Some key themes around Canadian Labor Market and Canadian Career Development and Management are:
- Focus on Self-Exploration – Canadian culture places more focus on assessing people’s interests, skills, and attributes in relation to their careers. The reason it is important to make time for self-exploration around career development is to help clarify goals and connect one’s experiences and attributes to opportunities.
- Career Reflecting Life and Multiple Roles – Career development in Canada does not just focus on education and paid work experience. Other areas of life such as community involvement, hobbies and interests, and various life roles such as caretaker and student are important to include in the conversation. Many of these roles and experiences can host a wide variety of skills and be used to leverage with an employer depending on the company’s needs.
- Labour Market and Diverse Career Path – Often Canadians have a non-linear career path and will cross into multiple jobs and industries. Moving away from the importance of a specific career title and placing importance on skills, interests, and overall benefits of the job.
- Individualism – Often Canadians will make career choices that benefit them based on the individual level rather than collectively (including family and other community). This certainty is not always the case but there is a common theme of career meeting individual needs. Individuals must utilize campus and community support while career planning to assist with the challenges it presents and provide resources to navigate. Prioritize your well-being in your career and education journey. Find important services below:
International Student Mentorship ProgramCounselling ServicesCareer Coaching
- Tailoring and Diversifying – Curating your application documents and interview responses are important in the job search and application process. Many employers will notice applications that connect well with their job postings and utilize their language about candidates. Researching companies and having questions prepared for them also show a higher level of intentionality. When looking for work, taking out other avenues such as networking rather than just applying online can help job search efforts.