Shifali Verma
Virtual Resume
Acedemic SMART Goals
S- I want to get a 90% in math on my final report card by the end of grade 10. The reason I have chosen this as my goal is because I know that I will need math with me in the future no matter what field I go into. It is a useful skill that I will be able to apply in numerous situations for the rest of my life.
M- There are many ways I can track my goal. One way I can track my goal is by keeping track of all the marks I have been assigned in my course. This means that I will keep any quiz, assignment, tests or projects I get a mark on. I will then take all my marks and make a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel to keep track of my marks. I will keep adding all my marks and color code the spreadsheet so I can tell each of the assessments apart. Another way I can track my goal is by comparing my marks every month. This means that I will write all of my marks for February in a spreadsheet under one tab and name that tab February. I will do this for the other months as well on the same spreadsheet under different tabs. At the end of March, I will compare the marks I got in February and decide if I have done any better, stayed the same or decreased. This will also help me decide what I am doing well in. If I realize that I haven’t been doing so well in a certain area in math, I can get help from my teacher, a peer tutor or my older brother who had a 96% in math in grade 10.
A- There are numerous actions I can take to help me achieve my goal of attaining a 90% in math by the end of semester 2. One action I will take is completing my homework every single day. If I complete my homework every single day, I get to practice what we have learned in class that day. If I don’t practice what we learned, I won’t know if I fully understand what I have been taught. That being said, doing my homework will also help me realize what concepts I need help with and what concepts I understand. That information will tell me what I need to focus on to get better at it and what I don’t really need to pay attention to. Another action I can take is using the resources I have. If I need help with anything in math, I know I can join Counting on You, get a peer tutor, ask my older brother whose strength and best subject in high school was math or ask my teacher. My teacher is available for help every Tuesday and Thursdays after school from 3:10-4:00 PM. She will also answer any questions we might get while doing our homework at home on our MyClass page until 10:00 PM. Moreover, I can also come before class or at lunch for help. I will make sure I use these resources if I ever need help in a concept. The last thing I can do to help me with my goal is review and rewrite my notes when I get home before starting my homework. This will me clearly remember the day’s lesson and can also be used as a guide in case I get stuck on a question.
R- My goal is realistic and doable. If I take small actions every day, there is no reason why I can’t achieve my goal. If I focus in class, do my homework every day, review and rewrite my notes and study hard for my unit tests, I will easily be able to attain a 90% in math. The only problem I might face is my weaknesses. I know that I am weak at word problems that involve speed, distance, and time. To make sure this doesn’t come in the way of my goal, I will practice questions in my textbook that involve word problems that involve speed, distance, and time. If I am still not feeling good about the problems, I will ask my teacher for help at lunch or after school.
T- The time frame I have set to complete my goal is the end of grade 10. By the end of grade 10, when I get my final report card, my mark in math will be a 90%. After I have achieved my goal, grade 11 math should be easier for me as well as any other course I take because of the all the good habits I will have by the end of the time frame. Reviewing and rewriting my notes every day, completing all my homework on time and asking the teacher for help when I don’t understand something are all good habits that I will be improving. These habits aren’t necessarily only limited to math, rather I can use them for any course I will take in high school and university. These habits will also follow me on my job when I am older.
Volunteer SMART Goal
S- I want to earn 100 volunteer hours by the end of grade 12. The reason I have chosen this goal is because I need to complete 40 hours of volunteer work anyways but I want to help my community for more than just 40 hours. I also want to be more involved in the community. Finally, this will also be a great learning experience as I will meet new people and learn new things.
M- There are numerous ways I can track my goal. One way I can track my goal is with my volunteer hour sheet. In the guidance office, you can pick up a form to fill out as you are volunteering. I already have this form and have already completed 22 hours out of my goal of 100. I keep this form in a safe location in my house so I don’t lose it. Another thing I can do is fill out a second volunteer hour sheet. This will help for many reasons. For example, if I lose my first sheet or it gets damaged, I will always have another copy. Finally, one other way I can keep track of my goal is to make a spreadsheet for this goal as well on Microsoft Excel. This time, however, the tabs will be named grade 9, grade 10, grade 11 and grade 12. This will help me determine how many hours I’ve completed each year. This will also help me determine if I should volunteer more or not depending on how many hours I have completed each year.
A- There are also many actions I can take to accomplish my goals of earning 100 hours by the end of grade 12. One action I can take is to try to get in some volunteer hours over the weekend. On some weekends, I’m not really busy. On those weekends, instead of staying home and wasting my time on useless things like watching TV, I can go out and volunteer somewhere. I could volunteer at the local library, pet shelter, community center or even with my family doctor. This will have benefits as well such as meeting new people which can help with my social skills. Another action I can take is gathering a couple of friends and volunteering with them. Any task is bound to be more fun with a friend or friends. If I volunteer with my friends, not only will I have fun volunteering, but I’ll be helping them as well because they will get volunteer hours too. Another action I can take is volunteering at a place I might want to work at later in my life. For example, I’m not exactly sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I’m thinking of becoming a psychologist or a teacher. Since I am interested in these two jobs, I can volunteer with a psychologist or a teacher. For example, during exam time when I don’t have to go school because I don’t have an exam or on an early release day, I go to volunteer with my former grade 8 teacher at my old middle school Lougheed. Not only will I be getting my volunteer hours, but I will also be able to get a feel for the job. If I like volunteering there, I can consider working in that workforce. Finally, another action I can take is volunteering somewhere I can help someone. For example, near the holidays, I can volunteer at a soup kitchen. This way I will be able to earn my volunteer hours and also give back to the community by helping the less fortunate.
R- My goal is realistic and doable. If I am able to earn 25 hours per year at my time at school, I will achieve my goal. Of course, there are some difficulties. For example, at this moment, I have 22 volunteer hours which isn’t a lot. I should already have 25 hours from grade 9 and be half way through 25 hours for grade 10 but I’m not. To overcome this, I will volunteer over the summer as well so I can make up for the volunteer hours I haven’t earned yet. Other than that, if I manage my time wisely, I can get most of my hours done over the weekend. For example, if I complete some of my homework for the weekend at lunch on Friday and complete the rest when I get home, I have all of Saturday and Sunday to volunteer. As long as I manage my time wisely, I know I can complete this goal.
T- The time frame I have set for this goal is by the end of grade 12. By the end of each grade, I will have earned 25 hours which further means that by the end of 12, I will have 100 volunteer hours. To make sure I meet my time frame, I will volunteer over the summer to cover up for the hours I have missed and then further volunteer around the holiday, exam time, early release days and day offs. All of this will help me achieve this goal within the set time frame.
My Transitions and Changes after High School
My Resume
Address
126 Saintsbury Crescent
Brampton, Ontario
L6R2W4
Telephone
647-859-2610
Website
Objective
With great teamwork skills and lots of determination, I would like to be a valuable employee in your company.
Education
University of Toronto
Doctor of Philosophy
Toronto , Ontario
September 2025 - December 2026
University of Toronto
Master's of Art
Toronto , Ontario
September 2022 - June 2025
York University
Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Toronto , Ontario
September 2018 - June 2022
Louise Arbour Secondary School
Ontario Secondary School Diploma
Brampton, Ontario
September 2014 - June 2018
Work Experience
Subway
Employee
Brampton, Ontario
March 2022 - September 2024
Tim Hortons
Employee
Brampton, Ontario
August 2017 - September 2021
Walmart
Cashier
Brampton , Ontario
August 2016 - September 2016
Extra-Curricular
Eco Club
September 2017 - June 2018
Team Crew
September 2017 - June 2018
Ambassadors
September 2017 - June 2018
Milk Bag Club
February 2015
Volunteer Experience
Louise Arbour Secondary School
Library Helper
Brampton , Ontario
November 2015 - February 2016
Lougheed Middle School
Teacher Assistant
Brampton, Ontario
November 2015 - Present
Skills and Abilities
- Computer skills (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Interpersonal skills
- Effective oral and written communication skills
- Listening skills
- Reliability
- Language skills (English, Punjabi, Hindi, French)
- Ability to problem solve
- Leadership and management
- Positive attitude and behavior
- Sense of responsibility
Achievements
Academic Honor Roll
June 2018
Academic Honor Roll
June 2017
Academic Honor Roll
June 2016
Academic Honor Roll
June 2015
Certifications
Certified in CPR (third class)
December 2014
Hobbies and Interests
- Listening to Music
- Cycling
- Drawing
- Cooking
- Harry Potter Series
- Reading
References
- Mrs. Bell, Teacher, Louise Arbour Secondary School, P0032542@pdsb.org
- Mrs. Gibeau, Teacher , Louise Arbour Secondary School, p0080661@pdsb.net
Challenges & Solutions
Although there are many benefits to becoming a counselling psychologist, every job does come with it disadvantages. Listed below are a few disadvantages that come with becoming a counselling psychologist.
One challenge that comes with becoming a counselling psychologist is that depending on where you work, it can be hard to run your own business. Counselling psychologists can work in a variety of different places including hospitals, schools or private practice. If you decide to work in private practice, it may be very hard building and running your own office. To begin, you would first need to find a place you want to buy for the location of your office. If you decide to build your private practice from scratch instead of buying a prebuilt location, that could cost you a lot of time as well. After that, you would need to get the place furnished. Choosing and installing the right floors as well as wallpaper or paint can also be time-consuming. Furthermore, once you have your office ready, it will be hard to find customers on a regular business. The only way your business will run is if you can bring in patients. Moreover, your private practice might now be successful at first as it won’t be well-known right-off-the-bat. There is a lot of competition in this field and since you won’t be an established name, patients might go somewhere else. Finally, maintaining your private practice can also be hard. You constantly have to pay bills and give employees their salary. Moreover, as stated before, if your practice isn’t successful at first, it can turn into a financial burden as you might not make enough money to pay your expenses. Running your own private practice can be quite challenging. To overcome this challenge, counselling psychologists can make sure they have a lot of contacts. For example, doctors or nurses can refer patients to the counselling psychologist’s practice if they are well acquainted. This will make sure that the psychologist will constantly have new patients. They can also advertise their practice in ads and social media to raise awareness of their business.
Another challenge that comes with becoming a counselling psychologist is constant anxiety. Although the work is quite rewarding, it can also be stressful. Counselling psychologists frequently find themselves worrying about their patient’s mental health. Since they talk to their patients regularly and listen to their problems, counselling psychologists find themselves being personally involved in the problem themselves. They evidently want their patient to be happy and so they take it upon themselves to make sure that they can help in any possible way. This does mean, however, that counselling psychologists might blame themselves if something doesn’t work out for their patient. Furthermore, counselling psychologists often find themselves worrying about giving their patients the wrong advice. Everyone is different, so naturally, everyone will need different advice to deal with their own problems and it is a counselling psychologist’s job to give their patients the advice they need. Counselling psychologists are obviously good at this as it is their job, but there is always the constant threat that they might give the wrong advice. Their patients’ health is after all, in the counselling psychologists hands and if they mess up, it could be dangerous for the patient. There is a lot of stress involved in this job. One way the counselling psychologist can overcome this problem is by practicing stress-relieving exercises such as yoga so they can stay positive and be confident in the advice they give their patients. Counselling psychologists can also call their patient regularly to make sure that they are ok.
Furthermore, an additional challenge counselling psychologists face in their daily life is odd work hours. Although many psychologists work normal business hours, they often find themselves being called into work on the weekends or having to meet with their patients in the evening or even late at night. Part of a counselling psychologist’s job is to be available for their patient at any time and this can be challenging. This is especially hard for counselling psychologists with babies or toddlers because they might find themselves torn between spending time with their children or having to drop everything to go help their patients. To continue, another problem odd work hours poses for counselling psychologists is the lack of time they get to spend with friends and family. As said before, counselling psychologists might be called into work on the weekends or in the evenings. This is a problem because the psychologist’s friends and family might feel that they are not spending enough time together. It would be particularly difficult if the counselling psychologist has an event on the weekend or in the evening because getting called by a patient then would result in the psychologist having to leave the event. Lastly, this could mess up the counselling psychologist’s schedule because they won’t know exactly when a patient is about to call. Not having a regular schedule can be upsetting for many people. Odd work hours sure are hard to deal with. One way counselling psychologists can overcome this problem is by spending time with their family and friends during the day such as their lunch time or any other break that they have. This way they can hang out with their family and friends every single day and not compromise time spent with their patients as well.
Finally, the last challenge a counselling psychologist has to face is that their job can be emotionally straining. Counselling psychologists have to listen to people’s problems on a regular basis as that is what their job is all about. Hearing their patient’s problems every day can have a negative impact on the counselling psychologist. Since they spend most of their day surrounded by negative thoughts and feelings, counselling psychologists might find themselves feeling negative themselves. Having to surround yourself in negativity all the time is obviously upsetting and counselling psychologists have to put up with that every day. This being said some counselling psychologists might find that the negative vibes in the workplace follow them home as well. They might also start feeling depressed because of the lack of a positive atmosphere. Putting up with something like this in your daily life can evidently be challenging. Counselling psychologists can overcome this problem by talking to their close friends or family to let out all the negativity from work. Talking is a great of relieving emotional stress. Spending time with their friends and family will also help them forget about their emotional strain. Counselling psychologists can also meditate on a regular basis to help get rid of negativity and bring positivity back into their lives.