Using SAIT’s upskilling tech to move from career frustration to fulfillment
If you asked Jeremy Rivard where he thought he would be today, he says, "I'd have just received my third Oscar." But, the University of Windsor communication studies grad, who focused his studies on documentary film production, admits, at the time he graduated, the film industry hadn't reached the heights it has now, and breaking into the field presented challenges.
But the documentary field's loss is the career coaching sector's gain. When Jeremy, working in a management position at Hugo Boss, settled in Calgary for the company's expansion into Western Canada, he had 17 years of leadership experience under his belt.
What excited him the most about showing up at work each day was leading people and the hiring process. He was motivated to expand his career to focus more on what he loved.
He says he entered the job market thinking, "I've got transferrable skills. Someone's going to scoop me." In the end, he admits, he was humbled.
Jeremy decided to take the next step to getting his resume to the top of the pile.
"If I couldn't get the experience working with a company, then I wanted to make sure that I had the education and competencies to prove I could do the work."
That's what led him to SAIT's My Pathways Career tool, and other SAIT resources.
My Career Pathways
As part of his upskilling journey, Jeremy tried out My Career Pathways — a free tool that provides a skills assessment and skills gap analysis on your current resume.
Based on your resume and career goals, My Career Pathways suggests areas for development and possible continuing education courses to take to upskill. Whether you're looking for a gradual change or a hard pivot in your career, the tool is meant to help you identify areas of growth and provide some options to help you fill the gap.
To get started, all you need to do is create an account and upload your resume. For the best results, you might need to tweak your resume slightly to reflect all of your working skills, not just the ones you've used most recently. This will help you get the most accurate assessment and skills profile.
Learn by listening
Learn about My Career Pathways from those who know it best — two members of our Continuing Education and Professional Studies team: Brad Ackroyd, Project Coordinator, and Sara Struthers, Manager — in a 30-minute episode of our podcast "The Best Careers You Never Knew Existed."
Listen nowThink "and," not "or"
Though the job hunt can seem at times like a solitary experience, there is no need to go it alone.
Jeremy stresses that tools are only one part of your job search.
In addition to doing a My Career Pathways assessment, Jeremy decided to take the SAIT Continuing Education micro-credential Applied Product Management Bootcamp to continue to build his professional skills. This connected him with SAIT instructor Darlene Severin.
Darlene gave him advice on his written portfolio — his resume and his cover letter — and also made herself available to meet in anticipation of Jeremy's interviews.
Jeremy's "eureka" moments:
📝 Don't let bells and whistles distract from content. "When Darlene gave me a template for my resume, I started getting more hits than I had in nine months of job searching using different advice and even a template purchased online. It's basic, but it's got the information in the right spots."
Jeremy also says the hard part putting in your achievements and wording them correctly. "Something I really appreciate are generative AI tools that have tone indicators, such as GoblinTools, and using them to help match the tone used on the company's website."
🏫 Find support when you need it. Jeremy took his class at night, which freed up his business hours for networking and job hunting. He says he was interested in some of SAIT's career advice classes, but that they didn't fit his schedule. Despite this, his instructor Darlene made herself very available to review his resumes and cover letters and give pointers pre-interview.
"I could book a half-hour with a Darlene, and she'd allow me to set the agenda. Whether I needed five minutes or 30, she was there."
⏩ Don't get in your own way. "There is always a benefit to levelling up. There are resources available to people who are interested, so find funding and take courses. I like SAIT Continuing Education courses because they're relevant — and relevant now — with real-world examples. You can apply what you learn as soon as you're done."
With his enthusiasm for leadership, and with gold nuggets like the ones he shared with SAIT, today you'll find Jeremy as a Project & Investment Coordinator with the United Way of Calgary and Area. When he's not at work, he's helping others prepare for their Project Management Institute (PMI) certification; sharing tips and tricks with career searchers and the community with Careers In Technology and Innovation (CITI); connecting people with tools they can use in their career search and helping bolster new Canadians' confidence when applying to jobs in the Canadian market.
Explore My Career Pathways
Take the next step towards your dream job with SAIT's My Career Pathways tool. This free, self-serve tool categorizes your existing skills and experience to create a personalized profile, identify gaps in your skillset and provide recommended courses and training options to support your career development.
Build your roadmap
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SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta.