Building professional relationships can be vital to finding strong mentors, discussing industry trends with peer groups, sharing skills and expertise and moving up the career ladder. In 2021, because of Covid-19, conferences and networking events are cancelled and in-person meetings over coffee will be limited. Luckily, networking and relationship building opportunities remain available. With a little creative proactivity, you can create relevant and valuable professional connections and expand your network remotely. 1. Leverage your existing connections. You are more connected than you think! Consider your current or past mentors, advisors, roommates, friends and family, connections you made at a pre-Covid event. Begin to reach out to the closest in your network, even inside your organization, let them know your situation and what you would like to do. Start with a casual introduction and discussion, the two-way conversation will lead to productive and informative dialogue. What are they doing, what do they hear within their networks? Ask them to introduce you to contacts in their network and offer to do the same. 2. Engage on social media. Engage and network on your digital platforms. Update your information on Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook, as these platforms are designed to network. Be proactive, share links to content on industry trends, data, news articles, online events and informative webinars. When you promote your brand, use relevant keywords, photos, videos, professional experiences, online publications to support your social media presence. Take advantage of the recommendation feature on Linkedin. Reach out to industry colleagues or customers for a brief recommendation to help promote your brand. Always offer to write one in return. 3. Prepare for the meeting. Take time to prepare in advance of any meeting, whether a phone conversation or video call. Research the company and person you are scheduled to meet, even if you are in the same organization or industry. Review the company website, business segments, news and social media pages, Your goal is to maximize the time with them wisely, have questions prepared and listen to their feedback. You don’t want to waste time discussing topics you could have easily researched online or have them explain the company products and services to you. In addition, it is a good idea to prepare as if you were meeting face-to-face. Avoid the casual t-shirt call from your bed. Take the extra effort when you network remotely as you would in-person. 4. Make new connections. Feel comfortable to network with people outside your industry. Network diversity offers insight into the challenges and opportunities people face in other industries, how they work with cross-functional teams and the decisions they make. Conduct informative interviews, as these are a great way to network and get a foot in the door with an organization or a person you would like to know better. Now is the perfect time. Everyone is in a similar situation. The important take away, stay active and intentional. Take advantage of the wide range of tools available to help facilitate remote engagements. Set attainable goals, for example, in three weeks connect with 10 people over email, Zoom or phone. Enjoy the time while you expand your network, as it takes time and effort, but with an organized plan you will easily promote your brand strengths and value.
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![]() YFPA Scholarship Director, Regina Finuliar, will co-host the National Branding and Resume Workshop for Filipinx American College Students at the FASTER event, Sunday, September 27, 2020. Resumes and profiles are snapshots of experience, background and education, what employers will see first. Regina will discuss how to make your existing experience standout and help showcase your technical skills and knowledge. Register TODAY! For upcoming YFPA events and workshops visit: yfpasf.com/events ![]() Please join us Thursday, August 20, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM to congratulate the YFPA 2020 scholarship recipients Fausthina Dalit and Maria Paningbatan! Fausthina and Maria both plan to attend University of California at Berkeley in Fall 2020. Featured speakers Robert Uy, Attorney and past YFPA Board Member Jennifer Cabalquinto, Chief Financial Officer, Golden State Warriors Music performances by Tracy Cruz, Multi-Award Winning Music Artist and Kulintronica. YFPA 2020 Scholarship Awards Thursday, August 20, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM WATCH THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM HERE. Online Raffle Participate for a chance to win prizes from our sponsors! Purchase your raflle tickets by Thursday, August 20, 6:45 PM. Get raffle tickets HERE. Email regina.finuliar.yfpa@gmail.com with questions or comments. We look forward to meeting you! Donate to the YFPA Scholarship Program! The YFPA Scholarship Program was designed to serve Bay Area graduating high school students who are involved in the Filipino community and have been accepted into a 4 year college and university to pursue a Bachelor’s degree.
Congratulations Fausthina and Maria!
Please join us Thursday, August 20, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM to congratulate the YFPA 2020 scholarship recipients! Zoom Event: REGISTER TODAY! We look forward to meeting you! San Francisco, CA – YFPA, Your Filipino Professionals Association, today announced recipients of its scholarship program. The YFPA Scholarship Program, established in 2014, to recognize outstanding college-bound, Bay Area graduating high school students involved in the Filipino community, demonstrated academic excellence and leadership and provide financial asssistance. The 2020 recipients are Fausthina Dalit, William C. Overfelt High School in San Jose, CA and Maria Paningbatan, Westmoor High School in Daly City, CA. Both will attend University of California at Berkeley this Fall. 2020. "We are incredibly proud of Fausthina and Maria for their academic excellence and committment to the Filipino community, as they represent tomorrow's leadership," said Regina Finuliar, YFPA Board Scholarship Program Director. “We are excited they will pursue their educational and career aspirations and have many opportunities to be involved in the Filipinx community at UC Berkeley.” The YFPA Scholarship Program is made possible through generous support of individual donors. Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, student essay, panel interview, financial need and demonstrated involvement in the Filipino community, Please join us Thursday, August 20, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM to congratulate the YFPA 2020 scholarship recipients! YFPA 2020 Scholarship Awards Thursday, August 20, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Zoom Event: REGISTER TODAY! Online Raffle Participate for a chance to win prizes from our sponsors! Purchase your raflle tickets by Thursday, August 20, 5:45 PM! Get raffle tickets HERE! Email regina.finuliar.yfpa@gmail.com with questions or comments. We look forward to meeting you! Donate to the YFPA Scholarship Program! For more information, please visit the YFPA Scholarship page or email Regina Finuliar, YFPA Board Scholarship Program Director, regina.finuliar.yfpa@gmail.com with questions or comments. Get Involved Have you been looking for a way to get more involved with YFPA this year beyond our events? We have plenty of opportunities to engage in a way that suits your calendar and schedule. E-mail getintouch@yfpasf.com to learn more. ![]() Networking events provide great opportunities to meet interesting people, develop new connections, stay current on industry trends, share business experiences and build public speaking confidence. If it's your first event or your weekly outing, here are 5 easy steps to help you have fun and maximize your efforts at the next networking event. 1. Pitch, Prepare, Set Goals Prepare to introduce yourself, have a personal pitch ready. A ten second elevator pitch will make a lasting impression. Prepare simple answers to possible questions and set a few goals for the event. Who are you? What is your industry or business? Why are you at the event? Consider how long you will stay, maybe introduce yourself to 3-5 new people. Are you interested in joining the organization or want to build your network in a specific industry? Draft questions for the featured speaker, in case there is only a small window of opportunity to chat. Do you want to work on your causal conversation skills or promote a new business venture? Plan ahead. 2. Ask Questions, Be Creative Try to avoid the most common icebreaker question at networking mixers: What do you do? Good questions will lead to good conversations. Let people know you are an excellent person to connect with. Mix it up. How did you get started in your industry? What do you find challenging about your position? What are you working on at the moment? Why did you get involved with this organization? Is this the only networking event you attend? Be creative with your questions and answers, have fun. Everyone has a good story. If you meet someone outside of your target network, they might be able to introduce you to someone that could help you. 3. Start Conversations Remember, you are there to be social. Once you have set down your coat, don't look for a place to dig in for the entire evening. Engage. Maybe start near the bar. If you are drinking or having soda, conversations often take place near the bar. Avoid hovering around the sign-in table, bathroom or food table; feel free to insert yourself into conversations. Always try to meet the organizers, board members and staff, they will know most attendees and will always make introductions. Avoid the "work the room" approach. Focus on quality conversations, instead of trying to meet everyone with only brief interaction and discussion. 4. Be Professional, Stay Professional Professional or business causal, dress for comfort and interaction. Sure, wear the suit, being overdressed will only work to your advantage! You certainly deserve a drink at the end of a long day, just set a limit. Be professional, you can always meet friends after the mixer for more drinks. In summary, just be yourself, have fun and remember to engage! If you have questions or comments, we would love to hear from you! Please let us know if this post was helpful. Your feedback is always welcome! Join our mailing list and sign up for the next YFPA event! ![]() Have you ever wondered why your favorite specialty retail shop coffee always tastes better than ? YFPA offers quick tips for brewing retail coffee flavor at home! 1. Coffee Quality and Freshness Start with good coffee. No judgment here, you like what you like. However, brewing Folgers hoping it will taste like Blue Bottle, Verve or Weaver's retail coffee is a waste of time. Specialty coffee roasters source high quality Arabica beans, roast in small batches and serve fresh coffee daily. Coffee sealed in packages or cans is not considered fresh and typically a blend of low quality Robusta beans. Not fresh means the coffee could have been sealed and stored in a warehouse for a few years. Fresh roasted coffee slowly releases gas trapped inside from the roasting process. A good way to tell if your coffee is fresh, does it have a rich brown crema when you pour hot water over the grounds? Fresh degassing or blooming coffee smells fresh and has rich brown color. Coffee that is not fresh smells stale and looks more pale brown when blooming. Coffee packages that have a valve to allow the beans or grounds inside to slowly release gas, are most likely to contain fresh coffee. Packaged and can coffee without valves, is not degassing and therefore not fresh. 2. Correct Water Temperature The correct water temperature is essential to extract the true flavor from coffee grounds. For brewing coffee, 200-205 degrees Fahrenheit or 93-96 degrees Celsius is the ideal range. Boiling water, 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius is too hot and scalds the coffee grounds, giving the coffee a burnt flavor. To get water to 200 F or 93 C, without a thermometer, just remove the water kettle from the heat and let sit about 30 seconds after the boil. 3. Auto Drip Brewer vs. Pour Over Common in many homes is the auto drip brewer. With only 120 volts, the auto drip brewer does not have enough power to heat water to the correct brewing temperature of 200-205 degrees Fahrenheit or 93-96 degrees Celsius. Usually an auto drip's maximum temperature is around 180 F or 82 C. Brewing at lower temperatures will not bring out the true coffee flavor. Think of trying to make Earl Grey tea with just warm water. If you want to recreate the in-store coffee flavor with an auto drip brewer, it will be difficult. Though not as flashy, try an inexpensive, simple one-cup cone with paper filter, also known as a pour-over. You can adjust the amount of grounds with a pour-over and use correct water temperature to get the desired flavor profile. The one-cup pour-over might be the best option to reproduce the retail coffee flavor profile at home. 4. Pre-Heat Mugs and Containers Don’t forget to pre-heat coffee mugs or thermal containers! Pouring or brewing hot coffee into a cold mug or thermal container will immediately cool your coffee. The drop in temperature changes the flavor and results in warm coffee. Use hot water from the stove kettle or even hot water from the faucet to pre-heat coffee cups. Pre-heating only takes 5-10 seconds to ensure your coffee will taste better and is hot. Happy home brewing! If you have questions, we would love to hear from you! Please let us know if this post was helpful. Your feedback is always welcome! Join our mailing list and attend the next YFPA event! An Afternoon with Creative Entrepreneur:
GRETCHEN CARVAJAL Sunday, June 23 | 1:00 - 3:00 PM CounterPulse 80 Turk Street, San Francisco, YFPA will be hosting an intimate entrepreneurial talk and earring making workshop with Bay Area native, CAAMFest 37 participating filmmaker and founder of BRWNGRLZ, Gretchen Carvajal. Merchandise from her jewelry line will be sold at this event. No experience necessary! This is an event for couples, friends and families. Jewelry supplies will be provided and light refreshments will be served. YFPA is committed to creating safe spaces and providing diverse opportunities for all, feminine identified individuals are encouraged to attend. RSVP Here Gretchen’s Website: https://gretchenbc.com/ Gretchen’s Instagram: @c4rv BRWN GRLZ Website: https://www.brwngrlz.com/ BRWN GRLZ Instagram: @brwngrlz Get Involved Have you been looking for a way to get more involved with YFPA this year beyond our events? We have plenty of opportunities to engage in a way that suits your calendar and schedule. E-mail getintouch@yfpasf.com to learn more. YFPA Events Scholarship Fund We're continuing to collect financial donations to be used for scholarship awards in 2020. Please support our scholarship program and make a financial gift today. ![]() Saturday, June 22 | 6:30 - 8:30 PM Novela 662 Mission Street San Francisco Unwind after the Kalayaan SF Festival, celebrate Philippine Independence Day with YFPA at Novela! Novela is a short walk from the festival, join us from 6:30-8:30 PM! Come by and say hello! RSVP Here ![]() For those looking for East Bay events that mix multiculturalism and wellness activity, this is the event for you. Saturday, May 11, 9 AM - 12 PM Register for FREE online by May 8 Please join Samuel Merritt University's Ethnic Health Institute and East Bay Regional Park District for a Community Multicultural Wellness walk along the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shorline in Oakland. Our intention is for the walk to serve as motivation to continue the promotion of cardiovascular health, physical activity and overall wellness throughout the year. It is our hope that the walk will encourage people of all ages, and representative of our diverse communities, to exercise and connect with nature-- generating physical and mental health benefits for individuals, families and entire communities. We hope you are able to join us in our effort to walk for health! Healthy snacks, community resources and a 90 minute guided walk will be provided. What to Bring: Comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, hat, and plenty of water. Directions: To reach Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline From I-880 in Oakland, exit at Hegenberger Road and proceed west. Turn right onto Doolittle Drive (Hwy. 61) Turn right onto Swan Way. Then turn left into the park for access to trails (you will see a large grassy play area, picnic table areas and a boardwalk out to the Arrowhead Marsh). To register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/multicultural-wellness-walk-tickets-59237590227 or contact Leslie Brown, lbrown@samuelmerritt.edu, 5108-79-9200 ext, 7335 ![]() WHAT: SF Giants Filipino Heritage Night 1 WHEN: Tuesday, May 21 | 6:45 pm WHERE: Oracle Park TICKETS: www.mlb.com/giants/tickets/specials/filipino-heritage The Giants invite all members of the Bay Area's Filipino community to 2019's first installment of Filipino Heritage Night! Join the Giants in celebrating the Bay Area's strong Filipino culture as the Giants host the Atlanta Braves. Your Special Event ticket package includes a ticket to the Tuesday evening game, as well as a limited edition Giants Filipino Heritage Night Expandable Backpack! Cultural entertainment will take place at the pre-game in our plaza spaces, and on-field prior to the start of the game, so be sure to arrive early! A portion of proceeds from all Filipino Heritage Night Special Event ticket sales benefit cultural non-profit organizations in the community. We hope you join us at Oracle Park to celebrate your Filipino and Giants pride! Get Involved Have you been looking for a way to get more involved with YFPA this year beyond our events? We have plenty of opportunities to engage in a way that suits your calendar and schedule. E-mail getintouch@yfpasf.com to learn more. Scholarship Fund We're continuing to collect financial donations to be used for scholarship awards in 2020. Please support our scholarship program and make a financial gift today. To give, please visit: YFPA Scholarship Fund |