Think about five experiences of which you are particularly proud. They may stem from your academic or personal life, volunteering, work, sports, clubs, associations, etc. Write down these experiences in detail.
Read over your account of your first experience. What skills do you feel you developed and/or demonstrated during this experience? It might help to check out the Conference Board of Canada’s ‘Employability Skills’.
Continue detailing your experiences and listing your skills. You will be amazed at the number of skills you have developed over the years. Continue this activity until you have detailed 25 experiences. This exercise will help you:
- Identify tasks you love doing most. (useful in making career decisions)
- Identify companies that you would fit in with best
- Demonstrate to employers that you have the skills they need
- Tell stories during interviews that draw connections between your past experiences and the position’s requirements
“the worst answer you can get from a company is no”, I like that…As a alumnus of the Image Arts Program, I strongly encourage all FCAD students to apply to various part time jobs that relevant to your study. The more experience, the better. You will find it’s much easier to get a job with extra experience after graduation.
As a employer at Ryerson, I interviewed over than 60 students every year. Only a few students do follow up after their interviews, as a result, they stand out from the rest. At least I feel they are more serious about the job positions than the others. This applies to the career fairs as well, most of employers don’t even remember your face and name after a long day meeting students. Sending them a follow up letter to remind them who you are is a good idea. When they have a job opening in their firms, you bet who they might call.