The story presented here is intended to stimulate thinking about changes that we will face as career counselors and HR professionals. These changes are driven by demographics and the evolving relationship of individuals with organizations. In addition, advances in technology provide new channels for information access and for connecting that also drive change. Key questions that we need to address are: How should the role of the career counselor and HR professional change, and what steps should we be taking today to initiate such change?
Jane realized this was a good day to visit Life Central. After working for ten months as an information synthesist (IS) for her local bank she was feeling anxious and bored. Tired of the incessant calls trying to entice her to a new position, she recognized this restlessness might signal another move. She looked at her communicator: 7:12 a.m., January 10, 2015. Her goals for the day, clearly shown in blue and green in the latest aqua display, included a personal work/life checkup. She looked forward to this checkup. All those late night sessions with Alvin were starting to make sense.
After a quick shower and a low-cal breakfast she flipped on her communicator´s audio news feed. Those depressing economic statistics - the unemployment rate had risen to a whopping 1.5 percent, some grumbling that social security benefits would have to be cut back for those workers over 75. She thought how much her father´s life had changed now that he had reached that golden age of 75 and could cut his workweek back to 30 hours.
Oh no, another one of those intrusive ads had sneaked around her security system. This company offered 10 hours of classes each week toward an MA in IS. Not a bad offer, but the place was known as a sweatshop that sent people packing with a slight dip in earnings. Her friends were still talking about those layoffs three years ago and how the CSO had so publicly missed the organization´s growth targets. It was rumored that the company was now in decel, that it could not find enough people to continue operations. It´s a tough world out there, survival of the company fittest, thought Jane.
She quickly checked the latest job opportunities for synthesists locally: 14 companies hiring, all offering three-month induction training and all offering bonuses for every three months worked. Jane ran out to catch the cart to Life Central. Good to see her friends over there, Jan´s and Carl´s schedules matched hers. They had all started at Calway on the same day. It would be good to see Alvin again also. He was a bit of a taskmaster but good fun all the same.
Calway was a big contributor to Life Central. Many local organizations had created Life Central five years ago when they couldn´t find and keep people. Funny, really, thought Jane, a bank working with a supermarket, a research lab, a chocolate factory, their local university and of course the communicator company. But it really worked; it opened up opportunities days before she picked them up on her system. Some of her friends had moved easily from one organization to another.
Reaching Life Central she ran in, a bit late again. Good job - she remembered her securicard - the doors opened and the umbrella system picked up her latest data. Alvin would know that she had completed the latest DRJK tests. She rushed upstairs just in time for her appointment with Alvin. She liked the way he spent a few minutes chatting with her about other parts of her life. It calmed her down and helped her focus.
Today Alvin seemed relaxed. After their usual banter he began to review the results. How interesting to see the changes from three months ago. Her growing restlessness was showing. There were telling indicators - no wonder she had received such an urgent message from her Supporter. Her leaving index had jumped 20 percent over the past three months. She could see the economics for Calway mapped out on Alvin´s report. What was going on? There were clear signals about her changing interests and growing concerns.
Jane talked with Alvin at length about her wishes. She talked about her belief in Calway, about how it was helping strengthen her community. Jane particularly liked it when Alvin came up with creative new ways for her to explore her changing hopes and dreams. She also liked how Alvin could help her connect with opportunities in the other organizations in Life Central and how they might be a good fit for her. This time they found three possibilities that might work well and, for each, two people to connect with. She realized how much she was committed to the groups in Life Central and their purpose. It´s a good thing she could find some other options in the group. And then all too soon her session was over. Smiling, she stood up, turned off Alvin, and walked out of the room.
