Kick-Start Your Career at York University

Develop professional skills and plan your career at York!

In our previous article, "An Introduction to York University," we mentioned that you receive a career-focused education at York, where you can develop professional skills to prepare yourself for life after graduation. While here, you can take advantage of experiential education and student employment opportunities. Learn about York's career development programs below:

1. Career education & development

Career Education & Development is one of the most useful support services for students looking to develop their professional skills and prepare for their future by providing them with:

• job search and skills workshops
• cover letter and resumé critiques
• practice interview sessions
• peer-to-peer support
• employer recruitment events and job fairs

If you are busy with part-time work, personal commitments and day-to-day commutes, you can book online appointments with Career Counsellors. The best part is that there is no limit to how many appointments you can book!

What's more, Career Education & Development hosts Career Fairs and employer recruitment events to help you meet employers and discover new organizations. They also host virtual employer recruitment sessions, speed hiring events and other networking events.

Looking to expand your network? As a York student, you can participate in the Take A Student To Eat (TASTE) program to connect with alumni mentors. Career Education & Development also hosts Career Conversation panels where York students can explore a variety of careers within a specific field, connect with York alumni, and get inside tips on securing employment in a specific industry from professionals who do the hiring.

Career Education & Development now offers all these amazing opportunities online, so you can access these resources from wherever you are in the world, up to two years after you've graduated.

2. Work/study roles on campus

As a York student you can launch your career while you're still in school.

There are 1,900 student jobs available on York campuses every year, so you can take advantage of York's Work/Study program in part-time roles working within administration and faculties, Research at York (RAY) positions to join faculty research projects, the Leadership, Engagement & Ambassadorship Program (LEAP) to work as an ambassador on campus or York's Internship program, which you'll learn more about below.

The Work/Study Program at York University provides eligible undergraduate students (domestic and international) with the opportunity to develop professional skills and contribute to the University through paid, on-campus employment opportunities.

The Experience York portal makes it easy for York students to apply for jobs and experiential learning opportunities, as well as register for programs and track their skills development so they can boost their C.V.

3. Internships, co-ops and experiential education at York

Want to put your classroom knowledge to the test?

With experiential education opportunities, students can engage in guided practical experiences in the community, workplace or classroom. You can collaborate with community partners, contribute to meaningful work and gain hands-on experience that will prepare you for your future career. In many cases, work placements are paid, so they can help with the financial cost of university.

The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies' (LA&PS) LA&PS Internship Program offers paid, short-term employment for four, eight, 12, or 16 months in-between academic terms. The LA&PS Internship Awards Program is a donor-funded program designed to help you engage in meaningful work and learning opportunities, with the support of a financial award. You also receive approximately $9,000, posted to your student account in instalments over three months as compensation! This full-time internship runs during the summer term from June to August.

York helps you prepare for your career from day one — explore the Future Students website to learn more!