Human Connection - Thriving Through Change

Minnesota Careers Conference 2026

Friday May 1, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Normandale Community College in the Activities Building (Rm A2564 and A2566)

This event is in person—ample, free, on-campus parking is available.

$45 per person (breakfast/snacks included)
This conference provides contact hours for recertification.

Join Normandale Community College and MCDA, the Minnesota Career Development Association, at the Minnesota Careers Conference on Friday, May 1st. Again, this year, the conference will be hosted at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN, from 8 am- 12:30 pm.

Embracing the themes of change and connection, this year’s spring conference features a new half-day format. This approach gives participants the flexibility to also attend the 2026 NCDA Global Career Development Conference, hosted this summer in Minneapolis. It also allows us to reimagine our signature event while keeping it dynamic, engaging, and relevant.

You’ll still experience a content-rich conference with two keynote speakers and ample time for networking. And, as always, we’ll count on you to bring the most important part: the human element.

Agenda

8 - 8:30 am: Check-in/Networking/Breakfast

8:30 - 9 am: President's Welcome & Membership meeting

9 - 10 am: Anna Anderson, Helping Career Changers Translate Experience into New Careers

Anna Anderson is pleased to present: Helping Career Changers Translate Experience into New Careers - An Ethical, AI-Supported Framework for Career Practitioners.

Her interactive presentation will equip career development professionals with a practical framework for helping career changers translate their existing experience into new career paths using both human-centered coaching methods and ethical AI support tools.

The session will guide participants in identifying transferable skills, reframing professional narratives, and preparing for interviews, while maintaining ethical standards, client confidentiality, and professional judgment when incorporating AI-based tools into career development practice.

Anna will blend career development theory with real-world case examples, guided activities, and applied techniques that practitioners can immediately integrate into their work with clients navigating career transitions.

Break: 15 minutes (snacks provided)

10:15 - 10:30 am: MCDA awards

10:30 - 11:15 am: Tom Colosimo, Networking for Success

Networking is all the rage! You hear about it everywhere as a way to tap into the hidden job markets. But is it really that difficult to build professional relationships?

In this session, we will cover the components of effective networking strategies and apply these ideas through 3 breakout exercises that use purposeful themes, habits, and tactics. After practicing each of the 3 activities, we will come back together and discuss how the interactions went. The objective will be to learn and build confidence by focusing on the hows, whys, and wheres of networking.

Get to know your colleagues in the session and find out why career development is “all about networking!”

Break: 15 minutes

11:30 am - 12:30 pm: Dr. Aja King, When the Job Search Hurts: Addressing Emotional Barriers to Career Progress and Performance

Dr. King’s presentation, When the Job Search Hurts: Addressing Emotional Barriers to Career Progress and Performance, will focus on mental health and self-care strategies for career practitioners and their clients.

Prolonged job searches and career disruption often activate emotional responses such as shame, grief, frustration, anxiety, and identity instability. When these emotions go unaddressed, they can impair confidence, decision-making, motivation, and interview performance—ultimately impacting client outcomes and practitioner effectiveness.

This session equips career development professionals with trauma-informed, consultation-based strategies to ethically address emotional barriers while maintaining forward momentum in their careers. Participants will gain practical tools that can be immediately integrated into career counseling, coaching, workforce development, and higher education settings—without crossing clinical boundaries.

The goal is not therapy within career practice, but emotionally intelligent, scope-aligned intervention.