University of Guelph-Humber

Whether you’re heading into the working world or looking for a summer job, how you search for employment can be the difference between frustration and success. To help you find your dream job, Career and Placement Services has put together their list of the Top 10 Job Hunting Tips to help you get to work.

1) Check the right job search sites: Finding a job can start with finding a job posting, so be sure to check a variety of job search sites. University of Guelph-Humber students have access to the GH Works Career Portal, a hub for on-campus, seasonal, part-time and full-time work, but also be sure to check out external job search engines like Eluta, Talent Egg and Wowjobs.

2) Make a Career Portfolio: Present and market your skills to get an edge over the competition. A Career Portfolio should include examples of your work along with any certificates, diplomas, degrees and awards you have. It’s a living record of your skills and accomplishments, and can tell an employer more about you and your experiences than a resume can.

3) Use Social Media during your search: Recruiters are increasingly looking to social media to hire new employees and thousands of jobs get posted to Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. Be yourself, be professional and follow your interests, and you’ll be sure to make a good first impression online.

4) Fine-tune your cover letter: The cover letter often gives a potential employer its first glimpse of you, so make sure to write a specific letter for each job you apply for instead of a generic one. Employers might get dozens of applications for a particular role, so be sure to present your best skills up-front. Without losing anything important, keep it to one page.

5) Market yourself: Think of yourself as a product or brand, and then define your particular skills and strengths. What are the benefits you’d bring to an organization and what needs do you meet? How are you different than other “products” out there and what do you do better?

6) Conduct information interviews: The best way to network and learn about your field is to speak to somebody working in it. Prepare some questions beforehand, and ask them about their experience at work: what do they love about it? Does it offer a lot of variety or is it consistent day to day? What are the demands and frustrations of the work? Remember though, you’re asking them for information, not a job, so focus on building a connection instead of sliding them a resume.

7) Choose your references carefully: References should be someone you know in a professional capacity who can speak to your work-related skills. A past employer, faculty member or advisor can be a good fit. Make sure to contact references in advance to ask for their permission as you don’t want them caught off guard when they get a phone call.

8) Translate academic skills into professional skills: If you’ve worked well in group projects, think about speaking to how that makes you a team player who loves to collaborate. If you ace your exams, think about what that says about your performance under pressure and how you handle tight deadlines. Just because you have more experience at school than working doesn’t mean you’re without transferable skills.

9) Negotiating job offers: Once you’ve been offered your dream job, you may find that you need to negotiate the offer, discussing things like salary, benefits and other perks. It’s your job to help them recognize why you deserve what you’re asking, so be prepared to make your case. Do some research to find out what the average salary is for comparable positions in the field and remember that benefits like vacation time, parking passes and pension plans can have a bigger impact than higher pay.

10) Create opportunities for yourself: Rather than waiting for the perfect job posting to come along, go out and find one. Attend networking events, join professional associations, visit trade shows, volunteer at conferences and keep tabs on the companies you’d like to work for. If you get involved in a field, soon enough you might belong there.

Remember that Career and Placement Services offer personalized career advice, so visit their website to book an appointment and find out more.