We offer support with anything related to your career or future planning.

• Career planning
  • Many students are concerned about where to find jobs on- or off-campus, including short-term or long-term internships.
  • Book an appointment to learn how we can support you with information on these topics.
• Interview preparation
  • Students tend to struggle with interview skills, unexpected questions, and interview preparation in general. We can help you understand the job description, practice different types of questions, and gain confidence.
  • You can also book a mock interview to help you prepare for the real thing!
• Application document support (resumes, CVs, cover letters, etc.)
• LinkedIn
  • Students often hesitate to apply jobs on LinkedIn because they are not comfortable using LinkedIn; we can help you learn how to build and maintain relationships with potential employers via LinkedIn.

It's ok if you don't know how to start. We'll help you understand the career planning and job search process at any stage in your journey.

The earlier the better! Like with anything that requires planning ahead, the longer you leave it, the more stress you may experience as the time to act gets closer. You know when you put off doing an assignment until just before it's due, and then you're stressed and maybe don't do as well as you could have if you had given yourself more time? Career planning is the same - if you leave it until just before you graduate, you may miss exciting opportunities along the way that will give you experiences and skills employers are looking for.

A career coach will discuss and analyze any decisions you've already made, and point out any similar themes or what you seem to be enthusiastic about. Usually, we suggest students to take a step back and evaluate where they are, and discover their interests.

One of the greatest things we talk about with students is getting them to try different things out, or "prototyping" experiences. Without giving things a shot, you really don't know if you'll like it or have a good understanding of what your next steps are.

To prepare for an ever-changing world of work we have to start working on finding answers to questions with more meaningful and actionable solutions. So the most important questions to tackle are:

• How can I use my degree to work on interesting challenges, problems, and opportunities?
• Where can I use the skills and expertise I have developed through my degree and other experiences?

When you reframe how you plan for the future by starting with the challenges that interest you most, you are better positioned to see the broader value of your degree and discover how many possibilities actually exist. Through the process, career coaches also help students understand what motivates them.

Try it out with digital challenge cards!

You probably have a good understanding of how the job market works in your home country: what the customs, expectations, and processes are when looking for a new job. Career coaches can help you navigate the same elements from the Canadian lens! We'll walk you through every step of the process so you can feel confident job hunting with Canadian employers.

There are a number of opportunities to gain experience at Western thoughout the year. Visit the following sites to review various ways you can work or volunteer on campus:

• Academic Departments – Check with the administrative office for academic departments on campus. 
• Affiliate University Colleges – Huron and King's University Colleges
• Campus Recreation - Campus Recreation is the largest student employer on campus, hiring over 350 students each year. Students work part-time in a variety of positions: Membership Services associates, intramural sports officials, league coordinators, lifeguards, aerobics instructors, and personal trainers
• Housing & Ancillary Services - Discover how you can grow your future with Housing and Ancillary Services! Inclusive culture, competitive compensation and personal development opportunities are a few of the benefits you can expect from working here. Trust us, purple is your colour.
• Housing (On Campus) - Build your professional skills, gain valuable experience and boost your resume, all while helping others. Throughout the year, information on paid and volunteer positions will be updated so check back often for recruitment, application and hiring timelines.
• Housing (Off Campus) - Hires students for off-campus advisors, who are trained to advise help students and their neighbours deal with issues related to living in the community. Hiring happens in Feb/March.
• Hospitality Services - Hires dynamic and innovative individuals who are customer service-oriented to join our award-winning team of professionals.
• Society Of Graduate Students (SOGS) - Over the years, SOGS has evolved, growing in membership and expanding its services and benefits to consistently enhance graduate student quality of life at Western University.
• University Students' Council (USC) - Various paid and volunteer opportunties to support the host of services offered by the USC  (e.g. The Spoke, The Wave, Productions Crew, The Purple Store)
• Western Connect - Click on the “Jobs” tab, then click the “Employer” heading to alphabetize employers, scroll down to The University of Western Ontario.
• Western Peer Leader Program - Student Experience recruits more than 500 student leaders each year. These student leaders are referred to as “Western Peer Leaders” and are current students (undergraduate or graduate) who volunteer or work for the areas within the Student Experience portfolio.
• Western Technology Services (WTS) - Western Technology Services is a team that is passionate about technology and its potential to enhance teaching, learning, and research at Western University!
• Work Study Positions - Western’s Work Study program offers an opportunity for students to work part-time on campus in jobs that accommodate their studies. To qualify students must demonstrate genuine financial need.
• Working at Western
  • Staff Positions
    Maintained by Western’s Human Resources Department, this site provides information on administrative staff (non-academic) career opportunities and enables interested candidates to apply for these positions online.
  • Faculty Positions
    Maintained by Western’s Faculty Relations Office, this site provides information on all current academic career opportunities, including full-time faculty appointments, part-time faculty appointments (limited duties), and librarian/archivist appointments.

Whether you have a resume/CV already prepared, or you're starting from scratch, we can help you prepare application documents that are tailored to the job(s) you're applying for, and that match the expectations and norms of Canadian employers.

We'll help you understand the job description, and the relationship between it and your application documents. Employers want to know why you're a good fit and how you're positioned to help accomplish the desired outcomes of the role.

Learn more about how our Career Education Peer Advisors team can help you polish your resume, CV, and cover letter.

First of all, it's normal for everyone to feel job interview anxiety. People often get anxious about interviews due to the myths that feed into job searching anxiety, including that the employer is trying to trick you or test you. In reality, most interviewers ask you probing questions because they want to get past the superficial aspects to find out who you really are and feel out whether you'd be successful in the role.

One option to reframe the interview process is by booking a mock interview. Mock interviewers will help you prepare by asking questions based on a specific job description to encourage you to think about related examples. Through this mock interview process, you will gain more confidence to help you ace the real thing.

If you've been focused on a primary profession throughout your career and you're now a student, and this is new to you, it's natural to have some anxiety about that. That not only involves going back to school and having homework and balancing a class schedule, but it also involves how you represent yourself on your resume.

Your previous experiences may seem irrelevant to your new professional pursuits, so you need to think about transferable skills and interests. For example, customer service representatives and healthcare workers have commonalities like attention to detail and strong interpersonal skills. Career coaches can help you articulate your transferable skills to ease your transition from one job to another.

Career coaches can also help you to present your best self in every interaction by guiding you through building your personal brand.