Our Career Counsellors facilitate workshops for students on a variety of career topics, both online and in the workshop room of our centre during the Fall and Winter terms. We also lead workshops in departments and around campus, by request.
Workshops are available year-round, with the highest frequency occurring at the beginning of the Fall and Winter terms. To learn more about the workshops we offer, open the menus below and read the descriptions of our typical workshop topics.
Workshop Schedule
The most current workshop schedule is always in MyCareer (check the calendar under the Events/Workshops tab). Signup for workshops is in MyCareer.
Workshop Sign-up
Sign up for workshops in MyCareer.
Are you a student with accessibility needs?
Queen’s is committed to an inclusive campus community with accessible goods, services, and facilities that respect the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities. To request accommodation or alternate formats (e.g. powerpoint slides, in-class worksheets, topic tip sheets) in advance of a workshop, please contact us at mycareer@queensu.ca or 613-533-2992 or 74 Union Street (Gordon Hall, 3rd floor).
Workshop Topics
Workshops are slotted into major topic areas:
Ramp Up Your Resume
Get your resume ready
This 50-minute session will help you use key strategies in your resume/CV for highlighting your unique skills, knowledge and experience. To get the most benefit from this workshop, it is helpful to have a specific opportunity that you are targeting. Please bring a draft copy of your resume to work on, if you have it.
Conquer the Cover Letter
Create a tailored cover letter that will help your application stand out
During this workshop you will learn about key components and strategies that make the most difference when writing a cover letter. You will also work on exercises designed to get you started on customizing your cover letter.
Winning Interviews
Get ready for an interview
Attend your next interview feeling confident and prepared – whether it is remote (by phone, Skype, Zoom, etc.) or in-person. Learn how to handle the "Tell Me About Yourself" opener, typical behavioural questions, difficult questions, and prepare questions for you to ask the interviewer. Come prepared to practice and leave feeling more ready for your next interview.
LinkedIn 1 – Building Your Profile
Get started with LinkedIn and create your Profile
Are you new or relatively new to LinkedIn? Already have a Profile but not sure how effective it is? This workshop will help you to develop judgement about how to effectively communicate your authentic career story for the LinkedIn community. We will review major components of your profile, brainstorm key elements of your career story, and begin creating content. We will help you to create an account/profile if you don’t currently have one. If in person, please bring your own tablet or computer to the session
To learn more about the tools and resources LinkedIn has to offer, consider attending the LinkedIn 2 workshop as well.
LinkedIn 2: Exploring Career Options, Networking and the Job Search
Learn how to effectively engage with the LinkedIn community.
Are you looking to establish yourself in a specific field? Need to gather more information about careers of interest? LinkedIn is the largest professional networking social media platform where people collect, collaborate and share information about their field of work. In this workshop, you will learn how to leverage tools and resources on LinkedIn to explore potential careers, communicate and network with other professionals, and search for your next career opportunity. Please ensure you have already created a LinkedIn account. If the workshop is in-person, please bring your own electronic device to access the platform.
To learn more about how to effectively communicate your authentic career story with your profile, attend the LinkedIn 1 workshop as well.
Effective Networking
Advance your career with authentic relationships
Wondering how to develop the career skill of networking? In this workshop, you will:
1) Get strategies for how to approach networking, get organized, and solidify your connections;
2) Be prepared to introduce yourself effectively and ask intelligent questions;
3) Boost your confidence when talking to new people through knowledge and practice.
Summer Job Search
Learn how to find "hidden" and advertised summer jobs
If you are looking for a summer job, there are still strategies you can use to increase your chances of success. In this session, a Career Counsellor will guide you through the process of identifying your goals, the sectors and types of organizations that are offering summer opportunities, and concrete action steps you can take to secure those leads.
Preparing for Career Fair and Employer Information Sessions
Make a good first impression at Career Fairs and Employer Information Sessions!
Wondering how to make a great first impression at the Career Fair or Engineering & Technology Fairs? This 50-minute session will give you an opportunity to ask all the things you’re wondering about. Learn how to stand out from the crowd and be successful at these high profile events.
This year’s fair dates can be found at: https://careers.queensu.ca/events-workshops
Joining a New Workplace
Bring your authentic self to your next career opportunity.
In this workshop, you will gain insight into how you can best navigate the environment of a new career opportunity, develop an understanding of the professional practices that exists there, and intentionally integrate your unique self into the culture. After a brief overview of professional norms in Canada, you will explore how to navigate contextual differences that exist in workplace cultures, and verbally practice advocating for your unique professional needs.
Graduate School – Researching Programs and Writing Applications
Gather key info about further education options and stand out with a personal or research statement.
Overwhelmed with all the details involved when researching further education programs? Not sure how to make a strong impression with your personal statement or research statement? Researching further education options and deciding which programs will align with your career aspirations can be a daunting. Once you decide which programs to apply to, you’ll need to communicate why you should be accepted into it. In this workshop, you will receive an overview of details about further education programs, ways to research them, how to create a short list of programs to apply to, and write a strong personal or research statement that complements the rest of your application.
Book a career consultation appointment if you’d like to review a draft of your personal or research statement.