4 Easy Ways to Enhance Your Resume

If you are having a hard time finding a job, it may be a lack of content on your document. So here are 4 different ways to enhance your document while simultaneously building transferable skills that you can use in your future career.

1. Volunteer
Find an organization that aligns with your work interests and see if there are any unpaid opportunities to gain experience. Many companies are looking for volunteer help on projects because they cannot budget to hire another person. Therefore, volunteering allows you to gain experience in your field of interest (ultimately enhancing your document), while also helping the company get their work done in a timely manner. A win-win situation for both parties!

2. Academic Experience
As you move through your post-secondary education you will have the opportunity to do many assignments that can include an essay, a group presentation, a case study analysis, or field work for course credit. Though these may not seem directly related to your future career, these provide excellent opportunities for you to develop skills that are necessary in the workplace. This is why we encourage students to have an 'Academic Projects' section on their resume that highlights these experiences and what the students learned from them. This does take some reflection, but in the end these will help enhance your document and can set you apart from other candidates.

3. Workshops/Certifications
Training you have received from previous positions or from your academic career can show that you have built skills others may lack. Traditionally certifications include SmartServe and CPR/First Aid, but these can also include Professional Communication, Project Management, Conflict Resolution Workshops or Mental Health Intervention. These can showcase that you have gone above and beyond to further foster critical skills for your own career development.

4. Special Skills
The fourth and final way to enhance your resume is to include any special skills you have acquired, especially language and technical skills. Having the ability to communicate in multiple languages or even one aside from English, or having the knowledge of a specific software can make you a greater asset to the company.

Canada Career Month: November 2018

Canada Career Month: November 2018

We only have over a month left of Canada Career Month! Isn't it crazy how fast November has gone?! Holidays are quickly approaching - and so are exams. This month, the Career Assistant team has had the opportunity to research and highlight many different careers, share some career tips with Brock students and feature some successful Brock alumni! 

Campus Career has teamed up with Goodman Career and Co-op Career to bring some fun and educational content about careers and how students can one day get them! Many people are unaware of the resources they have on campus that can help guide them to their end goals. They are also unaware of the number of possibilities that can come out of their university career. The Career, Co-op and Experiential Education team wants to help students get their career conversation started by educating them on the opportunities that they have right in front of them! Job hunting and preparing for a future career can be very scary and nerve-wracking but the team is here to help lessen the fears. 

Canada Career Month started off by featuring some alumni profiles of former Brock University students that have used their knowledge and experiences to get to their current positions. #CareerZoneTIPS were posted every day as quick, little facts about career-related topics. The second week of the month also featured International Week, where International alumni were highlighted and students explained how Goodman and/or Co-op has helped them excel internationally. This week, different career profiles have been featured to inform students of the many possibilities and how the team can help push them forward. In the final week of Canada Career Month, we encourage students to talk about why their experiences will benefit them in their journey to finding a career.

We hope you've enjoyed Canada Career Month so far and hope you'll stay tuned for more to come! For more information on the initiative, visit https://careermonth.ca/

Experience Plus: Track and Expand Your Undergraduate Experiences

Experience Plus

What is it?

Experience Plus is a tool for students to keep track of their involvement and achievements in their undergraduate degree, including:

• On Campus jobs
• On- or off-campus volunteer placements
• Internships
• Workshop Participation
• Professional development activities
• Certificates and awards
• Skills

All experiences recorded in Experience Plus can be printed onto an official certificate at your request. This is a great way to display your involvement during your degree to potential employers, 

or to add to your portfolio. 

How do you use it?

To record experiences with Experience Plus:

1. Log in to my.brocku.ca

2. Click on "Student Self Serve - Menu"

3. Click on "Career Education" and "Plus Programs" and "Student Data"

4. Enter information into the various tabs, making sure that it can be verified (via a supervisor, certificate, etc). Submit it and wait for an Experience Plus Assistant to approve your entry!

5. If you would like an Experience Plus Certificate, review your information to make sure it is all current and accurate, click on "Plus Transcript" and request a transcript!

What does a completed transcript look like?
Every student's transcript will look different because we each have different experiences! However, the standard format for the transcript looks like this:

Front:

Back:

If you have any questions or concerns about your experience plus transcript, email expplus@brocku.ca!

Experience Plus Programs:

There are many "Plus Programs" that can enhance your undergraduate degree or track the skills you gain during your degree.


Med Plus 

Med plus is a four year co-curricular program for those interested in a career in the healthcare field. It runs alongside your normal study and includes guest speakers, job shadowing, volunteering, skill development workshops and more. It is a highly competitive program and requires you to apply for it out of high school! Some space is available for first year students to apply. To see more about application requirements and learn more about the program, click here.

Law Plus
Law plus is a new co-curricular program to Brock for students interested in a profession related to Law! Through the program you will learn about and build experience in the legal field through job shadowing, networking, skill development workshops and more! Opportunities are currently available for current Brock students and high-school students to apply. Drop in to CareerZone or visit here for more information!

Lab Skills Plus

Lab skills plus is an opportunity for Biology, Oenology, Neuroscience and Biomedical Science students to track all of their lab skills gained during their undergraduate degree! It offers an official documented list of skills to assist with resumes and interviews to set you apart from other candidates. You can learn more or sign up for Lab Skills Plus by emailing expplus@brocku.ca! 

International Plus 
International Plus includes a series of workshops and lectures or other experiences that enhance global awareness and provide international exposure. The activities you complete throughout International Plus can be documented on your Experience Plus transcript. Click here for more information!

Working and Volunteering Abroad Opportunities

This week’s blog post will focus on the variety of connections and resources that Brock CareerZone has for students to gain opportunities to work or volunteer worldwide.  Volunteering or working abroad gives individuals exposure to new cultures and countries.  Engaging in employment and volunteer positions abroad enables one to gain a global perspective, which many employers are looking for in candidates. 

Throughout this blog post we will highlight Career Zones “Going Global” resource as well as opportunities to guide students through Internships, Work placements and Volunteer positions abroad.

Going Global

Going Global is a country-specific database resource directed to career and employment and tips for going abroad.  In summary it is a major search tool for finding worldwide jobs and internship listings.

The Going Global resource can be accessed through careerzone.brocku.ca (log in using your student information)

Career Zone Café will also be holding an upcoming workshop for a Going Global demonstration – if you are interested in learning more please register through the events page on careerzone.brocku.ca.  The session will be taking place on November 12^th 2018 from 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm.

Internships Abroad

Internships are another opportunity for individuals to learn another language and experience a different culture at the same time gaining valuable work experience.  Learning about ones professional career from another country can be beneficial and set you apart from others in your job markets, as you have some unique experiences.  Below we have listed some resources, if you are looking for further information in regards of Internships Abroad visit careerzone.brocku.ca under the resources tab.

Internships Abroad Resources:

• www.brocku.ca/international-services/learn-work-abroad/internships

• http://internexworld.com

• https://www.goabroad.com/intern-abroad

Working Abroad

For employers, global perspective within a candidate is an attractive attribute.  Working Abroad gives individuals the opportunity to make connections with a variety of people as well as gain experience through travel and learning about other countries.  Working Abroad can provide you with skills that you can bring to a variety of positions.  CareerZone has a variety of resources to help with Job Search Abroad.  Not only is job search important when seeking employment Abroad it is also important to ensure you are applying with the appropriate application documentation. 

Working Abroad Resources:

• www.idealist.org/

• www.affutjob.com/

• www.asian-jobs.com/

• www.careersabroad.co.uk

Volunteer Abroad

In addition to work placements and internship programs various agencies run volunteer abroad placements.  Volunteering placements abroad give individuals the opportunity to make a difference in addition to experiencing a new culture and country.  Brock runs a variety of international volunteer programs as well as provides an abundance of resources for those interested in making a difference in a new country.

Volunteer Abroad Resources:

·       www.goabroad.com/volunteer-abroad/

·       www.projects-abroad.ca/

·       www.crossculturalsolutions.org/

·       www.gointernational.ca/

For more information about Working and Volunteering Abroad please visit careerzone.brocku.ca.  Next week International Week is taking place at Brock, International Week will run from November 12^th 2018 – November 16^th 2018.  Keep a lookout on the CareerZone event page for any events that week.  Our blog post for next week will highlight Studying Abroad opportunities.

Happy Halloween! Work Appropriate Costumes and Spookiest Jobs

Happy Halloween everyone!  

Thinking about wearing a costume to work? Here’s a guide for do’s and don’ts to make sure you’re the right kind of spooky at work: 

Do:

• Use your best judgement when choosing a costume; if you aren’t sure if it’s appropriate, it’s probably best to choose something else
• Ask around to see what your co-workers are dressing up as
• Have fun with it and be creative!

Don’t: 

• Wear anything that is offensive, or that could reinforce harmful stereotypes around race, gender, ability, culture or mental health
• Violate any of your workplace policies/dress codes 

In the spirit of Halloween, here are some of the spookiest jobs:

1. Gravedigger

2. Funeral director 

3. Arachnologist (spider scientist)

4. Ghost hunter

5. Embalmer (preparing bodies for funeral homes)

6. Crime scene cleaner

7. High-rise window cleaner

8. Coroner (examining deceased bodies)

9. Exterminator

10. Snake milker (extract venom from snakes) 

To learn more about these, and other career options, visit careerzone.brocku.ca or drop into CareerZone on Monday-Friday from 8:30-4:30. We have also added extended hours on Tuesday’s from 4:30-6:30. 

Have a safe and happy Halloween! 

Assess Yourself!

Staring to plan your career might seem like a daunting process but with the right tools you can confidently navigate this path. Career assessments are a great place to start to gain a better understanding of who you are, especially in relation to your personality, skills, and values. Recognizing these traits plays an important part in finding a work environment that is best suited for you and the type of work you would like to do. Career assessments are also helpful in that they help identify your strengths and the areas in need of improvement. Before we get into the Career Assessments here are a few tips to keep in mind during the process.

·      Be honest with yourself. The key to getting the most out of an assessment is by being truthful and taking the time to think realistically about what you would actually like in a work setting.

·      Make conclusive decisions. Refrain from not caring when it comes to answering questions. Answering “maybe” or “do not care” will lead to inaccurate answers in your assessments.

·      You are not limited to these results. One thing we tell students all the time is to focus less on the list of jobs and more on the skills. It’s important to be able to recognize transferrable skills that could be used in various work settings.

·      You change, and so do your results. Your personal and professional experiences allow you to grow and learn more about your skills, likes, and dislikes. It’s important to take career assessments more than once as your interests and needs will change over time

At CareerZone there are three different career assessments that we suggest students check out, each focusing on different aspects of your career planning process.

1. Career Cruising

The Career Matchmaker matches your preferences for doing specific tasks with a list of potential careers. The top 40 careers are listed and each job title links you to specific information about that job including a job description, salary/wages, working conditions, educational requirements, and much more. Career Cruising is a great way to narrow down career options and the more questions you answer, the better the results.

2. Talent Today

Talent Today is a questionnaire that assesses your personality and motivations in relation to career options. There are three aspects of this assessment, the motivations radar, talent id, and the personality radar. After completing your profile you can discover jobs that match best with your results. Another great aspect of this assessment is that it provides you with graphs and charts utilizing your own personal data, which looks great in a Career Portfolio or LinkedIn profile

3. Type Focus

Your profile provides you with detailed information about your personality, interests, and values. This assessment suggests careers that align with your strengths and evaluates success factors that can help you to become better prepared to do well in your occupation of choice.

As a Brock University student or alumni, these three assessments are available to you for free. To access Career Assessments

·      Log onto careerzone.brocku.ca using your login and password

·      Click on the “Resources” tab from the Campus Career menu on your dashboard

·      Click on the “Career Assessments” section

Now go, choose an assessment to complete. I hope the results provide you with the information you need to successfully navigate your career path.