Musings from a Southwestern Ontarian in Quebec

Reaching a Dream!

Sat, 3 Sep 2011 14:41:08 -0400

For some time, I have been looking to advance into the role of Executive Director of a national association. Well, I recently achieved that goal becoming the new Executive Director for the Canadian Dental Assistants Association. I swore to myself that had I reached my objective, I would reward myself with a ride in a biplane! Well, on Wednesday, here’s the video to provide the proof. A truely amazing experience!

Are Canada’s Volunteer Laws Our of Step?

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 09:33:11 -0500

I’ve been keeping in my back pocket an interesting blog post from a while back that has got me thinking. Do we have a culture of volunteering in Canada? Stats say that Quebec has one of the lowest rates in the country for personal charitable donations while Alberta has some of the highest. The United States has engaged actual policies in government to encourage volunteering. The non-profit sector is often referred to as the 3rd sector after the private and public (government) sector in its worth and impact on society. So where do we stand here in Canada? Other organizations such as Volunteer Canada have also bemoned the lack of interest in promoting volunteering. Well, if you ask Chris Jarvis, we’re a dismal last in terms of where we could be.

If you consult his blog posting back from 2009, I’m left to wonder, perhaps he’s right: http://realizedworth.blogspot.com/2009/03/canada-conflicted-on-volunteering.html ? Other columnists in Canada such as Lorne Gunter of the National Post claim that Canada has lost it’s sense of self responsibility - arguably the tenent of the sense of duty which inspires volunteering (you can view Lorne Gunter’s argument that Canada has lost it’s self of self-responsibility here). What are your thoughts? Personally, I must admit that I never personally saw the value in volunteering until much later in life.

You spoke, I listened ... here’s the winning CV. What do you think?

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:38:28 -0500

Back in June, I solicited your advice on the best CV template to adapt for my needs. 8 different templates were presented in different formats. The response was impressive and I am very greatful for all the wonderful advice. In fact, the response from this posting was the single biggest response I have ever received for any of my blog postings anywhere and at anytime!

From all the votes and comments received (coming from the comments received and the numerous emails received as well), here’s the breakdown:

CV #1: 14 votes
CV #2: 42 votes
CV #3: 7 votes
CV #4: 22 votes
CV #5: 9 votes
CV #6: 7 votes
CV #8: 10 votes

To be honest, I was quite surprised. I very much believed template #4 would win (executivenewsampleimage2-1.jpg). Personally, it was my favorite as I felt it gave a very brochure type of look and when you’re in marketing, public relations and other creative services like me, you’re always looking for ways to set yourself apart. I can however see the majority’s point of view. CV #2 provides a very clean presentation of one’s skills. That being said, I can’t help but feel that CV #4 is a good format for promoting one’s services as a consultant. In all, I’ve already taken your advice and adapted my CV for a number of different situations and job profiles.

Well, you spoke and I listened. Template #2 won. Here it is! This CV serves as my base compentency in non-profit/ association communications and lobbying strategy. Let me know your thoughts!

Which CV Template do you like?

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:51:34 -0400

It’s come to my attention that it’s time to update my CV...deliver one that is punchy and more representative of my qualifications. My old CV (current one) is located currently online at www.markbuzan.info but you can also view my old one by downloading it here: Liaison CV.pdf. The trouble is that there are so many different templates out there. How does one pick the right one? Below are a couple of examples I have stumbled upon. Would you mind giving your opinion on the one most effective? If you need to see a more blown up version, please email me at markbuzan@me.com.

Waiting for the wave...will boomer retirement mean more senior level jobs?

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:01:10 -0400

Looking to revise and update my resume, I found a mention of a book that advocated professionals need to seriously think about constantly being on the job search even if they are employed. In fact, in an age where long term employment is becoming more and more a thing of the past in favour of short term (even just one year) contracts, it is incumbent on professionals to be constantly “paranoid”. However, I had a thought last night...as everyone seems to be talking about the empending mass of baby boomers who will be retiring, thereby opening up more and more positions, will this mean anytime soon more positions in senior level roles? Already, I hear anecdotally evidence that junior roles are opening up more and more with more Gen Yers taking their place. From what I have seen on the senior level of things is that we may be waiting a while to see a boom in job openings to manage the influx of Gen Yers.

What’s your thought?

Making a funny video CV serious

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 11:55:48 -0400

I’ve come across a very intriguing Online Video CV on YouTube by David Pederson which in my mind has been greatly successful in attracting attention. I’ve long thought of finding a means of having my qualifications stand out from the crowd. Recently, the idea of a video CV has been presented to me as a way to demonstrate my presentation skills, drive and desire to make a difference professionally. My thinking would be to distribute it on YouTube through my channel and other venues such as my online CV. My trouble however, is coming up with the what exactly to say. Most of the advice out there on developing a Video CV says it needs to be all serious and all business. I think you need to add your personality in there and dare I say some humour. Otherwise, it’s just “yawn’s ville”! I think this guy, David Pedersen, got the right mix of serious & funny. What do you think?

For those that know me, other than the serious aspects that I can bring out on my qualifications, what kind of light-hearted approach would you add?

Thanks to the saints, I’m working again!

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 19:09:02 -0500

For those who might not know, I’m a Roman Catholic. In general, I don’t share this aspect of my life very widely as my faith is something rather personal to me. The last 6-7 months however have been a trying time as the recession hit me as did it for a great number of others. 2009 started out good, but unfortunately, the latter half was a trying time. Work was scarce and waiting for my wife to come to Canada added extra stress. Being without work at times when you have been used to busy times forces oneself to truly dig deep inside themselves for inner strength.

Fortunately, things appear to be turning around and I owe part of it all to a solid dose of prayer. Having gone through a much more serious bout of unemployment 3 years ago, I believe that this time the difference was that I recognized the importance of doing those things that keep up the morale. In times of difficulty, one cannot place the burden of everything on ones own shoulders. Prospective employers and clients can see it on your face when you are in distress and worried when the next job will come.

This time around, I sought out a support network. To my family and to the Monsignor of my parish, thank you! Without you this truly would have been a very lonely time. This time as well, I reached out to my faith. While I believe in life everything happens for a reason and that I am still yet to understand why what happened to me happened, reaching out in prayer gave me the strength at times to get through the dark moments of wondering when the troubles would be over.

To Mary, the Virgin Mother, thank you and to the saints that delivered - or at least I believe played a part in listening to my calls for help, thank you! Thank you to Saint Anthony, patron saint of lost things. Thank you to Saint Homobonus, patron saint of business men. Thanks as well to Saint Cajetan and Saint Joseph, patron saints of the unemployed. Finally, thanks go to Saint Jude, the patron saint of desperate causes. :)

The fight is not over yet but with a combination of hard work and their support, Carolina will now be joining me in two weeks time interest in my work is up and I am back to stable work.

P.S...and one other thing...a good mix of prayer to the saints and social media also helped. If anyone follows @TheKotel on Twitter, I also recommend using this service to send your prayers directly to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. My photos of prayers placed at the Kotel are here:

Yes, Non-Profits CAN Create an Energized Fan Base through Social Media

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 18:58:23 -0500

For hosting reasons and for the size of this webinar file, the video is hosted on this site, my personal blog as opposed to my business blog, Mark Buzan’s PR & Public Affairs Spot on the Web. For your information, the video is in Quicktime and runs for a total of 54 minutes, 21 seconds.

Photos du mariage/ Photo from the wedding

Fri, 7 Aug 2009 16:39:50 -0400

It finally happened! I’m a bit behind on writing this entry but on July 4th in Bogota, Colombia, I became officially a married man! Carolina is unfortunately still in Colombia awaiting her residency papers before she can finally be with me in Canada. Until then, I’m still beaming and a very proud husband of a wonderful woman.
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C'est finalement arrivé! Je suis un peu en retard pour écrire dans ce blogue, mais à partir du 4 juillet à Bogota, en Colombie, je suis devenu officiellement un homme marié! Carolina est malheureusement toujours en attente de son visa en Colombie avant qu'elle puisse être avec moi finalement au Canada. Jusqu’a là, je suis toujours très heureux et un mari très fier d'une belle femme.

Ok...Maxime ne va pas, pourquoi pas Jeff Plante?

Wed, 27 May 2009 22:57:56 -0400

Pour plusieurs qui suivent ce blogue, je vous dois des excuses. Ça fait trop longtemps depuis ma dernière entrée. Après la visite de ma chère fiancé en avril, j’ai pris ce temps pour réflechir sur la situation de la chefferie de l’ADQ. Malgré mes meilleurs efforts, Maxime Bernier ne se présente pas ce qui m’a laissé de penser à d’autres possibilités. Alors, pourquoi pas l’animateur de Radio Xtrm, Jean-François Plante? Controversé c’est sûr pour son opposition au feminisme extrème mais moi, je recherche un candidat qui n’a pas peur de dire ce qu’il pense. À mon avis, Jeff Plante est exactement ce que l’ADQ a besoin: un franc parleur qui n’as pas peur de dire ce que le Québec a besoin. C’est à dire du ‘‘tough love’’. En écoutant son émission régulier, il est clair que M. Plante a des idées clairs pour le Québec. Entre autres, l’ADQ a besoin de revenir à l’appui d’un taxe unique, les bons d’études, et la simplification/ramollissement du fardeau reglèmentaire au Québec.

À mon avis, l’ADQ est rendu aussi bas dans les sondages parce qu’il a oublié ses racines de droites. Pour retrouver sa place sur la scène politique, il faudra un chef qui n’est pas intimidé par les critiques des adversaires aux adéquistes. Quel est votre opinion?