4 career tips to gain the experience you need

Now that you’ve kickstarted your RC career journey through discovery and developed your professional toolkit, in the finale of our three-part series, here are four career tips to help gain the experience you need for success on your career journey in the new year!

“It’s important to network authentically and establish community. Volunteering, student groups, academic experiences, internships, part-time work, work-study opportunities — just to name a few — are all great ways to gain relevant and transferable experience. Do what works best for you!”

The RC Career Journey  

Where are you on your RC Career Journey? RC career educators Mary Giamos and Mollo Miller explain that it’s an ongoing and exploratory process that will help you discover your strengths, develop a professional toolkit of resources to help you communicate your strengths to potential employers, build career management skills, and gain relevant and transferable experiences. The result – a meaningful and rewarding career.  

Experiences  

1. Find ways to gain relevant and transferrable experience 

Here are a few ways and places to explore opportunities:   

• Volunteer – CLNx under the “volunteer” section and Charity Village  

• Work-study positions – CLNx under jobs and recruitment  
• Internships – find under opportunities on RC Portal)  
• Part-time jobs –  explore under opportunities on RC Portal and CLNx  
• Student groups – RC and U of T student groups offer opportunities for you to build your leadership skills along with a variety of other valued transferable skills 
• In-class group work – great opportunities to build teamwork and leadership experience

2. Gain relevant technical skills and industry knowledge   

For technical training, RC Career  Services and our partners offer sessions on a variety of topics. These include sessions with the  Marquee Group on financial modeling; consultant Chris Caira on case interview preparation, and the BMO Financial Group Research and Training Lab on excel and, TDMDAL on data analytics (R). 

3. De-stigmatize “failures”  

Career search can get exhausting, and you may feel burnt out.  It’s okay to change your mind. Take breaks to prioritize your wellbeing!  Says Mollo, “You are not alone. Reach out and let’s talk! We’re here to support and walk with you on your career journey.”  

4. Participate in upcoming Campus Recruitment activities  

Check out the events calendar on RC Portal for information sessions, employer events, and campus recruitment webinars. The second wave of campus recruitment will be in January — it’s a terrific way to find an upcoming experience that is meaningful to you!  

  

January 13, 2022