Arisa Khan was a Femme Palette mentee, who has finished her Mentoring program. She is a corporate trainer and learning coordinator at OSL Retail Services. In this spotlight interview, we asked Arisa about her journey towards becoming a corporate trainer, the biggest challenges she faced and lessons she learned along the way, and so much more!
I am blessed to be a mommy to two beautiful toddler girls; they bring joy and meaning to our lives. As a family, my husband and I show my daughters the importance of balance between working and family time. My answer would have been the same if you met me five years ago. But now, finding proper balance is the ultimate test with two toddlers. I graduated from Ryerson University, and a week later, I got the opportunity to start my career as a Human Resource Professional. I loved my job and the purpose behind finding the right applicant for the positions. It was a great experience. After five years in the industry, I decided to take a new adventure in my career and start entirely from scratch in Training and Development. I was looking forward to igniting change in retention; since there are many entry levels with high turnover, I needed to know where the gap was and how I could help the individuals find careers that were rewarding and long-lasting growth. I landed a position as a learning coordinator, allowing me to execute and manage an LMS of learners engaged with our training materials.
As time progressed, I got promoted to trainer after returning from maternity leave; my goal became a reality. I was always willing to take on new challenges at work and test my limits. I set time in my calendar to learn about topics related to communications, facilitating a larger audience to capture the audience’s attention. Educating myself on those topics helped leverage discussions with managers to hold value in the organization. Working as a corporate trainer is a milestone in any industry because you set the tone and image of the company standards. Moreover, how you present yourself and communicate with others in the organization—being confident to answer questions professionally if I cannot give a clear answer. I think strategically about the response to the trainee and say, “That’s an amazing question. Unfortunately, I do not have the answer now, but I will find out for you.” I did some research to find out the best answer for the trainee.
Understand your audience and be able to adapt in different ways by utilizing active and engaging communication techniques. I like storytelling as a great approach. Sharing real-world examples or anecdotes can make complex concepts more accessible and help participants connect with the material.
Some trainees may prefer visual learning, while others prefer hands-on experiences or written materials. Being versatile with training methods to accommodate these diverse learning styles can be challenging. Reviewing the learning objectives and what they learned after the trainingsession is crucial for their growth.
I would invest in myself; knowing my strengths and weaknesses has helped me understand where to improve the process. We could be better, so I practice deep breathing and take it one step at a time. Creating a needs analysis every year has helped me achieve my goals within my team. In my calendar, I schedule time to learn and reflect on feedback given to me and how I use the information to process what needs to be completed differently or stays the same. Being flexible allows me to address emerging challenges, incorporate new technologies, and respond to shifts in industry trends.
Since hearing about the program, I have been very interested in joining. As I returned to work after maternity leave, I needed a boost of confidence, and I also wanted to learn how to navigate my new reality—being a mom full time and working full time. Corporately, I had a ton of questions about personal development and career development. I made the right decision participating in the program to ask questions on my mind but had not addressed or how to tackle them.
Evelyn and I had a good connection from the start. Our discussions led me to discover what I needed to work on during the six-month mentorship. We planned our meetings every Monday based on what worked best for us. She helped me communicate better with leaders and understand their vision for success. She provided articles that made me think about situations differently. We talked about many aspects of life, balancing your household, career, and yourself.
Overall, the experience was seamless; I recommend this program to anyone looking for career development, personal support, and long-term succession planning. I am so happy I took the opportunity to join the program.
We have mentors all over the world to help you explore your options, set development goals, build your network and identify resources you need to level up your skills. You can apply to get 1:1 mentoring from an industry expert with us.
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