Blog • Career Edge

Sep 01

Attract The Right “Fit” With Your Company’s Culture

By Jumana Baker Workplace Culture

In its Code of Conduct, Google self-identifies as a dog company. Zappos, online shoes and clothes retailer, considers creating “fun and a little weirdness” one of its company core values. Virgin allows its staff to take as many vacation days as they want. These three companies, who have been consistently voted as some of the best companies to work at, are among the many employers who are striving to effectively define their company’s corporate culture, in order to attract and retain the right kind of talent for their organization.

Creating and communicating a company culture that positively reflects your organization boils down to one critical question: what does the organization value above all else?

By identifying the key principals and standards that the organization upholds, employers are able to foster a company culture that not only showcases these values, but also aligns with the overall corporate image. As one of Zappos’s core values is creating “fun and a little weirdness,” for example, it can be assumed that its corporate culture is non-traditional, open and creative.

Aug 25

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Career Edge paid internship program aims to launch careers of Canadian Reservists

By Sydney Helland CAF, News

Career Edge has launched a paid internship program for Canadian Armed Forces Reservists with support from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) in partnership with the Department of National Defense (DND).

Career Edge will receive close to $3M from ESDC to launch an important pilot project for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Reserves in three major geographic cities/regions yet to be determined. The project is intended to help Reservists get the skills and experience needed to overcome barriers to meaningful and sustainable employment within their communities, while continuing to serve their reserve unit.

Jul 21

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Teams that play together, stay together

By Sydney Helland Workplace Culture

Studies have shown that greater employee engagement has a significant, positive influence on work quality and revenue, and company-sponsored team play or sports teams are a great way to make that happen.

The Toronto 2015 Pan Am games are in full swing and have captured the fervor of sports fans across the country, as they root for their favourite teams and athletes. In the corporate world, company leaders try to inspire the same level of fandom and engagement in the office, rather than the stadium.

Here are great benefits of how a team playing together can impact the company culture:

1. Teamwork:

Promoting team spirit in the office and on the field increases morale and camaraderie among employees, and unites them towards a common goal: winning. Whether looking to win a game or sign a new client, having a supportive team to share successes with makes the achievement all the more meaningful.

Additionally, teaming up to participate in a fun activity creates an excellent opportunity for networking and casual collaboration, which translates well to a business setting.

2. Coaching:

Behind every good team is a good coach. Coaches have a wealth of knowledge and a strong ability to effectively transfer it to their players. They also have a knack for assigning roles based on players’ strengths and abilities, and how those fit into a larger gameplay strategy.

Allowing employees to coach a team also develops their management skills, while building the confidence of each player when their talents are recognized.

3. Goals and Rewards:

Winning is usually the ultimate goal of most sports, but we’re not all Harlem Globetrotters. Setting realistic, achievable goals – for the team and individuals – and rewarding performance is vital to maintaining a high level of motivation. Whether it’s a gleaming golden trophy or a simple high five, recognition of a job well done is valued by employees, regardless of whether they scored the goal, made the assist, or delivered a solid defensive play.

4. Wellness:

Promoting physical activity through a company sports team fits nicely into corporate wellness programs. Better yet, healthy employees are typically more productive and have lower levels of absenteeism, resulting in higher performance on the job.

5. Retention:

Turnover rates drop dramatically when employees are engaged and feel proud of the company they work for. Giving employees the opportunity to fight for the home team will grow your internal fan base, and keep your star players from being drafted elsewhere.

Summer is a great time to encourage your employees to team up and get active. Whether the team play softball or ultimate Frisbee or cheers on their co-workers from the sidelines, team sports will help foster greater levels of engagement and grow team spirit within your company.

Need more champions on your team? Hire a Career Edge intern.

Jun 23

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Shifting how we think about internships

By Sydney Helland Uncategorized

Internships have changed the way businesses attract and recruit talent, fundamentally replacing the entry-level jobs of yesteryear. This changing landscape inspired our most recent workshop, InternSHIFT, an informative and interactive discussion held earlier this month at the 2015 CACEE National Conference in Ottawa. Through this Town Hall Meeting style session, Naguib Gouda, President of Career Edge, led conference delegates through the changing internship landscape, while exploring how paid internships contribute to our economy and social infrastructure.

For those who were unable to attend the conference, we have assembled the key highlights from InternSHIFT below, starting with a quick pop quiz.

May 26

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Get the Most Out of Your Summer Interns

By Sydney Helland Employer

As the temperature outside rises, employers are warming up to the summer internship season; but four months doesn’t always leave much time to make a real dent in many of those seasonal projects.

There are plenty of articles that provide interns with tips to succeed during their internship, but there are also a few things that employers can do to create an environment that inspires optimal performance from their enthusiastic, highly motivated intern during their internship term.

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