Recognizing the challenges right now with finding work in Canada and in an effort to remove barriers to employment within our profession, we are hosting networking events, six at a time.
Three people seeking jobs in Canada and three people currently employed in the private or public sector in Canada in the field of transportation engineering/planning are invited to join a recorded video call. After introductions by the host, each will speak for 2 minutes about a recent school or work project and then the conversation opens up for a facilitated discussion between the six individuals. Each session will end with a career-seeking tip of the day with advice shared by everyone participating.
The purpose of the event is twofold: sharing stories to paint a picture of what a job in transportation is like and networking intel to help people connect for jobs. Our hope is that after the event, people feel better able to connect with those featured on the calls who can in turn help them find jobs. The potential is there for this to be a creative way for people to network online during these challenging times.
The session will be taped and then posted to the ITE Canada website allowing others to catch the video and learn and meet others in our field. People are encouraged to reach out via Linked In to continue the conversation. By being featured in a session, someone’s talk might spark a discussion or provide additional insight into a person’s role/job providing others something to connect about online.
Topics of interest could cover everything in our field: geometric design; traffic modelling; construction; transportation planning; road safety; project management; and community engagement. From large highway projects and bridges to active transportation and complete streets.
Want to participate as a job seeker or currently employed transportation professional? Check our general instructions and format page.
“I watched the latest Career Connect episode this weekend and it was so helpful to make me realize more things I was doing wrong in my hunting process. Thank you very much! Sometimes we understand, but don’t fully assimilate the tips when we hear them at first. The experiences the professionals shared made a click on my mind and helped me figure out that I can’t be afraid to express what I’m really looking for in my career. The examples Blanka provided about the different roles in active transportation area was so useful too. Surely, this video gave me more clarity to understand my skills and have more confidence to use them on my favor.”
“We connected a while back over linkedin, but I just wanted to thank you for the Career Connect series that you make. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the best when it comes to putting myself out there and networking, so your series has really helped me with that. It gave me the confidence to go to webinars and reach out afterwards to the presenters. In addition, I found the cover letter and resume tips to be extremely useful. I don’t remember which episode it was but I ended up completely redoing my cover letter after (spending a lot more time in each cover letter, researching the company and making it as specific as I can). I continued to make modifications to it based on things people say after each new episode. Not too long after I ended up getting an interview and an offer with a municipality (I had my first day today and I’m excited at what I will be doing). So I just wanted to take the time and let you know how much I appreciate not only the career connect series, but also all that you do for the transportation community.”
All episodes feature Kate Whitfield of Alta Planning + Design Canada (Ottawa)
Use this list to check out employers who were featured in our past episodes. You might learn something about the organization and you can always contact the people featured and say…“Hey, I saw you on Career Connect with Kate”!
