Lauren and recruiters from Sun Life Financial and KPMG answered questions about the September recruitment drive in an online discussion.

From my fourth year at Queen's, I have memories of my friends in the Commerce program reporting in November that they had already signed contracts with employers for the following September.

It only occurred to me several months later to even begin thinking about my job hunt and my career progression after university. But then, that's the TalentEgg story - after finding the whole graduation situation very confusing, I went on to Britain to complete a master's program and eventually stumbled upon the idea for TalentEgg.

It was only when I started heavily researching campus recruitment in Canada that I learned about "The September Rush," also known as the biggest misconception in university and college life.

The September Recruitment Rush

While it may seem illogical for employers to recruit and hire students in the first month of university, when students are generally more concerned with their academics and extracurricular activities than landing their first career-launching job an entire year later, employers see September as the best time to attract Canada's top graduating talent.

From the employers' perspective, it's competitive: if one major accounting firm is on campuses wooing the top accounting students, then the others have to be there, too. This logic applies to most major grad employers in Canada.

Throw in the fact that most campus career centres organize their career fairs in September and you have a situation where many Canadian employers concentrate their graduate recruitment efforts at the start of the academic year.

If you're about to head into your final year this September, start preparing now. Even if your dream company doesn't participate in The Rush, you'll benefit by being prepared as roles for next September pop up throughout the year.

Here are a few ways you can start:

Prepare a template of your Career Launching Résumé: A strong template you can use, tweak and customize when opportunities arise or when your experience history changes is a must-have. Because a lot of grad employers request online applications, preparing your template is a great exercise to get you into the right mindframe for answering questions about your academic history, work history and achievements.

Do your career homework: Do you know what you want to do yet? And if you do know, do you know which companies are the best fit for you? Do your homework and take the time to identify your qualifying criteria, including your target industries, roles you might be interested in, etc.

Once you've done that, identify target employers. Websites like Eluta.ca offer a directory of employers who hire new grads, and TalentEgg profiles top Canadian employers by category as well.

Make yourself aware of the resources available to you: We publish tons of resources on TalentEgg all the time, but if you're looking for some in-person guidance, every campus has a career centre. Take advantage of the opportunity to speak with someone whose job it is to listen and point you in the right direction.

Also, find out when activities and info sessions are occurring on your campus. You can do this through your career centre, and also find this information online.

Get organized: Finally, once you've done all this, you'll probably need a detailed calendar. Between starting your classes, applying to clubs, jobs and other extra-curriculars, and re-acquainting with your friends, as well as all the info sessions, career fairs, and other activities happening on campus, September can be a very busy month!

For those of you not graduating this year, you can look forward to internship and summer recruiting in January.

The Globe and Mail's Back To School page

It's been about two months since classes ended for this year's graduating class. Despite all the pomp and circumstance of writing last exams, receiving the final marks, which will determine your cumulative grade point average (CGPA), and walking across a stage to accept that very expensive piece of paper, many of you new grads are still sitting at home trying to land your dream job.

Maybe job hunting has become your full-time job, or you're working a part-time job or two to pass the time and pay the bills. Either way, you're probably feeling frustrated and a little hopeless about your post-graduation career.

In January, when I started my last semester of school and economic doomsday forecasts about the upcoming year had hit a fever pitch, I was fully prepared to be unemployed and wallowing in my own self-pity by mid-June. I'd started applying for summer jobs in November and I hadn't even received a call back - neither had most of my peers.

I got lucky (through hard work and perseverance, I'm not going to sell myself short here) and knew I'd be working for TalentEgg by February. But many of my fellow grads are still unemployed and uncertain about how and when their first job will appear.

But there is hope on the horizon. There's an important timeline to be aware of: Employers, especially those with strong new-grad recruitment programs, typically start their recruitment campaigns in September.

Let's assume what you unemployed new grads have been doing in the "off season" isn't working and you could potentially continue pounding out resumes every day for the next few months with the same result: no meaningful job.

By the time September rolls around, nearly six months of doing absolutely nothing doesn't look good to employers. So what can you do to ensure you're well positioned for the next recruitment season?

Maintain a close relationship with your school

Have you checked your school e-mail since classes ended? Most departments receive work opportunities ranging from one-day volunteer events to summer internships to full-time jobs, and they often forward those opportunities to current students and recent graduates. If you're not on such a mailing list already, phone or e-mail your departmental secretary to ask about it.

While you're at it, send a quick note to any professors you were particularly close with. Let them know you're looking for a job - without directly asking for a job - and they may keep you in mind for any opportunities they hear about in the future.

Finally, investigate your school's career services website and, if you live close enough, go in for an appointment with a career counsellor. Most institutions offer free access to their career services to new grads for about a year.

Find work using skills you can showcase to potential employers

It doesn't matter if it's paid or unpaid; full-time, part-time, freelance or contract - just work in your field. If they can't hire you as a full-time, permanent employee, they may have room in their budget for a small project. If not, they could definitely benefit from an unpaid intern. Pitch yourself directly to a department or project manager, and don't be afraid to be up-front about why you're contacting them.

This kind of work, even if unpaid, will showcase your skills and passion for your field to future employers in a way your part-time job folding clothes or serving drinks can't (unless you want to work in retail or food services, of course).

Join the conversation

In every industry, there are discussions about history, trends, standards, big players and up-and-comers. The easiest way to get involved in those discussions while you're not actually working in your field is to find relevant communities, message boards and blogs online and starting posting.

Starting your own blog is also an excellent way to develop your writing skills, and show you're knowledgeable and passionate about your industry.

There's a little more than two months left until the recruitment season kicks off (more on this later), so there's plenty of time to make yourself stand out.

Editor: More information on the value of unpaid internships