Working for the Weeke... Summer?!

"Wait a minute," you ask, "is this going to be a blog about finding a summer job? ALREADY? I only JUST found myself a part-time job!! I am all job searched out!"

"YES!" I answer, "this IS a blog about finding a summer job because guess what: to find the summer job you want and need the very best time to start is now."

Now is the time to start searching for that summer job because now is when the employers have begun to post them. The #1 mistake that students make when looking for summer employment is waiting too long and missing out on all of the great opportunities they could have had if they had just started a month or two earlier. And even if it is a little early yet, you don't want to wait until you're absolutely swamped with assignments that you just don't make the time to job search. Therefore, start now! And to help you out even further I am going to give you a few handy steps to follow on how to find yourself a GREAT summer job!

1. Check out job boards today! If you're looking to work on or off-campus, the Career Zone Job Posting Board is a great place to start! Each position is listed by area, and the board lists jobs from the Niagara Region to the GTA, including a wide variety of positions. Then too, if you stop by the Career Resource Centre and we will provide you a handout with a list of various job search sites for federal, provincial or municipal work, including summer camp sites and community directories! Also check out our website for some handy sites.

2. Once you've found a few jobs you'd like to apply for, update or create your resume and cover letter! Ensure to customize each document to the specific jobs at hand using an achievement based writing style! If you don't know what that is, why not check it out by coming on in for some handouts or a resume and cover letter review?

3. Have your documents done early. That way you can leave your application for a day or two to check back on, and also so you can have a fresh set of eyes look it over for you (Career Assistants in the Resource Centre perhaps?)

4. Follow up. Once you've applied for your position, do not hesitate to send a follow up email within a week of the application deadline to ensure that an employer has recieved it. This will show the employer your eagerness for the position at hand, and also give them a reason to remember your name when they do finally look over your documents!

5. Don't be discouraged if you're not selected. Summer job search is competitive, with many students searching you are bound to miss out on a few. Don't get stuck in assuming you've got a job in the bag and only apply for a couple of jobs- leave yourself room for flexibility and as many choices as you can give yourself!

6. Finally, set a deadline for all of this. For each step above, set a date of completion, and ensure that you give yourself enough time to complete it all in case something comes up. To help with this planning,  make sure you use the SMART Goal System to help you out!

Hope these tips prove helpful! Feel free to stop by the Career Resource Centre between 9am and 4:30pm Monday to Friday to discuss job search strategies or for anything else!

Brittany
Sr. Career Assistant

New Year, New Goals!

So the new year has just begun and 'tis the season for making resolutions. Maybe you've resolved to hit the gym more often, eat healthy, read more, stay on top of your assignments, find a job for after graduation, etc. Whether your goals are personal or professional, it is always important to check in and re-evaluate in order to ensure you stay on top of them! So many resolutions are never completed or ever even thought of again after January ends, but YOU should make achieving your new year goals a resolution for this year! Today I am going to give you some tips on how to ensure you not only make efficient goals but that you can actually complete them as well!

First step: make sure your goals are SMART.

Often time the reason that goals are never achieved is because they simply cannot be. There are a series of elements that go along with goal making that need to work together or else a goal will be too difficult to achieve and ultimately be thrown away. This is usually because the goal-maker did not take the time to reconsider and modify the goal to make it work for them. By STARTING with the SMART Goals system you will be on the road to ensuring goal success, but don't forget the importance of checking in once and a while as well.

So what do I mean by SMART goals?

Specific  - broad goals are not easily attained because there is nothing specific to achieve. If you resolve to go to the gym in the new year, write down how many times per week, for how long, what the result of attending the gym should be, etc.
Measurable - instead of writing "lose weight" write how much weight, and by what date. That way, if you're on the right track you'll know it, and if not you can change the deadline or work harder to make the original one!
Attainable - If your goal is to find a job in the new year, you can't expect to complete that goal within a month. Often goals are thrown to the wayside because the goal-makers do not see results soon enough and become discouraged. Make sure you remain patient, make your goals challenging but not so much so that you can never achieve them, and stay on top of it!
Realistic - Similarly to attainable, ensure that the goals you make are realistic to what you really can do. Consider  your day to day schedule, noting how much time you might have to dedicate to achieving a goal, as well as external resources needed to achieve a goal. Does the goal cost money? Create a budget!
Timely - Always set a deadline for yourself. If you don't create one, goals can be easily pushed back. Even if you do not meet the deadline, this is helpful because you can re-evaluate, consider which elements failed in your SMART Goal planning and figure out how to be successful with goal setting and achieving in the future!

I hope these tips are helpful and that you can use them to succeed in the new goals you've made for the semester or year! Also, if we at Career Services can help you in achieving your goals, let us know! Come on into the centre and any of our Career Assistants will be happy to help you out! We have printed version of goal action forms as well.

Good luck and see you all soon!

Brittany
Sr. Career Assistant

Grad School Applications

Last year at this time I watched as all of the students, who had plans of pursuing post-grad programs, started to get stressed with all of the application procedures and deadlines; which, in some cases, are different for each school.

Fast-forward to this year and I am in their position while some of the other career assistants in the centre are watching me stress as I did to others last year.

I however, as a career assistant, feel that I am pretty knowledgeable about the steps involved in applying to grad school, so I started my process early! And now I am going to share some of that knowledge with you in hopes that it might relieve some stress if you are in the process of applying and that it might prepare you if you will be applying this or next year.

Also, if you are feeling overwhelmed, I want to let you know that you are not alone in that, and that this process is a very difficult one for everyone who has to go through it!

NOTE... IF YOU HAVEN'T STARTED PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION DOCUMENTS LET THIS BE YOUR WARNING TO START!

 

Seriously though, most of the processes are very intricate. While all programs require different things, here is a list of some important things common to almost all grad applications which you should start considering and preparing:

 

1. Transcripts

•  These can be ordered through your my.brocku.ca portal and they cost $12 each

2. Letter of Intent/Personal Statement

• If you do not know the difference or want resources on how to write one or both of these ducoments come into the resource centre and we can give you some tips and suggestions

3. Test Scores

• GMAT, GRE, MCAT, LSAT, PCAT, DAT, SAT
• most of these tests can be taken year long and multiple times
• Once you take the test or before you book it make sure to see when the applications for the program are due because you will need to include your test mark in your application

 

4. CV

• we have CV guidelines in the centre if you would like help writing one!

5. Online Application Component

 

6. Online Payment

 

7. References

• Each program will say what it is they would like from the references
• It is important that you talk with some professors or professionals-which one you use will depend on the program- and have them agree to be a reference for you
• Once they have agreed they will either need to fill out a form online which you have to send them, or the program you are applying to will send them a form which they will need to fill out and send to  the program
•  It will be your job to stay on top of your references to make sure that they submit your information by the deadline

8. Lastly find out if you are eligible for scholarships/ Grad funding

• This isn't a necessary step; but, it does help to off-set the cost of grad school and allows you to focus on your research by giving you enough money so that you don't have to work
• Some of these applications also require things such as reference letters, research proposals, etc and take quite a while to complete so make sure you find out when they are due (the due dates are on the Grad Studies website) so that you can leave yourself ample time to complete them

DEADLINES

 

It would be impossible for me to be able to tell you guys the due dates for every program because there are so many programs you can apply to which all have very different application due dates. But I will list some of the due dates to the more common programs which I hope will help!

 

If the program you are hoping to get into is not listed, I would recommend going on the Grad Studies site of the institution and looking up your specific program to find out when your program's application is due.

 

Most of this information was taken from the OUAC website, where, if your interested, you can find even more information about some of these processes!

 

Medical School--> October 1, 2012 (already passed!!)

Dental School--> Western and U of T = December 1, 2012

Law School--> November 1, 2012 for first year students, May 1, 2013 for upper year students

Master of Business--> @ Brock = rolling admission.. for April 2013 start, apply by March 30, 2013

Teacher's College--> Decomber 3, 2012 (for applications), December 10, 2012 (for money order or electronic payment and all supplementary application forms and the experience profile)

ORPAS (for OT, PT, AUD, SLP) --> January 11, 2013 at 11:59 pm

 

I know that I have just presented a lot of information but be sure to consult the Grad School Office of the school you wish to apply to in order to find out the specifics of the application process.

 

Hopefully, now that you have all of this wonderful information at your finger tips, you can go through the process with less stress.

 

One can only hope :)

 

All the best with your endeavours! And remember everyone at Career Services will be happy to assist you in preparing your documents if you want some extra help. If you would like further or more specific assistance than feel free to contact the program coodinator for the program you wish to apply to who will be pleased to answer any of your questions. If you are applying to a Brock program than most answers can be found on the Grad Studies website.

 

So if you aren't applying to the same program as me, then I wish you the best of luck and hope that you get in where you want to!

 

Good luck,

Rosemary

Senior Career Assistant

Apply for Jobs NOW!

While many of you may be starting to dream about Reading Week and sipping Pina Coladas on the beach, some of your peers have already secured their summer jobs! Say what?!

That's right, recruitment for summer positions start as early as January and go right through to March. There really isn't much time to dawdle here - those sweet summer jobs are being snatched up fast!


So what can you do right now to make sure you aren't one of those students left behind in April with no job lined up? 

KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.

Do you want to make a ton of cash this summer? Or would you prefer to make a little less money but get some awesome experience for your resume? Figuring this out will help you narrow down your search.

UPDATE YOUR RESUME!

It will look pretty bad if in the midst of deadlines approaching for summer jobs that you accidentally send your resume out that hasn't been updated since Gr. 10 Careers class... you know better!

START YOUR SEARCH!

There are lots of places that hire specifically for the summer including summer camps, restaurants, hotels/resorts, outdoor recreation facilities, etc. If you're looking for something for specific and tailored to your degree, do your research early to find out about possible internships or other positions in your area.



Along with all these tips, make sure you Practice Your Interview Skills, be wary of deadlines, and network to make sure everyone knows you're looking for employment during the summer months. Stop by Career Services to jump start your summer job search!


Well, what are you waiting for?! You have a lot of work ahead of you.
Here's to finding an awesome summer job!

- Lia