The Let’s GROW Project hosted its 7th annual Visioning event last Saturday, and now the seeds have been sown for another year! Here’s a recap: ✅ Of the 115 (sold out) registrants, 58 logged on (50%), and 55 remained until the close. ✅ As the theme was #LetsGROWGlobal, we welcomed attendees from Canada, the US, France, and Nigeria. ✅ Attendees were kept fully engaged in this 3-hour information and hands on experience. ✅ We started with the Land Acknowledgement statement.…

I know…curiosity is getting the better of you, and so it did when I made the announcement in my client newsletter a few weeks ago. First of all, November is Canada Career Month, and the theme this year is “It’s Possible”. Here’s what has been possible with my career. Last year March, just before the pandemic, I received a call from the Alumni Office at Conestoga College that I was being nominated by the college for a Premier’s Award in…

It’s ironic that the same qualifications that allow newcomers to gain permanent residency status and come to Canada seem to work against them once they arrive. Last Saturday, I hosted a Webinar through New Canadians TV on this notion of “No Canadian Experience”, and am sharing a synopsis of what was discussed. While the content is geared to newcomers, other job seekers will find some of these tips beneficial. Reframe the Narrative First of all, the phrase – No Canadian Experience –…

“After careful consideration, we have decided to pursue another candidate…” How many times have you received an email that said something like that? What was your first response? Did you: Throw your cell phone on the wall? Hit your laptop so hard, some of the keys flew off? Hang your head in shame muttering what’s the matter with you? Call your coach to talk it through? Write a follow-up email with a call-to-action? I hope you chose the last one…

The next time someone infers that you are not a leader, think twice before responding. Some people are ‘positional leaders’ by virtue of their titles; others are ‘non-positional’ leaders who find a gap and take action. They don’t wait for a title; they take a leap and lead! In May I was invited by the Regional Diversity Roundtable to speak to participants in their Community Leadership Program (CLP). The topic was Leadership Model: Vision for Inclusion & Diversity. Below I share…

𝘿𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙮, s𝙖𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙢. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩. 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙙𝙄𝙣 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠. That’s the kind of LinkedIn invitation I accept without hesitation. By referring to one of my posts, this person made an instant connection with me. He did not use LinkedIn’s default invitation to ask me to join his network. Neither did he use the invitation to ask for a favour, because I have received many like those. These are…

  With 2019 in the rear-view mirror and a new decade on the horizon, what is your Vision for 2020? Consider this: 2020 is the only year that all of us will have 20/20 Vision – the ability to see things clearly. As singer Johnny Nash says, “I can see clearly now the rain is gone; I can see all obstacles in my way?” What are your plans? Are you planning to enter the new year, and decade, with foggy eyes,…

“In business and in life, you don’t get paid what you deserve; you get paid what you negotiate.” – Anonymous In archiving some of my workshop files this past week, I discovered a presentation I gave to a group of mostly International Trained Professionals (IEPs) at University of Toronto’s Rotman’s School way back in 2008. The title: A 30-Day Plan to Put Your Career on the Fast Track. Part of the discussion was about how to speak up and ask for what…

Right now, you may be feeling discouraged for a number of reasons. You may have done more than your fair share of interviews without getting a job offer. Yikes! You may have put all your effort into a project; it failed, and your expected promotion didn’t happen, or You tried every networking strategy you were advised to use, and nothing happened! You are now thinking “I have reached the end of my tether, and it’s time to give up.” My…

To say I am a voracious reader is an understatement, and it started from I was very young. My mother knew I could be found hiding under my bed reading when I should be doing my chores. This habit followed me into adulthood. These days, it’s not unusual for me to be reading three books at any one time. I accomplish this by reading five pages at a time, thanks to a tip from my friend Rajni Dogra. Recently, when Hannah…