Meet Lauren Mannix, a third-year Commerce Co-op student majoring in Marketing and completing a certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Last fall, Lauren completed her second co-op at Digital Nova Scotia, where she worked as a Project Coordinator. Over the course of the term, she was in charge of planning and coordinating various events and projects, some very large in scope. “I took the lead on organizing and executing a virtual networking event connecting over 250 students in the Skills for Hire Atlantic Program to industry professionals.” Lauren also had the opportunity to attend and represent Digital Nova Scotia at numerous events, such as the Social East Conference and a recording of the All Hands on Tech podcast. Overall, she says that she found her co-op to be a very fulfilling experience. “I loved the variety of tasks I got to work on. It was so exciting to be able to contribute to teams that were originally outside of my job description.”

Throughout her co-op, Lauren was always making an effort to maximize the amount of learning she was able to undertake. “On my first day, my supervisors asked me what I wanted to get out of my experience that wasn’t outlined in the job description. I expressed my interest in marketing and event planning, and they continuously helped me find opportunities to work on projects in those fields.” Lauren was eager to interact and work with other teams as well. “Whenever I felt that my workload was light, I would always ask for more to do across various teams to give myself the opportunity to make the most of my time at Digital Nova Scotia and maximize my skills and learning opportunities.”

When it came to her job search, Lauren was proactive in securing her co-op at Digital Nova Scotia. “I had actually reached out to a previous Commerce student who had worked at DNS for advice and she connected me with their hiring manager, and I took it from there!” All of her hard work resulted in Lauren securing her position before it was posted on myCareer!

Most recently, Lauren has decided to undertake an Entrepreneurial Work Term for her final co-op this summer. “I am so excited to take this next step; I will be working on upcycling furniture and home goods.” Lauren has also recently launched a new podcast called The G’63 Club, where she discusses topics such as mental health, grief, navigating life’s challenges in your 20s, and the process involved with launching a company.

Here is Lauren’s advice for you:

• LinkedIn is your best friend! Reach out for coffee chats and stay connected, because you don’t just want your resume sitting at the bottom of a pile full of other candidates.
• If you don’t have enough work to do, ask your supervisor for more to strengthen your relationship with the company and maximize your efforts in learning.