Award of Excellence

News Release April 20, 2009
Photo Credit Joanne Stoeckl


Karae White, owner of Morgan Ebbett Career Services in Courtenay, is the 2009 winner of the BC Career Development Award of Excellence, which honours inspirational leadership and excellence in career development.

Three Awards are given each year by the Career Management Association of BC; for a Team, Organization and Individual; Karae is this year’s recipient for the Individual category. One only has to look at her extensive portfolio to see that she is more than worthy of this accolade.

She started her own business five years ago after many successful years as a Career Advisor with the Job Shop (CEAS) in Courtenay. Her clients range from military personnel who are making the transition to civilian employment and online clients living as far afield as New York and Turkey, to local entrepreneurs, business organizations and clients with special needs.

Living in the Valley for more than 15 years, Karae has gained huge respect not only for her professional skills but for her service to the community. Testimonials from clients point out her commitment and her compassion, her determination to ensure that those she helps will find not only a job or career but fulfilment in what they do. “Karae passionately believes that life is too short for the wrong job.” She has been and continues to be a source of inspiration to all those she comes into contact with – through business and her extensive volunteer work.

Karae’s ethos extends to her own career. A constant student of job development she is always looking to both learn and teach new strategies through workshops, certification and further education. Not content with a Bachelor degree in Education, she completed an eCareer Coach Certificate, enabling her to provide career services online.

Karae is delighted at this recognition of her work, “It was powerful and a bit surprising to sit back and look at what I have accomplished during 15 years of honing my skills in one career. I tend to put my head down and go hard until whatever I have set my sights on is done.”

Contact Karae White, BEd, eCC
At Morgan Ebbett Career Services
http://www.morganbbett.com/
250 338 1343

Picture attached. Caption: Karae White, photo by Joanne Stoeckl

The Value of Success Circles

This article appeared in 'Our Big Earth' in April 09
by Karae White, BEd, eCC

As a career coach for the last 15 years, I have heard many stories about how people found work and discovered meaningful careers. Part way through my career I went from working in an office with co-workers to working as a self-employed Career Coach. During this transition, I also went back to school to earn my eCareer Coach certificate. It was here that I learned about professional learning communities.

Working for myself, I lacked the regular contact with other professionals. The kind of day-to-day talk that led to inspiration and resolution. I wanted to create a professional learning community of my own so I wasn’t working in isolation.

The idea of the Success Circle came to fruition when I listened to Maureen Fitzgerald talk about her research into ‘sharing circles’ found predominately in aboriginal cultures. She has since grown an entire business from this powerful idea of sharing in circles.

I envisioned a sharing circle for businesses and piloted it for 10 months. The results were amazing for every participant. Check it out at www.morganebbett.com/successcircle.htm.

1. The Success Circle works well for a couple of reasons.
   We all come to the circle with varying degrees of business expertise but none of us knows it all. Through the dialogue, women do have a tendency to discuss stuff, we all end up contributing to the knowledge base as well as adding to our own. This turns into a feel good yet practical way to grow your business. It becomes a meaningful network of supportive people.
2. The second benefit comes from publicly setting SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely goals. The more precise your goals are the more likely you are to reach them. The more goals you cross off your list the higher your motivation to keep working hard. This hard work grows success.
3. The third reason is an increased level of accountability. There is nothing quite like saying you will do something and then having someone check to see what you achieved Often we back down when obstacles come up and this accountability provides another level of motivation to push through our fears and achieve our goals.

In short, Success Circles can be a business owner’s collaborative “board of directors” of sorts that allows you to maximize your potential while helping others achieve their business goals right along side you. It’s a fantastic way to support like-minded businesses and foster a spirit of cooperation and community as well. A Success Circle is something that, as business owners, you will find is an invaluable addition to every day.

Why Did I Not Get That Job?

Why Did I Not Get that Job?
Karae White, BEd, eCC
April 2009

As a career coach, I am often asked why someone didnot get a job. If you search Monster.ca there are job forums where the same question is asked repeatedly. So how do I answer this question “why didn’t I get that job?” There are a few reasons I have noticed over 14 years of helping people find work.

1. Attitude – just because you got the interview doesn’t mean you will get the job.

2. Preparation – yes you do need to practice for an interview. Most employers like to use behavioural interview questions and you CAN practice answering these types of questions. It will help to calm your nervousness and let you think clearly when answering questions. I prep my clients as often as possible. Darrin M says, “The biggest thing I gained from you was the confidence that I would eventually be successful and the confidence that I possessed the skills and such to be successful. Your help with the interviews was invaluable as shown by the fact that I did so well with both."

3. References – some people do great in the interview and then their references are contacted and the company changes their mind. Do you have good references who know what to say? You CAN talk with your references about the position you are interviewing for, the skills you need to do that job and when you used those skills when you worked with your reference. Try not to provide personal references.

4. Competition – do you know who your competition really is and what skills and experience they have? Sometimes there are just more qualified people out there.

5. Company – does the company know exactly what skills they want and do they have an idea of who will best fit with their team? Sometimes after interviewing an employer adapts their wishlist of skills in their future employee in exchange for a personality that will work well with their team. Most employers believe skills can be taught but attitude can not.

6. Follow Up – When you don’t get the job, ask the interviewer what you could do to improve your interviewing skills. If you came 2nd, try following up with the employer in a few months to see if the new hire did actually work out. You never know when it might be your turn.

Take these points into consideration when you are looking for work and making a career change. At Morgan Ebbett Career Services, we believe life is too short for the wrong job so we specialize in career transitions. For more information on Morgan Ebbett Career Services check out our website at http://www.morganebbett.com/ or phone us at 250-338-1343 ext.2

ABC Career Tips - B is for...

“B” is for Bravery and Boldness by Karae White, BEd, eCC
to make the career change happen. Fortune favours the bold. You and your ME Career Developer create a unique relationship based on what you need which is focused on helping you to achieve your goals.

Career Builder Challenge: It helps if you identify who the cheerleaders are in your life. Call them and tell them what you are doing and that you might phone in the future for their support.

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." Goethe
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt

FREE 30 mins. consultation so you can try before you buy.

ABC Career Tips - A is for...

“A” is for Assess your Abilities by Karae White, BEd, eCC
so you know what you offer an employer. There are many free online tools to help you articulate your abilities. Contact Morgan Ebbett and we can email free career and personality quizzes to you. We have extensive experience matching people with career direction, so often we can find your career direction faster.

Career Builder Challenge - Ask your friends, relatives, and coworkers what they think are your talents and then take those answers and match them with careers where your strengths are seen as talents and not a hindrance.

“Whether you are naturally level headed, spontaneously enthusiastic, artlessly charming or born to pressure, we take our behaviours with us into everything we do. If what you do is at the core of who you are, your stress level will go down.” Dr. Harry Levinson

“What lies behind us and lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is within us out into the world, miracles happen.” Henry David Thoreau

FREE 30 mins. consultation so you can try before you buy.