Whether you’re just starting a degree or set to graduate this year, 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.
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. Students can even participate in wine, beer or scotch appreciation events. “It’s about rounding out the skills to get an edge to get in the door and stay in the door,” says Palumbo.
At Laval University, more than 70 percent of students across 17 faculties are registered with the career centre, but many use only the job board. Students can be disappointed if they don’t see postings that they can directly connect to their field, such as philosophy, says André Raymond, Associate Director of Laval’s placement service. “We have to explain to them that we offer much more,” he says.
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-, second- and third-year undergraduate students, as well as students just starting on their graduate degrees, using the centre—which, she adds, is open throughout the summer.
Raymond believes a big reason students don’t visit sooner is that they underestimate how challenging a job search can be. “Very often they arrive when they are disappointed with their search,” he says. “They think they only have to make a resumé and respond to a job posting. Also they think it is very easy to pass an interview, until they fail the first one.”
Career development never ends
“Your career doesn’t start when you graduate—it’s unrolling in front of you when you set foot on campus,” says 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.
Beyond the career centre
Today’s students are likely accessing the services of their career centre without actually knowing it. A trend among career centres is to work closely with faculty (who have the trust and attention of students) to integrate career learning into the classroom.
At the Schulich School of Business, all MBAs and undergraduate students use a tool called CareerLeader as part of their course work to explore their interests, motivators and skills. Students learn the basics about themselves: “Who are you, what are your strengths, and what is the best place to apply those strengths,” says Palumbo.
Outside its central career centre, the University of Alberta now has a career development officer within the Faculty of Arts to help students with career education and work experience tailored to their fields. Another satellite office is set to open within the Faculty of Science.
Many university career centres, including Laval, are increasingly using technology to deliver career services. Laval puts its workshops, on topics such as writing resumés and cover letters, on YouTube. With more students doing distance courses or studying part-time, Laval has also begun to provide online counselling via a Skype-like system with video webcam.
Nova Scotia Community College is moving towards offering more opportunities for informal career discussions, such as coffee clubs and lunch ’n’ learns.
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.”
