Graduates

2009 E-Newsletter articles

E-Newsletter articles for your Professional Development

Graduating in a Recession? Kick Start your Career by Volunteering

September 2009

It is truly the luck of the draw when it comes to the link between graduation and economic conditions. No one person can accurately predict whether each graduate will enter the work force on an economic high or during a recession. Just a few short years ago new graduates had their pick of the crop in terms of employment opportunities. During this prosperous economic time some graduates were closing the door on volunteering; opting to seek out employment opportunities that would secure the best financial rewards, and result in leveraging their careers within their chosen industry.

Today our focus is inevitably drawn toward current global economic challenges; employment layoffs, home and business foreclosures, and not to mention the incredible toll it is taking on individuals and families.

Whether you look to the Canadian, US, or the global market - it is reported that more new graduates and young people ages 18 - 30 are considering the idea of volunteering on a full time basis, and youth will be more likely to volunteer if rates of unemployment continue to increase.

This is according to new research published as part of Volunteers' Week

With employment opportunities being notably different for new graduates, consider the following to launch your career, and feel successful while contributing to society.

  1. Focus on your latest achievement - college graduation, you've reached a substantial benchmark in your life and it is worth celebrating.
  2. Take a moment to remember the journey filled with memorable times, individual success, and challenges.
  3. Now, reach out and give back to those in need and who are facing their own challenges.

Volunteering offers graduates benefits that will pay off in the long run:

  • Contributing to society and the community in a meaningful way
  • Donating time to a cause and/or charity that is important to you
  • Providing services in your area of expertise
  • Utilizing your time productively - common employment question, "what have you been doing since you graduated?"
  • Developing new skills and honing your current skills
  • Adding value to your marketability
  • Getting a head-start in a highly competitive job market
  • Developing experience to contribute to your resume
  • Connecting with the community socially and developing future employment networks

Tips to make the most out of volunteering.

  1. It can be tough to give up your time and effort when you are unemployed and/or actively looking for work. Money is tight right now therefore; when you approach organizations to volunteer ask about what options might be available to reimburse you for out-of-pocket expenses, especially transportation and gas.
  2. With an increased number of not-for-profit organizations looking for additional volunteer support start by approaching organizations with a plan of action, market yourself by clearly communicating what you would be willing to offer in terms of time, services and specialization of skills.
  3. Explore volunteer opportunities right in your own backyard; your community requires support with local food banks, animal and rescue shelters, charities, youth services, crisis counseling hotlines, community closets, and more.
  4. Consider creating your own volunteer project - sometimes referred to as service leadership. Coordinate a group of friends, college peers, or family members and approach an organization with a plan to offer a volunteer service by leading the project from start to finish. Include documented outcomes (measurable timelines and achievements you will strive to meet, budgets required, volunteers required; time commitments, roles, qualifications).
  5. On Wednesday, October 7th attend Mount Royal to connect with over 75 organizations during Volunteer Recruitment Fair 2009.
  6. Meet with a Coordinator from Career Services to discuss how to learn more about volunteer opportunities that would work for you.

When we volunteer we are generally giving back to others, we often forget that we are also giving to ourselves. Regardless of your volunteer activity it is important you feel good about your role and the contribution you are making whether it is to an organization, person or cause. Remember, volunteering is one of the best ways to maximize your potential.

Article by:

Melody Choboter,
Coordinator Career & Graduate Development
Career Services, Mount Royal

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Personal Branding and the World of Work

June 2009

To Brand or Not to Brand?…That is the Question

Personal Branding and the World of Work - by now you have probably heard the term 'personal branding' and how important it can be to your job search and personal career growth in 21st century. As a new college graduate there is no better time to incorporate personal branding into your career development and employment search. Although you have heard of the term personal branding, chances are you have a number of valid questions such as: What is all the hype around personal branding? What are the benefits to new graduates? What should your personal brand convey? Most important, how can you get started to create your personal brand?

  • Personal branding can be defined in terms of how your target audience perceives your total value in comparison to the competition. The target audience in a graduate's world is the prospective employer, corporate recruiter, or future admissions department for graduate school. Today employers are looking for the complete package. They receive and review hundreds of resumes and applications to achieve their goal in selecting the best candidate.
  • To simplify things personal branding can best be defined as the way you market yourself to the world. When it comes to your job search it is important to remember YOU are the product. How you are perceived by your target audience can significantly impact your ability to succeed.

Personal branding has both an external and internal thermometer.

  • External relates to how others perceive you. Internal can be best described as how you view yourself.
  • In the big picture of things, personal branding in many cases is unavoidable. You brand yourself daily through your actions and your communication with others. You are branding yourself each time you engage in a conversation or send an email to a colleague, friend or a family member. Even your choice of attire contributes to your brand message. Society itself attaches labels to people in everyday scenarios and through observation of one's actions. This in fact becomes a part of your personal brand whether we agree with it or not.
  • The good news is you can choose to have control over your professional branding, especially when it comes to your job search and career advancement.
  • Components of personal branding include; competencies, appearance, personal qualities, and a differentiator. When combined these become the individual's primary message. Branding is sometimes referred to as tangible or intangible.
  • Tangible aspects include your 'personal branding kit', this consists of a cover letter, resume, portfolio, business cards, e-profile or website, references, and your 60 second commercial, commonly referred to as an elevator pitch.
  • Intangible is your primary message which is relayed through communication; networking opportunities and during the interview. Individuals that proactively invest the time in developing their personal marketing kit and primary message send a clear message to the employer that they are unique and are invested in the opportunity at hand.
    Try this exercise to identify components of your personal branding:

External:

  • Use 3 adjectives to define how others describe you.
  • What do people say about you within your work environment?
  • Identify strengths your current/past supervisor communicated to you (performance reviews, personal strengths, results, goals and accomplishments).
  • What do your colleagues, peers, or other departments invite you to teach them?

Internal:

  • Describe yourself using 3 adjectives.
  • What is an accomplishment you achieved and/or are proud of within the past 5 years?
  • What were some of the obstacles you were faced with?
  • What resources did you use to overcome these obstacles?
  • What did you do personally contribute to add value to the project or objective?

Now, ask yourself does your internal brand match your perceived external brand? What does not resonate with you? If you could change something about your brand message (external/internal) what would that be? It is important to note, you do not necessarily have to agree with how others see you. If you take the time to try and understand your external branding (reasons why others view you the way they do), you will capture an overall picture of who you are. More importantly you will be able to articulate what you have to offer an employer, and what makes you different - in a positive way!

Tips to help you create your own personal brand - Identify the following:

  1. Natural gifts - what comes natural to you? What do people praised you for? How can you convey to an employer that your natural talent is of value/benefit to them?
  2. Values - what beliefs do you live by? What is important to you? By conveying your values you ensure a better employee/employer fit. Do you value family, flexibility, opportunities for professional/career growth?
  3. Passions - your passions can often overlap with your natural gifts. It is important to have balance in the workplace and convey what you are good at doing, as well as the types of tasks you are interested to participate in.
  4. Knowledge and qualifications - what are you qualified to do? Are you a specialist? This is your opportunity to convey to the employer how you can apply your education. What do you hold a diploma and/or degree in? In what way is this of benefit to the employer?
  5. Strengths/Attributes - what qualities or characteristics define you? These can tell an employer who you really are and how you are going to perform in the work environment. Examples may be; organized, sensitive, team player, dependable, hard-working.

Draft the following:

  • Write a compelling brand description - create a paragraph or two that highlights your strengths, passions, and natural talents and that clearly emphasizes your knowledge and what you are specialized in.
  • Create your personal tagline - this can be referred to as your objective. Using the information above draft a brief point about what you most want to convey to employers about yourself.
  • Consider this example: Outgoing and exuberant corporate ambassador specialized in professional product and service marketing. Passionately achieves bottom line results and actively increases business relationships.

Remember it may take a number of revisions to customize your own unique brand message. Once you have created your 'personal branding message' carry this throughout your marketing and job search activities including your resume, cover letter, interviews, and emails - subject and taglines. As a new graduate you want to continually reinforce the message throughout your experiences, education and any additional communication pieces and networking opportunities. Your goal is to communicate without hesitation when asked, "What are you a specialist in? What makes you unique? What makes you different from the competition?

Article by:

Melody Choboter,
Coordinator Career & Graduate Development
Career Services, Mount Royal

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Moving Up... Getting the Most out of Your First Career-related Job

February 2009

That first job in your field can be the best or worst experience of your career!

For many new graduates, getting that first career related job is an amazing milestone, but they quickly find out that College is a different world. The right strategies and attitude can really help anyone make the most out of their first year on the job.

Check your attitude at the door: Take a good look at how you feel about yourself, this new job, the company, and your current life situation. Many times starting a new job is the result of leaving another position due to job dissatisfaction, unexpected lifestyle changes, conflict in the workplace etc. and sometimes we unknowingly carry negative feelings with us into our new jobs.

  • Leave the past behind: If you're burnt out and stressed due to a previous bad experience, be aware of how those feelings may still be with you and may be impacting you and the new people you are meeting.
  • Focus on the positives: Take time to figure out the positive elements you got from your past job, but leave the negative ones behind. Focus on your skills, qualifications and your willingness to learn new things.

Understand the corporate culture: Every company and sometimes even departments have unique 'cultures' that consist of either spoken or unspoken ways of behaving, dressing, and communicating. Become a good observer of human behaviour and you'll start to understand the right culture.

  • Connect the right way: Don't get sucked-in to water cooler gossip or company-bashing after-work get-togethers. You never know the full story and your reputation may pay a price. If there is no official mentorship program, seek out a mentor - someone you can learn from who has a solid reputation with the company and the respect of their colleagues.
  • Ask questions! Are you unsure about guidelines around taking longer lunches, what to expense, which meetings you must attend etc. Your assumptions about what is expected may not be correct and it could lead to misunderstanding about your work style or work ethic.
  • Dress the part. Some people say to dress for the job that you want -not just the job that you have. But your best bet is to dress appropriately for your work environment and your position.

Set the Right Expectations: At the interview the employer is selling the company and position with the same enthusiasm you are using to sell your skills and qualifications. Sometimes the reality of the new job and company may not match what you expected. To keep your expectations at the right level:

  • Assess the benefits: Every job has good and bad. Ask yourself - what are you learning from the experience? Are you making good contacts within the organization? If you succeed at this position, could it be a stepping stone to an even better one in the future? Look at 'all' of the aspects that the job is offering you.
    Clarify expectations: It takes effort on your part (not just your employer) for you to understand what is really expected of you. Work hard to not just meet - but exceed those expectations. Ask for clarification, show interest and engagement. Be involved - they'll notice!
  • Be patient: When you are just starting out, your employer will need some time to asses the level and quality of your work and skills. Complete all tasks well - even small ones. You will be trusted with larger, more complex projects as trust in you and in your ability grows. Be patient - but talk to your supervisor if you feel you have successfully completed your basic tasks but are ready for more challenging work as well.
  • Ask for feedback: Whether it is informal or formal - you need to check in and see how you are doing. Take every task as an opportunity to grow and learn. Evaluate your own performance and consider improvements you would make the next time.
    By evaluating your own attitude, setting the right expectations and working to understand the corporate culture, your first professional work experience can be an invaluable stepping stone for your future career goals.

Article by:

Patsy Valenzuela, BSW, CCDP

For further information or assistance contact Career Services:
A200 Kerby Hall
403.440.6307
studentjobs@mtroyal.ca
Career Services website

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