Preparing to Answer the Tough Questions

On Friday a good friend of mine has an interview for a summer job that she really wants.  After talking with her about preparing for the interview, it got me thinking about interviews in general.  The first challenge to getting a job is making your resume strong enough to be chosen for an interview.  The next step is acing the interview, which for some jobs can be more difficult.  Up until university I had never been formally interviewed and for my first summer job after my first year I was incredibly nervous for that experience.  One of the most important aspects to giving a good interview is to research the company that you are being interviewed for.  For all of the job interviews that I have had in the past, I was asked about my understanding of the company as well as the position itself.  Your answer can either “make, or break you” because it will tell an interviewer that you either understand the demands of the job, or that you have no idea what you’re getting into.  Through my experience I have found that student jobs have very similar questions in each interview.  If you have the experience and interest to do the job, this has been shown on your resume.  So, now you have to sell yourself as a dedicated employee that will work hard for the company. 

I have never walked into an interview that I haven’t been nervous for.  I have been taught by my Dad, as well as other staff at the Career Centre that it’s better to answer a question in a concise manner, then to ramble around what you are really trying to say – because you didn’t take a moment to think about the question!  I generally worry about interviews before I got into them, but good preparation and researching the company is definitely a recipe for success! 

Megan Wibberley – Peer Advisor

Why Looking at a Student’s Thesis Can Help In Your Career Planning

With April soon approaching and exams just around the corner, The Annual Student Poster Conference is taking place. This is a great chance to take look at the research work that Laurier graduating students were a part of this year. Also, if you are planning on writing a thesis in fourth year, this poster conference can be a very informative event. 

From a career perspective, looking at the myriad of student research areas and talking to students about what exactly is entailed in completing a thesis, can get you examining whether a research-oriented career is for you. 

It’s a great opportunity to take a look at the amazing work they completed this year. There a lot of very interesting topics being displayed in the science atrium. 

Honours Psychology Students are presenting on March 25 2:00- 3:30pm  

Below is an outline of the research projects being displayed this year. 

http://www.wlu.ca/documents/40902/2010ThesisConferenceProgram.pdf 

Honours Biology Students are presenting on March 26^th 8:00 – 4:00 pm 

Radha Sayal, Peer Advisor

Resume Writing: It’s Never Too Late to Build Your Experience Section!

While volunteering as a Peer Advisor at the WLU Career Centre, I had the opportunity to conduct one-on-one resumé critiques with students.  The best resumés I saw listed meaningful work and volunteer experiences, most of which were gained on the university campus.  The “not-so-great” resumés I witnessed lacked significant work or volunteer experience. It is often difficult to acquire career-related paid work at an undergraduate level, however, it is not difficult to acquire substantial volunteering in a career related field. Volunteer work allows you to showcase transferable skills on a resume and help you stand out from other applicants.

While conducting resumé critiques, most students listed the place and title of their volunteer experiences, without listing what they did during that experience (in bullet points).  For students and recent grads, volunteer experiences are often the most meaningful.  Don’t be afraid to list volunteer experiences as you would list a work experience on your resumé.

It’s easy to fix the format and style of a resumé.  It’s not easy to add great content and experiences to a resumé.  Take advantage of the opportunities offered to you, whether you are in your first or final year of university. University offers so much more than classes.

Nicole Wray, Peer Advisor

Look to the Future Through Volunteering

As the snow quickly melts and thoughts of warmer weather and summer jobs are just around the corner, I took an opportunity from my busy school schedule to reflect back on the past school year.  Typically, the whole ‘University Experience’ consists of classes, extra-circular activities, part-time jobs and hanging out with friends.  However, last year I found something missing from the whole ‘University Experience’.  It was approximately this time last year that I applied for a volunteer position as a Peer Advisor at Laurier’s Career Development Centre.

Over the past school year, I have had the opportunity to work with many fascinating individuals with many different backgrounds.  By listening to each individual tell me about their future goals or dream jobs, it really inspired me to rethink my future career plans.  It seemed that the more I helped others, the more I actually learned about myself.  Not only does volunteering help others, it is self-rewarding and complements your education on a resume.

Volunteering provides an excellent opportunity to learn about a particular career direction while gaining invaluable skills.  However, the best part of volunteering is the chance to actually see if a particular career is really what you expected.  A career can possibly span three to four decades, so why not find out now what you can see yourself doing after completing your education.  It’s not too early to start thinking about a volunteer opportunity for the upcoming school year. I truly believe that volunteering is an important part of the whole ‘University Experience.’

Trevor Belkwell, Peer Advisor

The Time is Now to Work Out Your Summer Job

Do you have your plans for the summer lined up? Whether you are in your final year looking for a full-time entry level position or you are looking for something full-time for the four months of summer, hopefully you have initiated your summer job search by now?

 Companies have been posting upcoming positions for months and will be starting their interview rounds soon, if not already. You need to stay on top of postings, applications, and your networks to make sure you secure a position for the summer and/or for the following year. A great resource is the Career Centre’s Navigator system. This can be found on the Career Centre website off the main Laurier homepage. This system has postings from companies in the GTA, Toronto, Kitchener/Waterloo and abroad. It is a great resource to begin your job search. 

You have applied for several jobs and heard nothing back, what are you doing wrong? You most likely are not doing anything wrong but are just not tailoring your resume/application enough for the position and company. You want to make sure you are aligning your resume with what the employers are looking for and the ideals of the company itself. This means altering your resume for each position you apply to. There are many people applying for the same positions as you with possibly similar experience and qualifications, so you need to make sure you are highlighting what sets you a part from everyone else applying. A good place to start is by attending an information session geared specifically to resume writing and interview success workshops. The career centre offers these workshops free of charge for Laurier students. The schedule of events can be found on the Career Centre homepage. These sessions will provide you with great advice for tailoring your resume and for coming up with a professional looking resume that will hopefully stand out to employers. After attending these sessions if you have further questions or you would like to have someone look over your resume in more detail you can make an appointment with a Peer Advisor or with a Career Consultant. 

It is important to stay on top of the companies you are interested in and have put in applications to. These companies get bombarded with resumes and applications at this time of year so it is crucial to stay on top of companies so they know who you are and how interested you are. Remember to always be professional when in contact with a potential employer and to be respectful of their time. Stay in contact but do not stalk the person. Keep checking job posting sites, companies’ websites and navigator as they get updated weekly when new positions become available. And don’t underestimate the importance of networking – good luck with your job search! 

Natalee Snell, Peer Advisor