Be True to Yourself When Planning Your Career

Author: Karleigh Buist, Peer Advisor

As a second year student, I am able to look back at the journey I’ve had to get to Laurier and I am able to appreciate all of the experiences that I have had along the way. I recall being a senior high school student and being so unsure of what my next step in life was going to be. Thankfully, my family was very supportive of my decision to attend Laurier for the Communications Studies program. I couldn’t have asked for a better support system; my parents have remained very open and supportive of all of my endeavours.

I think that it is very important to follow what is true to you. Knowing that I would be happy and content in my decision to attend a university close to home played a large role in my final decision to attend Laurier. It was important for me to follow what felt right for me, instead of making a decision to please someone else. I think that following through with your dreams is an important aspect in becoming who you want to be. In order to be an individual, you must step outside of the sometimes narrow view that has been set out by others.

I recently found out that Katy Perry had also been faced with the tough decision of following her own dreams. Perry’s parents are Christian Preachers who have struggled with her pop diva career path. Instead of giving in to what her parents believe is an acceptable lifestyle, Katy has remained true to herself and pursued her career passion. I think that this is a very telling story about how important it is to listen to your own needs and keep that at the forefront of your priorities when selecting a career.  

After spending my first year at Laurier, I have learned how lucky I truly am to have a supportive family and friends. However, I have encountered many friends at university who have chosen a certain program to please someone. I think it is an important lesson to learn that you are the person that will eventually have to live with your decisions. It is important to be happy with the direction you are headed in. Keep that in mind as you plan your career path.

December Summer Job Search Preparation

Author: Alexandria Malcolm, Peer Advisor

Once exams are finished you can just go home, relax and not concern yourself with anything school related. Well at least that’s what most students hope is the case. I was recently asked, “what will I be preparing during the Christmas holidays?” My first reaction was that I had no idea what exactly I was to be preparing for. After much thought and consideration, all the answers pointed toward a summer job search!

During the holiday season, it is wise to begin preparing your resumé and researching summer job opportunities. December is the best time to start looking into jobs as a lot of summer positions are posted early. Although it seems strange to be looking for a job four months in advance, I can promise you it will be extremely beneficial since starting in December on your networking with employers and company research may result in your landing a job early in the New Year. You’ll thank yourself in the end as having a summer job lined up at the beginning of the winter semester will certainly free up your time to focus more on school.

Informational Interviews Help Find the "Right Fit"

Author: Trevor Belkwell, Peer Advisor

I have been told that finding the right career is like buying a new pair of shoes. You can do as much research as you want on the internet or magazines about a career (and for that matter shoes), however, you cannot truly understand if a job is right for you unless you really know everything about the job.

It’s like going all the way to the mall to buy a pair of shoes without trying them on. However, when you get home you find out that they aren’t the right fit. Would you wear uncomfortable shoes for thirty years?

I am not saying to totally neglect researching occupational descriptions or labour market conditions – certainly this information is very important to finding the right career. However, what would be better than asking someone who already does that particular job?

Before spending several years and many thousands of dollars on an education to land that dream job, make sure that dream job is the right fit for you through an informational interview.

An informational interview is an opportunity to have a conversation with someone working in a particular field that will provide you with an enlightened perspective of what the job is really like. It is not a job interview, and the purpose is not necessarily to find job openings.

The thought of initiating an informational interview to some may be intimidating, so the Laurier Career Development Centre has taken the fear out of Informational Interviewing by creating the Alumni Sharing Knowledge database: http://www.lauriercc.ca/career/students/planning/grad/ask.htm.

The ASK Program allows students and graduates the chance to connect with participating Laurier alumni and learn first-hand about their particular career. You would be surprised at how willing most people are to take time out of their day to answer questions for someone interested in their profession.

Some other benefits of Informational Interviewing include:

• improved communication skills and confidence speaking with professionals
• first-hand knowledge that can help you in a job search
• intiatived a professional relationship and expand your network of contacts in a specific field

So before you choose a career, take some time to spend a day in the shoes of an individual already in that career to make sure it’s the right fit.

Professional Branding: Stand Out in Career Exploration

Author: Mike Gregor, Peer Advisor

Are you a brand?  As a potential student, volunteer or employee, this is a question I think you have to ask yourself.  Why?  Because employers already have. 

When I ask the question, I am by no means asking if you have your own theme song, although that would be quite impressive.  I am asking if you are aware of your skills and can you communicate them effectively.  It’s as simple as that. 

I define a professional brand as: “a creative and consistent representation of an individual’s professional qualities as communicated across a variety of career-related materials and mediums.”  

No question, employers hire the most experienced and suitable candidates.  Therefore – you should focus on the content of your resume, interview responses, online professional profiles, etc.  We both agree on that.  My argument is to not ignore the context of these career materials and mediums.  

Your professional brand can be as inclusive as a set of core qualities that you possess or as extensive as a set of formatting, fonts and colours consistently applied to your resumés, business cards,  social media profiles, email signatures and tattoos (if you’re that intense).  As I said above, knowing and communicating your core qualities – the traits you bring to every, and any job – is your professional brand.  Adding the consistent formatting (and even a professional logo) simply adds to the ‘communicating’ aspect. 

True, some individuals may see professional branding as our culture’s materialization obsession at work.  This is a fair argument and professional branding (at least my definition of it) could reach such infamy in the near future.  The line, in my opinion, is clear.  People buy cars, electronics and Ugg boots to fit in.  I have a professional brand to stand out. 

At the end of the day, definitely go ahead and amaze the employer with your education, work and volunteer experience.  That should be your goal.  But how will you achieve that feat with a resumé written in crayon?

Seeing Value in Transferable Skills

Author: Mehak Bhatia

Eight hours of full time research in a lab, volunteer shift at a hospital every weekend, and a part-time job as a peer health educator? It sounds like the perfect volunteer profile for someone wanting to go to medical school. However, I commit to none of these above extra-curriculars, and instead am proud to say that I volunteer as a Peer Advisor with the Career Centre. Why? Because it is about transferable skills. 

Although my role with the CDC does not have a medical/health-care dimension to it, I believe that working as a peer advisor is worthwhile for me. This is because it provides me with an excellent opportunity to refine my communication skills and get more familiar with an appointment-based job. Recently, in my shadowing appointment with one of the career consultants, I realized that while conducting a resumé critique, you really need to confront people with what changes they might need to make so as to make their resumé professionally competitive. For someone like me who finds it hard to gather the courage to challenge people, I think conducting critiques will be great way to develop that skill. After all, one of the basics of the job as a physician is that we are confident enough in letting patients know what changes they need to make to live a healthy lifestyle. 

As a physician, I will be required to demonstrate patience, calmness and control when listening to patients. Thorough analysis of the patient’s health and a detailed feedback that facilitates continual improvement in the patient’s health will be an integral part of my job as a physician. Performing resumé critiques as a Peer Advisor will allow me to exercise such interpersonal skills while I evaluate people’s resumés and use a strength-based approach to provide them with constructive feedback. 

Analyzing someone’s medical history might be totally different from evaluating someone’s resumé, but skillfully addressing and resolving other’s concerns so as to bring about positive change is an indispensable part of the job of a physician, and peer advising at the Career Centre is one of the few positions that will assist me in establishing the foundation for this very important skill.

So when you are searching for a meaningful volunteer position, don’t be confined by the belief that it has to be a role that is obviously connected to a career (e.g., volunteering at a Legal Aid because you think you might want to be a lawyer). Seeing the value in various volunteer positions and the transferable skills you can gain are equally as important.

So Those Ridiculous Interview Questions Have a Purpose?

Author: Liz Evans, Peer Advisor

I remember I had an interview a little while back where I was asked, “If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?” I was taken by surprise, froze, and didn’t give a very good answer. I have now repressed that memory deep down and no longer recall how I answered it. We have all had this happen to us. The interviewer asks us a question we did not fathom them asking and we freeze up because instead we are striving to understand what answer they are looking for.

Essentially, there are only 3 types of weird interview questions:

1. The “What Would You Be?” Questions: These are the ones that include “If you were an animal, what would you be?”, “If you were a brick in a wall, which brick would you be?”, or, “What superhero would you be?”

2. The “Get to Know You” Questions: These questions try to find out if you are a good match to the company culture. Questions like, “What is your favorite color?”, “How do people react to you when you walk into a room?”, and, “What book is currently on your bedside table?”

3. The “Intelligence” Questions: You may come across some questions such as, “Why are manhole covers round?”, “How would you explain a database to a 5 year old?”, “What does this painting mean to you?”, and, “You have a box of matches, a candle and a thumb tack, how would you hang the candle on the wall and successfully light it?”

The connecting motive for all these questions is to gauge who you are, how you think of yourself, how your train of thought works, and how well you think on your feet (creativity). The way to answer all of these questions is to avoid worrying about there being an absolute right or wrong answer – because there isn’t. Instead, your strategy in these questions is to think about what skills the job requires and creatively make those connections. To prepare, it helps to make a list of these skills ahead of time. Then when asked the question, take a deep breath and collect your thoughts before you answer. Remember to relate your answer to the job you are applying for, but don’t forget that a little personality and appropriate humor goes a long way!

Avoiding Your Job Search May Cost You

Author: Megan Wibberley, Peer Advisor

I decided this year that I was going to focus my energy on school, get through this year, and then I can worry about what is next. On Friday, in my avoidance technique of school work, I did a few searches on Navigator for jobs that would be applicable to my degree (geography). To my surprise there were a few postings that interested me, but unfortunately they both closed this weekend, which did not give me enough time to prepare an effective cover letter and cater my resumé.

Avoidance is clearly not the best method for figuring out what comes after school. It is good to get your head into your job search while you are still a student. I find that if I take at least a half an hour per week monitoring company and job posting websites, then staying on top of possible opportunities does not become a time consuming task. Delaying it, however, may cost you that perfect opportunity.

It can take time to figure out where to start looking for a job. A great place to start is monitoring job postings that come through the Career Centre’s Navigator system. They offer job postings for graduating students, as well as immediate full time jobs for students who have already graduated. You will also continue to have access to this even after you graduate. The federal as well as provincial government also offers many graduating student opportunities that are worthwhile to keep your tabs on. I found my summer job last year through the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP). Even though it took a while to get my profile all set up and working, it paid off in the long run. A simple Google search will also help you find sites that specialize in jobs for specific fields. For example, Work Cabin (www.workcabin.ca) is one that I look on regularly, as it is Canadian and focuses on green careers. The Career Centre offers a good resource called, ‘What can I do with my degree?’ which offers information on many different fields and occasionally offers field specific job posting sites as well: http://www.lauriercc.ca/career/students/planning/major.htm

I find that keeping myself ‘in the know’ when it comes to jobs makes me feel reassured. It’s also important to remember that finding a job does not rest solely on your checking websites. You also need to tackle the ‘hidden job market’ through networking initiatives. By doing a combination of both, I feel that I am working towards my job search, rather than doing what most of us would prefer to do – avoid.

If you are having trouble starting this process, come into the Career Centre and attend the Job Search and Networking Workshop. There are many resources and people to talk to that can help you get started, and feel less stressed about this process.

Career Events: Insightful Study Breaks

Author: Karleigh Buist, Peer Advisor

As an undergraduate student, it can be hard to be a long-term planner. We are mostly consumed by this week’s essays and assignments. Last year was my first year at Laurier when I made the decision to not be short sighted and I began to attend some workshops and events offered at the Career Development Centre. I soon realized not only were these events a nice study break, but they were also very insightful for my future and made me feel that I was using my time wisely.  Workshops and events offered at the Centre are a gateway to begin understanding the world that exists beyond Laurier and begin focussing on the ever-important long-term career plans.

Even though I am only in my second year, I have learned to keep my career options open and to take advantage of the skill building opportunities available on campus. These events will not only allow you to gain an idea about what educational requirements exist within various fields, but will also allow you to get a further understanding of the day to day tasks that various careers entail.

Lately, I have been looking at different jobs offered within the public service industry, with my main focus on Human Resources. On Friday, November 12^th, 2010, the CDC is hosting two panel-type events, ‘Careers in Public Service’ and ‘Considering International Humanitarian Careers? Working for the UN or NGOs’, located at the Career Centre. What a great way to give your studying brain a break, while also gaining insight into careers that exist with government and non-governmental organizations.

One of the main things I have learned while volunteering at the Career Centre is that career planning takes time, and yet most of us do not allocate our spare time to this planning.  So do yourself a favour and use your time wisely. Come to the Centre on November 12th and open your eyes to some long-term career possibilities. 

For more great study break ideas, including details on these two events, visit our Event and Workshop Calendar.

Thinking About Graduate School…In 1st Year?

Author: Alexandria Malcolm, Peer Advisor

When you think about a ‘Graduate Education Fair’, you probably assume that it’s not something you should even consider attending until your fourth year.  However, coming from a first year student’s perspective, I found attending last week’s Fair to be quite insightful. Yes, it does seem a little overwhelming to be thinking about what we’re going to do four years from now (especially since I haven’t even gone through one final exam experience yet) – but in the long run, it will benefit you to attend earlier in your academic career!           

Many of the admissions representatives of the Grad Schools I spoke to were quite open to speaking to me as a 1^st year student and offered me information pamphlets and their business cards with a personal invitation to contact them with any questions I may have over the next 3.5 years. I know this will serve as an excellent resource for me when it comes time to wanting to gain access to more information about their programs. For instance, what kind of jobs/careers do their graduates secure following their programs? What are some inside tips on how to improve my grad school application? Sometimes this information isn’t always readily accessible on websites, so having that inside contact will be immensely helpful. 

If you’re thinking about any post-graduate education, start your research early! Many students find out in their last year of studies that they do not possess the necessary courses to qualify for admissions to certain programs. With a little foresight and planning, you can more proactively select your courses. 

Although the Grad Fair was quite overwhelming, it was a great way to get out there and start planning ahead for my future. If you missed the chance to attend this year, I strongly suggest going out next year and seeing what it has to offer.

Career Planning, A Fork in the Road

Author: Trevor Belkwell, Peer Advisor

Have you ever examined your educational goals or current employment and thought to yourself “is this really for me?” This is a common question that many of us face at least once throughout our working lives, but most people are too comfortable or complacent to make a change. Some individuals don’t even know where to start. I, myself, was faced with this exact dilemma and instead of getting stuck in an unrewarding ‘job’, I decided to take control of my future by accessing the resources at Laurier’s Career Development Centre.

The Career Centre used a career assessment tool called the Strong Interest Inventory to narrow down several career paths which reflect my personal qualities and interests. I found the various career resources very helpful in researching my options. Once I narrowed my career path, I created a plan to achieve my career goal. The two careers that really stood out to me were Teaching and Human Resources. Despite having education in Human Resources and working towards my arts degree, I really had no hands-on experience in either of the two paths I chose. So I decided to build my skills by volunteering. This led me back to the Career Centre where I volunteer as a Peer Advisor helping students with career-related services such as resumé critiquing. This position has allowed me to learn about the many different Human Resource related functions and the chance to research the field of Education. These volunteer experiences help provide valuable ‘stepping stones’ into your dream job.

I now feel that I am on the right ‘career’ path. Sometimes all it takes is a little direction which the Career Centre has provided me. If you are unhappy with your current career or educational path, it may be time to examine your options by talking with a Career Consultant.