What is my job strategy?
Several strategies can significantly support your job search, each enhancing your visibility and appeal to potential employers. From refining your approach to researching jobs of interest to networking and tailoring your LinkIn profile. Here are a few strategies:
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Learn how to research jobs of interest
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Network to build and expand relationships
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Work or study abroad
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Tips for international students
1. Learn how to research jobs of interest
Researching the labour market is useful when exploring careers, deciding whether to return to school and job searching.
When researching the labour market, you will learn about:
- occupational, skills and local labour market trends
- salaries, labour supply and labour demand
- educational and skill requirements for specific careers
- available jobs
Global labour market facts
- Vault Career Insider (access through the CLNx is a collection of career guides, job descriptions, data on workplace culture, and information on resumé and interview preparation by industry. If you are a first-time user, you must create an account.
- Going Global (access through the CLNx provides information on working abroad. It includes internship listings, career guides with information on job search, resources, trends, interviews and more. It also includes an international employer directory spanning 33 countries and thousands of organizations.
- Rotman – Business Information Centre (BIC) Databases has an extensive list of organization/industry databases. You can access organization and industry profile reports, news and journal articles depending on which database you select. Only current U of T students have access to these databases. Alumni can pay to access some databases through the alumni services at the U of T Libraries.
- Glassdoor offers an inside look at jobs and organizations. It provides “employee generated content” – salaries, reviews of organizations, interview questions, and more – all posted by employees, job seekers, and sometimes the companies and organizations themselves.
- Globe Investor – Company Snapshots allows you to view company profiles.
- Job Bank provides labour market stats searchable by field of interest and location.
2. Network to build and expand relationships
Networking is connecting with people to expand your community and build relationships. It can be with people you know and those you want to meet to gather information about careers and job opportunities.
Meet new people and expand your network.
Networking can happen in Career Exploration & Education workshops, events, industry panels and fairs (check the CLNx, by talking to alumni and by joining professional associations.
You can also connect with family, friends, peers, professors, past or current employers, neighbours, etc., to see if they know someone in the field you are interested in exploring. Ask for referrals to conduct informational interviews. (Here are some tips on informational interviews).
Here are a few more tips on expanding your network:
- Create a profile on LinkedIn and use social media to connect with U of T alumni, companies and people in your industry - Update your LinkedIn post as your future self.
- Participate in mentorship programs.
- Join and become active in your industry’s professional associations (many have student membership rates). Attend the events, and consider volunteering. There are also many associations and groups for students interested in particular. industries.
- If you have graduated from U of T, participate in alumni events.
Don’t be shy about networking, most people are happy to help!
Use your network
Ask for referrals and update your network on your progress. Continue using social media and in-person networking even after you have secured a job. Maintain these connections. Fostering relationships throughout your career ensures you always have an available network to share information and leads.
Track your network
Every time you make a new contact, keep track of their contact information and record how you met them. If you connect with them on LinkedIn, you can record this information in their profile notes. Regularly update them on your progress and request new contacts.
3. Participate in global learning
Employers value global experience and education. Whether you are going abroad or participating in a global classroom, you can develop a broader, more global network, build language skills, and develop other intercultural competencies which are valuable in today’s global marketplace.
Whether you’re interested in study, research or an internship abroad, the Centre for International Experience offers many opportunities that will fit your academic program and interests.
Graduate students from U of T (and visiting graduate students) can find more information about international opportunities through the School of Graduate Studies.
4. Tips for international students
If you are an international student, learn about how to obtain a work permit to work off campus by contacting the Centre for International Experience.
Working in Canada
- Working in Canada is a source of job listings, labour market information, and occupational and career information like educational requirements, main duties, wage rates and salaries, current employment trends, and outlooks. The site also outlines jobs in demand.
- Job Bank provides labour market stats searchable by field of interest and location
- Statistics Canada provides statistics on employment, job and industry trends.
- Industry Canada is Canada’s business information website. Use the Canadian Company Capabilities directory or the Canadian Business Map. You can find them using the site map.
- CNW Group delivers news releases and multimedia to news media, financial and online audiences.
- U of T Libraries and public libraries have resources that provide information about organizations, industries and labour markets. If you are an alumna/alumnus and you don’t have access to U of T’s internal databases, your local public library will have some options for you.
Check out at these Career Start links about the job search & interviews: