Here it is - Sean’s week covering the Toronto International Film Festival for Roots Canada. Those of you who had been following our blog know that it was a challenging week, but also very rewarding. In the episode, I tried to accurately convey the experience by covering both sides of the main issues. Enjoy!

Let us know what you think in the comments!

In case you missed it, here’s Sean’s interview on Fox & Friends broadcast August 18.

Turning generational quest into adventure:
Why career researchers love Sean Aiken

How do people make tactics to find and keep a job? How do they define their priorities? These questions are what career research is all about. Firms no longer make careers: how could they when it is impossible to plan the next semester? Our job as researchers is no longer to understand the methods of the enterprise; we need to discover how individuals manage their careers through choices, ruptures and opportunities. Sean is our most interesting witness. His adventure is a perfect example of what the “new careers” are. Sean shows us four innovations.

The first innovation is that Sean keeps an open mind in the question of his career. As a business graduate with exceptional marks, perhaps he could have immediately become a manager in an international company. But he’s looking for a passion, not only for a job. His ambition is huge: having an exceptional working life, involving every talent, resource and creativity. Everything is possible: tattoo artist, florist… In an open ended world that is constantly changing, everything seems to be possible — even if the abundance of opportunities is distressing. When everything is possible, how can one make the right choice? How can one find “his” vocation?

Here is the second innovation shown by Sean’s adventure. Everyone has to manage their own career. As ambitions are high and choices so widely open, individuals must develop a new skill : a skill to recognize competencies and to interpret them in order to make the right career decisions and produce the right career tactics. That’s what Sean learns every day.

Third, Sean turns his quest into a shared adventure. He has a lot of great ideas: blogging, podcasting, donations… The “new careers” are made of social networks. And, slowly but surely, Sean is becoming a professional… of a new job. He has in effect created a new business, he is a “Sean —the-vocation-searcher.” It is a job that only one applicant can fit and is made up of all the skills and talents of Sean — this unique compilation creates a new job. That’s the fourth innovation of the “new careers”: the best way to involve all your skills in your job is to create a job made of all your skills — instead of trying to fit in an existing and traditional one. Sean is now the hero of a quest turned into an adventure. That’s why he is so important for all of us.

Jean Pralong
Psychologist, HR & career researcher at ESCP-EAP (European school of management — Paris — France)
www.nouvelles-carrieres.fr

I had a great week working at Gus’ Pub in downtown Halifax this week. The clientele they have is quite eclectic. During the day, they will have customers who have been going there daily for 20 — 30 years. At night they bring in a much younger crowd of students because they have bands playing every Wednesday — Saturday night.

It was my first time as a bartender and I was a little nervous that someone would ask me for some mixed drink that I had never heard of before. Luckily they only serve beer, and old fashioned high balls: rum, vodka, gin, etc. so it would be pretty hard to mess things up.

Dealing with money is something I wasn’t used to and adding up drink totals and giving back change took some time getting used to.

The first table I had were three people who have been following a long with One Week Job. They heard that I was working in Halifax this week and so came in for a beer. It was awesome to meet them. They were really excited about the project and to hear my stories. It was really cool, I referred to my week as a Veterinarian in Cambridge, and one responded with, “oh yeah, I saw that episode.”

Jen, Jackie, and Will, it was great meeting you guys, hopefully next time I will be able to sit down and have a beer with you!

I probably explained the concept of One Week Job to about 100 different people in the last few days, though it’s always great to see the disbelief on peoples face when I tell them what I am doing. It reminds me that, “oh yeah, this is quite the journey I am having.”

I liked working as a bartender and enjoyed the interaction with people. As a bartender, you kind of see the party from an external perspective. It’s like going out on the town with friends as the designated driver, though there is not that associated awkward feeling as you see your friends become more intoxicated, seemingly having more fun, and you just can’t relate. As a bartender, there is not the expectation that you should be drinking as you are working and must keep a clear head.

I am heading back to Vancouver next week to get myself organized at home, then to Victoria, British Columbia where I will be working as a Climbing Instructor. After that, it’s off to Atlanta, Georgia where I will be a tradeshow salesman.

Ian is working hard on the Roots episode, and it should be finished by mid next week.

Tonight we are having lobster which I am pretty pumped about!

Cheers,

-Sean

After weeks and weeks of waiting, the new episode of the One Week Job show is up! This episode follows Sean during his week at the Hespeler Animal Hospital in Cambridge, Ontario. He meets some amazing animals, helps out with health testing, and even tries his hand an dentistry.

Let us know what you think! All feedback is appreciated.

This week I will be working as a Bartender at Gus’ Pub in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia.

They are a family run business that has been operating for 46 years. Apparently they cater to quite a mix of characters: “Our customers describe us as an authentic bar with real character. This is no doubt because of the old geezers that have been inhabiting Gus’ for millennia mixing in with the young art school students that live a block away.”

They feature all original, independent, live music 4-5 nights a week with 3-4 bands per night, and are known as the “incubator’” for young musicians.

If you are in the area, why not stop by for pint!

-Sean

After coming in from Toronto on Monday night, we went straight to an overnight commercial shoot Cossette was filming downtown. It was a 30 second spot for one of their clients, Molson Ex. We arrived into town at about 2am, and the shoot was scheduled to go until 5am.

It was a really cool set up, though I can’t give details at this point, because the commercial doesn’t come out until tonight during the Montreal Canadians pre-season game. I am glad that we went to the shoot because we were able to see the whole process from shooting the raw footage right through to the final 30 second production. We spent the rest of the week visiting the editing studio, sound studio, and meeting with the client to make sure they were happy with what was being produced.

On my first day, I got a tour of the office. It is pretty much what I expected an ad agency would be like, a cool relaxed atmosphere with each department having a different personality - on the floor of the creative department, there are comfortable couches and a foosball table.

Marie-Claude, the director of the Molson account, spent the week with me and was awesome in providing some great insights into the advertising world.

It was really interesting to see how much work goes into making a 30 second ad segment, a lot of discussing, tweaking sounds, colours, images, one person likes it, another doesn’t - keeping the client and target audience in mind. I could definitely see myself in an ad agency, it seems that each department is so different though plays an equal amount in the process of getting an ad from conception to production.

Of course, we had to finish off the week enjoying a “Une Vraie Biere De Serge!”

My interviews in French went pretty well this week. I didn’t understand one question on the morning tv show, Salut, Bonjour, and I also said yes when he asked me if I studied law in school, but I was able to recover okay. I was pretty tired though; according to Ian, it looked like someone punched me in the face because of the bags under my eyes.

We left Montreal on Saturday morning and made our way to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The job I had lined up for this week has appeared to have fallen through, so not too sure what I am going to be up to. I will let you know as soon as I know and if you have any ideas or contacts, pass on the word!

If you are in Halifax, give us a shout, 416-735-9335.

Cheers,

-Sean

After finishing up with Roots on Monday, we then drove straight to Montreal and arrived at about 2am in the morning. The ad agency I am working for this week, Cossette Communication-Marketing, was in the process of filming a TV commercial and so we joined the crew at the downtown location until almost 5am.

The good thing was that having done that, we were able to sleep in the next day.

This week I will be working on two of their major accounts, helping out with the post production of the commercial, and learning how an advertisement concept is developed.

If you live in the province of Quebec, I will be giving an interview Wednesday morning at 8:30am EST on TVA called “Salut, Bonjour.” It is the largest morning show in Quebec, is filmed live, and is in french! I am a little nervous that it is in french, though I am pretty excited about it. After that, it’s off to work!

-Sean

I would say that I learned the most out of my week at Roots than I have at any of previous One Week Jobs. It was a very interesting experience in that on one hand I had the opportunity to experience some great things and interact with some high profile celebrities, though at the same time the week proved to be a challenging one.

It was evident that there were different opinions on what my role was for the week which led to uncertainty as to what exactly was expected from me. It felt as if I had stepped out of the one week job experience slightly and that Ian and myself were contracted out as 3rd party videographers for the week. It is something that I will have to be aware of in the future.

Ian is traveling with me documenting the experience at my different positions, what I am learning, interviews with my employers, and the journey itself. This week, I am pretty sure that Ian put in more time than myself, filming what he was asked to shoot, editing footage from the day, and posting it to the Roots Film Festival Blog. All this on my lap top, which doesn’t have the same programs as his and so helped to slow the process.

I learnt a lot this week and met some great people that work with Roots. One of the highlights this week was that I was able to receive some life advice from Wylcef Jean.

We are now in Montreal working with Cossette Marketing . Ian received his computer back and so we are hoping to have the episode from my week as a Veterinarian Assistant up by the weekend.

-Sean

GEN Y JOURNEY: ONE-WEEK JOB

Finding the right career is a matter of constant reinvention

SEAN AIKEN
September 7, 2007

There I was, knee-deep in sludge, the sun beating down, flies swarming and sweat dripping off my forehead.

The stench was unpleasant, as was the muddy swamp water that slowly penetrated my supposedly waterproof coveralls.

What was I doing in such circumstances?

It was all in a day’s work in a small town an hour north of Montreal, where I was picking cattails for a distribution company that processes and sells them to high-end restaurants.

It was hard to believe that, just one week before, I had been sitting behind my own desk in the fifth-floor office of a headhunting firm in downtown Montreal.

Each day I went to work in a suit and tie, attended meetings with top executives and chatted with co-workers in the lunchroom.

Talk about job extremes.

Most people don’t have the luxury of experiencing such a range of occupations in so short a time.

But since the end of February, when I began working at a different job each week in my quest to figure out what I ultimately want to do with my career, I have constantly had to reinvent myself.

And, whether you are part of my generation looking to enter the working world, or a baby boomer mulling a career change later in life, chances are, at some point in your working life, a reinvention will be required.

I’ve learned some tips over the past 25 weeks that continue to help me in the reinvention process.

By keeping them in mind, I have been able to ease the transition week to week and make the most out of the experience so far.

Here are some of them:

I must be willing to leave my comfort zone

Week seven in Edmonton, I had a job as a yoga instructor. Ten minutes after I arrived at work on Monday, I was told that, on Friday, I’d be teaching a class on my own.

I’d never even stepped foot inside a yoga studio before. So when I was told I’d be teaching, I immediately began to think of all the possible excuses of why I couldn’t.

But then I realized that the process of reinvention requires shedding past habits and leaping mental barriers. So if I was going to do what the job required, I’d have to set aside my trepidation and commit to the experience. And by committing, I allowed myself to immediately start learning what would be required to successfully teach a class.

Based on the fact that nobody asked for their money back, I like to think of it as a successful re-invention.

I must be willing to learn new skills

Before I spent a week in April as a florist, I couldn’t have told you the difference between a stargazing lily and a Gerber daisy. But I can now. And I could arrange them, too.

I hadn’t previously realized how much skill went into creating an arrangement of flowers. I certainly didn’t master the art in one week, but whatever new skill I acquired will continue to benefit me for many Mother’s Days to come.

And on my career hunt. For I realized how much I enjoyed learning a new skill, the feeling of reward that came with seeing my skills develop, and the realization that, the more I acquire, the more career doors that will open. And whatever career I settle on will no doubt require the continual development of new skills.

I must be willing to keep an open mind

I do not have any tattoos, nor have I met many heavily tattooed people. So it really was a new world for me when I walked into the tattoo parlour where I worked four weeks ago and was greeted by people covered in body art.

It was for me a bit intimidating. I admit that I held preconceived notions about those with numerous tattoos and piercings, and was worried I would have difficulty making connections.

I could easily have put up a barrier, refused to look past our differences and denied the possibility of developing any meaningful relationships.

But by reminding myself to keep an open mind, I met some great people and learned I mustn’t allow any preconceived ideas of a particular profession to influence my choice of careers. I also realized that a closed mind might close doors that I’d rather keep open.

I must identify my strengths and weaknesses

At the tattoo parlour, I tried to sketch a potential design for a client. What I came up with could have been equally matched in talent by a seven-year-old. I quickly realized I do not possess enough artistic ability to be a tattooist and, therefore, would not be too successful if I decided to pursue it as a profession.

However, that same week I recognized a strength in dealing with people. It can be somewhat nerve-wracking for clients awaiting a piercing. By spending time speaking with them in the waiting room, I found I was able to calm nerves, and make clients feel more at ease and comfortable about the whole experience.

Week after week. I am placed in unfamiliar situations that challenge me and require new skills. As a result, I am beginning to recognize areas in which I stood strong and those where I was weaker. Clearly, I will be happiest and most successful in a workplace situation that puts my strengths to good use.

I must be willing to try, try again

While working with the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation two weeks ago, I visited downtown Toronto stores and asked to post promotional material for an upcoming fundraising event. The first few queries, I faced rejection - and had to keep reminding myself that it was important not to get discouraged and to simply try again at the next store.

By pounding on enough doors, I scored sufficient success - and will keep in mind that I would not have gotten very far if I’d given up after hearing a few nos.

This relates to anything we do: We must be resilient if we are going to achieve our goals.

I set out 25 weeks ago to find a career that I would love doing. I will not find the ideal situation simply by deciding this is what I want; I must continue to try, try again each week. Every time I do, I get closer to my goal and learn more about the characteristics that are required for me to be happy in my career.

Keeping these reinvention themes in mind throughout my experience has enriched my journey. They have allowed me to take the most out of each week, to develop new skills, meet new people, and come to personal realizations about myself and what I am looking for in a career.

Sean Aiken writes occasionally about his career-discovery journey as he takes on a new job a week across Canada. He is blogging about his experience (and taking offers) at http://www.oneweekjob.com.