So You’ve Landed Your First Job…Now What?

By: Jodi Bergman, Peer Advisor

Congratulations! You are one of the lucky few who have successfully secured employment and are moving full speed ahead towards success when…speed bump, you find out that your brand new job is not everything you thought it would be. Sometimes we become so set on securing employment that we’ll accept jobs we are not well suited for, and end up in a position that we don’t want to be.

But do not fret! This is not the end and there are still things you can do to improve your experience.

Start by talking to your manager and colleagues about opportunities within the role. This will show your ability to take initiative while expressing your personal job objectives and interests. Who knows, if you tell your boss that you’re interested in marketing, maybe he or she can set you up with projects more tailored to that field of interest. Keeping an open communication with your manager about what you’d like out of a job is important and will only benefit your long term development as an employee.

Get involved with the workplace outside of work. Taking an interest in the workplace environment, meeting new people and connecting with your colleagues is a great way to improve your experience while at work. Even if you aren’t necessarily happy with all of the aspects of your job, you can still enjoy going into work, seeing new friends and having a new experience. So join the social committee, hit up the x-mas party and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. You’ll have fun while networking as well!

You can’t expect to love every aspect of every job you have. However, whether or not you are completely satisfied, it is still important to put your best foot forward, try your best and keep an open mind. While you may not think that you would enjoy event planning, you may find that you enjoy certain aspects of the job. Look for the positive in all situations and you will come out of it more knowledgeable and skilled.

At the end of the day, if you are extremely unhappy in a role – get out of there! Finding the perfect career is an ongoing journey, and the experiences you collect along the way are only bringing you closer to your dream job. Maintaining a positive attitude can also help you land your next job, so make sure you are leaving the role on a positive note. The relationships, experiences and references that you collect are extremely valuable, so make sure even if you are crossing a bridge, you don’t burn it along the way.

Your Christmas Career List

By: Resi Walt, Peer Advisor

Wow! I cannot believe how fast the fall semester has gone by. I probably say this every year, but this semester time seemed to go by especially fast. I blinked and November was gone. Fall is definitely my favourite time of year and I am sad to see it leave us (no pun intended). Winter is making its way into our lives slowly but surely, and everyone has Christmas on their minds! There are not a lot of people who don’t like Christmas-time, but for some people it can be really stressful, especially the aspect of Christmas shopping. Let’s face it, society in general puts a lot of pressure on people to “buy the perfect gift”.

When it comes to gift-giving, I think it is very proactive to make a list ahead of time. I try to brainstorm a few possible ideas for each person on my list, just in case the one idea doesn’t pan out. It seems that whenever I make a list, I avoid having those last-minute panic attacks. I also think it is a good idea to set a budget. Whether it is $10/person to $50/person does not matter, just stick to your budget! Setting a budget helps you avoid over spending and regretting a huge bill. I have parents, grandparents, three siblings, and a significant other so things can get out of hand quite quickly if I’m not careful.

Of course, I can relate Christmas prep to career prep! Again, society puts a lot of pressure on people our age to “find the right career”. A lot of students let this pressure weigh down on them. I think a lot of the pressure and stress has to do with the assumption that finding the right career is all about decisions and making the right ones at the right time. But instead think about that career selection like your Christmas list – simply generating ideas, and having alternate ideas as a back-up. Just like you might make a list and budget for Christmas shopping, make one for career planning! For example:

Career Planning List
• Attend a workshop at the Career Centre
• Try some online self-assessments to understand yourself better
• Research different industries
• Conduct informational interviews
• Volunteer
• Meet with a Career Consultant
• VISIT THE CAREER CENTRE WEBSITE! wlu.ca/career

Fun Motivational Tips

By: Kristyn Mott, Peer Advisor

I love university, the atmosphere, the people, even the classes, but the one thing that is not the most exciting that you have to do at university is studying and career planning. They both seem boring and take up a large portion of all your days here at Laurier. If you are like me and dread studying and career planning, then take a look at my favourite tips that I have found are the most successful for keeping me motivated to study and career plan:

1.Reward yourself. Set goals each time you study and reward yourself when you complete it. Give yourself a gummy bear every time you finish reading a paragraph and give yourself a chocolate bar every time you finish an informational interview.

2.Make yourself laugh. When is the last time you laughed when you were stressed out? Laughing is a stress reliever and it calms you down when you are nervous!

3.Use scents. I once read somewhere that if you study (either for school or for an interview) while wearing a certain scent (i.e., lotion, perfume, hairspray, etc) and then put that scent on again while writing the test or doing the interview; it will help your brain use association to remember what you were studying.

4.Don’t ignore your stomach! If you have a full stomach then it will make you sleepy, whereas if you have an empty stomach then all you will focus on is how hungry you are and not what you are studying or researching a company.

Hopefully these tips will help you during your studying and career planning endeavors. Remember these are just motivators and tips, in order to actually achieve success you still need to put time and effort into further research! Good luck on the rest of your semester, you can do it!

“Unofficial” Job Searching

By: Ying Ying (Cam) Luo, Peer Advisor

Stepping into November, the stress of midterms and assignments began to fade away. With some time freed up, I began searching various job posting websites – but not for the purpose of finding a job. Instead, I wanted to discern what my dream job would look like in different industries and what it may take to approach that type of job. A well-written job posting is equivalent to a sophisticated career guideline for us. From a company’s perspective, it clearly describes the role responsibilities, requirements and can even sketch out a typical day of our dream job.
As we are exploring these free “career guidelines”, we may even detect our likes and dislikes so we can re-evaluate our dream jobs in time and not stress out at the last minute.

Starting this “unofficial” job searching early, will put you in a better position to qualify for a role when it comes time to graduate because you will have had a chance to act on the information. How many of us have been hesitant to apply for a job because we lack that “must have” skill or that certain type of experience? So why not take some time to pick out some well-written job descriptions in your area of interest, analyze them, and fully utilize the resources around us to brush up the necessary skills and build experiences? Take some courses to become an expert in Excel or web design; or volunteer to gain office support experience. Even more important than the skills and experiences, we are demonstrating a valuable soft skill that every employer is looking for – initiative! Therefore, by the time you start your “official” job searching, you are well-equipped and ready to go!

To begin your “unofficial” job search, Navigator provides us with access to numerous job postings and the Career Development Centre website lists a collection of diversified job posting websites: http://navigator.wlu.ca/career/student/job/postings/websites.htm

Take a Moment to Unwind

By: Emma Duca, Peer Advisor
As we reach the critical point in the semester – cramming for midterms, staying up ‘till dawn finishing assignments, worrying about graduate school and job applications, trying to fit in more than 4 hours of sleep a night – whatever it may be, we need to stop and take a moment to BREATHE. I realize that I am being extremely hypocritical here, as the last time I stopped to just relax and not stress about my to-do list was likely somewhere around frosh week. Even so, I will try and explain why I think it is crucial to take some time away from the crazy hectic world that we call university – and just enjoy life.

Inspiration can come from the strangest places. If you are trying to decide on an essay topic and have gone through countless databases, journal articles and even stooped as low as googling “good essay topics for…” (yes, I know we’ve all hit that low point at one time or another), consider stepping away from the books, unplugging the computer, and doing something that you enjoy. Go see the latest blockbuster, grab coffee with a friend, take out that stress at the gym… whatever it may be, just distract yourself. It is very likely that while you are out enjoying life instead of living in a corner of the library guzzling Redbull, you will find some inspiration and motivation for your next assignment. That movie may present some topic you are dealing with in your history class in a new light, that couple arguing at the coffee shop may spark an interest in the structure of relationships for your sociology class… you can see my point. Even if you don’t end up with a “light bulb” situation, at least you will have cleared your mind for a few hours and you will be ready to tackle that mile-long to do list.

Finding Motivation During the Crunch

By: Jess Amaro, Peer Advisor

For those first five or six weeks before midterms hit, I’m organized, full of energy and enthusiasm, and on top of all my work. And then that magical time of essays and exams comes along and all I find myself wanting to do is burrow into my bed, ignore the world and watch an entire television series on Netflix.

It sounds like the recovery from an embarrassingly bad breakup, and maybe that’s what it is. The breakup between me and a little thing called motivation. And when you’ve lost motivation to write those essays or drag your weary self to campus in hopes of getting some studying done (that will probably turn into a Community marathon), you probably also find it difficult to believe you could find any last shred of motivation to…uh oh…job hunt.

For a student like me who isn’t in Co-op and has a part-time job during the school year, this is something that is floating somewhere around the bottom of my priority list – when it shouldn’t be. So for anyone feeling the crunch, here are just a few tips I picked up that I think will come in pretty handy:

1.Establish what your goals & strategy for job hunting are. Creating a plan and breaking it down into small, manageable steps will make the process run smoother and feel less overwhelming. The easier the task seems to tackle, the more likely you are to do it!

2.Get your resumė in shape. Revisit your resumė to make sure it’s in good shape before you hand it out to employers. Make an appointment with a Career Consultant, visit during drop-in hours, or check out one of the Resumė Critiquing booths for an outside opinion!

3.Make a schedule you can stick to. Having a schedule will help prevent you from falling behind and will help you keep on top of important dates.

4.Keep networking. Social media, networking events, and informational interviewing will all help you to make connections that could just land you the job you’re looking for, so don’t give up!

Don’t forget that as a Laurier student you have access to Navigator (https://navigator.wlu.ca/login/student.htm), where you can find plenty of job postings that are received on an on-going basis throughout the year, with most of them showing up between December and April.

The Secret to Success

By: Amaryllis Jones, Peer Advisor

Waking up from the re-occurring nightmare that your final year of university is slowly creeping up on you can definitely cause surges of anxiety and excitement. When reality sets in we realize that our degree can only get us so far without additional experience. The challenge is to differentiate yourself from everyone else, keeping in mind the competitive nature of the job market (I mean this is a serious competition; not only with Laurier graduates but students from other institutions who are equally qualified on paper). As the quest for employment after graduation begins, I can’t help but urge everyone I meet to start preparing for combat. Many students don’t know that the journey began as early as September with dozens of jobs advertised daily through online job boards, social media mediums and print media.

I am hungry for opportunities and eager to find the organization that is the perfect fit for me. Although I am on job boards and Navigator every single day, that is not my key to success, and today I want to share with you one of the best (if not the best) strategy for making yourself stand out from the flock. But you have to PROMISE that you won’t tell anyone…

N-E-T-W-O-R-K-I-N-G. Networking is an untraditional job search method that I have taken advantage of this year. Every corporate session I attend at the Career Centre allows me to practice my communication skills and work on how to start a conversation. Building relationships with potential employers allows me to connect with them on a personal level and have that one-on-one opportunity to ask questions about the company to increase my understanding of each industry.

The Career Centre offers numerous FREE resources that range from workshops to networking sessions and even individual appointments to get you on the track for success. I always recommend the “Job Search and Networking Strategies” workshop because it changed the way that I approached networking. I use this as my opportunity to let my personality shine, ask questions about upcoming positions and requirements, and steer my career!