The Legacy of Frances Bay

Hello my fabulous followers. I wanted to share with you my wonderful memory of ensuring my cousin Frances Bay received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

If you click on this link and view the video of the Legacy of Frances Bay, you will see the wonderful experience we shared. Please viesit: www.youtube.com/user/nipoon36.

Frances Bay was the loving grandma in Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler and she was also Fonzie's grandmother on Happy Days and also played in three David Lynch movies. For those of you that watched Seinfeld, you will remember her from the episode where she was coined the Marble Rye Lady. She is from Dauphin Manitoba and in 2008, I had an online petition and campaign to ensure she receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame for her 90 birthday. My dream came true with much hard work and dedication. The Walk of Fame office declared it the most aggressive public relations campaign they had ever seen. I am sharing this with you to inspire you to never give up on your career search. When we put our minds to things, we do achieve our dreams.
Enjoy the video and happy holidays.
Anrea

How To Find A Credible Volunteer Opportunity

Sometimes when you are looking for a volunteer opportunity to commit to, it is easier said than done. That is why it is best to start your volunteering journey at Volunteer Manitoba. Volunteer Manitoba offers a volunteer referral service matching agencies with volunteers. Not-for-profits are allowed to list their volunteer positions free of charge on the Volunteer Manitoba website and current volunteer opportunities all across Manitoba are listed on the site as well.
Volunteer Manitoba offers guidance to individuals who are searching for a volunteer placement and are there to assist in matching your skills and interests up with the current volunteer opportunities available. The future of your volunteer journey starts by simply visiting http://www.volunteermanitoba.ca/.

How To Find A Credible Volunteer Opportunity

Volunteering is a great way to gain experience and get your foot in the door to an organization you want to work for.  A great place to find volunteer opportunities is at Volunteer Manitoba. They offer a  referral services matchimg agencies looking for volunteers with people seeking volunteer opportunities with non-profit agencies. Non-profit agencies can register their volunteer opportunities on the Centre's website - free of charge. Current listings are posted on the Centre's website and sent to media, universities, colleges, high schools, trade schools, and selected agencies on a weekly basis.

Individuals who are interested in volunteering may search the Volunteer Manitoba website for current listings or meet with one of our trained interviewers. The interviewer will discuss available volunteer positions and assist in matching the individual's personal skills and interests. Following a successful interview, individuals can directly contact agencies of their choice or ask the interviewer to initiate a referral on their behalf.

You can also sign up to follow Volunteer Manitoba's Twitter page!

Think Before You Give

Seasons greetings to all of my fabulous followers! I hope your holidays are full of warmth, kindness and appropriate gift giving!

With the holiday season comes gift giving and card sending. I have been thinking, if most of you are on a budget because you are on a career search, gift giving will be challenging. I think it is important for you to think about the gifts you plan on giving before handing them out. You may think this is rediculous but it is important because what you give someone reflects your taste and is part of the impression you leave on someone. Put simply, before you give, think.

Do you want your associates to say you are cheap or insensitive? What if you don't give a gift at all, are you then perceived as totally self absorbed and on the black list?  Since you are not working, you will have more free time to think carefully about the people on your shopping list and what they would like. Think about what you know about them. Start this process by thinking about their likes and dislikes. If you are planning to buy your ex-coworkers gifts, think about items they may have displayed on their desks or what pictures they had in frames. Try to remember conversations you have had with them about what they do while they are not at work. Think back to what hobies they have shared with you or sporting events they like. This is a good place to start because then you will make your gift more personalized.

Gifts don't have to be large or expensive you just have to be resourceful and thoughtful. A nice idea I found online is http://www.smilebox.com/. I had to think of something to give to my nephew who was having his birthday and I didn't have much money. What I ended up doing was creating a personalized slide show on smilebox that allowed me to incorporate pictures of my nephew in it. With Smilebox, you can use your own video or photos with their designs and music and it equals a one of a kind and personalized greeting. They have hundreds of templates to choose from and it is easy and it didn't cost me a thing. I was so impressed with the slideshow I was able to create, I cried and I looked like a technical genius in front of my family!

Hallmark also has personalized greeting cards now where you can record your own voice and message in them. I think that would be an economical and personalized gift to give to a co-worker. So, when you think about it, gift giving doesn't have to break the bank account. Take this time that you have over the holidays to try and be the most thoughtful you have ever been in the gift giving department and see how many lasting impressions and stronger conenctions you develop from this process.

I hope this helps and most of all, try to be positive over the holiday season even though you may be on a career search. I know it is easier said than done but the people around you will appreciate this and recognize it. I promise!
Seasons greetings!
Anrea

Being Professional As A Way Of Life

Hello to my followers. I hope you are well today as we move coser to the holiday season. With the holiday season comes stress. Stress can be our worst enemy especially in long line ups either at the post office or at the mall.

That got me to thinking that those that are out of work will around the holidays will most likely be even more stressed.  I urge you to take time out and destress. I also suggest that when you are out on your shopping excursions that you be mindful of how you treat others. You never know who the sales clerk you are getting frustrated at is related to.

When you are on a job search, please be respectful at all times to everyone you come into contact with. That includes online contact. Before you post anything on your blog, facebook page or twitter account, think if what you are posting is professional or not. Ask yourself that quesiton before you post to be on the safe side. I have heard of cases where people have either been fired on not been hired because of their online image or even just a simple post that wasn't appropriate.

When you go for lunch, be nice to the sandwhich artist at Subway. When you take a taxi, say thank you and smile politely. Remember to leave enough of a tip. When you are in the line up to mail your greeting cards, make a new friend. You never know who this new friend could be or what they do until you ask!

More people will be out and about than ever right now doing similar things that you need to do. Take this opportunity to meet strangers by the art of small talk. That stranger could be your potential boss or someone who knows of an opportunity you can apply for. It is amazing how much job searching really impacts all seasons and every aspect of life.
Thank you to all my followers for tuning in today.  Happy searching!
Kindly,
Anrea

Dressing Professionally In Snow

Hello Followers!

For those of you who live in Winnipeg, I hope you managed to get around today with our first big dump of snow for the season. 

I was thinking, with snow comes the winter coats, boots, hats, scarves, gloves etc. It makes me wonder if people who are on career searches keep in mind that they need to dress professionally even with their outer wear when going on interviews. Wearing huge witner boots for example with a hat with a pom pom on the top may not be the wisest choice to ensure you make that killer first impression.

For interviews, I ask that you please think of your outfit to include outer wear. Don't wear the power suit and kill the look with Sorels.  Both men and woman are able to invest in a nice wool or leather coat. I know they are costly and you probably don't have the funds right now if you are looking for work. However, being resourceful is always handy. I suggest that if you find the item you like, see if the store has layawy options. With Christmas around the corner, add it to your wish list. There are also stores like the Clothes Closet, Redeemed, Value Village that are excellent options to keep you professional looking and warm this winter. They may be second hand clothing, but most of the clothing is in great condition. Why not even take a trip across the line. My friend went to Fargo last weekend and was bragging how many great deals she found.

Try to find a professional pair of gloves that match a hat and scarf. This will tell the employer that you care about your appearance and took the time and it also makes you look more together and organized. With the winter comes the wind. I don't know about you, but I always have watery eyes in the wind. On interviews, I always take tissue with me so I don't have tears running down my face in front of the receptionist. If you can, arrive a few minutes early to go to the batheroom to fix yourself up. I always reapply a bit of lipstick, comb my hair and take my jacket off in the bathroom so it is draped over my arm as I walk in to where the interview will take place.

Interviewing is a bit more challenging in the winter no question. There is nothing like arriving to a potential employer huffing and puffing with red rosy cheecks.

Hopefully, you will also remember to check where your references are for the winter months as well. Touch base with them and find out when they will be going on their winter holiday. Maybe some of them have turned into snow birds and are gone to Arizona for six months out of the year. If you are asked to present references, the employer will appreciate it if you have insight on how to get a hold of your references if they are having difficulties reaching them. It saves them time after all and speeds up the process of you landing that job!

There, are a few tips I can offer the career searching individual as winter is upon us. One thing to take notice is that around the Christmas months, the career sections in the paper are pretty dismal. Don't be discouraged. I know it can get you down and be frustrating. Sometimes, you may wonder why you even bothered buyiing a Saturday's paper. My advice to you to combat this is creative networking! Get out to as many social functions as you can over the Christmas Party season and make those contacts.

Get your phone ringing with interviews and make sure to buy professional winter out wear. Here is the online address for the Clothes Closet and Redeemed.
http://www.swfic.org/closet.html

http://redeemed.ca/
Good luck and happy searching!  Stay warm and look great.
Kindly,
Anrea

The Power of Open Ended Questions

Hello to you, my wonderfully charming followers. I hope you had a nice weekend. I was supposed to blog on Friday but I didn't. I aplogize to you for that. I did attempt to write but I had a horrible dose of the writer's blog block. I just didn't want to write for the sake of writing. I wanted to ensure I had something to say. My topic came to me just now and I do believe it is an interesting one that we can all mull over.

Think back in your lives when you first started learning about open ended questions. Open ended questions are those that do not stimulate a yes or no answer. Think about how you converse with your family and friends. Think about how you ask questions to foster two way communication with people in your lives.

When was it for you?  For me, it was working retail for close to a decade. In all customer service training I had, I was always told to use open ended questions to start conversations with customers. In retail these questions are called probing questions. Examples of some probing questions are, "Who are you shopping for today."

Now that I am taking a jounalism couse in the Creaive Communicaons program a Red River college, We have been told to use open ended questioning in our interview process.

When you are on job searches and in an interview, open ended questions will be asked. "Tell me about a time when," is a good example of an open ended interview question.

It i good to create the questions that you will ask your potential employer in the open ended style as well. This way you are encouraging two way communicaion, look interested in the company and allow yourself the oppotunity to stand out from the rest as this technique will build rapport.

Before you head out to your next inteview, I suggest that you think of a few open ended questions to ask.  Once you get used to thinking in open ended questions, they will pop of your tongue!

Good luck and happy questioning!

Creative Networking

Hello my fantabulous followers.  I hope you are enjoying the exceptionally nice weather for November.  For those of you who are working, you will probably wish you had the day off!

For those of you who are not working, enjoy today and get outside.  That is one thing I forgot to do when I was unemployed.  I was so worried about finding a job or finding the new direction my life would take that I forgot to appreciate the free time I had. I wouldn't allow myself to enjoy this time because I was too determined to get back on track. When I wasn't determined, I was usually depressed and moped all day.

I remember what I did get a high out of was creative networking. I remember that I cold called people that I thouht would be able to help me with my career search. I cold called Bob Silver who since 1980 he has been the President of Western Glove Works, a Winnipeg based private company involved in the manufacturing and merchandising of casual apparel and co-owner and director of Western Glove Works and Warehouse One (a Winnipeg based retail clothing chain).

How this came to be was, Mr. Silver was saying a speech about the power of a university education and that there is no reason why anyone with a UofW degree couldn't succeed. We were both at a fundraising dinner for The University of Winnipeg. I was very inspired by his speech but jaded at the same time. I am a University of Winnipeg graduate twice over with an undergraduate degree from the main campus along with a management diploma from the division of continuing education. I listened to his words and thought, why am I struggling  and unemployed when I have done all the right things.

I decided to cold call Bob Silver and ask him that very question. I remember this vividly. My hands were trembling when I dialed the numbers on the phone. I knew what I wanted to say but I wasn't sure how the words would come out. I thought I would get a gatekeeper but I didn't, he answered the phone. I took a deep breath and introduced myself. I informed him that I was at the dinner he spoke at and was inspired by his speech and hoped his words were true. I told him that  it wasn't true for me at this stage in my life and was wonering if he would be interested in meeting for coffee to assist me on my career search. Low and behold, Mr. Silver agreed. I met him at Western Glove and brought my resume with me. He looked it over and we had a nice chat.

I wanted to share this story with you because this is what I call creative networking. This will happen to you on your career search if you are open to it. When you are out at events, be aware of what people are giving speeches, mark down their names, titles, parts of their speech you liked or didn't like. Afterwards, google them and find their contact information. Research where they work so you know a bit about their background. Try to make a connection between you and the person you are wanting to cold call. When you are successful at that, try to think about what you are going to say before you dial or email. Have the points in front of you before you make contact. Don't do what I did and risk it.

I promise you, that if you do this on your career search, you will get a high from it and impress yourself. It feels great when you make contacts that you never thought were possible. You have to make these possible.

You also practice your cold calling skills and keep them fresh by doing this exercise. In my opinion, creative networking is another tactic to use to tap into the hidden job market. Next time you are at a luncheon, or a fundraising dinner, bring a pad of paper with you and write important names and points down that interest or inspire you. Put your investigative hat on and you never know who you will end up meeting!  This is how to make your career search exciting.
Take care,
Anrea

Transition Tips

Hello my wonderful followers.  I hope you all had a great week.  Thank you for checking in with my blog and spending your valuable time with me. I thought of an organization that I wanted to inform you about today. Some of you will probably have heard of it or even utilized the programs and services they offer already  When I was unemployed, I went through their programs and really enjoyed them.

Tho organization I am discussing today is the Winnipeg Transition Centre. They offer an Employment Assistance Resource Service known as EARS. This program is funded by Employment Manitoba and can help you find work for free if you are unemployed.  I found the staff at the Winnipeg Transition Centre to be very positive and informed. The Employment Councillors there make your job search an uplifting experience.

A funded workshop with trained facilitators help you with your transition provding you with  training exercises that really get to know your strength and weaknesses. Free interview coaching and job search skills are also provided. I participated in a one week workshop and really enjoyed the interview coaching aspect. What was really useful was that they video taped you while you were on a mock interview. After the interview, you watched how you presented yourself. I found this exercise to be very insightful. At times, I was shy to see the footage but I knew it would only help me better my interview skills.

In the workshop, you also learned about resume writing and how to tap into the hidden job market. The Centre says that 85% of jobs are not advertised.  According to WTC, the term “Hidden Job Market” refers to the jobs that are never advertised. Advertised jobs, such as those listed in newspapers, job search sites such as workopolis.com and job boards such as the Government of Canada job bank, only account for about 15% of all the jobs available at any given time. The other 85% are “hidden."

WTC also provides self marketing skills training. With how important networking is to be competitive these days, this is such a necessary skill.

WTC is located at 1836 Main Street and their phone number is 338-3899. Please check them out online at http://www.winnipegtransitioncentre.com/ . You may not need their services now but you never know. You can also help someone who is unemployed by sharing this information with them.

Have a wonderful remainder of the week!
Kindly,
Anrea

Costume Parties Equal Networking Opportunities

Hello my wonderful followers.  I hope all of you are in good spirits and ready for the weekend full of costume parties and potential networking opportunities.  When you are out at any social gathering, please keep in mind that you may meet someone that could help you on your job search.  You must always be prepared by presenting yourself in a professional manner.  I know this can be hard after a few bubblies but all I ask is that you at least try your best.

When you are at a social gathering, the common question that you wll most usually be asked by someone you meet for the first time is "What do you do?"  Have you thought about how you are going to answer this question?  Please consider what you will say before heading out to your gathering.

First of all, it is okay to say you are unemployed.  Please do not let the negative stigma attached to that word make you feel like you are a social disgrace.  I know this is easier said than done but the more people that know you are looking for work the better.  Try saying I am unemployed in the mirror a few times before you leave to get yourself used to the feelings that come along with saying this. 

After you feel you are comfortable with saying you are unemployed, come up with what you will say after this. Try to come up with a sentence that describes your background or how many years of experience you have in the field you were working in before. This way, you will feel better and boost your confidence up again.  Try saying something like the following: "Currently, I am unemployed. My background consists of five yars experience in the not for profit sector in volunteer management and fundraising roles.  I really enjoyed this type of work but am looking for something more permanent."  This is the line I always use and it realy has seemed to work for me. I always feel proud of my experience after I say this and it usually prompts my listener to ask further questions. Try to have specific examples of what you have done where you have been successful at your previous job.  Talk about how you streamlined operations, organized an event that generated so much revenue or identified new partnerships that you created that increased revenue.  Don't be afraid to toot your own horn.

Ask your listener what they do for a living and be interested and engaged. Ask how he or she likes their job, how he or she got into the industry, what schooling is necessary and most importantly, ask for a business card if you are interested in staying in touch. People do not hesitate in giving business cards.  Make sure when you get a business card to put it in your purse or wallet right away so you don't lose it throughout the evening.  Don't put it in your pocket because it is likely to end up in the washing machine. Even though you are unemployed, a good idea is to make your own business cards so you can still have something to hand out in return.  On your business card you can display all of your contact information and then say your line of work or what you are looking for.  It is a good idea to invest in a nice business card holder that is easy to carry and open. There is nothing worse than not being able to access your business cards professionally.  It will be even harder with a drink in your hand!

Even though you may be feeling down in the dumps because you are unemployed, push your comfort zone and get out there and go to that costume party this weekend.  The phone won't ring with a job offer if you don't get out there and make it happen.

So my fellow job seekers, get your networking face on as well as your costume.  Oh, one more piece of advice, make sure your costume is in good taste.  This will be your first impressionl. If you are going to wear a mask, make sure you can see properly and ensure people can hear you when you wear it.  Even more importantly, take it off when you meet someone that could potentially help you on your job search.  You want them to see you, not the mask.
Good luck this weekend!
Kindly,
Anrea

The Social Network Lab

I went to see the movie Social Network the second night it came out because I saw the advertisements on television and I thought they made the movie look interesting and exciting.  I didn't know much about Mark Zuckerberg before I went to see the film.  I was told by one of the audience members that the movie was non-fiction so I was interested to see how Facebook came to be. 

One thing that I found really interesting was the personality of Mark Zuckerberg.  In the film Mark Zuckerberg was a computer genius, but he still had feelings like everyone else.  I found it really interesting that many of his actions were in response to his own feelings of low self esteem.  I think his social life suffered because of his genius abilities and he was misunderstood by his peers.  I think his audiences will relate to him better now because they may identify with Zuckerberg as an actual person who struggled with women and didn't fit in socially all of the time.  In the movie, Zuckerberg doesn't end up getting the girl he really wants even though he is the youngest billionaire in the world.  It gives the message that money cannot buy you happiness and anything or everything you want. 

I think the movie does portray Zuckerberg as a hard working, creative, coding genius.  With that being said, he was also still very influenced by other people and forgot who his original friends were. I think he was swept up in his success and hurt some people along the way.  This is called forgetting who your friends are.  This would make audiences perceive him in a negative fashion.  However, money can change and do strange things to people and Facebook is the prime example of that.

When I went to see the film, the movie theatre was packed.  I was really interested in looking at who was attending the movie.  The age range in the room was really young.  I couldn’t believe it.  I found that really interesting.  I wondered if the age of the audience would understand the litigation aspect of the film and was curious if the public would be interested in that part of the movie.  I remember thinking that the advertisements about the movie didn’t focus on the litigation part which was a huge part of the film.

After reading the interview that Ben Parr had with Mark Zuckerberg, I have come to the conclusion that Zuckerberg is a smart business man.  I say this because Zuckerberg realizes that focusing on his business and developing new products is more important than worrying about if people like you are not.  He is not hung up on if people like or dislike him after watching the Facebook movie and I admire that.  The media could portray that this response to the movie is cold hearted but in reality, it is what is important.  Business is business.  I think it is a realistic response, especially with how big Facebook is.  I don’t think the amount of people that come out disliking Zuckerberg will even make a dent in the value of Facebook now or in the future.  It is a numbers game in my opinion.

I visited http://prpost.wordpress.com/feed/ the Zuckerberg, Hears and Hollywood: PR Lessons Learned from the Past section and learned that Zuckerberg appeared on Oprah on the day the movie came out to announce the establishment of his foundation and his first gift of a $100 million which was given to the Newark school system. Zuckerberg says the timing was coincidental, which seems to insult the audience’s intelligence.  I agree, underestimating the intelligence of your audience is a public relations nightmare. Personally, I don’t believe that the timing was coincidental with Zuckerberg’s power and influence.  With that being said, I think it is important to see the good that is being done by the generosity of a $100 million dollar donation.  I have a background working in charities and this type of donation will change many lives.  I think the public relations strategy for Facebook now and in the future should be to focus on philanthropic initiatives and the success stories that prevail.

Advertising: Buyer Beware Project Post

Our group investigated if Organic produce really makes a difference.  I focused on the secondary research and learned about the Organic Trade Association, Canadian Organic Growers and the organic standards.  The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for the organic industry in North America. OTA’s mission is to promote and protect organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public, and the economy.  OTA envisions organic products becoming a significant part of everyday life, enhancing people's lives and the environment. 

OTA is a leader in advocating and protecting organic standards so that consumers can have confidence in certified organic production. Organic farming is based on growing crops without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers.  The soil fertility must replenish and be maintained without the use of any chemicals whatsoever.  Organically grown produce must also be produced without the use of genetic engineering and other excluded practices, sewage sludge, or irradiation. 

Organic certification is a rigorous process that requires producers to adhere to a strict set of standards that go above and beyond all the applicable food safety laws. However, much of our air water and soil are already contaminated by chemical residues.  Organic agriculture is a response to this but it doesn’t mean products will be 100% residue free.  The Canada Organic Label is your assurance as a consumer that the product bearing it has met the Canadian government’s regulatory requirements for organic products.

Something to keep your eye out for is the Canada Organic Trade Association is partnering with other organic groups in Canada to launch National Organic Week from Oct. 9 (Thanksgiving) to Oct.16 (World Food Day). 

Our group concluded that the brand Organic is a powerful one.  People are willing to pay the higher prices for the organic label.  The organic label is a trusted label.  However, it is impossible to have produce 100% chemical and residue free because of things like pollution or acid rain for example.   

Canadian Organic Growers, believe that organic food production is the best choice for the health of consumers and producers and the protection and enhancement of the environment.  They believe that the survival of Canada and even the planet depend on organic production.

Creative Writing Blog Assignment: Invisible Chains Book Reading

According to End Modern-Day Slavery an online resource, Invisible Chains is the first book on human trafficking in Canada. The book is based on three-years of research with police officers, social workers and others on the front-lines, the book seeks to expose the problem, inform Canadians and dramatically improve Canada’s response to this hidden national tragedy. Award-winning law professor Benjamin Perrin exposes the tactics of ruthless traffickers, shares compassionate stories of survivors, and makes recommendations for government, law enforcement, companies, parents and average Canadians to end modern-day slavery in our country.

On October 13, 2010, Benjamin Perrin was at McNally Robinson Booksellers at Grant Park Shopping Centre promoting his new book Invisible Chains.  He was doing much more than promotion though.  He was raising awareness of the horrible crime of human Trafficking.  There was standing room only in the Atrium and the crowd was listening intently.  Member of Parliament Joy Smith was on site as well.  She shared the same passion for the cause.   

Perrin founded Future Group in 2002.  His research indicated that between 2006 and 2008. The top-four sources of victims of human trafficking were from Romania, the Philippines, Moldova and China.  Trafficking victims are typically brought to Canada to work in the sex trade or forced labour states Perrin.  Perrin informed the crowd that there is a difference between sex slavery and prostitution.  Perrin informs his audience that sex slavery involves horrible conditions.  The individuals are treated like livestock.  Victims can be trafficked as early as nine years old.  Tricking an individual into sex slavery is the worst lie you can tell someone . 

His talk was very inspirational and he left his audience with ten things one can do to combat human trafficking:

Tell Someone: Share information

Help Heroes : Support Organizations that help survivors

Raise Awareness: Host an awareness event

Call for Change: Contact your municipal, provincial and federal politicians

Take A Stand:

Let Your Dollar: Talk: Buy fair trade products

Speak Up

Be A Woman Against Human Trafficking: Talk to males you know about the realities of women and girls exploited in the sex industry

Be A Man against Human Trafficking: Don't pay for sex or go to commercial places where commercial sex acts take place

Report It: Be aware of the signs of human trafficking in your community, at work and when travelling

Report suspicious activity to your local police, or Crime Stoppers by calling -800-222-8477

I was so inspired by his Perrin's Passion for this cause, I wanted to help raise awareness.

Thank you for reading and please pass this information along.  Together, we are stronger.

Short Story Review Creative Writing: Birdsong

Birdsong by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the short story I chose to review. Adichie is known for being an author of African literature. Adichie was born in Nigeria. I found the short story in the New Yorker magazine and appeared on September 20, 2010. Some of her previous works include,"You in America" that was revised and published in 2004 as "The Thing around Your Neck.” and My Mother, the Crazy African", as well as "New Husband" (2003) along with "The Grief of Strangers" (2004). Her topics examine issues faced by first-generation immigrants in the West, ranging from abuse and financial difficulties to problems relating to language and identity.   Adichie is also named among The New Yorker's '20 under 40', 2010 list.

The Birdsong is a short story about a young woman in Lagos, Nigeria, who has an affair with a wealthy married man. The characterization of our heroine in this story is extremely effective.  The details really give the reader as sense of how human she actually is.  The reader could initially dislike the heroine because she is committing adultery.  I found myself caring for the heroine, feeling for her and wanting to comfort her. 

 The dialogue between the married man and our heroine is not written in a cliché type format.  The dialogue sounds real.  There are several points in the short story where the reader is taken into the mind of our heroine who is vulnerable and just wants to be loved.  Yet at the same time, she is feisty, opinionated and demands more than how the other characters are treating her. 

The reader really feels the mixed emotions our heroine experiences in this relationship. The heroine is animated, real, opinionated, strong and fragile all at the same time.  She has so much depth.  The reader also can identify that the heroine is not a bad person.   The reader can see how easy it would be to get drawn into the seductive lifestyle our heroine experiences with her lover.  The mystery of it all is the attraction yet the same thing that causes her the most loneliness.

Mayoral Debate

This was the first debate of this kind that I have ever gone to.  I really found it exciting.  Seeing what happens behind the scenes was particularly exciting to me.  Seeing how much of the debate actually was showmanship was an eye opener.  Hearing this type of debate on the radio compared to seeing it live would be a completely different experience.  I think the forum was an excellent choice.  I think that having the debate in a campus setting, gives the impression that the candidates care about youth.  As a mature student, I don’t fit into the youth category.  I wished the candidates touched a bit on how red river is a place for older students as well.

After the debate, I decided to go and vote at City Hall.  I thought this would be an ideal time as the issues were still fresh in my head.  I have never been so organized with voting before in my life so I was very proud that I had such a head start this year.  I was the 451 person to vote in Winnipeg.  I thought that was pretty cool.  The debate motivated me.

I felt a part of the dabte from physically being in the live audience.  I wanted to ask two questions but I was told my questions were more for a provincial election.  I was a bit disappointed but I understood the context.  One of my questions involved the bed bugs epidemic that is happening right now.  I still would have liked to hear how the candidates feel about this issue.  With shelters like Osborne House, it is necessary to have a plan of action in place so essential services are not forced to still operate under these types of conditions. 

I was surprised how personal Judy was.  She came up to our group and engaged in conversation.  What I didn’t like about her answers was that she kept on repeating herself.  I know that she has a platform and wants to stick to that but it became a bit boring.  Community centers are important but I don’t think they are the answer to everything.  I was really impressed with Sam. I was impressed with his passion for Winnipeg and how he stressed the importance of quality jobs to ensure graduates stay in Winnipeg.  That is what got my vote.

Creative Writing Post

Hello my fabulous followers.  Today I am posting something a bit different.  You will see this time to time becasue I must post things for my classes in Creative Communications.  The following is an assignment I had to do for my Creative Writing class.  The object of the assignment was to share something about your life that may be interesting to other people.  I thought caring for my 96 year old grandma was interesting because not many grandparents live to that age.  I am 39 years old and my grandma is still alive.  I think I am very lucky.  My mom is 73 and can still enjoy her mother.  I think that is amazing.  This short piece is about what I go through as being a care giver for my grandma.  I hope you enjoy it.  Thank you for reading it and have a great week.

 When it is required, I am my grandma’s primary care giver. She is 96 years old.   On September 12, 2010, I received a call from my Auntie saying that my Grandma was not well so I spent the entire day with her, sitting on her blue floral love seat in her very cozy apartment.   Physically, my grandma is in wonderful shape except for the arthritis in her upper arms.  I think she could work at the local radio station because she predicts the rain better than the weather man.  Her mental state of mind is what concerns me the most.  Her memory is declining rapidly.  In addition, she is constantly depressed.   My heart feels so heavy when I see her struggling. 

The worst is when I see my grandma cry.  Her face scrunches up into her shoulders.  The pain seems to ooze out of every part of her.  I want to help her so badly when I see her like this.  I feel so helpless.  All I can do is offer her comfort and love.  All she says when she is in this state is that she misses my grandpa Charlie so much she wants to join him now.  My grandpa Charlie passed away almost a year and a half ago and I think my grandma died with him.  She is not able to move on at all and cries three times a day.  My grandma’s skin looks amazing and it is barely wrinkled.  She is incredibly fortunate.   It only wrinkles when she cries.  When she cries, it is the worst. Her face looks like it is going to crack like broken glass.  It is difficult to watch.

When I was with her, she stayed in bed all day and slept with her arms folded across her chest, like a corpse.   When I see her like this, I panic. I think she may be dead.  I always wait a few seconds to see if she is breathing and watch to see if the sheets move.  If they move, then I know she is alive.  I do not want to check her pulse incase I wake her and startle her.

              My grandma is a wonderful person.  Yet at the same time, she is extremely vain. She never leaves her apartment without putting her lipstick on.  She even keeps her lipstick in the fridge. This is to make it last longer.  Having her hair properly styled is paramount.   She visits her hair stylist every Saturday religiously.  When I went to see her on Sunday, her silver curls were piled high on top of her head in a big messy clump.  I knew just from that alone, she needed me.  

Job Searching Tips

Hello my fabulous followers.  I hope you are all well.  I wanted to touch on a few things today that are helpful when you are on a job search.

When you are on a job search, it isn't unusual to send out resumes to several potential employers.  The tricky thing you as the job hunter must do is keep organized.  It is important not to just send out your resume without tracking where and who you sent it to.  Keep hard files and electronic files of this information to be on the safe side.  You never know when your computer might crash and then your information is gone.

When I am on a job search, I like to create a folder in my email inbox.  This way, I can move emails from potential employers into this folder and I always know where I put them.

Another important tip is not to answer the phone when a potential employer calls if you are not prepared.  It is better to let the individual leave a message and you can call them back. Call them back only after you have done your research about the company and the position  you applied for.  Please, do not put yourself in a comprimisng position by not knowing what position the employer is referencing or not remembering when you applied or what compyany you applied to.  You only get one chance to make a great first impression over the phone so don't blow it by being lazy.

When you are on a job search, it is a smart investment to ensure you have call display.  If you don't have call display, remember that it can be a potential employer calling. Don't answer the phone if you just woke up, or if you are entertaining friends and blaring your music.  When you answer that phone, that is the start of your interivew.  Be smart and make sure you are articulate, professional and prepared. Try to have a pad of paper and a pen with you as well as your day timer because the Human Resource person could ask you about your availablity to schedule an interview.  You will always guarantee the prime interview slot if you know your own availablity right away.

I hope you have found these tips helpful.  They might seem like common sense to some of you but it is a helpful reminder to keep these tips top of mind when job searching.

Thank you to all of you for following my blog.  I value your time and loyalty!
Kindly,
Anrea Zaslov 

Why Career Search on Saturday?

Hello to all of my fabulous followers.  I hope all of you are doing well.  I wanted to connect with you today to let you know a job searching tip. Saturday is the best day out of the week if you are looking for a career position or a job for. Some of you may be thinking Saturday for job hunting?  What is this person talking about?  It is true and I will explain why.

One thing you wonderful followers will get to understand about me is that I don't like assuming anything.  There is a saying I learned way back when that ASSUME makes and ass out of you and me.  I worked retail for about ten years and this saying was part of every customer service training workshop I had to take.  It stuck with me. 

Some of you have may have or not heard of Workopolis.  I will give a brief explanation of what it is just in case. Workopolis is a very useful job searching site.  I always check Workopolis.  It really has a comprehensive list of jobs for every sector.  I feel comfortable saying that Workopolis is probably the biggest job bank in Canada.   The URL for Workopolis is www.workopolis.com.  Workopolis is always updated on Saturdays.  Sometimes, it doesn't get updated until the evening so just have patience.  You can always tell if it is updated or not by the date that is displayed on the right hand side of the posting. 

There are several helpful tabs on Workopolis.  Under the Career Resources tab, you can learn about the latest news and advice regarding job searching, you can use the salary calculator, you can find resume writing tips and learn about education or training opportunities.  You can also post your resume online to ensure you are in front of employers.  I highly suggest saving this site to your favourites and make it part of your Saturday routine. Even though some of you may currently be in school and not actively looking, it is very helpful to look at job postings that you are interested in.  This way, you can see what employers are looking for and use your job posting as a guide to acquire the right skills you may need to get land your dream job in the future. It also is a great visual aid to motivate yourself to stay focused to reach your goals.

The Winnipeg Free Press is another useful resource for career searching.  The career section in the Winnipeg Free Press comes out every Saturday.  Sometimes, the section is smaller and other times it is fuller.  It all depends on sevaral reasons such as who is hiring, what time of year it is.  Several variables can impact this though. The Free Press career section is a mixture of specific career positions along with general jobs opportunities.  The career positions usually have a larger posting containing what employers are looking for.   If you are unable to pick up the paper on Saturday, don't panic.  I found out that 7-Eleven stores usually keep the papers that don't sell on Saturday for an extra day.

I hope you found these job searching tips helpful.  I know I would always look forward to Saturdays to find new opportunities to apply for when I was on my job search.  Good luck and happy searching!

Starting First Twitter Account

I worked in the non profit sector in communication positions before I started the Creative Communications program. I knew before taking this course that knowing how to use a Twitter account was very important. However, I never had the opportunity to use social media communication tools. Now that I am starting to use them, I see how amazing social media is. How did these orgamizations I worked for live without this?

Charitable organizations that don't have social media as a medium of communication in place, really need to start doing so. Charities that operate on a shoe string budget, will love social media and realize that it is a huge asset to reach their audiences on a regular basis. I hope to become very comfortable using social media and am so pleased I have now entered this world.

Volunteer Opportunity

Hello my fellow communication professionals! I hope you all have a great and relaxing weekend. Perhaps it will even be a creative one. I am providing you with an opportunity that you may be interested in.

The University of Winnipeg Alumni Council is seeking volunteers. This is a great way to gain experience. As a volunteer, you are able to participate in a variety of different ways. If this volunteer opportunity is of any interest to you please let me know.
Talk with you soon!
Anrea

Communication Jobs, Titles & Tips

Communication Jobs, Titles & Tips will serve as a resource for communication professionals. Readers can expect to find information about opportunities and related tasks. Tips about career searching will also be included.

Marketing & Communications Coordintor is an example of a title in the communications industry. Writing skills are must haves to be successful in this line of work. In this role, you can expect to write content for a weekly e-news letter and develop public relations strategies to promote the organization.

Graphic design skills are also important. It is common to work with printers and graphic designers in this capacity. You have to be comfortable explaining what the organization is looking for when producing promotional materials.

One can also expect to represent the organization at various community related events so being confident with public speaking and networking is essential.

Salaries for this position can be different. Salaries depend on what area you are working in such as, non- profit, private sector or government. From my experience, government and the private sector are the highest paying.