YouAlberta
If you’re like me, the number #1 reason for coming to university in the first place was to get to the bag… or in other words, find a fulfilling career that pays handsomely. In an ideal world, you would even have multiple job offers on the table before you even graduate. 120 credits later, you may realize that it isn’t as easy as just getting the degree and having companies chasing after you. After all, it’s not the 80’s or 90’s.
I graduated from a Bachelor of Arts where I double majored in Economics and Political Science last June (2022), and I did have a few offers on the table by February. Although it wasn’t as lavish as it may seem, here are a few things I did throughout my undergrad experience that made this all possible.
Using The Career Centre
If you are interested in starting a career as soon as you graduate, becoming acquainted with the services offered by the Career Centre is your best bet to making that a reality. The Career Centre offers employment information and expertise which translate into services offered to the wider U of A community aimed at supporting career development. Throughout my undergrad, I was a regular at career centre events, workshops and programs.
Here are a few of my favourite services offered by the Career Centre and how they helped me land work before I graduated. (Hold on till the end for my advice)
“Careers Day provides students with the opportunity to explore career options and job opportunities, interact with and learn about employers in a meaningful way, practice work search skills, make connections and build networks.”
Careers Day will connect with industry professionals and learn more about the careers offered, but also about the recruiting process. Getting useful information about how to get the best odds of getting an interview will better prepare you for when your time to apply comes.
Career Mentoring Program: “The Career Mentoring Program matches students and postdoctoral fellows with mentors, who are community-based professionals with relevant experience and interests.”
I took part in the Career Mentoring program in Fall 2021 and it changed the trajectory of my professional career. I had the opportunity to be paired with an individual who ended up having the exact same educational experience and is currently working in the same field I hope to one day work. My mentor was a spitting image of the professional I wanted to become and hearing their experience and advice really helped me shape the next steps in my career.
Career Exploration Interviews: “Career Exploration Interviews (CEI) connects students, postdoctoral fellows, and alumni (participants) with community-based professionals working in a variety of areas (hosts) to learn from their career stories.“
When I took part in this program, I was paired with an individual who was a manager in government, and at the time, that was something I was very interested in. After learning more about their career through the interview and doing my own research, I found out that it may not be a career for me. Taking time to complete that Career Exploration Interview did not only open my eyes to what I do like, but also what I don’t.
Events: The Career Centre hosts several events throughout the year ranging from employer information sessions, speaker series, resume, cover letter and Linkedin profile reviews, and career fairs. I had the opportunity to receive help on how to round out my resume and get access to phenomenal career information opportunities.
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning integrates classroom concepts with real-world experience. This can include Co-operative Education programs, Community Service Learning, Undergraduate Research Initiative and more.
I’ve had the opportunity to take part in the Arts Work Experience Program where I gained valuable work experience and an understanding of the post-graduation job market. Gaining skills and experience really put into context how my education would apply to future work. The most valuable lesson I learned throughout my Co-op experience was the value of networking. It is because of my networks that I built lasting relationships with past employers who were strong references and shared extremely valuable advice as I began my job search.
Lessons I Learned
One theme throughout these experiences is getting a real understanding of the landscape of the job market, and leveraging your skills and experience to your advantage. Here were a few things that were crucial to me when trying to land job offers before I graduated.
- Keep an open mind: The first offer will in all likelihood not be the dream job you had in mind when you first started looking for work but… it’s an offer. You can leverage the experience to land a job closer to what you want. Jump at the opportunity of gaining experience. After all, just because you accept an offer doesn’t mean your job search is complete. Cast a wide net.
- Shoot your shot: You miss 100% of the jobs you don’t take. If you feel like you are underqualified for a job, don’t be afraid to apply. You never really know what the applicant pool will look like, or if the employer sees something in you that you may not realize. Job descriptions are what employers look for in an ideal candidate with the key word being ideal. You may be shorting yourself of an amazing job by counting yourself out.
- Everything is a learning experience: Struggle is a necessary investment for progress so anytime you bomb an interview or rush an application or have any other hiccups through the recruitment process, take it with a grain of salt and understand that this experience was necessary for you to get to whatever your next step may be.
- Time, time and time: Time is everything! I started applying for jobs in January before I finished school in April. Think that’s too early? We can’t underestimate how long it can take companies to return your calls, schedule an interview, call your references, do a police check, make an offer, and set up your start day. It can take weeks or maybe even months. When I got an offer in February, we ended up negotiating my start date to where I would work part-time until I finished school. Just know that companies are more flexible than we realize.
