careers

Success isn't a straight line: ��˾��ֱ�� alumna reflects on life after graduation

geoff.vendeville — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 16:06:05 +0000

Success isn't a straight line: ��˾��ֱ�� alumna reflects on life after graduation

geoff.vendeville Thu, 04/27/2017 - 12:06

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A procession of graduating students on the front lawn at the downtown Toronto campus (photo by Ken Jones)

Geoffrey Vendeville

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Geoffrey Vendedville

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Our Community

Convocation

Undergraduate Education

careers

Employment

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Next Steps conference April 28 and 29 helps students plan for the great unknown after graduation

Elizabeth Ching had a post-graduation plan.

She had laid the groundwork for a career in content marketing by completing internships as a student. She received a job offer even before her dual degree in linguistics, and book and media studies.

But things didn't go exactly as planned.

Ching was unhappy in her new workplace. After seeking advice from a counsellor at ��˾��ֱ��'s Career Centre, she quit and went back to the drawing board. She fired off more applications and was on LinkedIn constantly looking for work.

Her persistence paid off: she was offered a job at a startup about a month later.

Ching is returning to campus this Friday with a message for the class of 2017: “Success isn't a straight line.”

She joins Weil Huang, a career educator at the Career Centre, and other alumni for a panel discussion at the two-day Next Steps conference on the obstacles students may face after graduation.

See a schedule of the Next Steps conference

��˾��ֱ�� has one of the world's best graduate employability outcomes

��˾��ֱ�� News spoke to Ching ahead of the conference as she reflected on her career path and advice to grads.

Elizabeth Ching (left), one of the speakers at the Next Steps conference, says new grads shouldn't always accept the first job offer they receive (photo courtesy of Elizabeth Ching).

How did you feel in the weeks before convocation?

I didn't really have time to be worried [about post graduation] because I was just sending out job applications like a machine.

I think mostly I was excited for the end of school and the start of a new chapter.

Can you describe your path after graduation?

In the beginning it was really rocky. I started working two weeks before I graduated. It was the first job that was offered to me. I had been applying frantically since September of my fourth year. In April, since I didn't have exams, I went back home [to Markham], and I sent out like a billion applications.

What were some of the obstacles you encountered after convocation and how did you overcome them?

That first job I was talking about – I guess because it was my first job – I wasn't sure what to expect. I felt very uncomfortable and didn't like the environment. I was very intimidated and scared. I didn't like the overall vibe of the office, and I wasn't coping very well.

I didn't know if it was just me not adjusting well to work life or if it was the work itself. I just needed someone to talk to who wasn't a friend or family member.

I went to the ��˾��ֱ�� Career Centre and talked to one of the counsellors there, Kate Bowers. She just listened to me and gave me an unbiased take on what I told her and how to think about this job. Through that, I was able to separate my personal feelings from the workplace environment. I could see it wasn't just my problem, or that I had to get over it. It was a problem of the workplace – this wasn't working out. So I quit.

What happened next?

I started looking for jobs again. I was churning out a lot of applications every day. I was always on LinkedIn. I was very persistent.

Then, I found my current role at CrowdRiff. I got an interview here and when I met with my current manager, I felt such a relief. There was such a huge difference between her attitude and the way she approached management and marketing. I was very happy to accept their job offer.

Based on your experience, any tips for the class of 2017?

I would say don't accept the first offer you get. Really evaluate the company, your interview, your manager. Ask yourself: “Does this look like a good fit?” I think it's important to sit down and think about whether you want the job as opposed to “they want me, so I'll take this job.”

What's your give advice on how to bounce back from adversity?

I think the key is talking to people who care about you and having someone who will listen to you. You need to separate yourself from the problem and realize you're not the failure.

Anything else you'd tell this year's graduating class?

Get on LinkedIn. Get on Twitter. Make sure you have a presence so people can find you so you don't have to do all the looking yourself.

More job tips from the Career Centre:

Erika Bailey, lead coordinator of career exploration at the centre, has advice for the next wave of ��˾��ֱ�� grads.

Think about who you are and what motivates you: “Know more about yourself, including what you value in life. For us to be great explorers of our careers, we have to understand who we are and what changes we want to effect.”
Be open to possibility: “This means that we do not yet know what we do not know – jobs are evolving and being created every day – so keep an open mind to opportunities and understand how they align with our skills, interests, values and future career learning.”
Know how to communicate your ideas and build connections: “Look at really expanding your network, connecting with alumni and participating in conferences. The data has shown us that students who participate in co-curricular activities, those who reflect on their lives and their skills, are the ones who are more attractive to employers.”

#FirstSevenJobs: first jobs can teach values, build networks, says ��˾��ֱ��'s Scott Schieman

vzaretski — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 13:08:51 +0000

#FirstSevenJobs: first jobs can teach values, build networks, says ��˾��ֱ��'s Scott Schieman

vzaretski Fri, 08/19/2016 - 09:08

Veronica Zaretski

Author legacy

Veronica Zaretski

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Our Community

Sociology

Faculty of Arts & Science

careers

Buzz Aldrin started as a dishwasher and eventually became one of the first two people to land on the moon. Stephen Colbert revealed that he worked as a bus boy, a cafeteria server and futon salesman before becoming one of the most famous comedians in the world. And Christina Perri shampooed hair before she became an award-winning singer and songwriter.

These reflections on first jobs and many others are part of a popular social media trend in which the famous and non-famous alike are sharing their first work experiences under the hashtag #FirstSevenJobs.

“Your first jobs can teach you about values: support, trust and respect,” says ��˾��ֱ��’s Scott Schieman, chair of the department of sociology at the University of Toronto, and Canada Research Chair in the Social Contexts of Health. He recently provided insight into how first jobs can shape the rest of your working life in an interview for BNN.

��˾��ֱ�� News gathered responses from members of the ��˾��ֱ�� community about their first work experiences, and spoke with Schieman about the popularity of the trend and the long-term impact of first work experiences.

Why do you think there is such a wide-reaching appeal of the #FirstSevenJobs trend on social media?

It’s a chance to be prompted to think about our lives. You get so caught up in the rat race that these kinds of moments take you back to who you were and how those experiences shaped you. For some people it might even bring some regret.

Being at a job can expose you to adversities. Those early jobs hold up a mirror to your own identity and your own self and at the same time they give you opportunity across a whole range of areas: social opportunities, opportunities to think differently.

These jobs also teach you about responsibility. You have to be somewhere, you have to be present, you have to perform under pressure and sometimes you have to be somewhere you don’t want to be.

Even in those small moments you’re building a familiarity with values that I think maybe contributes to a pathway.

Do you have advice for students about the kind of work that they should seek out in current and future jobs?

It comes down to the kind of choices people have and the kind of opportunities that they have in terms of age and experience. For example, a first job bagging groceries in a grocery store can give you a connection to people and possibly networks that can send you on a new path. The skills you learn in these jobs are all important: social, mental, physical and technical. If you can, identify a job that might be in line of where you want to go.

How do you think first jobs contribute to how we grow as individuals?

Each time you get exposed to new people, challenges and opportunities you can learn what you’re good at what you need to work on. If you’re not able to engage with people, your communication skills may not be as developed, your writing skills may not be as developed.

Having to deal with people in complicated situations and problem-solving can help prepare you for future jobs. Your first jobs can also teach you about values: support, trust and respect.

If you’re working with your hands or if you’re doing physical work, you pick up different kinds of skills.

Life is also about relationships, and in those roles you build relationships and networks that can help you later on in life.

These ��˾��ֱ�� community members shared their first seven jobs with ��˾��ֱ�� News. Share your first seven jobs with us on Twitter by tweeting to @UofTNews, or send an email to bulletin@utoronto.ca with the subject line: #FirstSevenJobs

University of Toronto President Meric Gertler
Photo darkroom assistant
Camp counselor (teaching bushcraft)
Steak house kitchen worker
Parks planning intern, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Regional economic development intern, Government of Canada
Community planner, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Policy analyst, Ontario Ministry of Industry and Tourism

Scott Schieman, chair of the department of sociology at the University of Toronto, and Canada Research Chair in the Social Contexts of Health
Attendant at a hot diggity dog stand
A clerk in a sporting goods store
Pizza delivery guy
A bus boy in a fine-dining Italian restaurant
Mental health counsellor
Worker at an AIDS hospice
Researcher at a department of public health

Professor Janice Gross Stein, founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto
Waitress at camp
Counsellor
Switchboard operator and receptionist
Head counsellor
Secretarial assistant
Research Assistant
Lecturer

Associate Professor Suzanne Stewart, special advisor to the OISE dean on Aboriginal education and director, Indigenous Education Initiative
Dishwasher
Drive-in theatre concession worker
Babysitter
Freelance newspaper writer
Fiction writer
Counsellor
Researcher

Vice-President & Provost Cheryl Regehr
Babysitter
Kitchen help at a camp
Counter staff at a fast food restaurant
Hostess at a steak house
Waitress in a university pub
Social Worker at a psychiatric hospital
Social worker in a general hospital - psychiatry/emergency/ sexual assault centre

Professor and Vice-President Operations Scott Mabury
Farm worker
Field researcher of endangered bats
Book shelving in library
Chemistry TA as undergraduate student
US peace corps volunteer: sustainable development in the rural Philippines
Analytical testing in library
Case selector in food freezer distribution centre

UTSU President Jasmine Wong Denike
Babysitter
Pet-sitter
Teaching assistant/assistant manager at a Kumon Centre
Bilingual tour guide at the Skydome
Sales support at J. Crew
Freelance transcription at CBC
Administrative assistant at the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada

Vice President and Principal, University of Toronto Scarborough Bruce Kidd
Newspaper delivery boy
Grocery store delivery boy
Parks maintenance worker
Reporter (radio station)
Reporter (newspaper)
Government researcher
Lecturer

��˾��ֱ�� students pack conference centre to learn about their Next Steps

lavende4 — Tue, 03 May 2016 19:50:27 +0000

��˾��ֱ�� students pack conference centre to learn about their Next Steps lavende4 Tue, 05/03/2016 - 15:50

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Participants in the Next Steps conference (photo by Jackie Shapiro)

Arthur Kaptainis

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Arthur Kaptainis

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Location, location, location. Last year the Next Steps Conference for forward-looking students and recent graduates was divided between three sites on the St. George campus. But the 2016 edition went downtown to the Chestnut Residence and Conference Centre near City Hall, a University of Toronto property that used to be – and still resembles – a hotel with meeting facilities.

The idea was to give students a sense of transition to the outside world. Another imperative was to accommodate more than 450 young people seeking advice and feedback on what follows graduation – not to mention almost 200 alumni and 50 student and staff volunteers.

“��˾��ֱ�� is one of the top ten universities in the world when it comes to the employability of its grads, according to the 2015 Global Employability University Ranking,” noted Heather Kelly, senior director of student success at ��˾��ֱ��'s Student Life office. “I hope that every Next Steps participant shares a sense of optimism about graduating with a ��˾��ֱ�� degree."

The mood was upbeat and the place was packed. A ballroom was needed for a discussion titled “So You Want to go to Grad School?” Five panelists unanimously advised students to pursue their passions but also urged them to look beyond their undergraduate majors.

“I wish I could tell you I had this all planned out,” said Stéphanie Walsh Matthews, who studied semiotics and French at ��˾��ֱ�� and now researches autism as an associate professor at Ryerson. “I wanted to be a cop until I was 16.”

Savo Lazic, who moved from mathematics to developmental biology in his ��˾��ֱ�� career, recommended networking early and often in the hunt for a PhD position. Emails often go unanswered. “Knock on doors, literally,” he said. “Don’t apply cold.”

Matthews urged students to apply for scholarships and grants even if their qualifications seem less than perfect. You never know.

All agreed that a sincere rather than generic personal statement is an important prerequisite. A chat with an admission officer would not be amiss. Marginal marks from your first year need not be fatal if you can make the case that you started in the wrong program.

Lee-Chia Huang (pictured at left),19, a second-year St. Michael’s College student with majors in statistics and human biology and a minor in physiology, found this session useful. She is not only toggling distinct academic interests but weighing the benefits of staying in Canada or returning to Taiwan.

“The panel speakers came from so many disciplines,” she said. “I liked how a lot of them are doing things they didn’t start off doing. They talked about how to make that transition. And how to make connections you didn’t think of before.”

Three students on the verge of graduation formed a panel on “Making the Most of Your Final Year.” Jasleen Arneja, a human biology major, and Therese Owusu, in book and media studies, suggested working on an independent studies project, whether college- or department-based. Jesse Adigwe, in anthropology, regards his academic year abroad in Singapore as a great highlight.

Arneja cautioned against too many clubs and extracurricular activities, but had no regrets for having served as science editor of The Varsity. “I learned so much,” she said. “I honed my writing skills. And it is such a community.”

Saturday was devoted to industry panels on scientific research, the not-for-profit sector, education, government, health care, banking, marketing and media. The panel on research advised young scientists to be prepared for change in a volatile world. You can be laid off or outsourced on short notice.

Patience is important. “Ninety-nine percent of geology projects fail to become a mine,” said Alexandra Marcotte, an independent consultant who earned her MSc from ��˾��ֱ��. Many of her fellow geologists have become de facto software engineers.

Necessity, she finds, remains the mother of invention: “Usually you are working on something and say, there has to be a better way.”

While some of the panellists suggested trying both government and industry employment before deciding on which path to take, there was a consensus that scientists who want quick results are better off in the private sector, where budgets are not fixed.

Akshay Kalle of Pathway Communications, with an BSc and MSc in mathematics from ��˾��ֱ��, said that opportunities are still plentiful for smaller operations.

“When you identify an opportunity, that means the multinationals aren’t dealing with it,” he said. “It doesn’t really fit their model.

“That is where we fit it. You identify the gaps and fill them more quickly than a big company would.”

Software competence is essential, Kalle added. And be open to the private sector. The academic research world, in his view, is saturated.

There were two keynote addresses, by Rahul Bhardwaj (BA 1987 Innis) on following your passion and Zan Chandler (BA 1989 Victoria) on transforming a linguistics degree into a career path leading to independent film production and work in the Department of Canadian Heritage. A reception, continental breakfast and lunch provided opportunities for students and alumni to interact.

“The Next Steps Conference is a prime example of the many ways alumni support the university and its students every day,” said Barbara Dick, ��˾��ֱ��’s assistant vice-president of alumni relations. “The conference could not succeed without alumni volunteers who provide tremendous value to our students and recent graduates by sharing their personal experiences and insights.

“We hope that by attending the conference, delegates realize they are a part of a global alumni network more than half a million strong and that ��˾��ֱ�� can be lifetime resource of ideas, networks, connections and support.”

The conference was a joint project of ��˾��ֱ�� ˾��ֱ�� Relations, the Career Centre and the Faculty of Arts & Science. For a video on the 2015 conference go to http://alumni.utoronto.ca/nextsteps/.

UTemp, Short-term Staffing Service

sgupta — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:21 +0000

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careers

Success isn't a straight line: ��˾��ֱ�� alumna reflects on life after graduation

See a schedule of the Next Steps conference

��˾��ֱ�� has one of the world's best graduate employability outcomes

More job tips from the Career Centre:

#FirstSevenJobs: first jobs can teach values, build networks, says ��˾��ֱ��'s Scott Schieman

��˾��ֱ�� students pack conference centre to learn about their Next Steps

UTemp, Short-term Staffing Service

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