As you’re starting your job search, checking in with yourself on your capacity time-wise and energy-wise can help you determine which roles would currently be the best fit for you, and can help prevent burnout.

Below are some questions you can ask yourself to assess your capacity to commit time to work:

• If you’re planning on working while taking classes, how are you finding your current academic schedule?
• Does your current schedule allow for time to study, complete your assignments, and practice self-care?
• Thinking back to past semesters or work terms where you felt overwhelmed or drained, are you noticing yourself currently feeling similarly?
• What commitments do you currently have on your plate, and how would you prioritize them alongside working?
• How would you feel if you took on another commitment on top of the ones you currently have?
• How many hours per week would be doable for you to work so that you can still have time for your responsibilities and hobbies outside of work?

Understanding Your Skills and Accommodation Needs

Taking inventory of your unique strengths is another aspect of your job search that can help you narrow down the types of roles that you’d enjoy and would excel in. Some prompts that can help you identify your skills and strengths are below:

• What types of situations or tasks have you excelled in? Looking back on your previous experiences, identifying these situations, and how you excelled in them can help you pinpoint your skills.
• What strengths have others highlighted in you (academically, personally, or professionally)? Reviewing feedback on projects or assignments, or any comments you recall from professors, TAs, supervisors, colleagues, and loved ones can also help you brainstorm your strengths.
• What types of challenges do you feel confident navigating?
• What accomplishments have you felt proud of yourself for, within and outside of the classroom?
• What experiences have you enjoyed and been most interested in, within and outside of the classroom?

Similarly, reflecting on tasks or situations where you’ve struggled can help you identify your accommodation needs and/or the types of jobs that you wouldn’t feel comfortable doing.

• If you’re receiving academic accommodations, this can be a helpful starting point when brainstorming workplace accommodation needs.
• If you’re looking for more information on types of accommodations, or how employers can accommodate individuals with various types of disabilities in the workplace, reviewing the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a helpful place to start.

Planning Your Job Search Process

As you’re starting to apply for roles that you’re interested in, planning a system for your job search that works for you can make the job search process more sustainable. Some strategies to help you with this are below:

• Scheduling time specifically for your job search tasks (i.e. tailoring applications, attending career advising/career counselling appointments, informational interviews to structure your job search.
• Setting goals for the week, whether you prefer to plan for a specific amount of time spent on job searching (i.e. 1 hour per day), or a specific number of applications you send out (i.e. 3 per week).
• Continuing to be mindful of your capacity to take on additional tasks throughout your job search, and be flexible with your goals depending on any changes to your disability symptoms, academic workload, and other commitments.
• Considering the types of environments you prefer to do job search tasks in can help motivate you; for example, some people prefer to work on tailoring their applications in a setting with ambient background sound, while others prefer to work in silence.
• Taking into account the time of day you find job search tasks most doable in. For example, some people prefer to job search at the beginning of the day, while others prefer to after their classes/work shift for the day has wrapped up.
• If you find it helpful to work alongside a friend or support person, try scheduling time with them where you both work on tasks together and hold each other accountable.
• Another option if you’re looking for an accountability person as you’re doing job search tasks is a co-working platform like Focusmate, where you can set a goal for a work session and work alongside someone who will be doing their own tasks; you can find more information on Focusmate.

Applying to jobs

• As you’re researching roles to apply to, it can also be helpful to look at the organization’s EDIA policies, and diversity hiring initiatives, and their accommodation policies, which you can typically find on their website.
• If you’re looking for more information on whether a role would be doable for you, or if a workplace would be inclusive to you, informational interviews can be a helpful way to learn more about the role you’re considering applying to from someone who’s currently working in it.
• For more information on what informational interviews are, how to set them up, and how to prepare for them, please review our Informational Interview tip sheet.
• When you’re applying to roles, some details to double check would be that you have:
  • Used the date of the application on your resume and cover letter.
  • Double checked that the job title and ID number matches the position you’re applying for.
  • Made sure that you have the correct name and spelling of the company in your application, and that you have reviewed any information from the posting on who the cover letter should be addressed to.
  • Thoroughly read through your application and made sure that the spelling and grammar are correct.
• If you have several job postings to apply for, prioritizing them by the deadline can help you submit them on time.
• When you’ve submitted each application, make a note of each job you have applied to, and keep a copy of the posting with the version of your application that you submitted. When you’re invited to an interview, you’ll have a clear sense of the role and the skills required even if the posting is no longer available online.
• If you need a second set of eyes on your applications, reaching out to someone you trust for feedback can help draw your attention to any areas to change. You can also book an appointment with a Career Advisor at the Student Success Center or attend our drop-ins for job search coaching support as well.
• For more information on researching the hidden job market, networking, assessing whether to apply to a position, and on industry-specific job search resources, please visit our Job Search Strategies Tip Sheet.
• As you’re job searching, reflect on whether you would feel comfortable to disclose any accommodation needs, and at what stage of the application/hiring process you would do so. This is completely your decision; only you can decide if and when you want to disclose a disability to a prospective employer.
• Note that disclosing your accommodation needs at each stage has its own pros and cons to consider; for more information to help you with making this decision, please visit our Accommodations and Disclosure Tip Sheet.

Preparing for interviews

When you’ve been invited to interview for a position, this is a victory in and of itself! It’s a sign that your applications are passing the initial review stage.

• If you feel comfortable to share any accommodation needs at the interview stage, reviewing the interview invitation, and any instructions on who you would send accommodation requests to, and any deadlines on doing so can help make sure that you feel comfortable while interviewing.
• If the interview will be in person, helpful to familiarize yourself with the area ahead of time, whether it’s mapping your route or commute there, or traveling this route ahead of time.
• Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your interview begins; accounting for this when planning your commute can help you calmly navigate to your interview.
• If the interview will be virtual, take time to navigate the platform it will be hosted on, its features and review any demonstrations or tutorials available for how to use it. Practicing virtual interviews with someone you trust, and troubleshooting any technical issues ahead of time can help build your comfort level with using the platform.
• Wearing business attire that you’re comfortable in can help you feel more confident and will help you make a strong first impression as you’re speaking to your interviewers.
• Choosing what to wear ahead of time (at least 1-2 days before the interview) may help you feel more prepared on the morning of the career fair.
• If you need support with this step, scheduling time with a loved one to plan your attire together can help motivate you and give you a second opinion on what you’re planning to wear.

Preparing any items that you need ahead of time is another way to feel more comfortable during the interview. Some examples are below:

• Water bottle
• Any assistive devices you need
• Any translation apps you need
• A notepad/pen to jot down any notes/contact information
• Multiple copies of your resume

For more information on preparing for various types of interview questions, questions to ask your employer at the end of your interview, and techniques to manage anxiety during your interview, and more, please refer to our Interview Tip Sheet.

• Practice! Interviewing is a very different social interaction to those we typically do in our daily lives; it’s natural to find them difficult. The more you practice your interviewing skills with a loved one and/or a Career Advisor at the SSC, the more comfortable you can feel as you do them.

Your Support System While Job Searching

Job searching can feel daunting at times, but you’re not alone throughout the process.

We’re here to help if you’re looking for further support with your job search. Visit Career Access Professional Services (CAPS) to learn more about career and job search support tailored to your needs.

With job searching comes the possibility of rejection; leaning on your loved ones, whether it’s your family, friends, any professional supports (i.e. counsellor, Career Advisor), support groups, and your professional network can help you stay encouraged as you job search.

We recommend checking out the Neurodiversity Hub for more information and tips on job searching as well.

Disability-Specific Job Boards

To support you with your job search, the job boards below are specialized to supporting individuals from neurodivergent populations with finding opportunities. This is not an exhaustive list but can be a starting point to finding organizations that are inclusive.

Discover Ability Network – Ontario Chamber of Commerce

Discover Ability Network is a unique job-matching platform. Free for both candidates and companies, the online portal aims to connect people with disabilities directly to Ontario businesses.

Integrate Autism Employment Advisors

Integrate Autism Employment Advisors support skilled autistic professionals reaching their potential; a workforce delivering non-traditional solutions; candidates and clients recognizing the value of an inclusive environment—that’s success at work. Founded in 2010, their decades of corporate experience drive their mission to help organizations identify, recruit, and retain professionals on the autism spectrum. Visit their website for more information and resources.

Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN)

ODEN produces a monthly email newsletter that’s packed with valuable, informative content including information about upcoming webinars and training; disability sector information and updates; a round-up of disability and employment related news; the Disability Insights quote of the month; and promising practices shared by ODEN members.

Lime Connect

Lime Connect is breaking stereotypes and leading companies of every size, industry, and location to understand the importance of, and fully value, the talent, and strengths that employees with disabilities bring to the workplace.

We’re here to help if you’d like further support in preparing for your job search. Visit the Career Access
Professional Services (CAPS) section of our website for more information on accessing our services.

Research the employers

Identifying the companies you’re interested in working at can help you come into the career fair with a clear plan of who to talk to.

Below are some steps to help you learn more about the employers:

1. Review the websites and LinkedIn pages of the employers leading up to the fair, along with their EDIA policies, and accommodation policies. If you find structuring your research helpful, set a goal for how many employer websites you’d research per day.
2. You can also use the People tab on the company LinkedIn page to find employees that you can connect with on LinkedIn. If you’re looking for more information on how to have informational interviews with individuals working in your companies of interest, review our Informational Interview Tip Sheet here.
3. Reviewing job postings by your companies of interest leading up to the career fair can give you a sense of the roles they’re hiring for and the skills they’re looking for in candidates. If you have any questions about the available roles, the career fair would be your opportunity to have them clarified and also demonstrate that you’ve done your research on the employer.

Prepare questions to ask

After you’ve done your research, you’ll be equipped to prepare a set of questions that you can ask employers at the fair; some examples of questions you can ask are below:

• What are the main skills (soft and technical) that your organization looks for in candidates for X role?
• What makes a person successful in this role and/or organization?
• What advice do you have for university students/graduates regarding getting into this field? Are there professional networking opportunities you would recommend?
• How would you describe the culture of the organization?
• Mention what you’ve learned about the organization and ask a related, relevant question.

Prepare items to bring

The career fair can be a crowded and occasionally hectic environment, so preparing items you need for the day can help you feel more comfortable as you navigate through it. Examples of items to bring are as follows, but you’re welcome to bring anything you need:

• Water bottle
• Any assistive devices you need
• Any translation apps you need
• A notepad/pen to jot down any notes/contact information
• Multiple copies of your resume

If it would feel more comfortable to attend with a friend or a support person, schedule a time to meet them there so that you can navigate the career fair together.

Choose what to wear

Wearing business attire that you’re comfortable in can help you feel more confident and will help you make a strong first impression as you’re speaking to recruiters.

• Choosing what to wear ahead of time (at least 1-2 days before the career fair) may help you feel more prepared on the morning of the career fair.
• If you need support with this step, scheduling time with a loved one to plan your attire together can help motivate you and give you a second opinion on what you’re planning to wear.

Update your resume and LinkedIn

Bringing multiple copies of your updated resume to the career fair can help you leave your contact information and an impression of your skills and experience with the employers you speak to.

• It may be helpful to bring different versions of your resume depending on the types of positions you’re targeting (i.e. one version of your resume tailored to Teaching positions, and another version of your resume tailored to Administrative positions), so that you can market your specific skills depending on the employer you’re speaking to.
• If you need support with updating your resume, please book an appointment with the Student Success Centre’s career services ahead of the career fair.
• As you’re preparing for the day, consider setting a reminder for yourself to print out multiple copies of your your updated resume at least 1-2 days before the fair to give yourself time for any last-minute changes.
• Note that some employers may prefer you apply online to use their preferred recruitment process. In that case, noting the name of the individual that you spoke to at the career fair and alluding to your conversation with them in your cover letter can help to differentiate your application with your effort to pre-connect with the organization.

Prepare your elevator pitch

Your elevator pitch is a short description of your background, skills and interests; this is a “snapshot” of you that the representative can use to understand who you are, what you do and what you are looking for, including your interest in the company.

• Leading up to the career fair, taking the time you need to draft your elevator pitch and practice it can help remove some ambiguity around speaking to employers, since you’ll have your introduction ready.
• If you’re looking for support with preparing your elevator pitch, feel free to book an appointment with the Student Success Center’s career services, and to practice it with your support system too.
• You can also find more information on preparing your elevator pitch and other conversation starters for the career fair in the Career Fair: Practice Your Pitch tip sheet.
• Bringing a copy of your pitch with your resumes can help jog your memory during the event.

Get familiar with the space or platform

If the career fair is an in-person event, it may be helpful to familiarize yourself with the area ahead of time, whether it’s mapping your route or commute to the venue or planning how to navigate the event itself.

• If the career fair has a map of employer tables published, noting where the employers you’re interested in will be located can help you navigate the event space.
• If it helps you to observe other attendees interacting with employers before initiating your conversations, that’s no problem; take your time to walk through the venue and observe other interactions until you feel confident to chat with them.
• Some people prefer to speak to the employers they’re not as interested in first, as a low-pressure way to build comfort before speaking to their top employers.
• If the fair is a virtual event, take time to navigate the platform features and review any demonstrations or tutorials available for how to use it.

Set goals for the day

While the end goal of attending a career fair is employment, your goal for the event itself can be more specific (for example: to practice networking, meet people in your field of interest, make contacts)

Some questions to help you set goals and priorities for the fair:

• Who are your companies of priority to talk to? (Tip: Breaking down your companies of interest into your A-list, B-list, and C-list companies can help you focus on the ones of priority at the career fair)
• What information do you want to learn, knowing that your conversation with employers will be brief?
• What would you want to do/learn to feel accomplished at the end of the career fair?

Grounding yourself during the Career Fair

You’re not alone in finding the career fair overwhelming; it’s alright to take a break, adjust and take a deep breath if you need a break from the space. When you feel calm and ready, return to the fair and find employers you want to learn about.

Some techniques to help you with grounding yourself are as follows:

• Box breathing: Breathing in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, out for 4, and hold for 4.
• Rainbow grounding: Going through each of the colors of the rainbow, and finding items around you which match them.
• 5-4-3-2-1 grounding: 5 things you can see, 4 sounds you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
• 3-minute meditation
• Fidget items/stress ball
• During the event, if you need time to gather your thoughts, take notes on the conversations you’ve had with an employer, and center yourself between each employer you speak to, feel free to take the time you need and pace yourself as you move through the event.
• Noting down 1-2 key points from each conversation can also give you something to refer back to when following up with the employers.

Find support available during the Career Fair

Reviewing the career fair website or event page will help you find information about any supports available during the event.

• For example, some career fairs may include an advising table where you can ask any questions you have about presenting your skills and speaking to employers.
• If you need accommodations for the event, reaching out to the organizers ahead of time with the accommodations you’re looking for can also help make sure that you’ll have what you need to feel comfortable during the event.

Following up with employers

The career fair was your opportunity to build an initial connection with employers; now that the event is over, continuing to engage with them and continue your connection beyond the fair will improve your chances of progressing in the hiring process.

For more information on how to follow up with employers afterwards, please visit our Career Fair: After the Fair tip sheet.

More support

We recommend checking out the Neurodiversity Hub for more information and tips on preparing for a career fair.

We’re here to help if you’re looking for further support with your your job search. Visit Career Access Professional Services (CAPS) to learn more about our services which offer career and job search support tailored to your needs.

How to disclose 

If you have made the decision to disclose and/or ask for an accommodation, here are some tips: 

Individual Rights and Responsibilities 

• An employer or school must accommodate the needs of people with disabilities short of causing undue hardship.
• If you choose to disclose, schools and employers do not have the right to know what the disability is, such as your diagnosis. It is common to be asked for supporting medical information which outlines your functional abilities, impact to work and suggested accommodations.
• If you request specific accommodations, it is your responsibility to inform the other party of your needs, cooperate in obtaining necessary information, participate in discussions about solutions, and work with them on an ongoing basis to manage the accommodation process.
• If you choose not to disclose and a situation arises, you may not be covered under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Have Questions? 

Meet with a professional staff member. CAPS provides a customized approach to skill-building and career development to help you overcome barriers you may experience during your career journey.

• By email: careeraccess@mcmaster.ca 

Fall Career Fair is the largest recruitment event hosted on campus. This year, the fair features 120 employers who are interested in hiring McMaster students for part-time, full time, co-op, internship, contract, summer and volunteer roles, spanning industries like health care, environment, technology and more.  

We know it’s a busy time, and some people are more comfortable at these events than others, but here are some key reasons why you should attend. 

1. It’s a great way to explore careers and companies 

Use this opportunity to make connections and do some research with real people to learn about career paths, recruitment practices and company culture. Avoid judging whether a company relates to your area by the company name alone — it can be misleading because many large companies attend and have opportunities in other divisions. You can also use the opportunity to learn about career paths within companies and industries of interest. Not every company may seem like an ideal fit, but engaging with them can broaden your knowledge and help you practice your networking skills.  

2. Learn from recruiters how to leverage your graduate-level experience and skills  

Employer events like Fall Career Fair and company information sessions happening throughout the fall term (check the Events Calendar on OSCARplus) are an opportunity to have more conversations with employers and learn about the recruitment process directly from the source.  As a graduate student, you can learn which key skills are considered valuable and communicate them effectively to companies you’re interested in, even if the organization doesn’t have a specific job opening that matches your qualifications. Additionally, you can learn how application processes work, typical recruitment cycles and how to differentiate your application.   

3. Make a connection, build your network 

Attending in person allows you to make a personal connection and a professional first impression that recruiters will remember when they go through the applications received online. Employers want students to attend Fall Career Fair in person. Sure, they may also indicate an online application (it does save paper), but the real reason they are at the fair is to get a sense of the person behind the resume that is submitted online — you!  

The earlier you start to network and make connections, the more you will build along the way, and it will pay off in the future. Plus, it is much easier to have conversations, ask questions and network when there’s less pressure to find a job.  

Remember: It’s also important to follow up with your new contacts after the fair to solidify the connection. Read more about our After Career Fair tips. 

4. Learn about different work cultures and work environments that align with your values 

Career fairs are a great opportunity get to know company culture and work environments that align with your values and preferences. Whether your preference is a small–medium sized company, a large corporate organization, somewhere fast-paced, team-oriented or something else, consider what work environments interest you and keep that in mind during your conversations.  

If you’re still in doubt about attending, keep an open mind and consider stopping by for even a few minutes to get the feel for these types of events.  

There are often employers who get more traffic than others, so warm up by approaching an employer who is not talking to other students. Use the opportunity to ask questions about their career path and what attracted them to the company. Regardless of whether you’re interested, it’s a great way to build up your confidence and learn about someone else’s path. Plus, you never know where there might be similarities or who could lead you to your next job offer. Remember, most career paths aren’t linear, and connections play a key role in leading people on their career journey. 

Browse all the appointment types to find out how you can access support. Then, apply on OSCARplus under Student Success Centre > Volunteering and Experience Building. Once you’re there, select postings. Application deadline is on April 24, 2023.

Any in-person positions will be located at McMaster University’s main campus.

Student Success Centre units accepting applications

For questions about the SSC Peer Leader program or the individual positions, contact Stephanie Cognigni (volunteer@mcmaster.ca).

Need help navigating OSCARplus?

We recommend attending an OSCARplus how-to workshop. Find the next listing under the Student Success Centre > Events.