Career Advice – Page 2 – Toronto Metropolitan University Alumni Blog

Learning from others’ hiring mistakes

Craig Bissett, Marketing Management ’81, is the author of My Worst Hire & What I Learned From It. He is the Founder of the Hiring Simulation Assessment process and President of Hire Results Ltd. Bissett’s Hiring Simulation Assessment process is used by hundreds of hiring teams to test drive candidates before a key hire is made.

Business owners and managers have rarely been challenged more in a 12-month timespan as they have due to the worldwide COVID-19 crisis. In spite of these challenges, some vital business activities still need to take place but now with increased rigor and precision. Hiring is one of these all-important activities.

If you have the responsibility of hiring key personnel you will appreciate the hiring wisdom outlined by the 50 business leaders in this new book.

Here are a few abbreviated stories and the accompanying hiring nuggets from three of the 50 contributors:

Making lemonade out of lemons: 3 tips for pivoting your business with confidence

Rachel Kelly, Image Arts ‘12 — Rachel Kelly, Image Arts ’12, is the Founder of Make Lemonade, a coworking office and community for female entrepreneurs.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I walked home on March 15, 2020. I had just closed my business doors — a coworking office — for two weeks. One week prior, I was celebrating International Women’s Day in an office full of ambitious entrepreneurs. We had a potluck, there were numerous hugs, and we certainly underestimated how special it was to gather in real life.

I went to Shanghai to build a brand and failed

ALT — Haruun Dahir, Business & Technology ’16, is a digital marketing specialist. After graduation Dahir moved to Shanghai, China to pursue his dream of building an e-commerce empire from the ground up. It didn’t work out exactly as planned. Today, Dahir shares what he learned about business, himself and the world at failcare.com.

The most valuable lesson I learned at Ryerson was who I didn’t want to be. As my classmates were hunting for entry-level positions as analysts, project managers, and everything else in between, it dawned on me that I wanted nothing to do with traditional business.

Pro-tips for virtual networking

Monika Monga (Business Management ’00; Human Resources Management MA) is a HR professional who has worked in both the public and private sector where she gained experience in recruitment.

The stay at home order has made it more challenging than ever to get a job. Savvy online networking will help you stay on top of trends in the industry, the job market, meet prospective mentors and even tip you off to new job opportunities.

Job hunting during a pandemic: The story of a new grad

ALT — Kayla Thomson is a recent graduate of Ryerson’s New Media program. Over the course of her degree, she has concentrated her studies on social media and innovative marketing techniques from design, implementation, and analytics, to marketing management. She has excelled in leadership within volunteering and holding positions with various organizations in social media management and fundraising efforts.

Thursday, June 11th would have been my convocation day.

Living through a pandemic on its own is quite interesting to think about if you consider we are living through a history textbook that our future children, grandchildren, etc. will read. However, GRADUATING into a pandemic during an increasingly difficult step in a young person’s life? Even more terrifying. Furthermore, a virtual graduation ceremony is being hosted while we all still hope for the possibility of a real convocation, like years past got to experience. Life can change in an instant.

5 things I learned about the psychology of leadership

Amanda Cupido (Journalism ’12, MPS, Psychology of Leadership) is a communications advisor for World Vision International, the Innovator in Residence for podcasting at the Toronto Public Library and a journalism instructor at Seneca College. She is also the author of Let’s Talk Podcasting. Amanda sits on the Ryerson University Alumni Association’s Board of Directors.

I recently graduated with a Master of Professional Studies in the Psychology of Leadership from Pennsylvania State University. I spent five years plugging away at the degree, but I enjoyed every minute of it; I found the course material fascinating. Here are some of my biggest takeaways.

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How to negotiate salary

Jennifer Narayan (Business Management ’10) is a Career Coach, Executive Recruiter and the founder of CareerRealTalk.

Salary negotiation can be a big — and intimidating! — part of the job hunt process. Did you recently receive a job offer, but aren’t sure if the salary is competitive enough? Or are you still interviewing and clam up when asked: “What is your current salary, and what are you looking to make?” Either way, this blog will provide you with the tips you need for successful salary negotiation.

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How to handle risk management in real estate investing

Ron Alphonso (Retail Management ’81, Business Management ’84, MBA ’09) is a Toronto-based mortgage specialist. He can be found at mortgagebrokerstore.com and on twitter @brokerstore.

I have nearly 40 years of experience in real estate, handling many different types of residential transactions. I have bought and sold properties and own rental income properties, but most of my investments are in the area of mortgages. My company is a niche mortgage brokerage that specializes in high ratio loans, stopping evictions from power of sale and foreclosure, and real estate litigation. Continue reading

You graduated, now what?

Kelsey Muir, Early Childhood Studies ’16 — Kelsey Muir (Early Childhood Studies ’13) is a Communications Officer at Aecom. She is also a member of the Digital Content Committee on the Ryerson University Alumni Association Board of Directors where she shares her expertise in social media and storytelling.

You graduated, now what?

You did it! Now that you’ve graduated, let’s celebrate your new alumni status and the perks of being a part of the Ramily.

Tips for a great first impression

Monika Monga (Business Management ’00; Human Resources Management MA) is an HR professional who has worked in both the public and private sector where she gained experience in recruitment.

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” It’s a phrase attributed to Will Rogers that certainly still rings true. First impressions are critical in the business world.

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