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The following sections will provide an overviewĚýof some strategies and tools required for a successful job search. We are only touching the tip of the iceberg here, make sure to complement this information with workshops, other online resources and personalized career advice. Additional resources and links are available in the Useful Links and Forms section of the Software Engineering Co-op webpages.
Involvement
Don’t limit your learning to the classroom! There are many student clubs, design teams, committees and groups that you can get involved in. These activities allow you explore your interests, apply your theoretical knowledge, compete, or donate your time to a good cause all while meeting people and honing you technical and interpersonal skills.
Employers value the learning and the skills you develop outside the classroom. The valuable experiences you gain via involvement opportunities can be added to your CV.
Involvement in the Faculty of Engineering:
The is a great place to learn about all EUS groups.
Involvement around McGill:
Check out the Student Life section on the page.
Networking
Networking is an important part of any job search. It is the process of establishing contacts for the purpose of gathering information, communicating your career goals, seeking advice, and obtaining leads on jobs. Networking allows you access to opportunities you might not be able to find on your own or to access opportunities advertised outside of the university.
While it is easy to understand that networking is an important part of the job search, it might not be so obvious how to start, who to speak to or even what to say. Let’s review a few key points to help you get started. The Engineering Career Centre, McGill CaPS and many student clubs offer networking opportunities and workshops.
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Reframing the idea of networking
- Networking is not just for extroverts, it is about information gathering.
- Networking often begins with a single point of common ground (same school, similar career path, common hobbies or interests).
- Networking is an exchange of information and ideas among people with a common profession or special interest.
- Networking is not only about asking for a job. It is about learning and being curious.
- Networking can give you more control over your career, help you make use of the “side door approach” and give you access to the “hidden job market”.
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Tips & Tricks
Be prepared. Think about who you’ll be networking with and gather some information about their place of work or think about what questions you’d like to ask. Write out your elevator pitch and think about some questions you can ask and topics for conversation starters.
Find the right people who can help by referring you, putting you in contact with interested parties/hiring managers, or by guiding your search.
Organize contact information after networking events and request to connect on LinkedIn.
Always follow through on your offers and promises to connect & help.
Be sincere, focus on asking genuine questions and creating lasting relationships.
Send a timely, sincere thank you message after the event!
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Where can I network?
- Attend events (virtual and in person).
- Student panels, thesis defenses
- Professor talks
- Student society events
- Community events
- Coffee chats, employer info-sessions
- Conferences, speaker series
- Career fairs & alumni events
CVs
A CV (sometimes also called resume) provides a potential employer with a quick summary/overview of your experience, background and skills to help them decide if you are a good candidate to invite for an interview. CVs are also often required as part of graduate/professional school applications or grant and funding applications.
It is highly recommended that you attend a CV writing workshop at the Engineering Career Centre and meet with an advisor to have your draft reviewed. See below for some guidelines, tips and resources to help you get started.
General Guidelines
- The goal is not to force your content into a particular template, but rather to find a format and style that highlights your experience and strengths. The order and emphasis of your sections should also reflect the level of priority of your reader.
- Put yourself in the shoes of your reader. Can they easily find the information they are looking for? Is it clear why you would be a good fit for the job?
- Use concrete examples when describing your experience. What did you do/accomplish?
- Your CV needs to be consistent and clear in terms of its style and format, professional in its content and overall presentation, and as much as possible, specifically targeted to the position / company / field you are applying to.
- Length: In Canada, outside of academia, your CV can be up to two pages. Many employers hiring Software Engineering students tend to prefer the one-page format. Ask a career advisor if you are unsure about norms or what content to keep or remove from your CV.
Skill Statement Samples
Skill Statement Samples
By describing your experiences using the Skill Statement principle, each bullet point in your CV will be relevant and strong. The easy to stick-to formula below will help you describe your experiences effectively.
Action + Details + Outcome = Strong Skill Statement
Modeled and simulated (action) Northern Alberta’s gas distribution systems (details) to manage short- and long-term growth requirements (outcome).
Developed (action) effective time management skills (details) by balancing a 20 – 25-hour work week with full time university studies (outcome).
Successfully executed (action) the sub-team’s code (details) that lead to a 2nd place finish overall in the University Robot Challenge out of 20 participating teams (outcome).
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Cover Letters
A well written cover letter gives you a chance to present and sell yourself using a different writing format. The cover letter helps you make direct links between the skills and projects listed on you CV and the requirements of the job. You can highlight your strongest and most relevant experiences and even provide more details about a particular project. Writing customised cover letters can be time consuming but the writing process becomes easier with time and practice. See below for some helpful tips and tricks to help you get started. You can attend cover letter writing workshops at McGill and even meet an advisor to get some feedback.
General guidelines
- Read the job posting carefully
Identify the relevant skills listed in the job posting so you can tailor the content for a specific employer. What areas of expertise are being called for? What kinds of hard and soft skills are they looking for? What kinds of accomplishments are they looking for? What kind of problem solving is expected?
- Review your CV and begin drafting ideas for the letter
Once you clearly understand the job description you can begin to brainstorm which experiences you would like to focus on in the letter. What experiences do you have that best fit the job posting? Is there a particular (engineering/team work) challenge that I overcame that I am proud about?
- Open strong
Start your letter with a strong opening sentence, think about why this job is exciting to you and why you’re right for it. For example, you could write “I’m a Software Engineering Co-op student hooked on hackathons and possess strong programming skills in Java. I would love to bring my enthusiasm and growing knowledge to your team.”
- Emphasize your personal value and what you can do for the company
Employers are looking for people who can solve their problems. Show that you know the company and understand the position. Talk about how your unique experiences have prepared you to help this company meet its needs. Have you solved similar problems in past projects or work experiences?
- Don’t copy/paste your CV
Us the cover letter to describe additional details that are not on your CV. IF you want to highlight some of your communication skills you could say: “By resolving invoice disputes in my part-time job, I gained a deep analytical knowledge—but more importantly, I learned how to interact calmly and diplomatically with angry customers.” The cover letter allows you to use full sentences and to tell a story.
- Try using this four-paragraph format
Paragraph 1: Answer the four Ws in the introduction paragraph. Who are you (highlight relevant skills/background)? Why do you want to work for this organization? Provide a catchy reason why you want to work for this company (think values/ ethics etc.) What position are you applying for? Where did you find out about the job (include personal contact, if relevant)?
Paragraph 2: Hard Skills & relevant industry experience – Identify top 2-3 hard skills required and/or industry experience. Then provide examples of how you made an impact using these skills.
Paragraph 3: Soft Skills - Identify top 2-3 soft skills required & provide examples of how you made an impact using these skills.
Paragraph 4: Summarize why they should hire you. Highlight your interest in company. Indicate what documents you are submitting. End with a formal thank you.
- Review your cover letter
Sometimes we work so hard on our cover letters that we can’t see what we’re writing anymore. Ask a career advisor or a trusted friend or colleague to give you honest feedback.
- How well does the cover letter respond to the job posting?
- What kinds of examples are you providing? Are they relevant?
- Are you demonstrating that you are a good fit for this organization?
- How could this cover letter be improved?
Preparing for Interviews
Practice makes perfect the interview process smoother. You may only have a few short days to prepare between the time you receive the invitation and the date of the interview. Depending on the position or company you are applying to, you may need to prepare for a behavioural and a technical interview. The Engineering Career Centre offers workshops on interview preparation as well as one-on-one appointments where you can have a mock interview. The Software Co-op Advisor also hosts a technical interview prep workshop to review how to get organized and tackle this specific type of interview.
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General guidelines
- Recognize and review your skills and experiences
Take some time to review each experience and activity on your CV. What are you most proud of? Was there something particularly challenging? What did you learn from this experience? Can you walk us through the technical aspects clearly? How would you speak about a technical assignment to someone with little/lots of technical experience? Feeling comfortable about your skills and experiences is key to being able to formulate great answers during the interview.
- Research the company
Research the employer to gain a deeper understanding of the company’s culture, values and mission. This research will help you formulate well thought out questions to ask. You may also be able to make connections between your values or goals with those of the company.
- Understand the job position
Review the job description again and make links to your experience. What skills are they looking for and what do you have that is relevant and transferable to the position? If you have questions about the role, reach out to a senior student who previously worked there or search for a McGill alumnus or current intern on LinkedIn and ask if they can answer your questions.
- Anticipate & formulate responses while staying relevant
You’ve reflected on your skills, researched the company and the role. Now you can practice responding clearly and concisely to typical questions. Try using the STAR method to answer the following questions:
- Describe a project that failed. What happened? How did you rebound?
- Describe a time where you demonstrated taking initiative in a manner that positively served your team or organization. What happened? What role did you play?
- Provide an example of how you resolved a conflict with you and another person when you disagreed with each other.
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STAR method
Situation – Provide a brief overview of the situation.
- What are your strategies? Looking at level of autonomy, judgement. Don’t be a know it all.
Task – Outline the specific task or responsibility you were asked to accomplish.
- You might get technical questions here. It’s ok to ask them to rephrase or clarify and to take a moment to collect your thoughts.
Action – Explain the action or activities you took and why.
Result – Describe the positive result or outcome of your actions.
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Practice, practice, practice
Practice answering questions out loud. Practice with a friend or an advisor and ask for feedback. With practice and time, it becomes easier to describe yourself and your experiences in an engaging manner.
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