With snow still on the ground, few students are thinking about how they will make money during the summer months, or even how to start a career after graduation.
Language assistant Joelle Dwete assists master’s student Soroosh Shahriari on the Odyssey program, part of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada during Western’s All Campus Job Expo earlier this month. The Student Success Centre: Careers, Leadership and Experience helps students move from academics to employment.
It may seem a bit early, but Leslie Lumsden, director of The Student Success Centre: Careers, Leadership and Experience, says this is the ideal time to plan for job prospects in order to minimize the stress build-up at the end of the academic year.
“It’s definitely not too early to be looking for opportunities,” says Lumsden.
The Student Success Centre is an amalgamation of the Centre for New Students and The Career Centre @ Western.
In today’s economic climate, students are competing with applicants who are focused on starting second careers or who recently lost jobs. This creates challenges for students who may lack experience and networks into the so-called hidden job market.
But rather than get discouraged, Lumsden encourages students to take advantage of the services provided by The Student Success Centre to find creative ways of tapping into employment opportunities.
“There are opportunities, but they are not low-hanging fruit so to speak. They are opportunities that students have to dig for and they need a certain set of skills to understand how to do that. We teach them how to do that.
“These students have an advantage because they have a lot of knowledge – this is knowledge-based economy. They have a lot of skills that people are looking for.”
The economy has also impacted the recruitment cycle of many large organizations. Lumsden says most start recruiting in the fall, but the cycle has shortened.
Based on a survey, 40-50 per cent of Western students will enter the workforce following graduation. Many others opt for graduate school or continuing education.
Western operates Career Central, a portal for employers to post job opportunities and connect with potential employees. More than 30,000 people use this online tool.
For those uncertain of what steps to take after graduation to find an ideal career, The Student Success Centre offers support for leadership and experiential opportunities, such as job shadowing or internships.
Those wanting a bit of practice before heading out on interviews can participate in the mock interview process, as well as get help on improving a resume and curriculum vitae.
“Something very special about Western is we have highly educated, very professional career counsellors who help not just with job seeking, but also career counsellors who help people with barriers to success.”
Alumni can access the services provided by The Student Success Centre up to one year after graduation. After this time, alumni can still use the group services and workshops.
“We really try to take the approach of looking at the whole arch of career development. It’s not just a ‘get a job’ perspective, it’s teaching somebody how to be successful in this labour market, how to be successful with their particular degree or the education they have, and teaching them to know what their marketable skills are.”
The Student Success Centre offers the following programs:
Leadership Programs:
· Leadership and Mentorship Program
· Leadership Education Program Opportunities to play a leadership role within various Student Success Centre programs.
Career Management
· CareerCentral – online portal for event registration and postings including summer, part-time, on campus, full-time, new graduate, volunteer, internships, and experiential opportunities for students and alumni
· Classes and workshops on finding a career and conducting a job search
· Employment Help and Resource Centre – a drop-in service to help with job search questions as well as employment and post-graduate application materials
· Job, Career and Education fairs – Learning opportunities such as internship and co-op, service learning, and volunteer placements
· Career networking events, including employer information sessions
· Resource library (online and print)
· Individual counselling and career assessments
Experiential Education
· Alternative Spring Break
· Internships
· Western Serves
· Service-Learning courses within various faculties
Programs for Mature Students
· “Ready for University!” Preparation Course
· Academic counselling for mature and part-time students
Programs for New Students
· Summer Academic Orientation (SAO)
· Society of Off-Campus Students (SOCS)
· What’s Next? Getting Ready for Second Year
· Ready for Intent to Register/What’s Your Program?
· Scholarly Enrichment Programs
· Scholar’s Electives & Western Scholars
· Western’s Initiative for Scholarly Excellence (WISE)
Visit the career website at www.career.uwo.ca or e-mail successcentre@uwo.ca.