– 10 –

If you hear the word “Super,” don’t reply with “Yes, I think it’s great, too.” The late Donald Super has been a very influential theorist/researcher in the field and folks refer to him more than you might think.

– 9 –

If you hear the word “Holland,” don’t start going on about your wooden shoes and the windmill in your backyard. The late John Holland is another big name in career development theory.

– 8 –

When you see the word “resume,” don’t say “But I haven’t paused; how can I resume?” “Resume” is how the younger generation (you know, the ones who flaunt language rules as if they’re arbitrary or something) spell “résumé,” presumably because they can’t find the option key on their keyboard. 

– 7 –

When somebody says something about “Cannexus,” don’t go on about how you’d love a luxury car but can only afford a Chevy Aveo. Cannexus is Canada’s largest career development conference and the world’s largest bilingual career development conference.

– 6 –

If your employment organization’s director wants a proposal on new programming because the minister has asked for it, don’t ask “And what faith is this minister?” Your director does not mean a religious minister but a political one, likely a Minister of employment, labour, career or social development.

– 5 –

If a client asks for help regarding their vision, don’t refer them to the nearest optometrist. Get curious and ask them about what their ideal life or preferred future would look like; what their life would be like in the indefinite future if everything went right starting with the conversation with you. 

– 4 –

If a job-search client says “I’m in a hurry and I just want you to help me with my resume,” don’t jump into working with the client on the resume. Take the time to double-check the client’s needs and understanding of the work search process.

– 3 –

When you hear about “knock codes” at a career development conference, don’t respond with a paradiddle, drag, ruff, flam or any other rhythmic drumming patterns you know. They are referring to the National Occupational Classification (NOC) coding system

– 2 –

If a client says “I just took an online test and it told me I should be a chicken picker,” don’t immediately look up the NOC code for chicken picker. Gently but confidently let the client know that no system can tell them what work they should do. However, results like this may point them in a direction of further exploration.

– 1 –

When a high school student with failing grades tells you they want to be a doctor, don’t tell them that they can’t be a doctor because of their grades. Either support them in the research they need to do to find out the pathway to being a doctor or paraphrase what they have said with “So, you’re really interested in people’s health. Is that right?”