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Making it happen – Zach’s story

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

This week’s blog is about my buddy Zach Silbernagel, who’s in Ottawa for his 8-month residency. He’d like to introduce himself and explain the picture below, so here he is: “Hello from our Nation’s Capital! My name is Zach, and I am the guy in the far right of the picture below.”

“Why am I standing with two of my classmates beside Stéphane Dion? Well, the short answer would be because of this program. I and my two amazing friends there, James and Dave (guys I met through the program), all got placed in Ottawa for our Corporate Residencies. The excitement of being able to explore an awesome new city was followed immediately by the thought: ‘What kind of trouble can I get into in here?’ Realistically, I knew that I needed to find something to do while in Ottawa that would further my career, make the most of my opportunities, and above all else prove that this program allows you to do things that you would never have thought possible.

So what did I decide I wanted to do? The most logical thing to do while in Ottawa: meet politicians. My thinking was, one of the best ways to become successful in my own career would be to try and meet individuals who were successful in theirs; to gain insight on what it took for these people to get where they are. Who would be in a better position to lend advice on success to me and my friends than the leaders of our country? So, in true Corporate Residency MBA fashion, I got to work. I decided to write letters to politicians who I felt really have contributed to our country and have left their mark on Canada. After many letters and a few interesting responses, I finally received a call from Stéphane Dion’s assistant. The Honourable Mr. Dion extended us the courtesy of welcoming us into his parliamentary office to meet and discuss careers and success. You just never know who would actually be willing to help you out if you ask.

So what does this have to do with the program? Well, had you asked me a year and a half ago if I thought I would be in Ottawa meeting high-profile politicians, I would have suggested you lay off the sauce. The reality is that this program has not only allowed me to see a part of Canada that I always dreamed of seeing, but has also instilled in me the passion, the drive and the confidence to go out in the world and make amazing things happen. That’s what the Corporate Residency MBA is all about.”

Well put, Zach! Along with the tendency to drop all sorts of weird Calgary lingo (did I mention that he’s from out west?), he’s also hilarious and definitely brings a vibrant and refreshing personality to the group. Having a conversation with Zach is a very rewarding experience because he often manages to quite eloquently weave expletives into compelling and thoughtful speech; a style which he claims is “à la mode”.

Currently he’s rocking it out in Ottawa working for the Canada Revenue Agency. He tells me, “I’m working on a high-level project; I’m helping to develop an agency and nation-wide outreach strategy that promotes responsible citizenship behaviour to segments of the population that are at higher risk for tax non-compliance.”

In addition to literally forcing him to develop the initiative it takes to go out in to the world and “get sh*t done,” Zach has been grateful to the program for two other reasons: “All the connections you make with the students. What I think is really cool is you’ve got this group of complete strangers and in six months we’re one of the most cohesive and hilarious groups ever… awesome. I’ve met so many wicked people, it’s like I’ve got 40 new best friends.”

Reason #2: “Had I not been in the program I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to come from Calgary and live in Halifax, then go to live in Ottawa. It’s allowed me to see and fully experience two Canadian cities I’ve never been to before.”

That’s all for now. Look forward to another Twitterview in the coming weeks!

The good type of stress – Evan’s story

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

Evan Carrigan describes himself as “a pretty big fanboy” of the program. “Everyone thinks their program is different, but when I try to be as objective as I can I really think this one is different; it’s not a cookie cutter program, they really take on angles that other programs just don’t look at.” We’ve heard this over and over, and it’s true that as current students we are going to be biased. But let’s see what has got Evan so “blindingly loyal” (his words) to this program.

First, this Nova Scotia native (Stellarton) was impressed with the application process. “To be honest, Dalhousie was the last place I actually looked at. I did my undergrad at Dalhousie [B.Comm, major in Business Management] and was looking elsewhere to do a Master’s, but I ended up attending a grad fair at Dal and was able to look at the program. I decided to apply.” Evan noted that applying to other schools felt more like answering standard short questions, whereas Dal’s personal essay and interview process encouraged him to reflect. “I felt like it was the most rewarding application process. That, and the attention that everyone at Dal gave; you could tell they really cared about you applying. Afterwards, it was pretty much a no-brainer,” he says.

The curriculum did not disappoint. Evan was particularly fond of the summer intensives: “I loved how we’d be in literally from 8 to 5 for five days a week. We’d be making presentations and have minutes left to finish it, then go up and present… day after day, over and over again!” Evan describes it as a “crazy whirlwind.” He even went as far as to say that the design made the accounting course exciting!

“It’s amazing. I enjoyed my undergrad but I didn’t really feel driven by it, y’know? Every aspect of this program is just amazing, especially the way they push you. There are so many aspects they design on purpose, like the stressors. In the real world there are problems, things go wrong and things get stressful. The team at Dal, they’re not just looking to teach you the topic. They are consciously putting stress into it too.”

The model of purposely building lifelike stressors into the program prepared Evan for his current position. He works with Scotia Capital in the Corporate Banking Division as an Analyst in the Credit Analytics Group. From his perch on the 62th floor in the massive Scotia Plaza building in Toronto, Evan is blasting through financial statements and loan documents for corporations who need massive lines of credit. He might be generating internal credit ratings (which can determine the cost of a loan to a corporation) or making sure loan covenants have not been broken. “It’s one thing to do a practice question in a textbook, another to do it for real: when you’re faced with a 200-page report with complicated notes, some of it maybe written in Spanish [Evan recalls translating some things line by line on Google] and you need to find hundreds of items within it… well, it was difficult at first. Doing it over and over again and getting used to it was one of the greatest challenges I faced and was able to overcome.”

It’s intense, but Evan is really enjoying the autonomy, fulfillment and opportunities that the position has afforded him: “You come in in the morning, grab your task list, and then it’s up to you to decide how to manage your time and prioritize. They’re not ever looking over your back or anything like that. It’s also cool to see how your work is making a direct impact; there’s a real sense of accomplishment because you know that when a deal goes through you played a part in it.”

A particularly interesting opportunity has arisen for Evan because of the Corporate Residency’s 8-month timeline. “You know how most co-op are, like, 4 months long, right?” Evan begins excitedly, “well, we have some of those students there and it’s just starting to wind up for them. Since we’re the Dal Corporate Residency students, when the new 4-month co-op people come in, they’re going to get paired with one of us so we can help them ease in to the role. How many other co-op programs do you know of that allow you to take on a mentorship role like that?!”

I don’t know about you, but I think Evan’s “fanboy” status is justified! He leaves us with these words: “Anyone who’s interested in learning more about yourself, and business, and life… this program is it. Take that extra step.”

A Twitterview from Toronto

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

This week we’ve done something a little different with the blog. One, the format is quite different: I did the interview over Twitter (aka a “Twitterview”), which presents an interesting challenge because each thought must be expressed in less than 140 characters. Two: I interviewed an accepted student instead of a current student. We’ve been talking to a lot of current students but I thought it would be great to get the opinion of a student who will be starting with us in July!

I chose Scott A.E. Smith because he’s quite enthusiastic and has shown a lot of initiative, including starting the Corporate Residency MBA Class of 2012 Facebook Group.

The Twitterview happened live on Tuesday, open for the public to view. But following a back and forth can be downright confusing on Twitter, especially if you’re not a seasoned user. So here it is, reformatted for easy reading. Let me know what you all think about this kind of format!

—

Scott A.E. Smith (@scottaesmith) Twitterview with Jordy Fujiwara (@dalmba):

@dalmba: Hey Scott! Thanks for agreeing to be “Twitterview”ed. Q#1: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Likes? Hobbies? Etc?

@scottaesmith: Hey Jordy! Well, my name is Scott A.E. Smith, I’m in my last year at Queen’s—I like to read, play sports, watch movies. Boring eh? Something interesting about me, I would say, is that I’m a soldier in the Canadian Forces—I’ve been in the reserves since 2nd year!

@dalmba: Sweet! Q#2: How did you first hear about our new MBA program and what about it captured your attention the most?

@scottaesmith: Last March, I read Peggy Cunningham’s interview with the Globe and Mail about how Dal was drastically overhauling its MBA program… I actually got to meet her, along with JoAnne Akerboom and a few current students, in TO in February. She is great! Everyone was!

@dalmba: Our dean is great! Q#3: Have you ever been to #Halifax, Nova Scotia? Just how excited are you to come here and rock this MBA?

@scottaesmith Believe it or not, I’ve never been to #Halifax. But I’ve heard nothing but good things from current #MBA students and Dal alums!

@dalmba: Q#4: What sort of career are you looking at for the future, and how do you think this new #MBA program is going to help you?

@scottaesmith: More than anything, I want to work for a great company. The program’s Employer Partners are like a who’s who of the best in Canada. I want to be the best leader that I can be. The program’s personalized, employer-friendly curriculum is the fastest way to do that.

@dalmba: We do have some impressive partners! Q#5: Do you have any specific companies/industries in mind for your Corporate Residency?

@scottaesmith: Well, my grandfather worked as a broadcaster for the CBC for many years, so I’d love to work there if it was the right fit for me. But I don’t think I could go wrong with TD, Scotiabank, RBC, AmEx, the Privy Council Office, or any number of others either!

@dalmba: Q#6: What do you think about the fact that this #MBA program starts in July as opposed to September, like regular programs?

@scottaesmith: I love it. Plus, this MBA program is 22 months in a row, which means no more looking for summer jobs like you do as an undergrad. And in the summer: MBA classes with great professors and classmates by day, Halifax bars and patios by night—what could be better?

@dalmba: Q#7: How do you feel about this whole “Twitterview” thing? There’s anywhere between 3 and 15,000 people tuned in right now ;)

@scottaesmith: It’s pretty cool—I feel like we’re breaking new ground here! As you know, social networking is here to stay in the business world!

@dalmba: Q#8: You’re participating in the Canadian Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” with current students. Tell me more about that.

@scottaesmith: Well I was lucky enough to be introduced to current MBA students Katie and Jamie at an event in TO, and I’ve joined their team! The Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is for a great cause. To support our team, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/y2uy5ss

@dalmba: Q#9: If you had to say something quick to people out there who might be considering our #MBA program, what would you say?

@scottaesmith: I would say: if you think this MBA program is for you, it probably is. The people are first-class every step of the way. Apply!

@dalmba: Well about that wraps up our Twitterview Scott! Thanks so much! I’ll post the whole thing on Thursday @ http://lnkby.me/cE

@scottaesmith: No, thank you Jordy! I had a blast. This Twitterview thing is actually a lot of fun! Looking forward to reading the blog on Thurs.

There you have it! I’ve already had some interest in doing another one of these so you might see more. I’ll be in Toronto next Thursday on Corporate Tour so expect a blog from someone working there!

 

Testing the limits – Josh’s story

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

“It’s the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life; it was tough mentally, and it was tough physically.” Yikes. This is what Josh Lakien, a Wilfrid Laurier graduate (BBA, with Co-op), had to say about the first academic portion of the Corporate Residency MBA program.

Is it really that intense? Josh admits: “I took on a full plate. I was a TA [Teaching Assistant] along with our full course load, I also had home and family commitments… but the experience really helped me learn my limits. The people in the program, both the students and those working for the program, have made it worth it so far.”

But I could tell Josh felt that the hard work paid off when he spoke about his experience with his current residency (EastLink) and our Management Without Borders (MWB) class. To fill you in, MWB is a multidisciplinary course where all the MBA students get together with other students in the Faculty of Management (e.g. MPA, MREM, MLIS). We get into permanent groups and are tossed into the real world, helping/consulting for an organization that has partnered with the program.

“Our group got to work with JazzEast,” remembers Josh fondly, “they needed ways to continuously collect accurate data from concert goers and customers; we needed to use different research methods to see how to first excite customers into giving their information, and then determine what is valuable to collect. We ended up doing a survey about surveys to try to find out about how people wanted to be asked questions. It was a great group, I got to work with James [another Corporate Residency MBA student] who has a musical background and always thinks outside of the box; we had a professional artist with us as well. We got to go to a lot of free concerts! In the end we got some great and concrete results; we were able to make a huge impact!”

I don’t know of too many MBA programs that get you into tons of free concerts… I remember being pretty jealous of Josh at the time! So what is he doing now? “I’m an Assistant Product Manager with EastLink,” says Josh. He’s been working on some pretty cool stuff, including a big national marketing campaign that should be rolling out soon (or perhaps it already has?). But the coolest thing for Josh so far has been the opportunity to work closely with the decision makers: “The telecommunication industry is full of huge public companies, but EastLink is privately owned, so I end up working directly with upper management. It’s like one big family.”

The work environment is excellent too: “It’s kind of like, professional-informal. People joke, it’s fun, and there’s an open door policy… now I don’t mean that in terms of the cliché, I mean I’ve literally been able to open closed doors and walk in to talk to someone! It’s a dynamic industry, so they need dynamic people that can change and adapt. We all work very hard, but we have fun doing it.”

Josh spent two years before joining the MBA program working for Canada’s leading telecommunications company, Research In Motion, as a Marketing Specialist. “The extraordinary growth and dynamic nature of the telecommunications industry continues to interest me each and every day and I am extremely happy that I can continue to grow in the industry and learn new sides of it.”

On that note, Josh reflects on how important all the hard work was and would like to offer the following advice to our readers: “push yourself out of your comfort zone. That’s really the reason I’m here in the first place; I had never lived more than an hour from home [Thornhill, Ontario] and then I came here. Take on work you haven’t done before. Take chances.”

Josh followed his own advice and has been having one hell of an experience so far! Think about it, and we’ll see you next week!

(Make sure to check in on our Twitter feed and to become a fan and be active on our Facebook page).

A job in Power via a powerful program – Dave’s story

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

Keep Dave MacDonald in mind every time you turn on a light. Well, at least if you live in Nova Scotia. For his Corporate Residency he is working in the Planning and Performance Department at Nova Scotia Power Inc., so the next time the grid goes down I’m going to give him a hard time. (Just kidding, Dave).

Dave, who is from Port Hawkesbury, NS, and received a BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Dalhousie, is a very busy guy. “Basically each plant has its own budget,” he explains, “and plans on doing certain projects, either environmental, safety or business sustainability. In order to do this, they have to try and ‘activate’ an account for next year. So they submit a package to me that contains an explanation, financials, their net present value (NPV) calculations, etcetera. I have to look at the assumptions they’ve made, do my own calculations and ask questions. I clean it up, forward it to my boss, who approves my work, then it gets sent back to them for revisions.” Dave says he does a few of these every week and that there are roughly 300 still in the pipe. “Yup, I’ll be busy until August,” he says with a grin.

It might sound a bit monotonous, but no submission is the same. “One of the best things I’ve done so far was to be able to give a green project a positive NPV,” he beams. Dave is quite interested in renewable energy so this green (i.e. demand side management) project was of keen interest to him. To be able to give this project a positive NPV means that the project will actually make money for the company as well as help to reduce our carbon footprint… which is actually a bit of a challenge for many green projects. “I was working on the evaluation on and off for about a month. I got a key piece of information and had one of those ‘eureka!’ moments. So not only is this project green, it’s profitable too.”

Dave doesn’t spend all his time plugging away at financial calculations. Since his department is highly integrated with other departments, such as with the specialty engineers, he finds himself up and about quite a bit. “It’s a smart set-up. If I need specific information, there are [engineers] right there.” Soon he’ll be off to visit all the different thermal plants, like the ones in Sydney, Trenton and his hometown, Port Hawkesbury. He’ll also get to see some of the hydro and windmill generators. The great thing is that these field trips aren’t just a tour like the ones you might expect to be given to a traditional intern. Dave will be expected to take information away from the trips about the plants in order to help him with his evaluations.

So what about Dave’s experience with the program? He tells me “it’s been very applicable to what I’m doing in my job right now. All in all, I’ve learned a ******** of information. I think that the program was an amazing whirlwind of knowledge left, right and centre. However, my expectations weren’t that high going in; it ended up being a lot more work than I originally anticipated. I thought I had good time management skills but I had to step up my game. It was a matter of kicking into that upper gear. Now, I feel great.”

Dave agrees with all the previous students in this blog when it comes to the incredible group of people we have in this class and faculty. He also appreciates our diversity: “the really cool thing about this program is the fact that it is unique because we all come from different backgrounds and attack problems from different angles. It’s so powerful.”

That’s all for now. A prof interview is in the works for the coming weeks! Also here’s your reminder to check in on our Twitter feed and to become a fan and be active on our Facebook page.

From a broad to narrow scope – Jordy’s story

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

That’s me, by the way. That’s right, this week’s blog is about my experience with this program thus far! People have been asking when I was going to blog about myself so I figured I’d dish one out. They’ve also been wondering when a prof might show up here; that is also in the works! So, about me: I’ll be 24 in exactly one month. I grew up in Eastern Passage, a then-small but now-bustling fishing town just northeast of Halifax, right across the harbour. I’ve been going to school in this neck of the woods for pretty much my whole life, receiving my BSc in Psychology from Dal (2009) and now, of course, the Corporate Residency MBA at Dal.

I’m doing something a little different for my Corporate Residency. While my peers have all gone off to work, I am working for me. The program’s flexibility allows for entrepreneurial residencies provided you put together a solid case for a business. For me, the opportunity was obvious. For decades there have been MBA student–owned consulting firms operating out of Dalhousie’s School of Business. Traditionally they were run full-time in the summer months by MBA students entering their second year and sold to fresh students around April. However, the new CRMBA curriculum has all its students off to work for 8 months, starting in January… tossing a wrench into those decade-long traditions.

Like I said, the opportunity was quite clear for me. I’d buy one of the firms and do that as my residency, and be able to work for myself for 8 months while learning the ups and downs of running one’s own company. It was a good choice for me because, despite having a BSc and starting a master’s degree, I was one of those classic students who didn’t reallllly know what he wanted to do. I knew I liked psychology (but not lab work, so much), and I knew I was interested in marketing or advertising or PR, and that was about it. Quite a broad scope. I felt the whole sandbox situation with the consulting firm would be a great way for me engage with the local business community and test many pieces of the business world at once to help guide me towards that narrower scope. So I went ahead with the plan. Randel Madell and I purchased Coburg Consultants Limited. Randel is an equal owner but works part-time. She is also a Corporate Residency MBA student with a full-time residency; can you say ambitious? You’ll meet her in the weeks to come.

Here’s the cool part: three months in and I’ve achieved that narrow scope! Yep, I know what kind of career I’m aiming for. The story goes like this: one of our first contracts was with Dal itself, to help market and promote the Corporate Residency MBA program. As current students who work in the building and are constantly accessible and have genuine connections to the rest of the class, Randel and I (and consequently, the company) were viewed as a huge asset. Part of the marketing contract involves a social media campaign. In fact, this blog is a part of that campaign, as well as the new Twitter feed and revamped Facebook page. Before rolling out all those shiny toys, I had to do a lot of research into social media and social marketing. And I kind of got hooked. Like a lot of us 20-somethings, I grew up as the Internet did and was around to see the birth of Google and Facebook, so I was pretty knowledgeable about how to use social media… but I had never truly looked at it through the lens of business and especially not with the tools and techniques that the program had provided me with.

What I found was mystifying. The entire landscape of marketing is being transformed at an unprecedented pace by the explosion of Web 2.0 tools and online communities. It’s changing so fast, in fact, that tons of companies find they can’t or can barely keep up. I want to ride that wave, since as long as the Internet is around, it won’t be stopping. Social Media and its applications to business / marketing is my narrow scope, and now I have 5 months in this “sandbox” as well a bunch of elective courses in the 2010/2011 school year to actively position myself to land a tremendously inticing career upon graduation. All thanks to Coburg and the Corporate Residency MBA.

I could write a lot more, but this blog is long enough as it is. If, as a prospective student or a curious individual, you have any questions about Coburg and how it’s been going, feel free to get in touch with me! You can find my email through the Coburg website (linked above) or ask a question on the Facebook fan page wall (also linked above). Cheers, and see you next Thursday (or earlier)!

A change in focus – Farhad’s story

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

Farhad Quassem was a touch skeptical about our program when he was first applying. He was wary that Dalhousie’s global reputation wasn’t as domineering as some of the elite North American b-schools; indeed, he had offers from some of them but ended up here instead. What drove his decision? It was a combination of the right price and the “deal sweetener” (as he puts it) of the paid Corporate Residency.

As we shared a delicious artichoke and spinach dip at the Pogue Fado, I had to ask Farhad his opinion of Dal and the program after being almost 9 months into the 22-month program. He said, “The workload was intense, the profs exceeded my expectations by miles. Maybe Dal isn’t yet considered a top-tier school, but this is a top-tier program.”

Farhad is one of the students in the program who does have a fair bit of work experience. The bulk of it lies in the IT field. He received a BSc with a Major in Computer Information Systems from the University of Windsor and has since worked as software designer/developer, a support analyst at a bank, an e-marketing analyst, a project manager and was once even a door-to-door salesman. Farhad was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh and has also lived in Saudi Arabia, as well as in Canada.

So why an MBA? “This is more of a transformation than just a degree to me,” explains Farhad. “I’ve always been interested in finance and politics… personality-wise I’m more of a Machiavelli than a Caesar so I’ve decided to focus on finance [he winks]. Essentially, finance is the root of everything. If you want to do anything from curing cancer to creating the next blockbuster album you need money, and the money has to come from somewhere.”

Farhad’s Corporate Residency certainly will help him realize his future career in finance: he’s currently working as a Financial Consultant for the City of Halifax, reporting to the Manager of Finance and Budgeting for the City. “I valuate capital investment proposals from different business units in the city. The other day I was looking at a proposal for a new central library. I’m heading up a few big projects, such as a developing a document and knowledge management system.” This system will be implemented to help ease the blow of 40,000 people retiring over the next five years in Halifax. Farhad explains that these soon-to-be retirees know a lot of stuff, but a lot of it is in their head. The challenge is to get that knowledge and preserve it so the people who eventually fill those gaps can manage their roles more smoothly.

I asked Farhad what he saw himself doing in the next few months. He smiled and said, “I’m on the patio of Your Father’s Moustache [a popular pub, for you non-Haligonians] surrounded by beautiful glasses of European beer.”

To which I replied: “I meant at work!”

“Oh! Well. the City has a deficit for the 2011 budget, and I’ll help in recommending service level adjustments, tax rate adjustments, and internal efficiency retooling to help reduce it.”

Seemingly, the transformation from IT whiz to financial guru is going well. Farhad confirmed this, adding that the networking he’s been doing has been incredible. “The program itself, with its interview prep sessions, the networking sessions and even just our social mixers has given me a huge confidence boost. Now I’m comfortable sharing a beer with senior executives in different businesses and just chatting and getting to know them… building my professional network.”

On top of all this, Farhad made the “shotgun decision” to write the CFA exam (Chartered Financial Analyst). Good luck, man!

I asked Farhad if he had any general wisdom to share. This is what he said: “If you can realize that humility and confidence can coexist, and let the program do its thing then you’ll learn a lot more than if you try to force it to fit you. If you’re just in it for the piece of paper, then it’ll be a good piece of paper, and an expensive one, but that’s it. I knew there’d be situations when the program would be overwhelming, but a part of the process is to learn how to deal with that feeling and how to overcome it. Succeed there and you end up stronger.”

We’ll see you next Thursday! (Or sooner, since I’m starting to publish shorter “in-between” blogs now).

Also, remember to check out our Twitter feed and become a fan of our Facebook page. There’s also a Facebook group for the new class of 2012.

Uniquely engineered – Dan’s story

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

The MBA degree was classically designed for engineers. Over time, it became more and more attractive to other backgrounds before becoming entrenched as fairly commonplace graduate degree. Before starting the program, Dan Gould was worried that this Corporate Residency MBA would just be another “Master’s of Commerce.”

“I didn’t have a BBA or BComm,” explains Dan (who, incidentally, has a Bachelor of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering from DalTech and Acadia). “I was worried that this program wouldn’t fit in well with my personal style.” However, now having experienced a good six months of school and two of work, Dan thinks if they couldn’t call our program an MBA, they could call it a ‘Master’s of Management.’ “It’s been really great, and has opened my eyes to new ways of thinking and doing.”

One of the things Dan particularly liked about the program were the simulations we engaged in. Personally, I can remember three of them (we probably did more). There was a computer-assisted ‘Climbing of Mount Everest’ we did in Organizational Behaviour, where you had to make choices as a team that affected your virtual team as it ascended the digital peak. We had a business structure simulation in one of our continual PPE (Personal and Professional Effectiveness) sessions, where we used real currency and were assigned to be workers, middle managers, executives or clients. Allowed to freely interact but guided by some rules (some of them strange, like workers had to remain in taped-off areas and wear no shoes) we explored the pitfalls and complexities of hierarchical organizations and time crunches. Third, and Dan’s favourite, was a weekend-long free-for-all: an unstructured simulation involving groups of 4 to 6, where we were either investment banks, major companies or organizations and were thrown into a fictional world where a major acquisition / ownership transfer was imminent.

“It was an intense game, and we all wanted to do well,” remembers Dan. “We got on the inside, in the best position. I kind of messed with everyone, but you know, nothing was personal in the end.” Dan recalls waking up at 6am on a Saturday to prepare a proposal… for his own classmates. “We all just got stuck in that role and situation; it really made you act in a different way, and it was interesting to see what you were capable of.” Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? I have to agree with Dan, it was an experience unlike any other I’ve had in my scholastic career. In fact, there’s enough to it that I might have to devote a whole blog to telling the full story. Otherwise I’d lose focus on Danny here, and you’ve all come to read his story today, so we’ll get back to it.

Okay: what, pray tell, does Mr. Gould do? For this 8-month residency, he is a Project Assistant in the Records and IT Department at the Nova Scotia Pension Agency (NSPA), which falls under the authority of the provincial government. “My background in engineering has helped a lot in terms of computer skills and design,” says Dan. “I work with Excel a lot.” Indeed he does. One of the things Dan is doing is designing a spreadsheet suite that will be used across the entire Agency. “Basically cheques come in, and journal ledgers for accounting come out,” explains Dan. That’s a succinct way of saying that he designed a system that automates a formerly tedious yet necessary process. “What’s really cool is that it’ll be a ‘legacy’ system, so they’ll still be using it long after I’m finished there,” he says. He is also documenting other business processes, preparing for and defining areas that need to be digitized in the future.

Like Cristina, Dan says he misses the rest of the class and the school life we shared prior to the residencies. “While I did miss working as well, I miss the pace of the program. It was a bit of culture shock entering this position because of that difference in pace. It did take me a while to ease in to it.” Dan still makes face time with those still working in Halifax by showing up for traditional Thursday lunches at Scotia Square or after-work drinks at the Triangle on Fridays. We hope to see him there this Friday; and we’ll see YOU next Thursday!

Building brands and a career – Cristina’s story

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

What’s the dream marketing job look like to you? I always pictured a place where a lot of proposals and graphics and data would come flying at you from all corners of the department, and you’d be there in the middle making things happen, approving this, rejecting that, analyzing this trend, applying it to that campaign. Fast paced, and always different.

As it turns out, Cristina Castronovo is pretty much living out that fantasy as an Assistant Brand Manager with Johnson & Johnson. Cristina, who is known for her compulsion to smile infectiously, hails from Richmond Hill, Ontario. She went to Queen’s and received a BScH, majoring in psychology. “I definitely think my psych background has helped me, not only from a consumer perspective in terms of being able to quickly understand our target audience, but also in terms of being able to analyze data and tell a story based on that data,” she says.

Johnson & Johnson is a high-profile company with a huge variety of brands. Cristina currently works on the K-Y Brand and has also gotten exposure to some Purell projects. Cristina tells me the culture at J&J is incredible: “It’s definitely supportive. You’re given a lot of responsibility and autonomy right away; they really trust you and your superiors really care about your success and growth. Just this Monday, the VP of my division took me and another intern out for lunch to check in with us. That gesture in and of itself spoke volumes to me about the culture at J&J.”

Cristina spends a lot of her time writing what is called a brand review for K-Y, which involves looking deeply into the various aspects of the brand’s 2009 performance and identifying future opportunities for growth. However, she’s also had some involvement with the K-Y Intimacy Experiment, a reality series–inspired campaign that launched earlier this year. “I’ve been down to Toronto for a commercial voice-over session and have helped edit some of the commercial scripts,” she says. She also is involved with developing artwork for packaging graphics and in-store displays. Agencies will send her prototype designs and based on her research and vision, she will make suggestions, approve certain details and reject others. Very cool. “There’s such a breadth of experience in this job,” Cristina says excitedly. “On top of the typical creative stuff you might expect with a marketing position, it’s very analytical as well, which surprised me. I really enjoy what I am doing. Marketing excites me, and this experience has confirmed to me that I’m heading in the right direction!” In the coming months, she anticipates moving on to other brands in the J&J family, such as Reach and StayFree.

When I asked Cristina what she liked most about the Corporate Residency MBA program itself (you know, putting aside her sweet job), she quickly responded, “For me it comes down to the people. I just think, in terms of everything we had to go through – including crazy intense courses and finding a job – that if it wasn’t for the network of people in the program I wouldn’t have made it through without losing my mind! Everyone’s just so invested in the program’s success.” She also enjoys Halifax and was very happy to have been here over the summer: “There’s never a shortage of things to do in Halifax in the summer, all the festivals and places to see! And I had always wanted to go on a boat cruise!” Ah yes, the boat cruise. Last summer the Corporate Residency MBA students, along with significant others and the second year MBAs, piled onto a seaworthy if slightly crammed vessel and chugged around Halifax Harbour as the daylight drained from the sky. “It was amazing!”

Cristina would like to say to members of the class who are reading this: “I miss everyone! I hope you are enjoying your time and residency right now!”

To prospective students and those who have already been accepted, she says, “It’s a challenging program, but you will grow so much and develop so many skills that you never even thought you could develop.” Cristina is also contributing to our ongoing testimonial video project.

We’ll see you all next week at the latest! We will probably start publishing stuff twice weekly so either keep on top of the Twitter feed (http://www.twitter.com/dalmba) or track the updates on the Facebook page!

Making every moment count – Jamie’s story

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

Jamie McGuigan is a busy guy. Before coming to the program he was all over the globe, visiting places like Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Sweden and Tanzania (check out his Tanzanian blog: http://tantasticvoyage.blogspot.com/). He also taught English in Korea. Then he came to the Corporate Residency MBA, which he describes as being “very challenging and rewarding. Now that I’m in the workforce I feel like a well tuned Olympic athlete; it’s definitely given me the confidence to speak up, contribute, and not just be ‘another’ employee.”

As a member of the Credit Solutions Team at Scotia Commercial in Toronto (the same position as Rich in Halifax), he’s recently embarked on his rotational program. He’s also been enjoying the bustling life of downtown Toronto. Originally from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (“the city that never sleeps,” according to Jamie), this UPEI grad (BBA) has no trouble fitting in with the big city culture. He’s witnessed an undercover police bust, motored around on a Segway (apparently the elderly supplied him with many a strange look), attended a bunch of Raptors games and joyfully took to the streets with the crowds after the Men’s Hockey Team earned our record setting 14th gold medal!

Busy indeed! Prior to shipping off to Toronto, he was no less active during the academic portion. Jamie participated in a business skills competition put on by the Sobey School of Business (a friendly rival of Dalhousie’s) with several other Corporate Residency MBA students. Out of the $15,000 in prize money, our team took away $11,000 of it, coming first place in EVERY event! “It really spoke volumes to the calibre of our team,” says Jamie proudly. He also ran Dalhousie’s team for the Fall 2009 Financial Post Stock Challenge.

One of the most memorable experiences for Jamie during the first six months of the Corporate Residency MBA was the Interview Competition. Our whole class had a day where we did mock interviews (with real employers). The interviewers ranked us, and the top three were invited to do a public interview where they were grilled by a panel of three interviewers, while the rest of the class watched… one of the interviewers took candid and frank notes regarding the interviewee’s performance on his laptop, which was projected above and behind the interviewee for all to see! This experience was particularly memorable for Jamie since he was actually one of the top three. “It was a really high pressure situation. I don’t know if I’ll ever be nervous in any situation after that,” he recalls. I remember watching those interviews and being nervous for Jamie (as well as the other two: Jocelyn and Matilde, who you’ll meet soon enough), but what an experience for him, and the audience!

Moving to the present: as promised in Rich’s blog, I called upon Jamie to shed some light on what exactly they do in the Credit Solutions Team. Jamie joked, “I start my day by putting on my pants, one leg at a time. Once the pants are on I make blockbuster financial deals!” Both distraught and intrigued by the image of a half naked Bay Street Baron, I requested some elaboration. Jamie explained that his team works with clients who have revenues between 10 and 500 million dollars and that he does a lot of business analysis and helps determine appropriate loans as well as their covenants and restrictions. He works alongside a credit solutions manager and client relationship manager for every client, providing a lot of the analysis. “I have a great deal of autonomy,” he says, “the great thing about commercial banking is that you get to touch on so many different products and companies. I’m getting a lot of experience quickly, it’s a great role… I’m looking at telecommunications companies, the wine importers, private schools , gold and silver mines in Mexico… they all have unique issues.”

Whew! That’s a lot to take in, but if anyone can handle it, it’s Jamie. With that said, goodbye for now and be sure to drop in next Thursday!

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