Curious About Life and What Comes Next
Sharon Graham: Inspiring a Kinder, Brighter Future
I've always been curious about people, ideas, and the world around us. I enjoy questioning assumptions, exploring different perspectives, and discovering connections that help me understand life a little better. I believe in purposeful kindness and in the difference our everyday choices can make.
As the founder, chair, and former executive director of Career Professionals of Canada (CPC), I have dedicated much of my career to fostering a community rooted in ethics, inclusivity, and professional growth.
Retirement has given me more freedom to explore the things that interest me, including creativity, spirituality, technology, and the future. I'm especially interested in how our world is changing and how we can approach those changes with curiosity rather than fear. This website is simply a place to share some of that thinking, in the hope that an idea or two might offer someone a different perspective.
Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors
Career Professionals of Canada
Leadership Role
Sharon Graham founded Career Professionals of Canada (CPC) in 2004 and served as the organization's executive director until 2023. On Canada Day, 2022, CPC was incorporated as a national not-for-profit association. Sharon currently chairs CPC's board of directors, supporting its national mandate and continued development.
Sharon has dedicated much of her career to advancing excellence in career development. She has trained, mentored, and supported hundreds of résumé writers, employment consultants, outplacement consultants, and other practitioners. Her experience spans more than two decades and includes strategic résumé writing, interview coaching, employment counselling, personal branding, and career consulting.
Sharon has led the development of CPC's membership programs, certifications, and courses. Through CPC, she has introduced new approaches, resources, and professional development opportunities for career practitioners in government, academic, not-for-profit, and private-sector settings. Her work has involved exploring innovations, testing ideas, and developing practical ways to strengthen professional practice.
Sharon authored the first fully Canadian paperback book series on résumé writing, Best Canadian Résumés and Best Canadian Cover Letters. These national bestsellers in the résumé category provided Canadian examples and resources for practitioners across the country. She subsequently authored six textbooks in The Canadian Career Strategist Series, providing reference materials for Canadian career development practitioners.
Sharon championed the creation of CPC's Professional Certification Program to recognize and validate the expertise of career practitioners across Canada. She also designed and developed CPC's online educational programs, including the Career Development Practitioner (CDP) Program and Self-Directed Learning Courses, encompassing curriculum development and online course technology. In addition, she established CPC's Awards of Excellence Program to recognize outstanding achievements among Canadian career development professionals.
Over the years, Sharon has introduced a range of initiatives to support professional learning and connection, including an online networking forum where practitioners could exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and build relationships. She has also developed webinars, tele-networking programs, and blended learning courses to support continuing professional development.
Professional Awards
Sharon is the recipient of the following awards:
Stu Conger Award for Leadership in Career Counselling and Career Development in Canada
Presented by the Canadian Career Development Foundation, the Stu Conger Award recognizes outstanding leadership and contributions to career counselling and career development in Canada. Sharon received this national honour in recognition of her vision, dedication, and contributions to the profession.
Bridge Award: Career Management Alliance
The Career Management Alliance recognized Sharon with its Bridge Award for connecting career professionals across government, academia, corporate organizations, not-for-profit organizations, and independent practice. The award acknowledges her contributions to professional networking, collaboration, learning, and community-building across the career industry.
Leadership Recognition Awards
Sharon has received recognition from her peers for her leadership, innovation, mentoring, and support of Canadian career practitioners. Among her most cherished mementos from CPC members are a Leadership Recognition Award, an Inukshuk Circle of Friends sculpture by Simeonie Iqaluq, and a custom-made necklace by Canadian artist Sandra Paetsch, engraved with CPC's logo and the words Purposeful Kindness.
Collaborations
Sharon has collaborated with leaders across the career development profession and served on the boards of the Canadian Council for Career Development (3CD), Career Development Practitioners Certification Board of Ontario (CDBCBO), Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF), and the US-based Career Management Alliance (CMA). In her role as International Career Services Master, she contributed to CMA's global perspective and the development of programs supporting career practitioners internationally.
Sharon is a Certified Career Development Professional (CCDP). She also conceived and designed a career competence self-assessment and professional development planning tool based on the Canadian Standards and Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners (S&Gs).
Early History
Earlier in her career, Sharon founded and developed Graham Management Group, a Canadian résumé writing and career transition firm serving senior professionals and executives. She assembled a team of experienced consultants specializing in résumé writing, interview preparation, personal branding, and career strategy. Sharon also contributed her expertise as a senior executive and consultant to a range of organizations.