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“Discovering who you are is going to be the best journey of your life”

Have you ever asked yourself what I am good at? It is a simple question but not easy to answer. The reality is that since we have been aware of ourselves, one of the hardest things to do is to know our own strengths and abilities. Recent psychology studies suggest that there are 7 types of intelligence. 

Howard Gardner is an American psychologist that created the theory of multiple intelligences. His theory broke stereotypes about human intelligence and how it is measured. Gardner explains that each person has at least 1 of the following 7 types of intelligence: Logical/Mathematical, Linguistic, Musical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, and Interpersonal.

Unlike Gardner’s theory, there is a belief that people that are good at physics, science, and math are more intelligent or capable in contrast with people that are not good at those subjects. Gardner suggested that just one of the 7 intelligence is based on Math’s abilities. Some countries put a lot of attention on students with the best Math grades, they considered those students as talented and brilliant but what about the rest of the class? 

Schools are used to focusing on developing math and language strengths but what happens when some students cannot keep the goal rising and fail all attempts in math and languages. Gardner’s theory has been challenging the system education in Latin-American and American countries where the tendency is measuring the student’s intelligence with old fashioned metrics. 

Come with me and discover in the video the 7 types of intelligence and try to answer to yourself, what type of intelligence do you have? 

Try this easy quiz to find out your intelligence:

Take the quiz!

Using video for virtual meetings and webinars is very common these days, and seating in front of the camera seems to be easy and simple, right?

However, did you know that when you are on video, you are more exposed to make mistakes that may show a wrong, and sometimes embarrassing image of your personal brand?

Here are 6 tips to get prepared before your next virtual meeting and show your best side on camera:

1. Preparation: Ensure you have everything that you need for the meeting: A notebook and pen to take notes; Water; and even all the documents or software that you will need, especially if you will present or share ideas. Remember that you will remain seated for a long time, so go to the washroom, if needed. You don’t want to stand up in the middle of the meeting!
2. Environment: If you are at home, alert your family that you will be in a meeting so you minimize interruptions and unwanted noise. Find a location that is quiet from external noise, and comfortable.
3. Background: Maintain a genuine but organized background. Avoid clutter, dirt or embarrassing items!
4. Frame: Position your head at the center, horizontally; and at eye level with the camera.
5. Audio: Loud and clear. Use a quality microphone, and test it in advance. If you want privacy, use headphones. Audio is crucial for an effective communication
6. Lighting: Use soft lights in front of you to show the expressions in your face and eyes. Avoid dark or noisy lighting or lights that come from behind or above. In the absence of artificial lights, use natural light from a window in front of you.
7. Physical appearance: Keep casual and clean. Avoid stripes, colours or accessories that will be distracting. Present yourself as if you were in person.

With these tips you will be totally ready to show a great image on camera. But, this is just the beginning: Stay tuned for the second part in the series, where we will cover how to behave during a virtual meeting

If you liked this post, take a look at this short clip that summarizes the tips!

Gabriel Seminario

Director of Marketing

Creating Value Through Alliances

A month ago, in preparation for the annual AGM, I had the opportunity to reflect on what alliances and partnerships mean for our organization.  I would like to take this opportunity to expand on those reflections and share the direction the alliance committee will take this year. I define alliances as the relationship we establish with other organizations (educational, private, non-profits, etc.) with the intend to create value, generate new ideas, expand & enhance our services,  and generate opportunities for our members to stay current.

My goal is to ensure we bring alliances that will appeal to the diverse membership of our organization. This led me to analyze the background of our members and the data indicates our members belong to the following industries – 24% Financial Services, 20% IT Services/products, 12% Engineering, 10% Telecom and 4% Government.  With this background in mind, I would like to highlight three programs we plan for 2020:

• Focus on alliances with organizations from the Fintech sector almost 43% of our members are from finance and technology
• Collaborate with organizations that would provide services (language programs, bridging programs, career advise programs…etc.) at no cost to our members.
• Friends of Hispanotech – this program seeks to showcase Hispanic business owners. The idea is to inspire our members to see themselves not only as supporting business but also think about generating jobs opportunities by becoming business owners.

When I took over the role of Director of Alliances, it was a one person show. In 2020, I am happy to work with a group of volunteers, who will bring new ideas & energy and help execute the plan.

The rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 is proving to be challenge for our usual practice of meetings in person. We will explore collaborations (e.g. with providers of virtual meeting platform) that will help us continue to function and keep our members engaged.

I am excited about the opportunities and challenges this year brings to our members and I am committed to bringing alliances that will mutually benefit our members and partners. Looking forward to a productive 2020.

Gabriela Roca Vasquez

I joined Hispanotech shortly after my arrival in Canada. Five years in, I’d like to share my experience and some pointers that are hopefully helpful for our readers.

For newcomers, it is especially tough finding a job in their field or seniority level, mostly due to the hassle of building new local professional networks. There are plenty of associations avidly working towards achieving a truly diverse and inclusive job market, where we all can thrive regardless of age, gender, nationality or personality type.

Hispanotech is a professional network, founded ten years ago with a mandate to support Hispanic professionals in Canada. They do so by organizing networking events, providing learning, volunteering and development opportunities, and showcasing their member’s achievements, with the occasional social gathering.

Hispanotech also facilitates a mentorship program that pairs up experienced individuals with newcomers that need help integrating into the job market, transitioning into a new position, or advancing their career. As part of this program, I had the opportunity to mentor a smart, talented, kind and resourceful Colombian professional.

It was such an exciting and fulfilling opportunity. I recommend joining as a mentee to anyone struggling to find a job in their field, or at all. And I would suggest joining as a mentor to experienced professionals with the willingness to give back and help new immigrants navigate the intricacies of the Canadian job market. Everyone learns in the process. I’m proud to be a member of this community. Join today! There’s plenty of ways to get the support you need to overcome your professional challenges.

Author, Citlalli Rios, connect with me on www.linkedin.com/in/citlalli

It seems impossible to network these days since there are no more live career events or job fairs you can attend. Let me tell you that is not true. You can still keep on building your network using different tools that can help you connect with potential employers. Believe me, there are many professionals that are still willing to help even though they haven’t met you personally. It is also possible to find a new mentor or maintain contact with your previous one online.

We are living in times of high technology, in which people use social media frequently every day. These days most professionals you would like to reach out to are working from home, which in some ways may be an advantage. This means that they may have increased flexibility so as to be more likely to answer your message or call.

I would strongly recommend using LinkedIn (among others you like) to network. Recently, I have seen some posts of professionals who are willing to help building resumes or even reply to any doubt that you have regarding job searching. They know it is not an easy time for job seekers and they are there to help. You can also send messages to professionals you would like to network with.

Remember, the way you approach them is very important. In this message, you should state who you are professionally (something that can make a positive impact on them) and the reason why you want to connect with them (For this it is good to review their profile beforehand). Then you can ask kindly for a few minutes call instead of a coffee chat. Commenting on articles they create or share is also a very good way to connect. Besides, you can also create your own content and encourage participation. Finally, take a quick look at Eventbrite; they already created some virtual events which might be helpful for you.

To ensure you keep on building your network and have the right mentor we are working with the Hispanotech Mentorship team to deliver the program this year. We are evaluating different formats for the events as well as the calendar. Keep a look out for announcements on Hispanotech LinkedIn or website. We will give more details to coming soon!

STAY POSITIVE AND KEEP ON NETWORKING!

Evelyn Rodriguez

Director of Mentorship program

As you are aware, COVID-19 has been rapidly changing our lives, and all indications are that it will continue to do so for some time to come. As a result, we are all adapting our behaviors and plans in order to mitigate, confront, and eventually recover from this global crisis. At Hispanotech, we are also working hard to adapt and continue to offer value to our Members and to the community.

In person networking and events are not possible at this time, so we will start offering online webinars and virtual events starting in April. Do keep an eye on our schedule of upcoming events , which will include topics to help manage your career,  finances, and well being.

We are also reviewing our 2020 Mentorship program, to take into account the added difficulties Mentors and Mentees will find given the physical proximity restrictions, and the consequent economic stoppage and impact on the job market.

Planning for our CCX2020 Conference & Career Expo continues, however we will not announce a new target date until we have more clarity. This is a full day event with 32 sessions in 4 tracks, and an expected attendance of 700 people, so we have to make sure public health conditions will be propitious and safe.

This is a good time to stay connected and expand your network using social media channels. Through our LinkedIn you will be able to interact with our 2,000+ direct connections, as well as our 420,000+ second level connections. In fact, COVID-19 has shown us just how connected we all are; let’s make the best of it!

Regardless of the current challenges and uncertainty, we know the time for recovery will come, and it will also present increased needs and opportunities to come together and rebuild, and hopefully the world will be stronger and wiser than before.

Stay healthy and stay connected!

Hispanotech Board of Directors

Why do we need to focus and support Hispanic Women in Technology (WiT)?

According to Statistics Canada, 1 in every 5 women was born outside Canada.  In Toronto alone, more than half of women are immigrants. Spanish is the third most common language among female immigrants who had a mother tongue other than English and French. Given Hispanotech’s mission “to help Hispanic professionals to integrate and advance their careers in Canada”, it is not surprising that it has a team dedicated to empowering female Hispanic professionals in technology.  When offered with the opportunity to form part of the Board of Directors to support WiT, I immediately said yes!

My passion about helping women in tech, started after I graduated from University and got my first job. While I was a computer engineering student it was “normal” to be the only woman on a group of students. When I got a job in a big Telecom and was denied the opportunity to join the Radio Frequency Engineering team because “women should not be allowed to climb radio antennas” I was shocked. This was the trigger for me to make a conscious effort to ensure I would contribute to build workplaces where women would have the same opportunities as anybody else.

Then I became an immigrant and the equation got even more complicated. In my opinion, immigration is one of the most amazing opportunities that any human being can have: it makes your personal growth increase exponentially. Canada stands out from the places I have lived, as the one with the biggest impact on my understanding of who I am. Canadian society encourages people to be themselves and provides the means to integrate immigrants while respecting their uniqueness and valuing their diversity. Nevertheless, we also know the beginning is never easy – no one knows you or your capabilities. We need to start all over again.

On the same report of Statistics Canada, one-third of immigrant women between the ages of 25 to 54 has a university degree, compared to less than one-quarter of their Canadian-born counterparts. However Labour Force Survey data shows that immigrant women earned less and had a significantly higher rate of unemployment than Canadian-born women. The good news is that the rate of unemployment improved the longer the women immigrant resided in Canada. That’s why our goal at Hispanotech WiT is to reduce this period of unemployment; and in order to do so we focus on four pillars:

1. Mentoring: to help to successfully navigate the Canadian job market,
2. Connecting: through networking events,
3. Inspiring: showcase women as empowered leaders, and
4. Alliances: foster male allies and advocates who support women.

If you want to become part of WiT or learn more about our strategy, please contact someone from our group: Ana Lobo, Denisse Rodriguez, Maria Castellanos, Lina Florez, Donaji Gomez or me. Everyone is welcome!!!

References:

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2019001/article/00006-eng.htm

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2013001/article/11874-eng.htm

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-503-x/2010001/article/11528-eng.htm

Fifth Generation wireless networks (5G) are finally becoming a reality and will realize the potential of a fully connected world. 5G will enable other technologies like Internet of Things (ioT) and Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR), which all working together will drive the new industrial revolution.

5G are expected to be 100 times faster than 4G networks, with low latency and ubiquity. Thanks to 5G’s bandwidth and low latency, AR /VR will allow teams work side by side despite the distance, or consumers will be able to enjoy virtual experiences in education, medicine and travel from the comfort of their homes. This plethora of technologies will affect almost all industries and the future of work:

In Media and Entertainment, they will disrupt the industry with new capabilities in mobile media, especially with the conjunction of 5G and VR/AR, offering an immersive, almost real interaction. Streaming services, gaming, music, movies, and downloads will be substantially faster.  Solving current latency problems will be crucial to adopt cloud-based gaming, especially with multiplayer features, on mobile devices.

In Retail and Tourism, these technologies will allow tourists to learn via Virtual Reality, about the history, geography and culture of remote places from the comfort of their homes; or via Augmented Reality, to enjoy an immersive story on-site, perhaps including storytelling and contextual information. Consumers, on the other hand, will enhance their shopping experience with virtual dressing rooms without the motion sickness that the current technology offers.

In Marketing and Advertising, current mainstream content is displayed in digital banners based on images, however, with faster data transfers, ad campaign content could be produced and consumed in the forms of video, and interactive immersive experiences in VR/AR. In addition, it may enable eye tracking and biometrics to allow a more efficient campaign tracking and measurement. All this Marketing experience will help brands to connect and engage with consumers in a more cost-efficient and satisfactory manner.

In order to design new products and services that will take benefit of these technologies, it is crucial to build high-performing Teams with a diverse group of individuals that can work collaboratively with a common goal in mind.

As Technology professionals, we are usually making decisions, solving problems  and working in Teams to accomplish business goals. However, sometimes our Team is not optimized for high performance, innovation and achievements. This is where Diversity and Inclusion play a fundamental role. But, what is the meaning of those two terms?

Diversity refers to human differences. They could be related to gender, race, age, ethnicity, religion, physical ability, education, experience, personality, or others. A working environment is diverse when the teams have diversity in its members. However, inclusion goes a step further, and it is not only counting with a diverse team, but also creating an organizational climate that foster collaboration, support and respect for these differences.

In diverse and inclusive organizations, everyone wins, as employees learn to collaborate, whereas the organization accomplish its goals in a more efficient manner:

1. Creativity and Product Development – Software development is a highly collaborative process. Developers should work in Teams. A diverse Team is more likely to solve problems because they have different point of views, but rather than argue, they work for a common objective. They are able to see problems from different angles and build a solution that addresses them all. That way, better products and better services are designed and implemented. Diverse teams use creativity to achieve more, more efficiently
2. Happier environment and employee engagement – People with different backgrounds and lifestyles challenge each other more. A great leader will take benefit of diversity to promote creativity and innovation, where ideas are considered and everyone participates in decision-making. This workplace environment makes employees feel happier and accomplished. They feel as a valued member of a Team which will lead to employee engagement and loyalty to the Brand.
3. Learning and Personal Growth – In diverse and inclusive organizations, the leadership mission includes programs that help teams to work collaboratively, respect people’s opinion, brainstorm new ideas, and look for a common benefit for the organization. Programs like Women in Technology encourage the development and participation of women in the technology field through mentorship, role modeling, training and networking.

Hello Hispanotech Community,

If you are new in Canada and are looking for advice, ideas, how to start or improve your professional career path, or looking for relationships with friendly and professional people, you are in the right place. I am a civil engineer from Peru with experience in infrastructure projects. I arrived in Canada last year eager to start here but, also with many doubts about how it is better to do so.

Through networking in an institution where I took a course, I received the recommendation to join Hispanotech, where they received me with great hospitality and I was a lucky that the mentorship program was just beginning. Based on the evaluation of my resume they contacted me with my mentor.

Working with my mentor to start developing the best path career in Canada was vital, not only because she advised me on how to improve my resume, but also because she shared with me her experiences in the work she had developed and of course the emotional support reminding me that we can get ahead in this our new country.

Starting to work with the mentor based on the plan established in the mentorship program, being in constant focus to get your job interview and pass it, always keep the positive energy, finally comes the opportunity of the interview that was one waiting and finally one begins to work in his field.

Thank you Hispanotech for opening this door of learning, support and positivism to those of us who make Canada our new home.