Some Timely Advice For Oil Sands Workers: Globe & Mail
February 17, 2015
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David Aplin Group President, Jeff Aplin, reports to the Globe and Mail, providing Oil Sands workers some sound and timely career advice.
Workers who have been let go should use the time to reassess their career options, employment experts say, while those left unscathed, at least so far, need to up their game if they want to improve their chances of being spared should another round of cuts come. “If there was every a time to redouble your commitment, your contribution, your productivity and the impact that you have on your team and your company, now is that time,” said Jeff Aplin, Calgary-based president of the David Aplin Group recruiting firm. “There are a heck of a lot more people lining up behind you now for the job you have.”
Some people still on the payroll are also looking at their options in today’s labour market, Mr. Aplin said, in the event they do lose their job, or if they don’t like how their work is affected by the cuts. Others are looking to get out of the volatile resources sector altogether, seeking industries that seem more stable and less prone to boom-and-bust cycles than commodities. “As headhunters, more people are wanting to talk with us right now about what their options are … what are the trends,” Mr. Aplin said. “We have peoples’ attention a lot more in the present environment than in the boom times, when people are pretty happy to stay the course.”
Although jobs are being cut across the industry, Mr. Aplin said some employers are hiring workers with specific skills in demand in a cost-cutting era. Some are also looking to boost productivity, which may have waned during the oil industry’s boom times. “We’re doing a lot ‘top grading,'” Mr. Aplin said, explaining that companies are laying off less productive workers and replacing them with one or two high performers. For those who have lost their jobs, Mr. Aplin said it’s a good time to reflect on their career path. “Look at yourself in the mirror and ask ‘What do I want to do next? What am I passionate about?'” he said. That might mean going back to school to upgrade skills or start a new profession, or it could mean persevering with other employers, trying to find a similar role in the same industry…
Written by Brenda Bouw