14 ways to boost your career prospects

The 12 Horizons modules will provide you with everything you need to find a career with purpose. Start by developing a clear vision of your personal and professional goals and then take action to get ready for today’s labour market. Through a series of recordings, visual aids, quizzes, reflection exercises and assignments taken at your own pace, you’ll gain insight into job search strategies, qualities employers are looking for and much more. Sign up for the Horizons program.

The in-person and virtual career fairs taking place March 7 and March 14 are a great chance to test your networking skills and make an impression on employers. But make sure you go with clear goals, such as arranging interviews or finding a summer internship. And then follow up! Check out Understanding Employment Events to brush up on how to get the most out of these events.

You can get a lot of valuable experience at uOttawa that will give you a solid skills for your future career, including teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, organizational and communication skills. Applications for our Work-Study Program for the Spring-Summer term open March 14. Find positions in the Work Study Navigator. Part-time jobs when you’re a student can be a stepping stone to a fulfilling career.

Montse Beltran, a fourth-year student majoring in communications, is working part-time on campus for the University of Ottawa’s Student Affairs team.

“Working while I’m still a student is the perfect way to get a smooth introduction to the workplace. The Work-Study Program is helping me apply and master skills that I’ve learned in the classroom. It gives me a better understanding of how course work relates to real world situations. Learning to work within a team and collaborate with colleagues will have a big impact on my development as a professional. It’s given me a better understanding of what jobs a major in communication can do, and shaped my desire for a future career.”

Show future employers that you’re dedicated to positive social change, gain job skills and bolster your resumé. Check some volunteer openings in the Community Engagement Navigator right now!

Pro tip: There’s a choice of short-, medium- or long-term commitment with this option. Your volunteer hours can be recognized in a co-curricular record, an official University of Ottawa document that you can show future employers and add to your resumé.

Antonia Merino Pavez, a fourth-year student in psychology, is volunteering as a lead strategist in marketing and media for NL Eats Ottawa, an organization dedicated to eradicating food insecurity and empowering communities to develop sustainable food systems.

“NL Eats is a youth-run organization focused on battling food insecurity. It is an admirable project, and I am so happy to be working with them this term. I’ve learned about the main role as a lead strategist in social media and marketing, but I have also picked up certain skills that I will need to build my career path in Health Administration, such as organizational and leadership skills.  I definitely recommend volunteering through the Community Engagement Navigator. There are so many volunteer opportunities no matter what you’re studying!”

Gain paid work experience in your field of study and develop professional skills. It’s also a fantastic way to make sure the career you think you want is the right match for you. Many CO-OP placements lead to full-time careers.

Devon Knight, a third-year student in software engineering, recently completed a Co-Op term as a software developer at Ciena, a global leader in networking systems and software services. With a previous degree in immunology from Western University, Devon says he chose the software engineering program at uOttawa because the Co-Op program starts immediately in first year. His involvement and leadership as a software developer and, now, director of community for uOttawa’s official hackathon, uOttaHack, gave him career-building opportunities and a demonstrated skill set that his Co-Op employer recognized.

“My Co-Op was my first step into a professional setting of software engineering. I was involved in a project that gave me jobs skills in backend, Python and DevOps. What you learn in class is one thing, but it does not compare to working in the field and getting practical experience in company paradigms. For me, it’s important to get out there and attend career fairs and hackathons to diversify your experience with a different job or company each Co-Op term.”

Devon is currently on another Co-Op placement with RBC as a DevOps Software Engineer.

Connect and network with uOttawa alumni who work in your chosen field. Get sage advice, industry-specific knowledge or tips on navigating the current job market. Sign up for the uOttawa Hub and you’ll get matched with a new connection every month.

Get personalized advice from a career specialist and learn the basics about resumés, job search strategies, interviews and more. You can attend sessions in person or virtually.

Money isn’t everything. You can gain concrete job skills and put what you’ve learned in the classroom to practical use as a volunteer. In courses that are part of the CSL program, you can replace some course assignments with volunteer placements in your field of study.
 

Pro tip: You’ll need to do at least 30 hours of volunteering as part of a CSL placement.

Shaylin Liu volunteered as a teaching assistant at a high school in Ottawa as part of a course in leisure studies, working alongside her former teachers. The CSL placement helped her brush up on her French, her second language, as well as consider whether she wanted to teach after completing her degree in human kinetics.
 

“There are always doubts when entering such an experience, but a student should always dive into things they are interested in because it can be the first step in a life-changing decision.”

If you’ve got great ideas and want to be your own boss, there’s plenty of support available at any point in your entrepreneurial journey. The Entrepreneurship Hub offers many programs, including Startup Garage for entrepreneurs who want to start and scale up a business, Match-Up to link student interns with local companies, the Ideas Lab, the Solutions Lab and much more! You can also work towards getting an Entrepreneurial Mindset Certificate. On top of all that, you can test your skills by participating in entrepreneurship competitions, including Design Day (if you’re an engineering student).

Mechanical engineering graduates Zainab Badawi and Mohammad Abu-Shaaban started Kirality Drones, a company that delivers drinks on golf courses using drones. The idea grew out of their experience with the MakerLaunch program in 2021.

Other companies that have emerged out of the uOttawa entrepreneurial student experience include GameStrat, a software company that provides instant replay and data analysis to help sports coaches and players improve performance; Noibu, a tech company that helps e-commerce shops to identify errors; and Canada Drone Ops (Simon Nehme COVID Design Challenge Winner and Entrepreneurial Idea Competition winner), which uses drones to inspect industrial chimneys.

Working with your fellow students on common interests outside of the classroom also has tremendous experiential value. A fun way to start building organizational, problem-solving, teamwork and other skills. Whether you want to work together to make an impact for a worthy cause, build rockets or autonomous cars, or expand your knowledge in your field of study, there are more than 350 clubs to choose from!
 

Pro tip: The hours you spend involved in an extracurricular club can be recognized in a co-curricular record, an official University of Ottawa document that you can show future employers and add to your resumé.

Bilingualism opens doors. Being able to speak, understand and write in both English and French is a proven way to make yourself more employable — and boost your earning potential. Even if you’re not in the French Immersion Stream, or if you’re a native French-speaker who wants to improve your English, uOttawa’s Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute offers language courses for all levels, from beginners to advanced. Drop by their workshop during Career Week to find out more!

Delving deeper into your subject area through research opportunities as you study is another way to sharpen your career focus. Check with your faculty and talk to your professors. Start thinking about it as an undergraduate student and specialize further by taking a master’s or PhD.

Add an international dimension to your studies — and your resumé — by going on an exchange at one of 100 partner institutions in other countries.

Pro tips: You can receive scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. Applications for the Global Skills Opportunity Scholarship open in March. The University of Ottawa also gives you an automatic $1,000 Student Mobility Scholarship for each term you’re abroad.

Learn more about this resource to highlight your competencies using a vocabulary that employers understand: critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity, integrity, collaboration, autonomy and resiliency, and more. You may have all that, but can you prove it in a job interview? Learn to speak the lingo and offer proof. Or identify key areas you need to focus on. Use uoCompetencies to market the skills you’ve developed in a way that wows future employers.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to do all of these things! Whether you take baby steps or giant leaps, with all the support available, you’ll get where you want to be!  Making sure that you can align what you’re studying with the career you want is in the DNA of the uOttawa student experience.