My Experience as a Career Peer - More Than Just Resumes

"I had no set goals at first, but this experience allowed me to find my own interests, strengths and weaknesses while helping others search for theirs.” - Givan Ho

“Being an SFU Peer Educator is a great opportunity to help fellow students, network with the SFU professional community, and most of all to be engaged in the university life” – Sherry Yu

“Skills that I learned through this experience will go a long way. Some of them from my long list include: technical skills on how to improve a resume, how to deconstruct a job posting, how to prepare for an interview, prioritizing engagements and active listening.” – Cecilia Embuido

“My role as a Peer Educator has enhanced the quality of my university experience, enabling me to give to the university community as much as I have received.” – Eric Kang

I was really amazed to see the level of enthusiasm that was portrayed through the career peers. After reading their testimonials, I could make a whole list of advantages in being a Career Peer. But if I had to say it in a sentence, it will be learning to be a well-rounded leader. Enjoy reading what an actual Career Peer had to say about being involved, the skills they have developed, and how the experience  helped them to prepare for the life after university. - Grace Lee, Special Projects Assistant, SFU Career Services

I have been a Peer Educator for the past few years and I can only say great things about the program. It has played an integral role in my own personal and professional development. Not only was I able to expand my skills beyond the classroom while volunteering my time, I could also meet inspiring people and mentors and feel like I really belong in the SFU community. Further, my self-image has improved; whenever I fall into an undesirable habit or behavior that I advise otherwise as a Peer Educator, the ensuing cognitive dissonance would eventually serve to propel me out of it.

Before I had joined Peer Education, I was volunteering with the SFPIRG, Food Bank, SFU International, local museum and hospital. However, my experience as a Peer Educator has been among the most meaningful. I was impressed with the level of dedication, engagement and professionalism shown by staff and fellow Peer Educators. Very few volunteer organizations care about their volunteers’ own personal and professional developments as much as the Peer Program does through extensive training and self-development opportunities.

My involvement with the Career Services has been highly rewarding, exceeding my expectations. As Career Peer Educators, we have a lot of flexibility in the kinds of roles we can take on, having the freedom to be involved in as much as or as little as we want depending on how busy we each are. Most of us are involved in offering individual advising on resume, cover letter or interview preparation, and we also have the opportunity to help out with career-related events, partake in various committees, and facilitate career workshops.

Through regular advising, I have been able to interact directly with students with various types of career-related problems, and in the process, I could refine my own expertise in writing a resume and cover letter and using career resources. As well, I have honed my helping skills such as Socratic questioning, suspending judgment, and effective listening. I have also become more confident when I prepare my own resume and cover letter and attend interviews. Apart from advising, I have contributed blog articles for the Career Services Informer (CSI) blog on topics I found intriguing. I also serve as a Peer Coach for new Peer Educators, offering them advising practice and helping them remain accountable to their competency goals. In the coming weeks, I am looking forward to interviewing a guest speaker for the Backpack to Briefcase conference and writing a blog article based on the interview. As well, I am excited to tackle co-facilitating a resume/cover letter workshop for Residence.

My role as a Peer Educator has enhanced the quality of my university experience, enabling me to give to the university community as much as I have received. I feel fortunate to have been part of Peer Education as the set of core skills and competencies that I have developed willserve me well regardless of what I plan to do in the future.

RESOURCES

Check out these really cool programs offered to you around the campus. These will help you take advantage of the massive leadership opportunities that we may have missed otherwise.

• Join the Peer Education program
• International mentorship – on campus leadership program
• The LEAD program