Greystone College business program invites business guests for a networking event at the end of each course.We were proud to welcome Zafira Nanji, Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) with an MBA specializing in human resources management, at our campus. She came to talk about her career, her international experiences, and gave college students amazing tips for their career paths.
“With my “great resume” as Noelene puts it, you might think I am formal. But, I am not, you can ask me anything and I’m happy to try and figure out the answer if I don’t know it.”, Zafira says after Noelene, an instructor at Greystone College, introduced her by listing all the companies Zafira worked for. Sincere, funny, and highly experienced she catches the attention of all students and staff members.
She first started to talk about her great career
Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Zafira had her first experience with Human Resources when she was 14 years old and her father asked for her help in terminating a seasoned employee for cause, in his small business. She did some research and educated herself about HR laws and how to terminate. “I felt a little out of my depth, but my dad reminded me that I was smart and competent and that certainly helped me learn what needed to be done.”, she admits. In University, Zafira began in the Faculty of Science, then changing to Social Science, getting her Bachelors in Sociology. Wanting to be financially independent even as a student, she found a part-time job in 1996 with the Client Services team at the University of Ottawa, teaching university students how to use emerging technologies like email, web design, etc. Also, she had some volunteering jobs. After that, she lived in South Korea for two and a half years where she combined her two passions: business and teaching. She did a lot of self-development in order to work with business leaders during her stay in Korea.
Work Experience at eBay and CBC
Back in Canada, 25-year-old Zafira started working with eBay and authored a comprehensive training manual which has been translated and is still used internationally today. The last project she worked on at eBay was facilitating training and hiring of a specialty customer service department, ramping up, and hiring and training hundreds of employees in a short time span. Simultaneously, she finished her MBA and CHRP. “Those few years were hard. I only had three to four hours of sleep a day.” She now works for CBC as a HR Business Partner where she has worked on CBC/Radio-Canada’s cross-Canada 5 year Strategic Plan (Everyone, every way) – opening new stations and working with programmers, helping build a Recruitment Centre and as a generalist for Western Canada for both English, French, and Corporate Services. Working in so many regions, she travels a lot. She states: “Travelling is a great experience but after a while you start to miss home and start to be annoyed by always sleeping in a new room. Even the employees of YVR-Airport in Vancouver know and hug me. That is kind of strange.”
What can the students at Greystone College learn from her? What are the secrets to become as successful as she is?
Our college students can learn a lot from Zafira’s international experiences. What seems obvious after her talk is that her willingness to learn helped her to grow so high on the career ladder. She always trained herself, especially to improve her way of teaching.
What is important to know about HR?
“Most people think that HR is knowing about people. But it’s much more than only that. It is critical to know under which conditions the employees work and what their fears are. But one should look from a management point as well, because each business wants to make profit. Research shows, human beings instinctively hire and socialize with people, who are similar to themselves. But that’s not how it works. It is important to have diversity within a company. And don’t think that HR is easy! It’s more than just hiring and firing. You have to speak the language of your business, be approachable, and give feedback while staying incredibly professional. You might be the only “face” of the company that someone interacts with. A common piece of feedback I’m sharing to people who were not hired, is explaining the reason they didn’t get the job – usually, they did not show the right skills and qualities we were looking for during their selection process.”
What can you tell the students about social media?
From Zafira’s point of view, companies HAVE TO use social media. Otherwise they wouldn’t show currency and relevance. “It is necessary to know how to behave on Facebook, on LinkedIn”, she explains. Additionally, she states that students, as potential employees for companies, need to be aware of what they are posting on social media. If someone has an interview at a company, this company may look at what is publicly available about this person. Furthermore, Zafira highlights the importance for students to create a LinkedIn account because it helps to connect with people, widen your network, and find jobs. This is one of a great career tips she gives to our students.
What are the three top skills needed to get a job?
For Zafira the most required skills are 1) innovation, 2) versatility and 3) flexibility. Zafira mentions that a successful businessman or woman should be diverse, knowing about different business cultures, and how to communicate with partners coming from other cultures. “If Canadians come to China, they cannot just use Canadian values to do business in China. They have to know and understand their new business partner’s culture and climate.”
The last thing she wants to recommend to each student in order to raise their career opportunities is to volunteer. Speaking from her point of view, volunteering offers amazing connections which will help you to become successful. “Volunteer organizations are hungry for skilled, hardworking people. It’s a great chance to work well above your career level and gain invaluable experience.”