Career Blog
You are a marketing student struggling to find a position in your field? Or you want to find a job but need to develop your skills first? Or perhaps you just entered the world of marketing and hope to find somewhere to start? Either way, there are many ways in which you can gain valuable experience and develop new skills in marketing without having any formal work experience.
Marketing is a very diverse field: it encompasses everything from keyword research to social media management. So why not build your skills across different areas by familiarizing yourself with marketing tools and platforms? This is the easiest way to develop a practical knowledge of marketing, hone your skills and gain experience, all without a formal work setting! Here are excellent free tools and platforms to get you started.
1. Canva ─ Basic Graphic Design
Canva is great for exploring your creative side! You can design almost anything such as social media content, brochures, business cards, and presentations. With free graphics and photos free for commercial and noncommercial use ready at hand, you can easily design to your heart’s content while gaining valuable experience.
KEY ADVANTAGE: Canva is free! There is a premium account available, but you can get easily by with a free account. It’s perfect for someone who wants to learn and explore basic design creation, typography, colour theory, and more!
2. Instagram and Facebook Creator Studio ─ Social media
If you are into the “social media” side of marketing, why not create an Instagram / Facebook account to learn about the inner workings of the platforms first-hand? Find something you’re passionate about, make a social media for it, and experiment with different social media techniques to your liking!
KEY ADVANTAGE: Instagram and Facebook Creator Studio are perfect as a beginner’s step because they allow you to schedule posts and get insights. With the free scheduling platform, you can learn how to keep your content on a consistent posting schedule.
3. Medium.com ─ Copywriting
Interested in copywriting? Build your writing skills with Medium.com. This platform lets you share any of your writing samples with a large, interactive community. This way, you can practice writing for different audiences and perfect your copywriting skills.
4. Google Analytics ─ Research and data
Rather than being creative ─ maybe you want to explore the “numbers and data” side of marketing. Google Analytics is the perfect platform for doing just that.
KEY ADVANTAGE: The Google Analytics Certificate is free, and you can learn skills that are in demand.
With these tools and platforms, getting your foot in the door as a marketing student has never been easier. You can explore your interest in marketing and build your knowledge, all without formal work experience.
Want to explore more?
The Telfer Career Centre is open for students to get advice on how to advance their careers! Book an appointment now through Career Launch to see how you can boost your career development as a marketing student!
Are you familiar with soft and hard skills? While hard skills concern an employee’s ability to complete specific tasks, soft skills concern the way in which the employee goes about to complete them. Even though all soft skills are useful and can be applied in various positions, some are much more in-demand than others. Below are top three most in-demand soft skills according to LinkedIn and ways you can improve them.
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Creativity
Creativity, or the ability to turn imaginative ideas into reality, is the most needed soft skill by employers of all industries. Creative employees bring new ideas and explore new techniques, helping their employers to optimize their current business processes. Want to strengthen your creativity muscle? Start to use it every day by asking yourself a simple question: “Is there anything in my daily work routine that I could do differently to reach better results”? Your answers could surprise you. Discuss them with your boss.
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Persuasion
The second most in-demand soft skill, persuasion, is the ability to influence others and convince them to follow a specific course of action. It is especially important for business professionals and can make a big difference in an employee’s performance. Feel like persuasion is not your strongest skill? The good news is that it improves with practice. There are a vast number of excellent resources online that can help you. Make a point of applying a new persuasion technique every week, and notice what works for you best.
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Collaboration
It is no surprise that collaboration skills have made the top three of the list. How well employees can work in a team is one of the biggest factors contributing to a business’s success. Collaboration skills are improved through team projects and activities; this is the reason why you have to complete so many group cases in most of your business classes. As you go through your group projects, be mindful of how you communicate with your peers, offer them support, follow up with them, suggest solutions and accept theirs, etc.
Not sure how to highlight these soft skills on your resumé? Log in on Career Launch and book an appointment with a Career Centre advisor for a resumé critique. You will receive key advice on how to build these skills and show employers that you possess them.
In today’s rapidly changing job market, having a good degree coupled with tangible and transferable skills has become a necessity. But the question to be asked is, which is more important: skills or a degree?
A degree is extremely important and something most of us spend 4-5 years to complete. It acts as a lifelong certification of your professional knowledge and shows employers that you are competent in your field of study. But in today’s world, where technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data analytics are rapidly evolving, the material you learn in university will almost become irrelevant and inapplicable in 5 to 10 years. Companies are starting to realize that a college/university degree does not necessarily prepare students for the reality of a future fueled by technology. Employees need to learn to adapt their skills and knowledge to the changing markets. That’s why acquiring relevant skills is actually more important than a degree. Whether they are hard or soft skills, they are transferable and applicable to any industry, any job, and any situation. Skills such as communication, critical thinking, and problem solving never go out of date and people who have these skills are always sought after. Gaining hands-on and tangible experiences in your field of study will better prepare you for what you will likely see when you enter the workforce.
That being said, university is a great place to acquire these skills! Through getting involved in clubs and organizations within your school, it helps you apply what you learn in the classroom to a more realistic and practical situation. It also helps you meet new people and work in teams, helping you develop your communication, teamwork and leadership skills. All in all, the skills you obtain through university, both inside and outside the classroom, are transferable and can help you excel in your future endeavours.
I started working with children during my last year of high school as a way to make some extra pocket money, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I held a variety of positions over the last three years, including in an after-school program, teaching dance and drama classes, as well as working at summer camps in July and August.
I’ve always been pretty hesitant to put “dance teacher” on my resume, because, well, what does it have to do with getting a job in business? But I realized that it is indeed by working with kids during the last few years that I’ve gained a variety of transferable skills that are actually crucial on the job market. Here are three of the many valuable skills that you may have learned while working with children, and why you should highlight them on your resumé.
1. Leadership
When working with a large group of kids in a camp or a dance class, you must be an excellent role model and supervise them through the day, whether from the lunchroom to the gym or in a complete dance routine. While you are definitely leading kids, you may also be leading staff members, especially the new employees that arrive every year, to whom you are showing the ropes of childcare.
2. Adaptability
Much like the business world, children can be unpredictable. You may have a minute-by-minute plan of all your activities, but you will learn very quickly that most kids don’t follow schedules very well (especially on an extremely hot day in July!) You have to adapt pretty quickly so that they don’t get bored and out of hand. You consistently need to change your game plan according to evolving circumstances.
3. Organization skills
Now the kids may not follow your schedule and set plans, but walking into a day with a plan A and a plan B in hand is very important, whether at a summer camp, in a dance class… or at the office! If you aren’t organized and don’t have a backup plan, the kids will take full advantage of it, and it will be complete chaos (I know this from experience, and it’s not fun!)
Although I’ve mainly honed these three skills while working in childcare, they have helped me professionally in many regards: when I had to lead a team through a project, to adapt my schedule, or to organize a meeting. The bottom line is: don’t discount any of your work experience just because it’s not a typical 9‑to‑5 office job. I guarantee you: all your non business-related jobs have taught you some very important skills that employers are looking for in their ideal candidates.
To receive further guidance on how to make the most of all your experience and how to showcase it best in your future work applications, book an appointment for a resumé critique through Career Launch.
Let’s face it. Although most Telfer students were hoping to land a summer job in their field of study, many spent the last few months selling clothes or serving food. Sometimes, one simply has to pay the bills or to start somewhere. If you think your last summer job or current part-time job is inconsequential with regard to your professional journey think again. Here is how you can use a seemingly mundane job as a stepping stone towards your success in the business world.
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Build your resumé
Whether you work as a server at a local pub or as a sales representative in a department store, you have the opportunity to gain one of the vital elements of a strong resumé: transferable skills. Don’t focus so much on your menial duties, but on the way you perform them and on the skills you acquire while doing so:
- Retail
Accuracy and effectiveness: handling countless transactions per shift
Interpersonal skills: dealing with A LOT of customers in a courteous manner
Problem-solving skills: bringing forth solutions for customers and coworkers - Food Service
Diplomacy: accommodating the needs of customers, politely and with a smile
Multitasking ability: performing numerous, competing tasks quickly and strategically
Teamwork ability: assisting kitchen crew and other waiting staff - Call Centre
Communication skills: communicating clearly the established script or pitch
Empathy: listening actively to customers in order to understand their concerns
Poise: staying calm and collected when dealing with difficult people - Summer Camp
Creativity: offering a memorable, educational and fun experience to all participants
Leadership: leading by example as the captain of a group and building a team spirit
Work Ethic: abiding by the established code of conduct
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Get references
You may be performing tasks that have nothing to do with accounting or management, but you are nevertheless operating in a professional environment and with other professionals that could, later one day, provide you with good lip service to help you land your dream job. If you conduct yourself in a way that befits a junior accountant or an HR manager, even as you are flipping burgers or selling sneakers, your work ethic will lead you where you want to be.
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Expand your network
We often hear that more than 80% of job opportunities are found through networking. Take time to learn more about your colleagues and supervisors and their professional journey (not on how they spend their weekends ;0), and ask them to join your LinkedIn network. The key to your first business-related professional experience might just be the person working next to you.
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Take pride
Think your modest job at a department store, burger joint or daycamp isn’t all that impressive? Remember that most hiring managers had a similar job at some point, and that they truly understand the value of that experience. Perform your duties with pride and dignity knowing that you are building a foundation for something greater.
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Grow professionally
You may have been tasked with a clear set of responsibilities, but it does not mean that you shouldn’t go above and beyond your duties to improve the life of your coworkers, the satisfaction of your customers, or the effectiveness of day-to-day operations. If you want to boost your profile as a candidate for your ideal employer, don’t settle for the strict minimum: observe, think and take action.
- A task has been neglected, but clearly needs to be done? Display leadership by asking your manager if you could tackle it.
- You noticed a few things that could be improved? Assist management by suggesting strategic solutions.
- A coworker seems overwhelmed? Show initiative by offering assistance to your team.
- You deal with delicate situations or difficult customers? Strengthen your customer‑service skills by asking to debrief with management on a regular basis.
No matter how mundane they may appear, summer jobs are more than just a way to earn extra cash: they are shaping you as a professional.
If you need advice on how to present your recent summer gig like a pro on your resumé, book an appointment with a Career Centre professional.
From the day that we’re born, we’re raised to go to school, make friends, take part in activities and develop hobbies of our own. We progress through the stages of kindergarten to middle school, high school to post-secondary school, and for some of us, graduate school. Now, the real question is, why do we go through all of this schooling? The answer is simple. For most of us, it’s so that we can get a job. As humans, we have this idea that once we get our degree, we’ll get a job. But it takes some thought to realize that nothing is really set in stone; it’s not guaranteed that by simply getting a degree, we’ll get a job. In fact, there is a key idea that links us to the world of work, and that, is the skills that we develop throughout our life.
Even from the earliest stages, we learn and develop skills that are transferable later on as adults, such as communication, sympathy, empathy, and honesty. As we mature and enter middle school and high school, we are subject to more challenges, namely in school, as we began focusing time on school and assignments, along with clubs, volunteering - you name it. It’s at this stage that we start learning about our self-identity, developing emotional intelligence, and beginning to realize which subjects we excel at, and which ones aren’t our strong suit. It’s also a time when we develop teamwork and independent work skills.
Post-secondary school is where we truly began to see the usefulness of all these skills. Being a business student, I’ve been to several workshops hosted by the Telfer Career Centre and various employers, and I’ve seen how greatly the idea of skills development is stressed; it’s the part that we should emphasize on our CVs, our LinkedIn, and even during job interviews. During job interviews, whether they be for CO-OP or even a job we found through networking or on our own, we need to understand that there are many people in the same position as us. In other words, you could be one of the thousand fishes in the pond. This is because, all the fishes, including yourself, are likely either completing their degrees, or already have a degree. So I guess degrees can no longer be used as a differentiating factor (but don’t get me wrong, it’s still extremely useful to have a degree). What we can use, however, are our skills, and these will make us that big fish in the pond. Employers want to see that we can use these skills to excel in our jobs, and be an ideal employee.
That being said, although many of our skills are developed through our education, many of them are developed from outside school. For those of us who work part-time, we can develop a variety of skills, some of them being customer service, tolerance, attention to detail, and analytical skills, and all of these are applicable to our work lives. Even by going home to our families, our roommates, we can develop and enhance our adaptability, social, and time management skills.
At the end of the day, these skills, the ones we’ve developed throughout our lives, from personal matters to school, are what shape us into who we are, and help us excel in our careers. And remember, although “degrees” and “jobs” can be used in the same sentence, the linking word, is always the “skills”.
I am very grateful for the job experiences I have had so far. They're great for building my resumé and my skills, but they’re also great in painting a clearer picture of what employers look for in a candidate. Today, I will emphasize the importance of possessing certain traits and why they matter to your future. They also happen to be characteristics that you will find useful in your personal life and academic life.
In other words, I have gathered three transferable/soft skills or traits that I have found to be highly valued by my past employers, and most possibly, your own!
1. Punctuality
It may seem like a random trait out of the many skills and characteristics that make up a great employee. However, at the end of the day, employers not only want you to be punctual, but they also want the work to get done and done on time. Are you the kind of person to get tasks done as soon as they're assigned to you? Maybe not chores or assignments due in a month's time, but what about work tasks? Employers care about your answer to that question. My past supervisor valued an employee who was punctual, because it meant she didn't have to worry if things were getting done and if they were getting done at a good pace. Once a task is assigned to you, put it on your schedule and prioritize the task accordingly, in relevance to other tasks you also need to get done. It's a great feeling knowing you got a task done within a day or two when your supervisor may have expected it done for a little later. Always strive to be better and to make sure that all the work you're assigned is getting done on time!
2. Curiosity
Unsure about a task? Ask questions! Interested about something completely irrelevant to your tasks/position? Ask about it! Want to take on another project because it seems cool? Ask your supervisor! Want to know more about anything at work? Ask!
Do you see the trend? Be curious and express that curiosity!
Employers love young employees who ask a lot of questions, that show their interests and talk to their supervisor openly about what they don’t understand and what they want to know more about. It shows the supervisor and the rest of the team that you care and are engaged within your position. They want employees who are curious, who ask questions about everything they find interesting and who show that they want to learn more. It proves to the employer that you are ultimately interested in learning, and being knowledgeable. So do not be afraid to ask questions to your colleagues and supervisor!
3. Likeability
This may seem like an obvious one, but it is really, really important nonetheless. No one wants to work with someone unenjoyable, difficult, rude, insensitive, or negative. How do you present yourself when you’re having a bad day? Do you act quieter than usual? Maybe even completely secluded?
It is very important to be aware of how you act and how dependent your mood is on your behaviour. Being aware can help you figure out if you should shift your mindset and attitude so that even on your bad days (we all have them!), you can limit how your type of day affects your character. As business students, we will all likely work within teams, meaning we will most likely always be surrounded by people. This means we must always present ourselves as positive, communicative, kind, sensitive and empathetic towards others as well as simply being enjoyable to be around. We can do that by being more aware of our behaviour and what factors affect it on a day-to-day basis. Once we understand those factors, we can manage our behaviour on a daily basis much easier and more effectively.
We are all capable of expressing our genuine goodness, positiveness positivity and kindness, so don’t forget to learn to apply those positive features so that your employers are more drawn to you and everyone in the workplace will be attracted to your presence. Be the person people look forward to seeing in the morning!
Being punctual, curious and likeable are only a few of many skills and traits that are just as valued to employers. It is crucial that we all understand ourselves and are able to express those skills academically, personally and professionally. If you are unsure if you have any of those traits, or if you want to explore more of your transferable skills, I suggest attending one of the Career Centre’s “Self-Understanding, Career Planning and Testing” workshops, where a career counselor will help you understand what transferable skills you may have and which ones you may want to develop! There’s no such thing as being too skilled!