The Latest

Have a love-hate relationship with goal setting? Join the club! In this article, learn about an alternative approach to personal development, centered around the question, “who do you want to be?”

Career stories are often fascinating, and Kelvin Redvers’ story is no exception. An SFU alumnus, Kelvin shares how he maneuvered his way into his dream job—Aboriginal filmmaker and television producer at CTV—a mere three months after he convocated. This is part 1 of a 2-part series.

An avid watcher of HBO and AMC hit shows like Dexter, Game of Thrones and Mad Men, I often daydreamed about what it would be like to work in the film and television industry. Lucky for me, I was able to interview Kelvin Redvers, a young television producer at CTV. This is part 2 of a 2-part series.

Have no clue on how to start a portfolio? Check out this blog to get useful beginner tips for building your portfolio!

As we’re coming up to the end of the semester, most of us are thinking of looking for opportunities to work over the summer. As such, most of you are putting together your cover letter and resume, and maybe even your portfolio. Besides the research about the company, how do you prepare for those tough interview questions?

Learn all about the engaged student of the week; Shantelle! Find out how she engages with SFU and the community by reading on.

Essential Skills for Aboriginal Futures is an innovative Essential Skills program to the Aboriginal Community through employer partnerships and customized training that supports employment success and retention.

Coqualeetza Cultural Education Centre has the main purpose of promoting, preserving and interpreting Sto:lo Lifestyle, Language, Traditions, and Heritage, from the Sto:lo point of view.

As an SFU student, there are many services to actively prepare for a career after graduation. Indigenous students have all of the career services available to them that any other student has; however, they also have Aboriginal resources as well.

What can we take from the "smaller" things that we love? Often, they bring our lives tremendous amounts of meaning. It's important to acknowledge that work isn't the only area of life that we can derive meaning or fulfill our values.

Cover letters. The bane of everyone’s work search. A great cover letter doesn’t just happen by itself; rather, it is the result of you taking the time to do your research, and writing effective and meaningful information in a few well-worded sentences.

Dealing with conflict is a crucial skill. The field of Dispute Resolution offers a variety of methods to manage and dissipate problematic issues. One popular approach is Issue-Based Problem Solving, which I discuss in this post. Read on for a simple 6-step guide to help you address emerging conflicts.

In this blog post, Patricia shares with us some tips and tricks to creating our own portfolios. Read on to find out more! 

Aboriginal women and their children are among the most discriminated against and socially and economically disadvantaged living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The Aboriginal Mother Centre offers a safe and caring long-term home and all of the resources necessary to assist mothers and their children in realizing a brighter future.

We are the leader in Aboriginal Early Childhood Education. We are the Catalyst for focusing expertise and creating opportunities to benefit sites. Keep reading to find out more...

Earning the Duke of Ed Award looks great on your resume as it shows you are a well rounded individual who is connected to the community. It’s a great way to explore your interests and try something new.
 

Everyone has a picture in their mind when they think of what they will be doing when they land their first co-op job. It’s good to think big, but just remember to think FLEXIBLE. Let me tell you how being flexible allowed me to get a great co-op experience.

You are new to the company, and you don’t know anyone. Where do you start? How about the lunchroom! Read on to learn about Natalie's lunchroom experience for her first co-op job.

University can be a draining experience. So how to do you recharge yourself without delaying your academic or professional plans? Why not go on an international co-op placement? Check out BPK student Evan Hutcheon's adventure, reflections and experiences he gained working in Poland.

When it comes to your career, predicting, planning or trying to figure out what you’ll be doing in the future is well…almost impossible. Did you know that 70% of post-secondary students revealed their career choices were significantly influenced by an unplanned event (Krumboltz and Levin, 2004)?

Of the many debates in the career development world, the one over "passion" might be the most volatile. How much of a role should passion play in career choice? Looking at what we mean by "passion" might lead to some new answers.

Kerri shows you where to find SFU's resources for building your resume, coverletter, and interview skills. Read on to find out how to use this to get volunteer positions.

Check out this week's Engaged Student of the Week! Learn about why and how they are engaged and how you can get involved at SFU too.

Harsimran Kaur is a Career Peer Educator with SFU Career Services, and a third year student studying health sciences, kinesiology, and psychology. Her passions revolve around helping people, and she aspires to a career in emergency medicine and epidemiology.

Indigenous students transitioning to post-secondary often face unique challenge, which is why it's important to learn about all the community resources and scholarships avalible to Indigenous students at SFU.
 

Saying goodbye is hard under any circumstance, and people tend to avoid doing it as a result. Workplace relationships end all the time, so what's the best way to end them gracefully? I share my thoughts here.

Check out Felice's article giving you the Do's and Dont's of getting involved! Read on to find out ways to get engaged with your university.

Finding a job that you want to wake up for can be a challenge, especially in today’s economy. But what if you could create your own job? I know someone who (almost) did this for themselves and this is his story.

Searching for a career can be an intimidating prospect. Looking for work requires self-confidence and faith in ones abilities, as well as skin thick enough to handle rejection. Add in fear of discrimination and it can be debilitating. This is why educating oneself about Canada’s Employment Equity Act is so important.

Christina shares her experience in leading a group of Aboriginal high-school students through a tour of SFU, where they discussed the troubling statistics of Aboriginal student drop-out rates and the potential for their future.

So you want to work for a certain employer, but they don’t have any job openings. What do you do? One option is to create a “job proposal” for the new position you’re aspiring to. Here’s how to do it.

Crystal Morris shares her education and career journey, which has included a wide variety of roles in government, and the private sector, and how they brought her to where she is today.

Planning to attend a career fair? Don't waste the recruiters time, or your own - learn how to arrive prepared, get the most out of the experience, and leave a great first impression.

The University of Saskatchewan (U of S) is the first choice for Aboriginal graduate students, due, in part to their commitment to cultural understanding and student success. They will be attending the mini BIG fair at SFU this year.

Audrey Tooshkenig reflects on her experience at the 2012 Indigenous People's Career Stories event, and how she managed to overcome a brief dip in her self-confidence to present to a room full of earnest listeners.

Rui dishes about how volunteering can beef up your resume and give you a cross cultural edge! Read on for great tips and resources. 

Alex has the scoop on why you should become an orientation leader! Read on to find out how she gained transferable professional skills while having a blast.

Kerri shares the secret to finding hidden volunteer opportunities! She also gives tips on how to get over your fear of networking. Read more to find out!

On February 21st, the Indigenous People’s Career Stories event took place at the Diamond Alumni Centre. This was my first year attending the event and I was pleasantly surprised.

This is dedicated to my Grandmother, Marge Mackie. She has the strongest spirit of anyone I know…and I’m just like her…

I learned that the brilliant thing about college is everyone is at different levels. After I completed my diploma I went on to get my bachelors at Royal Roads University and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management.

Are you at a crossroads in your university career? Does the stress of changing majors have you doubting whether to make a change? Here are some thought provoking questions that can help guide you on the path to making a choice that’s right for you.

While sitting at the airport gate last July, waiting to board the plane to Portland and then onto San Jose where I was scheduled to deliver two presentations on web accessibility, I wondered, "How did I, an individual with a significant speech impairment and a physical disability, get here?"

The Canada Revenue Agency offers motivated individuals a challenging, interesting, and diverse workplace that will help you develop skills and advance your career. If you are looking to gain valuable work experience in a federal organization, make the CRA your employer of choice.

I am currently taking a Masters Degree in Health Science at the School of Population and Public Health at UBC. I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge on evidence based medicine, medical biostatistics, clinical epidemiology and public health.

Learn about some of the employers and Indigenous student recruiters you can network with at the Indigenous Peoples Career Stores event.

There are lots of people that will tell you about all the things you should or could be doing, and why doing these things will benefit you. But sometimes you can’t, you really can’t, do it all. And Lauren is here here to tell you that that’s okay too.

Career Services is hosting its annual Indigenous Peoples Career Stories event on February 21st, 2013 which brings opportunites and experiences directly to SFU's Indigneous students.

Gerald was born in Lytton, BC. He is a Status Aboriginal man and is a member of the Lytton First Nation. He shares the career journey that led him to becoming an Aboriginal Correctional Program Officer, making a difference in the lives of Aboriginal youth.

You're stuck. Maybe it's a dead-end job, or the sense that you're studying the wrong thing, or with the wrong person, or just in a place you didn't want to end up, but don't know how to leave. If only it were as simple as pressing a button and starting over. We can't do that, but here's the next best thing.

Every semester, co-op students have access to a variety of job postings on the co-op job board. Some jobs, such as technical writing, often appear and have you wondering what that really means. Kristine was hired on as a technical writer for her last co-op term and writes about the job and what it entails.

Lauren interviewed Lucia Pecnikova, VP Philanthropy for SFU YWiB. Read on for her full story about how Lucia got involved, why she thinks YWiB Philanthropy is great to get involved in, and how other women can get involved!

Brand new ENGAGE Blog writer, Jeff, posts his first article about volunteering to speak in class rooms. He discusses how this can develop your skills and help to mentor other students looking for similar opportunities.

By managing your time effectively, you will be able to feel like you are on top of things, and be more productive, which will result in job satisfaction and most of all…more time to enjoy life!

Bernard Chan is an Energy Specialist with SFU Facilties Services, here he coordinates numerous energy efficiency and conservation projects across campus. Learn about what his typical day consists of.

You may be feeling overworked and it may seem that you just don’t have enough time in your life to do anything, but rest assured, you are not alone. The whole work/life balance is a perception and opinion of one’s own priorities and values. People feel stressed because they find that they do not have time or missed out on a chance to do certain activities.

SFU Faculty of Environment alumni Wes Regan graduated with a BA in Geography and two certificates in Urban Studies and Sustainable Community Development. Since then, he has become a successful contractor/consultant in Community Development and Urban Planning.

Do you think that most introverts are very quiet, shy, and not comfortable speaking in front of people? Do you believe that extroverts are more outgoing and talkative? Let’s take a look at some common beliefs about introverts and see if they are true or not. You might be surprised to learn that an introvert can also be a Career Peer Educator!

The Idle No More movement has gained strength in numbers and momentum primarily through Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. By sharing ideas, goals, and opinions we have begun to destabilize those institutions to which we are vulnerable.