Keeping your diverse employees
It is tough to find quality workers these days. You probably have invested quite a bit in recruiting, hiring and setting up for skilled employees from diverse backgrounds for your company. But how do you keep them? Many skilled workers from other countries will take...
Andrew’s story: Finding work in chemical manufacturing
Let me tell you about how I first met Andrew Zheng… I was a speaker at the Chinese Students and Scholars Association gala (CSSA) and met Andrew during the networking portion of the evening. He impressed me by explaining how he landed a job in his industry right...
What is the difference between culture, personality, wellness, and performance issues?
Let me tell you a story… An employment counsellor told me about a client – an immigrant who had come to Canada as a refugee – who quit and immediately walked away from a very good job on a Friday. The client said he was offended by the three month...
How Sandra cracked the code on “Canadian Experience”
“A career is a journey with stops along the way, not a destination.” It’s a classic line that newcomers hear when trying to find work in Canada: “We are looking for someone with ‘Canadian experience.’” And while this isn’t necessarily an invalid point, it...
How to be a better you: Changing your habits with “If/when…then”
Have you felt frustrated with yourself for not being able to change habits? Maybe you’ve heard yourself saying, “Just this one chocolate bar,” or, “Tomorrow I’ll get serious about this,” when you are trying to make a lifestyle or workplace change. When struggling to...
How to make yourself irresistible in a job interview – part four: 5 gestures to create success
You know what they say about body language… The way we position ourselves as we share a message comprises the bulk of the communication that gets through to the audience. Estimates range anywhere from 55% to 90% (and the debate among communication experts will...
Your accent: Shrinking the elephant in the room
Accent. Everyone pretends it doesn’t matter. But after interviewing both employers and internationally trained professionals, it was the one topic that was consistent on both sides of the equation. Immigrants say accent stops them from getting hired. Employers say...
How to make yourself irresistible in a job interview – part three: 4 (More) strategies that help people know, like, and trust you
The job interview… It’s that ominous space that separates your accepted job application and the job offer. And it doesn’t depend – at least not entirely – on your technical skill. In the end, whether or not you land the job offer you’re hoping for...
5 (Commonplace) Bad Meeting Presentation Mistakes & What You Can Learn From Them
For many of us, just the mention of the word “meeting” makes us roll our eyes and groan. We’ve all had the misfortune of sitting through yet another bad presentation and have cursed the heavens for losing an hour (or longer) of our lives to boredom and frustration....
