Prepping your professional profile for the real world
Graduation is before us, so what is
the best way to take your first step into the professional world? On top of all
the skills you’ve acquired at George Brown College there are plenty of quick
and easy ways to improve your professional profile. Having a thorough
professional profile adds credibility and reference to your background in any
industry, and is considered commonplace in today’s business world. First bit of
free advice is do not get overwhelmed, always spend your time prioritizing and
working on your time management, this is a skill that employers are considering
mandatory. Without further delay here are the top five first steps to
professionalism as a graduate of George Brown.
1.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a great starting point. LinkedIn
is a free, professional network site that allows you to create a professional
profile including your skills, experiences, and interests. It’s helpful to you
because it allows you to present your professional profile to future employers,
and it allows you to present extra information that might not be included on a
resume. The most valuable benefit from
LinkedIn is the ability to stay in touch and keep these contacts as you expand
your professional network
2.
Career counselor: Have you been to George
Brown’s career center yet? An amazing resource for students enrolled at George
Brown College looking for work in their industry. From resume, cover letter,
and interview skill development to networking events, career workshops, and job
fairs the Career Center has your back. Best of all it’s free and fairly easy to
make an appointment. After making an appointment you will see a career counselor
and start building your professional profile together.
3.
Wardrobe upgrade: A very obvious, but very
beneficial attribute to your professional profile is the way you present
yourself around your co-workers and superiors. Often scouting by executives is
done within six months of being hired at a work place, so dress well and keep
well dressed in a professional environment. Zara, H&M, Club Monaco, and J.
Crew all carry separate and full suit options. Chances are it will improve your
productivity too, those who dress well feel well.
4.
Industry events: Get yourself out there! Try to
make a habit of regularly attending trade shows or fashion shows, and showing
face. These networking opportunities are valuable to a young professional to
develop connections within their industry. The Fashion Incubator has a very
detailed list of all fashion trade shows within Canada that are open to the
public.
5.
Improving yourself: The top four qualities
demanded in 2014 by employers are: the ability to work in a team, decision
making and problem solving, planning, organizing and prioritizing work, and the
ability to communicate with people in and outside work. These aren’t things you
learn in school, they are core skills demanded by the employer. If you do not
possess these skills start to work on them now, all it takes is some conscious self-improvement.
