Skip to main content

Diary of a Conference- Part 4- Day 3 and After (a.k.a. The End and The Beginning)

There is something about being in Las Vegas and at a conference that makes your head spin. Not a bad spinning like a horror movie, but a good spinning. From the conference, my mind is buzzing with new ideas and hearing about the innovations in other areas of the country. From the action of Las Vegas, my head is spinning from seeing all the sights to hearing the chiming of the slot machines. One observation about Las Vegas is that there should be a job for everyone here. As I walked around, I saw those that live in poverty. Many were homeless.  From an outsider looking in at Las Vegas, Nevada, I saw opportunity for jobs everywhere. Yet there was still need. That is why the work of a workforce development professional is never done!
 
I started my conference session by co-facilitating in a workshop about the New and Emerging Professionals(NEP). Myself and other members of the New and Emerging Professionals discussed our capstone projects. There are currently nine members of this cohort group.  Listening to the  other members of the NEP initiative speak, it is evident that each person has a passion about workforce development and improving the profession.
 
Another session I attended was about branding strategies for job seekers aged 50 and over, but the lessons from that session could be applied to any job seeker and not just those in the baby boomer generation. Personal branding is real and it starts with a clearly defined vision and goal. Then the brand can be incorporated into job search techniques.
 
Finally, the closing session was a great speaker named Lee Silber.  His fast paced, humorous presentation kept the crowd engaged as he challenged the room to be creative and innovate to find solutions to the changing field of workforce development.
 
After the Conference
 
There was a reason that this post is subtitled The End and The Beginning. The conference may be ending, but the work of workforce development professionals to implement new strategies is beginning. The Workforce Investment Act may be ending, but the Workforce Innovative and Opportunity Act is just beginning. 
 
Once you leave a conference, the work is only beginning. Reach out to those people you met and stay in touch with them. Implement new strategies learned at the sessions. Share what you learned with those that could not attend the conference. If you have never been to a NAWDP conference, and you get the opportunity to attend, take it. 
 
Thank you to all my readers and followers. Feel free to comment or email me at kcirincione@gmail.com.  Viva Las Vegas! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How do you Birthday?

Another year in my life has passed. It’s time for another birthday. Each year as the day approaches, I take the time to reflect on my past year, my accomplishments, and my goals for the year. My birthday is like my personal New Years’ celebration with another opportunity to have the best year ever.   I am not afraid of a birthday. Age is just a number, but each year is what you make of it. Each year I have seen the sun rise, the rain fall, and the snow melt, I have been given a gift from the universe. Many people do not get to see another birthday. I owe myself the opportunity to set goals and feel proud as I work towards achieving them. Sometimes these goals have been born from unhappy feelings and bad situations, but growth brings wisdom.   In my working life, and especially as a workforce professional, I know some of my growth must be professionally. Having experience working with job seekers looking for jobs, I understand how crucial professional growth is...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Authentic You

Authenticity is not something we think or talk about every day. It is something we all need for ourselves and to truly connect and have meaningful interactions with others. Anyone on the #improve2019 journey is looking to either improve themselves or to be the guiding light for another person on the journey. Without authenticity, the fruits of labor are bitter. They are not satisfying, but meaningless. The fruits grow are wants in the world, but are not what we truly need.   Authenticity starts with the self. It means we are first to be honest with ourselves, good or bad. It means taking a hard look in the mirror and owning our faults. Are we trying too hard or not enough? Are we speaking and not acting? Do our actions match our intentions?   These are the questions we need to ask ourselves and to really ponder. After we have truly done the recognition and have taken the steps we need to improve, we can really look to helping others doing the same.   Auth...
Post a Comment
Read more

Great Questions=Great Answers! The Pieces to the Puzzle are revealed!

Newbies in workforce development sometimes ask me how to work with a customer or how do you know why someone cannot get a job.   The answer is really simple. Ask the right questions, and then listen for the answer.    It’s not a secret. You can’t just look at person or their job seeking documents and just know. You need the person to open his mouth and speak.   You need the narrative.   Why narrative? First, you will get the information to help you help the customer.   That is if you ask the right question.   Secondly, it helps you establish rapport and trust with your customer. Someone is not going to open up if he does not trust you. This is very important.   Remember digging a hole to China as a child.   Quickly you found out that you could not find China with one shovel full of dirt.   The digger must unearth many layers to get to China! A child will quickly find out that he can’t shovel his way to China, but may find neat ...
1 comment
Read more