By: Amber O'Pray (third-year, Social Psychology)
The day began with an insightful testimony from Arlene Dosen, Executive Director and Assistant Dean, Student Success, on her journey at McMaster and touched on the importance of student staff roles and professional development opportunities.
Conference attendees then tuned into a presentation by Lisa Hunt, HR Strategic Partner, Housing and Conference Services, on ways to improve your resume. Students were able to then apply this knowledge to an activity by correcting a “bad resume” with their peers.
The reflection activity allowed students to understand how they might experience real-life scenarios and develop their collaborative skills.
In the afternoon, Jared Kunar, Career Development Advisor, moderated a panel of three recent graduates who are currently working at McMaster University: Kyla Beavers, a 2012 McMaster graduate and Human Resources Strategic Partner; Deebana Rasanathan, a 2024 McMaster graduate and Administrative Assistant, Academic; and Madeline Parr, a 2021 McMaster graduate and Communications Coordinator at the Student Wellness Centre. The panelists shared stories of the uncertainty of employment and ultimately what led them back to McMaster post-graduation.
“I really hadn’t considered McMaster as an employer when I was a student here. I don’t know why. I think it’s maybe still overlooked in a lot of cases, but, when I was given the opportunity, it was really like an easy decision because it truly did feel like coming home after doing your undergrad here, living here, essentially growing up here.” said Kyla Beavers, a Human Resource Strategic Partner for Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs (CPMA)
“I think everything happens for a reason that, you know, depending on where you are in your career, you know, just apply, see what happens. You know, it does get discouraging when you don’t hear back from employers. you know, whether you got an interview or don’t any interview. But I don’t want you guys to let that, discourage you from applying because something will transpire and it will work out for you.” Madeline Parr, Communications Coordinator at Student Wellness Centre
“Are there a lot of opportunities? Yes. Are they all going to be aligned with what you want to do and where you want your career to go? Maybe not, but the best thing about McMaster is that it’s all one employer, so there’s nothing stopping you from reaching out to that department or that faculty, they want to end up being in or you want a role that, you know, as part of their and asking questions.” Deebana Rasanathan, Administrative Assistant (Academic), Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement
This year’s alumni panel offered useful advice to the student staff conference attendees. As students who are in anticipation of what will happen after graduation, these perspectives shed some light on the reality of searching for a job post-undergrad.
Finally, the day was rounded out by some much needed team building exercises that involved movement led by McMaster’s Altitude Team Development and Leadership program. It was the perfect ending to the day and created an unforgettable experience between student staff from all over campus.