Sponsored by the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology

Along the path to choosing a career you will encounter several steps and decisions to make, not least of which being where and what you will study in pursuit of your professional goals.

At a career-focused college like the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT), this will likely include choosing your program, making time in your schedule for fun and networking, developing good study habits, and even testing your skills with a potential future employer through a work practicum.

At the end of the journey lies graduation—a moment that is equally celebratory and intimidating as you prepare for the transition to your career. Making the jump from classroom to workplace, whether you have been in a work environment up to this point or not, is a scary venture forward, but all the invested time and energy will pay off when you get that first job offer.

Achieving this goal takes more than just studying and honing your technical skills. You need to find the job that’s right for you. Part of the process involves preparing your resume and application, and nailing that interview. MITT is here to help, providing every post-secondary student with training focused on helping them go from graduation to employment.

“This is unique to MITT. A lot of institutions offer career services, but not many have it built into the curriculum,” explained MITT’s Acting Coordinator of Career Development Services David Driver. “It’s definitely one of the most valuable benefits for students because they get these sessions as part of their training.”

The sessions students take part in, collectively known as the Work Skills Series, teach employability skills, job search techniques, resume preparation and how to excel in interviews. These sessions, as Driver explained, have been developed and tailored to each program. Of the four areas, Driver noted that one in particular gets the most attention following in-class training—resume preparation. “It is the area in which students need the most guidance,” he said. “Many students may have never written a professional resume before, and we want to make sure everyone has the best chance to make a great first impression with a tailored resume that gets them to the next step, the interview.”

Driver further explained, “In today’s competitive job market, going deeper than the straightforward resume submission and follow-up calls is necessary to secure employment.” This is why, during the Work Skills sessions, Driver and his associates emphasize the importance of building a network as a way to get a leg up on the competition and land a job.

“A lot of industries are looking for networking experience,” Driver said. “It’s not uncommon for students to have never networked before, and for that reason we introduce networking concepts in the job search training portion for many of the programs we offer.”

Networking has become such an important job skill, especially when it comes to developing relationships, meeting prospective mentors, and gaining access to resources that will improve your skill set and advance your career development. “In today’s world, it’s not enough to submit a resume and wait for a phone call,” urged Driver. “It’s about being proactive and investing in connections. It’s phoning the employer and introducing yourself.”

MITT offers 25+ certificate, diploma and postgraduate programs that will teach you the in-demand skills you need at any stage of your career. Start your new career in as little as five months! To learn more about MITT’s Work Skills Series and the full slate of opportunities, visit mitt.ca/career.