing – to comment, invite, promote or critique – is pretty much a daily task for many of us, especially in our knowledge-based internet-connected workplaces.
Learn skills to craft resumes, CVs, letters and business proposals that bond with your audiences. Earn the respect of your readers on paper or through social media – be they employers, education program administrators or clients.
Present in Person
Have you ever felt awkward to meet new people at a networking event? Experienced sweaty palms and rapid heart rate in an interview?
These feelings are more common than you might think.
Learn to develop confidence, poise and presence in face-to-face situations from cocktail parties to interviews and business presentations.
Be noticed. Create opportunities. Get the offers so you’re in the luxurious position to choose your future.
Build Resilience
Resilience is all about rebounding from setbacks common in the pursuit of career and work goals. What setbacks you ask? The non responses we tolerate from job applications. The interviews that make us cringe. The promotion that goes to our seemingly less qualified colleague.
As you establish new career goals, pursue higher learning, search for meaningful work and make it through your work day, know that resilience is a resource you can build.
Earn Your Way
Studies show that after a certain point, money does not make you happy. But lack of money can be a tremendous source of unhappiness. This is especially true if you feel underpaid, undervalued and trapped in the cycle of under- and unemployment.
Or dependent on others to pay your way.
Or in a job you hate, only for the cash.
Discover ways to fund your education, negotiate your worth, and land business deals with assurance.
Why Work with a Coach?
Focus
We live in a world of instant information and unlimited possibility. How in the world do we get clear on what we want to do in our future and where we want to go? A coach stands back and helps you clear away the confusion, You can then zoom in on what’s important to you and get moving on a realistic plan that targets your unique needs, wants and goals.
Find your Way
Navigating the world of education and work is a bit like navigating a new city. To find your way, it helps to have a map, knowledge of the lingo, insight on the rules and targets for how you want to spend your precious time. Working with a coach saves you time and frustration. You will see more clearly your options and develop skills to chart a realistic path forward.
Stand Out
Every time you make an application – be it for education or work – you put yourself out there. Your accomplishments, your interests, your values and goals are all under the spotlight. A coach helps you clarify your audience, select your most relevant accomplishments and articulate these on paper or in person with energy, enthusiasm and confidence.
Get the Offer
What do you want? An admission offer to a competitive education program? A job with the organization of your dreams? A promotion within your current organization? A coach stands by you step-by-step through the application process, helping you bounce back from setbacks and providing a sounding board for challenges along the way to the offer.
Testimonials
Ruth,
Thanks again for all of your help!
My resume and cover letter look great and the resources you sent me have been very helpful!
Thank you
All of our work and practice paid off so well. It has been life changing to not only get into a fantastic school, but also learn so much about the business world and how to do important tasks that will be crucial in my future. What you have taught me will last for decades.
Dear Ruth,
Thank you for all of your help.
Your program was enlightening, especially for my son.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifies you to be my coach?
I’ve worked in higher education and employment services for + 20 years with quality employers – the University of Toronto and Deloitte to name two.
I am passionate about the power of higher education to create for my clients a lifetime of career and personal mobility. For 18 years, I worked in Canada’s top university, meeting students as early as Grade 12, continuing to work with them on their education and work goals throughout university and into their early careers.
My educational background includes a Master of Education (Career & Work specialization) from the University of Toronto and a Master of Environmental Studies (Quality of Work Life specialization) from York University. I’m trained to administer psycho-educational assessments, including the MBTI, the Strong Interest Inventory and the EQi. I also have extensive experience using the VIA character strengths assessment.
Read more in my About Ruth section or visit my LinkedIn profile for more details.
What does your coaching process entail?
Prior to working with me, you’ll sign off on your goals for coaching and agree to a budget and approach.
In the first 1-1.5 hour session, we get to know each other. You’ll have a guided questionnaire to prepare for this session. At the end of each session, we agree on what each of us will do before the next session. We begin each session reviewing our commitments and confirming our focus for the new session.
I’m trained solution-focused coaching, which believes that within clients resides the resourcefulness to find the right solutions for their problems. My questions draw on clients’ power to be resourceful, imaginative and knowledgeable about what will work best for them.
Learn more about my 4-step approach that I tailor to the needs of each individual client.
Will you write my documents for me?
The short answer is “no”. We work together on your resume, cover letter, personal statement and LinkedIn profile. Think of me as your writing coach and editor.
We start with your own draft document(s) and build from there, working first on the substance of your message, then moving to format, layout, grammar and spelling. Sometimes, it takes only a couple editorial meetings, sometimes many more.
I work with you to make sure you submit a quality document that is thoughtful, strategically targeted to its audience, clearly and logically written and professionally formatted. You will feel proud and motivated to submit it to its intended audience AND knowledgeable about how to re-purpose it for other applications.
In the end, you become a much better
How much time will it take?
It all depends on what you need. We can
What will it cost me?
My fees range from an hourly rate of $75 to bundled packages ranging from $500 to $2,000.
I can also tailor a program to your specific needs and budget.
How do I get started?
Use my appointment contact form to tell me a little more about yourself. We’ll find a mutually convenient time to chat. First 30 minutes are on me!
