Do you need help choosing a major or a career path?
CaPS, in collaboration with Counselling Services, offers the Program for Advancement of Career Explorations (PACE). This amazing series of four workshops includes vocational testing and a complete self-assesment. Upon completion of PACE you will be able to understand your personality type, identify your skills, interests and values, and how they relate to various occupations. As well, you will have a better understanding of the available resources and be able to create a realistic action plan with measurable goals.
P.A.C.E. is available to undergraduate and graduate students, both at the Downtown and Macdonald campuses.
There is a fee of $20 to cover the cost of vocational testing. Each session is limited to only 15 students, so register soon to ensure that you get a spot!
To register, please go to the Career Planning Service office at either campus.
Join the Mentor Program
The Mentor Program links current McGill students with working McGill alumni. It gives you the rare opportunity to enter into a professional relationship that can help shape your career path by giving you insider information. You will have the opportunity to receive advice, build professional networks and ask any and all questions about the realities of work and life beyond the classroom.
With the McGill Mentor Program, advice is free. Sign up or get more information online at caps.mcgill.ca/ci2 or contact the Mentor Program Coordinator at mentor.caps@mcgill.ca.
Vault is the world’s leading source of career information. It will make your efforts at researching employers, industries, and career subjects infinitely easier and more efficient.
Vault also has a ton of material on finding summer jobs and internships.
McGill subscribes to this service and you can check it out today (you must be connected to the McGill VPN).
myFuture has within it a resume builder which you can find in your Documents tab. This new feature provides all the resources you need to create and submit your resume. It's quick and easy to use and produces high-quality, professional-looking resumes you can access anytime, from any computer. Check it out by going to your Document tab from your myFuture homepage and click on the Resume Builder tab.
Undergraduate students can drop in to CaPS, where a Career Advisor or Peer Educator will provide basic feedback and suggestions regarding your CV. Should this revision period prove insufficient, we would recommend you make an individual appointment. Please know we unfortunately cannot review cover letters during this time.
For a listing of C.V. Drop-In times, please click here.
Please note space is limited.
Undergraduate students can also drop in to CaPS to speak with a Career Advisor without an appointment for a quick question as a preliminary meeting to help you set your future goals.
For a listing of Advising Drop-In times, please click here.
Please note space is limited.
Don't have time to come by our office in person? Then check out our online "Ask a Career Advisor" service. Click on the icon below.
BIG RETURN-TO-SCHOOL ISSUE
Welcome to the first CaPSScoop for 2010/2011. Around the 1st of each month of the school year, you will be receiving this CaPSScoop e-newsletter sent to you by the McGill Career Planning Service (CaPS). We are your source of information for career planning and job finding.
Whether you are just beginning your university career and looking for a part-time job or you are getting close to graduating and want to know about companies come to McGill to recruit students, or whether you should go to grad school, we have the resources to help you.
If you have any questions, drop by one of our offices. We are always happy to help you!
Are you looking for a job in the Federal Government, Consulting, Financial Institutions, Engineering or Information Technology? If you're graduating in 2010/2011, now is the time when these industries recruit on campus. Find out more by attending company presentations, career fairs and reading our brochures on Campus Recruitment (ie how to search, upload documents, apply, sign up for interviews, etc.) and Career Fairs.
Click here for a schedule of recruitment campaign's deadlines and interviews. You may also want to check out the following events:
Management Investment Days – Tuesday, September 7 & Wednesday, September 8 from (10:00 am – 5:30 pm. Registration is mandatory as space is limited. For more information click here).
Management Career Fair - Sept 23 - Centre Mont Royal - open to all non management students as of 1:00 pm, McGill ID required - business formal required.
McGill Tech Fair - Sept 29 & 30 - New Residence Hall - 9:30 am - 3:30 pm - open to all disciplines
For a full list of career fairs click here. For a full listing of all events offered by CaPS, log-in to myFuture.
Everything you wanted to know about career fairs but were afraid to ask...
by Catherine Stace, Career Advisor, CaPS
Career Fair season is coming up. Some students miss this valuable opportunity to take a peek into the world of work.
Should I go to a career fair?
You need to research employers! View a career fair as a step in researching potential employers and garnering career information. Take some time before to read which organizations are attending. Not all are companies; some are government agencies; non-profits; industry associations.
Determine if any match your career interests. If even only one does, then by all means go!
Why would I want to go?
To learn more about employers than the initial scan of their website. You learn about the culture of an organization when you meet their people, and you can ask questions that aren’t necessarily in the FAQ section of their website.
To see that the real world is not organized by major: you don't necessarily have to be a business major to go to the Management Fair, and you don't necessarily have to be an engineering major to go to Tech Fair.
Networking! Take advantage of any opportunity to meet employers face-to-face. Much of the job search process is not done in person. It involves employers screening CVs and cover letters, and you reading about employers and viewing their websites and print materials. You need this opportunity to meet the real people that work at that company or in that industry.
Some fairs include interviews the day of the fair. That is an opportunity for you to shine and not just be another unknown applicant. You can usually find this out beforehand by checking the career fair information website.
Regardless of the extent to which technology makes it easier and faster to share information between candidates and employers, nothing replaces in-person contact for making an impression.
The Public Service Commission will launch the fall 2010 Post-Secondary Recruitment (PSR) Campaign on September 23, 2010
Various departments and agencies across Canada will be recruiting post-secondary graduates to fill entry-level positions within their organizations. There will be a number of information sessions given to the general public this fall, around the time of the annual Post-Secondary Recruitment (PSR) campaign. The sessions will be posted on www.jobs.gc.ca in the "calendar of job events" and details concerning PSR will be posted in the "post-secondary graduates" section of the site come mid-september.
Grad Fair: Australian Schools Sept. 29, 12:00am-3:00pm: Brown 5001
As a service to students considering internationalising their study possibilities, McGill and the Australian Consulate bring 8 of Australia’s top universities, many with linkages to McGill, to the McGill campus. Hear from these visiting experts about their education programs and discuss your internationalisation opportunities.
Australian universities in attendance are:
Bond University / Monash University / Griffith University /Macquarie University / University of Melbourne / University of Queensland / University of South Australia / Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School
Canadian education agents in attendance are:
Australearn / OzTrekk
For more information and to register, log in to myFuture.
by Isis Ortiz, Graduate of Political Science & Jewish Studies
I knew that coming to McGill as an International student would be quite a financial investment on my part. The idea of working full-time while going to school was never appealing to me. Instead, I decided to find a part-time job that would supplement my student loans and still allow me the time to focus on my studies. Looking for an on-campus job at McGill, however, did prove to be more cumbersome than I had anticipated. On-campus jobs can be difficult to find because so many students need one yet the spots are limited. I only started my search in September soon after arriving. Starting earlier would have been much more beneficial!
What the New Yorker has to say about the Class of 2010
by Rebecca Meade [from The New Yorker]
A member of the Class of 2010—who this season dons synthetic cap and gown, listens to the inspirational words of David Souter (Harvard), Anderson Cooper (Tulane), or Lisa Kudrow (Vassar), and collects a diploma—need not be a statistics major to know that the odds of stepping into a satisfying job, or, indeed, any job, are lower now than might have been imagined four long years ago, when the first posters were hung on a dorm-room wall, and having a .edu e-mail address was still a novelty. Statistically speaking, however, having an expertise in statistics may help in getting a job: according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, graduates with math skills are more likely than their peers in other majors to find themselves promptly and gainfully employed.
The safest of all degrees to be acquiring this year is in accounting: forty-six per cent of graduates in that discipline have already been offered jobs. Business majors are similarly placed: forty-four per cent will have barely a moment to breathe before undergoing the transformation from student to suit. Engineers of all stripes—chemical, computer, electrical, mechanical, industrial, environmental—have also fared relatively well since the onset of the recession: they dominate a ranking, issued by Payscale.com, of the disciplines that produce the best-earning graduates. Particular congratulations are due to aerospace engineers, who top the list, with a starting salary of just under sixty thousand dollars—a figure that, if it is not exactly stratospheric, is twenty-five thousand dollars higher than the average starting salary of a graduate in that other science of the heavens, theology.
This monthly bulletin aims to inform you of major news and trends in the Québec, Canada and U.S. labour markets. Your feedback is welcome caps.library@mcgill.ca.
In this issue
Canada adds 93,000 jobs in June
Canada expected to follow U.S. in economic slowdown
Immigration is not a quick fix to fill labour shortages
Occupational highlight: Financial Auditors and Accountants
Dozens of company information sessions and tours are taking place throughout September. The events below are only a sampling of the many taking place this month. For a full listing of all events offered this month and to register, log-in to myFuture. Click on the "Events" tab and then the "Information Sessions" tab. Select the event you would like to attend and click on "RSVP."
RBC Capital Markets/RBC Marchés des Capitaux Sep 07, 2010 6:00 pm-7:30 pm
Oliver Wyman Sep 13, 2010 11:30 am-1:00 pm
Sun Life Financial / Financière Sun Life Sep 14, 2010 11:30 am-1:00 pm
National Bank Financial / Financière Banque Nationale Sep 14, 2010 5:30 pm-7:30 pm
Boston Consulting Group of Canada Limited (BCG) Sep 20, 2010 11:30 am-1:00 pm
The events below are only a sampling of the many taking place this month. For a full listing of all events offered this month and to register, log-in to myFuture. Click on the "Events" tab and then the "Workshops/Panels/Events" tab. Select the event you would like to attend and click on "RSVP."
Workshop Series #1=Build your Job Search Tools (CV, cover letter, interview) Sept. 20, 1:00pm-2:30pm: Brown 3001
By attending this workshop, you will be able to:
- Compose a more effective and tailored cv.
- Define the essential components of a cover letter.
- Understand the importance of, and define what is involved in, thorough interview preparation.
- Identify the best forms of verbal and non-verbal communication in order to conduct yourself in a professional manner before, during and after an interview.
- Understand the importance of an action plan which includes identifying the eight steps that guide the career planning process and which of those steps needs development.
International Students: Adapting to the Canadian Job Market Sept. 21, 10:30am-12:00pm: Brown 3001
By attending this workshop, you will be able to:
- Learn some of the legal considerations of work in Canada as an international student.
- Convey to an employer some of the skills and achievements from your past experiences.
- Identify the primary job search steps involved in obtaining a post-graduation job in Canada.
Workshop Series #2=Discover the Hidden Job Market (cold calling, networking, researching employers) Sept. 22, 1:00pm-2:30pm: Brown 3001
By attending this workshop, you will be able to:
- Understand that most jobs are found through the hidden job market and that networking is a win-win situation.
- Understand the importance of researching employers and industries.
- Identify website resources and databases in which you can grow your employer contact base.
- Formulate questions you would ask at an information interview.
- Create their own script for a cold call to a potential contact in your field.
After Your B.A. - What Next?! (for Art History & Communication Studies Students) Sept 22, 9:30am-11:30am: Arts W-215
What about Jobs? Internships? Graduate School? Post-Degree Planning Workshop for Art History/Communications Studies Students.
Excited about graduation but feeling unsure about what comes next? Wondering about careers, internships and graduate school? Come to this interactive workshop specifically for AHCS students. For more information, contact Jan Bottomer jan.bottomer@mcgill.ca or Maria Gabriel maria.gabriel@mcgill.ca
22e édition du Carrefour de l’emploi Sept 23, 10am-4:30pm: Off Campus
Workshop Series #3=Perfect your Professional Image (business etiquette, school to work transition) Sept. 23, 10am-11:30am: Brown 3001
By attending this workshop, you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of, and define what is involved in, presenting yourself professionally in person through your body language, attitude and communication style and online.
- Identify key elements involved in dressing for success.
- Identify key differences involved in the transition from university to work life and know how to prepare for your first day on the job.
Workshop Series #4=Practice your Networking (prerequisite: series #2) Sept. 23, 10am-11:30am: Brown 3001
By attending this workshop, you will be able to:
- Identify and modify your individual style of networking for various situations.
- Practice your networking approach in a series of simulated scenarios.
- Create a checklist for future networking telephone calls and / or meetings.
Out on Bay Street 4th Annual Conference and Career Fair for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Allied (LGBTQA) Sept 24 & 25, Toronto
Out on Bay Street presents the 4th Annual Conference and Career Fair for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Allied (LGBTQA) Undergraduate, Graduate and Recent Students in Business, Law and Consulting. Explore the website frequently as updates about the 2010 Conference and other initiatives are posted regularly. Register online at http://www.outonbayst.org/
Grad School Applicants: Learn how to apply Sept 28, 10:30am-12:00pm: Brown 3001
By attending this workshop, you will be able to:
- Identify the process and application components of applying to grad school
- Describe how to research potential schools and programs you would like to apply to
- Use the general tips provided to enhance your future applications
Workshop Series #6=Practice Case Interviewing (prerequisite: series #1) Sept. 29, 3:30pm-5:00pm: Brown 3001
By attending this workshop, you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of, and define what is involved in, case interview preparation.
- Identify the skills an employer is assessing during a case interview.
- Understand and experience the process of a case interview.
B.A.S.E Career Fair (Biology and Agriculture in Science and Engineering) Oct. 26: Macdonald Stewart Lobby, Macdonald Campus
