We have moved to a new venue (The Pilot in Yorkville) to accommodate the growing number of Girl Geeks and last night we welcomed three guests to the panel:

> Brenda A. Benedet, Business Strategy Consultant, professional Coach and Founder of Benedet Performance Group

> Helen Krissilas, an IT Senior Recruiter with Inteqna

> Trevor Stafford, Senior Editor/Producer for Red Canary

Aside from sharing insightful tips on job hunting, all speakers brought with them a refreshing note of optimism – so despite all the doom and gloom delivered during the 11 o’clock news, companies are still hiring, Ladies!  You just have to find opportunities in creative and unconventional ways!

The information exchanged during the dinner was rich and plentiful but there were three notable themes echoed by all of our speakers.

Theme #1:  The power of networking and referrals.

While online social networks are all the rage today, Brenda encourages face-to-face interaction.  This means more than just collecting Facebook friends/business cards but actually making phone calls and meeting for lunch dates.  The goal is to build meaningful relationships that are lasting and beneficial to both parties.  Recognize that everyone in your network offers some sort of value though it may not always be immediately apparent. 

And that is also why Recruiters are your friends.  Helen, knows firsthand that with a vast network, she has the inside scope on who’s hiring and can pass along names of top candidates to employers or assist a candidate in finding jobs that are not posted on traditional sites such as Workopolis and Monster.

Simply put, networking can be a powerful tool to put you in contact with the right people and ultimately take your career where you want it to go but remember, it’s not just who you know but who knows you!

Theme #2:  Be a successful job candidate by developing your personal brand.

This can be done through Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. so long as you are visible to employers. Trevor calls this the “new ego system” and speaks highly of leveraging these tools to brag about your accomplishments but be mindful of who may be running the next Google search on you!  (Completing the Centurion - downing 100 shots of beer in 100 minutes may make you a winner to your friends but your next employer does not need to know that about you!)  If you don’t feel comfortable talking about yourself, Brenda suggests emailing 50 of your peers and asking them to describe what best impresses them about you in 3 words.  From there you can create a bio and be known for these things.

Meanwhile, Helen assures us that the good ol’ resume is not dead but in order to stand out in the pile it is imperative to customize each resume to the company and position you are applying for.  Brenda also advises to read the company’s annual statements, understand their product cycle and go into an interview with a list of ways in which you can add value to their business.

Theme #3:  Take time to build your career. 

Helen provided us with an example that we all know too well… finding the perfect pair of shoes!  Are you just picking up any shoe because of the necessity factor or are you taking your time to find the right fit?  Like shoes, we want to be comfortable in our jobs.  Brenda describes this as honouring our core values -- feeling respected at work, being able to trust our boss and aligning ourselves in organizations with whom we share the same values, then you know you’ve found the right job.  Plus you won’t need to repeatedly press the snooze button every morning!

So there you have it Girl Geeks… use these career strategies wisely and know that there is nothing stopping you from achieving your goals whether it be sitting in the corner office or building your own empire!

A big thank you goes out to Microsoft Canada who kindly sponsored this event and provided fantastic door prizes along with a list of current open positions.  Please contact Carolyn Hudson if you are interested in applying.

The next TGGD in June will be a mixer (so no guest speakers) but please come for a drink and to mingle with Geeks old and new.  We’ll also pause our dinners for July and August so we wish you all in advance a safe and wonderful summer!

Girl Geeks captured : more photos available in the Facebook and Meetup group.