The Career Centre provides a variety of services and resources that support students and alumni in their career exploration, planning, job search and career development.
1. Mind your manners.
Saying please and thank you aren’t frills or unnecessary language. Use them often and liberally. You can’t be too polite to your clients – even when they don’t return the favor. Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and once you finish a project, take the time to thank the client for giving you the opportunity to work with them. Finishing on a positive note will make that client think of you the next time they need something done.
2. Show up when you say you will.
Don’t be the freelance who is like magic – just disappears one day. Clients like to be kept in the loop, and it only takes a minute to send an e-mail to give them a progress report every so often. I sometimes forget that since I work remotely, my clients don’t know what stage of a project I’m working on, but I try to deliver larger projects in stages so the client has a sense that the work is progressing.
3. Respond promptly when a client gets in touch.
You don’t need to answer every e-mail within minutes, but do get back to your clients promptly. You might have several clients whose projects you are currently juggling, but you need to make each one feel like their work is a priority for you.
4. Pick up the phone when it seems appropriate.
When something happens that needs to be dealt with quickly, don’t use e-mail. It might be a bit out of your comfort zone, but picking up the phone to talk to a client personally is a good way to get a question answered or get an issue resolved. If you decide to do so, it’s good form to introduce yourself (if you have never spoken to client before) and say, “I know you’re busy so I’ll be brief….” and then get to the reason for your call.
5. Don’t get too comfortable.
I think a certain level of insecurity about your professional life is not a bad thing – as long as you use properly. If you feel too comfortable with a client or a type of work, you may not be as careful about making sure you understand instructions or following them appropriately. The last thing you want to do is turn in sloppy work because Client X is someone you have developed a long-term relationship with.
I genuinely like and respect all of my clients and I hope it’s the same for them. That doesn’t mean that I ever forget the fact that if they aren’t happy with my work, they can easily go elsewhere.
It’s worth it to me to treat my professional relationships like the precious commodities they are. It takes more effort to be constantly looking for new clients than to have an existing client base that will provide you with at least and certain level of work on a regular basis.
Source: Freelance Writing Gigs
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1. Invest in a high-quality, leather portfolio with a zipper
Typically, contact and structure are less of a problem for presenters than is the issue of style; as only 7% of the words you say make it to the audience. When presenting the most important aspect keep your presentation free of negative behavior. Eliminate anything that detracts from communicating solid, benefit-oriented information in an engaging format.
Which type of speaker are you:
The Slow Talker speaks at an unnaturally halting rate that makes the audience want to jump out of their seats with impatience.
The Low Talker speaks quietly, generally with eyes cast down. This awkward shyness eventually makes the audience so uncomfortable they forget what is being said and concentrate on the speaker’s embarrassment instead.
The Droner just doesn’t know when to stop. The presentation goes on endlessly, with no respect for the audience’s time.
The Double Talker presents a few substantiated facts and tends to over-promise. His or her proposals sound too good to be true.
The Techie presents too many details and little bottom-line content. Techies often get bogged down with charts and graphs that are difficult to read and understand.
The Stiff stands behind the podium with hands folded, reading from a script, making few if any gestures, and simply bores the audience to death.
The Apologizer destroys his or her credibility by making excuses, often right at the outset, which can sabotage the entire presentation.
The Twitcher is a nervous presenter who may repeatedly grin, grimace or make other repetitious motions, such as pointing a finger in the air for emphasis or swaying from one foot to the other.
The Show-off gives more glitz than substance, offering few relevant facts or solutions.
Ultimately to be an effective communicator and presenter the Straight Shooter is who you want to be most like.
The Straight Shooter makes eye contact with the audience, uses natural body movement, and may even move around the room instead of standing stiffly in one spot. The straight shooter uses direct language so everything is understandable and clear.
Tips:
· Make sure your appearance is well presented
· Practice makes perfect
· Speak clearly and adjust your voice; don’t shout for the sake of being loud
· Effectively used, a pause in your speech can be used to emphasize a point
· Make eye contact with your audience; this helps to build trust and a relationship
“The greatest enemy to your human potential is your comfort zone.”
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We tend to accept our thoughts the way we’d never accept the same ideas from someone else. Below are 7 bad thoughts people typically tell themselves when considering a career change or challenge.
1) “I don’t know how.”
- No one knows how to do everything. That’s where the word LEARNING comes into play.
- Better thought: “I need to find some way to do this and will start finding out by…”
2) “I don’t think anyone would hire me to do this (or would buy this or be my client).”
- This line is famous for completely giving up. If you don’t want to give up stop recycling the past experience of no one being interested.
- Better thought: “I have to find the right people with the right needs/interests”
3) “Why try that? I’m just not good at it.”
- Just like learning, to be good at something you must PRACTICE; also you generally aren’t the best judge of how good you are.
- Better thought: “I haven’t been too great at that so far, but it it’s important for me to do, I can certainly learn how to do at least an OK job at it.”
4) “I screwed up. What an idiot I am.”
- The bigger success the bigger the past screw ups in most cases.
- Better thought: “How can I make sure I do that better so I don’t screw up next time?”
5) “I’d love to…but”
- If you would really love to do something there should be no buts.
- Better thought: “I’d love to do X, so I need to figure out some way to do it.”
6) “I’m too old to change careers.”
- You are never too old, typically this means you are afraid of going back to school or face younger bosses in a new field or face illegal age discrimination.
- Better thought: “Because I am really experienced, I know how to learn and can more quickly though a career change.”
7) “I’m too inexperienced to get the job/career I want.”
- A common variation of the “I don’t know how to” thought.
- Better thought: “I’m going to brainstorm 100 ways I can get experience I need.”
1. Get Informed - Research sectors, industries and organizations
You can’t make any decisions because you don’t know what you want. And you don’t know what you want because you don’t know who you are. And you don’t know who are because you’re allowed to be anyone you want. Welcome to your Quarterlife Crisis – that uncertain time of transitions from classrooms and professors to cubicles and bosses.
Experts say this crisis hits people in their 20’s, because after years of learning the system of how to success in school, college grads are thrown into the world of work with no real understanding of how to succeed in it. Studies show that people in their 20’s are working shorter tenures at multiple employers – unlike their parents, who had more clear-cut career paths and more loyal to employers.
Here are five strategies you can take to right yourself and get back on track for fulfilling your dreams.
1. Develop realistic expectations.
Develop a mentoring relationship with someone in your same profession and learn the steps it takes to make the kind of progression you to hope to make.
2. Take time to discover your passions.
Many people fall into a quaterlife crisis because they take the first job offer after college and embark on a series of wrong jobs/careers. Spend some alone time conducting some serious self-assessments. What are your passions? What are the types of activities you love accomplishing? What do you dislike? What first inspired you about your college major? Beware your passions may change as you experience more things and grow as a person.
3. Set goals and visualize your future.
It does not do any good to have realistic expectations and an understanding about your passions if you do not have a plan for progressing in your career. Where do you see yourself in five years? What type of job do you envision? What type of life do you want?
4. Consider changing careers.
You may find during this process you notice that your current career is not for you, which is perfectly okay (even if you are already on your fifth career). If you are unhappy with what you currently do, if you dread going to work in the morning, if your work is causing you to be (mentally or physically) sick then you must make a change.
5. Cultivate a positive meaning/definition of success.
Many 20-year-olds have a too materialistic definition of success. You must stop judging yourself by other people’s standards and develop your own. How do you define success? What gives you the most satisfaction and happiness? What gives your life meaning? Remember that many of the so-called trappings of success such as money, material possessions, etc. are strictly the results of success; not the definition.
Don't want to spend your summer working long hours? Why not be your own boss this summer, nothing is better than makig your own hours, doing something you like and making money. Take a look at a few options for your summer business.
1) Lawn Care/Landscaping
- People who care for their own yard the rest of the year may not want to keep up with it in the summer. Gardens need to be weeded and lawns need to be cut every week, and full-time professional yard maintenance services want to set up regular contacts. Offer a low price and don’t try to push ongoing contracts. Drive through neighborhoods looking for yards that need moving and weeding and leave a flyer.
2) Exterior House Cleaning
- Window washing, gutter cleaning, power washing exteriors – start your own business dong the home care chores that others hate to do. You could even offer services such as painting an old fence or touch ups on the house. Once you have established your business it, it should get you great carry-over potential and excellent word of mouth advertisement.
3) House/Pet Sitting
- Summer is family vacation time, and someone has to watch the pets and take the mail and newspaper in when everyone leaves for a week or two. If you can target your marketing to families, that will be most effective. The going rates on pet/house sitting ranges from $5 to $15 per visit depending on the number and type of pets, frequency of visit and expectations.
4) House Call Specialist
- If you’re technologically savvy, you have expertise that a lot of people still don’t. Start your own business making house calls troubleshooting computer problems and/or showing people how to do what they want to do with their computers. This is not only a good summer job, but can be carried on into the new school year as a part time job.
5) Rubbish Pickup
- There are lots of people with lots of junk that they would like to dispose of. Late spring/early summer is the season of the highest demand as people do their spring clean ups. If you have access to a truck, this could be a money making small business idea for you. Keep in mind you can get additional money from scrap metal, instead of just taking it to the dump.
6) Nanny/Babysitter
- For working parents of school-age kids, summer presents a real challenge. Summer camp may take care of a few weeks, a family trip another week or two, but then what about the rest of the summer? Find two or three families or one with several kids and take care of the kids during the day. You could make $8 - $12 an hour, depending on the number of kids you have. It’s less money than some other options, but it’s generally easier work.
7) Tutoring and teaching
- Opportunities abound for the entrepreneurially-minded person with the knowledge to share. Some kids need help catching up on one or two subjects, homeschoolers usually school year ‘round and many parents put their kids in summer classes on a fun topic like science, drama, or creative writing. You can tutor individual kids, or put together a group workshop or week-long class. You can make $10 - $20 an hour for one-on-one tutoring, depending on your qualifications. Classes vary widely in price, but even with a small turn out you should be able to make $50 - $100 per teaching hour.
8) Mobile car detailing
- People love convenience, and the idea of having your car cleaned while it’s already sitting there at their home of office sure beats taking it someplace and having to wait on it. Luxury car owners may be reluctant to use machine washes and especially owners of high-top vans and pick-up trucks may not even be able to. You can make between $20 - $30 per ca for basic wash and interior on up to $100 or so for complete detailing (engine cleaning, etc.)
9) Keep people cool
- There are plenty of public places that don’t have snack bars and the convenience store’s just not convenient enough. Bottled water, sports drinks, visors, cheap sunglasses, and battery-powered fans will sell anywhere there’s sun. Try parks, the beach, baseball practice field or busy street corners near popular destinations. **Permits may be required at beaches, parks, or other public areas.
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The end of the Most of us busy with final assignments, presentations and the stress of life; we haven’t had time to think about a summer job let alone look for one. It is important to set aside an hour and start your search, summer job positions are filling fast. Bring your resume and cover letter into the Career Centre for review and adjustments.
Check out the sites below for additional help:
1) Job Connect: http://www.jobconnectontario.org/newsite/html/autogen.html?page_id=2&schild_id=14
2) Small Business Centre: http://smallbusinessctr.com/youth/summer-company.html
3) Quinte Student BlogSpot: http://www.quintestudentjobs.blogspot.com/
4) Job Bank: http://jobbank.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/srch_eng.aspx?ProvId=06&OfferpPage=50&Student=No
Career planning is an activity that should be done several times, and is a rewarding and positive experience.
Here are 10 tips to help you achieve successful career planning.
1. Make Career Planning an Annual Event
Find a day or week once a year (more often if you’re planning a major career change) and schedule a retreat for yourself. Block out all distractions and truly focus on your career and what you want out of your life; doing this will make you feel more secure in your career choice and direction.
2. Map your Patch Since Last Career Planning
Take time to review and reflect on your current and past paths, this will help you plan for the future. Examine the following questions: Are you happy with your path? Could you have don’t things better? What might you have done differently? What can you do differently in your future?
3. Reflect on Your Likes and Dislikes, Needs and Wants
Change is a huge factor in life; everyone changes, as do our likes and dislikes. Make a two-column list of your major likes and dislikes. Then use this list to examine your current job and career path. If your job and career fall mostly in the like column you know you’re still on the right path.
4. Examine Your Pastimes and Hobbies
Examine your non-work activities when career planning. Many times your hobbies and leisurely pursuits can give you great insight into future career paths.
5. Make Note of Your Past Accomplishments
Making note of your past accomplishments is not only useful for building your resume, but also for career planning. Sometimes reviewing your past accomplishments will reveal forgotten successes. A career shift so that you can be in a job that allows you to accomplish the types of things that make you most happy and proud is truly rewarding.
6. Look Beyond Your Current Job for Transferable Skills
Some people get so wrapped up in their job titles that they don’t see any other career possibilities for themselves. Every job requires a certain set of skills, and it’s much better to categorize yourself in terms of these skill sets than focusing just on job titles.
7. Review Career and Job Trends
Having information about career trends is vital to long-term career planning success. A career path that is expanding today could easily shrink tomorrow.
8. Set Career and Job Goals
Develop a roadmap for your job and career success. A major component of career planning is setting short-term and long-term career and job goals.
9. Explore New Education/Training Opportunities
Information leads to power and success. Never pass up chances to learn and grow more as a person and as a worker; part of career planning is going beyond passive acceptance of training opportunities and finding new ones that will help enhance or further your career.
10. Research Further Career/Job Advancement Opportunities
Where will you be in a year? In five years? A key component to developing multiple scenarios of that future is researching career paths. Look within your current employer and current career field and don’t be afraid to look beyond to other possible careers.
Source: http://local.quintcareers.com
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1) Use a land line
1) Mind your manners – use please and thank you; address people you don’t know as Mr., Mrs., or Dr.
2) Watch your tone – “accent or inflection expressive of a mood or emotion” this is very difficult to do in writing. Try to come across as respectful, friendly and approachable.
3) Be concise – Get to the point of your email as quickly as possible however, be sure not to leave out important details.
4) Be professional – Stay away from abbreviations and don’t use emoticons. Always use a professional email address.
5) Use correct spelling and grammar – Use a dictionary or spell checker and pay attention to basic rules of grammar.
6) Ask before you send an attachment – Because of computer viruses, many people won’t open attachments unless they know they send. Before you send an attachment, ask the recipient if you may do so.
7) Wait to fill in the “to” email address – Doing this will keep you from accidentally sending an email prematurely, giving you time to proof read your email and make sure it is exactly the way you want it.
How to Make a Professional Portfolio
What better way to introduce your skills, achievements, recommendations and qualifications to prospective employers than with a perfectly designed professional portfolio?
Here's How:
1. Create a file folder in which to file and save all professional documentation (flyers from conferences, test scores, photos, anything!)
2. Visit your nearest office supply store and buy the nicest faux leather three ring binder they offer.
3. Also, buy some plastic non-glare page protectors.
4. Sort through the papers and documents you've been saving.
5. Begin placing the items into your page protectors in a logical order, starting with your cover letter and resume first.
6. Your current job description
7. The objectives for the current year, identified by your supervisor and yourself
8. Your certificates, diplomas and training documentation
9. Continue by adding references letters, volunteer experience letters, and program outlines in the front of your portfolio.
Tips:
1. This is the time to strut your stuff, so include anything that demonstrates your skills and experience.
2. You might also like to add a brief, typed explanation of your educational philosophy.
3. Carry this portfolio with you to all interviews, job fairs, etc
· Have a special place that is set aside only for studying.
· Make sure your study environment is equipped with all the necessary study supplies.
· Reduce external distractions, such as turning your phone to silent, getting away from background noise and asking others to take time out from talking to you.
· Accept internal responsibility for your study activities.
· Avoid daydreaming.
· Take sides on issues you read able to help create interest in what you’re studying.
· Study small sections at a time to help you master specific ideas.
· Take planned, short breaks as a relief of reward.
· Work on the most difficult material when you are the freshest.
· Eat appropriately and sleep enough so your study time is focused and used most profitably.
· Study with others, when possible, in small, focused groups.
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Looking for Summer Time Employment and can't seem to find it.
Loyalist College Career Center is providing you with Summer Jobs Service information. Listed below are links regarding Summer Jobs Service 2010.
For local students we are referring you to the Job Connect website and blog.
- http://www.loyalistc.on.ca/jobconnect2/student_services/summer_jobs_service.asp
- http://quintestudentjobs.blogspot.com/
For students returning home we are referring you to the provincial MTCU website.
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/tcu/jobseekers/sjs.html
There are numerous opportunities throughout the College and throughout the community. Keep your eyes open and don't forget to check back here as we are always posting jobs as well as the links listed above.
Good luck!
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DO
DON'Ts
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1) Not having anything prepared – Avoid using the words “umm” and “ahh”. Using “umm” makes people sound inarticulate and short on things to say. If you are at a lack of words repeat the question they just asked you. It makes them think you are listening and gives you time to formulate a response.
Do you have nothing but free time on your hands over reading week? Why not VOLUNTEER!
Visit http://www.viq.ca/ today for a list of volunteer opportunities. You can search by organizations name, type of work involved, length of commitment required and so much more.
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No matter what career field you are in, all business people are networkers. Every time you meet someone, you are networking. Every time you greet someone, you are networking. Every time you pick up the phone, you are networking. Every time you engage someone in conversation, you are networking.
To become more effective at connecting with people consider the following seven habits:
1. Knowing what networking is
You can’t be successful at networking if you don’t understand what it is. Networking is about who you know. The more people you know and the greater the diversity there is in your contact base, the more successful you will be. An effective networking should create a broad base of people with whom you are connected and your relationship with your network should benefit you and those whom you can help.
2. Developing a networking strategy
Before attending any event or engage consider the basics. Why are they networking? What do they hope to accomplish? Who will they be exposed to? How can they help those whom they will meet and how will the relationships they develop be mutually beneficial?
3. Finding the right venue
Consider the date, time and place of venue. If you are not a morning person, breakfast groups are not for you. If you don’t like mixing of mingling at cocktail parties, find another event. Keep in mind all networking does not have to be work-related.
4. Preparing for and working events
If there is an even to attend, why is it being held? Who will be there? What will people most likely want to talk about? What is the attire? Showing up in inappropriate attire can make a person stand out from the crowd for all the wrong reasons.
5. Mastering the art of conversation
Showing up at events is a waste of time if you can’t make small talk with people once you arrive. Prepare at least three topics that you can talk about when no one knows what to say. Keep in mind 80% of conversation is listening and 20% is talking.
6. Following up and following through
Follow up turns people you have met into people you know. Think of ways to stay connected such as writing a note, inviting them to join you for coffee or possibly meet you for lunch. The Golden Rule of networking is to do what you say you will.
7. Practicing exceptional business etiquette skills from start to finish
The magic of successful networking is to make others feel valued by focusing attention on them, listen to what is being said and respond. When the time comes to move on, the polite networker has graceful exit lines already prepared. A good closure is, “I have enjoyed our conversation. I hate to end it but I feel that I have monopolized your time. I know that there are other people here whom you’d like to talk to.”
