Counselling and Support
Searching online for career advice and guidance can be overwhelming. Sometimes you need to check in with an experienced career development professional who can answer your questions and point you in the right direction. Our team of career and employment experts can help.
Get answers to your career questions
Do you feel stuck in your career exploration, career development or job search? There are a lot of career and education options out there — almost too many to count. Make an appointment with our careers team. We’ll help you explore so you can identify and pursue the options that make sense for you.
Do you need guidance to help with your career exploration and career planning? Check in with us to get support and get answers to your questions. Our careers team is available online for drop-in chats on Brazen every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. These chats are short, 10–15-minute meetings where you can get answers about careers, further education or anything employment-related.
Meet with a professional career counsellor to address your concerns, explore your options, discuss your career goals and develop a personalized plan. We can help you build self-awareness and connect your values, interests and skills with exciting industries and career paths. Career counselling appointments are confidential and take place in a safe, welcoming space.
Career counselling tools
We use valuable tools in our career counselling appointments to help you reflect, identify strengths, understand your past experiences and more. Try out these tools before your appointment to help you get the most out of the meeting.
- Career Cruising: This career guidance resource features Canadian information on hundreds of occupations and educational opportunities.
- Digital Challenge Cards: This is a career discovery and assessment tool that can help you consider your career options based on what has purpose and meaning for you. All you have to do is think about which challenges you want to explore.
- Career Planning Essentials: This is a comprehensive, self-paced online course to guide you through the career planning process. Registration opens on OSCARplus at the beginning of each month. Go to OSCARplus > Student Success Centre > Events, and find the listing at the beginning of the month to register.
- TypeFocus: This tool includes personality and interest assessments and reports so you can learn about your strengths and personal preferences and explore your career options.
Career counselling appointment types
Get flexible support through one-on-one meetings over Zoom or by phone. (You can select which option you prefer when you book the appointment on OSCARplus.)
- Career and further education planning (50 minutes)
- Career and education information (20 minutes)
- Career Access Professional Services: Diversity and inclusion in the workplace (50 minutes)
Job searching is an important process in your career development. You may have questions about how to conduct your search effectively, including how to find suitable opportunities, how to prepare a successful application and more.
Through job search coaching, you can check in with our careers team to receive support during every stage in the job search process.
Job search appointment types include:
- Resume and cover letter critiques
- Experience building
- Volunteering
- Job search strategies and networking
- LinkedIn profile development and critiques
- Interview prep
Career Planning Notebook
A career isn’t something you find — it’s something
you develop and manage over time. The Career Planning Notebook can help you work your way through this process. Based on our career development model, this notebook will guide you to…
- Reflect on your interests and identify your personal skills.
- Explore your career and education options.
- Connect with people and opportunities.
- Develop skills and gain experience.
In addition to expert advice, student experiences and valuable resources, the Career Planning Notebook contains customizable year-by-year plans so you can track your progress, stay motivated and check things off as you go — because we know how satisfying that can be!
Through Alumni Career Services, provided by our careers team and the McMaster Alumni Association, you have access to career counselling and advising for up to 10 years after you graduate. Meet with an alumni career counsellor to support your career exploration, planning and goals.
Support for equity-seeking students
Career Access Professional Services (CAPS) can help you overcome any barriers you may experience during your career journey. We can help with accommodations, guidance on how and when to disclose a disability and more.
“I wanted to get a summer job but I found the job market very confusing and daunting due to my autism spectrum disorder, depressive mood disorder, and anxiety. Tanya from CAPS was very kind and understanding, and empowered me to find a job on my own by giving me the tools and the confidence, and supporting me when it became overwhelming. I definitely would not be working right now or even last summer if it wasn’t for CAPS.” — Program participant
Career Access Professional Services (CAPS) are for students and alumni who identify as a member of an equity-seeking group or have barriers to employment.
Equity-seeking groups are made up of people who experience discrimination and social barriers that prevent them from receiving equal access to services and opportunities. Some equity-seeking groups include women; racialized persons; First Nations, Métis and Inuit; persons with disabilities; and the 2SLGBTQ* community.
The CAPS team provides individualized support to assist with all aspects of career development including exploration, preparation and the building of skills and confidence. Our services are flexible and adaptable. Whether you’d like to chat over the phone or online through Zoom, Skype, email or another platform that works for you, we’re here to help. Email us (careeraccess@mcmaster.ca) or book an appointment on OSCARplus > Student Success Centre > Appointments > Careers.
If you have an accommodation need to book an appointment, please email careeraccess@mcmaster.ca. Should you require any materials sent in an alternate/accessible format, please advise.
Inclusive employment videos from employer and community partners
Panel: Student Success Centre, Dinstinctability, Specialisterne, City of Toronto
Discover Ability, Ontario Chamber of Commerce:
- Job Search with a Disability
- Job Seeker Guide: Getting Started
- Disclosure During the Job Search Process
Specialisterne:
- Re-thinking Abilities at Work
- From Home, to Action, to Impact
- Specialisterne Project Overview
- Employable Me Canada
Community Living: Ready, Willing and Able:
- Creating Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
- Ready, Willing and Able Develops Inclusive and Effective Labour Markets
- Building an Inclusive Labour Force
Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO):
Hamilton Civic Centre for Inclusion (HCCI):
- Solidarity in the Wake of COVID-19: HCCI Anti-Racism Conference
- Gentrification in Hamilton: A Vital Signs Chat
Ontario Public Service Commission:
Lime Connect:
Auticon Canada Ltd.:
The CAPS team is working with Engineering Co-op and Career Services to support your employment needs and connect you with opportunities from automotive and advanced manufacturing companies.
If you’re an Engineering student who identifies as having a disability, you’re eligible for support through this program. We know the term “disability” covers a broad range and degree of conditions, some visible and some invisible, some episodic and some lifelong. Whether you’re registered with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) or not, you may benefit from participating in this program through CAPS.
The CAPS team provides individualized support to assist with all aspects of career development including exploration, preparation and the building of skills and confidence.
Let’s start the conversation so you can get connected with CAPS.
First Year After Graduation (Nada Elnaiem)
Recommended reading
It’s okay (and helpful) to talk about failure
Failure and setbacks impact us all. Resilience is what happens when we keep going in spite of these challenges.
Journey
Finding a co-op with help from CAPS
Booking an appointment with CAPS was one of the best decisions I have made for my career... I didn’t know McMaster offered a service like this, I was able to book regular meetings and do anything that I needed. The experience offered me a personalized support system for whatever my needs were, whether that was job hunting tasks like resume building or even just going over all the things I needed to do for my classes and making a plan to get them done. And sometimes, it was just nice to talk to someone and share about my day.
Read the Journey about Finding a co-op with help from CAPS