TFI's Fashion Employment Seminar

Toronto Fashion Incubator hosted its Fashion Employment seminar last night, March 9th at their downtown Toronto location. The Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) is an innovative and highly respected non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and nurturing small business entrepreneurs. 

TFI mentor, Clint Scott shared his past experience and 12 years worth of knowledge on the topic of employment as the keynote speaker. Quick rundown of his accomplishments: he has spent the past 12 years in recruitment, working with leading companies, locally and internationally. His passion and dedication has inspired him to coach hiring managers and partner with his clients to ensure they hire the best available talent for their needs. So in other words, he knew what he was talking about. Although the seminar was at capacity and got a relatively good response, I found that the content of his speech was a far cry from new information that would potentially spark any epiphanies eager to reach the surface. On the other hand, he had that "motivational speaker" kinda vibe to him as he was discussing life goals, dream jobs AND how to get your passionate hands on those goals. 
He spoke about the types of positions available such as fashion buyers,forecasters, merchandisers, promotion and public relations, retail managers and fashion journalism to name a few. I was disappointed that he skimmed through these positions and only provided the easily attainable info available when you type it in a google search engine. 
Expectations = be realistic. That's the whole spiel in a nutshell. Understand the structure of the company you want to work for, the expectations your employer has for you and vice versa. Also, remember to hone your skills and take pride in what you're doing, whether that be counting buttons or a VP of a company-you must be the best you can be, to cliche it up. In addition, Scott spoke about broadening your experiences and to absorb all information you can because with lack of a better expression, knowledge is power. 
He also touched on career paths and the steps that could lead you up the corporate ladder...which was pretty self explanatory. 

Finally he spoke about something interesting and very important- what companies look for. He spoke about "you, the brand", "you, the image" and "you, the values." So, when you send off that resume for your dream job or even a job you absolutely need, you must brand yourself positively! Because that's essentially what you are doing-branding yourself. Step out of that box and think how you're going to create a brand specifically for you in an effective and unique manner. Obviously this day and age requires you to be well groomed and put together, so for obvious reasons, suit up! Values. I have to admit, I've never really thought about company values and if they are in alignment with my own. To improve your work space and overall happiness with your job, you must share the same values, or at least be in the same ballpark. 
Preparing yourself and networking is also a vital aspect in the employment race. While he gave lots of tips for compiling your resume,research efforts are just as important. Bottom line: know your employer, the company's background, the company's accomplishments, your employer's accomplishments, etc. However, use caution and do not be a borderline stalker- this heightens your chance of not getting the job and maybe even a night in the slammer.  
With that being said, I'd give the seminar three stars out of five!
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