Grade 11s Prep for Future Opportunities

As part of their Career Life and Connections class, Grade 11 students have been busy preparing and tweaking their resumes. Students were given helpful tips through a virtual workshop presented by University of Victoria Co-op and Career coordinator Jennie Nilsson on January 13.   “It’s nice to be able to collaborate with others in the community and she’s just so experienced and knowledgeable with what is current and can speak to what will work in different spheres, so we really value her point of view,” said Sarah MacMillan, University Guidance Advisor.   Students were introduced to a variety of different tips to help make their resumes stand out amongst others, including looking at the wording, organization as well as identifying the key principles of an application.  “We work with the students year over year on their resume. It’s such an important tool for them in the long term,” said Ms. MacMillan. “It’s important as young adults moving through the world and having that ability to know themselves and share their experiences while communicating that in a real way using active language.”  Creating a resume that can be a valuable tool is the goal for the students, as it can be used in securing opportunities in many different spheres including volunteer, professional, jobs, scholarships and post-secondary applications.  “They started their first resume in Grade 10 for Career Life Education, so this is something they have been building on each year,” explained Ms. Angela Colibaba. “We always bring it up as a reminder to keep it alive and up to date because you never know if some great opportunity will come your way next week…it’s being strategic with your time and you have to have a resume ready to go to be able to tell people about yourself.”  As the Grade 11s prepare for their final year in high school, Ms. MacMillan and Ms. Colibaba say the students should have their resumes ready to work with when they apply for post-secondary schools and scholarships in the fall.   “Right now is the time to focus on who you are in the world, what you want to be doing later in post-secondary. Your resume is part of the toolkit,” added Ms. Colibaba.  Thank you to Jennie Nilsson from the University of Victoria Co-op and Career for lending her voice and expertise to the Grade 11s!