Fiona Fairley

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT FIONA FAIRLEY

If I had followed my childhood dream, I would be a candy store owner. I was always fascinated by the jars of traditional sweets, and their tempting smells and colours promised potential. The problem was, I could not taste them all, and my dream was consumed by the demands of adult life. Many moves and different jobs later, and with a career break in between to raise a family, I was introduced to the world of career advising in which I eventually found my purpose: to help others find theirs. There are so many choices to make, and we are not always given the best guidance in our early years: we fall into jobs through necessity, family pressure, the lure of status and wealth or just because we like the sound of it. I am guilty of all these career mistakes myself! If I had listened to my school guidance counsellor, I would have been a teacher or a translator which seemed like my only options with a languages degree. In fact, I have done a bit of both in my career, but I am glad I did not limit myself to a job title. Very few of us ask ourselves what we really want out of life. A career is rarely linear and is a very complex, life-long process, full of twists and turns, triumphs and trials, rejections and redirections. false starts and pit stops. This is why we sometimes need help to make sense of the experiences, identify the skills and interests we have developed along the way and understand how they can be used to both benefit others and provide personal fulfilment. This is where I come in- Guiding clients in their search for meaningful employment by identifying their transferable skills, developing their resume and cover letter and connecting them with current job opportunities through one-on-one counseling sessions - Using a variety of career planning and job-search tools and resources, such as the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) and many more, both online and out in the community - Providing advice on resume-writing and interview techniques to meet the current expectations of employers and recruitment trends, as well as tips on networking and self-marketing - Orienting clients and providing information on Prospect\'s programs, as needed - Delivering workshops on resume writing techniques and LinkedIn basic principles - Matching clients\' skills and qualifications with potential job opportunities offered by our community partners, private companies and recruitment agencies - Researching new sources of career planning resources and hiring events Thank you for reading my story. I would love to hear yours!