Unlocking Career Success: Insights from Markus Van Aardt’s Coaching Sessions

Over the past weeks, Kibbi has had the pleasure of hosting two exceptional career coaching sessions with Markus Van Aardt, designed to empower job seekers navigating the Canadian workplace. Covering topics from Canadian workplace culture to effective networking strategies, these sessions provided practical, actionable advice that participants can immediately apply in their careers. 

Session 1: Canadian Workplace Culture 

Markus began by emphasizing the importance of understanding and adapting to the Canadian workplace culture. Key insights included: 

• Individualism and Initiative: Canadian workplaces value independence. Employees are expected to bring ideas, make decisions, and demonstrate self-reliance. Being assertive about your achievements is seen as credibility, not bragging. 

• Equality and Mentorship: Managers act as guides and mentors rather than top-down authorities. Power is exercised through usefulness, not dominance. 

• Communication and Clarity: Clear, precise communication is critical. Perfect English is not required, but knowing how to express yourself and slowing down to articulate ideas is essential. 

• Social and Emotional Resume: Beyond technical skills, Canadian employers value interpersonal skills, teamwork, critical thinking, and cultural awareness. Your ability to relate well to others can be as important as your technical expertise. 

• Personal Branding: Markus encouraged participants to define their professional brand, highlighting qualities such as empathy, approachability, and a growth mindset. Participants were guided on how to demonstrate these traits through stories, structured self-introductions, and value propositions during interviews. 

Session 2: Your Network is your net worth.  

The second session focused on networking strategies, explaining that effective networking is not about asking for a job but about building meaningful relationships. Key takeaways included: 

• High-Impact Networking: Focus on connecting with people who have influence and interest in your growth. Build genuine conversations, show interest in their work, and gradually earn their support. 

• LinkedIn Strategy: Markus shared a 7-step approach to reaching out to professionals on LinkedIn, emphasizing personalized messages, clarity of purpose, and respect for the recipient’s time. 

• Engagement and Follow-Up: Once a connection is established, participants learned how to ask thoughtful questions, comment on posts, and initiate short Zoom calls to strengthen relationships. 
• Consistency: Keeping a networking folder with standard templates allows for efficient outreach while maintaining personalization. 

How Kibbi Makes It Easy 

All clips from these sessions are available through the Kibbi App, making it easy for job seekers to revisit the content, track engagement, and continue learning at their own pace. To access: 

1. Download the Kibbi App [ https://mykibbi.ca/job-seekers]  

1. Sign in or create an account. 

1. Find the sessions under the " In-demand industries”  

By hosting these sessions, Kibbi is committed to providing tools, resources, and expert guidance to help job seekers thrive in the Canadian job market.