Happy Halloween! Work Appropriate Costumes and Spookiest Jobs

Happy Halloween everyone!  

Thinking about wearing a costume to work? Here’s a guide for do’s and don’ts to make sure you’re the right kind of spooky at work: 

Do:

• Use your best judgement when choosing a costume; if you aren’t sure if it’s appropriate, it’s probably best to choose something else
• Ask around to see what your co-workers are dressing up as
• Have fun with it and be creative!

Don’t: 

• Wear anything that is offensive, or that could reinforce harmful stereotypes around race, gender, ability, culture or mental health
• Violate any of your workplace policies/dress codes 

In the spirit of Halloween, here are some of the spookiest jobs:

1. Gravedigger

2. Funeral director 

3. Arachnologist (spider scientist)

4. Ghost hunter

5. Embalmer (preparing bodies for funeral homes)

6. Crime scene cleaner

7. High-rise window cleaner

8. Coroner (examining deceased bodies)

9. Exterminator

10. Snake milker (extract venom from snakes) 

To learn more about these, and other career options, visit careerzone.brocku.ca or drop into CareerZone on Monday-Friday from 8:30-4:30. We have also added extended hours on Tuesday’s from 4:30-6:30. 

Have a safe and happy Halloween! 

Assess Yourself!

Staring to plan your career might seem like a daunting process but with the right tools you can confidently navigate this path. Career assessments are a great place to start to gain a better understanding of who you are, especially in relation to your personality, skills, and values. Recognizing these traits plays an important part in finding a work environment that is best suited for you and the type of work you would like to do. Career assessments are also helpful in that they help identify your strengths and the areas in need of improvement. Before we get into the Career Assessments here are a few tips to keep in mind during the process.

·      Be honest with yourself. 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 in a work setting.

·      Make conclusive decisions. Refrain from not caring when it comes to answering questions. Answering “maybe” or “do not care” will lead to inaccurate answers in your assessments.

·      You are not limited to these results. One thing we tell students all the time is to focus less on the list of jobs and more on the skills. It’s important to be able to recognize transferrable skills that could be used in various work settings.

·      You change, and so do your results. Your personal and professional experiences allow you to grow and learn more about your skills, likes, and dislikes. It’s important to take career assessments more than once as your interests and needs will change over time

At CareerZone there are three different career assessments that we suggest students check out, each focusing on different aspects of your career planning process.

1. Career Cruising

The Career Matchmaker matches your preferences for doing specific tasks with a list of potential careers. The top 40 careers are listed and each job title links you to specific information about that job including a job description, salary/wages, working conditions, educational requirements, and much more. Career Cruising is a great way to narrow down career options and the more questions you answer, the better the results.

2. Talent Today

Talent Today is a questionnaire that assesses your personality and motivations in relation to career options. There are three aspects of this assessment, the motivations radar, talent id, and the personality radar. After completing your profile you can discover jobs that match best with your results. Another great aspect of this assessment is that it provides you with graphs and charts utilizing your own personal data, which looks great in a Career Portfolio or LinkedIn profile

3. Type Focus

Your profile provides you with detailed information about your personality, interests, and values. This assessment suggests careers that align with your strengths and evaluates success factors that can help you to become better prepared to do well in your occupation of choice.

As a Brock University student or alumni, these three assessments are available to you for free. To access Career Assessments

·      Log onto careerzone.brocku.ca using your login and password

·      Click on the “Resources” tab from the Campus Career menu on your dashboard

·      Click on the “Career Assessments” section

Now go, choose an assessment to complete. I hope the results provide you with the information you need to successfully navigate your career path.

Further Education: Where to go after your undergrad

Have you thought about what you want to do after you graduate? Maybe you have decided to jumpstart your career in a new grad job position. But some of you may have decided you want to continue your educational career by pursuing post-graduate studies.

The post-graduate process can be scary, so here are some handy tips to help you get started.

Lets start with the basics: is grad school right for me? This resource can be found on careerzone.brocku.ca under the Further Education resource tab. This resource outlines the basic elements every graduate program will need and therefore, you must consider before deciding to apply. It's a short, easy read that will help you ask yourself some of the tough questions about your next steps.

If you have checked out this resource and decided it is for you, then you need to start considering what program is best for you and where that program is offered. This will require a lot of research, and it may be smart to start backwards. By that I mean, researching the job you want to end up in on a website such as Career Cruising to discover what the educational requirements. You may find you need a college certificate instead of a Masters, or a PhD instead of a Masters. This will help you not only narrow down your search, but also the timing of your career journey.

Once you figured out what program you want to take you'll want to decide where to apply. To make this decision, you will  once again want to do your research. A great resource that you can find in CareerZone's physical drop-in center is the Graduate School Planning Guide. So stop in and grab one for FREE! It is important when considering where to apply, to not only consider the school but any other lifestyle components such as distance from home, living expenses of the school's city, and overall school culture.

Once you have decided on your program and where you want to apply, your focus will be on the application components. Emphasis will especially be placed on those that should be prepared well in advance. The three biggest ones are entrance exams, your Curriculum Vitae (CV), and your Statement of Intent. To help students, CareerZone has study books for the LSAT, GMAT, MCAT, GRE, and PCAT that can be rented out. Also, our full-time career consultants are trained to look through your application documents to give you beneficial feedback to hopefully increase your chances of getting accepted!

Most important, take your time in this decision. If further education is something your still on the fence about, maybe take a year off. Finding volunteer opportunities or employment opportunities in that break year can really help you solidify what you want to do, boost your application, and give you enough time to feel confident in your application.

Of course if you have any questions about further education, feel free to email us at career@brocku.ca, stop by our physical space off of Market Hall, or chat us to talk with one of our staff about this BIG next step in your career journey!

How to Find a Part Time Job!

So it's a brand new school year and classes are well underway. What are you going to do to fill those spaces between lectures, before (or preferably after) you're done your assignments, and to make some extra cash?

...Well, you're going to apply for a part-time job, of course!

The benefits of working part-time during your studies?

• Meet new people as well as network with professionals that can lead to opportunities post graduation in your field!
• Expand your resume and skills which can give you essential experience for your future career path!
• Help finance your education and other expenses including books, events, activities and much more!

Where can I find a part-time while I'm in school at Brock? 

Career Zone: Don't forget we have an online job board for students! You can access this at careerzone.brocku.ca. 

Local Resources: If there aren't any positions posted that catch your eye on Career Zone, we suggest reaching out to local organizations. Check out Job Gym, a website posting positions all around the Niagara Region both part-time and full-time.

Popular Employers: There are opportunities all around you! Specifically, there are places that hire tons of students such as the Niagara Outlet Collection and the Pen Centre. For these employers, you can look online or submit resumes in person!

How can you prepare for your job search?

1. Visit CareerZone online or in person
2. Grab a resume and a cover letter template to get started on your documents 
3. Stop on by for a drop-in resume and cover letter review 

Other ways Career Zone can help you find that perfect part-time job?

Shop For Jobs!

Where: The Pen Centre 

When: October 16th, 2018

What: A job fair at the local mall to hire students! 

Keep an eye out for more tips and events to help with finding a part-time job and for more information visit careerzone.brocku.ca

Introducing the 2018-2019 CareerZone Team!

CAREERZONE TEAM 2018-2019

Welcome Back Badgers! CareerZone is back with new and returning Career Assistants that are excited to help you get your career conversation started! CareerZone is open Monday-Friday from 8:30AM - 4:30PM (Extended hours on Tuesdays until 6:30PM). Keep reading to see what the Career Assistants are most excited for this year and their favourite meme!

LEAD CAREER ASSISTANTS

NAME: Akayla Olajos

ROLE: Lead Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Medical Sciences

Akayla is excited for another year at CareerZone, getting to know all the new staff and hopefully graduating!

NAME: Chelsey Masson

ROLE: Lead Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Psychology Co-op

Chelsey is excited to collaborate with more departments and facilities across campus!

NAME: Victoria Kaczmarczyk

ROLE: Lead Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Sociology with a minor in Psychology

Victoria is excited to work with all the new Career Assistants and the returning Senior Career Assistants. She is also looking forward to continuing her leadership role at CareerZone but also developing her mentorship skills through specialized projects through Campus Career! It’s going to be a great year!

SENIOR CAREER ASSISTANTS

NAME: Chloe Hall

ROLE: Senior Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Media and Communication Studies

Chloe is excited to work with our new team members, especially on projects!

NAME: Megan MacLennan

ROLE: Senior Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Labour Studies Co-op

Megan is looking forward to having more career conversations with students and working on new projects!

NAME: Spencer Markham

ROLE: Senior Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Sociology with a concentration in Criminology

Spencer is looking forward to continuing to help students with building their careers and networks, as well as having the opportunity to mentor the new incoming Career Assistants and taking on more of a leadership role. She is excited to work with the Co-op, Career and Experiential Education team and is hoping for a successful year!

NAME: Stephanie Alcé

ROLE: Senior Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Political Science and Labour Studies

Stephanie is excited to take on a leadership role and work on her project management and workshop skills!

CAREER ASSISTANTS

NAME: Hana Markham

ROLE: Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Child and Youth Studies

Hana is excited about gaining more experience in this role and sharing that experience with the students that she will be helping this year!

NAME: Holly MacRae

ROLE: Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Applied Linguistics, Speech and Language Sciences

Holly is excited to get to know and meet more students and help them achieve their career/job goals.

NAME: Joceline Gaffan

ROLE: Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Child Health

Joceline is most excited to start her 2nd year of university and is also excited to help anybody that comes into CareerZone to use all of our great services!

NAME: Karina Atha

ROLE: Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Business Administration Co-op

Karina is excited for her co-op work term here at Career Education. She is also excited to travel a little this semester!

GOODMAN CAREER ASSISTANTS

NAME: Niraj Dave

ROLE: Goodman Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Business Administration with a concentration in Finance

Niraj is excited for Avengers 4, All-day Breakfast at Tim Horton’s and MGMT 3P98 (International Business) with Professor Sheng Deng!

NAME: Vicky Wang

ROLE: Career Assistant

PROGRAM: Accounting

Vicky likes knowing that she is doing something important and interesting. She says that it is really rewarding to motivate others, as well as witnessing their self-improvement in achieving their potentials!

SUPERVISOR

NAME: Kara Renaud

ROLE: Supervisor
Kara is looking forward to working with her new team and seeing them grow and develop!

Summer Goodbyes and Fall Starts!

Sadly, this will be the last blog by your Summer Career Assistants. Don't worry, we'll be back starting September 4th!

Where you can find us in September:

• Look out for CareerZone on the Go at Vendor Fair from September 4th-5th
• In the resource centre Monday - Friday from 8:30AM - 4:30PM

Even better news: we're looking for students to join CareerZone's Street Team!

What is CareerZone's Street Team?

A group of students that hit the halls spreading the message about CareerZone's resources, opportunities and how CareerZone can help students.

Interested? Find us at Vendor Fair for more information or email us at career@brocku.ca.

Getting Ready For Fall!

With less two weeks left until we jump into a new school year, we have been busy renovating the resource centre as well as updating our books, magazines and resources.

If you were keeping up with our Summer DEGs of the Week, you'll be just as excited as us to see our new set up for easy access to all the DEGs (check out the picture below).

If you're graduating this upcoming year you might find use in all of our updated graduate school books and magazines:

• Cracking the LSAT Book
• Cracking the GMAT Book
• Advanced Prep for MCAT 
• Cracking the GRE Book
• Prep Plus for PCAT Book
• Graduate Guide Magazine

Along with these, don't forget we have all sorts of books and magazines to help with social networking, job interview, graduate admissions, and much more!

As For Next Week...

CareerZone will be closed from Monday, August 27th - Monday, September 3rd to train our new team members! Don't worry, doors open at 8:30AM on Tuesday, September 4th for all your career needs.

Thanks for joining us this summer!

Final DEG of the Week! (August 19 - 24)

Final DEG of the Week!

Sadly, this is the final DEG of the week for this summer. But you know what that means? School is right around the corner! Reminder: CareerZone is open Monday - Friday from 8:30AM to 4:30PM all school year long.

For our last week, we have decided to explore the DEG for Political Science!

The Department of Social Sciences offers an amazing Political Science program which aims to teach students how to focus on the ideas, institutions, and processes that shape our lives, helping them to become better members and effective leaders of the Canadian political community. 

The Political Science program may be studied at a Honours or Pass level but can also be combined with other disciplines that can set a career path depending on your area of interest:

• Political Science Co-op
• Public Administration Co-op
• Emergency Management Program (Combination with Sheridan College)
• Paralegal Program (Combination with Seneca College)
• Policing and Criminal Justice Program (Combination with Niagara College)
• Political Science and Labour Studies (Combination with George Brown College)

What can you do with all of this? Here are some potential career options:

• Attorney
• Campaign Organizer
• Civil Servant (Federal, Provincial, Municipal)
• Diplomat
• Public Policy Advisor 
• Foreign Service Officer
• Government Administrator
• International Relations Manager
• Journalist
• Judge 
• Law Enforcement Officer
• Legal Assistant
• Politician 
• Paralegal
• Public Relations Officer
• Researcher / Reporter 

....and many more!

Degree Specific Skills:

• Aptitude for Leadership
• Conceptualizing and Implementing Projects
• Interaction with Diverse Populations
• Logistical Thinking
• Mediating /Negotiating Skills
• Organizing and Interpreting Social, Economic, and Political data
• Research Skills

Do any or all of these skills sound like you? Check out the Department of Political Science's website for more information:  https://brocku.ca/social-sciences/political-science/

Interested in a job in the Political Science field now? The DEG offers the following links to help you with the job search in some relevant areas:

Job Bank Canada: htttp://jobbank.gc.ca

Correctional Services Canada: www.csc-scc.gc.ca

Canadian Security Intelligence Service: www.csis-scrs.gc.ca

Law Plus:

If you are going into your first year or know someone who will be soon and interested in Political Science, keep an eye out for our upcoming Law Plus program aiming to start September 2019. This co-curricular program is for Brock students looking to pursue a career in law.

Law Plus will mirror the already established Med Plus program here at Brock and the new program will accept applications from students in any Faculty who have an interest in a legal career. This program will run throughout your undergraduate studies and will provide practical experiences to prepare you in the rigours of careers in law. 

Thanks for checking in this Summer for every DEG of the Week! Remember, you can find our Degree Exploration Guides in CareerZone and at https://brocku.ca/ccee/career-education/campus/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/. 

DEGs outline a list of common career options related to a certain program, as well as degree specific skills. Also, DEGs offer various links to help with job and volunteer search in that chosen field! Who wouldn't want one of these for their program?

DEG of the Week! (August 13 - August 17)

New DEG of the Week! This is our 2nd-last DEG of the Week for Summer 2018! Crazy right?! It's like summer flew by!

You can find our Degree Exploration Guides in CareerZone and at https://brocku.ca/ccee/career-education/campus/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/. DEGs outline a list of common career options related to a certain program, as well as degree specific skills. Also, DEGs offer various links to help with job and volunteer search in that chosen field! Who wouldn't want one of these for their program?

Each week we will be choosing one Degree Exploration Guide to focus on and welcome all students to come and learn about the different programs here at Brock!

DEG of the Week: Psychology

Our DEG of the Week is Psychology! This 3- or 4-year program is very popular at Brock University and also offers combined programs with other colleges in Canada.

Career Options:


Addictions Counsellor
Case Manager
Clinical Social Worker
Corrections Officer
Counsellor
Intervention Specialist
Mental Health Services Worker
Pscyhologist
Rehabilitation Officer
Speech Language Pathologist
Therapist
Trauma Support Specialist

Degree Specific Skills:

Analytical Skills
Ethical Awareness
Interpersonal Skills
Logical Thinking
Time Management Skills
Work Well in a Team

Job Search Resources:

Careers in Psychology: http://www.careersinpsychology.org

Professional Associations and Career Resources:

Additions and Mental Health Ontario: www.amho.ca
Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Association (CACCF): http://www.caccf.ca
Ontario Art Therapy Association: www.psych.on.ca
Ontario School Counsellors' Association: www.osca.ca

Further Education and Entrance Exams:

Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs: http://www.ccppp.ca
Graduate Record Examinations (GRE): www.ets.org/gre

Business and Employer Directories:

Encyclopedia of Psychology: www.psychology.org


Note: These are not the only career options, skills and resources available. For the full degree exploration guide, visit https://brocku.ca/ccee/wp-content/uploads/sites/68/DEG-Social-Sciences-Psychology.pdf

For more information on the Psychology program at Brock University, visit https://brocku.ca/webcal/2018/undergrad/psyc.html

DEG of the Week! (August 7 - August 10)

We're back and hope everyone enjoyed the relaxing long weekend! Unfortunately, back to reality but fortunately this means DEG of the Week!

This week's DEG of the Week is Biology!

The Faculty of Mathematics and Science offers a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and also the opportunity for a minor in Biological Sciences. 

The Biological Sciences program can also be referred to as Life Sciences which encompasses a broad spectrum of topics including molecular biology and ecology as well subjects such as biochemistry, biophysics, genetics, and physiology!

BONUS, this program comes with many bonus opportunities such as:

• Experiential Learning 
• International Opportunities
• MedPlus 
• Concurrent Education Options

PLUS Brock is ranked highly among undergraduate universities in Canada for medical and scientific research grants. In this program, you'll have access to modern labs and the teaching and research knowledge of professors who have received provincial, national and international acclaim!

What can you do with all of this? Here are some potential career options:

• Bacteriologist 
• Coroner
• Doctor 
• Food Scientist
• Forensic Researcher
• Marine Biologist 
• Paleontologist 
• Pharmacist / Pharmaceutical Technical 
• Teacher
• Veterinarian 
• Wildlife Biologist
• Zoologist 

..... and many more!

Degree Specific Skills:

• Ability to Understand Complex Concepts
• Compiling & Organizing Information
• Deductive Reasoning 
• Evaluating Ideas, Theories & Evidence
• Observation Skills
• Report Writing 
• Working in a Team

MedPlus:

One of the best opportunities for students in a science-based program is MedPlus, a four-year non-credit program that runs concurrently along student's study period. 

Learn about and build experience in the health field through this unique program that includes job shadowing, networking opportunities with healthcare professionals, skill development workshops and community service projects.

Students who complete Med Plus go on to pursue further education in medical, physiotherapy, chiropractic, graduate school and more.

Learn more about MedPlus at https://brocku.ca/ccee/career-education/med-plus/

You can also find more information about Brock's Biology program at:

 https://brocku.ca/mathematics-science/biology/

Check back next week for another DEG of the Week!

Until then, you can find a DEG for any program at Brock online at https://brocku.ca/ccee/career-education/campus/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/.