In fall 2022, Jordan Hibbert “graduated remotely” from Dalhousie’s Bachelor of Management program while living in Calgary, Alberta, where he is currently working at BitWide as Marketing Outreach Coordinator. Originally from Victoria, B.C., Jordan travelled coast to coast while studying at Dal.

Jordan took advantage of the opportunity to complete the optional internship program as part of his Management degree to gain eight months of relevant, paid experience while still in school. “I believe that internships and co-ops might be the most important part of your bachelor’s degree. When I first learned about the internship program, I knew I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Having real-world work experience on your resume relating to your career path is such a boost when securing employment post-grad,” he says.

Jordan secured his internship with local non-profit organization Halifax Plays as a Program Administrator. Through his role, he was able to gain experience in multiple areas of business, which helped him determine which path he wanted to pursue in his career. During his internship, he shares that he was most proud of his contribution to the rebranding of Halifax Plays. “The most impactful project I worked on was a full rebranding of the organization, building a more consistent brand identity across all of their communication channels,” he says. “This also included a new website which I built from the ground up using many new and unfamiliar tools, which I have since leveraged in my job search and new position.” He shares that for him, the most valuable part of the internship was the freedom and encouragement from his employer to explore projects he was passionate about.

During his internship job search, Jordan shares he didn’t have many existing professional contacts in Halifax, so he took advantage of myCareer job postings and other job search methods with the support of Management Career Services. To expand his network, he reached out to a few contacts at organizations of interest to request coffee chats. “Since graduating, I’ve tried to leverage my network a lot more and have spoken with many contacts to gauge the job market and learn about current trends.”

Jordan credits his current success in the workplace to what he learned during his undergraduate degree, particularly his internship. “In all my interviews since graduating, I always talk about my experience in the internship program and the wide range of projects and responsibilities I was entrusted with,” he says. “I’m currently expanding beyond my role, helping the organization with new advertising campaigns and branding initiatives, which I wouldn’t have had the knowledge or confidence to succeed in without my experience from my internship.”

Jordan’s advice for you:

• Do not miss the opportunity to develop real skills employers are looking for through the internship program.
• Leverage MCS as much as you can, it’s their job to help you secure the best position possible and they want to see you succeed.