Approximately 5,000 students graduated from McMaster last week during convocation  ceremonies at Hamilton Place. This week, their thoughts will turn to a new challenge:  breaking into the job market.

On June 21 and 22, the McMaster Alumni Association is hosting Kickstart Your Career!,  an inaugural career conference being held on campus to connect new graduates with  practical skills and insider tips to succeed in their job search.

Delegates will attend a mixer at the University Club and stay in residence Thursday nigh.  They will then spend Friday learning how to kick-start their careers at a variety of  conference sessions.

The conference keynote will be delivered by local entrepreneur and community builder  Chris Farias. Farias will share the story of founding kitestring creative branding studio, a  Hamilton-based public relations and marketing firm, and how he succeeded in  integrating his passions with his career. Alumni mentors from the Student Success  Centre’s MentorLinks program will also share career experience and advice with  delegates on the job hunt.

The roster of speakers for Friday includes Student Success Centre staff members  Catherine Maybrey, an alumni career coach, and Adam Kuhn, manager of community  service learning and civic engagement.

Maybrey will coach delegates on improving their resumes and utilizing informational  interviews in a morning conference session and will share her experience with job  search dos and don’ts in an afternoon session. Kuhn will present a session titled  CommYOUnity and discuss what it means to be community-engaged.

McMaster Alumni Association president Mark Stewart, director of commercial activities  at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, will be at the conference to talk about building a name as  a young professional in order to stand out in a crowded job market. Kyle Kuchmey,  public relations officer at McMaster, will be on-hand to explain why LinkedIn is a not- so-secret job search weapon in a new graduate’s job search.

Wendy Woods, a certified image consultant who has worked on campus with students in  the past, will give a presentation on how to dress for success on a limited budget, and  Grant Valley from TD Bank will share tips and advice to help new graduates work within  a limited budget and build financial success after graduation.

The conference is sponsored by TD Insurance Meloche Monnex. More information can  be found at www.mac10.ca by clicking on ‘events’.