City : Hamilton

Category : Other

Industry : Education

Employer : McMaster University

Unit Description: 

The DeGroote Student Services team supports all students at the DeGroote School of Business – MBA, BCom, specialized graduate programs and PhD students. As an integrated team, we champion new ideas, collaborate across boundaries, and learn continually to deliver a consistent and inspiring student experience. Our school’s culture is captured by the values of collaboration, community, inclusivity, innovation and integrity. As part of DSB Student Services, the Career and Professional Development (CPD) team delivers innovative excellence in three key areas: Career Development, Strategic Employer Partnerships and Experiential Learning, supporting more than 3000 Commerce and over 600 Graduate Students. There are team members at both the Burlington and Hamilton locations of the business school. The BCom program attracts more than 850 incoming students each year and offers the largest undergraduate business internship program in Ontario, in addition to launching a new BCom with Co-op Program. The Relationship Manager – Early Career Development works directly with students to support and assist them in achieving their desired career outcomes. Through one-on-one career coaching, workshops and career courses, the incumbent delivers excellence in career development programming. The portfolio of the Relationship Manager – Early Career Development would be primarily focused on the successful integration of career exploration within the first and second year of study of undergraduate business students. The incumbent would champion CPD’s initiatives within curriculum including Commerce GR0 courses, Commerce 2IN0 (Career Development Course) and Commerce 2CO0 (Co-op Career Course). In addition, this role would develop resources and facilitate programming that supports DeGroote’s career model and promotes the Career and Professional Development team among the student population. This includes the development of engaging materials and resources, in-person and virtual events and the creation of mutually beneficial partnerships with Faculty, student clubs and other departments across campus.

Job Summary: 

Responsible for planning, organizing and coordinating career development placements. Promotes student development, success and retention, and encourages career achievement by conducting interviews with students dealing with career choice, educational direction and goal progress.

Purpose and Key Functions:

• Identify, develop, and cultivate strategic employer relationships in the business community. 
• Interview students to assess suitability and make decisions on admittance to the program.
• Interview employer partners to understand recruitment needs. 
• Provide individual coaching services and guidance in developing self-marketing and branding tools including, but not limited to, job search strategies, resume critiques, preparation of cover letters and personal statements, interview skills, networking, portfolio development, and negotiation skills. 
• Conduct mock interviews by creating specific questions that are relevant to the field of employment students are pursuing, and then provide constructive feedback to students. 
• Conduct post-work placement interviews with students to discuss experiences and future goals. 
• Write career and skill development materials, and design interview tools. 
• Write a variety of documents including, but not limited to, reference letters, correspondence and workshop plans. 
• Create, implement and maintain policies and procedures related to the program and career services offered. 
• Facilitate or lead career development workshops. 
• Coordinate and accompany students on site visits and discuss work objectives. 
• Create promotional materials to market program to potential applicants, visitors, and representatives from other institutions at fairs and open house events. 
• Plan and coordinate costs, logistics and resources, including catering and audio visual equipment, for career events, information sessions, workshops and speaker presentations. 
• Calculate travel expenses for attendance at site visits, seminars, conferences and professional development. 
• Track attendance of students using services and compare statistics from previous years. 
• Gather, compile, and analyze information identifying labour market data, trends, and job opportunities. 
• Review current labour markets and research current trends within professional careers and employment requirements including skill level and comparable salaries offered. 
• Request participation and invite employers to post-employment opportunities within the department. 
• Act as a liaison between faculty, staff and students to ensure the timely communication of information and adherence to policies and procedures. 
• Participate in meetings with students to discuss and provide guidance regarding individual career options. 
• Assemble and distribute materials and packages. 
• Understand and stay current on employment legislation and government mandates. 

Supervision:  

• Provide direction to others in how to carry out work tasks. 
• Ensures adherence to quality standards and procedures for short-term staff and volunteers.

Assets: 

• This is role will be focused on supporting Commerce students with their work integrated learning, summer and full-time job searches and will be located primarily at the DeGroote School of Business in Hamilton (Main Campus) with some required work required occasionally at the Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington. 
• Excellent understanding of labour laws and best practices in experiential learning policy and procedures. 
• Experience in an experiential educational environment (work integrated learning education preferred) and/or on-campus recruitment is an asset. 
• Extensive knowledge of various corporate/business industry sectors is required - specifically in financial services, professional services, CPGs, and technology 
• Proven coaching and facilitation skills are necessary with preference given to experience coaching diverse student populations. 
• Excellent written and presentation skills are essential 
• Previous experience in developing and teaching workshops, public speaking and managing projects are necessary 
• Proven experience in business marketing and relationship management are essential to success in this role. 
• The incumbent must be self-starter and independent 
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment, effectively prioritize activities and manage stress with a high degree of maturity and professionalism are critical. 
• Must be a proven team player with strong collaboration skills 
• Computer literacy is required with particular emphasis on CMS; Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint; and social media tools 
• Activities outside of normal business hours, especially during peak times of the year, are expected. 
• Extensive travel within Ontario is required and may include travel to areas not serviced by public transit and overnight travel. As such, reliable access to transportation is essential. 
• Must be goals and target driven to support job secure rates for students and new grads.