Brainstorm President, Graham Donald

Brainstorm President Graham Donald gives keynote presentations at conferences and events across North America.

Graham’s expertise focuses on the movement of students from high school through post-secondary studies and into their careers with their first employers. His presentations touch on all aspects of understanding, attracting, connecting, recruiting, retaining, and managing today’s students and young workers. Graham’s presentations help employers as well as colleges and universities build their capacity to successfully engage Generation Y.

Presentation Topics

The following is a partial list of Graham Donald’s presentation topics. To engage Graham to speak or deliver training at your organization, please contact him directly at: graham@brainstorm.ca.

Future Workforce: Understanding, Attracting, and Engaging Gen Y

The “war for talent” is already returning to campus as employers find themselves competing for the same “top students”. In this era of fast-paced technological change, the value of new graduates to the workplace has increased significantly. At the same time, the value of young hires will only continue to grow as the workforce rapidly ages. Employers are faced with several major challenges: attracting and hiring young talent; engaging new hires for long-term retention; and, connecting the generations in the workplace to transfer knowledge and expertise from older workers. And yet, many employers are still not prepared. Today’s students see through inauthentic branding and challenge employers to create more compelling offers and better workplaces and employers need to know what these candidates want and how to respond. This presentation highlights the latest research to provide a better understanding of today’s graduates and provide specific ideas to more effectively attract and engage Gen Y.

Four Generations on the Same Team: How to be Inclusive of Generation Y

A new wave of employees is now entering the workforce. To many Traditionalists, Baby Boomers and even Generation Xers, these new Gen Y employees can appear to be a very different breed. Employers that fail to successfully engage these young employees endure expensive turnover and often assume that the problem is with “these kids today”. But is it really that difficult to retain these highly valuable, creative, and tech-savvy new hires? Do employers have to bend over backwards to accommodate them? Or is it possible that the workplace demanded by these new workers can actually be better for everyone?

Today’s new graduates not only have a different perspective on the workplace, but also a different set of experiences with technology and working in collaboration with others. If their expectations in a workplace are not met, they may not stay for long. But as experienced workers begin to retire in greater numbers, successfully transferring their knowledge to younger workers and retaining them is critical.  Find out how organizations can help managers welcome, motivate and integrate members of Generation Y into their teams so that they can retain these new hires for the long term. In the process, employers will inevitably create a better workplace for everyone.

Canada’s Top Campus Employers – And How to Become One!

Who are the top-ranked employers of students in Canada? More importantly, what does it take to become one? Whether or not your goal is to join the rankings, the research behind the Canada’s Top Campus Employers Report reveals dozens of key findings and recommendations that will enable you to improve your brand image, connect more effectively with prospective candidates, and make your employment opportunities far more attractive.

This exclusive feature presentation, based on our annual survey of more than 27,000 university and college students, will explore a wide range of topics including:
•    Student confidence and the effects of the recession
•    Career interests and goals
•    Expectations for advancement
•    Sources of information on careers and employers
•    Top influencers on career decisions and the role of parents
•    Salary expectations
•    Recruiting through Facebook and other social networks
•    Expectations of co-op and internship placements
•    Canada’s top campus employer brands

This is your opportunity to learn from Canada’s most comprehensive campus recruiting research, and understand the trends that the past seven years of research reveals.

Campus Recruitment Outlook 2012

Despite the continued sluggishness of the economy, the challenges of campus recruiting in Canada are intensifying. The great demographic shift – the aging of the workforce in Canada and all western countries – presents a deadline that will affect all employers as older, highly experienced workers retire and a smaller generation of young graduates start their careers. This is further complicated by the changing nature of today’s students: their outlook on the world is different; their gender and cultural balance has changed; their relationships with parents are unfamiliar; and, their technological experiences are complex. In addition, marketing, media and even talent management are evolving rapidly, making a clear path to recruitment and retention success elusive for many companies. This presentation will expose each of these challenges and offer some solutions for employers in today’s rapidly changing marketplace.

But Will You Get Me a Job? Addressing Students’ #1 Question

More than ever, education choices are tied to job prospects and career decisions. Whether they are concerned about high tuition and paying off debt, developing a solid resume full of valuable credentials, or meeting parental pressure regarding career expectations, the focus of most students is on the ability of post-secondary institutions to “get me a job”.. While no institution can guarantee a great job (although some may be promising too much), many are failing to adequately understand and address students’ career considerations.

Drawing on 20 years of working with Canada’s major employers of students and campus career and co-op centres, Graham Donald will discuss the importance of career prospects and career development support as part of both student recruitment and retention. He will also share key insights including: how students gather information about careers and who influences their decisions; how they view various industries and employers; and, what they expect from co-op programs and campus career services.