Tips for Finding a Summer Job

It's time for the scramble...everyone is worried about how they are going to make money over the summer break! Well, Career Services has a few tips and resources that you may find useful to give you an advantage in landing that great summer job!

Here are some great job search sites for on and off-campus jobs:

• CareerZone
• Brock Dining Services
• BUSU
• Brock Human Resources
• Faculty and Department websites

Here are some government job search websites:

• FSWEP
• Service Canada
• Experience Program (OPS-wide)
• Ontario Government Summer Student Hiring
• Summer Job programs
• City of St. Catharines
• City of Welland
• City of Niagara Falls
• City of Grimsby
• City of Hamilton

Summer Camps:

• All About Summer Camps
• Ontario Camps Association
• Our Kids go to Camp
• Online Summer Camp Directory

Additional Sites:

• Talent Egg
• Summer Jobs
• RAMP

You can also check out the Find a Job section of our website for more online job boards to help in your search. 

Tapping into the hidden job market is also an excellent strategy...you can use some of the business and community directories in our Occupational Research section to get the contact information and/or address of local businesses and organizations and then contact them even if they do not have not posted a job opening on a job board.

Final Tips:

• Start early - summer jobs are posted now!
• Have a plan - focus on what type of job you want and target your search
• Practice your interview skills and be confident in your ability to talk about your skills and achievements. Check out our blog post about interview preparation, or come into the Resource Centre for help!
• Update your resume and understand how to customize your resume and cover letter 
• Come see us for a free, drop-in review session!

Jami Coughler, Senior Career Assistant
4th Year Public Health [Honours]; BA: Sociology [Honours] '11

Get Involved at Brock with ExperienceBU!

Interested in getting involved and staying up to date with everything happening at Brock? ExperienceBU is your one-stop-shop for information regarding clubs, events, and news on campus. To start experiencing Brock University click HERE.

Having issues creating an account? The following video has been put together to help you easily sign into ExperienceBU and get started today!

Remember to take advantage of the many ways that YOU can get involved at Brock. Club involvement, for instance, is a fantastic way to network with like-minded students and is also something that can be included on your resume. University experience isn't just about school and work - so get involved today!

I hope you all had an amazing reading week. Best of luck on your midterms!

Ashley Paolozzi, Lead Career Assistant
4th Year History of Art (Honours)

Reading Week Hours

Happy Reading Week!!

Career Services will be closed Monday, February 17th and Tuesday, February 18th. We will also not be responding to any emails during this time.

We will resume regular operations on Wednesday, February 19th
(Regular hours: 9:00 - 4:30).

Enjoy your time off! See you next week!

Ashley Paolozzi, Lead Career Assistant
4th Year History of Art (Honours)

Interview Preparation

Interviews are scary for most people but the key to interview success is being well-prepared. Practice tools such as Interview Stream are great because they allow you to see over 3,000 sample interview questions, record yourself answering the questions, and the watch yourself to see how you did! You can also email your recorded video to us at career@brocku.ca for constructive feedback. For log-in help and additional resources, check out the Interview section of our Online Resource Centre (through CareerZone). We also have an extensive Interview Techniques binder in the Resource Centre which has information on preparing for the interview, what to expect during the interview, how to make a great first impression, and what should always be done after the interview! Here are a few more general tips for preparing for an interview:

• Know yourself: You increase your confidence when you know what you can contribute to the organization and what you want from the job   
• Identify your assets and qualities by making a list of your…
• Skills and Competencies 
• Knowledge 
• Values and Needs 
• Beliefs 
• Interests 
• Personal Characteristics 
• Hint: personality and career assessments, such as Career Cruising and Type Focus, can help! Access them for free through CareerZone 

• Know the organization and the job. Some suggestions for getting to know the company are as follows:
  • Study the organization’s website
  • Have an idea of how the company operates and how it views its employees
  • Check out recent annual reports and news releases
  • Become familiar with the vision and goals of the company so that you can make valuable connections to it during the interview
  • Review the job posting or find a description of the position on the company website
  • Talk to someone you know in a similar position/field
•  Know your accomplishments: Interviewers want to know about your track record for achieving results – they often use your past performance to predict your future success. Keep this in mind during your interview and take opportunities to demonstrate your accomplishments.
  • Creating a career portfolio can be a creative and efficient way of demonstrating your accomplishments and experiences to potential employers 
  • Hint: Career Services offers portfolio review sessions on a walk-in basis and also has various portfolio samples to browse through

 Practice makes perfect so remember...

• The interviewer wants to know how your skills, knowledge and experience match the needs of the position and also how well you communicate. Practicing what you're going to say and how you’re going to say it will help you communicate clearly and confidently.
• It's best not to memorize questions and answers. Instead, develop key points that you want the interviewer to know about you, based on your preparation. You can practice using these key points to respond to a variety of questions.
• It's also important for you to ask relevant questions during the interview. Make a list of three things you want to know about the position or the organization. Make sure you wouldn't be expected to know the answers to these questions from your research. It’s a good idea NOT to ask questions about salary, vacation or other benefits until after you receive a job offer. Our Resource Centre has various print resources that can help you come up with some great questions to ask!

 Here are some additional pointers:

• Get ready: Make sure your interview attire is neat, tidy and appropriate for the type of position and employer you are interviewing with. Bring a nice portfolio with copies of your resume. Include a pen and paper for note taking.

• Be on time: On time means five to ten minutes early. If need be, take some time to drive to the interview location ahead of time so you know exactly where you are going and how long it will take to get there.

• Stay calm: During the job interview try to relax and stay as calm as possible. Take a moment to regroup. Listen to the entire question before you answer and pay attention - you will be embarrassed if you forget the question!

• Show what you know: Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions.  When discussing your career accomplishments, match them to what the company is looking for.

• *The follow-up: After the interview, be sure to follow-up with a thank you note that emphasizes two or three reasons why you’re the ideal candidate for the position.

• In the event that you are not chosen for the position, don’t be afraid to contact the interviewer to ask for some feedback on how you can improve your interview skills for next time!

 Best of luck!

Jami Coughler, Senior Career Assistant
4th Year Public Health [Honours]; BA: Sociology [Honours] '11

Start your on campus job search now!

 

Are you interested in working on campus during your studies to gain some valuable experience and extra cash? If your answer is yes, then start your search NOW!

Employers on campus begin their hiring process for fall of the following school year very early and although some positions are still available in the fall, many opportunities may already be filled.

Where do I start?

Career Zone is Brock’s online job board which hosts a variety of on campus (and off campus) jobs. Make sure to check if positions require Experience Works. This is specialized funding for certain jobs and an Experience Works funded job requires that you apply and qualify for Experience Works in order to be considered for the position. For more information on Experience Works please visit: http://www.brocku.ca/career-services/students-alumni/experience-works.

 
Not all on-campus jobs are posted on Career Zone, so make sure to also check out these sources:

Brock University Student’s Union (B.U.S.U.) (busu.net)

Brock Dining Services (brocku.ca/dining-services/employment)

Recreation Services (brocku.ca/recreation-services/student-employment)

Student Life and Community Experience (brocku.ca/student-life-community-experience)

If you are particularly interested in applying somewhere on campus and cannot find a job posting on any of these sites, try visiting the location in person. It doesn’t hurt to drop off a resume!

_______________________________

Nella Paris
Sr. Career Assistant
4th Year Psychology Major (Honours)

Common Job Search Sites

 More and more employers are advertising their jobs through job search sites which is good news for job seekers. Many job sites are becoming more intuitive and can actually save you time. For example: www.indeed.ca remembers your search and the next time you use the site it will let you know how many new jobs have been posted under your search criteria. No more browsing around to find the good stuff. Get straight to the honey!

www.jobbank.gc.ca is a government job site that allows you to search by region, employment area, full time/ part time and length of employment. the site is easy to navigate, and dates of posts are clearly listed to help you know when jobs were posted and when they will be taken down. Application information is listed in the bottom of each post.

www.eluta.ca is an excellent site for new grads. It is the official job search engine for Canada's Top 100 Employers project. Once you search for jobs, the menu on the left hand side allows you to  pick and choose which options you would like to see and which you would like to limit.

These are just a few of the job search sites we have listed on our job search sites handout in Career Services. Stop by to grab a copy and check them out!

Becky
Sr. Career Assistant

Review Services: How We Can Help You!

Happy February!

Today's blog post is a friendly reminder of the services we have available for the Brock University community for both undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni and university staff.

Reviews Include:

• Resumes
• Cover Letters
• Curriculum Vitaes
• Letter of Intents/Personal Statements
• Portfolios

We require that you bring a hard copy of your documents into our office. We are unable to provide evaluations on the computer - this includes on your personal laptop. Without a printed copy we will be unable to do the evaluation. No exceptions. It is also helpful if you bring in a copy of the job posting for the position you are applying to. If you are applying for graduate school and you want us to review your letter of intent/personal statement we require the information that the university is asking you to discuss in order to ensure you are receiving the best service possible.

If you are unable to travel to the main Brock campus we welcome emailed resume evaluations (career@brocku.ca). However, if you are able to come into the Resource Centre we recommend that you meet with us in person.

Career Services a drop in service so no appointment is required to meet with us. If you are currently in the process of developing a resume and you do not have a working copy we still encourage that you come and meet with us so that we can assist you with getting started.

Reviews take between 10-15 minutes and we require that you are present for the duration of the review. We are located in the Learning Commons in the library beside the Reception desk. Our hours are 9:00-4:30 from Monday to Friday. Hour changes will occur for both Reading Week and the summer and we will update you with these changes as soon as we are aware of them.

Ashley Paolozzi, Lead Career Assistant
4th Year History of Art (Honours) 

Planning for Short Term and Long Term Goals

 There is a new banking commercial out right now that asks the viewer "will you be better off next year?", and I found that I stepped back and asked myself if I would be better off one year from now. Things don't get accomplished by just hoping things will happen. That is where goals come in.  Taking the time to sit down and actively think about what you want, how you want to accomplish it, and by what date, is surprisingly effective. By taking the time to plan your short term and long term goals, it will actually cause a shift in your actions because you will be acting in accordance with your PRIORITIES!   Short term goals can be simple, such as  " I want to complete all of my assigned readings the weekend before the scheduled class". Long term goals look 1-5 years in the future and can range from personal, professional, financial, academic or any combination of the above. Goals should be SMART, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Utilizing goal setting strategies can help you in your career planning process by helping you draw a map to success. Until you sit down to figure out exactly what you want, you may not have thought about the different steps required to meet that goal.

Where will you be next week? The end of the semester? One year from now? Five years from now?

Set goals now and you will be surprised with how much you can accomplish!

 - Becky W.
Sr. Career Assistant

Making Career Decisions

Making career-related decisions can be one of the most challenging aspects of the career planning process. There are various factors you should consider when making such decisions. Our friends at Cosmic Coaching Centre wrote a great article for us with some important things to keep in mind:

Making Decisions about Your Career

Choosing a career is one of the biggest decisions we have to make in our lives. In fact, this decision of ours may determine the quality of life we are going to have, not only in terms of our finances, but also when it comes how satisfied we are with our lives. With that said, it is just right that we think a thousand times before deciding on which career path to take. This isn’t going to be an easy process, though, but if you could keep your focus on what really matters, you are likely to find the career that would suit you perfectly.

Factors to Consider in Making a Career Decision

Required educational level. Jobs may vary significantly in terms of the educational level required from job applicants. So if you don’t feel like going to school for 4 years to earn a degree, you may as well find a career that requires less. Take into consideration also the long-term education you may be required to have to retain your license.

Passion. This factor is often neglected by those who are merely after the security and financial stability a career can offer. But you have to understand that for you to stay long in a job, you need to be happy doing it. This is only possible if you use your passion as a basis of your career choice.

Skills and abilities. It’s good that you are passionate about something, but this passion won’t be enough to make you successful in your career. It is equally important that you have the skills and abilities required by the job. To know if you have what it takes to succeed in a particular job, use various skills assessment tools to test yourself. The results of such test will help you determine which skills you need to enhance more in order to be qualified for your desired career.

Personal life. If you are a fresh graduate, it won’t be that hard for you to choose a career that’s demanding, especially of your time. But for those who have families of their own, choosing a career is a bit more complicated. This is because conflict of interest is inevitable. If you are put in the second situation, you must seriously consider the demands of the job you’re going to get. You also have to be ready for however it may affect your personal life and relationships.

Career advancement opportunities. Ultimately, it is your goal to excel in your field. This means that you would be dedicated and committed enough to deserve a promotion perhaps. So when deciding among your career options, take a look at the opportunities for advancement that a certain career offers. This way, you may set your mind into achieving a higher career goal.

Career Services has several resources that can help you make these decisions, including career assessments like Career Cruising and Type Focus. These can be accessed for free through CareerZone!

 Also, check out the Occupational Research section of our website for directories and databases that have tons of information needed to inform these vital decisions!

Once you have narrowed down your career choices, you may want to conduct some Information Interviews to make sure the career is right for you! Our Career Resource Centre has some great tips for gathering the information you need to make decisions andtranslating that information into action. Best of luck!

 

Jami Coughler, Senior Career Assistant

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

Reflecting on Your Ideal Career Options

If you have been following along with the Career Services blog over the past few months you have probably spent a lot of time considering the different types of careers you are interested in pursuing. Whether or not your career aspirations have changed, it is time to regroup and make a list of careers you have found that fit the needs and wants of your future professional life.

Grab a piece of paper (or open a Word document) and write down your top 10 (or top 5 if you have a short list) careers that you have found interesting and realistic. If you are still brainstorming careers then feel free to take or retake our self assessments which will give you some specific job titles that may interest you. Write down any additional notes (ie. 'needs further education', 'would need to move to find work') beside each of these careers.

By writing things down you will have an easier time reflecting on what you have learned. It will also help when revisiting your ideal career options in the future which is what we suggest you do every couple of weeks. You never know if you will be inspired by a specific class or professor in your final months at Brock so its wise to keep your options open and welcome any potential changes that may come in the future before graduation.

Record everything you find interesting and add or remove careers from your list at your leisure. Keep this list in a safe spot and continue to revisit it over the next few months.

If you would like to talk about your career options with us feel free to stop by the career centre!

Ashley Paolozzi, Lead Career Assistant
4th Year History of Art (Honours)

A different approach to learning about a career

The career decision process can be a daunting one, but there are ways to help you figure out which type of career will best suit you. Some ways to learn about the work environment of a particular career is to discuss the day of duties in that job. For example, information interviews are a great way to meet with a professional working in the field you too are interested in. Having the opportunity to ask a professional questions and tips about how they got to where they are, and the type of tasks they are involved with in a day, is an excellent way to get real world knowledge about a career.

Observing is another highly recommended method that will allow you to observe and experience firsthand what goes on in the workplace of a career you are interested in. A good way to do so is to volunteer or intern at a company or organization. Not only will you be learning if you are a good fit for the job, but you will also gain valuable work related experience that could open new doors in the future. Career Services has some great resources to show you where to start your volunteer or internship search; or visit Career Zone and Career Services’ website for online resources.

Navigating the Career Pyramid

     One of my favourite resources in the Career Resource centre is the job search pyramid. This neat little pyramid of knowledge breaks down the job search process into 5 easy to understand stages. For many students, searching for a job that will fit their unique talents and preferences can seem overwhelming, and the path to finding these jobs is not clear. The job search pyramid breaks down the search in to manageable bits such as  self-exploration services, research resources, conversations with professionals, site visits, and career try outs.  

     Identifying where you fall within the five steps can give you guidance on what to do at each new stage of searching, and what to do next. In my experience as a Career Assistant, I find that some students need to see a potential path in front of them before they have that "AHA!" moment.  This little pyramid can work wonders for clarifying your job search strategy and streamlining your searching to conserve your precious time and energy. You can come in and check out the pyramid any time 9-4:30 Mon-Fri and identify where YOU are in your job search!

Becky, Sr. Career Assistant

Third Year Tourism and Environment Student