Career Mobility in the 21st Century

Time and Date: 10:15-11:15 AM on Saturday May 6th
Session Type: Panel
Panelists: Marg Latham (Moderator), Fiona Douglas-Crampton, Sheryl Peters, Elaine Grotefeld, Rhylin Bailie and Alex Read

Most people will work at multiple companies and take on many different roles throughout their professional lifetimes. Incorporating mobility within your career can be an effective method of stepping up the career ladder. Whether a workplace transition or lateral move is initiated by you or your employer, there are many ways you can capitalize on career mobility, including developing new skills and competencies, engaging in self-assessment and being able to explore alternative methods of achieving professional satisfaction.  How do you recognize these opportunities to reinvent yourself? How do you navigate your career along a constantly changing path? What are the best ways to maintain connections and not burn bridges?

YOU AS A BRAND: ONLINE AND IN-PERSON

Time and Date: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM on Saturday May 6th
Session Type: Workshop
Facilitator: Robyn Quinn

Branding isn’t just for companies anymore, and learning to leverage your personal brand is more important than ever. A review of your online and social media history is almost a mandatory check for employment now. Employers are not only looking to see if you have the skills to do the job, but how you will fit within the organization’s culture or add to it. People like to do business with people they know, and your social media is a peek into who you are. You already have an extensive digital footprint, so the question becomes, will you guide and cultivate your own brand or will it become a default profile? To help polish your professional online image, we will offer free LinkedIn headshots during this session.

THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE MYTH

Time and Date: 3:00-4:00 PM on Saturday May 6th 
Session Type: Panel
Panelists: Shenaz Hanif Shahban (Moderator), Jessie Adcock, Karen Savage, Jonathan Musser, Agnes d'Entremont and Janny Marie Peterslund

While the paid workforce is now relatively equal in terms of gender, the home and family continue to be seen as the “woman’s domain.” Women are expected to be both a breadwinner and a supportive spouse, all while rearing the children and managing the housework. But it’s not actually possible to embody both Sheryl Sandberg AND Martha Stewart without an army of help. Recognizing the value of a supportive partner and evenly distributing non-professional work is key to achieving a balance between professional and home lives. Yet, women also face external pressures to achieve an unrealistic expectation of perfection. How can we challenge gender stereotypes to live more balanced lives? Is it even possible to achieve balance or is balance something that is achieved over a lifetime? Do institutional and societal changes need to take place to achieve true work-life equality?