How to get professional experience: Student jobs and volunteering

Making the most of your time at university means finding the right balance between course work and other commitments in your life. Getting a job or pursuing volunteer work is one of the ways you can find that balance (and it allows you build up your bank account and your resume).

Laurier’s Career Centre is available to help you take advantage of employment and volunteer opportunities in and around our campus communities. Log in to Navigator, the Career Centre’s online portal, to get started.

Preparing for the Job Search

As a Laurier student, you have access to career consultants, workshops and a multitude of online resources. Whether you want to write a resume, develop interview skills or build your LinkedIn profile, the Career Centre can help you secure a student position and improve your future career search.

You can book an appointment with a consultant through Navigator, in-person or by phone. The Career Centre also hosts drop-in hours.

Navigator has four different boards that they post available positions to:

• Off-Campus Job Postings
• On-Campus Job Postings
• Co-op Job Postings
• Volunteer Postings

Off-Campus Jobs

Off-campus job postings are sent directly from employers interested in attracting Laurier students and alumni. The board offers helpful Quick Search options that highlight new postings since your last login and those added in the last 10 days. This board is updated frequently, so be sure to check it often.

You can also use the Quick Searches menu to filter positions by type (summer, part-time and jobs for graduating students) – a variety of employment fields and career stages are posted here.

Searching keywords like “Waterloo” or “part-time” will help to refine your results based on your criteria. You can also try searching by position-specific keywords like “marketing” or “tutor” if you know what kind of job you would like.

External Job Boards

The Career Centre also has a list of job search websites that you can explore. If you are interested in a particular employer or location, visit that organizations’s job opportunities pages to see what positions they have available.

There are some great businesses around Laurier’s campuses that are easily accessible to students. You may have luck visiting your favourite shops or restaurants to inquire about opportunities.

On-Campus Jobs

There are various part-time positions available on Laurier’s campus throughout the year. These include roles with Laurier’s administrative departments, campus food vendors and academic departments.

A limited number of these positions are available and they are popular with students. The Career Centre continues to post to the on-campus job board in Navigator throughout the year, with the majority of opportunities posted in the winter term for the following academic year. This board also features a Quick Search menu to help highlight new postings.

It is also useful to consult faculty and staff in your areas of interest to see what is available now or what may be available in the future.

Volunteering

Volunteer work is a great way to engage with your community and gain experience, particularly in a field that you may not have the opportunity to through typical part-time positions.

Volunteer postings work the same as the on- and off-campus job boards – you can search and read descriptions of these positions on Navigator, then apply. You can also book an appointment with a career consultant to discuss how to search for relevant opportunities.

When searching, be sure to pay attention to the position type and location columns as this tells you whether the posting is for an on- or off-campus position and where it’s located (e.g., Brantford, Waterloo).

There are several volunteer opportunities with the Students’ Union, who run some great programs and services throughout the year such as Foot Patrol and the Food Bank. They generally have three hiring periods (once per semester) but will hire additional positions as needed.

Co-op

You can apply for co-op by selecting your program and submitting an application through Navigator. Undergraduate students apply by the beginning of the fall term in their second year. Check out the FAQ page to help you get started.