If you were laid off when oil prices tanked, this might help you launch a new career

When Alberta's economy hit the ditch three years ago, it dragged thousands of energy jobs in with it.

"The way I phrase it is that I'm part of the Calgary statistics," said Lisa Hunka, an MBA holder who used to have a senior position in the oil and gas sectorand is now doing contract work.

"I'd say at this point in time the competition [for jobs] is fierce because there's a lot of talent out there. So it's been a slow and arduous process. It's a marathon, not a sprint."

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Energy companies stripped away many of the positions that once filled Calgary's office towers in a bid to slash costs and many of those jobs aren't ever expected to return.

That's left lots of talented professionals on the sidelines including earth scientists, engineers, geologists, accountants and business analysts.

But the challenge of finding new careers for these workers has inspired aneffort that throws a curve ball at traditional job hunting efforts.

Led by the Canada West Foundation (CWF), the project tosses out much of the emphasis on the long-established resume, such as job titles and job descriptions.

For the individual, it's a case of 'Ah! Look here's an opportunity that I never even thought of and all I need is two or three competencies that I can pick up this way.- Janet Lane, Canada West Foundation

Instead, it will ask participants to get much more focused on what they can really do, those things that experts call "transferable competencies."

"It's an innovative way of thinking about yourself as an individual," said Janet Lane, director of CWF's human capital centre. "You are much more than your last job description."

Lane said those who work in the oil and gas sector have developed competencies what they know, can do and understand that can be useful in many kinds of jobs, even other sectors.

The challenge, for both the candidate and the employer, lies in recognizing the opportunity for both.

The research project is looking for about 100 unemployed or underemployed Calgarians to take part.

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They will be asked to build a "competency profile" rather than a resume. The profile will focus on what they can actually do: their skills, knowledge and attitudes.

Using an online platform, these will be matched to competency-based job profiles.

Participants will be shown their results, potential career paths and what skills they need to work on to be a good fit to apply for new jobs using these profiles.

At the same time, employers are being asked to think about what they really need.

"So instead of doing their regular job postings, they are looking at what is it that they need people to do in order to be able to accomplish the goals of their organisation," Lane said.

For instance, companies often ask for people who are good communicators.

"Are they looking for somebody who can communicate with the person next to them on the shop floor, or somebody who can communicate to the board of directors?" Lane said.

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"We're trying to get them to think more granularly about what it is that they require people to do and to perhaps not be so aspirational but to be more realistic about what it is that their jobs entail."

At the end of the process, people may end up with careers in entirely different industries but are a good fit because their competencies match what companies need.

"For the individual, it's a case of 'Ah! Look here's an opportunity that I never even thought of and all I need is two or three competencies that I can pick up this way,'" said Lane.

Lane said this approach to matching people with careers isn't considered unconventional, but is newer to Canada. She said it's becoming more widely used in the United States.

Interested candidates in Calgarycan register through the GoldMindProject.com events page by clicking the Eventbrite link for the date of the workshop they would like to attend.