YWCA Focus At Work

YWCA Focus@Work provides a free, 3-week workshop which helps equip women with the skills for job hunting. Topics covered during this workshop included: useful information, helpful resources and job hunting skills. Such skills included personality assessments (which helped me figure out my career path), skill assessments (super helpful with resume/cover letter writing), stress management (I wish I could learn about this earlier), resume writing (my new resume got me many interview chances), interview skills (which helped me give a better performance in real interviews), etc. The net result is that I secured a job within 2 months of completing YWCA’s Focus@Work workshop!Moreover, what I found most beneficial for life beyond the workshop was learning how to conduct information interviews with people I don’t know and build up my network. Getting to know more people increases one’s hiring possibilities; I have never would have considered this before attending the workshop. Despite being employed now, I’ll continue to have information interviews and get to know more people.Also, I’ve met 13 fantastic women with different backgrounds from this workshop. All of my workshop mates are very nice, friendly and willing to share their life experiences. We laughed, we cried, and we support each other. I’m sure we’ll be friends forever! The three weeks I spent with these lovely ladies is a treasure I will never forget! Oh! I forgot to mention, Focus@Work workshop is for female clients only. I did feel more comfortable and relaxed under a female only environment.As for my personal well-being, I’m more confident in myself now! Before attending Focus, I was always lacking in confidence and doubted myself quite often. I felt no hope. By hearing other workshop mates sharing their experiences, I knew that I’m not alone! Focus helped me find myself, dig out my strengths, and realize what I want in my life. Focus not only helped me get a job, but also helped me become a better person!All the instructors and staff at Focus are very professional, helpful, friendly and supportive and I feel very lucky to have had their guidance, encouragement and support! If you are unemployed and seeking work and are struggling with a career path and job hunting, don’t hesitate! This Focus@Work will be your lifesaver. Joining YWCA Focus@Work was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.

YWCA FOCUS@Work is a great program. I highly recommend it to all women who look for support and guidance during their career journey. It is a 3 week program but their support is continuous.

The focus@work group is led by insightful, kind and motivational facilitators who helped me update my job search skills and provided new resources and ongoing support with coaching and dynamic, informative guest speaker events. I gained a network of diverse, supportive peers who I now call friends. All of this has given me new enthusiasm, hope and confidence in getting a job that excites me and aligns with my values!

As a participant of Focus@work program I totally recommend this course to anyone who is looking for a job. I came to the program feeling hopeless about my job search and finished it with a clear plan. After few months I was able to find a survival job and two months later I landed a dream job!

Focus at Work is an amazing program and I am so thankful to have had its support for my last job transition. It helps its clients network with professional associations, learn new skills and gives them access to Dress for Success, another incredible partner organization that helps women in a number of ways. More than just the basics of job search, Focus provides a holistic program that helps clients gain perspective on their underlying values and communication patterns to be more effective in targeting positions best suited for their personalities and experience. The group format allows participants to draw on multiple sources of experience from staff and fellow participants and provides encouragement to support the anxieties that often surround job search. Working with the staff and other clients everyday really kept me motivated, positive and enthused about looking for my next role. Focus helped me to identify my strengths and abilities, as well as areas that I needed to improve -ultimately, it enabled me to find a well suited job in my industry. It has also opened doors of self-reflection and encouraged me to pursue other avenues of personal growth. If you are job searching and have the opportunity to work with the Focus team, you have found a great treasure.

Focus @ Work helped me identify my strengths and understand the job market in Canada. You'll be coached by professionals that will guide you from within to increase your confidence. It is an excellent opportunity to receive professional support from the facilitators that will help you tailor your resume, cover letter, and be ready for interviews. This program uses a very unique approach between group dynamics and personal support. But, there is more! It offers you the path to increase your network, to connect with other women that like you, are ready to focus on your growth.This experience should be at reach of everyone looking for improvement and community to navigate in the job hunting and personal development .To those who are ready

I participated in YWCA’s Focus@Work 3-week long work search program in September 11-28, 2017. I’d first heard about the program from a friend in 2015 when I came back to Vancouver for the summer from my Chinese language studies in China. The program sounded like the answer to my transition from China back into the work force.Coming back from China 2.5 years later, I was somewhat hesitant to do Focus at first. I thought it would be more efficient to job search on my own than to be in a 3-week program, and I’d felt quite competent about my resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and networking skills. But I knew deep down that I needed more guidance and accountability in my career and work search.As the weeks in the program unravelled, I realized that there was much more to learn. There was more than one way of presenting a resume or cover letter than what I was taught.I’m extremely happy that I did Focus. Not only did I learn more about my personality, values, mission, self-care as well as resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, the hidden job market, and networking, but I also received feedback and support from women who are in the same position as me. Not to mention a career counselor who worked with me one on one and kept me accountable for my job search.I realized that no matter what age or stage you are at in life, there are people out there who may need career support, are going through a transition phase, or are still learning about what kind of work they want to do. And that’s ok.I also acknowledge that not everyone in the world has access to empowering work search programs such as Focus where you receive resources and customized help for free, and especially one that supports women.I’m so lucky that I was in this program and I know it’ll have rippling effects in my life. Though 3 weeks may have seemed long to me at first, the things that I’ve learned through the program have been life-changing.Being in a program like Focus definitely boosted my confidence to find work in Vancouver. I’ve been someone who believes in myself, but there were some doubts and gaps that I realized I needed help with. Whatever happens, I know I have more resilience now to deal with the ups and downs of life and to keep pushing forward.I encourage Focus@Work participants to attend the workshops and events offered at Focus even after the program ends. You never know what you might learn and who you might meet. Those nuggets of insight and knowledge gained through such events are priceless!

Need assistance looking for work? Don't call this organization! They put up barriers and make you go through a series of hoops just to attend an information session. Their manager has no empathy for the unemployed and treats you in a cold and callous manner. Don't waste your time - you'll just encounter further aggravation and disappointment. Go to a WorkBC office instead - at least their staff treat you with the compassion you need in these tough economic times.

I loved YWCA Focus @ work program. It is an excellent program to seek great support and inspiration from a community, not only in job searching but also in setting career goals, recognizing personal values, and building a network.

Focus@Work is one of the best employment service programs for women in the province!! It gave me wings! The program is nicely structured, it gives participants an incredible wealth of valuable skills and the support provided increased my self-confidence substantially. Eventually I found a job that is aligned with my skills sets, qualifications and interests. I would highly recommend this program to any woman looking for employment.