If you were one of the millions of American workers who left their job in 2021 and are wondering about your next move, Jessica Loftus, Ph.D., a career counselor based in Palos Heights, will host a virtual career workshop from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 25.
Loftus is the recent recipient of 2022 Best of Palos Heights Award in the career counselor category by the Palos Heights Award Program. She's a licensed clinical psychologist and National Certified Career Counselor. Her free workshop, "Gear up for a New Career," will be open to all adults (18 and over), with priority given to Palos Heights residents. Workshop topics include practical steps to making a career decision, current occupational trends, pandemic concerns, and basic job-search strategies.
"My first career was in accounting," Loftus said. "I'm living, walking proof that there is something to career counseling. When I took all these assessments, it became clear to me why I didn't belong in accounting, so I switched into counseling."
The COVID-19 pandemic caused massive numbers of Americans to quit their jobs, reaching an all-time high in November. According to Pew Research, the majority of workers who left jobs in 2021 cited low pay, no opportunities for advancement and feeling disrespected.
Many of the clients who seek out Loftus' services are middle-aged and not finding meaning in their jobs, as well as traditional-aged college students who have no clue what they want to do.
"Then there is a group of people, who because of trauma in life have low self-esteem," Loftus said. "They look at everything in the worst possible way. They carry all this baggage into the work environment. Unlike most career coaches who 'test and tell,' we find out what else is getting in the way of them reaching their full potential."
During Wednesday's workshop, participants will be able to review results from free online career assessment tools and complete a career values clarification exercise. Since this workshop covers a lot of ground, participants can schedule one follow-up career counseling session at a substantially discounted rate.
"For a good number of people, one session is all they need," Loftus said.
For workshop details and registration information, please visit Easy Ways To Ease Stress or email Loftus at jesiphd@gmail.com.
Loftus also plans to host a similar free workshop specifically geared toward people with physical disabilities and mental health disordered. Proposed topics include addressing job discrimination, researching legal rights, understanding FMLA, explaining resume work gaps, and negotiating workplace accommodations.
Each year, the Palos Heights Award Program honors local businesses that have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small businesses through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Palos Heights area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2022 Palos Heights Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered internally by the Palos Heights Award Program and data provided by third parties.