I became a Career Peer because I wanted to volunteer in the Brescia community. I wanted to have experiences that would look good on my resume for grad school applications. I knew that I wanted to apply to Master of Social Work programs so I wanted a diverse range of work and volunteer experiences for my resume. The Career Peer position was a perfect fit because it is a leadership position that involves peer-to-peer support and also special projects.
My responsibilities as a Career Peer are to engage in peer-to-peer support by evaluating and providing feedback on the resumes and cover letters of my peers, facilitating mock group-interviews for students, participating in the research, planning, and development of career resources to support the Student Life Centre staff team, and all of this was intended to help my peers strengthen their skills, strategies, and experiences for career planning success. Throughout all of this I was developing relationships with students and staff to ensure approachability and foster community, inclusion, and connection for all Brescia students.
I wanted to become proficient in resumes and cover letters, and the program really delivered on that promise. Before allowing me to critique other people’s resumes, I was given training on resumes, cover letters and even how to give good feedback. I was also trained on how to facilitate mock interviews. I was trained on being an interviewee and interviewer.
But I have experienced so much more than that in this role. Did you know that Career Peers have a portfolio, with projects and learning goals for the year? My main project this year was to assist the Student Life Centre to create brand new career information resources for my peers. I was involved in every step of the process, from researching what career information students needed, to meetings with our team, to independently and creatively creating the content, receiving feedback and editing the resources. The other Career Peers had projects such as planning and running career events, running the marketing and blog of the Student Life Centre, and revamping the whole mock interview program (including training her fellow Career Peers!).
As you can see, there are so many cool learning opportunities that come with being a Career Peer. There is so much more to this role than simply sitting at a desk helping people with their resumes. I really feel like this experience elevated me in so many ways, my skills and confidence are at a whole new level after this role. Now I have experience giving resume and cover letter feedback, but also facilitating mock interviews, doing research, assisting with events and so much more. It feels good to give back to my community, I feel like I am making a difference by helping my peers achieve career success. I am doing a job that I love, contributing to the success of my peers, and making new friends in the process. I am a Career Peer because I wanted to challenge myself, grow, and to have fun in the process.
I challenge you to take the opportunity to become a Career Peer and enrich your Brescia experience. The Career Peer position is eligible for work study so you have a chance to turn this volunteer position into a paid part-time job. This is an amazing opportunity that you absolutely don’t want to miss out on. Apply to be a Career Peer by March 12th to get an amazing experience and develop skills that you will use beyond this program!
Check out the following link to access the Career Peer job description, and the link to APPLY NOW! http://brescia.uwo.ca/life/student-life/leadership-involvement/opportunities/