Dear Occupational and Physical Therapy students:

Now that the days are getting longer and the career fair date seems to be approaching at warp speed, we, at McGill CaPS, wish you the best in your future career endeavours.

As a general reminder, CaPS is your Career Office where you can find help related to your career needs.  You can come and see me or another advisor to help you with you CV, cover letter, have a mock interview, or attend any of our workshops.  You will find more information on our services at www.mcgill.ca/caps.

In this issue:

Career Fair coming up sooner than you think!
Quick Guide to Preparing for the Career Fair
Resources for PT & OT Students in the CaPS Resource Centre
Should I get a Mentor?
Spotlight on a Region:  The Eastern Townships
Clinical Placements in the Eastern Townships of Quebec
Getting the Inside Scoop Through Informational Interviewing
Workshops of Interest to PT & OT Students
Contact me

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Career Fair coming up sooner than you think!

Remember, the OT/PT fair takes place on Thursday, March 5th 2009, from 2 pm to 5 pm .  This is your chance to check out over 40 organizations offering employment to occupational and physical therapists upon graduation! Even if you are not graduating, this is a great opportunity to make contacts in your field.                        

To name a few, we have had employers from agencies such as La Croix Jaune, employers coming from other provinces represented by the Marskell Group, our local hospitals such as the Jewish General Hospital,  the MUHC, rehabilitation centres such as Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital, and even the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre Montreal. 

To view a complete listing of organizations attending the fair, please click here.

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Quick Guide to Preparing for the Career Fair

Before the Career Fair

• Attend a CV workshop and get your CV revised.
• Prepare several copies of your updated CV.
• Bring a portfolio to carry your CVs.
• Check the website on MyFuture with the information on the fair and research companies attending.
• Prepare questions ahead of time that you want to ask and information you would like to acquire from the organizations’ representatives.

At the Career Fair

• Dress the part. First impressions are critical, so dress professionally.
• Ensure your cell phone is turned off or in vibration mode.
• Stop at the registration table and get a name tag. Wear it on your right side.
• Introduce yourself while giving a firm handshake and maintaining eye contact and good posture.
• Ask questions that reflect your interest in their organization, the clientele, type of responsibilities, resources, etc.
• Be prepared to answer questions drawing upon your experience. Remember that transferable skills are very important as well.
• Keep an open mind to opportunities several organizations have to offer.
• Ensure to ask for a business cards from representatives.
• After leaving the table, jot some notes down about the company and the representative.
• If you are offered a contract on the spot, make sure you can take your time to ponder your options.  Once you sign a contract you are deemed to fulfill it.

After the Career Fair

• Develop a plan of action to follow up with the organizations you liked and write thank you letters to the various representatives.
• Nurture your contacts;  As you get closer to graduation, make sure you let them know what you up to. 

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Resources for PT & OT Students in the CaPS Resource Centre

Whether you are looking for information on a career, scholarship information, tips on resume writing, contact information in the industries, or specifics on a program of study, the CaPS Career Resource Centre is here for you!

CAPS subscribes to a number of publications and online services that may be of interest to you.
For example, our Librarian suggests:

• Health-Care Careers for the 21st Century (2000)
  

  An in-depth guide to 80 health-care careers (including PT/OT and SLP) describing job responsibilities, prerequisites, salaries, and work settings. Lists training and educational programs and reviews sources of financial aid. Includes sample resumes and cover letter.

• Careers in Social and Rehabilitation Services (2001)
  

  This book helps you explore the many unique and satisfying careers within this field, including musical, horticultural and recreational therapy; speech-language pathology and audiology; psychology and counseling; physical and occupational therapy; and many others.

• Opportunities in Physical Therapy Careers (2006)
  

  Includes: "A complete overview of job opportunities, from sports medicine to research to education. Tips on determining which particular job is for you. Clear-cut advice on getting your foot in the door. Information on salaries, benefits, and industry outlook. Descriptions of the daily routines of each job covered. Information on scholarships and accredited physical therapy programs. Get ready to find career fulfillment in hydrotherapy, diathermy, ultrasound, electrotherapy, massage, acutherapy, radiant heat therapy."

• Opportunities in Occupational Therapy Careers (2006)
  

  Contents: An overview of the profession. Development of the occupational therapy fields. The occupational therapy process. Entering the profession: education, certification, and personal attributes. Clinical practice. Work environments. Administration. Earnings and benefits. Occupational therapy in Canada.

Websites recommended by our Librarian:

• Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Québec
  http://www.oeq.org/index.fr.html

• Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
  http://www.caot.ca/

• World Confederation for Physical Therapy
  http://wcpt.org/
  

Contact the CaPS Resource Consultant, Vanessa Franco, for further information.

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Should I get a Mentor?

by Janice Tester, CaPS Career Advisor

Dealing with difficult clients. Negotiating a raise. Starting a new job or your own practice. These are the kinds of situations that many PT/OT grads find themselves facing after leaving McGill, and there's only so much that classroom learning can prepare for. So why not consider finding a mentor - someone who has been there and can help guide you through the new challenges that you will face as a young professional in the field?  Mentors are there:

• To coach you and guide on the next steps to follow;
• To provide you with the necessary aid in further defining your personal career and other developmental objectives;
• To assist you in exploring career and labour market information while gaining exposure to the workforce;
• To identify trends and opportunities in health care;
• To receive tips and information about the job and guidance on professional image;
• To determine whether the organization being pursued matches your interests and expectations;
• To better understand business ethics and etiquette.

[continue reading this article]

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Spotlight on a Region: The Eastern Townships

Taken from: Inclusion of Young English Speakers in French-speaking Youth Initiatives in the MRCs of the Eastern Townships: Research Report

In order to provide inclusion of young English speakers in French-speaking youth initiatives, the Townshippers’ Association has been exploring initiatives to address their needs.

In 2004, the Association created a new website, www.topportunity.ca, to inform English speaking youth about the top 40 job prospects in the Eastern Townships, how to qualify for these occupations, where to obtain the requisite education, and how to find financial support for their studies. The website also opened windows to related resources in French, describing and providing links to other websites that may be unfamiliar to English speakers.

Quality of life
The Eastern Townships is a largely rural environment with rich natural beauty and a mixed agricultural and industrial economy. A variety of outdoor activities are easily accessible, and the cost of living is relatively low. From all points of the Eastern
Townships, both small and large urban areas are within easy traveling distance. These areas offer easily available health and social services and cultural resources.
In addition, the region has two universities, Université de Sherbrooke and Bishop’s University.
The Université de Sherbrooke (in French) has renowned health and research centres, and Bishop’s University (in English) has a strong undergraduate liberal arts program.
This environment provides a relatively high quality of life that is greatly prized by many of the residents in the Eastern Townships, and could be an important motivation for young people to establish their lives and their careers in the region.

Employment
The Townships is surrounded by potential markets for a variety of services and products, including tourism. These markets include both English-speaking (New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, for example) and French-speaking populations. Such an environment seems ideal for the development of a thriving economy. It is not surprising, therefore, that most of the respondents easily cited an impressive list of “largest businesses”, and that businesses in 11 of the 14 Townships seek English-speaking employees. The Townships has no shortage of potential employers.

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Clinical Placements in the Eastern Townships of Quebec

Article submitted by Cynthia Van Vliet, PRIESH project Coordinator

The PRIESH project in the Estrie region of the Eastern Townships can offer clinical placements for McGill students in Social Work, Nursing, Occupational and Physical therapy, Dietetics, Psychology, and Speech Therapy. The PRIESH project is part of the McGill Retention Program and allows for McGill students to do some of their regular course requirements for clinical education in the Estrie Health and Social Services.

Are you interested in seeing a new city and in having a clinical placement in a different region? The PRIESH project allows students to travel, work and study with many expenses paid. So where is Estrie? The Estrie region is southeast of Montreal and includes the city of Sherbrooke, which is about 2 hours by car or bus from Montreal, and the city Magog, which is about 1.5 hours from Montreal. Estrie is an area which is rich in tourism with skiing and snow boarding in the winter and swimming, kayaking, horse back riding, golf, biking, and hiking in the summer.

There are several quality hospitals in the Estrie region (www.santeestrie.qc.ca). For example, the CHUS in Sherbrooke is an acute care university affiliated hospital which is active in research and education and which provides excellent patient care (www.chus.qc.ca).

Here is an interview with a McGill Occupational Therapy student, Philippe Foley, who is currently doing a stage in paediatrics at the CHUS in Sherbrooke. He is from Lac Megantic in Estrie.

[continue reading this interview]

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Getting the Inside Scoop Through Informational Interviewing

by Janice Tester, CaPS Career Advisor

One of the best sources for gathering information about what's happening in OT/PT or a specific employer is to talk to people working in the field. This process is called informational or research interviewing. An informational interview is an interview that you initiate - you ask the questions. The purpose is to obtain information, not to get a job. 

You might ask yourself, so why should I conduct informational interviews?  One of the main reasons is to clarify your career goal and to discover employment opportunities that are not advertised.  It will also help you in building confidence for your job interviews.  Because of the contacts you will be making, you find all about the inside scoop and significant leads which will ultimately land you the job that is best suited for you.  Just keep in mind, the person you are interviewing is not necessarily the one that will give you the job, but will be instrumental in you finding out about interesting positions for you.

[continue reading this interview]

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Workshops of Interest to PT & OT Students

In general, the Career Planning Service offers several workshops for students to approach the job search.  You will find the list of relevant workshops below.

In particular, I will be giving a CV revision workshop for OT students on February 13th, 2009. Vasiliki will contact you with information on the place where it will be held.

Registration for all of the following workshops is available through myFuture. Click on the "Workshops/Events" tab and select the "Workshops" tab.

• Researching the Employer
  March 4, 12h00-13h30: Brown, Room 3001
  

  Learn how to and why you need to research the employer of your choice.

• Business Etiquette: More than Just Eating with the Right Fork
  March 6, 12h30-14h00: Brown, Room 3001
  

  Etiquette is about properly handling social and business situations. Develop skills to feel more confident and know what to do.

• Tap (and Dial) into the Hidden Job Market
  March 9, 11h30 -13h00: Brown, Room 3001
  

  By attending this workshop you will learn that networking is a win-win situation. You will learn how to identify areas in which you can expand your list of contacts and how to do that, how to formulate questions for an information interview and to create a script for a cold call to a potential contact in your field of interest.

• “One-Stop-Shopping”: CVs, cover letters, interviews and action plan
  March 10, 10h00 -11h30: Brown, Room 3001
  

  Looking to acquire lots of valuable information in a short span of time? If so - our “One-Stop-Shopping” workshop is for you! In this workshop you will learn how to create a professional CV using action verbs and understand what employers are looking for. You will also learn to write a tailored cover letter that is customized to a position, department and/or a particular industry. In the interview component of the workshop you will understand what is involved in interview preparation. You will learn to identify relevant skills and experiences that you have to offer an employer and to articulate them with confidence and professionalism. The workshop will end with understanding of the importance of an action plan. Participants will learn about the steps that guide the career planning process. You will also identify your goals for each of these steps as well as the resources/tools available and any potential barriers you may encounter.

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