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CAREER AND PLACEMENT SERVICE NEWSLETTER | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2000
Career Fairs Help In Job Search
Career fairs are great places to start your job
search process, whether you’re in your final
year or just starting your degree. You might
be wondering, “How can career fairs be ben-
eficial to me when I’m only in U1? I’m not
looking for a permanent job just yet.” Career
fairs aren’t only about obtaining a job, they’re
about learning about potential employers and
industries, and about making your name
known. Here’s a potential situation.
You’re in U1 and you’re planning to attend
a career fair. Your objective is to network: to
get to know a few companies and ask them sentation card prior to the career fair. When
questions specific to the industries you’re the representatives ask you to tell them about
interested in. At the fair, you are extremely yourself, you have something unique to say,
nervous. You talk to a few representatives but thereby increasing the chances of them remem-
aren’t too sure of the questions you should be bering you! You carry a few C.V.’s with you,
asking them. You collect some business cards ready to give out if a representative asks for
and, unfortunately, forget to tell them about one. You make at least three meaningful con-
yourself. tacts. Had this been the first time you attend a
A year has passed. You are still researching career fair, you would certainly not be as well
companies and industry fields but your search is prepared!
now much narrower. You are slightly more com- As demonstrated in this situation, there are
several steps to be taken to make a career
Q&A
fortable with the idea of striking up conversa-
tions with the representatives. You tell them a fair work for you. There are certainly ways
bit about yourself and let them know you are to make it effective even if you haven’t at-
graduating next year. tended a fair before your graduating year.
Q: I’m not graduating this year It is your final year and you now know which Keep those tips in mind and make the career
but are there things I should be companies you want to target. You display con- fair a successful part of your job search! For
doing to help me for the job fidence walking into the career fair. This time, more information, take a look at our website
search ahead? you have prepared a 30-second summary (www.mcgill.ca/stuserv/caps) under Career
(infommercial) of who you are as well as a pre- Fairs.
A: 1) Familiarize yourself with our MYRIAM LAFRANCE
website: www.mcgill.ca/stuserv/
caps. 2) Attend our workshops. A New Initiative: the CAPS Peer Educators
3) Think about what you want to The CAPS Peer Educators’ mission is to publi- initely be seeing them around campus. If
do after you graduate. 4) Write cize CAPS and increase students’ readiness for you are interested in volunteering, contact
or update your CV and have it the job search. They will be organizing many Myriam at careers@stuserv.lan.mcgill.ca or
checked during our drop-in ses- outreach activities this year on effective ca- drop by CAPS to pick up an application form.
sions. 5) Volunteer or work in a reer and job search techniques so you will def-
field related to your interests.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Career Fairs 1
Question & Answer 1 Golman Sachs
Work Study 2
Campus Recruitment 3
Free Stuff! 4
CAPSSCOOP
CAPSSCOOP
www.mcgill.ca/stuserv/caps
On the Front Lines (cont’d)
What do you like the least?
I would have to say answering the same ques-
tions over and over again. That’s why I’m glad
that the CAPS Peer Educators are starting up
CAPS orientation sessions. Students will get
the answers to many frequently asked ques-
tions by attending these.
Finally, what would you like students com-
ing to CAPS to know?
Come frequently, ask questions, and get in-
volved in our services. Do your homework—
the more you know and the more you have
done, the more we can help you!
Money to Harvest
The McGill Campus is fertile ground for
CAPS and MECC Staff: Top Row: Colleen Bronson, Tanya Lovegrove, Jean Hepworth, Jennifer Vire,
students interested in harvesting a job this fall
Nicholas Calamatas, Lynne Beaudoin. Middle Row: Nancy Lavalle, Richard Sainte-Marie, Vanessa Mitchell,
through the Work Study program. This
Angela Ives, Debra Hamel, Manon St-Michel. Front Row: Nathalie Renaud, Eleanore McNaughton,
initiative permits full-time degree students with
Gregg Blachford, Janice Tester. ABSENT: Micheline Paquin, Lorie Kloda
a demonstrated financial need to work part-
time on campus. It is administered by the
A WORD FROM THE DIREC- On the Front Lines Student Aid Office.
FRONT DESK STAFF SABRINA FORD To apply, students must complete an
TOR to the second edition
Welcome INTERVIEWED BY MYRIAM LAFRANCE application form available from the Blouin-
of the CAPS newsletter pro- MacBain Student Aid Office (Suite 3200, William
duced by our CAPS Peer Edu- Sabrina has been working at the front desk since
and Mary Brown Building). It is only after the
cators. For those of you in your January 2000. She has had this position full time
student is accepted into the program that he/
final year, you’ll be busy with during the summer and is looking forward to
she can apply to the available positions, which
the daunting task of applying continuing on in September.
are posted on www.is.mcgill.ca/studentaid/
for jobs. Jodi and Myriam’s What question is asked to you the most fre-
workstudy. The positions are varied and can
articles have excellent tips on quently?
range from doing clerical work to computer
how to proceed. 1) What is this service all about?
programming.
CAPS is about job search and job preparation.
Planning ahead is important since there are
If you aren’t sure what career We offer job postings, individual appointments,
deadlines. They will be September 11, October
you want to head to, check out C.V. drop-ins, career development workshops,
2, January 8, and April 16 (summer). A full
our new P.A.C.E. program de- campus recruitment, and a career resource li-
information package is available at the Student
scribed on the back page. Also brary.
Aid Office.
use our recently redesigned 2) How do I get a job?
For more information, contact 398-6013.
web site (www.mcgill.ca/ The first thing I suggest to students is to go to
Remember, when harvesting a part-time job on
stuserv/caps), which is full of our website: www.mcgill.ca/stuserv/caps, and
campus, the student who is in the field early is
new and revised information, take a look at the available positions. There
the one who reaps the greatest rewards.
not to mention all our job list- are also many job bank websites they can
KATHY ROUHI
ings. Take a look. browse through and can use the computers
made available to them. The most important
Finally, I want to thank our tactic, however, is to network with possible em- Get your hands on
sponsors who purchased ads to ployers, maybe by volunteering or by doing a
summer internship. Did you know that 80% of
some of the best
help us produce this newsletter.
available jobs aren’t advertised? career books!
Happy reading! What do you like the most about working at Open Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm
Gregg Blachford the front desk? Saturday 10am to 6pm
I love the social interactions that stem from the
variety of students that come to our offices.
2 | CAREER AND PLACEMENT SERVICE NEWSLETTER
CAPSSCOOP
Have you ever CAPSSCOOP
been to the Career
Resource Library?
Come take a
lookit has tons
of information on applying for). Focussing strictly on jobs that
how to get a job, provide interest and excitement cuts out a lot UPCOMING CAREER EVENTS
career options, of unnecessary applications, and leaves time to
and the job concentrate on other necessary preparations september 18
market in general. for upcoming interviews, and the like. mcgill management career
Drop by CAPS 2. Interviewing is a skill that can be practised. fair
today! Getting the interview is half the battle; the targeted to B.Com and MBA
other half is spent tackling it. Interviewing skills students
omni hotel - 1050 sherbrooke
Advice from an Experienced is one that can be practiced and perfected.
Take advantage of CAPS interview skills work- ouest
CR Participant shops and other services. Interviewing skills can 10:00am - 4:00pm
be taken with you to all of your future jobs.
Campus Recruitment (CR) presents a fabulous It’s therefore worth investing the time. september 19, 20, 21
opportunity for students of all academic The two main things that I learned were the mcgill technology career fair
disciplines to learn about and apply for positions following: targeted to computer science
available upon graduation. As you will see, it is 1. To present myself in a professional manner. and engineering students
also a great learning tool… Preparing cover letters, C.V.’s, thank-you mcgill university
When CAPS had informed me that I had re- notes, etc., exposed me to a professional side 10:00am - 4:00pm
ceived my first interview through CR, I immedi-
that I had never experienced before. Now,
ately began to panic. What questions was I september 20
when I go for interviews or when I discuss pro-
going to be asked? What was I going to say? mcgill arts & science career
fessional matters, I am more confident that I
Was I going to get the job? Could they really fair
will be able to present myself appropriately.
want me? Reality set in. This was the begin- targeted to students in all arts
2. Getting discouraged doesn’t help.
ning of a time-consuming, competitive and frus- and science programs
Employers can smell your fear. This process
trating process…it was recruitment season. shatner ballroom
taught me how to show confidence in myself.
Along with the excitement of graduation of- 10:00am - 4:00pm
Recruitment can be frustrating, and even dis-
ten comes an unsettling and anxious feeling re-
couraging at times, but it is important to re-
garding the uncertainty of the future. My anxi- october
member that being a university graduate is an
ety led me to quickly submerge myself in a pile macdonald campus career fair
important accomplishment, and one that
of books at CAPS with subjects on interview targeted to agricultural &
skills, job sectors, and company profiles, as I tried should not be forgotten amidst rejection. For
environmental. sciences
to learn every detail known to the human race every job, there are thousands of applicants,
mcgill university
on how to land the best job possible. Immedi- and limited spaces. Rejection is therefore only
10:00am - 4:00pm
ately, my academic load seemed amplified, as too common a feeling experienced by univer-
if I was enrolled in six core classes as opposed sity graduates. It is important to take each step
in stride, and to keep plugging away even
company presentations
to five. The literature made available to stu- Many reputable companies are
dents, coupled with the preparation time re- through the tough times because everyone re-
coming to McGill this fall to give
quired for each individual application makes the alizes success, just in different ways.
information presentations.
entire recruitment process very overwhelming To the CR participants of 2000/2001, good These corporations range from
and time consuming. I remember thinking to luck in finding your own individual path to investment banking, manage-
myself, ‘looking for a job is a full time job,’ and success…and don’t get discouraged! ment consulting, computer
that it is indeed. JODI BALINSKY technology, aerospace, to oil/
I wish that an experienced CR participant had chemical companies, etc. Take
given me some advice on how to approach the a look at our website for more
entire process. What follows are two pieces of information: www.mcgill.ca/
advice for upcoming CR participants as well as stuserv/caps/events/calendar.
the two main things that I learned from going
through it all. workshops
1. Apply only to the jobs you are Don’t forget to look on our
passionate about. website for a complete listing
My determination to be recruited caused me of career development work-
to apply for every job that was vaguely related shops.
to my discipline (even though I wasn’t truly pas- www.mcgill.ca/stuserv/caps
sionate about half of the jobs that I ended up
VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2000 | 3
CAPSSCOOP
CAPSSCOOP
www.mcgill.ca/stuserv/caps
FREE STUFF!!
Come to CAPS and receive loads of students “improve their job search skills and develop a
free stuff! Here’s what we have to step-by-step plan for landing a job...”
offer: - Job Postings: Canada’s monthly student recruitment
- Youth Link*: produced by the Hu- magazine
man Resource Department of Canada - Realm*: Published by YES, this magazine is subtitled
(HRDC) as part of the Youth Employ- “Creating work you want”. It has feature articles on
ment Strategy (YES). “Provides one- various types of careers and profiles of young entrepre-
stop access to information on all of neurs.
the Government of Canada’s career- - Career Options*: “your complete guide to looking for
and employment-related programs, work.” Produced by CACEE (Canadian Association of
services, and resources for youth.” Career Educators and Employers).
- Looking for a Job? A Guide for - Graduate School Guide: a directory of grad schools in
Youth* is also produced by HRDC and Canada and the U.S.
YES. This 16-page booklet can help * Available in French.
LORIE KLODA
P.A.C.E. Yourself
A new initiative of the Counselling Service and CAPS
First and second years: read this sce- can make informed career decisions throughout your
nario before it’s too late! university education.
You’ve graduated. The parties are over, The Program for the Advancement of Career Explo-
the congratulations are slowly tapering ration (P.A.C.E.) is committed to walking you through
off, and you find yourself sitting alone in your process of career development during your years
your room staring at your diploma. Yup... at McGill. A 3-phase program of Vocational Workshops
there it is, and that’s your name on it. has been designed to assist your career exploration. The
You tilt your head to the left and then to first phase, which is comprised of four 2 hour sessions,
the right... soaking in its printed grandeur
starts in September. Find out more by calling us at (514)
from every possible angle.
Feeling thoroughly self-satisfied, you 398-3601, visiting our website at mcgill.ca/stuserv/caps,
or just dropping by Counselling Services in the Brown
CAPSSCOOP
entertain the notion that it might be a
good time to start thinking about your Student Services Building, Suite 4200.
career. This is about your future... P.A.C.E. yourself, and make
As that sobering thought slowly seeps your education work for you.
VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2000 into your consciousness, you feel your
muscles tensing and your brow furrowing
EDITOR Myriam Lafrance into a knot. Your mouth slowly and de-
LAYOUT Cavan Huang, Mohammed liberately outlines the words “career?...
Sobhan, & Myriam Lafrance what career?...”
DESIGN Cavan Huang
PUBLISHING My Place of Business
Your career is not something that
CONTRIBUTORS Gregg Blachford, happens after you graduate. It is
Kathy Rouhi, Jodi Balinsky, something you are developing while
Sabrina Ford, Lorie Kloda you are in school. You are constantly
CONTACT Career And Placement Service
William & Mary Brown making career decisions... often with-
Student Service Building out even knowing it.
3600 McTavish St., Suite So, become involved in your career
2200 development. Find out -- in an orga-
Montreal, Québec H3A 1Y2
tel: 514.398.3304 nized and systematic way -- about your
fax: 514.398.1831 career preferences, personal goals,
INTERNET www.mcgill.ca/stuserv/caps and current market trends so that you
careers@stuserv.lan.mcgill.ca
4 | CAREER AND PLACEMENT SERVICE NEWSLETTER
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