Navigating this tough job market

Hi networkers,

This month, I volunteered to be a speaker at my workplace’s networking event.

Lemme tell you, being on the other side of the table put things into a new perspective.

As a student I never really noticed it.

But as an onlooker, man these places can get competitive!

I saw the cluster of students, in their navy suit jackets and black ties, huddling at our tables, practically itching to speak to a rep.

It’s no secret that internships can be very competitive, hell even these networking are.

But I’ve gone through the trials and errors of it all.

And because I have, I’ll share my mistakes so you can avoid them and spend your job-hunting energy where it counts.

🏁 Here’s the route for this week’s run:

🎙️ How I Would Find an Internship Today

💡 Notion for Job Tracking

📍 Go-To Networking Events

TOPIC
How I Would Find an Internship Today

You know what I’ve been hearing a lot lately?

“The job market’s pretty rough right now.”

But hey, you know what else?

I’ve been hearing that same thing for the past two years. The job market is probably no better now than it was then, and yet I found my co-ops.

This leads me to the five things I would do if I had to start over:

1. Drown Out the Noise

Forgot what people are saying about the job market. Good? Bad? Honestly, there’s always something to complain about, but that doesn’t mean you need to hear about it.

For you: Start with a positive mindset.

2. Clubs & Communities

Woah woah put down that soju, we’re not going to Rebel. I’m talking about clubs on your campus.

I would next get involved in my school clubs because I’m not going to land an opportunity if I don’t know about it.

Finance, consulting, marketing, etc. Clubs are great channels when it comes to hearing about opportunities. Plus they’re gateways for networking.

I’d also go on their Instagram & LinkedIn pages and follow them. Clubs usually post upcoming events on there.

For you: Figure out the clubs you want to be involved in and join them. Many accept general members.

3. Recruiter Stalking

AKA networking. My biggest mistake was spending too much time on applications and not enough on networking!

Imagine a mountain with a hiking trail leading up to it. Now imagine doing that hike, you’re about an hour in and dying of thirst when suddenly a gondola zips right past you.

You’re not even halfway up, but the gondola’s at the top within seconds.

The gondola is what networking is, and the mountaintop is the interview/job offer.

For you: Look at companies you like. Then go to their LinkedIn page > head over to the people tab > and type in “talent acquisition” as your keyword.

Boom, now you have a whole bunch of recruiters you can cold message. Don’t forget to follow them as well! They always post about events.

4. Cold Messages

Ok, so I got my list of maybe 5-10 people I want to reach out to. Now I would try my best to get coffee chats out of them.

Trust me, getting a coffee chat invitation will be like your golden ticket to the Wonka factory. (Timothée vocals included)

For you: Write up tailored messages to your coffee chat targets. As for how to do that, read this article here.

5. Apply Apply Apply

Yes, we do stress about networking > everything here. But you still need an official application.

The last thing I would do after getting in contact with recruiters is to apply for the role.

By now you should have built a good relationship with them. They might have even asked you to update them when you apply!

For you: Go on the company’s career portal and pick out 1-2 roles you’d apply to.

Whether it’s before or after speaking to a recruiter. At least have a role in mind. It’ll show them that you have a career plan which is a plus.

TIP/TOOL OF THE WEEK
Notion for Job Tracking

This week’s tool is Notion! Notion is a popular productivity app that I’ve gotten back into this year.

Among its uses, one that I found useful was job tracking! As I said, it can get overwhelming as you rack up those applications

That’s why I use this template to organize my search!

Try it out for yourselves, and stay tuned for next week. I’ll be releasing my notion template I spoke of last month!

-Michael Ly

Go-To Networking Events
📍Checkpoints📍 

Loblaws - Talk Technology Roles with Us

• Time: Jan 23 - 25, 5:00 - 6:30 pm EST (Online)

• Detail: Join the campus team and business leaders from across the enterprise to learn more about the amazing work and projects taking place at Loblaw! We will explore key trends in the industry and hear personal stories and tips to help support your own career journey.

• Register here 

Koru’s Summer ‘24 Internship: Info Session

• Time: Jan 24, 5:00 EST (Online)

• Detail: As a BizOps Intern you will have a unique opportunity to be exposed to a wide array of industries and be a vital voice about the Koru portfolio. You will have the opportunity to jump into the world of early-stage investing and explore first-hand how to think like both

  an investor and a builder.

• Register here

BMO - Recruiter Ask Us Anything Session

• Time: Feb 1, 3:00 - 4:00 pm PST (Online)

• Detail: During this virtual session, we’ll provide you with an overview of the bank, our culture, our recruitment timelines and process, and tips to stand out as a candidate. The second portion of this session will consist of a Q&A with our recruiters so that you can get all of your questions answered!

• Register here 

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