How Visual Artist Iwona Buziak-Mohamed Aims to Help Other New Canadians Thrive Building Your Future Now

How Visual Artist Iwona Buziak-Mohamed Aims to Help Other New Canadians Thrive Building Your Future Now Careers in Focus article by Brian Trota Ever since she was a young girl growing up in Communist Poland Iwona Buziak-Mohamed knew she wanted to be artist, yet it was this desire that helped her to develop into a strong individual. I learned from a very early age, that as long as I used my creative skills I would be able to survive. It proved to be true too when I left Poland without knowing another language. By her late teens, Buziak-Mohamed continued to keenly develop her talent despite the tight social and political restrictions of her home country. Along with the fact that her father had to endure 4 years hard labour at a coal mine in order to replace compulsory army service that wasnt fulfilled. Her mother followed in tow leaving Buziak-Mohamed to test her resolve and mettle in the harsh world. However, art was a recurring theme in Buziak-Mohameds life. At the age of two I became a visual artist painting greeting cards for my motherwho was my first employer. At ten, I became a DIY enthusiast and an interior decorator. Eventually I went to art school and received professional training. As she developed as an artist, Buziak-Mohamed lended her talent and skills to a myriad of mediums as a silk painter, graphic designer, puppeteer and as a sculptor. By 19 Buziak-Mohamed found her way to Canada. I immigrated to Canada as a young adult looking for a better life. Many young people left [Poland] in search for a better life elsewhere, Buziak-Mohamed continues, Coming to Canada wasn’t easy.A young woman alone in a new country without a plan, a place to live, and a language barrier. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen! And it did happen in so many ways. However, the young artist found solace in her art and persevered through the tough times. During her 3 decades living as a New Canadian in Canada Buziak-Mohamed developed her artistic millieu in many projects that focused on connecting with people through art by giving them a voice which includes developing visual communication tools for seniors with language barriers. Recently Buziak-Mohamed embarked on one of her most important projects: a yet unfinished book called Happy New Canadian. The visual artist notes, I am writing this book for a person who is missing out on a possibility of having a good life because of limited beliefs, self doubt and unable to open up to the change that they, themselves, chose by coming to this Country. Buziak-Mohamed continues, My goal with this book is to use my creative problem-solving skills to teach creative thinking and problem solving to others, so they can create this new life as a New Canadian with pride. The book has been a labour of love because Canada has given her many opportunities to express herself, unlike her life growing up. People were poor and voicelessThe suppression of free speech had a big impact on my life. I never had the confidence to raise my voice or to voice my opinion. And now Buziak-Mohamed is getting her chance to help other New Canadians find their voice and to ultimately be heard. Life has an end no matter where we are and thats why we should be able to make the most of it while we are here. So we need to be open and learn new ways of life that we took upon ourselves. Careers in Focus is a special article published every Friday spotlighing a talented professional and highlighting their career. Image courtesy of: Iwona Buziak-Mohamed

Is Recruitment Marketing Only for Large Companies

Is Recruitment Marketing Only for Large Companies Most people think in order to have things in place like recruitment marketing, or a DI specialist you need to be part of a large company or have an abundance of staff. Whilst this might be true in terms of the amount of budget you can set aside for such things, our expert panel tell us why recruitment marketing is for any company of any size. Joe Shaker No, definitely not.  While the scope may differ based on size, any employer needs to know their value proposition, consider the candidate experience and know where to best deploy their message.   One of our team members recently went to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan and noticed a help wanted ad in a general store window.  Being in the industry we are, my colleague struck up a conversation about employment. The store owner then noted that he has to close down some days because of low staff.   This is a small business owner being hit hard by the talent shortage that companies of all sizes are facing right now. The sign on the window is one approach, but why should someone work with him?  What can he offer that the store down the street does not? Where are the best places for him to put his message?  It’s going to be a different scale than a global pharmaceutical, but it’s still recruitment marketing. Joe Shaker is the President of Shaker Recruitment Marketing. Maren Hogan Nope. In fact, it can be argued that recruiters for small and medium sized companies can have even more of an impact on recruitment marketing than their enterprise counterparts. They have easier access to their executive team and stakeholders, there are fewer barriers and locations (most likely) and if they see a clear gap in competitive compensation or benefits or even culture, they have a great opportunity to effect change. Maren Hogan  is CEO and Founder of Red Branch Media. Jared Nypen No, every company should market their employer brand to potential employees. In fact, it might even be more important for small organizations whose brand is not well known. Recruitment marketing is the place where you get to either form or change the perceptions that people have of you as an employer, and it’s important to do this no matter your size. Jared Nypen  is the Vice-President of talent at Great Clips inc. Lisa Jones All companies need recruitment marketing.   It sells their main product people! Lisa Jones is the  Founder and Director of Barclay Jones. Mark Cavanagh Absolutely not, regardless of size, the positioning and success of your employer brand and the marketing tools you use to get it there can have a massive impact on your ability to attract and retain staff. With a clear message and employee value proposition, even the smallest of companies can conduct successful recruitment marketing using inexpensive and often FREE tools. Mark Cavanagh is the Marketing Manager at The One Group. Charlotte Jones Recruitment Marketing can be leveraged by any organization â€" small, medium or large. Charlotte  Jones is the Recruitment Marketing Manager at Lockheed Martin. Phil Strazzulla No. I see companies with 100 employees whove successfully built out talent communities and have rock solid career sites. Its all about using the right tools, focusing on the lowest hanging fruit, and executing! Where some companies fall down is that they dont have the conviction to pursue a project, and it continuously gets bogged down. Phil Strazzulla  is the Founder of NextWave Hire. Shelby Burghardt Recruitment Marketing is essential for companies of all sizes, the only difference between the RM strategies of a large company vs. a start-up would be the complexity of the strategy. For example, in a large, global company, you’ll need to create local/regional go-to-market strategies rather than one strategy for one location. Not matter the size of your company, you need to explain why someone should choose to work for your organization over another. Shelby Burghardt is the Global Talent Brand Manager at Thomson Reuters. Rebecca Drew Recruitment marketing is important for companies of all shapes and sizes. Activating your talent brand isn’t dependent on having a massive team with a designated HR/recruitment department. In my view, successful recruitment marketing is all about  authenticity ensuring it matches the tone and spirit of your culture, not size. Sometimes the best recruitment marketing strategies come from the smallest companies who can afford to be more nimble and creative. It’s ok to start small to try a few things and see what works so you can adapt before making a bigger investment across all channels. Rebecca Drew is a Manager at LinkedIn Talent Solutions. Bennett Sung Recruitment marketing is a strategy that can be embraced by companies of all sizes. To draw upon the notion that recruiting is marketing, one of the leading marketing automation platforms, HubSpot, has generated $375M in revenue in 2018 so far â€"  primarily from small and medium-sized businesses. This is a clear signal that recruitment marketing is for everyone â€" not just large corporations. Bennett Sung is the Head of Marketing at Allyo.