Hello,

I just saw your most recent addition to your main CS
page, and I thought I'd share some advice/info.

I think one good piece of advice, which wasn't quite
emphasized during the PEY seminars, is to try to make
the resumes you submit look original (or stand out.)

I can't speak for all employers, but I was told by my
employer that my resume jumped out because of all of
the work I did outside of University. I think a lot of
employers like to see students take initiative and
actually try to apply what they're learning outside
the context of University. When a company gets 200
resumes which all say "I worked on this project in
course ABC and I worked on this project in course
XYZ," they'll tend not to pay attention to those
qualifications. If they suddenly get a resume that
says, "I used experience gained in course XYZ to work
on this project on the side", or something along those
lines, then they'll notice that.

You don't necessarily have to work for a
computer-related company to gain experience. Try
talking to people you know who work at various
companies, and try to offer your services to them.

In my particular case, I noticed problems with various
internal processes at an old job site I worked at. The
second summer I returned I submitted a proposal
outlining various problems I've seen and what I could
do to fix them. The third summer there they accepted
my proposal, and allowed me to start working on a
large computer project to automate some internal
tasks.

You can't always expect jobs to fall in your lap; you
need to go out and look for them. If you can show a
company that you can take initiative outside of work
and university, they'll know you will take initiative
inside of work, and will thus make you more valuable
as an employee.

Also, like you've told us many times before, always
place emphasis on your ability to learn. During the
interviews is a great time to exercise this. If you're
asked if you know C#, for example, you can state that
you don't know the language, but always explain that
you can easily learn it. To back this up, provide
proof. For example, explain how in CSC324 you were
required to learn logical and functional programming
paradigms along with three new languages in order to
complete your assignments. Or explain how in CSC309
you learned Client/Server architectures w/Java,
JavaScript, PHP/Perl/CGI, Java Servlets, etc.. in
order to complete web based projects.

Always explain what you've done, where you've done it,
and what you can do.

Don't get all depressed if you didn't get any
interviews during the first round. Use the first round
as a learning experience and adjust your approach for
the second round (e.g. modify your resume, etc..)

Don't put resume and cover letter writing off to the
last minute. Spend a good deal of time making sure
they accurately reflect your abilities and past
experience.

Also don't assume that you won't get a job if your GPA
isn't over 3.0. I know many people who had a low GPA
who still got positions. As long as you're confident
in your abilities, you'll do fine.

If you do get a job, and it's not exactly what you're
looking for, try to stick with it. Take the
opportunity to learn new things that can help you get
that special job later on. Use the time to network
with people; make yourself known.

Good luck to all of the UTM PEY applicants. Perhaps
I'll see one of you at my workplace in the summer!

-- Cameron