Smart Finish! new to Brock

On Feb. 4, Brock will host Smart Finish — a conference designed for third and fourth-year students — for the first time. Smart Finish is a one day conference which will address a number of issues concerning graduating students such as career exploration, resume and interview strategies, further education and OSAP repayment. Smart Finish was an idea thought of by Career Services who has since partnered with Student Awards and Financial Aid, Alumni Relations, Business Career development office and Graduate Studies to bring students this unique event.

The event will take place in Academic South between 8:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. and is open to all students, not just those in third and fourth-year. Registration has been extended until Feb. 1 and is available online at smartfinish.eventbrite.com. Students interested in attending should register as soon as possible as space is limited.

The conference will start in the morning with Key Note speaker Mark Swartz, author of "Get Wired, Get Hired!", who will be discussing how to network using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. This will be followed by a number of workshops mentioned previously that students can attend, as well as an interactive career board game. Professors from Brock University and Niagara College will be facilitating the workshops along with a representative from the National Student Loans Service Centre. Also, Paddi Riopelle, Certified Human Resources Professional, with over 24 years of experience, will speak.

The "Who Am I?" interactive career board game was developed by the York University Career Centre in 2007. Participants play through a board game while gaining insight into their desires, interests, abilities and personality as they relate to career decision making. At the end, each player has created a Career Profile which can help them understand themselves as an employee and gain an idea of what they want out of the working world.

In the afternoon, there will be a Speed Networking activity where students can practice their networking skills with alumni and industry professionals. Students will learn the importance of and how to network in a stress-free environment.

"The vast majority of jobs are found through somebody that the student knows," said Amy Elder, Director of Career Services.

This will also be an opportunity to use some of the 20 personalized business cards included in the orientation package which will include the participant's name, program, anticipated date of graduation and E-mail address. Afterward, there will be a panel of alumni and employers who will be answering questions and discussing their industry experience and interview tips. Finally, there will be a vendor fair with information being provided by each Faculty.

"There will be a table for each Faculty with information about ‘where do I go from here' and ‘what do I do with my degree'," said Elder.

When designing this new conference, Career Services surveyed students to find out what they were looking for during this unique event.

"We've tried to make the programming fit what the majority of the students in the survey wanted," said Elder.

After the event, Career Services will be surveying both students and facilitators asking for feedback on how to improve this new event in following years.

Career Services also provides a number of other services to help prepare students for the working world. Career Services offers a number of online resources including workshops for resume and interview strategies, job searching and more. There is also a practice interview program, InterviewStream, which allows students to run a mock interview in front of a Web cam, so they may analyse themselves and their responses afterward. As well, students can schedule a facilitated workshop for themselves and a group of friends. Finally, Career Services' resource centre is open for students to drop-in to work on resumes, cover letters or to ask advice.

For more information about Smart Finish or other services provided by Career Services, please visit brocku.ca/career-services/students-alumni.