Blog Posts

Prevent Job Search Burnout with These Steps

Sending out countless resumes only to hear nothing back can take a toll on your mental health. It can be extra difficult to find a job when you’re a student, as you need something that fits into your schedule but you may lack work experience. To see success, you need to change your approach to the job search. Instead of focusing on quantity, shift the emphasis to quality. This will prevent you from wasting time applying for jobs that are not a good fit for you and allow you to craft compelling application letters that land you an interview. 1. Decide What You Want from the Job Before you can become more selective about which positions to apply for, you need to figure out what you want to gain from your job. The six main factors are salary, location, type of work, the skills or experience you’ll gain, and company culture. To guide your search going forward, rank these factors according to how important they are to you. 2. Find Out What Companies Can Fulfill These Criteria Up until now, you’ve likely searched for jobs by looking for advertised positions and applying for all those that seem like they could be suitable. However, if you want to avoid burnout, a better method is to start by researching businesses you think may fulfill your criteria and then finding out if they’re hiring. 3. Connect with People at the Company Beyond checking if the companies you’re interested in have any jobs listed, reach out to their employees — particularly managers. You should have plenty of opportunities to do this at the university, including by talking to other students who work for the company and asking for the contact information of key people and by attending job fairs or similar events on campus. You can also reach out to employees at the company through LinkedIn. Although it may feel intimidating to send a message cold, this can be effective if you do it right. Choose employees you can relate to — perhaps alumni of your university, people who share a common interest with you, or employees who hold the kind of position you would like to pursue after you graduate. Alternatively, you could introduce yourself after commenting on a LinkedIn post. End your message by asking for a 15-minute meeting to lea rn about opportunities at the company and what it would be like to work there. 4. Talk to a Career Consultant Take advantage of the career services your university offers. You can receive support for every stage of the job search process — from fine tuning your resume before you send it to interview tips. Your career centre may also be able to put you in touch with companies who are looking for workers or interns. If one of the reasons you’re looking for a job is you want to move into better student housing, you can stop stressing: King Street Towers has affordable student rentals. Waterloo students live just steps from campus and have everything they need on site, including fitness centres , a yoga studio, a theatre, and a rooftop fireplace. Book your tour today.

How to Host a Secret Santa with Your Friends

A Secret Santa is an ideal option for a gift exchange when you’re a university student, as it means you won’t exceed your monthly budget just buying gifts — even if you have many friends. Plus, it adds an extra element of mystery to the gift giving. It’s appropriate for groups of all sizes, and you can adapt the rules to work for your group. The Basics To play Secret Santa, you’ll first need to compile a list of everyone who wants to be involved. You’ll then randomly assign each participant someone else — the name you receive is the person you need to buy a gift for. Traditional Rules The original version of the game involved writing down names on pieces of paper and having each person draw one at random. Today, however, you can use an online name generator for the game — this means you won’t all need to be in the same room to receive your names, but it still keeps everything secret. It’s common to set a budget for the gifts . This will mean no one feels pressured to spend too much and all the gifts will have around the same value. If you like, you can ask participants to request certain types of gifts — this can work well if some people don’t know each other well. Alternatively, you could set a theme for the year. Either option makes it easier for the gift givers to figure out what to buy. Lastly, you’ll need to arrange a date when everyone is available to meet for the gift exchange. Ideally, this will be a few days before the end of the semester — when you’re all in a seasonal mood but not too preoccupied with returning home. At the party, everyone should place gifts in the center of the room, ensuring each one is labeled with the recipient’s (but not the gift giver’s) name. You then take turns to open the gifts addressed to each of you and see who can correctly guess who was the gift giver . Playing with Friends from Around the World You can also involve friends from all over the globe in your Secret Santa. This is a great option if you have contacts at other universities, such as foreign exchange students who are now back in their home countries. The game works in exactly the same way — the only differences are you’ll be holding the exchange party over video chat and you’ll need to make sure you ship gifts early enough to arrive in time for the event. If you decide to organize a traditional Secret Santa with just friends attending the same university, you’ll need to find a place where you can gather to open the gifts together. If you have enough space, this can be your apartment. You can find spacious suites for rent at King Street Towers. In addition, our Waterloo off-campus housing also has some great communal areas on site, such as the rooftop with a fire pit. Book a tour to see it for yourself.

5 Alternatives to Coffee to Get You Through Your Classes

It can be awkward when your friends always want to go for coffee before class but you’re not a coffee drinker. Perhaps you don’t like the taste or the jitters it gives you. Alternatively, you may be trying to cut down on your caffeine intake. Whatever the case, there’s no need to feel left out — you have plenty of other options for hot beverages, most of which you can purchase at a coffee shop or prepare at home. 1. Matcha You likely already know about some of the health benefits of green tea, which can include aiding weight loss, a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, and lower blood pressure. Matcha is green tea in powdered form, which means you’ll be consuming more of the tea leaves and therefore more antioxidants. However, you should be aware that this also means it has more caffeine — depending on how much powder you use, it can even have more caffeine than a typical cup of coffee. You can prepare matcha just with water or add steamed milk (dairy or otherwise) to create a matcha latte. 2. Rooibos Tea Also called red tea, rooibos tea is from South Africa. It’s an ideal choice if you’re looking for something high in antioxidants but you’re worried about consuming too many tannins, as these can impact iron absorption. Although there are limited studies on the health benefits of rooibos tea, one thing is for sure: it’s delicious. You can enhance the slightly sweet, fruity taste with some honey and lemon. Plus, there’s good news if you tend to be a bit forgetful: your tea won’t become bitter if you leave it brewing for too long. 3. Chicory Root Coffee Although it’s called coffee (and, indeed, it tastes like coffee), this chicory root beverage is naturally free from caffeine. If you have a coffee maker, you can simply replace coffee beans with ground chicory root. Chicory coffee also has the advantages of being high in soluble fibre and of stimulating bile production — both characteristics that can aid digestion. 4. Golden Milk There are many varieties of golden milk, all of which are packed with spices including turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, and vanilla. All these ingredients are caffeine free and have a number of health benefits. Most importantly, though, turmeric is anti-inflammatory, which makes this beverage a great choice for pain relief. It’s best to find one that has black pepper, too, as this helps your body absorb curcumin: the active compound in turmeric. You can drink golden milk hot or cold, with water, milk, or both. If you buy an unsweetened mix, you may like to add a little honey. 5. Spiced Chai Another option with spices (although with a less-intense flavour ) is spiced chai. It is typically made with black tea, but you can also find it made with green, white, or even rooibos tea. The lower caffeine content means you won’t gain the same burst of energy as you do with coffee, but it can still keep you feeling alert. You can purchase spiced chai as a loose leaf mix or in tea bags or you can make your own by combining spices like cardamom, cloves, black pepper, ginger, and cinnamon. Whatever your preferred beverage, it’s much less expensive to prepare hot drinks at home. However, this can be a challenge when you lack your own kitchen. Since living on campus means you lack many other conveniences as well, see this as the push you need to start looking for apartments for rent. Waterloo students don’t need to look far — you can move into King Street Tower. As well as a spacious kitchen with granite countertops, you’ll have your own bedroom, with the option of an en suite bathroom and private balcony. Contact us to secure your spot.

8 of the Best Careers for 2023 Grads

If you’ll be graduating soon, it’s important to think about the career you’d like to pursue. This will ensure you’re choosing the right classes, learning other key skills, and applying for appropriate internships . If you’re unsure about what exactly you’d like to do, a good place to start is considering the best careers for grads in 2023. 1. Project Manager The majority of organizations have at least one project management office — in other words, project managers play an important role in the business world. Another reason is the varied work keeps things interesting. You’ll need to come up with creative ideas for projects, lead a team, and solve problems as they arise. Finally, many jobs are hybrid or mostly home based, although there tend to be plenty of opportunities to attend work events abroad. 2. Human Resources Professional Another department you’ll find at most organizations is human resources. In recent years, human resources has become more important because companies now need to navigate the challenges of remote, hybrid, and contract workers. You should consider a career in human resources if you have excellent communication skills, you like solving problems, and you enjoy being part of a team. 3. Nurse Practitioner Healthcare as a whole is growing, but in particularly high demand are nurse practitioners. After becoming a certified nurse, it’s possible to progress in your career, including by specializing in a certain area. 4. Data Scientist Data influences decision making in virtually every sector, meaning that, by becoming a data scientist, you can choose a path that resonates with you. There are a number of different data science roles, but all tend to involve strong math and statistics skills, basic coding, and an understanding of data modeling. 5. Digital Marketer A career that has only existed for a few decades at most is digital marketer. The field is dominated by young people, which can make it an exciting choice for grads . It requires a great deal of creativity to come up with effective campaigns; plus, you’ll often be turning to data to make decisions. You’ll also need an understanding of online advertising, search engine optimization, and other key concepts. 6. Financial Manager Companies need to ensure they’re investing their money wisely and often hire a finance manager specifically for this purpose. To become a finance manager, you should have a good understanding of risk management, be able to communicate your ideas (including in presentations ), and be familiar with the issues that affect your business — in addition to possessing numerical skills. 7. Network Security Professional The last few years have seen massive increases in cybercrime incidents and associated expenses. Businesses are realizing they need to be proactive to prevent attacks — which means hiring network security professionals. To enter this field, you may need to complete additional certifications in addition to your university degree. 8. Machine Learning Engineer Another option for students specializing in IT is in machine learning. More businesses are hiring artificial intelligence and machine learning engineers to stay competitive. You’ll need to have an advanced knowledge of programming languages and artificial intelligence algorithms as well as good statistics and probability skills. If you still have some time before you graduate, make the most of your last few semesters by moving into a better apartment. You can find Waterloo University off-campus housing at King Street Towers. You’ll have your own bedroom, with the option for an en suite bathroom and private balcony, and have access to a range of great amenities, including dedicated study spaces. Apply now for an apartment with the features you want.

How to Politely Decline Social Events

When you start university, there’s a good chance you’ll be invited to more social events than ever before. It may be tempting to say yes to everything — after all, it’s less awkward than turning down an offer and it’s a chance for a new experience. However, as time goes on, you’ll find it becomes difficult to keep up with such a pace. At some point, you’ll need to prioritize what matters most to you, which means learning how to decline invitations without being rude. 1. Choose Your Friends Wisely People who are worth being friends with will understand there may be times when you’re unable to go out. They won’t pressure you to come with them to events if you explain you have a class early the next morning, a paper to finish, or a test to study for. Furthermore, having supportive friends will be beneficial when times are tough. They will be there to offer advice and reassurance, rather than just wanting to spend time with you when they want to have fun. 2. Make Academics Your Priority Make sure your friends know from the start that you’re at university to study. Of course, you’ll need to take breaks and socialize at times — and you’ll have plenty of opportunities. However, you’re at university to earn your degree — and you’ll only be successful if you give your classes priority. Surround yourself with people who are committed to putting academics first and who will understand if you’re unable to go out. 3. Remind Yourself of the Consequences It’s more difficult to say no to an invitation if it does sound appealing, even if you know you shouldn’t go. To avoid making a bad decision , remind yourself of what could happen as a result. For instance, if you go to a party instead of staying home, you may feel stressed that you didn’t study enough or your grade may suffer. If you continuously make such decisions, there will be long-term consequences, including how long it takes you to graduate, whether you graduate at all, and what kind of job you’re able to find. 4. Never Flip Flop Make sure your friends know that, once you’ve turned down an invitation, you won’t change your mind later. This will prevent them from pestering you if the event taking place is particularly exciting, especially if they want to join. The exception to this is if your schedule changes, such as if you end up finishing a paper early or your boss cancels your shift at work. 5. Schedule Events When You Do Have Time To maintain friendships, you need to spend time together. If you’re unable to make it to an event, find another date when you and your friends all have free time. It doesn’t matter whether you can spend a whole weekend together, hang out in your apartment one evening, or just grab a coffee between classes — the important thing is to show your friends you do appreciate them. It’s extra difficult to decline invitations when you live on campus, as social events are often happening right on your doorstep. You’ll have the peace and quiet you need to study without distractions if you move into student rentals. Waterloo has King Street Towers. It’s still just steps from campus; plus, if you need a break from studying, you can invite friends over or meet new people in places like the games rooms or at the rooftop fire pit. Book your tour now.

The Importance of Cybersecurity for Students

Major concerns when you’re a student include finishing your assignments on time, maintaining an active social life, and staying within your budget for the month. Cybersecurity may be the furthest thing from your mind; however, it’s increasingly becoming a concern for everyone. Waiting until you actually run into problems is far too late — you could lose access to your accounts, suffer identity theft, and even lose a large amount of money. It’s important to take steps now to protect yourself from an attack. Why Are Students at Risk? A misconception is cybercriminals mostly target big corporations that have huge funds and a wealth of customer data they can steal. In fact, cybercriminals search for the easiest targets — which can mean universities. Educational institutions give cybercriminals access to a large number of students, many of whom may be too busy to notice suspicious activity immediately. For instance, students may not be used to paying close attention to their bank accounts, meaning a fraudulent transaction could be lost in a sea of payments for living expenses, tuition, and books. Improve Your Security Practices Taking basic security measures can protect you online. Many tactics are free and only require minimal effort. For instance, you should update your passwords to ensure they’re unique and impossible to guess. For your most important accounts, you should enable two-factor authentication. This means you’ll need to provide additional information to log in, such as biometric data in the form of a fingerprint or eye scan or a code you receive to a trusted device or as a text message. You should also back up all your data by saving it to the cloud. This is especially important for assignments and any other documents it would be disastrous to lose. Some advantages of using the cloud is you’ll be able to access documents from anywhere and you can collaborate with other students. Plus, systems tend to have strong security protections in place. Lastly, if you have the means, it’s worth paying for a virtual private network (VPN). As well as hiding your IP address to make it impossible to trace your online activity back to you, it will encrypt your data. Know the Characteristics of Common Scams The easiest way to become a victim of a cybercrime is to fall for a scam and inadvertently share your data with a hacker. Being aware of common scams is key. You are most likely to be the target of a phishing email. These messages contain a link or attachment that will infect your device. If the scammer is pretending to be someone from your school, your university may warn students of the phishing scam . However, scammers may also claim to be from a delivery company, financial institution, or large ecommerce company. Indications of a scam include email addresses with generic domains, spelling mistakes, salutations like “Dear student” instead of your name, and ema ils containing an attachment without any other content. Living somewhere with a secure internet connection is key to protecting yourself from cybercriminals. You can find Waterloo off-campus housing at King Street Towers — rent includes secure WiFi and all other utilities. We also keep residents safe in other ways, including with card-controlled access to the building. Apply now for the floor plan you want.