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.

Further Education: Where to go after your undergrad

Have you thought about what you want to do after you graduate? Maybe you have decided to jumpstart your career in a new grad job position. But some of you may have decided you want to continue your educational career by pursuing post-graduate studies.

The post-graduate process can be scary, so here are some handy tips to help you get started.

Lets start with the basics: is grad school right for me? This resource can be found on careerzone.brocku.ca under the Further Education resource tab. This resource outlines the basic elements every graduate program will need and therefore, you must consider before deciding to apply. It's a short, easy read that will help you ask yourself some of the tough questions about your next steps.

If you have checked out this resource and decided it is for you, then you need to start considering what program is best for you and where that program is offered. This will require a lot of research, and it may be smart to start backwards. By that I mean, researching the job you want to end up in on a website such as Career Cruising to discover what the educational requirements. You may find you need a college certificate instead of a Masters, or a PhD instead of a Masters. This will help you not only narrow down your search, but also the timing of your career journey.

Once you figured out what program you want to take you'll want to decide where to apply. To make this decision, you will  once again want to do your research. A great resource that you can find in CareerZone's physical drop-in center is the Graduate School Planning Guide. So stop in and grab one for FREE! It is important when considering where to apply, to not only consider the school but any other lifestyle components such as distance from home, living expenses of the school's city, and overall school culture.

Once you have decided on your program and where you want to apply, your focus will be on the application components. Emphasis will especially be placed on those that should be prepared well in advance. The three biggest ones are entrance exams, your Curriculum Vitae (CV), and your Statement of Intent. To help students, CareerZone has study books for the LSAT, GMAT, MCAT, GRE, and PCAT that can be rented out. Also, our full-time career consultants are trained to look through your application documents to give you beneficial feedback to hopefully increase your chances of getting accepted!

Most important, take your time in this decision. If further education is something your still on the fence about, maybe take a year off. Finding volunteer opportunities or employment opportunities in that break year can really help you solidify what you want to do, boost your application, and give you enough time to feel confident in your application.

Of course if you have any questions about further education, feel free to email us at career@brocku.ca, stop by our physical space off of Market Hall, or chat us to talk with one of our staff about this BIG next step in your career journey!

How to Find a Part Time Job!

So it's a brand new school year and classes are well underway. What are you going to do to fill those spaces between lectures, before (or preferably after) you're done your assignments, and to make some extra cash?

...Well, you're going to apply for a part-time job, of course!

The benefits of working part-time during your studies?

• Meet new people as well as network with professionals that can lead to opportunities post graduation in your field!
• Expand your resume and skills which can give you essential experience for your future career path!
• Help finance your education and other expenses including books, events, activities and much more!

Where can I find a part-time while I'm in school at Brock? 

Career Zone: Don't forget we have an online job board for students! You can access this at careerzone.brocku.ca. 

Local Resources: If there aren't any positions posted that catch your eye on Career Zone, we suggest reaching out to local organizations. Check out Job Gym, a website posting positions all around the Niagara Region both part-time and full-time.

Popular Employers: There are opportunities all around you! Specifically, there are places that hire tons of students such as the Niagara Outlet Collection and the Pen Centre. For these employers, you can look online or submit resumes in person!

How can you prepare for your job search?

1. Visit CareerZone online or in person
2. Grab a resume and a cover letter template to get started on your documents 
3. Stop on by for a drop-in resume and cover letter review 

Other ways Career Zone can help you find that perfect part-time job?

Shop For Jobs!

Where: The Pen Centre 

When: October 16th, 2018

What: A job fair at the local mall to hire students! 

Keep an eye out for more tips and events to help with finding a part-time job and for more information visit careerzone.brocku.ca