How to Post Volunteer Opportunities for KPU Students

 

Do you have a volunteer opportunity to post to KPU students and alumni?

Our online job and volunteer posting system called Career Connection allows you to reach over 11,000 students and alumni registered on the system who are actively looking for work. Career Connection which is free for organizations to use and allows you to promote opportunities to KPU students. Once your registration is complete, you can submit a posting for up to 2 months. If you need assistance, you are more than welcome to contact us for help at volunteer@kpu.ca

Sign up or login now and post a job! 

 

How to Register

  1. Go to the Career Connection login page: https://kpu-csm.symplicity.com/employers
  2. Select Sign Up to just register your organization
  3. Fill out the form with your company information and click Submit. Within one business day, you will receive a welcome email with a link to set your password.
  4. If you have not received this email, please add careerconnection@kpu.ca to your contact list and have a look in your junk folder, as system messages sometimes land there.
  5. In the email you receive, click Set your Password.
  6. In the dialogue box, enter your new password and click Save.
  7. Ensure your contact profile is complete and click Submit.

 

How to Post a Volunteer Opportunity :

  1. If you haven’t logged in to Career Connection already, log in here: https://kpu-csm.symplicity.com/employers
  2. In the left navigation bar, click the Job Postings tab; or, in the list of shortcuts on the right hand side, click Post a Job.
  3. Click Add New
  4. Complete the form with your volunteer posting information and click Submit. Allow one to two business days for approval of your posting.

                                                                                                                                                                            

Career Connection 2019 image

 

Some Considerations When Searching for KPU Volunteers

LOCATION: Where will the volunteer opportunity be taking place? KPU has 4 campuses across the lower mainland: Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale, and Langley. Many students rely on transit to take them to and from a location, so transit accessibility is important. When a volunteer is aware of the volunteer location it allows them to be aware of how far they will travel. As well as parking information is important to those drive; paid, free, n/a?

PER WEEK COMMITMENT: How long is the volunteer needed for the volunteer opportunity? Students take anywhere from 3 hours a week of class to 15. Many students also have a part time or even full time job on top of this. Availability per week varies widely!

DURATION: What is your minimum length of commitment? Being up front about this will help students decide if your opportunity is a good match for them. Because students operate on a semester by semester scheduling, their availability may change each semester making it difficult for some to commit.

SKILLS: What types of skills are needed for the volunteer role? We have a huge variety of different programs at KPU and students are coming to school learning different skills that they will be using in the workforce. Is there a direct connection between you opportunity and one of our programs, let the Volunteer Services Coordinator know so that program students might be targeted.

TIME: When is the volunteer opportunity taking place? There are certain times throughout the year that are more challenging for students:

  • Midterms: Students often get very busy with assignments and exams in the middle of the semester.
  • Final Exams: This happens in the last month of the semester (December, April, August)
    • Fall Semester: September to December
    • Spring Semester: January to April
    • Summer Semester: May to August

CAUSE. Make sure the benefits for the students are clear when marketing your opportunities to the students. Appealing to students’ values and passions is sure way to stand out from the crowd.

LEARNING: Many students use volunteering to bridge into a future career and are motivated by finding a position in which they can get hands-on learning in a transferable skill or utilize a skill that they already possess. Be sure to emphasize how your opportunity is unique and how you will teach new skills or recognize existing ones. Ask the Volunteer Services Coordinator for a list of learning objectives that all KPU graduates must possess.