YouTube: Yours to Discover

I recently had an interview for a VP position with one of the largest student run organizations on campus. The night before the interview I was stressing out to the point that I could not get sleep. I felt prepared; I had made sample questions and had a mock interview with my friends. I researched the organization and memorized facts and figures. I had even bought a fresh pair of dress pants that morning and spent twenty minutes ironing to cool my nerves. Theoretically I was prepared but realistically I had more to do.

 When it hit 3 a.m., I accepted the fact that I was not going to bed so I reached for my number one resource for burning time – the Internet, more specifically YouTube. A site with literally millions of videos on anything and everything and for the first time in my life I did not use the site to look up music, videos or funny sketches. I decided to look up interview tips and before I knew it I had hit a gold mine. I found a site by Talent Egg, who did not just post tips on interviews but videos with university recruiters from big firms and the questions they asked and the qualities they looked for in a potential candidate. I was able to find a few more interview questions that I had not thought about.

 YouTube is a great resource – you can also use it to gain insight on potential career options and the many great opportunities available at big firms. Accounting firms like Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers have uploaded great videos that provide a sneak peak at the day in the life of a Staff Accountant or a Senior Executive. While firms such as Sun Life Financial post tips on what to include on your Cover Letter and Resume and what qualities in a candidate stand out the most for them.

I went on YouTube as a means to find a solution to my interview stress but ended up discovering so much more valuable information. I encourage everyone reading this that the next time you’re on YouTube and you’re wondering what to search for; why not look up something career related, you’d be surprised on what you may find and that will progress your knowledge and skills.

 TalentEgg’s YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/TalentEgg 

By: Raoul Chopra

Finding Your ‘Fit’

I came across my inspiration for this blog walking down the street. It was a normal day and nothing spectacular was happening. I started to look around and noticed that every group of people that I walked by had a particular style – not an individual style, more like a group style. I saw athletic girls who were all dressed similarly in yoga pants, Ugg boots and ponytails, while another group of ladies had fashionable black jackets and high heel boots.  I never noticed it before, but every ‘group’ seemed to have a particular style creating a unified front.  I found this analogous to the different styles and cultures that exist at businesses and when you are in the thick of the company research and interview stages, you are essentially ‘trying on the job’.  Just like going to the store and trying on clothes, an interview is a chance to try on a business, to see if it fits.

It’s wonderful to find that perfect top or the comfiest pair of jeans. In terms of businesses, this means you have found a company with the right values, philosophy and fit.  Fit also refers to whether the boss possesses the characteristics you would like to see in a manager, or whether you can dance to the company’s daily rhythm. Factors of fit and style are important to ascertain when you’re looking for a job.  Going through several interviews, instead of one (as I have recently), is ten times better than buying the first shirt you think looks ‘okay’, but you discover looks better hanging in your closet.

I am currently on my summer job search right now and I’m discovering that patience is key.  Right now I am in the dressing room trying on several different styles trying to figure out which one suits me best. My advice: don’t be afraid of the dressing room! Just because you haven’t found that perfect pair of jeans yet….doesn’t mean they don’t exist.  You have to just keep being a proactive and effective shopper!  

By: Stacy Tsotsos, Peer Advisor

LinkedIn…To What??

I was talking to a friend the other day about future career plans after we graduate. Since we are both in our fourth year, we are feeling the pressure of planning our lives after Laurier. As we talked about applying to jobs, she asked what she should include on her LinkedIn profile. I thought to myself, what a great question, but I had to admit, I didn’t have a very good answer. (Which I admit, I was slightly embarrassed as a Peer Advisor at the Career Centre). 

Her question made me think, which led me to research. What should I be sharing on my LinkedIn profile? What is the balance between expressing yourself and professionalism? Are there specific do’s and dont’s?

From my own research I have discovered that your LinkedIn profile is NOT your resumé. Resumés are often restricted by the length and format, but with LinkedIn, you can take advantage of the space for creativity to create the best employable you! The best way to represent yourself is to include the heading as your current title, include a professional head shot photo and have additional links set up (whether it’s to your Twitter account or a custom URL for reference to your resumé). As for your summary section, include a summary about yourself that makes you stand out as a person, not just a potential employee. It is also beneficial to include specialties using key words specific to your targeted industry or career field. Additionally, you want to include your most relevant experience first, followed by additional experience.

I have discovered that LinkedIn is a powerful networking tool. One of the best ways to do this is to join groups and interact with their discussion threads. Recruiters will often join groups searching for those who are actively interested in their given career field.

So don’t just create a LinkedIn profile and forget about it. Be active. Join groups. Make connections. This is a great opportunity to show yourself off to all those employers looking to hire!

By: Suzanne Glenn, Peer Advisor

Employer Sessions, Yay or Nay?

The answer to this question is a definite yay! One of the most useful resources at the Career Centre is Employer sessions. This is when recruiters and employees from specific companies come to Laurier to inform students about their company as part of their recruiting efforts. The first hour or so is a presentation by people from the company to promote their business and inform students of the ins and outs of working with them. The next half hour or so is dedicated to a networking session that happens downstairs in the employer lounge. This is the part that’s so great because it’s a chance for you to meet with potential employers and gain valuable information from people who actually work in the field.

Even though I am not a business student, and these jobs aren’t usually available to English majors, I have attended a bunch of these sessions, and I’ve found them to be extremely useful. We’re always told that the most important thing is to network, network, network, but this can be extremely intimidating. There aren’t many people out there who are completely comfortable with emailing or meeting a complete stranger.  I know that I find it quite intimidating. However, that’s the great thing about these employer sessions, the Career Centre does all of the work for you, all you have to do is show up in your business casual wear, and prepare some questions that you might want to ask. These employers are here because they want to talk to Laurier students, and they want people to approach them and ask them questions. Even if you’re a shy person, you can stand in on conversations people are having and listen to the questions being asked. Even if the employer seems to be  targeting business students, as an Arts student you might find yourself surprised at the number of opportunities in a company for arts grads and come prepared to ask questions about areas of the company they typically hire arts backgrounds, or be prepared to ask questions of the recruiter around their own background.  It was great listening to the advice that the employers gave, and the questions that students were asking. Overall I found these sessions to be very useful and informative, and I would suggest that many people should try them out at least once or twice.

By: Heidi Dumaresq

An Entire Course in One Convenient App!

I was organizing my iPhone the other day, when I stumbled upon a revolutionary application. It could just be one of the best apps that Apple has ever produced! It’s called iTunes U; this digital catalogue gives you access to complete courses from some of the most prestigious schools from over 26 countries including Stanford, Berkeley and MIT. It’s even better than an online course! It’s as easy as downloading this app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch then listen/watch/ take-in lectures from professors from all over the world. All the courses offered on the application are accredited, and the application allows you to take notes, highlight text and bookmark pages across multiple Apple devices! There are more than 500,000 free lectures, videos, books and resources from Astrology to Neurological Science and everything in between. The best part is that if a concept that you are learning in your math or business class is unclear, an explanation by another viewpoint of a professor may be useful (and better than going over the textbook a million times!) I most definitely could have used this app in economics in first year! Give it a try and download it for free. I’ve already downloaded Autism and Related Disorders from Yale University and The Art Institutes Baking and Pastry Courses to have a quick read. It’s nice to be able to learn something new especially from different schools around the globe! Have a look, you might find a couple interesting courses that Laurier doesn’t offer or it could give you valuable insight on your major! You can use the application anytime, anywhere.

By: Brianne Bradbury

“Facebook is for fun and LinkedIn is for professionals”

I like to think that the job process has a primary and a secondary component. Searching for the job, preparation for the interview and the interview itself are all parts of the primary division and the more work put in here, the better your results. The secondary level is one that many forget about, it’s the extra step you need to take – the finishing details. There are many sub-divisions within the secondary level but the one I would like to focus on is your online presence.

The “lurk” is something that we know happens on a regular basis.  You may lurk your friend’s profile, a stranger’s or even an ex’s.…and they probably have viewed yours.  What we fail to understand is apart from your friends viewing your profile, your boss or a potential employer is probably also viewing your activity as well. Social media was designed to increase freedom of the user but when applying for a job or even keeping your job, censorship is necessary. Stay sharp and classy at all times and do not post provocative pictures. Alter your privacy settings; your Facebook profile should only be viewable to friends. 

Now that we covered the essentials of the social side, we need to talk about your professional presence in social media. An employer only has a handful of resources to judge you on and to decide if you’re qualified for the position. A resumé and an interview isn’t a lot to go by, you need to prove that you really are a social person in the professional world and that you’ve networked with industry professionals to gain insight on your career and the market. LinkedIn is the perfect platform to show your professional side, it has the ability to complement your real world connections and place them in a digital field. LinkedIn makes it easy to get information about someone you’re meeting, doing business with or would like to meet. The site also allows you to check who has viewed your profile; this could lead to new connections and interested employers. Firms also post job openings exclusively on LinkedIn days before they hit job sites. If you don’t have LinkedIn, I strongly suggest signing up and learning about its other great benefits. 

 Once you have completed the basic of your profile or if you already have one, here’s a way to enhance it and make it even more appealing to your connections: 

http://socialmediatoday.com/suzannevara/260773/6-tips-giving-your-linkedin-profile-facelift

By: Raoul Chopra