Are you a 3rd or 4th year student? Or are you a recent U of T grad (undergraduate or graduate studies)? Are you thinking about what lies ahead after graduation in the work world? Well you are in luck friend because do I have news for you – the Hire Power conference is just around the corner!
What is
Hire Power you may ask? It’s an interactive conference offered by the Academic
Advising & Career Centre that helps future and recent U of T graduates
equip themselves with navigating the new and uncertain waters of the hiring and
employment process. This three-day conference gives students a look
into how a real professional conference is laid out as well as gives them the
essential tools, strategies, skills and know-how of finding and keeping work. You
will learn a variety of employment tactics including (but not limited to!)
building and targeting your resume and cover letter for specific jobs, creating
a personal branding platform, interview strategies and etiquette, networking
techniques and SO MUCH MORE!
I
recently got a chance to sit down with E-Lin, one of our Career Counsellors at
the AA&CC, who answered some burning questions that I, as a soon-to-be
graduate, had about the upcoming conference:
What
are the benefits for students to attend the Hire Power Conference?
There
are two main benefits to students attending Hire Power. The first is content -
the actual topics covered during the conference are beneficial to students.
These topics include self-assessment for employment, job search strategies, industry
job trends, professionalism and communication techniques and so much more. The
level of content that is offered during the conference is amazing and it's one
of the main draws of the conference. A conference like this typically would be
valued at a $500 cost but it's completely free to our students and it includes
lunch as well as prizes!
The
second benefit to attending is for students to understand that they are not
alone. It can be overwhelming and at times isolating when students think of
what lies ahead for them after graduation. At the conference there is a sense
of camaraderie because you're with your peers for the duration of the
conference which is an added bonus that isn't often advertised. This will let
students make a real connection and friends for life.
What
makes this conference stand out from other events/workshops that are usually
offered on campus?
Hire
Power is different in that it's a three day conference. The reason for this is
that it was the AA&CC's intent to have the conference imitate a typical
work day's 9 to 5 schedule. With this in mind, we do ask students to stay
committed to stay for the whole conference. We also see it as different because
we want students to dress professionally so that they truly get into the
mindset of the conference. Additionally, we do bring in a lot of
external resources with the presence of panels, speakers and
recruiters to partake and present in the conference.
As an
UTSC student in the Arts, I always had the impression that the Hire Power
Conference was for Management students. Is that the case?
I can
see why students would feel that way, especially since we are promoting
attendees to dress in business attire; however that is not the case. The
conference is for students from all programs because all industries look to
hire from different backgrounds. Your specialist/major/minor doesn't always
reflect your career path. For example, even at a bank the employer could look
for employees that come from an arts or science background. We also do tailor
our job search sessions according to different disciplines which is laid out in
the itinerary for the conference that can be found on the AA&CC
website.
What
are some notable sessions/ or speakers at this year's conference?
This
year is our 5th year anniversary of Hire Power which is going to be a lot of
fun. I think one of the highlights is that we have the founder of TalentEgg,
Lauren Friese, coming in to deliver one of our keynote speeches.
She's a young entrepreneur with an amazing job search website that is
student-focused. Conference attendees will really enjoy the opportunity to hear
her words of wisdom. We also have several representative from the CGA also
presenting (they are graciously sponsoring us after all!) as well as
a few other surprise speakers that we're going to keep under lock and
key for now.
What
kinds of networking opportunities are available during the
conference?
Students
will get to meet people from industry, CGA professionals, the external speakers
that we have coming in, U of T based staff, departmental staff and some U of T
alums. All of these opportunities will be present during various
points in the conference but most focused during the Networking Café session
and the Mix & Mingle session.
A big
bonus to this conference is that participants can also go to Leader2Leader, an
event at which you can network with and learn from industry professionals and
established alumni who are leaders in their fields. The theme this year is “A
New Breed: Leading the C-Suite”, and the speakers and guests are emphasizing
innovation and entrepreneurship. You will hear from Preet Bannerjee, a personal
finance expert who you’ve probably seen on TV, and Loretta Marcoccia, Manager
Director and COO of Merrill-Lynch Canada. Hire Power attendees go to L2L for
free! Check it out at: http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~advancement/alumni/L2L/index.html
Don’t worry about registering there – you’ll register for L2L when you register for Hire Power.
Can
students bring a friend with them to the conference?
We
encourage students to have their friends sign up to attend the conference as
long as they are also a U of T student (any campus!) with at least 15.0 credits
or more.
Well there you have it
folks! The Hire Power conference is slated to be the workplace event of the
season! Remember that spaces are limited so register on CLN
right now (seriously, don't delay - pause whatever you're doing right now and
register).
For additional
information regarding Hire Power, an itinerary of sessions and a step-by-step
guide on how to register, click on the link below:
Hire Power is brought to
you by:
All the
best,
Souraiya
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