CTAA (Canadian Tamil Alumni Association) is a non-profit, non-political organization focused on developing opportunities for young Tamil professionals through networking events, professional development, and community involvement.

This past Saturday, CTAA hosted the first of four in a series of career-oriented workshops geared towards new university graduates and professionals looking to make a change in their career. The 3-hour event took place inside Woodside Library and was filled with enthusiastic young professionals looking to gain information on effective networking, understanding the “hidden job market” and having their resume critiqued by a mentor.

Vijay Setlur, Sports Marketing lecturer at Ryerson University, began the workshop with an informative and interactive presentation. He shared information on the value of the “30 second elevator pitch”, the power of a good handshake and shared the do’s and don’ts of networking.

The presentation was followed by Kanjana Brodie, Employment and Career Counsellor at Toronto Community Employment Services, who shared tips on writing an effective cover letter and resume. Kanji explained the differences of a chronological resume, functional resume and combination resume and when each type of resume should be used. She noted the importance of knowing what the labour market entails and the advantages of researching related careers as identified by the NOC (National Occupational Classification).

Soon after the presentations concluded, the participants, also known as mentees, had an opportunity to have their resume critiqued. The mentees were paired up with mentors for an hour long session to have their resumes and cover letters edited on a one-on-one basis.
As a mentor, I found the workshop to be a great experience not only for the participants but for everyone who attended. The workshop provided several positive, useful tools and tips. My top five picks include:

1. Join Linkedin and limit the use of Facebook for professional use.
2. Always include a personalized cover letter with your resume when applying for a job.
3. Create a personal business card that includes your credentials, affiliated associations and associations that you want to get involved with.
4. Practice giving a firm handshake.
5. Network! Network! Network! You never know who you’re going to meet and what opportunities they may bring you.

The second workshop in the career series hosted by CTAA is entitled “Acing the Interview” and is scheduled to take place on October 29th.

- Matangi Thillai, C.H.R.P., M.Ed