www.careers.utoronto.ca how to look for summer work engineering science felicity morgan, m.ed. march...

www.careers.utoronto.ca

How to Look for Summer Work

Engineering Science

Felicity Morgan, M.Ed.

March 10, 2005


Workshop Goals

To develop a targeted action plan for your summer work search.

• Determine your goals• Review effective job search methods• Discuss résumés and cover letters• Provide an overview of Career Centre

services


What type of work do I want?

Identify your needs: Experience Financial Time and Flexibility Location: Local, another city, international Skills Development Personal Interest


Job Search Methods

Passive Newspapers Career Centre Government

programs Websites Agencies

Active Network

Family, friends, professors, former employers

Professional associations

Cold calls


How do I find it?

Government Programs/Internships

Job Postings - Career Centre

Network

Research


Government Programs/Internships

FSWEP www.jobs.gc.ca Ontario Government Summer Student

Hiring http://youthjobs.gov.on.ca/eng.html Summer Company (Ontario website

above) See Summer Work Search tipsheet for

more


Career Centre Summer Employment Listings

Only U of T students and recent grads

Basic/Advanced search screen

Delisted positions

http://www.careers.utoronto.ca


Geographical Search

The National Job Bank

http://jb-ge.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca Canada WorkInfonet

http://www.workinfonet.ca Workopoliscampus (formerly CampusWorklink)

http://campus.workopolis.com Employer Directories Network


How Employers Hire

5. Ads / postings----------

4. Unsolicited resumes----------

3. Screened applicants: Agencies, Search firm

----------2. Networking contacts/offers proof

----------1. From within

The way a typical job-hunter likes to hunt for a job (starts here)

The way a typical employer prefers to fill vacancies (starts here)

Source: Bolles, What Color Is Your Parachute


Networking – What is it?

Develop layers of contacts

6 degrees removed from information you want


Who Do You Know?

Family

Teacher

Neighbour

Friends

Teammate

Classmate

YOUFriend’sFriend

Colleague

YourNew Boss

Company Insider


Once You have the Contacts… Who you are, why you are contacting him or

her Your specific, relevant skills and or

experiences “Hi Mr. Brown, my name is… and I am calling

to inquire about summer positions with your firm. Do you have a few minutes to speak with me? I have previous experience in a manufacturing setting, working on the product line…″


Research - Industry Specific

Delisted jobs Network Employer Directories Professional Associations Job Fairs Faculty/Department notices


Places on Campus to Look for Work University of Toronto Libraries Food Services Athletic Centre Hart House Second Cup Departmental offices, Student Services

offices


Going Abroad

Start early (i.e. one year in advance) Link with a specific program such as

IASTE, AISEC, SWAP For more information see Going Abroad

tipsheet and the International Student Centre


Prepare Your Résumé

Purpose: to get the interview Know what you have to offer employer Tailor it to field: RELEVANT and

concrete Content and format are both important:

Keep It Simple


Your Skills Come From…..

Part-time Work

Volunteer Work

Academic WorkExtra Curricular

Summer Work


Résumé Formats

Chronological

Modified Chronological

Functional/Skills


Résumé Components

Contact info

Education

Awards and Achievements

Technical/computer skills

Project work


Résumé Components – Part 2

Experience; paid and unpaid

Extracurricular activities

Interests

References

Optional: objective, skills summary


Résumé Fine-Tuning

Use action words

Focus on results/impact

Quantify examples

Maximum 2 pages; 1 page is often sufficient

Quality of paper

Font size


E-mail and Electronic Résumé

E-mail: be specific in the subject header

Options: use plain text in e-mail body, send via attachment, use PDF file

Create a signature file Check e-mail regularly All the same rules apply


Web Forms

Cut and paste résumé into text boxes

Answer questions on specific skills,

qualifications, levels of experience or

achievements

Treat like interview questions; don’t assume

they will make the leap for you


Scannable Résumés

Simple presentation: no fancy fonts, graphics, lines, coloured paper etc.

Use key words to describe your experiences; see job description

Left justify Avoid punctuation Use spacing


Résumé Checklist

Does your résumé look appealing?Does it highlight your relevant skills,

abilities and experiences?Are there any grammatical mistakes,

typos or misused words?Have you had it critiqued by other

people?


Cover Letters

Focus on the top 2-3 relevant skills

Clear, specific and concise

Make link: your skills and employer needs

Include what you know about the employer

No typos, run on sentences, grammar mistakes

Have it critiqued by someone else


The Interview

Review your résumé, your relevant skills and

experience

Prepare concrete, relevant examples: STAR

Research employer and the job

Practice

Smile!


Other Career Centre Services to Help You

Career Resource Library

Career Centre Workshops

Résumé Clinic

Practice Interviews

Career Talk


Action Plan

Identify prioritiesCheck government programs and web

postings regularlyDevelop my network and work on intro

speechHave my résumé critiquedPractice interview questions

Best of Luck


214 College St.

416-978-8000

www.careers.utoronto.ca how to look for summer work engineering science felicity morgan, m.ed. march...

Documents

parachute slide

product line slide

summer work search tipsheet

summer positions

search firm

effective job search

geographical search

national job bank http