Keira Prette is in her third year of the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program, majoring in marketing. The co-op program was a key factor in Keira’s decision to attend Dalhousie, as she wanted opportunities to apply skills and learning experiences to real work situations. “Having the opportunity to use what I have learned in my classes and then transition to a work term was one of my biggest attractions to the Commerce Co-op program, and still today is one of my favourite parts of the program,” she says.

Keira completed her second co-op this past fall at PeopleCan as an Online Training Support Assistant. She worked alongside Debbie Adams, the owner and sole employee of the business. PeopleCan offers business coaching and training for small business owners and entrepreneurs. “My main responsibility was providing support in any way that Debbie needed. I assisted with online events, social media planning, video production, networking events, the organization and development of online courses, research, and identification of improvements with social media strategies and operational efficiencies,” she says.

Her favourite project during her time at PeopleCan was supporting the development of a business course called Budgeting Essentials. “I created all of the graphics and visuals for the course and had the responsibility of advertising the course on PeopleCan’s social media. This project took about eight weeks to complete, and I was able to learn a lot about the process of marketing a product to customers.” Keira also says that she found the mentorship she received from her supervisor to be the best part of the experience. “Debbie pushed me to grow in my networking skills, technical skills, and general business knowledge. I know the skills I learned at PeopleCan will carry with me throughout my life and marketing career.”

During both of her co-op job searches, Keira sought support from Management Career Services (MCS). “For my first co-op, I struggled to land interviews. I needed assistance on cover letters and strategies for interview taking. Meetings with my Career and Recruitment Specialist helped me tremendously and after only two meetings I was able to earn three interviews, one of which became my first work term at Carte Nav Solutions,” she says. During the process, Keira found it challenging to choose what she felt was the right job; the one that would be most beneficial to her future career. “I met again with my Career and Recruitment Specialist who was able to provide me with some very helpful advice when considering which position to take, and from there I was able to make an informed decision.”

Keira’s advice for you:

• Take a wide variety of classes to allow yourself to explore interests.
• Take advantage of the support provided by MCS and your Career and Recruitment Specialist.
• Put your mental health first. Make use of the resources available and seek out support if you feel your motivation and productivity decline.

Instagram Handle: @keiraprette

Pronouns: she/her