McGill Career Centre (CAPS)
caps.mcgill.ca
Anie-Claude Lamarche
Cindy Mancuso
Catherine Stace
About CAPS
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Two locations: Downtown Campus and Macdonald Campus
Five department specific career centres/advisors: Law, Management,
Medicine, Engineering, and Education
Main services: Career Advising & Job search
18 staff (7 career advisors, 3 student positions)
Funded through Student Service fees
3 career advisor positions and 1 career resource position are funded through
the MELS fund
Some stats (2006-2007)
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Posted 7000+ jobs last year
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Serviced 30,700 Students (all faculties)
– Undergraduate advising appointments: 2008
– Graduate advising appointments: 868
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17 events targeted to specific Arts departments
Arts advising team
UNDERGRADS
• Anie-Claude Lamarche
• Département de langues
et littératures françaises
and Arts (Social Sciences)
• Catherine Stace
• Math & Stats, Linguistics,
Geography, Arts (Social
Sciences)
• Cindy Mancuso
• Arts (Humanities),
Language & Literature,
Psychology
GRAD STUDENTS (Master,
PhD, and Post Docs)
• Susan Molnar
• Lorna MacEachern
What we’ve learned about Art Students
including their needs and concerns
• No direct career path
• Have many career myths
• Often feel lost and unprepared
for the world of work
• Difficulty identifying their
marketable skills
• Difficulty translating their
interests and skills into career
options
• Little knowledge of career
possibilities and industries
• Tend to undervalue their
education
• See Graduate studies as the
only way to get a “good job”
• Tend to enjoy their program of
choice
• Often have interesting
experiences beyond school
(therefore have a well rounded
profile)
• Often engaged in extracurricular activities and
volunteering
• Tend to be flexible
• Work well with feedback
CAPS Services for Undergrads
Individual advising
CV drop-in 5 days a week
Programs
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PACE (in partnership with counselling service)
Job Search Club
Mentor Program (in partnership with alumni association)
Workshops
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50+ general workshops a year (e.g.: CV writing, interview skills,
cold calling,…)
Targeted workshops for specific departments (e.g.: “What can I do
with my English Degree?”)
CAPS Services for Undergrads
Events
• Career Week (November): Panel discussions and specialized
workshops
• Career Month - Backpack to Briefcase (in partnership with Alumni
association) Company Information Sessions, specialized and
targeted workshops and panel discussions (work with student
associations)
Career Fairs:
• Non-Profit & Public Service Fair, Social Work, Management
Job Postings
Capscoop
Services for Graduate Students
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Individual advising
Monthly newsletter
Graduate career week
Workshops (general and targeted)
“Artist Among Us” event (Redpath Museum – March
14th)
PhD support group (in partnership with counselling
services)
PACE for Grads (in partnership with counselling
services)
CV drop-in twice a week
Faculty recruitment campaign (simulation hiring
committee)
The challenges we face
and how you can help
Challenges:
• Being known by students,
faculty and staff
• Making connections with
individual departments
• Reaching students early
on in their career at
McGill
• Attaining a level of
commitment from
students (e.g. numbers
attending workshops and
panels)
How you can help:
• Become a career partner
• Encourage your student
association to contact us
– Assign a departmental
contact person
• Ensure that your
departmental advisor
knows of CAPS
• Promote CAPS to any
organization in which you
are involved
• Give us feedback and
suggestions
Thank you
&
Happy Holidays