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The Urban Jungle

FALL 2004V O L U M E 6 , I S S U E 3

w w w . c a p s . m c g i l l . c aCAPS SCOOP CAREER & PLACEMENT SERVICE NEWSLETTER

When the ice thaws after Montreal’s terminal

winter, city-dwellers rediscover the hustle and bustle of the urban jungle, marveling at window-washers braving the gusty heights, bearing witness, sometimes begrudgingly, to a veritable army of construction workers and their ensuing menagerie of equipment. The annual resurgence is fueled by municipal administrators’ and private citizens’ frenzied efforts to get things done before the mercury drops, which in turn means pay dirt for a swarm of seasonal employees.

A perennial option for job-

seekers is construction. The labors are challenging and the early hours unmerciful, but construction pays. This summer in particular, the city of Montreal ambitiously rehabilitated four of the city’s major roadways, which created a boon of jobs. None of the city employees I spoke with could pinpoint how many additional employees the city adds in the summer, but the city website, http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/emploi, outlines application instructions for students.

There is an analogous surge of painting and landscaping projects in the summertime. Painting firms are usually private, which may entail the opportunity to work for cash and/or on a part-time basis. Browse the newspaper classifieds. Landscaping firms vary in size and organization. If you want glory, power, and wealth, eschew landscaping, but if you measure wealth by the amount of dirt on your hands and sun on your shoulders, there are a bounty of riches in the urban jungle.

Many folks move their family occasions outdoors in the summer and a plethora of service-sector jobs follow. Waiting tables is a summer standard, working for a catering service is not far behind. Bicycle couriers, food deliverymen, and publicity personnel also flock to the streets in the summertime.

If you enjoy the local fauna, try hanging on as a dog walker, or, if you are creative with children, advertise as a one-person daycare service. School’s out, so there are mobs of children and almost as many exasperated parents trying

to pawn them off. Investigate the summer camp circuit and find a position that suits your talents: at a music camp, arts-and crafts camp, sports camp, or in the great outdoors at a sleep away camp. Check out all the options at www.camps.qc.ca.

Athletic types may want to lifeguard at a community swimming pool. Thrill-seekers could look for seasonal work at La Ronde as a roller coaster operator or popcorn vendor. Extreme sport enthusiasts might test the waters as a whitewater rafting guide. Utilize Internet keyword searches to learn more.

Montreal’s hallmark festival circuit creates literally thousands of outdoor summer jobs for students. Private security firms like CLB and BEST recruit unabashedly from CEGEP and University pools. Investigate their websites before applying and choose the festivals you’d like to work at.

Francois Berubet, production manager of the Jazz Festival said that between the Highlights Festival, Francofolies, and the Festival International de Jazz, his company employs between 300 and 500 students annually in advertising, publicity, and technique, as well as security and maintenance. Opportunities abound, as do professionals who remember what it’s like to be

a kid looking for a break. With that in mind, Susan Molnar, program director of the Montreal Youth Employment Services (the optimistically dubbed YES), offered some tips:

• Start Early As early as January for festival

jobs! Everybody wants a slice of the summer fun; increase your odds by applying early!

• Write a smart CVAnd flaunt it! A sharp CV is high

priority for any employer. •Make an ImpressionMost summer jobs demand

motivated, early-rising, or physically fit people. Act the part in your interview.

• Be HonestWhen applying to an

administration like a municipality or a festival, be flexible, but don’t be wishy-washy. Specify what position you are applying for and put the onus on their shoulders.

As always, be persistent, be creative, and remember there’s a job for the opportunist in the fiercely competitive urban jungle.

Ivan Corpus

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For info, or to register, visit: www.careeredge.ca

English Speaking Jobs in a French Province

So you are a student at McGill. Classes are taught in English, yet

the province itself is bilingual. You might fear that if your French is not up to par, or you will have a hard time finding work in Montreal. If this is one of your concerns, do not fret, because there are some worthwhile English-speaking job opportunities that do not require French.

A great place to start is on the CAPS website: www.caps.mcgill.ca. One area that is popular on the site is telemarketing. Many telemarketing jobs only require English, while others may require English and French. Keep an eye out for telemarketing companies like TD Waterhouse Investment Advice, and Phocus Solutions. Your exploration can also extend into the media industry. There are English magazines, television stations, and radio stations in Montreal. For example, Just Magazine is seeking freelance writers to write about Montreal. Askmen.com has positions for freelance writers, copy editors, webmasters, and positions in their sales and media department. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has various positions in radio and television. Many do require French, but there are a few where French is merely an asset, or a working knowledge of French is required. On their website there is the option to view student jobs and internships, current jobs, and also future possibilities. For this information check out www.cbc.ca/jobs/

The McGill and Concordia University Campuses are hot spots for English-speakers. Some of the jobs require French but many

do not. There are positions at both the McGill and Concordia libraries. Certain places at McGill hire independently like the McGill Bookstore and the McGill Athletic Facility. The McGill Athletics website has a link to job opportunities that lists a variety of options ranging from being a lifeguard, to a security guard, or even a flag football coordinator.

Although making money is a plus, sometimes the road to the perfect job starts with an internship. There are several English-only speaking internships that could satisfy all types of people - from the animal lover to the economics mastermind. Such internships range from the Jane Goodall Institute and the U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Consulate General. The aim of the Jane Goodall Institute is to increase and preserve primate habitat, raise greater awareness of the environment and animals, increase humane research programs on primates, and promote the well-being of primates and other animals. The U.S. Consulate General in Montreal offers a great internship opportunity. It is part of the U.S. Commercial Service, which is a part of

the U.S. Department of Commerce. The title is a mouthful, but the

work and perks that come with the territory are extremely

rewarding. Canadians and Americans are eligible to

apply, and most have a background in either business or economics.

There are exciting English-only-speaking job opportunities in Montreal. It is only a matter of searching early and getting out there!

Deborah Rubin

1.Spelling Errors, Typos, and Poor Grammar2.Too Duty Oriented3.Dates not included or inaccurate dates4.Incomplete Contact info5.Poor Formatting6.Functional Resumes7.Long Resumes8.Long Paragraphs9.Candidates who apply to Positions for which

they are unqualified10.Personal Info not relevant to the job11.Employer or industry information NOT

included12.Lying or Misleading Information13.Objectives or meaningless Introductions14.Poor Font Choice15.Resumes not sent as a Word Attachment16.Pictures, Graphics or URL Links17.No Easy to Follow Summary18.Resumes Written in the 1st or 3rd Person19.Gaps in Employment20.Burying or Not including important

information in the Resume

Top 20 Employers Pet Peeves about Resumes

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CAREER & PLACEMENT SERVICE NEWSLETTER


w w w . c a p s . m c g i l l . c aC APS SCOOP

Top 10 Companies for

Diversity(the following companies are American)

1.Pitney Bowes2.Citigroup3.Ford Motor Co.4.Verizon ommunications5.PepsiCo6.Coca-Cola7.Abbott Laboratories8.SBC Communications9.Kraft Foods10.Xerox

There is a lot of talk these days about diversity and employability. Not only

are companies talking about their diversity programs they are spending money promoting the fact that they are a company that not only “talks the talk, but walks the walk”.

Finally we are seeing a positive change in North America where companies, organizations, institutions, and so on, are not only seeing the value in a diverse staff but they are embracing it. The days of “tokenism” and the mentality of “just meeting quotas” are finally starting to leave us.

That being said there is still work to be done. Until diversity is embraced and discrimination is abolished, we need to keep talking about it. McGill’s Career and Placement Service is committed to working towards the success and promotion of all of its students. Just last year CAPS introduced a Diversity Advisor who’s focus is to address issues of concern or interest for students from ethnic, religious and visible minority groups, aboriginal students, students with disabilities, and queer students.

Last year we organized a discussion panel, in

partnership with McGill’s Centre for Research and Teaching on Women, titled: “Women at work: Being Different and Successful”. We also offered a workshop to students at the First People’s House on campus as well as advised students individually.

As the diversity advisor at CAPS, I am looking forward to expanding this area by offering more discussion panels, workshops, and working closely with student groups. Also, I would like to invite students to contact me at CAPS and give suggestions on what you would like to see this year with regard to Diversity. I look forward to hearing from you.

Cindy Mancuso M.Ed., c.o.Career Counselor/Diversity Advisortel: 398-3304email: [email protected]

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w w w . c a p s . m c g i l l . c aCAPS SCOOPThe federal

and provincial

governments, interested in training an educated workforce to fill its ranks in the future, attempt to help students and recent

graduates in obtaining experience relevant to their field of study. Which government programs and resources appear to suit McGill students best? Where can we find summer jobs, government or overseas internships? These are all good questions and here are a few sources you might want to consult to answer them.

• The Labor Market Information website: www.labourmarketinformation.ca is an online resource provided by the Canadian government. It helps the user to understand the framework

of the existing labour market. The site has many useful facts on who is needed where and why, but it does not offer any immediate job postings.

•youth.gc.ca is sponsored and supported by the Canadian government. Job-hunting represents a huge part of the site’s activities. It serves as a bridge to various online job listings, introduces a step-by-step job search guide, and has specific summer jobs and working abroad sections.

• The www.jobsetc.ca site, also related to the federal government, offers a variety of public and private jobs – they are collected from a few other job search sites, such as Jobbank. The site is not exclusively meant for students, but is generally attentive to the newcomers of the work force.

•www.hrsdc.gc.ca is the official site of Human Resources and Skills Development department of the Canadian government. Out of the numerous employment programs and strategies introduced on the site, the Youth Employment Strategy seems to be the most promising for students and recent graduates.

•The jobs related to these programs are often posted on the www.jobbank.gc.ca website. The Jobbank is easy to navigate and does not demand registration. It claims to post up to 2000 new jobs per day, of which many are relevant to the student population.

•The emploiquebec.net portal is a Quebec job search engine for the general public. It provides information about the Centres locaux d’emploi (CLE),

the province’s employment centres. The site also has official analysis of the current labour market situation.

•www.emploietudiant.qc.ca is a site created by the Quebec government and, therefore, mainly designed for Quebec residents. It offers a lot of useful information about job search techniques, though most of it is in French. After you fill out an online registration form, potential employers will contact you if you fit their qualifications.

Natalia Kudryashova

Government Resources

Diversity & CAPS

www.volunteer.ca

To give you an idea about the reputation of this website, it has been described as “Canada’s

national voice for volunteerism”. Volunteer.ca is probably the most comprehensive

volunteer site I’ve ever come across. There is a wealth of information that ranges from the history of Canadian community involvement to an ‘I WILL Volunteer’ Campaign!

What I really like about this site is the fact that it saves you the trouble of finding many different volunteering sites, simply because it’s has all the information one could possibly want. There is a ‘Fast Find’ section that lets you quickly jump to a topic of interest.

If you are looking for a place that encompasses every aspect of volunteerism possible, the buck stops at www.volunteer.ca. Rating:

www.volunteer.org.nz

This is the site for the Global Volunteer Network (GVN). The Global Volunteer Network offers

volunteer opportunities in community projects throughout the world. Their goal is to support the work of local community organizations in developing countries through the placement of international volunteers.

The website is divided into two main sections: Programs and News. In the program section, each volunteer program is outlined in considerable detail and grouped according to the region it is offered in. The ‘News’ section is a regularly updated area that talks about the latest volunteer programs.

On the whole, the site is worth a look for those on the lookout to volunteer on a worldwide basis.

Rating: Kunal Jethal

Website Review Upcoming CAPS Events

Career Fairs Arts Career Fair: February 2,

2005 Education Career Fair:

February 7, 2005 Helping Professions Career

Fair: February 9, 2005

Check our website for more information on February Career Month!

Last February, myself and about twenty other Masters and PhD students gathered

for a couple of hours each week to discuss our career plans in a program called the Program for the Advancement of Career Exploration (PACE).. We were grad students from art history, anthropology, chemical engineering, education, neuro-science, molecular biology, family therapy, political science and others. We had different skills and interests, but we had one thing in common: the need to decide if we wanted to go further in our studies. We knew we had to choose between plunging into a focused, purposeful job search or plunging wholeheartedly into improving our academic profile. Some students shared a sense of dissatisfaction with their programs of study, and it was evident they needed a supportive boost to reassure them: “It’s okay to stop being a student. It’s okay to want a good job. We’re here to help you find it.”

The services provided were excellent. In addition to receiving some very concrete advice about how to transfer our research and teaching skills into “hard skills” in the job market, we received what I would call more philosophical guidance. We were brought through different exercises that encouraged us to think about who we are as workers, how we perceive the working world and how we can imagine positioning ourselves in it.

We took the STRONG test, which gave us some insight into the best possible working environment for us (including the best possible colleagues). And we also took the MBTI test, which is based on Jungian psychology and gives you insights on a deeper level about how you interact with the world. I found the MBTI test especially useful. It helped me understand why my career path has unfolded the way that it has and gave me the courage to trust my natural inclinations, instead of trying to work against them and be more “practical.” The MBTI gives you a profile of yourself as a worker, and it also includes some case studies of other successful workers who have the same profile as you. These profiles were especially encouraging. When I read about the successes that people similar to me were experiencing in their work, I felt hopeful in a way I had not felt in a long time. Once we took the tests, we discussed the results with an

experienced counsellor, who helped us understand what it meant in terms of our own career plans.

I strongly encourage every graduate student to enroll in the PACE program. Even in you love your graduate studies and want more than anything to be an academic, the PACE program will help you take the steps to make yourself a more enticing candidate to future employers in higher education. Or, if you are having doubts about being an academic, the PACE program will help you find ways to transfer your academic skills and find a fulfilling job.

Gail Fairbank-Roth

The Pace Program is not only offered to Graduate Students. If you are an undergraduate student who needs help deciding whether your degree is right for you then sign up for PACE! This program will help you explore your interests identify your goals and discover how to make the most of your education. For upcoming schedules and more information visit www.caps.mcgill.ca

Rating GuideNumber of Scoops:1) Unhelpful:2) Average:3) Helpful:4) Invaluable:A Personal Account of the PACE Program


EDITORS Amelia Bourbonnais, Christine Herr DESIGN/LAYOUT Joshua Machiz PRINTED BY McGill Printing PHOTOGRAPHY Mohammed Sobhan, Joshua Machiz PUBLICATION OF McGill Career & Placement Service William & Mary Brown Student Services Building 3600 McTavish

Suite 2200 Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2 Tel: (514) 398-3304 Email: [email protected]

Web: www.caps.mcgill.ca

CAPSSCOOP

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