Get Hired Conference

What is Get Hired?

Get Hired is an interactive, award-winning annual conference offered by the Academic Advising & Career Centre (AA&CC) designed to equip upcoming and new UofT graduates with the necessary strategies, tools, skills and confidence to find and keep work. This three-day conference will be held VIRTUALLY from April 27-29, 2021. All sessions will be facilitated online, including keynote speakers, interactive workshops, concurrent sessions and demo interviews with our employer partners.

New this year we are including three virtual networking events: One with U of T Alumni and two events with our Employer and Recruiter partners. These events will be able to give you a chance to hear successful career stories, get advice on your job search from the professionals and know what you’ll need to be successful “out there”. On the first day we will orient students/grads to relationship-building strategies, and then you’ll have the chance to practice them with warm audiences! The employer representatives may not be hiring at that time, the goal is to create opportunities for students/grads to learn about hiring practices in a range of organizations, and who knows? – sometimes when you make a positive human connection, it smooths the path to an employment opportunity in the future!

Who Can Participate?

Students in Year 3 or 4+ of their degree (i.e., around 14+ credits completed), as well as new and recent UofT graduates (undergraduate or graduate) up to 2 years after graduation, should attend. Preference will be given to students in their graduating year and new grads. Although this is a UTSC initiative, we are pleased to offer limited spaces for UTM and St. George students.

What Does It Cost?

A conference like this through a private company would likely cost $500 or more - and you can attend free of charge thanks to TD Insurance, MBNA and the AA&CC!

How Do I Register?

Registration is now closed. All registered students will be sent detailed logistical instructions, materials and final details by email before the conference (note this will be sent to your utoronto email address). If you require accommodation, please email aaccevents.utsc@utoronto.ca and we will work with you to make appropriate arrangements. Live captioning will be available to all participants during the conference.

Conference Agenda

Tuesday, April 27 – Day 1: Get to Know Yourself

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Welcome & Opening Remarks

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Keynote Presentation: Driving Career Evolution Through Constant Adaptation

Alka DuMont, a UTSC alumna, will share her career story, which includes a few "speed bumps" along the road which led her to her role as a marketing executive at EA Games. She will reflect on being a woman, and a non-gamer, in the male-dominated video game industry.

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Discovering Your True Self

Do you wonder what you can do with your degree? Discovering your career options begins with learning about yourself. Join this interactive session to explore your true self through fun career assessments, art-based exercises and career stories. Identify characteristics that will help you develop your own personal brand.

2:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Job Search Essentials

Whether you don't know where to start when it comes to job searching or you are a seasoned job seeker, this session will cover different job search strategies and inspire you to add something new to your job search toolkit.

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Alumni Speed Networking Event

Warm up your networking skills and connect with a friendly and diverse audience of alumni from various industries, who are here to offer advice based on their experiences in the world of work. Please register for the full list of participating alumni.

Wednesday, April 28 – Day 2: Tools for Getting Hired

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Keynote Presentation: Learn to Love Networking

Dr. Tiziana Casciaro, a professor at U of T's Rotman School of Management and expert on organizational leadership, will discuss the school-to-work transition and how new employees (like you!) can adapt effectively in your new roles and workplaces.

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM | Resumes That Stand Out From The Crowd

Resume reviews, by far the most requested service at the Career Centre, and over 90% of them that we work with need some form of major revision. When it comes to submitting your resume with the other dozens or even hundreds of other applicants, how do you get yours to be the one that gets noticed? In this workshop we will not only look at how to put a resume successfully together, but also breakdown and understand the jobs you are applying to and how to match yourself to what the employers are actually looking for.

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Concurrent Breakout Sessions

• Session 1 – Cover Letters That Actually Get Read 

Do you know that only 30-50% of cover letters actually get read? Do you still need to include one? Are they still relevant? The answer is yes and in this session we will look at not only how to successfully put a Cover Letter together, but how to create one that shares your voice in such a way that employers will not only read it, but remember it.

• Session 2 – Future Proof Yourself with Skills Employers Need

Disruptive technologies have transformed the world of work drastically. Employers are adopting new technologies and seeking people with skills to help them take on new challenges. We need to be ready for this unpredictable and rapidly changing work environment by adopting new skill-sets as quickly as possible. In this session, we will examine skills in demand and explore options to get them as part of your ongoing career development. It may be easier and less expensive than you think to gain those skills!

• Session 3 – Networking for Life

Building on this TED Talk by Taiye Selasi and the idea that where we have rituals and relationships is key to our identities, we will talk about practical strategies for managing your relationships for life, including developing rituals related to sharing your worklife with your network, and strategies for maintaining mutually-rewarding relationships across time.

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Employer Networking Event, Wednesday Edition

Now these conversations matter! Meet with recruiters and hiring managers from companies who seek to hire U of T grads. Please register for the full list of attending employers.

Thursday, April 29 – Day 3: Get Connected

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Keynote Presentation: Early Talent Recruitment at TD - Optimizing Your Brand

The Early Talent team from TD will deliver a presentation focusing on:

• Challenging attendees to optimize their brand (Resume & LinkedIn profile)
• Expanding their network
• Pre/Post interview tips
• TD recruitment timelines
• Overview of what a 2 year associate journey looks like
• Q/A

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Concurrent Breakout Sessions

• Session 1 – How to Maximize Your LinkedIn

In the age of social distancing, it is tough to build up a professional network. In this session, we will explore strategies about where and with whom you can network, and how to create and maintain lasting, mutually helpful connections through LinkedIn! We will have a HR professional joining us as a guest speaker and share their stories on how employers are using LinkedIn for their hiring process as well as how to find and reach out to the right professionals using LinkedIn as a job seeker.

• Session 2 – Professionalism in the Workplace (remote and in-person)

Getting used to being a student for too long? Wondering about how to act professionally in the workplace? Join this session to unpack professionalism and learn different ways to demonstrate yourself professionally in both virtual and in-person environments.

• Session 3 – To Grad [School] or Not to Grad [School]?

What do I need to get into grad school? Do I need a master’s degree in order to get a (good) job? What if I don’t have the grades to get into a master’s degree? If these are the questions on your mind, attend this session to learn more about how further education can impact your career options and the different options you have in furthering your education. Bring your questions for Q&A!

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Interviewing Strategies from the Pros (Demo Interview and Practice)

One of the best ways to improve at any interpersonal skill is to observe strong performances. In this demo interview session, you will put yourself in the role of hiring manager and observe a candidate interviewing for a job.

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Employer Networking Event, Thursday Edition

Now these conversations matter! Meet with recruiters and hiring managers from companies who seek to hire U of T grads. Please register for the full list of attending employers.

Optional Post-Conference Session – Friday, April 30

9:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Post-Graduation Work Permit & Path to PR (Information Session for International Students)

If you are completing your program soon, interested in working in Canada for up to 3 years and applying for permanent residency, please join us for this information session to learn about the post-graduation work permit and the fastest paths to achieving permanent residency in Canada. The presentation will cover:

• Post-graduation work permit application tips
• PR application categories and Express Entry
• Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Worker
• PR requirements and selection criteria
• Qualifying work experience and National Occupation Classification (NOC)
• Introduction to Ontario Provincial Nominee Program

Proudly sponsored by U of T affinity program partners MBNA Canada and TD Insurance:

Questions about Get Hired? Please email us at career.utsc@utoronto.ca