Careers right out of uni..?

it's about finding a good (or great) organization

i got real lucky in my career. i started literally at the bottom in a great company. one that recoginized people that worked extra hard, one that was growing rapidly but was stable, one that treated their employees with real respect.
as a result, even though when i graduated many of my friends got much better jobs out of school, i have since long surpassed most of them because I have been promoted several times. with each promotion has come a new challenge, sometimes new and interesting to learn, with real personal development.

my advice is research the company's and industries of interest to you. check them out in terms of working conditions, opportunities internally, their forecast and outlook as a business and get in on the ground floor.

then work your ass off... because your degree and a buck-fifty will get you a cup of coffee at tim hortons pal.

trek5 said:

are u kidding thats the worst image u can create for yourself as being a smoker , they are the biggest time wasters in any company . many employers are discouraged by hiring smokers indirectly , smokers are know to take more unauthorised breaks and sick days because of their nasty smoking addiction .

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That's rediculous, because someone smokes does not affect the quality/quantity of their work time. I always tended to see the people that work the most amount of hours tend be the ones that smoke, besides people that don't smoke also take as many breaks. Aside from that, it's not an image you portray, I'm not saying start or stop smoking for your employer, I just simply providing an easy way to "socialise" in a work envirenment. If you smoke or not has nothing to do with your input to a company.

careerless said:

Good day everybody!
I have been a long time lurker of terb. I recently graduated from UofT for B.Comm and have completed my diploma at humber for marketing. I have been looking for a job for about 3 months now and to no avail. Now taking into consideration, i have 4 years of managerial experience at a retail store. I cant find a job that doesnt involve telemarketing, door to door or a job that pays 20k a year.
I have checked every website out there (monster, workopolis, jobs..) but to no avail..
I am looking for a career, but dont really know where to start.
Is this a bad time for jobs?
For example, Does it require me to start as a csr and then work my way up, say at RBC or TD?
any suggestions? on where i should start?
p.s. taking into acct that i am well groomed, dressed, speak perfect english and have a desire to learn/achieve.
Thanks
Careerless

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Word of advice...just because you have a degree from UofT, don't think you are guaranteed a job. I have hired people with degrees, and I have hired people with experience. I've learnt from my mistakes, I only hire people with experience now. If I hire someone right after they graduate from University, I won't pay them much.

My reason is that as you know, University teaches a lot of theory, but in the modern world, theory needs to be put into practice for you to achieve success (unless you are into science and research). Just because you have crammed all those text books into your head, does not mean you know how to put it into practice.

My personal opinion is that no matter if you have a degree or not, you have to get yourself in the door, and then work up. There is no easy way to the top (unless you are really well connected). Some of the best ways to get in is through Call Center environments, such as Telephone Banking and etc. But, don't hang around too long, if you do, its more dangerous because you could get relaxed with the "no brain" work and get stuck in there.

Wish you all the luck.....Apply for all the jobs that attracts you, you never know, one might call one day!

Smokers are a liability to the workforce

johndoe125 said:

That's rediculous, because someone smokes does not affect the quality/quantity of their work time. I always tended to see the people that work the most amount of hours tend be the ones that smoke, besides people that don't smoke also take as many breaks. Aside from that, it's not an image you portray, I'm not saying start or stop smoking for your employer, I just simply providing an easy way to "socialise" in a work envirenment. If you smoke or not has nothing to do with your input to a company.

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People who smoke, work less and take off more sick days than their non-smoking colleagues, research suggests.

In a study of over 300 office staff, smokers were found to be less productive and slower at completing tasks, compared with non-smokers.

They also took, on average, two more sick days per year than non-smokers.



The researchers found that smokers tended to be less productive because they suffered more ill health and because they tended to take regular smoking breaks. Productivity levels improved within a year of people quitting smoking, they noted.

Everywhere I've worked the smokers were the slackers.
Also, there's a correlation between smoking and intelligence because you can't be very smart if you there's all this scientific and medical data on the negative effects of smoking and you're still smoking.

The carbon monoxide in cigarettes makes smokers feel dull the way you would in a stuffy room with not enough air. These chemicals rob the brain of learning and normal intelligence . Everywhere I've worked the smokers were the slackers too .

Will E. Wanker said:

Everywhere I've worked the smokers were the slackers. Also, there's a correlation between smoking and intelligence

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I cant agree with this because most of the top brass at my firm smoke. Our CEO, CFO and PM's smokes about a pack a day and they are really intelligent. Plus my manager is a weed head and he's quick as a whip. I think smoking might affect some people's intelligence but not everyone's.

By the way I'm not a smoker (never have been) and I only smoke weed about 3 times a year. I have to call it as I see it.

High unemployment will lead to crime!

If the Canadian economy is in bad shape now, Why does the government continue to import in many immigrants from South Asia (Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Iraq, Iran, Sri lanka, Bangladesh etc.. ). All of those immigrants were mislead to believe that they would get well paid jobs immediately. The reality is much worse than they had ever anticipated. There are too many immigrants work in dismally low wage jobs. These immigrants are very frustrated and angry. Alot are unemployed in their field, therefore, the result of high unemployed young immigrants might lead to an increase in crime in large urban areas.

Jobless rate holds at 7.8% and climbing in Toronto

Picard said:

If the Canadian economy is in bad shape now, Why does the government continue to import in many immigrants from South Asia (Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Iraq, Iran, Sri lanka, Bangladesh etc.. ). All of those immigrants were mislead to believe that they would get well paid jobs immediately. The reality is much worse than they had ever anticipated. There are too many immigrants work in dismally low wage jobs. These immigrants are very frustrated and angry. Alot are unemployed in their field, therefore, the result of high unemployed young immigrants might lead to an increase in crime in large urban areas.

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Immigrants from those countries you mentioned are coming here in droves, they are professionals who work as taxi drivers. Cleaners, deadened jobs that Canadians don’t want but they still have it better here ;then as a doctor in their own country making a hundred bucks a month and living in poverty.

Immigrants standard of living in Canada is a life of luxury for any immigrent from third world countries, they are not frustrated or angry, Canada is still better for them then facing deportation . the crime rate has increased amoungst young immigrents and they know that the penalty for crime here is a slap on the wrist , yet in their country they would be hanged or stoned to death .

If you are young and have the personality, sales is a great way to make a lot of money early in your career, and it can lead to management or your own business. It is a career where hard work can pay off directly in more money, particularly if you are on commission.

The best kind of sales job is business to business, selling expensive things that people only buy once in a while (e.g. not something they order every month). If you are really good at it, you will do very, very well.

Canadian univerisities lack one critical factor : political and corporate connections for graduates to enter the work force. American colleges are highly politicized for each party. Every college is specialized in certain field such as politics, medicine, science or business. If you enter the college of your choice, then there are alot of high ranking members of that field present on campus all the time, this allows students to attend promotional event inorder to hook up with that political party. Hence, the student is much more likely to advance up his/her career field and social ladder.

Attitude and Accountability

I agree with alot of the advice given, especially the one that suggests the use of headhunters, this can save you alot of time.

I hire several people in sales, marketing, and coordination positions each year and for every one that I hire I usually end up interviewing 5-8 people. Not because I want to but because it is hard to find good people. Most of the people that I hire are in the same position as the originator of this thread, just out of school with little experience. Some lack direction but most lack the ability to discuss in detail such corporate 'buzzword' concepts as teamwork, problem solver, and planning. Infact, it surprises me how little is understood of the aforementioned by the generation that is now looking for employment.

This means that your chances of finding employment greatly increase if you connect past experiences, whether it be school or a part time job, with the attributes above. And most importantly be prepared to demonstrate accountability, no one wants to hear excuses.

In closing you should be happy that there are so many people looking for work, it makes people who can embrace the above 'stick out'. There is a good book out there for people that finds themselves looking for employment it's called "Knock Em Dead 2005" It discusses resume planning, though I would'nt go into detail where Hobbies and Interests are concerned, and how to respond to a number of interview questions with the above in mind.

Good Luck

oh man. you guys talk all negative issue. Lets talk about something fun like sex. Lets make love not war !!

careerless said:

...but im confused on what to do? what field should i get into? i dont know which direction to go....any other ideas?

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Here's your problem. No one here's a sage, so find out yourself.

now that Jetsgo has let go 8000 workers the unemployment will jump up a couple of knotches .

Ventura said:

I agree with alot of the advice given, especially the one that suggests the use of headhunters, this can save you alot of time.

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I dealt with headhunters in the past, and it was a complete waste of my time. They treat perspective candidates like commodity items. They don't care about a person's abilities and flexibility. A lot of them don't even take a new candidate, fresh out of school, at all seriously. All they care about is their commisision.

Sorry, but that is my opinion for years of experience and the opinion of a lot of other colleagues of mine, past and present.

trek5 said:

now that Jetsgo has let go 8000 workers the unemployment will jump up a couple of knotches .

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it was only 1,600