Thursday, February 25, 2016

Part 1:

We are still working on our Power Statement. Click on this link to help you create your profile.

Task 1:

As discussed in our class, use the ten points accomplishments you have accomplished in your profession life and create your ‘Power Statement’ now. 

May,2012-October, 2014, I used to work in a restaurant. 

• I developed creative skills while designing window display to attract customers.
• I developed communication skills while servicing with customers and working with my co-workers.
• I developed promotional skills while helping customers decide what to order.
• I developed financial skills while ordering inventory, and balancing the day's receipts.
• I developed time management skills while working under busy and stressful situation.
• I developed manual skills while following recipes, mixing ingredients and coking foods.
• I implemented
• I reached
• I improved 
• I managed 

Task 2: 

Click on this link and create your own profile. Make sure to use your "Power Statement" to impress employers!

Task 3:

After creating a profile, try to connect with at least ten from your classmates together with your instructor today. 

Part 2: 

During our Health and Well-being Session, a lot of new words were mentioned. Here is a table with the majority of the new ones, take your time and follow the tasks below in order to nail this vocabulary down.

Task 1:

Fill in the following table and you can add any more vocabulary that you have caught during the session. The first one was partially done for you.

Word	Word structure	Definition	Sentence
Cope with	Phrasal verb
Walk-in clinic
Procrastinating
Cognitive
Physical
Vigorous intensity
Moderate intensity
Alternative
Second hand smoking
Quit
Reappraisal
Meditation
Dealt with
Shout out
Resiliency
Competence
Optimism
Bounce back
Recap

Task 2:

Write a quick paragraph to share how you benefited from the session. Use the following questions to guide you in your writing.

• Did you have stress in your life?
• Are you able to identify which level your stress is at?
• What did you do to reduce it?
• Share some strategies that you have tried and worked with you with your peers. 

Wednesday, 24 February, 2016

Scanning Job Advertisements

Task 1:

Pick one/two relevant jobs for yourself from each website.

Here are three good websites that you can scan: Job Bank, Monster.ca, and Charity Village

3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates

Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates assist nurses, hospital staff and physicians in the basic care of patients. They are employed in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted care facilities for the elderly and other health care establishments.

• nurse aide
• nursery aide – hospital
• nursing assistant (non-registered)
• nursing attendant
• nursing home attendant
• nursing orderly
• nursing services aide
• operating room aide

Task 2:

Summarize the three main job duties for each ad, and the main requirements as well.

Main duties

Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates perform some or all of the following duties:

• Answer call signals; supply and empty bed pans; bathe, dress and groom patients; serve meal trays, feed or assist in feeding of patients and assist patients with menu selection; weigh, lift, turn, and position patients; shave patients prior to operations; supervise patients' exercise routines, set up and provide leisure activities for patients, accompany patients on outside recreational activities and perform other duties related to patient care and comfort
• Take patients' blood pressure, temperature and pulse; report or record fluid intake and output; observe or monitor patients' status and document patient care on charts; administer first aid in emergency situations; collect specimens such as urine, faeces or sputum; administer suppositories, colonic irrigations and enemas and perform other procedures as directed by nursing and hospital staff
• Transport patients by wheelchair or stretcher for treatment or surgery
• Carry messages, reports, requisitions and specimens between departments
• Make beds and maintain patients' rooms
• Maintain inventory of supplies
• May perform maintenance tasks such as assisting with the set-up and maintenance of traction equipment, cleaning or sterilizing equipment, maintaining and repairing equipment, and assembling, setting-up and operating job-related equipment
• May transport patients between care facilities.

Task 3:

Check this link, and write down at least five new ideas that you learned from it. 
Pick your peers' brains for their ideas, and add more to yours.

Task 4:

Another excellent career site is here. Click on it and plan your career accordingly.

Tuesday, February 23,2016

Task one:

In order to get familiar with the Canadian workplace, there are a lot of things we need to consider. Click on this link and follow the instructions given. 

1. change jobs--I have to change my job right now.
2. commute to work--My husband commutes to work everyday.
3. draw up plans--I asked my daughter to draw up her plan before she left. 
4. fill out paperwork--I got headache when I had  to fill out paperwork.
5. get a promotion--Everyone wants to get a promotion soon.
6. get a raise--
7. get fired
8. give a presentation
9. go home
10. go on a business trip
11. go on vacation
12. go out to lunch
13. go to a meeting
14. go to work
15. make copies
16. meet with a client
17. quit your job
18. send a fax
19. take a day off
20. write a proposal
21. write a report

Task two:

Here is a list of business idioms that are taken from this website. Please go over them and try to understand each one’s meaning and then follow the tasks below.
Pick five to six of the following idioms and use them in sentences of your own.

at stake

My parents didn't agree with my idea because there are a lot at stake. 

back to square one

After we arrived the Canada, we known everything had to go back to square one.

go down the drain

My father told us everything will be go down the drain if we immigrate.

hands are tied

Our hands are tied in this situation.

on your toes

Stay on your toes. 

see eye to eye

Though we don't see eye to eye, my husband always back me up.

Take three:

Compose a short story about any event/meeting that has happened to you at your previous workplace. Use at least five to six from these idioms n your story.

Request two from your peers to check and edit your work before you publish it on your blog.

I used to work in a hospital in China.  Everyone knows that the hospital is open 24/7 and believes we are all the white collar workers. The hospital I worked in is the biggest and the most famous one in my home town, so people think that there may be some negotiation under the table if some grads enroll us.   Most of hospitals in China rely on the word of mouth to appeal new customers.  

time's up

"Time's up" means that the time for something or someone has ended.

I think his time's up as the CEO. They're going to replace him as soon as they find a suitable candidate.

touch base

To "touch base¨ means to make contact with someone.

Let me make a few phone calls to try to get an answer to your question. I'll touch base with you later today.

twist someone's arm

To "twist someone's arm" means to persuade or convince someone to do something that he or she does not want to do.

The owner thought the advertising budget was a little high. We had to twist his arm to get him to agree to it.

under the table

Something done secretly (and usually illegally) in the business world is done "under the table."

To avoid paying taxes, they paid some of their employees under the table.

up in the air

If something is undecided, it is "up in the air."

We're looking for a test market right now, but nothing has been decided yet. Everything's still up in the air.

uphill battle

Something that is difficult to achieve because of obstacles and difficulties is an ¨uphill battle.¨

Winning the election is going to be an uphill battle. He doesn't have a lot of support at the moment.

upper hand

If someone has an advantage over someone else, he or she has the "upper hand."

He was more experienced and well respected, so he had the upper hand in the argument.

white collar

A ¨white collar worker¨ is someone who works in an office (customer service, management, sales, etc.) The opposite of a white collar worker is a ¨blue collar worker.¨ A blue collar worker is someone who works with his or her hands (manufacturing, construction, maintenance, etc.) ¨White collar¨ (and ¨blue collar¨can also be used to describe a job, position, or place.

There are mostly manufacturing positions here. There aren't a lot of white-collar jobs here.

win-win situation

A "win-win situation" is a situation where everyone involved gains something.

We were happy to get the contract, and they were happy to get such a good price. It was a win-win situation.

word of mouth

If something spreads by "word of mouth," people hear about it by informal conversation with friends, family members, acquaintances, etc.

A lot of local restaurants rely on word of mouth to get new customers.

writing on the wall

The "writing on the wall" refers to the evidence and clues that something (usually negative) is going to happen.

I'm going to get my resume ready. I can see the writing on the wall.

yes man

A ¨yes man¨ is someone who always agrees with his or her superiors.

The company isn't looking to hire someone who is going to try to make a lot of changes. They're basically just looking for a yes man.

Monday, February 22, 2016

National Occupational Classification

The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is a system of organizing information about occupations in Canada. Every occupation in Canada has a NOC job description, which provides listings of the main duties, employment requirements and job titles. These descriptions are identified by a four-digit code called the NOC code.

Knowing the NOC code for the job you are interested in can make online research easier and quicker. This is because many job search services organize their job listings and occupation information by the NOC code. Here’s how the NOC code works:

• The first number identifies the sector. There are 10 sectors in total (0–9). For example, 0 refers to management occupations, while 6 refers to sales and service occupations.

• The second number refers to the level of education or training the job requires (1–6). Generally:

1 requires a university education

2 or 3 requires a community college or apprenticeship training

4 or 5 requires a high school diploma and/or job-specific training

6 usually requires a short demonstration or on-the-job training

• The third and fourth numbers refer to specific occupations within the sector.

In the example on the right, the 2 refers to the sector Natural and Applied Sciences; the 1 means it generally requires a university degree; together, the code 2146 is the code specific to aerospace engineers. Because the NOC groups occupations that are similar to each other, it is easy to find information about occupations that are related to your occupation of choice. This can be useful if you cannot find a job in your occupation and want to broaden your job search.

Locate the NOC website (www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC). 

PayScale.ca

www.jobfutures.ca

Task 1:

List the 10 sectors that the first digit of the NOC code refers to. In small groups, brainstorm three occupations for each sector.

0 Management Occupations	6 Sales and service occupations
1 Business, finance and administration      occupations	7 Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
2 Natural and applied sciences and related    occupations	8 Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations
3 Health occupations	9 Occupations in manufacturing and utilities
4 Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services
5 Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport

Task 2:

Think of an occupation you would like to enter in Canada (either as a survival job, or in the occupation you are trained for). Which of the above sectors is this occupation in?

My occupation is in #3.

Task 3:

Find the NOC code for an occupation that interests you. Read the NOC description for this occupation.       

a) How many Major Groups are listed in this sector? What are they?
There are 4 Major Groups listed in this sector.They are Professional occupations in nursing, Professional occupations in health, Technical occupations in health, Assisting occupations in support of health service.  

b) What types of occupations are within this Major Group (represented by the three-digit code)?
Total unit group titles:36.

1. Read the example titles in the NOC description. Do you think knowing these titles can be useful in your job search? How?
Dental hygienists provide dental hygiene treatment and information related to the prevention of diseases and disorders of the teeth and mouth.

2. Read the main duties in the NOC description. List the duties you think are most relevant to this position.

Dental hygienists perform some or all of the following duties:

• Conduct an initial dental assessment and consult with dentists on patient care
• Take dental impressions
• Instruct patients regarding oral hygiene procedures
• Clean and stimulate the gums to prevent gum disease
• Remove stains and deposits from teeth to prevent tooth and root decay
• Apply fluoride treatment
• Take and develop X-rays
• May perform restorative and orthodontic procedures under the direction of a dentist
• May supervise dental assistants in their health care functions.

• Dental hygienists are required to complete a college program ranging from one to three years, or other approved program in dental hygiene recognized by the governing board within the province or territory of residence.
• Licensing by the appropriate provincial or territorial regulatory body is required for dental hygienists.

Task 4:

Prepare a short presentation for the class about this occupation. Include related job titles, main duties and employment requirements.

Since I used to work in the hospital, I'd like to work as a dental hygienist in the future. Main duties of the dental hygienist include:

•  evaluate teeth
•  clean and stimulate the gums
•  remove stains and deposits from teeth
•  prevent tooth and root decay and gum disease
•  apply fluoride treatment
•  take and develop x-rays
•  instruct patients regarding oral hygiene procedures

Dental hygienists are required to complete a college program and required the licence by the appropriate provincial or territorial regulatory body.

Friday, 12 February, 2016

Task one:

Our first task is to write a short paragraph describing your previous workplace culture/system/rituals (if you had any), using at least five from each of the vocabulary list and the buzzwords we have learnt today.

24/7, bottom line, figure out, fit in, learn the ropes, new hire, on the dot, you bet, round-the-clock service, slacking off, protocol, intimidating, transition, ritual, cubicle, procedure, uncertain, formal, culture, informal, critical, trend, clarify, acronym, norm

I worked at a hospital before I came to Canada. I had worked there more than 20 years. Everyone knows that the hospital is open 24/7 and we offer round-the-clock service. In China, we don't have the family doctor and we really have the biggest population, so every employee should figure out whether or not to fit in the job in the hospital. Everyone should learn the ropes and bottom line when they were as new hires. You couldn't come here on the dot because you want to be as slacking off. It's really important to familiar the ritual, the norm and the procedure as soon as possible. If you uncertain about something, you don't need to clarify in formal. All you need is just to watch. Everything may be intimidating at first. But you would be felt better after you familiar the culture.

Task two:

Write a short trip report about yesterday’s field trip. Describe what you liked, what you didn't like, what you learned, and if you would like to repeat it again or not and why.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. We had a skiing lesson at Earl Bales Ski and Snowboard Centre. It's located on 4169 Bathurst st. This is my first skiing so I was exited. After we changed our ski shoes and put on the ski helmets, we went to a small hillside. The coach taught us how to put on the skis and how to take them off. He asked us to practice it repeatedly. Then he taught us how to slow and stop by  changing our feet. We didn't have the ski stick so it was hard to climb up the hill. You couldn't fix your skis and you were going around in circles. Our teacher Joseph is  a good skier. I hope that I could ski like him someday.  

Task three:

Please register on the IEP conference that is coming up on Feb. 26^th. Click here and send me the confirmation after the registration.

My reference # is 17557.