Alumni News
Alumni eNews
Issue: 15August 2011
Greetings from the Alumni Association Chair 
Kristan Ash
Kristan Ash
Kristan Ash
  

Dear Fellow Alumni,

 

As you may have guessed (and remember well), August is a busy time around Kwantlen! With everyone hustling and bustling to get ready for the new semester, there's a lot of excitement in the air. However, next month isn't just back to school for students, teachers and staff, it's back to school for alumni too!

 

That's right -- it's time for our second annual Kwantlen Alumni Homecoming Day! On Friday, September 23, Kwantlen alumni are invited to "come back home" to cheer on their fellow Kwantlen Alumni Eagles team as they go head-to-head with the current Eagles athletes for some fun and basketball. The Homecoming festivities will include a networking reception where we'll enjoy complementary appies and a chance to catch up (and network) with old friends and new. Check the event listing below for further details.

 

For many of us, September also marks a time of year when we begin to challenge ourselves with new projects and goals, so we're pleased to bring you this month's Tools for Success article: "Increase Your Personal ROI and Get More Bang For Your Buck," written by one of our own, Kwantlen's former student and Level 88 Coaching consultant, Jennifer Nuce.

If you have any of your own tips or articles to share in our Tools for Success personal development series, we would love to hear from you too! Email us today at [email protected].

Best wishes,

Kristan Signature

Kristan Ash

Chair, Kwantlen Polytechnic University Alumni Association

BBA, Class of 2003

 

 

P.S. Nominations for Kwantlen's Distinguished Alumni Awards are rolling in! Learn about one of the deserving nominees in this month's alumni highlight below. If you know of a deserving   alumna or alumnus (and maybe it's you!), download a nomination package today!

Alumni Highlight

2011 HR Grad Nominated for Distinguished Alumni Award

Gozde Hilmi
Gozde Hilmi

 

Follow your passion and success will follow" -- seven inspiring words that have helped earn Gozde Hilmi a Distinguished Alumni Award nomination, just three months after graduating from Kwantlen's Human Resources (HR) Management program this past May.

 

However, quick recognition for her hard work and dedication to industry and community is nothing new for this highly-committed director of HR at BackCheck, an company specializing in pre-employment screening and HR services.

 

Soon after being hired by the international company, Hilmi was promoted to the position of recruiter. Four months later, after refining BackCheck's recruiting policies and strategies, she was promoted again -- becoming the company's first HR generalist at the age of 25.

 

In her role as generalist, she began building the company's HR department from the ground up. She developed many of BackCheck's first HR policies and procedures, including an employee handbook, the company's first pay scale, the first company-wide performance management system and a successful recruiting and retention strategy.

 

Three years later, BackCheck promoted her once again; this time to her current role as HR director -- a position she said she "never dreamed" possible in her earliest days with the growing company. Assembling an HR team consisting of four HR generalists and seven HR assistants, Hilmi helped grow BackCheck's personnel base from 40 to over 400 employees -- all while completing the Human Resources program at Kwantlen.

 

Previous to Kwantlen, Gozde attended Simon Fraser University where completed a B.A. in Psychology with a Minor in Education. When Gozde is not in the office, she regularly volunteers at the Fraser Health Crisis Line where she provides phone counseling, support and referrals to those experiencing mental health concerns, relationship conflict, grief and other difficulties. She has been with the organization for seven years and was recently presented with an Ely Award for her long time service and dedication.

 

"I'm surprised and honoured to be nominated," said Gozde. "There is still so much more I would like to accomplish," she added. "I have only scratched the surface. I have a life time of learning ahead of me."

 

To read Gozde Hilmi's alumni Q&A, click here. For more information on the upcoming 2011 Kwantlen Distinguished Alumni Awards and to download a nomination form visit www.kwantlen.bc.ca/alumni.

Increase Your Personal ROI and Get "More Bang For Your Buck"! By Jennifer Nuce, Level 88 Coaching

Whether you are a manager, an executive, a business owner, someone seeking a new job or are new to the job market, ensuring you are getting the most out of your resources (including your skills and talents) will not only help you increase your level of success, but also maximize your "Personal Return On Investment."

Your individual resources or "personal investments" can include anything from your Kwantlen education to your mentors, books, friends, creative mind, personality traits, certificate in time management -- even your daily exercise and a healthy diet. MORE>>>

Career Services: Jobs, Advice, Services

  

Top 7 New "Hot" JOBS on Kwantlen's Student/Alumni Job Board:

  1. Credit Analyst - Univar Canada                                   
  2. Bi-lingual Sales Representative - Tree Island Industries  
  3. Marketing Coord./Proposal Writer - CWA Engineers Inc.
  4. Residential Accountant - Amacon Property Management
  5. Licensed Psychologist - Midlyn Day Communications
  6. Junior Interior Designer - The Spotted Frog Furniture Company
  7. Research/Recruitment Associate - Pinton Forrest & Madden

        

Do you need help identifying -- and reaching -- your personal and professional goals? If so, consider a Personal Development Plan (PDP). Whether your goal is career related (a raise, a promotion, a change) or personal (increased knowledge, skills or abilities), a PDP is one of the most effective ways to get you pointed in the right direction. Learn more in Deb Peterson's article "Reach Your Goal with a Personal Development Plan."

 

Attention new grads: You've just landed your new job and are extremely excited. Do you know the workplace rules surrounding texting, Facebook and emailing? In JobWeb's post "New Grad Rules for Workplace e-Etiquette," adapted from the article by Meg Landland in the March 2009 NACE Journal, you'll learn some great tips to keep you from making some serious workplace blunders.

 

Need help with your job search?

Providing resume review, interview preparation and labour market research, Career Services coordinators are available at all four Kwantlen campuses to assist you with your job search. To request an appointment, visit Career Services or contact:

 

Shelley Vidal

Career Services Coordinator

Kwantlen Career Services

Phone: 604.599.3401

Email: [email protected]

Business Corner

 

Being Prepared: An Investment in Your Future  

Marc Bains

Marc Bains

KPUAA Director

Class of 2007

By Marc Bains, KPUAA Director 

 

In the face of economic uncertainty, there are few things that are considered to be 'safe investment.' However, as Level 88's Jennifer Nuce pointed out in her article above, there is one investment you can always rely on: YOU!

 

The economic crisis over the past three years has caught many people by surprise. Countries around the world are now facing a new economic order. More>>>

 

News, Events, & Updates

 

News

 

KPUAA Events

  • Saturday, Sept. 17: A version of The Amazing Race comes to Kwantlen ~ 'Campus Race'. Get Racey and sign up an Alumni team of two to have some fun and compete against Faculty and the KPU current students! For more info and registration, click here.

 

  • Friday, Sept. 23: KPUAA Homecoming Day. Come watch the Women's and Men's Alumni Basketball team go up against the KPU current students in the evening. Event will also include a Exclusive Alumni Networking Reception from 7:30 - 8:30 pm at the Surrey Campus. Please RSVP to [email protected] (subject line Homecoming)

 

  • Monday, Nov. 21: Elections and AGM.
    • elections for KPUAA Board Members (learn more)
    • appetizers
    • prizes
    • guest speaker 

Please RSVP by email at [email protected] (subject line AGM)

 

  • Thursday, Nov. 24: ULink: The link between You, Your University & Your Future. Come share your Kwantlen experience at the mix and mingler. We are looking for Alumni who... 
    • are available to attend the event on Thursday, November 24 from 6:00pm-9:30pm at the Surrey Campus Conference Centre.
    • are willing to share their stories through casual conversation during the social/networking portions of the evening to prospective students and their parents.
    • have completed their studies at Kwantlen between 2005 and 2011.
    • are currently employed.

Please RSVP to [email protected] (subject line ULink)

 

To get the latest update on events, please check the KPUAA website closer to the events or get regular updates via twitter and facebook.
Tweets of the Month

  

 

@darinlovesbacon: I'm trying not to panic but I just found out that Santa

                            Claus unfollowed me.

 

@davio1962: An ad begs me to try "the toothbrush most dental

                   professionals use" and I think, "That's gross; I'll buy my own."

 

@kellysdf: I'm at a point in life where enjoying lots of bars just means good

                cell phone service.  

Alumni Professional Directory
Did you know KPUAA offers a free professional listing to all alumni, whether they are business owners, consultants or company employees? In addition to providing great networking opportunities, the alumni professional directory is a way for Kwantlen alumni to support one another and, in some cases, offer fellow alumni discounts on products and services. For more information, please View/Search the Kwantlen Alumni Professional Directory.
 
Kwantlen Polytechnic University Alumni Association
12666 72nd Avenue,
Surrey, BC V3W 2M8

[email protected]  

KPUAA welcomes story ideas and alumni written material. To submit a story or share your ideas, please email [email protected].
In This Issue
Greetings
Alumni Highlight ~ Gozde Hilmi
Increase Your Personal ROI
Career Services - Top 7 jobs this month
Business Corner with Marc Bains
News, Events, & Updates
Tweets of the Month
Alumni Professional Directory

Alumni Links
Kwantlen Links