Students
What's in it for you?
Today's new workforce faces challenges requiring practical skills and a variety of experiences to adapt to changing labour market needs. By participating in Work-Integrated Learning opportunities, you'll be exposed to different experiences and workplaces. Through these placements, you'll build your portfolio of skills and connections to successfully prepare you to tackle real-world problems and become competitive in your job search.
You’ll first want to do some background research on:
- The organization / company (mission, vision, and values)
- The job you are applying for (skills, required and desired experiences)
- The style of interview (one on one, group, panel, case study)
- Sample questions that are common in this particular industry
Once you’ve researched the context, you can prepare in the following ways:
- Use the STAR(E) methodology to answer questions:
- Situation → Describe the situation
- Tasks → The goal you worked towards in that situation
- Action → What you or the team did
- Results → The outcome
- Experiences → Lessons learned
- Select sample questions to write out your answers and practice them vocally. Once you’re feeling more prepared, try to practice with a friend or family member
- Prepare questions for the employer to ask at the end of your interview
For some sample questions, see McGill’s “How to Interview”.
The first thing to consider is whether you meet the ‘core’ requirements. If you are able to meet the basic requirements to do the job, then it may be worth applying to. The next step is to consider if you are able and willing to obtain the remaining skills on your own. Although an employer will know that you are missing a requirement, if you have a plan to fill that gap, it may be enough for the employer to give you a chance. Remember that you don’t know who else applied for the role, and you have nothing to lose by trying.
Resume:
It is important to note that unrelated work experience is still work experience; it shows you’ve reported back to a supervisor, worked as part of a team and followed a work schedule. These past experiences have taught you skills that you can highlight for the position for which you’re applying. For example, human skills such as communication and teamwork are always relevant and in demand.
Other skills can come from different types of experiences:
- Volunteer experience → development of soft skills in a work-like setting, teamwork, etc.
- Education → courses in which you’ve written essays, developed your writing and communication skills; labs or other projects which developed your research and analysis skills, etc.
- Personal projects → websites created, apps developed, blog, podcast, etc.
Cover Letter:
Your cover letter is your time to shine and showcase how your experiences have taught you the skills to excel in this new position. Draw from your work and volunteer experiences, education background and personal projects outlined in your resume. Always relate these back to the position for which you’re applying and how they’ll help you excel in your new role. Providing evidence of your knowledge of the company to show your interest in the position will also help set you apart.
“The idea of these projects is because these students are going to be working in the community and working outdoors, these types of projects give them that experiential learning on really unique projects and allows them to work with real community partners,” said Julie Sylvestre, project manager with the Office of Applied Research and Innovation at Algonquin College."
Julie Sylvestre, a student at Algonquin College
Under the supervision of principal researcher Lance Wall, a student from Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s BioScience Technology program is collecting DNA from GWBC’s yeast and comparing it with catalogued yeast strains. Once the company’s strain is identified, GWBC plans to deep-freeze a sample of the yeast culture off-site to protect it and ensure the continuity of the company’s beer brands.
“Applied research projects in the BioScience Technology program directly incorporate the knowledge and skills students acquire both in the classroom and in the lab,” says Wall. “These experiences not only...
A student applied-research project, completed by 4 graduates of SAIT’s Software Developer program, won the research poster award at the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency’s inaugural Traceability Symposium. They worked with Sherry Yang, a software developer with SAIT’s Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS) department, on a capstone project called “Chuckwagon Check-In” during their final term at SAIT in the spring of 2015.
The group was supported by the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) to develop an automated high-tech system that would monitor the number of...
Students in Psychology, Child and Youth Study, and Education hosted a homework support program for Syrian refugee children. Student volunteers, with the support of faculty, hosted weekly drop-in sessions for children at nearby Duc D’anville Elementary School, during which they provided help with school work and helped immigrant families make additional connections with the community.
The service-learning support program is a way for Mount Saint Vincent students to gain hands-on experience related to their studies while making a positive impact on the success of participating children...
Engineering student, Cassandra Rosen from the University of Toronto describes her PEY at the Pickering Nuclear Generation Station as nothing short but invaluable. “There’s something about getting to walk through it, seeing each part in action and how they relate to each other, that’s way more powerful than reading about it in a book”, said Cassandra.
Cassandra Rosen, student at the University of Toronto
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as the BHER Policy and Communications intern. My role involves tasks such as writing briefs, research, editing policy, social media management, press release writing, and developing the general communications strategy for BHER. In the past month, I have learned a considerable amount about the way in which an organization manages communication and messaging”… “As an undergraduate student in history and politics, I have spent four years developing my communication skills, critical thinking, and public speaking abilities. In terms of co-curricular involvement, I...
“My experience as BHER’s Policy and Business Development intern has been both dynamic and engaging. My role involves supporting BHER’s operational and business development goals while working on our signature initiative – to drive a national WIL strategy. Being a part of this process has permitted my exposure to what is involved when an organization is expanding its physical and technological infrastructure. Additionally, I have developed an understanding of what a stakeholder engagement process entails for an advocacy or membership-driven organization”… “With an undergraduate background in...
As a post-graduate political science student at the Munk School of Global Affairs, Andrew Aulthouse focuses on issues such as innovation, governance and diversity. As an intern at RBC, he’s investigating how those same factors impact business.
“RBC was looking for someone who could jump into a project and approach it from a fresh perspective,” Aulthouse says. “Meanwhile, I’m applying skills I’ve picked up in the classroom – research, communication, project management – to an industry I hadn’t considered before.”
Andrew Aulthouse, student at University of Toronto
Some FAQs at a glance
A resume’s main goal is to get you an interview with the employer. The two basic principles are to keep the resume brief and to be formatted correctly. A standard resume should be 1-2 pages in length (if you have limited experience, keep to 1 page), and in reverse chronological order (most recent on top) when listing your education and work experience. When describing work experiences, use bullet points to list accomplishments (both qualitative and quantitative). Each bullet is a full sentence using action words listing the outcome of that action.
Sections to consider including (Order can very):
- Education
- Work Experience
- Volunteer Experience
- Personal Projects
- Skills
- Hobbies and Extracurricular Activities
- Awards
For a full resume guide with templates and examples, see University of McGill’s How to write a CV.
Cover letters are about convincing the employer that there is a match between your skills and qualifications, and the employer’s needs. The goal should be to answer the following questions:
- “What do you want the employer to know about you and your experiences?”;
- “Why do you want to work for this organization and work in this role?”, and
- “Why should they hire you?”
The cover letter should fit on one page, and should be tailored to each position, employer, and industry you’re applying to. To customize your cover letter, demonstrate knowledge of the organization and relate your skills and experiences to identify how you can help them accomplish their mandates.
Extra note: Spend some time researching who to address your cover letter. This shows commitment to wanting to go the extra mile, and can help make you stand out from more generic cover letters.
For a full guide with templates and examples, see McGill’s Cover Letter Guide.
The first thing to consider is whether you meet the ‘core’ requirements. If you are able to meet the basic requirements to do the job, then it may be worth applying to. The next step is to consider if you are able and willing to obtain the remaining skills on your own. Although an employer will know that you are missing a requirement, if you have a plan to fill that gap, it may be enough for the employer to give you a chance. Remember that you don’t know who else applied for the role, and you have nothing to lose by trying.
Resume:
It is important to note that unrelated work experience is still work experience; it shows you’ve reported back to a supervisor, worked as part of a team and followed a work schedule. These past experiences have taught you skills that you can highlight for the position for which you’re applying. For example, human skills such as communication and teamwork are always relevant and in demand.
Other skills can come from different types of experiences:
- Volunteer experience → development of soft skills in a work-like setting, teamwork, etc.
- Education → courses in which you’ve written essays, developed your writing and communication skills; labs or other projects which developed your research and analysis skills, etc.
- Personal projects → websites created, apps developed, blog, podcast, etc.
Cover Letter:
Your cover letter is your time to shine and showcase how your experiences have taught you the skills to excel in this new position. Draw from your work and volunteer experiences, education background and personal projects outlined in your resume. Always relate these back to the position for which you’re applying and how they’ll help you excel in your new role. Providing evidence of your knowledge of the company to show your interest in the position will also help set you apart.
Your post-secondary institution may have a job portal or website dedicated to listing student jobs from around your community. Each province and territory, as well as the federal government, has a job board available to all. These jobs are posted from all sectors of the economy, including private and public sectors.
Corporate job sites are also a common way to find jobs. Places like Indeed, Workopolis, and Glassdoor are all popular job posting sites. The other place to check out is LinkedIn, where you’ll be able to build up your profile and use it to apply directly to jobs or network with recruiters.
Students who have to work from home require different skills than working within an office. Working at home means less oversight from your direct supervisor, which requires you to have good time and self management. Demonstrating your ability to work under little supervision as well as manage your time effectively to reach deadlines. Communication also becomes very important; your supervisor needs to trust that you can clearly communicate when you need help or when you’d like more work to be assigned to you.
For more information, see STU’s Working from home: A guide for STU interns.
