Our housing section sure has taken off since it’s launch in September.  There are now several times more housing listings than ever before.  Coming this spring, don’t worry about hunting all over the place for somewhere to live.. come check out our Student Housing listings - you are almost certain to find something near your university or college.

We are also planning on sending out a newsletter to our students, employers, and landlords in the spring to detail some of the changes we’ve made.  Some potential for features in the future include job suggestions based on user activity.  Basically, interest categories will be assigned to specific users based on website activity.  Then, when they are logged in to their user account, suggestions will appear to highlight jobs they may be interested in.  We think this will improve the interface and ultimately assist users in finding what they are looking for.

Another idea is to add “Landlord pages” similar to how we currently have “Employer pages”.  These will essentially be pages dedicated to companies or individuals who post multiple housing listings with their contact information and active listings.  These pages serve as a basic online marketing presence for these companies or individuals and help represent their listings.

Studentopolis.ca has launched a new section on the website for student housing. Browsing the listings is similar to the familiar, existing interface.  Listings include property description, rent, rental size, and all applicable features.  Of course, all listings are search-able by location and by keywords in the same way jobs are now search-able.

Landlords can now post student housing listings in the housing section of Studentopolis.ca, giving them high exposure to a pre-existing and highly used student website.

We hope this new section proves to be as successful and useful to our users as the original jobs section is.  Studentopolis.ca is entirely student-run and our goal is to help other students.

Studentopolis.ca is constantly adding new features to our website to make it easier for students to find services they need. We recently added an advanced search function which makes it easier to narrow down job listings in your area.

Planned for the future, we are currently working on a housing section of our website where landlords can post housing listings.  We hope to be able to provide a “one stop” place in the future to make student life easier.

Studentopolis’ Matt Scriven, was on CBC Radio Ottawa in August for an interview.  Click below for clip:

http://studentopolis.ca/promote/cbc-ottawa.mp3

This file should open in your default media player.  If you have trouble opening this file, try downloading Apple Quicktime.

By Lauren La Rose (CP) – August 16, 2009

TORONTO — With summer jobs in short supply, many university and college students now face the prospect of trying to get through the school year on less money or looking for other sources of cash.

So it may not be surprising that along with the spike in the jobless rate, there’s been a corresponding rise in traffic to websites offering information on scholarships and bursaries.

At Studentawards.com, a free scholarship search service, the cumulative increase in registration was 15 per cent in July compared to last year, said Suzanne Tyson, president of Studentawards Inc., the company behind the website.

Parents’ RRSPs and the education savings plans they set up for their children have probably taken a hit amid the economic turmoil of the last year, she noted.

“(Parents) may be losing their jobs and their children aren’t finding jobs, it is leading us to believe that this fall will be difficult financially for a number of students,” she said.

The student unemployment rate was 20.9 per cent in July, according to Statistics Canada.

Matt Scriven is one of the lucky ones.

The 19-year-old was able to find work this summer, but says one of his friends in Vancouver handed out between 30 and 40 resumes and received one or two calls - and didn’t get a job. Another friend in Ottawa handed out 20 or 30 resumes, and got a job that gave him five to 10 hours a week - not really enough to help with his expenses in the coming school year, he said.

Scriven found his own eventual job as web designer for the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association through a listing at Studentopolis.ca - the student jobs website he founded.

The Carleton University student started developing his website after speaking with a friend who said he wasn’t able to find an easy source to access student job listings online.

“A lot of adult workers were laid off their other jobs and now people will do pretty much any job to try and supplement their income because they’ve got families and such, so a lot of students are displaced from positions that they would otherwise have,” Scriven said from Ottawa.

Bursaries and scholarships could potentially help to ease the blow to their bank balances.

Chris Wilkins, president and CEO of EDge Interactive, the company behind ScholarshipsCanada.com, said there has been a 10 per cent increase in web traffic to the site. Registrations and page views are also up.

Both Tyson and Wilkins said there hasn’t been any sign of decreases in the number of financial awards being posted.

In fact, Wilkins said the company has been working with a few individuals new to the scholarship business who have money available and want to help specific groups of students pursuing business-related programs.

“The great thing about scholarships is that it’s full of niche awards,” he said. “There are a lot of high-profile awards, but there are many more niche awards, and those niche awards sometimes can make a big difference, especially if you get two or three of them.”

Tyson said despite the existing awards available, there could always be more funds and there are gaps in the marketplace.

“Now that mature students are going back to school because they’ve lost their jobs, there are fewer scholarships available for them than for students that are coming straight out of high school going to university.”

Post-secondary institutions are also taking extra measures to help ensure cash-strapped students aren’t left high and dry.

The number of students applying for entrance need-based awards to Dalhousie University increased by 62 per cent, said Pamela Swinimer, assistant registrar, financial aid at the Halifax university.

Swinimer said the school’s president has said he will make up any kind of shortfall in their endowment for scholarships and bursaries.

“We have been told that we will be able to spend as we have in our past year.”

There is also an in-course bursary program that will begin in September where Swinimer said she is expecting to see what the real effect of lack of summer employment or parental assistance will be on student finances.

“I certainly have chatted with a few students who have run into those situations, and we’ll have to look at that individually and try and do what we can to come alongside and assist.”

Ryerson University in Toronto made the decision to allocate $800,000 in its 2009-10 budget to ensure money for students on bursaries would continue to flow. Ryerson president Sheldon Levy said a proposal is being taken to the school’s board to further increase bursaries by $500,000.

The university has also received a $1-million gift from The Birchall Family Foundation specifically to establish student bursaries.

The bursaries, designated for 75 first-year students this September, include 50 valued at $2,500 each, 25 at $5,000, and will be renewable for four years.

“My bet is that every university and college that’s out there is trying to do their best for their students,” said Levy.

On The Net:

ScholarshipsCanada.com : www.scholarshipsCanada.com
Studentawards.com www.studentawards.com
Studentopolis : www.studentopolis.ca

Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Ya, ok, so you played in a soccer league when you were twelve years old.  And you were in piano lessons until you were ten.  Unfortunately, these sorts of life details don’t really contribute much to the resume.  What your future employer is looking for is the more relevant details: specifically, the kinds of things that are going to distinguish you from the average Joe/Jill.  That is, things which make you stand out in the crowd.

1.  Volunteer Work.

Have you spent the last three years working in a Soup Kitchen serving the homeless?  Do you spend your weekend afternoons playing music for seniors in a retirement home?  Do you participate in the annual cancer run for the cure each year?  Volunteer work plays a crucial role in shaping what type of person your potential employer will view you as: if you have lot sof relevant volunteer experience, then you demonstrate a commitment to contributing to a better community for those around you without any monetary gain involved.  This is especially important, considering an employer will always look to avoid hiring those that seem interested only in “collecting a paycheck.”  So all those little detailed volunteering activities you’ve done over the years, put them in!  They’re valuable!

2.  Employment Experience.

If you’ve worked in restaurants before, and you’re applying for a job working with food, (in any capacity) put your previous restaurant experience in your resume!  Regardless of in what capacity you worked with food, your potential employer will be interested in all of the transferrable skills that you may be able to bring to this new job: you will understand what it means to work in a fast-paced environment, what it is like to work alongside others in close quarters under stressful situations, and what it is like to experience unsatisfied customers on a routine basis and how to deal with this.  Kitchens, or food-oriented customer service jobs can be some of the most stressful environments out there — if you’ve worked in one before, your employer will certainly know the value in this kind of job experience.  The same kind of thing goes for a job in retail work.  Serving the public, in these capacities, is no easy feat — and don’t worry, you’re employer knows this!

3.  Special Skills.

Can you speak another language?  Do you play an instrument?  Do you have experience working with seniors?  These kind of details are especially crucial, and, if you so desire, can be bolded in your resume.  Your employer will want to know if you speak another language, or if you play an instrument, etc, more so if it is relevant to the job you are applying for.  For instance, you are not going to stress your experience working in kitchens if you are applying to work in a retirement home.  Similarly, you are not going to emphasize your experience working with children if you are applying to work at a golf course.  If you’re experience with part-time jobs is limited, then of course you are limited in that you can only draw from the minimal job experience you have accumulated — in which case, you would want to stress the transferrable skills you gained from that job.  As any job carries with it a certain amount of transferrable skills.  For instance, most jobs require employees to be patient, hard-working and able to work in stressful conditions.  These kind of employee traits are generally needed in many job positions and companies.

4.  Training.

Have you been trained in WHIMS four times?  Did you receive special training in Health and Safety?  Have you obtained your First Aid and CPR, or your Safe Food Handling Level 1?  Depending on the job you are applying for, any relevant training you have gained over the years will be of interest to your employer undoubtedly.  It is worth including all relevant training you have received, as much of this training could potentially be needed in other job positions which you are not aware of.  Again, an individual who has received various types of employee training stands out in a crowd, as an individual that is more than just the average person off the street looking for a job.

-Written By Student Legacy.

(Original Article: http://studentlegacy.com/building-the-perfect-resume/)

For Immediate Release

TORONTO-August, 2009 –  As the dog days of summer are rapidly approaching, students continue to be challenged in trying to find employment in order to pay for their schooling, books and expenses that will soon arrive in September.

“This has been a dreadful year for employment no matter what age you are,” said Matt Scriven, founder of Studentopolis.ca.

Students are often the first to feel the impact of the employment crunch. As older workers search for “anything” to pay the bills, they are willing to take jobs that would normally be filled by students.

With over two million students looking for part time and summer employment, Matt decided he needed to do something to assist his fellow students while pursuing his post secondary education at Carleton University; he launched Studentopolis.ca mid April.

To date, with over 20,000 listings and 9,000 employers listed on the site, there is something for everyone across Canada. Therefore, if being a fish fillet chopper in Halifax, a cheese maker in Gatineau or a museum and art Gallery picture framer in Calgary interests you, then this is the site for you.

Students can post their resumes to the site for employers to view and they can give their feedback. Employers can post their jobs free and they can post co-op positions and volunteer opportunities. In Ontario, students must complete 40 hours of volunteer work before they are able to graduate.

Proudly, Studentopolis is a Canadian website addressing the needs of the Canadian students.

For more info: visit www.studentopolis.ca or www.solidit.ca

-30-

To arrange for an interview, please contact

Colleen Swider,
Direct:  (705) 358-2006
Email: cswider@bellnet.ca

Your potential employer is looking to get a sense for what kind of person you are — a holistic conceptualization of your strengths, weaknesses, personality quirks, and unique habits and skills.  The best way for them to do this is to meet you, ask you questions about how you perceive yourself, how you will react in certain situations, good or bad, and whether or not you have the qualities/attitude/mind-set to excel in the job capacity that they need you to.

Here are some of the most common questions you will come across in an interview, and how to respond to them:

“What are your personal strengths?  Weaknesses?“

Many employers like to pose these questions back-to-back for a reason.  Basically, they want you to be able to explain what you’re good at, and what you struggle with.  They are looking for you to highlight important work-skills that do not sound too cliche — which means you can talk about anything from being a hard-worker, taking initiative in a job setting, being a self-starter, working well alongside others, completing jobs to the best of your ability, or being able to lead others/work with others to get through stressful job environments.  In your weaknesses, you need to reveal something about yourself that you consider a weakness, BUT also something that you clearly intend to work on.  Your employer wants to see that you are a perpetually developing individual — which is to say, you are always striving to be better, to do better, and to improve yourself.  These are qualities a potential employee that will continue to grow and flourish in a virtually unchanging environment.  Do not reveal weaknesses that may be conceived as qualities that will hinder your ability to get the job done — an appropriate weakness would be something like “I see myself as an individual that often takes on too many jobs or too many tasks,” or “I have trouble saying no to more work” or even “I am quite self-critical of the tasks I complete” these are all weaknesses which will reveal your supposed constant need to want to improve on what qualities you already have, what knowledge you have already obtained, or what skills you have not quite mastered yet.

“Why do you want to work for [insert company name here]?”

Here your interviewer is looking for an answer that will set yourself apart from all those other people he/she interviews.  You want to answer the question by first drawing on some of the company’s strengths, reasons why you would both want to work there, and why you choose to deal with this company on a regular basis.  If it is a hotel/restaurant/fast food joint, you may want to comment on the excellent customer service that you have observed regularly when frequenting the establishment in question.  You may want to remark that you continue to eat or stay in this particular establishment because you find the prices to be quite fair, and the staff to be overly friendly and inviting.  You want to know why everyone is always so happy there, and believe that it must be a good place to work if there is such positive attitudes from the staff working for the company in question.

“What skills/qualities/attributes do you feel you can bring to the job?”

Here, you are going to explain why exactly you should be picked for the job and not the guy next to you — the interviewer will be looking for you to comment on past experiences, volunteer posts, or even relevant education that will make you a suitable candidate for the job.  Maybe you are trying to work as a Lifeguard, and you have three years volunteering a day-care or a children’s camp.  This sort of volunteer experience would be something you could highlight when answering the question.  Perhaps you could draw on a particular crisis scenario in which you had to act quickly to respond to a problem: you could relate it to a situation that may arise at the establishment you are applying for right now.  Relating your experience from the past, to one that could happen in the present, shows that you are aware of transferrable skills that you can take from one job to the next.

Scenarios, Scenarios, Scenarios!

Your employer will be apt to ask you a bunch of questions which are famously called “scenario questions.”  In these questions, your interviewer will describe a potential situation that could arise, most likely a crisis situation, and what you would do to handle it.  Here, your employer is trying to get a sense of your problem-solving skills and your ability to act quickly while under pressure.  You want to emphasize that regardless of the situation, you would do everything in your power to appease the customer, you would be quick to call/consult your supervisor or manager if you were unsure, and you remain and controlled because the last thing to do in a stressful situation is to freak it — it can only make things worse!  Understanding and conveying to your interviewer that stressful situations will arise in any job setting and are impossible to avoid is a good thing to do — knowing that you are prepared for the worst and hoping for the best is something your interviewer will be happy to know!

-Written By Student Legacy.

(Original Article: http://studentlegacy.com/common-interview-questions/)

It’s simple.  It’s easy:  It helps other job seekers

Rating employers on Studentopolis is now very easy.  Simply click on a 5-star rating on either a listing or their employer page to assign your vote.

Why rate employers?

We hope to create a website which is useful to students when searching for a job.  By publishing your job experience with specific employers (anonymously), you are giving future students something to use when considering where they would like to apply for a job.