Discover Professional Development Opportunities!

I tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future. I am not sure if it is just me, or if everyone else does it as well.  Lately, I have been trying to decide what I want to do with my career – what would make me happy, allow me to make a difference in the world and ultimately capitalize on my skills and interests.  Being a Geography major, our classes focus a lot on the future given predictions on the outcome of environmental trends and practices. The future may prove to be very interesting for geographers, not to mention potentially detrimental to life as we know it.  So again – my focus is always on the future. 

Recently I attended the A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium; a conference held in Allitson Ontario where great minds come together to discuss different topics in the environmental field.  The topic of this conference was “The Currency of Ecology”.  This proved to be a very good experience for me as it was the first time I had actually attended a conference, stayed in a hotel alone, but most importantly, had ease of access to talk to people with a keen interest in the environment.  It opened my eyes to all of the possibilities for employment in this field, and what others are doing with their geography degrees. 

Even though I still don’t know exactly what I want to do, I do know that there are lots of possibilities that are worth exploring.  It is very daunting deciding what to do after university. Do I go to grad school, law school, teachers college, college, or just go full force ahead and tackle the job market?  Through attending this conference, my eyes have now been opened to the possibilities that await me.  There are conferences available all over Ontario and Canada in every field.  Take the opportunity to attend professional development events like conferences – it’s an extremely career eye opening experience!   

Megan Wibberley – Peer Advisor

Researching Potential Career Paths – Where to Start

I am now in my second year at Laurier and am 100% sure that I want to pursue a career in psychology. However, choosing a field of study is only the first step as I still have not chosen a particular career. This is often a very difficult task because once you have decided you want to pursue a “career in psychology, business or life sciences” (to name a few), the subject areas within these fields are so broad that the lists of careers you can go into are endless! This left me feeling overwhelmed and I started to panic. My anxiety is provoked by the fact that I need to start selecting courses that will better prepare me for a particular career path.   

With the clock ticking, I’ve decided it’s time to start narrowing my interests by conducting research…research…and more research about the different career options available to me. In order to help me choose a career that would fit in with my interests, personality and lifestyle, I consulted a variety of sites and resources that I have described and linked below. I really encourage you to utilize these resources in order to help you identify career possibilities: 

• “My Major” handouts gave me a good idea of what careers I could go into based on my discipline of study
• No one picks up a book anymore – but they should! The Laurier Career Centre Resource Library has numerous books on all sorts of careers, which were sorted by major or field of study
• The National Occupation Classification database contains definitions and descriptions of thousands occupations
• The government also provides a useful site for identifying salary earnings and labour market trends for various geographic regions and fields
• The ASK Program is a database with over 500 Laurier Alumni, who have volunteered to provide information about their careers
• The Career Profiles provided on the career center website provide you with a general overview about certain careers (i.e. job responsibilities, typical day on the jobs, advantage and disadvantages associated with the job)
• I found also found that major organization websites within your field can also provide great career information. For example in psychology the American Psychological Association (APA) has a whole section on future careers. Also, on the My Major handouts there are various professional associations and regulatory bodies listed which will serve as great information sources to begin identifying careers.

Happy career planning!

Radha Sayal, Peer Advisor

Holiday Networking

Christmas time seems to be the season of dinner parties, family events and if you look closely – networking opportunities. For many people this time of year is a great opportunity to catch up with family and family friends.  Use these opportunities to your advantage and start talking to people. Especially for graduating students Christmas is a great time to spread the word that you are graduating and looking for a full-time position for the following year in your chosen industry. You never know who will be coming to your family dinner; it could be your next employer. Family friends are a great addition to your network. You already have someone in common that will hopefully speak highly of you and act as a personal reference and you are meeting this person who could help you in your job search in a comfortable festive atmosphere. It is always a good idea to broaden your networks whenever possible and to keep networking. You are the one to make your opportunities happen and to take advantage when one arises. You make your own luck. 

Some tips for networking at a Christmas dinner. Remain calm and relaxed; if you are having a glass of wine or a beer, keep it minimal and remain professional when talking with this person as you want them to become a great connection to you in your career future. When speaking with family and friends, mention you are looking for a job and what type of position it is – someone may have a connection for you. If people know you are looking for a certain position and they hear anything in the industry or know someone who may be able to help you, they will offer up this advice. You want as many people working with you to find a position as possible.  It really is “who you know, not what you know” – so take advantage of these family opportunities to let people know what you are looking for and build your networks. 

Enjoy your holidays and get busy networking! 

Natalee Snell, Peer Advisor

My First Networking Session!

As a Peer Advisor with the Career Development Center I’ve learned a lot about resume writing, job searching and even networking. Yesterday, I attended a dinner with networking opportunities and was able to talk to quite a few people. Although, I know what networking is and what to do before and during the event, I was still nervous! I wasn’t sure of exactly how I should approach people. So what did I do? I went and talked to a Career Consultant. She was able to assure me that I would be fine and gave me a few pointers! 

Before a networking session:

• Try to find out who/what companies are going to be at the event and do a little bit research
• Try to find a point where you can either relate with the recruiter or the company

 During a networking session

• Be CONFIDENT
• Be energetic, try to keep a smile on your face
• Ask questions that show you have done research about the company and project enthusiasm!
• Be sure to bring along a personal networking card and in return obtain the business card of the professional you spoke with

After the Networking Session

• If you have further questions, feel free to contact the person who you spoke to as it’s all part of the relationship-building!

 So how did my night go?  Well, some conversations didn’t go as planned, but some went quite well! I have to say that not all conversations are going to be amazing but as long as you can a have a few goods ones and can get a business card at the end to of the conversation, then you did a great job! If you are unsure of what type of questions to ask, be sure to visit the Informational Interviewing section in the WLU Job Search Guidebook, or book an appointment with a career consultant and they will be happy to you help you out! 

Anum Khursheed, Peer Advisor

Student Career Leader Program

Career Development Centre

Wilfrid Laurier University

Doing the Leg Work…

I have learned a valuable lesson this past year… I learned that it is up to you to truly investigate your own future, because it is something that a professor, no matter how inspiring their career may be, can teach you. I have learned that speaking to industry professionals in your fields of interest will provide a deeper insight to your future in a career… more than any seminar ever could. I have learned the importance of networking and that taking time to seek these professionals out is of great benefit. Everyone loves talking about themselves, and I have found that all professionals I have connected with have gone above and beyond to answer my questions and they are often ecstatic at the thought of being able to help a career planning student cultivate insight. I have learned that there are so many people out there offering their personal insights, but it’s up to you to look for them. As a student that is consumed by the idea of becoming a chartered accountant, I have personally sought out a website – http://www.charteredaccountants.com.au/A122407246 – in which professionals are speaking out about their daily lives and the roles they hold in a career of interest to me. I also know that this type of insight is available for all careers, but this type of tacit knowledge has to be discovered. I have learned that most people do not know what they want to do once they graduate, but I have also learned that these are the people who hasve not done the extra leg work to try to figure it out.

Tara Mitchell, Senior Peer Advisor

WLU Career Centre, Student Career Leader Program

If you are applying to Teacher’s College Do Your Homework Early!

Although graduation is about two years away I have started to examine my options after completing my Geography degree at Laurier.  I went to the Career Centre at Wilfrid Laurier and it was recommended that I take the TypeFocus Career Assessment.  The results suggested that I research the teaching profession as a possible career choice.  It was recommended to me that I look at the information offered on Laurier’s Career Centre Website.  My research led me to an excellent article complied by Laurier’s Career Centre entitled “Becoming a Teacher in Ontario.”  Not only did it provide helpful information regarding the application process, it also provided excellent background information that really got me thinking that teaching was right for me.  I decided to attend a variety of Teacher Education Sessions hosted by Laurier’s Career Development Centre.  I was shocked to find out that more than just marks influence your ability to get into a particular school.  Admission requirements vary across the Ontario institutions offering Teacher Education.  These differences include how admission averages are calculated, what teachable requirements are accepted and what a particular university is looking for in an experience profile.  All this information can be found at the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre in the link below. 

With all this knowledge, I am now able to focus on what is required for each particular school. An effective application should take into account educational goals, strategic volunteering and work experience towards building a well-rounded application.  So if you plan on going to Teacher’s College in the future, do your homework NOW to create an effective application. 

Trevor Belkwell, Peer Advisor, WLU Student Career Leader Program