On the evening of October 20th, the International Women in Business Düsseldorf (iwibdus) hosted their third Talent Fair. After years of being unable to provide this program due to pandemic, coming together as a community for this particular event felt very special.
The event highlighted several features of our network we hold dear, which we will highlight in this blog.
First was the global and diverse nature of our network.
Our Global, Diverse Network of Women
The 10 women who spoke at the event represented 8 nationalities and five different sectors. Each of them speaks at minimum one language outside of their native tongue. This is just a sample of the breadth and depth of our community- a fact that company representatives who attended the Talent Fair also noted.
One company recruiter said that while there were naturally some nerves on display, it was clear that speakers had a high standard of professional experience that would appeal to the large company recruiters who were present at the Talent Fair.
Another unique element of the pitches the speakers gave was their ability to successfully weave together their personal and professional narratives.
Weaving Together Personal and Professional Narratives.
During the speeches, the speakers talked about how their personal lives had helped shape the unique skills they could offer to employers. Here are two examples.
Rachel, a native to German, talked about how her parent’s decision to send her to international school set her on her professional journey. Having an English-based education while being raised in German home formed her into a cultural broker who can facilitate communication and amend conflict between different groups of people. Another bonus about Rachel is that she has performed award-winning research on Pidgin English.
Priyanka-a long time resident of Germany-gave a personal story that got a lot of laughs while highlighting her skills. She said, being mom is like running multiple departments within a company-HR, Conflict Resolution, External Relations, Accounting, etc. She continued that because she is a mom, she has learned tangible skills that would allow her to navigate and find solutions in a variety of professional situations.
As we hope these two examples have shown, each of the 10 speakers were able to successfully weave together their personal and professional journeys. As a result, the pitches the women gave highlighted the distinctive skills they could offer. In addition to being memorable, each pitch was infused with humour that other women in attendance could relate to.
The final highlight of the event was watching the iwibdus volunteers in action.
iwibdus Teams in Action
iwibdus is powered by female volunteers who donate their time and skills to the several teams within the organization. Their commitment and talent were on full display at the Talent Fair.
Take for example the Welcoming Team who distributed personalized pamphlets for guests based on what capacity they were joining event.
For those who attended the Talent Fair, perhaps you noticed the Event Team’s intentional approach to setting up the venue, ensuring that the space was conducive for networking with company representatives.
One of our favorite moments of the night was listening to the Speakers and their Trainer coming together for one final pep talk. As the guests trickled in, cheering and words of support could be heard.
In essence, the Talent Fair was a rare opportunity to observe how our volunteers help keep our organization running smoothly.
Thank you
In closing, we want to thank everyone who made our Talent Fair possible. Our ability to facilitate impactful networking would not be possible without the engagement and support of our partners, members, and volunteers.
If you attended the Talent Fair, your presence confirmed to us that our mission of elevating diverse women with international experience matters. We are grateful for your interest in the 10 presenters and the women who make up our community.
International Women in Business Düsseldorf looks forward to welcoming you at the other networking events we have planned for the end of the year. Please check out the event section of our website to learn more.
Written by Marie Gray – our amazing volunteer who writes our blogs.
