Dalhousie University attracts many students from Toronto, Ontario, including Bachelor of Management alumna Hailey Bain. She graduated in 2018 with a major in Leadership and Organizations and a certificate in Disability Management. “I chose the Leadership and Organizations major because in my second year, I reflected and realized that I had a passion for Human Resources and it was most aligned to that area. I loved learning about organizational behavior, recruitment, and skills development,” she says. “I had to feel excited about a topic, and constantly curious about how I could make an impact in that area. It took trial and error, and acceptance that you may not enjoy the first thing you pursue, and that’s okay.” She discovered that she wanted to foster her existing skills in leadership and gain opportunities to learn more about the world of business from the ‘people’ perspective.

After graduating, Hailey worked as a Human Resources Associate at a manufacturing firm. She then moved on to work for IBM Canada in the Talent space. “I was on the Campus Recruitment team for almost four years, which was an amazing experience. I learned so much about Talent Acquisition and was able to showcase my passion of event planning and execution,” she says. Hailey was able to put into practice the skills and knowledge gained from her Bachelor of Management degree, such as teamwork, communication, and taking initiative, as well as opportunities to participate in group projects, create elevator pitches, and present to classmates. “I present to students almost weekly as a part of my role, so having these opportunities during my degree helped build my confidence in that area! I felt so prepared going into the workforce having this knowledge in my back pocket.”  Hailey recently started a new role with BMO as a Senior Campus Recruitment Partner for the Capital Markets team, where she executes diverse hiring strategies for students and nurtures relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Networking was key for Hailey during her post-grad job search. “I had coffee chats and calls with professionals in the HR space who would advise me on how to make myself stand out from other candidates and skills to work on while I was still in school,” she says. She landed her first full-time role by networking with a peer who also happened to be hiring at the time.

Hailey took advantage of the resume and cover letter review and resources that Management Career Services offers, getting the right direction on how to communicate skills and stay competitive. “I found the one-on-one meetings very helpful because I felt validated and supported in my journey through university. I was also given actionable advice on how to prepare for the workforce,” she says.

Hailey’s advice for you:

• Keep in touch with your network and keep your skills marketable.
• Don’t stop learning or trying new things once you land your first full-time role. I used my spare time to volunteer on special projects and took time to learn about what others were doing. I believe that initiative and curious mindset was a big player in how I was able to get to where I am today.

Instagram Handle: @itshaileyb

Pronouns: she/her