Mining Is One Of The Most Technologically Advanced Industries In Canada

TalentEgg Incubator.  6 October 2010.

Since the first coal mine opened on Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island some 350 years ago, the mining industry in Canada has changed considerably.

Presently, Canada has more than 800 mines. The industry employs at least 363,000 people and is one of the most technologically advanced sectors in Canada.

But when young Canadians think of mining, the image of a man covered in dirt hitting a cave wall with a pick-axe tends to come to mind.

That image couldn’t be further from the reality of Canada’s mining industry today.

Check out these commonly held myths and the truth we dug up about each of them with the help of the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR).

Myth: All mining jobs take place in dark, dank, underground spaces.

Truth: The mining industry includes exploration, development, operations, processing as well as mine closures and land reclamation.  Since most of these parts of the mining cycle occur aboveground, most workers in the mining industry do not work underground.

University of British Columbia Mining Engineering student Elizabeth Hughes, who is currently completing an eight-month co-op term with Goldcorp in Vancouver, says although she sometimes does ventilation surveying underground, she typically spends her days “doing either drill and blast designs and letters, stope valuations, [or] development designs.”

Also, don’t forget that many careers in mining have nothing to do with physically extracting resources from the earth. People who work in mining can be found in high-rise office buildings in large cities, in labs, and out in communities collaborating with local citizens.

Myth: Mining uses archaic tools and brute force.

Truth: Thanks to rapid technological advances in the mining industry, it is rare today that miners use their own physical strength to extract resources.

The integration of technology in Canada’s mining industry has allowed for the use of robotics, computers and other state-of-the-art equipment to become commonplace.

In fact, miners can dig through 2400 feet through rock in order to reach minerals located deep underground while operating equipment from a completely different city than where the mine is located.

Mark Ashcroft, a professional engineer who is President and CEO of Stonegate Agricom, a company focused on the development of phosphate deposits in the Americas, says, for example, “A young mechanical engineer could find himself in the pit or underground shop looking at maintenance issues on production vehicles.  A mining engineer could find herself collaborating with an electrical engineer and a telecommunications vendor as they discuss the management of wireless technologies and mining fleet dispatch software.”

Myth: Employees in the mining industry require no knowledge or skills.

Truth: Due to the sophisticated equipment and leading-edge technology used in the mining industry, highly skilled and educated workers are required to work in mining.

The skills necessary may include computer technology, information management, mining extraction knowledge or mineral processing, as well as many others.

What are known as “soft skills” are becoming increasingly important in mining as well. Mining companies need people who can grow the business, understand and stay ahead of complicated laws and regulations, and ensure they operate in a sustainable, community-friendly way.

Myth: The mining industry is dangerous.

Truth: Over the last 100 years, the mining industry has developed into a sophisticated industry that utilizes automated mining processes.

As a result, it is considered one of the safest industrial sectors in Canada.   Concerning safety laws, there are 14 federal regulations, 19 federal acts as well as dozens more at the provincial and territorial levels that regulate the mining industry.

Life is a circus: Q&A with a nouveau cirque performer

February 26 2010. TalentEgg Incubator.

While growing up, many of us threatened our parents with running away and joining the circus if we didn’t get our way.

For Tiffany Warden, a world religions and East Asian studies student at the University of Toronto, the circus doesn’t mean the big top with clowns, tigers and bike stunts. For her, the circus means contemporary circus(also known as le nouveau cirque), akin to Cirque de Soleil.

Tiffany trains and works out of Toronto School of Circus Arts, and tours with its production company Cirque Sublime.

I recently asked her some questions about what it is like juggling her studies and a career in the circus.

Q. Tell us about teaching at the Toronto School of Circus Arts.

A. I teach there two to three times a week, mostly doing what’s called “working the board” on the flying trapeze rig. I’m the one who fishes for the safety lines and hooks the next flyer up and gives the odd tip before they take off the board again.

I also work a lot of corporate groups, which is usually using circus arts to help build morale and team spirit within a business group, or to congratulate the team on a particular job well done.

Q. What is it like being a performer for Cirque Sublime? How often do you go on tour and what do you do?

A. Performing is the most fun aspect of being in the whole circus world, and I work as hard as I do at my various jobs in order to be able to continue to do it! Tours are generally one to three weeks long at a time (because while we’re away, classes at the school can’t run) and happen two or three times a year.

I perform a duo hoop act with my good friend Laura (two girls, one hoop) and I’m debuting an aerial rope act later this month as a solo piece.

Q. Why did you decide to complete your degree part-time while simultaneously working?

A.Not because it’s easy! Circus is like dance or something where you only have a small window of time in which your body can do the things demanded of it by the job. If I had waited to finish my degree, I would have missed some of the best learning years of my circus career. Once you hit late 20s-early 30s, it’s hard to gain things like flexibility; usually a person can only maintain what they have.

Q. Considering all of the things you do (Tiffany also designs costumes for cosplay and renaissance fairs, models, and works another part-time job)–for work or for fun–what would you eventually like to do career-wise?

A. Circus, for sure, is what I want to do, for as long as I can do it. When I start to break down (and everybody does eventually) I wouldn’t mind seeing if I could meld circus with some form of burlesque.

I would also love to combine cosplay and the anime convention scene with circus, creating a couple acts based around certain characters from certain animes, dressing up as them and performing to music from the show. I think fans would eat it up, and I could basically get to go to every convention for free and then some. I may actually try this at the upcoming Anime North here in Toronto.

Q. Anything else I left out you want to add?

A. Just that I was always the super awkward girl at the back of the dance class, so if I can make money doing this, there’s hope for everyone!

Turning an interest in environmental advocacy into a career

October 7 2009: http://talentegg.ca/incubator/2009/10/turning-an-interest-in-environmental-advocacy-into-a-career/

Gen Y is one of the “greenest” generations to date. We grew up learning how to recycle as small children and were taught conservation methods by David Suzuki on TV. As a result, many of us have philosophies toward our environment and its protection which are drastically different than that of older generations. We don’t like how quickly resources are being used and how much the planet has changed in terms of climate and ecology in our lifetimes. We sincerely believe that if the degeneration of Earth continues at this rate, future generations will be doomed.

Conferences and protests have been happening all over the world in recent years to try to create solutions for these issues. Only some of these events have targeted those of us who have the most to lose and the most to say: youth.

Thus, in 2007 the first Power Shift conference was held in Washington DC, and due to its success a second event occurred early this spring. Power Shift Australia was held this July, with the UK Power Shift following suit on October 9-12, and finally an event in Ottawa being held from October 23-26.

Power Shift Canada is two days of training, action and strategy, and one day of lobbying to hold our elected officials accountable to the people they serve: those who want a solution to the climate crisis and those who want to build a successful youth climate movement. The event has sprouted a large following due in part of social networking media such as a Facebook Fan Page, a Twitter account, and a YouTube Channel.

One thousand youth from all of the provinces and territories will be converging on Parliament Hill to make a statement about the environmental procedures in this country as a part of Power Shift Canada. Will you be one of them? Katie Stiel will be there.

Katie is a recent McMaster graduate with a degree in philosophy and geography. In her last year at Mac, Katie was the director of MACgreen, the McMaster Student Union’s student-run service whose mission is to serve the greater McMaster community in creating a more sustainable campus. She currently works for Environment Hamilton and is also responsible for recruiting participants from the greater Hamilton area to come to Power Shift. You can check out an article she wrote about Power Shift for McMaster students here.

Katie and I chatted recently about how her extra-curricular involvement has helped her get involved in various environmental issues in Canada.

Q. How do you think your education helped you land the current opportunities you have?

A. To be honest, it hasn’t. I took some Geo[graphy] courses that piqued my interest. But it was mostly through extra-curriculars and students leadership activities I participated in that gave me the opportunity to explore. If philosophy taught me anything, it was I can’t be a philosopher and that I don’t want to be a philosopher.

Q. How did you get involved in environmental advocacy programs?

A. It started when I was a community advisor in Brandon Hall [a residence at McMaster]. There is a four-pillar programming plan you follow, and one of the areas is awareness. I did it on an environmental event … and wanted to take it to a larger scale. I kept on getting involved in different groups because I wanted to keep taking things to a larger scale.

Q. What sorts of organizations have you been involved with recently?

A. The Sierra Youth Coalition is something I got involved in during my fourth year. Greenpeace has really sparked my interest in the last couple of months. And the Polaris Institute is something I’ve been really interested about because they deal with water justice, which is a passion [of mine]. My interest in the Sierra Youth Coalition has sparked interest in others, like the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, which in turn sparked an interest in Power Shift.

Q. What have you learned from being involved in these groups?

A. On a more selfish level, geared to me personally, I’ve learned some things skill-wise like different organizational techniques. But these are things I had before but learned some more while working within a national network. I’ve done some things on a smaller scale, in Hamilton and in Ontario. Although the Sierra Youth Coalition is on a national scale, you don’t really get involved with people in other areas. For the Polaris Institute, with conference calls you learn different perspectives of the same things which is awesome.

Q. What do you hope to gain from the Power Shift experience?

A. Personally, I don’t think I’ll gain too much; I’m going more based on interest. I do appreciate taking on the leadership role on something I’m passionate about. But I want to see how this will impact Canada as a whole and how youth will be impacted. It’s a critical time of the year for us because of the [United Nations Climate Change] conference in December [also known as the Copenhagen 15, or COP15]. Hopefully it will make an impact like it did in Australia and the US.

Q. How do you recommend that other students and youth in general get involved in environmental organizations?

A. My personal suggestion is to find an issue you’re passionate about and search from there. To use the Polaris Institute as an example: water justice and water issues were something I was passionate about so I looked them up. Don’t try to get involved with everything because you’ll just get overwhelmed. Also, look to your schools because at this point all [post-secondary] schools should have some sort of organization on campus.

Don’t turn away “artsy” students at career fairs

"Don’t turn away “artsy” students at career fairs", August 24, 2009

In high school, I was told that going to university would open a window of opportunities for my future and ultimately help me get a good job. I applied to university in a social sciences discipline since I did not have the mathematical aptitude to handle the sciences or engineering.

During frosh week, social sciences and humanities students were taunted by the engineers, who called out, “Spatula!” Meaning: we didn’t have any career options after university and were destined to work a low-wage fast food job.

Humanities students were specifically targeted with “A-B-C-D-E-F-G. H-I-J-K. L-M-N-O-P. Q-R-S. TU-V. W-X-Y-Z. Now I know my ABCs, so I can pass the humanities,” implying humanities courses are easy.

At the time, I just assumed this was a way for the engineering reps to promote faculty pride in their first year students, and this attitude wasn’t present throughout the rest of the institution.

However, it appears that was only wishful thinking: in the last few years, the humanities and social sciences have faced many budget cuts in instructors, number of classes offered and resources available, and I know that this is not unique to my school.

Once I completed a few years of school, I thought going to a career fair would be a good way for me to decide what I could do with my degree in the future. Not being in health sciences, engineering or business, meant few employers were interested in my degree.

I attempted to talk to a few different companies and was turned away when I told them I was in a combined humanities/social science program. I didn’t approach other groups because they had no information for students in more than one faculty. Quite frankly, the whole thing was a complete waste of my time, and I felt very frustrated and disappointed.

Does it mean those engineers were right, or do career fairs need to be re-worked in order to support the diversity of educational options out there?

I’m hoping for the latter. I was told to never to judge a book by its cover and, as an English major, that advice seems almost too fitting.

If your company is attending a career fair at a university or college, remember there will be students from all kinds of academic programs there and, as a result, students with a variety of different experiences, both in terms of education as well as employment.

Just because a student isn’t in a certain degree program does not mean they aren’t qualified for a job in your company. For example, I have experience in HR, public relations, marketing and management, which is something you wouldn’t know if you only look at what program I’m in.

Sure, if you’re part of an architecture firm you’re primarily going to want to hire architects or engineers. But if someone from another program comes to your table, you do not have to turn them away. Every company has multiple departments that need a variety of employees with different kinds of work and education experience, and your company should be no exception to this.

You attend career fairs to entice students, not to deter them. And just because your company doesn’t have anything to offer one student, it doesn’t mean the same student can’t pass on information about your company to a friend or two.

Doctor or musician, which career would you choose?

"Doctor or musician, which career would you choose?" August 20 2009

A stereotypical doctor doesn’t have piercings or a tattoo, and a stereotypical drummer doesn’t wear scrubs. Bourke Tillmann, however, is a fourth-year medical student and is the drummer of the successful indie band Holding.Sky.

Holding.Sky has played with a variety of popular and independent artists in their three-and-a-half year reign on the indie scene. The band recently recorded their third EP, From the Throne to the Lions – produced by Dan Achen, who has worked with Feist and City and Colour. It’s available for free download, with proceeds going to charity.

Between Bourke’s busy schedule as an ER doctor, general surgery assistant and drummer, he and I recently chatted about his dual persona.

(Photography by Jeff Jewiss)

Q. What came first: wanting to become a doctor or a musician?

A. Wanting to play music came first. I wasn’t one of those kids who grew up wanting to be a doctor – I wrote the MCATs after first year [of university] just to prove to a friend I could.

Q. What are some of the reasons why you wanted to become a doctor?

A. This is actually a pretty personal question. During my teenage years, I was unfortunately near a lot of death and from then on have seen the after effects this trauma has had on my friends (depression, suicide, drugs, homelessness). I never wanted to be helpless in a situation like that again.

Why else? It’s something I love and am good at. And when I think about it, I know I would give anything to save a person’s life. So now I get to go to work every day and do just that. Not only do I get to do that, but I can call it a career.

Q. Why did you want to become a musician?

A. The joy in writing music and creating something new, when you sit down with a few friends and put together a few notes and a rhythm there’s just magic. Then getting to perform, to show others what you have made – it’s incredible. You’re terrified because you’re showing your deepest emotions and they might be rejected, but you’re thrilled because you have an excuse to be completely yourself.

So why did I start playing an instrument? I thought drums were cool. I always wanted to play them so I decided to. Why do I want to become a musician? Because I want to have the challenge of creating something new every day, and the thrill and fear of showing my soul to strangers every night.

"I practice two hours away every weekend and spend half my nights planning shows and tours. It reminds me there’s more in my life than just medicine." —Bourke Tillmann

Q. How do you think being in a band helped you get into med school?

A. When you’re getting ready to play a concert in front of a couple thousand people, a med school interview really isn’t that intimidating. So instead of being paralyzed with fear when I interviewed, I was relaxed.

The second way I think it helped is the system’s desire to show how accepting it is. Medical schools want to show the world that they accept everyone, that they’re not an elitist system, nor perpetuating a social hierarchy. So I had already slid by their mental benchmark and made a nice example to show the world how accepting medical schools are. Do I think they are as accepting as they’re trying to portray? I’m a white, middle-income male, so you guess.

Q. How has being in a band helped you since getting into med school?

A. It has helped me keep perspective. So many people allow medical school to consume their lives. Instead, I practice two hours away every weekend and spend half my nights planning shows and tours. It reminds me there’s more in my life than just medicine.

It has also helped me keep in touch with my patients. As an independent band, we tend to play the shadier areas of cities, and . . . more of my patients are in a lower social economic range (to be politically correct). I spend a fair amount of my time hanging out with my patient population, while a lot of people in medical school spend their free time in bars with $15 covers and $8 drinks.

. . .

When you remove the social barrier that the physician-patient relationship creates, sometimes you can learn a lot more. Of course, you can sometimes learn too much. But in our music we broach some common but difficult subjects, and when you start the conversation people aren’t nearly as afraid to continue it.

Q. Do you ever regret the choice you made to go through medical school to become a doctor?

A. I wish I could say no, but it’s a hard process. When I’m spending hours studying instead of learning how to play a guitar, or reading about an esoteric disease I’ll probably never see in my life, I ask [myself] if it’s really worth it. But the patient interaction . . . working up their problem, figuring out how to make them feel better (not necessarily how to cure their disease) makes up for it ten-fold.

Oh, and the paper work sucks.

Q. How has your training in medical school helped you within the band?

A. Well, it’s made me more of an asshole, so I feel less bad when yelling at them to get something on the business side of the band done.

But seriously . . . Working in a hospital really teaches you what’s important in life and has made me appreciate the band even more, which makes me work harder. Also, I have learned how to manage and delegate tasks, and this really does help the business side of the band. As far as writing music, I’m usually at my most creative when I’m in a poor mood, so it has helped me write some new songs.

Q. What advice do you have for people who feel like they need to make a decision between an ideal career choice and an important part of their personal life?

"Working in a hospital really teaches you what’s important in life and has made me appreciate the band even more . . ." —Bourke Tillmann

A. I tell them to do what makes them happy. Is that ideal career going to make you happy, or is it just impressive? Trust me, it doesn’t take a lot of money to make it in this world – I’ve lived off a bag of chocolate covered raisins and table scraps for a month.

I’ve also been homeless for four months (although not in a row). You can make due on very little and still be happy. But doing what makes you happiest doesn’t always come easy. If you truly want it, you won’t give it up, but you’ll have to sacrifice.

I rarely ever watch TV. I sleep less than six hours most nights. I’ve lost girlfriends. I’ve been in car crashes. I’ve been on the other side in hospitals and I’m not the best in either of my two passions (music and medicine). But I love them both so I make the sacrifices I make.

So I say again, do what makes you happy. If you want to ski for three months a year, find the job that allows you to do that. Don’t find a job that demands you work ridiculous hours so that when you’re 60 you can start skiing. If family is your passion, find the easiest, shortest job you can so you can spend as much time with your family, while still helping support them. Money only has value when it’s spent, so don’t spend your life chasing it.

Q. Do you think you can serve as a role model to others? What about others in the band?

A. I would like to see myself as a role model – [it] would be pretty awesome to think that I’ve done enough in my life that it’s worth people looking up to. As for the rest of the band, Holding.Sky is about dedication and breaking limits. We all challenge each other.

Ben [Tillman, bass] finished working on Tim Burton’s 9 and is now working on another major motion picture; Mikey [Hill, guitar] is in med school; Tim [Laidman, vocals] has degrees from both Sheridan and Mohawk; and Kohji [Nagata, guitar and backup vocals] will always challenge you to be a better person.

Q. How has all of your education and/or work impacted the bands progress, if at all? Do you think any of you would quit the band?

A. I think it’s more how is the band impacting [our] education and work. But truthfully, the fact that some of our jobs have locked in contracts means we can’t do extended tours unless we know they’re going to be very beneficial for the band. Which means we have to use other methods to get our name out there.

As for anyone quitting the band, unless Thursday, Moneen, Attack in Black or the Deftones offered them a spot in their band. I don’t think anyone is going anywhere.

Teaching English abroad, Part 2: Q&A with a future teacher

"Teaching English abroad, Part 2: Q&A with a future teacher", June 29 2009

Jeff Ferguson, a McMaster alumnus with an Honours BA in philosophy and English, will be leaving for Korea in October 2009 to teach English as a second language. I asked him to tell me about his experience deciding on and planning for the transition.

"How many people can say that they spent a year working abroad?"

Q. Why do you want to teach English abroad?

A. For me, I had no idea what I wanted to do long-term after graduating. I might attend grad school, but I knew that if I did, it wouldn’t be for at least two years after I graduated. I knew that I had to do something in the meantime, and a friend who was going to Korea to teach English suggested that I apply for it too. I looked into it, and it seemed like a really good idea. Travelling and working abroad has always interested me, and this was a very easy way to do it.

Q. How did you decide on Korea?

A. I know that some people do Japan, some Taiwan, etc., but I think I just chose Korea because I knew a couple of friends who were also going there. I then found out I actually have a lot of friends who are doing this too, and luckily enough, at least four in the same city as me. It’ll be really nice to know people who are undergoing the same thing.

Q. Why did you decide to teach abroad at this time in your life: do you see a benefit in doing this after having graduated, or had you not thought about it seriously before?

A. I hadn’t seriously thought about this until February when it was suggested by a friend. But yeah, I can see a lot of benefits — teaching experience is always good. It will be very good work experience, too. How many people can say that they spent a year working abroad? It’s a full-time paying job, too, so I guess it’s pretty cool that I have that guaranteed for 12 months after graduating.

Q. What certification do you need to do this? How did you obtain it?

A. Really, anyone with a post-secondary degree can do it. I have a degree in English which puts me one step above the competition — most people who have a degree in something else have to take a TESL (Teach English as a second language) course if they want to receive the same pay that someone with a degree in English will.

Q. What are some potential challenges you can foresee?

A. Where to start? Culture shock, homesickness, not knowing the Korean language… and that doesn’t even begin to cover the actual job. Teaching a group of children is always a challenge; add on the fact that I’m not fluent in their language and they’re not in mine… yeah, it’ll be tough.

Three Ways to Attract Gen-Y at a Career Fair

"Three Ways to Attract Gen-Y at a Career Fair", June 17 2009.

There is a major discord between current students and most employers in trying to gain prospective employees. Quite simply, many companies do not know how to effectively market themselves for entry-level employees. The tactics that were successful 10 years ago no longer apply because Gen Y has been raised differently than previous generations.

We want to experience you, not just read about you

We are a multimedia generation. I have been using the Internet for approximately 40% of my life and, for younger members of Gen Y, this number is 50% or higher. Television and advertising have also been huge components in our lives. We have been raised to respond to different stimuli than earlier generations: simple pamphlets or signs will no longer pique our attention.

Videos or a short slideshow on an LCD screen will make most of us stop and pay attention because they’re creative and dynamic. These media also more effective when the characters look like us, talk like us, act like us and are presumably very close to us in age. We do not want to be hired into a workplace where no one can relate to us, and if the first view of the company we get is someone the same age as our parents, we may not be as inclined to reply.

We have no idea why you’re the best, so tell us … in detail!

We were raised to accept nothing but the best for ourselves and we want to know why you are the best. No, not how well your sales did last quarter, things we actually care about as job hunters.

For example, what kind of health benefits does your company offer? What does the company do for staff gatherings: potluck lunches in a meeting room (boring, old fashioned … need I go on?), or after-hours trips completely unrelated to work (sporting or charity events, etc)? How much vacation time do entry-level employees receive? What steps has the company made to be more eco-friendly and socially responsible?

For Gen Y, the brand that goes with the position you’re hiring for will entice us to apply for the job. If we think your company really values your employees or the same things we care about, we’ll be more interested in working for you.

Your current “free gift” is probably boring

Many of us have received promotional materials during university/college fairs, frosh weeks, festivals and career fairs. These items, called SWAG (Stuff We All Get), are a way to make your company more memorable after coming in contact with so many.

For the most part, these items are limited to pens, highlighters, lanyards and magnets. Although they serve a purpose (who can’t use a pen?), they’re never examined in great detail once we get home because we probably received multiples of the same dull item.

This gives us the impression that your company is boring, uncreative and resolved to remain unchanged. Gen Yers want to work somewhere more progressive. There are literally thousands of other options you could consider for promotional materials instead.

We want something that we can use, but also something different from the norm. More interesting suggestions include Frisbees, reusable shopping bags, fortune cookies, miniature flashlights, recycled products, USB keys and stainless steel water bottles. When we check out these items again when we get home, we are going to remember who gave them to us and what they said about their company.

Bonus points if the item cleverly refers to your company name, product/service or an initiative you’re undertaking!

Career Services

"Career Services", July 23 2007.

So maybe you are an upper-year student, and wonder what you are going to do post-MAC. You will have a degree, but are concerned that maybe you will live in a box. Or, perhaps you are a first year student, and wonder what you can do with ____ degree (fill in the blank as needed). If either of these situations applies to you, then I suggest you check out Career Services, located in Gilmour Hall 110.

As careers have changed in the last few decades, one can go into a variety of fields as educational backgrounds are not as strict as they were for employment. Just because one holds that very expensive piece of paper, graduates are qualified for a variety of positions regardless of their actual field of study. The aim of Career Services is to help students to understand the value of their university education, in relation to developing a career, planning for future education, and searching for employment. Career Services offers a wealth of programs and services for McMaster students.

Career Advising: Career Advisors assist students in answering questions to career questions and show students resources to further peak interest. This service is a drop-in basis, so an appointment is not required.

Career and Employment Counseling: Professional career and employment counselors help students develop career and long-term educational goals. This is available by appointment only.

Career Planning Group Workshops: These are held at various times through the school year, and uncover how a students’ unique personality type can affect their career interests.

Job Shadow Program: Shadow a professional in a career that you are interested in to gain on-site exposure to work environments you may encounter in the future.

Mentoring Matters: A mentor from in the community can guide students in their career development and help students uncover many job opportunities.

Teachers Education and Professional School Workshops: These workshops are for students who are thinking of pursuing further education once they have finished their university degree. These workshops run throughout the school year.

Resource Centre: A wealth of information (magazines, books, pamphlets, course calendars, and more) is available in the Career Services office or online for students to examine.

eRecruiting: An online portal to job postings, which can be accessed twenty-four hours a day to search for employment opportunities in various locations throughout Canada. The website also serves to keep students informed of campus events and workshops.
Job Search Workshops: These workshops provide students with tips and strategies for improving their job search, including topics such as Cover Letter and Resume Writing, Interview Skills, Summer Job Search Strategies and others.

On-Campus Events: Career Services hosts a variety of events throughout the year focusing on employment.

For information about the services offered through Career Services, check out their website at http://careers.mcmaster.ca