The Search is on for Summer Jobs!

The warm weather is quickly approaching and we're all getting ready for that dreadful search- the search for summer employment. Here at Career Services, we do our best to make your summer job search as effective and pain-free as possible. Here are a few tips: 

How to Find the Perfect Summer Job

The key to finding the perfect summer job is remembering that it might not currently exist. As important as it is to look for positions that align with your personal goals and passions, remember that gaining valuable experience comes in many different ways! Rather than looking strictly for a job within your field of study, focus on finding a position that interests you- even if it doesn't necessarily fit into your "perfect job" category. Many skills are transferable and can be used in various roles, so instead of asking yourself what type of job you want, ask yourself what kind of problems you would like to solve or what skills you'd like to gain. 

Where to Look

Go to Careerzone (careerzone.brocku.ca) to take a look at positions that are available on and off campus. Many on-campus summer jobs have the potential to extend into part-time positions in the school year.  Here are a few on-campus services that you could apply to this summer:

• Brock Dining Services
• Brock University Students' Union (B.U.S.U)  
• Brock Human Resources
• Recreation Services
• Student Life and Community Experience

Off-campus jobs also have their benefits, here are some general job search sites that can help you land a position within the Niagara Region:

• http://www.jobbank.gc.ca
• http://www.jobgym.com
• http://www.indeed.ca
• http://www.wowjobs.ca
• http://talentegg.ca 

When to Look

Don't wait, start now! One of the biggest misconceptions students have regarding summer job searching is that they have to wait until the summer to start. Many employers prefer to begin their hiring process months in advance. You can find summer job postings as early as January! Start your process now and make your chances of getting summer employment higher. 

How to Prepare 

Preparing for your job search can seem difficult at times. Drop by the Career Resource Centre or email us at Career@brocku.ca for interview tips and job search strategies to help you land a summer job that you enjoy!




Lydia Collins
Senior Career Assistant

Is Your Career in Demand?

In today's ever-changing labour market, it is important to stay updated on what jobs are in demand and what jobs are more competitive. Staying updated, while it sounds daunting, is actually very easy and can be done from these two resources:

Job Bank Canada:
This website, updated weekly with labour market news per Canada as a whole, province and territories, and even municipalities, gives ratings for professions in regions across Canada. Want to know where Pilots are in demand... maybe thinking about moving to Calgary? The extensive search criteria allows you to peek inside the labour market for that job in that area.


This resource also does a complete overhaul at the beginning of each year for all of their statistics. This means that in January 2015 we will have a completely new batch of information to draw from! Stay updated, Career Services will be using this resource to develop our labour market and trends binders in the coming months.


Glassdoor.ca:
Glassdoor is unique in that it allows not only a look at if jobs are in demand, but the culture of those jobs and companies. Employees who have worked there review the job, location specific most of the time, and can help identify if that profession or that company is something you want to do or work for.

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will also get a quick listing of trending jobs and salaries. The best part is it is all Canadian! Glassdoor.ca is a fun and informative website to use when analyzing the labour market. They also have a mobile app, so you can search your careers demand on the go!



It is important to know where the jobs are in your profession, and to understand where the jobs will be in the future  and where your industry is headed. These two resources are only the tip of the iceberg but provide a bountiful amount of information that is relatively easy to access.


Anthony Mancuso
Senior Career Assistant
3rd Year Honours Bachelor of Sport Management

Welcome Summer!

I hope everyone is enjoying spring and summer so far! My name is Alysha, I will be working as a Career Assistant throughout the summer and will become a Senior Career Assistant this coming September. I am super excited to start blogging with the Brock community (and other career seekers as well!) and hopefully give everyone some helpful information!

There are some interesting topics coming up for the blog throughout the summer such as: Career Planning, New Grads Info, and Faculty Specific Information for those looking for careers in their field. With all that action happening on the blog, I would also like to remind you guys about our resource center at BrockU!

Summer Hours:

The Career Services resource center will be open throughout the summer months. We are open 9am - 4pm from Monday to Friday. There will be a 30 minute gap from 12:30pm-1pm where we will close for lunch. You can find us on the first floor of the library J.

Feel free to visit us at the resource center for any career assessment resources, information about job postings, a resume or cover letter review (no appointment necessary!), or any other questions you may have associated with your future career. I would love to be able to help students throughout the summer to build and develop their career goals.  Summer is a great time to catch up on updating your resume, your portfolio, and doing further research on the potential careers you may want to pursue!

Thanks for reading! I look forward to sharing many tips with you throughout the summer J.


Alysha Kooter
Career Assistant 
Concurrent Education: Visual Arts 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