Experience Record

Experience Types Included on the Experience Record

• Co-Curricular Recognition (CCR): recognizes and documents students learning experiences outside the classroom that aren’t captured on their academic transcript. Categories include: Volunteer, Leadership, Professional & Personal Development, Societies, Sports, Awards & Certificates.
  
• Community Service Learning: an experiential learning approach which links community-based experience with course content. It involves a range of activities intended to benefit the student and the community partner while maintaining a focus on academic learning. 
  
• Co-operative Education: the co-op program provides students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have gained in the classroom to real-world work environments. It helps them develop practical skills, build professional confidence, and gain valuable industry experience, all while earning an income. The program is structured around three work terms, each lasting four months.
• Student Employment Initiative: an employment and experiential program designed to assist SMU students experiencing disability in securing employment on and off campus. Employers are offered a 50% wage subsidy, making it easier to hire talented, diverse candidates while fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment. 
• Micro Experiential Learning: a course-based experiential learning program that allows students to complete mini-projects or practical experiences to earn bonus points or academic credit.
  
• Experiential Badges: Students earn digital badges by actively participating in and successfully completing experiential learning opportunities. Categories include Sport Leader, Community Leader, EDIA Champion, Entrepreneurship and Career Explorer. Each category offers multiple levels of recognition (bronze, silver, gold, and platinum), reflecting a student’s progression and impact.

Publish your Experience Record: To access your digital record, you’ll first need to publish it. Publishing makes your record and any experiences you’ve chosen to include visible to anyone with the link.

• On your Career360° Dashboard, select the maroon action circle in the bottom right corner, then Publish Your Experience Record. You will see a notification has been created. Click the black action circle again and then “View Experience Record”.

Sync it to LinkedIn: Add your Experience Record to the Licenses & Certifications section of your LinkedIn profile to showcase your verified involvement.

• On your record, click the Share icon in the top right corner, then select LinkedIn Add to profile. You’ll be prompted to add your Experience Record to the Licenses and Certifications section of your LinkedIn profile section.

Include it on Your Resumé: Share a link to your Experience Record in your resumé or cover letter bio to highlight your curricular and co-curricular experiential learning.

• On your record, select the Share icon in the top right corner, then Copy Link.

Leverage it in Interviews: Use your Experience Record as a reference when preparing for interviews to confidently speak about your skills and experiences.

• On your record, select the Competencies and Year(s) of Experience icons in the top right corner see a detailed summary of your skills and hours in each experience type.

Support Scholarship or Grad School Applications: Present a validated summary of your experiential learning as part of your application package.

• On your record, click the Printer icon to download a PDF version. For a digital link, select Share, then choose Copy Link.

By maintaining an updated record, students can:

• Reflect on growth: recognize how their skills, abilities, and confidence have developed.
• Prepare for opportunities: whether applying for internships, jobs, scholarships, or graduate programs, a detailed and current record makes it easier to demonstrate relevant experience.
• Build professional habits: keeping experiences organized encourages responsibility and professionalism, skills valued in any career.
• Highlight transferable skills: documenting co-curricular participation shows competencies like teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving.

For Faculty & Staff

Faculty and staff play a key role in supporting the accuracy and value of the student Experience Record.

• Verification: Faculty confirm project work, research, and co-curricular participation.

• Contribution: Faculty can integrate experiential learning opportunities into their courses, such as Community Service Learning or Micro Experiential Learning. 

• Use in Evaluation: Experience Records are frequently referenced in scholarship nominations and applications for further education.

• Recruitment: When hiring students, faculty and staff can use the Experience Record to engage candidates in meaningful conversations about their activities. These discussions offer valuable insights into a student’s skills, motivation, and potential.

If you are faculty or staff and have questions about your role in promoting or verifying Experience Record activities, please contact the Experiential Learning Office at career360@smu.ca. 

Employers & Community Partners

Employers and community partners can engage candidates in meaningful conversations about their Experience Record activities during recruitment. These activities provide valuable insights into a student’s skills, motivation, and potential. Below are some suggested strategies:

• Job Postings
  Encourage applicants to highlight relevant Experience Record activities that connect directly to the responsibilities of the posted position.

• Resumes and Cover Letters
  Review candidates’ Experience Record entries alongside their academic achievements and paid work experience. These activities often demonstrate competencies and transferable skills such as teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability.

• Job Interviews
  Incorporate questions that invite candidates to reflect on their Experience Record experiences in relation to the role. For example:

  • What did you learn from your Experience Record activities that will help you succeed in this role?

  • What motivated you to get involved in these activities, and what did you learn about yourself through the experience?

  • Why did you choose to invest time in Experience Record activities while pursuing your studies?

By integrating the Experience Record into recruitment practices, employers and community partners can gain a more holistic understanding of a candidate’s strengths and potential contributions.