Canada Career Month!

You know how October is dedicated to Halloween and how December is all about the winter holidays? While November is that awkward month where you don’t know what to celebrate? Well turn that frown upside down, it’s CANADA CAREER MONTH! Canadians all over are taking a break between dressing up in costumes and decorating festive cookies to celebrate all the amazing careers Canada has to offer. All of November, we’re here at Career Zone making sure you know about all the career opportunities and resources around you! 

Here’s the schedule for all the fun you could be having with us at Career Zone during Canada Career Month: 

Week 1: Got Skillz?  

The first week of CCM, we’ll be celebrating people’s first jobs (even those embarrassing ones you never want to talk about) and how they kickstarted your career whether you noticed or not! Think of all the skills you gained from the first time you worked.  Talking with different people all day long so they understood your menu or service? You used communication skills! Trying to get all your tasks done on your shift? That’s called time management! You got skillz and we’re gonna show you how to use ‘em!  

Week 2: Back to the Future! 

The second week of Canada Career Month will be focusing on asking advice about your career! We’ll start with our amazing staff here at Career Education and ask them: “If you could go back in time what would you tell yourself 10 years ago?”. Grab a notepad, the professionals today have some tips you won’t want to forget! 

Week 3: Calling all Alumni! 

This week we’ll be connecting with alumni and asking about their experience at Brock and their current career positions. Most alums state that their career path was not a straight line from leaving studies at Brock to their dream career, and they got a lot of help along the way from services like ours at Career Zone! You won’t want to miss this, think of all the paths undiscovered!  

Week 4: Dream On, Dream Job! 

The fourth week of Canada Career Month is all about career exploration and dreaming big!  This week is where the prizes come in – and we’re not just talking about the prize of a great career. Check out our social media and stay tuned for more details!   

Now that you know what you can celebrate this November, we can’t wait to see you exploring your career options with the help of Canada Career Month!  Visit careermonth.ca if you want to get those extra tips this month. Don’t forget to drop by CareerZone in Market Hall anytime between 8:30-4:30 Monday to Friday to see all the exciting pointers and tricks we offer! 

Assess Yourself

We've all done it. In elementary school. In high school. Some of us have even done it at work. Those dreadful questionnaires that ask you to truthfully answer questions in order to know your personality type, and help you figure out which career path you'll go down. I spent years of my childhood convinced I'd be a cook, only to continuously have my results come back as bartender. I get it, they can be painful. Disappointing. Annoying. Especially when you don't get the answers you want. But I've got news for you...it gets better. Self-assessments can actually be incredibly beneficial when it comes to helping you better understand the career path best suited for you. Here are a few tips to keep in mind so that your self-assessment process isn't all bad. 


Let's Be Real Here
Seriously, be honest with yourself. If the assessment asks if you like something and you don't like it, don't say that you do. The key to getting the most out of an assessment is by being truthful and taking the time to think realistically about what you would actually like or tolerate in a work setting. Do you like working outdoors? Like working under tight deadlines? Great! As long as you answer truthfully, your results will make more sense. 

It's Not the Assessment, It's You 
I hate to break it to you, but you've changed. Believe it or not, the twelve year old version of yourself who answered in hopes that the results would come back "Unicorn Trainer" no longer exists. Throughout our personal and professional experiences, we grow (obviously,) and our interests, wants and needs change. Don't go into self assessments thinking the results will be the same now, as an adult, as they were when you were a child or teenager. 

Indecisive Isn't a Good Look
Please, I beg you, when the assessment asks if you enjoy working outdoors in all weather conditions, do not answer with "maybe" or "don't care," then be filled with rage when your results come back as "Greenhouse worker." Refrain from not caring when it comes to answering the questions. This will make your answers much more accurate and fitting to your interests. 

You Don't Need to Find Your Perfect Match
Focus less on the "perfect" job, and more on the skills. Many skills are transferable and could be used in various work settings. Think about your personal goals and passions, and the skills that you have that will be useful in your field of interest, now align that with the skills that are highlighted in the description of the jobs listed in your results. See any similarities? Yeah, you probably do!

Head to the Online Resource Centre on Careerzone and participate in a self-assessment. We offer Career Cruising, TypeFocus and Talentoday; each assessment is unique in its own way and will be beneficial to your career path search. For more information on self-assessments or questions regarding the process, drop in to the Resource Centre! 

Ladies and gents, it's time to assess yourself! 

Brockcareerserv 

Lydia Collins
Senior Career Assistant 

Research: Step two!

Step two of The Career Planning Process is Research. After you have finished with Self-Assessment (from the previous blog post) you may have a few career options to look into. Conducting research will help you narrow down your decision on what career you want to pursue.

What and where to research:

Job Information – What does the job look like?

When searching different career options you need to look at the skills, duties, qualifications/education, work hours, work conditions, etc. A good place to start looking for this information is on occupational profiles. Profiles can give you an excellent description of career choices individuals have made. You could find occupational profiles on LinkedIn! Many professionals are using LinkedIn and have descriptions of the career they are involved with.

Labour Market – What is the demand for this job?

When deciding on a career it is comforting to know the opportunities that lie ahead of you. Looking at the job trends in your region and exploring those of other regions can help you again narrow down your career options. Things you want to research are job availability by region/sector, salary range by region/sector, and general job trends. You can find this information across a variety of websites. It is important to use a reputable website for this information because you do not want to be misled. Some resources we have found useful are:

-      workingincanada.gc.ca

-      labourmarketinformation.ca

-      niagaraworkforceboard.ca

Potential Employers – Who hires for this job?

It is important to know who is hiring when researching specific careers. It may be posted on employer, business, or career websites, directories, or industry associations. Also you should know who you should be networking with. Networking is an extremely important aspect when looking for the right career path. People who are working in the career your researching can give you first-hand experience of what it’s like and what the outlooks are for getting hired. They are good relationships to keep if you intend on pursuing that career!

Searching for the right career for you can take some time. Not to worry though, if you start while still studying in university you will have a firm foundation of information to help make your decision when the time comes!  J

Alysha-Lynn Kooter, Career Assistant, 2nd Year Intermediate/Senior Con-Ed Visual Art and English 

A glimpse into the future...

An interesting website came across our office last week so we thought we would share it with you...a glimpse into what the workforce might look like by 2030!

Click here :)

 

Jami Coughler, Senior Career Assistant

4th Year Public Health [Honours]; BA: Sociology '11