Sasha Paikin and Keshav Paliwal are two second-year Bachelor of Commerce students who made the most of their first year in anticipation for their first co-op job hunt this fall! We asked them a few questions to find out how they did it, how it helped them, and wether they have any advice for students entering their first year:

Sasha Paikin is from Burlington, Ontario and is thinking of majoring in accounting. In her first year, she attended 15 MCS events, including numerous Info Sessions, and the Toronto Corporate Tour. During her summer off, she worked for Durward Jones Barkwell as an accounting intern.
Keshav Paliwal is from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and is thinking of majoring in accounting or finance. In his first year, he attended 12 MCS events including many Power Hours Workshops and the Toronto Corporate Tour. During his summer off, he worked in commercial banking with Scotiabank.

Here are a few of the questions we asked them:

How did you find the time to attend so many events between classes and homework?
It honestly wasn’t difficult; most events were either in between my classes or afterward so I never had to miss any class to go to an event I was interested in. – Sasha

If you plan ahead and stay on top of your work it’s not a problem to find some time to attend an event. –Keshav

Which event was your favourite?
The Halifax Corporate Tour was my favourite event because of the opportunities to network in small groups with so many interesting organizations. – Sasha

I don’t have a particular favourite event, though any event in which recruiters from an organization came to the school was a really valuable experience, as you get to learn about opportunities and expand your network. – Keshav

What was your impression of the Toronto Corporate tour?
The Toronto Corporate Tour was a great experience and I would recommend it to everyone. The networking events were a great opportunity to make connections and the corporate tour visits allowed me to see the positions I would like to apply to this fall first-hand. – Keshav

How do you feel going into your first co-op job hunt this fall?
Attending these events has definitely made me feel more prepared. I now feel more comfortable making meaningful connections and selling myself in interviews. – Sasha

I feel really well prepared to go into my first job hunt thanks to the MCS events which helped me develop my interview, resume and cover letter skills. I’ve also found that it really helps to get advice from upper-year students who have a few co-ops under their belt. – Keshav

What advice do you have for a first-year student coming to Dal?
I recommend learning as much as you can in your first-year about the co-op process through MCS events so that you don’t feel stressed in the fall of second-year. I would also 100% recommend going on a corporate tour, even if you aren’t interested in working in Toronto or Halifax. They are a great opportunity to make connections that could help you secure a position in the future.  – Sasha

I recommend taking full advantage of all the DCS [Dalhousie Commerce Society] and MCS events, particularly, the case competitions. They offer a great opportunity to build analytical and presentation skills. Definitely apply for the Toronto and Halifax Corporate Tours, they expand your network and learn what job opportunities may interest you. – Keshav

To learn more about the events we offer and what MCS can do for you, check out our website and the Events Calendar on myCareer!