Career Exploration Handout Package An Introduction to Career Exploration at the University of Toronto and Beyond!

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Table of Contents

Career Exploration – an overview ……………………………………………………………….. Page 3

Job Shadow Program details and key dates ………………………………………………… Page 5

Career Planning and Decision Making …………………………………………………………. Page 7

Information Interviews ……………………………………………………………………………….. Page 10

Professionalism ………………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 14

Reflective Practice ………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 16

Career Resources to assist with the Job Shadow application ……………………….. Page 20

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Career Exploration: An Overview

Career Exploration Defined Because the world is constantly changing, success in any career hinges upon staying current on what a career looks like, what you need to get there, and what you need to continue succeeding

in it. So how do you tackle these things?

In other words, Career Exploration is career research—engaging in activities that help broaden your knowledge about your career(s) of interest. This helps you stay current on careers!

Who Needs Career Exploration? Career Exploration is BOTH for those who are unsure about their career direction, AND for those who know what they want! It’s a way of confirming, learning more about, and learning how to best achieve your career goals.

You can do career exploration on your own, and you can take part in the Career Exploration Programs offered by the UTM Career Centre (Job Shadow Program, In the Field and Ten Thousand Coffees).

Benefits of Career Exploration Whether you know your end goal or not, Career Exploration can help you: • Generate career ideas • Learn about the daily duties of a career • Confirm your knowledge of a career • Decide if this is the direction for you • Learn how to best achieve your career goal(s) • Improve your networking skills

Career Exploration is the process of identifying and learning about (potentially satisfying) career(s).

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UTM Career Exploration Programs The Career Exploration Programs are experiential learning opportunities that help students meet their career exploration goals. We offer two programs to help explore careers of interest, as well as a resource to assist students in finding contacts for career exploration on their own:

Job Shadow Program: experience being with an industry professional for a half-day or one day placement. Learn about the career and industry area, have the opportunity for activities such as tours, meetings, seeing projects in action, and much more. Most job shadow opportunities are one-to-one; students have lots of time with their host. Hosts are sourced in areas that are specific interest to UTM students, and have included marketing managers, HR co-ordinators, research specialists, sales representatives, financial services providers, social workers and many others. The Job Shadow program will take place virtually for the fall of 2020; students will meet remotely with their hosts and participate in some work activities with them.

In the Field: Visit specific organizations as part of a small group of students. Learn about occupations in the organization, daily tasks, skills and education required for different jobs, and hear about the recruitment processes in the organization. UTM students have participated in In the Field visits to CAMH, Peel Police, several non-profit organizations in the GTA west, as well as several large banks, retail organizations, and other companies. Please note that the In the Field Program is on hold during COVID -19. Watch our website for further details in the future.

U of T Hub on Ten Thousand Coffees: Introducing the U of T hub on Ten Thousand Coffees - the digital tool that links U of T students (or recent grads) with alumni over coffee, by phone or online. U of T alumni have a lot in common and much to share! The hub is designed to help foster career exploration connections within the U of T community. Whether you're using it to build your network, learn from someone else's experience, or offer experiences of your own, there's a role for everyone!

Reflection/Post-Assessment Notice that the last step of each program is a mandatory online Reflection and Feed- back Survey. Completing these is required to participate again in future sessions.

CCR (Co-Curricular Record) Recognition Currently, only the Job Shadow Program is available for CCR validation. After you’ve completed all the Job Shadow steps, visit ccr.utoronto.ca to request validation of your experience. Stay tuned, as In the Field may also be eligible for CCR validation in the future!

For more info on CCR benefits, eligibility and bundles, visit https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/careers/ccr-bundles

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Job Shadowing Program and Key Dates

What is this program? The Job Shadowing program provides an opportunity to job shadow a professional. It is an opportunity to learn more about a career that you are exploring (it is NOT a job search program). The purpose is to help you understand your interests, skills and values and how they relate to your career area of interest while getting an insider’s perspective of what a day in the life of a specific career looks like.

There are 2 separate Job Shadow sessions each year, with placements in October and April. Most placements are ½ - 1 day long. Steps in the process include viewing the placements on CLNx, applying to those of interest, if successful connecting with your host, participating in the placement and completing a reflection. See Key Dates below for the timeline.

Your Job Shadowing Experience: Placement Activities Placement activities are listed in the placement description. Here are some typical activities you may participate in during a placement:

• Informational interview • Tour • Shadowing • Business meeting • Hands-on project

Placement activities, determined by placement hosts, are influenced by any confidentiality, security, or safety issues that relate to the career, host organization, or the host’s clients.

Example: Due to confidentiality issues, it may not always be possible to observe a therapy session in a psychology placement, or client meetings at a consulting firm.

Please note that during the fall of 2020, the Job Shadow Program will take place virtually. We are working with each of our hosts in order to design a meaningful and educational shadowing experience.

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Application Question & Writing Strong Answers When applying for a placement you will be asked to answer the following question. Below are the tips for writing strong answers: Why are you interested in this job shadow posting/and or career, and what do you hope to learn

from your experience?

Tips: Explain what interests you about the posting If you can, mention some industry trends that are related (read our Industry Reports

for information) Talk about your personality, skills, interests and values and how they might be a fit for

this type of work

Key Dates

Program Dates Fall 2020 Spring 2021

UTM Placements posted on CLNx

Sept. 14 To be determined

UTM Student Application Deadline

Sept. 25 To be determined

UTM Students receive placement notification

Sept. 29 To be determined

Deadline to accept placement Oct. 2 To be determined

UTM Placements

(see CLNx for St. George dates)

Oct. 13 – Oct. 30 To be determined

Deadline to complete reflection

Nov. 27 To be determined

For Questions or an appointment to discuss, please contact our Job Shadow Program Coordinator, Jelena Vulic jelena.vulic@utoronto.ca

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Career Planning & Decision Making The three Career Exploration programs discussed form part of a bigger process of career planning and decision-making. Career planning and decision-making is a process that involves several related steps. The steps can be completed in any order, as long as all receive attention. It is important to consider all career planning stages in order to make informed and satisfying career decisions. The steps involved in career planning are illustrated below.

...

...to learn about the career itself: daily duties, skills needed, etc.

...to examine and decide whether my tentative career choice is ideal for me

...to learn about the path/steps into the career, or to determine the necessary education or training

...to learn about the working environment and conditions associated with the career

to learn more out myself:

hat is interesting me, what I value, c.

ab w to et

Knowing what career planning stage you are in can give you ideas of other activities related to that stage, so you can engage in that career planning stage more fully. This can help you make more informed career decisions and influence next steps to take.

The questions below will help you think about your own career development:

• Do I have a good understanding of my values, skills, personal style and interests? • Am I getting the educational qualifications/experience I need for my future career? • Am I participating in relevant extra-curricular opportunities to gain experience aligned with

my future career? Do I have a plan to get (further) involved? • Am I developing my critical thinking, teamwork, communication, analysis and other

transferable skills? • How do I handle challenges or barriers? How can I improve my skill at doing this effectively?

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Participating in career exploration activities is a way for you to learn more about your career area(s) of interest, but it is also a way to help you determine your next steps to continue with your career planning. Let’s start thinking about the possible career you’d like to explore.

Finding Your Career Focus

Which career area(s) do you want to explore?

What interests you about this (these) career area(s)?

What are your goals for participating in career exploration? Which career planning stage do you feel best describes where you are in the career planning process?

List your career planning goals and the related stage below:

Goal

Associated Career Planning Stage

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What do I Want to Ask - My Values & Skills For Career Exploration to be meaningful and helpful for you, it is important to have a better understanding of yourself—your skills and values. Below, identify your top values and strengths and record them in the spaces provided. Use this information about yourself to help you generate information interview questions. Some Examples of Skills

Analytical Artistic Adaptable to change Communication (written or oral) Creative Data management Detail-orientation Innovating Interpersonal Leadership Multitasking Planning/Organizational Physical Quantitative/numerical Research Teamwork Technical

Common Values People Hold

Ambitious Gaining new knowledge Public contact

Approval of significant others Helping others/society Pursuing excellence

Being creative High income Results oriented

Being competitive Influencing Others Supervising others

Being well-known Intellectual status Taking risks

Being well-liked Job security Time for personal activities

Belonging, affiliation Location Using one’s strengths

Challenging myself Low work stress Variety

Enjoying one’s work Making decisions Work in my field of study

Fast-paced environment Moral fulfillment Work as part of a team

Flexible schedule Power & authority Working independently

MY SKILLS My Top 5 Values

Skills I’m good at & want to use: Skill I don’t have & want to develop: (List in order of importance) 1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2.

3. 3. 3.

4. 4. 4.

5. 5. 5.

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Information Interviews During the Career Exploration Placements you may use a strategy called Information Interviews. Information interviews can have many forms; they can be formal meetings you arrange, conversations with people you know, chats with people who are doing work that interests you. They can be very formal and planned or completely informal, happening on the spot. The purpose is to help you increase your understanding of a career or industry so you can use that information in making career decisions. During an information interview you can ask some questions to help you:

• Learn what the career actually entails and decide whether it’s an occupation that suits you • Gain insider tips regarding what courses to take, what experience to get, and how to market

yourself when actively searching for similar positions • Acquire knowledge of the industry, recent trends and developments • Develop communication skills and confidence in meeting and talking with new people

Remember to ask work-related questions and avoid personal questions. If you are not sure whether to ask a question, feel free to contact the Career Centre. Who could you contact for an information interview?

• Start with people you know (friends, family, former co-workers/supervisors, professors, members of community groups etc.) and/or have been referred to through contacts

• Develop additional targets through research in the career centre, associations, volunteer activities etc.

• Anyone working your field of interest may be helpful but you may want to target someone in a(n): Entry level position (they may have good tips for how they broke into the industry

and may be easier to access than someone in more senior position) Managerial/supervisory position (they may be able to provide more of a general

overview, share their experience, and evaluate your credentials) Hiring position (If you make a positive impression it may help increase chances of

landing job in the future with the company) When you complete an information interview, politely ask if there is anyone else that your contact

could refer you to. They may want to check with the person first of course.

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Information Interview Questions: Preparation Exercise

Use your goals, values and skills (see above pages) as a guide to choose relevant questions.

You can also conduct relevant research to guide you in identifying additional questions. Below are some examples of how your goals, values, or skills can help you determine relevant questions.

Goal, Value or Skill Questions

To find out the steps I need to take to pursue this career

• Is it necessary to have a specific educational background to enter this field?

• Are there courses I should take outside of university?

• How does someone get started in this field? Is there a typical career path?

• How did your career develop? Would you say it was a linear process?

• What skills/knowledge were most important in taking the first steps to your early career?

Skill I’m good at: Creativity • In what ways are you able to be creative in your work? Value: Belonging/ affiliation

• How does this role fit in with (x company’s) strategic priority of (enhancing the customer experience)?

Value: Enjoying my work • What do you like most about your position? • What are the greatest challenges you face?

12 Now, using your goals, values and skills as a guide, use the space below to jot down questions you’d like to ask during your program experience. You can think of your own questions, or choose from the following pages.

My Goal, Value or Skill

My Questions

Information Interviews – Sample Questions Keep in mind these questions are meant to give you ideas and not an exhaustive list. Use them to help formulate your own questions that address your specific needs and goals. Be sure to add to the list! Academic and skills preparation

• What are the specific skills needed to perform the responsibilities of the job? • What advice would you give to someone entering the field? • What skills and abilities are most important in your work? • Is it necessary to have a specific educational background to enter this field? • Are there courses I should take outside of university? • Can you recommend any relevant magazines, journals, websites, or publications?

Questions about the actual job

• Describe a typical day on the job. Would you say that your “typical day” is typical across the industry?

• What are your major responsibilities? How are you evaluated on these? • How are decisions made in your organization? • What do you like most about your position? • What are the greatest challenges you face? • What other career areas do you feel are related to your work? • How much flexibility does one typically have regarding (work values important to you,

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examples: innovation, self-expression, hours of work; autonomy)? Questions about the Company

• Why did you decide to work for this company? • What do you like most about this company? • How does your company differ from its competitors? • What is your project (or organization) attempting to accomplish?

Questions on trends in the industry/future outlook of the career

• What are some of the trends / legislation affecting the field that I should know about? • What is the average beginning salary for a person entering this career field? What are the

average salaries as a person in the field moves “up the ladder”? • What is the job outlook in this career area?

Goal: Job Search

• What are typical entry-level job titles and functions? • What entry level jobs are best for learning as much as possible? • What advice would you give to someone looking for work in this field? • How does someone get started in this field? Is there a typical career path?

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Professionalism You are representing yourself and the University during your career exploration program, and you could be making potential contacts. It is important that you maintain a positive, professional image.

Arrive on time — be sure to arrive by 9:50 a.m. if your appointment is for 10 a.m. DO NOT arrive too early (i.e., more than 15 minutes early), as it may be stressful for your host! If you have arranged a phone interview, start the call on time or be ready if the host is to call you. It is better that you are prepared and waiting, rather than have your host wait for you.

A few tips! • When you shake someone’s hand, have a firm grip. If you are not able to shake hands, politely acknowledge this. • Make eye contact and smile. • Respect the confidentiality and privacy of your host’s work. Never use any computer or read any materials without

their expressed permission. • Treat everyone the same at the organization. While an individual may not be listed as your host, they are still hosting

you and it is important to realize that you will be remembered for every interaction you have. • Do not eat or chew gum during your program (in fact, chewing gum is never a good idea in the workplace). • Turn off your cellphone, and avoid texting/emailing during your program. You can resume during breaks. • Speak up! Be prepared to ask questions about what you are hearing, observing, or doing. • Be curious! Demonstrate interest in what is being shared with you. Listen closely. • Take notes! Take detailed notes, keep a record of everyone you meet, and ask for business cards when possible. • Thank everyone who helped you, including the receptionist and administrative assistant, on your way out.

Thank-you card or letter It is standard professional etiquette to send a thank you note when someone volunteers his or her time to assist you. Your host volunteered their time and would appreciate receiving a personalized thank-you note. Although a hand-written letter is preferred, a well-written email thank you is also acceptable.

Thank-you letters should contain: Dear Ms/Mr._____: (host’s surname)

• A specific thank you. • A description of what you learned or gained from your experience. • Any additional comments or thoughts you have about how you will be using the knowledge you

gained from the experience. • Your signature and contact information.

15 Sample thank-you letter

February 25, 2017

Mr. William Lyon Principal, Mackenzie Collegiate Institute 214 College Street, Toronto ON M5T 2Z9

Dear Mr. Lyon:

I am writing to thank you for acting as a host for me for the Job Shadowing Program last week. It was a great

learning experience for me.

I especially appreciated sitting in with Ms. Smith’s class. As I mentioned, I am considering becoming an English

teacher and it was very helpful seeing how she took her lesson plan and facilitated a great discussion on Catcher

in the Rye. I also found sitting in on the English Department staff meeting really insightful.

Given my experience last week, I will definitely be applying to the Faculty of Education next year.

Thank you for all of your help.

Sincerely,

Nadine Chiu

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Reflective Practice After your career exploration activity has concluded, you will have the opportunity to

reflect on the experience and identify how the career(s) you learned about align with your personal skills, values and interests.

Reflective practice helps you to: • think about what you learned, • determine how you can use your learning, and • decide on your next steps

You may decide that you need to do a bit more research on the career. Career Centre offerings such as career panels, networking events, and roundtables can help you gather more information about the career or industry that you are interested in. There is also a chance that you may dismiss this career altogether if it does not fit with who you are, what you are looking for, or the skills you want to strengthen/develop. That’s okay, too. That is what career exploration is about. It is important to continually gather information and utilize opportunities that will allow you to reflect and decide whether a career is right for your or not. This will make it easier to recognize what your next steps are.

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Reflection Questions Think about and answer the following questions. These are your personal thoughts about your career planning, so there are no ―right or ―wrong answers! Describe what you learned about the career area you explored. Describe what you learned about yourself during your placement, or during the Extern Program (think about your Interests, Skills, Personality, Values). Refer back to your top values and skills which you completed in the e-module (also included in the My Values and Skills section of this booklet), and answer the following: How well does the career you explored fit with your values? How well does the career you explored fit with your skills (i.e. those you are good at and want to use, and those you do not currently have but would like to gain and use)? How do your above responses align with your career choice(s)? Did you meet your learning goal(s)? If not, can you speculate as to why? Explain. What do you think should be your next step in planning your career? How will you do so? EXAMPLE: get some relevant experience HOW: brainstorm ideas of potential job opportunities; meet with a career counsellor or employment advisor/coach; talk to a (or another) professional in the field to get advice on the kind of experience to look for EXAMPLE: identify my skills HOW: meet with a career counsellor to help identify my skills; ask friends and family what they think I am good at Your Next Steps & How: How has your career exploration activity affected your academic planning or course selection? What else do you still want to discover or learn?

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Create Your Luck – Planned Happenstance "Cultivate the capacity to create, recognize and incorporate chance events into our ongoing career development." John Krumboltz

"Well, I was just lucky", "Things just seemed to fall into place", "I was in the right time at the right place"

People often attribute the good things that happen in their lives as luck, but when examining career paths, we often find that opportunities do not happen by chance or luck. The opportunities occur because people took actions to be in the right place, to get to know people or to explore possibilities. And it is more than that; those people then took the actions that capitalized on the opportunity.

You may have had instances like this in your life previously, times when things just seemed to fall into place. But think about that instance; were there things you did to make or help it to happen e.g. chatting with someone who seemed interesting, working extra hard at your job so you were recognized within the company for your efforts, attending an event and then talking to others interested in the field?

Part of career planning is cultivating planned happenstance in your life; not just the formal networking and attending events (although those are important), but also taking advantage of other opportunities as they come along. Do this by:

1. Listening to yourself; be aware of your interests

-where are you; what are your interests

2. Following your curiosity

-what do you want to know more about; how could you find out about this

3. Being open and positive; follow crazy ideas

-what could you do for your career planning that is different

4. Moving beyond stereotypes of what is supposed to happen

-what would be the typical path for you; do you need to go beyond this

5. Surrounding yourself with positive people

-list the positive people in your life

6. Getting out and do it; do not be intimidated

-what are your fears; how can you overcome them

Source: Career Center, University of California at Berkley, http://career.berkeley.edu/Article/040910a-dm.stm

List one specific thing you will be doing this term that could lead to planned happenstance e.g. organizing events, researching issues, meeting people on campus.

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Independent Career Exploration There are additional ways beyond the Job Shadow Program, In the Field and using Ten Thousand Coffees to explore careers and engage in your career planning. You can arrange your own Information Interviews, attend networking events, and research careers in our physical and e-Library. Here are some resources and ideas available through the UTM Career Centre to get you started:

Please note the UTM Career Centre events to further explore:

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

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Career Resources to Assist You The following is a selection of online resources available to assist with your Job Shadow application as well as your career exploration Know Yourself Access this self-directed self-assessment module via Quercus https://q.utoronto.ca/enroll/FAHHLL A course designed by the Career Centre to help you with questions about what to do after you graduate. This course is a starting point to help you articulate who you are, what you want in a career and helps you begin to develop a career plan. Career Cruising An interactive career guide (Canadian) featuring multimedia interviews with real people across hundreds of different careers; in-depth occupational profiles, information on training and education and related resources. To access Career Cruising, log into the CLNx, click Resources on your dashboard, then select “Career Cruising”. The Vault Career Insider The Vault Career Insider is another online database where you can view career guides, industry overviews and conduct company research. To access The Vault Career Insider, log into the CLNx, click Resources in column on the left, then scroll down and click “Access The Vault”. Once you are on the Vault Career Insider main page, create an account (it is free). GoinGlobal This e-resource has information for U of T students and recent graduates interested in working abroad. It includes internship listings, career guides, information on job searching, resources and trends, resumes, interviews, and an international employer directory spanning 33 countries and thousands of companies. To access GoinGlobal, log into the CLNx, click resources in column on the left, then scroll down and click “Take Me to GoinGlobal”. Ontario WorkinfoNet Find information to assist you during each step of your career search process form self-assessment tests, researching occupations to current trends in labour markets and job boards. http://www.onwin.ca/english/index.cfm Canadian Careers A website of career and employment information with Canadian content covering topics including industry information and professional associations; occupational information; salary guides and job search tools. Visit: http://www.canadiancareers.com Uof T Career Development E-resources An e-book and video collection covering topics including self-understanding and development; information on specific careers and industries; effective job search and interview strategies; tools for getting into grad school and much more. Check it out by logging into the CLNx, click Resources on

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your dashboard, then select “Career Resources E-book Guide”. UTM Career Centre Website There are excellent resources to help inform your career and job search. Explore topics including: Career Planning, Jobs, Events, Further Education and Appointments. Individual appointments with career counsellors and employment advisors are available to current students and recent grads (within 2 years of convocation). UTSC Career Planning & Self-Assessment Resources A repository of links to a variety of sites with self-assessment and career planning tools. Visit: http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/career-planning-self-assessment-links