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With Spring just around the corner, now is the perfect time to start thinking about how to land a great job for your summer break from school. To help with your job search, Trisha Grace, Career Service Liaison in the George Brown Alumni Relations Office provides tips for students and recent graduates heading out into the job market this summer.
According to George Brown’s Toronto Next: Return on Innovation survey, four critical skills employers are looking for are: a strong work ethic, the ability to learn new things quickly, problem-solving and the ability to think creatively.
Tip: When forced to choose, employers all said that a strong work ethic trumps all other skills, so try to feature this prominently in your cover letter and resume.
Six Do’s and Don’ts to find a summer job
- Don’t rely solely on job posting sites because the competition for jobs posted online is fierce, so hit the pavement with your resume and spread the word among friends and family that you’re looking for a job.
- Do tailor your resume to every job posting by adjusting your objective and experience to incorporate keywords from the posting. A big giveaway that your application package isn’t unique to the company is addressing the cover letter “To whom it may concern”. Do your research and find the name of the person hiring. It will definitely put you ahead of the pack of applicants.
- Don’t depend on your resume to do all the work for you; network in-person and via social media to make connections with people in industries you’re interested in. LinkedIn
is a great resource for this kind of networking.
- Do follow-up by asking to take your new connections out for coffee (this is called an “information interview”). Don’t be shy. Most people are happy to answer questions about their job and company, even if they’re not hiring at the moment. If you make a good impression you’ll be top of mind when a position becomes available.
- Don’t forget that George Brown has a lot of resources to help you in your search. The college offers career services to current students that include help with your job search, resume writing and interview preparation. As a current student, you also have access to GBCareers
- Do always think about what you can take away from a summer job. Even if it’s not directly connected to the career you want, there’s always a skill, a reference or an experience that will help you in your next job.
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