student - Academic Calendar - University of Western Ontario
student - Academic Calendar - University of Western Ontario
student - Academic Calendar - University of Western Ontario
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Make the most <strong>of</strong> your time at <strong>Western</strong> — get experience!<br />
GET EXPERIENCE at WESTERN<br />
Community Service Learning - Co-operative Education - Fieldwork - Job Shadow - Internships - Practicum - Volunteering<br />
To learn skills that can be included in a resume<br />
Often <strong>student</strong>s complain they can’t get a first job because they do not have any prior employment to include in their resume. If you think paid<br />
employment is the only type <strong>of</strong> experience an employer is looking for, it is not true! Employers and recruiters look for experience, as well as other<br />
transferable skills. Employers are <strong>of</strong>ten willing to train someone who is eager to learn and do the work for free, or on a part-time basis. It’s a great<br />
trade <strong>of</strong>f — the employer gets the work done and you get the skills and experience your resume is lacking!<br />
To figure out what you like<br />
How many times have you answered the phrase ‘what would you like to be when you grow up?’ You may be very confident about your chosen<br />
career path (eg. you’ve always wanted to be a doctor), or you may be less sure <strong>of</strong> your future occupation. You may spend four years, or more,<br />
in university only to discover on the first day<br />
<strong>of</strong> your new job that you strongly dislike an<br />
important element <strong>of</strong> your career. Getting practical<br />
experience in the field now, while you are still in<br />
the planning stages, will give you a taste <strong>of</strong> what<br />
is to come. The more varied experience you have,<br />
the clearer your vision will be <strong>of</strong> where you would<br />
like to end up.<br />
To meet people and make<br />
contacts<br />
While you’re honing your transferable skills<br />
and scoping out potential industries, you’ll also be<br />
doing something else: gaining valuable contacts!<br />
Networking is potentially the most important job<br />
search technique. The best thing you can do to<br />
give yourself a competitive edge when searching<br />
for your dream job is to develop a strong network<br />
<strong>of</strong> people within the industry.<br />
To give back to your<br />
community<br />
The wonderful thing about gaining experience<br />
is that while you catch a glimpse into your future<br />
career and enhance your resume, you may also<br />
be able to give back to your community in a<br />
valuable way. You’ll gain the skills you need, and<br />
community organizations will be able to provide<br />
programs and services to those who need it most.<br />
This may turn out to be the most rewarding<br />
component <strong>of</strong> your experience!<br />
Conclusion<br />
Getting experience is an important step in<br />
determining your career path! Just remember that<br />
skills are valuable, and whether you learn them in the<br />
classroom, in an <strong>of</strong>fice, or at a volunteer placement,<br />
you can – and should – include these skills on your<br />
resume. In today’s job market, it is important to<br />
highlight all <strong>of</strong> your skills and experience to give<br />
yourself the most competitive edge.<br />
If you would like advice regarding how<br />
to obtain experience, or how to include your<br />
experiences on your resume, we would be happy<br />
to help. Just call, email, or drop in with your<br />
questions.<br />
Choosing the Right experience for you:<br />
How to find On Campus jobs:<br />
What could be more convenient than working and attending class in the same location?<br />
That is true one-stop shopping! To find on-campus work opportunities:<br />
• Watch for the Hospitality Services Job Fair in the spring, summer and fall<br />
• Visit the various campus employers to ask them about their hiring schedule<br />
• Check out the Working at <strong>Western</strong> website at communications.uwo.ca/careers<br />
How to find Off Campus jobs<br />
CareerCentral https://careercentral.uwo.ca<br />
• Login with your UWO username and password and try an advanced search<br />
Experiential learning refers to hands-on experience you obtain by applying theoretical<br />
knowledge in a real-world setting. We call it learning outside the classroom! With<br />
experiential learning, you may have the chance to ‘test-drive’ a particular job or employment<br />
sector to see if it is a good fit with your skills. Other benefits include the development <strong>of</strong><br />
skills such as teamwork, leadership, initiative, and communication. Experiential learning<br />
can provide you with relevant, rewarding experience as you build your resume, and make<br />
you more competitive for summer jobs and post-graduation employment. Experiential<br />
learning includes community service learning, co-operative education, fieldwork, job<br />
shadow, internship, practicum and volunteering.<br />
There are a number <strong>of</strong> volunteer programs on campus; search for <strong>Western</strong>’s Volunteer<br />
Program postings in CareerCentral. You can also become a Career Leader for The Student<br />
Success Centre and help others discover their career path, while learning a whole lot<br />
yourself! Other volunteer opportunities can be found in the Volunteer and Clubs section in<br />
this guide<br />
Off Campus (In your community and abroad)<br />
You can search for “Volunteer” opportunities in CareerCentral. Also, check out www.<br />
success.uwo.ca to find volunteer opportunities in the London community, and around the<br />
world!<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>of</strong>fers courses in various faculties that have a community service-learning<br />
component: check out success.uwo.ca and click on experience to search by your faculty and<br />
discover CSL courses in your field <strong>of</strong> study!<br />
<strong>Western</strong> also has a number <strong>of</strong> non-academic CSL programs including:<br />
<strong>Western</strong> Serves: a popular one-day service event at various locations in the London<br />
community, <strong>of</strong>fered annually on the 3rd Saturday <strong>of</strong> September.<br />
Alternative Spring Break (ASB): a week-long service program occurring during Reading<br />
Week where <strong>student</strong>s have the opportunity to travel and volunteer in locations all over the<br />
world. Previous years’ experiences have included building houses in New Orleans, and<br />
serving at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic.<br />
Internships & Co-ops include <strong>Western</strong>’s Internship Program and the Summer<br />
Engineering Co-op Program (SECOP). Information on completing an internship<br />
as a part <strong>of</strong> your program, or outside <strong>of</strong> <strong>Western</strong>, can be found at success.uwo.ca.<br />
Or contact your faculty to see if they <strong>of</strong>fer co-operative education as part <strong>of</strong> their<br />
programming.<br />
working<br />
experiential<br />
learning<br />
volunteering<br />
Community<br />
Service Learning<br />
internships<br />
Get Experience!<br />
STUDENT GUIDE 2011-2012<br />
www.success.uwo.ca | successcentre@uwo.ca | 519-661-3559 | UCC210<br />
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