Career Xplora: UWC Students’ Job Search Reloaded
Youth unemployment in South Africa is, you may have heard, really high. A degree definitely helps - but how do students navigate the job search process, separate themselves from the crowd and give themselves the best chance to find a meaningful job?
The University of the Western Cape (UWC) Careers Service takes this question seriously - they do their best to develop career projects and initiatives which facilitate students’ preparation for and entry into the world of work, and provide the motivation to successfully complete their studies.
That’s why they’ve launched Career Xplora - a way to provide students with a meaningful and stimulating job search resource.
Career Xplora is a career service management tool that will enrich the UWC student experience - especially when it comes to navigating their way in the job market,” says Nazrana Parker, UWC Careers Service Coordinator. “And it also has the effect of enhancing UWC’s brand amongst recruiters and employers, and providing an additional mode of engagement using information technology.”
UWC Career Xplora allows students (and 2016 alumni) to:
- Set up their profile to receive career specific information and notifications
- Upload documents and other supporting evidence demonstrating their interests, skills, achievements and so on
- Build their CVs and Letters of Motivation using the Resume Builder tool (and customise it to different industries)
- Select and follow their “favourite” employers
- Receive job opportunity alerts via the system - in real time
- Receive reminders for on-campus Careers Service events (don’t miss the next Career Xpo)
- Sharpen their interview skills using the Mock Interview tool
- Chat live with UWC Careers Service staff
- Check out the Employer Directory, new employers are being added weekly, also watch the announcements page to see notices for on campus recruiter events (second term onwards).
Visit the system often - new positions, resources and career events will be shared regularly through Career Xplora!
So how do you go about getting a Career Xplora account of your own? Not to worry - if you were a registered student in 2016, one has actually already been created for you! (And if you’re a new student in 2017, that’s okay - your profile will be added by the end of the second term of 2017).
To login, visit:
Url: https://uwc-csm.symplicity.com/
- Select 'Student' user and then SIGN IN
- Username: Your UWC Student Number
- Password: Date of Birth (YYYY/MM/DD) or your ID Number.
“Job search isn’t a big event that just happens after completing your degree or leaving university - it’s a process that starts in your first year,” says Parker.
“Focus on obtaining good academic results, participate in co-curricular/extramural activities, do vacation and casual work, and research your career and job options - and complete your Career Xplora profile for maximum benefit. And above all, consult with Careers Service staff on campus - we’re here to help!”
For more information about career services offered on campus, visit the Office for Student Development, 1st Floor, University Centre (in the cafeteria, next to the lift), call the Careers Service on 021 959 2436 or email studev@uwc.ac.za or visit www.uwc.ac.za/Students/Career-Services.
