Krystal Abotossaway
President, Indigenous Professional Association of Canada (IPAC)
As the world around us changes dramatically with the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations have had to adapt how their business operates while remaining competitive and still providing value to customers, colleagues, and communities across the country.
What seemed to be a bright future for young graduates this spring soon became an unsettling feeling that left many concerned about job opportunities and their future. The Indigenous Professional Association of Canada (IPAC), an organization that connects, supports, and promotes outstanding leadership within the Indigenous professional community, took it upon itself to reflect, innovate, and come up with solutions that could assist with this crisis.
There’s always an opportunity to drive better Indigenous employment within your organizations — you just need to ask for it.
Remote work means more opportunities for Indigenous youth
One of the most critical things to address was empowering Indigenous youth to use the virtual world in ways that they never had before. Many are now using their personal branding power to engage with organizations, hiring managers, and recruiters alike.
What organizations have in front of them is one of the fastest-growing demographics in Canada, ready to work virtually. There’s always an opportunity to drive better Indigenous employment within your organizations — you just need to ask for it.
Ask yourself:
- Has your organization invested in technology to set up virtual coffee chats with members of an Indigenous association to network while they work or study from home?
- Have you created a virtual recruitment initiative that focuses on communities?
- Organizations have adapted and evolved over the last few months to hire and onboard new employees. But have we dug deeper and had a diversity lens on our recruitment initiatives?
Now that we have the technology invested, the real opportunity begins. Can you do more?
