CAREER PLANNING

FOR SOCIOLOGY STUDENTS

SUSAN MALCOLM

Career Development Centre

Fall 2012

Learning Objectives

• I understand the need to ‘put into words’ my skills, strengths and preferences as they apply to careers

• I know how to gather relevant career information specific to Sociology majors

• I know how to begin generating a list of possible careers to research specific to my Sociology degree

• I am aware of the career planning resources available through the Career Centre

Career Planning

SELF-

AWARENESS

EMPLOYMENT

PREPARATION

GOAL

SETTING

CAREER

IMMERSION

CAREER

AWARENESS

Career Planning

• Who here is asking themselves “what can I do with my sociology degree?”

• A more meaningful question to ask is, “what are my skills, interests and personality, and how does this translate into a meaningful career path?”

• Employers hire people, not degrees!

Self-Awareness Goals

• Understand yourself in the context of career selection, planning and development

• Gain the vocabulary to ‘put into words’ your skills, strengths and preferences as they apply to careers

• Develop the ability to evaluate your options based on an understanding of your career preferences

Know your skills

Sociology students

Develop critical thinking and research skills; experience analyzing, summarizing and presenting

information

Top Transferable Skills

Can you identify the top transferable skills sought by employers?

• Communication

• Analytical/Research

• Computer Literacy

• Adaptability/Managing Multiple Priorities

• Interpersonal Abilities

• Leadership

• Multicultural Sensitivity/Awareness

• Planning/Organizing

• Problem Solving

• Teamwork

Think About What You Offer

Start by identifying and categorizing your skill themes

Leadership

Vision

Motivation

Delegation

Analytical

Research

Evaluation

Communication

Writing Editing

Think about WHAT you do

or HOW you use a skill

Understanding Our Skills

Leadership

Think about where you will use your skill

Projects Team

Put Your Skills Into Words

Leadership

Project Leadership

Evolving Concepts

Building Relationships

Creating a vision

‘Results-oriented leader with the proven ability to

collaboratively manage projects from conceptualization through to implementation’.

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is a lifelong goal Meet with a Career Consultant Career Advising Appointments Discuss your individual situation

Broadening Your Understanding

Self-awareness and career awareness leads to knowledge

of your transferable skills

Career Awareness

• Knowing what careers are available and understanding what these careers involve

• Not choosing a career based on a limited amount of information and little personal experience

• Expanding your knowledge of what is available before you narrow your options

Career Awareness

Two major questions to ask yourself:

1. What careers/jobs have I never even heard of which may be a great match for me?

2. What careers/jobs or industries/sectors have I heard of but do not realize would be a great match for me?

Remember – the first step of

‘self-awareness’, will help you conduct effective career research

What Do You Want To Learn?

Research:

What factors do you want to identify for each of your career possibilities?

How To Conduct This Research

• Resources to research career options:

• Graduate Survey Data research findings

• The Career Resource Centre has numerous up-to-date career books such as “Great Careers For People Who Like…”

• Results of assessment tools you complete. Your results will profile careers that may be a good fit (for example: “Do What You Are” highlights possible careers that match your personality type)

More Research Sources

The N.O.C (National Occupation Classification System)

• Services Canada tool which describes duties, skills, interests, aptitudes, educational requirements and work settings for various occupations.

Working in Canada

• Government of Canada’s leading source for labour market information and offers career information such as educational requirements, main duties, wage rates and current employment trends and outlooks

Career Cruising – Username: wlu Password: laurier. An online resource for career information including over 500 career profiles and a comprehensive database to search for further education programs

More Research Sources

Charity Village

Social Media

Twitter

Blogs

LinkedIn

Remember

You are gathering information

and generating a list of possibilities!

Labour Market Awareness

• Understanding the impact of the changing labour market is an important component of career research:

• Knowing how labour market factors have the potential to impact a career field can provide you with valuable information when considering, or ruling out, career options

• Labour market research allows you to learn about the opportunities being created or removed from the workforce

Staying On Top Of Labour Trends

Your job is to stay on top of these trends and assimilate them into your decision-making!

Some labour market resources:

• Commit to reading the careers and business sections of the national and local newspapers (Toronto Star, Globe & Mail)

• Subscribe to industry magazines and e-newsletters • Review reports available through Working in Canada – offers reports by region and provides salary information

• Datamonitor – comprehensive industry, company and country information

• Scott’s Info - reliable up-to-date information on Canadian sectors

• Social Media

Labour Market Information

• While important, labour market information should not be the deciding factor in your selection of a career path

• However, labour market information should play a key role in your planning and career management

Weighing Your Options • Many career planners move through this step too quickly

• Ask yourself if you can complete the following chart thoroughly for at least five different careers?

Career Development Process

SELF-

AWARENESS

EMPLOYMENT

PREPARATION

GOAL

SETTING

CAREER

IMMERSION

CAREER

AWARENESS

After initial research, you should be able to narrow down your options to a manageable number and move into the immersion stages of your planning

Immersion

• Before you commit to any course of action, how can you learn even more about a career field?

•Spend time with a professional

• Identify career-related volunteer opportunities

•Research internships and/or co-op opportunities

• Identify related part-time and/or summer jobs

•Attend related training or educational opportunities wherever possible

• Participate in informational interviews and job shadow experiences

Immersion

Informational Interviews

The Career Centre has created an ‘Informational Interview’ booklet for your reference

Learning From Alumni

ASK (alumni sharing knowledge)

• Caseworker

• Investment Advisor

• High School Teacher

• Human Resources Manager

• Development Officer

Alumni Career Profiles

Co-ordinator: Fund Development and Communications Stephanie Blight Education: BA, Sociology

and Communications, 2009

Volunteering: Liaison Co-ordinator

for Orientation Week

Fashion ‘N Motion Charity

Awareness Co-ordinatior

“If I really put my heart into something, I can accomplish anything I want.”

Events Manager Andrea Harding

Education: BA, Sociology

and Communications, 2003

Volunteering: Laurier Student

Alumni Association

Further Ed: Sport and Event

Marketing, Post Grad Certificate

“Life is too short to do something just for the money, you need to find a workplace that fits you and your personality.”

Psychoeducational Consultant Beth Pollock

Education: BA, Sociology and Psychology, 2000

Further Ed: Clinical Psychology, MA and PhD

Marketing Communications Co-ordinator Elisabeth Aruajo

Education: BA, Sociology and Communications

Volunteering: 4years with the

Advertising Department

of WLU Student Publication Office

Alumni Profile

Career Profiles

Immersion

You can search for contacts via:

• ASK – Alumni Sharing Knowledge and LinkedIn feature alumni for you to contact. ASK enables you to search by their current occupation, program of study, or where they work.

• Professional Associations – many organizations have student memberships. We have some examples listed on the ‘My Majors’ handouts.

• Warm/Cold Contacts – your existing connections and leveraging existing to create new contacts

• Employer Events/Career Fair/Job Fair – stay plugged into our Event Schedule

Strategic Volunteering

Identifying strategic volunteering opportunities allows you to ‘try out’ a career and build your skills and resumé

Tips for strategic volunteering 1. Be clear about your goals for volunteering 2. Identify opportunities of substance 3. Research specific organizations

Volunteer Organizations 1. KW Volunteer Action Centre 2. Take courses with Community Service-Learning 3. Not-for-Profits (Blue Book)

We also offer: Employment Preparation

Resumé and Cover Letter

• Workshops and consultations

Job Search

• Navigator and Alumni Employment Service

Interview

• Coaching and Mock Interviews

Interested in Further Ed?

Workshops

Individual Advising

• Grad school applications and tests

• Professional programs (teacher education and law)

• Personal statements

• Applying to college programs

Last Tips

• Be open to possibilities

• Be strategic in how you move forward in your next steps and goal identification

• Develop a realistic timeline that works for you

Connect With Us!

519.884.0710 x4495 careercentre@wlu.ca wlu.ca/career facebook.com/lauriercareercentre lauriercareercentre.wordpress.com linkedin.com (Laurier Career Centre group)

Thank you for your participation!

wlu.ca/career 519.884.0710 ext. 4495

Fall 2012