Just settling in to a new school year seems challenging enough: finding classes, looking for cheap textbooks, dealing with student loans. Who has the time to update their résumés and practise interviewing skills?
But September is prime job recruiting time on campus, when companies look for the best and the brightest among the graduating class.
For background: Students: the job hunt starts now
How can you prepare? What are recruiters looking for? Why September? What if the company you're targeting doesn't do on-campus recruitng?
We were joined by recruiters from Sun Life Financial and KPMG, as well as the president of TalentEgg.ca, an online entry-level job board, to answer some of these questions. Got any other questions? E-mail questions@globecampus.ca and if our guests have time to answer them, we'll post them in this space.
Our guests:
Angela Fennelow, BBA, Director of Career Sales Force Campus Recruiting with Sun Life Financial
Angela began her career with Sun Life Financial as an adviser in the Mississauga financial centre in 2001 shortly after graduating from Trent University. From 2004-2007, Angela worked as an Associate Manager in the Kingston Sun Life financial centre doing front line recruiting, and training of new advisers. In her current role, Angela shares career opportunities with students and new and recent grads on a national scale. Angela is the Chair of the Ontario Regional Advisory Board for the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE) and now sits on the CACEE National Board, as Director-Employer.
Karen Marshall, BA, CHRP, Manager of Student Recruitment Services with Sun Life Financial's corporate office
Karen began her career with Sun Life in the payroll department in 2000 shortly after graduating from the University of Guelph and Humber College. Since 2002, Karen has been involved in many aspects of recruitment, from campus and entry-level roles through to the Assistant Vice-President level, as well as Employer brand and marketing. In her current role, Karen is working toward developing a more robust on-campus recruitment program for the corporate operations. Karen is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and is a member of CACEE (Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers).
Isabelle Morin, CA, CHRP, Senior Manager, KPMG's National Campus Recruiting Team
Isabelle Morin is a Senior Manager at KPMG in Toronto. She graduated from Sherbrooke University in September 1999 with a Master's degree in Financial Accounting and started working in October of that year. Isabelle began her career in the Audit practice at KPMG, obtained her CA and made her way into Human Resources where she was the Human Resources Business Consultant for the KPMG Audit practice in Montreal for three years. In February 2006, Isabelle took on a new role as the Senior Manager responsible for National Campus Recruitment. She is responsible for the overall development, implementation and co-ordination of the campus recruitment strategy, programs and initiatives for the firm. In May of this year, Isabelle obtained her CHRP.
Lauren Friese, president of TalentEgg.ca
TalentEgg.ca is a 24-hour-a-day online career hub for Canadian students and new grads looking for career-starting opportunities with top employers.
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GlobeCampus editor Christina Varga: Thank you for joining us today.
There must be many students out there who are surprised to learn that recruiters are on campuses this early in the school year.
Lauren Friese, TalentEgg: Students' major priorities in September are to immerse themselves back into "school life". Aside from students in very specific programs, very few are aware that employers view the month of September as the best time to grab top talent before anyone else does.
Angela Fennelow, Sun Life: We find that getting on campus early in the year gives us lots of opportunity to meet with students and share the career opportunities, so they have ample time to consider their choices.
Isabelle Morin, KPMG: It is certainly early in the school year, but not different than previous years. The Campus recruiting cycle is an 8 to 12 month cycle. Recruiters go on campus each September in order to recruit students for co-op position, summer position as well as full time. The start date could be as soon as January 2010 and as far as January 2011. As a student, it is really important to actively participate in all the recruiting activities since it is an amazing opportunity to learn about the company, the culture, the people, as well as to start building relationships with what could be your future employer!
Karen Marshal, Sun Life: We try to get on campus as early as possible to ensure that we have presence on campus, brand our organization to students, which may help in making either a) a choice in career if you haven't already thought this through, or b) help you choose the organization that you would like to work for.
Re: Lauren's comment - I do remember as a student having no clue that companies were on-campus doing interviews and info sessions in September. I think that Career Centres need to be more proactive in marketing on-campus recruitment to the general student population, rather than just focusing on specific areas of study.
GlobeCampus: If so many students are not aware there are potential employers on campus in September, do you find students woefully unprepared or unprofessional?
Fennelow: Some students are well prepared, some are not. The students who are already career planning and working with the Career Services on their campus do generally seem to be more prepared and professional.
Marshal: No, the students we interview - because we tend to focus on some specialties or are very actively involved with their Career Centre, are well-prepared.
Morin: I would not say woefully unprepared but I will say that when a student is not aware of the recruiting season it can put the student in a situation where he or she not may not be able to put their best foot forward compared to other students who are prepared, which is, of course, a disadvantage to the student.
GlobeCampus: What are some of the no-no's you've experienced?
Fennelow: Wearing headsets/ear pieces and sloppy clothing to a career fair. Not having a resume prepared to give to recruiters so they can easily contact you.
Morin: Three of the no-no's we have seen over the years (and they are more common than one thinks): when a student approaches a company without knowing the fundamentals about the company (small or big, private or public), when a student is not fully committed to his career choice (still debating between accounting an biology) and when student that talks negatively about a company's competitors. We've seen some interesting things over the years, but these are the more common mistakes.
GlobeCampus: What are some of the most common questions students have for you when you visit campuses?
Marshal: What can I do to make myself more marketable? What types of jobs do you offer at your organization? Do you have a development program in place for new grads?
Morin: We find that most students we meet on campus are well prepared and already committed to the accounting profession (getting their CA). Many of the questions we receive are focused more of lifestyle issues, such as work-life balance, our people, and our programs. Many questions focus around the opportunity for career growth, travel, and the CA profession, specifically the UFE process.
GlobeCampus: What advice do you have for students about the on-campus recruitment process?
Marshal: Don't wait until 4th year to start thinking about this and/or get involved with your career centres and professional networking beyond your school.
Morin: We obviously like students to be prepared. We expect students to know about our firm and the job they are applying for. We also would advise students to know themselves. By this I mean, I want students to know how the experiences on their own resume are relevant to the job they are applying for. Not everyone has accounting experience when they apply and we know that, but we hope students are able to make the leap and see how the skills from their past experiences are applicable to their future. Most of all we ask that students be themselves, be relaxed, and try to learn from the experience.
Fennelow: Prepare ahead of time, and research the companies who will be on campus, the roles available and the selection process for those companies. If you can view who will be representing the company, be sure to include his/her name on your cover letter. I also recommend that you carefully consider all of your options, and even explore careers and companies that you may not think you would be interested in. You may be pleasantly surprised.
GlobeCampus: Many people say that these days a basic liberal arts BA is not going to get you a job with companies like yours, and that applicants need a business or tech background, preferably an MBA…is that true?
Marshal: Not always - it depends on the job. What liberal arts students should do is learn to articulate how what they've learned and what they've done can contribute to a role. For example, writing skills. Have they thought about a role in Communications, web content development, etc? Interpersonal skills (teamwork, group projects, etc. have they thought about a role in Customer Service?) You need to learn about the types of jobs out there and how to market yourself accordingly based on what you know.
Friese: It's true that many employers in Canada - especially ones that traditionally take part in on-campus recruitment activities - are not particularly targeting liberal arts students. I would argue that this is a flawed strategy. As Don Tapscott (author of Grown Up Digital) explained in a presentation yesterday: As we move into the future, the greatest asset that workers will have is their capacity to learn. Given that, perhaps the most well-equipped young people are those who chose to earn post-secondary degrees in Liberal Arts.
Fennelow: In the career sales force, we see new and recent graduates from many different academic backgrounds. Being a good advisor is a lot about interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport and trust quickly. We provide all the training required to be a successful advisor, so if a recent or new graduate comes to us from a non finance background, we are willing to work with and develop them if they have the right soft skills and abilities. Your post-secondary education definitely increases your credibility, and is viewed as a major asset by our recruiters.
GlobeCampus: What are you looking for from students?
Morin: We are looking for well-rounded individuals with a balance of strong academic performance, work experience, and extra curricular involvement. Many people often assume that marks are of the utmost importance but this is not the case. We always want strong academic performers, but so many aspects of the job require a myriad of other skills. Communication, customer service, teamwork, etc. are all valuable skills that are often obtained outside the classroom.
GlobeCampus: Do you spend time with anyone not in their final year?
Morin: Yes we do! We want and like to start building relationships with students as early as their first year. We have local, national and global programs designed for first- and second-year students (Fast Forward and Ace the Case) as well as career opportunities (co-op internships). We also have career opportunities for third-year students (summer internships) and fourth-year students (full-time positions as well as rotational programs). Recruiting nowadays is more than just a career fair once a year but rather the development of an ongoing relationship throughout a student's academic career.
GlobeCampus: Not everyone has the time or financial cushion to be career-focused in university (e.g. volunteering, working or interning in their field). Here's a question from a reader about what someone in that position can do.
GS: I just graduated from university but my last job was with a retailer six years ago. Reason being I had to stop working so i could achieve good marks for an Economics degree I pursued and achieved. I also didn't have time to volunteer. My question though is. How do i get back into the workforce given that my work experience is limited and probably too old to use? I don't plan to get back into retail.
Friese: You have just finished a degree in Economics and are setting out on a new career path - I would approach that situation just like any other new graduate and look for (meaningful) entry level work. While you mention that you DON'T want to work in retail, you haven't said what it is you DO want to do. Understanding this will help you choose target industries and roles and begin your job search.
Fennelow: I highly recommend doing some research on different companies, the roles they are looking to fill and the competencies required to be considered for the role. Knowing the skills and education you need to possess will help you focus your attention on an entry level position that you are qualified for, and hopefully land you an interview. There are many great places to search careers for new grads, TalentEgg.ca is a good place to start! In your resume, highlight the skills you developed in your retail role, and include all relevant campus activities you were involved in while enrolled.
Morin: As mentioned earlier, we are looking for well-rounded individuals with a balance of strong academic performance, work experience, and extra curricular involvement. It is important to not focus only on the last job that you had but on the transferable skills that you learned and acquired with this job. For example, did you learn to work in a team, work under pressure, and develop strong customer service skills?
GlobeCampus: We are running out of time, so we'll need to wrap this up. Before you go, do you have any final thoughts for readers?
Marshal:Thank you for the opportunity to be involved. A final thought for readers: Try not to get discouraged - your job search can be a very overwhelming process. Engage as many resources as you can (online, career centres, networks, parents, etc.) to learn more about what's out there and how to market yourself most effectively. It will pay off in the end.
Morin: I would like to thank GlobeCampus for hosting this question-and-answer session. I sincerely hope that students digest what we've said here today and apply the advice given, in all of our answers, to their approach to finding a job this fall. The fall recruitment season can be a lot to handle for anyone, so remember to stay relaxed, be confident, and be yourself. Thank you again.
Fennelow: Thank you very much for including me in this online event. I enjoy sharing my opinion with students, and I enjoyed reading everyone's comments. I think the students who read this will be helped.
GlobeCampus: Thank you to our guests for taking the time to answer these questions.
