Executive Director

Sharon Graham is Founder and Executive Director of Career Professionals of Canada, President of Graham Management Group, and author of Best Canadian Resumes.

Sharon is a resume, interview, and career development strategist with a superior reputation in the industry. She has been consultant and senior executive to a wide variety of practitioners and organizations.

An industry pioneer, Sharon has authored the first fully Canadian content book on resume writing - Best Canadian Resumes. This is a volume rich with her writing and more than 100 samples submitted by Sharon and her esteemed colleagues. The Best Canadian Resumes Series has become a one-of-a-kind resource for practitioners across Canada. The textbooks, complete with sample resumes and cover letters, are used nationwide to train and support resume writers, career coaches, and job seekers. Additionally, Sharon has been featured as an expert in leading Canadian media including Report on Business Television, the Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star.

In keeping with that pioneering spirit, Sharon founded Career Professionals of Canada in 2004, and, with the founding members, set the cornerstones for quality service, highest ethical standards, and provision of expert advice. As CPC’s executive director, she ensures that the mandate of this national organization - enabling Canadians to achieve career, business, and organizational development goals - is upheld with integrity.

“Sharon Graham’s catalytic involvement with Career Professionals of Canada is proving to be a revolutionary force in the Canadian career services industry. Driven by her devotion to excellence in the field, Sharon has shown extraordinary leadership by providing structure, cohesiveness and high standards education to her membership.” Higher Bracket, Anthony Kaul

Sharon is a recipient of the esteemed Stu Conger Award for Leadership in Career Counselling and Career Development in Canada. This prestigious title is Canada’s premier honour presented annually by the Canadian Career Development Foundation. Leadership represents that rare combination of vision, dedication, commitment, ability to mobilize others, and willingness to work hard. The Stu Conger Award is given to individuals who exemplify those characteristics. Sharon’s professional contributions, ongoing leadership, and body of work in the field are a testament to these qualities.

In 2006, Sharon was awarded the Leadership Recognition Award by her peers in recognition for her work in instituting leading-edge resources, a supportive communication vehicle, and exceptional mentoring and support to Canadian career practitioners.

“With a vision for excellence and innovation, Sharon Graham launched Career Professionals of Canada to fill a void and reach many Canadian career practitioners who did not have an association that catered to their professional development. They turned to US-based associations for legitimacy in the work that they do. Sharon thought the time had come to create an association with a focus that was uniquely Canadian. This bold step resulted in Sharon receiving a Leadership Recognition Award from her colleagues.” Daisy Wright, The Wright Career Solution

Sharon is the force behind CPC’s Canadian Awards of Excellence Program, ensuring that peers in the careers industry recognize those who demonstrate the levels to which she aspires.

For CPC, Sharon has also championed the creation of a formal Professional Certification Program to ensure the stature and credibility of career professionals.
 

The designations that Sharon possesses further reinforce her credibility and expansive knowledge base:

• Master Certified Resume Strategist (MCRS)
• Master Certified Interview Strategist (MCIS)
• Master Certified Career Strategist (MCCS)
• Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)
• Certified Employment Interview Professional (CEIP)

As owner and operator of Graham Management Group, Canada's leading resume writing and career management firm for six-figure professionals, she is frequently sought for her expertise in positioning her clients to meet the future head on. Sharon handpicked a consulting team of professionals also known for excelling in their craft. All possess current industry certifications and have been featured in foremost Canadian media as experts in their fields. Sharon matches these specialists very carefully to the needs of her customers.

Devoted to helping her clients achieve their goals by offering highly personalized solutions, Sharon provides comprehensive, hands-on assistance tailored to each individual’s needs. Through GMG, she produces strategic targeted documents, which also display her creative custom design savvy. Nothing stays static, as Sharon is constantly developing and expanding service offerings. Her clients know that the packages she delivers feature the most current strategies and positioning to leverage their strengths, accomplishments, and unique selling points.

The leadership excellence and counsel that Sharon provides instil utmost confidence. She has acquired a reputation in Canada, and beyond, that is reflective of her knowledge, integrity, dedication to client requirements, superior service, and outstanding product delivery. It is no surprise that her business is largely a referral-based network of delighted clientele.

A devoted volunteer and advocate of human and animal rights, Sharon seeks to make a positive difference in every life she touches.

Sharon knows that her clients' success is her success!

“I have found Sharon Graham's comments and assistance extremely valuable as a resource for the career advice stories I write for The Globe and Mail. She is also tireless in organizing experts and lobbying for high professional standards for career counselling in Canada.” Wallace Immen, The Globe and Mail