Early in my career, I joined a consulting firm and accepted a role focused on project-based work. The role offered the opportunity to travel, work with multi-national organizations, and develop solutions for sensitive business risks. It was an exciting experience, and every few months I would start a project that introduced a new client, a… Read more
In the early days of my career, I was fortunate to be taken under the wing of managers who were exceptional leaders. One became my mentor. Her leadership utilized the power of listening and questioning; giving space to figure out my own answers to problems to gain footing as a leader. Her title was “Manager”… Read more
Autumn is like the sunset of the seasons. At first the world is more colourful. Then, the days become shorter, darker and less inviting outside. In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s easy to shrug this off as something we should simply tolerate. But rather than quietly suffer through it, what if fall is a disguised opportunity… Read more
Being confident in a new environment doesn’t always come naturally. The ability to network and meet with new people becomes easier with time and experience, but what about when you’re just starting out? Or starting over? How can you quickly begin to ingratiate yourself and build up rapport? As someone working in Business Development, I… Read more
Before my last career change, I was introduced to an incredibly helpful book, The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting up to Speed Faster and Smarter by Michael D. Watkins. This book became an essential guide as I started my new role. Watkins argues that your first 90 days in a new role is… Read more
I have enjoyed many careers. I was Daisy the Clown, a college instructor, primary caregiver, a University Academic Advisor and most recently, a Registered Clinical Counsellor in private practice. This is my 10th career transition. Through each career I derived a sense of identity, purpose, and worth. In each career transition, I felt self-critical, fearful,… Read more
The UBC cinnamon bun. A classic treat, enjoyed by countless students at UBC over the last 65 years. And now, we at alumni UBC, along with our partners at Manulife Financial, TD Insurance and BMO alumni UBC MasterCard would like to bring the cinnamon bun experience off campus and into the home (or workplace) of one lucky UBC graduate, staff or faculty member.
In comparison to the time you invest in crafting your resume, employers spend only a fraction of that time reviewing it. For your resume to make it to the list of “to consider” candidates, you need to provide clear evidence that you possess the right strengths and experience for the advertised position. In this post,… Read more
“When one chapter closes, another opens”. Gone were the long bus rides to campus, the weekly VSEUS meetings, and days of frantically cramming for exams the night before. The idea of having to face new challenges in life seemed so expectable, yet that reality did not set in for me until my last moments on… Read more
I love a good podcast. Although, truthfully, I really only started enjoying them quite recently. I am more of a visual learner; and it was difficult to adapt at first. However, I decided to try it again and I found so much joy tapping into this super popular medium covering so many topics – including… Read more
There are very few people who feel comfortable having difficult conversations with someone on their team, their supervisor or even in their personal lives. But they are so important as you move forward in your career. To reframe the idea, I like to think of them as courageous conversations. Tough and direct conversations can be… Read more
UBC. It’s yours. My hope for the international graduates reading this post is that the allegorical “it” will refer to a successful journey through your post-graduate career. For me personally, this journey included more than six months of job-searching before I finally settled into a permanent position, which allowed me to become a Canadian Permanent… Read more