The HR Mentor

In this milestone 100th episode of the HR Mentor Podcast, Melanie reflects on her journey creating the podcast, the key lessons learned, and audience feedback that has made the experience rewarding. She shares the origins of the podcast, aimed at helping early-career HR professionals navigate the job market through actionable advice. Melanie reminisces on her favourite guest episodes and student s...

If you're a new HR graduate or actively job searching for your first HR role, this episode is packed with exactly what you need to confidently navigate your search. In this episode, Melanie breaks down the most common entry-level HR positions, typical responsibilities, the key skills employers are looking for, and how understanding these roles can help you define your HR niche and build a more foc...

In this episode, I’m getting real about one of the biggest frustrations in the HR job search. If you’ve been sending out applications and hearing crickets, I know how tempting it is to blame your resume. But here’s the surprising truth: it’s probably not your resume holding you back. Today, I share why clarity about your career goals, skills, and values is far more powerful than endlessly tweaking...

In today’s episode, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Greg Morley, a seasoned global HR executive, DEI strategist, author, and speaker, who brings over two decades of experience from companies like Disney, LVMH Moët Hennesy, and Hasbro. Greg’s journey is one of bold decisions, adventurous career pivots, and a deep commitment to inclusive leadership. From starting in a call center at...

Job searching as a new HR graduate can feel overwhelming—especially when rejections start piling up. But what if your mindset was the key to transforming your job search experience? In this episode, we’re diving into how shifting to a growth mindset can help you overcome obstacles, stay motivated, and ultimately land your first HR role. I’ll walk you through five actionable strategies to develop a...

As a new graduate stepping into the world of HR, you’re entering a field that’s evolving faster than ever before. In this episode, Melanie breaks down the most important trends shaping the industry and what you need to know to stay ahead. From AI-powered recruitment tools to remote work policies, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies, and the growing emphasis on employee well-being, we...

🎙️ Episode Summary: I’m beyond thrilled to bring you this inspiring and insightful conversation with Melanie Denny! Melanie is a personal branding consultant, LinkedIn strategist, and founder of the Empowered Presence™ framework, helping brilliant women of color gain visibility and seize new opportunities beyond the 9-5. She’s been featured in Forbes, HuffPost, Yahoo News, Fast Company, NBC News,...

Welcome back to The HR Mentor! I’m so excited to be here with you again after a little time away. If you’ve been a listener for a while, you probably noticed it’s been about six months since my last episode. During that time, I stepped back to focus on some other priorities in my work and personal life, and today, I want to share what I’ve learned from that break and how you can start fresh and re...

Do you struggle to make connections on LinkedIn? Does it ever feel awkward to reach out to people to introduce yourself or to invite them to a virtual coffee conversation? If that's you, this episode will change that for you. My guest on the show today is Andrew Stoute. Andrew is a leadership and career development consultant and the host of Let’s Be Diverse, an HR podcast covering many topics to...

According to June labour statistics, the Canadian unemployment is up to 6.4%. In this episode, Melanie shares guidance on a job search strategy to overcome a downturn in the labour market. Because a downturn in the market doesn’t mean you can’t find a great HR job. But, it does mean you must be strategic about your job search. In Melanie’s mind, that means you need to focus on quality over quantit...

In this episode, my co-host, Michelle Amaral, and I had the opportunity to spend some time with Alfred Achoba from CMHA—Kamloops Branch. Alfred is the Executive Director and has been with the organization for over a decade. During our conversation, Alfred shared his personal career story and talked about why he pursued a career in community social services, particularly mental health and wellbeing...

Today is a very special episode. I am joined by one of my former students and one of the first graduates from the HR Career Accelerator program, Trupti Patel. In this episode, Trupti talks about her career journey and how she went from being a job seeker to a job offer in less than five months post-graduation. If you are a job seeker struggling to find your way, this episode will guide you on the...

Have you been invited to a summer social event or activity? Did you delete the invitation or respond with a no-thank-you? If you did, I encourage you to listen to this episode. In it, I explain the benefits of saying YES to that summer social and how to mix fun with career acceleration. Helpful Links for this Episode: Join The HR Career Cafe on LinkedIn Join the HR Career Accelerator program and g...

In this episode, my new part-time co-host, Michelle Amaral and I talk about something that I believe is critical to your HR job search. Networking is the key to success for so many new grads and professionals. But we also understand that it is not a comfortable experience for all job seekers. So in this episode, Michelle shares strategies for anyone who feels they are more introverted and fearful...

In this episode, I sit down for a conversation with Brent Pollington, the owner of a successful and award-winning recruitment firm in Vancouver, BC, called Express Employment Professionals. With a company track record of placing over 15,000 people with more than a thousand companies, Brent brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to The HR Mentor that will enlighten new grads and seasoned HR pr...

I am so thrilled to kick off Season 5 with a very special guest. Sheryl Brown and I connected on LinkedIn years ago and have been sharing HR stories, parenting and work memes and inspiring empowering messages ever since. I finally convinced her to join me on The HR Mentor to talk about her career journey and it was truly worth the wait.  Sheryl's extensive experience in human resources is a testam...

Welcome to the Season 4 Finale!  I decided about two months ago, after several exchanges with soon-to-be graduate students, that I needed to make this episode. If you have been following me since the beginning, you know I created this podcast to scale what I was trying to offer to new HR grads on a one-to-one basis. Of course, that quickly became unstainable, so with the idea of recording my guida...

This episode has been a long time in the making, and I am so pleased with the result. Michelle was one of my earliest fans who later became my student once the pandemic began to subside. Since our first meeting, I knew she had to be a guest on the show! I have watched Michelle transition from a student to an HR Generalist over two short years, and her accomplishments during that time have been inc...

If you are about to graduate from an HR program or you are a recent HR grad who is struggling with finding that first HR role, this episode is going to save you a ton of money and time. That’s right, money and time - something I am sure you value immensely right now. How am I going to do that? Well, I am going to be the friend you didn’t know you needed and I’m going to stop you from signing up fo...

In this episode, I am talking about something that I don’t see talked about enough: the uncertainty and anxiety that naturally comes with graduating from University or College. While it is a natural and normal experience, the fear and trepidation that comes with graduation can have negative impacts on students and it can impede their ability to move forward. This episode covers four actions or tip...

In this milestone 80th episode, I am thrilled to have my friend and colleague Joel Peterson on the show. Today, Joel shares all his advice and guidance on how job seekers can make the most of LinkedIn. He explains how to optimize your LinkedIn profile and shares the insight scoop on how recruiters are viewing your profile. If you are in a job search or using LinkedIn to network you don't want to m...

It seems that over the last few months, it's impossible to talk about or read about the world of work without hearing about AI and its impact. And while it is having a major impact, using technology in the workplace, even disruptive technology like natural language processing tools, is not new. That said, it has a lot of workers, including HR professionals, worried that they may become obsolete an...

As the lazy days of summer wind down, many of us turn our minds to the second New Year of the year - September 1st! There is the anticipation of new classes and the start of welcoming events at the University, and from the career perspective, people start to think about what’s next for them. Most people don’t feel like job hunting or switching roles in the middle of the summer holidays and are emb...

Today we're talking about something that’s been close to my heart for a long while now, but it has become more prevalent to me in the last few months. It also relates to Episode 76: The Benefits of Seeking Help with Your HR Career . It’s all about how you, dear emerging HR professional, can better position yourself to get that reference or assistance you need from experienced professionals, mentor...

There's a certain self-reliance that's admired in our North American culture. It's understandable. After all, who doesn't love a good story about self-made success? But let’s be honest. No one truly goes it alone. Behind every success story, there's a network of supporters, mentors, teachers, or coaches who played a part. And it is no different if you are pursuing an HR career. Seeking help is not...