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Careers

What do Employers Look For?

“Inside Higher Ed makes an excellent point about what employers say they want in the ideal employee: someone who has a broad knowledge base, who can collaborate to solve problems, debate, communicate and think critically. Those are all skills that humanities programs insist students learn before they graduate.”

 “Majoring in the Humanities Does Pay off, Just Later,” Forbes, Jan. 22, 2014.

“You want people who can think. They won’t necessarily have specific skills anyway ... I used to joke that if you can find me someone who has a degree in figuring out patterns of imagery in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, I can teach him to break down a balance sheet in 30 minutes. What you want is a mind … A liberal arts education is extremely valuable for someone coming into business because increasingly business is about context as well as about technical aspects.”

Matthew William Barrett (former Chairman of BMO and Barclay’s Bank) outlines what he looks for in aspiring employees, The Globe and Mail, Aug. 23, 2012.

“Well, strange as it may sound, if you’re an employer who needs smart, creative workers, a 50-page honours project on a 19th century French poet might be just the thing you want to see from one of your job applicants. Not because you’re going to ask him or her to interpret any poetry on the job, but because you may be asking him or her, at some point, to deal with complex material that requires intense concentration – and to write a persuasive account of what it all means. And you may find that the humanities major with extensive college experience in dealing with complex material handles the challenge better – more comprehensively, more imaginatively – than the business or finance major who assumed that her degree was all she needed to earn a place in your company.”

Michael Bérubé, President of the Modern Languages Association, 2012.

Study English and “Write” Your Career

English majors follow many different career paths after they finish their undergraduate degree. You can discuss options with your undergraduate advisor and with consultants at the Laurier Career Development Centre.

It is important to understand that employers hire people, not just degrees. The skills and knowledge you develop as you study English, in addition to your extracurricular activities and individual talents, have a major impact on hiring decisions.

Sample Career Options

Note: Additional training and education may be required.

  • advertising agent
  • author/poet/playwright
  • broadcast announcer/podcast host
  • communications officer
  • copy writer/editor
  • curriculum developer
  • digital communication specialist
  • editor/editorial assistant
  • educational software developer
  • grant writer/administrator
  • journalist/reporter
  • lawyer
  • librarian
  • literacy program coordinator
  • literary agent
  • manuscript reader
  • marketing manager
  • political advisor
  • professor
  • project coordinator
  • public relations specialist
  • publisher
  • radio producer
  • scriptwriter
  • social worker
  • teacher/ESL instructor
  • technical writer
  • web content writer

Sample Industries / Types of Employers

  • advertising agencies
  • business & professional services
  • career centres
  • educational institutions
  • government
  • law firms
  • libraries/museums/archives
  • media organizations
  • non-profit organizations
  • non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
  • public relations firms
  • publishing companies
  • research/marketing firms
  • telecommunications firms
  • theatre/entertainment companies

Laurier Grads are Successful

Laurier Graduate Survey Results (2021)

Respondents from the Laurier Graduate Survey conducted by Career Centre. Graduates were surveyed within 12 months of graduation.

40 English Graduates:

  • Employed: 25.9%
  • Pursuing Further Education: 66.7%
  • Looking for Work: 3.7%
  • Other: 3.7%

Sample jobs within the first year after graduation:

  • child and youth service coordinator
  • copywriter
  • executive assistant
  • social media manager
  • transcriptionist

Sample further education programs within the first year after graduation:

  • Master’s degree: English, Film Studies, Journalism and Communcation, Rhetoric and Communication Design.
  • College program: Public Relations, Publishing, Technical and Scientific Communication.
  • Bachelor’s degree: Education.

Careers of alumni two-five years after graduation:

  • college instructor
  • copywriter
  • director of marketing communications
  • education coordinator
  • information officer
  • teacher
  • web content specialist

Film Studies Careers

Sample Career Options

Note: Additional training and education may be required.

  • announcer/broadcaster/host
  • author
  • cinematographer
  • columnist
  • communications officer
  • content creator/strategist
  • copy editor/writer
  • editor/editorial assistant
  • event planner
  • film archivist
  • film editor
  • film producer
  • grant writer/administrator
  • literacy program coordinator
  • manuscript reader
  • marketing coordinator
  • post-production technician
  • professor
  • project coordinator
  • proofreader/reviser
  • publishing representative
  • research assistant
  • screenwriter
  • script supervisor/writer
  • teacher
  • technical writer
  • trade show supervisor
  • web series producer

Sample Industries / Types of Employers

  • advertising agencies
  • business and professional services
  • documentation companies
  • educational institutions
  • film production companies
  • government   
  • libraries/museums/archives
  • media organizations
  • newspapers/magazines
  • non-profit organizations
  • public relations firms
  • publishing companies
  • research/marketing firms
  • self-employment
  • theatre/entertainment companies

Laurier Grads are Successful

Laurier Graduate Survey Results (2021)

Respondents from the Laurier Graduate Survey conducted by Career Centre. Graduates were surveyed within 12 months of graduation.

30 Film Studies Graduates:

  • Employed: 64.7%
  • Pursuing Further Education: 23.5%
  • Looking for Work: 11.8%

Sample jobs within the first year after graduation:

  • assistant editor
  • content marketing specialist
  • pre-production assistant
  • VFX production assistant
  • videographer and editor

Sample further education programs within the first year after graduation:

  • Master’s degree: Cinema Studies, Film Studies.
  • College program: Production, Advanced Television and Film, Radio Broadcasting, Arts and Entertainment Journalism, Business.

Careers of alumni two-five years after graduation:

  • associate producer
  • content strategist
  • editor
  • post production coordinator
  • radio broadcaster
  • sports reporter
  • videographer

What Our Graduates are Doing

Laurier English and Film students have gone on to pursue a wide range of exciting careers in traditional and non-traditional areas. All the testimonials stress the importance of writing, communication and analytical skills — command of language is crucial to all fields. These statements demonstrate how fundamental English and literary studies have been to success in postgraduate education and careers straight out of undergraduate degrees.

Develop Your Knowledge and Skills

At Laurier, develop these competencies through both curricular and co-curricular opportunities to help you achieve your goals for the future.

Functional Knowledge

  • Gain an awareness of how language/literature shapes different cultures and societies to articulate the major themes of human experience over time.
  • Understand social, cultural and political perspectives on literature and the act of writing in a range of genres and historical periods by a wide selection of authors.
  • Engage with complex concepts, theories and narratives.
  • Analyze, interpret, structure and edit written materials and information in print and digital formats.
  • Discover how information is sourced, valued and used in creating new knowledge.

Collaboration & Teamwork 

  • Plan, lead, and contribute to a research project or group, from conception to completion.
  • Work effectively as part of a team by identifying your role and contributing, leading, teaching, motivating and/or encouraging others for team success.
  • Oversee, lead and/or contribute to a project including determining goals, planning details, making decisions and completing tasks.
  • Demonstrate professional behaviour and an understanding of individual perspectives and diversity.

Communication 

  • Understand the relationship between information and its presentation, audience, time, place, and purpose.
  • Use language to communicate ideas, information and opinions clearly, concisely, and effectively, both verbally and in writing.
  • Probe for information by asking questions and listening, and engage in constructive conversations.
  • Prepare interesting and informative reports and presentations for diverse audiences using current technology.

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving 

  • Problem solve and make well-reasoned decisions on individual and collaborative levels, as well as think creatively in order to identify and argue all sides of an issue.
  • Identify and access a wide range of relevant information and resources.
  • Learn, understand and critically interpret information and apply knowledge to new situations.
  • Set priorities, meet deadlines and manage time, data and resources.
  • Analyze and evaluate data to discuss, support and/or question ideas, opinions, reports, theories and proposals.

Functional Knowledge

  • Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the history of film, modes of film practice, film styles, genres and national cinemas.
  • Acquire an understanding of key methods of critical analysis and film theory, and obtain a critical vocabulary with which to discuss and write about film.
  • Develop an appreciation of the relationship of film style to modes of production.
  • Engage in a collective critical dialogue around issues in film studies in Canada and globally.
  • Discover how information is sourced, valued and used in creating new knowledge.
  • Acquire enhanced cultural literacy in order to navigate a complex media landscape.

Collaboration & Teamwork 

  • Work effectively as part of a team by identifying your role and contributing, leading, teaching, motivating and/or encouraging others for team success.
  • Oversee, lead and/or contribute to a project including determining goals, planning details, making decisions and completing tasks.
  • Demonstrate professional behaviour and an understanding of individual perspectives and diversity.

Communication 

  • Articulate the complexities of film and contemporary media culture to others.
  • Explain information, ideas and opinions effectively, both verbally and in writing.
  • Probe for information by asking questions and listening, and engage in constructive conversations.
  • Prepare interesting and informative reports and presentations for diverse audiences using current technology.

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

  • Identify and access a wide range of relevant information and resources.
  • Learn, understand and critically interpret information and apply knowledge to new situations.
  • Set priorities, meet deadlines and manage time, data and resources.
  • Make well-reasoned decisions, think creatively, identify and consider all sides of an issue.
  • Analyze and evaluate data to discuss, support and/or question ideas, opinions, reports, theories and proposals.