Career Options Magazine

If you’re about to start post-secondary education, you’re going to need the best advice on how to plan your career—and land that dream job. Your university or college career centre may be one of the best-kept secrets on campus, and it’s never too early to pay a visit.

The majority of students who use their career centres come for the resumé consultations. But this only skims the surface. What services are offered will vary by centre, but most can provide you with help and individual counselling on topics such as researching careers, understanding your skills, gaining work experience, preparing for interviews and more.

One high-impact offering that has grown exponentially at the University of Alberta is job shadowing. During Reading Week, more than 100 employers bring students into the workplace for one to four days to experience “a day in the life,” says Blessie Mathew, Manager of Career Education at CAPS: Your U of A Career Centre. She says opportunities like this help students to get a clearer idea of their career goals.

As a specialized career centre, York University’s Schulich School of Business Career Development Centre delivers “concierge services,” says Executive Director Joseph Palumbo. For example, if you’re interviewing with CIBC, the centre can arrange for an alumnus who works for the bank to coach you. Schulich also places a focus on soft skills such as dining etiquette, dressing for success, and the dos and don’ts of social media. “It’s about rounding out the skills to get an edge to get in the door and stay in the door,” says Palumbo.

Visit early, visit often

Career service professionals agree: many students don’t use their career centre until it’s too late to gain the full benefits.

“We see the most students when they start looking for summer work, or for work after graduation,” says Mathew. “Then they are scrambling, trying to figure out what they’re going to do.” She would like to see an increase in the number of first-year students using the centre, which, she adds, is open throughout the summer.

“Your career doesn’t start when you graduate—it’s unrolling in front of you when you set foot on campus,” adds Mathew. University is your chance to find out what you like and don’t like and to build connections.

Palumbo wants students to understand that “career development is a lifelong process. The sooner you start, the better.” He says students can expect to change careers many times: organizations, industries, locations. What’s key is to identify your skills, your brand proposition to employers, and the market conditions.

“The 30-year career with one firm is pretty much dead,” says Palumbo, but a 30-year career in marketing, accounting or supply chain is what students need to manage.

“Every decision is a career decision,” is a message that students receive at Nova Scotia Community College. “Career development is about ‘who am I’ and how that relates to the world of work,” says Laurie Edwards, Director of Career Development at the college.

Her colleague Clarence DeSchiffart, NSCC’s Co-ordinator of Career and Essential Skills Services, says his school takes a “whole person” approach to career counselling. This means helping students with self-awareness so they can make the best decisions in the context of life circumstances, whether that’s caring for children or aging parents. “We want people to feel empowered to handle change,” he says.

Career counsellors don’t bite (really)

It’s understandable that students aren’t aware of their school’s career centre. “Students can get overwhelmed with the amount of information that gets thrown at them in the first couple of weeks,” says Mathew.

Once students do see a career counsellor, they are often pleasantly surprised. “They’re used to formality and bureaucracy at university. But we’re not about dates and deadlines,” Palumbo says about his Schulich career centre staff. “We’re very warm, easy to get to know, and interested in them as individuals and in their careers.”

Palumbo says it’s not easy, especially for undergrads, to ask for help. They might ask their parents or their own networks, but they think, “I don’t see my buddies in the career office, so why should I go?” He says it’s a misconception—and that all students can benefit from career services.

However, the onus remains on the student to take the initiative, says DeSchiffart. “No one person has all the answers. Let’s do this together.”

Sharon Ferriss is the Director of Marketing, Web and New Media at the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling, a charitable organization that advances education and research in career counselling and career development.

For more information, please visit: ceric.ca, caps.ualberta.ca, yorku.ca/careers, nscc.ca, careeroptionsmagazine.com