As a BIE student, you have opportunities to work closely with staff and volunteers of the VSE Career Centre on your professional and personal development throughout your BIE degree and for one year after graduation. We take a holistic coach approach in the way we deliver our services, which takes the whole person into account. Services are offered in the following formats:
- Book One-on-One Appointments: Starting in January of year one in the BIE program, set up one-on-one appointments with Nancy Clarke, Director of the VSE Career Centre to get support with your professional and personal career development inquiries, including but not limited to: self-discovery with access to assessments; building your branding tools for applications and interviews; job search strategies; networking and connecting with alumni, industry professionals, and potential employers; and negotiating the job offer; etc.
- Join Emotional Intelligence Group Coaching: With emotional intelligence in high demand in many workplaces, the VSE Career Centre Director Nancy Clarke, PPCC, offers a 10-week training program based on her training with Martyn Newman, PhD, author of Emotional Capitalist.
- Peer Coaching Program: Designed for first- and second-year BIE students who want to get a head start in their professional and personal development. For more information on start dates, expectations of participants, and how to register, please go to the Peer Coaching Program page.
Below you will find a curated list of some of the job search tools used by BIE students. Be sure to connect with us through the Peer Coaching Program or meet with the Director of the VSE Career Centre to discover more in-depth resources.
UBC CareersOnline
As a BIE Student, you have access to UBC CareersOnline, an online job board for UBC students and alumni. You can browse jobs on campus (perfect for working part-time while you complete your degree) in addition to finding jobs from a variety of different employers and industries, both local and national.
*Note: We encourage you to use Careers Online to connect to resources like GoinGlobal. This site offers Career Guides for a variety of regions as well as tools to aid your job search journey. To access this, you need to:
1. Log in to CareersOnline
2. Select "Resources" from the left navigation bar.
3. Scroll until you find the "Recommended Links" header on the page.
4. Click "GoinGlobal: City and Country Guidelines for Work." This will take you the GoinGlobal site.
5. Explore!
Glassdoor
Glassdoor allows you to view the salaries and past interview questions for various positions in many companies around the world in addition to searching for job ads and company reviews. You can sign up for a free account to get full access to the interview and salaries section for ten days. After that, you can share a company review or your own salary to get access for a further 12 months. Glassdoor is also a useful tool to search for jobs that may be a fit in a particular career path.
UBC Alma Matter Society (AMS)
UBC’s Alma Matter Society provides many part-time paid and volunteer opportunities that are great for gaining entry-level experience. You can find AMS jobs here, and some are also posted on CareersOnline.
External Job Search Tools
Below, you will find tools that BIE students use to help them in their job search:
Arts Co-op
Seeking work experience prior to graduation? The Arts Co-op program is a great opportunity to augment your academic coursework with practical workplace learning as well as guided career support to help you reach your professional goals.
Sauder Co-op
BIE Students are able to apply for Sauder Co-op after completing one work term in the Arts Co-op program. This unique opportunity allows you to access job postings from both Co-op programs as well as receive additional support in your job search process.
UBC Learning Commons
Are you looking for more support with some of your courses, like math or varying levels of economics? We encourage you to click the link above and/or visit the UBC Learning Commons, where you can receive tutoring, peer coaching, and academic advising.
Irving K. Barber
Do you need some quiet space for yourself, with opportunities to meet with a tutor if needed? The Irving K. Barber library may be the right space for you. Visit the website to see what kind of tutoring they offer.
UBC Extended Learning
Are you interested in advancing your skills or preparing for graduate school entry exams? UBC Extended Learning offers specialist workshops on a wide range of subjects (see: career-related workshops) and preparatory courses for the GMAT, GRE, and LSAT.
The VSE Career Centre Provides access to the following personal assessment tools:
- Career Cruising: This tool allows you to better understand your skills and interests by exploring a range of possible career options. This tool is available to all UBC students through the general Career Centre. It is a great tool to help you understand yourself, your skills, and your interests by exploring a range of possible career options.
- Career Leader College: This three-part assessment is designed specifically for undergraduate students and generates a thorough summary of your interests, motivators and skills while providing insights into careers and organizational cultures that best fit your characteristics. The three assessments take about 1.5 hours to complete and the reports you receive can guide you in finding a career you skills suite, or help you to build the relevant experiences needed for a career you are interested in.
- StrengthsFinder: This 30-minute online assessment helps students and professionals alike discover and investigate their innate strengths and top competencies. The assessment provides you with the Strengths Insight Report (a detailed analysis of your top five strengths) and the Personalized Action Guide (advice on how to implement your strengths to become successful).
- VIRTRO: This tool allows you to practice for interviews through a series of simulated interview and reviews sessions, and it allows you to receive valuable feedback from staff at the VSE Career Centre
- VMOCK: This tool assists with strengthening your resume and application material contents via a combination of advanced machine learning mechanisms as well as guided feedback from VSE Career Centre staff.
Please contact the Coordinator, Awele Juwe at awele.juwe@ubc.ca, for direction on how to take the StrengthFinders or Career Leader College assessments, and to book an appointment to analyze your results.
The Perspectives Program is a collection of self-directed online career courses that are being developed by the VSE Career Centre to support you with your professional and personal development. You will be encouraged to think critically, engage with curated resources, and build skills that will support you throughout your career, academic experience, and beyond.
Click here to learn more about the Perspectives Program and to enrol as a student.
The Work Learn Program supports and subsidizes a large number of meaningful work experiences at UBC. All Work Learn positions are applied to online through the CareersOnline platform and are posted for a very short period that will be announced on the Work Learn Program website before the Winter and Summer sessions.
Canada Summer Jobs Program
The Canada Summer Jobs Program provides public-sector, not-for-profit organizations, and small businesses with funding to create summer jobs for students between the ages of 15 and 30. Positions funded by the program are posted on CareersOnline and the Service Canada Job Bank. This work program is only available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP)
The FSWEP program offers students full-time and part-time summer job opportunities in federal public service. Students interested in going into a career in government are highly encouraged to apply to a FSWEP job. When applications are reviewed, preference is given to Canadian citizens, although non-Canadians can still apply.