Career Blog
Job-hunting stress and professional burnouts are real and can seriously undermine your psychological and physical wellbeing. Often, the pressure we experience at work (or looking for employment) becomes overwhelming, leading us to feel powerless. To regain a sense of control, we need all the tools that we can get to properly manage our stress. Here is how you can make mindfulness your most powerful tool in stress management.
What is mindfulness?
First, let us examine what mindfulness is. The Oxford Mindfulness Centre defines it as a “moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience, without judgement.” It involves focusing exclusively on the present, redirecting our focus, and avoiding distractions. The state of mindfulness makes you aware of your thoughts, emotions, and actions, without getting you all caught up in them. Here are 4 key mindfulness practices for you to try that will help you manage your stress better.
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Get comfortable!
To begin, find somewhere quiet and comfortable as you enter your mindfulness journey. Take this moment to focus on your breathing, redirect your focus, and avoid distractions. By focusing on your breathing, you are improving your mind-body connection, which will ultimately help to reduce stress levels, regulate your body’s reactions, and increase overall awareness.
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Observe your thoughts, feelings, and environment
Once you have gotten comfortably set up, you will experience a growing sense of awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and environment. Be patient and take the time to identify your stressors (e.g., career, personal, upcoming exams, etc.). As you acknowledge these stressors, slowly redirect your attention to the present and you will come to find that there is a lot of information that can be gathered for further guidance.
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Accept Your Feelings
As you continue your mindfulness journey, learn to accept your feelings and embrace them. Remember, a part of being mindful is to not judge yourself. These feelings do not define you, and as long as you are aware of them, you can decide how to act.
Although it may seem simple, it is important to note that it can take some time to incorporate mindfulness into your routine. With practice, you will come to achieve a number of the long-lasting benefits. Check out the following resources for more information on how you can make mindfulness your most powerful tool:
Resource:
www.mindtools.com/pages/article/mindfulness.htm
With the quick development of worldwide communications, the importance of an elegant and effective LinkedIn profile can’t be denied. A huge number of experts are tapping daily into the platform to find competitors, openings, new customers, and business opportunities.
Perhaps you have been ignoring it for some time. Perhaps you are a LinkedIn “beginner” who doesn’t have the slightest idea where to begin. Whatever is your current level of proficiency with LinkedIn, check out the following advice to make the most of your profile. Do you have all you require to succeed?
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Use your profile for self-promotion
Don’t see it as a fill-in form. It is far more than just a Web resumé, as it is expected to be seen publicly by employers.
Do remember that we each have a unique professional brand to promote.
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Pick a professional-looking photo
Try not to upload selfies or photos where you wear sunglasses… in the car. You get the point.
Do not make it excessively casual and stay away from unattractive backgrounds.
Do choose a photo where you look professional and where the background is not distracting.
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Specify your career plans
Try to incorporate a professional objective on your profile.
Do explain your Career Interests. This way, your profile will gain visibility on recruiters’ radar. You can also choose the Actively Applying status for employers to see that you are open for new opportunities.
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Make your headline unique
Don’t just outline your present positions: add some flavour!
Do mix commonly used position titles with your interests and objectives.
Finally, don’t forget that the Telfer Career Centre offers workshops focusing on LinkedIn. To know when and where, check out the Calendar of Events. You can also book an appointment with a Career Centre specialist to know how to build and strengthen your LinkedIn profile.
For more information, please check this link below:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dos-donts-successful-high-impact-linkedin-profile-galyna-daniel/
Reading week is soon approaching, and you probably have one thing on your mind: getting away from school. A lot of us usually spend most of our reading week taking a huge pause. However, that is not mandatory! Reading week can absolutely be a productive time for your professional and personal life! So here are some tips to help you have a successful reading week.
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Make a realistic list of the assignments you need to complete
Before reading week starts, make a list of assignments to finish, chapters to read, or notes to complete. Make sure to write it down where you will constantly see it. The key word here is realistic. We’ve all been there: before the week starts, we promise ourselves that we’re going to accomplish this long list of countless assignments and during the week, we end up completely disregarding the list. For that reason, be realistic with yourself. Give yourself a few tasks that you know you can accomplish easily. A productive reading week does not necessarily mean getting the most things done, but getting some key assignments done.
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Finish your school-related stuff first
The best way to have a successful reading week is to prioritize. A good technique is to finish any school‑related task during the first couple days so that you can move on. That way, you’ll be able to relax for the rest of the week without having all the things you “still need to do” lingering in the back of your mind. Plus, it’s never a good plan to leave everything to the Sunday night before school starts. You’re going to hate it at first but trust me: once everything is FINALLY out of the way, you’ll be thanking yourself for prioritizing.
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Use this time for focus on career goals
Reading week is often seen as a time to either catch up on studying or go on vacation. However, you can also use this time to work on any career-related goal you would otherwise put aside because of school. Here are some suggestions:
- Create or update your LinkedIn profile.
- Update your resume and print out some copies.
- Join a Telfer club.
- Attend a networking event.
- Apply for some internships for the next semester or the summer.
- Browse the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) for job opportunities.
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Try to stick to a routine
As we’ve all been staying at home due to the confinement, we all know how easy it is to lose track of time. You start waking up around noon, watch some YouTube, and before you know, it’s 5 p.m. and you feel like you just lost a whole day. This usually happens when you go on any extended break, like reading week. You start to lose valuable time you could be using to be productive in some way. The solution is to set a daily routine for yourself! Start by setting an alarm for yourself every day to wake up at a reasonable time (give yourself some room to sleep in!) Also, try to get yourself ready for the day, even if you may not be going out that day, as this can make you feel like you must do something productive. Lastly, set a rough schedule for yourself, even if it’s only for random activities. For example, you could plan to exercise in the morning and to go out with friends in the evening. This leaves the afternoon flexible for whatever you need to do, like school-related activities.
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Treat yourself
It seems like a cliché, but it is nevertheless true: have some “treat yourself” moments! Whether it’s going out to eat, getting your nails done, or giving yourself a lazy “Netflix and Chill” day, do it! You’ve worked hard all term and deserve some rest. Make sure to include in your schedule fun things you love.
“When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?” (Billy Joel)
University is a weird phase for students.
It’s the official bridge between childhood and adulthood.
It’s a purgatory that blurs the line between what’s acceptable to do as a young adult finding one’s place in life and a grown-up ready to hit the ground running.
It’s a time where failures and mistakes are encouraged because as soon as you cross that graduation stage, people can’t chalk up the fact that you’re just a kid or a student.
University is a weird, but almost comforting phase for students.
So, why is everyone in such a rush?
Four years will come and go in a blink of an eye and in hindsight, the experiences and memories made in university will be cemented as an essential period in your life. The stigma for students that decide they want to change programs or for the students that just need a little break is almost taboo. The mere concept of graduating past four years brings up several questions that have an undertone of negative connotations like: “What happened?” or “Is everything okay?”
Everything IS okay.
And everyone is different. Everyone has a different path and distinct opportunities. Graduating in four years may notbe the right path for you. Rushing through a part of your life just because you feel pressured to by society’s standards is an easily preventable regret. Take a year off if you feel like you have to. Change programs if you know that this is not the future you see yourself in. Four years is not the deadline that everyone has set for you and it’s definitely not the deadline that you should feel chained to.
There’s so much waiting for you. Before you know it, you’ll be right there in the middle of everything. Years will fly by. You will hit different milestones and make countless more memories. It will be at your doorstep one day, so there’s no need to rush out the door to find it.
So, like Billy Joel says, slow down and cool it off before you burn it out.
Vienne vous attend.
Self-assessment and personal development are fundamental steps that give you crucial insights into your career type and personality. They allow you to understand your interests and personality better through assessment tools including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Strong Interest Inventory.
The Who Am I: Self-assessment and Career Testing workshop takes place in two stages. The first meeting introduces you to the assessment tools and outlines what you should expect throughout the process while focusing on career planning and self-assessment exercises. The following week, there is a second meeting where you learn the results and interpretation of your interest and personality tests.
The answers on the MBTI assessment show your preference in each of the following pairs of opposites: introversion-extraversion, sensing-intuition, thinking-feeling, and judging-perceiving. Each preference is indicated by a letter, and a four-letter type description is established. There are 16 different personality types, and each provide unique insights into an individual.
Extraversion-Introversion
This dichotomy is related to your source and direction of energy: where do you prefer to focus your attention? Where do you get your energy? Extroverts can be described as enthusiastic, active and sociable. On the other hand, introverts are more calm, reserved, and quiet.
Sensation-Intuition
This pair of opposites express ways of perceiving: how do you prefer to take in information? Individuals who prefer sensing tend to be practical and take in information that is tangible including facts and details. Intuitive individuals focus on the “big picture” and are typically imaginative.
Thinking-Feeling
The thinking-feeling preference describes the way you come to conclusions: how do you make decisions? Thinkers are task-orientated, analytical, and consider the pros and cons of situations. Individuals who are more feelers typically are process-orientated and consider personal and social values when making decisions.
Judging-Perceiving
The last pairing answers the question: how do you deal with the outer world? The judging end of the scale deals with individuals who come to conclusions quickly and take a planned, organized approach; whereas, perceiving involves those who seek more information before making a conclusion and value flexibility.
You are presumably attracted to careers that allow you to make use of your natural type preferences. The four-letter combination can affect the kind of career that interests you and guide you in a certain career path.
Be sure to look out for the Who Am I: Self-assessment and Career Testing workshop through Career Launch and register to gain a better understanding about yourself and your personality type! For more information regarding career testing, or to obtain and discuss test results, you should book an individual consultation appointment with a Career Counsellor.
The best piece of advice I have received regarding my career, came from my grade 12 English teacher who told my class, “have a plan, but be flexible”. What he was saying was that in our future careers, we should have a plan – know what we like, what we’re good at, and how we will achieve career goals – while still being open to change and different opportunities.
I believe this is an important message for students and young adults who are entering their careers, because in the pressure we feel to have our lives planned from a young age, many students can get caught up in a plan which they feel is set in stone. Having a plan is important to ensure you are setting goals and achieving professional milestones, but it is important to be open to different opportunities, because you never know what hidden interests and talents you may have.
For me, this was an important lesson, as I was unsure of what I wanted to do with a degree in business. Because of this advice, I have made my career plan, including the steps necessary to achieve end goals, but I have utilized the resources available through both my own network and the University of Ottawa to engage in new experiences and open myself up for new opportunities.
My advice to students is to make a career plan and determine how you will achieve it, but never close any doors for differing opportunities. Use the resources from the Career Centre, the Student Services Centre, Telfer clubs, and more to diversify your professional repertoire and gain new experiences!
I think we can all relate as students, whether we are first-year or graduating students, to the struggles that we face from time to time in choosing the right career pathway. So here I am today, sharing with you some tips to help you avoid as much of those bumpy roads.
1. Choose a career that you enjoy
You really want to make sure that this career pathway will be enjoyable to you in the long run. In other words, ask yourself if you can see yourself enjoying working in a certain field over the course of 10 or 20 years from now. If the answer is yes, then it's likely that you've made the right decision. If not, then you still have time to fix it!
2. Get hands-on experience
Ideally, you need some real life exposure in your field of interest to get a better understanding of how well your skills fit with your desired work field. Usually, you get this valuable exposure through Co-op or an internship because at the end of the day you may get a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses and where you fit in better in the workforce.
3. Network!
Even if you aren’t able to get hands-on experience during your undergrad, it’s ok! What I would recommend to you is to take as many opportunities as you can to attend networking events and workshops facilitated by the Career Centre. Because other than the practical experience there’s no better way to get a fuller picture of the work environment and the job outlook for open positions by getting to know and communicating in person with professionals themselves.
Next term in January is Telfer Networks, the biggest networking event of the year for all students. I hope to see you there!