Wednesday, January 3, 2018

A Fellow Student's Guide to Career Exploration & Job Search


By Vallari Patel, Career Assistant (Work Study student)

Welcome back and Happy New Year! There is a common theme of fresh starts and goal setting. As university students, we want to make sure we prepare ourselves for post-graduation.


My blog will take you through job search strategies, tips for career exploration, and essential resources to ensure you take the right steps in the New Year:

The Online Self-Assessment

There is often this unsaid pressure with not knowing what to do after graduation. If you are feeling this way in your academics and/or career plans, you are not alone. We recommend you try the Online Self Assessment tests to understand yourself better and relate this knowledge to your career choices. Book an initial consultation with a Career Counselor and follow-up to discuss your results. More information on online assessments can be found here: http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/get-know-yourself

Job Shadowing

Job shadowing is a way to confirm your interests and/or learn something new through the exploration of various fields. The UTSC Extern Job Shadowing Program is hosted by the AA&CC.

For my Extern placement, I visited Metrolinx; a part of the provincial government tasked with improving transportation within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area. This was an amazing opportunity for me. As a City Studies Major, I am unclear about what field within Urban Panning I want to specialize in. Urban planning is a broad field that focuses on the development of land.1 Being able to talk to professionals in the field of Transportation Planning gave me a better perspective of post-graduation options. I heard firsthand about their career path, graduate school experience, and obtained valuable advice that can't be found online! Participating in the Extern program further confirmed my passion for Urban Planning. I would highly recommend this to all students.

The next UTSC Extern Orientation session is January 9th, 2018. Register via CLN:

https://cln.utoronto.ca/myAccount/events/scarborough.htm

To learn more about Metrolinx, click here: http://www.metrolinx.com/en/aboutus/metrolinxoverview/metrolinx_overview.aspx

Networking

Networking is defined by Alesis Maragni as "interacting with other people to exchange information and develop contacts, to further one's career".2 As a student, it's never too early to expand your professional network. Through networking, you are branding yourself, which may benefit you as you apply for positions.

My personal experience with networking has been a very positive one. Rather than going in with the intention of seeking employment, look at it as a way to market your skills and interests to other professionals. For the past two years, I have kept in contact with a professional who is a Ph.D student in Gender Studies. Although it is not related to my field of interest, I kept in touch. Through this, I shared my passion for Urban Planning, which ultimately led to my internship this past summer - working with a ward councilor in North York. She mentioned knowing a colleague who worked at City Hall, and she put out a recommendation for me!

To find out more about how to Market your Skills and Accomplishments effectively, please visit:

https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/marketing-your-skills-and-accomplishments

  • LinkedIn Another great tool for networking is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is great because it allows you to have an online professional presence. This is also helpful since majority of jobs applications are online. According to a recent study in September 2017, there are 10 million active job postings on LinkedIn.3
  • UofT's 10,000 Coffees is a networking database which connects you to UofT alumni based on your career interests.4 Networking with alumni can be very beneficial, as they have gone through the same process, may have taken similar courses, etc. All in all, the skill of networking comes with practice.

Job Search

Now that we have gone through exploration, job search will be straightforward. Searching and applying for jobs is a time consuming process, but it is an essential process everyone has to undergo.

Before you begin to apply to job postings, make sure your resume is polished. Your resume is your best professional version of you on paper; it is what gets you the interview.

Visit the AA&CC to obtain a resume critique to ensure you are ready to submit. Remember, you are competing with other students in your program, students from other universities, and those who have additional qualifications and work experience! With an abundance of job postings and limited time, be strategic when applying.

When you are ready to apply, please visit the Career Learning Network for a complete list of Off-Campus, On-Campus, Casual, Volunteer Postings, and Work-Study positions.

For a list of Career and Employment Resources, please visit: http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/resources

In conclusion, it is important to keep in mind that your career path consists of various experiences that will teach you different lessons and transferable skills.Whether you are just beginning your career or need a fresh start, I hope my tips and suggestions have helped you today. I have also included additional resources below.

Happy New Year and wishing you the best in 2018!

Till Next Time,

Vallari Patel

Resources:

Explore resources through the AA&CC Career Learning Network:
  • Ontario Public Service Summer Employment Info Session: January 10th, 2018 3:00pm-5:00pm in AA160
  • Applying to Graduate and Professional School Workshop: January 11th, 2018 12:00pm-1:30pm in AC321
  • Applying to Summer Research Programs Workshop: January 18th, 2018 5:00pm-6:30pm in AC321
  • UTSC Summer & Full-Time Job Fair: January 25th, 2018 11:00am-2:00pm in the Meeting Place
  • UTSC International Opportunities Fair: February 7th, 2018 11:00am-2:00pm in the Meeting Place
  • Rapid Resume Review Monday-Friday 10:00am-12:00pm

External Resources:

References:

1) https://www.britannica.com/topic/urban-planning

2) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/socializing-vs-networking-knowing-difference-alexis-maragni/

3) https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/linkedin-job-statistics/

4) https://alumni.utoronto.ca/volunteer/mentor-a-student/ten-thousand-coffees

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