DEG of the Week! (May 7 - May 11)

Starting This Summer!

We know it's hard to keep focused on your career when the sun comes out and summer takes over! So, to try to keep you all focused we have come up with a new weekly post: DEG of the week! In case you haven't visited Career Zone online or in centre, DEG stands for Degree Exploration Guide.

We keep DEGs in the resource centre and online for every program.  DEGs outline a list of common career options from a degree 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 more in depth and welcome all students to come and learn about the different programs here at Brock!

DEG of the Week: Medieval & Renaissance Studies 

Our DEG of the week this week is Medieval & Renaissance Studies (MARS)! This program is an exciting interdisciplinary program that grows each year in population and oppurtunity. It focuses on the Middle Ages and Renaissance and allows students to study the magnificent art and architecture, the great literature, and the fascinating history of the period!

Career Options:

• Anthropologist                                             
• Artifact Conservationist          
• Exhibit Designer
• Heritage Research Assistant
• Human Rights and Equity Officer
• International Relations
• Museum / Art Gallery Curator 
• Parliamentary Assistant 
• Script Writer for Film Industry 

....... and many more!


Degree Specific Skills:

• Attention to detail
• Articulate abstract concepts
• Discover common ground among diverse points of view 
• Listening while clarifying, paraphrasing and questioning 
• Place events in historical context 
• Question common practice and assumptions 
• Think analytically, independently and creatively 
• Write clearly: summarize, synthesize, revise and edit 

Do these skills sound like yours? Maybe you should take a look at what courses in Medieval & Renaissance Studies are offered this upcoming Fall through the link below!

https://brocku.ca/humanities/medieval-and-renaissance-studies/programs/


Local Relevant Organizations:
Here are some of the places a graduate from Medieval & Renaissance Studies might be found employed now

• Canadian Anthropology Society
• Ontario Archaeological Society
• Ontario Museum Association
• Niagara Historical Society Museum
• St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre
• Welland Historical Museum 

Looking for more information? You can find it here!

Archaeological Institute of America                                 Medieval Organizations and Societies
www.archaeological.org                                                   www.historymedren.about.com/cs/societies

Canadian Society of Medievalists                                    Royal Ontario Museum Employment
www.canadianmedievalists.ca                                          www.rom.on.ca/en/join-us/jobs

Cultural Career Centre Ontario                                        Society for Medieval Archaeology
www.workinculture.ca                                                     www.medievalarchaeology.co.uk

Thanks for reading and check back next Monday for another DEG of the week!

Let's Recap and Send Our Well Wishes!

Recap

The 2017/2018 school year has been one filled with new and exciting changes for Career Education, and our team got a tremendous amount of work done. 

To start, we completed renovations on the new physical space for CareerZone and we are loving it! The new location off The Guernsey Market has provided increased awareness of our services to students, and we have seen an increase in interactions due to it's visibility and accessibility.

Additionally, as we adjusted to the new space, the Career Education team discovered new ways in which we could provide services to students. A new initiative introduced this year was the “Employer Take-Over”.  Employers could set up in our newly renovated space, and students could drop-in to network and find out more information about upcoming opportunities at their companies. We also launched our CareerZone Street Team. This pilot team of volunteers spread awareness of upcoming events and opportunities to students in the Math and Science faculty, and in the coming year we hope to grow this team to expand our outreach to students in other programs.

Furthermore, we piloted a workshop series entitled “CareerZone Café".  These 30-minute workshops target specific aspects of the job search process (e.g. answering behavioural interview questions) and allow students to have a detailed conversation with a Career Assistant.   Our hope is to implement this workshop series more regularly in September 2018.

On top of this, we participated in many successful campaigns, such as International Week, It All Adds Up, and InterviewStream’s Mock Interview Madness Contest. We also saw a great turnout of students attend our events (VolunteerFest, Jobs on Campus, Grad Send Off, and our Exploring Careers In... round table networking events). Lastly, our Career Assistants were fortunate to attend Brock’s Open House recruitment events in both fall and spring, and had a chance to connect with hundreds of potential Brock students and their parents.

As a team, we appreciate all of the support we have received from other departments and faculties throughout this school year.  We would like to send a huge thank you to the continued participation of Brock students. All of our work is powered by the student body in hopes to help further career development on and off campus.

Sending Our Well Wishes

It's April which ultimately means we have to say good-bye and good luck to some of our team members as they graduate from Brock University or explore new and exciting opportunities that have come their way.

Preya, Teresa, and Lindsay joined the team in September and have shown an incredible amount of personal and professional growth. Their friendly smiles and warm personalities helped many students navigate multiple aspects of career exploration.

Preya will be entering her fourth year of the Bachelor of Business Administration Program and spending her Fall term studying abroad in Glasgow, Scotland.

"I had a great time working with CareerZone this year! As a Career Assistant, I had the opportunity to help my peers achieve their goals and work together towards their success. This was a really rewarding experience! I would like to give a special shout out to the Career Education team for being so positive and supporting! The team made a awesome job even awesomer."



Teresa will be entering her fourth year of Bachelor of Business Economics and will be studying for the Fall term before moving into a co-op term for the Winter term.

"Working at careerzone has allowed me to interact with a very diverse group of people. I have enhanced many skills, such as communication, time management and relationship building. I loved seeing students benefit from the services that Career Education offers"



Lindsay will be finishing her degree at Brock in the upcoming Fall, and seeking new opportunities upon her graduation.

"My Brock academic and career experience was amplified because of working with the folks at Career Zone. As a Labour Studies and Psychology student, I could take the knowledge I built in the classroom and share what I’ve learned with our student clients, alumni, and community members. Watching them grow and helping others communicate their skills has been both a fulfilling and grounding experience. The wisdom I gained while working within Career Education will follow me as I go forward with my academic and career development."

Sean and Andre were our Lead Career Assistants for the 2017/2018 Career Assistant team. Both always brought innovative ideas to team meetings, and provided large insights about our services to the new staff to help them adjust to their new roles. They provided guidance and training to Senior Career Assistants managing projects for the first time. In addition to their professional guidance, their fun personalities made career zone an approachable and enjoyable work environment.


Sean graduated from Brock in December and has now embarked on a new professional adventure with Deloitte.

"After working with Brock's Career Education team over the course of three years as a Career Assistant I have gained many skills and experiences that have, without a doubt, enhanced my personal skills and university experience. The work environment within CareerZone is suited to foster learning and growth. The main factor that allowed me to enjoy coming to work everyday and ultimately made the biggest impact on my skill set are the teammates and leaders I was lucky to meet. I was able to build on my weaknesses and grow alongside my colleagues, through the guidance of the leaders within the department. Aside from the learning aspect of working at CareerZone, I had the opportunity to make lasting relationships with my colleagues and this enriched my university experience in (and out) of the workplace. I cherish the memories and skills that Career Education has provided me and it led me to find a career that I love post-graduation.

Thank you so much to the amazing colleagues that made me love coming to work everyday, you truly made a positive contribution to my time at Brock University and I am so happy with the decision I made  to join Career Education!"

Andre will be entering the final year of his degree upon the completion of his current co-op work term, and will be looking to graduate in December.

"Working at CareerZone for the last two and a half years has been an amazing experience. All the student staff get well trained on career planning, the job search process, and can work on specialized areas they are interested in. The staff are friendly and support each other in developing skills at work and bridge the gap between school and work in our near future. I would highly recommend it to any Brock student looking for a job. The work environment is always very positive, and you learn valuable skills related to the job search process that have improved the quality of my resume, cover letter, and interview skills. Thanks to CareerZone I am confident in my ability to read job postings and build my application to highlight my skills in the best way to get a call back."

Transiting into Summer Term


Heading into the summer months, our office will remain open Monday to Friday from 8:30 til 4:30 with some great ladies providing you with excellent service! Stephanie and Chloe will be available to answer any of your career related questions in the office, and will also be out spreading information at SmartStart for our new Baby Badgers starting class in September.

"I’m Stephanie, and I am finishing my year as a Career Assistant at CareerZone. I will be starting as a Senior Career Assistant this summer and I’m excited to see what the position holds! Outside of work, I am a Political Science and Labour Studies major and love to sing. I look forward to my fourth year of university and to meeting next year’s Career Assistants. Come by CareerZone and visit me for job search resources and document reviews!"


"Hi all, my name's Chloe and I'll be one of your two Career Assistants around this summer to help you with any Career needs. Just a bit about myself: I am going into my fourth year of Brock's Political Science program and one of my favourite things to talk about is travelling (meaning if you ever want to get to know about some international opportunities, come on by!). Besides international resources, I am excited to be here to help Brock students on campus this summer- either with finding a volunteer or work opportunity in the area or by helping you with any program questions. Feel free to come see me anytime!"

Importance of Resume and Cover Letter Tailoring

Importance of Tailoring Resumes and Cover Letters -- Review Services offered through Career Zone

For this blog post we wanted to highlight the importance of tailoring your resumes and cover letters when applying for different positions, in order to target specific job industries and employers.  We are going to breakdown how to tailor your resume and cover letter and why this is so important for crafting exceptional career related documents.  

Resume Tailoring

When editing your resume you want to ensure that the content in each section is related to the job/industry in which you are applying for.  It is also useful to list your most relevant experiences first on your document.  You should also ensure you are customizing the language and headings of your document to reflect the relevant skills or competencies related again to the specific job or industry.  For proper format and structure of your document, you want your resume style to complement the experience you possess and meets the industry standards. 

Resume Worksheet

Resume Template

Cover Letter Tailoring

When writing your cover letters, similar to resume crafting, it is important to tailor your cover letter to the specific job, industry and company you are applying to.  You want to show the employer that you took the time and effort to look into their organization and indicate to the employer what is of interest to you and how your skills reflect the job posting.  For each job you are applying for the Cover Letter is an area where you can highlight specific qualifications that you possess that you think would intrigue the greatest interest to the specific employer and job industry you are applying to.  The Cover Letter also gives you the opportunity to discuss your related experience and specialized training that you have that can directly correlate with the position you are applying for. 

Cover Letter Guidelines

Tailoring your resume and cover letter is important when applying for specific jobs and specific industries to ensure you are not only grabbing the attention of the employers, but also you want to make sure you are meeting the expectations and individual employer requirements.  Customizing your Cover Letter for each position you apply for is valuable, it gives you the opportunity to specify and gear your Cover Letter to the needs of the employer and the specific qualifications the employer desires.  In order to increase your rate of success and chances of getting noticed by the employer it is crucial to take the time to tailor your resume and attempt to gain the managers attention.  

Review Services 

At Career Zone we offer various document review services, we can review both your Resume and Cover Letters.  You can visit Career Zone in the Guernsey Market, to work one on one with one of our Career Assistants, they can work through a job posting and help you craft Resumes and Cover Letters that are tailored directly to the positions you are applying to.  We are open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, come and stop by!

Networking For Job Fairs

Preparing for a job fair can seem like a daunting task. There can be an overwhelming amount of information to process, so we are here to help you find the focus of your job search and hopefully you can approach the event with confidence!

Proper preparation is critical for any aspect of the job hunt, including job fairs, which are a great and effective way to build connections with employers. So we have helped by providing you with 5 easy steps to prep and get the most out of your job fair experience.

Five Easy Steps To Prepare: 

1. Prepare a list of employers you would like to connect with

2. Be clear with your interests and the skills you have to off employers

3. Research employers or institutions that will be in attendance by checking their website, LinkedIn, and other social media

4. Dress professionally

5. Be patient and stay positive!


There are also a few things to keep in mind once you have arrived at the end. First and foremost, remember to approach an employer with confidence. Introduce yourself and ask questions about their company before diving into questions about the opportunities available. Collect business cards for employers you connect with, and if you have your own offer one to them. This gives you a way to contact them for further follow up after the event has concluded. Exchanging business cards and following up is especially important as it helps you transition from only a connection, to building a relationship with the organization.

Want to put these tips to their use?  Check out the on-campus events that are approaching quickly! Jobs on Campus Job Fair is happening January 25th, 2018 in Guernsey Market, and Grad Send Off on February 6th, 2018 in the Ian Beddis Gym.

Can't make it to those events? Check out the events calendar on careerzone.brocku.ca to find more coming up soon! 

Volunteering Abroad: Across Our Southern Border to Across the Pond

Do you want to make a difference while also experiencing a new culture and country all at the same time? There’s an amazing opportunity knocking at your door… It’s volunteering abroad! It’s your ticket to seeing the world while also changing it.

It’s a great way to add experiences and skills to your resume while shaping your career decisions. Additionally, it’s a way to meet new people and expand your network. You will get to immerse yourself in a new culture and learn how people across the globe live day-to-day. 

Four Questions to Ask Yourself Before Volunteering Abroad:

1. What type of environment do you want to volunteer in?

2. Where is the company/organization located?

- Make sure to research information about whether you need a Visa and how to obtain one

- Look into the reputation of the company and the country’s culture, including health and safety concerns

3. Is the type of work you want to do related to your future career goals?

4. What are the costs and time commitments required to travel abroad?

- Different countries and programs will have varying costs

ALTERNATIVE READING WEEK

Brock University offers unique experiences for those wanting to volunteer abroad, including Alternative Reading Week. During the October and February reading weeks, students are given the opportunity to get involved in local and international community projects. In the past, Brock has partnered with Habitat for Humanity (South Carolina, U.S. & El Salvador) and Outreach 360 (Dominican Republic). Registration filled up quickly but there are still spots for the Habitat for Humanity trip in South Carolina during the February Reading Week! Sign up as soon as possible to secure your spot.

For more information, visit https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/67942

SEA 2018: Solidarity Experiences Abroad

SEA is a service-learning program organized by Brock’s Faith and Life Centre that is partnered with many Brock faculties and departments. They work with students to connect their career goals with social justice. They offer volunteer experiences that cater to those studying Education, Nursing or Health Sciences but anyone is invited to help regardless of their program of study!

For more information, visit brocku.ca/sea or email any questions to sea@brocku.ca!

Where You Can Find Other Volunteer Opportunities

www.goabroad.com/volunteer-abroad/

www.projects-abroad.ca/

www.crossculturalsolutions.org/

www.goitnernational.ca/

www.i-to-i.com

www.villagevolunteers.org/

www.realgap.co.uk

www.worldwidehelpers.org/

www.transitionsabroad.com/

www.volunteersouthamerica.net/

www.globalvolunteers.org/peru/

www.ecuadorvolunteers.org/

www.madventurer.com/

www.isvolunteers.org/

Brock University also offers specific programming and information for students interested in taking their volunteer work across the globe. Check out the following:

Solidarity Experiences Abroad at Brock: www.brocku.ca/campus-ministries/solidarity/

Non-Governmental Organizations for Volunteering Abroad: www.brocku.ca/international-services/learn-work-abroad/volunteering/

For questions, information or resume and cover letter reviews, visit CareerZone in Guernsey Market in the new year! Happy Holidays!

Networking At Events/In-Person

You've found the perfect event to get out there and begin networking for a career. This can be an overwhelming feeling, breath, because you made it through the toughest part. You're reached the right spot to begin gathering knowledge on career networking. Procrastinating may have carried us through our undergrad degree, but the best prep for any event is done in advance. Secure your spot by registering in advance if the event requires. Would not want to travel on a series of buses for three hours and not get in, right? Even worse, walking into the event and giving a blank smile to who could potentially be your next ally. This leads to point number two, research, research, research. Knowledge is power and the more you know of the folks you are with and career cultural norms, the more you will have to talk about! Let's make sure all this hard work does not go to waste and document all these great ideas. Using a small notepad, jot down the names of key people you would like to meet, some questions you may ask and some conversation topic buzzwords to get you through the painful small talk. Being prepared may mean notepad and paper copy resumes to some and to others it may mean a clean, sophisticated business card with your contact information and personal portfolio URL. Now that you have the power it's time to work on the performance.  

 

Remember how we are not going to procrastinate anymore? Perfect. This means we will be on time and we will arrive early, yay us! Before mingling amongst your future connections, make sure to stop by and grab an event program and floor plan if available. Even if you aren't the one for strategizing every detail, an event planner is an excellent distraction read for all your awkward moments. And that's the thing, this will be a bit of an awkward practice at first. Don't sweat, and be patient, this is a new skill you are working on and all skill development takes time. With a deep breathe you are ready to open your first network. It will be a little messy at first and after some exposure you will begin to develop a rhythm and a know for which questions are appropriate to ask. Start with introducing yourself and asking your new connection about their work and/or company. This will get the conversation to naturally progress towards the opportunities available. Wrap things up considerably, offer a salutation and ask for a business card. Each of you should leave feeling more connected and knowledgeable on what you have to offer each other.  

Etiquette is another extremely important topic for networking. We need to understand how our verbal and non-verbal communication is perceived by others in order to portray the right image or intended image. Good body language, a confident & energetic voice, reading a persons business card before pocketing it, and having non-business discussions can be excellent ways to improve one's networking skills. On the other hand, dressing inappropriately can have adverse effects on your networking efforts. As intermediate fashionistas, we advise to  avoid wearing a belt and suspenders, socks that contrast your suit and overpowering scents. We understand it is difficult to refrain from full diva but do try and avoid overwhelming jewelry, elaborate hairstyles, low cut tops,  and etc. With these tips in mind, you are ready to let your nexus unfurl.  

For more information on Networking stop by CareerZone in Market Hall and talk to one of our Career Assistants!