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Salsa on St. Clair |
 On
the weekend of July 14-15, The
Salsa on St. Clair Street Festival took place for the second
year, and Skills for Change was actively involved! Over 200,000 people poured on to St.Clair (which was shut down to vehicular traffic from Winona to Christie) to celebrate Toronto's Latin cultures. As our contribution to the festivities, SfC shared a promotional table with our corporate partner, Travel and Transitions. To keep in the party mode, we also offered a special SfC "Travel or Training" Draw (courtesy of G.A.P Adventures and HiTech Institute) that generated over 1200 ballots! The stage upon which live performances took place was directly beside our building and was once again hosted by Ismael Cala Lopez (SfC Graduate NPA Award Recipient 2000) who works for both TLN and CNN Espanol. In addition, SfC provided both CBC Radio and TLN TV with access to our facility to help them broadcast the event. A big round of thanks goes out to all the SfC and Travel and Transition staff who worked hard and fast to make this very "hot" event a success! |
Get a Certificate in Advanced Technology
for Accounting and Finance. Classes start Sept 11, 2006. Assessment
and enrollment GOING ON!  If you have work experience or a degree in accounting or finance,
and would like to upgrade your skills to get a job, there is a NEW
PROGRAM that will meet your needs. ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY FOR
ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE is a certificate program and will start on
September 11, 2006. The program consists of 4 modules: Computerized Accounting, Business Technology (Microsoft Office XP), Business Communications and Job Primer. In computerized accounting module, participants will learn 3 widely used accounting software, ACCPAc 5.2, Simply Accounting and QuickBooks. Additionally, students will learn Word, Excel and Access. In Modules 3 and 4, participants will improve their business English and learn how to prepare office documents, improve their customer service skills, and learn how to network and contact employers. If you are interested in attending this program, please call 416 – 658 – 3101 ext 700 or ext 218. |
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"Don't Ever Give Up" |
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The Success Story of CES Graduate by Nasra Abdi Meeting Norma Mendez was a great start to a wonderful encounter! A humble and unassuming woman and with a quiet confidence, she greeted me as if she knew me all her life. It was evident that she is a professional, both in knowing how to keep people at ease and in achieving success in her career. Mendez is a Senior Manager at Scotiabank for the Human Resources Department. As we sat through the afternoon, Mendez poignantly related her journey about never giving up, how Skills for Change assisted her job search process and educating yourself about the Canadian workplace culture and communication. Mendez is a native of Mexico, and has been in Canada for more than eleven months. She attributes her career success to the kindness of the Skills for Change staff, stating “Norma is very professional,” about her workshop facilitator and counselor Norma Bernal. During our conversation, Mendez related the importance of maintaining your career. “You have to go beyond operational duties. You have to study hard, gain experience, and learn how things work,” replies a committed Mendez. While Mendez continues to share her success with all those who have helped her, I learned early on that she is the main contributor to her own success! Below Mendez offers some career advice to internationally-trained professionals and newcomers about success, motivation, and the determination to never give up on your job searching! Nasra Abdi: Please tell me about your job position and its duties? Norma Mendez: I work for the HR department. We participate in all the big changes in the company. There are usually many projects going on at the same time- for example, in Costa Rica, then in Peru, then in England. We also work on due diligence, that is, investigation before a new acquisition. Nasra: What are some of the important issues you encounter about your position or working for a large organization? That is, within the banking industry? Norma: You need to specialize. Specialization requires vision and strategy. It affects different areas of the company, and you have to go beyond operational duties. You have to study hard, gain experience, and learn how things work. When you decide to work for a Bank or a large organization, you should consider starting from the beginning, it allows you to grow! Also learn – there is a tendency to hear about issues arising in larger business organizations. Scotiabank has a very friendly staff, they are open and flexible and there is a lot of caring within this organization. Scotiabank participates in charity events and programs and encourages employees to participate as well. They also look for feedback. Nasra: So let’s start with your job search. What was your strategy in the job search process? Norma: I did everything! I attended job fairs, searched the Internet, went to recruiting agencies. The position I have now is the second job the recruiter offered to me. You have to have different resumes for different positions. Employers want flexibility in a potential candidate. You have to look for the company – if you are interested or not. The mistake I did was going to all interviews! It was a big mistake! I did not assess the positions or the companies. I should have said no to some jobs that were not for me! Saying no gives you confidence because you learn you are valuable. You make that mistake because you are desperate. You have to focus on what the position is and the company offers. Nasra: Absolutely! There is a huge difference between positions that will benefit you in your career from any other position. One of the important concerns for our clients is that they are constantly told/or feel that the lack of Canadian experience hinders them? Any advice on how they can leverage their international experience to appeal to recruiters? Norma: There are three things that are critical towards gaining employment in Canada. First, you have to narrow your job search to your area of expertise, but at least at a lower position You have to network, take courses related to your position, and take English classes to improve your communication skills. Second, you have put in the effort in improving your communication skills. Be sure of yourself. And finally, self confidence is important- if they [employers] see self-confidence, then you have a greater chance. You have the confidence if you have the knowledge. CES [Clerical Employment Services] workshops opened me up. If I had taken the course workshop earlier, I would have been more successful. It taught me about Canadian Workplace Communication. It helped me think about the employer’s needs, than about myself. I learned a lot! Nasra: What is your advice, then, for clients as they looking for employment in their field? Norma: Tell them, “Don’t ever give up.” Don’t wait for anyone. No one will knock on your door. You have to focus and keep your goals. You don’t have to start from scratch. Maybe you might have to start at a little lower position. Believe in yourself! Never give up! Be realistic! Keep on taking courses! Don’t wait! You have to forget about other places! You have to give up your sense of entitlement! You have to think as an employer when you are job searching! Nasra: That is true, Norma! While it is a tremendous heartache to not be reinstated in the same position as you were, wherever you came from, it is important to keep yourself from feeling entitled. However, it is so natural and common. How did you overcome this? What are some of the barriers you had encountered in your job search process? Norma: Language skills are very important. I am not shy but when it comes to a conversation in another language I cannot express myself as I can do it on my native language. It is hard to speak in another language; they [immigrants] feel that they are being bothersome. If they [clients] are perfectionists, they get nervous! You gain experience by just doing it. Try to explain yourself by using basic words. You have flow in your communication with others. Culture is a big issue. You might do or say something, and you thought you were being nice, and it could be considered rude! You could be overdressed? Know when to be casual. How is the business, culture, what is appropriate, what is not? You have to have self-confidence. Some people don’t have the patience and interrupt you. They [clients] withdraw from you, and they try to use fancy words, but just finish with basic words! You gain self-confidence with knowledge! Nasra: Getting the message through is more important than the words you are using. This is a simple concept, yet difficult for any language learner to grasp. Couple that with job searching, and it becomes something you must practice daily. Norma, are there any last words of advice? Norma: Body language is important too, even if you are saying interesting topics moving your body too much or showing a tic doesn’t help. Thank CES because they really helped me! The interview practices helped me. Skills for Change need to advertise more because it is a great organization. There is another agency, I don’t remember the name, and I dealt with them for a short while. Anyway, they were very bureaucratic. They did not ask any important questions to assess you and even help you with interviews. In fact, they advised for me to take Ontario Works. It’s fine if others do it, but I was looking for work! Nasra: Thank you Norma, you are truly a success story! Thank you for allowing me to interview you today. We think you are a Star Performer because of your passion, determination and positivity. You are a great representative of Skills for Change! Norma: Thank you for your kind words and thank to Skills for Change for their advice, time and the opportunity to share my experience, I am just a regular person looking for happiness and stability. I am happy to help others and if my experience contributes finding someone’s way. I am ready to answer any question! |
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Employment Resource Centre |
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Writing a Persuasive Cover Letter
A standardized cover letter is very easy for employers to ignore. However, if you take the time to tailor your letter, the company will realize you’re serious about joining them. A few extra hours spent by you now on an important application could make a big difference in your future job satisfaction, pay level, quality of life, etc. Tuesday, August 1, 2006 at 1 p.m. Goal Setting and Following Through Goal setting is the process you use to set your direction in life. By setting goals on a routine basis you decide what you want to achieve, and then move step-by-step towards the achievement of these goals. This complete goal workout will motivate you to set goals while having fun. Wednesday, August 2, 2006 at 1 p.m. Hands-on Workshop (Limited to 4 seats) Labour Market Information Research the current and future prospects for your occupation. In this workshop for a group of up to four clients, we provide individualized hands-on instruction in using the Internet to collect useful information regarding your specific job type. Thursday, August 3, 2006 at 1 p.m. Portfolio as a Marketing Tool Learn how to develop a Professional Portfolio that will showcase your strengths and accomplishments. Impress the interviewer by providing them with a visual of why you are the best candidate for the position. Please bring your resume. Friday, August 4, 2006 at 1 p.m. All workshops are held at Skills for Change Employment Resource Centre 791 St. Clair Ave. West (west of Christie St.) www.derc.ca erc@skillsforchange.org |
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TechSkills |
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TechSkills specializes in hands-on, instructor-led training in the latest
software applications. We offer instructors with years of real-world
expertise in a fun informal setting, teaching everything from basic web
site development to more advanced accounting and database design. |
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Programs and Services Directory |
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 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6C 1B8 A United Way member agency Skills for Change is a registered non-profit organization Charitable registration #121471858RR0001 |
