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2014 Internationally Educated Professionals (IEP) Conference, Toronto

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I spoke as part of the "Sales, Marketing and Communications" sector hub in the 11th Internationally Educated Professionals (IEP) Conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto on Friday, April 11, 2014, attended by over 800 delegates. Please refer to the conference report for details.

The focus of the IEP Conference is to bring IEPs from the five diverse sectors together with stakeholders to get career advice, discuss labour market information, and provide an orientation to Canadian job search practices and workplace culture. Conference stakeholders include: government, business professionals, educators, professional associations, regulatory, accreditation and credentialing bodies, and community-based organizations.

The theme of this year’s IEP Conference was innovation, collaboration and cultural intelligence, building on the new IEP Conference format introduced last year. As always, networking is one of the pillars of the conference and the need for newcomers to have good communication skills was highlighted throughout the conference. Panelists and guest speakers also highlighted the importance of both online and in-person networking. Personal branding and the use of social media channels in job search were also key topics. The program included: welcome remarks, keynote speaker, successful IEP panel, five sector hub sessions in the morning with skills building presentations, a complementary lunch, and five sectors hub sessions in the afternoon.

The keynote, Bobby Sahni, Partner and Co-founder of Ethnicity Multicultural Marketing and Advertising, was well received. He energized delegates by informing them of immigrants’ importance to the Canadian economy, indicating that multicultural marketing has become part of mainstream marketing initiatives. As well, he encouraged delegates to promote their personal brands and to hone their “super powers”.

Personal branding and the use of social media channels, especially LinkedIn, were common recurring themes throughout the conference. The Conference delegates were encouraged to create a digital profile, as well as a personal brand, to enhance their job search activities. It became apparent that social media channels are quickly becoming required job search tools.

Conducting research of employers and occupations was another popular theme at the 11th Annual IEP Conference. Many of the panelists advised delegates that in order to be competitive in a tough job market, they had to be prepared and knowledgeable about: the type of work they were qualified to get; how their skills transfer; and the companies that they were applying to. Panelists indicated that conducting research would provide IEPs with an advantage that would help them get the job.

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