Networking

Chantal shares tips to help Job Seekers find and connect to Friendly Forces while discovering their ideal jobs.

Chantal shares tips about expressing gratitude on LinkedIn.

Chantal shares an example of embracing equity and random acts of kindness during IWD 2023.

Chantal shares information about the PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise, a free resource available to women and non-binary people across Ontario.

Many people are reluctant networkers, they like to get to know you before deciding to connect with you. This post shares examples of online networking to start creating trust.

Thoughts about mentoring programs available through professional associations.

A blog using dandelions and how people interact with them as an analogy for finding your ideal job.

If you’re interested in growing your network and you’re already on Facebook I encourage you to reach out and connect with others.

Networking is all about identifying Friendly Forces (allies and colleagues), creating trusting relationships and helping each other achieve your goals. You can do that on Instagram!

Networking is all about identifying Friendly Forces (allies and colleagues), creating trusting relationships and helping each other achieve your goals. You can do that on LinkedIn!

Earlier this week it occurred to me that I hadn’t published a blog lately. I wondered if I was suffering from writer’s block, or if it was something else. Then I set aside the thought, because I had a full week.

In early June 2021, I joined the BFLF Women Veterans Program A.T.H.E.N.A. funded by the Quebec Veterans Foundation. Completing the participants’ survey today made me think I should give you an update on my progress to date.

This blog shares why “So what?” stories are so important in your resume and cover letter.

Do you feel frustrated with your career, like things aren’t going the way you expected or hoped?

Seeking out new learning opportunities is a life long habit.  On Sunday June 6, I officially joined the A.T.H.E.N.A., a program run by the Audrée Dufresne and David Morrow from HRD2KILL. This program was specifically created for Canadian women veterans.

“Recce” is a military term, short for reconnaissance, and basically means exploring the paths you might take without committing too much energy or investing a lot of money and other resources to help you make an educated guess on how you may choose to achieve your goals.

One of the biggest challenges when considering a career in an industry that is new to you, is finding out what it’s really like to work in that environment. This is just as true for veterans looking for a second career as it is for new grads looking for their first big job.

Leadership and Inclusion are two of my special interests. I’ve been learning how to lead people for more than 40 years. Yes, I started learning about leadership while I was a young teenager, as an Air Cadet. I continued to learn more during my military career. Now I’m an entrepreneur and I call myself a Thought Partner.

Many people imagine that the only way to grow your network is to go to events and exchange business cards. While this might have been true in the past, technology now offers dozens of ways to meet and connect with people from literally around the world.

Many people have heard of the concept of six degrees of separation. Where your connections likely know people, who can help you connect with pretty much anyone in the world, in 6 connections or less. Social media actually speeds up this process, helping people connect with those they are looking for with fewer steps.

First a confession. For 8 years people have been trying to get me to join Instagram. I’ve resisted, because I think in words, and not in pictures. Everyone from consultants teaching social media sessions to business coaches, mentors and friends, have urged me to “try it.” I kept thinking that Instagram was all about images, and, it is largely comprised of photos and videos.

I love learning!  Every week, sometimes every day, I have the opportunity to learn something new. I’m grateful for every new thing I learn, whether it’s something as simple as how to create polls in my offspring’s high school online communication platform (it’s ridiculously easy) or as complex as learning how to write a relatable, meaningful and marketable book.

On Thursday morning, while waiting for a school bus, I noticed that my Twitter follower count had reached an all time high – 2,500 people honour me by following me on that platform. I shared this with my youngest offspring, who looked at me and said “Why would that many people follow YOU?”  Nothing like a teen to ground you! Later, as I waited with another teen for their school bus, I shared their younger sibling’s comment. We had a great discussion about the power of social media and other online platforms. I said even though I’m a digital immigrant I feel like the tools work for me. That teen turned to me and said “That’s because you take the time to learn.”

Early this week I watched a #BPWGoesDigital webinar called “The BLOG for BPW Communication” presented by Opeyemi Adeneye (BPW Nigeria). This 30-minutes video includes a short history of blogging and fabulous advice about how to use blogging to engage audiences and build communities.  The lessons that Opeyemi shared with members of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International) are transferable.

I live in Ontario, Canada, where High School students are normally required to complete 40 hours of volunteering to graduate. I believe that most people don’t realize how beneficial volunteering can be.

On March 23, 2020 I published a blog which read in part “I'm looking forward to a new, more equitable normal a year from now. When everyone is treated with respect, regardless of what they do for work, their level of education, what language they speak, or any other ‘difference’.”

When I was in the military, every time I changed jobs and met a new team, or had new people join my team, I had a conversation with them. I asked that they tell me what resources and training they needed to do their jobs, what types of work they preferred to do, and what their career aspirations were. I would tell them that quite frankly I was being “mercenary.” If I gave them what they needed, assigned them work that they enjoyed, and helped them achieve their goals, then they would succeed and I would look good.

On Friday March 27, I attended the Driving Your Digital Traffic Webinar Hosted by the WE CAN Project at Queens University featuring speaker Claire Bouvier, of FEiST (Female Entrepreneurs in Small Towns) and her brother Thomas Bouvier.<