Call today for an Admissions Specialist: 1.866.446.5898

Jobs

Career Guidance Program

We take an active interest in helping our students find jobs. A student’s success is our success, so we’ve made our Career Guidance Program the heart of our students’ job search.

Before you even begin as a student, your personal admissions representative will research the job market for your chosen career in your city, and help you decide if the program is the right path for your future.

As a member of our Alumni each student is also a lifelong member of our Centre for Distance Education family with unlimited access to the Career Guidance Program.

You will be required to schedule an online meeting via telephone with a Career Assistance officer for an exit interview and to have a resume on file with Career Guidance staff.
Job markets are constantly changing, and the Career Guidance Program gives you a competitive edge by staying on top of labour demands and industry trends.

With this program, you will have 30 days before graduation to prepare for employment - you might even have a job lined up right away!

NOTE: CD-ED does not guarantee job placement.

The Program

CD-ED has drawn upon its vast staff resource to build an original set of job hunting materials for our pre-graduating students.

The materials will be sent out to you the month before your graduation date. In addition to providing guidance for writing effective resumes and cover letters, the program gives valuable interview tips and provides an extensive library of job board sites and other career resources that give you an advantage in the marketplace.

We’ll help you prepare for interviews, write your resume, and find appropriate job postings for which to apply.

CD-ED staff will help alleviate any anxieties or fears you might have before setting foot into the new industry for which you’ve trained, and they’ll be able to help remove some of the frustrations you might encounter.

In addition, throughout your program your instructor is available to discuss employment strategies.

Here at CD-ED we want you to be equipped with all you need to succeed in the business world.

Simulations

You will be given the opportunity to participate in a simulated job interview.

This simulation will be conducted between the you and the CD-ED Career Guidance staff. It will allow you to become familiar and comfortable with:

  • choosing an appropriate job ad from a provided list
  • writing a resume
  • creating a custom cover letter
  • submitting an application, and
  • conducting a conference call telephone interview.

CD-ED staff will provide tips and feedback after the interview to help you improve your interviewing skills.

Creating Resumes

The Resumes section of your Career Guidance material is where you’ll find tips on preparing a resume that wins interviews. The purpose of the resume isn’t to get you a job – that’s what the interview is for. There is an art to creating a resume that will get you the interview, and tips in this section aim to help you do just that.

The Cover Letter

You will be given instruction on writing cover letters. A good cover letter will help ensure a recruiter or prospective employer will look at your resume. Our tips for what should go in the opening and closing paragraphs – and everything in between – can help you market yourself and your skills effectively.

Your Portfolio

Portfolio development is part of all visual arts programs and in addition to portfolio development modules and portfolio-ready evaluative projects all year, your instructor is equipped with industry knowledge to ensure your portfolio is relevant upon graduation.

We include guidance on how to create a portfolio that demonstrates the breadth of your talent and expertise. It will help you choose a format, organize your material, and showcase your best work.

The Interview

Your resume may get you in the door; but the interview is where you close the deal. The Interviews section is where you’ll find tips on how to conduct a successful interview. For example, did you know you can study for an interview much like you study for a test by preparing yourself for the questions an employer is likely to ask?

You’ll also find tips on arrival etiquette (yes, you can be too early), how to ask for the job and how to follow up afterward – whether you got the job or not – to show you’re a professional.

Where to Look

Our Career Guidance staff will help you search the job listings in your local area, or anywhere you’re willing to relocate. In addition you can browse the job listings yourself. The Job Listings section provides links to an extensive list of the best job boards on the Web - some are big, some are specialized - any one of them may have a posting for your dream job. Find the posting, find the job!

You can grow your job prospects by making sure your resume is posted on the right boards, so employers and recruiters know you’re available.

Employment Liaison

Our offices receive periodic job postings and inquiries from employers. In addition to posting the info on our job board, CD-ED staff will happily alert those specific students we feel are a good fit for each job posting, based on location and abilities. In addition, CD-ED instructors will grade their graduates based on the students’ work ethic, time management and quality of work, as well as organizational & computer skills and of course the students’ final academic standing.

We’ll go one step further for our top students by offering to write reference letters or phone potential employers on behalf of these students.

Resources

CD-ED has prepared an exhaustive list of resources to support your career development. These range from government resources such as the National Occupation Codes posted by Human Resources Development Canada and employment prospects listed in the HRDC’s labour market information, to industrial resources.

You could spend a lot of time hunting down all this information; CD-ED has done the work for you and conveniently gathered it all in one place. These resources can help you launch your job search with confidence by helping you identify the associations that can expand your network and increase the number of people who can recommend your expertise. They can also help you stay on top of new developments in your field, so you can discuss trends with prospective employers. These resources will be available from day one of your program.

One-on-One Guidance

Finally, any time you have questions regarding the employment or jobhunting process, you have unlimited free contact with your instructor or your Career Guidance Counselor at any time - throughout your program and beyond.