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Winnipeg Free Press
05-08-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Want to take a sabbatical? Experts weigh in on how to convince your boss
Soon after Rachel Calvelli got married, she and her husband wanted to take six months off work and travel across North America. At her job, Calvelli had two options for a sabbatical: two years of salary spread across 30 months and six months off, or four years of salary across five years and a year off. The first step in her plan was speaking to her manager. Calvelli recalled being 'definitely nervous' and worried about the stigma of taking a break from her job to travel. Even though sabbaticals are a part of her workplace benefits, it wasn't popular for people to make use of them, she said. 'At the time, I was probably around 29 or 30 and worried it would make me seem young or potentially irresponsible,' Calvelli said. Meanwhile, her husband, who works in the private sector, had signed a new job on the condition of a short sabbatical after two years of work. Then came the planning: financial, logistical and everything in between. For two years, Calvelli and her husband cut back on discretionary spending, had a relative agree to take care of their home and pets while they'd be away, and prepared thorough handover documents for their workplaces leading up to their six months off in 2022. Taking time off work for an extended period may sound like a fantasy to some people. But experts say it is possible if you time the conversation well and come armed with a plan. 'You need to be very strategic about when you do bring this conversation up,' said Danica Nelson, founder of Liberty Leave, which helps women plan career breaks. Nelson said before people bring up the idea of taking a sabbatical with their manager, they need to make sure they're almost irreplaceable at their job. 'You're coming fully prepared to your performance reviews with quantifiable metrics to really be able to justify why you are valuable to the company,' she said. And be honest about how you feel. Nelson suggested saying something along the lines of: 'I'm feeling burnt out right now. I'm considering taking some time away for myself so I can get some fresh perspective, so I come back stronger.' Phrasing the proposal as mutually beneficial and preparing a business case could help further the conversation, said Nina Hornjatkevyc, a registered psychologist and counselling director at Canada Career Counselling. She said it's important to frame the 'why' of a sabbatical well, which can make it easier to talk to the manager. 'How their being on the sabbatical would actually be a win-win, highlighting how there could be benefits for the organization,' Hornjatkevyc said. During negotiations, Hornjatkevyc said it's important to propose as much lead time as possible before going away — and even suggest a couple of different start times that could work for the company. It's about 'making sure there's a real emphasis on supporting businesses or organizational needs,' she said. If the sabbatical is approved, that lead time allows better planning and making suggestions on how duties will be covered during the absence, talking about handovers and figuring out how communication will be handled during that time, Hornjatkevyc said. Then, set up a plan to transition back into work, she added. Hornjatkevyc suggested people start getting back in touch with their employer as they get closer to the end of their leave. When Calvelli returned to her job after six months, it took time to get back into the routine. Luckily, she found her workplace was accommodating to her return and her transition back. 'I felt slower doing things, but in a really positive way,' she recalled. 'I actually felt a lot calmer.' However, Nelson warned your job may not always be guaranteed when you return. When Nelson took a sabbatical from her old workplace, she was told she could come back to a position, but not necessarily the same one she had before her time off. 'I was offered a (maternity) leave position and I had to figure out after that … if I would find something permanent within the company or if I would have to move on,' she recalled. That could become a financial risk. Nelson said a sabbatical can be expensive, as income levels drop and savings take a hit while travelling or taking a course. 'That gap in earning an income is definitely going to impact your finances long-term,' she said. Hornjatkevyc said finances and career trajectory often are the top concerns — mortgage, implications for children or pets, their partner's work, long-term financial stability and career growth risks, for example. 'One of the major ways to help to mitigate some of these concerns is to do some planning, and really to map out some of those concerns,' Hornjatkevyc said. That will help figure out a realistic plan and pin down what may or may not work for an individual — both in their finances and career growth. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. For Calvelli and her husband, the sabbatical didn't stop their career growth. While Calvelli was promoted to a senior manager role three months after her time away from work, her husband returned to a senior role right after the leave. Hornjatkevyc said a person can experience big picture growth when taking a career sabbatical. 'As much as in the short term there can be implications, there can be so much potential for (personal) growth as well,' she said. 'It's important to balance both sides.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
13-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Is it OK to use AI in your job search? Experts say yes. Here's how to do it right
Sandra Lavoy noticed awkward pauses and hesitation from a job candidate when she asked questions on a video call. The pauses didn't seem natural; neither did the responses. Lavoy, the regional director at employment agency Robert Half, suspected the candidate was using artificial intelligence to generate answers during a live job interview. 'I questioned it,' she recalled. 'And they jumped off the call.' That experience wasn't a one-off for Lavoy, so she started asking candidates to show up in person. With the unemployment rate around seven per cent, those on the hunt for work are looking to get an edge on fellow job seekers. Some are turning to AI to generate pristine, error-free resumés and even prepare for interviews. But that trend has many on the hiring side questioning its ethics. Companies have started noticing the misuse of AI tools during live interviews and it has become a trend over the last couple of months, said Alexandra Tillo, senior talent strategy adviser at Indeed Canada. Many recruiters don't mind the use of AI in job searches, Tillo said but it raises an alarm when candidates forgo all personality when writing a cover letter or rely heavily on technology during interviews rather than their own knowledge. Similar responses to situational or behavioural questions from multiple candidates, with a delivery that lacks emotional intelligence, is what's tipping off recruiters to inauthentic candidates, she added. 'It's very hard to judge someone's skills, especially if the answer is not truly their own and it does lead to a bit of a waste of time ... (and a) lack of trust,' Tillo said. A tough job market leaves little room for errors from candidates — likely one of the reasons some feel compelled to use AI during live interviews, Tillo speculates. Employers are taking longer to hire the right candidate: sifting through a heap of applications and relying heavily on AI-powered application tracking systems. Meanwhile, candidates are using AI to insert the right keywords in the hopes of getting through those systems, said Ariel Hennig Wood, career coach at Canada Career Counselling. 'We're losing the personalized resumés and then we're losing the personalized response on the employer side,' she said. But there are ways AI can be used effectively when looking for work, Wood said. Her strategy includes step-by-step prompt engineering — telling generative AI programs and apps such as chatbot ChatGPT exactly what it needs to do for every phase of the job search. 'When it comes to employer research, AI can definitely be your best friend,' Wood said. AI could help gather insights on information ranging from a company's turnover rate to why employees like working there. The next piece is the cover letter. She suggests starting with a generic template borrowed from AI, then personalizing it with your own voice through the right prompts. 'Instead of just saying, 'I want a job,' it should be: 'I want this job, and this is why I'm a good fit. This is why I feel connected to this role,'' Wood said. Then tailor that research to the resumé and cover letter, while also doing an analysis of the job posting to add the right keywords, she added. 'AI needs to be used in the job search process to be effective against application-tracking systems,' said Wood. Then, Wood suggested leveraging AI for practice interview questions — such as generating questions you might be asked or pulling out achievements from your resumé to make answers relevant to the job interview. 'You can record yourself answering the interview questions, and then it will give you AI-generated feedback, which can be helpful,' she said. But also get feedback from a friend or career counsellor, Wood added. Once a candidate lands the job, Wood said AI can help with offer negotiations. 'It can scan the offer and flag anything that may be out of the norm,' she said. 'It could tell you ... where there could be room for negotiation in the offer.' AI isn't just a tool to polish resumés for Karan Saraf, who is studying public relations and is on the lookout for a job. Some days, he uses it to make sense of his scattered thoughts when applying to a job, while other times, it's about role-playing interviews. And his strategy worked, landing him interviews in a tough youth job market. Saraf said as long as he's not plagiarizing or misleading employers, he doesn't feel the need to disclose that he leveraged AI in his job search journey. 'But then, if I'm ever asked this question, I would be honest about it,' he said. 'That's part of being an ethical AI user.' Wood said an ethical AI user would know exactly what's in their resumé, if questioned. 'I don't believe that you need to go into an interview and say, 'By the way, I prepped with AI for this,'' she said. 'It's such a common tool now that everybody's using and if you are using it ethically, there's nothing to disclose.' But Carlie Bell thinks that creates an imbalance between employers and job seekers. Upcoming Ontario legislation mandates companies to disclose in their public job postings their use of AI in screening, selecting and assessing applicants starting Jan. 1, 2026. Other provinces haven't yet opted for similar measures. 'It is employers ... who are going to be held to legal standards around this kind of stuff and expectations, but there is still nothing there to really guide the job seekers,' said Bell, director of consulting at Citation Canada. Bell anticipates employers will also start expecting job seekers to disclose their use of AI for transparency both ways. Still, using AI in a job search isn't likely to harm a candidate as long as they continue to be creative and talk about personal experiences, Bell said. 'In a world where everybody's the same ... and you're trying to compete essentially against machines on both sides, what we know is that the human really matters still,' Bell said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
13-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Is it OK to use AI in your job search? Experts say yes. Here's how to do it right
Sandra Lavoy noticed awkward pauses and hesitation from a job candidate when she asked questions on a video call. The pauses didn't seem natural; neither did the responses. Lavoy, the regional director at employment agency Robert Half, suspected the candidate was using artificial intelligence to generate answers during a live job interview. 'I questioned it,' she recalled. 'And they jumped off the call.' That experience wasn't a one-off for Lavoy, so she started asking candidates to show up in person. With the unemployment rate around seven per cent, those on the hunt for work are looking to get an edge on fellow job seekers. Some are turning to AI to generate pristine, error-free resumés and even prepare for interviews. But that trend has many on the hiring side questioning its ethics. Companies have started noticing the misuse of AI tools during live interviews and it has become a trend over the last couple of months, said Alexandra Tillo, senior talent strategy adviser at Indeed Canada. Many recruiters don't mind the use of AI in job searches, Tillo said but it raises an alarm when candidates forgo all personality when writing a cover letter or rely heavily on technology during interviews rather than their own knowledge. Similar responses to situational or behavioural questions from multiple candidates, with a delivery that lacks emotional intelligence, is what's tipping off recruiters to inauthentic candidates, she added. 'It's very hard to judge someone's skills, especially if the answer is not truly their own and it does lead to a bit of a waste of time … (and a) lack of trust,' Tillo said. A tough job market leaves little room for errors from candidates — likely one of the reasons some feel compelled to use AI during live interviews, Tillo speculates. Employers are taking longer to hire the right candidate: sifting through a heap of applications and relying heavily on AI-powered application tracking systems. Meanwhile, candidates are using AI to insert the right keywords in the hopes of getting through those systems, said Ariel Hennig Wood, career coach at Canada Career Counselling. 'We're losing the personalized resumés and then we're losing the personalized response on the employer side,' she said. But there are ways AI can be used effectively when looking for work, Wood said. Her strategy includes step-by-step prompt engineering — telling generative AI programs and apps such as chatbot ChatGPT exactly what it needs to do for every phase of the job search. 'When it comes to employer research, AI can definitely be your best friend,' Wood said. AI could help gather insights on information ranging from a company's turnover rate to why employees like working there. The next piece is the cover letter. She suggests starting with a generic template borrowed from AI, then personalizing it with your own voice through the right prompts. 'Instead of just saying, 'I want a job,' it should be: 'I want this job, and this is why I'm a good fit. This is why I feel connected to this role,'' Wood said. Then tailor that research to the resumé and cover letter, while also doing an analysis of the job posting to add the right keywords, she added. 'AI needs to be used in the job search process to be effective against application-tracking systems,' said Wood. Then, Wood suggested leveraging AI for practice interview questions — such as generating questions you might be asked or pulling out achievements from your resumé to make answers relevant to the job interview. 'You can record yourself answering the interview questions, and then it will give you AI-generated feedback, which can be helpful,' she said. But also get feedback from a friend or career counsellor, Wood added. Once a candidate lands the job, Wood said AI can help with offer negotiations. 'It can scan the offer and flag anything that may be out of the norm,' she said. 'It could tell you … where there could be room for negotiation in the offer.' AI isn't just a tool to polish resumés for Karan Saraf, who is studying public relations and is on the lookout for a job. Some days, he uses it to make sense of his scattered thoughts when applying to a job, while other times, it's about role-playing interviews. And his strategy worked, landing him interviews in a tough youth job market. Saraf said as long as he's not plagiarizing or misleading employers, he doesn't feel the need to disclose that he leveraged AI in his job search journey. 'But then, if I'm ever asked this question, I would be honest about it,' he said. 'That's part of being an ethical AI user.' Wood said an ethical AI user would know exactly what's in their resumé, if questioned. 'I don't believe that you need to go into an interview and say, 'By the way, I prepped with AI for this,'' she said. 'It's such a common tool now that everybody's using and if you are using it ethically, there's nothing to disclose.' But Carlie Bell thinks that creates an imbalance between employers and job seekers. Upcoming Ontario legislation mandates companies to disclose in their public job postings their use of AI in screening, selecting and assessing applicants starting Jan. 1, 2026. Other provinces haven't yet opted for similar measures. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'It is employers … who are going to be held to legal standards around this kind of stuff and expectations, but there is still nothing there to really guide the job seekers,' said Bell, director of consulting at Citation Canada. Bell anticipates employers will also start expecting job seekers to disclose their use of AI for transparency both ways. Still, using AI in a job search isn't likely to harm a candidate as long as they continue to be creative and talk about personal experiences, Bell said. 'In a world where everybody's the same … and you're trying to compete essentially against machines on both sides, what we know is that the human really matters still,' Bell said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2025.
