5 Challenges to Kick-Start Your #CareerDevelopment
How do you get over 17 million people to willingly dump ice-cold water over their heads? Simple. You present it as the #IceBucketChallenge. Challenges are effective because they encourage people to step out of their comfort zones and to have fun doing so. The list of 2018 viral challenges is endless: the Kylie Jenner lip challenge, the cinnamon challenge, the hot pepper challenge and the chubby bunny challenge, just to name a few. Now, I present you with the latest and greatest challenge — the #CareerDevelopment challenge. It starts out with simple tasks, only increasing in difficulty as you move down the list and start building your confidence with each challenge met.
The following series of challenges will help you stand out from the sea of students and kick-start your career development journey!
Challenge #1: Talk to someone new
The first step to building your network is meeting new people. University is the best place to accomplish this goal because you’re surrounded by new people all the time. Whether you’re in class, at the student lounge or in line waiting for your coffee at Starbucks, you can form a new connection. Who knows? Maybe this person will be your future best friend or business partner!
Challenge #2: Create your LinkedIn profile
Most students are hesitant to create a LinkedIn profile early on in university. People tend to push it off until graduation nears, only to realize that they don’t have enough time to build a strong network on the platform. The opportunity cost of waiting until your final year to create your LinkedIn profile is enormous — imagine the number of professionals you may have met but be unable to keep in touch with!
Challenge #3: Critique your resumé
Your resumé is quite literally a reflection of you — one or two pages that summarize all of your accomplishments, activities and experiences. To put your best foot forward, you can have one of the Career Centre staff members review your resumé and provide you with valuable feedback to improve. They will help you create the best version of your CV so that you can feel confident when submitting your job applications.
Challenge #4: Go to a networking event
As a Telfer student, you have many networking events to choose from. The two largest networking events are Telfer Connects and Telfer Networks, and there are countless other smaller events taking place throughout the year. Take a look at the Telfer Career Centre Calendar to learn more about all the events taking place!
Challenge #5: Pat yourself on the back
If you’ve gotten this far in the #CareerDevelopment challenge, then you deserve a pat on the back. You’re already way ahead of the game! You’ve stepped out of your comfort zone and accomplished goals that will help you land your dream job! The next steps to take are continuing to meet new people, attending networking events and strengthening your relationships with existing connections.
Best of luck meeting these five challenges. May the odds be ever in your favour!