Let’s finish the sentence to create some motivating statements

It’s possible…

• To imagine and feel excited about my career options and plans
• To really understand my strengths, interests and priorities 
• To make a meaningful impact in my career
• To gain experiences and expand my skills and abilities

How would you finish the statement?

Think about it. Chances are, whatever comes to your mind first is particularly important or meaningful to you. Take a moment to write out your “it’s possible” statements and notice how they make you feel. A simple sentence can empower you to get excited about your career! Don’t let previous failures or setbacks prevent you from believing that it’s possible — because it is!

If you’re having trouble thinking of something, try these resources provided by the Canadian Career Development Foundation to help you get started.

Wondering how to turn possibilities into realities?

We’re here to help you explore your possibilities, develop plans and support you as you get excited about your career. Check out these recommendations from SSC career counsellors.

Need one-on-one guidance? No problem

Book an appointment with a career counsellor or someone from the larger careers and experience-building team to ask questions, explore options, make a plan, build resilience and overcome any barriers in your career journey. Check OSCARplus > Student Success Centre > Appointments > Careers for appointment types and availability.

If you identify as a member of an equity-deserving group or you have barriers to employment, try our Career Access Professional Services (CAPS).

A peer-to-peer conversation about career-ready skills

Get career ready by learning from your peers.

Richa Alvares (interviewer) is a fourth-year Science (Life Sciences) student who works as a career peer at the Student Success Centre. Rachel Zlatar (interviewee) is a fourth-year Business (Commerce) student who works full-time as a strategic partnerships coordinator.

Note: The following text content is not a complete interview transcript. Some edits and cuts have been made for readability and clarity.

One of the career-ready skills that employers value is professionalism. How have you demonstrated professionalism in your academics or through paid or unpaid work?

I think, oftentimes, we automatically associate professionalism with people wearing that fancy suit and tie, holding their briefcase, going into the office, working in finance. At least, that’s what I [used to] think of professionalism. But what I’ve definitely noticed is — every workplace is different — but the common trend that people pick up on in a professional is that you’re showing up. You’re the one putting in the work. You’re the one that’s dedicated to the project because a professional is the one that’s leading the way. They’re not [waiting for] someone tell them what to do. Because a professional is someone that you think of that, they have the experience, they have the skills [and] they have the knowledge. It’s not just how you look or act.

Whether you have the skills or knowledge or anything doesn’t really matter because professionalism is just embodying that role, [whatever that means] for you. So for some people, it might be easier if they are [wearing] a blazer. They [have] got their suit and tie on, so they feel like they’re professional and they can show up better. I know for myself, it’s [important that] everything’s super organized. [When I have] my fancy little notebook that flips, with a pen, I feel super professional, and I just want to work more.

It’s different for everyone, but [professionalism is] definitely being the person that is responsible for their actions and that wants to invest in the company or the role or whatever they’re doing.

Students often feel their experiences need to be directly related to a career to have value. But employers value skills that can be developed from a range of experiences. Can you share an example of an experience that wasn’t related to a career but helped you develop a career-ready skill?

Anyone that has known me, has known my path throughout undergrad and even before, [they know] I am the queen of doing things that are unrelated to each other and unrelated to my [career] path. If someone were to look at my resume, it jumps from randomness to more randomness, okay? Honestly, I thought it was a problem. I went to a career coach and I [said], “I have a problem.” And they looked at me, and [they said], “You know how many different skills you’ve developed that you bring to the table?”

I used to be in nursing in first-year. I absolutely loved it — amazing program at Mac. But then I ended up switching into Commerce. At the beginning, I thought I’d wasted a year. But really, having that year of nursing on my resume, all of the employers and businesses look at [my resume] and they say — “She knows how to talk to people. She knows how to be compassionate and empathetic and understand the customer’s needs.” — which is something I never thought would have helped me in my career.

Nowadays, everyone is so educated. I mean look around at the Mac community. I’m always in awe whenever I talk to people here about what they’ve done, and I [feel] like, wow, I’m competing against [these people] in the job industry. So it’s really about what unique things you can bring to the table. If there’s something that interests you that’s completely unrelated to what you think you’re going to do in the future, do it. Go for it. Because you learn so much from doing so many different things. And at the end of the day, the more different perspectives you can combine together, the more [you will] will grow and innovate.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, which career-ready skills have you been forced to develop or use more?

I’ve really focused on my career management, for sure, because I’ve had the time and the space to really think about what I want to do, how I want to approach things.

Before [the pandemic], I felt like it was so easy to just fall into a path in school. [For example], I’m in Commerce. [If I take the simple path], I’m going to end up in marketing, HR, Finance or accounting. And, given COVID-19, and given that I’ve been at home, I’ve been really thinking, “Okay, what do I really enjoy? What lights me up? And what stuff do I not enjoy?” And then, I’ve had more than enough time to do my fair share of Googling of what is out there and what’s available.

In order to develop those career management skills, essentially, you’ve just been doing a lot of self-reflection and exploring the options that are out there?

Honestly, people underestimate the power of just searching random things. I have this little trick whenever I’m looking for like a new job or new internship position. Anything. I’ll think, “Okay, if I had absolutely no restrictions on what I could do, what do I really enjoy?” So I’ll [search something like] “marketing” and “Amsterdam student intern apply” on Google. [I’ll] go to the fourth or the fifth page and start finding all of these [exciting] opportunities that are out there.

Back when I was in my first year of Commerce — this is a funny little story, little tangent — I [thought], “I don’t really know what I want to do. Let’s see what’s out there.” So I typed in “student internships abroad,” and I ended up finding this marketing opportunity in Amsterdam and so I applied for it. Keep in mind, it was meant for Ivy League students. I am not in an Ivy League school. So I applied to it and they ended up having extra space in their program for the summer. So I joined the program.

I went to Amsterdam with all these other students, and I ended up working with a life coach in Amsterdam doing all of her marketing, events and everything, and we were at a WeWork co-working space. [The life coach] used to be a nurse and was in Commerce. And after that was when I [thought], “I’m switching out of nursing. I’m going into business. [It’s a] done deal.” And my life completely changed.

So, I think it’s a big thing about just being open to random opportunities because you never know where [they’re] going to take you. This lady has supported me in my career. She’s opened up so many doors for me.

What tips or advice might you give a fellow student on ways to develop career-ready skills?

Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to know what you have to do to be successful right away. And I know everyone says this, and you’re going to hear this a lot, but it’s true — if there’s something you want to do or you feel drawn to do, do it. If it lights you up and it’s what gives you energy, just imagine how much more successful and better you’ll feel.

Don’t automatically rule something out because [you] don’t know if it’s worth it. Say yes to everything — the paid positions and the unpaid positions. I’ve done more than my fair share of unpaid positions simply because the learning opportunities are so worth it. And I think if you have the time and the space and the financial capability to do so, volunteer. Do it. Offer your skills. Offer your time to people and companies because they are so receptive to that. And 9 out of 10 times, honestly, they’ll probably end up hiring you after. So don’t go chasing the money if you don’t have to.

And my last thing, find a mentor. I think people try to [manage their career] on their own and try to navigate everything on their own. And it’s so hard to learn and [you] make so many mistakes when you can prevent that by just listening to other people’s mistakes. I’m so lucky to [have] mentors from the job that I have right now. My boss is from Colombia and she’s literally taken me under her wing and [said], “I’m going to teach you everything I know.” And the life coach I worked with in Amsterdam, she’s one of my other amazing mentors. I don’t think students rely on [mentors] enough. There are people out there that want to help you and that want to see you grow. Let them help you, okay?

[Also, take] advantage of the Student Success Center — the team is amazing.

Check out all the Career-Ready Conversations

Check out the Career-Ready Conversations tag to access all the interviews. And here are some ways to get thinking about career readiness and start developing your skills.

• Career-Ready Skills (PDF tip sheet)
• Experience building (programs, services and more)
• Global opportunities (intercultural programs)
• Big Interview (mock interview tool)
• McMaster Students Union (more than 300 clubs and services)
• Lyons New Media Centre (technology services and digital resources)
• LinkedIn Learning (skills development courses)

A peer-to-peer conversation about career-ready skills

Get career ready by learning from your peers.

Allan Mathews (interviewer) is a third-year Science (Life Sciences) student who works as a career peer at the Student Success Centre. Jayco Cheng (interviewee) is a third-year Science (Life Sciences) student who is currently job searching.

Note: The following text content is not a complete interview transcript. Some edits and cuts have been made for readability and clarity.

Students often feel their experiences need to be directly related to a career to have value. But employers value skills that can be developed from a range of experiences. Can you share an example of an experience that wasn’t related to a career but helped you develop a career-ready skill?

An example I can give is, I joined this very very small club — it’s called the Human Book collection — and in that very small group we have individuals that are very like minded. I think, often people overlook the value of [club] experiences. I know when I joined, I did. [You] learn to appreciate the things you gain from these experiences afterwards. We were a very small group of people, and this year, we’re growing and we’re growing. What I took away from that experience is that, because you have such a small group, and when you want to plan events, there are a lot of things you have to do on your own.

So, [there are] two things that I would say I developed. The first one would be collaboration. When you’re working in a small group, it’s so essential that you collaborate. Everyone knows what everyone is doing. You’re collaborating, you’re making sure everyone’s on track. You’re looking after each other, and you get to develop teamwork and collaboration, a trait that you might not have been able to do it [if] you tried to force yourself into an experience that’s directly related to your field.

The second [skill I developed] was leadership. When you have a small group of people, everyone is kind of the leader. You need to take responsibility over your roles, and you need to be held accountable for them. Thus, you’re kind of hitting two birds with one stone. You’re getting that collaboration, the collaborative skill, and you develop leadership [as well].

I think that the reason why some people may think you need to have a directly related experience is because they think that [employers] look at technical skills versus transferable skills. The reason why [transferrable skills] are valuable is in the name — it’s transferrable. It doesn’t matter what you do, you can still apply [the skills].

Due to the pandemic, we have been forced to adapt to new environments. Which career-ready skills have you been forced to develop or use more as a result?

I think the one [skill] that I’ve been forced to use and, as a result, develop is career management. I think it’s so important during these times to identify one’s goal. [Whether] it’s a long-term goal or a short-term goal, I think it’s important that people identify such goals so that you can make a plan to execute your goals.

The reason why I say that this is a skill I’ve been forced to use is [because], during COVID-19, many people [have been] stripped away from their opportunities — either current opportunities or perspective opportunities. You need to figure out what is your goal and what’s a way you can achieve that goal under all these circumstances.

The reason why [many opportunities have been] stripped away is because certain jobs or certain roles, certain opportunities, are not considered essential. So, to find [new] opportunities, it’s going to be harder. Normally, say you get five interviews — you might get one offer. But maybe now you need 10 interviews [to get] one offer. So it’s important people not lose hope and be perseverant too. Work towards your goal, and don’t get distracted by other people’s progress [or] other people’s goals.

Check out all the Career-Ready Conversations

Check out the Career-Ready Conversations tag to access all the interviews. And here are some ways to get thinking about career readiness and start developing your skills.

• Career-Ready Skills (PDF tip sheet)
• Experience building (programs, services and more)
• Global opportunities (intercultural programs)
• Big Interview (mock interview tool)
• McMaster Students Union (more than 300 clubs and services)
• Lyons New Media Centre (technology services and digital resources)
• LinkedIn Learning (skills development courses)

A peer-to-peer conversation about career-ready skills

Get career ready by learning from your peers.

Sharon Sanghera (interviewer) is a third-year Social Sciences student who works as a career peer at the Student Success Centre. Maham Ali (interviewee) is a second-year Social Sciences student who is currently job searching.

Note: The following text content is not a complete interview transcript. Some edits and cuts have been made for readability and clarity.

Which career-ready skills have you developed the most through your academic work at McMaster? Could you provide examples of how you have been developing them?

Two skills that I developed [at university] would be digital technology and written communication. I just took a [Geographic Information Science] class where we used ArcGIS Pro. It was an experiential learning class, so whatever we were taught in the class was basically what we were going to be learning on the job. And so having that applied direct knowledge of the technology we would be using on the job was really nice.

Another skill that I learned was written communication. In my first-year history class at U of T, since I’m a transfer student, it was a class where we developed our writing rather than learning about history. So it strengthened our essay writing skills and written communication.

Students often feel their experiences need to be directly related to a career to have value. But employers value skills that can be developed from a range of experiences. Can you share an example of an experience that wasn’t related to a career but helped you develop a career-ready skill?

For a while, I’ve been a tutor, even though I don’t really have the aspiration to be a teacher or educator. I believe that it has [helped me develop] a bunch of the career-ready skills, one of them being critical thinking. [Being a tutor] has allowed me to really see what skills I can develop in the children that I’m teaching, and see how I can improve them and make sure they get the best grades and they’re confident in themselves as well.

Teamwork would be another skill that I developed. I have to work with the parents and teachers to make sure I’m giving [the students] adequate help, and making sure that everything is running smoothly and making sure that I’m communicating well with them.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, which of these career-ready skills have you been forced to develop or use more?

Digital technology would be a skill that I developed, as I never really did online calls [before the pandemic]. There were no online classes before, we didn’t have anything of that sort, so getting used to that kind of technology [was important]. Realizing that everything would be online was a big learning curve, and helping to overcome that was something that I needed to [do].

Career management is considered a career-ready skill. Can you share examples of what you were doing or have done to develop your career management skills?

So, for the recent internship I got, I used resume critiquing and cover letter critiquing in order to perfect my resume and cover letter to get the internship. Also, building my portfolio, as it is a design internship, so making sure I had the appropriate pieces and pieces that I believed reflected the best of my work. Also, working on building relationships with employers [is important].

Cultural fluency is one of the career-ready skills. Can you share how your time at McMaster is helping you develop this skill?

Since I am a transfer student, it has been kind of like a culture shock in a way coming to Mac from a different school. [This included] having to learn about the culture of Mac and seeing how things work, making new friends and building new relationships in my new environment.

What tips or advice might you give to a fellow student to help them build career-ready skills?

I would say to take advantage of every resource the school offers, like the Student Success Centre. Go to networking events and network with future employers [and] your profs — your professors are there for you and they really just want the best for you. Talk to your peers — if you have that relationship, down the line, you may end up working together one day. So it’s nice to have that relationship built.

Check out all the Career-Ready Conversations

Check out the Career-Ready Conversations tag to access all the interviews. And here are some ways to get thinking about career readiness and start developing your skills.

• Career-Ready Skills (PDF tip sheet)
• Experience building (programs, services and more)
• Global opportunities (intercultural programs)
• Big Interview (mock interview tool)
• McMaster Students Union (more than 300 clubs and services)
• Lyons New Media Centre (technology services and digital resources)
• LinkedIn Learning (skills development courses)

A peer-to-peer conversation about career-ready skills

Get career ready by learning from your peers.

Allan Mathews (interviewer) is a third-year Science (Life Sciences) student who works as a career peer at the Student Success Centre. Tipu Islam (interviewee) is a third-year Science (Life Sciences) student who is currently job searching.

Note: The following text content is not a complete interview transcript. Some edits and cuts have been made for readability and clarity.

One of the career-ready skills that employers value is professionalism. How have you developed this skill in your academics and paid or unpaid work?

There are many ways of showing professionalism. [In] the three categories you mentioned — academics and paid and volunteer work — professionalism, for me, would reflect in two categories. It would be in the conduct and in the interaction.

So, for [conduct in academics], [if] I’m working on a lab report, and I come across an article that has something that I’d like to mention in my [work], the professionalism would be me properly citing that article and giving it credit, and upholding academic integrity. The interaction in academics would come from the tone and respectful approach that I use to talk to my instructors [and] my colleagues.

The same applies in paid and volunteer work. But, instead of professors, you have supervisors and bosses, and it’s important that I conduct myself in a way that is respectful, that upholds integrity and that reflects the values that I’ve learned at McMaster. It’s about building a positive environment with my colleagues in volunteer and paid work.

Cultural fluency has to do with demonstrating openness and inclusiveness and showing sensitivity. How have you developed this career-ready skill at Mac?

[During] my time here at McMaster, I’ve had the opportunity to interact and collaborate with colleagues who come from different backgrounds and have different skill sets. I think, in every group interaction that I’ve had here at McMaster, I’ve learned about putting together different views. In our program, Life Sciences, which is an interdisciplinary program, putting together different viewpoints enriched my experience and enriched my learning. And I hope to use the collaborative skills I’ve used [at McMaster] to collaborate with colleagues in the workplace.

What advice do you have for students to help them develop career-ready skills?

I think there are many steps that students need to take in order to gain a mastery of all [the career-ready skills]. But I think, mainly, if you perfect two principles, these skills should come in your path. [These principles are] work ethic — being diligent with your work and following schedules — and having respectful interactions with your superiors, professors and colleagues.

Check out all the Career-Ready Conversations

Check out the Career-Ready Conversations tag to access all the interviews. And here are some ways to get thinking about career readiness and start developing your skills.

• Career-Ready Skills (PDF tip sheet)
• Experience building (programs, services and more)
• Global opportunities (intercultural programs)
• Big Interview (mock interview tool)
• McMaster Students Union (more than 300 clubs and services)
• Lyons New Media Centre (technology services and digital resources)
• LinkedIn Learning (skills development courses)

A peer-to-peer conversation about career-ready skills

Get career ready by learning from your peers.

Sharon Sanghera (interviewer) is a third-year Social Sciences student who works as a career peer at the Student Success Centre. Cecilia Li (interviewee) is a third-year Business student who is starting an internship in organizational change management in May 2021.

Note: The following text content is not a complete interview transcript. Some edits and cuts have been made for readability and clarity.

Which skills do you feel you have developed the most through your academic work at McMaster? Could you provide examples of how you are developing them?

I think the first one is definitely the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, especially [since] I am in a Commerce program. When you get into the upper-years, rather than having all the theories in the courses and doing all the multiple-choice [tests] and all the memorization, we’re doing case analyses [and] presentations.

One of the projects that is ongoing throughout the semester is, we have a client company to work with, and we solve their real problem or look at their financial reports. We look at their competitors, we look at their annual marketing things and then we develop a marketing plan for them. So that is how we utilize what we learned and then develop our critical thinking skills.

And then another [skill] I will say is communication — both oral and written communications because [we do] a lot of [group] reports, and then we write essays for some social science class. Then we’ll do presentations.

And then the third [skill] I will say is teamwork. 80% of our mark for one course is group work and the other 20% is participation. So working with others is a really essential skill that we are developing throughout all the four years in the program. And then we learn how to interact with different people. We learn how to deal with people from diverse backgrounds and diverse personalities.

One of the career-ready skills that employers value is professionalism. Can you share ways you might show professionalism in your academics and paid or unpaid work?

I think being punctual and having great time-management skills is how we showcase and display our professionalism. Meet all the deadlines. Be on time for all the Zoom calls and in-person meetings.

The other [way] is with communication protocols and email manners — the way that you communicate with your professors. You communicate with your professors differently than your peers. Are you able to draft professional emails? Did you properly fill in your subject line? Did you meet all the formatting requirements? Those are all the small things that showcase your professionalism.

Students often feel their experiences need to be directly related to a career to have value. But employers value skills that can be developed from a range of experiences. Can you share an example of an experience that wasn’t related to a career but helped you develop a career-ready skill?

Yes, I honestly think that this is a really good question because students always seem to think that, “I need to have industry experience. I need to have a really professional internship before graduation to enter the world of business, to enter the job market.”

However, employers value everything. What leads to your first internship [are] your extracurriculars and your volunteer work. Because the skills you develop through those experiences [are] highly transferrable for when you apply to internships, as well as full-time jobs upon graduation.

For example, I used to be a volunteer [at] the YMCA. I worked with a group of McMaster girls and we [worked] with the new immigrants to help high school students with their homework [and] help them to adjust the new environment. [This experience] doesn’t seem commerce-related or HR-related. However, it [helped me] develop my communication skills and teamwork skills and how I manage conflicts, how I motivate people.

Are there any career-ready skills that have you been forced to develop or use more during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Definitely, definitely, definitely digital technology. Employers these days are looking for the people who are technologically savvy because [they] don’t want to waste time to help [people learn] how to use Zoom, how to use Microsoft Teams. If you are really good at using all those communication platforms, that’s going to facilitate your work in that company very easily. And then, for example, we have learned how to use Zoom, how to use Microsoft Teams. And then even how to use Excel, how to use spreadsheets. I think these are all the things that help you stand out the most during COVID-19 recruitment.

Check out all the Career-Ready Conversations

Check out the Career-Ready Conversations tag to access all the interviews. And here are some ways to get thinking about career readiness and start developing your skills.

• Career-Ready Skills (PDF tip sheet)
• Experience building (programs, services and more)
• Global opportunities (intercultural programs)
• Big Interview (mock interview tool)
• McMaster Students Union (more than 300 clubs and services)
• Lyons New Media Centre (technology services and digital resources)
• LinkedIn Learning (skills development courses)

Many people share the misconception that your degree or educational experience will guide or necessitate your career choices. This isn’t always true. In fact, career paths are seldom linear. Often, these paths are messy, meandering routes that don’t have a clear “point-A-to-point-B” trajectory. But this doesn’t mean that your career path needs to lack structure or a sense of guidance. You can work on getting career ready by developing your skills.

Enter the workplace with confidence in your skills

Career-ready skills are transferrable competencies you can apply in a wide variety of career areas. Basically, developing your career-ready skills is a great way to set yourself up for success — even if you aren’t sure what path your career might take.

Through extensive research with employers, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) developed a list of career-ready skills to help students and graduates prepare for their careers. The list includes:

• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Communication
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Digital technology
• Leadership
• Professionalism and work ethic
• Career management
• Global and intercultural fluency

Good news — you’re already developing these skills

For example:

• Your academic work helps you develop your critical thinking and communication skills. And, whether you like them or not, group projects can help you develop your teamwork skills.
• Through figuring out how to apply for summer jobs, clubs or other opportunities, you’re building your career management skills.
• You may be developing your cultural awareness through exploring exchanges or taking courses in Humanities or Social Sciences

When you think about it, you‘ll be amazed at how many skills you’re developing during your time at Mac.

Career-Ready Conversations: Learn from your peers

The SSC career peers are volunteer undergraduate students who can help you develop your skills. Leading by example, they took it upon themselves to develop their communication and teamwork skills by interviewing their peers about their experiences and the importance of career-ready skills.

We’ll be sharing the interviews over the next few months, so stay tuned!

Check out the Career-Ready Conversations tag to access all the interviews. In the meantime, here are some ways to get thinking about career readiness and start developing your skills.

• Career-Ready Skills (PDF tip sheet)
• Experience building (programs, services and more)
• Global opportunities (intercultural programs)
• Big Interview (mock interview tool)
• McMaster Students Union (more than 300 clubs and services)
• Lyons New Media Centre (technology services and digital resources)
• LinkedIn Learning (skills development courses)