Campus Life & Future Careers

As I’m approaching the end of my degree, the question of what lies next pops into my head more and more often. It was much easier to push out of my mind when I was younger since having a career was more of an abstract concept than a possible reality. My plans for life were sequential: finish high school then CEGEP then university. But the end is creeping closer, bringing many more anxieties to light, variables I did not have to think about in the past. My situation is a ubiquitous one, looming over many students. (more…)

 Throughout my undergrad, I’ve spent quite a bit of time workshopping resumes. I always focused on having pretty ones that would stand out to recruiters. While this has been great if I’m giving a resume to an actual person, it’s not so great for AI to read. For a resume to be readable by a computer, it can’t have columns and complicated format–the simpler the better in this case. Going for an interesting resume, I find Canva to be great. They have many personalizable templates that you can use to make what you need.  (more…)

At some point in your life, whether for your job or a volunteer activity, you might find yourself responsible of a group that is working under you. This can be intimidating if you do not have management experience as you are in charge of the group’s success and any failure that cannot be traced to a specific person will be put on you. In addition, if you have ever worked on a group project, which most of us have, then you know exactly  how difficult and infuriating it can be to get everyone to cooperate and do their tasks on time. However, management can also be empowering if done correctly. I’ve learned quite a few things from my management positions which I hope you can learn from as well. (more…)

Graduation brings up many questions intermixed with feelings of accomplishment. The years culminate in walking on stage and receiving that much sought after piece of paper, the diploma. Still, questions persist: Where will I live? What sort of job will I find? Should I pursue a graduate degree? Where will my friends find themselves? These are all important to consider. After all, the process of becoming a fully-fledged adult is understandably nerve-wracking. Pondering these very questions is what led me to speak to Corey Dickinson, a master’s student(MSc) in Development Geography, here at McGill University about his journey.

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Last summer, I worked at a retail store. From April to the start of Orientation Week, I held the position of a sales associate at the first location of a chain that had just come to the city.

My favorite aspects about working in retail were the group of people that I worked with — many of whom I eventually become friends with, the fact that I mastered — and ultimately became a pro at using the POS system, but most significantly, the fact that I learned plenty of transferable customer service skills from my daily interactions with clients — skills that, as Marie points out in her post, are not necessarily learned through prestigious internships (but are rather an asset to have when applying for them).

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Over the past 4 years, I have had the chance to be an interviewee and an interviewer. Unfortunately, neither seems to be easier. Interviewees face the stress of not knowing how to prepare for an interview or what the interviewers thought. On the other hand, interviewers need to decide on questions to understand the true nature of candidates and often face tough decisions when the selection pool has many qualified candidates. Here’s what I’ve learned about a good interview from sitting on both sides. (more…)

Going into university triggers a whole list of questions that students ask themselves – what am I going to do with my life? What are my desires, my goals, my wishes, my dislikes, my neutrals? Many of these long-term, big-picture questions suddenly become very real and tangible, so much so to the extent that the shorter-term questions get put aside. One of the experiences that I completely did not address until I really needed to was my post-first year summer. Although I ended up scoring an amazing internship at the Vancouver Pride Society, I am all too aware that I could have spent it unhappy working in a hot, Italian grocery store. To gauge how other individuals reflected on and approached their summer, I interviewed two friends to showcase their experiences. 

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https://www.udemy.com/

Interviewing can be quite daunting even if you have gone through a number of them. With every interview, you are meeting new people, selling yourself and different skillsets each time. It could all sound intimidating; however, there are ways to make this process feel much less stressful. As long as you spend some time researching the company and understanding what they are looking for in a new hire, you should be able to nail the interview and showcase the necessary skills to get the job. Here are some tips:

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It is without question very intimidating to have to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life, even for those who may have just earned a degree. Last week, I had the chance to sit down with a civil engineer to discuss what this career is like in more depth. If you are still on the fence regarding what you want to study or have just begun your new journey as a university student, and especially if you are leaning towards a career in engineering, you may find his responses to be useful. This is the second part of the interview; the first part can be found here.

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Many career options are often presented broadly, but offer much more specific branches to choose from. For aspiring engineers, the options are plenty: chemical, mechanical, electrical, computer, civil, software; the list goes on. When you first decide to pursue a degree in one of these, it can be a challenge to feel confident that you’ve made the right decision until you are well into your studies. I recently had the chance to sit down with a civil engineer of over 30 years to discuss what this career is like in more depth. You may find this helpful if you are just embarking on your new journey as a university student or contemplating whether this is the right path for you.

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