Originally from Toronto, Ellis Reid, a third-year Commerce Co-op student majoring in Finance, described choosing Dalhousie as a no-brainer. His sister was a Dal student, and the Halifax area was appealing because he loved to surf. He soon found that Dalhousie is a place where you can try anything and develop many personal and professional skills.

During his first co-op, Ellis worked as a Client Acquisition Specialist at Thinkwell Shift. “I learned so much about effective client relationship management and professional communication. I also learned a lot about sales and connecting with customers instantly,” he says. “I can’t speak highly enough about Thinkwell Shift. Everyone was so kind, and they all worked extremely hard.”

After this work term, Ellis decided to change his major to Finance. He went on to complete his second work term at the Port of Halifax working as a Trade Analyst. “I wanted to develop my skills in Finance, and the Port of Halifax was the perfect place to do so.” There, Ellis was able to hone both technical and non-technical skills. “I learned a lot about hard work, self-motivation, and creativity. At the Port Authority, I was given a lot of freedom to develop my own solutions to complex problems. I always had access to help, but they really pushed me to try new things, make mistakes, and learn from them.”

In his job search, Ellis secured both of his co-ops through myCareer, and leveraged the support of his Career and Recruitment Specialist (CRS). “I’d like to highlight Marcia MacInnis’ efforts. I could always go to her to ask questions and to look over my resume and cover letters. I couldn’t have done it without her help.”

Here is Ellis’ advice for you:

• Grow your network. Speak to as many people as possible!
• Tailor your applications to the qualifications that the company is asking for.
• Don’t refrain from applying for a position you don’t feel qualified for. You never know what will happen!
• Don’t sit around and wait to hear back from a company that expressed interest in you. Keep applying to positions as you see fit.
• Trust the process. The job search is stressful! Remember that you have the skills that companies are looking for, and it will work out.

Most recently, Ellis has decided to go on exchange. This term he is taking a semester of classes at NEOMA Business School in Rouen, France, one of the programs exclusive to students in the Faculty of Management. “I love to travel, and spending a semester in a new country was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”