What Works

What Works is a speaker series for SAIT Alumni aimed at supporting you through your career journey and development.

We're excited to announce that What Works has returned for the 2023 season — as a podcast!

What Works Speaker series title graphic

The What Works speaker series is made available with the funding support of our partners

2023 season

Join fellow SAIT alumna and What Works host Alyssa Athanasopoulos and experts from the SAIT community as they share their ideas, tools and stories to help take the guesswork out of how to approach your next career move.

🎧 Start with episode 1: School's out! Now what? where Erin Boyle, Manager of SAIT's Career Advancement Services, talks about how her team can support you in your career journey.

2022 season

July 26, 2022: The idea of telling your own career story using LinkedIn can seem daunting and overwhelming. Fortunately, SAIT has in-house experts from Career Advancement Services who can help you get on the right track. Hear from Work Integrated Learning Coordinator Lara Schuelke on how you can build a stellar LinkedIn profile and leverage the platform to make it work for you. Here's what you can expect to be covered: -how to source and connect with meaningful contacts, -use hashtags, subscriptions and emails to automate your searches, -tips to make your profile shine, -increase your chances of getting "yes" to your invitation to connect.

April 12, 2022: When it comes to keeping your skills relevant and up-to-date, how do you know which direction to take? Whether you know it as professional development, training or continuing education, there are a variety of ways to upskill and how that looks is different for everyone. SAIT's Career Advancement Services experts Lara Schuelke and Blair Cunningham share insights and information on: -how you can identify which skills you may need to update, -ways to address any skills gaps, -how to share with the world (or your current or future employer) what skills you’ve got in the bank, -how you can access funding with the Level Up Alumni Awards.

March 17, 2022: Podcasts have been around for almost 20 years and the medium is showing no signs of slowing down. With their increasing popularity combined with a low barrier to entry, podcasting has become an effective way for almost anyone to connect with a large audience on almost any topic. While getting into podcasting may seem fairly straightforward, there are some things you have to consider before fully committing to the craft.

Feb. 22, 2022: When it comes to starting up your own business or pursuing a side gig, there’s no one size fits all approach. So where does one even start? Hear from Albert Myles Mejia, Cathy Provencher, Jenn Geiger and Luis Paulo Alves — all SAIT alumni who have started their small businesses while either working or going to school full time. Hear what drove them to start up their side hustles and lessons learned along the way.

2021 season

Nov. 17, 2021: In this installment of What Works — Building leadership competencies to support your personal brand — you'll hear from experts from SAIT's Corporate Training team who will share their findings on the key intelligences companies require for their next leaders and how you can incorporate these traits when building your own personal brand.

Sept. 29, 2021: Hear from industry experts as they lead us through a discussion explaining the labour market statistics and trends in various industries followed by how the information presented can be used when searching for work.

Sept. 9, 2021: Tune in for a discussion on the benefits of mentorship and learn how mentoring others can help you leverage your leadership skills, build your network and advance your career.

May 27, 2021: Learn how to construct the career you want from Kelly Ma Rosso (SAIT Counselling), during our most recent What Works event. This content is geared towards alumni who are in the process of changing careers either as a result of unexpected life events or a desire to improve and advance.

April 22, 2021: Technological advances across industries are challenging the way we live, work, and relate with one another. Through SAIT's Digital Transformation (DX) Talent Hub — Calgary's new tech-driven training hub — you can gain the digital skills needed to re-imagine your career and business now and into the future. Hear how DX Talent Hub is helping mid-career professionals leverage their expertise while gaining the necessary digital skills to adapt and transition into the digital world. This conversation is particularly focused on alumni who are unemployed and underemployed and want to gain the necessary digital skills to adapt and transition into employment in the digital space.

April 7, 2021: The film industry is booming in Alberta! Hear how SAIT Film and Video Production graduates Matt Watterworth ('08) and Scott Westby ('08) produced and financed their film debut In Plainview right here in Alberta. Matt and Scott are joined by Luke Azevedo from Calgary Economic Development to discuss new and exciting industry developments around the city and across the province. This event is moderated by SAIT Film Instructor Chris Giardino.

Feb. 23, 2021: Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion John Partington is joined by SAIT graduates Shahzia Noorally (BA '07) and Matt Janz (JA '12) as they discuss what EDI means in their work and their lives.

Jan. 26, 2021: Join SAIT Career Advisor An Tran as she shares how SAIT Career Advancement Services can support you as a member of the Alumni Family. You'll also discover how to access all things related to career advancement including job postings, workshops, networking opportunities and more on My Career Hub for SAIT grads.

Contact us

SAIT Alumni

AA13, Heritage Hall, SAIT Main Campus

403.284.7010 1.888.284.8399 alumni@sait.ca