On November 28, 2019, I delivered the keynote presentation “Job Search for Introverts” to 70 front-line workers at the sold-out event organized by the Toronto West Local Immigration Partnership (TWLIP) – Employment Resource Connections Action Group. The presentation was based on the concepts and strategies I shared in my award-winning book Introverts: Leverage Your Strengths for an Effective Job Search.
Since almost 48% of Canadians who took an MBTI* assessment in English are introverts, the chances are that many service providers have introverted clients. So my focus was on helping the front-line workers better serve these clients.
“Your presentation was excellent and so engaging!” – said Meghan Wankel, coordinator of the TWLIP Employment Resource Connections Action Group. “It is so important to hear introverts’ needs and perspectives shared for once. The audience was very hungry – I could tell how engaged and interested in this topic everyone was. In my life, I have never been at a non-profit event that started 20 minutes early because everyone had eagerly shown up. Thank you again for making this event such a resounding success!”
Before we started, the organizers asked if it’s ok to share this presentation via teleconference with COSTI employees from another location who were also interested. Not sure if they heard the Q&A session though, the audience asked great questions!
A member of the employer panel – which followed after – told me that he found my presentation interesting. Great to hear an employer’s perspective on this topic!
I liked how Peter Paul moderated the panel and the panellists’ tips.
But I missed the chance to ask the panel one of the questions I received after my presentation:
“In a job interview, what kind of questions employers can ask to understand better if an introverted candidate fits well the position?”
Although I answered it briefly, I’ll take it as my homework – to ask this question the HR professionals, Managers, and Career Development Specialists who will attend my next presentations/workshops on the complementary strengths of introverts and extroverts. The next one is at the CERIC‘s conference Cannexus20, the National Career Development Conference (Ottawa, January 27-29, 2020).
Did you know that – while you’re job searching – working on a personal project that showcases your professional skills is an experience positively perceived by employers?
Thanks for the feedback, Meghan, and the TWLIP – Employment Resource Connections Action Group for inviting me! Thanks, Michelle (Meghan’s colleague) for the photos, and Otis Mushonga (ACCESS Community Capital Fund), for introducing me to the audience! 🙂
Congratulations, Shawn McCarty, for winning my bestselling and award-winning book that inspired this keynote speech: Introverts: Leverage Your Strengths for an Effective Job Search! And thanks for being willing to share it with the Windmill-Microlanding clients!
Oops, we forgot to take a selfie! 🙂
~ Gabriela Casineanu, MSc, MBA, ORSC
* https://www.psychometrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/mbti-in-canada.pdf
